Summary
Creative Assembly’sTotal Warfranchise is one of the best grand strategy series gamers can play right now. The series combines empire-building and fun battlefield simulation in sandboxes that provide players with hours upon hours of gameplay. TheirTotal War Warhammertrilogy is especially addictive, with 100 playable factions over multiple fantasy races, newcomers to the games would be hard-pressed to run out of things to do.
Although the franchise has explored a plethora of historical eras and branched out with IPs likeWarhammer, fans are still desperate for CA to delve intonew and unique settings.Every new time period or universe has the potential to bring with it a host of exciting features the series has yet to explore.
7Star Wars
Empire At Total War
TheTotal Warfranchise has yet to make its leap into a futuristic setting and there would be no better place to start than withStar Wars. With so many lore-rich eras and conflicts, CA would have a well of inspiration to draw from. From the Old Republic Era to the Imperial Era, both with the potential to feature their own unique collection of factions, there are so many approaches CA could take to a ‘Total War: Star Wars’.
The success of a strategy game set in theStar Warsuniverse has already been proven with titles likeSTAR WARS: Empire At War,an RTS game where players take the reins of the Rebellion or the Empire in their galactic conquests.
6Thirty Years' War
Pike And Shot Warfare
The Thirty Years' Warwas a devastating conflict that took place between 1618 and 1648 in the heart of Europe. Fans have been eager to seethe time periodadapted for aTotal Wargame because of the ‘pike and shot’ battle tactics utilized throughout the conflict.
Armies were composed of ranks of soldiers armed either with pikes or ranged weapons, like muskets and arquebuses. It was warfare on the cusp of revolution, mixing old battle tactics with advancing technology. A game focused on this era would, for some fans, be seen as a return to form, hearkening back to the days ofTotal War: EmpireandTotal War: Napoleon.
5WW1
Trench Warfare
One major historical conflict CA has yet to explore isWorld War 1. There is a divide between fans who desperately want to see this setting utilized and those who are dubious of whether or not its trench warfare would lend itself toTotal War’s mechanics.
CA has already proven willing to deviate from their standard battle simulation mechanics with theirWarhammergames, introducing a number of new systems like magic and powerful lords. There is no reason CA can’t incorporate terrain mechanics, representative of the trenches, primarily ranged combat into the franchise’s gameplay loop.
4Mythology
Clash Of Pantheons
CA has already dipped its toesintomythologywith theirA Total War Saga: TROYexpansion pack,MYTHOS,which added a deity boon system and a number of Greek mythological creatures to the game. CA definitely has the ability to dedicate a full game to the concept, what with their fantasy faction juggling act that isTotal War: Warhammer, and could take inspiration from titles likeAge of Mythology.
That series combines multiple pantheons, from Viking Norse gods to the gallery of ancient Greek deities, to provide players with a dynamic gameplay experience. Should CA take inspiration from them, they’d easily be able to fill out a roster of factions that matches their other fantasy titles.
3Game of Thrones
Total War: SEVEN KINGDOMS
When the discussion of a’Total War Game of Thrones’comes up, some players express concern with the theoretical game’s ability to stand among fantasy titles likeTotal War: WarhammerandMYTHOSconsidering its more restrained interpretation of the genre. Ignoring the fact that some players may actually be satisfied withGame of Thrones' particular dosage of fantasy, CA could make the game stand out further by expanding upon theirdiplomacy systemfromTotal War: Three Kingdoms.
Set in China’s era of the same name,Three Kingdomdeveloped the franchise’s trade and negotiation mechanics and added relationships between the player’s generals.Besides its dragons and penchant for killing beloved characters,Game of Thronesis most well-known for its cut-throat politics, providing CA another opportunity to innovate on its diplomacy mechanics once more.
2Warhammer 40k
In The 41st Millennium, There Is Only War
With theTotal Warfranchise already making the leap intoWarhammer Fantasy, the natural progression would be to dive into its futuristic counterpart,Warhammer 40k. CA could expand its Immortal Empires sandbox to cover multiple planets or even multiple star systems. Filling this intergalactic map would, of course, be the variousraces of theWarhammeruniverse.
Considering the fact that they could make a game focused solely on the various factions of the imperium, CA has a wealth of content they could draw from that would fill out multiple games if they wanted to. With noTotal Warsetting, at the time of writing, coming close to the technological advances of 40k, CA would have their work cut out integrating those aspects into the franchise’s standard mechanics.
1Middle-earth
Modders Have Been Doing This For Years
Fans have been wanting aTotal Wargame set inThe Lord of the Ringsuniverse since the series' inception. The proof is in the multiple conversion mods that have been developed by the community over the years, likeMedieval 2: Total War’sThird Agemod, which transforms the game’s map into a recreation of Middle-earth. WithThe Lord of the Ringsfranchise being so rich in lore and conflict, such as the era-ending War of the Ring or War of the Last Alliance, it’s no wonder fans have been clamoring to begin their own epic conquests across the lands of Middle-earth.
Like any otherTotal Wargame, CA would have the ability to craft multiple playable factions to deck out aThe Lord of the Ringsadaptation. Drawing from the armies of men and elves or the dark forces of Sauron, all headed by the legendary characters of the universe, the game would feel right at home for fans ofTotal War’s other fantasy outings.
