Money while you're small
At the start you're offered financial support. Accept it and you receive 1,000-3,000 florins each turn while you hold fewer than 5 settlements (2,000 more with 3-4 settlements).
Recruiting as Novgorod
Help when the capital falls
If Novgorod is lost while you hold fewer than 8 settlements, the boyars send 5,000 florins every turn until you retake it.
Rus events follow the great changes
Most Rus reforms fire soon after a world event (Heavy Mail, the High Era, Cannons, Partial Plate), with a 50% chance each turn. Kievan Rus shares the same events.
Getting units faster
- Each settlement has a pool per unit. It fills slowly over time ("25t" means one new unit every 25 turns) up to a cap. You can only recruit what's waiting in the pool.
- Upgrade the building. Higher levels hold more units and refill faster: go down a unit's table to compare.
- Upgrades give a unit straight away. Finishing a building level adds its starting unit on top of whatever is already in the pool.
- Stack buildings. Pools for the same unit from different buildings in one settlement add together. Some special buildings (shown as +) only speed up the refill of another building's pool.
- Recruit where it's cheapest to wait. Many units refill faster in your homeland or in provinces of your religion. Check the conditions shown under each building in a unit's table.
- Reforms change rates. Each column of a unit's table is a stage of the campaign; pools often grow after a reform.
- Reform units take a while to appear. The starting unit is handed out when a building is finished, so when a reform unlocks a unit at a building you already own, its pool usually has to fill from zero. Expect up to the number of turns shown before the first one appears, or build the next level up to get one immediately.
Reforms
Novgorod's own reforms. Each happens once its conditions are met; turns shown are typical.
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1 Moscow founded
usually around turn 57 (~1160)
- Needs
- Past turn 30 and you hold Rostov, Suzdal and Ryazan - or past turn 80 and you hold Novgorod.
- Chance
- 50% per turn.
UnlocksEastern Crossbow Militia
In-game event text
The first known reference to Moscow dates from 1147 as a meeting place of Yuri Dolgoruky and Sviatoslav Olgovich. At the time, it was a minor town on the western border of Suzdal Principality. The chronicle says, 'Come, my brother, to Moskov'. In 1156, Knjaz Yury Dolgoruky fortified the town with a timber fence and a moat.
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2 Anna-Euphrosyne Becomes Regent
usually around turn 143 (~1203)
- Needs
- After the Heavy Mail event.
- Chance
- 50% per turn.
UnlocksBoyarsMounted LuchnikiFoot BoyarsTrebuchet
RetiresDruzhina CavalryDruzhina
In-game event text
Anna-Euphrosyne was the daughter of Eastern Roman Emperor Isaac II Angelos. In 1199 she was married to Roman the Great, a Rus prince holding claim to many titles and lands, and after his death in 1205, Anna-Euphrosyne became regent of the Principality of Volhynia. During her reign, she made treaties with Poland, Hungary, and Lithuania, improved commerce, and due to her Eastern Roman heritage, brought much southern influence into the lands she ruled. GAME STRATEGY: Rus factions may now build Ikoners' Studios. Universities will provide an additional diplomat. Recruitment of troops will also improve, either through access to new units, or through faster regeneration of the recruitment pools.
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3 Crossbow in the Rus lands
usually around turn 211 (~1237)
- Needs
- After the High Era begins.
- Chance
- 50% per turn.
In-game event text
Crossbows were in use in northwest Russia from the late 12th or early 13th Century onwards. Mid-13th-Century crossbow equipment specimens from Novgorod are identical to those used elsewhere in Europe. In addition, Russian archers used both barbed European arrows and armor-piercing Eastern arrows, probably amplifying the effect of their archers on knightly armor to a degree resembling the employment of crossbowmen. According to the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle, the Pskovan army that marched out against the Teutons in 1240 and battled them in field near Izborsk included numerous crossbowmen, probably drawn from the city’s militia. This Capability posits such Russian fielding of crossbowmen in significant number beyond those who would remain in garrisons. GAME STRATEGY: Crossbowmen are now available to the Rus factions.
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4 Rus Cities' Competition
usually around turn 329 (~1296)
- Needs
- After the Cannons event.
- Chance
- 50% per turn.
In-game event text
Wars
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5 Andrey Rublyov
usually around turn 443 (~1353)
- Needs
- After the Partial Plate event.
- Chance
- 50% per turn.
UnlocksHalberd Militia
RetiresEastern Levy Spearmen
In-game event text
Andrey Rublyov was a Muscovite icon painter born in the 1360s who died between 1427 and 1430 in Moscow. He is considered to be one of the greatest medieval Russian painters of Orthodox Christian icons and frescos.
World events that change your army
Events that happen to everyone at a random point in their window, and what they change for Novgorod.
14 events
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1 Ostsiedlung
usually around turn 111 (~1187)
UnlocksCog
In-game event text
"Ostsiedlung" was the medieval eastward migration and settlement of Germanic-speaking peoples from the Holy Roman Empire, especially its southern and western portions, into less densely populated regions of Central and Eastern Europe, and the Baltics. The affected area stretched from Estonia in the north all the way to Carniola in the south, and extended into Transylvania in the east. This migration and resettlement took place between 1100 and 1350. In many cases the term "German colonization" does not refer to an actual migration of Germans, but rather to the internal migration of native populations (Poles, Hungarians, etc.) from the countryside to the cities, which then adopted laws modeled on those of the German towns of Magdeburg and Lübeck. These societal changes have also caused noticeable shifts in the local economy and military (new units are now available). GAME STRATEGY: From now on, the Crusader units will appear also in the northern and eastern Latin lands (Scandinavia, the Baltics, Poland, Hungary). There will be a number of changes for Hungary and Poland concerning the control of their lands: recovering own provinces after another faction conquered them or they had rebelled, will not increase aggressivity of these factions. In military, they (and sometimes also other factions: HRE, Denmark, Serbia) have access to more troops, sometimes also to new units.
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2 Heavy Mail
usually around turn 141 (~1202)
- Needs
- Happens at a random point between 1192 and 1212.
UnlocksTysyatskiesNovgorod Home Guard
In-game event text
New techniques in production of mail have reduced its cost, and now full body suits of mail armor are common. (c. 13th century)
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3 Pronoia Reforms
usually around turn 181 (~1222)
RetiresSlav Levies
In-game event text
GAME STRATEGY: Pronoiarii units start to replace the Stratiotiai units.
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4 Mongols Invade Zalesye
usually around turn 237 (~1250)
RetiresSlavic Levy Archers
In-game event text
14 years after the first raid to the north-west and the battle of the Kalka River, the Mongols have returned in even greater numbers to the West. Having subdued the Volga Bulgarians, Batu Khan lead his vast horde of fierce Mongol riders to Zalesye (Land-Beyond-the-Forests) with old cities like Suzdal and Rostow, and young upstarts as Moscow. The horde was seemed unstoppable and the Mongols mercilessly swept through Zalesye, sacking all the cities that did not capitulated beforehand. GAME STRATEGY: A few Mongol armies appear in the woods in the middle-Volga basin.
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5 Die Kogge
usually around turn 325 (~1294)
UnlocksHolk
In-game event text
A cog (in German: die Kogge) is a type of ship that first appeared in the 10th century, and was widely used from around the 12th century on. It is clinker-built, generally of oak. These vessels were fitted with a single mast and a square-rigged single sail. They were mostly associated with seagoing trade in north-west medieval Europe, especially the Hanseatic League. Typical seagoing cogs ranged from about 15 to 25 meters in length, with a beam of 5 to 8 meters and were 30–200 tons burthen. In 13th century cogs would be decked, and larger vessels would be fitted with a stern castle, to afford more cargo space by keeping the crew and tiller up, out of the way; and to give the helmsman a better view. Also, a number of smaller innovations took place what enabled faster and safer travel. GAME STRATEGY: Ports will provide more trade income for the East European factions. Trade benefits from the Hanseatic buildings will also increase. Setting up of a domination by Lübeck (i.e. building Holsteintor) is enabled, and after it is build a number of further Hanseatic buildings will be available for construction. The ships of the factions from the Northern Europe will have an increased range.
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6 Coat of Plates
usually around turn 341 (~1302)
- Needs
- Happens at a random point between 1292 and 1312.
UnlocksHeavy Boyars
RetiresBoyarsSlavic Javelinmen
In-game event text
Single plates of metal armor are now being worn over a full mail haubergeon in order to protect vulnerable areas. (c. Mid 13th century)
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7 Man-Made Inferno!
usually around turn 401 (~1332)
- Needs
- Happens in 1332.
UnlocksBombard
In-game event text
A new way of working metal has been developed in the village of Lapphyttan in Sweden, and it is now being adopted across western Europe. Housed in a great building, mighty water-driven bellows blast air into a furnace that produces a blaze so fierce and unworldly that the iron from within the ore flows out as a stream of molten metal! Even though the raw iron that pours from this new furnace is very brittle, vast amounts of the stuff can be made with relative ease, which a learned smith can then easily treat to produce incredibly resilient weapons and armor. GAME STRATEGY: The mines will be more productive in the Latin Europe. However, what's probably more important, the Bombards will be possible to be constructed!
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8 Handgun Developed
usually around turn 461 (~1362)
- Needs
- Happens at a random point between 1350 and 1375.
RetiresWoodsmen
In-game event text
Early handguns are short and stocky with a barrel length of 165mm and a bore of 15mm. Manufactures soon learn though that an increased barrel length allows the gunpowder to completely burn before the bullet leaves the muzzle, and guns become about 375mm in length with a bore of 21mm. Such weapons have no true stock, but are set on a wooden stave which is held under the arms while a smouldering match or hot wire is applied to the vent. (c. late 14th century). Later versions use a stock and a simple matchlock firing mechanism called a serpentine.
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9 Ibn al-Shatir Dies
usually around turn 487 (~1375)
- Needs
- Happens in 1375.
UnlocksGrand Bombard
In-game event text
Ibn al-Shatir, the great Arabic Muslim astronomer, mathematician, engineer, and inventor lived from 1304–1375. His work 'The Final Quest Concerning the Rectification of Principles' set the founding principles for later western astronomers, and he invented the first astrolabic clock, a compass dial, and the concept of splitting the hours of the day into equal lengths, which he incorporated into a magnificent sundial. GAME STRATEGY: Muslim Libraries now provide slightly better benefits.
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10 A New Route to the East?
usually around turn 543 (~1403)
- Needs
- Happens at a random point between 1400 and 1406.
UnlocksCarrack
In-game event text
It has been known since the time of the ancient Greeks that the world was round, but this information has yet to prove useful to the rulers of Europe... New interest in a trade route to Asia that bypasses the Muslim powers in the near east has spurred speculation that one such trade route might be found by sailing sufficiently far west. However, most scholars agree that with the vast distances involved, only a resurfaced Atlantis would offer any chance of an escape from starvation and dehydration for a convoy crazy or stupid enough to make the journey.
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11 Matchlock Developed
usually around turn 597 (~1430)
- Needs
- Happens at a random point between 1420 and 1440.
UnlocksArquebusiers
In-game event text
A simple matchlock (often called a serpentine) is essentially an "S" shaped piece of metal with a central pivot which is attached to the side of a gun. By pulling on the bottom half of the pivot, the upper half, which holds a burning slow match (hemp or cotton rope soaked in saltpetre), is lowered into a pan containing a priming charge of powder to fire the gun. This allows the shooter to place the weapon on his shoulder and use both hands to aim, thus allowing him to concentrate on firing, rather than a match. The firearm that utilizes this device is known as the Arquebus. (c. Mid 15th century) A separate variety of matchlocks (called the snapping matchlock) has also been developed. In these, the serpentine is strongly spring-loaded, and released by pressing a button, pulling a trigger, or pulling a short string passing into the mechanism. As the match is often extinguished after its relatively violent collision with the flash pan, this type of matchlock has quickly fallen out of favour with regular soldiers, but is still often used in fine target weapons.
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12 Gothic Plate Armor
usually around turn 641 (~1452)
- Needs
- Happens at a random point between 1442 and 1462.
UnlocksCannon
In-game event text
New designs for plate armor include reworked helmet and neckguard plans. Many of these new armors are masterpieces of workmanship and refinement. Examples of these different styles can be found made by the Italians of Milan, English of Greenwich, Serbians of Novo Brdo and Kotor, and of course in southern Germany (especially in Nuremberg) where the style is called Gothic. (c. Early 15th century)
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13 Machines that Fly?
usually around turn 721 (~1492)
- Needs
- Happens in 1492.
UnlocksCossack GunnersBasilisk
In-game event text
Leonardo da Vinci, an Italian mastermind known for his revolutionary artistic works and ingenious inventions, has concocted his most ambitious and eldritch design yet. His fascination with the science of flight has culminated in his 'Ornithopter' design. Looking something akin to a windmill sail atop a horseless carriage, many other scholars are laughing, suggesting da Vinci should go back to his concepts based upon attaching wings to the human body.
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14 Pike and Shot
usually around turn 797 (~1530)
- Needs
- Happens in 1530.
UnlocksLate ArquebusiersCossack Musketeers
RetiresArquebusiers
In-game event text
New technologies and tactics have made firearms increasingly more effective. In particular, infantry units have begun making greater use of the pike to ward off enemy cavalry, thus protecting gunners whose fire can then shatter even the most heavily-armored of enemies.
The crown: Shapka Monomakha
Getting your king crowned stabilises the realm but costs 20,000 florins plus 5,000 a turn. How crowns work for every faction.
Crowned in
- Novgorod with Sofiiskyi Sobor or better
- Kyev with Large Zoloti Vorota or better
- Marmara (Kōnstantinoúpolis) with Hagia Sophiaholy city
Lands you must hold
Novgorod Pleskov Smolenesk Ryazan' Chernigov Kyev Polotsk Rostov Suzdal The Marshes (Turov) Ruthenia (Goroden) Volhynia (Volodymyr) Halychyna (Halych) Pereyaslavl'
Only while no other faction holds this crown
Not needed with a Strong Legacy.
AI version (10 settlements)
Novgorod, Pleskov, Smolenesk, Ryazan', Chernigov, Kyev, Polotsk, Rostov, The Marshes (Turov), Pereyaslavl'
Shared crown: Kievan Rus can win the same one, and once someone holds it nobody else can.
Buildings that depend on the crown
| Building | Effect | Uncrowned | Crowned |
|---|---|---|---|
| MintFinance | Needs a crowned king to buildOr instead: after the Bardi Bank event, Muslim factions, Byzantium | ||
| Hanseatische KaufmännerHansa Teutonica | Happiness | -1 | -1 |
| Hanseatischer QuartierHansa Teutonica | Happiness | -2 | -2 |
| HolsteintorHansa Teutonica | Happiness | -2 | -2 |
| StalhofHansa Teutonica | Happiness | -2 | 0 |
| PeterhofHansa Teutonica | Happiness | -2 | 0 |
| BryggenHansa Teutonica | Happiness | -2 | 0 |
| Hanseatischer KontorHansa Teutonica | Happiness | -2 | 0 |
| Lizdeika PilisVilnius | Law | +1 | +2 |
| Lizdeika PilisVilnius | Population growth | +1 | +2 |
| Gedimino TowerVilnius | Law | +2 | +3 |
| Gedimino TowerVilnius | Population growth | +2 | +3 |
| Gedimino PilisVilnius | Law | +4 | +5 |
| Gedimino PilisVilnius | Population growth | +4 | +5 |
Units
Sorted by when they unlock, then cheapest first. Click a unit for abilities, full stats and where to recruit it.
Cavalry
Missile cavalry
Spear & pike infantry
Melee infantry
Missile infantry
Siege & artillery
* still recruitable at a few special buildings afterwards; see the unit's table.
No units match.
Generals' bodyguards
Not recruited from buildings; these come with your generals and family members.
Regional units & mercenaries
Conquered provinces can give you local troops, and generals can hire mercenaries. These are shared by every faction and have their own pages.
Regional units
Near Novgorod: Russia · Poland & the Baltics · Scandinavia
Mercenaries
Near Novgorod: Russia · Poland & the Baltics · Scandinavia