Suggestions for Custom Norse Nation

[Ashantai]

So, I’m planning on playing a custom nation based around a ‘Lost Norse’ theme of Pagan Vikings starting in America.

The plan is to colonise America and then eventually sail over and take back England, Normandy and Scandinavia from the Christians.

So I’ll obviously go for Norse religion, Norwegian culture, Western Tech.

What I’m interested in is suggestions for Traditions/Ideas/Ambitions.

What’s the best choice? Choose what’s best by both ‘story’ and gameplay usefulness.

The only thing I’m certain on is +1 colonists as a tradition so I have something to do before I get my first idea group.

I’ll probably go for 800 points total which gives me about 400 or so to allocate to ideas.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Incompetent]

To be a true Viking, you need to have the idea that lets you raid coasts. Other than that, it's up to you. 800 points total will give you ridiculously OP ideas though, so the game may get a bit too easy.

 

[Lord_P]

The only thing I’m certain on is +1 colonists as a tradition so I have something to do before I get my first idea group.

Do remember that colonists cost a fair bit of money to upkeep.

 

[Ashantai]

To be a true Viking, you need to have the idea that lets you raid coasts. Other than that, it's up to you. 800 points total will give you ridiculously OP ideas though, so the game may get a bit too easy.

True, true, but it's more of a wishlist so I can narrow it down if I want to go harder difficulty.

Besides, I'm not that good a player that I can take a couple of development 1 fish provinces and become a major empire. Not yet anyway.

 

[Willem IV]

If you want to go for the 'For Odin!' achievement, you can only speed 200 points in total and 5 provinces.
I would suggest to choose a cluster of same culture provinces. Those will all be converted to your primary culture without costs.

If possible, add a development reduction idea to you idea group. This allows you also to improve your dirt-poor provinces.

 

[tinculin]

Id focus your earlier ideas on colonising & development & in general strengthening your economy as you'll be without rival militarily in the Americas until the colonists arrive.

Save any military ideas to the end of your idea tree (you'll want a couple to keep up with the major western nations).

If you start near Mexico, you'll also be able to conquer their territories before castille & leave your colonists to grab the US eastern seaboard.

Depending on how much land you want to start with, I'd block as much of the coast as possible to remove the issue of dealing with other colonists all together.

 

[Nikolaj-11]

Traditions
- Development cost (Or possibly tech/idea cost)
+ Infantry Combat ability
No one in the Americas can beat you and you can spend a few points on developing starting land, maybe an estruary. St Lawrence, Quebec.

+ Settler Increase
+ Production efficiency
Settler increase is better for early colonizing, production efficiency increases colonist bonus chance and adds a tiny bit of money.

+ Colonist
+ Morale
By this point you can afford the colonist and extra morale is always good.

+ Colonial Range/Coring cost
+ Missionary stregth/tolerance
Coring cost is always nice, but the range may be a bonus to go for if you wanna colonize africa and asia. Tolerance or conversion strength depending on what you prefer. Both conversion and Heathen tolerance if you wish to invade Europe.

+ Discipline
+ Trade efficiency
Why not? More power in war and trade.

Lastly for ambition you could go for another merchant or perhaps seperatism for European conquest. Another good option i heavy ship combat ability to beat European colonizers.

 

[gronak]

You should have cheaper naval ships / maintenance and more sailors. Should have an increased combat ability too.

 

[Okcydent]

With 800 points you cannot do the achievement "For Odin!". I hope you know that. +1 Colonist isn't particularly useful. I mean there is no way you colonize whole America by yourself. Europeans will come and settle. By that time it is important to be able to get the land out of them. So the most desired ideas would concentrate on Economy + Army. With a stron economy you can colonize many provinces at once. Be aware that cost of those oversize colonies will grow exponentially. Besides in 18 century the additional colonist won't give much as at the time the land will be split between the colonizers.

Lowered development cost is good since you are limited by 'states and territories' system. Everything other than state will run on 75% autonomy level. The best land in America is probably: The Caribbean (unsettled and usually around 10 development per province), the Mexico (you need to conquer a lot and the gold located there will make your inflation skyrocket) and maybe the Eastern Coast.

You can consider improving production efficiency, it also boosts the colonization. Production is a decent source of income as the manufactures will boost an production income by 1. If you want to go on conquest spree consider the tribal despotism government. It will reduce your coring cost (-5/-10/-15% - depending on rank), you don't need many diplomatic relations anyway.
Improve combat ability of your armies, maybe discipline.