The Europe map
The Europe map stretches from Iceland to the Volga. Bigger, longer (15 minutes by default) and more uneven than France, it rewards players who read the geography.
The map in numbers
- 129 territories of varying value, from 0.6 to 1.6.
- 12 bonus kingdoms, covering 102 territories. The other 27 are independent.
- About 17 barbarian camps at the start (13% of the map).
- 15 sea links.
- Rival Houses: Habsburg, Plantagenet, Capet and Hohenstaufen, the great dynasties of medieval Europe.
Territories are not all equal
On this map, a territory's income depends on its size. The base of 0.5 gold per second is multiplied by a value between 0.6 (Saxony, Kosovo, Schleswig-Holstein…) and 1.6 (Muscovy, Volga, Norrland, Belarus…). The great provinces of the East and North therefore yield almost three times more than the small territories of central Europe. On the other hand, they are far apart and armies march long distances.
The final ranking counts territories, not their size: a Russian province is worth one point, like a German state. The East makes you rich, the center wins you points. The income shown at the top of the screen and in the Realm tab already takes these values into account.
Kingdoms and their bonuses
| Region | Territories | Bonus (gold/s) |
|---|---|---|
| France | 13 | +10 |
| Germany | 12 | +9 |
| Spain | 14 | +11 |
| Italy | 18 | +14 |
| United Kingdom | 8 | +6 |
| Poland | 7 | +6 |
| Ukraine | 6 | +5 |
| Romania | 7 | +6 |
| Sweden | 3 | +3 |
| Norway | 4 | +3 |
| Finland | 3 | +3 |
| Russia | 7 | +6 |
The Nordic kingdoms are the fastest to complete: Sweden and Finland (3 territories for +3) and Norway (4 for +3). Italy is the biggest bonus in the game (+14), but with 18 territories, including Sicily and Sardinia, it is also the hardest to hold. The 27 independent territories (Portugal, Benelux, Switzerland, Austria, the Balkans, the Baltic states, Belarus…) give no region bonus, but they count in the ranking like any other.
Sea links
Fifteen crossings connect islands and coasts. They are crossed like a normal border:
- Mediterranean: Corsica–Provence, Corsica–Sardinia, Sardinia–Lazio, Sicily–Calabria, Balearics–Catalonia, Balearics–Valencia, Apulia–Albania.
- Channel and British Isles: London and Kent–Hauts-de-France, Northern Ireland–Scotland, Ireland–Wales.
- North Atlantic and Baltic: Iceland–Scotland, Iceland–Western Norway, Denmark–Götaland, Denmark–Eastern Norway, Southern Finland–Estonia.
The United Kingdom reaches the mainland through a single direct crossing, from London and Kent to Hauts-de-France; the only other way in detours through Iceland and Norway. It is a natural stronghold. Seven territories cannot be chosen as a start: Iceland, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, the Balearics, Crimea and Kaliningrad.
Barbarians and wide spaces
With about 17 camps at the start, barbarians often hold the heart of the continent, between Germany, the Balkans and central Europe, where capitals are furthest apart. They block the roads between Houses during the first minutes, which gives each one time to develop. Razing them pays 120 gold each and opens the way, but a weak army breaks against them: a camp gains one pikeman every 10 seconds up to 30 soldiers. In the East distances are long: an army of knights alone, about 1.8 times faster, makes the difference there.
Recommended starts
- Scandinavia (Svealand, Götaland): three small quick-bonus kingdoms around you, high-value territories and few approaches. A very safe start.
- United Kingdom (Midlands, London and Kent): 8 territories for +6, a single direct crossing to the mainland. Perfect to build your economy before landing.
- Île-de-France or Germany: at the center of everything, with many small territories to grab quickly. For players who like action.
A Europe game lasts 15 minutes by default. Use that time to invest in mines and upgrades: they have time to pay off. The basics are explained in the rules and the strategy guide.