After seeing each new explorer/hero/warchief being released with each DLC, I started to realize there’s few but none diversity in european explorers, aside from the portuguese and spanish ones. Of course you can go a tiny step beyond the baseline and get the explorer card which gives somes buffs, but still, they all work the same way.
But then you have the Lakota/Indians/Chinese/Hausa/Ethiopians, which act as different cav types, from a heavy melee type, a shock infantry type to a goon-type unit, the Inca warchief, which is practically a pikemen, a really good addition to the roster.
Which brought me to the idea “why not adding this to euro civs”. Best examples I got so far were taken from differents websites.
Spanish Explorer, dragoon unit with stats like the Conquistador
British Explorer, Musketeer stats and multipliers might fit well within the redcoats, or a hussar like unit, to match the Officer concept of the Scots Grey.
French Explorer, Skirm type unit, to match the cdb. Pierre-Esprit Radisson, expeditions in New France 1668.
Portuguese explorer, Minutemen unit, to match the turtle style of the civ, with multipliers vs siege troops and artillery. Bandeirantes from the XVI century, image for reference.
Another idea is to make the a doppelsoldner type unit, since earlier depictions of portuguese explorers fit a two handed sword as their signature weapon.
German Explorer, skirm type, to match the needle gunners and jaegers. Image of Moellhausen Baldwin, who participated in a few expeditions in America.
Russian explorer, strelet type. Eduard Vasílievich Toll, expeditions in the 19th century.
Swedish Explorer, Carolean type, ranged multipliers vs cav and a rapier to fight in melee like a swashbuckler, or rather a grenadier type unit, with a ranged siege attack and a melee attack with a rapier.
Italian Explorer, the most famous explorers were italian, and their depictions in history vary a lot, so does their equipment and expeditions. i think the Crossbow/Hussar type could fit them very well.
Ottoman Explorer, cav archer type.
Well that’s all from me, I couln’t come up with anything for the Dutch, but to really close my point, I think explorers serve a role in age1 as mere explorers, tp builders, treasure hunters. But from age2 and onwards, they should act more like an officer/captain, leading their armies with a similar unit type.