CONDOTTIERI : Italy at war in 1450-1550

[caprera]

In the end of the XV century the Italian states started to follow that military stream, predicted and supported by some of their most notable minds like Guicciardini and Macchiavelli, that wanted armies to be built up by professional soldiers. This mainly for economic and fidelity reasons, but also for disponibility and a more controllable preparation level.
European armies like the French one or the Holy Roman Empire, kept mercenaries as the bulk of their forces, relying on the most famous mercenaries of that time respectively like the Swiss and the Landsknechts. While these nations continued to field as infantry only these excellent soldiers, the Italian states started to show the first professionals by their side. Some of the most important battles of the time like Marignano, Pavia and Fornovo showed clearly this tendency while continuing to offer the show of great numbers of those mercenaries, considered at right amongst the best soldiers of the time. These professional armies had their infantry split between a local militia called "Ordinanze" or "Cernide" and a professional force, constituted by daily trained soldiers called "Provisionati". These two types shared in many forms their weaponry and equipment, even at a different level.
In the first years of the XVI century this constitution remained and showed the rightness of the initial ideas, with professinal, persistent armies of even 25K effectives in relatively small states like the Duchy of Milan. And even if in these years some of these states military and politically died for many reasons, this new army concept remained and developed till nowadays, side by side again with the mighty figures and Swiss and Landsknechts mercenaries, making this period one of the most colorful of the netire military history.
Our aim here is to answers with a mod to some "What if..." questions about the Italian Wars.
One of them could be:" What if Milan succeded in defending itself from the French invasion in 1495?" Or another one:"What if the combined forces of the Holy League failed to stop the French king at Fornovo ?"
These are only two of the many questions history offers. Particulary important fo Italian history, this perìios gives us the opportunity of an hypothetical mod; a "what if mod" where the answer is the player's game.
Starting with the historical states of 1450 and featuring "fantastic" units extracted mixing tradition and military advances, we want to recreate that "total war" time introducing an alternative ending, alongside with historical events like French and German invasions and Spanish influences.

This will be the Faction List divided in:

Italian Factions,
Venice - Repubblica di Venezia
Sicily - Regno di Napoli
Milan - Ducato di Milano
Scotland - Principato di Trento
Russia - Domini dei Gonzaga
Moors - Domini Estensi
Danes - Repubblica di Siena
Portugal - Repubblica di Genova
Poland - Repubblica di Lucca
Papists - Stato della Chiesa
Mongols - Marchesato di Saluzzo
Tartars - Repubblica di Firenze
England - Ducato di Savoia
Aztecs - Respublica Ragusina
Hungary - Condottieri
That will have their own units list, and the Foreign Factions like
France - Regno di Francia
HRE - Arciducato d'Austria
Spain - Regno d'Aragona
Byzantium - Confederazione Elvetica
Egyptians - Stati Barbareschi
Turks - Impero Ottomano
Then,
Rebels as usual...


Here's the Unit list for the Italian Factions.

For Infantry we have:

Populares
Arceri
Lanceri della milizia
Balestrieri della milizia
Miliziani Balestrieri
Rotularii
Balestrieri provisionati con pavese
Picchieri
Fanteria Liziera
Fanteria Grave
DoppiSoldi
Alabardieri
Homini d'arme appiedati
Archibugeri Provisionati
Archibugeri della milizia
Moschettieri
Scoppiettieri

Then Cavalry:

Galuppi
Balestriei montati
Archibugeri a cavallo
Homini d'arme
Lanze Spezzate
Raitri
Cavallegieri
Generale
Alfiere

And last but not the least Artillery:

Bombarda
Mortaio
Cannone a organo
Mezza Colubrina
Colubrina

For units description you'll have to wait the previews of these units posted asap...

[caprera]

Pictures of our work till now will be posted soon, but now i have an important request for this community.

Our coder, Zorgrathz had some personal problems lately and he had to give up his help for our team.

We are working rapidly also on the new map, but this could be a big problem.

If anyone is interested in helping us is welcome!

[caprera]

Here's an eye candy:

This will be your main militia force, at least for the first times..."Miliziani con lancia".


And here a common light cavalry in Dalmatian coasts as well in northeastern Italy: "Stradiotti".

[caprera]

Here's the second update: Venetian Picchieri delle Ordinanze

[caprera]

Here's another preview of our units.

The Provisionati di San Marco for Venetian Republic (professional pikemen).



Still no one ?

[Incongruous]

Wow, looking really good Caprera. Sounding interesting to boot aswell.

Goodluck, and I look foreward to playing this

[caprera]

Thanks Bopa, but for now we'll have only skins to show. We have lost the coder and the mapper at the same time... we need help to finish their work, but for now no one answered the call.

[alpaca]

Caprera: Please check your PM box

[Icefrisco]

this looks like a really good mod. what progress has been made so far?

[caprera]

So far we have a new menu and we are still working on the maps. Skins work is going on and we think to arrive to a beta release in 2 months or less...

[Subedei]

I am very interested in this part of European history. Your units look very good...Will you have "special" recruitment systems? As the mod is dealing with mercenary armies?

Good luck to all of the modders!!!!

[caprera]

For now we haven't thought about a special recruitment system. There are no substantial differences from the vanilla one. The only important difference will include mercs. Our armies will be based on militia and strong cavalry like history tell us, but mercs will be the ace in the hole. They will be far superior to other infantry units especially Landsknechts and swiss, but this will cost you. You will have high recruitment costs as well as high mantenaintance... More they will require you to search for them like vanilla mercs until something like a "camp" will be "found" near some of your cities... I know this can be unpopular but these soldiers were really far superior to many militias of the time; it was needed for balancing, and i think many of you know that they were not economics...

[caprera]

Here's a new update!
Schioppettieri Veneziani

[caprera]

Here's a double update for you guys!!

Doppisoldi Senesi

And Venetian Colonial Archers...

[Subedei]

Ehm? Anybody?!?!?!?!?! It would be very sad if this mod dies/died....

[caprera]

No fear: we are still alive and working...

I'm sorry for the lack of updates, but after some problems with collaborators we also had to face the left of our able mapper Martinengo. This was a blow for us.

Btw our work continued and others skins are underway. Holidays are coming and with them the expansion. Some features are really interesting for us and we modified some particulars to use them.

Don't forget about us.

[Subedei]

Don't forget about us.

I sure won´t. BTW will infamous Mercenary Capatain "Frundsberg" be in? The guy who had a golden sling on his saddle which he wanted to hang the pope with, as soon as he would capture him? Well, I don´t know if it is the right time frame...?!?!?! Good luck to you guys anyway

[Lacessit]

I'm very much hoping you guys can make this mod. I'd really love to play as Sienna, battle around in Tuscany with Firenze... Aaah :)

I'd offer to help, but I'm utterly hopeless with modding ...

[rawghi]

We have opened a forum for Condottieri...
and we are recruiting!
Look here

[caprera]

will infamous Mercenary Capatain "Frundsberg" be in?

I can assure you that we'll use every feature that Kingdoms will offer.

Also we have started also working on characters, so the answer is. YES.
He was one of the greatest but don't forget Italy in these times was still plenty of famous mercs commanders and they won't be left out. They will also have their own faction!

[Subedei]

Yes, the first historically relevant Medici was a Condottieri too me thinks. I really like your mod-project.... and I guess Kingdoms is a good platform for it....

[Nevada]

looks good caprera and i'm sorry that i can't help you cause i'm busy with my owm mod (we have no modeler/skinner/scripter)

[caprera]

Thanks anyway Nevada we'll see....

[Nevada]

i posted in your problem thread on TWC