Let’s get the annoying parts out of the way first. Installing Kingdoms over an existing installation of Medieval 2 doesn’t work for a lot of people. You may need to uninstall the core game first, reinstall, then patch it up to version 1.2 and finally install the expansion pack. Then it leaves you with four separate executable files, a reminder that to Creative Assembly, an expansion means new maps, new rules and new units none of which are integrated into the core game. This is how it was with every other Total War game, only there usually weren’t four new scenarios cluttering your desktop. So it’s a good thing that every one of these four scenarios is worth the price of admission. There’s not a loser in the lot.
Of the four new campaigns, the Teutonic and Britannia campaigns have the most familiar mechanics. In the “Teutonic” setting, pagan Lithuania faces a European crusade from its Christian neighbors, led by the Teutonic Order. The Teutonic Knights start in a powerful position, but have to expand into unfriendly, heathen lands to win. Lithuania will eventually have the chance to convert, but is surrounded by enemies, including the Mongols to the Southeast.
“Britannia” lets you fight for supremacy in the British Isles, and, aside from the greater likelihood of civil war for the English, plays out like any other Medieval campaign. The Welsh and Scots are in a tough spot, but the English have limited resources to control the countryside.
The other two campaigns introduce some truly unique mechanics, both of which work to capture the settings. In “Americas”, Spanish conquistadors have landed in search of treasure. They have superior technology to the locals, but higher costs and fewer numbers. Until the empire gets up and going, Spain will have to rely on native mercenaries and local alliances. Spanish power can intimidate the Aztecs or Mayans into surrendering some cities, but maintenance costs will require some looting.
Occasionally new conquistador armies will arrive in the New World, but the Spanish power will depend on capturing port cities where the best units can be recruited. As for the natives, they can sacrifice prisoners to improve local happiness; a necessary action since they face devastating epidemics and the eventual arrival of plundering foreigners from France and England.
The “Crusades” campaign has hero units with special powers. The Byzantine hero can paralyze opposing forces on the battlefield and the English hero can immediately rally all fleeing troops. The heroes are powerful enough to make them threats, so they make great assassination targets. The mission, of course, is to take and hold the Holy Land for your side, with powerful chivalric houses and jihadists battling on the deserts of Palestine. Greek fire makes an appearance, too, letting you set your enemies on fire up close.
The battles have always been the core attraction of the Total War franchise, and they don’t disappoint, but it’s refreshing to see so much attention paid to mixing up the campaign game. Though none of the campaign changes are as radical as the “horde” mechanic from the Barbarian Invasions expansion to Rome, every tiny change alters how you think about every tiny decision you make. In “Britannia”, the English have to be even more careful in how they manage popular satisfaction. In “Americas”, the Spanish must trade off heavy killing with crippling maintenance costs. None of the maps are as large as the standard Medieval map, but they have considerably more period character when they are tied to events like Crusading armies popping up or the French finding their way to Florida.
