kenshi game sourced
Kenshi
A squad-based open-world RPG with no hero character, where any recruit can starve, lose limbs, train skills by doing, be enslaved, or found an outpost among reactive factions.
core loop
wander the world with a squad -> fight, trade, steal, or get captured -> injuries and hunger reduce stats while skills train from use -> recruit and found an outpost -> factions react and world states shift
design notes
There is no main character: every recruit and NPC is a potential equal, with no hero units given stronger stats, and the world and shops do not scale to the player, so early characters are weaker than most people they meet. Progress comes from use-based skill gain, which makes losing fights a form of training. Deaths of notable faction leaders change world states, such as towns taken over by a new faction. Chris Hunt developed it alone until 2013, and it was one of the first games in Steam Early Access.
relations
16 stored edgesAgent skills
Skills rise from the actions they describe, such as stealing for thievery and fighting for combat, with stats and appearance changing as characters grow.
Faction diplomacy
Many factions and species with relations to each other; the player can aid or oppose them, and deaths of notable figures shift world states.
Injury body model
Each limb has its own health; limbs can be damaged or severed and replaced with prosthetic or robotic limbs, and blood loss and injuries reduce stats and movement while squadmates carry the wounded.
Unit commands
The player commands any squad member directly in real time with pause; no character is privileged, and the squad acts together.
Building placement
Outposts are built and upgraded into fortified havens or businesses.
Statistical combat resolution
Fights resolve from character combat skills, weapon stats, and armor, with damage applied to individual limbs.