Since this is my first post here, I would just like to say hello to everyone! Anyway, if nobody minds me butting into the discussion, I think that instead of Vikings (who are outside the game's timeframe anyway), I think a more suitable addition to the game's civilizations would be their ancestors (at least to my knowledge though they could still very well be related) the fierce Germanic tribes such as the Suebi, Cimbri, Cherusci, etc... Interestingly, it seems that the Suebi and some other Germanic tribes migrated from Scandinavia to modern Germany in order to escape the harsh climate of the land. (Source is admittedly the historical background of the Sweboz faction from the Europa Barbarorum mod for Rome: Total War. http://www.europabarbarorum.com/factions_sweboz_history.html) So basically, they are, in a way, Scandinavian to begin with... I guess. In addition to that, the Germanics were pretty formidable opponents of Rome so I think they would make a worthy addition in the future. Gameplay-wise, they would probably have to play the role of the token 'barbarian' faction, being relatively less sophisticated but more hardened than even the Celts. I am no historian though, so I'm sure someone out there with more knowledge about them would be able to represent them more accurately. For the nomad/steppe/cavalry-oriented factions, I think some good candidates for new civilizations would have to be the Scythians, Sarmatians, and the Parthians.
