Mount & Blade: With Fire and Sword Expansion Coming to PC Later this Year

The Mount & Blade franchise is continuing its expansion with a new installment announced during a Paradox Interactive press event in late January.

The Mount & Blade: With Fire and Sword expansion is set to arrive in Q2 2011 and with it bring "fully customizable troops, new siege options, and an exciting new age of weaponry."The expansion will take place in the 17th century, bringing firearms into the equation for the first time in the franchise's history. Also at the player's disposal are explosives used to decimate adversaries or breach strongholds.

According to the announcement press release, the new game won't only add an enhanced single-player mode but also includes "a host of original multiplayer content including the new Captain Mode which allows players to control their own forces in online matches."

The game's official Facebook group has released a bevy of new screens, introducing five factions: the well equipped Kingdom of Sweden, the quick witted Cossack Hetmanate, the mighty Tsardom of Moscow, the oldschool Crimean Khanate of the Ottoman Empire, and the diverse Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.