Explore, talk & gather

How a day works: daylight, locals, daily gathering and travel between towns.

A day has limits

Each in-game day runs from 08:00 to 21:00, and you have 5 actions. Time is part of the game: a step takes 2 minutes, talking to a local takes 10 minutes, and an accepted audience with a figure takes 1 hour. Choose where you go before you set off.

Listen to the locals

Innkeepers, merchants, soldiers and couriers know things. Finish a conversation to keep what you learned in your notebook. Some give you items you can later offer to a figure. Talking to locals does not use one of your 5 actions.

A dialogue box with Madeleine the innkeeper: your room is the one above the linden tree; the battle is over, envoy; the difficult part has just begun. — Madeleine, the innkeeper, outside the Brussels inn.

Daily gathering

Walk up to a tree, a rock, a fishing spot or the undergrowth and press A. Shake fruit trees once a day, strike rocks and cast a line three times, and search the undergrowth once. Everything grows back the next day. The weather is the same for every envoy and changes what you find: rain brings mushrooms and fish, dry days bring herbs and fruit.

The envoy next to an apple tree near Brussels, with the prompt Shake the apple tree. — Stand next to a spot and press A.

The Apple tree panel: wet branches snap off and a few apples fall with them, plus one orchard fruit and one firewood. Come back tomorrow. — Rain today: more firewood than fruit. What you find goes to your stores.

Why gather? Materials feed the workshops, sell in the market and can be traded with other envoys.

Travel

Waterloo and Charleroi lie south of Brussels, Wavre east and Ostend west. Post-horse relays link the Belgian towns. A packet boat leaves Ostend for London, and a coach leaves Charleroi for Paris; each takes 3 hours each way. On your campaign, fares are paid in credits from your Purse.

The Brussels post-horse relay panel: choose a town; the journey takes 30 minutes. — The post-horse relay in Brussels.

The French camp at Waterloo in pixel art: tents, flags, cannons and Marshal Ney, with the prompt Approach Marshal Ney. — The French camp at Waterloo, where Marshal Ney waits.

Nightfall

When your actions are spent, read the day’s chronicle. At nightfall you can end the day early, giving up unused actions. Each morning starts again at the Brussels inn, and your satchel and notebook stay with you.