Canticle For Leibowitz Total War

[colts2000]

"A Canticle For Leibowitz" Total War is a mod that will be grounded in the post-apocalyptic america from the science fiction classic "A Canticle for Leibowitz". Check out the wikipedia article for more info on the book and what this mod wil be based on:Wikipedia Article

We've already listed a bunch of the factions, but we are going to add additional ones not found in the novel so as to flesh out gameplay. So, that being said, we need creative individuals to help us out in creating new ideas that blend in seamlessly with the actual story...

Here's a rough look at where we will put the initial factions:

[colts2000]

Factions (so far) based on "A Canticle for Leibowitz"

Empire of Denver
State of Chihuahua
Texarkana
The Kingdom of Laredo
Missisipi Federation
Plains Nomads
New Rome

[colts2000]

This mod needs a story. Writers wanted. I have lots of ideas, if i get a couple of good writers and idea guys to help me out we could hammer out an awesome history for this mod. Then, with the history in place, we could start the modding process. anybody interested?

[colts2000]

I want to write a complex history and background for this mod first. When i say complex, i mean flippin' complex. Centuries of events, historical figures, and so forth. I want reasons for why certain tribes and factions have certain beliefs, languages, and looks. Writers and Conceptualists wanted!

[Hells Bells]

Ha sounds like a book i read. Ever read a canticle for leibowitz? its a good book and has all the factions needed. Empire of Denver, STate of Chihuahua, Texarkana, The Kingdom OF Laredo, missisipi federation, plains nomads, New Rome (somewhere in the northeast) Now that book is a really cool book, i suggest you at least google it or get it from your regional library (local prolly wont have it ). Its set after the nuclear holocaust destroys everything. Has alot of cool things in there, some dirty warfare, though mild after reading all the books ive read. Despite all that it remains one of the best books i have ever read.

Now seriously before you try to make up an all new setting just try this one, it has everything needed, a perfect recipe. I mean seriously, new york faction? Obviously your not very well advanced into the idea so wouldnt it be easier and better to let a proffesional writer figure everything out for you in a wonderful book/



edit, wow that was all just you making those posts, maybe you could try the edit button? But since ideas are what you need im the man for that. Call me an ideas guru, i have no real mod experience but i do get these great ideas. You should check out my "any small town mods?" thread, imagine it, herding sheep in rtw.

well this book is flippin complex, the only thing is im not going to tell you any of it right now. You see i have such great respect for it that i would require you to read it before giving out any ideas. Its just a paperback so dont worry, its not big like lotr.

now its funny that you decide to make something like this, since i was thinking of making a canticle for leibowitz game myself, along with my sheep herding game.

[colts2000]

That is soooo wierd.... A friend just bought me that book around two weeks ago and havnt even had a chance to pick it up yet! whoa... and he didnt tell me anything about it either, he just said "read it, its cool". Yunno, if my idea sounds like a rip off already, then I say lets do "A Canticle for Leibowitz TW"! Oh yeah!

[Hells Bells]

Wow cool, maybe he gave you unconcious signals that you interpreted into making this mod? I mean your idea does sound alot like the book only not as organised or believable

but anyway if your going to make a canticle for leibowitz mod ill help as i can, ive always wanted to see something like this get done.
As i said b4 its one of my favorite books.

this might be good for one of those flashing sig banners
“A spiritu fornicationis,

Domine, libera nos.

From the lightning and the tempest,

O Lord, deliver us.

From the scourge of the earthquake,

O Lord, deliver us.

From plague famine and war,

O Lord, deliver us.

“From the place of ground zero,

O Lord, deliver us.

From the rain of the cobalt,

O Lord, deliver us.

From the rain of the strontium,

O Lord, deliver us.

From the fall of the cesium,

O Lord, deliver us.

From the curse of the fallout,

O Lord, deliver us.

From the begetting of monsters,

O Lord, deliver us.

From the curse of the misborn,

O Lord, deliver us.

A morte perpetua

Domine, libera nos.

“Peccatores.

te rogamus, audi nos.

That thou wouldst spare us,

we beseech thee, hear us.

That thou wouldst pardon us,

we beseech thee, hear us.

That thou would bring us truly to penance,

te rogamus, audi nos.

[colts2000]

Alright, so your in the mod with me. This is gonna be really cool. Im reading the book now. I think thats the main thing to get things started. We're gonna need other guys to help us build it.

[Hells Bells]

cool, i thought you had forgotten, you didnt post for a while. Are you up to fiat lux? cuz i got some ideas for plains nomad campaign, and texarkana campaign, and new rome campaign but i dont wana spoil any of the plot for you.

where exactly do you think new rome is? ive been looking at maps and i know where most of the other nations are, rio laredo is north of the rio grande, state of chihuahua is a city in mexico with that same name, texarkana has parts of texas and arkansas, missisipi republic is along the missisipi river (note in fiat lux their called missisipi republic and i dont remember where they are called missisipi federation we should decide which one to pick), denver is near denver colorado, the abbey is somewhere near there, but in the desert, and the plains nomads are in the center in the plains.
My gut puts new rome behind missisipi republic somewhere in the northeast.

oh and for a trailer or something, we should show the plains nomads defeating the crusader armies that the pope sent against them in fiat homo.
if youve gotten that far, the thing about the buzzads would be cool, as an introduction. 2 lines appear then a gratifying sequence of nomads killing people, and 2 more lines then a....etc.


i see this a definitely being a bi mod though, it has hordes, and religion etc.
btw i put up a modders wanted ad in the great hall since i noticed you hadnt.

[colts2000]

That sounds like a real cool idea about the trailer. Yunno what would be cool too, having quotes only from the book too. Also, what we have to do is get ahold of a major map maker and see if theyd be willing to make an american campaign map for us. I'll check with a couple of the guys I worked on Britannia total war with to see if theyd help me out now. Its an interesting map to make too, so that might help. Anyway, Im working full time now so my posts will be limited to once or twice a day until sundays, when im off. Im actually off this wednsday so i will post a lot.

By the way, I wasnt sure where New Rome was either, but I checked wikipedia, and its in St.Louis.

[Hells Bells]

cool,
i think empire of denver should be called inperial denver as thats what they call it in the book.

nomad campaign, you start off with a horde but the laredans have given you a cattle plague threatening you with famine. Hannegan of Texarkana offers to help you if you will attack his enemy laredo. You are dependent on the goodwill of texarkana for money (if your money gets below a certain level you lose and become slaves to hannegan) and will probably have to sack
Rio Laredo to get badly needed funds, hannegan wants the territory and will soon want you to attack denver and the leibowitz abbey. Your objectives must be to get enough money to stay alive and keep enough troops alive until you can eventually defeat texarkana (now very powerful) and finally settle "in the prime grazing lands that the grass eaters had driven them out of a century before" If you try to settle before that, a = your hordes will disband and texarkana will kill you easily b = the settled provinces prolly wont give you enough money to keep you treasury from going below the starvation level.Nomads are pagans and have shamans


Texarkana Campaign = you must destroy your rivals and the church, use the nomads as a tool but you must give sufficient enticements for them not to turn around and drink out of hannegans skull in the texarkana palace. :tooth: Be quick to seize the provinces that the nomads sack, you must gain enough power to eventually be able to overcome the battered nomad hordes in the inevitable fight when all other rivals are cast down. Texarkanans are mostly schismatic christians, or heritical cult followers.
New Rome Campaign = You start out with special units, the Pope's private army of knights etc. a special script gives you recruits as the papal call for crusade against the heathens is answered. You also get control of monasteries scattered throughout the land, for instance the leibowitz abbey recruits fanatic units, of monks but you cannot max out on them, a special script makes people join the monastic life, otherwise your abbey population will not grow. (if thats possible, if not just dont make the monks units buildable, in that case a script would let you choose to allow some people to join the monastic life.
The abbey is a fortress built to withstand attacks from nomads, mutants, schismatic military orders etc. and any attacker wishing to gain entrance to denver and not be cut off would have to take this place.
also many tiny monastic communities are scattered throughout and you can recruit preiest from all of them when they decide to join the preisthood, and they act as spies etc. Getting christian converts in a faction is a campaign objective and you cannot win without it.
these monastic communities are undefended though, and frequently get raided and massacred by the nomads as they are not protected like the abbey is.
Last New Rome itself has a selection of elite, yet old fashioned fanatical units, converted barbarians, military orders and preists and monks of all sorts gather here. Also expect lots of refugees and pilgrims. Try to protect the pilgrim faction and you may get rewarded as when they pay homage they could join you or give you money.
The pope is surrounded by papal guards sworn to protect him at all cost and gladly give their lives for christ. They can hide anywhere, by pretending to be statues
the pope must keep good relations with everyone and protect his followers from the heathens. He wins if he converts a sizable portion of the world pop to catholicism.

Pilgrim faction, nonplayable could even be a rebel faction for all i care as long as they fulfill there purpose.
Sport faction, mutant colonies abound the land, raiding pillaging and acting as petty robbers.
Not as good at fighting in the plains as the nomads they stick to hilly country and forests.



sigh thats all for now, maybe more later

[colts2000]

what about you small campaign idea... would you be interested in doin that too? I think its really flippin cool, just took a look at it. I think that could be an absolutely awesome mod, and it would be quick and easy to make... which would be great considering it could be the last awesome mod before mtw2 comes out:0) The sheep and livestock would look really cool on the battlefield

[colts2000]

A rough look at where we will put the initial factions:

[Hells Bells]

oh if your interested in my small campaign idea, perhaps we could give the plains nomads some cattle and you give em plague and they starve just like in the book.
just to add in the little details that i can recall off the top of my head.
1. Imperial denver you mean capital=denver
provinces besides denver, village of Sanly-Bowitts,
buildings, mayoral office, town militia,
2.abbey should be part of new rome faction, they obey the pope's orders
3. The plains nomads under hongan os, this should be all one huge province so they have to raid or go horde to get any income, the "grass eaters" did take the prime grazing grounds.
Hongan Os- trait mad bear- having wrestled a bear and killed his adversary Hongan Os prowess is know far and wide among all true Men. +1 to hitpoints +1 to morale
-trait preist burner- tends to burn random shamans when they fail to give him the divine intervention he wants. -trait- blood drinker (all nomads should have this trait) Nomads would often drink the blood of their mounts or cattle in the plains where water was scarce. (blood is rich in vitamins in minerals so) +1 hitpoints. -trait- nomad (all nomads have this trait as well) these men trek long distances without breaking a sweat having grown up in the harsh environments and their lifestyle that keeps them constantly on the move. +2 to movement points. Despite all these wonderful traits, nomads cant build gunpowder units (they have to be given them by texarkana in the special script) so these traits act as a counterbalance.
4. New rome is the papal faction, they control many scattered monastic communities as well as new rome itself. Start out the game with a :wub: of diplomats with the christian and devout, traits etc. Capital- new rome All factions except nomad start out as allies and protectorates of papal faction yet new rome lacks the power to control them.
5. I guess these guys ride giant mutant chihuahuas into battle eh :tooth:
6. Kingdom of laredo,- king goraldi the idiot-capital=rio laredo
king goraldi- trait very gullible- he is gullible to the point of allowing his enemies to bypass his armies, disregard the pope's warnings, get poisoned in his palace-3 influence -3 personal security. Laredans have very good cavalry though, and these are mounted cav with muskets.
7. Texarkana- Hannegan- capital=texarkana Wonder-The poets eyeball, a certain thon taddeo gave this to hannegan claiming it was the glass eye of a renowned poet. Hannegan puts it on a gold thingumbob. The saint poet legend starts there. Gives extra Texarkanan Schism conversion, happiness etc.
family members-Hannegan thon Taddeo pfardentrott,
8. Old benjamin, wanders around as a one man horde, you can chit chat with him, give him gold for selected quotes from the book. Dont get him angry, he wont attack you but if you attack him expect to be pwned, he is immortal.
9. The poet, he is not immortal, but has the punch to kill one texarkanan cav officer before being riddled with lead. give him gold to get selected quotes from the book.
8 & 9 are sort of easter eggs we can plant in the game.

the currency should be gold hannegans or just hannegans for short, thats the only mention of currency in fiat lux, or we could use the currency in fiat homo, i forget the name, some gold thing.

[Hells Bells]

a hundred gold hannegans for the man who can tell why the advocatus diaboli had armed guards?
this one would be good for a quote or something cuz its funny.

sry i havent been able to do much of anything, school etc.
but anyway what have you been doing?

[Amroth]

Interesting idea, guys. Best of luck to you!

[colts2000]

soz, have been busy with work, ive been working overtime. Anyways, still reading the book. What do you think of the map? I got a lot of the info off of wikipedia as to where the different kingdoms were located.

[Hells Bells]

you should fix the names like it says kingdom of denver when it should say imperial denver or empire of denver etc.
the abbey isnt a faction (or at least shouldnt) so youd need a new map legend instead of making every one in a list that says factions.
Ill try to look for a physical map and add in mountain ranges and such, funny how i havent been able to find a physical/political map, i might have to end up using my world globe keychain.
ideally one would want to paste the map legend and sites over a physical map of the area.
Since im not an experienced modder, this is the sort of thing that i can actually do, you should focus on mod stuff for the most part.
like maybe you could make a model of texarkanan cav officer etc. and post the pic
i think you should be able to do that independent of having any real plan for any of the other parts.

[Hells Bells]

here is a little map i made in open office draw (an open source app), its kinda rough but an improvement over the old one and i have it saved so i can always touch it up later. I know its a bit bunched up toward the left

oh and i guess the boundaries should be a bit smaller too, but i havent figured out how to do multiple points n stuff for boundaries yet.

[cherryfunk]

This is a very cool idea for a mod, it's kind of like TSR's 'Gamma World' role-playing game, with heavy medieval overtones. It would definitely be a breath of fresh air from the roman/medieval focus of most mods! Have you given any thought as to how you'd handle technology?