Franks (BI faction)

**Dead Knight of the Living** · 10-19-2005, 18:05

My question here is for those of you who have played RTR 6.0. I don't have Barbarian Invasion yet. I just want to know if Barbarian Invasion is better than RTR 6.0? Sounds like a pretty exciting MOD, but being a tightwad as I am I'd rather not spend the money if 6.0 is better or as good.

**teja** · 10-20-2005, 20:23

@ Bastard Operator: Welcome here!
I agree to your statement about easier conversation. My story about making a Christian rebel town was a result of a bad intelligence about the Sarmatians that lead into the loss of it no matter if I made the church or not. My army was not handy and I expanded a bit faster but my forces had been able to defend. Whatever I saw it as a good chance to turn the city into Christianity without me having to solve the troubles there ;)
What you say about adjecting provinces is important and shows again the favors of Italy, Spain, Britain and similar locations for changing the religious believings, For other reasons they are fine for trading routes and small frontiers of your empire. All of this are reasons to become the new home of any Horde. For myself military and monetary reasons are more important but religious ones.

@Dead Knight of the Living
Strange that the forum rules force us to talk about such a common point in a Guide thread. Other locations should be better in my eyes.
However I do not own RTW 6.0, but learned about it's changes. As far as I know RTW 6,0 is not working with BI.
So far as I can see RTW 6,0 is a great mod that is working stable and fixed some balance problems in the original game. Some of it's changes are not after my fancy. For example Pontic phalanges should stay with smaller mens but regular ones. In history phalanx formations in eastern areas had always been recruited by people of Macedonian or Hellenic origin and those had been rare in Pontic lands....
Anybody has different ideas about how to please him well.
I for myself see the biggest changes between RTW x.x and BI in 3 points:
a) The historical context
b) The new Horde function. Sometimes it may outbalance the gameplay when you only focus on this, but using with care and fun it is great. Decide for yourself if it is of your liking.
c) The religious card. You can read about problems and changes in religion above. Do you like it? It is a difficult feature. There is no longer a technology breakthrough as Marius reforms are. In a very small base religion can be similar (Do I want to use berseks or priests?). But you better compare it in RTW with the differences between the roman fractions (Julii or Brutii or Scipions) with their special units.
This are the facts. It is on yours to decide. Ah, I forgot to say that BI is a bit expensive for an add on but it features pleases me well.

**teja** · 10-20-2005, 20:40

Maybe this poll will help you to decide?

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=33894

**teja** · 10-20-2005, 21:02

I hate it to be unable to delete or edit my own posts! Can somebody do this with my post just above this?

A poll about ratings for BI:
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=33894

A thread about religion & converting family members into a new fait:
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=35682

I forgot a new point in what's new in BI compared to RTW. Night battles!
Those look very cool, but are limited to really good commanders while others have not a change to use it.
In fact I am not convinced about it's use. You need to pause a lot to keep track about what is going on at the battlefield. It is not much of a help for armies with big large range weapon contingents. It favors melee units and to undermine city defence towers. Good for western fractions with great infantry, bad for nomad fractions. It helps to kill a single army pack of a Horde fraction, because adjoining armies not lead by those really good commanders will not engage into a night battle as they do at daytime.