Has anyone out in the BR community played the game "Mount &
Blade"? I mention it for a few reasons.

First, it`s a medieval combat simulator that, as the title intimates,
uses mounted combat. As a simulation it illustrates nicely the
power, utility and even the vulnerabilities of cavalry on the
battlefield before gunpowder, and as such it becomes one of those
rare computer games from which we "learn" a few things. Of course,
we all know that cavalry is tough in combat, but a good simulation
can show us how that actually works in a way that we could only
approach through real life recreation--and it`s hard to find barding
for a heavy warhorse nowadays.

Second, there is a political level of play. Oh, it`s not much, but
you can sign on with king and serve him as a vassal. They make a
point of players not being able to BECOME king--which kind of
bugs--and the interaction system is very simple, but it is surprisingly apt.

Third, there is a pretty big mod community out there for the game,
and apparently the mods are BIG. It`s not so much like other games
in which the mod community does things like make a new shade of green
for someone`s cloak. These guys make whole new worlds. I find the
idea of "Mount & Blade: Birthright" very tantalizing....

Gary