I too am rather quite excited at the prospect of a new mod - especially the WotR, which was a definitive period in english medieval warfare.
I'm also all up on getting some historical accuracy into the armies.
Got an ETA when the mod might be released? - I think a good way of getting a mod played is to have threads where peeps can discuss the mod, and arrange a regular night to play each other.
Handguns - my understanding is that these were experimental weapons at the time and quite rare, so i wouldn't worry too much if they're not attractive in multiplay.
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