Ah, Medieval Total War (MTW). The game brings back many fond memories for me. Although I discovered the Byzantine Empire in Age of Empires 2, it was MTW that solidified my love for them. Developed by The Creative Assembly and published by Activision, MTW is a turn-based strategy game with real-time tactics.

The Creative Assembly is a British video game developer established by Tim Ansell in 1987. But in March 2005, it became a European subsidiary of Sega. Some of their other products include Shogun: Total War, Rome: Total War, Medieval II: Total War, Empire: Total War and the latest Napoleon: Total War. All the earlier games have won many industry awards.

Personally, I enjoy moving the chess like pieces across the map and watching my empire grow bit by bit in MTW. Yet, the game is not perfect. There are a few historical inaccuracies here and there. But the other features make up for this minor flaw.

Byzantine Empire by The Vizier

The main campaign

The historical campaign allows you to play out historical battles as Richard the Lionheart or Saladin. You may even test your battle tactics as the Mongols through key battles in their conquests. But it is the main campaign where I can shape history that interests me.

The main campaign map covers medieval Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. This is the turn-based strategy aspect of the game where the fun lies. Here you get to manage the economical, diplomatic, military and strategic planning for your empire. Deciding the direction your empire building and expansion will take happens here.

The main campaign has 3 scenarios. The Early Middle Ages begins in 1087. The main feature of this period is the beginning of the crusades. The High Middle Ages is next and begins in 1205. In this period, the Mongol Horde appears from the east to destroy all who stand in their way. And finally, the Late Middle Ages begins in 1321. Gunpowder and the rise of the Ottomans occur in this period.

Duke of Nicaea with Byzantine Infantry by The Vizier

The importance of developing your provinces

The goal of the game involves total domination or strategic conquests. Sooner or later, you will find yourself involved in costly wars. Therefore developing your financial muscle is necessary to build your armies for defence and attack. To simulate the feel of the Middle Ages, MTW allows you to tax your provinces. Part of your taxes involves income from trade with other countries. By developing your provinces, you will gain more income and better quality troops from them.

The power of diplomacy

Sometimes, diplomacy, tributes and bribery are preferable compared to costly wars. As such the diplomatic aspect of MTW is a welcomed part of the game. This option allows you to resort to bribery to buy off enemy troops or to buy provinces instead of wasting your troops in battle. Diplomats also serve an important function in arranging alliances and royal marriages. Having allies allows you to focus most of your strength against the enemy. Personally I enjoy using diplomacy to make gains instead of engaging in messy wars.

Covert operations

When diplomacy fails, eliminating your enemy may require more aggressive measures. Again during the middle ages, espionage and assassinations were pretty common. In MTW, spies gather valuable information about enemy plans and more importantly, they can cause revolts in enemy provinces by fermenting unrest. There have been numerous times when I have swept in to take advantage of the chaos caused by spies.

Assassination is also a good way of getting rid of the enemy. Once I assassinated a rival after assassinating all his heirs. With no proper claimant to the throne, the remaining territories split up and became independent of each other. All I had to do was to slowly bribe or conquer them at my leisure. The use of spies and assassins adds to the means you can use to achieve your goals. In this way you can replay the game endlessly to mix and match your methods as you see fit.

The impact of religion on MTW

Religion was a dominant force in the middle ages, and so it is fitting that it is a powerful force in MTW. There are 3 major religious groups; Catholics, Orthodox Christians and Muslims. Each religious group has its own unique features. For example, both the Catholics and the Muslims can declare crusades and jihads respectively. Orthodox Christians, who did not believe in the concept of holy war, lack this ability. It is important to note that conversion of conquered provinces to the one true faith is important for preventing unrest and revolts. This is where religious agents like imams, bishops and priest come in to do God’s work.

Because I usually play as the Byzantines, one heart-stopping moment is when the Catholics launch their crusades against the east. As the Byzantium Empire lies along the road to the east, the crusaders will pass through Byzantine territory. Along the way, they might pillage the lands. From this, I can easily imagine the dangers the unruly crusaders posed to the Byzantine emperors and their land.

Favourite son commanding cataphracts by The Vizier

Character growth and development

One of my favourite parts of the game involves the characters and their development. Characters have given attributes of piety, dread, command and acumen. For example, inquisitors, who were rampant in the middle ages, can burn characters of the Catholic faith with low piety at the stake. On the other hand, characters with high acumen make good governors. The provinces under their care are happier, more stable and produce more money.

As the characters develop, they may pick up some habits along the way. These habits translate into vices and virtues which generally affect the character’s attributes. For example, if the character has weak principles, he will be more open to bribery. For the right price, he will deliver his troops or province into the hands of his new master. The attributes, vices and virtues add greater depth and dimension to the game by reflecting human nature and the realities of the middle ages.

Battle by The Vizier

Total war

Each faction has their own unique troop types which add to their distinctiveness. For example, the Byzantines have the Varangian Guards while the Mamluks have their Mamluk cavalry. All of this training and preparation finally culminates in total war. The battle which takes place in real-time can be a massive scene of chaos. MTW rewards battle tactics and strategy. Flanking the enemy, attacking from the rear, and deploying reserves to critical areas are tactics that increase the possibility of a victory. Additionally, the terrain, climate and weather affect the effectiveness of your troops. Armoured knights tire quickly under the hot sun in the desert, leaving them vulnerable to counter attacks. Morale is another important consideration that can affect the outcome of the battle.

Admittedly, the graphics and battle system of MTW is pretty much outdated today compared to the later Total War games. But since MTW came out in 2002, this is understandable. I concede that I am not a fan of the MTW battle system. Instead I prefer the battle systems in the later Total War series. This is the reason why I usually choose to auto-resolve my battles.

Reflections of the Vizier

I always enjoyed the turn-based strategy aspect of the game, preferring to leave the fighting to my generals. Only when my generals prove too incompetent to win a crucial battle will I command the armies personally. Developing my provinces, appointing capable governors and generals and deciding who to attack next has always been more interesting to me. In fact, just writing this review makes me want to replay MTW as the Byzantines. It’ll be fun to once again pit their outdated troops and weapons against their technologically advanced enemies. Where brute force fails, I can always resort to other means to turn the tide in my favour. I am sure the Byzantines would appreciate my way of thinking.

Disclaimer: All the images in this article are screenshots taken from Medieval Total War. They are copyrighted by The Creative Assembly and are not of my making.

Related posts:

1. Mount and Blade Review

Image Credit: The Vizier

Mount and Blade is by far the best medieval role playing game I have ever played. Not only do you get to wield huge battle axes, you also get to own your very own castle and army. There is nothing like returning to your own castle after a hard day’s work of slaughter in an epic battle. To the victor go the spoils. You can follow up your slaughter by imprisoning your captives in your dark dungeon and selling your loot from the battle.

Although Paradox Interactive published Mount and Blade, the game is actually the brainchild of TaleWorlds Entertainment, a Turkish company who developed it. TaleWorlds knows a good thing when they see one. Following up on their success, TaleWorlds is releasing the expansion Mount and Blade: Warband on 30 March 2010. The good part about Mount and Blade is the very active forum which provides much support and modification of the game.

It is true that there are many medieval themed role playing games out there. But 2 things make mount and Blade stand out. Firstly, there is no fixed story line to follow. So what you choose to do is entirely up to you. Secondly, the game perfectly simulates the carnage and chaos of battles in the medieval age.

Surviving the Middle Ages through opportunism

After you have created your character, you find yourself thrust into the harsh world of Calradia. Although there is no fixed storyline for you to follow, your first task is survival. To survive, you will need money to buy better equipment to deal with the numerous brigands that roam the land. Initially you only have the power to attack small brigand groups to loot their dead bodies for equipment and money. If you manage to knock some brigands unconscious, you can take them prisoner to sell as slaves. This gives you another source of income. As the quality of your equipment increases, you can defeat more powerful brigands to get better equipment and more cash.

Other less satisfying ways of earning money, in my opinion, include trading and carrying out repetitive quests. You may also attack villagers and loot villages if you wish. But this will cause the lords of these holdings to hunt you down in retaliation.

Winning medieval tournaments

You can also earn money through betting and participating in tournaments which take place in a gladiator arena. So if you win, you will win a large sum of money as well. But to win, you will have to go through 6 challenging rounds. The lower rounds begin with many participants who are grouped together to form teams. As the tournament proceeds, fewer contestants remain until the final round pits the 2 remaining contenders. Due to the huge number of participants initially and your lack of choice over weapons, surviving tournaments can be tricky. Sometimes you may begin with a weapon you are not good at. You may then find yourself scavenging the bodies of fallen friends or foes for better weapons to survive. This adds a certain desperation and realism which takes away the perceived glamour of gladiator combat.

The benefits of vassalage

Image Credit: The Vizier

As your fame increases from your various exploits, you will find yourself receiving offers of vassalage from various kingdoms. Vassals are lords who raise troops for their king in return for land grants. A vassal has many benefits. First and foremost, a king may grant his vassal the rights to a village, town or castle. This means that you will have a base to operate out of while receiving a steady stream of income. Secondly, vassals can become commander-in-chief of the kingdom’s armies. The added manpower will make you almost unstoppable when it comes to capturing more territories from enemy kingdoms. This will increase your renown and your own territorial possessions in the process.

An incomparable medieval experience

Mount and Blade simulates the medieval world perfectly. The taverns allow you to mingle with the characters to recruit troops or companions for your army. You can also walk around the villages, castles and towns to speak with the citizens you meet. While the dialogue may be repetitive, chatting with the people is a good way to get an idea of the hardships they face. There are even ways to improve the lives of the peasants, if you wish.

Image Credit: The Vizier

You may also inspect the guards of your domains. Checking in with the guards of your castle from time to time makes you feel as if you are a real lord. Then there is the dungeon where you can keep your prisoners. It is extremely satisfying to mock the arrogant lords you capture in battle, leaving them to languish in your prison for their audacity. Keeping these lords in captivity serves 2 purposes. Firstly, they will be unable to participate in battles, thus diminishing the power of their respective kingdoms. Secondly, they fetch a nice ransom, especially the kings. The only drawback about these lords is that they, like you, cannot die in the standard game.

Building your army

While you can journey about Calradia alone, you can accomplish more with an army at your command. Your army consists of three troop types; cavalry, infantry and archers. You can recruit them from villages, from taverns as mercenaries or freed prisoners in battle.

Additionally, you can also recruit companions. Companions, unlike ordinary soldiers, have distinct personalities and backgrounds. You can interact with them, give them the best equipment and train them. Companions bring special skills to your party. For example, a companion who is good at tracking will add to your group tracking skills, allowing you to pick up enemy tracks more easily. However, not all companions get along with each other. So as a leader, you have to decide which companions to keep as part of your inner circle and which to separate from. It is such attention to detail that makes the game fun.

For the love of battle

Image Credit: The Vizier

Battles are the heart and soul of Mount and Blade. They are bloody and chaotic, especially when there are huge numbers of combatants involved. If you are not careful, a few well placed blows will knock you out. This adds a chilling realism because even a stray arrow you don’t see can take you out.

The chaos of fighting on foot is very realistic. Due to the confusion in the heat of battle, there is little room for finesse. Usually, you will find yourself striking at any part of the enemy to kill him. Then before you have a chance to rest, you will find yourself facing your next opponent. If you find yourself surrounded, the panic increases because it is only a matter of time before you are overwhelmed.

Horseback fighting in Mount and Blade is also fantastic. You can almost feel the horse you are riding respond to your commands in battle. Bringing your horse close to the enemy at full speed to cut him down is an amazing experience. But if your horse should come to a halt, you will find yourself at the mercy of your enemies. Historically, this is how many knights perished in battle. Large open plains are critical for horseback fighting because you need lots of room to manoeuvre.

But not all fighting has to be done up close. If you have a ranged weapon like a crossbow, you can take out enemies from a distance on foot or on horseback. Shooting on foot is easier than shooting on horseback. Before you can hit your target, you have to consider the effects of gravity, the angle of the shot and the movement of the target. The movement of the horse is also a consideration if you are shooting from horseback.

Finally, as a commander, you also have to issue orders to your troops. Without orders, the enemy may overwhelmed your disorganized troops and slaughter them. Terrain is an important consideration in battle. Whether you position your troops favourably or not will affect the outcome of the battle. At the end of the day, it is impossible for you to win a large fight by yourself, so strategy and teamwork is critical. Mount and Blade does an excellent job of paying attention to detail in combat. Medieval combat doesn’t get any more realistic than this.

Sieges

Image Credit: The Vizier

Sieges are more difficult than battles. This is because the tactical advantage lies with the defenders. Storming the walls of a castle itself is a risky and costly affair as you and your troops are wide open to arrow fire. Compounding the problem, the enemy can mass at choke points, like the top of the siege ladder, to hold off superior numbers at very little costs to themselves. Also the defenders have a higher chance of surrounding and overwhelming you in the narrow spaces of a castle. Still it is possible to take the castle if you are careful and use your surroundings to your advantage. The only drawback of sieges in Mount and Blade is its simplicity. There is a lack of siege engines and boiling oil.

Endless possibilities with mods

Mount and Blade allows its users to create their own worlds through the modification of the game itself. These mods are available online for download at the forums for free. Thus if you were to get tired of the plain vanilla game, you can easily pick another mod to your liking. From space to fantasy to various historical periods, the possibilities are endless. This makes Mount and Blade a game that is worth every penny.

Reflections of the Vizier

Mount and Blade has provided me with countless hours of enjoyment. Wading into the thick of a battle to hack and slash your enemies until their blood covers you from head to toe is a great way to relieve stress. With Mount and Blade, history comes to life in the best way imaginable. You learn about medieval life after participating in the battles from a safe environment. Admittedly, the dialogue and graphics are not great. But if you ignore that, you will have endless fun in battles and the experience of owning your very own castle or town.

Disclaimer: All the images in this article are screenshots taken from Mount and Blade. They are copyrighted by TaleWorlds Entertainment and are not of my making.

No related posts.

Image Credit: The Vizier

Lately I have been addicted to Crusader Kings. It is a grand strategy game set in Medieval Europe by Paradox Interactive. As the head of a dynasty, your aim is to gain prestige by conquering new lands to expand your realm. At the same time you must also gain piety through church work. At the end of the game, the dynasty with the best score wins.

Paradox Interactive is a Swedish video game developer and publisher. They are famous for their wide selection of historical strategy games. Some titles include Europa Universalis and Victoria. Apart from Crusader Kings, I also love their other title, Mount and Blade. TaleWorlds Entertainment, a Turkish company, developed the game while Paradox Interactive published it.

Crusader Kings is different from the many traditional empire-building games out there. But it is different in a way that adds depth and provides countless hours of entertainment. It requires strategic planning, diplomacy, covert tactics and patience to win this game. You can play Crusader Kings repeatedly without finding it boring due to its endless possibilities.

Image Credit: The Vizier

Choosing your dynasty

There are 3 scenarios in Crusader Kings; Hastings 1066, The Third Crusade 1187 and the Hundred Years War 1337. I like the 3rd scenario best. This was the period where the Byzantines had their last chance at revival. Also the 3rd scenario is the most developed in terms of technological advances for the provinces.

After choosing the scenario, you have to decide which dynasty to play as. I prefer to play as the emperor/king because they have the most power and wealth, with dukes and counts next in line. The theme of Crusader Kings is medieval feudalism and chivalry. So you can only play as the Catholic or Orthodox Christians. Regrettably, the Islamic Caliphates, the Mongols, the Papacy and the merchant republics are not playable.

Managing your dynasty

Each dynasty has its own court with its own courtiers. This is one of the coolest aspects of the game. As a ruler you can appoint your courtiers to various positions. The marshal manages your army. The chancellor handles your foreign relations and negotiations. The steward manages economic matters. The spy master handles internal security, intelligence gathering and assassinations. And, the diocese bishop manages ecclesiastic affairs. Your bishop may also become the Pope if you play as a Catholic dynasty. As the papal controller, your ruler gains additional powers. Each of these positions is vital to the development of your dynasty.

Crusader Kings also simulates the feel of managing your realm by allowing the following adjustments. It allows you to adjust your taxes to maximise income. You may also adjust your laws to regulate your government type, religion and inheritance. Finally, you can adjust your technological advances to suit your goals.

Image Credit: The Vizier

Expanding your dynasty

How you play Crusader Kings is entirely up to you. This is the beauty of the game. Unless you are attacking a religious enemy, you need a claim to a province before you can invade another dynasty. One way is to lay claim to a province through diplomacy and marriage. The other is to sacrifice prestige to usurp or fabricate a claim on a province to declare war. But do be careful with your reputation. A treacherous and unsavoury reputation makes you unpopular internally and externally. Soon, you may find yourself assailed on all sides by enemies.

Image Credit: The Vizier

A large part of the game involves patiently conserving your strength in readiness for an opportunistic strike. Battles are automatically resolved based on morale, power, equipment and tactics. Crusader Kings allows you to tilt the battle in your favour by assassinating skilled military figures in the enemy camp before the clash. In battle, enemy forces require time to amass, allowing you the possibility of destroying their armies piecemeal. After defeating the defenders, your army captures a province through a siege. All these factors add realism to Crusader Kings by mirroring the tactics of the Medieval Ages.

I am happy to see that Crusader Kings has female monarchs and courtiers. However, the drawback of female rulers is that they cannot lead their armies to battle personally. They have to rely on their marshals to expand their realm. But unless the ruler conquers each province personally, it goes to the marshal or the vassal who did so. Once a marshal claims the province for himself, he is relieved of his marshal duties when his army disbands. The next marshal may be less able. If you command a vassal to return a province, he may do so out of loyalty. But other vassals will be less loyal to you because they fear the loss of their own lands.

Managing your existing and newly acquired provinces

Each province consists of 4 classes of people; the peasants, the burghers, the clergy and the nobles. Imperial decree or events can affect the political power of each class in the province. This in turn affects the composition of your army and the taxes you receive.

Much of the fun lies in developing your province. You could develop roads, build castles and shipyards. A developed province is able to provide more income and troops which is vital to the expansion of your dynasty. I take pride knowing that my provinces are flourishing under my rule.

The importance of vassals

However, you can only have so many provinces under your direct control before inefficiency sets in. To avoid this problem, you have to ennoble some of your courtiers by making them counts or dukes of your provinces. But due to military incompetence, your vassals have an annoying tendency to lose their entire army in battle. Without armies to defend their territories, they lose their provinces as well. Only you can decide whether to practice nepotism or meritocracy.

The impact of random events

The strength of the game however lies in its ingenious development of characters. Each character has a set of attributes or skills. They are military, diplomatic, intrigue and stewardship. These attributes have a value that may change over time depending on various events in the game. Events are an integral part of the game that happens due to circumstances or chance. Events may or may not require you to make a choice. All of these factors combine to add great depth and richness to Crusader Kings.

For example, at the age of 5, you can decide if your children should have a military, courtly or ecclesiastical education. This will affect their attributes and development. Paying close attention to the education of your heir is vital to the survival of your dynasty. To prevent weak heirs from inheriting your dynasty, you can either change the inheritance laws or engineer unfortunate accidents. Many rulers in the Medieval Ages were not adverse to practicing favouritism when it came to the succession issue. Of course the surviving family members had to clean up the mess.

Provinces can also experience random events. In the 3rd scenario, the Black Plague swept across the Mediterranean during the 1300s. When the plague happens, it reduces your provincial income and manpower substantially. The only thing to do, which is what happened in reality, is to wait for the plague to subside before you expand again. It is such attention to detail that brings history to life.

Image Credit: The Vizier

Reflections of the Vizier

Crusader Kings allows you to immerse yourself in the chaos of the Medieval Ages. There are endless considerations as you deal with the weight of rule. You may choose to govern as a wise and just ruler. Or you may resort to all sorts of unscrupulous tactics to expand your realm. Apart from endless enemies, you also have to face random events which could make or break your dynasty at crucial points.

For me, I relish the opportunity of reshaping the Mediterranean with the Byzantines. After I tire of playing as the Byzantine emperor, I might try out a different perspective as an all powerful Byzantine duke or count. I may even follow those Byzantine landholders who usurped the throne. Or I could try out other dynasties in Europe. Whatever it is, I will be playing Crusader Kings for a long time to come.

If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to my blog via rss or email and get updated whenever I publish a new article.

Disclaimer: All the images in this article are screenshots taken from Crusader Kings. They are copyrighted by Paradox Interactive and are not of my making.

No related posts.