Later, however, when you really need strong characters, and cannot rely on the mercenaries because they are not strong enough, you may be in trouble. It really is an excellent balance, and you must tinker constantly to get it right. Friends and enemies are ever present in Rage of Mages . Dialog boxes come up often when encountering other characters and also your characters are quite chatty, complaining and chiding each other as they explore the realm and run their quests. The story is somewhat linear, but side quests are offered often allowing you to befriend the shop keeper, the trainers and other individuals that you meet, some popping up later to ask for your help after having helped you.
Friends come in all guises.
You may think, for example, that all ogres are to be hacked, but this is not so. I think one of my favorite scenes came when I befriended a Turtle keeper and he offered his little turtles as fighters. A bit on the slow side, but what a laugh. I'm just taking the turtles out for a walk. And, here's a dragon friend who rescued the day.