The Swedish Empire

Greetings folks,

I've just begun my journey of modding in Civ V and haven't even dared to venture into InGame.xml and LUA. However, I did set off to at least create a Civilization I knew I could play with pride. And to that effect, here we are.

There's much left to be done, and if anyone has suggestions, don't hesitate to comment. Still thought maybe some of you would be happy to give it a spin!

Sweden - Swedish Empire
Leader:
Karl XII

Trait:
Neutrality for Innovation - "Sweden gains a 20% bonus to city-state diplomacy, and in focusing efforts elsewhere, a 15% increase to Great Scientist generation."

Unique Unit:
Carolean (offensive variation of Musketman)

Unique Building:
IKEA (+1 Gold/Citizen, Maintenance 4, Industrial Era)

Screens:



To Do:
* Remove Stockholm from city-states (example mod doing this doesn't work for me when merging)


Hope it works!

Nice! I'll try this out as soon as possible.

Karl XII was a weird but surprisingly refreshing choice. I would have gone with Gustav III, which also is a weird choice.

It would be better if instead of UB ikea take II UU Hakkapeliitta (lancer)?

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ) IKEA lol

Thanks! Can't wait to see bug reports starting to come in.

About Karl XII, I simply picked him since he's perhaps one of the most popularly iconic kings in that we've had in Sweden, bar perhaps Gustav Vasa. I can see arguments for any king though, but I'm happy that you're not all against him.

@HorribleHarald - Nice suggestion! However, even though the Hakkapeliitta were used by a Swedish king, I don't see them as iconic for Sweden (not to mention the Finnish name). I can however see how they were a vital ingredient in the wars they fought.

Karl XII, Carlous Rex is a very strange choice as even thought he was a great "war king" he did ruin the swedish empire and caused it's collaps and the end of Sweden as a major power.
The logical choice would be Gustaf II Adolf.

If you want it to be Karl XII it should be two UU's Karoliner(Caroleans) and Dragoner as these where the backbone of his army.

For Gustaf II Adolf the uniqe building should be "Trading Port" an advanced market that also would give culture. As throught history the swedish trading posts have had a major role, like Nyem that became St. Peterburg and the swedish trading colony Rus that evolved into Russia.

His traits should probly be something that symbolises how he "liberated" large parts of Europe from the chatholic grip by defeting the vatican forces all over Europe.

But for a country like Sweden the culture is so rich and so meny different eras and kings to choose from, so it's hard to pick one. It would be nice to see a feature like in CivIV where there where different leaders to choose from for the same empire.

Lilltiger said:

Karl XII, Carlous Rex is a very strange choice as even thought he was a great "war king" he did ruin the swedish empire and caused it's collaps and the end of Sweden as a major power.
The logical choice would be Gustaf II Adolf.

If you want it to be Karl XII it should be two UU's Karoliner(Caroleans) and Dragoner as these where the backbone of his army.

For Gustaf II Adolf the uniqe building should be "Trading Port" an advanced market that also would give culture. As throught history the swedish trading posts have had a major role, like Nyem that became St. Peterburg and the swedish trading colony Rus that evolved into Russia.

His traits should probly be something that symbolises how he "liberated" large parts of Europe from the chatholic grip by defeting the vatican forces all over Europe.

But for a country like Sweden the culture is so rich and so meny different eras and kings to choose from, so it's hard to pick one. It would be nice to see a feature like in CivIV where there where different leaders to choose from for the same empire.

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Each to his own, buddy. You have some good points there and I don't necessarily disagree. I didn't put much thought into the current traits/units, so maybe I'll go ahead and change it around for the next version.

And I definitely agree with the fact that the culture is so rich it's hard to choose. The end result in my v1 became a mix between the military conquests, the war neutrality adopted in the 1800's along with the most iconic thing I could think of - IKEA. A bit messy perhaps.

Well IKEA just dosent fit Karl XII, while for a more peacefull swedish king IKEA would be a good choice. But for Karl XII it should be all war

Lilltiger said:

Karl XII, Carlous Rex is a very strange choice as even thought he was a great "war king" he did ruin the swedish empire and caused it's collaps and the end of Sweden as a major power.

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Actualy he did no sutch thing, he inherited the problem of having some iritated neighbors from his father witch had conquered mutch territory from his neighbors and thus being at war with neighbors from pretty mutch every direction.

karl was forced to protect the land in all directions and thus the money problems appeared. He were offten at the frontline(most of his life as a king) and he had no time to be. Obviusly he culd have just lett it to the generals in the army but I doubt we wold of seen the same results in battles then, mutch moral where given to his troops becous he was pressent and lived just like a comon soldier. There where even rumors that he was imortal(untill he died by a bullet to his head obviusly ).

So tu summon it upp there whas nothing he culd do to save the economic situation exept mabe give upp land, but doing so wold make him loos even more money as there where alot of money comming in from naval trade.

Karl XII was a nutter. He left the Swedish central provinces unprotected while he and his glorious army went on one adventure after the other. There is no question about it that if Sweden would have had a more effective government during 1700-21, much of the disaster that led to the downfall of the Great Power could have been avoided. Instead we see Karl XII going on one military adventure after the other in far-away lands, marching at the head of his soldiers and personally leading attacks with sword in hand in a suicidal manner like a true nutcase.

In the meantime, and while Karl was away in the Ucraine and Turkey, Russian troops swarmed over the Swedish eastern borders and occupied the Baltic provinces and Finland after stiff resistance on both fronts. Had Karl been at home at that time, with the bulk of his elite army, these provinces could have been protected and the Russians fended off and perhaps even be forced to peace. But he sat there, in Turkey, with his army destroyed, causing the downfall by his inactivity and absence. It is questionable if he even was a great general.

Sweden was a poor country with a small and insignificant population and it couldn't survive for long as a Great Power. Not with rulers like Karl XII who made that fall of the Great Power so much worse; it could have been gradual and the effects on the Kingdom minimized, but with this so-called Warrior King in charge, it was turned into the bleedin' Apocalypse. Nonetheless, he is a really interesting person and does deserve some love too.

Le Sage said:

Karl XII was a nutter. He left the Swedish central provinces unprotected while he and his glorious army went on one adventure after the other. There is no question about it that if Sweden would have had a more effective government during 1700-21, much of the disaster that led to the downfall of the Great Power could have been avoided. Instead we see Karl XII going on one military adventure after the other in far-away lands, marching at the head of his soldiers and personally leading attacks with sword in hand in a suicidal manner like a true nutcase.

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Whell you said it your sellf, "a low populated country" so he had to go away with his troops in far away lands(over the baltic). Most battles fught during the time of karl where fught with less than half the number of soldiers against the enemies, (examples= 7000 Swedish against 30000 Russian or 22000 Swedish against 50000 Russian etc.) So it wold be hard to keep troops over the whole empire(as they where the second bigest to the surface after russia, in europe).

Le Sage said:

In the meantime, and while Karl was away in the Ucraine and Turkey, Russian troops swarmed over the Swedish eastern borders and occupied the Baltic provinces and Finland after stiff resistance on both fronts. Had Karl been at home at that time, with the bulk of his elite army, these provinces could have been protected and the Russians fended off and perhaps even be forced to peace. But he sat there, in Turkey, with his army destroyed, causing the downfall by his inactivity and absence. It is questionable if he even was a great general.

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Whell the begining of his downfall was at the battle of Poltava, and thing was he dident even comand that battle that resulted in deafeat, thing was he had gotten shoot in the foot by a bullet so he culd not parttake in the battle. So he had to give the command to one of his generals "Carl Gustaf Rehnskiöld", Sweden had 8000 Infantery and 7800 Cavalry units while russia had 30000 infantery and 10000 cavalry.
This commander was a verry competent comander and had lotts of experience but he made some misstakes and he did also have a bitt of unluck with a swamp that the cavalry troops got coght up in.

Anyways after loosing this battle the swedish troops whent on a retret down to Turkey(ottomans) to try and gett som hellp with some troops from there Ottoman allies but without ressult. So while he was doing that the russian troops that was folowing the swedish troops had cught up and the where preparing for a battle but for some reson Carl Gustaf Rehnskiöld gave up without 1 bullet whent of witch is realy strange becous the swedish troops still got enuf equipement to fight and the cavalry where almost fresh as they dident partake in the Poltava battle due to the swamp they got stuck in.

So there Karl where stranded in Turkey without no way to gett home to sweden.

Eventualy he got home but not until after a cupple of years. And later he died by a bullet in a trench in norway.

He never declared war against anyone but he did have peapel declare war on him. So it was hardly his fault.

Erik_3E said:

Eventualy he got home but not until after a cupple of years. And later he died by a bullet in a trench in norway.

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Yep! And again, he demonstrated his overconfidence and foolhardyness in the attack on Fredriksten - IIRC, he was adviced not to attack that fortress in the manner he did. But he did, and died. Yay for Norway!

Lubricus said:

Yep! And again, he demonstrated his overconfidence and foolhardyness in the attack on Fredriksten - IIRC, he was adviced not to attack that fortress in the manner he did. But he did, and died. Yay for Norway!

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Whell they dont know who killed him. He got hit with a button from a coat, and there is many stories of who killed him. Culd have ben a Danish/norwegian shooter culd have ben an assasin or it culd have ben one of his own troops who got sick of the wars.

But as he got hit by a button it is likely to have ben an assasin, thing is peapel did think that ordinary led bullets dident bite on him so that culd be a reson why he got shoot by a button.

My thought is that it was suicide. The whole day of his death he wandered around with a portrait of King Gustav Adolf in his pocket. I bet Karl XII wanted to die a heroe's death on the battlefield like his great idol Gustav adolf and that this was his idea of fun really. I bet he hired a sniper to do it and I bet he had already made an agreement with that sniper that Karl would stick his head out from the battlement at exactly the correct time for the sniper to pick his Royal Head off.

His death is really fascniating. There are so many theories.

Realy, I never heard that theory. You have a link so one can read up on that theory?


Oh and yea a tipp for the mod maker, instead of using the musketman as the carolin I wold sugest using the minuteman(special unit for the american empire that replaces the musketman). I think it represents the caroliner unit in a better way(atleast for the eye).

The suicide theory is my own. It surprises me that no "historian" has ever put it forward, seeing how suicidal Karl XII indeed was during his whole lifetime; wrestling bears in his youth and leading the storming of Holowzcin personally in later life. As always, today's historians are more interested in the nasty details such as sexuality and filth than the real psychological details of a character.

I mean - it seems the so-called historians always want to attribute some kind of weird sexual, perverted desires to historical characters - like Karl XII - to describe their psychology and personality. This strategy fetches readers, you see and sell a lot of books rather than the easier conclusions that maybe Karl XII was like he was because he just wanted to imitate a great idol and live up to his father's expectations. Real psychological things like that, rather than digging in and publishing sexual filth. Oh well - it's a mark of our filthy times, I guess.

His father where pretty mutch out in war during most of the time of Karls childhood and he was longing for his father and probably looked upp to him(like any child wold to there parents). We know that during his childhood he did play with toy soldiers alot so one culd pretty mutch expect him to become like his father.

I can relate to him alot becous I am pretty mutch the same, I played with toy soldiers when I was a kid and played war games with friends. Nowadays I am 21 and I am trying to gett into the Swedish millitary so I can relate to how he fealt.

So I think he wasent just a crazzy guy he is/was just as any other man. Thing is just that most peapel now adays dosent realise that death can come any time you dont have to be on the frontlines. You culd gett trampled by a horse or something like that(I think Ive read or heard about a king who actualy did, cant remember for sure tho).

Have you been to the Armémuseum in Stockholm? Me and "gumman" were there last year and it was seriously interesting. They have the whole military history of Sweden covered all the way from the Vikings to today.

The displays of the modern Swedish Armed Forces fascinated my gumma, since she also served in the Royal Swedish Airforce and did tours to Bosnia and Kosovo as well. I therefore, as the representative I am of your Eastern neighbour and 600-year ally Finland, wish you the very best of luck in the Swedish Military, and hope you will be able to serve your country well.

We were going to do The British Imperial Warmuseum in London this year, but that didn't happen, and we will have to go there next year. I hear they have Spitfires and Sopwith Camels hanging from the roof there!

Na unfortunaly I have never ben there but always whanted to, hopefully I can go there some time in the future

Thank you, hopefully I will. Hopefully without even having to fire a singel bullet.

That sounds sweet, never ben in england myself but I am facinated by english warfare during 1800 century so it will be a good place to go if I ever go there.

EDIT: woops it seems we have come quite a long way off topic
Sorry about that

I tried to play your mod but I couldn't get my units to attack anyone.
(Sorry, I couldn't resist. Looks great, I'm gonna go download it now.)