Faction Reveal 5: Arverni (Gaul)

[Lemur]

Direct link (which is being kinda wonky right now)



“Belief, dignity, power.”

Descended from a long line of Celts, the warlike Arverni are one of the most powerful tribes of central Gaul. Far more than mere barbarian looters and raiders, they have a complex and sophisticated culture centred at Nemossos, their stronghold near the Gergovia plateau.

Ruled by kings and tribal chieftains, but deferent to their druids, there exists a rigid social order amongst the Arverni. Prestige and power come from a man's abilities as a warrior and a leader as much as his lineage.

Heavily dependent on infantry, the Arverni make great use of javelins and the devastating impact of the charge, led by elite warriors such as Spear Nobles and Oathsworn. It is by fighting this way that leaders have earned their places: as champions, proving themselves in conflict.

While many matters ostensibly fall to the Arverni's kings and chieftains, in reality, much is governed by the will of the druids, including declarations of war or peace. Blending animism with a pantheon of greater, local and lesser household gods, the Celtic religion is one of the key factors uniting the disparate Gallic tribes.

Seemingly unstoppable en masse, Gallic tribes sacked Rome in 390BC and terrorised much of the Aegean as recently as 279BC, invading Thrace, Macedon and Illyria. Maybe their destiny lies across the sea to Britannia, with all the Celtic tribes united under a single king? Or to the south, to finally put paid to the growing threat from Rome?

Noted craftsmen, the Arverni enjoy improved income from their artisans, as well as profiting from the Gauls’ expertise with gold-working. In battle, their cavalry benefit from natural Gallic horsemanship, while the charisma and fighting prowess of their kings and chieftains make them formidable warriors, and earns them diplomatic respect amongst other barbarian tribes.

[Fisherking]

You beat me to it!

Good work!

[Lemur]

Well, despite the complaints that will inevitably come flowing in, it does seem that CA is attempting a more balanced approach to iron age civilizations.

[Oene]

Pic looks epic. I hope next faction will be Parthia.

[Beskar]

Well, despite the complaints that will inevitably come flowing in, it does seem that CA is attempting a more balanced approach to the iron age civilizations.

Reading from some CA comments, they have said that the playable factions will be those related to those who played a big part in the foundation and extent of the Empire. Also, it seems it would work along the basis of Rome 1 factions -1

This puts the list at:
Rome [Unified]
egypt
seleucid
carthage [Included]
parthia
gauls [Arverni]
germans
britons [Iceni]
greek_cities [Macedonia]

So it will be deciding between -
Egypt, Seleucid, Parthia, Germans.

Edit: I am thinking the Germans might be getting the cut - explained a few posts down.

[andrewt]

Have they announced a definite number of playable factions or given a smaller release date window than just 2013? They seem to be revealing factions at a pretty fast rate.

[Lemur]

Three blank slots remain on the Factions Wiki page, which may (or may not) mean eight playable factions for the initial release.

I think the game's slated for October '13, so the faction reveals will probably be followed by the release of other media and information. Just enough to keep us fans on a slow boil.

[Monk]

Yes. I know who I am playing first.

[andrewt]

Reading from some CA comments, they have said that the playable factions will be those related to those who played a big part in the foundation and extent of the Empire. Also, it seems it would work along the basis of Rome 1 factions -1

This puts the list at:
Rome [Unified]
egypt
seleucid
carthage [Included]
parthia
gauls [Arverni]
germans
britons [Iceni]
greek_cities [Macedonia]

So it will be deciding between -
Egypt, Seleucid, Parthia, Germans.

I am thinking Parthia might be getting the cut, or if Parthia is in the game, Seleucid or Germans will be getting the cut.

I'm guessing 3 out of the 4 will be in. The last will be some form of pre-order/retailer bonus or day 1 DLC.

[johnhughthom]

I am thinking Parthia might be getting the cut, or if Parthia is in the game, Seleucid or Germans will be getting the cut.

Hmm, no Parthia = no buy for me. How on earth could you cut the Seleucids though, like a World War 2 game with no Japan. Germans = Gladiator.

If the time frame is similar to the original, then Parthia as depicted didn't really exist at the beginning, so if they go by realism they would be the most likely cut. But in terms of foundation and extent of the Empire, they play a massive part in the Prinicipate era. Bah, they are all must-be-in factions.

[Beskar]

Well, they will all be in the game, it is more "which will be playable on release". Then again, you will have mods after a couple of days unlocking all the factions, so it isn't that much of a big deal.

I think the Germans might get the cut, they are not an unified power in any sort of the word, this is why Rome failed to take the areas, there was nothing to plant a flag in and say "We own this area".

[Ibn-Khaldun]

It looks as if the people in CA have played EB.

[Fisherking]

It looks as if the people in CA have played EB.

Or maybe they just did better research this time?

[SalmonSoil]

I think the Germans might get the cut, they are not an unified power in any sort of the word, this is why Rome failed to take the areas, there was nothing to plant a flag in and say "We own this area".

If CA makes a Germanic faction it will probably be an important tribe surrounded by minor factions, like they are doing with the Iceni and Arverni. I really don't see why they would try make the Germans a "unified power".

I think the a German tribe will make it in not because of their importance but because of their map location. Without them its likely that Northern Europe would have no other playable faction, and thus not recieve much gameplay.

I'm almost certain Seleucids are the ones who aren't going to make the cut. Sure they were really powerful in 270BC, but the were on the decline. The Parthians were a rising star, which suits Total Wars gameplay mechanics much better.

[Cvetko]

I was so excited on the new faction, I even made a video about the Arverni faction reveal!

(Arverni part starts 0:42)
I believe its perfectly on topic, sorry for the jagged sound though...
Enjoy, so whats the next faction? Im afraid Germans (hopefully Seleukeia, Ptolemaioi, Ashkaniyyan ;) )...

[ZalWel]

lol awesome :P

[johnhughthom]

'm almost certain Seleucids are the ones who aren't going to make the cut. Sure they were really powerful in 270BC, but the were on the decline. The Parthians were a rising star, which suits Total Wars gameplay mechanics much better.

Well, the Parthians didn't actually exist at this stage, they would have been the Parni, and hadn't settled in the region known as Parthia yet at the likely start date of the game. They were more a 'gleam in the history book's eye' than a rising star.

[Lemur]

Rumor going around that the latest Brit edition of PC Gamer shows a playable German faction.

Not confirmed, nobody has pics, may just be internet noise.

If any Orgahs are subjects of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, and have received this month's PC Gamer, please check.

[The Outsider]

ok guys i just managed to get my hands on the pc gamer uk's feb edition and unfortunately there is nothing on germans there is a one page long petty article on rome but nothing new, what a disappointment..