This is the fifth and final article in the series presenting each of the five powers of Baltic Empires in turn. This time I will cover Denmark.

Just like Poland-Lithuania, Denmark-Norway (or “Denmark” for short) starts near the height of their historical power, with a far-flung empire with possessions across the Baltic Sea, and a strong navy to help control it. Their territories may not be the richest on the map, but they are blessed with a varied economy (a decent distribution of different Goods), and geography is also Denmark´s friend in another crucial aspect: the Øresund.

Every single merchant ship entering or leaving the Baltic Sea had to pass through the narrow Øresund (“The Sound” in English) straits near Copenhagen, and the Sound Dues these ships had to pay to pass went directly into the personal coffers of the king. This made the Danish kings among the richest men in Europe. This is represented in the game by a mechanic whereby the Danish player receives extra Thalers depending on how much the other powers trade. As Thalers are Baltic Empire´s wildcard resource, that is both more flexible than Goods and essential for paying upkeep and loans, this rule alone makes it fun to play Denmark and greatly boosts Denmark’s otherwise humble starting income of 5 Goods and Thalers. However, just as in history, the dues could only be enforced if both sides of the straits were controlled by Denmark, and thus the loss of Copenhagen or Scania (as happened in 1658) is a critical blow to Denmark.

Denmark´s (or actually Norway´s) easy access to timber and strong maritime traditions are represented in the game by Denmark having more Ships of the Line in their force pool, as well as having a lower cost to build these units. The innovative and ambitious infrastructure projects of the long-reigning king Christian IV is represented by their lower cost to build Cities and Workshops. Denmark-Norway´s status as an economically interconnected union between Denmark, with its agriculture, and Norway, with its naval traditions and natural resources, is represented in the game by requiring Denmark to maintain control of the Union’s key territories in order to recruit Dramatis Personae cards to reform and develop their realm.

The desire to reverse the recent Sweden secession from the Danish-dominated Kalmar Union (in 1523) was Denmark´s overarching strategic goal historically, and this is represented in the game by Denmark´s National Ambition being the conquest of Stockholm (the Swedish capital) while retaining control of Copenhagen (the Danish capital) and Scania (the richest province of the realm). But as you might remember from the first article in this series, Sweden is the big bully in Baltic Empires, and taking their capital might not exactly be easy…

When playing Denmark, it is therefore important to keep all the victory condition in mind, as your navy and flexible strategic position means every one of them are very plausible paths to victory for you. The Trade Center of Hamburg is adjacent to you and far from the other powers while the Trade Center Provinces of Riga and Danzig are both just a sea move away from Danish-controlled Provinces. If you pull off a quick conquest of some of the rich German provinces to your south, you can skyrocket up the Hegemon tracks and possibly get a Hegemon Track win – perhaps aided by seaborne attacks against your opponents with the ruthless goal of reducing their standing on the tracks by devastating their lands. With your unique position on the board you will likely have to deal more with independent units than your opponents, and in this regard your Sound Dues come in extra handy, as any Thalers you manage to save for the War phase can be used to smoothen your way to victory with allied independent units.

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Previous Articles:

Victory Conditions in Baltic Empires

The Sequence of Play in Baltic Empires

Economics in Baltic Empires

Dramatis Personae Cards in Baltic Empires

Warfare in Baltic Empires

The Powers of Baltic Empires — Sweden

The Powers of Baltic Empires — Russia

The Powers of Baltic Empires — Prussia

The Powers of Baltic Empires — Poland