Before its 2007 release, the game spent three years in public beta testing, inspiring a highly active modding community that continues to this day. The game (and Taleworlds) started as an indie project by two people, a married couple. Missiles like arrows all travel in arcs and bows are less accurate the longer the shot is drawn, accounting for fatigue. The combat uses a physics engine that determines the speed of a swing, relative to the target, and gives a percentage bonus (or penalty) to the damage of the attack based on its relative speed. The game has both third person and first person view, the former better for melee and the latter better for ranged weapons. You can hire mercenaries, train them, trade between cities, fight bandits, and even become a vassal to a lord and be granted a village, castle, or town. It is a sandbox-style game, set in the medieval-ish land of Calradia, where you begin with a lame horse, a rusty sword, a bent crossbow, and some tattered rags, and are then expected to impress a king of your choice and conquer the world for him (or whatever else you feel like, really). Mount & Blade is an indie Action- Strategy RPG developed by TaleWorlds Entertainment and published by Paradox Interactive.
