Regardless where you stand on this. Its kinda silly to judge either of them just based on a single interaction with 0 knowledge outside of it. (I think at least) Like I would need more information to "seriously" engage with this. (Assuming its even real)
I would say im a big Total War fan.
My favorite historical Total War game is Attila, though the only thing I disliked about Attila was the performance.
Now, the truth is, I don’t want to recommend Pharaoh Dynasties just (YET) because I’ve only played it for a couple of hours. However, everything I’ve seen, heard, and read so far looks amazing. Keep in mind the game is very infantry-focused, but the infantry feels quite varied. Battles seem more fluid to me than in Total Warhammer, and movement and positioning feel more important. While Warhammers combat offers a wider range of options, Pharaoh feels deeper—like how rain can create mud that slows down troops. There are loads of weather and terrain interactions, and characters can die in combat or from old age.
Pharaoh also has a lot more systems and mechanics than Rome 2 or Shogun.
You actually have to trade extensively with other factions to get the most out of the resource system. It’s also the most adaptable Total War game to date, with tons of pre-game options such as Ironman mode, the rate at which years pass, and lethality settings. In my opinion, Pharaoh is also harder than Total Warhammer 3 (and I’ve played Warhammer 3 on Legendary from time to time).
Take some of these observations with a grain of salt but I think Creative Assembly really cooked with Pharaoh Dynasties.
I will make a thread about Pharaoh Dynasties after I played it for one or two full campaigns.
Total War: PHARAOH DYNASTIES. It’s good, folks. I don’t want to hype it up too much, but I’m pretty stoked for it. It has a lot of cool systems, some of which are pretty different from other total wars, like the resource system. From a technical standpoint, it runs buttery smooth, with large battles hitting over 100 FPS.
Plus I consider the Bronze Age just a super underused setting. I legit think this could become a top 3 historical total war for me.
I find it "almost" cute that they dont recommend call of duty due to "political" flags - because Call of Duty is reactionary as fuck. Like how fucking thinskinned do you have to be. This culture war stuff really rots your brain.
I read both of your responses and I think you make valid points.
I think I get where you're coming from. Grimdark settings are often problematic, and it's true that many fascists enjoy them. I can understand why people might find that off-putting or not be fans of them for that reason. It's kinda similar to Starship Troopers or Helldivers—both are meant as satire, but reactionaries either don't get the joke or simply don't care.
With that said, I'm pretty sure you could create a grimdark setting with good politics, it's just that, realistically, most people who create these settings fall somewhere on the liberal-to-conservative spectrum. As a result, they almost all end up with the same issues you've mentioned
I have to admit, though I've been a sucker for anything dark, edgy, and grimdark since I was a teenager, and that hasn't changed. As a minority in the imperial core, grimdark settings appeal to me because they depict a struggle without hope in a doomed world. But I think there's beauty in the struggle itself, even when hope is almost nonexistent. The idea of continuing to fight, even when there's little chance of success, resonates with me deeply.
I wouldn't view it that way. First of all, there's no fascism in the world of the game and I'm not even sure the ideology of fascism was ever invented in the world of Trench Crusade. A better comparison would be the USA during WWII—certainly not "good," but I'm pretty sure many people, even on Hexbear, would give the USA critical support for their war against the Axis.
As for the faithful, their rigid religious beliefs blind them, leading to needless suffering in the name of a God they fail to truly comprehend. God in this context is more like a primordial eldritch being, not something that communes clearly with its followers or is all that benevolent.
One also needs to keep in mind that a lot of the lore so far is from the perspective of the church so unreliable narrators.
To be fair, Allah provided the faithful with a massive wall for their protection. Meanwhile, the Christians are left scrambling to scrape remnants of Jesus for cloning abominations and gathering relics of saints to receive fragmented messages they desperately hope are from God.
Like Trench crusade is cool but its christanity is a perverse blapsphemy. (Which is fun mind you)
The faithful forces arent "good". The forces of hell are a lot worse though (Especially should they win etc). Thats my reading im not super deep into the lore (yet).
Its not even a case in which I would say the church is jetblack evil like the imperium in 40k. Like for example the forces of the church are mostly volunteers (to be fair in a setting with real life miracles you would bet religious zealotry would drive recruitment)
Trench Crusade is a skirmish-scale tabletop miniatures game that will plunge players deep into a horrifying alternate timeline. During the Crusades a heretical band of Templars dared defy the Almighty and, casting aside their sacred vows, unleashed the forces of Hell upon the Earth. Over 800 years later, in the Year of Our Lord 1914, this brutal, merciless war between the forces of Heaven and Hell rages on. This is not just a fight for survival, but a cataclysmic struggle that will decide the very fate of humanity's soul.
The factions so far are (if im not mistaken) EDIT I copied a short overview of the factions from TVTropes
Principality of New Antioch: The armies of the fortress-city of New Antioch, serving as a bulwark of the Faithful nations against Heretic advances.
Trench Pilgrims: Disorganized groups of Christian pilgrims following prophets of the Lord to the front lines, the Pilgrims are a mix of volunteer soldiers and members of holy orders.
The Iron Sultanate: The soldiers of the Sultanate of Rûm, protected from the forces of Hell by the Iron Wall of Dhu al-Qarnayn. They make widespread use of alchemy in both their weapons and the takwin creations of the House of Wisdom.
Heretic Legions: The forces of the nations ruled by Hell on Earth, with conventional initiate soldiers supported by monsters manufactured in Hell's pits.
Cult of the Black Grail: The creations forged from biological matter by Beelzebub's Black Grail plague, and the few mortal cultists who embrace it.
As a small bonus some art for an Assassin of the Iron Sultanate. (The art for Trench crusade absolutely slaps) Artist name is Mike Franchina
Ah okay. In that case I have to say many of the STLs seemed kinda clunky. (I thought those were already finished models) I have seen a lot of really great kitbashed models by fans though.
Mog Zedong