Strategy for playing Sweden

[PatMaster]

Originally posted by Carolus Rex


He never lost a battle.
Or did he?
He withdrew from a battle against Poles, only to come back and beat them next week or so.

IMHO, the greatest King was Carl XII. Dont ask me why, he just is to me.
The best general, non king, is probably Torstensson. I also loved the style of Banér.
Once he was so drunk he was out for 2 weeks. The French diplomats who were there had to wait. He had to get sober first.

The best thru out IMHO still is Calle Dussin(Carl XII).

He didnt manage to conquer Copenhagen, but that wasnt really a battle, more of a siege.

Yes Karl XII is something really special, he managed to take out Denmark on just a couple of weeks, moved on to the poles wich he beat the crap out of and put his own puppet-king there, and moved on to Saxony wich they took without any problems, walked up the Swedish territory in the Baltics (occupied by the Russians), won a great battle at Narva (they beat the crap out of the entire Russian army), then he walked around in Russia, winning battles and just beating the crap out of those Russians. Then he lost at Poltava, of course, but even that battle would have been won if that god damn cavalery wouldnt got lost in the woods.

 

[unmerged(3236)]

Originally posted by viper37
I'll finished my first ever complete GC with France (the other two crashed before the end, this one never did), and I have decided I'll try my hands at Sweden in the latest IGC. Should be a better challenge, given that you start as a Vassal

And that sweden is a weaker antion then france and stronger nighbours.

Now, I'm used to play colonial powers and I always developped a colonial empire in the Americas, but with Sweden:

will I get colonial dynamism?

Nope, when you become protestant you get 1 colonist/year from the religion. So you can build a few colonies but not an empire.

should I eliminate Denmark asap or should I wait to get a few good leaders?

Yes before they ally with russia and annex or take a skåne+ostlandet in peace, depends on luck.

What religion should I choose? (historical I think it is Protestant, can't remember)

Protestant is best because it is cheaper to buy stability then for sweden

What sould be my position toward Russia once I get back my core provinces? Finished 'em off or ally with them to take on P-L?

there is almost no chanse that they want to be your friend. Poland can become your friend, if then you can beat up russia withouth much trubble. If not then you need to plan a little.

any other suggestions welcome...

teh ultimate suggestion: have fun

 

[viper37]

Thanks Lars, and thanks everyone for the info on Sweden military history

I'm in 1591, and I have annexed Denmark a few years ago and I took one province from the Russians.

Now' I'm going after the TO.

 

[Carolus Rex]

Originally posted by PatMaster


even that battle would have been won if that god damn cavalery wouldnt got lost in the woods.

How can you win with wet gun powder???

 

[PatMaster]

That wasnt the reason that we lost.
It was that the god damn cavalery was picking bluebarries in the woods.

 

[Carolus Rex]

Agreed.
*weeps*

 

[dralizaar]

Personally in my Swedish game i diplo annexed TO...fought my wars against denmark annexing her early and fast..then spent the cash to make TO like me...and gradually brought her king under my thumb with more bribes...eventually i diplo annexed TO and Prussia both...fought wars that claimed most of russia and all of northern poland minus her capitol...i receieved scottland through dynastic inheritance and used that to wage long war against england while allied to the netherlands and ireland..wierd alliance but they kept starting the wars and each time id run in grab 4 provs ask for 2 and get peace...i had 6 enlissh provs by time i had to quit game <was on friends computer i was house sitting..forgot to email myself copy of save game file doh!>

yes you have awesome leaders <think there was some bias by the game designers not that most of these leaders dont deserve their stats...personally i am a fan of Gustav...yes he did lose a few small battles..but never a decisive one..he himself admitted that...during the 30 yrs war he used less brutal tactics then his enemies, better mobility, and the best trained artillerymen in the world..his artillery was more acurate, fired more often, and suffered fewer maint. problems that faced other armies...till late in campaign where he needed more french gold to buy more as the war ground on without time to rest and refurbish...his troops in general were cross trained...ie infantry and cavalry all learned how to load and fire artillery , infantry could ride limitedly, and cavalry were willing to slog it < they mainly used finnish troops as cavalry..smaller horses and very very brutal on the battlefield...second only to Polish hussars of the era> that was one of their big advanatages..their cavalry would outflank enemy positions and capture their artillery and turn them on their enemies with a rate of fire almost as good as regular arty men would have reached and fairly good accuracy...most enemies would break once this crossfire occured..he was a brilliant planner and charismatic ...rumor has it he often went like henry undercover to fight..that his vision was bad so he wouldnt carry a gun since he couldnt hit what he aimed at..but he loved to mix it up and go one on one with a sword from horse

a great novel called 1632 is out there buy it read it..its fantasy about a modern town that gets taken back in time to the 30 yrs war... its gives a pretty good feel for the era despite the obtrusion of the town from the future..well written fast flowing...read it in an afternoon

 

[PatMaster]

Gee, wonder if that book is avaible here in Sweden.
And about those finnsh cavalery, they were called 'Hakkapelliter'.

 

[dralizaar]

the book i mentioned 1632 by Eric Flint Baen Books published

Baen Publishing Enterprises
P.O. Box 1403
Riverdale, NY 10471

using that info you might be able to mail them and find out if you can get it from them direct...or you may be able toi find retailer in area <maybe a friend in england or usa could buy it and mail it >...it really is a great read... Focuses a LOT on Gustav, gives great perspectives on the Hadsburgs dynasty, the french involvement, the netherlands banking, the Jewish role etc even covers the sack of Madgeburg by the Catholic paid mercenaries

 

[PatMaster]

Well, I prefer reading books on Swedish but thanks anyway.

 

[Carolus Rex]

I think I'll phone my bro' and tell him to buy it for me!!

 

[PatMaster]

What, you got a brother in the US?

 

[unmerged(4255)]

When I get off vacation, maybe I will add my 2 cents about playing Sweden.

Sola

 

[Lucidor]

Hmm, I am playing a leisurely game as Sweden at the moment, playing the world as it came... I had strong enough generals and with a little foresight (building troops for some years) I took on the alliance of the Teutonic Order, Hanseatic League, Russia and Denmark. Just hit them one at a time, and make sure that it hurts. Sweden has quality troops, expensive though, compared to my latest Turkish troops...

Annex the HL and the TO. You can afford that BB hit, and you get a lot of funding from taking two CoT. Novgorod should also be a priority target...

Use the Baltic Sea as a quick transport route.

--

As to the small discussion about CXII... Frans G Bengtsson is VERY rough on Lewenhaupt, being tardy, stuck up, inflexible and having a generally unstable psyche... A fun read, his biography of CXII.

And GIIA - a demigod, no less...

 

[viper37]

Thanks for all the tips!

I'm now in 1630 and I have total control over the Baltic, except for HL (my ally). I've got Novgorod, Kurland and Danzig as CoT (finally the cash is coming in!)

I'll have to admit, that it was a bit tougher than I tought; I had to give some lands to the Russians and the Polish early on, but with the help of GIIA I was able to take everything back, and a little more .

My BB is quite high, but I think I'll engage in another war while I still have him. Couldn't annex Saxony last time, so I'll have to work on them. There's Thuringen also lying to the south, just waiting for a quick grab... hmmm, wondering if I can create a Swedish HRE...

And I lost a province to France because of that stupid rebel bug

 

[Lucidor]

Looks like you're doing great, mate... Can't help but love GIIA, can you? He has some good generals too, so shredding the opposition won't be too much of a problem.

I always get tangled in with Spain somehow. Have you thought about going after their colonial posessions? Someone else's is also a good idea. Just make a quick dash over the Atlantic with a 30k army, and you'll probably crush whatever they've got. Then make a quick peace, else atrition will eat you alive.

 

[unmerged(5238)]

How do you manage to cross the atlantic? The few times I have tried the results are the same: The fleet was lost at sea
Any tips to share?

 

[PatMaster]

Use an explorer

 

[unmerged(5238)]

Is that so..... Not really heroic is it?
And where can I find a explorer?
(yepp, I´m a quite new EU gamer)

 

[PatMaster]

Usually in the ocean, sailing around under Spanish or Portugese colours .