Caucasus
Mountains, corridors, and contested frontiers
Nations 21
The Geography
Caucasus is a compact regional map with a very high 68% land share. The 1248x1000 board compresses the Black Sea, Caspian approaches, mountain corridors, and lowland routes into a dense battlefield where every valley feels politically loaded.
The real Caucasus is defined by difficult terrain. The Greater Caucasus range forms a massive barrier, while passes, coasts, and river valleys decide where armies and trade can actually move. The map captures that feeling by making land abundant but movement choices consequential.
The History
Antiquity - Crossroads of Empires
Persian, Roman, Byzantine, Armenian, Georgian, and steppe powers all contested the region. The Caucasus was never just a border; it was a hinge between worlds.
19th Century - Russian Expansion
Imperial Russia fought long campaigns to secure the Caucasus. Those conflicts reshaped local politics and left deep legacies across the region.
20th and 21st Centuries - Modern Fault Lines
The Caucasus remains strategically sensitive, with pipelines, borders, secession conflicts, and mountain geography all reinforcing each other.
The Battlefield
Terrain Overview
Caucasus has 21 nations on a land-heavy board, so early contact is quick. Water matters along the edges, but most decisive fights happen over inland corridors.
Best Spawns
- Central corridor positions - high risk, high access to multiple fronts.
- Black Sea or Caspian edges - safer flanks with useful naval options.
- Mountain-adjacent interiors - strong defensive anchors if you expand carefully.
Avoid
- Overcrowded middle starts - easy to gain land and just as easy to be partitioned.
- Ignoring passes - mountain barriers help only if you control the openings through them.
Strategic Insights
Caucasus is about controlled pressure. Expand too slowly and a neighbor locks the passes; expand too fast and every valley becomes a front. The best players choose one corridor to dominate and use geography to make the others expensive to attack.
Fun Facts
- The Caucasus contains some of Europe’s highest mountains, including Mount Elbrus.
- The region is one of the most linguistically diverse areas on Earth.
- Its high land percentage makes it one of the more ground-focused new regional maps.