The gears of war are greased or grind to a halt through the machinations of politics and intrigue. Total War Thrones of Britannia has released a detailed preview of the political workings behind the battles. Players must manage the inner workings of their kingdom and their relationships with allies alongside the strategies and tactics of the battlefield. Poor decisions and mismanagement can lead to rebellion and civil war, or worse. Let’s take a look at some of the key features covered in the video.
Maintaining Loyalty
Bribery
We’re given the example of Wulfstan, a general with low loyalty and high influence. Generals like this may be problematic in the future by extorting higher funds for their armies or even rebellion. Bribery is one of several options available to manage contentious lords and leaders. There are a cost and risk with each option. Some are short-term and some choices may have long-term consequences as you’ll see.
Assassination
Another option explored is assassination. Total War demonstrates what happens with botched and successful attempts and repercussions players may want to consider. As with every choice in the game, there are tradeoffs and elements of danger and intrigue mixed in. The influence of the lord and the benefits they bring to an estate or army must be considered as well. Who will replace them? It’s one matter to remove an undesirable, but another entirely to fill their shoes. The player has to consider this as enemies attack and allies make deals.
Distributing Estates
Early in the game, after conquering new settlements and areas, players may see loyalty drop across all estates and throughout the court. Total Wars demonstrates how to handle monitoring and allocating land can be leveraged for better loyalty and greater benefit. The screens throughout the narrative show the great depth of detail the player has available to manage their kingdoms and various situations that arise.
Managing Influence
King’s Feast
While a king has attributes like every other character in the game, except “Loyalty”, it is “Influence” that is their primary trait. Your king will struggle and face opposition if their influence drops. If it goes too low you may not be the king for long. A strong queen can add to your influence. Another way to immediately bump influence is to throw a kingly feast. It can shore up weak influence and compensate for from an event which lowers the trait.
Son and Heir
A good king should be leading their army and may suffer death as Thrones of Britannia illustrates. Choosing the proper heir is critical. A player will need to consider the influence of their heir along with their other attributes. A weak heir is no better than a weak king and won’t last any longer. These are brutal times and the player will need to consider their options wisely.
Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia releases May 3rd, you can read our preview. Check out the video sneak peek of Guthfrid: Slave King of the Vikings. You can follow Total War and get the latest Thrones of Britannia and other Saga info on their Twitter feed.
