Playing Battle Mages also evokes a bit of Warcraft III – real-time strategy in a fantasy setting is supplemented by armies lead by heroes. The difference is that you'll spend much less time fretting about base structures and build orders than you will about whether and when to pursue side quests. In Battle Mages, towns are mostly autonomous, collecting resources and building structures without any input from you. They are, nevertheless, central to play, both as the source of certain quests as well as the origin of new and replacement combat units.