Which new faction(s) are you most looking forward to, and why?

[QuintusSertorius]

As simple as that, of the new factions that have been revealed so far, which one(s) are you most anticipating, and why?

Note I've deliberately left off the "other faction not yet revealed" option.

[QuintusSertorius]

To answer my own question, there's two for me, Pergamon and Kimmeros Bosporos.

Pergamon because I've been "playing" them in EB1 for the longest time, taking Epeiros and migrating them to Mysia at the start of the campaign to play it out as one of the most intriguing (to me at least) Hellenistic kingdoms in Asia Minor. That they could rise up in the shadow of the behemoth that is the Seleukid empire, and even prosper, speaks to some impressive statesmanship on the part of their kings, as well as military nous. Plus they didn't fall into the trap of wasting money on elephants, scythed chariots or other silly novelties that the major Diadochi were experimenting with.

Kimmeros Bosporos are another migrated Epeiros option I've tried out. I was first alerted to the possibility of this one by the Tyrant series by Christian Cameron, which is a fictional account of one of the early Spartocid dynasties. There's something I find really enjoyable about factions with cultural fusion, at least when one of those cultural elements is Greek. Plus taking on horse archers without simply using lots of horse archers of your own creates some interesting challenges. Adding a faction bordering on the steppe to challenge the Sauromatae will spice up an otherwise empty region.

[kdrakak]

For me its Pergamon, Bosporos and Taksashila. The first two are nice, cultural fusion factions which will also be reflected in their military units. They are placed interestingly in positions from which nothing was launched in EB1, so that means new campaign routes. Also Taksashila is something completely new and exotic. Indian units were hard to include in campaigns since it was rare for a faction (whether Bactria, or Saka or Seleucids) to begin its ascension with the conquest of that part of India. I had to force-role-play a Bactrian campaign with an eastward orientation and still the distance made it impractical for troops to arrive from the east.
This is not to say that the others aren't interesting.
But Pritanoi, Boii, Areuakoi and even the Lugiones I expect will play like typical Celtic factions (even if culturally they were not) each with, perhaps, a twist. The Nabata will probably resemble a late Saba campaign and the Massylians will do very little before taking out Carthage and take its place in the campaign map. So in my view they add less than the three I prefer.

Btw cool poll Quintus

[Brennus]

But Pritanoi... Areuakoi I expect will play like typical Celtic factions (even if culturally they were not) each with, perhaps, a twist. [/QUOTE]

For the first release the Pritanoi should have their unique government system implemented, so will discover that they do not play like the Gallic factions, and attempts to play as you would a Gallic faction will result in you wither destroying your economy or having your empire break apart at the seems.

For the subsequent release we are hoping to have the Arevaci set up with their own unique government to reflect their unique nature. Likewise this will make them distinct, along with their units, from the "Celtic" factions.

[Cybvep]

Massylia, Kimmeros Bosporos and Taksashila. The first one should be an interesting challenge and should make that part of the map more interesting. The second one is very exciting because of its unique position and many option it has, including amphibious invasions. The third one is exotic and brings sth totally new to the game. In EB1 most of the time nothing happened in the region, but now it should be fun :).

[Docus]

For the first release the Pritanoi should have their unique government system implemented, so will discover that they do not play like the Gallic factions, and attempts to play as you would a Gallic faction will result in you wither destroying your economy or having your empire break apart at the seems.

I didn't vote for the Pritanoi because I assumed they wouldn't be any different from playing the Casse in EB1, but reading this definitely piques my interest. Could you elaborate a little more on their government system?

[Brennus]

The idea came from current paradigms on the hill-fort zone of Wessex, part of the region where the Pritanoi start off from. The initial type of government you will be able to build will be the same as for other factions; military occupation. Likewise you get the two types of allied government, depending on whether you prefer military or economic benefits. The true Pritanoi governments are divided into hill-fort, community based governments and the later "kingdom" type. The hill-fort based governments are slow to build, slow to expand and don't give you a great degree of access to high tier troops (at least that's what the plan is), the advantage is they are incredibly stable governments and the settlements with them will remain steadfastly loyal to you even if your empire is in dire straits. The kingdom type government is more geared towards external contacts and rapid expansion. The problem is that it gambles on you having a highly influential faction leader. If you end up with a weak willed leader expect to see your empire breaking up and having to put down a lot of rebellions.... it's more fun in game than it sounds here.

[LusitanianWolf]

That sounds incredible!

[Maldaran]

I personally want to see how the Kimmeros Bosporos play against horse mounted archers. But i also want to play as Pergamon because they seem to be in such a difficult place, Smack between the Grey Death and Greece, it should prove to be a tremendous challenge.

[The Gypsy]

Argggh, its so difficult to choose!

I picked Lugiones, because they inhabit an area of the map that is typically pretty empty. Plus a mix of Germanic, Baltic, Celtic and maybe some nomads sounds really cool.

[Docus]

The idea came from current paradigms on the hill-fort zone of Wessex, part of the region where the Pritanoi start off from. The initial type of government you will be able to build will be the same as for other factions; military occupation. Likewise you get the two types of allied government, depending on whether you prefer military or economic benefits. The true Pritanoi governments are divided into hill-fort, community based governments and the later "kingdom" type. The hill-fort based governments are slow to build, slow to expand and don't give you a great degree of access to high tier troops (at least that's what the plan is), the advantage is they are incredibly stable governments and the settlements with them will remain steadfastly loyal to you even if your empire is in dire straits. The kingdom type government is more geared towards external contacts and rapid expansion. The problem is that it gambles on you having a highly influential faction leader. If you end up with a weak willed leader expect to see your empire breaking up and having to put down a lot of rebellions.... it's more fun in game than it sounds here.

Hahaha, oh wow! Let the game of thrones begin...

[Brennus]

Hahaha, oh wow! Let the game of thrones begin...

Just to stress we are still testing this out. The code for it, descriptions and images have all been added to the game but we still need to take it for a test run. However we still have around 3 months to sort it out if we encounter problems.

[Kull]

Just to stress we are still testing this out. The code for it, descriptions and images have all been added to the game but we still need to take it for a test run. However we still have around 3 months to sort it out if we encounter problems.

More like one and a half.

[Brennus]

More like one and a half.

[Docus]

Just to stress we are still testing this out. The code for it, descriptions and images have all been added to the game but we still need to take it for a test run. However we still have around 3 months to sort it out if we encounter problems.

Don't sweat it, I'm sure once a couple hundred people are playing the release and posting about it on the forums, the quirks and bugs in the system will become apparent much more easily than now. Rome was not patched in a day after all. But really, I've been waiting for a feature like this in the Total War series since forever. This is a game that just lends itself perfectly to those Crusader Kings type moments, where your perfect imperial machine can all come crashing down around you by a simple twist of fate. The traitors must burn!

[Bambi]

The idea came from current paradigms on the hill-fort zone of Wessex, part of the region where the Pritanoi start off from. The initial type of government you will be able to build will be the same as for other factions; military occupation. Likewise you get the two types of allied government, depending on whether you prefer military or economic benefits. The true Pritanoi governments are divided into hill-fort, community based governments and the later "kingdom" type. The hill-fort based governments are slow to build, slow to expand and don't give you a great degree of access to high tier troops (at least that's what the plan is), the advantage is they are incredibly stable governments and the settlements with them will remain steadfastly loyal to you even if your empire is in dire straits. The kingdom type government is more geared towards external contacts and rapid expansion. The problem is that it gambles on you having a highly influential faction leader. If you end up with a weak willed leader expect to see your empire breaking up and having to put down a lot of rebellions.... it's more fun in game than it sounds here.

Sounds very interesting. And (As a Celtic fan) i am very happy about unigue government for some Celtic tribes.

Have I understood correctly: "hill-fort" is more democratic and "kingdom" is more a dictatorship?

[Thoras]

Kimmeros Bosporos, because I have no idea what or who they are.

[clone]

Sounds very interesting. And (As a Celtic fan) i am very happy about unigue government for some Celtic tribes.

Have I understood correctly: "hill-fort" is more democratic and "kingdom" is more a dictatorship?

(not a team member)
not at all.if i am right hill fort is a closed tribal like community based goverment while in kindom the central authority is more prelevant

[Rex Somnorum]

I'm not looking forward to new factions at all. It's an egregious mis-allocation of the team's time and effort. Not only do the additions siphon off resources that could be spent on more rewarding areas of development (such as highly important team training conventions involving liquor and hookers), but a disproportionately large fraction of the new factions are 'barbarians' - specifically Celts. This situation is obviously the unfortunate consequence of too much influence concentrated in the hands of a certain, red-haired modder. Not that I'm naming names ... but the problem here is Kull.

[Docus]

I'm not looking forward to new factions at all. It's an egregious mis-allocation of the team's time and effort. Not only do the additions siphon off resources that could be spent on more rewarding areas of development (such as highly important team training conventions involving liquor and hookers), but a disproportionately large fraction of the new factions are 'barbarians' - specifically Celts. This situation is obviously the unfortunate consequence of too much influence concentrated in the hands of a certain, red-haired modder. Not that I'm naming names ... but the problem here is Kull.

I'm sure that if given enough time, lifetime-extending potions, tech specs of the year 2098 and an army of historian-cyborgs, the team would add all the factions that ever existed in antiquity.

[Bambi]

I'm not looking forward to new factions at all. It's an egregious mis-allocation of the team's time and effort. Not only do the additions siphon off resources that could be spent on more rewarding areas of development (such as highly important team training conventions involving liquor and hookers), but a disproportionately large fraction of the new factions are 'barbarians' - specifically Celts. This situation is obviously the unfortunate consequence of too much influence concentrated in the hands of a certain, red-haired modder. Not that I'm naming names ... but the problem here is Kull.

Sorry, the period is not only about the Romans and the Hellenes.

[Brennus]

I'm not looking forward to new factions at all. It's an egregious mis-allocation of the team's time and effort. Not only do the additions siphon off resources that could be spent on more rewarding areas of development (such as highly important team training conventions involving liquor and hookers), but a disproportionately large fraction of the new factions are 'barbarians' - specifically Celts. This situation is obviously the unfortunate consequence of too much influence concentrated in the hands of a certain, red-haired modder. Not that I'm naming names ... but the problem here is Kull.

I think this was intended as a harmless joke. But just in case it isn't remember that in EBII you still have 8 Greek factions compared to 5 "Celtic" (Only 3 Gallic ones you remove the Celtiberian Arevaci and the "celtic" Pritanoi). Also of the new factions 2 of them are Greek, only one new faction is Celtic; the Boii.