DoM Faction Previews

[Aikanár]

Ha! You're not alone with that CountMRVHS, in not having completed the RK campaign I meant.

I played the RK more than double the times I've played all other factions combined, but never have finished the campaign. Not, because I liked other factions better, but because I don't like the late game, at all, in all TW titles that is. It might sound strange but my goal is mostly to expand to natural borders and then stop expansion altogether. The next focus is to keep all other factions alive and active, which means that they need to maintain a certain amount of provinces in order that the AI actually does something besides moving one or two stacks from a to b.

To achieve that I usually have to break all alliances and build up more or less good relations with every faction in order to be able to ally on the fly with threatened factions . I project my power over considerable distances, which is a bit tricky when I want to have generals in command of my army because of the supply trait.

Sadly, most of the times, I failed to save the rebel dwarven fortress next to the sea of Rhûn. But two times I managed to save and contain them for the rest of the campaign.

I guess most of my campaigns I gave up when either a faction got utterly defeated and whipped out or when the battles holding off Harad turned into several hours of bridge crossing battles per each turn.

I'm curious how such an approach might work out on the full map with even greater distances.

[CountMRVHS]

Well, keeping factions 'alive and active' will be somewhat easier in DoM, with the hording mechanic. Most mannish factions, upon losing their last settlement, will get one chance at a single-stack horde, and 'go into exile', assuming the faction leader is still alive.

The other thing is, the sheer number of additional factions compared to TNS will make diplomacy more fluid. No longer will it be just Rhun in the East, Harad in the South - there's a lot more for those factions to keep busy with, and so there's more opportunity for diplomatic maneuvers longer in the campaign.

[Aradan]

Um, the 'exile' thingy feature has been disabled.

[MasterOfNone]

Unless you get on Aradan's bad side...

[CountMRVHS]

Ack, what game am I playing again!?

Sorry about that - there's a lot of features to keep track of!

[Stath's]

very, very interesting read!

[fireblade]

Great thread, absolutely amazing
Thanks for all the work

[CountMRVHS]

No problem; these are fun for me to do.

[MasterOfNone]

Of course, the Kingdom of Dale is the coolest faction ...

[Bercor]

Of course, the Empire of Harad is the coolest faction ...

Corrected that for you .

[MasterOfNone]

Meh.

[CountMRVHS]

Of course Dale is cooler than Harad




...just look how far north it is!

[MasterOfNone]

[demagogos nicator]

Amazing read, it really gets me in the mood to play the mod as soon as possible.

No doubt Dale is the coolest facion just take a look on their dragonslayer bodyguard or their fierce banner with the longboat

[Bercor]

The Black Numenorean would slay that dragonslayer in less than one minute .

[CountMRVHS]

Happy Father's Day to all those who have brought children into this world for some reason! I'm celebrating by posting my thoughts on the RK a bit early. This is a long read, guys – but it's only appropriate for the biggest faction in the mod.

On paper, this may look like the same Reunited Kingdom from The New Shadow, plus some provinces in Arnor. But looks can be deceiving, and the RK stands to play out quite differently than in previous versions of the Fourth Age.

One reason for that difference, as I mentioned in an earlier post, is the sheer number of additional factions in Dominion of Men. The New Shadow has six playable factions. DoM has around three times that, and plenty of those new factions are in the immediate neighborhood of the Reunited Kingdom. All those factions – even the distant ones – make for a varied and dynamic diplomatic experience.

I'll give an example from my recent go as the RK. As you would expect, the RK/Harad war can play a large role in the early game. In previous versions of the mod, if you were playing the RK, Harad wanted to kill you with a suicidal enthusiasm. There was very little room for strategic wrangling; you had to either play defense or commit to a long and costly war of extermination, because you presented Harad's only way forward.

But in DoM, Harad begins play surrounded by three minor factions - the Principalities of Harondor and Far Harad, and the Chiefdom of Khand – with some rebel provinces for them to squabble over in the far East. In my game, I was able to ally with Far Harad and Khand, after which Khand and Harad immediately went to war. The next turn, a Haradrian emissary arrived at Minas Anor begging for a ceasefire. Peace only lasted a few years, but during that time I was able to extract some tribute from my erstwhile foe and use the mirian to build up my infrastructure – and to send some money to my distant allies, in the hopes that they would continue to cause trouble for the Empire!

The ability to ring your foes within a web of alliances, and the shifting nature of diplomacy in general, seems to lead to more realistic wars, in which factions must pause and catch their breath before continuing the assault. And because of the Reunited Kingdom's widespread holdings across the map, they are in an excellent position to take advantage of the diplomatic opportunities that may open up.

So let's discuss those widespread holdings. The most notable feature of the RK is that it is split into two separate territories, roughly corresponding to the old kingdoms of Gondor and (part of) Arnor.

In the south, the RK faces off against the rising power of Adunabar across the Anduin. Players of TNS will recall the land between Minas Anor and Minas Ithil as the site of critical battles for both factions. But in DoM, it will not be enough simply to take Minas Ithil; the rival Dunedanic kingdom of Adunabar also holds lands in the north, and may not be crippled by the outcomes of a few battles and sieges.

Harad, as noted above, is one of the RK's chief rivals, but the presence of the Principality of Harondor between the Poros and Harnen rivers may make for a useful ally that can delay a northward Haradrian push – and if nothing else, Harondor will slow the enemy advance.

Just north of the White Mountains, Rohan and Dunland will be locked in combat. As steadfast allies of the RK, the Rohirrim may send armies toward Minas Anor to aid in fighting against Adunabar – so a gracious king would return the favor, and help put down the Dunlendings, if he could afford the expense and the manpower.

Before we turn to the northern territories, I should also mention the core Gondorian provinces. In past iterations of the mod, the settlements between Dol Amroth and Minas Anor served as the incorruptible heart of your realm – you could expect them to stay loyal with only minimal investment while you focused on waging wars in the East or South. In DoM, however, more factors can affect the loyalty of your settlements: a weak king, or one who embraces the teachings of the Shadow Cult; not enough nobles to govern your towns and cities; too much war and too little investment in infrastructure. The result is that the player cannot afford to neglect his homelands while waging war on the borders.

In the former lands of Arnor, the Reunited Kingdom is not so well entrenched as it is in the southern realm. Cities like Annuminas and Fornost have a great legacy, but they lay well outside the orbit of the King for centuries, and have only recently begun to be repopulated. The civil war that created the Kingdom of Adunabar has split these lands as well, and the Cult has a presence in the north as it does in the south. So a king of the Reunited Kingdom may be fighting a war on three or four fronts long before he is able to link all of his territories.

Fortunately, all is not grim in the north. The RK has several potential allies in the region, most notably the Shire faction, which depends upon the protection of the King. The Elves and the Dwarves have settlements nearby as well, to the west of the Shire. However, the RK is more likely to serve as a bulwark for these peoples against the Cultic forces that have arisen in the lands of Rhudaur and eastern Arnor – they will make good trading partners, but may not be able or willing to provide military aid.

Along the Greyflood, the City-kingdom of Tharbad guards the trade routes that flow north, south, and along the river. Its Merchant-king often prefers a stance of neutrality to other factions, but Tharbad is likely to resist Adunabar's advances into its territory, and to hold off Dunlending assaults as well, making this faction a useful barrier against more aggressive neighbors. Of course, Tharbad's precarious position may make it an unpredictable ally or trading partner. If it deems you a threat to its independence, it may throw in its lot with your foes...

But regardless of the initial state of your kingdom, you'll need to expand beyond its borders. And the Numenorean heritage of the rulers of the Reunited Kingdom means that you have a claim to lands that are far from your homeland regions. For this reason – as well as for all the reasons listed above – an RK campaign can unfold in a variety of ways.

For example, a natural end to your war with Harad would see your fleets sailing south and your stalwart infantry capturing coastal settlements all the way to Umbar. Bribes, payoffs, and alliances could encourage factions such as Khand and Far Harad to join you in subduing the inland holdouts of the Empire. Meanwhile, your forces could simply hold the line of the Anduin near Minas Anor, while your northern armies push Adunabar out of Arnor. Once Arnor is recaptured and Harad is no more, send your battle-hardened troops into the Black Land for the climactic end to the civil war.

Another path would prioritize the uniting of the ... um, Reunited Kingdom. Hold the bridge at Osgiliath and the fortress at Cair Andros, and train an army in central Gondor to defend against seaborne invasion from Harad's strong fleets. Aggressively aid your allies in Rohan by putting down the Dunlending chiefdom once and for all, and claim independent territories in and around Enedwaith to link your northern and southern lands. If the upstarts in Tharbad object, they will have to face the might of your victorious army!

There are a host of other options – you could, for example, push eastward into Mordor and Rhovanion, taking settlements all the way to the Sea of Rhun and bringing those lands back into the Kingdom's fold – and they are all possible because of the rock-solid infantry and elite archers available to the RK. The defensive nature of your forces allows you to set up a strategic defensive line almost anywhere, and concentrate your invasion exactly where you want.

I mentioned elsewhere that the Reunited Kingdom campaign in TNS was the only faction I haven't played to completion. Given the many strategic options available in the final version of the mod, I know I won't want to miss out on the RK campaign in Dominion of Men.

[The Angry Greek]

Any insight into The Principality of Harondor?

I've always envisioned them as House Martell and the Dornish from ASOIAF, or the Andalusians/Almohads in Medieval Spain. Do they have Gondorian influence in their armor? And are they hostile to both the RUK and the Empire of Harad, or just to Harad?

[CountMRVHS]

I'll have a full post dedicated to each faction, so yes, Harondor will be covered.

For now, I can say that Harondor draws military influence from both the Empire of Harad and the Dunedanic kingdoms. So I think your analogies are fairly apt. They are in between both power centers, culturally as well as geographically.

At game start, I don't believe they are set to be at war with anyone, though initial diplomatic settings may change.

[Bercor]

Well, I can answer to the first question. The only Gondorian influence that Harondor has, as far as I can see, is the fact that they use ballistas, unlike Harad, and the crew is similar to the RK's counterpart.

[MasterOfNone]

In appearance the units are near to those of Harad, the Gondorian influence mainly being manifest in the better quality of armour.