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Tinto Flavour #20 - 23rd of May 2025

Hello, and welcome one more week to Tinto Flavour, the happy Tuesdays & Fridays in which we take a look at the content of Europa Universalis V!

Today we will be taking a look at the content of Muscovy, and its ‘successor state’, Russia, after Grand Prince Ivan III ‘the Great’ proclaimed himself ‘Sovereign of All Russia’. This is a special TF, because it’s the first one in which we show the content for one of the seven ‘Tier 1’ counties, those that we consider the most important in the 1337-1836 period, and thus, that have the most content in the game.

Let’s start taking a look at it, as usual:

The Grand Principality of Muscovy stands at a crossroads of political maneuvering, and economic troubles under the Tatar Yoke, and an ongoing power struggle among East Slavic principalities, each vying for supremacy within the fragmented Rus' territories. The Tatar invasion continues to cast a long shadow over the region and Muscovy, like many other Rus' principalities, remains a tributary to the formidable Golden Horde.

Guiding Muscovy through these complexities is Grand Prince Ivan Rurikovich, a leader keenly aware of the delicate balance required for survival under Tatar dominion. He has skillfully managed the principality's affairs through diplomatic initiatives and strategic alliances and now seeks to consolidate power and enhance Muscovy's standing within the Yoke, with aspirations to unite the Rus' land under one banner.

Country Selection.png

As usual, consider all UI, 2D and 3D art WIP.

Muscovy1.png

Muscovy2.png

This is the starting diplomatic situation of Muscovy:
Personal Unions.png

Muscovy starts in a Personal Union with a bunch of principalities, including Novgorod, which is a Republic that elects its rulers among those of other countries.

Tatar Yoke.png

This is the current starting state of the Tatar Yoke, with Muscovy being entitled as the ‘Grand Prince of Vladimir’ - or, in other words, the ‘tribute collector’ for the Tatars. We won’t talk about this feature today, but in the Tinto Flavour devoted to the Golden Horde.

These are some of the privileges that the Russian countries have available from the start:
Privilege Kormlenije.png

Privilege The Ryad.png

Priviliege Tysiatskii Office.png

Also, this starting Legal Code Policy:
Policy Russkaya Pravda.png

Here you have some of the advances available for Muscovy and Russia through the ages, as usual:
Advance Gatherers Tribute.png

Advance Pomestnoe.png

Advance Zasechnara.png

Advance Imperial Guard.png

And now let’s move into the narrative content. Muscovy has 109 Dynamic Historical Events available, while there are another 73 unlockable after having formed Russia, which makes for a total of 182 available DHEs - that’s what being a ‘Tier 1’ country means, in regards to content. Many of them will unlock very different types of other content assets, as you’ll see now:

Event Campaigns against Novgorod.png

This is an event that may trigger if Novgorod elects another ruler, as happened historically.

Kremlin.png

Kremlin2.png

If you build the Kremlin, there will be further events related to it.

Event Denga and Ruble.png


Event Prikazi.png

Reform Prikazi.png


Event Book of Census.png

Reform Razriadnyi.png


Event Sophia Komnenos.png

ReformByzantine Court Ceremonies.png

If Byzantium falls, and some other conditions are met, you might be able to marry a Greek princess, and proclaim your country as the ‘Third Rome’.

If you expand your country, you might be able to form Russia at a certain point:
Form Russia.png

Russian Empire.png

Russian Empire2.png

The Russian Principalities account for approximately 460 locations, so you need to conquer some more from the Golden Horde to get to the 508 required. I forced it through the console to show it to you, but one of our QA testers made a recent run, and he was able to form it around 1500, OOC.

When the Age of Reformation starts, there will be this advance available for the Russian countries:
Siberian Frontier1.png

That unlocks:
Pomor Outpost.png

Settle the Frontier.png

It’s also possible for a unique disaster to trigger, the Time of Troubles:
Time of Troubles1.png

Time of Troubles2.png

Time of Troubles3.png

Time of Troubles4.png

Time of Troubles5.png

Time of Troubles has many different events happening, on top of the DHEs:

If you overcome it, there’s even more late-game content, of course:

Reform Collegium.png


Reform Nakaz.png


Reform Speransky.png


Event Bolshoi.png

Bolsoi Theater.png

… And much more, but that’s all for today! As today is Friday, this will be the schedule for next week:
  • Monday -> Tinto Flavour about Venice and Genoa
  • Tuesday -> Tinto Flavour about Serbia and Georgia
  • Wednesday -> Tinto Talks about the Orthodox and Miaphysite religions
  • Thursday -> Third ‘Behind the Scenes’ video!
  • Friday -> Tinto Flavour about the Roman Empire, AKA Byzantium
And also remember, you can wishlist Europa Universalis V now! Cheers!
 
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I like the events and possibilities, a lot of interesting things. I hope for some crazy shenanigans with Russia - both in a more absolutist historic way and the more revisionist constitutional way.

One thing that is a pet peeve of mine are the clothes and especially the crown. Even the tzar Ivan IV did not have a crown per se, he was crowned with a cap. And later they had the imperial crown. It is a minor thing, but I might even prefer them having no crown than the one they have now.
 

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You're making a common mistake, the Moscow Kremlin are the red walls surrounding the historical city. What you're thinking of is the St. Basil's Cathedral, located right next to one of them.
One of the architects of St. Basil's Cathedral was Italian. I'm wondering why it's not mentioned in the tinto flavor, seems iconic and historically relevant enough.
He's probably referring to the modern towers of the kremlin. Most of the towers and portions of the walls were built or refurbished by a whole group Italian architects brought in by Ivan the Third since the old constructions were crumbling. Spasskaya, Borovitskaya, Vodovzvodnaya, and Beklemishevskaya towers for example were built and/or designed by them
 
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You're making a common mistake, the Moscow Kremlin are the red walls surrounding the historical city. What you're thinking of is the St. Basil's Cathedral, located right next to one of them.
One of the architects of St. Basil's Cathedral was Italian. I'm wondering why it's not mentioned in the tinto flavor, seems iconic and historically relevant enough.View attachment 1304991View attachment 1304990
Because with so much content, we just couldn't show all the stuff; but here you are:

Event Sant Basil.png

St Basil.png
 
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Places where you can create a Colonial Charter, there isn't a hard-locked geographical scope for it.
Didn't you once say that Sweden could only use their unique cabinet action in tge areas of Finland and Norrland?
That said I think the the Siberian frontier should limited to Siberia/North Asia
 
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Thanks, that was intresting! I have some questions about St.Petersburg.
"Several events may trigger"
Do these events include major disastrous floods of the city? Are there any flavour related to Kronshtadt/Kotlin? Or something about some of Petersburg's many palaces and gardens: Tsarskoye Selo, Pavlovsk, Peterhof...? Any unique buildings, maybe?
Also, how the Decembrist revolt will be handled?
And shouldn't foundation of the city give some kind of a dock? Admiralty was one of the first buildings in the city, and it was important to build baltic navy there as fast as possible.
 
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I just wanted to say great work! Especially looking over the content in the dev comments this seems like exactly the kind of flavor fans have been clamoring for. This makes me more confident for release because I never would have expected this much flavor content at launch. Assuming the (awesome looking) base mechanics are nicely tweaked/balanced this is looking like one of the better launches yet!
 
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Very nice. Will there be flavor for historical icons such as "Our lady of kazan" and "Our lady of vladimir", and events for historical iconographers such as Andrei Rublev?
Event Our Lady of Kazan.png

Event Andrei Rublev.png
 
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I think that Russia should be a tier 3(kingdom) formable for two reasons, one is that Bulgaria is a Kingdom in the game at the start despite many historians referring to it as the second Bulgarian Empire/Tsardom and second the Russian Empire(in a western European sense) was founded by Peter the Great in 1721, before that it was a Tsardom which could also be "translated" as an Empire but like I said before so does Bulgaria and I think there should be consistency.
Otherwise you could give Russia(if it has already been fromed by that point) the possibility to become an Empire when Constantinople fall and they proclaim themselves to be the third Rome through an event
You could of course discuss what the game is trying to emulate with the tiers. Is it what a country called itself (any country can call itself an empire like the bulgarians who did it to mimic the roman empire of byzantium) or is it the nature of a country encompassing a multitude of nations and kingsdoms. I think it is the latter that is more relevant.
 
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In EU4, if you formed Russia as Novgorod, then you'd have a bunch of mechanics relating to serfdom, the oprichnina, and being extremely absolutist. These don't really fit Novgorod much at all. Will a Novgorodian Russia have its own flavour?
 
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Are there any events about Semiboyarshchina (Seven Boyars regime) during the Time of Troubles? They were the ones who invited Władysław of Poland to the Russian throne.

What about the rule of early Romanovs and events like the Salt Riot or the Copper Coin Riot? Or those are represented by simpler things (some Post-Troubles modifiers making the realm less stable)?

Also, I support renaiming Clergy and Burghers estates, as people suggested above.
 
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To be fair the game development seems at a good point, with a steady release of dev diaries and already define mechanics, only a fix or two to make (as the playltests showed). I hope to have it by the end of the year, although a 2026 release is more realistic.
 
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  • Friday -> Tinto Flavour about the Roman Empire, AKA Byzantium
I hope this comes with a "We also changed the default name to Empire of the Romans and made the ahistorical moniker of Byzantium a part of the gamerule"
 
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