![]() The devs were careful not to spell this out for us, but based on a few cagey comments and my existing knowledge of the era, I’m willing to go on the record and say that I will eat a sheep’s eyeball on camera if I’m wrong: In place of Warhammer’s Chaos Invasion, we will likely be dealing with the simultaneous invasion of England by the Norwegian king Harald Hardrada and the Norman French claimant to the throne, William the Bastard. Whichever path you choose, though, achieving a Long Victory is going to involve dealing with a final, epic challenge. Fame seems to be the path for players who want to build tall instead of wide. Of course, if quests aren’t your thing, you can still win by conquering a certain amount of territory or by accruing Fame, a resource gained by conquering specific, historically-significant settlements and winning battles, among other methods. ![]() Mide’s culminates with proclaiming the Kingdom of Ireland, and similar name changes are available as a reward to the Scots, Welsh, English, and Norsemen if they achieve their objectives. Also unique to each kingdom is the option to follow a narrative quest path that somewhat models their historical rise to power, or the possibility of an ahistorical rise to power as the case may be. Doing so is a financial investment, but triggers events and decisions that can grant powerful, temporary bonuses. As Mide, I enjoyed +20 diplomatic relation with other Irish factions and the option to hold a unique fair every third summer – so long as my capital wasn’t under siege. “In addition, specific factions have their own benefits and quest-based storylines. The Great Viking Army factions will have some mixing of Anglo-Saxon flavor into their units, whereas the Sea Kings are described as more “proper” vikings with a bit of Gaelic influence. They have the best units available for all-out, headlong attacks but are not quite as good as the Saxons at defending or as the Irish and Welsh when it comes to skirmishing. The viking factions, of course, have a very aggressive style with a lot of focus on armor-penetrating axes. The Welsh are designed for hit-and-run warfare, billed as having the best light cavalry and bowmen in the game. ![]() They have a well-rounded roster based on a core of quality infantry and no extreme strengths or weaknesses. The Anglo-Saxons were described as “similar to the Empire in Total War: Warhammer” or Rome in Rome 2. The roster available to my Irish realm consisted of excellent mid- and high-tier sword infantry and great javelin units, which trade lower range for added power when compared to archers. Anglo-Saxons have the Fyrd, which allows them to recruit additional levy troops based on the size of their holdings – at the possible cost of unrest caused by taking too many able men out of the farm fields. They also enjoy a boost to church income and the Loyalty of governors and generals. The Gaels gain Legitimacy by owning provinces of their own culture and defending their allies, which can unlock unique bonuses. “As in past Total War games, each culture group will have a shared roster and some shared mechanics (though the devs made it sound like the Scots and the Irish might be the exception, with each fielding different units despite sharing the “Gaelic” heading). Further out are the more rugged and ready Viking Sea Kings, represented by King Eirik of Sudreyar in the Western Isles of Scotland and Bardr in Dylflinn (modern Dublin, which was founded by the vikings during their initial invasion of Ireland). In the North and Midlands of England we find the Great Viking Army culture, which includes East Engle under the recently-embarrassed Guthrum, and Northymbre under Guthfrid. Finally, the viking settlers are divided into two groups. The Welsh are represented by King Anaraut of Gwynedd, son of Rhodri the Great, and King Run of Strat Clut. The Gaelic clans are represented by our dearly departed Flann Sinna in Mide, Ireland, and the Kingdom of Circenn under Áed mac Cináeda – son of Kenneth MacAlpin, usually recognized as the first King of the Scots. Representing the Anglo-Saxons will be the Kingdom of Wessex under Alfred and the Kingdom of Mercia under Ceolwulf. Ten playable factions will vie for control, spread across five culture groups. Now, boundaries have been established and an uneasy peace exists. Their leader, Guthrum, has just been defeated at the Battle of Edington by the Anglo-Saxon King Alfred the Great, marking a major turning point in what was, until then, seemingly going to be a viking takeover of the entire island. It’s roughly a decade after the first major wave of viking invasion, and the Norsemen have established themselves over much of the North and Midlands of England. “878 is an interesting year to focus down on the British Isles.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |