The Kingdom of Denmark-Norway was a maritime empire that controlled its Baltic and Atlantic realm with a powerful navy. For over four centuries, the Danish Crown enforced the lucrative Sound Dues, demanding a toll from every shipment passing between the North and Baltic Seas. This ‘river of gold’ made Denmark one of the wealthiest states in Europe and fueled its grand ambitions. Trading posts in the Caribbean, India, and West Africa are a testament to its global reach and financial power.
In Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition – The Baltics Powers, you also prosper from shipments of other players through your Danish Customs House and save resources as you advance through the ages. Call upon Snaphane and Gunboat levies to defend your Baltic realm on land and at sea, or shelter your gatherers in Round Churches to ward off marauding mercenaries! Finally, embark on a grand military adventure with a parade of your fancy tin soldier collection: a complete roster of Royal Guards in the most fashionable uniforms of the century!
Pre-Order The Baltic Powers Now!
Coming September 10th
The Baltic Powers is available for pre-order now on Steam and Microsoft Store with a 15% discount!
Start with a Customs House that grants income for shipments of other players.
Resource crates are in the Customs House and thereby save deck slots.
Ages are cheaper, but Revolutions are unavailable.
All military land units have Royal Guard upgrades.
Bolster defenses with Round Churches and Watch Houses.
Buildings
Unique Danish buildings grant the power of information through enhanced vision and the ability to track shipments. This useful intelligence enables new and experienced players alike to anticipate threats or forge their own battle plans. Combined with the deployment of unique Danish levies, this network of buildings can provide the ultimate defense for your crown jewel: the Custom’s House revenue.
Customs House
The Customs House is a unique Danish building that generates extra income every time another player receives a shipment. It can be built at the start of the game, but only by the Explorer or a Customs House Wagon. The shipment tax income is linked to the amount of other players and can be improved with cards and technologies. These can also influence the enemies’ Home Cities and keep a permanent record of everyone’s shipments.
Note: Other players do not actually lose resources when their shipments are “taxed”.
Customs House Cards
The Customs House can also send the following cards, whose resource values increase automatically each age:
Crates of Mixed Resources (infinite)
Crates of Food (infinite)
Cords of Wood (infinite)
Chests of Coin (infinite)
Customs House Technologies
1 Shipment (I)
Delivers a Shipment to spend in the Home City or Customs House.
Cargo Inspections (I)
Allows you to see the card names of all shipments taxed by your Customs House.
Toll Register (I)
Improves tax income and enables the Customs House to keep a permanent record of all shipments taxed.
Børsen (II)
Buildings with Economic Home City gather points can gather crates. Every shipment now also delivers a random crate containing 50 resources.
Shipment Tax HUD
Once Cargo Inspections and Toll Register have been researched, the Customs House provides useful intel about the shipments of other players in its selection panel:
Advanced Customs House Technologies
Note: These technologies require the Helsingør Customs Chamber card to be sent.
Kalmar Fleet (III)
Grants crates containing 50 wood for each Warship you have lost, sunk as well as every Shipment you have received so far.
Sound Blockade (III) Temporarily blocks a random shipment of the best enemy player for 20 minutes.
Shipment Delay (III)
The next shipment of each enemy player will take 25 seconds longer to arrive.
Round Church
The Round Church is a unique Danish building available from the Discovery Age, constructible by Settlers or the Explorer. Unlike other Churches, the Round Church can be constructed three times and has a defensive attack to provide cover for nearby Settlers. Its attack is particularly effective against Mercenaries and Outlaws, setting it apart from the Outpost.
Advanced Round Church Technologies
Struensee Reforms (II)
Economic units train and gather faster, but cost slightly more resources.
Zealand Bosniaks (III)
Ships 6 Zealand Bosniaks that can be hired more quickly from the Tavern. Also replaces some of their coin cost for food while sacrificing some combat power.
Espingolen (IV)
Ships 6 Espingols (Organ Guns) with a quick reload rate and improved attack.
Watch House
The Watch House is a unique Danish House with a greater line-of-sight and the ability to train and upgrade the Snaphaner, the unique Danish Militiamen. Like an ordinary House it provides 10 population slots. The ‘Safehouses’ card allows Watch Houses to temporarily convert Settlers into Snaphaner and also train them in batches.
Watch House Technologies
Disruption (II)
Snaphaner inflict more damage against buildings, villagers, and treasure guardians. Allows them to collect treasures and resource crates.
Zealand Jaegers (III)
Snaphaner gain resistance against siege attacks and inflict significantly more damage against artillery.
Royal Service (III)
Snaphaner no longer lose hitpoints over time and have their Wood costs changed to Coin.
Friskytter (IV)
This Royal Guard upgrade not only increases hitpoints, range and attack of Snaphaner, but also grants them the ability to mount horses.
Units
The excellence of the Danish unit roster is defined by its absolute completeness. Not only can the Danes train all classic European units, but they are also able to elevate every military land unit to Royal guard status. Unique levy units anchor a steadfast defence and offer potential for targeted strikes.
Snaphane
The Snaphane is a Militiaman specialized to attack Outlaws and Artillery. Like the Militiaman he loses hitpoints over time and can be levied from the Town Center. Additionally, Snaphaner can be trained and upgraded from Houses, eventually gaining a mount with their Royal Guard upgrade. Their stealth tactics are useful to lay ambushes and approach high-value targets. Unlike other military units Snaphaner can initially not be trained in batches of 5.
Gunboat
The Gunboat is a unique Danish levy boat available at the Dock in the Commerce Age. Like other levied units, the Gunboat loses hitpoints over time. Furthermore, Gunboats occupy population slots, directly restricting your available land army capacity. They can be amassed quickly for a low cost and effectively harass larger warships.
Danish Royal Guards
Now it is time to take a look at our Danish tin soldier collection! The Danes can research Royal Guard upgrades for ALL their military land units. These upgrades are stronger versions of Guard units and grant a historical, unique look to every individual unit.
Royal Pikemen, Royal Crossbowmen & Danish Field Guns (Falconet):
Royal Guards (Musketeer) & Ski Troopers (Skirmisher):
Jutland Dragoons & Horse Guards (Hussar):
Holstein Culverins, Royal Mortars & Royal Grenadiers:
Let’s address the elephant in the room first: The Danes have more space for other cards in their deck because their Resource crates are built into the Customs House!
Use that extra stowage to experiment with less common cards or just double-down on becoming a merciless tax collector.
Danish Economy cards
The Customs House revenue is the center piece of the Danish economy. These 5 cards allow you to use it to its full potential:
TEAM Øresund Customs (I)
Increases your Customs House’s tax revenue when other players receive shipments. Your allies now also receive coin for every shipment you sent.
Helsingør Customs Chamber (I)
The Customs House is cheaper, stronger, faster to build and offers new ways to impose sanctions on enemy home cities.
Confiscation (II)
Notably increases the tax revenue and splits it equally into coin, wood and food.
Stowage (II)
Ships crates of 300 wood and 300 coin. All Customs House shipments send +100 additional resources.
Great Belt Tolls (IV)
Significantly increases the shipment tax, but takes a long time to arrive.
Naval Cards
The Home City of a great naval power like the Danes does not disappoint with its shipments:
Royal Naval Academy (II)
All Warships are cheaper and train faster. Unlocks the ‘Customs Cruiser‘ shipment in the Customs House, +1 Caravel.
Royal Dock (I)
Docks have greater attack, heal ships faster, and train ships more quickly. Increases the XP bounty of your ships.
Bornholm Marines (III)
Gunboats no longer lose hitpoints and can use Stealth. Infantry can garrison in Gunboats to improve their strength.
Gunboat Tactics (IV)
All your sunk warships are now replaced by Gunboats. Gunboats gain a long-range ability, +1 Ironclad.
Elephanten (IV)
Ships a mighty Battleship containing 6 powerful Order Elephants and enables them in Forts. When sunk, Danish Battleships leave Order Elephants behind at your homecity point.
Tactical Cards
Ready for more unconventional tactics? The extra deck space enables clever picks like these:
Rigskansler (I)
Improves your Danish Explorer in combat, allows him to convert human treasure guardians into Snaphaner and gives him a powerful canine companion.
Oldenburg Kings (I)
Ships 1 Royal Embassy in which the House of Oldenburg grants access to its royal units, upgrades, and technologies. Oldenburg units now cost population when acquired from the Royal Embassy or the Home City.
Lockbows (II)
Equips Crossbowmen with Lockbows that deal 30% more damage, but have less range. Their Food cost is replaced by an increased Wood cost.
Tycho’s Observatory (II)
Increases the hitpoints and XP rate of Round Churches. Enables the ‘Triangulation’ ability to briefly reveal the position of other player’s ships and home city gather points.
Royal Guards (IV)
Royal Guard upgrades are very cheap, but now those units cost more resources.
Tin Soldiers (IV)
Danish gunpowder infantry becomes steadfast through increased hitpoints and siege resistance.
Order of the Elephant (IV)
Grants Defence promotions to Danish Cavalry that increases their hitpoints per defeated enemy military unit, +4 Order Elephants.
Pre-Order The Baltic Powers Now!
Coming September 10th
The Baltic Powers is available for pre-order now on Steam and Microsoft Store with a 15% discount!
