How would you design Russia?

[Lonecat Nekophrodite]

.
3. Cossacks used the lance from the Early Modern through the Industrial Eras, but what makes them unique with it is that they were practically the only European cavalry using the lance in the 18th century until the Polish State was re-established during the Napoleonic Wars. That makes them a really Unique early Industrial Era lancer.

Also under Aleksandr I. There also more 'generic' Light and Medium cavalry too (including carabinier types, which pater had to lend carbines to infantry units by 1813 and themselves reverted to sabers). So for you when should Cossacks appear and should this unit replaces Cavalry?

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

Also under Aleksandr I. There also more 'generic' Light and Medium cavalry too (including carabinier types, which pater had to lend carbines to infantry units by 1813 and themselves reverted to sabers). So for you when should Cossacks appear and should this unit replaces Cavalry?

Cossacks were always In Addition To regular Russian cavalry: from the mid-18th century on Russia had dragoons, hussars, cuirassiers in regular units and Cossack 'Hosts' as auxiliaries. During the Napoleonic Wars the regular Russian Cavalry was in Divisions of 2 brigades of dragoons and one brigade of 'light' - hussars or uhlans, Cuirassiers in their own Divisions (along with the Carabiniers, which were copied from the French). Cossacks were entirely separate organizations, with primarily scouting, raiding, pursuit duties. That would be the way I would put them in Civ VII, as an 'additional' mounted force available to the Russian Civ from the Early Modern Era until the beginning of the Modern Era - by WWI they had been integrated into the regular army forces, and in WWII 'Cossack' was largely an honorific title in the Soviet Army, given to the 4th and 5th Guards Cavalry Corps and several separate cavalry divisions.

 

[mitsho]

Don't? But if you must, it's a separate civ from Russia; breaking cultural continuity is central to the Communist ideology, a process visible in both Soviet Russia and the PRC. Honestly, though, I'd consider it a waste of a civ slot. It lasted less than a century, and it was a miserable less than a century for everyone involved.

To be honest, I'd rather have the Soviets then over the Russians. They're much cooler. I know, coolness factor is a strange and very subjective indicator, but we are talking about a game after all.

I do see your point of splitting the two though. They are quite different. Then again, I want dynamic civs that evolve over time in Civ7 and this could be a prime example to show what could be done. The Soviet Union (for Russia or for All Civs) could be some sort of a Hail Mary pass in the late game - are you willing to sacrifice a whole lot for a chance at victory?

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

To be honest, I'd rather have the Soviets then over the Russians. They're much cooler. I know, coolness factor is a strange and very subjective indicator, but we are talking about a game after all.

I don't know I'm pretty sure winters were about the same temperature whether it was Russia or the Soviet Union.

There's definitely a reason why leaders such as Stalin or Mao haven't returned since Civ 4 and honestly I think a separate Soviet Union civ would be difficult to pull of.

The way that civs are designed in this game I'd consider Soviet Union to basically be part of Russia anyway considering the capital was Moscow, official language was Russian etc. I mean if England can equal the British Empire that's how I see it at least.

That being said I wouldn't want Soviet era Russia dominating the design of the civ. I think at least the best compromise to show their power is maybe a Soviet Era UU, which would mean getting rid of Cossacks for a change.

 

[Zaarin]

To be honest, I'd rather have the Soviets then over the Russians. They're much cooler.

The Soviets certainly marketed themselves well (ironically). For me personally, I can't separate the "coolness" factor, which I grant is there, from the real life atrocities of the Soviet Union. I prefer to choose villains whose victims aren't still alive: Genghis Khan, Wu Zetian, Shaka Zulu, etc.

Then again, I want dynamic civs that evolve over time in Civ7 and this could be a prime example to show what could be done.

I remember all too well what happened with dynamic leaders in Civ3 and am very hesitant to see Firaxis try anything similar again.

The way that civs are designed in this game I'd consider Soviet Union to basically be part of Russia anyway considering the capital was Moscow, official language was Russian etc. I mean if England can equal the British Empire that's how I see it at least.

Two points: First, Britain didn't culturally break with England, only expand; the Soviet Union consciously broke with Russian history (albeit with very little success in the countryside but much more among urban populations and intellectuals). Second, I want a more English England, too.

 

[mitsho]

The Soviets certainly marketed themselves well (ironically). For me personally, I can't separate the "coolness" factor, which I grant is there, from the real life atrocities of the Soviet Union. I prefer to choose villains whose victims aren't still alive: Genghis Khan, Wu Zetian, Shaka Zulu, etc.

That's a good point, which however else is true for all of modern history and civs. You can't really have any 20th century uniques then. And I very much would like more modern aspects in Civ7. It's a big topic for them to answer in their design process early on.

I just heard an observation on a podcast, that the momentary boom of Fantasy in Television may be linked to the fact that it frees you up from such discussions. When you create a TV show in a historical setting, you always have to make sure to get it right, but if you just transpose it to Bad Orks, you're fine. I think that's sad, but I do kinda see this trend, no?

I remember all too well what happened with dynamic leaders in Civ3 and am very hesitant to see Firaxis try anything similar again.

Yeah, god no, please no. (But what I meant is Civs where Leaders come and go, not Jean of Arc as a Punk).

 

[Alexander's Hetaroi]

Two points: First, Britain didn't culturally break with England, only expand; the Soviet Union consciously broke with Russian history (albeit with very little success in the countryside but much more among urban populations and intellectuals). Second, I want a more English England, too.

Sure but still that didn't stop them from having Soviet leaders for Russia in the past. At least due to past game designs Firaxis has at least treated it that way. All I'm saying is if we can get a HRE German civ with a modern UU, I don't see the problem with having Tsarist Russia with at least a Soviet Russia UU.

Hey at least I'm not arguing they should be a separate civ, or replace a proper Russia civ altogether.

That's a good point, which however else is true for all of modern history and civs. You can't really have any 20th century uniques then. And I very much would like more modern aspects in Civ7. It's a big topic for them to answer in their design process early on.

That's what America, Australia and Canada are for.

 

[Zaarin]

That's a good point, which however else is true for all of modern history and civs.

I agree.

You can't really have any 20th century uniques then.

I'm not going to lie: this would please me greatly. It's a matter of personal taste, but I have no interest in modern history. For me, history grows less and less interesting starting in the 18th century; by the 19th century, it's mostly a grim catalogue of atrocities, insidious philosophies, and astonishingly bloody wars.

I just heard an observation on a podcast, that the momentary boom of Fantasy in Television may be linked to the fact that it frees you up from such discussions. When you create a TV show in a historical setting, you always have to make sure to get it right, but if you just transpose it to Bad Orks, you're fine. I think that's sad, but I do kinda see this trend, no?

I resent anything that continues to relegate speculative fiction--fantasy or sci-fi--to escapism. Ursula K. Le Guin said in her introduction to The Left Hand of Darkness that all good sci-fi is about the present. I think good fantasy is about the past.

Yeah, god no, please no. (But what I meant is Civs where Leaders come and go, not Jean of Arc as a Punk).

To me I see leaders as the face of their civilization and don't like the idea of them changing.

Sure but still that didn't stop them from having Soviet leaders for Russia in the past. At least due to past game designs Firaxis has at least treated it that way. All I'm saying is if we can get a HRE German civ with a modern UU, I don't see the problem with having Tsarist Russia with at least a Soviet Russia UU.

I don't have a problem with a Soviet era UU because I rarely pay any attention to what a civ's UU is anyway. I just don't really want a Soviet civ or, heaven forbid, a Soviet leader.

That's what America, Australia and Canada are for.

So help me if we got stuck with Australia as a civ again...

 

[Lord Lakely]

I've got a Russian Design. But it's not *the Russia* design.

Olga leads Kievan Rus' in Sid Meier's Civilization VII

She was Queen Regent of the state of Kievan Rus', a progenitor state of Russian in the 10 Century A.D. After the death of her husband, Olga proved herself an effective administrator and reformer, laying the foundations for the later empire of Russia. She is also remembered for her extreme defense of the faith and vindictive nature, both of which led to her being declared a Saint in the Orthodox Faith after her death.

The Kievan Rus unique ability is Ruskaya Pravda. They start the game with the ability to create Traders, and their Traders earn +1 Gold for each River on the route. Building a Camp doesn't consume builder charges, and Camps provide +1 Food, +1 Production and +1 Gold. Recon units have +1 Sight and upgrade for 1 Gold.

The Kievan Rus also have access to the Pogost unique District. This District becomes available at Mysticism and replaces both the Holy Site and Commercial Hub, and has a major adjacency bonus (in both Gold and Faith) from Mountains, Rivers and Camps. It also grants +1 Trade Capacity upon completion (Markets don't give +1 Trade Route in this case). Kievan Rus' players have the choice between filling it with any combination of Economic and Religious buildings, although it can only host one building of each tier. Since it replaces two districts, the Pogost gives both Great Merchant and Great Prophet points

Olga was a vindictive queen. Her ability, Drevlian Purge, gives her army a combat boost against Civs without a religion or Barbarians (+6 STR) and gives her Faith from kills (double the unit's combat strength, ONLY if the target is Barbarian or belongs to a Civ without a majority religion). Grievances with Olga decay at half the normal rate if you have differing religions. She can also build Druzhina in her cities.

The Kievan Rus have two unique units to strengthen their grip. The Rogatina, which replaces the Skirmisher and is available at Apprenticeship, has no melee penalty (33/33 Strength, 3 Speed) and has two Builder charges. Olga also has access to the Druzhina: a Courser replacement that does not have a maintenance cost and can protect Traders and Civilians within a two tile radius from capture. (50 Strength, 4 Speed)

As the Kievan Rus', you'll want to hunt down Barbarians early, farming them for Faith and an early Pantheon, ideally Goddess of the Hunt. You'll start in the Tundra, so be sure to grab Animal Husbandry quickly and a Builder to get extra yields from Camps. Once the Pogosts are set up, build traders and rake in a bounty of wealth. Kievan Rus' is especially dangerous in the medieval Era, which is when both of their Unique units unlock. When facing the Olga of Kiev, it is best to convert to her religion to be spared her holy wroth. With a strong Economy in both Gold and Faith, Kievan Rus' have the flexibility to go for any victory type they prefer.

Will you rain fire and brimstone down on the unbelievers or will you reform yourself into an economic juggernaught? How will you play The Kievan Rus' in Civilization VII?

Sigil & Cities

Sigil
Since the Kievan are technically appropriated by the Ukrainians this is technically not a Russia design (tee-hee) and I've underlined this further with the Icon. I went for one of the typical Kievan Rus symbols and I believe the city of Kyiv still uses this one as their sigil? Dark Blue on Yellow, as per the Ukrainian flag. Alt Colours of Yellow on Turquoise.

City List

Capital: Kyiv
Other Cities: Novgorod, Halych, Pskov, Smolensk, Volodymir-Volynskyi, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv, Yaroslavl, Polotsk, Vitebsk, Minsk, Pereyaslavl, Tver, Murom, Toropets, Moskva, Chernobyl, Ryazan, Suzdal, Kursk, Lviv, Pinsk, Berestye, Ladoga, Kharkiv, Korosten, Terebovl, Torzhok, Kholm, Kachibel, Rostov, Luibech, Luhansk, Yekaterinoslav, Beloozero, Tmutarakan, Sebastopol, Bryansk, Kamianets-Podilskyi, Kostroma, Krasnodar, Mykolaiv, Kremenchuk, Kryvyi Rih, Ternopil, Kozelsk & Kznyatin.

Note the massive room left for a Russia proper Civ led by Catherine of Ivan the Terrible *hint*.

 

[Zaarin]

I've got a Russian Design. But it's not *the Russia* design.

Olga leads Kievan Rus' in Sid Meier's Civilization VII

Interesting. Several of us have suggested a Rus'-based Russian civ in this thread, but are you suggesting Rus'/Ruthenia/Kyiv as a civ separate from Russia? I'm definitely a fan of your design, though I'd prefer Alexandr Nevsky or Ivan III for leader personally. If we did get Russia proper as a separate civ, we could then have Catherine the Great (or Yelisaveta Petrovna might be more interesting TBH) leading them.

 

[Lord Lakely]

I am suggesting that Kievan Rus' could be separate from imperialist Russia, yes. In that case Kyiv would represent Ukraine, as opposed to Russia and there would still be the need for a Russia to be added later.

Also in that case, I would say Russia retain abilities similar to Civilization 6's, maybe with a Kremlin district (Encampment) that Culture-Bombs unclaimed tiles instead of the Lavra for variety, but their pther bonuses mostly unchanged. Replaced Peter with Catherine and have her abilty give a burst of culture or science each time she claims an n amount of tiles for her empire.

Now note that the CUA, UU and UB I gave Kyiv would all fit Russia proper as well, right? Change the Icon and you can easily pass it as Russia, with a Romanov Alt leader being added later. Ivan the Terrible can be a militaristic leader with a Streltsy UU, while Catherine the Great can add a Cossack UU combined with some culture or science bonus (ideally a stronger one than Peter's Grand Embassy).

The options are definitely there for those willing to think outside of the box.

 

[Lonecat Nekophrodite]

Let's not forget that neither Marx nor any of the other early Communists ever expected Russia to become a Communist State - they were aimed at Britain or Germany, because they assumed that the progression would be Feudal - Industrial - Communist - Utopia and Russia was about as far from being Industrial as any European nation of the late 19th century.
The fact is that there were strong Communist/Socialist movements and/or Revolutions after WWI in virtually every continental European state, and (briefly) a Bavarian Communist State as a result of revolution right after the war: in many ways, the Russian Soviet state was a fluke, brought on as much by the utter incompetence of the Russian Imperial State and the historical accident of having semi-professional Revolutionaries on hand in 1917 as by any Guaranteed Ideological Progress.

Vladimir Lenin and his goons took a refuge in Germany by the time of WW1. and one more thing... German Empire's "desperate measure". I guess that Kaiser Willem's advisors did warn against using 'enemy revolutionary leader' card as a side effect could be catastrophe particularly if revolutionary becomes successful (And it did), revolutionary wave would eventually turned against the Imperial Throne in Germany as well.
But against a new entry enemy--a very fresh and industrial giant United States of America, one enemy must be 'neutralized' but if outright conquest isn't gonna be possible in time. 'Coup d'Etat' of any form agains enemy govenrment is needed. and it turned out Lenin chose a 'perfect' hideout (i'm not sure if he has a hutch that German Empire and Russian Empire will wage wars against each other one day?), soon enough Billy chose to play this dangerous card and granted huge sums of gold and armaments, these golds were to 'buy' an entire Russian Imperial Armed Forces against the Imperial Household.

Marx did miss his mark considerably. While there were 'Communist revolutions' attempts in Germany (and earlier a small attempt in France), his hypothetic 'Communist revolutions' didn't happen in Britain nor in the United States of America. Despite both countries harbored a perfect factors that would lead to such revolutions, other incidents 'prevented' such chance completely.
- Universal Suffrage movements in Great Britain. the 'First' goal was that 'Right to vote should be available to everyone holding 'citizenships' of a state, and 'citizenship' should be redefined not to base on Income Tax payments criteria. Later with women brought into heavy industrial workforce as substitute to male citizens drafted to the front lines (IS this your reasons to introduce 'Amaterurs' and 'Professionals' unit classifications to reflect recruitment procedures and how 'Conscriptions' affect productivity as manpower workforce diminished overnight right??) also came 'women should earn the same voting rights as men). (Interesting enough this concept was (somehow) implemented in France in the Second Republic era). First response to such movements were that Enfranchisements will become available to anyone who got military service as well as tax payments criteria (and this induced military recruitment rate in GB significantly).
- Marshall's Antitrust Law. with John D. Rockefeller and his Standard Oil the first victim.
'Democratic' govenrment instutions did aware of Marxism's 'threat' and sougt out how to nullify revolutionary factors one by one. and they DID.

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

I am suggesting that Kievan Rus' could be separate from imperialist Russia, yes. In that case Kyiv would represent Ukraine, as opposed to Russia and there would still be the need for a Russia to be added later.

Also in that case, I would say Russia retain abilities similar to Civilization 6's, maybe with a Kremlin district (Encampment) that Culture-Bombs unclaimed tiles instead of the Lavra for variety, but their pther bonuses mostly unchanged. Replaced Peter with Catherine and have her abilty give a burst of culture or science each time she claims an n amount of tiles for her empire.

Now note that the CUA, UU and UB I gave Kyiv would all fit Russia proper as well, right? Change the Icon and you can easily pass it as Russia, with a Romanov Alt leader being added later. Ivan the Terrible can be a militaristic leader with a Streltsy UU, while Catherine the Great can add a Cossack UU combined with some culture or science bonus (ideally a stronger one than Peter's Grand Embassy).

The options are definitely there for those willing to think outside of the box.

Ekaterina II and Petr are obvious 'Cultural" Leaders, but note that Ekaterina I in her short reign built the Winter Palace and did almost as much for Russian cultural figures as Petr did, so another possibility there.

And Ivan the Tolerable (excuse, me, The Mighty) was not only militaristic, he also started the first Printing Plant in Moscow, personally wrote and published hundreds of tracts, built St Basil's Cathedral, and so could also be a Science or Religious Leader - with the Streltsi, his personal contribution to Russian Military, as a Militarist nod to his other attributes.

OR if you want "Off the Wall": since the Cossack Hetman Yermak and his followers started the Russian conquest/expansion into Siberia in 1580, during Ivan's reign, Ivan could have the Cossack as a UU, but it would be a mounted Unit (because, as they used to say, "take away his horse and he is no longer a Cossack") with the ability to build Forts (like the current Legion) AND a bonus combat factor against any non-Gunpowder infantry units. Making it a mounted, armed Settler would be OP, because the Cossacks didn't go into Siberia to settle the place, just to steal whatever wasn't nailed down and establish fortified posts to make the stealing easier.

Something to remember, Russia as a State always had a strong Religious Component, which the current Civ VI model shows very well. But also, ever since the Grand Duchy of Muscovy turned into Russia, it has also been a very aggressively Expanding State: as I used to teach, the Soviet Union had 14 neighbors, and every one of them had been at war with Russia at one time or the other: modern USSR/Russia's problems with its neighbors are an old, old story.
Cultural as an adjective for Russia, on the other hand, has usually been related to the specific wishes and attributes of a specific Ruler, and never a general trend.

So, when putting together a model for Russia or Grand Duchy of Muscovy & Russia the Civ attributes should be related to Religion and Expansion, but Ruler Uniques related to Culture or specific Militarist attributes or Units: Peter's Dragoons, Ivan IV's Streltsy, Aleksandr I's Yegerski, etc.

 

[Lonecat Nekophrodite]

And Ivan the Tolerable (excuse, me, The Mighty) was not only militaristic, he also started the first Printing Plant in Moscow, personally wrote and published hundreds of tracts, built St Basil's Cathedral, and so could also be a Science or Religious Leader - with the Streltsi, his personal contribution to Russian Military, as a Militarist nod to his other attributes.

Streltsy being 'Pike and Shot' replacements. ain't there any 'pikemen' within Streltsy formations too? or did they (as musketeers) use supporting beredich in melee as weapons even against charging cavs?

OR if you want "Off the Wall": since the Cossack Hetman Yermak and his followers started the Russian conquest/expansion into Siberia in 1580, during Ivan's reign, Ivan could have the Cossack as a UU, but it would be a mounted Unit (because, as they used to say, "take away his horse and he is no longer a Cossack") with the ability to build Forts (like the current Legion) AND a bonus combat factor against any non-Gunpowder infantry units. Making it a mounted, armed Settler would be OP, because the Cossacks didn't go into Siberia to settle the place, just to steal whatever wasn't nailed down and establish fortified posts to make the stealing easier.

Should there also be Ukrainian Civ playable separately?
Unique Infrastructure: Sich
UU: (Another 'Cossacks')

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

Streltsy being 'Pike and Shot' replacements. ain't there any 'pikemen' within Streltsy formations too? or did they (as musketeers) use supporting beredich in melee as weapons even against charging cavs?

There were 'soldaty' regiments formed as pike and shot (streltsi-type musketmen and pikemen) starting in the 1630s with foreign mercenary officers from western Europe. By the 1660s they formed almost 80% of the Russian infantry, but by 1681 the total was about 60,000 soldaty to 20,000 streltsy, and all of the soldaty are described as "without uniforms or training". When Peter the Great formed the first non-Guards regiments of his new "regular Russian Army" in 1699, he disbanded all the soldaty and only kept the streltsy as city-guards or militia: neither of the older types were kept for the field army.

So you could have 'regular' pike and shot for Russia for about 2/3 of a century, but realistically they wouldn't be very good and would cost more to maintain (apparently had to hire most of their officers from abroad)

Should there also be Ukrainian Civ playable separately?
Unique Infrastructure: Sich
UU: (Another 'Cossacks')

@Lord Lakely has already done a separate Ukrainian Civ for consideration.

"Ukrainian" Cossacks are not a good fit for a Ukrainian Civ, because the Zaporozhe and similar cossack groups in the Ukraine were separate politically and militarily and largely culturally from the inhabitants of Kiyev: frankly, until the 18th century Cossacks are as much an Anti-Russian, Anti-Ukrainian group as a whole than part of either Civ, and it's only the absorption of the cossack groups into Russian service after Peter's time (Mazeppa's cossack host was supporting Charley's Swedes for the first half of the Great Northern War) that makes them historically in any way accurate as a Russian UU.

 

[Murloc777]

We are used to seeing Russia in the game as a scientific/industrial/military/religious empire. Perhaps for a change, the developers could present Russia in a slightly different perspective. For example:

Leader: Vladimir Lenin
UA: World Revolution - Ability related to Diplomacy/Interaction with City-States/Espionage/Ideology (if this game mechanics reappears).
UU: Revolutionary (Replaces Great Writer. Or just a special type of great people).
UB (first variant): House of Soviets (administrative building).
UB (second variant): Communist International (Replaces any modern National Wonder (If the national wonders return). It has diplomatic bonuses).

 

[Zaarin]

We are used to seeing Russia in the game as a scientific/industrial/military/religious empire. Perhaps for a change, the developers could present Russia in a slightly different perspective. For example:

Leader: Vladimir Lenin
UA: World Revolution - Ability related to Diplomacy/Interaction with City-States/Espionage/Ideology (if this game mechanics reappears).
UU: Revolutionary (Replaces Great Writer. Or just a special type of great people).
UB (first variant): House of Soviets (administrative building).
UB (second variant): Communist International (Replaces any modern National Wonder (If the national wonders return). It has diplomatic bonuses).

As I said above, I don't consider the Soviet Union Russia for the same reason I don't consider the PRC China: it's the nature of communism to suppress the traditional culture and break with the established civilization. The Soviet Union also actively worked against pretty much everything one might traditionally associate with Russia: Russia has always been strongly Orthodox, while the Soviets practiced statolatry; Russia has always been active in trade, while the Soviets suppressed trade; the Russians have always had flourishing arts, while the Soviets killed the artists and intellectuals. Designing Russia around the Soviet Union is like designing China around the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

 

[jsciv69]

We are used to seeing Russia in the game as a scientific/industrial/military/religious empire. Perhaps for a change, the developers could present Russia in a slightly different perspective. For example:

Leader: Vladimir Lenin
UA: World Revolution - Ability related to Diplomacy/Interaction with City-States/Espionage/Ideology (if this game mechanics reappears).
UU: Revolutionary (Replaces Great Writer. Or just a special type of great people).
UB (first variant): House of Soviets (administrative building).
UB (second variant): Communist International (Replaces any modern National Wonder (If the national wonders return). It has diplomatic bonuses).

Intriguing idea with Lenin. This is a game series that features the likes of Queen Isabella, and Attila the Hun. So they don't all have to be saints. But if Russia goes the Soviet routs. More drama might come with a Cold War Era leader like Khrushchev or I could see even Gorbachev(Gorby). We need to find a way to get The Red Army in this Game.

 

[Zaarin]

This is a game series that features the likes of Queen Isabella, and Attila the Hun. So they don't all have to be saints.

Queen Isabella is literally on the roster for canonization so...

 

[Kimiimaro]

Ah, Russia. This offers quite some fun.

Unique structure: Kremlin - Unique military district or fort.
Unique unit: Cossack - Industrial era light cavalry unit. Deals +6 damage to injured units and +6 damage to units which have no friendly unit standing within one hex range (simply standalone units). The two bonuses stack.
Unique ability: Samoderzhaviye - Russian Empire has a flat 10% production bonus on all units, projects, buildings and wonders. Russian cities gain +10% faith, culture and science. Russian cities are however harder to keep happy. Low happiness penalties in cities are then increased, and unhappy city also has its flat Samoderzhaviye bonus removed until its populace is satisfied again.
Note: A player choosing Russia will sit on a throne of an autocratic Tsar. The fate of the Russian Empire will be in their hands solely, as they are the ultimate authority. Their determined and hardworking people will fulfil the Tsar's order effectively, and should the Russians find themselves in favourable conditions, they will all work on making Russia a universal hegemon - titan of industry, leader in science, cultural beacon and pious example to all world, this all in devout support of the Tsar, of course. But the player should be careful - should their eye neglect the needs of the people they rule, the Tsarist absolutism will be put in question, commands will be met with apathy, and with an unhappy populace unwilling to do the Tsar's high bidding. As such, the player may eventually fall behind the times, and instead of an unbeatable giant, they will find themselves a backwater.

Leader: Ivan IV
Capital: Moscow
Leader ability: Tsar of All Russia - Russian units receive bonus power if attacking a city centre of which is within 10 tiles away from cities originally settled by Russia. Unlocks the Oprichnik unique unit.
Leader unique unit: Oprichnik - Renaissance era light cavalry unit. Presence of an oprichnik in a Russian city significantly raises local stability (maybe at a happiness cost).
Note: Player under Ivan the Terrible (or more correctly Ivan the Formidable) will be aiming at making Russia a vast power with many cities, which they then can lead to greatness under the proper and careful use of Samoderzhaviye. Players should plan the bulk of this expansion on the Renaissance era, where they can utilise the Oprichniki in large numbers, as they can keep their newly conquered lands stable until Russia properly integrates them into their Empire.

Leader: Alexander I
Capital: St. Petersburg
Leader ability: Patriotic War - If a military unit of a war enemy is present inside Russian territory, Russia can build military units in the cities the enemy has entered 25% faster and cheaper. Russian units may pillage Russian infrastructure. Pillaged infrastructure on tiles owned by Russia damage enemy units standing on them.
Note: Heavily drawn upon the Tsar's greatest success - on turning the tide against Napoleon after the invasion of Russia, destroying his grand army, hegemony, grip over Europe and the empire he built in the process. Player playing as Tsar Alexander I will have the same capablities, provided they're willing to bleed and carefully maneuvre. Best capabilities for utilising this will come in the Industrial era, with the unlocking of the Cossacks, who, with their increased strength against damaged enemies will be dealing significant blows to enemies damaged from scorched infrastructure.