Das Heilige Römische Reich

Template:Mod overview

Take control of one of the numerous lordships of the Holy Roman Empire and fight for the ultimate double goal of both becoming Emperor and establishing the Holy Roman Empire as Europe's hegemonial power. This will be no easy task, as you have to weaken your inner and outer imperial rivals while still trying to maintain good relationships with them, especially the mighty Elector Counts. Often diplomacy will achieve what swords can not. Open rebellion against Imperial laws will result in suffering the 'Reichsacht' or Imperial ban and should be avoided, as your rivals will jump at the chance to attack you with the Emperor's consent gladly... Or sit on the throne of one of the Germans' many rivals and stop their ambitions in their tracks...

Description

This Mod for Medieval 2: Total War - Kingdoms focuses on a much more realistic representation of the Holy Roman Empire: The vanilla HRE faction has been split and is now made up by the Duchys of Austria, Bavaria, Swabia, Saxony, Franconia, Upper and Lower Lorraine and the Kingdoms of Bohemia and Burgundy. These lordships are ruled by hereditary dukes and the all important (and hereditary) Elector Counts, who alone are able to vote in imperial elections. These take place in addition to the vanilla papal elections and have been added via script, as well as the 'Reichsacht' or Imperial Ban feature. This one punishes inter-HRE agressors with the 'Acht' and allows other HRE factions to attack them. In addition, banned HRE members are not allowed to vote and will never become emperor. Other new features include: Antipopes, Imperial Tax, uprisings, Counter Kings & Civil Wars, awardable titles as in MTW1 and much more! Prepare yourself for a medieval experience you never had before - becoming Emperor while mainting the Holy Roman Empire will not be an easy task!

Info

Recent version: 0.8a Beta
Timeframe: 1080 to 1250, 4 turns per year (680 turns)
Map: 199 provinces from Norway to Tunis and Scotland to Jerusalem
Factions: 29 playable factions in the current version (planned: 30)
New graphics: Most units from Vanilla have been replaced, new strat models, faction banners etc

Features

- The new map (199 regions) focuses on Europe: America, the Middle East and large parts of Africa have been cut away. It's western border is Spain, it's eastern border the Georgian shore of the black sea. - based on Spurius' BigMap with additions by Sb2ean (RPM 2.3 BM) - starting positions: - 31 factions; all factions playable except Slaves and Mongols - 29 in total! - 13 new factions: The Duchys of Austria, Bavaria, Swabia, Saxony, Franconia, Upper and Lower Lorraine and the Kingdoms of Bohemia, Burgundy, Aragon (from Socal_Infidel's Pro Deo Et Rege) and Sweden, the Obotrite Confederacy and the Cumans

he game now runs from 1080 to 1250 with 4 turns per year (three summer turns, one winter turn). This is about 200 turns more than dHRR 0.7.

Nearly all Vanilla units have been replaced. A complete new line up has been made for the western factions. The units of the eastern factions have been seriously improved by the excellent work of Rusichi Total War. The Byzantines anyways were using the outstanding CBUR roster. All units, also the few Vanillas that remained, have received changed stats and costs to ensure that comparable units have comparable abilities and about equal costs. We have tried to stick as much as possible to the principle “What you see is what you get”: A unit with chain armour will always be a hard opponent, no matter where it comes from.

More than 100 clerical and worldly titles and offices have been added to be acquired by your family members!

Appoint counts and dukes by sending your family members into the cities where titles are awaiting them! Even royal and imperial crowns now are no longer out of reach for family member that never will make it to faction leaders. Once acquired these titles will become hereditary, passing from father to son or other relatives of the holders. Some titles cannot be acquired, but will only be passed hereditary within one of the starting families.

Appoint bishops by either having the local chapter elect one (recruit a priest in the respective town) or by making one of your vassals bishops (send a recruited general or an unmarried family member with the “bastard” trait into that town).

Watch your family member struggling for royal favour and acquiring court titles! Each faction has a unique way of dealing with rule and control in the medieval world of dHRR, from the jarls of Denmark, to the ispans in Hungary, the republican administrators in Venice and the papal curia in Rome.

We have also reviewed the family trees. In most occasions the number of family members has been much raised (check out Saxony or Sicily if you want to start the game with a really huge family!). As an additional goodie we came behind the secret how the game picks faction heirs and were that way able forcing the game to (usually) pick the next heir as it would have been done in the historical faction. So, your next faction leader will be selected always to different rules when you play, for example, France, Poland or Venice.

All German faction leader are now elector counts. The "Romzug" no longer is available during civil war. But becoming emperor properly crowned now is even more important than before: When your faction leader has been crowned emperor he can make the faction heir Rex Romanorum, provided that one is descendant of the Imperial House. This would make the faction heir the next emperor even without any election. Establish an imperial dynasty in your faction!

Strat-models, faction banners, faction names and trade resources have been reworked to give you a complete new game feeling.

All settlements have been reviewed and made more accurate concerning population size and upgrades. We have also changed the trade resources to be better fitting medieval Europe. All built-times and –costs have been adjusted the new time scale (that is, were approximately doubled).

The relations at game start are now set according to the historical situation: In Germany there is a civil war going on with all German faction involved between an “imperial party” on the one side, and a “papal party” on the other side. Venice and Byzantium start the game allied and at war with Sicily. England and Scotland start the game at war too.