Total War: ROME II Faction Reveal Number Four

Welcome once more to the faction reveals! At number four we have a faction very close to our hearts (and borders), so head right on over to the Total War Wiki for more information:

http://wiki.totalwar.com/w/Factions

Now that we’ve got this many playable factions announced, I thought now would be a good time to answer a couple of the questions that have popped up on the myriad of threads.

Factions in Total War: ROME II
One of the things that we’ve been able to show you with the faction reveals is that we are changing the definition of what constitutes a faction in a Total War game, we’re bringing a new level of depth per playable faction, each with their own unique unit roster and tech trees making sure each one is a fresh new campaign.

The original Rome is probably the most iconic game of its kind, but we’ve come a very long way since then and what we can deliver now is so far beyond that. We’ll have more information coming, but it is safe to say that the playable factions will have far more scope than previous Total War games.
A lot of people are very concerned with the number of playable factions which Total War: ROME II will have on launch, bear in mind that you don’t know what a ‘faction’ in Rome II will play like or consist of exactly yet, previous games are not necessarily a fair comparison. Also I think the text on the faction page is worth noting:

The information and imagery on this page show work-in-progress Total War: Rome II™ content, and may be subject to change.

DLC & Mods
We are a long way from talking about additional content for ROME II, especially while the full game is still in development. This is also true for modding. For those of you who’ve used the Assembly Kit mod tools for Shogun 2, you’ll understand that we had to create the tools for the community and that isn’t something we are even thinking about until ROME II goes to be manufactured. We won’t be discussing mods for a while yet.

Why isn’t Faction X on the list?
Total War: ROME II has the Roman Empire at its core, so we’ve chosen the playable factions which we feel are the most iconic and present the most diverse spread of play styles for the time period. Of course we’re sorry if you disagree, but we’re confident you’ll find something to satisfy your play style in the roster we’ll have.


-Will CA

There's your "British" tribe. Well, kinda disappointed, but oh wells. Thanks for the additional info CA!

Screenshot

The units look great.

hmm im suprised! now its either parthia or a germanic tribe which isnt playable?

1. Rome
2. Carthage
3. Macedon
4. Iceni
5. Gaul
6. Seleucids
7. Ptolomaic Egypt
8. Parthia / Germanic tribe

Im pretty sure that number 5-7 are playable. I dunno. Then its either no Battle of the Teutoburg Forest or no parthian conquest of Crassus. At least you cant play as the opposing forces of one of those...
I dont think it is in the nature of a british tribe to cross the british channel and conquer gaul territory.. im not so sure if a british tribe deserves a spot and which faction has to be unplayable in consequence.

Originally Posted by G-Spike

hmm im suprised! now its either parthia or a germanic tribe which isnt playable?

1. Rome
2. Carthage
3. Macedon
4. Iceni
5. Gaul
6. Seleucids
7. Ptolomaic Egypt
8. Parthia / Germanic tribe

Im pretty sure that number 5-7 are playable. I dunno. Then its either no Battle of the Teutoburg Forest or no parthian conquest of Crassus. At least you cant play as the opposing forces of one of those...
I dont think it is in the nature of a british tribe to cross the british channel and conquer gaul territory.. im not so sure if a british tribe deserves a spot and which faction has to be unplayable in consequence.

Either Ptolemaic Egypt or Seleucid Empire will be playable I think. CA had said each faction will be unique. Seleucids are between Egypt and Macedon on unit similarities. So, Ptolemaic Egypt has higher chance to be playable, but they won't be playable both IMO.

the screenshots look great but this undoubtedly comes as a huge surprise. while i understand CA are trying to have varied play-styles, why was it decided Britons were prominent enough to be featured as one of the starting playable factions, over Gauls and other more important factions in the game's time period? from my very limited understanding of ancient history, they come into the 'Roman picture' starting at around 50 B.C with the invasions of Julius Caesar, which would knock them down the prominent faction list many places.

A british faction? We are going to run out of room for more prominent factions...

Iceni ? That means that there'll be that Historical Battle involving the IXth Legion ?

Originally Posted by LestaT

Iceni ? That means that there'll be that Historical Battle involving the IXth Legion ?

From what I've read the IX Legion wasn't in Britain. Or at least wasn't destroyed in Britain.

Graphics are awesome.

Allthough the screenshot looks excellent as allways this is the fire major bummer for me. Really bad decission from you guys, seriously just because you're from Brittain including a Brittish tribe is a pretty bad move.

Especially considering that this will cost us at least a playable dacian / iberian / german or even a gallic tribe. All of which had a significantly more influencial role during this age and a much more interesting starting position in my opinion due to more varied enemies close by.

Originally Posted by Rhaegar1

Allthough the screenshot looks excellent as allways this is the fire major bummer for me. Really bad decission from you guys, seriously just because you're from Brittain including a Brittish tribe is a pretty bad move.

Especially considering that this will cost us at least a playable dacian / iberian / german or even a gallic tribe. All of which had a significantly more influencial role during this age and a much more interesting starting position in my opinion due to more varied enemies close by.

Make your own history, that's what the game is about, you can make the iceni a really influencial tribe with enemies all around you I'm happy with this faction, it spices the game up a lot in my opinion!

Originally Posted by Rhaegar1

Allthough the screenshot looks excellent as allways this is the fire major bummer for me. Really bad decission from you guys, seriously just because you're from Brittain including a Brittish tribe is a pretty bad move.

Especially considering that this will cost us at least a playable dacian / iberian / german or even a gallic tribe. All of which had a significantly more influencial role during this age and a much more interesting starting position in my opinion due to more varied enemies close by.

To quote my post above:

Total War: ROME II has the Roman Empire at its core, so we’ve chosen the playable factions which we feel are the most iconic and present the most diverse spread of play styles for the time period. Of course we’re sorry if you disagree, but we’re confident you’ll find something to satisfy your play style in the roster we’ll have.

Originally Posted by Will CA

To quote my post above:

Total War: ROME II has the Roman Empire at its core, so we’ve chosen the playable factions which we feel are the most iconic and present the most diverse spread of play styles for the time period. Of course we’re sorry if you disagree, but we’re confident you’ll find something to satisfy your play style in the roster we’ll have.

Don't even give us that. We know why you chose them: You wanted a British faction because your from Britain.

The Gauls and Germans held much more sway not only against Rome but historically against the other barbarians. Omitting them to make way for a meager British tribe that barely holds historical sway is a poor decision, in my opinion.

This "9 playable factions" thing is really looking bad now that almost half the list is full. I don't care if you copy-paste some, I want to play as Germans damn it!

Originally Posted by Doktor Soviet

Don't even give us that. We know why you chose them: You wanted a British faction because your from Britain.

The Gauls and Germans held much more sway not only against Rome but historically against the other barbarians. Omitting them to make way for a meager British tribe that barely holds historical sway is a poor decision, in my opinion.

This "9 playable factions" thing is really looking bad now that almost half the list is full. I don't care if you copy-paste some, I want to play as Germans damn it!

Stop with the nationalism stuff. It's getting old. I doubt a major gaming company like CA would include a British faction just for the sake of it. It just isn't good business planning. The area chosen may be boring but it is far different thant the Med.

Originally Posted by General Maximus

No, I am serious and I really love that idea.

In Paradox Sengoku, you are allowed to use ninjas to kidnap important persons and then ransom them for your own advantage.

It will be like how Emperor Romanos I Diogenes was captured by those Turks, and they returned him only when he ceded all of Armenia and Cilicia.

Thanks. On another unrelated point I don't get why people use emoticons. If people used proper grammer others would understand the exact tone of their post.

Originally Posted by Dan113112

Stop with the nationalism stuff. It's getting old. I doubt a major gaming company like CA would include a British faction just for the sake of it. It just isn't good business planning. The area chosen may be boring but it is far different thant the Med.

It becomes slightly more attractant when your government finance you when you put what is not even your nation everywhere.

What is stupid is taking one of the few slot when it could have been a pre-order faction distributed by DLC latter.

Originally Posted by Rhaegar1

Allthough the screenshot looks excellent as allways this is the fire major bummer for me. Really bad decission from you guys, seriously just because you're from Brittain including a Brittish tribe is a pretty bad move.

Especially considering that this will cost us at least a playable dacian / iberian / german or even a gallic tribe. All of which had a significantly more influencial role during this age and a much more interesting starting position in my opinion due to more varied enemies close by.

I totally agree with you

Originally Posted by Rhaegar1

Allthough the screenshot looks excellent as allways this is the fire major bummer for me. Really bad decission from you guys, seriously just because you're from Brittain including a Brittish tribe is a pretty bad move.

Especially considering that this will cost us at least a playable dacian / iberian / german or even a gallic tribe. All of which had a significantly more influencial role during this age and a much more interesting starting position in my opinion due to more varied enemies close by.

I don't think there's any bias from CA with Britannia being added in as a playable faction. If anything, Britannia is probably a pretty widely requested faction. On the next note, if you want to play as one of the factions you mentioned above, download the esf editor once the game is released and mod the game for yourself so you have those factions playable.

The third guy from the left on the front row looks retarded, not bad but really retarded.

Nice preview, this makes only 8 factions at the start either unlikely or very restricting though as it'd mean they'd sacrifice big empires for factions like this.

Its great the Iceni are a playable faction. Being capable warriors and their location (requiring a navy to invade them) makes them a very interesting faction to play. Maybe this means Rome II has a more western-centric approach, with all but 2 of the playable factions -at least at launch- being based in central europe and western europe? Probably Bactria, Armenia or Pontus wont make it as playable factions at the launch, but that dsnt mean they wont get reworked into playable in campaign in a future DLC. They have, after all, said time and time again that they are looking at the game from a regular and casual player's point of view, and not of a hardcore historian. So expect most the playable factions to be picked through such eyes, and that offer a strategic starting location even if they arent exactly the most prominent of the nations of the time.

Awesome! I love the buildings on the background! Not really fond of the hair though (I know that the male warriors had spiked hair, but still..) wanted to see more variety but who knows.. it's not in beta yet.