Today Creative Assembly released a new trailer of the upcoming first game of the Total War Saga series, Total War: Thrones of Britannia.
The trailer showcases the first playable leader of the game, which will be (predictably) Alfred the Great, King of Wessex. At the end of the ninth century, he defeated the invading vikings, and rose to prominence as the ruler of England.
The Total War Saga series will focus on narrower and more specific periods of history, and this time around we get the wars that led to the semi-unification of the British isle starting in 878 AD.
In addition to the video, we also learn more about gameplay from the accompanying press release. Each faction leader will have to face unique events and branching dilemmas based on historical events. This will allow players to basically rewrite history to a greater extent compared to usual Total War games.
Victory can be achieved by aggressively expanding through war, by increasing the faction’s fame through construction, advanced technology, and influence, or by achieving faction-specific historical objectives. An ultimate victory condition can also be achieved, but no further details were given about that.
Below you can read more about the first two factions that have been revealed.
West Seaxe Faction, led by King Alfred
West Seaxe – or Wessex in modern English – was the seat of King Alfred’s rule. After the Viking invasion in 871 AD, Alfred was forced to relocate to Somerset, but his stunning victory at the Battle of Edington saw him return triumphant. His subsequent reign saw a great many reforms and unifying improvements instated.
West Seaxe Faction trait: Witan
The Witan is an assembly of governors which meets to discuss the future prospects of West Seaxe. Its recommendations are periodically presented to the player as a series of proposals. Each option carries positive and negative campaign effects, and can affect the faction’s use of Fyrd levy units.
Mierce Faction, led by King Ceowulf
From its capital city of Tamworth, Mercia’s kings ruled the area now known as the Midlands. At its height, Mierce stretched from Northumbria in the north of England to Kent, Sussex and Wessex to the south. In 877 AD, the Great Heathen Army seized the eastern part of the kingdom to form the Danelaw, or East Engle.
Faction trait: Hoards
When an excess of gold languishes in the treasury, a Mierce player is given the option to share out a portion of the wealth. It may be given to the army for reduced upkeep and increased replenishment, to the nobles for increased loyalty and greater income from markets, to the people for increased public order and income from farms, or players may keep it for themselves, incurring penalties to army upkeep and public order.
The game will be release exclusively for PC in 2018. It’s based on the engine of Total War: Attila, so we can only hope that this time around it’ll work well.