[Official AoB Preview #1]Barbarians

[Dontfearme22]

For millenia, the tribes of Europe have wandered incessantly, waging inter-clan wars and erecting cairns to their gods
These warrior tribes, the nameless ancestors of the Celts and the Germans built towns, made art, and live life thousands of years before writing could record their stories
These are the peoples of the Bronze Age, these are the peoples of Europe...


Disclaimer:

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Some models are still missing from the European rosters, and with regards to chariots neither the models nor the db for them is complete at this point, so they will not be included in this preview. Once new models are made avaliable, they will be added to the mod files, but due to convenience the previews will not be totally updated with the new models unless the upgrade is particularly large.
As for credits, I have attempted to give a complete list of model, texture, and sound-clip credits for this preview, but if you notice a piece of your work present in a form here and do not see yourself credited, please contact us and we will fix the issue immediately.

All these units are going to complement and in cases add on to existing rosters, although the vast majority of units are totally new.

Unit Previews:

Urnfield/Hallstatt Culture:

The Urnfield Culture of the Late European Bronze Age, and the Hallstatt Culture immediately after it and leading into the Early Iron Age were the first of what can be considered the line of "Celtic" cultures, and dominated Central and portions of Western Europe. It was notable for being co-current with a large population boom in Europe at the time, and the resurgence of a powerful system of warrior dueling culture, the same "hero culture" that would manifest it self in a related form in Mycenaean Greece. Warriors of Late Bronze Age Europe were tribal fighters that coalesced around small forces of champions that would right duels amongst themselves while the rest of the force skirmished around them.

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Amber Route Raiders:


Ambushers:

Barbaric Old Warriors:

Barbaric Spearmen:

Barbaric Sword Raiders:

Barbaric Veteran Swordsmen:

Barbaric Warband:

Conscripted Townfolk:

Hallstatt Elder Spears:

Hallstatt Elder Swords:

Hallstatt Noble Swordsmen:

Hallstatt Spearmen:

Hallstatt Swordsmen:

Hallstatt Townsfolk:

Hallstatt Youths Band:

Helvetic Axemen:

Levies of the Fields:

Southern Chariot Runners:

Southern Conscripts:

Southern Levied Spears:

Southern Noble Swordsmen:

Southern Skirmishers:

Southern Spearmen:

Southern Tribal Bowmen:

Southern Veteran Warband:

Southern Veteran Warspears:

Southern Young Slingers:

Young Skirmishers Band:

Young Spearmen:

British Bronze Age:

The British Late Bronze Age was a complex web of distinct cultures that crisscrossed the British Island, ranging from vicious tribes in the far north to urban towns in the south. Culture revolved around the protection of a wealthy elite that displayed itself in ostentatious displays of wealth, such as jewelry and huge megalithic tombs.

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Adherents of Perkwunos:

Cultic Spearmen:

Highland Bowmen:

Highland Elder Clubmen:

Highland Longswords:

Highland Spear Band:

Highland Tribal Spearmen:

Highland Tribesmen:

Highland Veteran Spearmen:

Highland Warlords:

Highland Young Skirmishers:

Island Elder Spearmen:

Island Farm Levies:

Island Noble Bowmen:

Island Noble Swordsmen:

Island Slingers:

Island Warband:

Island Young Skirmishers:

Northern Bowmen:

Northern Club Band:

Northern Warriors Band:

Bog Tribesmen:

Britannic Elder Swordsmen:

Britannic Elders:

Island Clan Chiefs:

Island Clubmen:

Island Halberds:

Island Light Spears:

Island Slingers Band:

Island Spear Band:

Island Warband:

Island Youths Band:

Nordic Bronze Age:

The Nordic Bronze Age could be argued to be the 2nd most advanced society in continental Europe, behind Mycenaean Greece. Large populations of tribes erected complex hill fort settlements and plied the waterways of Germany and Scandinavia in fleets of hide and wooden ships. Confederations of tribes led by wealthy lords fought large battles for control over territory and material riches. Nordic trade networks were so far, and their society so advanced that Mycenaean material goods have been found in their core territories, a real reminder of the far-reaching power of the Germanic Lords.

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Forest Hunters:

Germanic Axes:

Germanic Noble Infantry:

Germanic Reavers:

Germanic Spear Band:

Germanic Swordsmen:

Germanic Young Clubs:

Germanic Young Skirmishers:

Germanic Young Spears:

Nordic Chiefsguard:

Nordic Wildmen:

The Adriatic Cultures:
The societies of the ancient Balkans existed on the great trade routes extending from the Near Eastern and Grecian empires north to the towns of Central and Northern Europe. Being the intermediaries of the earliest trade mega-corridor in history does not come without a cost however. The Balkans cultures have weathered millenia of invasions and cultural assaults through their history, and have resisted foreign influences in favor of protecting their own free roaming cultures, the same that eventually produce the feared Illyrian and Adriatic pirates of the Classical Age.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Adriatic Bow Skirmishers:

Adriatic Nobles:

Adriatic Slingers:

Adriatic Spear Band:

Illyrian Axemen:

Illyrian Clubmen:

Illyrian Coastal Chiefsguard:

Illyrian Coastal Spearmen:

Illyrian Sea Pirates:

Illyrian Veteran Infantry:

Lusatian Cultures:
In the far east of Europe, butting up against the great steppe that stretches across Asia exists the cultures of Bronze Age Poland and Belarus. This Lusatian Culture maintained close cultural ties with both the Nordic tribes to the northwest and the Urnfield culture to the south. Existing as it did in a great flat expanse of plains and swampy forests, Lusatian populations quickly turned to a system of agricultural towns, defended by imposing wooden stockades and forts. Deep inside the forests of Lusatian Europe, huge sacrificial pits were filled with the cannibalized bodies of sacrifices to ancient forest cults, while settled armies of levies clashed among the hill forts of the plains.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Lusatian Baltic Levy:

Lusatian Medium Axemen:

Lusatian Nobles:

Lusatian Spear Levy:

Lusatian Spearmen:

Lusatian Wolf Raiders:

Lusatian Young Skirmishers:

Plains Elder Spearmen:

Plains Elder Tribesmen:

Plains Night Raiders:

[Dontfearme22]

Model Preview:

Here are some of the models created by the AoB team and others for the European rosters:

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Wallpapers:

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Signatures:

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If you have any suggestions or critiques on anything you see in this preview, or want sources for historical accuracy, please PM me and I will work with the rest of the AoB team to correct any mistakes, or fix any drops in quality. All we ask is that you be courteous. We worked very hard on everything you see in this preview.

Credits:
Greenyrepublic-models, textures, 2d art
ComradeKane-models, textures
Turkenlouis-db,names,research
Arrowwolf/duckwolf2-models
PunitorMaximus-models, textures
Dontfearme22-models, textures, 2d art, music
as0017-models
Mount & Blade OSP project-models, textures

Special thanks to Turkenlouis especially, for his incredible amount of work in compiling and constructing these rosters

Some action Screenshots:

these screenshots are framed from the context of the Battle of the Tollense River, rumored to occur around the 14th century BC between 2 Northern European Confederations.

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[reyfrancis916]

I didn't like the barbarians sword that much, it was small

[PunitorMaximus]

we stuck to actual findings

[Ritter-Floh]

this is awesome, the models are awesome and this team has done a awesome job with this mod! +rep

[Dontfearme22]

I didn't like the barbarians sword that much, it was small

There was a very large number of varieties of european swords, but overall they were shorter than iron age swords. Bronze is not suited to very long thin swords, despite some Minoan usage of long wide rapiers.

[Jay the Byzantine]

I fainted.
Seriously; awesome work obviously. Can't wait to play this. Good luck guys!

[Alekho]

And now we wait.

[PhilipO'Hayda]

The British Bronze Age is full on my cup of tea. Thanks very much.