The Golden One - February 24, 2019


A Look at Total War Saga： Thrones of Britannia

Hosted by
Marcus Follin
Mentioned
Mercia Alfred Welsh Kingdoms Sirsen Strat Clut Guthrum Ragnar Lothbrok Ragnar Lothbrok Carol Spearmen Archer Brass Rodri Mawr Heather King Sea Wolf Longforts Gwynedd Anaraut Attila Barter Oswald Penda Wales and 3 more
My Colonial Addiction Had To Go： Quitting Coffee A Clarification on Guilt by Association - I Represent Myself

Episode Stats


Length

22 minutes

Words per minute

115.89

Word count

2,596

Sentence count

290

Harmful content

Toxicity

3

sentences flagged

Hate speech

15

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

In this episode, we take a look at Thrones of Britannia, an Anglo-Saxon Total War Game. I have not actually played it before, but I had a brief look at it before and I thought it would be fun to play it again, so I thought I'd give it a go and see if it's good enough.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Toxicity classifications generated with s-nlp/roberta_toxicity_classifier .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
Hosts, guests, and mentioned names generated with spaCy (en_core_web_sm), reconciled against Wikidata.
00:00:00.000 Ragnar Lothbrok
00:00:03.000 Ragnar Lothbrok lies dead in the Northumbrian dirt.
00:00:10.000 Veins choked with Anglo-Saxon wrath and viper's venom.
00:00:19.000 Revenge was swift.
00:00:22.000 His sons laid waste to the British Isles,
00:00:25.000 splintering the land and slaughtering all who opposed them.
00:00:31.000 The Viking horde swept west.
00:00:35.000 An insatiable force that brought Alfred the Great to his knees.
00:00:43.000 But some men can only be pushed so far.
00:00:48.000 The year is now 878 A.D.
00:01:02.000 Whilst Norsemen settle land they once perished, 1.00
00:01:06.000 Alfred of Wessex seeks to unite the Isles under one manor.
00:01:16.000 But here stand a new wave of the ambitious and hungry.
00:01:22.000 Ready to stake their claim to Britannia.
00:01:25.000 The kings will rise.
00:01:30.000 One will rule.
00:01:32.000 One will rule.
00:01:38.000 Greetings my valiant subscribers.
00:01:42.000 Today I thought we should have a look at Thrones of Britannia.
00:01:46.000 I haven't actually played this.
00:01:49.000 I had a brief look at it and then I thought to have a brief look at it again.
00:01:53.000 But also showing you all the game.
00:01:57.000 So you can decide if it's glorious enough to investigate further.
00:02:03.000 And I will say one thing.
00:02:06.000 And that is I always get the comment, always get the question in regards to should you play games?
00:02:16.000 Should you be gaming?
00:02:18.000 And it all depends if you can successfully incorporate it in an otherwise productive schedule.
00:02:23.000 I have always managed this quite well.
00:02:26.000 I have always managed to utilize gaming and epic games as motivation to do other things.
00:02:33.000 So when Attila came out a few years back I remember the motivation kick I got from that was unreal.
00:02:42.000 Both in terms of training and the holy work and YouTube videos and just everything.
00:02:48.000 It was a truly great sensation.
00:02:50.000 So if you can get that and if you can find motivation from games such as this it's perfect.
00:02:57.000 But then again if you are skipping other things such as the gym because you want to be at home gaming then it's not a good thing.
00:03:08.000 So it all depends on if you can do it successfully or not.
00:03:12.000 Obviously I have always been interested in British history and that's for the reason that I have read a lot of historic fiction of British history.
00:03:24.000 So let's look at the campaign here.
00:03:29.000 So we have English Kingdoms, Welsh Kingdoms, Gaelic Kingdoms, Great Viking Army and Viking Sea Kings.
00:03:40.000 So we have the West Saxons and the faction leader Alfred.
00:03:49.000 And here you see you can also, I have never seen this before in a Total War game that you can decide the political difficulty.
00:03:57.000 So it goes from easy to legendary as with the rest of the things.
00:04:05.000 And then they have some cultural features.
00:04:08.000 Burgal, taxes are needed to support the army but whether you are at war or peace will change how the people feel.
00:04:18.000 And then you have Fyrd, part time soldiers pledged to leave their farms for military service each year.
00:04:25.000 Can recruit leave units based on the number of owned settlements.
00:04:29.000 And then we have 50% plus commander's aura.
00:04:36.000 Alright, that seems cool.
00:04:40.000 I suppose we can read through this little faction information too.
00:04:46.000 Because after all the charm with these games is the historic context.
00:04:52.000 After decades of Viking raids, the West Saxon succession passed from brother to brother down to Alfred, whose temperament, some say, was best suited to a life of piety and learning.
00:05:06.000 However, having defeated the Vikings in battle, he now negotiated for a lasting peace.
00:05:11.000 Unfortunately, the Vikings renegade and their raids have since intensified, even driving the West Saxon king from his capital for a while.
00:05:24.000 Naturally, Alfred is preparing to fight back.
00:05:28.000 So that's the starting position for the West Saxons right there.
00:05:34.000 And quite cool map, so we will go into the actual campaign map after we have read the other factions.
00:05:43.000 Aha, you can choose here Mercia as well.
00:05:46.000 The men have trained for this.
00:05:48.000 The men have trained for this.
00:05:50.000 And they have also the same cultural features.
00:05:53.000 A few different faction features that are special to Mercia.
00:05:58.000 Or Mercia, perhaps you pronounce it as.
00:06:01.000 Once the greatest Anglo-Saxon kingdom in Britannia, Mercia has fallen on hard times.
00:06:08.000 The glory days of Offa and Penda are long gone.
00:06:11.000 And the Vikings have annexed much of Mercia's eastern territory, while the Welsh threaten from the West. 1.00
00:06:19.000 Mercia's recent rulers have been accused both of hiding behind the West Saxon skirts and of using Mercia's dwindling riches to appease the Vikings.
00:06:29.000 Sea Wolf walks a difficult path, but pride still burns in his people's hearts.
00:06:36.000 Alright, yeah they are in a bit of a predicament there.
00:06:41.000 If you look at the map, stuck between a rock and a hard place.
00:06:45.000 Having a look at the Welsh kingdoms, we have two.
00:06:49.000 Gwynedd and Stratclot.
00:06:50.000 For the glory of the Cymru.
00:06:53.000 For the glory of the Cymru.
00:06:55.000 And we look at the cultural features.
00:06:59.000 Heroism.
00:07:00.000 Wales is a land of heroes.
00:07:02.000 Earn heroism by winning battles, owning Welsh land and ranking up generals.
00:07:06.000 Generals to gain bonuses.
00:07:09.000 Alright, that's a cool feature.
00:07:13.000 Definitely indeed.
00:07:15.000 Then 50% charge for cavalry units.
00:07:20.000 And unit morale plus 5 in your own regions.
00:07:24.000 The people of Gwynedd have some claim to the title of true Britons.
00:07:33.000 Having been driven to the far west by invaders who now call themselves English. 1.00
00:07:39.000 Renowned both for their bardic arts and their skill with a longbow.
00:07:43.000 The Welsh of Gwynedd thrived under the leadership of Rodri Mawr.
00:07:47.000 Not sure how to pronounce that, but hopefully I got it right.
00:07:53.000 Rodri kept Gwynedd largely free of Vikings and other invaders while expanding its borders.
00:07:59.000 Now he is gone and his lands are divided.
00:08:02.000 Can Anaraut live up to his father's legacy?
00:08:05.000 It remains to be seen.
00:08:07.000 And the Strat Clut.
00:08:14.000 We will serve you well.
00:08:17.000 Ah, they're all the way up there.
00:08:19.000 In good old Scotland, it looks like.
00:08:24.000 Or perhaps by the border.
00:08:27.000 Strat Clut is a kingdom of the Old North. 0.97
00:08:31.000 And while much of Northern Britannia was ravaged by invaders or infighting, it has stood firm.
00:08:37.000 Whether Ron, Strat Clut's new king, can resist the Vikings remains to be seen.
00:08:42.000 His father died in mysterious circumstances and Ron has been fighting a rearguard action ever since raiders from Duflin, Dublin, besieged his stronghold and carried off his family as hostages.
00:08:56.000 However, they may have pushed him too far.
00:09:00.000 Alright, a bit of a bad situation there and the initial challenge hard for him.
00:09:07.000 We have Gaelic Kingdoms, Sirsen.
00:09:11.000 Our bravery is legendary.
00:09:13.000 Ah, that's Highland Scots then. 0.91
00:09:15.000 Sirsen is a land of misty hills and open moors.
00:09:19.000 Its folk a mixture of Gaels, Picts and others driven to the edges of Britannia by invaders.
00:09:25.000 So far, however, they have resisted the Viking incursions.
00:09:28.000 Skoan, the capital of Sirsen, was once home to the legendary Stone of Destiny, said to bestow divine strength.
00:09:37.000 Ayed, Sirsen's new king, will need all the strength and divine support he can, not just against the Vikings, but to face potential threats closer to home.
00:09:46.000 Alright, sounds epic enough.
00:09:50.000 And the Stone of Destiny, if I'm not completely mistaken, that was actually stolen back to Scotland by some Scottish nationalists just a few decades ago.
00:09:59.000 It was kept in London since the Middle Ages, I suppose.
00:10:04.000 But it has since been returned to England, yet again, if I'm not completely mistaken.
00:10:11.000 Anyway, we'll look at the east angle and then we'll head on into the campaign itself to have a look at the game.
00:10:25.000 And you have the cultural features, Great Viking Army, income plus 200% from raiding and sacking.
00:10:32.000 And plus 6 melee skill for all units when in enemy territory.
00:10:37.000 So good for raiding, I suppose.
00:10:43.000 And Heer King, the king of the Danes here in Britannia must play a delicate game to stay at the top.
00:10:49.000 Find the balance between appeasing the English and your army. 0.97
00:10:53.000 And then Guthrum's Will, the king of the Danelaw, and the Danelaw is the Danish or Viking occupied territory in England.
00:11:03.000 The king of the Danelaw rewards those who raid and conquer in his name, get missions to fight and unique rewards for your aggression.
00:11:10.000 And then they have a very strong axe infantry and a good balance of other infantry units.
00:11:16.000 Has access to berserkers and powerful Anglian champions.
00:11:21.000 Alright, that sounds epic.
00:11:24.000 Then you also have plus 50 in reinforcement range.
00:11:27.000 And the faction information.
00:11:30.000 Since killing Edmund, the last Anglian king, nearly a decade ago, the Vikings have made themselves at home in East Anglia. 0.99
00:11:38.000 Now Guthrum, not content with his eastern holdings, has ambitions to become the most powerful Viking warlord in English territory.
00:11:47.000 As well as making considerable inroads into Mercia and challenging the borders of Northumbria, he has raided as far as Wessex, even hitting Alfred in his capital in a surprise attack.
00:12:00.000 Guthrum is a man to watch.
00:12:02.000 And we can also have a look at the Viking Sea Kings in Dublin.
00:12:08.000 So they have expedition, the world is yours for the taking, send your ships to conquer new lands.
00:12:17.000 Sounds Viking-ish enough, I suppose. 0.75
00:12:21.000 And tribute, other kingdoms pay tribute as a sign of their submission.
00:12:25.000 Get tribute from other factions to gain bonuses.
00:12:28.000 Immune to seasickness and high sea attrition.
00:12:31.000 And one last introduction here before we head into the game.
00:12:38.000 The Vikings began staying on after their raids against Ireland about half a century ago.
00:12:44.000 Dublin, the settlement by the Black Pool, soon became the most important of their well-defended coastal bases. 0.94
00:12:51.000 Or Longforts, housing the largest slave market in Britannia, before succeeding his father to rule Dublin five years ago. 0.96
00:12:58.000 Barter had already proved himself in numerous raids and skirmishes.
00:13:04.000 Proof positive that those who crossed the Vikings of Dublin can expect no mercy. 0.99
00:13:11.000 Alright, cool.
00:13:13.000 Let us head into the battle with Alfred and see what the crack is.
00:13:25.000 Long have the Vikings raided our lands, but nothing prepared us for their great army. 0.99
00:13:37.000 For a decade we fought them, the tide of battle ebbing back and forth.
00:13:43.000 Until finally, they were defeated, and their great army fled our lands.
00:13:54.000 Now, England lies divided.
00:13:58.000 Its old political order washed away.
00:14:02.000 Too long have we fought amongst ourselves.
00:14:07.000 Now is the time to unite.
00:14:10.000 As England!
00:14:11.000 England is divided, weakened from a decade of fighting.
00:14:21.000 West Saxa has suffered greatly, but its star is on the rise.
00:14:25.000 It is your fate to bring order back to these lands.
00:14:32.000 You have vassals under your protection who are sworn to aid you in time of war.
00:14:38.000 They are Gwent and Gluisic to your north-west.
00:14:43.000 Defan and Curnu to your west.
00:14:47.000 And Sooth, Saxa and Kent to the east.
00:14:51.000 It is important to maintain good relations with your vassals.
00:14:55.000 If you do not, they may choose to break your treaty rather than join your war.
00:15:04.000 Rumours abound of new Viking incursions in the south.
00:15:09.000 You will need to build up your defences there to make sure you are not caught off guard when they strike.
00:15:17.000 One of your armies is ready to attack the southern rebels.
00:15:20.000 Dealing with this threat promptly will bring much needed stability to your lands.
00:15:29.000 Alright, an epic intro and some wisdom from this wise woman here.
00:15:35.000 So, I really like the art here as well.
00:15:41.000 Looks comfy and good.
00:15:45.000 Aesthetically pleasing.
00:15:46.000 So, we have gotten a mission to defeat this rebel army.
00:15:53.000 And we have an army there to handle that threat.
00:15:59.000 So, the map itself looks quite a bit like Attila.
00:16:04.000 I like that because it was a good map.
00:16:07.000 And we start with quite a bit of settlements here.
00:16:14.000 Since I have mainly been playing Warhammer Total War.
00:16:18.000 Where you basically start with one settlement in each campaign.
00:16:22.000 This is a bit different.
00:16:24.000 And you have also something that we didn't have in Warhammer Total War is the food production.
00:16:33.000 So, you have units consuming 110.
00:16:38.000 But you also have some income there.
00:16:41.000 Look at the diplomacy.
00:16:43.000 See the other factions.
00:16:44.000 And yes, it's a quite big map actually.
00:16:50.000 Quite detailed map with a lot of different factions.
00:16:57.000 As you can see in the list here.
00:17:01.000 Yeah, that's quite a few.
00:17:06.000 Quite a few factions indeed.
00:17:10.000 But yeah, this is basically what the map looks like.
00:17:13.000 And the starting position for Alfred's Wessex.
00:17:18.000 We will illuminate these heretics. 0.97
00:17:21.000 So that we can get a good look at how the battle is looking.
00:17:27.000 So we are just going to get straight into it.
00:17:31.000 Alright, let us start the battle.
00:17:34.000 Here we can see the various characteristics.
00:17:39.000 So 29, same age as yours truly.
00:17:43.000 Command 6, Governance 2, Seal 4.
00:17:46.000 And we are having roughly the same amount of troops.
00:17:50.000 Alright, we can choose the weather conditions.
00:17:58.000 And I don't really want to fight in the rain.
00:18:00.000 So we will wait and see.
00:18:02.000 No, still rain.
00:18:04.000 Wait again.
00:18:08.000 Fog. 0.99
00:18:10.000 We can see if we can get some sun maybe.
00:18:12.000 Okay, right, that's good.
00:18:13.000 Your troops must be deployed before battle.
00:18:17.000 Left click on units to select them.
00:18:20.000 And right click on the terrain to instantly move selected units.
00:18:25.000 Alright, mate.
00:18:27.000 But we can actually do that as we go.
00:18:29.000 And go.
00:18:34.000 So, what do we have here?
00:18:37.000 We have some archers.
00:18:42.000 And we have some archers here too.
00:18:44.000 There we have horsemen.
00:18:48.000 And that means that our spearmen will have to be in close proximity.
00:18:56.000 So they can counter the horsemen there.
00:19:07.000 And here is Alfred and his royal companions.
00:19:14.000 Gonna have a look at them.
00:19:16.000 Get them before they get us!
00:19:19.000 Yeah, they look highly aesthetic.
00:19:22.000 So, Oswald, royal companions.
00:19:24.000 We want to get these lads at least.
00:19:27.000 Curl Axemen. 1.00
00:19:29.000 Okay, what I will do is, I suppose, simply...
00:19:34.000 Try to engage these lads.
00:19:42.000 And...
00:19:44.000 Keep these in...
00:19:47.000 At the flank.
00:19:48.000 See if we can actually get some flanking action going on.
00:19:52.000 Now, let's see if we can actually get a...
00:19:55.000 Charge in here.
00:19:57.000 I suppose we can't really, because they will...
00:20:00.000 Counter with their...
00:20:02.000 Royal companions.
00:20:04.000 But...
00:20:08.000 We can threaten them.
00:20:10.000 Just a bit.
00:20:11.000 Or utilize a hit and run tactic so we can lure them in.
00:20:22.000 Alright, I utilize a little edit there.
00:20:25.000 Try to capture these horsemen.
00:20:28.000 And then we can send in the...
00:20:30.000 Spearmen to illuminate them.
00:20:32.000 And then we also have...
00:20:34.000 Some Carol Spearmen coming in.
00:20:37.000 And...
00:20:39.000 Gonna try to engage them as well there.
00:20:42.000 And we have broken their horsemen.
00:20:44.000 Then it's just a matter of...
00:20:46.000 Turning around and...
00:20:48.000 Chasing down these...
00:20:50.000 Archer Brass.
00:20:52.000 Then we should have the battle in our hand.
00:20:55.000 We can actually...
00:20:58.000 Look at the...
00:20:59.000 Aesthetics of it.
00:21:11.000 The enemy general is dead.
00:21:13.000 Alright, cool.
00:21:15.000 End battle.
00:21:17.000 I utilized some edits there.
00:21:18.000 As you might...
00:21:20.000 Have understood.
00:21:21.000 And that's simply because...
00:21:23.000 I couldn't come up with...
00:21:25.000 Insightful commentary during the entire time.
00:21:28.000 And...
00:21:29.000 Again, the point with taking this battle is to...
00:21:32.000 Show a bit more about the...
00:21:34.000 Game.
00:21:37.000 And when you have...
00:21:39.000 Defeated them you can...
00:21:41.000 Take on warriors. 1.00
00:21:43.000 Kill captives. 1.00
00:21:45.000 Right, we're gonna take on these warriors. 1.00
00:21:49.000 To glory.
00:21:50.000 And then another...
00:21:52.000 Really aesthetic...
00:21:55.000 Art scene comes up there.
00:21:56.000 So anyway...
00:21:58.000 That was the video for today.
00:22:01.000 I just thought to show off this...
00:22:03.000 I just thought to show this game for you all.
00:22:07.000 I will not do a let's play series of this.
00:22:10.000 I will probably do it on Kingdom Come Deliverance.
00:22:12.000 But...
00:22:14.000 Yeah.
00:22:15.000 That will be at a later moment.
00:22:17.000 So...
00:22:18.000 Thank you for watching.
00:22:19.000 And I wish you a...
00:22:20.000 Glorious rest of your day.
00:22:22.000 XXO.
00:22:23.000 Boo.