After my initial unboxing and overview – which you can still check in my earlier Baltic Empires Game Overview – I finally had a chance to put Baltic Empires: The Northern Wars of 1558-1721 properly to the table. Two full sessions, each very different: the first one in a small group of three, played mostly to learn the mechanics and the flow of the game, and the second one with a full table of five players during Wargameron 2026. That gave me enough material to share impressions going beyond the first look at the components.
As always we will follow the proven track. So first the game overview, then a bit of historical background, the actual session reports and finally my thoughts. Enjoy the read!
Other Baltic Empires Materials:
- Base Game | Unboxing & Overview
- Wargameron '26 | Recap & Impressions
Game Overview
Baltic Empires: The Northern Wars of 1558-1721 – published by GMT Games and designed by Brian Asklev, with artwork by Nils Johansson – is a 2-5 player strategic game covering the struggle for dominance in the Baltic region, from the collapse of the Livonian Order in 1558 to the end of the Great Northern War in 1721. Five asymmetric powers compete for hegemony: Denmark-Norway, Sweden, Russia, Poland-Lithuania and Brandenburg-Prussia. Each of them has its own special ability, unit mix, costs, religion and – most importantly – its own National Ambitions reflecting historical objectives.
Every round follows the same six phases: Income, Maritime Trade, Finances, Production, War and Hegemony. You collect Goods and Thalers from your Workshops and Cities, trade overseas, take (and repay!) Loans, pay upkeep for your army, build infrastructure and units, recruit historical figures to your Court and finally march to war. The powers are measured on three Hegemony tracks – Mercantile, Production and Military – and the leader of each track decides the player order in the corresponding phases.
There are several ways to win: Trade Monopoly through Customs Houses in Hamburg, Danzig and Riga, Cultural Hegemony (leading all three tracks at once), fulfilling your National Ambitions, alternative conditions from Dramatis Personae cards, or – specifically for Brandenburg-Prussia – the Balance of Power at the end of the game. The standard scenario lasts 8 or 12 rounds, the extended one 12 or 16.
If you want to see the components and get a quick overview of the rules, here is my unboxing video:
Historical Background
Ok, time for a little more background to the whole setting. In 1558 Ivan IV of Russia invaded Livonia, and the old Livonian Order – the last remnant of the Teutonic crusading states in the region – simply fell apart. Its lands became the prize in a long series of conflicts: Denmark, Sweden, Poland-Lithuania and Russia all joined the Livonian War, while Denmark and Sweden fought their own Northern Seven Years’ War over supremacy in Scandinavia and control of the Sound. For the next century and a half the Baltic was almost constantly at war – with the Polish-Swedish wars, the Time of Troubles when Polish troops held the Moscow Kremlin until they were expelled in 1612, and the Swedish Deluge of the 1650s which nearly destroyed the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
It was also the period in which new powers were born. Ducal Prussia started as a Polish Vassal, and only in 1657 did the Treaties of Wehlau and Bromberg end the Polish suzerainty, opening the way for Brandenburg-Prussia to become a kingdom (a fact nicely reflected in the game by the Vassal of Poland rules). Sweden, after Gustavus Adolphus and the Thirty Years War, became a true great power that turned the Baltic into its own lake. And all this ended with the Great Northern War (1700-1721), where Peter the Great broke Swedish power at Poltava in 1709 and, with the Treaty of Nystad, secured for Russia its window to the West. The game spans this whole era – and the Dramatis Personae cards let you bring many of its protagonists to your Court.
Session Reports
As usual in my First Impressions, I will share both what happened on the board and what I took away from each session. The first one was a learning game, the second one – a full-blown five-player war. Enjoy the reports! PS. Remember you can expand each picture on click.
Session 1. Three players, learning game
The very first session at the table, played with three players – so two of us had to handle two powers each. I led Denmark-Norway (Orange) and Poland-Lithuania (Brown), Maciej commanded Brandenburg-Prussia (Grey) and Russia (Green), while Janek took Sweden (Blue). It was mainly an initial play – to test the mechanics, understand how all six phases work together and learn how the economy feeds the army. The result was of secondary importance, but this session helped us a lot later, when we had to introduce the game to other players.
Livonia quickly becomes a crowded place. Swedish (blue) infantry marches into Estonia and Riga, while Russian (green) infantry and cavalry stand right next to the Riga Trade Center. With two Cities and Flax Workshops around, and being one of only three places where a Customs House can be built, Riga is simply too juicy to ignore.
Janek’s big Swedish stack hovering in the Mare Balticum – thanks to Ships of the Line it can land almost anywhere on the coast. Maciej’s Brandenburg-Prussia (grey) gathered cavalry, infantry and a Fortress in Konigsberg, just in case. A bit further south, Danzig with its Customs House (yellow tile) overrun by a Brandenburg forces.
Full view of the map in the later part of the game. Notice how quickly the provinces fill with Workshops and Cities, Danish (orange) troops fighting Independent (tan) garrisons in the German lands, and the Swedish army still waiting at sea off Konigsberg.
Summary: As a learning game this was very useful. The rules turned out to be relatively simple and the flow of the round quickly became natural. What we understood the most is how tightly the economy is tied to the war effort: every unit costs upkeep, every Loan must be repaid two rounds later, and the threat of State Bankruptcy is always around the corner. Playing two powers at once was also interesting – especially with Brandenburg-Prussia as a Vassal of Poland, which raised quite a few rules questions at the table.
Session 2. Five players, Wargameron 2026
This is what I was really looking forward to: a full table of five players during Wargameron 2026. I took Russia (Green), Michel commanded Brandenburg-Prussia (Grey), Janek led Denmark-Norway (Orange), Michal played Poland-Lithuania (Brown) and Trzewik ruled Sweden (Blue). And it was a crazy game! Sweden took Riga very quickly, Denmark attacked the German states, Brandenburg was constantly at war with somebody – while Russia developed gradually, waiting to strike when the opportunity appeared.
Early stage of the Wargameron session. The map is still relatively empty, with each power holding its starting provinces – but Swedish (blue) troops have already landed in Livonia, next to Riga.
Trzewik wasted no time – three Swedish infantry already in Riga, right next to its Trade Center, with Independent Courland, Livonia and Estonia around. My Russian (green) cavalry and infantry could only watch from across the border.
Meanwhile in the west: Janek’s Denmark (orange) on the move into the German lands, with two Danish infantry already at Brandenburg’s doorstep and Danish ships in the Mare Goticum. Independent (tan) garrisons and Fortresses in Hanover, Saxony and Pomerania stand in the way – and Michel’s Brandenburg-Prussia (grey) had its hands full.
The Russian moment has come. After gradual build-up, my cavalry and infantry flooded Ingria to face the Swedish army, with Swedish Ships of the Line in the Gulf of Finland and even on Lake Ladoga. Riga is by now firmly Swedish (Royal Control, crown side up) – but Estonia already went to Russia.
The second front – Smolensk. Michal’s Polish cavalry (hello, Winged Hussars!) circling around the Russian-held province, defended by a stack of infantry and a Fortress. Smolensk is part of the National Ambitions of both Russia and Poland-Lithuania, so no surprise it became one of the hot spots of the game.
The Hegemony tracks late in the game. Russia (green) wearing the crown in both Production and Military, and in Mercantile already one step ahead of the still-crowned Sweden. Cultural Hegemony – leading all three tracks at once, an instant victory – suddenly was within reach, which made the whole table very nervous.
The final state of the map. Practically every province carries somebody’s control marker: Sweden holding Riga, Denmark deep in the German lands, Poland-Lithuania spread across the east and Russia pushing both towards the Baltic and Smolensk.
Summary: This was a much more dynamic and chaotic game than the first one – exactly what you expect from five players around this map. Fast Swedish expansion, Danish campaign in the west and Brandenburg fighting on all sides meant that nobody could feel safe, and it was fascinating to see how the balance shifted from round to round. For me, playing Russia was a lesson in patience: slow build-up of the economy and the army first, and only then the strike when the neighbors were busy elsewhere. And it paid off – Russia won the game, but only by the smallest possible margin, so the tension lasted until the very end. The Dramatis Personae cards drove the action forward in every single round.
First Impressions
Two full sessions – one learning game in three and one full five-player war – gave me a solid feel for Baltic Empires. Let me start with what I liked:
- Relatively simple rules, quick to explain. The six phases of the round are logical and after the first round most new players know what they are doing – a big plus when introducing the game at a convention table.
- Flexible player count and several scenarios. The game works from 2 to 5 players (with some players controlling two powers), and multiple scenarios plus standard and extended modes give plenty of options.
- Beautiful components. Nils Johansson’s map, styled after old maps of the period, is a pleasure to look at, and the counters, Power mats and cards are all very clear and functional.
- Dramatis Personae are the real heart of the game. They drive the game forward, make each turn interesting and give it a lot of replayability – you never know which historical figure will show up and change the situation at the table.
- Theme. Eastern and Central Europe in action, with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth as one of the key players! A period and region far too rarely seen on our tables – and for a player from this part of Europe, a real treat.
But there are also some elements I did not like as much:
- Game length. The 8-round mode is definitely enough – I cannot imagine playing 12 or 16 rounds, as by the end the game had already told its story.
- Some ambiguity in the rules, especially around Brandenburg-Prussia as a Vassal of Poland. We had to stop and discuss those situations more than once.
- Some mechanics take time but do not add much – Maritime Trade being the best example. Drawing random resources from the cup every round is a bit of a chore compared to the impact it has on the game.
All in all, Baltic Empires was an enjoyable experience, although not a great one. It is an approachable strategic game about a fascinating corner of European history, with the Dramatis Personae giving it a lot of character – but some mechanics could be streamlined and the longer modes feel unnecessary. I am definitely curious where the design goes next, so I am waiting for the sequel – Enlightenment Empires: Power and Politics in Eastern Europe 1725-1795.
See you in another review!