Source-first reverse engineering of a mainline Battle for Wesnoth campaign
03 — A Harrowing Escape
A long mountain-pass breakthrough that introduces Burin, escalates after the first enemy leader falls, and ends with the campaign’s first route branch.
Haldric enters the mountain pass as the leader of “Refugees,” with Eldaric absent and the orc vanguard already blocking the route. The opening dialogue deliberately leaves little mourning time: Haldric grieves for his father, while Lady Outlaw—if recruited—pushes him back toward action.
A movement event introduces Burin the Lost, a dwarvish steelclad who has been stranded underground for nearly a century. His comic bluntness adds tonal relief while expanding the permanent cast. After both orc leaders fall, Haldric chooses between the river road through the Swamp of Esten and the route through the Midlands.
Dialogue phase
Function
Opening
Establishes Haldric’s grief, winter deadline, and blocked pass.
Burin encounter
Introduces a durable companion through optional exploration.
Signposts
Foreshadow route geography and reward map inspection.
First leader death
Signals escalation with revenge reinforcements.
Route choice
Turns victory into a player-selected next chapter.
Victory reflection
Closes the home arc and names Southbay/Clearwater as strategic goals.
Map description
The 32 × 42 map is tall and corridor-like, dominated by mountains, hills, narrow roads, forest pockets, water, and bridges. Haldric begins in the upper portion of the pass; the two orc keeps occupy the lower exits. The shape supports a long southward advance rather than a broad front.
Feature
Design role
Long north–south geometry
Converts distance itself into pressure under the winter deadline.
Two lower enemy keeps
Requires clearing both exits and supports first-kill escalation.
Burin trigger at 8,5
Rewards side exploration near the upper pass.
Signposts at 13,7 and 23,38
Give flavor and foreshadow the route split.
Reinforcement spawn at 24–26,40
Places assassins and a slayer near the escape end of the map.
Objectives and sides
Type
Condition
Victory
Defeat both enemy leaders, then choose a route.
Defeat
Death of Prince Haldric; turns expire.
Side
Leader / roster
Gold and income
AI
1 — Refugees
Haldric, Noble Commander; Lady Outlaw recalled if present
140 / 120 / 100
Human controlled; carried recruit state
2 — Orcs
Tan-Schmog, Orcish Warlord
100 / 150 / 200; income 1 / 2 / 3
Passive leader; night aggression .75, caution .15, no grouping
3 — Orcs
Tan-NauVong, Orcish Warlord
100 / 150 / 200; income 1 / 2 / 3
Same configuration as side 2
Difficulty also changes fixed guards: two Grunts on Easy, two Warriors on Normal, and four Warriors on Hard.
Special events
Trigger
Behavior
prestart
Places signposts, creates difficulty-scaled guards, recalls Lady Outlaw, and installs objectives.
start
Sets the winter escape premise.
Move to 8,5
Creates Burin the Lost as a loyal, strong Dwarvish Steelclad.
Move to signpost hexes
Displays sign text and permits undo because no tactical state changes.
First enemy leader dies
Gives 50 gold, funds the surviving enemy, and spawns one Slayer plus two Assassins.
Second enemy leader dies
Runs the route-choice macro.
Time over
Winter arrives; the refugees are trapped.
victory
Haldric reflects on leaving home and names the next strategic destination.
Scenario-local macro: ESCAPE_VICTORY
The macro packages the complete branch-selection sequence: dialogue, two menu options, companion reactions, variable assignment, carryover, and a next-scenario override.
Option
Variable
Next scenario
Character response
River road
escape_choice=1
04a_The_Swamp_of_Esten
Lady Outlaw approves; Burin objects to swamps and not floating.
Midlands
escape_choice=2
04b_The_Midlands
Lady Outlaw expects ruins; Burin prefers it and anticipates more orcs.
Implementation lesson. The scenario declares a default next_scenario, but each [endlevel] inside the choice explicitly overrides it. This keeps a valid default while allowing runtime branching.
AI and escalation
Technique
Effect
Symmetrical enemy sides
Makes the first target a tactical choice rather than a scripted order.
Passive leaders
Keeps both objectives anchored at the exits.
Night aggression facet
Creates predictable danger spikes using core AI configuration.
Surviving-side gold injection
Prevents the second half from collapsing after the first leader dies.
Fixed assassin reinforcement
Changes unit mix and creates a final ambush-like pressure wave.
Assets and units
Resource
Origin
Use
No [story] panel
—
The campaign moves directly from The Fall into gameplay.
Haldric and Burin portrait variants
Campaign
Grief, surprise, irritation, and comic characterization
Orc leader portraits, signpost, Wesnoth icon
Core/shared
Leader identity and map interaction
the_king_is_dead.ogg, breaking_the_chains.ogg
Core/shared
Scenario score
Noble Commander
Campaign
Haldric’s level-2 leadership form
Dwarvish Steelclad, orc units
Core
Burin and enemy forces
Lessons for authors
Design interpretation. The scenario’s goal says “defeat all leaders,” but the experience is structured as a journey: long map geometry, discovery of a companion, signpost foreshadowing, escalation after the first kill, and a destination choice after the second.
Pattern
Reuse lesson
Companion hidden behind movement trigger
Use exploration to add party members without making them truly missable if placed near the natural route.
First-kill escalation
Keep a two-boss battle tense after one front collapses.
Branch at the victory event
Let the tactical scenario remain shared while allowing strategic route choice.
Companions comment on both options
Use dialogue to make routes feel like places, not menu labels.
[allow_undo] on flavor interactions
Avoid punishing players for reading non-tactical map content.