MTW - The Danes' Tale

[GoldenEagle]

Hello all,

This is my first attempt at a MTW dynasty. I picked up the game about a year ago and have recently found myself enjoying it very much. For that reason, I have decided to do this dynasty. I plan on taking things very slowly and examine every little aspect in detail. I hope that it will be a good read and that you enjoy it.

A word on RTW - I know it is out and I plan on playing it some time in the future. However, I do not have the funding to buy it right now and I am having an absolute blast with MTW. Therefore, at this time, I really do not see the need to purchase.

I have a pretty good history background but at times I will inevitably misstate some historical information. Feel free to step in and correct me if needed.

As always, I enjoy interactive dynasties. Here is my idea: Before make any major decision about the empire, I will report it here with a little advance notice. I will then wait for others to contribute with their opinions about what will be best for Denmark. Like I said, I will be taking this dynasty slowly. I have plenty to keep me busy during the down time.

I guess it would first be proper to introduce the man who will lead Denmark for some time, hopefully. King Olaf I is a 26 year old king who has managed to establish himself as the leader of Denmark while cleverly avoiding the expansions of the Holy Roman Empire. Olaf is one of the best king’s I have seen in some time. He has a +5 influence characteristic, which means he will be taken seriously. He is also some what of a religious man, with +3 piety. He has a dread of +4, a acumen of +4, and a command of +4. He is capable of running the everyday finances of the empire and can also command an army on the battlefield.

Olaf’s family includes two possible heirs to the throne. The first is Prince Olaf, who is twelve years old. His brother, Prince Erik, is eight. The family also includes a young princess by the name of Ingrad, who is very young.

Denmark has emerged as the strongest of the Scandinavian powers. The Norwegian and Swedish rebels to the north are weak and not well organized. Our short term plans include quickly conquering these provinces and establish a Scandinavian empire.

Possible expansion at this time, other than in the north, seems limited at best. To the west, the powerful English reside. While the Denmark line of kings claimed this not to far ago, it seems impossible to go that route at this time.

To the south is the powerful Holy Roman Empire. I do believe that the Holy Roman Empire is vulnerable in the early years. The Emperor must ensure that all of his generals are loyal and that does not always happen. However, we are no position to steal any lands early in the campaign.

The to west lies the lands of Finland and Novgorod. This is the most viable option in the short term. However, competition is stiff for these lands. A rising Poland, a potentially united Holy Roman Empire, and a powerful orthodox faction known as the Byzantines could also be in competition for the lands. Add it all together and you see a potential struggle for the lands and quite frankly, I do not suspect we will have the military power to throw weight around up there.

Denmark, our lone province, starts out in a pretty solid position. They have already constructed four buildings: a fort, bowyer, town watch, and port. This allows to create archers and urban militia from the start. We can also construct Viking units. In the early years, the military will suffer in terms of technology as opposed to other factions. The Vikings are average units and hold an advantage against armored troops. Unfortunately, we will not be seeing any armored troops in the early going were we are fighting.

I envision in the future Denmark being a province which mainly creates infantry troops. They do get a bonus for units of longboats being trained, so I suspect they will produce a fair share of those as well. It will also contribute to the farming income of our lands, although I would be disappointed if it was the main producer in that category.

The Vikings have sixty men and are led by Hardeknun Eigon. We have a unit of Spearmen, which numbers 100, and is commanded by Thoryils Thorstiensson. Neither one of the commanders are impressive in generalship or governship. We also have a unit of twenty one royal knights which are of course led by King Olaf. All in all, our military contains 181 men.

Denmark has a couple of tradable goods in butter and saltfish. These goods are not overly impressive but are serviceable. Sweden surprisingly is a very good trade province. This brings me to my next short term goal. It is my goal to create a trade empire across the northern seas. If we can get this set up early it will bring in a substantial amount of income in the early years of the young empire.

Right now things look bleak for the lowly Danes. We are counting on the annexing of two provinces to produce oversea trading. This is not the most reliable of plans. Enemies surround us eyeing our lands. With our relatively weak military, it is possible we will have to play a defensive game for some time. Our starting point is of some advantage but it will not last for ever.

So come join the Danes’ tale….

[condors]

i very much enjoy playing the danes on mtw.

i have found the best start after getting your 3 places is to get scottland and ireland and then take out the brits who are normally in a big battle with the french if they get excommincated then make haste on their borders.

get your boats out there for trade.

sorry if this is old news to you but thought i would add my .02

good luck!

[fantastic flying froggies]

I'll be watching this closely GE. I'm a recent addict to MTW myself, I'd completely missed it the first time around and with all the hoopla around here about RTW, I grabbed MTW on the low price shelf. And I'm loving every minute of it!

Anyway, I've never played the Danes, so it'll be interesting to follow your dynasty...

[WSUCougar]

Ah, fond memories of my Danish empire. For what it's worth, I went east first. And I second the goal of getting your ships out there for trade.

Good luck, GE!

[GoldenEagle]

Condors - I would love to get Scotland. The highland clansmen units are incredible. If you flank with those suckers, the battle is over. It does not have much to add expect units, however. I feel like if I attack Scotland that will open a potential war with England. I am open to the possibility, especially when they are warring with the French, but we are going to have to be prepared for that.

FFF - I am glad you are enjoying MTW as well. It really is an addictive game, even my girlfriend plays it! I have never really campaigned with Denmark either, so it should make it all the more interesting.

Coug - I might just go to the east. It all depends on what the other factions do. Trade is my top priority at this time. I am hoping the long boats are reliable units, I have never really used them before.