Kings will rise.
One will rule.
"A Total War Saga: THRONES OF BRITANNIA is a standalone spin-off title focusing on a pivotal flashpoint in British history. The land is fractured following the Viking invasion and ambitious leaders are fighting for control.
Choose from one of ten playable factions to expand settlements, raise armies and embark on a mission to take the British Isles for yourself in our most detailed map to date."
Release date: 05/03/2018
POLITICS SYSTEM
CHARACTER SYSTEM
English Kingdoms – West Seaxe and Mierce
When Roman rule in England concluded, new kingdoms of Germanic stock coalesced in the counties now known as Northumbria, Mercia, Wessex, Essex, Sussex, East Anglia and Kent. The peoples of these regions came collectively to be known as the Anglo Saxons – a term which came into common usage in the 8th century in order to distinguish the English Saxons from the Old Saxons, or Ealdseaxe, of the European continent.
Broadly speaking, the Anglo Saxons existed between the collapse of Roman rule in the 5th century until the Norman invasion in the 11th century; the early Medieval period. Thrones of Britannia depicts the sweep of the British Isles from 878 AD onwards, when the Anglo Saxons were at their height.
Cultural Trait: Fyrd
In Anglo Saxon times, the Fyrd was a form of conscripted army composed of self-armed and armoured freemen, called upon to defend their lands when the need arose. One of Alfred the Great's many reforms was to better formalise the system, ensuring wealthy landowners contributed men and materiel.
To reflect the Fyrd system, the English Kingdoms in Thrones of Britannia may recruit additional levy units based upon the number of settlements they own. Over-reliance on levy troops carries penalties however – if too many are fielded, the populace will rail against excessive conscription and public order issues will arise.
Welsh Kingdoms – Gwined and Strat Clut
The Welsh Kingdoms descended from the Celtic Britons who occupied much of the island of Britain from the Iron Age, into and beyond its Romanisation in the First Century.
Not long after the Romans departed, the lands would come to be dominated by Anglo-Saxons who had arrived from northern Europe. Ironically, the term 'Welsh' derives from the Anglo-Saxon term for foreigner, 'wealas', which they applied to the native Britons. The Anglo-Saxons flourished and many of the old Brittonic kingdoms began to disappear.
The Britons who inhabited the Welsh peninsula were able to hold ground against attacks from the Anglo Saxons, Gaels and numerous bands of Vikings. These kingdoms were among the last bastion of Romano-British culture but there was a shift towards a more militaristic way of life in order to survive against these persistent invaders.
Britons also still occupied what is now southern Scotland. Here, the kingdom of Strat Clut, known as the Strathclyde Welsh to the Anglo-Saxons, defended their realm under constant pressure from Picts and Vikings.
Cultural Traits:
Heroism
Wales is a land of heroes. Earn heroism by winning battles, owning Welsh land and ranking up generals to gain bonuses.
Supplies
Gain additional supplies for armies in controlled territory.
Morale
Units fight with increased morale when engaged in battles in controlled territory.
Gaelic Kingdoms – Mide and Circenn
Gaelic culture initially developed in Ireland, their society built around a system of clans and chieftains. With a fierce sense of cultural identity, the Gaels developed distinctive music and artistic styles, and a strong oral tradition. They raided and traded with Roman settlements, and by 878 AD had expanded from Ireland to inhabit much of Scotland.
Further cultural change was wrought with the influx of the Vikings. Some raiders settled in Gaelic lands, becoming the Norse-Gaels. The Scottish Gaels would absorb the Picts to become the Kingdom of Alba – essentially setting the blueprint for modern Scotland.
For centuries, their military relied on skirmisher infantry; lightly armed and armoured, fast-moving and bearing javelins. However, they would adopt the weapons and methods of their enemies too, and over time their armies diversified. The Irish Gaels continued to focus more on the use of skirmishers and, after the Vikings settled, a new class of aristocratic, elite mercenary swordsman, or Gallowglass, characterised their forces. Heavily armoured and armed with great Broadswords, they provided a doughty defence. The Scottish Gaels focussed on developing good all-round sword, spear and cavalry units, as well as excellent crossbowmen.
Cultural Traits:
Loyalty
A powerful sense of cultural identity fosters fealty in Gaelic clans. All characters in Gaelic factions therefore gain a bonus to their loyalty.
Churches
Monasteries and churches are as much a part of the Gaelic economy as their religion. All church-based income for Gaelic factions is increased by 25%.
Legitimacy
Gaelic factions can earn Legitimacy in the eyes of their kinsmen. This improves the loyalty of nobles and family members, and spurs your warriors to fight with greater skill and conviction. Legitimacy is earned in a number of ways; through alliances with other Gaelic factions, from owning or vassalising Gaelic heartlands, and by unlocking key Technologies.
The Great Viking Army
In 878 AD, the Great Viking Army was defeated by King Alfred and faced a new life of enforced settlement in the east of Britannia. A bitter pill for the invaders to swallow, in light of their grand vision for a new Scandinavian kingdom.
The previous century had seen escalating Viking incursions across the isles. What began as sporadic coastal raids intensified over time as the Vikings began to glean the scale of plunder Britannia could offer. A sense of organisation crept into their plans, and in due course the Danes, supported by the Swedes and Norwegians, raised a great army with the intention of conquering Britannia and avenging the death of the legendary Viking warlord Ragnar Lothbrok, executed by the King of Northumbria in 865 AD.
Ragnar's sons led the Great Viking Army and made landfall in East Anglia that same year. The locals made peaceful overtures, offering the invaders their horses and hospitality to allay conflict. The army wintered there before setting off north towards York, where they were again paid off while establishing control of Northumbria.
Over the next 15 years the Vikings ranged high and low, from Wessex to The Clyde, conquering towns, claiming victories and suffering their share of defeats. The army was reinforced – and later divided – but ultimately endured until the Battle of Edington in 878 AD, where its leader Guthrum met his match in the young King Alfred and his West Saxon army. Bested in the field, his forces retreated in disarray to a nearby fortress. Flush with success, Alfred's men gave chase and laid siege. After a fortnight of starvation, the invaders surrendered.
Three weeks later, under the terms of his capitulation, Guthrum was baptised into Christianity and became Alfred's adoptive son. He and his men were allowed to return to East Anglia and settle – provided they kept Alfred's peace, of course.
Defeated, but never humbled, the Vikings seethe with an all-consuming rage. One does not cage the wolf without consequence…
Cultural Traits:
Settled they may be, but the Vikings haven't forgotten how to wring coin out of civilians. Great Viking Army factions gain bonus income from raiding and sacking.
Defeated by an English king, Great Viking Army factions simmer with a need for vengeance, and gain a morale boost when fighting Anglo-Saxon enemies.
The king of the Danes in Britannia must play a delicate game to remain ascendant, and find a balance between appeasing the English and his own men…
Viking Sea Kings – Dyflin and Sudreyar
After nearly a century of escalating raids, the Vikings left an indelible stamp on Britannia, altering the course of its history forever. Not least of all culturally, as many smaller bands of Vikings had settled around the isles prior to Alfred's defeat of the Great Viking army.
These smaller factions traded an existence of ceaseless conflict for a new life in Britannia, establishing their own petty principalities, intermarrying and ultimately becoming part of the warp-and-woof of Britannic life. This mingling of cultures, so emblematic of British history, helped create the rich melting-pot of attitudes, beliefs and language that has made the isles and their people so unique.
Some Vikings never truly settled however; their designs were grander, their hunger for conquest and greatness unquenched. These Sea Kings would continue their bellicose work, heedless of any decree from England's upstart ruler…
Cultural Traits
These warriors are born with oar in hand, ever afloat on a sea of opportunities. Missions will be issued tempting you to explore the points of the compass. Who knows what adventures – and plunder – await?
Why toil for yourself when others can do it for you? The Viking Sea Kings are adept at extracting tribute from other kingdoms, gaining unique bonuses.
The Viking Sea Kings are as at home on the high seas as others are on land. All their forces are immune to High Seas Attrition and Seasickness.
