Anno Domini 1257 (also known as 1257 AD) is a Mount & Blade: Warband mod, centered on the Europe in the middle of the XIIIth century. It features more than forty factions (from the major ones like France, England, Venice, Castile, Holy Roman Empire, etc., to several more minor ones). It takes place in Europe from South of Scandinavia to Mediterranean coast, and from Portugal to West of Russia. It also features the British Isles, North Africa, and Middle East (remains of the Byzantine Empire, Latin Crusader States, Seljuk Empire...).
Other important gameplay changes include the possibility to cross the sea by boats and to fight on sea when two antagonist parties (enemy faction or brigands) meet on the sea, the possibility to start as a lord (or even a king) right at character's creation, the Freelancer minimod, a reworking of the recruitment system ("lance recruitment system"), troop trees being culture-based instead of each faction having its own unique roster, and an optional permadeath feature for lords and kings.
Playable factions
The "starting territory" is an approximate equivalent refering to modern borders and cities.
- Crown of Aragon
- Culture: Iberian
- Starting territory: North-eastern Spain and Perpignan
- Starting diplomatic situation: At peace
- Crusader States
- Culture: Crusader
- Starting territory: Cyprus, eastern Mediterranean coast between south-eastern Turkey and Jaffa, and the Krak des Chevaliers
- Starting diplomatic situation: At war with the Mamluk Sultanate
- Curonians
- Culture: Baltic
- Starting territory: Baltic coast of Latvia and Lithuania
- Starting diplomatic situation: At peace
- Emirate of Granada
- Culture: Andalusian
- Starting territory: Southern Spain (south of the Guadalquivir)
- Starting diplomatic situation: At war with Kingdom of Castille and Kingdom of Portugal
- Gaelic Kingdoms
- Culture: Gaelic
- Starting territory: Two third of Ireland (minus the south and eastern coast), including Northern Ireland
- Starting diplomatic situation: At war with Kingdom of Norway
- Ghibellines
- Culture: Italian
- Starting territory: Around Verona, Siena, and Cremona
- Starting diplomatic situation: At war with the Guelphs
- Golden Horde
- Culture: Mongol
- Starting territory: Eastern Ukraine, Crimea, south-western Russia
- Starting diplomatic situation: At war with Kingdom of Hungary and Polish Principalities
- Guelphs
- Culture: Italian
- Starting territory: Around Milano, Bologna, and Firenze
- Starting diplomatic situation: At war with Ghibellines
- Hafsid Dynasty
- Culture: Marinid
- Starting territory: Eastern Algeria, Tunisia, western Libya
- Starting diplomatic situation: At peace
- Holy Roman Empire
- Culture: Western European
- Starting territory: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherland, and parts of eastern France
- Starting diplomatic situation: At peace
- Il-khanate
- Culture: Mongol
- Starting territory: Middle and eastern Turkey, inland Lebanon
- Starting diplomatic situation: At war with the Mamluk Sultanate
- Jotvingians
- Culture: Baltic
- Starting territory: Portions of inland Poland, Lithuania, and Belarus
- Starting diplomatic situation: At peace
- Kingdom of Bohemia
- Culture: Western European
- Starting territory: Czech Republic
- Starting diplomatic situation: At peace
- Kingdom of Bulgaria
- Culture: Balkans
- Starting territory: Bulgaria
- Starting diplomatic situation: At peace
- Kingdom of Castille
- Culture: Iberian
- Starting territory: North and central Spain
- Starting diplomatic situation: At war with the Emirate of Grenada
- Kingdom of Denmark
- Culture: Nordic
- Starting territory: Denmark, south-western coast of Sweden, northern Estonia
- Starting diplomatic situation: At peace
- Kingdom of England
- Culture: Western European
- Starting territory: England, Wales (minus the northern part), Irish eastern coast, southwest France (around Bordeaux)
- Starting diplomatic situation: At war with the Welsh
- Kingdom of France
- Culture: Western European
- Starting territory: Roughly Modern France minus the Bordeaux area, Perpignan, Alsace, Lorraine, and Corsica
- Starting diplomatic situation: At peace
- Kingdom of Halych-Volynia
- Culture: Rus
- Starting territory: Western Ukraine
- Starting diplomatic situation: At peace
- Kingdom of Hungary
- Culture: Western European
- Starting territory: Hungary and northern Balkans
- Starting diplomatic situation: At war with the Golden Horde
- Kingdom of Lithuania
- Culture: Baltic
- Starting territory: Inland Lithuania and western Russia
- Starting diplomatic situation: At peace
- Kingdom of Navarra
- Culture: Western European
- Starting territory: Northeastern Spain around Pamplona
- Starting diplomatic situation: At peace
- Kingdom of Norway
- Culture: Nordic
- Starting territory: Norway, Isle of Mann, islands north of Scotland
- Starting diplomatic situation: At war with Gaelic Kingdoms and Kindgom of Scotland
- Kingdom of Portugal
- Culture: Iberian
- Starting territory: Portugal
- Starting diplomatic situation: At war with the Emirate of Grenada
- Kingdom of Scotland
- Culture: Scottish
- Starting territory: Scotland minus the islands
- Starting diplomatic situation: At war with the Kingdom of Norway
- Kingdom of Serbia
- Culture: Serbian
- Starting territory: Serbia and Montenegro
- Starting diplomatic situation: At peace
- Kingdom of Sicily
- Culture: Italian
- Starting territory: Southern continental Italy and Sicily
- Starting diplomatic situation: At peace
- Kingdom of Sweden
- Culture: Nordic
- Starting territory: Sweden (minus southwestern coast) and Finland
- Starting diplomatic situation: At war with the Novgorod Republic
- Latin Empire
- Culture: Italian
- Starting territory: Greece (minus Thessalonica and Crete) and the European part of Turkey (including Constantinople/Istanbul)
- Starting diplomatic situation: At war with the Roman Empire of Nicaea
- Mamluk Sultanate
- Culture: Mamluke
- Starting territory: Eastern Libya, Egypt, Sinai, southern Israel (including Jerusalem), and inland Syria
- Starting diplomatic situation: At war with the Crusader States and the Il-khanate
- Marinid Dynasty
- Culture: Marinid
- Starting territory: Morocco and western Algeria
- Starting diplomatic situation: At peace
- Novgorod Republic
- Culture: Rus
- Starting territory: Western Russia
- Starting diplomatic situation: At war with the Kingdom of Sweden and the Teutonic Order
- Polish Principalities
- Culture: Western European
- Starting territory: Poland
- Starting diplomatic situation: At war with the Golden Horde
- Prussians
- Culture: Baltic
- Starting territory: Baltic inland
- Starting diplomatic situation: At peace
- Republic of Genoa
- Culture: Italian
- Starting territory: Genoa and Corsica
- Starting diplomatic situation: At war with the Republic of Pisa
- Republic of Pisa
- Culture: Italian
- Starting territory: Pisa
- Starting diplomatic situation: At war with the Republic of Genoa
- Republic of Venice
- Culture: Italian
- Starting territory: Venice, Croatia, and Crete
- Starting diplomatic situation: At peace
- Roman Empire of Nicaea
- Culture: Byzantine
- Starting territory: Western Turkey (minus the European part), Thessalonica
- Starting diplomatic situation: At war with Latin Empire
- Samagotians
- Culture: Baltic
- Starting territory: Inland Baltic area
- Starting diplomatic situation: At peace
- Teutonic Order
- Culture: Teutonic
- Starting territory: Two non-contiguous territories, in Estonia and East Prussia
- Starting diplomatic situation: At war with the Novgorod Republic
- The Papal States
- Culture: Italian
- Starting territory: Roma and Ancona
- Starting diplomatic situation: At peace
- Welsh
- Culture: Welsh
- Starting territory: Northern third of Wales
- Starting diplomatic situation: At war with the Kingdom of England
More information and download links are here
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Compare with Europe 1200, another Mount & Blade: Warband mod set in European High Middle Ages. Unrelated with the Anno Domini series.
For tropes unchanged from the unmodded game, refer to the Mount & Blade page.
Anno Domini 1257 Provides Examples Of:
- Alternate History: Since it's a history-set wide-open strategy game, the story will quickly becomes ahistorical thanks to AI's random decisions and the player's own actions. For instance, an unification of Spain or Italy centuries before the real one, a reconquest of its former territories by the remains of the Byzantine Empire, etc. can be done by a skilled player.
- Artistic License – History:
- In real life, while nominally under French rule, at the time the Duchy of Brittany was so autonomous it was de facto independant. In the mod, Brittany is entirely part of Kingdom of France.note
- The starting ruler of the Republic of Novgorod is Alexander Nevsky. The mod starts at the exact time his reign was on hiatus (he ruled from 1236 to 1240, then from 1241 to 1256, then in 1258-1259).
- The Crusader States are represented ingame as a single, united faction. In real life, the territory occupied by this faction should be divided in four independant factions (Principality of Antioch, County of Tripoli, Kingdom of Jerusalem, and Kingdom of Cyprus), and also includes territories which belonged to the unrelated Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. The faction's unit roster contains regional troops based on the various historical Crusader states, thoughnote . Their starting ruler is Jean d'Ibelinnote , who historically belonged to the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
- Speaking of the faction... Ingame, their starting marshall is Hugues II de Lusignannote , who is a white-headed, bearded man, and his stats mention he's 61. The real Hugh II of Cyprus was 4 years old in 1257.
- At game creation, there's an optional feature allowing each faction to start the campaign already at war with its neighbours. The feature's description points it's completely ahistorical.
- For some reason, culture of Latin Empire is set as Italian. Latin Empire, while founded with help of Italian Venice, was much more Frankish and all Latin Empire rulers were members of French aristocracy (Brienne, Flanders and Courtenay).
- Badass Preacher:
- Being technically a lord, the Pope will lead his troops on the battlefield and fight among them. There's also some bishops and archbishops as lords of a few other catholic factions, notably the Teutonic Order.
- The monk companion is supposed to serve as the medic of the party, but in practice he will take part in battle.
- Bloodier and Gorier:
- Contrary to the Vanilla Mount & Blade: Warband, soldiers offed with a killing blow dealing a lot more damage than their remaining hitpoints can be beheaded or dismembered.
- Some screens are based on actual medieval artworks depicting battle scenes, with blood and gore added. For instance, one loading screen includes a knight chopped at the waist, with his guts spilling through the wound.
- Church Militant:
- Hospitalier and Templar Knights are available among the Crusader States' troop roster.
- The Teutonic Order is a fully playable, independant faction. Its starting territory is split in two parts, in Prussia (around Koenigsberg) and Livonia (around Riga).
- Combat Medic: The monk follower class is intended to be used like this (they start with a few points in the medical skills).
- Crutch Character: Mercenaries are this when playing with the lance recruitment system enabled. Before becoming a lord, they are the only type of units available and are quite cheap. Once you become a noble, you're able to hire troops from your fiefs and the mercenaries's wages is greatly increased.
- Early Game Hell: Choosing to start as part of the Welsh faction. Not only Welsh is at war with England at start of the campaign, but England starts with a lot more territory, lords, and armies. Oh, and Welsh stuck between the sea and England-controlled territories. There's a reason Welsh is often wiped out early if played by the AI. The option which makes everyone at war with their neighbours at campaign's start makes a Welsh campaign a bit less hard, because England is involved in other wars and can be distracted elsewhere, reducing the military pressure.
- Friend or Foe?: Troop trees aren't divided by factions but by culture. Due to belonging to the same culture, some factions employ the same exact units, and beside the floating icon above your allies' heads, the only way to differentiate friends from foes on such a battlefield is to check their heraldic shields (if the unit carries one...). For instance, France, Holy Roman Empire, England or Hungary all belong to the "Western Europe" culture, and field exactly the same units. That being said, this mistake would only have consequences when using ranged attacks (Mount & Blade: Warband doesn't have a friendly fire option for melee attacks).
- The High Middle Ages: The setting of the mod (including places and factions from The Crusades). As the title implies, the starting date is 1257.
- Historical Domain Character: Every starting faction ruler and lords, though they can die in ahistorical circumstances and be replaced by randomly generated characters. Players may recognize a few famous names, like Louis IX, Alexander Nevsky, Henry The Third, Hulagu Khan and Berke Khan (Genghis Khan grandsons), Alfonso X of Castile...
- Horse Archer: Arab, Turk, and Mongol factions field many of them.note
- Killed Off for Real: An optional feature adds a small chance lords (including kings, with an even smaller chance) can be killed on the battlefield; it also allows to start assassination plots against them.
- Mythology Gag: The starting date of "1257" is also the starting date in the fictional calendar used in the Constructed World of the Vanilla campaign.
- Non-Indicative Name: "Western Europe" culture doesn't include every faction from Western Europe (Welsh, Iberian, Italian, etc. have their own cultures). It's also the culture of Bohemia and Hungary.
- Perspective Flip: Anno Domini 1257 includes the Freelancer minimod, which allows to play as a mook in a lord's army (instead of leading said army).
- Private Military Contractors: Like in Vanilla, you can play as this if you're not a vassal; one of the beginning option ("mercenary captain") makes you start with a couple level and some troops instead of having to form your warband from scratch. Also, mercenaries troops are available as recruits, some AI-controlled parties of them patrols around settlements, and they occasionally spawn as always hostile parties (according to an event, those ones turned to banditry because of unemployment).
- Shout-Out: One of the possible names for automatically generated lords is Ulrich von Liechenstein.
- Shown Their Work:
- The optional lance recruitment system aims to recreate how army recruitment worked for medieval kings and feudal lords (non-lords are only able to use mercenaries). In settlements you own, you can raise a "lance", which grants a random number of troops from each tier of the troop treenote . You can even disband lances and hire them again later.
- Unemployed mercenaries turning to banditry was an actual issue during the Middle Ages.
- The Smurfette Principle: You can create a female player character. Not counting the anonymous female commoners wandering in towns and villages, there are female named NPCs (female relatives of kings and rulers), but the player character will be the only female lord in the game.
- Support Party Member: Initially available companions (recruited in towns) are divided between five classes, each of them starting with points in party skills: pathfinder, trader, monk (medic), engineer, and trainer. You can only hire one of each class. There's also three other companions (which require to be a lord and own land to be met and hired), but they don't have starting specialization.
- The Theocracy: The Papal States faction, which rules a few territories in central Italy (around Roma and Ancona). The faction ruler is the Pope.
- Unstable Equilibrium: As in Vanilla, the more territories your faction controls, the more rich and powerful it is, and more potential troops are available, further making conquest even easier... Then, if both "lords permadeath" and "random new lords generation" features are enabled, a faction losing battles will lose territories and may randomly lose its lords (since each lord leads an army and can besiege settlement, each lord lost can strongly weaken a faction), while the winning faction will get new lords granted by the AI to manage the new fiefs they just conquered. In other words, those features combined weaken faster the losing side of a conflict while the winning side will grow more powerful even quicker than in Vanilla.
- Vestigial Empire:
- At the start of the mod, the Roman Empire of Nicaea (i.e. the Byzantine Empire) only controls a small territory around Thessalonica and the Western part of Turkey; they lost Constantinople (their former capital) and most of Greece during the Fourth Crusade (said territory is now controlled by another faction, the Latin Empire).
- The Golden Horde and the Il-khanate are two successor states born from the division of the Mongol Empire built by Gengis Khan.
- In 1257, the Crusader States have lost many of the territories they owned when they were founded. The Kingdom of Jerusalem was founded around, well, Jerusalem, which has been definitively lost to the muslims a few decades earlier.
