DoM Faction Previews

[CountMRVHS]

Next faction? See my avatar.

[MasterOfNone]

Short one, then?

[CountMRVHS]

Well, these have all been short, compared to any of my faction guides!

[Casual Tactician]

Next faction? See my avatar.

I've no clue. Which one is it?

No, wait! "Short one, then?" + runes = Dwarves!?

[MasterOfNone]

I know he likes Dale

[Jagmodo]

I've no clue. Which one is it?

No, wait! "Short one, then?" + runes = Dwarves!?

CountMRVHS’s avatar is the faction symbol of the Chiefdom of Rhûn.

Dwarves use the symbol from the Doors of Durin (stars a.k.a. the constellation of the Plough or the Sickle of the Valar above a crown and anvil).

[Casual Tactician]

You live and learn - thanks!

[CountMRVHS]

The Chiefdom of Rhun

The Chiefdom of Rhun is the big Easterling faction in Dominion of Men, as distinct from the smaller chiefdoms of Khand and North Rhun. Much like in TNS, Rhun continues to benefit from hordes of barbaric troops and the wherewithal to strike out in several directions at once. When you play as Rhun, you're playing as the big, sprawling chiefdom in the East – so go ahead, throw your weight around!

But players who remember Rhun as the best 'steamroller' faction in TNS will find that, well … some of the steam has gone out of the old steamroller in DoM. Getting to the point where you can train anything in a newly conquered province takes significant investment in time and treasure, to say nothing of getting to the point where you can train anything resembling elites. You may have hordes of warriors at your beck and call, but settlements you conquer from your foes may be just as unruly as your soldiers, requiring the iron fist of a powerful warlord to keep them from revolting.

The flip side of this slower pace of conquest is that each settlement you take from an enemy represents an enormous setback in terms of recruitment and income for them, since even if they retake it, they may need to build it back up from scratch. So raids and scorched-earth tactics can be devastating to the enemy – just make sure that you have a strong enough force guarding your own lands to prevent your foes from trying the same thing!

That said, in the early years an aggressive chieftain can build up some momentum, bringing neighboring settlements under the ox-head banner and putting rivals on the back foot. And maintaining that momentum is important for Rhun. Since Rhun is the biggest faction in the East, there are plenty of factions just waiting to drive back your warriors and put your own settlements to the torch.

Obvious foes for Rhun include the Northmen of Dale and Rhovanion, who suffered Easterling invasions in the past. Expect some early fighting with Rhovanion in particular, since both of you are likely to skirmish over the same independent settlements south and southwest of the Sea of Rhun. Dale is beyond your reach for now, but in the mid- to late-game, once North Rhun and/or Rhovanion no longer stand between you, some epic clashes may ensue. Dale's military is varied and strong, with some troops that can do great damage to your generally lightly armored warriors. If Dale has secured its position as the prominent power in the North, watch out for its many longbowmen and staunch foot troops.

To have the resources to go head to head with Dale, you'll want to extend your power in other directions as well. To your south lies the Chiefdom of Khand, a faction that presents an interesting dilemma. At the current stage of development, Rhun and Khand begin the game with a strong alliance, even sharing military access. It's possible to maintain this alliance surprisingly far into the game, since Khand will clash with Haradrian powers to its south. And obviously, having a buffer along a relatively nondescript border is a great advantage, allowing you to free up troops from garrison duty to join the push west and north. (Or, you can use the military access agreement and send troops of your own to aid Khand's struggles in the south, capturing cities from the Haradrim to prevent your allies from growing too strong or to prevent the Southrons from defeating your allies.)

On the other hand, one of Rhun's advantages is that it can train some powerful region-specific troops if it conquers certain provinces and develops the required buildings. And some of those region-specific troops require regions in – you guessed it – Khand. Like in TNS, Rhun can train Khandian-style mounted archers, but only if it holds lands in Khand. So do you honor your alliance with your southern neighbors and give up the great advantage of being able to train fast and powerful horse archers? Or do you adopt a tous azimuts foreign policy and bash your way south, eschewing a stable border but gaining some excellent battlefield mobility?

Probably the strongest enemy Rhun will face in the early years is the Kingdom of Adunabar. Assuming you push into Mordor to claim the rebel settlements there, you will brush up against Adunabar's eastern borders. The kingdom's strong Cultic infantry, supplemented by Orcs and other beasts, may prove daunting, but the settlements around the Sea of Nurn are potentially rich – and there is the opportunity to ally with the RK, as both of you work away at Adunabar's defenses.

Lesser foes in the area also await your conquering tread. The Chiefdom of North Rhun may seem to be a natural friend, but they may covet your wealthier lands and deem a strike against you preferable to attacking strong Northmen. The Kingdom of Dorwinion may be snuffed out quickly and their rich province added to your growing empire with a few well-timed attacks – or they may prove a more resourceful foe. Some of Dorwinion's troops are equipped and trained to damage your cavalry. If you allow the kingdom to grow too strong, you may find yourself hard-pressed to end a war with them decisively.

And then there's the Dwarves. Any fight against Dale will ensure you are also at war with their Dwarven allies. While their homelands are scattered across the North, there are Dwarven settlements nearby in the Iron Hills and the mountains west of the Sea of Rhun – as well as Erebor itself. Taking these settlements denies Dale a powerful ally, and allows you to share out to your victorious warriors the famed riches of the Dwarves – provided you can defeat them. The Dwarves tend not to be aggressive foes, but they are stubborn and resilient on the battlefield.

Rhun's roster from TNS survives the transition to DoM largely intact. Chieftains no longer ride to war in wains, but on horseback; the wains are trainable as a regular unit. Some units are now limited to particular regions. But overall, Rhun's military remains the same: a core of wild infantry warriors supported by some limited ranged troops, with a potentially strong cavalry as a crucial wing. Dependent upon outnumbering your foe – but not to the extent of the Haradrim – you must rely upon the varied troops at your disposal and those pressed into your service in foreign lands, holding together your mismatched hosts through the strong will of your chieftains.

These will be the tools with which you will build your empire, a force to rival that of the Wainriders of old. And when your chiefdom subdues its nearby rivals and pushes into the West, even greater challenges await. The Wainriders never got close to Minas Tirith, but perhaps, under a strong enough leader, your Easterlings can cross the Anduin and bring to its knees the city that organized the defeat of their ancestors time and time again.

Rhun is the obvious choice for an aggressive player, one who hopes to defeat his foes quickly in campaign as well as on the battlefield. And while the mechanics of this iteration of the mod make that strategy more challenging than before, attack is still the surest route to victory for the chiefdom in DoM.

[Basileos Predator]

Well, the Chiefdom is surely an interesting faction to play with, but even with it's big number of troops, it may prove troublesome for more inexperienced players that won't be able to use the ups and downs of the faction to their max; Overall, a fun faction to play, whit some great battles ensured against powerful foes.

[CountMRVHS]

I guess that's true - there's a certain amount of fiddling required to use Easterling troops correctly. Their (mostly attack-oriented) infantry requires you to use Warcry effectively, the skirmishers require you to skirmish, and the Wains ... well, the Wains are unique. Probably my favorite unit in the game, but they're very idiosyncratic, requiring just the right type of terrain (open ground, not too rocky, no woodlands) and constant care. They will absolutely chew through cavalry, and can give infantry a nasty scare (as well as inflicting casualties), but of course you can't leave them sitting in melee - they have to be moving constantly.

[Basileos Predator]

Yeah, wains can either be the decisive unit for some battles, or can be totally useless in others. They'll be a great addition to your cavalry's push on the flanks, and if they can get to the enemy's back, they'll be mass routers- (considering you battle on the vast plains around the Sea of Rhun or arount the sea of Nurn and east Mordor where their use will not be hinthered).
Infantry-wise, the light armor will be a problem, and you'd have to use them wisely and coordinate them precisely with the cavalry and wains, for maximum efficiency.

[Casual Tactician]

Interesting faction. I just hope that Adunabar will get a good start as AI (= good starting armies, settlement development), so they don't get crushed early on.

BTW, will dwarves and elves be playable - iirc they are, but I'm not sure?

[webba84]

They are. If you ask Count nicely he might even preview one of them next.

edit - fear my shadowy ways!

[Aradan]

Yes, they are playable.

EDIT: Ninja'd.

[Casual Tactician]

Yes, they are playable.

Thanks! And also thanks for all the great work you and your team are doing. DoM looks like it will be a fantastic mod in every gameplay direction! +rep

So if the dwarves are playable, where the hell is their preview then, CountMRVHS? Them and Harondor are my choices for a first campaing in DoM atm. Get on with it Count!

EDIT: Ninja'd.

So you aren't all-powerfull, as rumours here have it.

[CountMRVHS]

Heh, I may be drawing things out a bit...

As to your note about Adunabar, campaigns will differ, but their presence in the North will give them some more longevity I think. It's definitely a goal to prevent Adunabar from collapsing too early.

[Casual Tactician]

Heh, I may be drawing things out a bit...

As to your note about Adunabar, campaigns will differ, but their presence in the North will give them some more longevity I think. It's definitely a goal to prevent Adunabar from collapsing too early.

I hope you are talking about to "prevent Adunabar from collapsing too early" regarding Adunabar, as playing them.

Playing as any 'good' faction (but also some 'evil' ones), Adunabar should be a powerfull and dangerous faction.

[Basileos Predator]

You're very right. Unless as player, Adunabar should be a strong faction, and a strong opponent to face, and if they get to advance properly and access the Olog-Hai, and get legions of orcs, they should be damn right uber-dangerous.(Though it would be totally different from campaign to campaign from what has been revealed so far, so it should be prety interesting to watch them develop in the various campaigns played).

[Bercor]

I hope you are talking about to "prevent Adunabar from collapsing too early" regarding Adunabar, as playing them.
Playing as any 'good' faction (but also some 'evil' ones), Adunabar should be a powerfull and dangerous faction.

What Count is saying is that the developers have the goal of preventing Adunabar from collapsing too early.

[Casual Tactician]

^^ when not playing them, I hope.

I don't mind a nice challenge when playing Adunabar myself though.