ABSTRACT
Medieval: Total War (2002) and Medieval 2: Total War (2006) are strategy games that allow players to take control of one of a variety of medieval factions over an extended period of European history (1087–1453 in the original, 1080–1530 in Medieval 2). The games both combine a turn-based ‘strategic’ element, which involves players moving armies, navies, and agents (such as spies and diplomats) on a map of Europe, North Africa, and the Near East, with a real-time ‘tactical’ aspect where battles and sieges are fought either against the computer or against rival players. The results of these battles, once decided, are reflected on the main, strategic map, allowing players to manage the affairs of their faction from deciding on the construction of buildings and the forging of diplomatic alliances to micromanaging the positioning of military units on the battlefield. A successful player, therefore, will need not only to manage the finances and infrastructure of his or her emergent pan-European empire, but also to demonstrate skill in commanding troops in combat. Both games were well received by reviewers and the general public, with Medieval: Total War in particular praised for integrating a “nuanced and complex” turn-based game that touched on many of the key elements of medieval government (such as ensuring territories’ religious compliance and maintaining the loyalty of subordinate generals) with “epic” battle sequences. 1 For the most part, the portrayal of medieval battlefield warfare is reasonably accurate, although the 400-year time span of each game inevitably introduces some anachronisms (such as army commanders in 1080 being portrayed on the battle map in sixteenth-century plate armor in Medieval 2). As in the Middle Ages, winning battles largely depends on generals’ successful coordination of their infantry, cavalry, and archers to best effect, making use of terrain and weather effects and employing relevant tactical ploys (such as English longbowmens’ planting of stakes) where necessary.
