Agents and Gameplay Details about The Lamplighters League

Written by Marcello TBL

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The Lamplighters League

Harebrained Schemes, the devs behind Battletech, is now working on a brand-new tactical turn-based RPG called The Lamplighters League announced a while ago. Despite the lack of information regarding a potential release date, the Steam page for the game is constantly updated by developers who share regular details about the gameplay. Additionally, devs announced the ten playable agents featured in their pulp adventure.

In this article, I have gathered and compiled all of the latest information about The Lamplighters League from Harebrained Schemes’ development diary. So, without further ado, let’s dive into the details.

The Lamplighters League

What is The Lamplighters League

The Lamplighters League is a tactical game developed by Harebrained Schemes set in an alternate 1932, where a secret occult war has been fought for centuries over control of a mystical tower that has existed since the dawn of time. The game’s protagonist is tasked with assembling a team of thieves, killers, and scoundrels to launch a final campaign against the enemy, the Banished Court, who has all but won the war.

The game features an ensemble cast of ten recruitable agents, each with unique abilities and innate passive ability that is key to their personality and the way they fight. In addition to their unique ability set, the characters have their own views on the war they found themselves in, as well as their views on each other. The Lamplighters League draws inspiration from the pulp adventures of the 20’s and 30’s, and the world is full of mysteries and strange threats that rational science can’t fully explain.

10 Misfits & Scoundrels to Recruit

The Lamplighters League Cast

The Lamplighters League is a turn-based strategy game where players recruit and control a team of Agents to stop the Banished Court. It emphasizes character development, and each Agent has a unique way of tackling infiltration and combat. The campaign starts with core characters to help players get started, but they must find and recruit new operatives by using Intel to search for new activities of the Banished Court. Once a potential Agent is located, the player must send a team of Agents on a mission to retrieve them from enemy territory, which can lead to new capabilities and playstyles. From the official website, we learned about the ten playable agents.

The starting agents are Eddie, Ingrid and Lateef.

  • Eddie Sawyer is a gunfighter with twin pistols who can target two enemies per attack, making him effective against groups of weaker foes. Players can spend skill points to upgrade Eddie’s abilities and make him more potent against a single enemy or increase his chance of critical hits. Eddie also has a Signature Ability called Barrage, which unleashes a hail of bullets in a deadly arc that can take out groups of enemies.
  • Ingrid is a Femme Fatale melee-focused character, a skilled and ruthless fighter. Her innate passive ability, Killer Instinct, allows her to gain an additional Action Point when she eliminates an enemy, enabling her to take down multiple enemies in a row with coordination and planning.
  • Lateef is also known as The Gentleman-Djinn. This young, quick-witted thief boasts impressive skills to match his bold personality. With lightning-fast reflexes and a knack for misdirection, Lateef can deftly evade enemy fire and remain one step ahead of his adversaries. He is always on the move, constantly seeking his next daring heist or adventure.

..then there are all the following recruitable agents;

  • Alexandrite is a bohemian scholar with a flair for the magical. This character’s spellcasting abilities are unparalleled, and they approach their craft with an artistic sensibility that’s hard to match. Their spells may seem like mere illusions to their allies, but don’t be fooled – the phantasms and glamoured flames they conjure can deal serious damage and stress to their enemies. With their unique abilities, the Alexandrite is a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.
  • Judith is a formidable engineer who is not afraid to get her hands dirty on the battlefield. Armed with a massive shield and high-tech gadgetry, she is a master of defense, pulling enemies towards her and pushing them around with ease. Her Signature Challenge draws enemy attention, while Shield Slam builds her defenses, and the Sticky Grenade is the cherry on top. By unlocking her Ironclad and Unbreakable passives, she can become nearly invincible for an entire turn, making her an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.
  • Fedir is a seasoned mob enforcer with the brute strength of an ox and a dangerous temper to match. He’s not one to shy away from a fight; in fact, the more hits he takes, the stronger he becomes. With every attack he endures, his Rage builds, allowing him to unleash devastating blows upon his enemies. Beware, for crossing paths with Fedir is not for the faint of heart.
  • Purnina is a bubbly sniper from an exclusive community of assassins. With a natural talent for shooting, she excels at long-range combat and prefers to perch high above the battlefield. Her precise aim allows her to take down multiple enemies with a single shot, making her a valuable asset to any team. Don’t let her bright personality fool you; when it comes to taking out her targets, Purnima is all business.
  • Jianyi is a skilled warrior with a rebellious streak. Having turned his back on the order that once trained him, he now fights with a unique style that combines swordplay and pistol work. By entering a state of flow, he unleashes a powerful energy that devastates his opponents. Watch out for Jianyi, as his unorthodox style makes him a formidable adversary on the battlefield.
  • Célestine is not your average spy. She is a master of psychological warfare, using her powers to manipulate the minds of her enemies and bend them to her will. With a lethal combination of poisoned daggers and Mesmerism, she is a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. Her enemies never know what hit them as she inflicts Stress and controls them to fight for her. Célestine is a deadly opponent and a valuable ally to those who can earn her trust.
  • Ana Sofia is a former pacifist who has taken up arms against the Banished Court as a healer. Her touch is said to have restorative powers that can heal even the gravest of wounds. She believes that fighting for a greater good is justified and uses her abilities to bolster the strength and morale of her allies, enabling them to perform additional actions in battle.

Real-Time Infiltrations

Stealth Mode

To succeed against the Banished Court, players will need to use stealth and subterfuge to infiltrate enemy territory, engaging in activities like theft, sabotage, and assassination. Infiltration is a core feature of this tactical RPG, and players will have access to features like Takedowns, Hiding and Cloaking, Noise, and AI Awareness to achieve their objectives.

One of the most exciting aspects of Infiltration is the real-time gameplay mode, where players can sneak around the enemy territory to avoid detection. With a team of up to four Agents, there is freedom to choose which one to control at any given time, while the others can either follow along or hide out of sight. Players must remember to tread carefully, as making too much noise by sprinting for example can alert the enemies.

The game begins in a real-time mode where players can control one agent at a time while switching between them at any point. During this phase, exploring the environment locating and avoiding enemies, and looking for opportunities to take down the target is vital, and it is also possible to set up an ambush and enter combat once ready.

Exploration offers several rewards such as finding hidden items like consumables, campaign currencies, and lore items that reveal more about the game’s world. Knowledge of enemy movements is crucial to complete the mission successfully. The enemies in the game have awareness and can detect and investigate suspicious activity, so players must stay hidden until they are ready to strike. Agents can hide behind cover or tall grass to surveil the area without being detected.

When it comes to combat, players have the power to shape it to their advantage. Each agent has a unique takedown ability based on their Real-Time Role, allowing them to remove enemies quietly before combat begins. Players can also exploit the environment, such as puncturing oil barrels, electrifying water barrels, and using shock mines to set traps. Switching between real-time and turn-based mode when not engaged can happen at any time, allowing players to put their agents in position for the perfect ambush and use their combat abilities to gain the upper hand.

The Lamplighters League offers a range of attacks and abilities for each agent, providing plenty of tools for players to succeed in both stealth and combat situations. Whether they choose to be stealthy or go loud, the game provides an immersive experience that challenges the player’s strategic thinking and decision-making skills.

Turn-Based Battles & Stress Mechanic

Combat system

During turn-based combat, players control agents using two action points to perform various actions like moving, shooting, using abilities, and reloading. Players have the freedom to choose the order of actions and switch between agents.

The game also features a tactical playground, including cover and line of sight, hazards, and interactive objects that can be used to gain an advantage. Each agent has a range distance and conditions in which they are most effective, and learning each agent’s most ideal fighting conditions is key to unlocking their full potential.

Players must pay attention to the stress of enemies to use it to their advantage in combat, but agents also have to manage their own stress levels. Stress is accrued when units are attacked and represented by pips above the unit’s health bars. When a unit reaches maximum stress, they will stress break, causing enemies to flee or attack a nearby target, while players’ agents lose 1 AP on their next turn. Nearby stress-broken enemies can be killed with a special move called Finisher, but they are only vulnerable for one turn.

The Lamplighters League Release Date

The project is shaping up very well, and the constant details emerging from Harebrained Schemes are only increasing the hype level. Unfortunately, we can only enjoy the trailer and various GIFs from the developers’ diary, as no release date has been announced yet. The Lamplighters League will be a PC title distributed through Steam and Epic Games Store.

I invite you to check out the gameplay first look below, and share your comments inside our Discord channel and Twitter profile.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Marcello TBL

Italian Dad in love with Turn-Based RPGs and Indie Games. In 2018 he started Turn Based Lovers and now he can't live without it.