[Preview #5] The House of Hador

[Aradan]

Nice, keep up the good work!

[Peredhel]

I'm not asking for changes (as asked in disclaimer), I just want to say I noticed that shields of Lords of the House of Hador depict stylized winged dragon, type of dragon that has not yet been created or at least unleashed upon Morgoth's enemies.

You have keen eyes mi'lord. Yes indeed, I had allready remarked this and it is mostly my fault : I said to Milner that it could be cool to have Dragons on the shields of some warriors of the HoH echoeing the golden drake on Hador's Helm but I forgot to say that they should be wingless, as I should have as a lore-adviser. Since we are working now on having a realeasable version as soon as possible (to be sure that the game would be released one day and not stay abandonned) we won't change anything until the release.

However, if the team still exists afterwards, we will correct that detail if we work on a second release.

The only change that have been done since the screen was taken is that Hurin (as you can see on the Unit's Card) will have a shield and a sword instead of an axe since that weapon was taken from an Orc captain after he threw down his shield (and Sador also mentions him brandishing a sword at Barad Eithel). In my mind Hurin's and Turin's weapons are swords just like Huor's and Tuor's weapons are axes.

Though I would be more interested to hear something about Hurin's lad. Am I right when I guess that you have very special plans for the man's family, including maybe some script of yours involving a fat fire-breathing worm ?

There won't be much script invoving Glaurung, he will just be attracted to Nargothond and Brethil by the fact that the regions of this realms should be among his objectives.

As for Turin and Tuor, the way I imagined their characters in the campaing (I'm not sure yet how much of this will be included ingame) they will appear as special generals at different times depending of the faction you are controlling and the way things turn out : basically you may play Tuor as Gondolin or Turin as Doriath, Nargothrond or Brethil.

[Drorin]

So good job!!

[Stath's]

Wow!! Fantastic!!!

[paradamed]

Cool preview! An entirely different faction style from all the others previewed so far! They have some good heavy infantry.

[Jagmodo]

Thanks Peredhel for addressing my remark and revealing additional information about House of Hurin ingame.

[hrolphi]

NOICE.. Keep up the great work guys!

[demagogos nicator]

As for Turin and Tuor, the way I imagined their characters in the campaing (I'm not sure yet how much of this will be included ingame) they will appear as special generals at different times depending of the faction you are controlling and the way things turn out : basically you may play Tuor as Gondolin or Turin as Doriath, Nargothrond or Brethil

So when playing for House of Hador it will be impossible to have Turin or Tuor on your board?

I am curious if you paln to make any custom models or/and skins for Hador and Glador as well. They can share the model with Turin since they both are supposed to wear dragon helmet.

[Peredhel]

So when playing for House of Hador it will be impossible to have Turin or Tuor on your board ?

Except if we change something before the first release : yes. Now for an (eventual : still repeating) second release we may include them in the House of Hador faction as playable characters if the player manage to maintain his faction "alive" until the date of their adulthood.
It will be something to be discussed in the team but I am not advocating it. The role of Fate and Doom in Middle Earth is a really tricky thing and the story of Túrin Turambar shows it well : is it the proof that, whatever you try to do, you can't escape a curse or is it Túrin who brings his own doom on himslef ? We know that the role of the sons of Indis were promised to do great things but were their exact deeds allready written or could things turn differently than they did ? We know that Morgoth doom was supposed to come from Turgon but did it mean that Tuor had to be a part of it ? After all, if the Elves won the day at the Nirnaeth Arnoediad (since Tolkien implied it was possible if all their armies were united) Turgon would have had a key role in his defeat as well...
The vision I defend for the mod is a vision where the whole plot can be totally different (Morgoth can defeat the Host of Valinor and rule all Middle Earth or he can be defeated by the Laiquendi) but some stories (the four main tales of the Silmarillion) remain more or less the same : the Tale of Beren and Lúthien, the Tale of the Children of Húrin, the Tale of Tuor and the Tale of Eärendil. Basically, I think the mod would be more enjoyable if, whatever the player do, Túrin will be on the roads anyway.

I am curious if you plan to make any custom models or/and skins for Hador and Galdor as well. They can share the model with Turin since they both are supposed to wear dragon helmet.

I don't think that's a good idea : the fact that Both Galdor and Hador were shot by arrows (if I'm correct) means that they were not wearing the Helm in every battle (it is a certitude for Galdor at least). Also the Helm would be an ancillary so it can be passed from Hador to Galdor and from Galdor to Húrin (or to Huor afte all... you are free) and disappear (if it's doable) when Túrin arrives to Doriath. So, since both Hador and Galdor would be playable at the beginning of the game, that means that only one of them can appear with the Helm even though he can still give it to another general in the faction... for me that will create incoherencies.
Of course it's "the Helm of Hador" after all, so that is debatable, but only Túrin (in Tolkien's last writings) wore it permanently (except at the beginning of his "adventures" with the outlaws).

Now of course IF THERE IS A SECOND RELEASE we could work on skins and models (though I think we have limits in that regard) for any named character of the books and Hador Goldenhead and Galdor the Tall will have their own skin and/or model.

[demagogos nicator]

Thanks for great and elaborate reply

[Dansk viking]

Great stuff

[VegasVarnes]

This makes me want to go read The Children of Húrin again.

Looks awesome, keep it up!