CATW

May 2020: CATW 03.5

In February 2018 was launched a reboot of catw03, with its the 10th anniversary. Now two years later, there is a new version out, catw 0.3.5 !
What's new in this ?

-Setup to 264 BC, standard Vanilla factions but Greek Cities is Sparta
-Reworked Spartan roster with 5 new skins
-Symbols sword cav spear throwers


Developments for 03.6: Replacing Scipii and Brutii, only 2 factions: Senate vs. Populares/Marians 109 BC
Modernized socii and spec. legions. Set before jurguthine wars.
Brutii: Cimbri/Teutone confederacy
Scipii: Galatians
4 tpy

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Overview of CATW mods

-catw01 270 BC, is "vanilla-like", lightweight mod with factions such as Pergamum, Illyria or the Galatians -catw02 is an intermediary version, not playable -catw03 Romae Resurgemus 264 BC, is an advanced version (new units) with the Roman factions alternative to single Rome and Sparta -catw04 Keltoi Tromos featured the 280 BC gallic balkan invasion and Pyrrhus campaign in Italy -catw05 samniti bello is setup in 300 BC with factions such as the samnites, massalia and the bosporans. It had the brand new, entirely no-vanilla HD unit roster that made CATW a classic -catw06 illyrico bella is an unfinished project featuring the illyrian wars in 220 BC. It was 80% completed. Includes the Indians, Boii and Bactria -catw07 ermanamer is about the battle of teutoburg and arminius in 9AD (too ambitious and needs a new map). -catw08 Mithridates is the most advanced mod so far, featuring the Mithidatic wars from 88 BC -catw09 Signa Inferre is about the second carthaginian war (218 BC) on a new map. This short term project will be revived after catw08. -catw1 is a short-term project of porting catw1.2 on STEAM (not yet started) -Alexandros is a separate project of the Alexandrian campaign staring before Philip's death (done, but need improvements).

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Catw 0.8 Mithridates

Started around October 2017, so two years from now and about to be completed, catw 0.8 has seen a rocky development but it is the most promising mod of the great Classical Age Total War (CATW)family so far. So what it is about ? Like the name indicates it is centered around King Mithridates IV and the wars he waged against the Roman Republic on its final straw. The Republic itself was just painfully out of a major conflict, first Roman civil war also called the Socii war. It is the time of an ageing Marius and Sulla, a young Pompey ad an even younger Caesar. Times of failed reforms and fierce rivalry between the Populares and Patricians. Mithridates is taking advantage of this turmoil back home to launch a vicious ttack on everything which is Roman in Asia minor (nowadays Turkey). The time is 88 BC. Many new powerful factions are at the peak of their power or ascending to be. Nothing is certain for Rome yet. Can you prevail in this difficult environment ?

For the first time, CATW is not only exploring a late date, but also brand new and "exotic" new factions, such as Kush and Meroe, Saba and Nabata, the Yuezhe, Saka, Indo-Greeks, Indians, Media Atropatene... The map is still 200-region strong, but now clearly more "busy" in the east and south. Cities are larger, richer, more populous, money is abundant and armies more diverse and modern than ever. Phalances and legonaries, cataphracts, but also Indian armies and even Han mercenaries, obscure nomadic tribes from the east are goung to make it more interesting than ever. It is coming with no less than 8 brand new dedicated rosters and about 100 new units, using the max out of Alex engine (RTW 1.9) as well as many new features. The final catw 0.8.1 is out !. The beta catw 0.8.0 (04 November 2019) can be found on Moddb.

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Catw 0.1 Overhaul

Yes, you read well. This is catw 0.1, the very, very first catw. A bit of history. The first catw officialized on TWC and RTW-related forums was catw 03 back in 2010. A "beta 2" was already available, but confidential in 2007. However there was a "beta 1" already in 2007. The very, very first mod. It was unnamed then, just a small modification intended to just a group of guys from a forum. A "private demo" of some sorts. The initial team separated in 2007 so the mod was forgotten and never made public. In 2008 part of it was recycled but the original was lost... Until October 2018, 11 years after ! During three weeks the mod has been completely ovehauled and a fully playable campaign added.

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Catw 1.2.4 Samniti Bello

CATW 05 (1.2) has been released in october 2017 as a response to the problems experienced on steam with catw 1.2 and catw 2.0. In addition to be fully playable on RTW 1.9/BI/Alex, it now integrates a new faction compared to the original, the Samnites (instead of the Boians), and Massilia (instead of Pontus which did not existed in 300 BC).

The timeframe indeed here is very important: It's 300 BC, just before the last samnite war in Italy, or just one year after the war of the diadochi officially ended with the defeat of Antigonos Monophtalmos, ageing Alexander companion, and partition of his former empire between Lysimachus, which took the lion's share of his former empire, the ptolemies, Seleucids, while Kassander kept the Macedonian homeland. Rome was far from being the dominant power in Italy. With this last roll of the dices, the Samnites could crush Rome, with the added power of the Etruscans and Celts. While on the other coast, the turbulent Illyrians and to their south, an ambitious raising small kingdom, Epirus, are also waiting for opportunities. Further east in the Balkans, the place is crowded, between Cassander's Macedon, Lysimachus thrace, the barbarian Getai further north and the rich cities of Bosporos, in contact with the Scytho-Sarmatians.

But the world is not a quiet place elsewhere. In gaul, two confederacies, the Arverni in the south, Senones in the North, and the Belgians are poised for the dominance of Western Europe and Britain, while further north and east, the powerful Suebi confederacy is poised for conquest too, with plently of opportunity southwards and eastwards, and only the Boians standing in their way. In Africa, Carthage already possesses a wide empire stretching from southern Iberia to Thyrrenian islands, the coast of north africa around Libya and western Sicily. In Spain, the dynamic and fierce Celtiberians are ready for the conquest of the peninsula. In the east, the immense Seleucid empire has feets of clay, and near the Maeotis lake, a fierce tribe is poised for conquest, the Parni, while a satrapy loosely independant can also aspire to local power, Armenia, with only Media Atropatene and Bythinia in its way...




For those who think this version of catw is a bit softened up, well, it's not. Playing many factions to balance it, it's still pretty badass. After crushing the Samnites with difficulties, i'm stuck in a death match of grinding battles with Lisymachos Empire.

----Changes bring to CATW 05.4---------------

• -ReallyBadAI G5
• -Correct (non vanilla) strat Pictures and banners
• -Working historical battles
• -Rebalanced independent factions (some were really over the top !) to left some chances to regular small factions to expand.
• -Rebalanced samnites: Less powerful units for the Samnites and only Apulia as starting region.
• -Rebalanced thracians: Conquest was a pushover: Far less money for Lysimachus Empire, starting armies decreased.
• -detail changes in animations (many two-handed)
• -added socii barracks (from catw 1.2 and 2.0): Many italic troops and cavalry recrutable by the Romans
• -added mercenary barracks: Mercenaries from all over the map recrutable by many factions out of AORs (settled merc system)
• -auxiliary barracks: AOR units recruitment tree
• -Senones rebalanced with units posted
• -text corrections
• -recruitment fixes for the Romans
• -campaign bugs fixed
• -Excessive squalor/morale loss fixed
• -New Epic music
• -Illyrian names fixes
• -Some minor changes to the vegetation map
(1.2.3 and 1.2.4 included).

This opus is classical age: total war as it should have been. There is a more fitting faction setting for 300 BC, starting with new factions that are crucial for this campaign depicting the early Roman army and the last Samnite War. In 298 it was nearing its dramatic conclusion, with Gellius Egnatius, raising a coalition of all Samnites tribes and allied Italics south, and Etruscans and Senones and Cenomani attacking from the north. It was also a last-ditch effort of the Etruscans to expel the Romans, their long-gone royal colony since 700 BC. Will you, Rome, survive this last threat ? In 300 BC, the Samnites and their allies the Etruscans, and later Senone transapine gauls and Umbrians, with their allies the Greek cities from Magna Graecia are all hostile towards Rome's rising star and agressive diplomacy. The time was ripe for a third Samnite war, the last and most fearsome of them all.

Behind this, Epirus, to the east, can be a threat if allied with the Samnito-Etruscans and "Magna Grecia", and the turbulent Illyrian tribes are going to be united by an ambitious Dardanian king, Cleitus (335-295 BC). Like the previous version of catw 1.1, Greek Cities are now the Bosporan Kingdom in the black sea (crimea), with interesting greek-scythian features, since "Greece" is now reduced to independent Sparta. The Arverni, Bellovaci (Belgians) and Senones are also present, but the great novelty is Massalia, depicted for the first time, replacing pontus that should not exist in 300 BC. Massalia presents interesting classical Greek features, with a large pool of Gallic auxiliaries, and two cities, including Emporion on the north-east Iberian coast and a powerful fleet. A rival for Carthage. Also, the Getae are move further east, to Tomi (Scythia Parva) on the black sea coast. Its powerful Thracian and Macedonian neighbours makes it a very challenging faction to play.

Carthage, at that time was relatively less well established in the Mediterranean, in particular in Spain, with just one settlement roughly corresponding to the ancient Tartessian culture area. However they are in force in Sicily, facing an independent but powerful Syracuse. To the eastern Mediterranean, the Diadochi are still at war. These are the 1st generation, the famous companions of Alexander the Great: Seleucos and Ptolemy I Soter, Cassander in Macedon, and Lysimachus's empire (Thrace) which now encompass much of the coastal, northern and western asia minor, including Phrygia, caria, pontus, Pergamum... Four great eastern empires ready to collide, once again, to decide who will rule the world. The battle of Ipsus (302 BC) recently reshuffled positions of these charismatic leaders. The steppes are inhabited by the mighty Sarmatians, which left the Scythians playable as auxiliaries by Bosporos.

Why 1.2 ?

Because this version of catw is based on catw 1.1, with the same, famous unit rosters, but with the addition of catw 2.0 animations, and the gradual implementation of 2.0 features (AI, formations, environment...).

Other versions in development

"Samniti Bello" is set in 300 BC, but there are three other versions currently in long-term development: One set in 230 BC (the Illyrian wars) (catw 1.3 or catw06) and the other in 9 AD (Arminius lead of the germanic tribes, and the battle of the teutoburg Forest) (catw 1.4 or catw07). The third is about the Pontic wars (88 BC) (catw 1.5 or catw08), now with a playable beta - see above.

About the new factions

Samnium

Gellius Egnatus (+ 295 BC)

He was the leader of the Varriani tribe of the Samnites during the Third Samnite War, which broke out in 298 BC. By the end of the second campaign the Samnites appeared completely defeated, however in the following year Gellius Egnatius marched into Etruria, and roused the Etruscans to a close co-operation against Rome. This had the effect of withdrawing Roman troops from Samnium for a period of time; but the forces of the confederates were defeated by the combined armies of consuls Lucius Volumnius Flamma Violens and Appius Claudius Caecus.

In the fourth campaign in 295 BC Egnatius induced the Gauls and the Umbrians to join the confederacy; but due to the withdrawal of the Etruscans and the Umbrians, the Gauls and the Samnites fell back beyond the Apennines, and were met by the Romans near the town of Sentinum. A decisive battle, marked by the heroic devotion of P. Decius Mus, ensured that the Samnites were defeated and their leader Egnatius was slain.

Massalia

Massalia, now Marseille, Southern France, was never featured in catw before, now it's time. The city was funded by the Phoceans in circa 600 BC, and became like Carthage one of the most important city-state and port in the Western Mediterranean. The colonia started in a region ingabited by a Gallic tribe called the Ligurians, and the site was itself part of the Segobrigae tribe. The city traded with the phoenicians (and later Cathaginians), Etruscans, Iberians, and from 300 BC, with the Romans with which it was allied soon, and stayed faithful until the first Empire.

Religious habits included the veneration of cults from Asia Minor, as the Phoceans were settled near Smyrna. According to Latin author Justinius, the Massilians has been compelled because of the poverty of the surrounding soils to concentrate on the sea through trade, fishing and also piracy. Like Carthage, Massalia is the basis for a commercial empire in the Souther coast of Gaul, with fundation of Agathe Tychè (Agde), Olbia (Hyères), Antipolis (Antibes) Nikaïa (Nice) and later Alalia (Aléria) in Corisca, Elea (Salerno), or Emporion (Empúries) in Iberia.

On a military standpoint, Massalia is rich and can afford to raise local mercenaries among the Ligurians and surrounding gallic tribes, sardinian archers, corsican mountaineers, balearic slingers, iberian and of course Greek mercenaries from all over the Mediterranean. The core was the Greek hoplitic phalanx, perhaps influenced by the locals (chainmail) with peltasts and little cavalry as the surrounding area was mountainous. Massalian navy was quite powerful, relying on trieres and penteres as much as the Hellenitic city-states of the time. Massilian hoplites, machairaphoroi, militia hoplites, fast hoplites, armoured hoplites, iphikrates hoplites, thuerophoroi, epibatai.

Bosporan Kingdom

The Kingdom of Bosporus was an ensemble of greek city states in the Crimean peninsula. Since the Scythians are not depicted as a faction, but the sarmatians are, the "last scythians" can be played with this faction. The Kingdom of Bosporus was established on the basis of greek trading posts settled from the sixth century bC along the western coasts of the Black Sea, and particularly the Crimean peninsula. Between Thrace and Scythia, the Kingdom was also the first "Hellenistic" state because of its far away Greek population and native mix. The strength of the Kingdom lies in its commercial prosperity: In effect, Bosporos built his first fortune with the control of trade between east and west, north and south of the Black Sea, Chernonesos becoming the local equivalent Carthage and Syracuse. Its trade relations with Persia were good, and after the chaos resulting from the disintegration of the empire, some floating is felt in the local ruling family, the Spartocids Thracians established since 438 BC, although but maintained their authority until 110 BC. jc. De facto they went later into the orbit of Pontus, then the Romans.

The Kingdom made its fortune through the export of grains (fertile soil and sunny in the region gave extensive lands to wheat), dried fish and slavery. These were Thracians or from the vast steppes of Scythia and further east still. The Scythians were also deemed excellent "head hunters". What is the relationship between the Scythian nobility and artisans who gave probably the finest jewelry and a testimony of Scythian culture. These were found in many Kurgans, tombs of nobles in the current Ukraine, currently at the Museum of hemitage in Moscow and private collections. These include the famous comb of Solokha, who besides being a work of art of rare quality, testified much better than anything else of the equipment of Scythian warriors at that time.

The Kingdom of Bosphorus contributed heavily to settle nomadic Scythians. The latter, former Iranian people, reigned supreme on the western steppe and beyond the Aral Sea. Aside kurgan the left few signs on deer stones concentrated in the coastal region. This did not get without fighting with the warlike tribes from the north-east, devouring valuable resources and wealth of these countries. Satyrus, became a tyrant, then king, and had to battle against the Thateans, with cavalry numerically matching infantry. In 300 bC, the military power of the kingdom was based on the strength of these Scythian warriors and a hard core of Greek infantry supported by Thracian mercenaries. A combination that could be decisive on many battlefields if the Spartocids Kings ever develop the right ambition.

catw 1.2.1-1.2.2 development log

-changed logos
-changed UI portaits
-changed BG visuals
-changed all icons
-changed all texts
-changed symbols
-pontus moved to massalia
-getic moved to scythia Parva
-changed getic roster
-convert getia to slave, add new roster
-updated banners
-give 8 settlements to thrace
-2 seleucid pos changed, slave pos changed
-test ok
-boost rosters, boost armies pytros, sauthes, change pos ok
-add navy ok
-Macedon, add aetolia and attica ok
-mod rosters, new names euboea, lesbos ok
-add macedonian navy ok
-bosporos: move greek faction to crimea ok
-move army, ambassador, spy ok
-add port chernosesus ok
-arverni: move numidia to gaul: ok
-new powerful numidian roster Cirta : ok
-add emporion to massilia: ok
-changed pontic names for massalian names: ok
-add massilian hoplites: ok
-change factions colors - senate, scipii, brutii: ok
-change culture numidia> gauls, pontus> greek, senate, scipii, brutii: ok
-mod descr_sm_faction et descr_character: ok
-EDB EDU DMB numidia/arverni: ok
-carthage deleted bastetania, change rosters, change navy: ok
-boost spanish indep rosters ok
-added mauryan rosters ok
-add nervii to bellovaci, mod roster ok
-mod spanish settlements ok
-mod spanish start rosters ok
-change banners ok
-add new entries numidia, gaul, britons EDB
-changed roman to romans_julii EDU, EDB

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June 2018: Alexandros Total War

That will probably surprise some of you but when the Alexander extension was out, i started working on skins and other visuals in 2010, adding about 30 new units in the process, changed names and rebalanced some stats. Called "alex skinpack" this file was just dropped over the vanilla Alexander folder, so not modfoldered. Since then i made some progress in modding and since catw 0.5 was a solid base i decided to make a modfoldered version of alex skinpack based on this mod in April 2018, ending with this "Alexandros Total War".

So what's special about it ?
I played the Alexander extension back in the days but never finished the campaign, that i found boring. Scripted Tournaments were fun however. Was the extension worth it in the end ? Yes with some modifications. I also played other Alexander mods, but each time there was something missing. So what about an Alexander campaign based on Mundus Magnus map, RS2 vegetation, catw's units fest already with any units fit for a 334 BC campaign ? This was tempting. Veeeeery tempting. But rather than starting the campaign when Alexander was king, i decided to start it when his father, Philip II, was just ascending to the throne asserting his power and building his army. I choose to start the campaign in 359 BC. Contrary to the Alexander extension you can play all factions, and more factions than the original extension, with a much bigger, richer, more accurate and more interesting map. However you will not see the tournaments system or heavily scripted campaign since it's based on the vanilla Alexander map. So nobody hold you hands there. You start with whatever faction you want here, which all had different objectives.

Alexandros Factions

In short, the "new factions" are the Paurava Indians (pitted against other Indian factions which their own rosters, so about 30 indian units in the mod !), Persia (with the Alexander roster+ catw roster), the Scythians, Odrysians, Sabaeans and Boii confederation which were not included in catw 0.5. However the Senones, Massilia and the Samnites are still in. The Greek Cities represents an ensemble of City states, not a single one or a league, that did not existed at that time. Also Egypt was recently freed from the Persian Empire at that time, and had a pre-Hellenistic army, so basically, a vanilla RTW classic army with some modifications.

• romans_julii: SPQR
• romans_brutii: Illyrians
• romans_scipii: Epirus
• romans_senate: Samnites
• carthage: Carthage
• parthia: Persia
• gauls: Senones
• germans: Suebi
• greek_cities: Greek Cities
• macedon: Macedon
• dacia: Getai
• scythia: Scythians
• spain: Celtiberians
• thrace: Odrysians
• numidia: Saba
• britons: Belgians
• egypt: Egypt
• seleucid: Paurava
• pontus: Massalia
• armenia: Boii

Makedon

The Macedonian kindgom in 359 BC. Philip II of Macedon (Φίλιππος Β ὁ Μακεδών). In 359 BC he raised to power as a regent. This is a very important date as he was the first to expand his kingdom like no baseileus before, forging a modern army without rival in the antiquity and carving his way through the Greek world until his assassination in 336 BC when his son took over, Alexandros. He was the son of Amyntas III which at some point was chased from the throne by the Illyrians helped by the Thessalians, and from the on the small kingdom own nightmare would be these Illyrians, Philippos would strive to subjugate with the utmost energy. He also fought the Thracians. All these warring years helped him forge a first class professional army, with a very well-trained phalanx compensating their lack of equipment by unusually long spears, the sarissas, and on the other hand a uniquely Macedonian cavalry which comprised the aristocracy and lighter scouts. With time and tributes payed by the Greek City-states they were able to rise mercenaries, especially Thracians.

Pars

Artaxerxes III (358–338 BC). The Persians were the greatest empire of the era, by a far margin. In 390 BC the Empire already reached the greatest extent gained under the rule of Darius I (522 BC to 486 BC), when it spread from India to the Balkans, and Egypt, plus the black sea. Nothing came close by a fair margin, but the future Empire of Alexander the Great. Regional capital were Babylon, Pasargadae, Ecbatana, Susa, and Persepolis. The Imperial vassal states were all compounded to submit by given a symbolic offer of water and dirt. They paid a moderate tribute and had to muser their armies when the king of kings decided to go on war. But peace was ensured and trade flourished, while all the vassal states enjoyed a fair share of autonomy. Tolerance was the rule. Under the benevolent figure of the King of Persia how many new boundaries could be reached ? There were expedition however, against raiding neighbours, to the North the turbulent Scythians, and to the south of Egypt, against independent tribes of the desert beyond Siwa. Both armies disapparead completely.

As described by Herodotus in detail, the Persian army was composite and counted, after the Media-Persian core (see later) many specialized units from all corners of the Empire. Expert Saka horsemen and cataphracts from the east, Indian bowmen and war elephants, Egyptian and phoenician marines, sogdiane assault infantry, cappadocian and carian infantry, and many others. The core was made by archers, protected by Sparabara or spara-bearers, a kind of large wicker shield, and assault troops called the Takabara. Chariots were also used, carrying mounted archers from some part of the Empire. Cavalry was considerable, with some elite ones like the Phrygian cavalry.

Artaxerxes III in 351 BC embarked on a campaign to recover Egypt, which had revolted under his father. At the same time a rebellion had broken out in Asia Minor, supported by Thebes. He marched into Egypt, engaged Nectanebo II but the latter Pharaoh inflicted a crushing defeat on the Persians with the support of mercenaries led by the Greek generals Diophantus and Lamius. The Rebellion of Cyprus and Sidon led Phoenicia, Asia Minor and Cyprus to declare their independence from Persian rule. In 343 BC, Artaxerxes committed responsibility for the suppression of the Cyprian rebels to Idrieus, prince of Caria, who employed 8,000 Greek mercenaries and forty triremes, commanded by Phocion the Athenian, and Evagoras, son of the elder Evagoras, the Cypriot monarch. He later led personally a 330,000 men strong expedition against Sidonwith 300,000 foot soldiers, 30,000 cavalry, 300 triremes, and 500 transports or provision ships, helped by the Theban navy. With the help of six thousand Æolians, Ionians, and Dorians and the mercenaries from Egypt, the Greeks took were the most trusted and played an important part in squashing the rebellion and restore order. In 343 BC, Artaxerxes launched against his 330,000 Persians in Egypt, this time with the support of 14,000 Greeks from the Greek cities of Asia Minor. Nectanebo was defeated and fled to Memphis and Egypt was subjugated agains until Alexander came out, seen as a liberator. The name of Persian Empire was applied by later dynasties for prestige. They were Achaemenid Empire (550–330 BC), Sasanian Empire (224–651 AD), Safavid dynasty (1501–1736 AD), Afsharid dynasty (1736–1796 AD) and went on up to the Qajar dynasty (1785–1925 AD).

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The Boian Confederation

That's the great return of the Boians since catw 1.0 and 2.0. Although few descriptions we have remained a people, we conjecture least their original, Celtic and ancient (Bronze Age). They seem to have lived in southern Germany (Bavaria today, which was named after them - and known by their neighbors as the Germanic "Baiowarioz", academics interpreted as "Those who live where Boii lived". This name is linked to their migration to the Alps around 400 BC.

This warlike people came to live in the Po valley, conquering the Etruscans, crushing the resistance of the Umbrians, settling in Emilia-Romagna and current basis Bononia, their capital resulting from the taking of Felsina. They spent alliances with Transalpine Gallic neighbors, then it seems that when installed in the rich lands of northern Italy, and eventually made peace with the Etruscans. Some Boians went further east, joining Cisalpine Thrace, subjugating the country and making Tylis as their capital, to be finally driven out by Macedonia 100 yeras after. Some, at the invitation of the King of Bithynia, Nicomede, crossed the Hellespont into Asia Minor and became the famous Tolisbogi tribe of the Galatians... Cisalpine Boians became constant and resolute enemies of the Romans. In 283 BC, probably at the request of the Etruscans, they invaded the Latium, but were driven back to Lake Vadimo. Later, Hannibal could count on their support to cross the Pyrenees, offering Boii prince Magalos some rewards to guide his army through the Alps. The Cisalpine Boians became faithful allies of the Carthaginians and made a large part of his mercenaries. They killed in battle the Roman general Postumius, which was decisive. But the campaign of Hannibal ended without tangible results and the Boii retreated north. They attempted yet another invasion of the Latium in 224 BC but were decisively defeated at Telamon, then Mutina, followed by a series of operations of conquest that allowed the Romans to "pacify" the region. The Boii who were not enslaved, fled to the Alps, joining their ancient homeland while others fled in Pannonia where they strengthened the communities already settled for centuries. The latter subsequently repelled an invasion of Cimbri and Teutons.

We hear again of the Boii in the Gallic Wars. Allying with Helvetians, they launched an invasion of eastern Gaul, which was repulsed by the assistance of the legions of Caesar (32 000 Boians, a figure probably exaggerated). Caesar identified them primarily as swordsmen, well equipped and protected. Some Boians were given land, including the oppidum Gorgobina in Burgundy, between the Loire and Allier. Although they fought as allies of Aedui, the Boii eventually rallied Vercingetorix in the final phase of the war, and were present also at Alesia. Subsequently when the Teutonic invasion began, a Boii Chieftain lent its support and troops, settling afterwards in Aquitaine, taking the name of Boïates (Buch area, Arcachon bay, south of Burdigala). Other eastern Boian refugees on the banks of Danube were submitted and even partly enslaved by Dacian King Burebista. This region (Boiohaemum, modern Bohemia) saw the founding of the capital, Bratislava, soon conquered and assimilated into the "Dacian Empire". The Boii returned after the fall of their Cisalpine kingdom circa 191 BC but in their former areas they were driven back by Marcomanni, firmly established in 8 BC and disappeared from History.

The Belgae

The Belgae in 359 BC. The Belgae occupied -as stated by Caesar- a much larger area than today's Belgium. They were at some point located in southeastern Britannia, with a solid foothold and nations name which are common on both sides of the channel. Little is known however about the time they settled overseas. They relied on foot infantry with the exception of chariots (Rigesseda) used by nobles and the renown Remi cavalry. Frequently at war with neighbouring Germanic tribes from beyond the Rhenus they were feared by the Gauls for their bravery in battle.

With mixed influences, Batavian Germanic and celtic, and using gallic armours, helmets, weapons, the Belgians were naturally gifted for conquest. They relied heavily on a shock infantry, tactics as skirmishing, raids and ambushes as seen in Caesar's chronicles of his belgian and britain campaign in "de bello gallico". The Belgian Menapians (West coast), Nervians (center), Atrebates (south), Eburones (North east) and the Ardennes region Tungri and Treverii used various weapons, swords, including very long two-handed swords manned by champions, but also axes, spears both for throwing and thrusting, akin the gallic gaesum. In britain, the local belgian aristocracy probably recruited local Celtic mercenaries using bows and slings with a deadly efficiency. Theses nobles, unlike the gauls, rather fought on foot or used fast war chariots to good effect, well known and described by Caesar.

Carthage (Kart'Hadast)

Carthage in 359 BC. The city that dominated trade and war in the Western Mediterranean originally was funded by 814 av. J.-C.. after the legend by Phoenician Queen Dido or Elyssa, sister of the King of Tyre (now in Lebanon), Pygmalion. The city was only originally a strategically placed outpost, controlling the trade going between its coast and Sicily, which soon became the target of Carthaginian attention. The city became a major power in western Mediterranean in the IVth century BC. The Carthaginians still practiced the middle-eastern polytheistic cult of their ancestors, venerated Baal et Tanit in particular and had an oligarchic government with an assembly that mirrored the Roman senate and a single elected magistrate called the Tophet. They practiced slavery. Their military power followed the strength of a fleet capable of protecting her trade ships. They introduced a short iron gladius in battle and soon were rich enough to purchase mercenaries which will take a considerable place in Carthaginian warfare, especially under the Barca family in the future. But in 359 BC, Carthage was at war with the Greeks, their main competitors in the Mediterranean. To balance in particular the Syracusan influence, they searched an alliance with the Etruscan Empire. The fighting in Sicily eventually swung in favor of Carthage in 387 BC. Over the next fifty years, Carthaginian and Greek forces engaged in a constant series of skirmishes and by 340 BC, Carthage had been pushed entirely into the southwest corner of the island, and an uneasy peace reigned over the island. On the other hand, they will turn their attention to Corsica and Sardinia. All options are open to this point.

Getai

The Getic tribe, an ancient northern Thracian tribe beyond the river Danube/Istros. Before setting out on his Persian expedition, Alexander the Great defeated the Getae and razed one of their settlements. But they will rise again after his death. In 313 BC, the Getae formed an alliance with Callatis, Odessos, and other western Pontic Greek colonies against Lysimachus, who held a fortress at Tirizis (modern Kaliakra). The Getae flourished especially in the first half of the 3rd century BC. By about 200 BC, the authority of the Getic prince, Zalmodegicus, stretched as far as Histria, as a contemporary inscription shows. Other strong princes included Zoltes and Rhemaxos (about 180 BC). Also, several Getic rulers minted their own coins. The ancient authors Strabo and Cassius Dio say that Getae practiced ruler cult, and this is confirmed by archaeological remains. The Getae has been described as the "Northern Thracians"; Probably under nearby Scythian influence, they adopted the trousers, and relied heavily on archery, both on foot and mounted. They also had an excellent foot infantry influenced both by Celtic and Thracian warfare.

Egypt

Nectanebo II (Nectanebo II) ruled dover Egypt in 359 BC as the last Egyptian pharaoh. At that time, Egypt was free since since 401 BC, because of internal struggles for the Persian imperial succession, since its subjugation in 525 BC. The thirty-first Dynasty of Egypt was also the last. When he came to power, Nectanebo, which came to power aged 20, was a splendid ruler, and during his reign, Egypt prospered. Egyptian artists delivered a specific style that left a distinctive mark on the reliefs of the Ptolemaic Kingdom. He showed enthusiasm for many of the cults of the gods within ancient Egyptian religion, and more than a hundred Egyptian sites bear evidence of his attentions. He also undertook more constructions and restorations than Nectanebo I, commencing in particular the enormous Egyptian temple of Isis (the Iseum). Unfortunately he was betrayed by his former servant, Mentor of Rhodes, and defeated by the combined Persian and Greek forces in the Battle of Pelusium (343 BC). The Persians occupied Memphis and from then conquered again the rest of Egypt. Nectanebo fled south, managing to preserve his power for some time but then vanished from history. Egypt would stay under the Yoke for years, until Alexander came out, and a new era will began. Egyptian armies back then are seldom known. They counted the aristocratic cavalry and still some chariots, and a large peasantry army armed with whatever they could find, including axes and utilitarian tools, slingers, skirmishers. They were summarily trained however by a class of state-paid warriors using the feared Khopesh, famous sword/axe. They were also professional archers, and the Pharao's guards, solid spearmen fighting probably in a phalanx-like formation.

Senone

The Senones ("first" or "old"), are a powerful confederation of tribes in central Gaul, in a very fertile land and irrigation, particularly by the Seine and the Loire and its tributaries, and as the capital city Sens (Agedincum) and Mecloculum cited as the main ally, the more distant vicinity of large fortified cities as Alesia, Cenabum and Lutetia, capital of the Parisii, their allies and major customers.\n\n They were also neighbors Lingones in the east, south Eduens, Carnutes (sworn enemies) and Parisii to the west of Belgium and of course to the north, especially Remes clients and their tribes as the Suessiones, Melde, and Catalauni. The Senon were soon at war with the Belgians, especially Bellovaci, which included huge armies of allies Remes, Ambiani, Veliocasses, whose appetites were without limit. Being so "protective" of their customers, we gave them the means. The army in 300 av.jc. Senoner was by far the most impressive of Gaul, she could draw some 100 000 warriors.

At this time of high fertility and semi-nomads, Senon migrated south from there, led by their leader Brennus, passed in Italy to 400 av.jc. They push the Umbrians, settled and founded their capital, Sena gallica, and then went in Etruria in 391, and finally put the seat in front Clusium. Them, allies of Rome, called to their aid. The oath of peace was broken by the Romans in Etruria, the Senon feeling seriously offended by the murder of one of their ambassadors, and the confrontation took place on the banks of the Allia, 18km from Rome, 390. This was the worst defeat of the Romans before Cannes for the first and last time before the fall of the Roman Empire almost 800 years later, Gauls took Rome, burned and pillaged. It could not capture the notable refugees on the Capitol and went to have received an enormous toll Brennus in which, according to the historiography, the Romans contesting the weight scales, and would have thrown away his sword and shouted "vae Victis" woe to the vanquished ... \n\nThe Senones were attacked in the streets by the army assembled by Camille, and trucidés the following day at dawn, according to Livy, in rural surroundings, picking their heavily Agape and among the loot. The Senon transalpine were finally defeated and driven in 283 by Cornelius Dolabella, some fleeing to the east, from Greece. Some of these Senon crossed and all Greece, in Thrace were repulsed by the Macedonians, then spent the Hellespont at the invitation of King Bythinia settled in Galatia. As mercenaries, some found themselves in Egypt, serving the Ptolemies, others within the confines of India, serving the Seleucid...

Suebian Confederacy

The Suevi (Sweboz) also called Suebi, Suavi or Suevians were probably the dominant German tribe, which inhabited modern Denmark. They had been first mentioned by Julius Caesar in connection with his battles against Ariovistus in Gaul, around 58 BC. While Caesar treated them as one Germanic tribe within an alliance, though the largest and most warlike, later authors, such as Tacitus, Pliny the Elder and Strabo, specified that the Suevi do not, like the Chatti or Tencteri, constitute a single nation. They actually occupy more than half of Germania, and are divided into a number of distinct tribes under distinct names, though all generally are called Suebi". At one time, classical ethnography had applied the name Suevi to so many Germanic tribes that it appeared as though in the first centuries A.D. this native name would replace the foreign name Germans.\n\n Classical authors noted that the Suevic tribes, compared to other Germanic tribes, were very mobile and not reliant on agriculture. but let's put it straight: We barely know a thing on Germanic tribes before 200 BC, because of the total lack of evidence and author's works. The Suebi confederacy was known by the time of Casear as occupying the region of modern Hesse, in the position where later writers mention the Chatti, and he distinguished them from their allies the Marcomanni. Their etymology could signify "united" given sanskrit roots, but there is no indication they called themselves this way. Anyway, y'oure in charge of a growing confederation with plenty of room to expand in all directions, land to conquer way before meeting the Belgae and the Gauls, not to mention the Boii.

Koine

The Greek City-States in 359 BC. The Aetolian and the Achaean League managed to avoid stagnation, which was the fate of many other greek cities. The Aetolian confederation was founded in the mid-4th century BC, with a loose political association, the Aetolian Koinon (public), resulted in a completed form after the repulse of the Gauls (278 BC), and the undertaking of the protection of the Oracle of Delphi. The regime was democratic and all citizens were entitled to participate in the meetings and decisions. In the 3rd century BC acquired even more power and authority, including all the cities of the central Greece from Maliakos to the Corinthian Gulf and the estuary of Achelous River. The Achaean League in the early 3rd century BC included the association of certain cities of Achaia, but until the 2nd cent. BC, included almost the whole Peloponnesus. The way that the Achaean League was organized was different from that of the Aetolian, because it incorporates elements of the monarchy system. The cities retained their governments, and the confederation was governed by a council which was attended by all the citizens who had reached the age of 30, and by the rulers who had increased their powers. The League retained a parliament (or senate) with 120 members, which mainly concentrated on the external relations. As the greeks you will be able to play with Athens, Corinth, Thermon (Aetolia), Rhodes, Syracuse, Chalcis (Euboea), Larissa (Thessaly), Cyrene, Cydonia (Crete), Mythilene, and the Bosporan Kingdom and Chersonese.

Saba

The Sabaean Kingdom was of course made famous by the Bible, through the fabled relation wbetween the wealthy queen of this southern Arabian empire (called Sheba) and David, King of Israel. At the origin the kingdom comprised only two cities, Sana'a and Ma'rib, and the capital was later placed in Sirwah. The ancient Semitic civilization of Saba in Southern Arabia remains controversial. It is generally accepted now that it was located in southern Arabia, areas comprising new the Yemen and Arabian peninsula and was described as "the oldest and most important of the South Arabian kingdoms". In 275 BCE (from around 900 to 1200 BCE), long civil wars between Yemenite dynasties claiming kingship made it fall, replaced by the Kingdom of Himyar, the latter rising to fame between 110 BCE and 525 CE.

The Sabean kingdom legendary wealth came from the control of trade between the Indian ocean and the red sea, therefore, access to the Mediterranean, notably trade of frankincense and myrrh, incenses which were burned at altars. The Sabaean language and similar languages used in those rival kingdoms were, like Arabic, Semitic languages. The gold the caravans carried home with them made these also very wealthy. Rival kingdoms rose up in the area to challenge Saba, but the trade continued profitably for South until well into the Christian era, and the Sabaean civilization was the most reputed (among four kingdoms), demonstrated by an achievement such as the ma'rib dam, and the most durable as it had the largest standing army. It was able to develop a vigorous expansionist policy and conquered Qataban. It even send troops to conquer the east african coast (now Yemen). Little is known in detail of this army, but by 24BC, the Roman governor of Egypt and his legions, Marcus Aelius Gallus, was soundly defeated. The Sabaean army and its commander's confidence was also praised by the Qur'an.

Qataban was an ancient Yemeni kingdom, which heartland was located in the Baihan valley. The capital of Qataban was named Timna and was located on the trade route which passed through the other kingdoms of Hadramaut, Sheba and Ma'in. Chief deity was Amm, or "Uncle" while the Qatabans called themselves the "children of Amm". It became the most prominent Yemeni kingdom around 500 BCE, when its ruler held the title of the South Arabian hegemon, the Mukarrib, "priest-kings" or "federators" of Southern Arabia. About (800-400 bc) local political authority resided with the mlk, king of his own ethnic tribe but appointed to lead a council of southern tribes. It was later conquered and inegrated in the Sabaean kingdom.

Massalia

Massalia (now Marseille, Southern France) was founded by the Phoceans in circa 600 BC, and became like Carthage one of the most important city-state and port in the Western Mediterranean. The colonia started in a region inhabited by a Gallic tribe called the Ligurians, and the site was itself part of the Segobrigae tribe. The city traded with the phoenicians (and later Cathaginians), Etruscans, Iberians, and from 300 BC, with the Romans with which it was allied soon, and stayed faithful until the first Empire. Religious habits included the veneration of cults from Asia Minor, as the Phoceans were settled near Smyrna. According to Latin author Justinius, the Massilians has been compelled because of the poverty of the surrounding soils to concentrate on the sea through trade, fishing and also piracy. Like Carthage, Massalia is the basis for a commercial empire in the Souther coast of Gaul, with fundation of Agathe Tychè (Agde), Olbia (Hyères), Antipolis (Antibes) Nikaïa (Nice) and later Alalia (Aléria) in Corisca, Elea (Salerno), or Emporion (Empúries) in Iberia.

On a military standpoint, Massalia was rich and can afford to raise local mercenaries among the Ligurians and surrounding gallic tribes, sardinian archers, corsican mountaineers, balearic slingers, Iberian free swords and of course Greek mercenaries from all over the Mediterranean. The core was the Greek hoplitic phalanx, with peltasts and little cavalry as the surrounding area was mountainous. The Massalian navy was quite powerful, relying on trieres and penteres as much as the Hellenistic city-states of the time.

Illyrioi

Bardylis the Dardanian (448-358 BC) - The Illyrian tribes in 359 BC. Just like the Greeks, the Illyrians could have dominated the west of the balkans if they allied themselves under a single banner instead of fighting and raiding each others and only uniting for raids to the south. This was a dynamic bunch, which lived from piracy also, and at some point in the 9th century BC colonized the south-eastern Italian coast. The Illyrians appears in Greco-Roman historiography from the 4th century BC. They formed several kingdoms in the central Balkans, the first known ruler of which was the Illyrian king Bardyllis. Illyrian kingdoms were often at war with ancient Macedonia which in turn gained military experience and protected the rest if Greece, which gave it some pride and right to revendications. At the Neretva Delta, Illyrian tribe of Daors was probably the most Hellenized. Their capital Daorson (now Stolac in Herzegovina) became the main center of classical Illyrian culture and also made unique bronze coins and sculptures. The Illyrians conquered Greek colonies on the Dalmatian islands. After Philip II of Macedon defeated Bardylis (358 BC), the Grabaei under Grabos became the strongest state in Illyria. Philip II killed 7,000 Illyrians in a great victory and annexed the territory up to Lake Ohrid, then reduced the Grabaei, and went for the Ardiaei, defeated the Triballi (339 BC), and fought with Pleurias (337 BC). This was quite a feat for a Kingdom to score so many victories. This helped considerably Macedon to built its muscle, shaped Alexander youth as well, but who knows if the Illyrians will unite again and march on Macedon ?

SPQR

Rome in 359 BC. It is the year of the Consulship of Laenas and Imperiosus (year 395 Ab urbe condita). It is not even sure if Rome will ever raise over Italy at that stage. Indeed, thirty years before, the army was wiped out by Senones from the North, the city was taken and ransacked, the aristocracy humiliated and eventually after the siege of the Palatin, officials were forced to pay an humongus tribute during which Brennos famously facing protests over the weights being tampered with, thrown his sword into the plate for more, adding "woe to the vanquishers" according to the authors. Marius apparently gather his remaining troops and fell over the resting gauls, slaughtering and putting them in retreat. Now Rome faces its immediate neighbours, Rome is at war with War with the Etruscans of Tarquinii, Falerii and Caere from 359 to 351 BC. They will have little time to rest, because afterwards, in 343 BC thay face the Samnite confederation, and only three years after, her latin allies also entered the fray according to Livy (for some it was an uhistorical fiction). Rome expansion into Campania was an increasing threat to the independence of the smaller Latin communities who risked becoming entirely surrounded by Roman territory. So Macedon is a small backwater, Rome is on the Rise. Who will win in the long run ?

Epiros

Epiros in 359 BC. Epiros has a long standing Greek culture, although considered as "semi-barbarian" due to its links and close relationships with Macedon and Illyria nearby. In the Middle Bronze Age, Epirus was inhabited by the same nomadic Hellenic tribes that settled in other areas of the peninsula, and by the early 1st millennium BC, the fourteen Epirote tribes were dominated by larger ones called the Chaonians in northwestern Epirus, the Molossians in the centre and the Thesprotians in the south. Its mountainous isolation, constant squabbles and Illyrian raids will prevent unification and development for centuries. One of the reasons given for their backwardness was they lived in small villages, with perhaps some oppida-like fortified strongpoint, rather than in solid large poleis like those of southern Greece. Both Thucydides the Athenian and Strabo later considered them as plain "barbarians", while for others they were greeks. However, whatever the case, the Illyrians will play an important role in the events preceding the raise of Alexander the Great. Indeed, in 370 BC, the Molossian Aeacidae dynasty built a centralized state in Epirus and began expanding their power at the expense of rival tribes. To consolidate their power in the region, the Aeacids allied themselves with the rising kingdom of Macedon, to share defense against the common threat of the Illyrian raids. In 359 BC indeed, the very year your campaign starts, the Molossian princess Olympias, niece of Arybbas of Epirus, married King Philip II of Macedon. She was to become the mother of Alexander the Great...

Samniti

The Samnites, Umbrians, Etruscans has been severely weakened by the Gallic invasion 30 years before. But they eventually shared lands, payed tributes and earned peace and future allies against the rise of Rome. For who knows the peoples of the Latium will bear the agressive expansionist policy of Rome ? For the moment, the Hirpini, Caudini, Caraceni, and Pentri, Samnite tribes, allied with Rome against the Gauls in 354 BC. But for how long ?

Skythoi

The Golden Age of the Scythians began in 7th century BC when they became dominating nation in the nothern Black Sea region and conquered large territories in the Middle East. In the end of 6th century BC they defeated the invasion of Persian king Darius I in their land. The Scythians were very aggressive, they frequently raided their neighbours. Among ancient nations the Scythians were considered as perfect horsemen and archers. Many of them were mercenaries. In 3th century BC began the decline of Scythian hegemony, gradually subjugated opr assimilated to the Sarmatian tribes.

Paurava

The Paurava Indians in 359 BC - This small kingdom was the 9th century BC dynasty that will rose to fame because of King Porus, adversary of Alexander at Hydapses River. His father was then ruler, warring against nearby tribes called the Audumbaras, the Kunindas, the Vemakas, the Vrishnis, the Yaudheyas and the Arjunayanas. The Pauravas were a sub-clan of the Indian Kambojas, descendants of Puru, which claimed to be one of the many sons of legendary ruler Yayati, a Chandravanshi king, "of the lunar dynasty", one of the Hindu kings who descended from the Hindu God Chandra ("moon"). But the region would fell soon under Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BC which ended this "warring states" era and unified all India under one single banner.

Keltiberi

The original people of the Iberian Peninsula, consisted of a number of separate tribes, but are given the generic name "Iberians". The most important culture of this period is that of the city of Tartessos. Beginning in the 9th century BC, Celtic tribes entered the Iberian peninsula through the Pyrenees and settled throughout the Peninsula, becoming the Celt-Iberians. The seafaring Phoenicians, Greeks and Carthaginians successively settled along the Mediterranean coast and founded trading colonies there over a period of several centuries. Around 1,100 BC Phoenician merchants founded the trading colony of Gadir near Tartessos. In the 8th century BC the first Greek colonies, such as Emporion, were founded along the Mediterranean coast on the East, leaving the south coast to the Phoenicians. The Greeks are responsible for the name Iberia, after the river Iber. In the 6th century BC the Carthaginians arrived in Iberia while struggling with the Greeks for control of the Western Mediterranean. Their most important colony was Carthago Nova (Latin name of modern day Cartagena).

The Romans arrived in the Iberian peninsula during the Second Punic war in the 3nd century BC, and annexed it under Augustus after two centuries of war with the Celtic and Iberian tribes and the Phoenician, Greek, and Carthaginian colonies becoming the province of Hispania. Some of Spain's present languages, religion, and laws originate from this Roman period. Your role as the Celtiberian Leader is one of great difficulty. You have the Pyrhenees to shield you from possible new incursions of Gallic Tribes,but your Celtic stock makes you hatred by nearby Iberian peoles, and the mighty Carthaginians are always a threat from the South. Only through cunning diplomacy, proficient trade and a good military can provide you the roots of expansion.

Odrysioi

Cersobleptes (358 - 342 BC). At the dawn of history the ancient Thracians — a group of tribes speaking Indo-European language, once extended as far west as the Adriatic Sea, but were pushed eastward (c.1300 BC) by the Illyrians. In the 5th century BC they lost their land west of the Struma River to Macedon. In the North, however, Thrace at that period still extended to the Danube. Unlike the Macedonians, the Thracians did not absorb Greek culture, and they steadfastly clung to their language and culture. The Thracian Bronze Age was similar to that of Mycenaean Greece, and the Thracians developed high forms of music and poetry. However their savage form of warfare led the Greeks to consider them barbarians. As the Greeks expanded into Thrace, they exploited Thracian gold and silver mines, and then recruited Thracians for their own infantry. Thrace was reduced to vassalage by Persia from c.512 BC to 479 BC, and Persian customs were then introduced.

Thrace was united as a kingdom under the chieftain Sitalces, who aided Athens during the Peloponnesian War, but after his death in 428 BC, the state again broken up. Cotys I or Kotys I (Ancient Greek: Κότυς) was born during the reign of Seuthes I. He became king in 384 BC. On gaining the Odrysian kingdom the Athenians made him their ally. In order to make his position stronger Cotys married his daughter to the Athenian general Iphicrates who soon became the second person in command after the king. Cotys passed away in 360 BC and his kingdom went to Cersobleptes. he inherited the kingdom in conjunction with Berisades and Amadocus II, who were probably his brothers. He was very young at the time, and the whole management of his affairs was assumed by the Euboean adventurer, Charidemus, who was connected by marriage with the royal family. The area controlled by Cersobleptes was east of the river Hebrus.

Charidemus took on a prominent role in the ensuing contests and negotiations with Athens for the possession of the Thracian Chersonese, with Cersobleptes appearing throughout as a mere puppet of Charidemus. The peninsula seems to have been finally ceded to the Athenians in 357 BC, though they did not occupy it with their settlers until 353 BC; although Isocrates is less certain about the earlier date. For some time after the cession of the Chersonese, Cersobleptes continued to assiduously court the favour of the Athenians, being perhaps restrained from aggression by the fear of the Athenian fleet based in the Hellespont. On the death of Berisades, before 352 BC, Cersobleptes conceived, or more correctly Charidemus conceived for him, the idea of excluding the children of the deceased prince from their inheritance, and obtaining possession of all the dominions of Cotys. It was with this objective in mind that Charidemus gained from the Athenian people, through his party among the orators, the decree in his favour. In response to this outcome, Demosthenes delivered a speech (which still exists) through which he unsuccessfully tried to impeach the mover of the decree, Aristocrates. From a passing reference in Demosthenes' oration, it appears that Cersobleptes had been negotiating with king Philip II of Macedonia for a combined attack on the Chersonese. However, these negotiations came to nothing as a consequence of the refusal of Amadocus to allow Philip a passage through his territory. But after the passing of the Athenian decree, Philip became the enemy of Cersobleptes, and in 352 BC made a successful expedition into Thrace, gained a firm ascendancy in the country and took a son of Cersobleptes as a hostage.

Both Cersobleptes and Amadocus appear to have been subjected by Philip early in 347 BC, not long after Cetriporis, the son and successor of Berisades, suffered the same fate. The two rulers, having appealed to the Macedonian ruler to arbitrate a dispute between them, were then been forced to acknowledge his suzerainty when the "judge" showed up with an army. At the time of the peace between Athens and Philip in 346 BC, Cersobleptes was again involved in hostilities with the Macedonian king, who was in Thrace when the second Athenian embassy arrived at his capital Pella, and did not return to give them audience until he had completely conquered Cersobleptes' lands. In the course of the next three years, Cersobleptes seems to have recovered strength sufficient to throw off the Macedonian yoke, and, according to Diodorus, persisted in his attacks on the Greek cities located on the Hellespont. Accordingly, in 343 BC, Philip again marched against him, defeated him in several battles, and reduced him to the condition of a tributary. By 342 BC all Thrace was held by Philip II of Macedon, and after 323 BC most of the country was in the hands of Lysimachus. It fell apart once more after Lysimachus' death in 281 BC, and it was conquered by the Romans late in the 1st century BC. Your role as the Thracian Leader will be challenging. Battered by the Greeks for centuries, you've just come into your own and must use your small terriotry and Black Sea access to build an empire.

Eleutheroi

All the free peoples of the known world. Powerful mini-factions in their own right. We can cite among other the numerous Gallic tribes outside the Senones in Gaul, Iberian peoples like the Gallecians, Tartessians, Ilergetes or Lusitanians, the Moesians, Pannonians, Venedae and proto-baltic peoples, the eastern nomads like the Massagetae, Sarmata, Saka, Kushan or Yuezhe among others, Independent Indian, African kingdoms like Kush, Meroe, the Garamantians, Gherrae or the Numidians, and many others.

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February 2018: CATW 03.4

It's 2018, so the 10th anniversary of catw 0.3 the first fully-fledged, working mod version of Classical Age: Total war. So for this special occasion, i worked for two months on a complete overhaul of the mod.

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(BETA) CATW 1.3 Illyrico Bella

The Illyrian Wars in 230 BC. Like the previous opus, based on Mundus Magnus, with a completely revised and overhauled descr_strat, latest catw units (2.0) and RS2 environment, playable on RTW, BI and Alex. The file is called catw 06. This version is set in 230 BC, to feature the Illyrian Wars. At that stage, the illyrian tribes has been unified as a powerful confederation by king Agron, and his wife Teuta took power when he died. The kingdom of the Ardiaei also comprises to the north, the Dardanians, and starts with numerous fleets in the Adriatic.

Status (October 2017): Factions positions Ok but KTM when starting campaigns.

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(BETA) CATW 1.4 Emanamer

Arminius is quite a figure in "German" history (he was revived in the context of late XIXth century nationalism and rivalry with Napoleonic France, which erected a similar statue facing east, of Vercingetorix). Hostage in Rome at a young age he was the son of the tribal chieftain of the Cherusci, then under the rule of a Roman governor. This was during Augustus time, the very beginning of the Roman Empire following decades of bitter and global civil wars which saw the end of the Republic. At that time the Romans invaded Britain, had Gaul and Belgium under their grasp, and were moving east through Germania. Although afraid by theses cold land of dark forests and fierce barbarians, they hoped to bring civilization to the numerous tribes dwelling in the area of the Rhenus, funding new garrisons and cities around, filled with wonders and comfort to showcase the Roman way of life. The stake was high. One of these tribes was the Sigambri. Others were the Chatti, Markomanni, Alamani, Franks, and many more, including a defiant confederation of the Suebi. In Rome, Arminius (perhaps Ermanamer was his real name) quickly arose through the ranks of the Roman Army as a capable leader and cavalry auxilia. When back in his homeland however it seems he saw a very different picture of what he first idealized.

There, a ruthless and not very bright governor, Varrus, was driving the population to the brink of revolt by his arrogant demands and harsh punishments. For any reasons, this seemed to dive deeply in Arminius, poised to be the new leader for his people after his father. The young Cherusci apparently completely turned against the Romans, but rather than leading an army to face the Roman legions frontally, set careful preparations long before any actions, gathering tribes to mount a secret ambush of biblical proportion. At the same time he gained the unflinching confidence of Varrus, and when the day came, he drove his legions into the forest, towards the site of an ongoing attack (which was a bait). Doing so, when the time came, he left the column to gather his troops arrived in secret and well prepared, including fortifications all along the Roman path. The battle which follow will remain one of the most famous in history: Teutoburg Forest. The result was the total annihilation of two Roman legions and the death of Varrus, then a flurry of deliberate attacks on Roman settlements. As a result, Emperor Augustus, badly hit by the news, decided to recall his troops beyond the Rhine and set up a serie of fortifications that will stand until the Germanic Migrations of the Christian Era. This battle alone made Germany independent and oblivious from Roman and Latin civilization, during four centuries, unlike France, UK, and many countries in Europe.

This project is an amazing one, set in 9AD with a Roman Empire at its peak geographically, deep beyond the Rhine. It also impose a complete revision of the factions: Of the old ones, only Rome (Now the Empire) and a powerful Parthian Empire in the East are sure to be there. But of course the focus will be on the many Roman Tribes present north of the map, including the Sicambri, Suevi, Chatti, the Cheruschi confederation, some independent Celts (like the Boii) and the Picts, the Dacians, at the peak of their power, and in the east the Sarmatians, Indo-Scythians, Satavahana Empire in India, south the Arabians of Palmyria & Saba, the Moors (possibly), the Bosporan Kingdom, or the Batonian Confederation (which replace Thrace). The latter was a large revolt of the Roman province of Illyricum. This comprised Daesitiates (Bato as leader), Breuci, Dalmatae, Andizetes, Pannonians, Pirustae, Liburnians and Iapydes. On their side the Romans were supported by client-state Odrysians (Thrace).

Status (October 2017): Factions OK. Working fine, but a lot of work on each factions, map, etc. Just beginning.

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May 2017: catw 04.9 keltoi tromos

This standalone update called "Celtic Terror" in Greek is the latest version of catw 0.4. This still features mundus magnus on 280 BC, but focuses this time of the second major event of the time, the Gallic invasions in the Balkans, with lots of corrections and modifications for all factions.

The mod is based on a major historical event, when a huge Gallic army initially led by Cambaules settled in Thrace in 280. Their origin was most probably Southeastern France for the most (Rhone valley), and rather than being treated as a horde, the faction still possesses the Aedui (Bibracte) and Allobroges (Vienna and Lugdunum) areas, but as the history goes, Brennus (the new leader, also called Acichorius, apparently his real name) army separated into three divisions, himself bound to Illyria and Dalmatia from Paeonia (This is by the way your faction leader), another bound to conquer Thrace under Cerethurios (a name created for the mod), and another bound to invade Macedon under Bolgios (Already a massive celtic slave army in catw 0.4). So all these divisions are present on the map at the beginning of the game, with massive rosters.

To put things in perspective, let's see how real history unfolded:

The Gauls under Bolgios went ahead against the whole Macedonian army led by the young would-be king Ptolemy Keraunos (which was killed) and his army wrecked. However other forces were mobilized by a Macedonian nobleman called Sosthenes and repulsed the assault. Brennus came to the rescue however and mustered his forces, attacked Sosthenes, and defeated him. Then he reunited his army with some of Bolgios's forces and Cerethurios (eastern division, bound to the Thracians and Triballi). He launched a potentially lucrative raid on Greece, his army numbering about 152,000 infantry and 24,400 cavalry (Much more if each cavalryman possibly riding two mounted servants, a system called trimarcisia according to Pausanias).

The Gauls already reached Phthiotis and Magnesia when the coalized Greeks at Thermopylae led by Athenian general Calippus, and purposedly broke the bridges on the river Spercheios where he thought to meet Brennus. But the latter sent about 10,000 that crossed by night and routed the greek forces on the opposite bank, which fled and joined the main army. The Gauls were able to command locals to rebuilt the bridges and the whole army crossed. However, when heading straight into Greek's pikes at Thermopylae their first assault was rebuffed. Brennus then devised a plan to divise the Greeks and sent 40,000 infantry and 800 cavalry under Combutis and Orestorius back over the Spercheius to invade Aetolia. The plan worked as the whole Aetolian army left, but the Gallic army sent lost almost half of its troops when returning to Thermopylae. Meanwhile some locals were intimidated into showing Brennus a mountain pass, allowing a rear attack. That way the Greeks were eventually defeated.

Brennus then famously attacked Delphi, then the most sacred site outside the Parthenon in Greece. As intended, he uncovered a rich loot (possibly more than fifteen thousand talents of gold and silver), but the events turned semi-legendary and quite foggy, according to various Greek and Latin authors. Possibly scared by a severe thunderstorm (caused by the wrath of the gods ?) they were beaten and retreated to the Spercheius river, Brennus committing suicide.

The remnants of his army by 278 BC went into Asia minor, crossing the Hellespont (probably at the demand of Bithynia's king) and settling in an area of present Turkey called "Galatia" around Ancyra. Yes, the famous Asian Celts that served as mercenaries until the Roman conquest get rid of the remnants of the Diadochi. Others settled in Thylis for 100 years, leaving a mixed civilization called the "Gallo-thracians". To celebrate their victory the Greeks Amphictyonic League instituted new games called the Delphic Soteria (savior games). The Tectosages (part of the army) are said to have carried out part of the treasury back to Tolosa (now Toulouse).

So, now you know, how will you perform ?

About catw 04.9 factions

Priteni

The Pretanoi, Priteni, or "miserable little Britons" were in fact a wide array of northerwestern Celtic tribes feared by the Romans. Outside the classic image of the war chariots and woad warriors, the local southern Britannic population, of Celtic stock and culture, had long commercial ties with the continent and probably related both to the Gauls and Belgians, even Frisians. This was a multitude a tribes, known in Caesar time as the Atrebates and Belgae, Cantiaci, Catuvellauni, Dobunni, Dumnonii, Durotriges, Regnenses, Textoverdi, Trinovantes and Iceni, the latter being best known for Boadicea bloody rebellion in Augustus reign.

For the sake of this mod, the Priteni are therefore presented as a loose confederation of southern tribes. With this in mind, you still have plenty of room to expand in Britain and Hibernia (Ireland) even before thinking of crossing the channel and taking on the fearsome Belgae...

Hayasdan

The Armenians: In the 6th century B.C., Armenians settled in the kingdom of Urarty (the Assyrian name for Ararat), which was in decline. Under Tigran the Great the Armenian empire reached its height and became one of the most powerful in Asia, stretching from the Caspian to the Mediterranean Seas. Throughout most of its long history, however, Armenia has been invaded by a succession of empires. Under constant threat of domination by foreign forces, Armenians became both cosmopolitan as well as fierce protectors of their culture and tradition. Now, in 280 BC when this mod begins, Armenia is no longer a satrapy, and is in the sphere of influence of the seleucid Empire. In fact, under Orontid dynasty (since 590 BC), the country detains now a considerable degree of autonomy and can certainly wage war to neighbouring kingdoms, like the young Pontic kingdom, even trying to take on a largely divided Asia minor, before turning its attention to the Seleucid Empire itself.

Armenian armies largely relies on footsoldiers as well as cavalry in equal part, as its still a relatively mountainous area. Hellenistic influence over Persian traditions and local specificities assures a unique gameplay.

Epeiros

Pyrrhos of Epirus (297–272) was the son of Aeacides and Phthia, a Thessalian woman, and a second cousin of Alexander the Great (via Alexander's mother, Olympias). When his father was dethroned, his family took refuge with Glaukias of the Taulantians, one of the largest Illyrian tribes. Pyrrhus was raised by Beroea, Glaukias's wife and a Molossian of the Aeacidae dynasty.

Glaukias restored Pyrrhus to the throne in 306 BC until banished again in 302 BC by his enemy, Cassander. He went on to serve as an officer in the wars of the Diadochi, under command of his brother-in-law Demetrius Poliorcetes. In 298 BC, taken hostage to Alexandria, he latter married Ptolemy I's stepdaughter Antigone and restored his kingdom in Epirus in 297 BC with financial and military aid from Ptolemy I. His co-ruler Neoptolemus II of Epirus was murdered and in 295 BC, he transferred his capital to Ambrakia and went to war against Demetrius and in 292 BC, invading Thessaly. By 286 BC, Pyrrhus took control over the kingdom of Macedon, but was driven out of Macedon by Lysimachus in 284 BC.

The Greek city of Tarentum, in Magna Grecia (southern Italy), fell out with Rome due to a violation of an old treaty that specified Rome was not to send warships into the Tarentine Gulf. In 282 BC, the Romans installed garrisons in the Greek cities of Thurii (on the western end of the Tarentine Gulf), Locri, and Rhegium, and sent warships to Thurii. Although this was designed as a measure against the Italian peoples of Lucania, the Tarentines grew nervous and attacked the Romans in Thurii, driving the Roman garrison from the city and sinking several Roman warships.

Tarentum was now faced with a Roman attack and certain defeat, unless they could enlist the aid of greater powers. Rome had already made itself into a major power, and was poised to subdue all the Greek cities in Magna Graecia. The Tarentines asked Pyrrhus to lead their war against the Romans. Pyrrhus was encouraged to aid the Tarentines by the Oracle of Delphi. His goals were not, however, selfless. He recognized the possibility of carving out an empire for himself in Italy. He made an alliance with Ptolemy Ceraunus, King of Macedon and his most powerful neighbor, and arrived in Italy in 280 BC with an army consisting of 20,000 infantry, 3,000 cavalry, 2,000 archers, 500 slingers, and 20 war elephants in a bid to subdue the Romans. The elephants had been loaned to him by Ptolemy II, who had also promised 9,000 soldiers and a further 50 elephants to defend Epirus while Pyrrhus and his army were away. The rest, as they say, is history but also your own choices and skills.

Karthadast

The native name for "Carthage", according to reconstructed semitic roots. y tradition, Carthage was founded by Queen Dido who had fled from the city of Tyre in Phoenicia after her husband was killed by her brother. Even in the days of legend there was a link with Rome, because Aeneas of Troy, the father to the Romans, was the lover of Dido and then abandoned her. In her grief she killed herself, cursing Aeneas and his descendants as she died.

Carthage - the name means ‘new town’ - continued to flourish, a Phoenician colony that outgrew and survived its parent land. The Phoenicians - and their successors the Carthaginians - must be credited with the invention of glass, the bireme galley and with being expert traders thanks to their superb navigational skills. Even before the Greeks reached the Western Mediterranean, Carthage was a superbly wealthy city, thanks to its mastery of the seas. Carthaginian colonies - colonies of the original Phoenician colony - now ring the sea (modern Barcelona is named after the famous Barca family). Carthage is a maritime power, with only a relatively small landowning class to provide military land power. This, however, does not matter as long as Carthage continues to be wealthy. Its coffers pay for mercenaries in abundance when the city needs to go to war.

And it is this wealth, mastery of trade and expansion along the Mediterranean coast towards Italy that brings Carthage into direct confrontation with the newly rising power of Rome. Now, perhaps, it is time for Dido’s curse to have its full effects on the children of Aeneas. In 280 BC indeed, Hanno is in Sicily with an army bound to intervene eastwards, as the "Mamertines" are rampaging eastern Sicily. These former mercenaries of Agathocles, left unpaid, captured Messana, and from there, launch raids in the surrounding countryside. It's time for the Barcas to show their skills and perhaps, defeat age-old local rival Syracuse and take the whole of Sicily before the Romans could react.

Getai

The Getic people occupies a section of Eastern Europe corresponding roughly to modern South-Eastern Romania. They had been called Getae by the Greeks and Daci by the Romans. Of advanced material culture, with a tribal organization, though tribal in nature, the Dacians had attained a considerable degree of civilization by the time they first became known to the Romans. The Getics are however of a more obscure origin. Your role as the Getic Leader is to take the whole Balkanic region and create a true dynasty. However, this will not be easy. The neighbouring Thracian, Macedonians and northern barbarian of untold ferocity are within striking distance, not to mention Rome has its eyes set to subdue you at the first chance they get.

Moreover, in 280 BC, the "Northern Thracians" are not yet united. Sarmizegetusa, possibly the cradle of the future "Daioi" (Dacians) is independent. So you start eastwards, immediately in the vicinity of Thrace. But your most serious and immediate concern are Brennus huge gallic armies, bound to conquer your territory, and Thrace after you. Should you survive it (you were given an army for that), there are still threat and opportunities to follow. Challenging for any player, although the Getic army is quite balanced, with good melee infantry, archers, but also pikemen and excellent cavalry, including local, scythian-influenced(and Sarmatian) horse archers in later period.

Achaioi Hegemon

Although a bit artificially, you plays the Achaian and Aetolian leagues, in this one. The Aetolian and the Achaean League managed to avoid stagnation, which was the fate of many other greek cities. The Aetolian confederation was founded in the mid-4th century BC, with a loose political association, the Aetolian Koinon (public), and resulted in it's completed form after the repulse of the Gauls (278 BC), and the undertaking of the protection of the Oracle of Delphi. The regime was democratic and all citizens were entitled to participate in the meetings and decisions. In the 3rd century BC acquired even more power and authority, including all the cities of the central Greece from Maliakos to the Corinthian Gulf and the estuary of Achelous River.

The Achaean League in the early 3rd century BC included the association of certain cities of Achaia, but until the 2nd cent. BC, included almost the whole Peloponnesus. The way that the Achaean League was organized was different from that of the Aetolian, because it incorporates elements of the monarchy system. The cities retained their governments, and the confederation was governed by a council which was attended by all the citizens who had reached the age of 30, and by the rulers who had increased their powers. The League retained a parliament (or senate) with 120 members, which mainly concentrated on the external relations. You get the chance to play the Athenians, Spartans, Corinthians among others, and Rhodes, with a modern army and sizeable Athenian fleet.

Ptolemais

Egypt was one part of Alexander the Great empire no that long ago, and by anyone’s standards it is an ancient land. It is now ruled by Greek Pharaohs, the descendants of Ptolemy I, one of Alexander’s able generals. The Ptolemaic dynasty adjusted rapidly to Egyptian ways and adopted the royal ways of the Pharaohs - including divine status and marriage between the Pharaoh and his sister in each generation. All the succeeding Pharaohs have been called Ptolemy, and their sisters (more often than not) Cleopatra in the Egyptian fashion.

Egypt, therefore, is even a richer empire under the new Hellenistic Pharaohs, largely open to the world. It is now a centre of learning for the Greek world. The Ptolemies hold together a formidable kingdom and must be seen as a major power in the Eastern Mediterranean. Their potential in warfare against the other successor states is also impressive, and an aggressive Pharaoh could well expand Egypt’s boundaries far beyond the Nile valley...

By 280 BC you start with a relatively easy position, with plenty or lands to conquer and an unrivalled navy in the whole Mediterranean. There are many opportunities in all directions, but historically the empire was weakened by years of war with the Seleucids, notably over Coile-Syria. At that time, the Empire has reached its largest extent, with a foot in Asia minor, a hold in Crete, and control of most of the middle-east coast, but not the red sea yet. Should you get there, the Sabaeans are in you way. West, the Carthaginians, bound to control the central Mediterranean are certainly also a threat to your west flank.

Aedui (The great invasion)

The Aedui, Tectosages (and sub-tribes like the Trocmi), Allobroges, and others tribes of the Eastern part of Gaul, were probably those that took part in the great Balkanic invasion of 280 BCE (see above). The Gauls in 280 BC had yet not reached the characteristic mobility of their armies at the time Caesar came in 58 BC. Although they largely count on intimidation and shock with an impressive melee infantry, Gallic armies at that time were more complex, and catw has been at the forefront of this research. A typical Gallic army back then comprised mostly spearmen that fought in close order, shieldwalls which were somewhat even closer than the Greek hoplitic formation due to their narrower shields. The warrior class (Cingetos) takes place in the center-front, together with village chieftains, their retinue, high nobles and their own servants and bodyguards called Ambactes, the Soldurii, Champions, and a wide array of lighter sword-and-javelin or more commonly spear-and-javelin troops, the Gaelaiche and Gaesate on the wings of this elite core, plus slingers, archers and skirmishers open the march.

Peasant levies (atectoi), and trained ones (Lugoae) took place on the rearguard, while cavalry and chariots took place on the wings. Famously chariots delivered their noble warrior at high speed for a few slashes on the back of the opposing or in the melee, they were used as fast transportation systems, early APCs... Gallic cavalry was reputed and fought opposing cavalry or dismounted as quick reinforcement if needed. Like some Germanic tribes, the Gauls practiced combined infantry and cavalry tactics to best effect.

Sweboz

The Suevi (Sweboz) also called Suebi, Suavi or Suevians were probably the dominant German tribe, which inhabited modern Denmark. They had been first mentioned by Julius Caesar in connection with his battles against Ariovistus in Gaul, around 58 BC. While Caesar treated them as one Germanic tribe within an alliance, though the largest and most warlike, later authors, such as Tacitus, Pliny the Elder and Strabo, specified that the Suevi do not, like the Chatti or Tencteri, constitute a single nation. They actually occupy more than half of Germania, and are divided into a number of distinct tribes under distinct names, though all generally are called Suebi". At one time, classical ethnography had applied the name Suevi to so many Germanic tribes that it appeared as though in the first centuries A.D. this native name would replace the foreign name Germans.

Classical authors noted that the Suevic tribes, compared to other Germanic tribes, were very mobile and not reliant on agriculture. Various Suevic groups moved from the direction of the Baltic Sea and the Elbe, becoming a periodic threat to the Roman Empire on their Rhine and Danube frontiers. Towards the end of the empire, the Alemanni, also referred to as Suebi, first settled in the Agri Decumates and then crossed the Rhine and occupied Alsace. An area in southwest Germany is still called Swabia, which name derives from the Suebi. (In a broader sense, their eastern neighbours, the Bavarians and Thuringii, can be said to have Suebic ancestry.) Other Suebi entered Gaul and some moved as far as Gallaecia (modern Galicia, in Spain, and Northern Portugal), where they established the Kingdom of the Suebi, which lasted for 170 years until its integration into the Visigothic Kingdom. More generally, the Suebian language and culture is associated with the Irminones and thought to encompass the "High German" cultures and dialects of the Thuringii, Bavarians and Lombards, among others.

But from the time of Caesar, to 280 BC it is a long way to go... What is sure is that the Suebi (Proto-Germanic swēbaz, either based on the Proto-Germanic root *swē- meaning ones own people) expanded from the area known as Denmark, as portrayed in this mod. So there still is quite room for expansion.

SPQR

In catw, especially 280 BC you start with already the near mastery of Italy but the southern city-states (Magna Graecia). The Pyrrhic wars would be just the occasion needed to reform the army from the Camilian Censes organization to the so-called "Polybian", simpler triplex acies, but also to take back this southern sector as a prize. It was also a prelude to the 1st Punic wars. It is a pivotal time as Pyrrhus, which saw himself as the new Alexander, just arrived into Italy with his multicultural army to help Great Greece, and especially Tarentum. These Greek Cities indeed feels threatened by the growing power of Roman influence over the Peninsula. But the perile is not limited to the South: In the North too, from two Senones cities, the dark shadow of the abhorred Gauls is lurking above the republic. Their intervention a hundred years ago left a sour taste and feed tales of hatred for the Gauls. The memory of it is still vivid.

Anyway, Rome is strong, has learned a great deal about warfare and its alliance system in Italy is robust. Now that the Etruscans are gone and the Samnites beaten, Rome is ready for new challenges in Italy and abroad. In addition to Polybian classic units (and later legionaries), you have quite an array of allied Italic units to start with.

Makedon

In this year of 280 BC, the cradle of the Hellenism, the country that saw Alexander the Great born, is in a very short quiet period in-between a bloody civil war. Demetrius I Poliorcetes (294–287 BC) was the last ruler before Pyrrhos took control of Makedon. Demetrius I Poliorcetes (the "city-taker" famous for his giant siege towers) was the first Antigonid king of Macedon. Pyrrhos of Epirus then took over briefly Makedon from 286 to 284 BC, but afterwards the kingdom fell into civil war (288-276 BC). Lysimachus indeed invaded the area, expelled his former co-ruler and reigned for a short time: In 281 BC, he indeed crossed the Hellespont into Lydia, fought and died at the decisive Battle of Corupedium.

Ptolemy Keraunos was then in his turn King of Macedon from 281 BC to 279 BC. His epithet meant "Thunder" or "Thunderbolt". He was the eldest son of Ptolemy I Soter, Pharaoh of Egypt, but left Egypt in 282 BC, was his younger brother was crowned as Ptolemy II. He was at the court of Lysimachus, king of Thrace. When the latter died at Courupedium, he just went to the court of Seleucus in the East to seek aid from Seleucus I Nicator. However Ptolemy Keraunos murdered Seleucus I in order to gain the power of his former protector. He rushed to Lysimacheia where he had himself acclaimed king by the Macedonian army, but also formally relinquished his claim to the Egyptian throne, marrying Arsinoe, the widow of Lysimachus. He also allied with Pyrrhus. He ruled over a large part of Greece as well, as Demetrius I Poliorcetes was then confined in the city of Demetrias, Thessaly. Ptolemy Keraunos was captured and killed during the wars against a large Gallic Army led by Bolgius. He was succeeded by Antipater Etesias which reign lasted only a period of 45 days, when he was in turn deposed by Sosthenes in 279. Again, almost three years of chaos and civil war followed.
Antigonus II Gonatas (276–239 BC), son of Demetrius Poliorcetes and Phila, grandson of Antigonus I Monophthalmus, at last took charge of the Kingdom and re-established the Antigonid dynasty. His wife, Phila, was the daughter of his sister, Stratonice. Only one known legitimate child, Demetrius II Aetolicus. He followed by three other rulers until 168 BC and the death of Perseus, and De Facto domination of Rome.

So, in these troubled times, you are Ptolemy Keraunos, the ruler in charge. Can you stabilize the kingdom, keep the Gauls at bay and gave back Makedon its former glory ?

Maurya

This faction was displayed in catw 1.0 and catw 2.0, but as an independent (slave) one. This is the first time it is playable in catw.
This is 280 BC and you are Bindusara, the Indian Emperor. His most famous father war Chandragupta Maurya, still today a tutelary, semi-legendary figure, that for the first time, united the Indian Mahajanapadas after long and bloody wars, from the Nanda Empire. The rule of the Mauryans started from 324 BCE until Chandragupta's voluntary retirement and abdication in favour of his son in 297 BCE. The Nanda Empire's army numbered 200,000 infantry, 80,000 cavalry, 8,000 chariots, and 6,000 war elephants, and said to have dissuaded Alexander to follow-on his conquest of India. The Emperor has also retaken Seleucus' eastern territories and afterwards turned his attention to the Indian Sub-continent. Never the entire continent of India has been united this way. At some point his army numbered 400,000 soldiers, according to Strabo.

The art of war in this area was quite ancient between petty kingdoms and army composition and tactics has been refined to a very high degree. As registered by the vedas, there were many colorful formations used at that time, most of which has been carefully recorded and often poetically associated with flowers or animals. The Ksatriya, were the hereditary warrior class who formed the spine of the professional army; mThere were also mercenaries and freebooters hired as individuals seeking military adventure; troops provided by corporations or guilds; troops supplied by subordinate allies; deserters from the enemy; wild forest and tribesmen. These were not conscript armies as they comprised professional warrior aristocrats and other professionals fed, equipped, trained, paid, and otherwise maintained at great cost to the state. Otherwise levies formed the bulk of the armies. Combined-arms tactics seems to have been largely influenced by the nearby Chinese, that united at that time, also the era of Sun-Tsu. The basis core of units were twelve men were formed into three units to form a company, then three would form the battalion and again three of these, the aksauhini, or “army,” comprised of 21,870 patti. A sub-division called the samavyuha was equivalent to a Roman legion. For weaponry, bamboo was used for all kind of spears and bows, while exotic armor like Shagreen, but most often simple goat and ox raw skin. Armour war reserved to the Elites, which also wielded a longsword called the nistrimsa.

Palhava

The Parthians are a nomadic people who conquered and settled in the area near the Caspian Sea in the 4th century BC as part of the Dahae confederation. Since that time the Parthians, under their Arsacid rulers (named after King Arsaces I), have fiercely maintained their independence. The Seleucids have, from time to time, claimed to be the overlords of Parthia and, have actually been strong enough to try to enforce their claim. The Parthian kings are not yet already too strong to take over, so the start is relatively challenging.

The Parthians have the potential to be a great power – perhaps a great Empire – as they sit close to or astride the main trade routes from the east to the Mediterranean. The wealth of the world flows through these lands: a fortune that could pay for any army that an ambitious king could imagine. This wealth is there for the taking, for the people with the will to stretch out their hands and grasp it.

Parthian armies displays a relatively weak infantry (especially in early period), which can be assimilated mainly to a dismounted one, with local Persian-style auxiliaries and tribesmen. Parthian heart and soul is its almighty cavalry, at that time unrivalled. These nomads indeed built a reputation resting on a special breed of tall and strong horses (Niseans) worthy of their weight in gold to carry the lords and chieftains westwards, but they are first and foremost a breed tailored to carry cataphracts. Heavily cladded horsemen which are a bit like ancestors of modern tanks. Rarely galloping but on the last meters of open ground, they can disrupt the most unbreakable formation, cleave their way into the largest known armies. They will inspire later the Sarmatians into devising their own, more mobile version, influence the seleucids and the late Romans. This tradition will ultimately pass on the medieval times as the knights.

On the other hands, the bulk of the cavalry are common nomadic horsemen, mounted on fast and nervous poneys. These are horse-archers, but also skirmishers at closer ranges. They use the famous composite bow and its unique "W" shape that gave it extreme power and range, rapid-fire, while staying compact and handy for a horseman. The same weapon will gave countless eastern tribes occasions to unleash their conquering appetites westwards, with a tradition going straight to the Tatars and Mongols. Usually, these combined cavalry armies would surround and skirmish a foot army, drawing it far into remote, dry wasteland, harass troops night and day, kill foraging or isolated soldiers, seizing its baggage train and provisions, cut all supplies, before the army was weakened enough to take on for a large scale battle. And after a rain of arrow, both lethal and devastating for the morale of foot soldiers, and the bulk of partly isolated, the Cataphracts came and just punch through to break it into more parts, up to small groups, easy meat for the other closing cavalrymen. "The desert had dried more blood you will ever see".

Pontos

Mithradates I, the son of Prince Mithradates of Cius, took advantage of the situation in Asia minor to establish a new kingdom of Pontus. He reigned 281–266 BCE. So by the time you start, it's fresh, but risky. Mithradates was not one of the Diadochi, but a freebooter who saw his chance and took it. According to plutarch he was a companion of young Demetrius (future Poliorcetes), son of Antigonus Monophtalmos, which planned to have him killed. he escaped and rode to Pontus with six horsemen and made himself king, using the confusion. Since then, Pontus has managed to maintain its independence from both Greek and Persian influences, even though the royal family have Persian roots. The kingdom has a good position on the Black Sea coast and the potential to expand into much of Asia Minor. Nearby lie the great trade routes from the east, a significant source of revenue. It is also home to many warlike peoples, a fact that could be exploited by expansionist rulers.

From the player's point of view, Pontus is located in a somewhat crowded place. Eastwards, the Armenians block you way; To the south, two empire are you neighbours, the Seleucids and Ptolemies. Westwards, a young and equally ambitious Pergamon has recently rose into power, while the Greek leagues and Macedonians also have possesions and a fleet. To the north the black sea is full of opportunities, with quite profitable trade routes, the Bosporan Cimmerian kingdoms, but with the Scythians, barely tamed, casting a shadow on the whole area and the fierce Sarmatians and Massagetae behind.

A classic in RTW, Pontus has a well-mixed combined Hellenistic Army, but with strong eastern/Persian influence. Pontus was probably the inventor of the thureopheronte, a kind of thureophoroi/archer, quite unique, and combined to phalanxes many light and mobile tribesmen, archers and slingers, plus powerful cavalry, including the Cappodocian Cataphracts, and plenty of local auxiliaries, Bithynian peltasts and all sorts of Phrygian infantry and cavalry. The future Galatians are not settled there yet, so there is still room for expansion at the borders.

Saba

Another novelty of this mod, never seen on another Catw version and now fully playable. The Sabean Kingdom was of course made famous by the Bible, through the fabled relation between the wealthy queen of this southern Arabian empire (called Sheba) and David, King of Israel. At the origin the kingdom comprised only two cities, Sana'a and Ma'rib, and the capital was later placed in Sirwah. The ancient Semitic civilization of Saba in Southern Arabia remains controversial. It is generally accepted now that it was located in southern Arabia, areas comprising new the Yemen and Arabian peninsula and was described as "the oldest and most important of the South Arabian kingdoms". In 275 BCE (from around 900 to 1200 BCE), long civil wars between Yemenite dynasties claiming kingship made it fall, replaced by the Kingdom of Himyar, the latter rising to fame between 110 BCE and 525 CE.

The Sabean kingdom legendary wealth came from the control of trade between the Indian ocean and the red sea, therefore, access to the Mediterranean, notably trade of frankincense and myrrh, incenses which were burned at altars. The Sabaean language and similar languages used in those rival kingdoms were, like Arabic, Semitic languages. The gold the caravans carried home with them made these also very wealthy. Rival kingdoms rose up in the area to challenge Saba, but the trade continued profitably for South until well into the Christian era, and the Sabaean civilization was the most reputed (among four kingdoms), demonstrated by an achievement such as the ma'rib dam, and the most durable as it had the largest standing army. It was able to develop a vigorous expansionist policy and conquered Qataban. It even send troops to conquer the east african coast (now Yemen). Little is known in detail of this army, but by 24BC, the Roman governor of Egypt and his legions, Marcus Aelius Gallus, was soundly defeated. The Sabaean army and its commander's confidence was also praised by the Qur'an.

Qataban was an ancient Yemeni kingdom, which heartland was located in the Baihan valley. The capital of Qataban was named Timna and was located on the trade route which passed through the other kingdoms of Hadramaut, Sheba and Ma'in. Chief deity was Amm, or "Uncle" while the Qatabans called themselves the "children of Amm". It became the most prominent Yemeni kingdom around 500 BCE, when its ruler held the title of the South Arabian hegemon, the Mukarrib, "priest-kings" or "federators" of Southern Arabia. About (800-400 bc) local political authority resided with the mlk, king of his own ethnic tribe but appointed to lead a council of southern tribes. It was later conquered and inegrated in the Sabaean kingdom.

Skythoi

In a literal sense the Scythians were one of many ancient nomadic tribes dwelt in steppes on the vast plains between Danube on the west and Chinese borders on the east. In wide sense "the Scythians" was ancient name for all these nomadic tribes because they had very similar way of life and culture. In RTW there was some confusion about them, as their starting position made them akin the Sarmatians, and not the Scythians, for this time period. But in this mod, these are indeed the good old "Scythians" which are portrayed.

The Golden Age of the Scythians began in 7th century BC when they became dominating nation in the northern Black Sea region and conquered large territories in the Middle East. In the end of 6th century BC they defeated the massive invasion force of Persian king Darius I. The Scythians has been quite aggressive, frequently raiding their neighbours, hell's angels mode, once rampaging as far as the Egyptian empire. Among ancient nations, they had been considered the perfect horse archers, still fascinating today because of their rich and colorful, yet unique culture. Portrayed as bogeymen by the Greeks, many of them had been used as mercenaries over time.

In 3th century BC began the decline of Scythian hegemony. In the west they had troubles with Celts and Thracians, in the east they were oppressed by Sarmatians. Gradually the Scythians were forced out to the area of the lower Dniepr and the Crimea. A pair centuries later they disappeared from the historic scene. They are here depicted as settling in Tanais, with immediately at hand the rich Greek city-states of the Bosphoran kingdom. So not pure nomads, but not completely settled or sedentary, the late Scythians are somewhat influenced by Hellenism, with which they gradually developed better, more civilized relationships. This traduced in a somewhat better infantry, while retaining all the might of their excellent cavalry. Could you bear the task of preserving the Scythian heritage through these troubled times and resist the Sarmatians ?

Seleukoi

The death of Alexander the Great brought dissolution to his empire and of these Diadochi, or successors, was strong enough to be a new Alexander. The empire fragmented, and Seleucia was one of the splinter kingdoms, held together by the descendants of Seleucus, one of Alexander’s able lieutenants. Seleucus I came close to seizing the throne of Macedonia too, but was murdered before he could achieve this ambition in 280 bc, just when you start.

The Seleucids hold the former Babylonian provinces of Alexander’s empire, an area of ancient cities and rich farmlands along the Tigris. (As an historical aside, the later Seleucid capital city of Ctesiphon is now under a suburb of Baghdad in Iraq; the earlier capital, Seleucia, was on the other river bank). This region also sits on the trade routes to the mysterious east, something that generates large revenues for the Seleucid kingdom. This, combined with the manpower and military expertise that are available, could make the Seleucids into masters of much of the known world. A Greek-Persian empire, combining the best of both systems as Seleucus tried to do, could be formidable indeed, and perhaps unstoppable.

Pergamon

Not a true novelty as it was portrayed already in catw 0.1 (the very first version, nearly ten years ago), Pergamon is now also featured in this mod, in place of... the Roman senate.

This powerful ancient Greek city in Aeolis was not that far away from the bronze age Troy, on the western tip of actual Turkey. Funded by Greek settlers about 600 BC, this was part of the many Greek city-states that composed the population in western "Asia minor". In 281 BC, so just one year before this campaign Attalus funded the kingdom of Pergamon, and his dynasty would rule the area until 133BC. Of Hellenistic descent, and affiliated with Macedonian nobles, Attalus quickly built a splendid city and a mighty combined-armed army yo go with it. The city has been recaptured by Lysimachus, King of Thrace in 301 BC, and his lieutenant Philetaerus took over after his death, funding the dynasty.

He was succeed by Eumenes I (263–241 BC) and Attalus I (241–197 BC), the latter supporting Rome. For their zaelous support in the Third Macedonian War against the Seleucids, they were later rewarded by territories. Until 188, the city expanded dramatically while the territory reached its maximal expansion, on most of western turkey. Pat of the renown came from a sensible management by the Attalids, caling for skilled artisans and remitting taxes. At some time the local acropolis was modelled after, and rivalled, the Athenian one. The city was mostly built on a mountain hilltop, and the sight was extraordinary.

The Pergamese Army is not detailed in precision, but once could assume it was a potent force, composed of Macedonian-type pikemen and noble cavalry recruited among local landlords and a rather classical hoplitic infantry recruited in Pergamum, beefed-up by eastern and greek locals (Pandotapoi levies, skirmishers and archers), possible with access to eastern mecenaries, phrygian infantry and archers, thracians, even elephants. That attested by the famous battle led against the Galatoi (Gauls) settled in central Turkey from 280 BCE, that were raiding and plundering nearby areas. This skillfull defense against resolute Gauls bound to plunger the only city that refused to pay tribute earned Attalus the title of "Soter" ("savior"). One of the most remarkable artefact commemorating the victory was the sculpture of the dying gaul.

Eleutheroi

All free people of the world. The term Eleutheroi in ancient greek means "strangers". Playable, this "superfaction" unleashes a deluge of mini-factions to play with, and therefore quite a challenging and colorful campaign against the AI, on the whole world. Lenghty turns and a shattered economy will be of some concerns. As such, this allows to play many city-states (like Massilia and Syracuse) with their own specific rosters and styles, all nomadic nations, the Garamantes and Kushites in Africa, Iberian kingdoms like the Ilergetes in Iberia, lots of Celtic, Balkanic and Germanic tribes, not to mention the Sarmatians and Royal Scythians far to the east...

Keltiberoi

The original people of the Iberian Peninsula, consisted of a number of separate tribes, but are given the generic name "Iberians". The most important culture of this period is that of the city of Tartessos. Beginning in the 9th century BC, Celtic tribes entered the Iberian peninsula through the Pyrenees and settled throughout the Peninsula, becoming the Celt-Iberians. The seafaring Phoenicians, Greeks and Carthaginians successively settled along the Mediterranean coast and founded trading colonies there over a period of several centuries.

Around 1,100 BC Phoenician merchants founded the trading colony of Gadir near Tartessos. In the 8th century BC the first Greek colonies, such as Emporion, were founded along the Mediterranean coast on the East, leaving the south coast to the Phoenicians. The Greeks are responsible for the name Iberia, after the river Iber. In the 6th century BC the Carthaginians arrived in Iberia while struggling with the Greeks for control of the Western Mediterranean. Their most important colony was Carthago Nova (Latin name of modern day Cartagena).

The Romans arrived in the Iberian peninsula during the Second Punic war in the 3nd century BC, and annexed it under Augustus after two centuries of war with the Celtic and Iberian tribes and the Phoenician, Greek, and Carthaginian colonies becoming the province of Hispania. Some of Spain's present languages, religion, and laws originate from this Roman period.

Your role as the Celtiberian Leader is one of great difficulty. You have the Pyrhenees range to shield you from possible new incursions of Gallic Tribes, but your own Celtic stock makes you hatred by nearby Iberian peoples, and the mighty Carthaginians are always a threat from the South. Only through cunning diplomacy, proficient trade and a good military can provide you the roots of expansion.

Thraike

At the dawn of history the ancient Thracians — a group of tribes speaking Indo-European language, once extended as far west as the Adriatic Sea, but were pushed eastward (c.1300 BC) by the Illyrians. In the 5th century BC they lost their land west of the Struma River to Macedon. In the North, however, Thrace at that period still extended to the Danube. Unlike the Macedonians, the Thracians did not absorb Greek culture, and they steadfastly clung to their language and culture.

The Thracian Bronze Age was similar to that of Mycenaean Greece, and the Thracians developed high forms of music and poetry. However their savage form of warfare led the Greeks to consider them barbarians. As the Greeks expanded into Thrace, they exploited Thracian gold and silver mines, and then recruited Thracians for their own infantry. Thrace was reduced to vassalage by Persia from c.512 BC to 479 BC, and Persian customs were then introduced.

Thrace was united as a kingdom under the chieftain Sitalkes, who aided Athens during the Peloponnesian War, but after his death in 428 BC, the state again broke up. By 342 BC all Thrace was held by Philip II of Macedon, and after 323 BC most of the country was in the hands of Lysimachus. It fell apart once more after Lysimachus' death in 281 BC, and it was conquered by the Romans late in the 1st century BC.

Your role as the Thracian Leader will be challenging. Battered by the Greeks for centuries, you've just come into your own and must use your small territory and Black Sea access to build an empire.

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Here is the detailed list of changes:
CATW 04.9 changelogs (Latest update 02/05/2017)
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-mauryan names
-add indian elephant, chariot and external army
-add new ships DMB
-Modified and corrected descriptions
-Personnalize standards
-Change gallic objectives on macedon, thrace
-new mercs recruitable
-new banners
-fixed scythian archer vertex buffer
-changed 40+ UI pics
-mod sabaean coastal levy stats (spear pb)
-fixed descr strat crete
-fixed descr strat eblani hibernians
-enable custom_battle_availability for emergent factions
-change victory conditions epirots, mauryans, saba, gauls
-judaean zealot changed to slinger +UI ok
-add greek names to senate
-fixed coastal spearman skin
-captain portraits change for all factions
-test descr_strat senate garamantes ok
-pergamon now playable
-create new name Philetaerus (Pergamon founder)
-mod strats ok
-fixed white standards pb
-new strat greek officers and lesser officers
-modified descr_character scipii and senate
-fixed some text pbs
-modified pergamum holite EDU DMB
-add new eastern descr_strat
-Changed mauryan banner
-updated UI pic merc east infantry
-added three pirate navies
-changed text mentions from "rebel" to "independent"
-added pergamese navy
-add greek slingers for all greeks
-added phrygian peltast pergam
-added eastern peltast pergam
-added bithynian pelatst pergam
-add new files proper to alex
-custom battles ok
-mod descr_strat (night battles, bi options)

CATW 04.8 latest update 13/04/2017
----------------------------------
-added new icons
-descr_strat: numidia now Mauryan empire
-updated indian elephant stats (oliphant)
-Changed some sabaean names
-maurya & saba playable
-mod strats diplomats, spies, assassins (global)
-mod strats saba (scipii)
-changed sabaean general
-replaced 2 gallic models: arjos and cingetos
-new mauryan strats
-new mauryan strat officers
-added mauryan names (numidia)
-corrected indian spearmen UI (merc)

CATW 04.7 update 02/04/2017
----------------------------------
Boost all slave factions, corrected UI pics pbs
Gave massilia a port
deleted golberi, enoci curoas
deleted merc kuarothoroi, merc galatoi kuroas
Boosted Egyptian Army and fleet
Changed all seleucid rosters
Changed all seleucid general names
Modified seleucid army and boosted navy
swapped corinth from macedon to greek leagues
boosted rhodian marines
put specific hoplites athens, sparta, rhodes
boosted greek army
boosted gallic army and faction (added lugdinensis)
deleted gallic fleet
added new achaian army
changed greek family names to neutral (greek cities)
added a new triple gallic invasion force in the balkans
added new historical name: cerethurios
boosted armenian faction
Sabaean cities in place
boosted and corrected carthaginian faction & fleet
added syracusan hoplites to syracuse
added merc mamertines to messana
added massilian hoplites

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More on CATW 04

December 2017: The lightweight catw

Recently i was taken by a bit of nostalgia, for i wanted catw to work properly on steam. Catw 1.0 actually works with the disc version and catw 2.0 only partly on steam (does not work for me).

Also the old catw units were asked for, and RTW is now available on tablet/ipad, so in November i embarked on the project of having a "light" version of catw with these old units, based on vanilla RTW, BI and Alex models and catw skins, but with also a fully working campaign on steam.
So, after some tweaking up and the help of Redfox zeus checker, here it is, an intermediate version of catw, never released before !


This is basically Mundus Magnus map set up in 280 bc and you can start with any faction (but the former Senate and Scipii, waiting to be converted respectively as the Mauryans and Sabaeans to take advantage of the map), but of course you can play with the Epirots and Pyrrhus himself stationed in Magna Grecia (Southern Italy) with his mighty army and try to rewrite history.

You can play either with RTW/BI and Alex (read the instruction and use the shortcuts).

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About CATW: 11 years of dedication to the ancient world (2007-2018)

Classical-Age : Total War is a mod based on Rome: Total War strategy turn-by-turn videogame created by Creative Assembly in 2004, and now integrated into the "total war era" pack distributed by SEGA.


Humongous (13 mo) image of all units in catw (catw 1.0 and the new catw 0.5 in development)

A bit of history

Only Arminius, initially only focused on the skinning process, took on the matter after a beta1 released in october 2007. This demo featured almost 28-30 units rosters per factions, more historically accurate, and three new factions replacing the roman families: The Illyrians, Pergamum and the Galatians. The mod was kept light, while having colorful custom battles with standard size skins and RTW BI and later Alex models from vanilla game, as none in the team was versed in 3d modelling.



But soon after, as the target was considered filled, the team gently dismissed, and Arminius (the author of the actual mods and webmaster) embarked into the task as making a true campaign game. CATW BETA2a was eventually released in September, 2008. It had new units from add-ons and mods like Prometheus's Res Gestae and Lusted's Terra Expugnandae, anims from Signifer One, and new ships, new buildings and a lot of specific region units, the mod featured new music, graphics. It was fully playable, including original and new historical battles, new battle maps, etc, and working campaigns, although still the original Roman families and same timeframe.



However it was entirely in French. An English translation was made two month after. The second version or Beta2b (final beta2) was previously designed to play on the Mundus Magnus map, which never worked properly. The work was reported on the final version, or Catw 1.0, later upgraded to 1.1. This version was eventually superseded by CATW 2.0 in 2014 (most initial work was already done in 2008-2010) which comprised a brand new array of novelties and some RTW community modders participations as a subforum was created.

CATW 1.1, the new generation

How could be summup this mod ?
In short, this was the will to have a fully working mod, campaigns included, on Mundus Magnus maps, with all possible modifications. This included:

• 200+ Brand new proper 3d models: Although largely based on the former poly models, they had many extra hidden elements allowing multiple headgears, weapons, on the same skin, thanks to tips from DVK801 modeller/skinner from the acclaimed Roma Surrectum II
• HD skins: That is twice the size of normal textures applied to the 3d models, 512 instead of 256 pixels. On vanilla only generals had these large skins.
• Ultra realistic standards. Instead of the vanilla "drawing-paintings" look, ALL textures are coming from the real world, leather, fabrics, metal, armoured scheme, cuirasses and helmets, authentic decorations, real life faces...
• Giant rosters: Up to 40 units including those of AORs almost for each faction. To bypass EDU's limitation to 500 entries, many units have two names. Both EDU and DMB has been optimise to the last bit for the largest rosters ever in a RTW mod.
• New environment: RS II developed a brand new vegetation, terrain textures, and all environment features were changed. It was proposed generously as a standalone mod and is integrated in catw.
• New buildings:
AOR (Area of Recruitment) is emphasised with new building enabling to recruit local auxiliaries and mercenaries.
• More authority:
EDB was thoroughly modified. Many buildings related to security, authority (like military barracks) now strengthens public order.
• Challenging start:
Factions starts with quite a generous and colorful army, but independent factions are all but hostile and have huge rosters in 300 BC. It's though even for the Romans which start with a relatively weak Camillian army, surrounded by Samnites and Gauls.

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Important Note:

Although CATW 1.1 and 2.0 are officially the latest versions of CATW they seems to work only properly on the disc version of RTW. All my personal tests with STEAM to have a working campaign failed so far, and it seems the case for many other players. Both mod versions are to be completely overhauled, corrected, and released as catw 1.2 and catw 2.1 respectively in the near future. They had never been tested with the no-cd version.

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CATW 2.0, the 2014 release

This mod was ported further by Z3N (as well as the imdb page) with new Medieval II animations, new scripts and diplomacy AI, and new campaign with an upgraded map by Anarchon, encompassing much of India this time.
List of changes:

- Standalone patch. All others included in this one.
- Animations overhaul. Hundreds of new animations specifically designed for CATW. Adding to the immersive feel of battles.
- DMB fixes of all texture errors, all texture code adjusted accordingly.
- Expect a stable campaign now without crashes during battles. Report back if there are and which units were in the army.
- Everything in the DMB is fine. Only a file with improper dds encoding would cause a crash when loading a battle from now on with this patch.
- Several errors fixed in EDB and EDU.
- New formations from sinhuet modified for CATW are in it.
- Includes an alexander.exe patch as promised by coco, it will be playable on alexander now, in fact its highly recommended.
- A force diplomacy script are included in this patch.
- A specific adjustment to formations_ai to calibrate it for alexander.exe to prevent CTD's upon ambush.
- Bugfix for CTD upon winning campaign conditions for romans.
- New descr_strat*
- Roman and barbarian portraits by Joar. Carthaginian and Greek by myself
- New 4TPY script with historical facts per season until 268BC (WIP to be completed in upcoming patches)
- New sun
- New animation updates
- Character traits overhaul. (WIP to be added to in upcoming patches- Brand new map stretching from Britain to India with everything in between (Anarchon's but I only implemented one of his earliest versions)
- Bugfixes
- Germanicu5 scripts
- Redfox wooden walls
*Note: It works apparently on the disc version, however not always on steam, that why catw05 is on the way. See it on TWC

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CATW 03: The First one

Have a go on the very first classical age total war released, back in 2009, now tested, overhauled and fully operational on STEAM, both campaign and custom battles. Best played on Alex.exe with or without unified rome.
To come: CATW 0.3.5, with a brand new Mundus Magnus Map (Elite 1.2), new Darth Vader IA, RS2 environment, new factions, strat cities, new factions balance, and many other stuff. Keep in touch !

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About Total War

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