http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/EuropaUniversalis

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Europa Universalis is a series of historical turn-based / real-time 4X grand strategy games for the PC and Mac (based increasingly loosely on a licensed French board game). Starting in the Late Middle Ages, it focuses greatly on the Early Modern Period. The games are produced, developed and published by Paradox Interactive.

Thus far there are four main games and a spinoff in the series:

Europa Universalis (2000)

Europa Universalis II (2001) A more Asian-themed version, Europa Universalis: Asia Chapters was released separately for the Asian gaming market. For The Glory: A Europa Universalis Game (2009): the final tuning of the game, released after the initial disappointment of the third game, was made by the people responsible of the popular AGCEEP mod for Europa Universalis II

Europa Universalis III (2006) And its four expansions: Napoleon's Ambition, In Nomine, Heir to the Throne, and Divine Wind.

Europa Universalis: Rome (2008), a Roman Antiquity-themed Spin-Off, Advertisement: Sadly, many reviewers and fans consider this to be the Dolled-Up Installment of the series. The Expansion Pack made it much better. It was the first EU3-derived game to include detailed character mechanics, which led to (ultimately true) speculation that Paradox were working on Crusader Kings II. The general consensus is that Rome is a completely separate entity from the rest of the series. A vocal minority in the fanbase pushed for Rome II, however, until Paradox announced a new game as part of a separate franchise, Imperator: Rome, in 2018.

Europa Universalis IV (2013) Conquest of Paradise, a colonial-focused expansion with the option for a randomized New World and Oceania, released in January 2014. Wealth of Nations, a trade-focused expansion released in May 2014. Res Publica, a republic-focused mini-expansion released in July 2014. Advertisement: The Art of War, a military-focused expansion released in October 2014, also coming with a free patch that brings a far more detailed map for the non-European parts of the world. El Dorado, a Mesoamerica and colonization-focused expansion, including a new Nation Designer, released in February 2015. Common Sense, a development-focused expansion coming with a major overhaul of the base tax system as well as new features for Protestants and Buddhists, released in June 2015. The Cossacks, released in December 2015, with a focus on Eastern Europe, new diplomacy features, and improved internal politics centered on managing the Estates of the Realm, as well as several multiplayer-oriented features. Mare Nostrum, released in April 2016, primarily reworks naval combat and espionage. It also substantially expands the cultural diversity and number of provinces in Ireland and Africa, adds the "corruption" mechanic for inefficiently-run nations, and introduces the State/Territory divide as another wrinkle when it comes to expanding. Rights of Man, released in October 2016, adds special diplomatic abilities, personalities and traits for monarchs, queens generated by royal marriages (and are regents if an underage heir ascends the throne), a faction system for revolutionary republics, the ability to abdicate and much more. The add-on content adds German and West African units. Mandate of Heaven, released in April 2017, focuses on Asia, with a Mandate of Heaven mechanic for China, an improved shogunate for Japan, a Banner system for the Manchu, new features for Confucianism and Shintoism, as well as state-wide edicts and an "Age" system giving bonuses to countries that fulfill particular requirements in each game era, among other features. Third Rome, released August 2017, is a smaller "content pack" for the Russian states, adding several unique Russian government forms, an improved system for Siberian colonization, and new features for Eastern Orthodoxy. Cradle of Civilization, released November 2017, focuses on the Middle East and Persia, including new governments for the region, reworked Islamic mechanics, new trade policies and resource exploitation, and a system for drilling armies. Rule Britannia, released March 2018, is a content pack focusing on the British Isles and the early rise of industrialization. Dharma, released September 2018, focuses on India and also substantially reworks the government system. Golden Century, released in December 2018 is the third content pack, that focuses on Iberia and their colonies as well as the Maghreb. Emperor, released June 2020, introduces new mechanics for the Holy Roman Empire, revolutions and surrounding nations and a new set imperial reforms, along with new mission trees for Burgundy, Germany, and a united HRE.



Aegir Games funded tabletop game adaptation called Europa Universalis The Price Of Power through Kickstarter. So that's a tabletop game based on a video game based on a tabletop game.

Europa Universalis has you take control of a nation from roughly 1400 to the early 1800s. There are roughly 200 playable nations, although some are more playable than others. While not every nation is in the game, a good chunk of them are, and so apart from standbys like France or Britain you can try your hand at a world conquest as the Iroquois, the Duchy of Bavaria or the Sultanate of Adal. Or Sweden.

The games have a history of buggy releases and somewhat impenetrable interface, with a variety of concepts not being adequately explained by game documentation (sometimes because they weren't in the original release version...), making the learning curve something of a learning cliff, and this is arguably the least complex of the Paradox Interactive strategy games.

The games also have an impressive community of writers, whose dabbling in the artform known as After Action Reports is nothing to sneeze at. Some of their works are simple gameplay narrations, but others are intricate works of fan fiction indeed.

Europa Universalis is closely linked to three other series of grand strategy games, all of them made by Paradox: Crusader Kings, Victoria: An Empire Under the Sun and Hearts of Iron. Theoretically, they can all be played in one big historically chronological succession thanks to a pretty brilliant (though somewhat buggy) Old Save Bonus system created by the developers, and the modding community will often create their own converters to fill in any gaps.

This game series provides examples of the following tropes :