Serf Wars: Introduction

Earlier, I was not sure if I would like to write an article on Serf Wars. The 'Beta' tag and the number of bugs in the game were the reasons I hesitate. With the latest update, however, bugs have been fixed and new content added. With that, I am confident that the developers will continue to improve the game, fixing the bugs as they appear (please fix the bug where a minigame score submit says I got two Doomblossoms but only one appears in my vault!) and adding interesting stuff (please add Artisan Achievements!).

Serf Wars is a Facebook city-management game by Meteor Games. It is not necessary to spend Facebook credits or to have friends as neighbors to play the game. However, Facebook credits and friends do make the game more enjoyable.

My kingdom!

(Sorry for the censored names in the screenshot but people's identity need to be protected.)

Like most other Facebook city-management games, the player builds up a city (or kingdom in this case) by buying buildings to earn currency (by collecting gold through taxes). Then the earned gold is used to further build the kingdom to earn more gold. What makes Serf Wars interesting is that the player also has an army to take on missions.

In addition to that, there is also a crafting system, where the player makes equipment and consumables with resources from missions and friend's Facebook posts. And there are also minigames to earn gold and resources, and to pass the time.

It's a suicide mission.

The player recruits units from specific recruitment buildings. These buildings may be upgraded to provide access to more powerful units. In addition, as the player gains XP and levels, and as the kingdom grows, more recruitment buildings with better units are available. Typically, the level 5 version of a building allows the player to recruit one hero unit specific to that building.

Units also gain XP by training at the Training Yard or by going on missions. The Training Yard may train a unit up to level 5. However, units may level even further than that from XP gained in missions.

Combat!

Typically, a mission has an intro cutscene, a fight and an ending cutscene to tell the story. Combat is a turn-based affair with each unit taking turns to beat up combatants on the other side until one side is wiped out. During combat, the player controls the game speed. Oh, and there is also a button to retreat for the yellow-bellied. That's pretty much all the control the player has.

Completing a mission gives XP to the player and the units involved, along with gold and a few resources.

Crafting.

Crafting in the game is straightforward. First, a specific building is needed. An initial artisan is available. The building may be upgraded to allow access to more different types of artisans.

Each artisan has access to a few recipes. If the player has the required resources for a recipe, the artisan can craft an item out of the resources, after some time.

Like other Facebook games, things take time to happen. Items take time to be crafted. The squad of units sent on a mission takes some time to recover. Etc.

Minigames.

To help pass the time, Serf Wars comes with minigames. Minigames are a major source of gold and resources. In addition to that, there are many achievements to be completed in minigames.

Achievements unlock Kingdom Theme buildings, which have good stats for building the kingdom. In addition to being hot and looking cool. Literally and figuratively.

(The cool buildings in the screenshot earlier in the article have been unlocked by achievements.)

An example of a minigame, LOL!

The game may be played without neighbors, but it is more fun with friends. The player may obtain gold and resources from friends' posts. In addition to that, the player may compare minigame high scores with friends. And the player may visit the friend's kingdom to plagiarize kingdom-building ideas.

Most importantly, the player may play minigames that are unlocked in a friend's kingdom. This is important because one of the minigames may only be unlocked with Facebook credits.

Oh, and having enough friends allow the formation of additional squads of unit to send on missions. But this is not that significant early in the game when the player does not have the gold to recruit many units yet.

When I first started out, there was a tutorial system to teach players the mechanics of the game. This takes the form of a series of quests. New players should be able to learn the game easily.

In summary, Serf Wars is a city-management game with the opportunity to beat up baddies. There are minigames and an item crafting system. The game is not dependent on Facebook friends as neighbors but it is more fun to have them.

Spoiler screenshots may be found here.
More information can be found from the Serf Wars Wiki and the Meteor Games forum.