Nordic 20 turns: how should you spend your first 10 gold?
Choose between more troops now and more production later. We compared development, a levy, infantry recruitment, workshops, commerce and taking no action from the same Swedish start.
Setup: Nordic 20 turns · Sweden · Normal · New game · Delegation off.
Start: 8 troops, production 3, 10 gold, 20 food, 20 materials, farms.
Only the first action differs. After that we end turns without further player actions. Enemy countries take their normal turns. These are results for this setup, not a guaranteed winning sequence.
1. Watch the four Nordic regions first
The targets are Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark. Hold all four through the enemy phase to win. Elimination can end the game earlier.
After 20 completed turns, countries are ranked by the number of those four regions they own, then by troops in those regions. If both values tie, the player ranks first; remaining ties use country ID order. Land and troops outside the four regions do not directly count toward that score.
2. Select Sweden twice to choose an action
Select Sweden on the map, then select it again to open its actions. Development, levies, unit recruitment and changing the economic focus use that province’s action for the turn. Recruiting does not let you attack from the same province immediately afterward.
| First action | Troops | Gold | Food | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| End turn without acting | 11 | 14 | 25 | 21 |
| Develop (6 gold) | 12 | 9 | 26 | 21 |
| Levy (6 gold) | 15 | 8 | 25 | 21 |
| 5 infantry (6 gold, 5 food) | 16 | 8 | 20 | 21 |
| Switch to workshops (10 gold) | 11 | 4 | 21 | 25 |
| Switch to commerce (10 gold) | 11 | 9 | 21 | 21 |
Need troops soon? Infantry recruitment gives one more soldier than a levy for the same gold, but also spends 5 food. That matters when food is scarce. Cavalry costs 12 gold and artillery costs 15, so neither is affordable with the initial 10 gold.
Can you wait? Development raises production from 3 to 4 instead of adding troops immediately. With no further player actions, after three completed turns development left 20 troops and 19 gold; a levy left 21 troops and 16 gold; infantry recruitment left 22 troops and 16 gold. Sweden was still ours in these runs. War and further actions can change the comparison.
3. More gold from commerce means less food
At Sweden’s initial production of 3, switching farms to commerce changes extra income each turn by gold +5, food −4, materials 0. It reduces food income from 5 to 1; it does not immediately remove 4 stored food. The 10-gold switching cost is paid immediately.
Switching farms to workshops changes extra income by gold 0, food −4 and materials +4. The game’s buttons now compare each option with your current focus. These are province values before efficiency, not a promise about the entire country’s final income.
After three completed turns, the commerce start held 27 gold and 23 food. Doing nothing held 22 gold and 35 food. More gold alone does not establish a better strategy: compare the food and materials your next unit purchase needs, and how soon you intend to fight.
4. Inspect the troops left after an attack
- Check who owns the four targets. Neutral land and another country’s land have different attack requirements.
- Select your land, then a target to inspect the action menu. If you are not at war, you need a diplomatic decision first.
- Adjust the troops sent and compare the troops left at the source and destination. A minimum winning attack can leave a weak garrison.
- Read the nearby enemies currently at war. This describes the current position, not guaranteed future enemy moves.
Read the combat calculations · Read the diplomacy rules
How we checked these results
Read next: Two complete campaigns starting with a 14- or 15-troop attack on Norway compare the garrisons left behind and the actions that followed.
We ran each alternative from a new game with the October 30, 2026 game code. The comparison table comes from automated execution of the game rules. Chrome menu, language and small-screen checks were separate. We did not measure human play time, replay rates or a universally winning strategy.
Restored saves, other scenarios, extra actions and later updates can produce different numbers. Send the setup, turn and screenshot to [email protected] if something differs.