European Vikings and their American counterparts meet in Greenland. Hilarity ensues.
Indeed, it would be a riot to imagine a Native American civilization going up against Vikings or others; however, this idea goes beyond what I’m attempting to do with this mod. I am attempting to imagine a North America where Western Civilization had substantial trans-oceanic contact with it a great deal before Columbus, but in a way that is at the very least possible.
I say ‘possible’ because I want to avoid taking this mod down the path of historical impossibility. For example, one of the most important consequences of European contact with Native American was the unintended ( and in a rare instance - intended ) introduction of infectious diseases like malaria, smallpox, and plague in to the Americas. By all accounts, Native American populations were decimated in the generations following Columbus. In this mod, I have no reason to believe that a similar spread of infectious diseases would not have occurred. In both the real timeline and in any alternative timeline, Native American populations ultimately could provide little resistance to European expansionism. I am not discounting there aren’t other reasons the European powers successfully conquered the Americas; I am just providing an example of an event that occurred and would have occurred in any timeline with absolute certainty: the spread of deadly and devastating infectious diseases into a virgin population.
Having said that, I am working on a back story, which I hope to have completed soon. I will tell you this much: I am developing my story with some constraints I believe the vanilla game will impose on any mod. Namely, religion and culture. Although one might be able to mod in a new religion and/or culture; this might prove rather difficult. Therefore, Native American societies are definitely in the mod as pagans, but their culture may have to be heavily abstracted. They won’t be playable until someone figures out a cheat to play non-Christians characters. An Asian influence/presence on the Pacific coast would be wonderful to explore, but I believe one large culture (Native Americans) not represented in the vanilla game is enough to tackle, at least initially.
Beskar, you have given me a number of ideas, one of which will negate the need to meddle with the prehistoric history of North America.