Disciples III: Renaissance Preview

WorthPlaying has whipped up a short hands-on preview of Akella and .dat's fantasy RTS/RPG hybrid, Disciples III: Renaissance.
The foes you face will be rich and varied, as Akella is shooting for around 150 different creatures in the final build. In the demo they presented, the units were all different enough from one another that they could be easily identified by sight, and there didn't seem to be any repeated character models. While it will surely be difficult to maintain this level of differentiation in the final build, if the developers manage to pull it off, then this will be one of the more populous and diverse fantasy worlds ever seen.

Combat itself is turn-based and based on a hex system. Battles can be fully automated if you wish, or players can target all of their energy on knocking out one specific foe. However, don't think you'll be able to pick off that priest so easily, as stronger units can defend their weaker allies and counter your blows. The developers are still putting the final touches on balancing, but it's already obvious that it will take several battles and unit combinations before you can find a party that will be effective in nearly all situations.