Possible Britain Map

[Aymar de Bois Mauri]

In reply to queries about resources....Have a few books about pre-historic Britain....Including one specifically referring to Wales, culture and enviroment...
In these there are details,and in some cases...a lot of detail...on local resources,fortifications,size of settlements etc.
I'll try and put together a few notes,based on the regional info supplied...Provinces etc. and post over weekend!

If you have any specific areas of research then let me know or post here and I'll try to pore through my books!

Go right ahead. Good information is always apreciated.

[eadingas]

"This is an HISTORICAL REALISM MOD!!!

NO FANTASY IS ALLOWED!!!"

Hey, this is Tacitus you're calling fantasy! ;)

[Ranika]

I believe Aymar's complaint is with the idea of a 'frentic women' unit. The Gallic and Gaelic 'druids' fought more than Druidae, but Druidae did engage in combat, but were from a small area. Confining the creation of a more realistic Druidae, with the Ordovicii hammers, would be more acceptable, as the current druids, as stated, are simply incorrect, without question. A druid unit isn't bad, necessarily, it is that CA's druids are horrendous charicatures of druids, seemingly heavily inspired by fantasy depictions of them.

Far more acceptable are Carnute Cingetos, which did engage, far more often, in actual combat actions. The Druidae tended to be more pushed to it. If they were maybe, a slave or rebel unit that were present in Mona (so they wouldn't have Druidae rampaging through Africa), I think that'd be interesting, but then, Mona, I think, will be a Briton faction city, yes?

Editted; actually, could they be a rebel unit? As in, if the city of Mona rebelled, could Druidae be part of the rebel army that takes the city?

[Aymar de Bois Mauri]

"This is an HISTORICAL REALISM MOD!!!

NO FANTASY IS ALLOWED!!!"

Hey, this is Tacitus you're calling fantasy! ;)

This is precisely the kind of quotation that was used by CA to justify the inclusion of Screeching Women or the Briton Warrior Druids which was a very unique and special circumstance and not by ANY means the norm. Therefore, Tacitus IS Fantasy when we're trying to find historical evidence in those akward and surreal situations, where there is NONE.

[Ranika]

As for Tacitus, Aymar has a point. There are many accounts in history of very bizarre or out-of-the-normal 'units' being implemented in warfare. While some may be interesting, or sound fun, in a historical accuracy mod, it does have to be weighed against the likliehood of a professional army regularly employing such a thing, and the actual viability of it. I would not be fiercely opposed to a Druidae unit, but I would take caution with how it'd be implemented, as even if limited to Mona in construction, unless they had something like an inordinately high cost, or long build time that made them VERY rarely used, they could easily be a highly unrealistic unit, in that they'd be showing up in every high-end army the Britons had, rather than a remarkably rare exception.

[eadingas]

This is precisely the kind of quotation that was used by CA to justify the inclusion of ]Briton Warrior Druids

Not 'the kind of'. I'm pretty sure it was THE quotation they used.

[PROMETHEUS]

He he searching around I found this....




and that one....

[eadingas]

Variations of these maps can be found in various places...I used a similar map to divide the provinces. But this one for a later period, I think - since there are 'Romans' marked on the map... (and in a rather weird fashion, too...) Although it's useful that it has the settlements marked clearly. I've been having some trouble finding those.

[PROMETHEUS]

the two maps are about the first the invasion of the britannia and start of the campaign for its conquest , the second is a possible scenary for upcoming invasion of upper caledonia that should be divided in superior and inferior I remember......

[PSYCHO V]

As for Tacitus, Aymar has a point. There are many accounts in history of very bizarre or out-of-the-normal 'units' being implemented in warfare. While some may be interesting, or sound fun, in a historical accuracy mod, it does have to be weighed against the likliehood of a professional army regularly employing such a thing, and the actual viability of it. I would not be fiercely opposed to a Druidae unit, but I would take caution with how it'd be implemented, as even if limited to Mona in construction, unless they had something like an inordinately high cost, or long build time that made them VERY rarely used, they could easily be a highly unrealistic unit, in that they'd be showing up in every high-end army the Britons had, rather than a remarkably rare exception.

Completely agree with Ranika. Spot on mate.

Expense and build times are easy to do. The Gallic Arverni for example ain't going to be cheap , nor some of the other elite type units. The end goal for gameplay is to have the "oh shit the enemy have a XXX unit in their army" experience rather than "Hear we go, another horde of elite XXX".

[Ranika]

If there was a way to confine the Druidae to Mona, and still be a player unit, I'd more readily endorse them as a unit for factions to train, but to be totally realistic as a faction unit, they would need a VERY long train period (which would make sense anyway, Druidae trained for a good chunk of their lives, having a flawless memory isn't something you'll master in six months, let alone the decades and decades worth of information you'd need to memorize). Right now, I'd see them more likely as a rebel unit that could appear in Mona, and maybe, if we can come to a good consensus on how they could be implemented as a faction unit (determining just how long to build and how costly they'd be), then maybe implement them for the Britons, but still only buildable in Mona.

However, this is by no means my opinion of Carnute Cingetos, those should be a unit quite more readily available to the Gauls, than Druidae to the Britons, as a military unit. The Carnute Cingetos were specifically trained to fight, and were far more often organized into a fighting force, as such, but even then, they should be a rarity, not comprising whole armies. PYSCHO V states it very well. You shouldn't have to be preparing for an assault by a horde of druid-warriors, because it just shouldn't happen, and if it does, it should be a VERY slow process for that army to coalesce.

If we can edit events, we could may enable specific events that may cause Druidae to appear, perhaps, thus strongly limiting their viability.

Also, a bit more off topic, on the Gauls, can Chosen Swordsmen be changed to Kaúaros or Cavarillix, either is a Gallic word for 'champion' (actually learned this when learning Manx, etymology rules). Kaúaros is related to the Greek word kúrios, both have the rootword Keva, meaning 'mighty' or 'strong'.

[Ranika]

Cunnacht:
Tara
britons
Hibernians

Erain:
Menapia
britons
Hibernians

I JUST noticed this, but it should not be Cunnacht, it should be Cùinnacht (but doesn't necessarily need the accent if that simplifies things). It would later be called Cunnaght, which would eventually become the name Connacht, but that was until around the 4th century. Cuinnacht is so named as 'Cùinn Men' lived there. Cùinn itself means 'Coin'. This is possibly a reference to silver coins they produced, though currency was more for trading with outsiders, as cattle were preferrable within Hibernia for trading, but sometimes búarfiach (cattle worth) was used as well, in silver coins. The men of Erain, the Eoghanacht, didn't use coins as often, but did use, sometimes, similar stone tokens, but they were more of an 'IOU' than actual currency.

The later names for Cùinnacht all meant something different, literally, but most of them would relate their origin to the hero Cuinn (no accent, meaning Hound Faced in the very early Gaelic, though it possibly meant Hound Fighter or Hound Eyed at the time), who was a legendary king of Cùinnacht, when it was the whole of the north.

I'm aware they did not write, but in early Irish, Cun and Cùin have different pronunciations and meanings (Cun, like it looks, and Cwoin), Cun being a short form of Cunnart, meaning 'Dangerous' or 'Danger' (implying 'Dangerous Men'), and Cùin, as stated, meaning Coin.

[monkian]

Is there a list of the proposed British troops anywhere ?

Also, a Briton- Total war mod would be something I'd love to help out with, though I may be a little biased towards the 'Welsh' tribes

[Ranika]

We have just begun the process of deciding what troops will be available to the Britons. They will have a unique mix, it won't be rehashes of Gallic units (which would be a huge inaccuracy). Expect some tribal or region based units. There aren't, yet, any 'definite' units, I don't believe, but sometime soon, a unit list should be ready.

[monkian]

Great news

I've being playing a campaign as the Britons using the Total Realism mod and have gotten rather bored.

They just seem to be a poor version of the Gauls- poor being the operative word as I am mostly skint.

I look foward to any updates

[Ranika]

There are numerous members of this mod who take a bit of issue with Total Realism, as Realism doesn't really seem to come into it for numerous issues, including the barbarian factions, like the poor Britons. Our Britons you can expect to be based upon actual warriors employed by the Britons. The Gauls and Britons had quite different warriors, due to concerns of each. Gaul's kingdoms would've been more interesting in organizing units capable of defense and offense in equal amounts, and some raiding. The Britons were far more interested in raiding and mobility, as that is conducive to inter-tribal warfare. However, the Britons will have some 'heavy' units, such as corrected chariots, they'll have far less swords than the Gauls (the Britons had swords, but not near as many as the Gauls, who had a great abundance of them). The Britons will likely have some greatly varied units, representing tribal differences, with many different weapons, slings, spears, swords, and possibly hammers and the like. We'll see though, there will be a lot of discussion, I hope, so we ensure we have the best, accurate, and interesting variety of British units. In any event, I'm sure you'll be pleased with our conclusions, and I will do my best to keep you updated.

[monkian]

Yes, maybe it should be called Rome- A little bit more realistic



I'm only playing it because it uses nicer skins and removes some of the fantasy units.

I look foward to playing your version

Any chance of having a certain Celtic king called Slaine' with a rather large axe ?

[Ranika]

We'll have to see, whatever our best sources can turn up. I'm aware of the discovery of some large ancient British axes in portions of modern Wales, so there could maybe be a unit that employs them, or perhaps an officer that employs one, but it's really up to what we can confirm, to the best of our knowledge, how many units we plan to give the Britons, etc. If you have any sources that would help, that's always good. We're doing our best for historical accuracy. I'm personally looking forward to a British greatsword unit, because the Britons used actual greatswords quite early compared to most cultures, and they'd make an interesting 'elite' unit, or possibly an officer unit.

[monkian]

I'd be happy to abuse my employess internet connection to help out

We're looking at 240BC onwards yes ?

The Celtic king thing was just a joke really, Slaine was a fave comic character of mine

Nice to know he was based on some facts though.

[Aymar de Bois Mauri]

Do I need to release my pitbull on you, Monkian? I like BD and Comics, but it doesn't belong in this thread...

[Ranika]

The Britons did use numerous 'big' weapons, for their nobles and greatest warriors. They did not have the iron reserves available to Gauls or Iberians or Romans, because they did not, individually, control much land. They would sometimes make BIG weapons, like greatswords and big axes (which were essentially modified wood axes, but a heavy axehead is a heavy axehead). There are also some evidences of falcata-type swords, but those are fachoira, and probably brought over by Gaelic raiders, who, in their early periods, employed these weapons. The Britons were bigger on spears, slings, javelins, that manner of thing, lots of wooden weapons, including proto-maces that were essentially glorified clubs, wrapped with leather strips, or with bronze or sometimes iron fixtures in them. The Britons are going to be, I think, based largely on their actual historical strengths. That's mobility and raiding abilities, so units that can hide well in forests/tall grass/anywhere, will probably be a bit more prevalent with the Britons than other armies, more 'fast' units. I'm thinking greatswords and big axes for officers now, as while the evidences exist, they were quite rare. Unless units employing them were small, I don't think I could see them as being too realistic. But an officer accompanying his men with well-made, modified wood axe, or a big two-handed sword, that'd make sense. Two-handed swords were more popular with the Gaels, who imported a lot of iron, and had fair enough iron reserves at the time, and have many more examples of the large two-handed swords from the BCs, but they're clearly based on earlier British greatswords.

[monkian]

Do I need to release my pitbull on you, Monkian? I like BD and Comics, but it doesn't belong in this thread...

Kiss my axe !

Duly noted

Sounds good Ranika



I was getting pretty good at ambushing the Gauls with my sneaking warbands.

Ok - heres a list of British Gods- pre Roman Invasion. Thought it might be andy as it also mentions several sites of interest.

Antenociticus The name of this Celtic god is known from three inscriptions found in a small shrine at Benwell near Newcastle-on-Tyne.


Brigantia "The High One," was patron deity of the Brigantes tribe in northern Britain. Associated with water and springs, she was also a goddess of poetry, learning, prophecy, and divination. Links with Minerva include a spear and globe. Another equivalent is the Irish goddess Brigit, namesake of St. Brigit.


Deae Matres ("Mother Goddesses") Usually seen as a trinity, these fertility goddesses are often shown holding baskets of fruit, bread, or fish. The Deae Matres were also associated with water and sacred springs, and sometimes fused with local water deities such as Bath. Sculptures of the Matres also occur at Cirencester, Lincoln, and London.

Dea Nutrix Another form of Mother Goddess is "nursing mother" (Dea Nutrix). Clay statuettes of this goddess, mass-produced in Gaul and exported to Britain, show the young goddess seated in a high-backed wicker chair nursing one or two infants.

Epona The Celtic horse goddess, popular in Gaul and Germany, spread to a lesser extent to Britain via Roman cavalry troops. She is invoked in a small altar at Carvoran on Hadrian's Wall. While always depicted with horses, Epona is sometimes also shown with grain and a patera (offering bowl), which tie her to fertility and prosperity rituals.

Mogons Dedications to this god, whom the Romans identified with Apollo, occur at several fort sites around Hadrian's Wall, including Netherby, Vindolanda, Risingham, and Old Penrith. Mogons was probably a Germanic import, since the Latin name for Mainz is Mogontiacum.

Rosmerta A Celtic goddess usually found as a companion of the Celtic Mercury in Britain, Germany, and Gaul. She appears on a relief in the Gloucester Museum holding a patera over an altar.

Sulis The patron deity of Bath (Aquae Sulis), she was associated with water, hot springs, and healing. The temple at Bath was dedicated to a composite goddess, Sulis Minerva.

Taranis God of thunder and lightning (taren is Welsh for "thunder"), symbolized by a wheel. Known archaeologically in Gaul and Germany, and mentioned by the Roman poet Lucan in his play Pharsalia, he is linked to Jupiter in an altar from Chester.

Veteris A warrior god, may represent a group of deities. At least seven versions of the same name are recorded in 54 inscriptions, most from the eastern half of Hadrian's Wall between Carvoran and Benwell. Based on the modest quality of these monuments, Veteris seems to represent a lower class cult. While linked at Netherby to the god Mogons, he is not identified with any Roman gods.


"Horned God" This unnamed god was widely dispersed in Britain, especially in the south, where he was frequently linked with the Roman god Mercury. He often appears with two short horns in uninscribed reliefs. Variants in Gaul have stag antlers, with one inscription from Roman Paris identifying him with Cemunnos ("the honed one").

[Ranika]

A very, very preliminary unit list, originally put up in the private forums, but maybe some public opinions, bearing in mind this is very very early stuff;

Briton Units - I think these are largely self explanatory, so only described are appearances, and special ability recommendations. Of course, expecting trunications and removals, these are just some initial ideas, please tell me what you think. I know a lot of these units have 'hide in tall grass' or 'hide anywhere' traits, trying to impress the idea of tribal combatants, who rely largely on mobility and stealth to engage their enemies, and numerous 'skirmisher' type fighters, many have javelins or darts. However, included is the purely melee heavy infantry Calwr Chlaiddyfwir, a greatswordsmen unit, and three entries on chariots. They're based upon remains found, reports of their equipment, etc. Non-English names presented are based upon what they would've possibly been called, using an early version of Cornish and Welsh, and what parts of the early Briton tongue known.

Officers/Generals
Lesser General/Impromptu Commander - A chainmaille or bronze armor clad foot warrior with a well-made helmet, with a horse hair plume (that's the word I was looking for! Tadh is plume!) possibly, equipped with a two-handed axe, with some ornate etchings on the blade, possibly, with a longsleeve shirt, possibly woad on the face. Pants should have small checks on them, in several colors.

Standard Bearer - Not sure for this, not a banner though, as banners were not widely used by most of the Britons, if I recall. Perhaps not even have a standard bearer, but instead another type of 'officer' warrior, akin to the Lesser General, but more poorly armored? If we could have as many officers as we wanted, and they don't count toward unit limits, maybe have, instead of a Standard Bearer, a special officer for different units, so the Southern type soldiers have a proper commander/the Caledonians are being overseen by a Caledonian/etc.

Family Member General - Not sure for this either, maybe an elaborate 'Heavy Chariot' type unit, but different from the original, corrected skins and models for the crew. Heavy Chariots are described below, consider those maybe.


Infantry
Tribal Militia - Like Gallic tribal militia, maybe the same unit, with new shield designs/no mow? If different, perhaps they could use bronze daggers or the like, representing the 'low tech' weapons that were still employed in some places, though they were actually more of utensil and tools than they were weapons, but they'd be readily available for a militia if necessary. Maybe just have them still utilizing bronze spear heads?

Southern Tribal Warband - A spear, with javelins, an oval shield, brown linen shirt (or bare-chested?), limed, spiked hair, plaid or checkered pants in vibrant colors, and exposed skin painted with woad. Should be able to hide in tall grass.

Slingers - A leather sling, no shield/small round shield, bare chested or in brown linen shirt, hair either limed and spiked, or long brown hair, with plaid pants in earth tones, and any exposed body woaded. In melee, they should draw a knife or shortsword (think like the dagger on the two-handed sword using British warrior figurine in this thread), and possibly a small round shield. Should be able to hide in tall grass.

Southern/Midland Swordsmen - A Halstatt-style short sword, woaded body/bare chested, a round or rectangular shield, limed, spiked hair, or, if Midland, long, brown hair. Maybe have some javelins thrown before a charge, emphasizing the 'skirmish' capacities of the Britons. Possibly include a short, plaid or checkered cloak. Possibly be able to hide in tall grass.

Brycalawre - 'Great Champions', with a bronze 'horned' helmet maybe, an elaborate oval or round shield, a longsword, bronze armor or chainmaille, a checkered cloak, and a mustache, goattee, or beard. Alternatively, same armor, but instead have them with a large axe, and no shield (I'd opt toward the formerly mentioned though). Another variation, perhaps using a spear, instead, as the spear was, while cheaper, a highly valued weapon in Celtic culture, and a champion employing a spear would hardly be out of the order. Possibly able to hide in tall grass.

Calwr Chlaiddyfwir - Similar to the model of the British greatswordsmen presented here (private forum only, isn't shown here), except change the hair color to brown maybe, and instead of a full beard, perhaps just a goatee. Have the AP 'armor piercing' trait for their attack, and a high attack. Should have a long build time and high expense, likely be the heaviest infantry available to the Britons.

Caledonian Swordsmen - Should be the only sword using soldiers available in Caledonia, red, spiked hair, beards, wearing a shirt lined with fur possibly, spiralled tattoos, Hallstat-style short swords (perhaps even bronze swords?), small square shields, plaid, earth tone pants, possibly a similar cloak. Maybe give them a javelin or dart thrown before the charge. Should be expensive and slow to build, in any event, to keep their numbers low, since swords were signficantly more rare in north Britain than they were in the south, or require an advanced barracks structure before they can be built, but otherwise be statistically similar to other low-tier Briton swordsmen, not the higher level swordsmen. Improved hide in forest, possibly hide anywhere?

Caledonian Warband - Like southern tribal warbands, but with red spiked hair, small round or square shields, with javelins or darts, and a spear for melee, and spiral tattoos, and earth tone colors instead of vibrant colors. Improved hide in forest, possibly hide anywhere?

Silures Warband - Available only in the Ordovices province (what is it named now? Has it been decided?), a bare chested, woaded sword warband, with well-made Hallstat-style short swords, square shields, and dark hair, with tan skin.

Hammer Warriors - Available only in the Ordovices province (what is it named now? Has it been decided?), warriors employing hammers, with a small square shield, short cloak, shirt, checkered pants. They should definitely have the AP trait, as their hammer will smash through armor. Maybe require a Temple to Sucellus to build them, instead of confine them to a single province, since their patron was Sucellus?

Calawre Tars Ordovices (Champions Of The Ordovices) - Like Hammer Warriors (similar requirements and the like), confined definitely to the Ordovices province though, but wear bronze or chain armor, helmets, cloaks, checkered trews, and use a slightly larger, square shield, with a hammer.

Netarlach Ta Ynys Manaw ("Bravemen from the Isle of Man", just a little something to give the early early Celtic Manx some presence, as they did 'hire out' some warriors to British tribes) - Black or brown haired swordsmen, with elaborately braided hair, dressed in brown shirts, with checkered cloaks and pants, 'white' body paint (it is actually a very light version of 'woad', possibly) smeared, not styled, on their faces, and over their beards, which should be relatively full, and forked and braided at the end. They should have small oval shields, with shortswords, and short distance javelins. Hide in tall grass, possibly hide anywhere. Only available in whichever province the Isle of Man is part of, or possibly as mercenaries in the British Isles (Hibernia and Britain)

Druidae - Not as a buildable unit, or, if it were a buildable unit, it should have a VERY long build time, and extremely high expense. However, they should appear as rebels in Mona if the province is rebel, or start the Britons with a single unit of them, but not allow them to train more. They should use a hammer, a small square shield, a cloak, and still maintain their chant ability.

Chariots
Southern Chariots - A chariot with two riders, bronze fittings and hubs, a shirtless driver in checkered or plaid pants in vibrant tones, with elaborate woad designs on his body, and limed, spiked hair, with a rider with a sword, and javelins, dressed in an iron helmet, with chain armor, a long sleeve shirt under it, and with chain or leather leggings, and an oval shield.

Midland Chariots - Similar to the Southern type, but no bronze fittings, earth tone colors instead of vibrant colors, brown hair for the driver, and the rider wearing bronze, not chain armor, a bit lighter armored, but perhaps a longer range attack than a southern version would have, both driver and rider have woad on them. Similar chariots were found in northern Ireland, and should be buildable there as well.

Heavy Chariots - Similar to the Southern Chariot, but add bronze fittings and hubs on the wheels, and have both driver and rider dressed similarly in armor, with the rider, once more, outfitted with javelins, and a sword, but perhaps a smaller shield. Maybe these could be the 'Family Member' style of chariots?

[monkian]

Looking good

How about changing the Briton Diplomat map model to that of a Druid as they were often used in advisory roles rather than on the battlefield itself ?

Rather than having a sperate 'fanatic' unit is it possible to just have the front rank of a unit 'naked' ? The bravest and most battle hungry Celts would be at the forefront of the ranks screaming challenges and generally looking threatening.

The following is kind off topic but I like his style

'Raiding Celtic tribes under the leadership of Brennus ravage Rome and occupy the city for three months. Offended by the dirty conditions of the city (they were country boys at heart) they demand a ransom to leave the Romans alone. Brennus demands his weight in gold and when the Romans complain he throws his sword on the scales to be weighed as well with the cry "VAE VICTUS" - (Woe to the Vanquished).'

[Ranika]

It's impossible, as far as I know, to have additional models in a unit, except as 'officer' types, or as 'animal' types (like dogs). However, by 270 BC, the Britons and Gauls were largely not using naked warriors anymore (the Gaesatae being a notable exception, but they acted as mercenaries). If it is possible for the factions to have varying models for agents, I'd not at all object to a 'Druid' diplomat for them, that'd typify the Druidae quite better, though they did fight the Romans at Ynys Mon, but were equipped with the arms of Ordovices, likely due to the rather impromptu usage as combatants.

As for Brennus, yes, off topic, as he was a Gaul, but a truly interesting figure. Also a bit of a testament to the disdain the Gauls had for Romans. CA's depiction of Gauls as filthy barbarians forgets that Gauls, in fact, found Romans to be so filthy that some reportedly would grow angry merely because they were 'dirty'.

[Taliferno]

I love the list!

Maybe the Calwr Chlaiddyfwir should have a high charge instead of a high attack, something like attack 10 but charge 10? Although i've never used a greatswords myself, I assume that after the initial momentum of the charge they wouldnt be as useful as a faster, lighter weapon (Its up to your testers, I guess).

Although I would like to see troops able to dismount from chariots, I am aware of the restrictions RTW has. The only way I could think of doing it would be for the chariots to have a 'warhound' kind of function. To the best of my (limited) knowlege though, there were no 'beserker' type of Briton unit, they would always retreat back to their chariots. A man can dream though


Oh, and I hope you get round to including fianna

[Ranika]

I have a short list of some possible Gaelic units that'd be open to any Celtic faction in control of the Hibernian provinces, I may post it a little while later. Fianna didn't quite exist yet, but their predescessors did, I simply used Fianna as a name in this thread because it's more commonly known. The actual Fianna didn't exist until the 1st century AD, to the 3rd century AD.

As for greatswords, I've got experience with them, there is a great initial shock, but there is also great damage to be dealt in the din itself. Their high weight, focused largely in the upper 1/3rd of the blade, allows them to crush through armor, and essentially tear through a target. However, perhaps they could have a fair attack, and decent charge, though I'd still personally give the edge to attack. In any event, if used, they would be a very good unit, but very expensive to counterbalance that (and to ensure their rarity, their weren't hordes of these men).

As for chariots, I too would like to see that, but it's surely impossible. And the Britons had something akin to berserkers, that's probably actually the role a Calwr Chlaiddyfwir or Brycalawre would take, as they would be a champions, and expected to lay into the enemy as long as they could, however, I'd not give them the 'berserker' trait, simply high morale, and possibly the ability to raise morale of nearby units, like First Cohorts.

[Ranika]

As for possible 'Gael' units (copied and pasted, so some of this may not make sense, as it may reference things not present here);

Hibernian Gael Units; maybe one or two of these could be available to Gauls and Britons, perhaps Iberians, in Hibernia? Only if there is room, of course, these are an afterthought, but mainly to show the distinction of the Gaels, and give the Celts who made them up something special for controlling it, and, if units are confined to areas, will allow them to quite adequately defend it with indigenous Gaelic warriors. The names, where they appear not in English, are using very early Irish, to the best of how I could find to describe some of them. Also, considering that Hibernia was seen as a 'holy land' by many of the Celtic religious (in fact, the name Eireann, Erain, or Eire, quite possibly stems from an ancient phrase meaning 'The Holiest Land' or 'The Most Promised Fields'), and should have something worth them fighting over it. These are more heavily based on carbon dated objects dug up in Ireland, and Irish oral traditions about how they equipped and fought, though some is also from the Irish raids into Roman Britain, during the Roman decline in the isles.

Gaelic Warband - Spearmen looking similar to the Caledonian Warband, but with a long, knee-length shirt, and a shoulder cloak, fastered at the right shoulder, plaid, in vibrant colors, with a Gallic mow, and long red hair. Should use shorter range, smaller darts, instead of javelins, at range, and use, if possible, a two-handed spear, or a long spear (not quite a pike, in length), with a round, wood shield with no designs on it.

Gaelic Swordsmen - Use an iron longsword, with a long shirt, a shoulder cloak fastened at the right shoulder, plaid, with vibrant colors, a javelin thrown before a charge, and an oval shield or an unpainted wooden shield. Mid length red hair, braided elaboratey (almost like thick dreadlocks), and a Gallic mow, or a goattee.

Fachoira Warband (the weapons employed by these iron age swordsmen are some of the only real, solid proof that the Iron Age Gaels had Iberian relations) - A swordsman using a sword similar to a falcata (the fachoira), wearing a long shirt, and a shoulder cloak, plaid, vibrant colors, fastened at the right shoulder, with a round wooden shield, undecorated, and long, braided red hair.

Fionn Gaelladha (Free Gaels, supposedly the genesis for the 1st-3rd century AD 'Fianna', though they claimed their name was 'Sons of Fionn', as in a man, they probably meant they were then 'sons' of the Fionn Gaelladha, meaning, in essence 'Sons of Freedom', warriors in Gaelic Ireland who fought to defend it from outsiders) - Chainmaille wearing spearmen or swordsmen, with darts, and a shield and spear or sword, possibly mounted on a small horse. If on foot, should be able to hide anywhere, and operate in small numbers. Braided, long red hair, and no facial hair at all.

Milidha (Champions, named after Milidh, 'Father of the Gaels', Milidh is the earliest word for 'Champion' in Gaelic, as Milidh was said to be the greatest of all warriors, Milidha is simply the early plural) - Similar to Calwr Chlaiddyfwir, but no helmet, long red hair instead, and no facial hair, except maybe a Gallic-style mow, with a slightly larger sword, and smaller checkered pants, and a checkered/plaid cloak. Maybe ditch the AP trait on their attack, but give more armor (the Gaelic chainmaille from this period is bizarrely complex, and seems to have totally dropped out of favor by the Dark Ages for no known reason, as the earlier shirts would've been significantly more effective). Possibly, instead, have these men as an 'officer' unit, as champions marched with Gaelic armies to the battle.

Breahain (This is as confirmable as possible, the name of Irish 'druids', they were warrior-religious leaders, their name is the precept to 'Brehon', as in 'Brehon Law', the law of the Gaels, several legends and history based myths point to these men as being organized into units for warfare, and their name is often written as 'Breahain Milidha', 'Judge Champions' {as in Warrior champions}) - Dressed in a well made chain shirt, with a two-handed sword like the Milidha, and an elaborate headdress (they did reportedly fight with these, and Saint Patrick even recounts the presence of such headdresses on the later Breahain's, even when they went to fight, though they were actually meant to give the Breahain magical insight or strength). The headdress can be any number of things, a deer or elk head, with antlers, a wolf's head worn as a hat, or a cloth and leather cap with short horns carved off a bull affixed to it. Their clothing is all either very dark, or very bright. It includes a cloak (checkered if bright), trews (checkered pants, or dark brown linen pants), and a long sleeve shirt. Their hair should probably be white (the Breahain's were old men, they trained their whole lives), and they should have a number of medals or other trinkets somewhere on their bodies, as they tended to carry charms (even human heads, one worn at the right side, Patrick reported). If implemented, they should not require any specific temple, just a fully upgraded one, so the Britons, Gauls, or Iberians could all get them, but they did notably favor some gods, such as Morrigan, Mauden (the god of the waters), and Vortiax, a god of tattoos and metalwork, but all of those, except Morrigan, are Gaelic, though Mauden could be one of the 'Briton' temples (there are a few figurines of him found in Britain).

[eadingas]

(BTW, it seems RTR 4.0 will have Hibernia split in two)

[Ranika]

Should split it in three, just to be irksome. ...But then, that'd not make much sense, so nuts to it. But I will be put out a bit if they have the same names and positions for settlements and the like as we do. Don't know why, really. But I know I will be. Any thoughts on those units? If you have any suggestions and the like, post them in the private forum, I've posted these in the public one largely because they're so vague, and not definite yet, but later lists I wish to keep private until they're completed.

That reminds me, did you see my addendums in this thread on Hibernia? About the province spellings/cultures?