Preview : The Generals
Greetings Europa Barbarorum fans.
Today we are proud to present some of the generals that we will feature in the upcoming version of our mod, Europa Barbarorum II.
To be an inspiring leader, accomplished tactician or courageous fighter was not enough in order to be recognised as a great general. You had to look the part too! For EB II, we have researched, concepted, recreated and implemented these units with armour and regalia used by the generals of the ancient world. We want these men to stand out in the field of battle, to be recognized apart from their soldiers, and be the central point in the battlefields of Europa Barbarorum II.
In this mini preview you will see the generals of the Kart-Hadast, Boii, Aeduoi, Auernoi, Pritanoi and Romani, accompanied in some cases by part of their entourage. Enjoy!
Carthaginian general
The Carthaginians as a people may be better known for their talent in trade than their mettle in battle, but their leading families produced many capable and even brilliant generals. The most famous of these is of course Hannibal Barca; yet he is only the foremost of a great many sons of Carthage who led conquering armies far afield.
As members of wealthy families, the generals of Carthage could be lavishly equipped. In EBII, the Carthaginian family-members are a testament to the influence of Hellenic and Italic traditions in armour and art. All the same, these may be easily distinguished from Hellenistic commanders by their Iberian swords and the Phoenician motifs emblazoned upon their armour and shields. Regarding the latter, the motifs you see here are Melqart tackling the lion and a griffin subduing a hind.
Carthaginian general with standard bearer and officer
Boii general
As in all the 'Celtic' La Tene peoples that are represented by factions in Europa Barbarorum, the Boii are a warrior society; not a military one. Every man was at least potentially a warrior -- especially during the great migrations that occurred during this period. Thus, a 'general' is a man who, through personal prestige, noble birth, wealth and force of personality, leads the clan or tribe at all times. Whether this is in peace or in war. However, the Boii are more often at war than not, and the leaders of their war-bands have acquired through experience a level of professionalism that goes beyond the usual requirements of a cattle-raid or family feud. Nevertheless, they must still lead by example, and must still stand out with the finest regalia.
In the example above, the general wears the famous 'winged bird' helmet from Ciumesti and an embossed leather cuirass studded with bronze. To lead the fighting men of the Boii into battle means to fight harder and more gloriously than anyone else.
Pritanoi general
The Britons, like all the Celts, did not make distinctions between the leaders of their families and clans and their leaders in battle. The very definition of a war-leader is that of a man who, through prestige, wealth, and family position, can command the respect and devotion of his men in war -- many of whom are part of his extended family or his dependents. According to the scale of the battle, the commanders may be the king of the tribe himself or one of his sons. For smaller conflicts, the leader would be the head-man of the village or the chieftain of a small hill-fort. Whether a high king or a village chief, when it came time for blows the war-leader would bear the finest arms he could; even if their intricate and costly decorations made them less effective as armour and weapons. Shields would be decorated with bronze ornaments, rare coral and even golden or silver badges. The object was to be as visible as possible to his men: a living, shining beacon for the clan to rally around.
Our example here shows some of the most famous examples of British artifacts: the Battersea shield, the Waterloo helmet, the Kirkburn mail shirt, and the Stanwick scabbard.
Aeduoi general and carnyx player
The Aeduoi confederation is among the most powerful Celtic political bodies. Located in central Gaul, their position enables them to exert influence and project power over their immediate neighbors and often even further afield. The risk of such an advantageous position is exposure. Thus the Aeduoi carefully elect capable magistrates to manage their affairs in both war and peace.
As with all generals in the Celtic world, the leading men of the Aeduoi went into battle equipped with the best arms and armour their culture produced. The korionos depicted here wears the typical Celtic mail armour, with doubling to protect the shoulders -- a combination of proven design and superior craftsmanship which afforded the wearer excellent protection against most blows. His shield is painted with typical Celtic motifs and totemic animals such as the boar. Finally, he wears a splended, horned helmet based on helmets depicted upon both the triumphal arch in Orange, France and coins found in Carnute territory.
Auernoi general
The Auernoi confederation is a serious candidate for acquiring dominance in Gaul. Its coffers are rich from the exchange with the southern Greek poleis and from the trade routes that pass through its lands. Its leaders are shrewd, carefully forming alliances and pressing tribes into their hegemony in order to acquire dominance in Gaul. Yet diplomacy and trade are not the only ways, for there are grimmer methods to gain such control among the celts and other peoples. The leaders of the Auernoi know this well, and are thus well versed in and equipped for the art of war.
The Auernoi korionos uses a lavishly decorated leather armour that provides extra protection over the shoulders. This piece has been modeled and skinned after the seated warrior statue found in Roquepertuse, which is a Celtic santuary located north of Masallia. He also wears an iron helmet with cheekguards and plume designed for greater protection against descending blows. His weapon is a high quality Celtic sword with a richly decorated anthropomorphic hilt.
Roman general and triarii officer
The generals of Rome were celebrated for their austere lifestyle, grit and determination. Those who lacked such stoic qualities might well suffer ignominy. Still, a little style on the battlefield just cannot be helped ! While Cincinnatus was praised for his simplicity and near-poverty, the Roman generals of the later Republic -- particularly after the Second Punic War -- became marked more by wealth than by poverty; by ostentation than austerity. In EBII, we have aimed to represent some elements of this transition. Though, as you can see, the scales have tilted toward display.
The Roman field commanders retain both the traditional popanum shield and the spined round shield rather than insisting solely upon the more illustrious clipeus. One of these last has been included as well and featuring a painting of the dioscuri Castor and Pollux, who are favorite cult heroes of the Romans. Additionally, in the image below you can see the griffin-spined and winged helmet widely depicted on 2nd and 1st century Roman coinage, and descended from the elaborate helmets of wealthy Italic warriors of the 4th and 3rd centuries. Note that you may also see in the image above an officer of the triarii. His tinned helmet is topped with a transverse crest and his clipeus bearing the visage of the sun god. This was known as Helios to the Greeks, Usil to the Etruscans and perhaps simply Phoebus to the Romans (and much later as Sol Invictus). Coins minted in the early third century at Roman military settlements in Umbria feature round shields bearing his image; so we have chosen to depict him on one of the officer shields.
We hope you have enjoyed this mini preview of the generals in Europa Barbarorum II.
Please note that unless stated otherwise, ALL pictures, names, and descriptions shown in our previews are works in progress. We continue to improve on all parts of EB, and we will continue to do so long after our initial release.
Since some areas where these news items are posted cannot handle wide images, we appreciate your restraint from quoting full-size images.
As always, if you have questions or comments, the best place to post them is here, where the EB team is most active:
Europa Barbarorum ORG forum
Europa Barbarorum TWC forum
A special thanks to JMRC for his excellent models, Tux for his great models and his skinning work on the carnyx player, Gustave for the skins and renders, and to Atilius, Paullus, Tanit, Abou, Oudysseos, power2the1, -Praetor-, and Zarax for the historical info and text work.
We give an additional thanks to Image Shack that provides us with a simple, foolproof, and free way to show you all these pictures.
Have a great day!
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Thrash till Death!
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Originally Posted by Maeran
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x30 From mikepettytw for showing how to edit in game text.
From Brennus for wit.
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