Spraetter's Guide to Sweden

[walkinshaw]

I'm currently having a good game with Sweden based on this thread thx mate. I first took care of Denmark b4 i even bothered with economy as they become an annoyance and quickly build a large army in Denmark, I took care of them easily enough with a slight pain from their navy though. I then built up my economy and trade while just building a mass militia army to protect the east from the Russians as Poland declared war but never attacked me. Then i focused on Russia and decided to destroy all of them instead of just their Baltic regions mainly out of spite cause their crap lol. Once they were done I've now focused on Poland who have pretty much wiped out Prussia and i own all the Baltic regions and have allies on all sides in France, Spain and the Ottomans.

So far it's looking good and i have taken over the island region in India for when im settled in Europe, I was going to take over Mysore but i failed and then the Mughals took it over and own all of India now.

Also i somehow caught a Heavy First Rate ship from Denmark or the Netherlands although i can't remember going to war with them un less i declared because they attacked France

[Aelita]

When playing as Sweden I often follow a simaler strategy. one major diffrance with me though is that by turn 4 or 5 Courland is my protectorate. they wont fight poland-lith but if you gift them some regions to the south they can really help with prussia and austria

[bortkolk]

What disappoints me the most about the Swedish campaign is the complete lack of unique military units, there are some light infantry by the name of hakkipilate early in the game but other than that we are only given standard units such as line infantry and heavy cavalry, even the last unit accessible only through researching the last technology on the military tree is a standard unit with no particular perks or relation to the Caroleans.

[Gorrrrrn]

I managed to complete all victory conditions after about 50 years but i have to play another to "win" the campaign properly.

decided to wipe out the Maratha as they were expanding into the Middle East

(Recommend grab Courland, Vilnius and Minsk then make peace with P-L.
Then take all of Russia. Then set about Denmark, Pirate islands etc)

[oqvist]

Nice reading. Will see how much of these will work for the darth empire mod on hard. Copenhagen is left completely defenseless may get it in turn 1. Almost feels like a trap lol

Okay it was a trap. The bar said no garrison but when I enter the battle I found that there was garrisons and about 40/60 against me. Very close defeat or rather a pyrrhus win on Denmarks side. Those pikemen is really absolutely useless lol. running hard/hard darth mod.

[oqvist]

Started a campaign. Would just get a feel of it but 10 in the morning... Why do I never learn.

Tried to use what I learned from RTI and this guide in hope to get a decent start. I do think it´s okay as expected I am on war with all my neighbours due to their alliances against me lol. I wanted to make sure to focus on the coastal region. I noticed Austria was on the offensive against P-L. I didn´t quite have the manpower to take gdansk but landed what I could in hope for Austria not being able to take it before me. Wouldn´t want to go on war on them as well. Didn´t have enough movement so I just had to wait and see how it went. Super lucky just weakened the defense just as much so I could jump in and take the city. Was afraid Austria would go to war on me for doing that but just asked for military access to get out of there.

So far so good. Austria came asking for military alliance and then Prussia wanted trade rights so everything just seemed to go to well. Sure enough next turn Prussia decide to go to war and Austria sure as hell don´t want to help lol. Same time Russia has grouped up some real stuff and took st petersburg despite me trying to do all to enhance my defences which will set me back quite some turns.

Not sure how well I do regarding the economics. 1705 and I have about 10k in income after upkeep expenses and all. Captured about 5 trade nodes despite some pirates killing of a couple. I gambled high just sending them out there with no support. Maybe it cost me more then I gain. Noticed the pirate ships is not in the east india or ivory coast yet just brazil and madagascar.

One thing I wonder the commentator always blame me for taxing the noble. What problems can it cause. Revolution? My government is down below 50 now in popularity but maybe I am just building to many schools and endlighten tech.

[oqvist]

I managed to complete all victory conditions after about 50 years but i have to play another to "win" the campaign properly.

decided to wipe out the Maratha as they were expanding into the Middle East

(Recommend grab Courland, Vilnius and Minsk then make peace with P-L.
Then take all of Russia. Then set about Denmark, Pirate islands etc)

By 1730 I was done with my prestige goals. I could have done it by 1720 if I actually focused on it. on hard/hard really disappointed with the campaign I have to say. I was hoping to have to fight for sea superiority but I got the majority of trade nodes within the first 20 turns and only having to fight some pirates from time to time. GB and Portugal took a pair. On several occasions they was just one or two turns to late. I never went to war about trade nodes.

In my campaign I don´t remember the exact order but went first for Denmark then Norway. Was just obvious I would take those no brainer. Then to war with Russia first I believe. Then P-L and Prussia declared war. Austria was early pushing to take over Prussia. I beated them to Brandenburg. I felt it was important to make sure I got all provinces with sea contact to Östersjön and managed that without much hassle really. After that I did try to get as many peace treatys I could with limited success in the beginning but I was already making good money so could afford blitz krieg. Austria didn´t straightly attack me for snatching Courland and Brandenburg for them but they did declare war some time later.
Hannover I kept good relations with until 1729 or something they out of the blue thought they could snatch Brandenburg lol.

None of those countries gave me much trouble. Prussia tried to give a fight. And Austria maybe would have if the fighting with Prussia hadn´t weakened them. I wouldn´t have got Brandenburg so easy i they hadn´t attacked that city first

Playing this on hard/hard huuugely disappointed by the lack of challenge. I was hoping playing as a minor faction would make it a bit harder then playing GB, France or Spain which has so profitable regions from the start and the colonies but I was making so much money I often didn´t know what to make of it all. In previous TW titles I was always broke. I never had to go over med/med for taxes ever.

Anyway after making Russia, P-L and Austria to non threats and erasing Prussia and Courland I went for India. I took Ceylon first and then landed with a couple of armies to make sure to secure a foot hold. Again Maratha by that time the second runner in the prestige rating didn´t give up that much of a fight. They fought admirable for their last region though. In the meanwhile a lot of these one region provinces decided to attack me in Europe so I had to erase them. Also France out of the blue decided to attack me. I took Paris and another region and it was game over and Quebec become a new faction. UP did the same earlier when they only had Amsterdam but yet was on top 3 at that time???????

Getting New York meant I had to go to war with GB so on war with them now together with Portugal. Quite obvious neither of them will put up a fight either. I did run RTI so not that hungry for colonizing the americas. Particularly since it´s a more lame version in these early years lol. Maryland what a joke. India does have some to offer at least.

Overall really lame campaign. I got immortal pretty much within the first 20 turns and could quickly start steam rolling. Some great battles but the messed up economics just mean you don´t feel loss of men at all. Building up the infrastructure with metalled roads and access to so much coast make it easy to keep smaller larger and more effective armies without insane up keep costs.

Still fun on a first run but I don´t see much replayablity when it´s so ridiculously easy. You will have to artificially make it hard by building no trade ports or something it appears and make sure you declare war to every single country on first turn and just play utterly bad.

[Wesleyan]

Sweden is a favourite faction for me.

It is hard fighting Russia, especially if you are also at war with Poland-Lithuania and maybe Courland at the same time. It is easy to capture a region but then lose it again later on. I therefore decided on a strategy of taking but not holding regions.

In my current game it works fine, and I have now (late 1730s) captured all the territory originally owned by Russia, Denmark, the Crimean Khanate, Dagestan, and Georgia. Of course it helps that I have not yet been attacked by either Poland-Lithuania or Courland. I captured Muscovy twice before I decided to hold on to it, and in the meantime I took out Ukraine. The first time I took Moscow I destroyed the military building so that when Russia took it back they would not immediately be able to recruit more troops. It allowed me to buy some time.

[skap187]

Currently I am in 1704 and at war with nobody. I have got a decent navy for that time and three halve stack armies. Waiting for my Canon factories to be finished so I can get some proper cannons.
As you notice I am not in a hurry. I have allied myself with Russia and Poland for trade rights and to mess with the head of the Danish while building my economy.
If the Danish will not attack me in the next couple of turns I will declare war on courland and do for wipe out the polish who will jump in to protectorate them.
I will try to leave them with Belarus and Lodz as I only want two go two provinces deep.
Main thing is I am not in a hurry and I'll choose my fights carefully. I have 50 freakin years so why rush. More a management game like this, but that's alright by me.

[poa]

I have tried this enough to conclude it reliably works:
1st round] Along Spraetters lines, but with the notable difference of using 3 of the four ships to pick up both armies in Sweden,
send them to the port in south of Sweden and take Denmark on turn 1 !!!!
It is important to make a trade with Russia prior to taking Denmark, it will cost around 500 baht depending on what head minister
is currently in position, i.e how many star he got, so put in the highest star for this moment, and Russia will not wage war.
(replace the high star in a more fruitful position after struck the trade deal, like for instance finance)
The 4th ship, a small one i hope, -use it to pick up the army in Estonia, and i tend to favor to leave only a general & a cannon in Ingria, disbanding pike & some militia, and pick up the remaining troops from Ingria too,
try to drive the ship as little as possible. (walk as far as you can but still with enough movement points to jump
on the ship, just above Reval city to be specific)
Strike some deal with the new port before end turn 1,
and if auto-resolve, build a fight ship in south of Sweden.
Also build the farm both in Sweden & Ingria, and burn fishing port in Sweden and burn Shipyard in Ingria, and cram up taxes,
nothing will grow anyway but cash is surely needed next turn for trade ports & government building in Denmark.
Also recruit 3 line infantry in Stockholm and build barrack in Ingria just in case.

Turn 2: build trade ports in Sweden & Ingria, suppress & make happy Denmark, by starting observatory,
drive the 4th ship to pick up 3 line infantry in Stockholm, drive towards south Sweden, send a ship up to join it,
and then split the 4th ship to transfer the troops to the other ship with movement points,
and sail and disembark in south of Sweden.
Now use the fleet to sink the Danish fleet that has come, use a ship with enough movement points to strike port in Norway,
use another ship to pick up the troops at the port and ferry them next to Norway capitol,
but leave 2-3 units to improve suppression in Denmark.
Also set lower class tax to lowest, things grow now and will grow faster with lowest tax,
more specifically we want trade ports as fast as humanly possible, to grab as much trade partners as possible,
we only got one shot at this so factories will be ignored for the time being.
Now there will also be cash to make trade with Poland, about 800 or so.
Next turn there will be cash over for another school in Sweden, so burn coaching inn.

Turn 3, take Norway and burn that fishing port, you're on your way to get nearly as many trade partners as Ottoman, or match it with some luck.
I have come to research common land enclosures as my very first research when i play Sweden,
i won't be fighting real soon anyway but farming will spawn another port in Denmark, Sweden, and Ingria within just some turns.

Additional: wait with striking Courland until they completed the big city,
its a pain in the arse suppressing that hole almost indefinitely otherwise,
by all means trade with them for the time being,
and it also free up Poland resources to maintain Preussia a tad longer,
or risk is high Preussia will take Poland before i do.

ed: I found that it is in fact possible to strike Norway on turn 2,
if one unit in the group has less movement points than others in the group,
so it is now possible to first ferry the Norway invasion army to Denmark,
move the group to just within interception zone of the danish army in Dk,
separate a general and the cannon to strike the Dk army, the rest of your army will act as reinforcements,
when Dk army flee, your general can wipe out the reminder by himself on a 2nd engagement.
Now send the army and the cannon back to port, load and dump off near Oslo,
and most units will have enough movement points to strike Oslo on turn 2.

I personally opt to get trade with Austria and Italy on first turn, because they will be taken on turn 2,
or perhaps Venice instead of Italy if Italy is too demanding.
I also found that giving like 100 pesetas per turn for 5/10 turn for trade,
still leaves me with 100 pesetas on that turn, to give the same offer to another trade partner

[poa]

what pays off better faster ?
upgrading a growing industry the first step for 2000, or upgrading an average fur market the first step for 2500,
assuming i've got ~12 trading partners and the fur trade is priced at 11 ?

btw i found that it is best to take norway on turn 1, using the army in courland with some ship jumping

[hessia78]

I am disappointed that CA completely ignored the Carolean army and gave them a standard army with a cavalry unit that dates to the 30 years war which ended more than 50 years before the game started. I would loved to have the swedish army to have line infantry that have higher than average morale, melee ability and charge bonus, at the cost of the lack of artillery greater than 12 pound

[poa]

I am disappointed that CA completely ignored the Carolean army and gave them a standard army with a cavalry unit that dates to the 30 years war which ended more than 50 years before the game started. I would loved to have the swedish army to have line infantry that have higher than average morale, melee ability and charge bonus, at the cost of the lack of artillery greater than 12 pound

me too, no army had that dynamic charge, no other infantry could rout others while so heavily outnumbered while attacking,
and it was completely lost on CA

here on post 568 i at least added some elite starting infantry, many other changes too so read page 27 as well
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...le-Now!/page29

[hessia78]

I dont want them to be OP so it might have their line infantry squads slightly smaller than normal or have higher upkeep costs to reflect the manpower issues Sweden historically faced.

[poa]

the mod only provide the starting units, any more recruits will be standard. on the manpower, while there were plenty of stories how only crippled men was around to multiply the population, studies suggest it was exaggerated, the real issue were money, there just wasnt any money around to fund the war after 10 years