The year is 1530. The reformation is hitting its stride in Europe. The Kalmar Union has been dissolved. Gustav Vasa rules in Sweden while Christian III is about to ascend the throne of Denmark under the looming clouds of a civil war. In Crowns of the North, you play as a noble family through 320 years of Scandinavian history in a game of power struggle and development. The players use resources (produced by provinces) and silver to purchase new provinces, develop Scandinavia by enacting new laws and precipitating historical events, and build famous historical buildings. Over the course of the game, the players may also become the patron of famous historical characters such as Ludvig Holberg, Carl von Linne, and Tycho Brahe. But the threat of war is ever present: Russia, Poland/Prussia and the German Principalities all have their sights on Scandinavia and both Sweden-Finland and Denmark-Norway have ambitions of making the Baltic their personal domain. Will Sweden rise to power on the back of the Thirty Years war? Will Karl XII create a greater Swedish empire or die of a musket ball through the temple at some obscure Norwegian fortress? Can the Russian bear be stopped, or will Finland once again fall to the Tsar of Russia? Which nation will rule the North? The player who best maneuvers the vagaries of history and influences events to their advantage will be the winner of the Crowns of the North.