Kailric
Jack of All Trades
Daw has given us some historical info and some ideas for Russian leaders and I want to post that here...
Well, the period is too long for my folksmen there. You see, Kievan Rus is a good candidate for earlier stages with Vladimir the Red Sun or Yaroslav the Wise as a leader. The problem is that it started to fall apart in X century and it was actually no more by the XIII century when it ended up invaded by the Golden Horde as realms fell one by one being unable and unwilling to help each other to defend. For 3 next centuries the Horde took control over the power over the Russian realms, leaving some autonomy but demanding heavy tribute and the leaders must be approved by the Khans of the Horde. Alexander Nevskiy is a good leader for that period, but the Kievan Rus as such was actually no more. Several attempts to lift The Golden Horde occupation were made under the Moscow rising authority (that is how and when the Russian central power moved from Kiev to Moscow), and Dmitriy Donskoy is a good leader for that. None of the attempts was really successful, as the Horde returned with even fiercer raids every time. And only in XVI century (which is the mod timeframe end) as the Horde weakened due to internal processes the Russian realms were reunited under Moscow reign instead of Kiev now.
Summary, this means that the mod timeframe covers 4 main intercovering periods:
- Pre-state Eastern Slavic tribes and tribal unions (?-IX century);
- Kievan Rus to start with as a state (IX-XIII);
- Fragmented Russian realms (X-XVI) fighting each other, constantly rioting against the Horde, and also repelling invasions from the West (see Battle of the Ice for instance)
- Moscow Duchy (XIII-XVI) rising from the ashes to become the Russian Empire in 200 years...
I'd suggest 2 story lines then, with Khan of the Horde starring as a "King" in both:
1.
Alexander Nevskiy gets yarlyk as a leader of Novgorod (ok, that's not entirely correct, but that's the game), and then builds up Russians to repel "REF" of Livonian Order, Teutonian Order, the Danish and the Bishop in the Battle of the Ice.
2.
Dmitry Donskoy gets yarlyk as a leader of Moscow (ok, that's not entirely correct again, but that's the game), and then builds up Russians to repel "REF" of Mamay in the Battle of Kulikovo.
Frankly, Kievan Rus is also a good story with Vladimir the Red Sun first uniting the Russian realms under his reign, then baptizing them (sometimes by sword and fire), and then... then there is the end of it, as his independent (no "King") country fell apart due to internal reasons before the Horde came (no "REF"). So, I'd say that there can be a splendid mod of it - though for a Civ scenario, not for a Col one.
There can also be impressive one city challenges based on those pages of history, because it really was pretty much like that: Novgorod, Vladimir, Kiev, Moscow, Rostov, Polotsk, Chernigov, Suzdal', Zvenigorod, Galich, Ryazan', etc. - one knyaz', one city.
However, if we're talking about alternative history here... why not?
If you are indeed committed to have Kievan Rus in the game though, you can look up to still fitting the mod's timeframe earlier event of Oleg the Prophet, the founder of Kievan Rus (starring as "King"), harassing Constantinople (Byzantine Empire's capital) with his Kievan-Rus REF.