m3tw

[PBI]

WWII is certainly way out, a TW version of that is more or less impossible as far as I'm concerned, but I think WWI might just about be do-able. Tanks were a relative rarity and a long way from being useable for mobile warfare, and most of the armies were still trying to use the sort of linear combat and large infantry formations we see in earlier games, so I think it might just about be possible to portray. CA have said that units in Empire will be able to make use of cover so trench warefare seems possible, and while long range artillery poses problems, it seems to me the same will be true of artillery in Empire. The problem is simply that it won't be very much fun fighting a largely defensive war of attrition using obsolete tactics, which is why I think it will appear only as a mod, not a full game or expansion.

I think the way the next installment will go will depend strongly upon how well Empires works; it is in my mind a proof of concept of whether gunpowder warfare works well in the TW format. If it does, I suspect the next installment will be the period either directly before or after Empires, if not I expect a more radical departure such as China. I certainly hope the series doesn't simply go down the road of endless remakes however; there are plenty of interesting historical periods and settings not yet explored (fenir and Martok suggested just a few of them), no need to simply keep revisiting the same old ones over and over with a few bells and whistles attached. The game needs either a new region or a new setting to keep it fresh; I much prefer playing a game with a setting I know next to nothing about than one I feel has no more surprises.