For King or Country - The English Civil war

[AlphaDelta1]

For King or Country is a mod that tries to simulate the first and second English civil wars. The main aim is to accurately represent the two main factions, their leaders, their generals and their regiments. The mod will provide a unique battlefield experience by representing 17th century warfare.

The campaign map is 100% original and unique in that rather than having 'regions' or 'provinces' is has historically accurate counties. Each county will have a single settlement. Faction generals are accurately placed according to their historical location in early 1642.

The mod is at about 85% complete. The map is nearly finished and almost all units are in. Some coding and menu work remains. I will be posting previews in this thread.

Preview 1 - Objects

Matchlock musket




Swords






Powder flasks


Tri-bar pot helmet



Docklock pistol



Morion helmet


Pike

[AlphaDelta1]

Preview 2 - Royalist commanders in for King or Country.



Royalists Commanders in "For King or Country"

The armies of these men will form the backbone of the Royalist force. With 12 turns per year, sons won't come of age for a long time. It will be crucial to keep these alive if you wish to beat the Parliamentarians.

The following portraits had to be restored from Black and white images. The image on the left is the portrait I produced from the original on the right.


King Charles I is the faction leader for the Royalists. At the start of the war his army will consist of mainly his red coats and will actually be quite small. It will be important for him to quickly raise support, link up with his Nephew Rupert, and march on London. He will stationed in Oxford in central England, within striking distance of London.


Prince Rupert of the Rhine is a Newphew of King Charles I. He is your faction heir. He is young, intelligent and a capable leader. In history he was a cunning cavalry leader during the war. He was nicknamed the "mad cavalier". In every battle he brought his White poodle "Boye", which the Parliamentarians believed had supernatural powers. He remains one of the most controversial men of the war.


William Cavendish, the Earl of Newcastle became the commander of the forces in the North. His army were famous for wearing white coats. He will start the campaign in York and it will be his job to march on either Leeds or Hull. His likely adversary will be the daring Fairfax.


Sir Ralph Hopton was the leader of the Royalist forces in the Cornwall (the southwest Peninsula of the UK). This man's army is one of two 'thorns in the side' of the Parliamentarians. His role in the campaign will be to do battle with Colonel Ruthin and attempt to push eastward into England, the capture of Sherborne castle being a primary aim. Historically he was succesful and a strong leader. His army will march in blue coats.


Lord George Goring was appointed as Governer of Portsmouth in 1639. In August 1642 he declared for the King and became a problem for the Parliamentarians. He soon surrendered Portsmouth to the Parliamentarians in August of 1642. In "For King or Country" you will have the chance to fight off any attempt at taking the city, and perhaps move your militia northwards to take on the southern and eastern Parliamentarian controlled counties. Historically Goring went on to become an excellent cavalry commander and was one of the few to beat fairfax in a battle.


Spencer Compton, 2nd Earl of Northampton was a soldier and politician. In 1642 he was given the task of raising a force in Warwickshire. He took his army and fought for the King at Edgehill. He will be crucial as a defensive mechanism in the midlands of England. He will be an position to go in any direction to support whichever command needs help. His end came at the battle of Hopton heath after his cavalry charged and swept away the enemy force but was afterwards surrounded. He was offered quarter but instead he refused to accept it from such rogues and rebels.

Patrick Ruthven, earl of Forth was an experienced commander at the outbreak of war, he was 70 years old and he distinguished himself in the battle of Edgehill. Thereafter he became the general in chief of the Royalist armies. He will be in important in the early days of the war, his army wil be a helpful tool in suppressing the Earl of Essex and taking London. His age may work against him.

Hope you enjoyed this preview. I'll be producing one for the Parliamentarians soon.

Cheers

[AlphaDelta1]

Preview 3 - Parliamentarian commanders in For King or Country

Parliamentarian commanders in "For King or Country"

The armies of these men will form the backbone of the Parliamentarian forces. They represent the most important men in the early stages of the first English civil war. With the impending invasion from the south west by Hopton, the Royalist strong hold of Portsmouth declaring for the king, and both Hull and Pembrooke being cut off and under siege, wise use of these generals will be extremely important.

The following portraits had to be restored from Black and white images.


Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex was the Captain-general of the Parliamentarian armed forces, essentially he was the head of the army. He strongly believed in negotiating with the King from a position of strength in order to avoid all-out war. After 2 years of war with the Royalists, he was considered to be unsuccessful. Support was beginning to flag in London and in 1645 he resigned his commission.

In "For King or Country" he will be your faction leader and will start just north of London alongside cromwell. His first task must be to go straight for Oxford and decisively defeat the king. His army will wear Orange coats.


Sir Thomas, Lord Fairfax was appointed commander of Parliamentarian forces in the North and lieutenant-general. This essentially makes him second in command. He was instrumental in the defeat of the Royalists of the North. In 1645, Essex was removed of his command, and Fairfax was chosen to become the leader of the New Model Army.

In For King or Country you will need to use Fairfax wisely. He is the only Parliamentarian in the North and he must simultaneously protect Hull and Leeds from the Earl of Newcastle. Hull will be an important city because of it's stores, but Leeds represents a gateway to the south. An bold, young commander, the future of the Parliamentarian forces, he must be kept alive at all costs. His army will march in red coats lined with blue.


Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester took control of a regiment of foot in Essex's army. He fought at Edgehill where his regiment was routed. In 1643 he become commander of the Parliamentarian forces in the east and worked alongside Fairfax to prevent the Earl of Newcastle invading from the north. At the subsequent battle of Marston Moor, Manchester distinguished himself as the only one of the three senior allied generals not to flee from the battlefield.

A solid commander he will an important asset in the army of Essex. He must be used to subdue the Royalists in Oxford and then sent north to assist Fairfax. His army will march in Green coats lined with red.


Sir William Waller was the most senior commander in the south and later became a political leader of the Presbyterian's in the House of Commons. At the start of the war he was stationed in the south. His first actions were to take Farnham Castle, Winchester, Chichester and Arundel Castle. For these actions he was given the nickname "William the Conquerer". It was Waller that took Portsmouth for Goring and he later fought with Hopton around Bristol. Waller was infact a comrade-in-arms of Hopton, both having served in the same regiment, the Royalist lifeguard of horse several years before.

In For King or country he will be an important general. It will be his task to supress Goring and move westward to block Hopton before he can advance and take the fortress of Bristol. His army will consist of cavalry, orange/red-coated dragoons and militia.


Robert Greville, 2nd Baron Brooke was appointed Lord-Lieutenant of Warwickshire under Parliament's Militia Ordinance. He was tasked with creating a force to protect the Midlands against Royalist movements. He secured Warwick castle and often into conflict with The Earl of Northampton, a Royalist commander who was the Kings commissioner of array in the same region. Lord Brooke was one of the major supporters of the war.

He will be important in keeping the path from Pembrooke to Warwick open and in preventing supplies and men from the North reaching the armies of Oxford. Strangely, his army was kitted out in Purple coats.


Oliver Cromwell rose from humble origins, he was a farmer. He became the single most successful commander of either side. So successful that he was offered and refused the crown of England. In 1642 however, he was barely a commander. Having a mere 60 men he secured Cambridgeshire for Parliament. Later in 1642 he joined Essex and became a successful commander of cavalry. By 1644 he had attained the rank of lieutenant-general (second in command) of horse in the Eastern association (eastern parliamentarian armies). He carried his rank over to the new model army in 1645. By 1645 and the surrender of Oxford, he was considered the greatest soldier in England despite having no pre-war training or experience.

At the start of the campaign he will be a cavalry commander in the south of Cambridgeshire. It will be important for him to join with the Earls of Essex and Manchester and march on Oxford. His army will consist of cavalry and he will not have his own regiment.


Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford was appointed governor of Hereford from where he directed raids on Royalist bases in Wales. He was appointed commander of Parliament's forces in Wales and the border counties but the predominantly Royalist townsmen of Hereford refused to co-operate with him and he withdrew to Bristol. Early in 1643, Stamford took command of Parliament's army in Devon to counter the threat from Sir Ralph Hopton's Cornish army. Stamford advanced into Cornwall in May 1643. He was decisively defeated by Hopton at the battle of Stratton and fled to Exeter. Besieged by Prince Maurice, Stamford surrendered Exeter in September 1643 and returned to London. Despite his attempts to blame his military failure on his subordinates, Stamford was lampooned in the press for incompetence.

Stamford will be represented as a poor commander and an unwise choice for most jobs. However, he is the closest commander to the southwest of England andwhile Waller is busy with Portsmouth, the resonsability will fall upon Stamford to prevent Hopton from advancing on Bristol. His challenge is huge, Hoptons army is both experienced and expertly led.

Cheers

[AlphaDelta1]

Preview 4 - Unit renders

Royalist Musketeers



Roundhead militia musketeers


Royalist Pikemen


Roundhead Cavalry


Roundhead Cuirassier


Royalist Cavalry


Royalist lifeguard


Roundhead officer

[AlphaDelta1]

Preview 5 - The Militia Ordinance vs Commissions of Array

During the run upto the beginning of the English civil war, tensions grew between King and Parliament. Control of the county militias, known as trained bands became a central focus as there was no standing army in England. The tensions began to boil and in January 1642 King Charles attempted to arrest 5 members of Parliament. Parliaments reaction was to deny Charles control of the Army.

Parliament passed 'The Militia Ordinance'. It was a piece of legislation that pushed the country one step closer towards Civil War between the King and Parliament of England. It permitted parliament to choose who could command the militia and where. This was an outrage to the King who had traditionally been in control of appointing the Lord Lieutenants to command the county militias (known as Trained bands). It was the first law Parliament had put into affect without royal approval.

In response the king sent out commissions of array to gentry across England empowering them to summon all men aged 15-60. The question of whether to obey Parliament's Militia Ordinance or the King's Commission of Array became an early test of allegiance for nobles and gentry.

Parliaments militia ordinance divided the nation up into "Associations". Each association had a commander and it was his job to recruit into his regiments. This system is simulated in For King or Country.



The map above shows the 6 associations that facilitate recruitment of regimented infantry. Both inside and outside of the associations you can recruit basic militia units providing the settlement has a Militia hall, not a Regimental headquarters.


The Regiments

Parliamentarian RegimentsRoyalist Regiments

Southern Association

The Earl of Essex's regiment of FooteKing Charles I lifeguard of foote



Western Association

The Earl of Stamford's regiment of FooteRalph Hopton's regiment of foote



Eastern Association

The Earl of Manchester's regiment of FootePrince Rupert's regiment of blew coat foote




Midland Association

The Baron of Brooke's regiment of FooteSpencer Compton's regiment of foote



Northern Association

Thomas Fairfax's regiment of foote The Earl of Newcastle's regiment of foote



London Association

Tower Hamlet Trayned bands



Hope you enjoyed this preview.

Cheers

[AlphaDelta1]

Remaining units..

Militia

Parliamentarian militia regiment of footeRoyalist militia regiment of foote



Cavalry

Haslerigg’s regiment of horseKing Charles I's lifeguard of horse



Parliamentarian troopersRoyalist harquebusiers

[The Blind King of Bohemia]

Fantastic looking mod. The Marquis of Newcastle's White coats look splendid mate.

[AlphaDelta1]

Preview 6 - The map

If you're using 1024x768, hit F11 now.

The southwest, Hoptons stomping ground.


Dartmoor


Exmoor


The fortified settlements of Bristol and sherborne


Southern England and the new forest


London to Dover


Central England


The river seven and the counties bordering wales


Central Wales


South western Wales and the southern road to England


Northern wales


Peak district


The midlands


Norfolk, the rump of Britain


Hull, loyal to Parliament and an important arsenal Fairfax must protect it


York should be further south, and so should the road, but ahh who cares


Lake district and Yorkshire dales


Hope you enjoyed the map preview. :)

[AlphaDelta1]

Preview 7 - Part 1 - Fairfax advances

The Parliamentarian forces of Sir Thomas Fairfax numbering just under 1000, marched on York. On a small hill to the southwest of the castle they encountered a small force of Royalists commanded by the Earl of Newcastle. The force was decieving. Although it was smaller, it contained a larger number of cavalry and double the number of guns as he had. He decided to engage.


Fairfax arranged his two light saker field guns to the south east, from their position they could give support fire onto the hill.


They began to bombard the Royalist position.


The right wing of Fairfax's cavalry comprised a unit of cuirassiers. They swung forward onto the left flank of the Royalists with the intention of taking their left flank guns. Opposition was heavier than expected.


One gun crew was killed, the other lived. The cuirassiers were driven back by pistol shot from Royalist cavalry.


Newcastles cavalry reserves remained unscathed.


The small number of foote in his center stood and watched from their hill top position.


Fairfax began to move his infantry forward.


Cannon shell rained down from the battery on the Royalist right.


The Royalist harquebusiers on the right flank waited patiently for Fairfax to make a mistake.


Foote reinforcements arrived from York.


Fairfax's regiment stopped and waited for the left wing cavalry to move up.


And advanced again.


The saker crews watched from their vunerable position.


Suddenly the Royalist cavalry from the left flank emerged from the forest in a galloping charge aimed at the right flank of the red coats.


I will post the final 14 screenshots tomorrow. :)

Cheers

[AlphaDelta1]

This town's coming like a ghost town ...



Suddenly the Royalist cavalry from the left flank emerged from the forest in a galloping charge aimed at the right flank of the red coats.


Fairfax's cavalry was almost entirely concentrated on the left flank, he ordered forward to attack their right battery.


The Royalist cavalry on the left continued down the hill towards the advancing regiment of red coats.


The Earl of Newcastle surveyed the battlefield supported by a member of his lifeguard.


Slowly but surely the pikemen advanced on the Royalist position.


The defence was brave but foolhardy.


Once all 12 rounds were expelled this company of muskets charged.


The guns on the right were finally taken, the crew butchered.



By now the Parliamentarians had take the hill top, the Royalist left had moved down the hill and now tried to retake it.

FIRE! was the order given.


Yet still they came.


The melee ensued.


Support marched forward.


The last officer on the field ordered his men to hold firm.


Caught in a closing box the royalist infantry stood and fought.


A tragedy for both sides.


Cheers

[AlphaDelta1]

.... All the clubs have been closed down ...

Preview 8 - The interfaces



The menu has been totally reworked from scratch.

[Warmaster Horus]

Very nice! I'm looking forward to this a lot!
The mod is almost finished, right? When can we expect it?

[AlphaDelta1]

... Bands won't play no more ...

Preview 9 - Ensigns and colours

All regiment standards have been painted.



New ensigns have been created and all 16 of them have been implemented giving each regiment their own unique colours.

Royalist ensign:



Parliamentarian ensign:

[AlphaDelta1]

.... too much fighting on the dance floor ....

Dragoons.


From left to right Wardlaw's, Meldrum's, Maurice's, Newcastle's.

Parliamentarian
Meldrum's regiment of dragoons - Recruitable in the West, south west and South.
Wardlaw's regiment of dragoons - Recruitable in London, Midlands.

Royalist
Maurice's regiment of dragoons - Recruitable in the Southwest and South.
Newcastle's regiment of dragoons - Recruitable in the midlands and North.

[AlphaDelta1]

... Do you remember the good old days before the ghost town? ...

A company of musketeers from the Earl of Manchester's regiment of foote loses the colours.





This battle was just north east of Oxford and I'm still in awe at how well the Total war is converting the strat map i made into incredibly realistic English countryside.

[AlphaDelta1]

Preview 11 - Philip Skippon vs Rupert of the Rhine.

Philip Skippon, commander of the Tower Hamlet Trayned bands marched his force south west and on a steep incline he met a lowly Captain under the command of prince Rupert of the Royalist army.



Lining the ridge were some of the finest men in the Royalist force, the men of Rupert's regiment of foote.


Opposing them at the foot of the hill were the well trained Bands of London commanded by the popular Philip Skippon.


With caution Skippon pushed forward knowing that his force was no greater than that of the Royalists.


Sir John Meldrum's dragoons lined the flanks.


Royalist musketeers opened the engagement with a volley of fire as cavalry skirmished down the hill.


Royalist pikes lay out of harms way behind the edge of the hill.


Skippon's militia returned fire.


Royalist cavalry lay in wait. Impetuous and ready to charge.


Straight into the flanks of the Parliamentarian pikes they went.


Upwards and onwards they did march.


Rupert's men braced ready to repell and attack.


The Royalist lifeguard became stuck upon advancing pikes.


A company of muskets struck upon the rear of some pikes.


This cuirassiers was saved only by the sharp thurst of a pike.


There was little use made of the muzzle end of the musket in this engagement.


Meldrum's dragoons became entangled with Rupert's musketeers.


Against the heavier, more numerical musketeers the dragoons were doomed.


Parliamentarian pikemen, supported by heavy cuirassiers continued the fight for the hill, slaughtering the remaining Royalists.


The hill top was Royalist no more.


A retreating unit of pikes turned back up the hill to give their last.


They didn't last long.


A bloody day for both sides.


The pike proved it's worth.


Cheers

[Respenus]

I don't want to push you or anything and I'm quite aware that school has started, yet could you just hive us a hint that you're still here. Previous updates were so regular, I got quite used to them.

A great job by any standard, especially if you have been doing this all alone. It really makes me feel like I'm in the middle of the English civil war and fighting on the parliamentary side. This will be a great mod and will fill our lust for muskets until Empire.

[Warmaster Horus]

I'd suggest you check the TWCenter, Respenus. They've got a subforum for themselves, so they'll be way more active there, I guess.

Edit: here's the subforum. Does look more active than this thread.

[AlphaDelta1]

I don't want to push you or anything and I'm quite aware that school has started, yet could you just hive us a hint that you're still here. Previous updates were so regular, I got quite used to them.

I stopped posting in this thread because there was 0 response to about 8 different previews. Anyone that's interested in this mod and wants to track it's progress should visit the TWC For King or Country subforum. There are regular updates on a daily basis.

Cheers

[Ignoramus]

I'd just like to say that this is looking great to me, as I'd love to know more about the English Civil War. The detail you guys have put into this mod is incredible. I'll look forward to playing it.

[rebelscum]

... Do you remember the good old days before the ghost town? ...

A company of musketeers from the Earl of Manchester's regiment of foote loses the colours.





This battle was just north east of Oxford and I'm still in awe at how well the Total war is converting the strat map i made into incredibly realistic English countryside.

Well apart from the lack of hedgerows and farms its pretty good.

[Warmaster Horus]

It's released!

Only wished I knew about it this morning... Could have occupied my boring afternoon at my grandma's.
Downloading it, and I'll probably post thoughts on it later on.