If you remember the PC magazines of the early 2000s, you remember the first Victoria, from 2003, the strategy game where the fun was not only war but the economy, politics and society of a whole nation in the 19th century. The series, now Victoria 3, received on November 5 the State and Revolution immersion pack, dedicated to Russia between 1836 and 1936. It costs $14.99 (£12.99 / €14.99) on Steam and is also part of the Volume 3 expansion pass; the base game is required.
A Russian century inside the game
Paradox Interactive describes the period as the century in which the Russian state went “from serfdom to Soviet”. In the game, Russia starts with vast natural resources, an administration described as too cautious and too traditional, and a delicate alliance of conservative monarchies, trying to industrialize the country and keep its many subject cultures under control. The pack covers the Romanov dynasty and whatever follows it, depending on the player’s choices.
Among the new systems, Tsars have personalities: dynamic journal entries are created from the traits of the reigning Tsar, with different actions available for each one. Revolutions are dynamic: whether a Russian revolution happens depends on the Tsarist governments and on the legacy of your predecessors. If the state collapses, the Russian Civil War content kicks in, and the player builds post-revolutionary Russia, whether a communist government or an altogether different regime of their own design.
There is also a block called “national struggles”: a new journal entry on the pursuit of Russification across the Empire, Ukrainian and Belarusian cultural renaissances, and narrative content for Poland and other nations vying for independence from Russia. Under Tsarist Autocracy, you can exile dissidents to Siberia (the outcome, Paradox warns, “may not always be what you expect”), appoint favorites and adopt their ideological stances, with narrative content around those new powers.
Visuals, music and the extras
Back in the rental-store days we called this polish: the pack adds updated visual effects to show seasonal changes across the globe, new historical characters, a new building style, character assets, an interface and map skin, table assets and new music inspired, in the publisher’s words, “by Russian imperial and revolutionary ambitions”. Owners of State and Revolution also unlock the journal entries and events tied to “The Great Game”, content introduced in the Sphere of Influence expansion.
Victoria 3 launched in October 2022 and has received expansions since, within a Paradox catalog that includes Crusader Kings, Hearts of Iron, Europa Universalis and Stellaris. For historical strategy fans, November still has the Operation Torch campaign for Company of Heroes 3 on the 25th, and our list of November releases covers the rest of the month.
Where to buy
Victoria 3: State and Revolution on Steam ($14.99)
Victoria 3 (base game) on Steam
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See also this month’s game releases.
Source: Paradox Interactive (press release) and Steam.
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