Civilization V: The Swedish Saga, part 2 (430 A.D. to 1702 A.D.)

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War brews in the Age of Discovery

1260 A.D.: A professor at the University of Sigtuna invents the compass. Swedish ships use the new device to travel the seas in ways never before possible. A Swedish Golden Age begins.

My economy was already booming. Now, the money coming in is INSANE. I start buying buildings that will increase my production capabilities in every city, and head straight for Astronomy, which will let me cross ocean tiles. In terms of the historical Norsemen, I'm already about 250 years behind in discovering the New World.

1290 A.D.: Greece seeks allies to put down the warmongering German zealots, whose crusaders continue to harass Austria. Sweden agrees, provided they are given time to prepare.

Amazingly, I made it 5300 years without ever being at war with a major power. Granted, calling Germany a "major power" at this point is fairly generous. They've made some impressive comebacks over the centuries, but against the superpower that is Greece, they have just shy of a prayer. Especially with how many troops they've lost trying to take Vienna.

1300 A.D.: The unofficial start of the Late Middle Ages and the Swedish Age of Discovery. Aided by compasses, Swedish longships will encounter the island city-states of Ragusa, Rio De Janeiro, Venice, Florence, Jerusalem, and Monaco before their Golden Age ends in 1325.

By this time, Awesomeness has also become the majority religion all across Sweden, and even among some of the Southern Stormlander lords living under Danish rule.

Summer, 1345 A.D.: The Continental Alliance of Sweden, Denmark, Greece, and Austria declare war on Germany. Only the Celts remain, as ever, neutral.

Shortly thereafter, students at the University of Sigtuna develop telescopes and pioneer Astronomy, launching Sweden into the Renaissance.

Len Hafer
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Len Hafer is a freelancer and lifelong PC gamer with a specialty in strategy, RPGs, horror, and survival games. A chance encounter with Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness changed her life forever. Today, her favorites include the grand strategy games from Paradox Interactive like Crusader Kings and Europa Universalis, and thought-provoking, story-rich RPGs like Persona 5 and Disco Elysium. She also loves history, hiking in the mountains of Colorado, and heavy metal music.