Trenchmouth, an upcoming game from Wormwood Studios, is set in a world where the Great War never ended, churning the planet into a barren husk and forcing mankind to shore up their shrinking numbers with combat robots.

This Ludum Dare 49 submission was made in 72 hours as a tech demo of the strategic layer (the game also includes point and click elements and further text-based encounters).

Game Rules:

Collecting a combined total of 500 scrap and supplies will allow you to launch an offensive and win the game.

Losing all of your units will fail the game. Soldiers cannot be replaced.

Move your teams to locations to have them collect scrap to be turned into supplies when returned to your HQ. The longer you stay in a location, the more attention you attract.

Your teams will suffer mechanical malfunctions, especially when on the move. If they have supplies, they will repair these malfunctions. If not, the machine will be lost.

The HQ can only process so much material at a time. A constant stream of supplies is more effective than delivering a huge amount and having to wait.

Left click to select units, then click on a location. Right clicking a unit provides details. Escape closes windows.

Controls: All listed controls can be remapped in-game.

WASD - Pan the map

H - Home the map

Escape - Close interface menus. Open main menu

Middle Mouse - Drag map

Space - End Turn

Team and Thanks

Victor Pflug - Concept, Art, Music, SFX

Michael Faragher - Programming, Writing, Technical Wrangling

Sarah Price - Sprite Animation

Florian Behnsen - Music

Voice acting, which sadly didn't make the jam (but will be added on Itch.io) provided by:

Miranda Gauvin

Aaron Totu

Lucas Schuneman

As was suggested, here is the tutorial text we didn't get into the game.

-I'm sure you're familiar with this hardware, but let's go over the interface.

-You can reconfigure the controls in the menu, but I'll assume you haven't done so.

-This is your map. You can pan by using the W A S and D keys or by holding down the middle mouse button and dragging the map.

-You can also move the cursor to the edge of the screen to pan that direction.

-The Escape key will both back you out of menus and open the main menu.

-You can end the turn using the on-screen prompt or by using the Space Bar.

-Placing the cursor over a unit or location will show some basic information, and right clicking will show more information, if available.

-Left clicking on a unit will select it. While you have a unit selected, clicking on a location will give that unit a move order.

-If you change your mind, you can click on the unit to cancel the order. However, once they leave the location you won't be able to contact them again until they arrive.

-You can press the H key to home your camera to your current location.

-All of your units need repair parts and materials, which we'll call "supplies."

-Since some of your older machines are decades old, you'll need to worry about them breaking down if their unit runs out of supplies.

-Once a unit is down, it's unlikely we can get it running again. Keep your people supplied.

-Troops at your HQ won't break down, but they're also not gathering more scrap to make more supplies.

-Make sure to start your troops coming home with enough supplies to survive the trip.

-Keep an eye on supplies, keep moving forward, and keep an eye on your goal.

-Your scouts have encountered the enemy. You can leave them in combat or support them with other units to increase their chances.

-Remember, your team is counting on you, and you can't bring back the dead. Killing the enemy isn't the same as beating them.