Crown of the North

[Grumbold]

Anyone played it? I'm not going to pay for a US import without any good recommendations.

[Nikolai]

Try the official forum over at Paradox. There they have al ist of reviews and experiences.

[Mahdimael]

It's a scaled down, simplistic version of their other games. Not my cup of tea, but it seems like it has a little replayability

[Grumbold]

Oh I'm checking Paradox, but I know most people here have level heads on their shoulders. Not so sure about there

[Nikolai]

Do you have EU2? CoTN is a package consisting of EU2 1.07 +various mods and Svea Rike 3 in an English version. SR3 is a game that came out around the time of EU1. It's about the history of Sweden, and I think also Scandinavia as a whole. Don't quote me on that though. If you want that kind of game, or you don't have EU2(but you do, IIRC) this can be something for you.

[Mahdimael]

In the game, you choose one of about 5 or 6 contenders for the scandanavian crown (the game takes place before EU, around 1300-something). There are some rulers in denmark, some in norway, and some in sweden. You must expand your empire by force or by building alliances with the various provinces/countries around you. Each province has 6 or so buildings that can be built and upgraded (upgrading gives bonuses to production times and such). There are about 6 troop types as well that can be built based on which buildings you have. You must also balance the different factions in your nation (peasants, nobles, merchants and clergy) so that none are angered. You can take different actions which affect their loyalty as well as random (and scripted) events that do the same thing

I found the game to be very easy. I always seemed to have tons of money, so it was easy to just influence countries over and over until I had an alliance with them. The real challenge is just remembering to keep building in all of your provinces. It's a fun diversion, but it didn't hold my interest beyond one game.

[Grumbold]

Thanks. I wouldn't have paid for an import on this, and I understand CotN is just going to be the translated SR3 in Europe. Looks like not worth picking up.

[DrSpike]

What's Crown of the North?

[Mahdimael]

It a game in the vein of EU, set in Scandanavia in the 1300s. You play the role of one of a set number of lords vying for control. You win by eliminating your opponents or having the most victory points by the end of the game. Think of a much simpler EU

[DrSpike]

Thanks. I've not seen any reviews.

[Nikolai]

Maybe because it's not one game, but two; EU2 and Svea Rike 3(as said earlier, released in Swedish only right after EU1). I'd guess it's not that interesting to make a review of.

[Sarxis]

Originally posted by Mahdimael
It's a scaled down, simplistic version of their other games. Not my cup of tea, but it seems like it has a little replayability

How can it be anymore scaled down from EU2?

[Grumbold]

EU2 = entire world, SR3 = Scandinavia

Decided not to order CotN. Saw that Crusader Kings was being advertised for a september release. Got excited again!

Went to the website and discovered that those dates are strictly fantasy.

[Mahdimael]

There are no real economic concerns- no inflation or anything, no technology. You make money based on the level of development of your farms and trading halls/posts/whatever. The diplomatic interaction is limited, there's no religious concerns. The only real variable is the support level of the various factions (nobles, etc).

[Nikolai]

Originally posted by Grumbold
Saw that Crusader Kings was being advertised for a september release. Got excited again!

Went to the website and discovered that those dates are strictly fantasy.

The game is said to be released "Hopefully before christmas". But the other game in development, Viktoria, will be released this autumn.