Heroes and agents work a little differently in Medieval 3 than they used to. This likely leads to more political intrigue.
Ever since Total War: Warhammer, hero characters have almost always been at the center of a faction. Even historical entries in the series shifted from a family tree with many characters to factions defined by a single character.
But as early as Three Kingdoms, it became clear where the problem lies. If the story spans many, many years, these legendary leaders eventually die, and the faction loses its appeal. Total War: Medieval 3will bethe next truly classic Total War with a historical settingand that’s why the developers have opted for a completely new approach to characters. This approach is very reminiscent of Crusader Kings.
Details were recentlyrevealed in a stream in which the lead developers behind Medieval 3 presented the game’s current state of development.
Dynasties Dominate
In Medieval 3, the focus is shifting away from individual characters and toward the dynasties. Characters relevant to the game therefore always belong to specific noble houses within your empire. Each of these characters can also take on any task.
There are no longer secret agents, diplomats, or generals as there were in the past. You can deploy any noble subject exactly where it seems best. However, such characters are meant to be few and far between and feel like a valuable resource.
There is no talent tree. Instead, characters gain certain traits at birth and through their actions—such as loyal, selfish, charismatic, hot-headed, or tyrannical. They also possess certain attributes like authority, intelligence, or bravery. These attributes and traits are passed down to their descendants.
In this way, we gradually strengthen an entire dynasty, which then produces a particularly large number of capable generals or diplomats. If one of them dies in battle or of old age, the entire progress is not lost as a result.
Although there are also supposed to be famous, historically documented characters—they appear and then disappear again. You might even be able to help a completely unknown noble achieve greater fame than Richard the Lionheart.
Scheming and Intrigue
However, the dynasties aren’t just meant to enable continuous game progression. They aren’t tied to your own realm. The same family may just as easily have descendants in neighboring regions. If your leader’s family has gained a foothold among the neighbors, you can exert a certain amount of influence.
A striking example would be ensuring that a relative ascends to the throne, thereby opening the door to an alliance. Intrigues and schemes among the noble dynasties are also expected to occur within the empire itself. For instance, crises in the land can trigger an agenda for which different dynasties propose different solutions.
In the stream, there was a shortage of soldiers. The characters in the realm vote on which path to take—this depends on their attributes, traits, and allegiances. As the leader, however, you can try to win over characters to the side you prefer. Depending on the outcome, this can yield certain advantages, such as a new building chain.
However, too many unfavorable outcomes can stir up a dynasty and sow the seeds for a full-blown rebellion—and thus civil war.
Total War Remains Total War
Although Total War clearly attempts to add more character-driven gameplay, intrigue, and all that to a campaign here, it naturally remains, first and foremost, a Total War game. This also means that your success isn’t necessarily tied to a specific dynasty. In Total War, you play as “The Empire.”
However, characters and dynasties can, of course, have a major impact on how stable the Empire remains, how far it expands, and how well it can defend itself against other Empires.
Also, keep in mind that Medieval 3 is still in a very early stage of development! Much of what the developers are showing and saying is subject to change before release.
