Kisah AKU n Bannerlord - Trial of The Seven Kingdoms

 Assalamualaikum,

Seperti yang dijanjikan hari ni aku nak update entri pasal video game. Mod pilihan aku kali ni ialah Trial of the Seven Kingdoms untuk game Mount & Blade: Bannerlord. Dulu aku ada review satu mod untuk Bannerlord : The Long Night (TLN) tapi bagi aku so-so sahaja. While mod tu ada improvement dekat armor, weapon and even ada dragon - but lacking dalam lore items membuatkan aku a little bit turn off main mod tu which later pushed me to play Warband AWOIAF semula. Tu yang sampai berbelas episod aku taip, haha.

Bannerlord : Trial of the Seven Kingdom or senang kita panggil TOTSK dalam entri ni. Mod ini dibangunkan oleh Lykon Development yang bertemakan novel A Song of Ice and Fire, hasil karya agung George R.R Martin yang mengisahkan the famous Robert's Rebellion yang berhasil menjatuhkan the last Targaryen king, Aerys II. Ni merupakan major faction yang ada, dalam bracket tu aku letak two major House yang sometimes can declare war to each other, pendek cerita civil war lah:

1. Dorne (Martell, Yronwood)
2. The North (Stark, Bolton)
3. Westerland (Lannister, Reyne)
4. Riverlands (Tully, Frey)
5. The Andals (Stormland, Dragonstone)
6. Free Cities (Blackfyre, Targaryen)

1/3 map TOTSK. Boleh tahan besar kan? Unlike TLN, dalam map ni ada custom model untuk major towns/castles yang ada dekat Westeros ni. Meh aku share a few gambar before kita proceed dekat improvement lain.

The capital of Seven Kingdoms - King's Landing

Ancestral castle for House Arryn of The Vale - The Eeyrie yang merupakan point paling tinggi at the Westeros continent.

Winterfell, the ancestral seat of House Stark of the North.

To the West, Casterly Rock - the formidable castle of House Lannister of the Westerland

From their castle of Highgarden, the Tyrell rule fertile lands of the Reach 

At Dragon Island, the mighty castle of Dragonstone - the former ancestral seat of House Targaryen, but now owned by Stannis Baratheon.

Riverrun, capital of Riverland held by House Tully

House Greyjoy rule the Iron Island from their unique castle of Pyke.

Castle Black and The Wall - the headquarter of Night's Watch order.

Ada jugak a few custom castles such as Oldtown, Harrenhal and The Twins. Memang cun lah map ni walaupun ada a few misplaced towns and castles. Macam TLN, mod ni pun still ada sikit naming dari native tapi takpelah tak banyak pun.

Dalam game ni, korang boleh pilih ciri-ciri karekter dari physical appearance, race, traits etc, sebab apa yang korang pilih tu la yang akan main peranan dalam game ni. Ingat nak roleplay House Reyne tapi dah ada pulak dalam mod ni. Why dah ada? Bukan faction ni dah extinct ke. Haa, dalam mod ni not yet since there's no definite timeline. According to mod's owner, tema mod ni diambil just after Robert's Rebellion iaitu 280AC, memang peliklah kan sebab House Reyne destroyed around 260AC. Nak menambahkan pelik lagi, ada jugak faction House Targaryen led by Viserys. Weird kan? sebab 280AC si Viserys tu baru lima tahun. Dan-dan pulak jadi faction leader. So, nevermind diorang pun dah bagitau memang ada twist sikit. So, enjoy je lah.

This is clan menu, kat sini kita boleh review progress clan kita sendiri. Apa fief owned by us, our businesses (caravan, production) dan juga party. Bukan party mabuk tau, tapi war party. Kita boleh assign family member atau companion untuk split to form his/her own party. 

Macam mod lain, sini pun boleh lepak-lepak kat tavern untuk rekrut tentera upahan, hire companion dan main mini-game. Unlike Warband, dalam Bannerlord takde penyair/penyajak dalam tavern since korang dah tak payah nak mengorat pakai sajak, syair segala jadah tu. Kat tavern pun, dah takde merchant. Pendek kata banyak jugak non-playable character or NPC yang dikurangkan. But, ada banyak jugak NPC baru yang diperkenalkan dekat town/castle. Ada gangster, thugs, barber, merchant, artisan, beggar etc. NPC main peranan untuk korang tingkatkan influence clan. Lagi good relationship korang dengan merchant dan artisan, lagi banyaklah orang yang akan support clan kita. 

Elemen real-time strategy (RTS) didalam TOTSK ni dapat dilihat melalui role karekter dalam nation yang dipilih. Mirip Total War, TOTSK membolehkan party yang diketuai karekter untuk attack, defend, reinforce, besiege atau scout open world. Konsep RTS dapat dilihat melalui tema game ini iaitu ketika War of Seven Kingdoms, berlatar belakangkan konflik yang berlaku di Westeros. Dalam Bannerlord, korang boleh pilih untuk lead your own army or join forces dengan faction leader's army. Of course lah kalau nak selamat, elok bergabung since ramai sikit. But kalau konfiden boleh survive dengan solo, silakanlah. Here - Fredrik merged his army with Lord Reyne in a defenses of Faircastle.

Watak, tempat dan event yang wujud didalam open world ialah berdasarkan watak dalam cerita Game of Thrones. Watak seperti Tywin Lannister, Mace Tyrell, Hoster Tully, Eddard Stark, Robert Baratheon, Doran Martell, Balon Greyjoy, Jon Arryn dan lain-lain merupakan watak fiksyen ketika zaman itu. 

Dalam game ni korang boleh setting dua outfit, satu battle outfit yang akan dipakai ketika pertempuran. Satu lagi civilian outfit macam gambar atas ni yang akan dipakai ketika melawat bandar, castles, village etc. Kira takdelah pelik sangat orang tengok kau selalu merayau pakai armor je. Haha. 

Fief management lebih mudah sekarang, just buat queue and let your governor do the rest. Sebab dalam Bannerlord ni anyone can die in the battlefield, so aku pun belajar dari kesilapan lampau. Wife ni elok duduk kat castle jadi governor je instead of join war-party. Karang mati, tak memasal kena cari bini baru. Huhu

Kingdom panel, kat sini korang boleh access information berkaitan house/clan lain dalam kingdom, juga fief, policies, diplomacy dan lain-lain. Boleh lah tengok influence point house korang against other houses. Penting tu, lagi banyak influence lagi banyaklah korang boleh mempengaruhi hala tuju kingdom walaupun status kita hanyalah seorang vassal. House Reyne ada a few supporters, their cadet vassal - House Vikary and also a few mercenary clans such as Ember of Flame and Lake Rats, hired to bolster its defensive capacity.

Sedikit background story untuk hero kita ni. A twenty-five years old Ser Fredrik is the only son of the late Ser Lymand of House Vikary, a landed knight and cadet branch of House Reyne of Castamere. Eventhough Reyne-Tarbeck Rebellion has been crushed twenty years ago, House Reyne survived by a royal decree from King Aerys II Targaryen which retained their lands and it's cadet vassal. However, with the Mad King overthrown by Robert Baratheon a few months ago, Tywin Lannister ready to renew his hostilities again the Reyne and vow to crush his family most sworn-enemy. 

281AC - Outnumbered almost five to one, House Reyne stood their ground and succeed to fend off a number of incursions launched at their border. The invasion force by Lord Tytos Brax around 6,000 men were the first to failed as he was being crushed by Ser Fredrik Vikary's 3,000 men at the Battle of Hornvale. The victorious Fredrik advanced further and captured the ill-defended Hornvale. His liege lord, Aldric Reyne's led 13,000 troops comprising of soldiers from House Reyne and two mercenary clans moved southward to block any invasion's attempt from the South, possibly by Tywin himself.

Enraged with the incompetency of his commanders, Lord Tywin led a massive army around 20,000 soldiers comprising troops from House Lannister and Marbrand to deal with the Red Lion of Castamere at the Southern theater. Due to his cunning stratagem, Lord Aldric managed to outwitted the Gold Lion of Casterly Rock and crushed his army in the brilliant battle near Oxcross. Unwilling to stretch his flanks, he decided to fortify Oxcross Castle and sent raven to Ser Fredrik instructed him to pause any thrust into the Lannister's land as it would be a risky move considering their lack of troops to wage a long conflict with their enemy.

To the north of Westerland, Lord Hoster Tully declared war against the Lannister. To make matters worse for Tywin, the Ironborn led by Victarion Greyjoy continues to razes Westerland's coast and inflicted heavy casualties to Lannister's fleet docked at Lannisport. This situation forced Tywin to seek peace with House Reyne and shifted his focus to repel the much larger Tully's forces. A truce signed by both parties on 281AC to end the Westerland's civil war. Picture: Reyne's territory after the war.

Fredrik traveled to King's Landing, together with his entourage via Goldroad to meet King Robert Baratheon to formalize his lordship's ascension. With Hornvale as his new keep, he is officially styled; Lord Fredrik Vikary of Hornvale. House Vikary is no longer a landed knight, but now one of the noble house in Westeros which remained its fealty to House Reyne.

Upon his arrival back to Westerland, Fredrik married Aldric's daughter, Lady Megenhelda in a simple ceremony at Castamere. This solemn alliance definitely ensure a long lasting ties between the two houses. 

As the civil war has effectively ended, Fredrik who now sit at Castamere Council working hard to rebuild the army. The Lannister-Reyne's conflict caused Aldric, a total of 8,000 casualties - half of its original strength. Despite it's manpower losses, thanks to his brilliant maneuver at Oxcross and Fredrik's heroic action at the Western theater, the Reyne managed to stopped further Lannister's incursion into its territory while capturing two stronghold - Hornvale and Oxcross, in process. 

Baiklah, that's the end untuk review TOTSK. To be honest aku memang layan mod ni je sekarang, ada je mod lain tapi takdelah enjoy sangat. Ada satu lagi mod Bannerlord yang bertemakan GoT universe ni, tapi masih dalam pembikinan - AWOIAF by Produno Team. Ni yang aku memang tak sabar nak tunggu keluar. Huhu