Baltic Empires by GMT Games: Five Player Playthrough and Review

About Baltic Empires: The Northern Wars of 1558-1721, from BoardGameGeek:

"Baltic Empires" is an approachable 2-5 player strategic level wargame about conflicts between the states of the Baltic region during the early modern era, a transformative period of religious conflict, large scale warfare, and constant struggles for power. Players will have to develop their economy, strengthen their administration, secure trade hubs, and finally build armies to become the dominant power of the Baltics. Denmark-Norway, Sweden, Russia, Poland-Lithuania, and Prussia will fight for hegemony, using variable victory conditions that reflect their respective historical objectives. Gameplay involves collecting resources, building new infrastructure and units, recruiting historical figures to your court, and finally going to war to expand your empire and fulfil your national ambition. Highlights: Five asymmetric factions with unique abilities and objectives A highly thematic deck of historical Dramatis Personae to constitute your royal court A simple yet deep economic system that forces players to make tough decisions regarding their finances and wage war for key resources A streamlined battle system based on custom dice per unit type Variable player counts, from 2 to 5 players, and variable game lengths, with scenarios ranging from a tight duel to a diplomatic heavy conflict with alliances and betrayals -description from the publisher