Eador: Masters of the Broken World Review (Gerard)
How does this have mixed reviews? It was a great game, at least when I played it (though this was back in 2014 so I don't know how the QoL holds up).
I've read the reviews and I can say up front, a lot of these reviewers haven't played the game long enough or are factually wrong. One reviewer complains of random starting positions, that victory is 'randomly' determined. But here's the thing: you upgrade your starting position as you progress through the campaign. On each new world, you get a stronger starting position depending on how many worlds you've conquered.
This is also why the complaints about unit tiers are wrong: in earlier, smaller maps, you will win (or lose) before tier 4 units make it to the field. On later, bigger maps, the reverse is true and any unit below tier 3 becomes obsolete.
All in all, I enjoyed the exploration mechanics of Eador. I think it's unbalanced in an interesting and creative way that enhances gameplay rather than detracts from it, the same reason I love many Warhammer titles. If you're a strategy/rpg fan and you're okay with playing older games, I can recommend this title.