The Hyborian Age: Total War

[Taranaich]

"Know, O Prince, that between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities, and the years of the rise of the Sons of Aryas, there was an Age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars - Nemedia, Ophir, Brythunia, Hyberborea, Zamora with its dark-haired women and towers of spider-haunted mystery, Zingara with its chivalry, Koth that bordered on the pastoral lands of Shem, Stygia with its shadow-guarded tombs, Hyrkania whose riders wore steel and silk and gold. But the proudest kingdom of the world was Aquilonia, reigning supreme in the dreaming west. Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandaled feet."

What is The Hyborian Age: Total War?

In 1930, Weird Tales published a story that would introduce the world to a character who would grow into an icon of the 20th Century. The writer was Robert E. Howard, the story “The Scarlet Citadel”, and the character Conan the Cimmerian. The black-haired, sullen-eyed barbarian from the dark lands of the North lived in a forgotten age, known to the Nemedian Chroniclers as the Hyborian Age. It was an age of great kingdoms, mighty warriors and terrible sorcery. Most of all, it was an age of war.

What factions will be present in The Hyborian Age: Total War?

Because Robert E. Howard pictured the Hyborian Age as being a distilled, fantastic enrichment of more recognizable cultures and eras of earth’s history, a number of the factions are already present in a way. It is a veritable melting pot of history, one where cavemen can fight longbowmen and vikings, where New Kingdom Egyptians can battle steel-clad knights, and Mongol horsemen can clash with Native Americans.
There will be at least 20 factions in the game, with a further 10 unique factions in later releases. The factions were decided after reading through every Conan story written by Howard, and judging which nations and cultures were both most important in the Hyborian Age and the most interesting to play. Apart from some references from other areas of Howard’s literature like the Kane and Kull stories, most gaps will be created using my own extrapolations that I believe will be true to Howard’s vision. Sometimes there are great gaps in Howard’s writing (he never mentions the Kings of Argos or Zingara, and doesn’t even give some nations a capital city) so there is a large amount of extrapolation for some factions. Everything that appears in Howard’s work, and everything that is either from a pastiche or my own imagination will be made as distinct as possible, so everyone is clear as to what is Howard’s work and what is extrapolation. I decided not to include other authors’ characters, events or similar, because I’d rather make a truly Howard mod with my own particular slant on it, and there are many things in the pastiches that I disagree with. There are also copyright matters to consider: it’s easier to just include stuff from Howard, and not bring in too much from DeCamp, Hoffman, Roberts, or the comics. I may use some city or character names from the pastiches if they are appropriate to the faction and work well in context to Howard. If my mod proves popular, then other modders are perfectly free to add factions, characters and events from the pastiches if they like. If they like my skins or any element of the mod, they are also perfectly free to use them in their own work as long as due credit is given.

The factions, assuming choosing cultures is possible:
Hyborian – Aquilonia, Nemedia, Koth, Argos, Zingara, Corinthia, Ophir, Brythunia, Hyperborea
Barbarian – Cimmeria, Asgard, Vanaheim
Savage – The Pictish Confederacy, Kush, Tombalku, Keshan, Zembabwei
Eastern – Turan, Hyrkania, Vendhya, Ghulistan, Kosala, Khitai, Iranistan
Shemite – Shem, the Zuagir
Ancient – Zamora, Stygia, Black Colossus

I may switch Argos and Zingara into the Shemite culture group, seeing as they are not true Hyborian nations. I may also put Kosala and Khitai into the Ancient culture group on account of their sorcerous reputation. I have not yet decided on the final faction, though I have an idea of what it could be. The candidates for the final faction are:
Acheron – Ancient faction, cause chaos in Hyboria / Not very Howardian
Border Kingdom – Tough start, cool units / Hyboria too crowded
Khauran & Khoraja – Tough start, tiny faction / weak, Hyboria too crowded
Darfar – Liven up Black Kingdoms, unique unit / weak, little known
Punt – Liven up Black Kingdoms, good economy / weak, little known
Atlaia – liven up Black Kingdoms / little known
Amazonia – liven up Black Kingdoms / little known
Kozaks – liven up Eastern Desert / too transient

How big is the conversion going to be?

Apart from a new map, the game will mostly consist of reskins and graphical changes. Aquilonia, Nemedia, Koth, Argos, Zingara, Corinthia, Ophir, Brythunia, Hyperborea, Cimmeria, Asgard, Vanaheim, the Pictish Confederacy, Turan, Hyrkania, Pelishtia and the Zuagir are pretty much already in the game (as France, Germany, Sicily, Portugal, Spain, Venice, Milan, Hungary, Poland, Scotland, Russia, Denmark, the Aztecs, the Timurids, the Mongols, Egypt and the Moors respectively) and will be pretty much the same as in vanilla but with tweaked stats and with new skins, either as simple as a recolour or altogether original design. Some factions like Vendhya, Hyperborea, Asgard, and Vanaheim will have a few new models. The new factions – Kosala, Khitai, Iranistan, Kush, Tombalku, Keshan, Zembabwei, Stygia, Zamora and the Black Colossus will be completely new, though based on the other factions. Even the faces of the units will be changed, with more battle-ravaged and scarred faces. Most of the buildings will remain the same, except Stygia, which will have entirely new buildings (though they will probably just consist of Aztec buildings painted black).

What makes this mod different?

The real-time element of the gameplay will likely be very similar to Vanilla, although with a number of new unit types that will provide some variety. Officers and Generals also have a much more important role: they are all much stronger warriors, and could take on dozens or even hundreds of men in a battle, but the loss of such a unit will have a massive impact on the army’s moral. Priests have a more vital role, as religion in the Hyborian Age is a powerful and dangerous element that has a very influential effect on the very survival of a nation. Sorcery also plays a major part, with some nations having access to terrible magicks that could not only shift the power balance, but the very stability of the earth. As well as that, the barbarian and savage races are perhaps a greater threat to the civilized lands than their own rivals, for if they were united under a single banner they could rampage across the map with nothing to stop them.
Another feature is fact that many of the factions are landlocked, and frequently surrounded by powerful enemies. This minimizes the gambling of automatic naval battles, and although this restricts the options available to landlocked factions, it also means that there’s a greater likelihood to see struggles between factions. I am unsure exactly how many provinces will be used, but it will likely be about 200, to reflect the massive world of Howard’s writing and the many cultures in it. Only the most powerful and important settlements will have walls, to make things more “Total War” than “Total Siege”.
Also, the vast number of different cultures means there is a bit of something for everyone: if you want to stick with the medieval period, then Turan or any of the major Hyborian factions will play like a nation from the middle ages. Asgard and Vanaheim would be an ideal choice for the Viking nut. If you enjoy ancient warfare then Stygia, Kush and the Shemites resemble the ancient Egyptians, Nubians and Semitic cultures respectively. Players wanting to rampage across vast swathes of the map like Arabs, Huns or Mongols might enjoy the Horde, Ghulistan and the Hyrkanians. Corinthia, Brythunia and Ophir have access to phalanxes, chariots, elephants and other staples of classical-age warfare. If you’re tired of European-style factions then Vendhya, Kosala and Khitai are facsimiles of ancient India, Thailand and China. And if you want something a bit different, then the Cimmerians, Picts, Hyperboreans and Zamorians will offer their own unique styles of play unlike any of the other factions.
Some of the factions start out very strong: Aquilonia is far more powerful than the other Hyborian factions, Turan is stronger than the other eastern factions, and the barbarian factions are just about indestructible. To make things more interesting for these players, Aquilonia and Turan will be highly susceptible to rebellion problems (as seems to be quite common in Howard’s writings), to the point where a particularly severe rebellion could cripple the faction. Players who choose Cimmeria, Asgard or Vanaheim will begin with a single province or horde and only a few units, meaning that expansion into the equally dangerous independent territories will be very risky, even with the most powerful units in the game. Once a sizeable army has been achieved, however, the game will become much easier, at least until the Pictish reforms.
Visually, the game will be evocative of such illustrators as Frank Frazetta, Gary Gianni, Doug Beekman and artists like Caravaggio. Although the faction units will mostly be composed of realistic units, there will be the occasional unrealistic weapons (unfeasibly large swords, massive warhammers and double-bitted battle axes abound) and some units are practically superhuman, particularly the barbarian ones. There will also be a few extremely powerful sorcerous units, but these will be exceedingly rare in the campaign.

Will there be different versions of the Mod?

To begin with, I will do a series of smaller region packs as seen in The Fourth Age, in the following released:
Part One: Gods of the North
Cimmeria, Asgard, Vanaheim, The Pictish Confederacy, Hyperborea, Aquilonia, Nemedia, Brythunia, Ophir
Part Two: The Dreaming West
Koth, Argos, Zingara, Corinthia, Pelishtia, The Zuagir Horde, Zamora, Turan, Stygia, The Black Colossus
Part Three: Jewelled Thrones of the Earth
Vendhya, Hyrkania, Ghulistan, Khitai, Kosala, Iranistan, Kush, Tombalku, Keshan, Zembabwei

Depending on the feasibility, I plan on eventually having at least three different full maps: the Age of Darkness, the Age of Kings and the Age of Empires. The Age of Darkness will start from the last days of Acheron and Old Stygia, with the coming hordes of the Hyborians and Hyrkanians to wipe out the old empires. The Age of Kings will be the time of Conan’s reign, just after the Year of the Dragon. The Age of Empires will start from the height of the Aquilonian and Turanian Empires, while the Picts, Nordheimir and Hyrkanians prepare to rampage across the world to bring the Hyborian Age to an end.
If possible, I might also make an epic campaign called The Hyborian Age. I intend to eventually make a mod that encompasses the whole of the Hyborian Age, from the early stone-age empires to the glittering citadels of Acheron and Dagonia, through the golden era of Conan’s time right up to the Ice Age that sends the world into ruin.

So, is this mod actually going to happen or will it fall apart like so many others?

Wheesht, don't jinx it! I tried to make this mod for Rome: Total War, but I couldn’t make hide nor hair of the various exporters out, despite the very helpful and informative tutorials out there. Most of the changes for the alpha would be texture changes, and I plan on doing most of the concept art myself (indeed, a lot of it is already done for the new factions).

So what’s the story?

The story takes place 2 years after the events chronicled in The Hour of the Dragon. Conan is King of Aquilonia, and has finally made good on a promise to a woman and made Zenobia his queen. Tarascus of Nemedia has reluctantly accepted peace, but bad blood between the Aquilonians and Nemedians will likely boil for eons, at least, until one nation is no more. Young Akkhutho VI has been placed as vassal King of Koth, but the horrors under the Scarlet Citadel are ever present in the King’s thoughts, and threaten to drive him to madness. With the mysterious assassination of the King of Argos, a powerful Merchant Lord has claimed rule over the maritime nation, but “King” Publio will likely face danger from all quarters if he is to keep his throne. Zingara is a broken land, ravaged by civil war and rebellion: a young Countess, Belesa de Korzetta, may be the last hope to heal the country’s strife. Fearful of invasion from their powerful neighbours, the city-states of Corinthia, Ophir and Brythunia must unite their divided lands if they hope to protect themselves from their neighbours.
Far in the icy north, the ancient Kingdom of Hyperborea also plots, the wily King Tomar feeling the time is right for expansion into the soft southern lands. The barbaric Nordheimir fight their endless battle, but the threat of the ice spurs King Tyr of Asgard and King Horsa of Vanaheim to look not only to defend their territory, but expand into new lands. And in the dark hills of Cimmeria, the moody and terrible race of Conan’s ancestors continue to live their dreary lives, with High King Cumal ever watchful of the dangers that lurk in the dark mountains.
While the Hyborian lands bicker, another insidious threat awaits outside their borders: a great Shaman has arisen among the Picts: this man, Teyanoga, may yet bring the tribes together from a savage rabble into a mighty nation. In the Black Kingdom of Kush, King Amboola has liberated his people from the tyranny of the Chaga, but the freedom of his land is only the beginning of his people’s path to independence, as it must content with its rival in the Black Empire of Tombalku, and the ruthless sympathisers of the Chaga in Stygia. To the east, Keshan and Zembabwei battle over the rich land of Punt, and whoever emerges victorious from their rivalry will undoubtedly become a major power in the South.
In the east, war continues to rage: Turan continues to rampage west, crushing everything in Yezdigerd’s relentless storm of conquest. A warlord from the East has united the Hyrkanian tribes, and the glittering citadels of the south and west may be targets for the Wolves of Hyrkania. In Vendhya, the Devi Yasmina continues to reign in peace and prosperity, but the shadow of Yimsha continues to darken her dreams, as well as threat of Kosala to its east. The Himelian tribes north of Vendhya have once again been united under Ghulistan to lead the hillmen to adventure and glory. All this while, mysterious, jungle-haunted Khitai broods menacingly, perhaps ready to unleash a terrible sorcerous conquest upon the earth.
The pastoral lands of Shem have a new ruler: Akhirom, another man who seems to have escaped the jaws of hell, has been appointed ruler over Pelishtia. Olgerd Vladislav, an old nemesis of Conan, has joined the Kozaks and the Zuagir into a mighty union: together, the two Hordes could devastate the East and West.
In the south, the old serpent Stygia continues to slumber: Ctesphon lolls lazily on his throne, but the Children of Set must be ever willing to carry out the orders of the Great Serpent, and the priests of Set will not tolerate the dominance of Mitra and Ishtar for long. Finally, the despotic realm of Zamora lies, caught between the Nemedians, Hyperboreans and Turanians: the spies and assassins of the Spider God will send any nations that threaten them into turmoil and ruin through sabotage, regardless of what King Mitradites says.
Thus is the face of the world. And yet, it seems there is something more taking place, as if gigantic happenings beyond the ken of man are taking place. King Conan has been visited once again by Epimitreus, warning of the treacheries of Set. Akkhutho, Publius and Akhirom's dreams of terror and death threaten to drive them to insanity. Tremendous natural disasters are happening in the northern lands, attributed to the Sons of Ymir and the terrible Gods of the North. Above all, there are ever more frequent rumours of crimes and atrocities linked to the Black Ring of Stygia, the Black Circle of Yimsha, and countless other sorcerous societies. Names long forgotten by common folk like Dagonia, Xuthalla and Cthulhu are being whispered in dark corners of the world. The people are fearful that some great reckoning could be upon them, and all these terrible events are connected.
After all, it cannot be mere coincidence that many of the rulers of the earth have a common link: that of Conan the Cimmerian, the son of a blacksmith who became a King…

This is outrageous! How dare you besmirch Howard’s name in such a manner you scurrilous knave etc etc etc

I’m firmly of the opinion that the only Conan writer out there is Howard himself. Anything out there that wasn’t written by Howard’s own hand is pastiche, be it novel, comic, movie or game mod. I am creating this mod because I loved the idea of having so many different cultures in the same time period, and I want to visualize the glittering hosts of Aquilonia, Nemedia, Stygia and Turan battling the bloody-handed hordes of the Cimmerians, Picts, Nordheimir and Hyrkanians. Total War is by far the best way to realize the great battles featured in the Conan stories, and although most Conan stories are sword-and-sorcery adventures with only a few characters, there are nonetheless many stories featuring massive armies and political power plays, not least the epic Hyborian Age essay. I don’t mind if nobody downloads it: I just want to reenact the Battle at the Goralian Hills, or Shamar, or Valka. I’d just like to share my stuff with anyone who might be interested.
Howard created Conan and the Hyborian Age. We mere mortals just get to play in this blue-mantled sandbox of barbaric splendour.

The main mod forum is here:

http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=231

Oh, and greetings TWC

[Taranaich]

...Sooooo, need some convincing? Very well.

Here are screens of some of the units which will appear in the mod:


Knights of Poitain (Aquilonia) “The hosts met with a shock like that of an earthquake, that shook the tottering towers of Shamar. The disorganized squadrons of the invaders could not withstand the solid steel wedge, bristling with spears, that rushed like a thunderbolt against them. The long lances of the attackers ripped their ranks to pieces, and into the heart of their host rode the knights of Poitain, swinging their terrible two-handed swords.” – The Scarlet Citadel
The Knights of Poitain are unique among the Hyborians in their discipline: whereas most knights are wont to charge recklessly regardless of their general's orders, Poitain's knights have the strength of mind to contain their incredible ferocity until the General commands. Once the command is given, however, all bets are off: these knights will ride down any enemy still standing until either they are victorious or they fall in glorious death.


Bossonian Archers (Aquilonia)
“The squadrons clave the loose ranks of the spearmen, riding down friend and foe alike, and rushed into the teeth of a blast of arrows from the Bossonians… flesh and blood could not endure the rain of death that now ripped and howled among them. Shoulder to shoulder, feet braced wide, stood the archers, drawing shaft to ear and loosing as one man, with deep, short shouts.” – The Scarlet Citadel
Raised in the unforgiving westermarck in the shadows of Picts and Cimmerians, the Bossonians are raised with the constant threat of annihilation: however, their success in fighting back roving hordes of Picts with their mighty longbows have given rise to the proudest and most formidable archers among the Hyborian Kingdoms. Armed in brigandine or mail (or sometimes both) and chanting their boisterous songs, they are a strong and vital presence on any battlefield. They have such great discipline and synergy that they loose as one man with deep, short shouts with volleys that don't so much shower their foes as pummel them like fists. The Bossonians are arguably the greatest protection the Aquilonians had from the Picts: once the Aquilonians stupidly massacred them in response to desertion the empire soon fell to the Picts in a tide of blood.


Adventurers (Nemedia)
“A dully glinting, mail-clad figure moved out of the shadows into the starlight. This was no plumed and burnished palace guardsman. It was a tall man in morion and gray chain-mail – one of the Adventurers, a class of warriors peculiar to Nemedia; men who had not attained to the wealth and position of knighthood, or had fallen from that estate; hard-bitten fighters, dedicating their lives to war and adventure. They constituted a class of their own, sometimes commanding troops, but themselves accountable to no man but the king. Conan knew that he could have been discovered by no more dangerous a foeman.” – The Hour of the Dragon
The adventurers are composed of some of the deadliest and ruthless fighters among the Hyborian Age. Like the later Verlorn Hoop, they are frequently sent straight into the front line to wreak havoc among the lines of pikemen to clear the way for a knightly charge, a duty they are only to eager to carry out for honour and glory.

Mammoths (Hyperborea)
“We encountered a bench-legged monstrosity about the size of a mastodon…” – Red Nails
Mammoths were alive and well in the Hyborian Age, and found all over the continent from the Vilayet to Hyrkania and beyond. Somewhat naturally, a number of mammoths have been tamed, if not fully domesticated, and found use as heavy pack labourers and, occassionally, war mounts. Mammoths are relatively common in eastern Hyperborea, migrating there during the warmer summer when Hyperborea's snow briefly turns to mild grassy steppes. Most of the time, however, mammoths gather around the north of the Vilayet, where they are hunted by Kozaks and Grey Apes.
Because the eastern territories of Hyperborea are much less fortified than their western borders, Mammoths are used as semi-mobile camp centres. Somewhat perversely, the Hyperboreans use horses as their primary source for hide, so the Mammoths are more frequently used as border patrols or trade mounts in the east, where settlements are less common and a nomadic lifestyle continues away from the mighty citadels of the West.


Jarls (The AEsir)
“Conan opened his eyes and stared into the bearded faces that bent over him. He was surrounded by tall golden-haired warriors in mail and furs.” – The Frost-Giant’s Daughter
Jarls are the closest thing the Nordheimir have to a nobility: the chiefs and sons of chiefs who commit their tribe's forces to their local King's army. They are the most well-equipped of the Nordheimir, and act similarly to a general's bodyguard. They wear heavy scale mail, the heaviest armour available to the barbarians at the start of the game, but through conquest or alliance can gain access to plate mail in the campaign.


Berserkers (The AEsir)
Dedicated to Ymir, the Frost-Giant of Nordic mythology, these men are an elite among the Nordic warriors, set aside for war. They protect themselves with little other than animal pelts and an unshakeable belief in their own invulnerability, hurling themselves against the enemy line in reckless fury. They are best used to shatter enemy defensive lines before the warbands pour in behind them, for they can rarely be held back long enough for any sustained defense.


Pictish Tribesmen (The Pictish Confederacy)
“Short men, broad-shouldered, deep-chested, lean-hipped, they were naked except for scanty loin-clouts. The firelight brought out the play of their swelling muscles in bold relief. Their dark faces were immobile, but their narrow eyes glittered with the fire that burns in the eyes of a stalking tiger. Their tangled manes were bound back with bands of copper. Swords and axes were in their hands. Crude bandages banded the limbs of some, and smears of blood were dried on their dark skins. There had been fighting, recent and deadly.” – Beyond the Black River
The average Pictish tribesman would be largely similar tribe to tribe, with only a couple of tattoos or symbols denoting their totem animal. They are fairly flexible troops, capable in defense and attack, and in sufficient numbers to act as meat shields. These warriors can be defeated easily by superior Hyborian troops, but used in conjunction with other, more specialized troops they can be deadly.



Pictish Hunters (The Pictish Confederacy)
“They were waiting on each side of the path, without moving. And when a Pict stands motionless, the very beasts of the forest pass him without seeing him. They'd seen us crossing the river and got in their places. If they'd gone into ambush after we left the bank, I'd have had some hint of it. But they were waiting, and not even a leaf trembled. The devil himself couldn't have suspected anything. The first suspicion I had was when I heard a shaft rasp against a bow as it was pulled back. I dropped and yelled for the men behind me to drop, but they were too slow, taken by surprise like that.” – Beyond the Black River
As well as war, all Picts are trained to hunt efficiently in the wilderness they live in, but just as some Picts choose to concentrate on warfare, some Picts specialize in hunting as their vocation. These warriors are normally safe to hunt in peace, and exempt from the predations of hostile tribes, as it is a grave offense among Picts to kill one of Jhebbal-Sag’s children while in hunting-paint. In times of war, however, these hunters scrub off their distinctive hunt markings to paint themselves in the unmistakable war paint of the Picts. A lifetime of hunting the deadliest animals on the earth has made them effective ambushers, and whilst not as effective in a melee as a warband, they have more than enough warrior spirit to prove a dependable support unit in a battle.


Tiger Warriors (The Pictish Confederacy)
“Imagination reconstructs the scene – the black-haired chief, in his tiger-skins and necklace of human teeth, squatting on the dirt floor of the wattle hut, listening intently…” – The Hyborian Age
Each Pictish tribe has an elite group of warriors that put their regular troops to shame. The wild Tiger Picts of the central Wilderness have evolved a patience akin to their totem, choosing to advance silently before pouncing. Like many Pictish elites they are frighteningly adept at hiding in the jungles, and can appear out of nowhere to even experienced woodsmen. These warriors have proven their aptitude at ambush and quick, silent kills, their final test being the slaying of a tiger. Those who fail usually die: those who succeed are lauded, for only a tiger can kill another. As reward he is permitted to bear the skins of the beast as proof that he is of the tiger's brethren.



Rastriagha (The Cimmerians)
“He was no defensive fighter; even in the teeth of overwhelming odds he always carried the war to the enemy. Any other man would have already died there, and Conan himself did not hope to survive, but he did ferociously wish to inflict as much damage as he could before he fell. His barbaric soul was ablaze, and the chants of old heroes were singing in his ears.” – The Phoenix on the Sword
Cimmerian rastriagha (berserkers) are obsessive warriors, adventuring and plundering their Nordic neighbours and the soft Hyborian lands to the south. They wield big nasty claymores, useful for splitting the skulls of savages and discourteous civilized folks alike. They frequently enter a trance-like state of gloominess and emptiness, where they would lose themselves entirely in the bloodshed. Unlike their lusty and hearty Nordic neighbours, Cimmerian berserkers are unsettlingly emotionless and silent, never uttering a word during their cold, relentless reaping of heads and lives.

More pics and information here: http://forums.totalwar.org/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=231

[GrnEyedDvl]

Awesome. I actually considered doing a Hyborian Age (yes I had the same name picked) mod myself but I was outvoted by a few people. Such is life. Good luck with it.

[Taranaich]

Hurrah, a reply!

Thanks for the support. BTW: outvoted?

[Miraj]

Wow, how come people have missed this? Its nice to see you have done some actual work before announcing the mod. Good job, and GOOD LUCK!

[GrnEyedDvl]

Hurrah, a reply!

Thanks for the support. BTW: outvoted?

When I formed the TW: Mod Squad and we started talking seriously about doing a mojor mod, we all suggested something. This was mine, I was outvoted lol Its all good.

[Taranaich]

Wow, how come people have missed this? Its nice to see you have done some actual work before announcing the mod. Good job, and GOOD LUCK!

Cheers, I'm glad people have been replying, even though I'm still a mere peasant here.

When I formed the TW: Mod Squad and we started talking seriously about doing a mojor mod, we all suggested something. This was mine, I was outvoted lol Its all good.

Ah, I see. Well, at least I won't be outvoted (what with me being the only team member so far, heh).

[Taranaich]

A quick update for you fine folks of the TWC, just so you know how the mod's going.



Gunderland Pikemen (Aquilonia)
“The pride of the Gundermen was no less fierce than that of the knights. They were not spear-fodder, to be sacrificed for the glory of better men. They were the finest infantry in the world, with a tradition that made their morale unshakable. The kings of Aquilonia had long learned the worth of unbreakable infantry” – the Hour of the Dragon
The wild Gundermen are the mightiest and most unbreakable pike infantry in the world, born and bred to battle and with unshakable will. Unlike the other Hyborian Kingdoms, Aquilonia long ago learned the value of strong infantry, and put great stock in their pikemen from Gunderland. Whereas most Hyborian pikemen were a mere wall of spears to be sacrificed for the glory of knights and men-at-arms, the Gundermen have a pride and resilience which makes them virtually unroutable. They fight with a pike and shield combination, similar to the Corinthian hoplites but with a style and finesse of their own that is unique in the world.


Knights of Poitain (Aquilonia)
“The hosts met with a shock like that of an earthquake, that shook the tottering towers of Shamar. The disorganized squadrons of the invaders could not withstand the solid steel wedge, bristling with spears, that rushed like a thunderbolt against them. The long lances of the attackers ripped their ranks to pieces, and into the heart of their host rode the knights of Poitain, swinging their terrible two-handed swords.” – The Scarlet Citadel
The units formerly called "Knights of Poitain" are now "Lancers of Poitain". These knights are not as devastating in a charge, but much more capable of slugging it out in melee. Usually the Lancers will smash a gap in an enemy line, and the Knights will follow through to slaughter infantry. Their weapon of choice is the two-handed sword, a gigantic weapon capable of cleaving infantry and horses alike: the lack of a shield, however, leaves them vulnerable to knights with them, and pikemen and halberdiers can thwart them as surely as they can other cavalry.


Hypaspist Swordsmen
"At that a great clamor arose, some siding with Aratus, some with the Corinthian, whom they called Ivanos. Oaths flew thick, challenges were passed, hands fumbled at sword-hilts..." - Iron Shadows in the Moon
Hypaspists, or "shield-bearers" in the Corinthian tongue, are extremely versatile and mobile swordsmen, used to guard a phalanx's vulnerable right flanks, or indeed any point on the battlefield where they are needed. They are among the proudest of Corinthia's warriors, and are usually composed of more hardened and tough soldiers than the phalanx. Due to the need for good infantry, most Hypaspists depart Corinthia as mercenary swordsmen, and would have to be paid well to consider fighting at home.




Priests of the Black Ring
“Only occultists high in the mazes of the hideous Black Ring possessed the power of the black hand that dealt death by its touch; and only such a man would dare defy Thoth-Amon, whom the western world knew only as a figure of terror and myth…
…He caught only glimpses of that brief, fiendish fight – saw men swaying, locked in battle and streaming blood… Thutothmes smote him on the breast with his open empty hand, and he dropped dead, though naked steel had not been enough to destroy his uncanny vitality.” – The Hour of the Dragon
One should hope never to meet a sorcerer on the battlefield at the best of times, but when that sorcerer is accompanied by a host of disciples any hopes for victory are smothered in the black shroud of their presence. Even lowly priests of the Black Ring are learned in unspeakable dark arts, the tutelage of their masters imbuing them with eldritch power and inhuman resilience. They may not know the horrific power of the Black Hand yet, but the dark energy of their master allows them to perform hideous and devastating arts, resisting injuries that would fell ten men, and slaying mighty foes with attacks that seem like mere brushes and smites.
Only the might of another sorcerer, a legendary hero, or a massively superior army could deal enough damage to these terrible beings to sent them screaming to Father Set's maw.


Stygian Nobles (Stygia)
“Heavy bows were in their hands. No common archers these, but nobles of the South, bred to war and the hunt, who were accustomed to bringing down lions with their arrows.” – Black Colossus
The Stygian warrior caste is tall, strongly-built, and fiercely determined, making them formidable soldiers, especially the nobles. Wearing the lavish headdresses and robes of the nobility, they have had the luxury of better equipment, training and experience than other warriors by virtue of some blood link to the King. Unlike the nobles of the Hyborian lands, the nobles of Stygia constantly hone and refine their technique and abilities in preparation for battle. They gain experience not through neutered jousts or tournaments, but by real and deadly combat, where the prize for victory is survival. They fight Kushite savages in gladiatorial battle, they go on week-long treks into the hostile wilderness to slaughter mighty predators, and settle disputes to the death. They may not have the innate survival or killing talents of the barbarians, but centuries of institutionalized war-breeding has made them perhaps the most dangerous warriors of the southern lands.


Black Guard (Koth, Ophir, Corinthia)
"Conan of Aquilonia, blood from unbandaged wounds caking his huge limbs, faced his captors. On either side of him stood a dozen black giants, grasping their long-shafted axes." - The Scarlet Citadel
Many Hyborian nations like Koth and Ophir suffer from intense dynastic disputes, where every nobleman feels the right to strike for the throne by virtue of some tenuous genetic link their ancestors had to the ruling family line. As such, treachery is frequent and bloody, and a wise ruler would seek to surround himself only in company he trusts. One result of this is the Black Guard, a bodyguard unit formed of giant warriors of the Black Kingdoms armed with long-shafted axes basically analogous to halberds. Because they are foreign slaves with no ethnic connection to the nobility, the logic goes that they would be less likely to be bribed by a rival, or even to assassinate their own charge and take over themselves. In addition to their loyalty, they are also steadfast soldiers, well trained and equipped by their lord to defend their holdings, family and person.


Dragon Pikemen
"Like a river of a molten steel the Nemedian host flowed into the valley, the great scarlet dragon rippling over it." - The Hour of the Dragon
In the great frenzy of industry and war-making Tarascus initiated to supplement his plot to take Aquilonia, his generals and strategists studied every facet of Aquilonian warfare. Their attempt to counter the famous Gundermen was a battallion of heavily armoured pikemen. They did not adopt the unique Gunderman pike-and-shield combinations, but attempted to circumvent that by encasing themselves in high quality plate armour vastly superior to their foe's mail and brigandine. The result is an expensive, slow-moving, inflexible but extremely tough formation that can withstand the charge of even the Knights of Poitain, and with their plate armour the devastating hail of Bossonian Arrows would clatter harmlessly from their flanks.


Legion (Ophir, Koth, Corinthia)
"From all parts of the empire legions were recalled to resist the onrush, while from the wilderness horde after horde swarmed forth, in apparently inexhaustible supply." - The Hyborian Age
Though much of Acheron's might lay in it's dark sorceries and demonic pacts, the more practical arm of Acheron was in it's professional military. The Legions of Acheron were a disciplined military force, charged with defending Acheron's expansive borders from barbaric invaders and keeping the long trade routes safe from bandits and outlaws. As the empire grew, so the legions drew from the indigenous populations of new territories more from the homeland, and so the vassal kingdoms Ophir, Corinthia and western Koth had their own legionary traditions. With the fall of Acheron and the rise of the new Hyborian Kingdoms the legions became relics, mere shadows of their old glory, although some of the more culturally inclined areas perpetuate the legions, in addition to other Acheronian traditions.


Sailors
“A distant medley of voices reached their ears, and creeping to the southern edge of the cliffs, they saw a motley horde emerge from the fringe of trees along the western rim of the plateau, and stand there a space in debate. There was much flourishing of arms, brandishing of swords, and loud rough argument. Then the whole band started across the plateau toward the ruins, at a slant that would take them close by the foot of the cliffs.” – Iron Shadows in the Moon
Although sailors are not warriors by profession, a life of hard labour on the open and frequently hostile ocean breeds rugged and hardy men. They may lack the training and cohesion of a true military unit, but if an army needs a few swordsmen to bolster their armies or patrol a settlement, out of work or retired sailors would prove as good a choice as any other militia. Unlike normal militia, however, they are much less likely to rout in the face of overwhelming odds, and their skill with a sword is better than the average militiaman.


Buccaneers
“The buccaneers weaved drunkenly, they swore incoherently; they were addled and bewildered, but they grasped their swords and advanced with a ferocity not dimmed in the slightest by the fact that they did not understand what it was all about… shouting with muddled fury, ran groggily across the court and fell on their gigantic foes with bloodthirsty zeal.” – The Pool of the Black One
Buccaneers are pirates authorized by a government to attack a foreign nation's shipping, be it simple plunder of traders or the sack of a port. Drawn from the Zingaran Freebooters or Barachan Pirates, Buccaneers have all the grace of both, but with a small measure of protection from attack from their client country's own ships. Though they are generally more useful on sea, in times of desperation buccaneers can be hearty fighters on land as much on the waves, skewering their enemies with light swords and filthy language.



Kataphracts
“The general commended his soul to Ishtar and sounded the golden oliphant. With a thunderous roar the forest of lances dipped, and the great host rolled across the plain, gaining momentum as it came. The whole plain shook to the rumbling avalanche of hoofs, and the shimmer of gold and steel dazzled the watchers on the towers of Shamar.“ – The Scarlet Citadel
The Cataphracts are an ancient military corps dating back to Acheronian times. A Hyborian response to the heavily armoured Iranistani cavalry, the Cataphracts are heavily armed and armoured horsemen who still see action on the battlefield. The Cataphracts serve much the same purpose as the Hyborian knights: unlike their western counterparts, the Cataphracts are pure soldiers, with none of the social and political heft that noble knights enjoy. As such, they are far more disciplined and coordinated than the reckless knights, and can be relied upon to follow their general's orders far more. Compared to other cavalry they are slow, but with even their horses encased in heavy armour head to foot, their charge can be devastating. In the later Hyborian Age, the professional infantry of early Koth is starting to lose favour with the government, who feel that a "modern" feudal military was the future. However, the discipline and competence of these soldiers should not be overlooked. In modern times, cataphracts are armed with heavy maces to punish plate-armoured foes, carrying lances to charge infantry, and wearing a complicated and multi-layered suit of armour, honed to perfection from millennia of development.

[Salvor Hardin]

Ages ago I made my own board game (yes, with hexagons and so on ) about the Hyborian age so, as you can imagine, this project looks great to me. Best of luck with it!

[Ged]

Great work as always.

[Rex Invictus]

Do you have a mapper already?

[Nevada]

looks really great!

[PeteSKTemplar]

Conan the Barbarian was the first comix in my life (after the fall of communism this one was among the first to be produced in my country) and I fell in love with that story, now, when I am closing to 29 years I still have strong wish to return back to that world created by E. Howard and now moddid by you, Taranaich. Thanks for your work, if you will need anything to test, just let me know. (aint modder though, but hopefully able tester)

[gewehr36]

I'm just starting to read Howard's stories and I love them already. I'd be glad to help with any background info or 2D artwork.

[Orko]

Look really cooooool!!!
so many ffactions that sound interesting! great!
Here is a map:

[Orko]

BTW some factions you reminded, Tranaich, are not in the map I proposed. Do someone have a more accurate map of Howard's world?

[gewehr36]

BTW some factions you reminded, Tranaich, are not in the map I proposed. Do someone have a more accurate map of Howard's world?

I posted a map over at totalwar.org.

[Keravnos]

I don't have enough praise for you.

Hypaspistai,
Legions,
Kataphracts... no words. Awesome!

[Taranaich]

Cheers lads, thanks for the comments!

Do you have a mapper already?

Not yet, though I've been working on the concept of the map I haven't really started on the campaign itself, though I really should get on with that soon.

Here's the revised concept map for Gods of the North:



I decided to expand the map to include Zingara, Argos, Koth, Pelishtia, Stygia, Zamora, the Zuagir and Turan, and although only a bit of Stygia and Turan are there, I thought it would be better having them in functioning as sort of "border empires".

The new map for The Dreaming West:



This adds Kush, Tombalku, Iranistan, Keshan, Zembabwei, Ghulistan and Vendhya, though I might snip the southern bit and take out Keshan and Zembabwei and save them for the next chapter. I quite like this map as it has all the major factions that play a big role in the Conan stories, and a good balance of rebel settlements.

The new map for Jewelled Thrones of the Earth:



This adds Kosala, Khitai and the Hyrkanians. In the second mod the Hyrkanians will be a horde in the corner of the map so that they can be playable, but I decided to give them a few permanent settlements on the east after reading The Hyborian Age essay again. There's a pretty big expanse north of Hyrkania, which I'm still not entirely sure what to do with, but I'll think of something. I might make it an unconquerable region, but it seems a shame to not use such a big chunk of the map.

I'll put a more detailed map with names, settlement locations, wonders and other stuff soon.

[Orko]

Very well!
I prefer this map than all the others of the Hyborian age I saw(I mean generally).
BTW Does Turan controls both of the coasts of the Vilayet sea?