| Title | Ivan the Terrible vs Cthulhu, only in Dominions 4 |
| Author | Bruce Geryk |
| Posted in | Features |
| When | January 6, 2014 |
The cultural origins of Russia aren't something you'd expect to be addressed in a fantasy strategy game..
Read the full articleQuick note: the manual is not yet actually available. But it has been submitted, and will be soon. As will some other Dominions 4 related content.
Hooray for Dominions 4!
Whats also interesting about Dominions is the modding community have largely stayed away from the usual fantasy cliche's. Apart from the mods based on the Warhammer franchise which draws heavily on the Dwarves, Orcs ect., the modding community have expressed great creativity and knowledge. For Dom3 there were mods for Tibetan and Australian Aborigine/NZ Maori themed nations, you just don't see that outside of Dominions.
:)
I'm playing Vanarus in a multiplayer game right now. So far they seem kind of weak. They've got loads of magic path variety, but no depth and crucially no astral magic. Their troops are also decent but not great, aside from the limited recruitment, cap-only skinshifters. At least they're not as bad as my old favorites, Vanheim.
Perhaps when I retire I'll finally have time to read Proust and Henry James and the Dominions 4 manual.
Not to be that guy, but I think the word you were looking for is contentious, not tendentious.
That being said, yes, this is the great thing about the Dominions series. It's worth noting that Chudes is the medieval Russian term for pre-Slavic Finnic peoples in parts of what is now European Russia.
I actually did mean tendentious, as for a long time, the origins of Rus were a politically charged topic and definitely met tendentious' meaning of promoting a particular cause or view. I did not, however, know that about the Chudes.
Vanarus actually plays quite differently from Bogarus, especially with the lack of Astral magic. Kristoffer is apparently working on a third nation, Rus, to be the early age complement to these two.
Regarding A History of Russia and air/death mages, I believe you need to read the 1998 edition. I don't know why that bit was removed in later editions, but I suggest you take it up with Mark Steinberg.
Great article. :)
Ah. I suppose that is true as well (and as a Russian history student I fear that long time isn't fully over yet...). In my defense, what you said immediately after seemed to be more connected to it being contentious than tendentious. :P
And this is fairly similar to, say, the Tuatha in Ireland, who are also said to have been based on pre-Celtic inhabitants. I think the Chudes definitely did have some odd folklore attached to them over the centuries as well.
Any ETA on the updated manual?
No, but it will be soon. Sorry for jumping the gun.
I find Dominions so intimidating, but it's always there, calling to me.
Typo:
"evaluating a [sic] national capabilities in Dominions 4"
It is available for download now.
Awesome. Thank you! I really appreciate the manuals.
This was the article that was linked somewhere (Steam I think), that brought me to Quarter to Three for the first time. Thank you for that @Brooski!
The movie podcast listeners are especially thrilled by that news :)
There is an updated manual with new strategy tips since this spring. And if you don’t think I haven’t thought of writing Muscovy vs Cthulhu fiction, you are very mistaken.