Your Mod is Calling

If you claim to be a gamer, yet you've no idea to what I'm referring, then you've either been living under a rock or you have a dial-up internet connection. 

I'm talking about game modifications, or "mods".  In this case, specifically those of the Total War games.  If you haven't tried one, or have been using one for as long as you can remember, I urge you to expand your horizons.  Try something new; it will enrich your Total War experience by leaps and bounds.  Here are a few suggestions to get you started, and tools to help you along the way. 

The Total War Center is the place to start if you haven't already made your way there.  They host the cream of the crop when it comes to Total War mods.

Rome

There are a score of fantastic offerings for the classic Total War game. From Rome: Total Realism to Europa Barbarorum, it's hard not to find at least one that fits your tastes. Time frames range from the Trojan Wars all the way to the 18th century.  If your copy is gathering dust on some forgotten shelf, now is the time to remember why you fell in love with it in the first place.

Medieval II

The options here only get better.  You name it, there's a mod covering it. Eras include the Fall of the Roman Empire, the Hundred Years War, the English Civil War, and countless other periods, all given significant face time and excellent workmanship.

The famous mods DarthMod and Stainless Steel aim to "destroy" gameplay inconsistencies, while generally improving the AI.  They've done their best to weed out the Bugs, and they've done quite a job. 

If these all sound far too mild mannered for you, then perhaps you'd be interested in one of the more fantastical Medieval II mods that TWC hosts. Third Age: Total War is a complete overhaul of the game, sending the player "into the world of Middle Earth." The Warhammer universe has it's mod, and even the world of Game of Thrones now has it's very own. 

Empire

Empire: Total War was the first game in the series which the firearm and gunpowder artillery played a decisive role. The newer engine also made for difficulties in modding.  In an official statement, a Creative Assembly representative bluntly said that as opposed to Empire, Rome's "engine was a hell of a lot simpler than it is now." In summation, this meant a lot of work when modifying the game.  The results though, have been promising. 

My favorite mod for Empire is again, the omnipresent, omnipotent, DarthMod.  As the developer says himself, " It was pointless to resist."  It's the honest truth.  There are so many alterations that improve the game, that I'm far too lazy to list them here.  Just try the mod.  The file is enormous though, so set aside some time to download it.  

Another great period piece is the excellent mod, The Blue and The Grey. As I'm sure you can surmise, it's setting is the American Civil War.  The developers did a great job of accurately re-skinning all of the models and altering the stats and AI enough to recreate Civil War combat.  Rifle fire, is astonishingly more deadly.  

I'm going to refrain from commenting on Napoleon and Shogun 2.  I don't own them, and I don't plan on owning them; therefore I don't feel qualified or experienced enough to suggest mods for those titles. 

Tools

If you're interested in experimenting with modding yourself, or you're looking for something to aid you with one your using, then the index at TWC of Modding Tutorials, Resources & Tools is where you should begin.  There is one tool that I would like to single out; I use it all the time, and it makes maintaining and keeping tracks of mods (and even different elements from each) a breeze. LtChambers' Mod Manager, is worth it's weight in gold. 

So, get out there and try something!