EB2 Playtest: Arverni

[cahtush]

Is that custom portraits i see? :)

[Kull]

As they ride away from Uiennos, the last survivors cast covert glances at Belenos, their new High King. But "High King" of what? Ahead lies empty Lugdunon, but it is home to none of them, and likely to rise in revolt at any moment - woe to any Arverni trapped inside should that occur! And what of Gergouia and the rest of their homeland? Overrun by Aedui dogs. There is no fight left in them, and Belenos can see and almost smell it - for he recognizes the same dark despair within his own soul. "I am not your King. Go back to your hearths and your women and your children. Save what you can, and may Lugos forgive us all". And turning his horse, Belenos rides off to the East, alone.

[LusitanianWolf]

So EB2 its not going to be an walk in the park I see :P
I really enjoyed the (short) story, thank you very much!
Btw, my belief that the High King should have a stronger bodyguard than medium swordsman, no matter how fierce was confirmed, I gess :P But I suppose the team must have its reasons for that choice.

PS: The 2D art rocks!

[Kull]

It is a cold and bitter winter day in Gergouia, and becomes more so when the defenders recognize the two heads hurled over the wall. Amminos reads the message nailed to the skull of Aneirin, and his spirits, already low, sink further, "Enjoy your reign".

[Kull]

Spring comes at last, and with it a warming both physical and mental for the grim defenders of Gerguoia. Lugdunon remains, tenuously, part of the Arverni Kingdom. Their cautious leaders await the outcome of events in the Arverni homeland - for now at least they bide their time and contribute nominal amounts to offset the large debt. But other news is better still. Lookouts on the walls confirm that the enemy force is depleted - their slingers too have deserted, perhaps to plant their fields, perhaps from lack of pay, perhaps from overconfidence. Whatever the reason, the sight of fewer besiegers brings new life into the hearts of the citizenry. Newly confident, many of his guardsmen implore High King Amminos to lead them into battle. The High king ponders, but in the end decides to wait. Perhaps more desertions may come? And what of the many who marched East under the Banners of Aneirin - surely all could not have been lost?

[Kull]

But the timing of battle is not left in the hands of King Amminos. Cries from the walls alert the defenders to activity in the Aedui camp. The Bataroi have marshalled and even now are pushing a ram toward Gergouia!

[Kull]

The Acus Eporedoi, the Horse Guard of High King Amminos, gather quickly in the center of town.

[Kull]

Amminos has known most of these men all their lives, and is well aware of their battlefield strengths and weaknesses. The horses are fast and nimble, and the men skilled with javelins - not for them a fight within the confined streets of Gergouia. Turning, he surveys the men. A few nervous, some grim, but most are eager, jostling, exchanging boasts and insults - the long wait finally over at last. Amminos clears his throat, loudly, heads turn toward him, the voices die down....

"So these Aedui dogs think us beaten already? That somehow odds of 3 to 1 grant them victory before the first sword strikes and the first javelin flies? Listen to their songs and shouts. Listen as they loudly boast of their plans to kill our children and take our wives for their own. Well my brothers, today we will show the Aedui once again to be the greatest of liars. We wait not for them within these walls, but will charge forth and show them the true mettle of Arverni men and Arverni steeds. Think not that Death awaits us, for today we are his collectors! Death charges each of you to deliver unto him five heads apiece - and greater glory still for those who bring more! Ride now and ride well and together we shall ride into the eternal Annals as Heroes of the Arverni!"

[Ibrahim]

man, this should be a form of torture

seriously,this is amazing. looking forward to the Beta with renewed vigor!

[Kull]

The Arverni horsemen wheel past the startled Bataroi, hurling javelins. Then they make a sudden turn and race in on the attack!

[Kull]

Amminos pulls his men quickly out of the melee, racing back along the wall out of enemy javelin range. The Aedui take advantage of the respite and push the ram almost to the gate. Which is when the Arverni hurl themselves once more at the enemy. So far casualties are remarkably light - only one horseman is down while over 20 Bataroi breathe no more. But the Arverni javelins are almost gone.....

[Kull]

Repeatedly, the Acus Eporedoi wheel and charge, wheel and charge. But all the while the Bataroi hammer at the gate with their ram. Finally, when the gate is 95% broken, the last 20 Bataroi break and run! The Arverni horse sprint off in pursuit, spears held low....

16 of their number lie trampled amidst the spring flowers surrounded by the broken corpses of over 60 Bataroi. So far the Arverni have held up their end of "Death's Bargain".

[Kull]

But they do not pursue far...or for long. A fresh unit of Bataroi and their laggard captain are heading for the ram, intent on finishing the job at the Gate!

[Kull]

Amminos directs his men out of javelin range of the oncoming Bataroi, and then calls a brief halt. The men are very tired, verging on exhaustion. And the battle is only half won. They wait for the Bataroi to reach the ram and give it their full attention. Amminos motions with his spear and the Acus Eporedoi begin to walk, then trot, break into a canter, and finally hit their stride as they plunge into the rear of the Aedui. They spar briefly and then Amminos signals the retreat. They have caused some casualties...but not many. "Sukellos, Great God of War - if ever the Arverni have needed your aid, that time is now! Bring forth your hammer and help us sweep this foe from the field, and our people will build you a temple such as has never been seen before!"

[Kull]

As the sun drops ever lower in the west, so to it seems do the fortunes of the Arverni. Once again they retreat, then turn, and see the Gate shiver and shake with each new blow. It sags - and knowing that one more strike will surely finish it - and seeing the Aedui shifting their attention in anticipation of the fall.....Amminos signals his men to make one, last desperate charge. The exhausted horses can barely trot, but as they reach the Aedui line, Amminos sees that Captain Periadoc has stumbled while evading an Arverni spear. His shield down, it is all the opening that Amminos needs, and drives his spear deep into the chest of the stricken Aedui Captain. For one brief moment, the Bataroi lose heart as their captain tumbles to the earth, but then....

[Kull]

The Gate crashes open! With fresh resolve, the 44 remaining Bataroi drive off the Arverni and enter the city. Amminos can only watch....his men can barely lift their spears and the horses can do no more. "Time! I must find a way to buy us some TIME!"

[sirtim]

At last! Celts that don't wear identical trousers!

The variety of clothing and shield patterns is fantastic! The battle scenes look wonderful. You've done a magnificent job.

[Kull]

A few of the Acus Eporedoi, unable to bear the sight of enemy troops entering their gates, move toward the Aedui at a walk. The Bataroi halt at the gate, face about, and begin hurling javelins. Amminos has the germ of an idea, and keeps a few of his men moving, at a walk, tempting the Aedui to advance and to throw, always staying just at the edge of deadly range. 2 men are lost, but a little time is bought, and the horsemen are no longer exhausted. Tiring of this game, the Bataroi turn, enter the gates, and sprint down the dirt track leading toward the heart of Gergouia. But Amminos and his men are right behind, and hit them hard just as the Aedui are reaching the town square.

[Kull]

But the men are too tired - in the melee that follows, seven horsemen are slain, taking only three of the enemy with them. It is too much to ask of tired men, and Amminos sounds the retreat. The Aedui at first are confident - they hold the center of town. But now what? Their leader is dead, the populace is hostile, and the Acus Eporedoi control access to the broken gate. The Bataroi periodically charge, but always Amminos moves his horsemen out of range. The Aedui pursue their little game of attack-retreat, but it is ineffectual and all the while the Arverni grow stronger and more confident while their enemies become less so with every passing minute. At last, their strength completely renewed, Amminos leads the charge. "Sukellos! Bring your mighty hammer down upon this foe! With your aid we cannot fail!"

[Rex Somnorum]

I note that the battle UI remains unchanged. A work in progress, I presume?

[Kull]

The Aedui still hold a 2-to-1 advantage and mass at the edge of the town square. But the sight of the rapidly approaching horsemen, the shaking of the ground beneath their feet, the thought of how many of their own have already fallen - well, it's too much for some of the Bataroi. The line splinters as men begin to edge back, and some panic, turning to run. The loss of cohesion is just enough. The Acus Eporedoi blast through the line spearing and jabbing at all before them. In moments the panic has spread like wildfire and all sense of duty is gone. The Bataroi turn and run for their lives....and in so doing, forfeit them.

[Kull]

The last two invaders are chased down beyond the walls. And just like that, it is over. A weary, bloodstained Amminos rides among his men, and listens gratefully to the cheers rising up.....first from his troops and then, in a growing crescendo, from every corner of Gergouia. This was truly a Heroic Victory, but the Arverni as a tribe are far from secure. Much, much, MUCH more remains to be done!

[Kull]

And that is a pretty good place to bring this little playtest to an end. I can promise you that everything you just saw was not scripted in any way. This was real EB2, played out on the campaign map, using the current Arverni 272BC start position. This was the beginning of a (currently) 7 season test game I ran on 12/24, and the only thing I've done differently here is to "go back" and get some screen shots. At the time I was just testing out the Arverni and literally had no idea what was about to occur.

Obviously everything you saw here comes from the work of many, many, many people - some who've invested a sizable portion of their lives - in order to get this project where it is today. But don't be deceived. We still have quite a bit more to do before the mod is ready for it's alpha release.

That said, EB2 is coming. And it's kick-ass fun to play!

[moonburn]

nice work and thanks we´re still waiting for the game

now for the batlefield analises you are not a great general :X

why does the spy take 2 turns before reaching gergovia his starting position should be fixed
also kings should ride horses perhaps we can finally get to pick the units our generals lead instead of having it assigned to us
in a general mobility is important

with proper planing the 3rd city could have been easily taken (by sieging it with lower numbers and having perhaps a 2nd army hiden in the forests around it )
eleutheroi get noble cavalary for their generals and our generals have to walk to the batlefield ? now this is something i enjoy a good challange

what made the slingers desert ? was it the lack of money or being in a foreign land while they are still green troops ?

[Aneximanes]

Don't stop now, you bastard!

In all seriousness: it looks amazing! A job well done to all the people involved in this wonderfull project!

[Kull]

also kings should ride horses

And they don't?

[Kull]

I note that the battle UI remains unchanged. A work in progress, I presume?

Almost everything you see is a work in progress. The encouraging part is that it's finally coming together as a playable game.

[moonburn]

And they don't?

then i missunderstood and sorry

[joshmahurin]

So what happened to Belenos?

[Rex Somnorum]

Almost everything you see is a work in progress. The encouraging part is that it's finally coming together as a playable game.

I was surprised by the diplomat and spy since I remember someone showcasing new models for the Gallic agents. I suppose they just haven't been integrated into the build yet.

I also noticed that the settlement of Ludgunon wasn't included in the released map. I sincerely hope that a province wasn't stripped from an already empty area just to add a piss poor village to Gaul. It's overcrowded as it is.