Sweden makes a return to the Civilization series, this time with a brand new leader. Sweden’s abilities will give them a boost towards culture and science and capitalizing on this will make them a strong political power as well.
Leader: Kristina
This remarkable woman was a mere 6 years old when she became the queen of Sweden, an age when most of us are only just learning the alphabet. She led Sweden into a golden era with a great focus on culture and science.
Leader Ability: Minerva of the North
Cultural buildings with at least 3 great works slots or wonders with at least 2 great works slots are automatically themed when they are filled which will be of great help in generating tourism during the late game. She also provides the ability to construct the Queen’s Biblioteque in the Government Plaza which provides additional great works slots and a governor upgrade.
Unique Unit: Carolean
This Renaissance Era unit is a faster version of the Pike and Shot. It also receives 3 additional strength for each unused movement point when attacking.
Unique Improvement: Open-Air Museum
Only one Open-Air Museum may be built in each city and as such, the tile it’s built on cannot be swapped out. This building provides +2 loyalty for this city as well as +2 culture and tourism for each different type of terrain a Swedish city has been founded on.
Unique Ability: Nobel Prize
Sweden’s unique ability provides them with diplomatic favor each time they earn a Great Person and they receive additional points towards Great Engineers and Great Scientists from factories and universities respectively.
Additionally, having Sweden in a game adds 3 unique World Congress competitions which all civilizations can participate in.
CONCLUSION
I think this might be the first time I question a new civilization’s design. Sweden doesn’t feel particularly exciting to me and I’ll admit I’m a bit confused by the Open-Air Museum which forces you to settle your cities on different types of terrain. Finding ideal city locations requires some real thought since settling just one tile further could turn a good city into a great city but this ability encourages you to choose certain tiles purely because of the tile's landscape. This could have a huge negative impact on a player’s game in the long term if they choose the wrong tiles and honestly, I don’t fully understand the reasoning behind it.
Regardless, Sweden will be a strong contender for a cultural or diplomatic victory. Their abilities make them particularly strong in a cultural game, especially in the later eras which means that playing as Sweden, you could not be recognized as a threat until it’s too late for your enemies to stop you.