I have to say my passion for this series of games continues.

I started out on Shogun and absolutely loved the strategy and 3D battles.

Rome Total War was awesome too, always wanted to march my legions to world domination.

I bought Medieval Total War in a bargain bin and loved it to bits...even though its graphics are somewhere between Shogun and Rome TW.

Most recently I've been playing Medieval Total War 2 and its pretty good though I miss some of the features of 1. The various hefty patches really make this game shine.

Sadly though all of the expansions I've tried for the TW series have been pretty lame. They add new cultures and animations etc but really don't improve the games.

I haven't read much on the upcoming Medieval TW Kingdoms but I'm hoping the fact it adds 4 new campaigns covering not just different nations but different periods and one of those enlarges the small incursion into the america's near the end of MTW2 will make it something to look forward to.

Right now I'm taking Scotland to victory on the continent while being at war with France and Denmark and holding the Mongols and the Eqyptians at bay in the east. Fortunately I had 3 crusading armies in the east when the Mongols invaded and they pretty much wiped the floor with them. The fact that crusading armies don't count against your army upkeep fees should be looked at...it makes things to easy.

I rule...literally.

The Chronicles of War

After taking Paris the French renewed their attacks, obviously not content that I was now the only power of consequence on the continent. Unfortunately their network of diplomats had built up a coalition of allied states who subsequently joined in their mutual rejection of my moves toward empire.

Depending solely on my eastern Merchants incomes in Alexandria and Cairo it was all I could do to repel attack after attack for nearly a decade. Then came the Black Death, for two years it swept through europe decimating the population of city and citadel.

In the wake of the plague, seeing my opportunity for further expansion I pushed all my incomes into expanding my towns and cities. The population exploded under such civil policy and my new hordes of commonfolk were quickly put use in both trade and military endeavours.

In the East the Egyptians ceased to exist with my taking of Gaza, I now had no enemies within striking distance there. In Europe the English had been a thorn in my side since I'd annexed the whole of the british isles. From their remaining base in Caen they repeatedly tried to take my holdings at Paris and Bruge on the coast. Hiring a large mercenary army and heading it with one of my newly blooded family members I struck at Caen while they still recoved from the plague. They could not hold and the citadel was taken. Now all that remains of them are wandering bands of sellswords and rebels.

I turned my attentions to the Holy Roman Empire who had struck at random throughout Europe from their base at Nuremburg. Taking Nuremburg reduced them to a minor annoyance on my southern borders.

Since I first set foot on the continent the Papal rulings have ever been a hindrance. More than once I've had to send assasins in the dead of night to "remove" a head of state not understanding of my empires needs.

As it stands the French are again growing bold and the Milanese have taken Dijon for themselves. I'll not stand long for this kind of insolence. Even now the boots of my soldiers march to retake the city, my cavalry thunder through the valleys and plains, my newly forged cannon ready to lay low those who would seek to enslave my people. The Pope has requested I wage war on my one ally, the Venetians. The only ones who have remained steadfast in their loyalty through all our history together.

He asks too much, rather than betray a loyal friend perhaps it is time to again "remove" those who seek to further their own ends and replace them with more pious men who understand the words honour, loyalty and duty. Yes, I think that time has come.