Civilization V: The Swedish Saga, part 1 (4000 B.C. to 430 A.D.)

Come sail away!

1275 B.C.: The last great Westling warchief is captured and killed. Helsinki is founded on the border of the now relatively serene Westerlands. It soon becomes the third most important city in Sweden, attracting many Westling commoners to join under Swedish rule as the tribes of the Snowrun Peaks and the Stormlanders did in ages past. The Westling culture continues to thrive under their new leadership, and over time, they become a very vibrant and prominent demographic of Swedish society.

Meanwhile, back in the East, starvation in Stockholm leads to growing unrest.

My city has grown too fast, and now I can't feed all of my citizens. If I don't resolve the problem quickly, people will start to die and I'll lose happiness.

1175 B.C.: The Swedes master the art of sailing, taking to the waves along the northern coast and the Bay of Storms.

I head immediately for Mathematics, which will allow me to build the Hanging Gardens wonder and solve my starvation problem in one stroke.

1150 B.C.: The Hanging Gardens are built by some non-Swedish jerk, completely inconsiderate of their plans.

Once a world wonder has been built, it can't be built again. So in the space of a turn, my long-term strategy was dashed. I set math aside and set my tech path to Iron Working instead to get better land units.

1100 B.C.: The Swedes begin equipping their troops with composite bows, putting their archers a step ahead of any other known military on the continent.

The same year, the food shortages in Stockholm are resolved, and work begins on a Colosseum.

I can feed all of my people now, but in civ, having a large population also increases unhappiness. Throwing up some venues for gladiatorial combat should remedy that in a hurry.

Contributor

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.

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