More archer damage sounds easy to say yes to. Being told you can only use archers makes it a rather different offer. That is Master of the Bow, one of the examples in Pingle Studio's account of Becastled's new DLC.
The studio says players had found strategies that worked on almost every level. The trait system was developed to give them a reason to try something else. You choose one trait from a selection of three every few days and after a Blood Moon. That latter event also raises the chance of seeing rarer choices.
Read the drawback before choosing
Glass Cannon is another example. Your units deal more damage, but have less health. The designers describe combinations of traits that can push an army further in one direction, rather than leave it with the same dependable setup every time.
We would be wary of picking a damage bonus just because it looks impressive. Imagine having spent resources preparing for a long defensive fight, then committing to fragile troops. Perhaps it works brilliantly. Perhaps you have just created an expensive problem at your own gate. Either outcome sounds more interesting than another small increase to a number.
There are new recruits, too. A Mage School supplies Mages and Clerics. Mages hit groups of enemies; Clerics provide healing. Both are vulnerable. The developer's warning about Clerics being picked off by enemy archers is a useful reminder that adding a healer does not remove the need to protect your formation.
One experiment stayed out
Pingle also describes an unfinished system for selecting modifiers before a game begins. It was not completed for this DLC. Keep that distinction in mind if you read the development report and start planning an unusually restrictive run.
Traits and Some Magic is available now, according to the announcement. We have not played it for this article. The question we would take into a session is simple enough: when a trait disrupts your plan, is adapting fun? More choices are welcome, but having a reason to reconsider them is the part that counts.