Denmark: Gameplay Information

The Danes are the descendants of the Viking raiders who terrorised Europe for centuries until conversion to Christianity quelled their aggressive instincts. Their cultural links with Norway were always strong and their aristocratic families intermarried frequently. They also had strong links to England and the 11th century king, Canute ruled both England and Denmark but England broke away after his death in 1035. The conversion to Christianity began in 980 when a German missionary converted Harold Bluetooth. The early & mid 12th century was a troubled time for Denmark as there was no strong central rule but Valdemar the Great turned events around and founded the town that would become the current capital of Denmark, Copenhagen and this became became rich & powerful through trade. In the game however, it is Arhus that is the initial (and only) Danish city.

The Danes have an interesting unit selection in the campaign. Dismounted Huscarls might be more expensive to buy than Dismounted Feudal Knights and not as solid but they are considerably cheaper to maintain. This is an important factor early in the game. They have other unique units like Norse War Clerics with armour piercing maces which are well suited to prolonged melee and are recruitable in cities. Their stamina is low so don’t use them for chasing down routers. Norse archers are better than standard archers in melee combat which makes them worth considering as light infantry forces rather than purely as missile infantry. They also come equipped with a shield which is important in archer-archer duels. The Mounted Huscarl cavalry are also interesting because their axes are armour piercing. Like Norse War Clerics, they are suited to melee and they also have lower stamina than other mounted knight units. Scouts are not really a whole lot of use. They don’t have the “fast moving” trait and their stats are very low. The Norse Axemen have a high attack which is armour piercing but no shield and are best used for flanking duties. If finances are especially tight, Viking Raiders are very cheap to recruit and have more men per unit. They are well worth considering for online battles.


Table of Contents


Campaign Overview

Religion
  • Catholic
Long Campaign Win Conditions
  • Take 45 Regions
  • Take Jerusalem
Short Campaign Win Conditions
  • Take 15 Regions
  • Outlive The Holy Roman Empire
Finances
  • Initial Money: 10000 Florins
  • King’s Purse: 2000 Florins
Initial Settlements
  • Arhus (Large Town, Capital) – Port, Grain Exchange, Dirt Roads, Town Hall, Town Watch
Initial Generals
  • King Knud (40, Faction Leader) – 4 Command, 0 Chivalry/Dread, 2 Authority, 4 Piety
  • Prince Charles (19, Faction Heir) – 4 Command, 0 Chivalry/Dread, 5 Loyalty, 5 Piety
Initial Admirals
  • Jon – 1 Command
Initial Agents
  • Ingrid (18, Princess) – 3 Charm
  • Halstan (40, Cardinal) – 4 Piety
  • Toke (30, Merchant) – 3 Finance
  • Kolbein of Holmr (20, Spy) – 2 Subterfuge
Initial Troops
  • General’s Bodyguard – 2
  • Spear Militia – 6
  • Peasants – 1
  • Peasant Archers – 4
  • Norse Archers – 2

Denmark start off in a strategically enclosed area. They can expand safely into Scandinavia and also take the provinces south of Arhus and then you hit a problem. The Holy Roman Empire will pose a barrier to your further expansion. At this point, your economy will be very under-developed and it will be hard to fight a war of attrition with the powerful Holy Roman Empire. Another approach is required and the Viking past should be inspiration for the required path.

Indeed, you have to expand through the British Isles to make real progress as the Danes. London can be taken first with a powerful army and with skill (& use of spies), the entire British Isles can be yours in a small number of turns. Taking Caen will then eliminate the English and you have two less Catholic factions to contend with. You could also look to expand across the Baltic but the provinces & cities there are as poor & under-developed as your Scandinavian towns and will take much investment & time to bring them up to a useful size. With a foothold gained in Normandy and a reasonable economy in the British Isles, the time is now set to begin the serious expansion south. It is entirely possible that the Pope will be less than delighted with your beligerence so you will need to satisfy him to an extent. Do watch your eastern border as the Poles & Hungarians have a nasty habit of waiting until the worst possible time to attack. Ideally, you want to attack excommunicated factions. Use crusades as this will stop the Pope calling crusades in more awkward areas of the world.


Recruitable Units

The following table contains all of the units that Denmark can recruit in Multiplayer and Custom Battles. For the Grand Campaign, use the “All” period with the following corrections:

  • Units in (Brackets) are mercenaries and therefore cannot be trained in campaign, although any general can recruit them in the field if he has space in his army and there are some available.
  • Units in [Square Brackets] cannot be recruited in campaign, they are for Multiplayer and Custom Battles only.
  • Units in Italics can only be recruited in certain regions (eg. The New World) or after a certain event
    (eg. The discovery of gunpowder).
PeriodMilitia UnitsInfantryMissile InfantryCavalryMissile CavalryArtillery
Early 
  • Peasants
  • Viking Raiders
  • Dismounted Feudal Knights
  • Dismounted Huscarls
  • Peasant Archers
  • Norse Archers
  • Scouts
  • Huscarls
  • Feudal Knights
  • General’s Bodyguard
 
  • Ballista
  • Catapult
High
  • Sword Staff Militia
  • Peasants
  • Norse Swordsmen
  • Dismounted Huscarls
  • Dismounted Chivalric Knights
  • Norse Axemen
  • Peasant Archers
  • Lithuanian Archers
  • Crossbowmen
  • Handgunners
  • Scouts
  • Huscarls
  • Chivalric Knights
  • General’s Bodyguard
  • Mounted Crossbowmen
  • Ballista
  • Catapult
  • Trebuchet
  • Bombard
Late
  • Sword Staff Militia
  • Peasants
  • Norse Swordsmen
  • Norse Axemen
  • Obudshaer
  • Peasant Archers
  • Crossbowmen
  • Norse Archers
  • Arquebusiers
  • Handgunners
  • Norse War Clerics
  • General’s Bodyguard
  • Mounted Crossbowmen
  • Ribault
  • Serpentine
  • Cannon
All
  • Town Militia
  • Crossbow Militia
  • Spear Militia
  • Sword Staff Militia
  • Merchant Cavalry Militia
  • Peasants
  • Viking Raiders
  • Norse Swordsmen
  • Dismounted Feudal Knights
  • Dismounted Chivalric Knights
  • Dismounted Huscarls
  • Norse Axemen
  • Obudshaer
  • Peasant Archers
  • Crossbowmen
  • Norse Archers
  • Handgunners
  • Arquebusiers
  • Scouts
  • Huscarls
  • Feudal Knights
  • Chivalric Knights
  • General’s Bodyguard
  • Late General’s Bodyguard
  • Knights Hospitaller
  • Knights Templar
  • Mounted Crossbowmen
  • Ballista
  • Catapult
  • Trebuchet
  • Bombard
  • Ribault

Constructable Buildings


Cities

Building TypeVillageTownLarge TownMinor CityLarge CityHuge City
WallsWooden Palisade (Upgrade)Wooden Wall (Upgrade)Stone Wall (Upgrade)Large Stone Wall (Upgrade)Huge Stone Wall (Upgrade) 
Improved Towers Ballista TowersCannon Towers
Barracks Town WatchTown GuardCity WatchMilitia Drill SquareMilitia BarracksArmy Barracks
Siege Ballista MakerCatapult MakerSiege Works 
Cannons GunsmithCannon MakerCannon Foundry
Smiths Leather TannerBlacksmithArmourerHeavy ArmourerMaster ArmourerArmour Factory
Ports PortShipwrightDockyard 
Sea Trade Merchants’ WharfWarehouseDocklands
Admirality Naval AcademyAdmirality
Trade Grain ExchangeMarketFairgroundGreat MarketMerchants’ Quarter
Roads Dirt Roads Paved Roads 
FarmsLand ClearanceCommunal FarmingCrop RotationIrrigation 
Academia Alchemist’s LabAlchemy SchoolUniversity
Churches Small ChurchChurchAbbeyCathedralHuge Cathedral
Inns BrothelInnTavernCoaching HousePleasure Palace
Town Hall Town HallCouncil ChambersCity HallMayor’s Palace
Assassins’ Guild Assassins’ GuildMaster Assassins’ GuildAssassins’ Guild Headquarters
Masons’ Guild Masons’ GuildMaster Masons’ GuildMasons’ Guild Headquarters
Theologians’ Guild Theologians’ GuildMaster Theologians’ GuildTheologians’ Guild Headquarters
Merchants’ Guild Merchants’ GuildMaster Merchants’ GuildMerchants’ Guild Headquarters
Alchemists’ Guild Alchemists’ GuildMaster Alchemists’ GuildAlchemists’ Guild Headquarters
Thieves’ Guild Thieves’ GuildMaster Thieves’ GuildThieves’ Guild Headquarters
Explorers’ Guild Explorers’ GuildMaster Explorers’ GuildExplorers’ Guild Headquarters
Swordsmiths’ Guild Swordsmiths’ GuildMaster Swordsmiths’ GuildSwordsmiths’ Guild Headquarters
Knights Templar Templar Minor Chapter HouseTemplar Major Chapter HouseTemplar Headquarters
Hospitaller Knights St Johns’ Minor Chapter HouseSt Johns’ Major Chapter HouseSt Johns’ Headquarters
Horse Breeders’ Guild Horse Breeders’ GuildMaster Horse Breeders’ GuildHorse Breeders’ Guild Headquarters

Castles

Building TypeVillageMotte and BaileyWooden CastleCastleFortressCitadel
CastleMotte and Bailey (Upgrade)Wooden Castle (Upgrade)Castle (Upgrade)Fortress (Upgrade)Citadel (Upgrade) 
Improved Towers Ballista TowersCannon Towers
Stables StablesKnight’s StablesBaron’s StablesEarl’s Stables
Barracks Mustering HallGarrison QuartersDrill SquareBarracksArmoury
Ranges BowyerPractice RangeArchery RangeMarksman’s Range
Siege Ballista MakerCatapult MakerSiege Works
Cannons GunsmithCannon MakerCannon Foundry
Smiths Leather TannerBlacksmithArmourerHeavy ArmourerMaster ArmourerArmour Factory
Ports PortShipwrightDockyardNaval Drydock
Roads Dirt Roads Paved Roads 
Farms Land ClearanceCommunal FarmingCrop RotationIrrigation 
Mines MinesMining Network 
Churches ChapelLarge Chapel 
Academy Castle LibraryAcademy
Swordsmiths’ Guild Swordsmiths’ GuildMaster Swordsmiths’ GuildSwordsmiths’ Guild Headquarters
Knights Templar Templar Minor Chapter HouseTemplar Major Chapter HouseTemplar Headquarters
Hospitaller Knights St Johns’ Minor Chapter HouseSt Johns’ Major Chapter HouseSt Johns’ Headquarters