I have not got Warlords yet, but I am already disappointed of the portrayal of the "Viking civilization". The greatest mistakes are:
* The Vikings have never been a civilization, nation, state or tribe. "Viking" was a profession or a lifestyle. Most people living in northern Europe during the Viking ages were farmers who never travelled far or fought battles, and might never have met a viking.
* The Scandinavian peoples did not cease to exist after the 11th century. They have continued to have a decisive impact on military, economic, scientific and cultural history until present day. (Norway was the first country to reach the South Pole, Sweden has discovered 20 elements, and Denmark has made the Muslim world go crazy about Mohammad cartoons.)
* Ragnar Lodbrok is the only leader featured in Civ 4 with a doubtful existence. There are many well-documented and famous leaders from the Viking Age or later - so why take a semi-legendary one?
* Horned helmets are a myth. Several helmets from the Viking age have been preserved, none with horns.
Some of the problems can be overlooked:
* Are the Norse a homogenous nation? Today, the Norwegians, Danes, Swedes and Icelanders are divided into four sovereign countries. However, this has only been the case for 101 years. During the late Middle ages, these countries formed the Kalmar Union, and from 1523 to 1905 there were only two sovereign Nordic countries (Denmark and Sweden). From a historical perspective, Scandinavia is good enough. Finland (part of the Nordic countries, but not of Scandinavia) is too culturally different to fit in, and deserves its own civilization.
* The units speak modern Norwegian, presumably a Trondheim dialect of "bokmål". Other languages and dialects (especially Icelandic) might be closer to Old Norse, but of all contemporary Nordic dialects, this might be the easiest to understand by other Scandinavians.
So, what should be done?
* Rename the Viking civilization to the "Norse". This civilization would represent all native speakers of Nordic languages during all ages.
* Change the leaderhead to a real historical person. My suggestion is Margaret (Drottning Margareta) - who ruled Sweden, Denmark and Norway and founded the Kalmar Union. Graphics can be obtained by bleaching Isabella's hair. Additional leaders could be Gustavus Adolphus (Gustav II Adolf) - who won the 30 year war, and Tage Erlander - the longest-serving democratic head of government ever.
* Consider changing the unique building. "Trading posts" are no specialty of real-world Scandinavia, and from a gameplay perspective they are only useful on maps with lots of water. A "Thing" (Norse for "council", representing the millennial Scandinavian tradition of local democracy) as a culture-producing Courthouse would be much more suitable.
* Consider changing the flag to the flag of the Kalmar Union - yellow with a red cross. All Nordic countries have cross flags, and this design should be the most neutral.
* The Vikings have never been a civilization, nation, state or tribe. "Viking" was a profession or a lifestyle. Most people living in northern Europe during the Viking ages were farmers who never travelled far or fought battles, and might never have met a viking.
* The Scandinavian peoples did not cease to exist after the 11th century. They have continued to have a decisive impact on military, economic, scientific and cultural history until present day. (Norway was the first country to reach the South Pole, Sweden has discovered 20 elements, and Denmark has made the Muslim world go crazy about Mohammad cartoons.)
* Ragnar Lodbrok is the only leader featured in Civ 4 with a doubtful existence. There are many well-documented and famous leaders from the Viking Age or later - so why take a semi-legendary one?
* Horned helmets are a myth. Several helmets from the Viking age have been preserved, none with horns.
Some of the problems can be overlooked:
* Are the Norse a homogenous nation? Today, the Norwegians, Danes, Swedes and Icelanders are divided into four sovereign countries. However, this has only been the case for 101 years. During the late Middle ages, these countries formed the Kalmar Union, and from 1523 to 1905 there were only two sovereign Nordic countries (Denmark and Sweden). From a historical perspective, Scandinavia is good enough. Finland (part of the Nordic countries, but not of Scandinavia) is too culturally different to fit in, and deserves its own civilization.
* The units speak modern Norwegian, presumably a Trondheim dialect of "bokmål". Other languages and dialects (especially Icelandic) might be closer to Old Norse, but of all contemporary Nordic dialects, this might be the easiest to understand by other Scandinavians.
So, what should be done?
* Rename the Viking civilization to the "Norse". This civilization would represent all native speakers of Nordic languages during all ages.
* Change the leaderhead to a real historical person. My suggestion is Margaret (Drottning Margareta) - who ruled Sweden, Denmark and Norway and founded the Kalmar Union. Graphics can be obtained by bleaching Isabella's hair. Additional leaders could be Gustavus Adolphus (Gustav II Adolf) - who won the 30 year war, and Tage Erlander - the longest-serving democratic head of government ever.
* Consider changing the unique building. "Trading posts" are no specialty of real-world Scandinavia, and from a gameplay perspective they are only useful on maps with lots of water. A "Thing" (Norse for "council", representing the millennial Scandinavian tradition of local democracy) as a culture-producing Courthouse would be much more suitable.
* Consider changing the flag to the flag of the Kalmar Union - yellow with a red cross. All Nordic countries have cross flags, and this design should be the most neutral.
