July Fourth is just around the corner, and you know what that means. Why should the Old World have all the fun? It’s time for the Americans to have their turn in the spotlight!
In case you didn’t read the title, THIS IS A JOKE POST! I AM NOT ADVOCATING FOR THE AMERICANS TO BE ADDED.
Anyway, now that we have the disclaimers out of the way, let’s get into the civ concept. Keep in mind that while the concept is a joke, its execution is not. I am taking it just as seriously as I would any other civ concept. This means that historical accuracy, balance, originality, and a unified identity are all very important elements to this concept, as with any other. Let’s get into the meat of it:
The Americans represent the European colonists in the Northeast North America and Virginia regions, starting from 1607 with the founding of Jamestown all the way to 1776, the official start date of the country with the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This means that America, in its infancy, is only 9 years removed from the latest event represented in AoE2, Noryang Point, which is pretty crazy to think about.
The Americans are a gunpowder civilization, which makes a lot of sense considering its prominence at that time, and they have the Western European architecture set, like their predecessors the Britons, though they have a unique castle based on Fort Ticonderoga. Their Wonder is Independence Hall, former State Capitol of Pennsylvania and the location of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. If you’re wondering why it isn’t the Statue of Liberty, that’s too late for the civilization timeline I’ve created.
Let’s get into their civ bonuses.
Civilization Bonuses
- Lumberjacks drop off +15%
When the American colonies were first founded, the vast majority of the land was covered in forests. This was especially true in places like Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Virginia. The majority of buildings at the time were made out of logs, similar to the Feudal Age architecture for Eastern Europe.
- Hand Cannoneers +30% accuracy
By the time Europeans colonized America, guns had progressed to the point where they were far more accurate than the very early prototypes, though they were still noticeably inaccurate, particularly at long distances.
- Bombard Cannons -2 minimum range, don’t damage friendly units
Artillery cannons were also far more common at this time, and were more effectively used in combat than in earlier periods.
- Can build Blockhouse
Blockhouses were single-building fortifications that allowed defenders to fire shots in multiple directions. They were commonly used in North America during the colonial period, and were often made of wood.
- Team bonus: Chemistry researched 100% faster
Of course, gunpowder weaponry was already commonplace by the time America was settled, so it doesn’t make sense to have to wait around the same amount of time as everyone else to gain access to something you’ve already had for years.
Unique Unit 1: Minuteman
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This unit is essentially a quickly-created and faster-moving Hand Cannoneer, also with a much lower frame delay, making it easier to micro. It also has a higher attack and is marginally cheaper than Hand Cannoneers. However, to compensate, it has less armor and HP.
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Minutemen were militiamen from New England who fought in the Revolutionary War. When called upon, they could quickly gather their equipment and be ready for action in a minute, hence their name. They learned guerrilla warfare from the natives, giving them an advantage over the numerically-superior British forces.
Unique Unit 2: Musketeer
- This is a unique upgrade for the Hand Cannoneer. In addition to better accuracy from the civ bonus, it has an extra 5 HP and 3 more attack, as well as +1 of each armor. It also gets an extra +3 vs infantry. The upgrade costs 500 food, 500 gold.
Unique Building: Blockhouse
- This building is a fortification similar to the Krepost, having the same size, but it has considerably less HP, armor, and attack. To compensate for this, it costs 450 wood and 100 stone, so more resources than the Krepost, but much more affordable on stone cost. Like the Krepost, it cannot research anything, and can create the unique unit, but once the Imperial Age is reached and Chemistry is researched, it can also train Hand Cannoneers/Musketeers and Bombard Cannons.
Unique Techs
Star Fort: Towers, Castles, and Blockhouses +5 attack vs cavalry and siege; fire Hand Cannoneer projectiles
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Cost: 575 food, 200 stone
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This technology makes fortifications significantly better against siege, one of their biggest weaknesses, and makes raids significantly less potent against the Americans. The Americans do not have Arrowslits due to the fact that they did not use arrows for fortifications, so this technology somewhat makes up for it. Plus, it cosmetically makes affected buildings shoot bullets instead of arrows, which can be pretty intimidating.
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Star-shaped forts date back to the early modern period. Their shape helped them resist gunpowder weaponry due to the sharp angles. There are many examples of star-shaped forts in the United States; three famous examples are Fort Mifflin, Fort Ticonderoga, and Fort Wood, which the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal now stands upon.
Colonial Regulars: Minutemen and Hand Cannoneers/Musketeers gain blast damage
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Cost: 700 food, 300 gold
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This technology makes Hand Cannoneers and Minutemen very effective against clumped-up units. This can be useful against archers or other ranged units, as they tend to clump up more than other units. Skirmishers will still be an effective counter due to their cost effectiveness, especially when in staggered formation to reduce the blast damage.
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The Colonial Army just before and during the Revolutionary War trained regulars, a permanent ground force as opposed to militiamen. They were trained in more conventional warfare tactics as opposed to simply guerrilla warfare. This would’ve included standard stand-and-fire tactics employed by the British.
Tech Tree
Missing Units: Champion, Eagle line, Arbalester, Elephant Archer line, Cavalry Archer, Paladin, Camel line, Battle Elephant line, Steppe Lancer line, Siege Ram, Siege Onager, Heavy Scorpion, Fast Fire Ship.
Missing Techs: Gambesons, Squires, Parthian Tactics, Redemption, Atonement, Theocracy, Hoardings, Plate Mail Armor, Bracer, Arrowslits, Two-Man Saw, Stone Shaft Mining, Shipwright.
As a postscript, I want to again reiterate that this is not a serious concept, though the execution is serious. I don’t wish to receive comments criticizing the anachronism of the civ, as I am well aware of that. I wanted to do something special both as a thought experiment and a premature celebration of July Fourth.