[Preview]The Lombard Duchies

[absinthia]

Did the Lombards really live south of the Netherlands? I thought they lived more eastwards.

at this point (872AD) they lived in southern Italy.

[Wareg]

Great units, especially Italian Militias

In Viri Illustres description there is information that their horses are heavy armoured. Is It a mistake in description or image?

About stirrups - I've read that during 7-9 centuries stirrups weren't popular among Franks (maybe only about 10% of cavalrymen). During 9-10 century of this proportion for sure was changing but I think in case of early Frank units cavalry with stirrups should be still minority.
Stirrups gived more stabile position (lower risk of falling off) for cavalrymen and allowed rider to slash with more power (highier attack and defence values for units with stirrups?)
In case of couched lance charge very (more?) important was high, stabile saddle.

[Diocle]

at this point (872AD) they lived in southern Italy.

Yes absinthia, you are right o.c., now in the year 872 the only remaining indipendent Langobard duchies were Spoleto and Benevento, the Franks had conquered the North of the Peninsula.

I want to add some (few!) lines from: Paolus Winfridus Diaconus (720-800) - Historia Langobardorum (I,1) - to explain where the collective memory of the Langobards placed their own origins:

" Gothi siquidem Wandalique, Rugi, Heruli atque Turcilingi, necnon etiam et aliae feroces et barbarae nationes e Germania prodierunt. Pari etiam modo et Winilorum, hoc est Langobardorum, gens quae postea in Italia feliciter regnavit, a Germanorum populis originem ducens, licet et aliae causae egressionis eorum asseverentur, ab insula quae Scandinavia dicitur advenit."

my English translation (be generous):

'In fact, from Germany came out The Goths and the Vandals, the Rugians, the Heruls, the Turcilingi , and even more ferocious and barbarous populations. In the same way the race of the Winnili, that is, the Lombards, which then reigned happily in Italy, and that originates from the Germanic poeples, although other causes are supported for their migration, is said to be descended from Scandinavia.'

[MasterBigAb]

[Bagatyr]

Great Preview ! Rep + ! When we will see the magyares :p ?

[Von Pressburg]

Amazing preview!

[Armatus]

Awesome job!

Love the shields,

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Wertgard]

Nice. Very nice preview!

[StSofiaWiseguy]

Another preview! Great work guys!

[Parzival2211]

Very nice!

[The Despondent Mind]

Makes the wait even harder

[Wallachian]

Exquisite work guys! Keep it up!

[GeneralL]

Incredible design and grapics ! You can be really proud of yourselfs

[Conqistador]

Really sweet preview... I haven't seen this preview before, this is some kicking ass work!

[Geoffrey of Villehardouin]

The skins look brilliant, in addition to being reasonably well researched and historicaslly accurate, they also seem very smooth and life-like. The horses are the best Total War horses I have seen yet. They have natural looking heads and manes and beautiful harnesses.

I wonder whether there are any realistic chances of a mod with a few Italian factions, including the Byzantines/Romans who are also probably almost ready.

[Sazabi]

Excellent work!

[AnthoniusII]

The skins look brilliant, in addition to being reasonably well researched and historicaslly accurate, they also seem very smooth and life-like. The horses are the best Total War horses I have seen yet. They have natural looking heads and manes and beautiful harnesses.

I wonder whether there are any realistic chances of a mod with a few Italian factions, including the Byzantines/Romans who are also probably almost ready.

Horses are creations of the Marka modding team that created the "Rusichi" mod.
Their material opened new horizons in the modding community.
We (TGC) used those horses (among other material of theirs) and modified them in order to create realistic types of war horses.
See an example here.
Also we were fortuned with Dome's donation of new horse skins that helped us create biger varietion on horses apearence.
In TGC there will be three main factions in Italy.
Lombard duchies leaque ,Romans (byzantines) and Saracen (in sicily).
Then East Frankia will have a significant role in Italy's politics until their domain will become HRE and until Normans will apear.
Dynastic changes in the saracens will create a new state that will also change the political ballances!

[Geoffrey of Villehardouin]

Horses are creations of the Marka modding team that created the "Rusichi" mod.
Their material opened new horizons in the modding community.
We (TGC) used those horses (among other material of theirs) and modified them in order to create realistic types of war horses.
See an example here.
Also we were fortuned with Dome's donation of new horse skins that helped us create biger varietion on horses apearence.
In TGC there will be three main factions in Italy.
Lombard duchies leaque ,Romans (byzantines) and Saracen (in sicily).
Then East Frankia will have a significant role in Italy's politics until their domain will become HRE and until Normans will apear.
Dynastic changes in the saracens will create a new state that will also change the political ballances!

I downloaded Rusichi Total War last night and the horses are just fabulous! Not just the skins but also their motions seem more realistic. They are probably the best Total War horses full stop.

This mod sounds like Rusichi Total War for Italy but with the Normans in place of the Mongols. It is an excellent idea for a mod, especially as it will have three factions with very different character and units. It will be a microcosm of a clash of cultures. A simple plan like that will help to get as soon as possible your beautiful Nikephorean Reform Roman/Byzantine units and the Longobard units all into a mod with just a small set of factions under a more direct control of those who made the historical units and researched them. On the other hand it has the potential of becoming a more complex mod with time, maybe in the future, with additional factions such as Venice or the Papal States, etc. I am personally all in favour of a mod with fewer factions and better play, as in Kingdoms Crusaders, FKoC or maybe Rusichi Total War (I only just played a first battle, but the Battle AI seems reasonably good and there is an interesting campaign concept). I hope you can give it a human dimension with real historical characters with historical personal traits and chances that Italy might fragment in a somewhat similar way as in actual history.

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Times full of Distemper - A For King Or Country AAR of the English Civil War
Reviewed at the Critc's Quill Issue 31

[Celtoi]

Again another great WOW ! !

Always love to see variety in faces per unit.
I notice many M2TW-mods forgetting to vary face type , hair color (black-brown-grey-blonde),
hair style (bald-short-long-tail) , helmet1/helmet2/no helmet and also: face scars , war "make-up" , etc. within every single unit.

In my opinion it really deepens the feel-real & player's immersion-into-the-game aspect enormously........

[jakeswe]

Amazing work!

I can't wait to play them. Having read alot about the langobards myself it's incredible to see them come alive in this mod.