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Age of Empires (tentative title) is the property of the Mirror Samurai, KirbiMiroir. Unless I have given you permission to do so, editing is not permitted, as this counts as vandalism and goes against my plans for the page. Unauthorised edits will be undone and reported to our staff immediately. Thank you for taking the time to read, and I hope you enjoy the page! |
This game is to be released by Majesco Entertainment and Ensemble Studios in mild collaboration with Power Paintbrush Productions in 2018 for the 3DS and Nintendo 4D Viewer. The title has not been confirmed yet.
Gameplay[]
The game plays out quite like the Fire Emblem series, in the sense that it its formatted like a board game. There are several types of units available to the player. Villagers can make buildings, used to train other units, whereas most other units are capable of combat against enemy units. The player starts each game with a Villager, a Militia and a Scout (the Aztecs and Mayans are exceptions to this rule, instead starting with a Villager and an Eagle Scout).
There are eighteen different civilisations to choose from - four Western Europe civilisations (British, French, Spanish and Celtic), four Eastern Europe civilisations (Teutonic, Viking, Hunnic and Gothic), four Western Aisa civilisations (Persian, Byzantine, Saracen and Turkish), four Eastern Aisa civilisations (Japanese, Mongolian, Chinese and Korean) and two Native American civilisations (Aztec and Mayan). Each civilisation can use different types of units and gets different civilisation-specific bonuses.
The objective of the game is to defeat all opponents. Once a player has lost all of their units, Town Centres and Castles, they will be considered defeated. Alternatively, building a Wonder and protecting it for fifteen turns will give automatic victory.
Units[]
Each unit has the following stats...
- Cost: The amount of resources which must be spent to train the unit. The number on the left of the slash shows the unit's food cost, while the number on the right of the slash shows the unit's gold cost.
- Attack: Shows how much damage the unit can deal to enemy units.
- Defence: Shows how little damage to unit takes from enemy units. The value on the left of the slash shows Hack Defence (resistance against physical attacks), while the value on the right of the slash shows Pierce Defence (resistance against ranged attacks).
- Movement: Shows how far the unit can move on each turn. The amount of movement used with each tile that the unit passes is based on the tile in question.
- Sight: Shows the range of the unit's Line of Sight. The Line of Sight extends across tiles, using up a different amount of Sight based on the tiles in question. If a tile is not within the Line of Sight of an allied unit, it will be obscured by "fog of war".
- Range: Shows the range at which the unit can attack. A single number shows that the unit can only attack at that range, while a range of numbers shows that the unit can attack any enemy within that range (e.g. 1-3 means a unit can attack an enemy from one, two or three tiles away).
It should be noted that a unit's Attack and Defence will decrease as their health decreases.
Name | Age | Trained | Stats | Skills | History |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Villager | I | Town Centre | Cost: 100/100 Atk: 50 Def: 50/50 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Build | The great percentage of people in the Middle Ages were lowly villagers who gathered resources and did most of the work. The life of a villager was hard but improved as feudalism gave way to social systems that allowed the workers to retain more of their produce. |
Militia | I | Barracks | Cost: 75/25 Atk: 100 Def: 75/100 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
None | Local peasants and workers called up for military duty in times of emergency made up the militia. These temporary soldiers were usually equipped with second-rate weapons and armour. They returned to their normal occupations when the emergency had passed. |
Swordsman | II | Barracks | Cost: 95/30 Atk: 150 Def: 125/150 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
None | The armies of feudal lords were divided into two distinct groups, the men-at-arms of all classes and the peasant militia. The trained fighting men provided the principal fighting power of the army. The sword was an effective weapon that helped distinguish swordsmen from soldiers of lower social standing. |
Longswordsman | III | Barracks | Cost: 120/35 Atk: 200 Def: 175/200 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
None | The weapon of choice for noble warriors was the Longsword. Being skilled with a sword was a social distinction because good swords were expensive and difficult to make. The ceremony of becoming a knight involved being dubbed with a long sword by the new knight's Lord. |
Two-Handed Swordsman | IV | Barracks | Cost: 150/40 Atk: 250 Def: 225/250 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
None | As armour improved, so did weapons. The two-handed sword was an innovation that allowed a man to swing with the power of both arms, not just one. This was a long and heavy sword, and it required a strong and well trained man. The two-handed swordsman was a formidable adversary in hand-to-hand combat. |
Champion | IV | Barracks | Cost: 180/50 Atk: 300 Def: 300/300 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
None | Among the best swordsmen, there were the few who, through their renown on the battlefield and through tournaments, achieved the status of champion. Such men became war leaders and rose in social standing thanks to abilities so highly regarded at the time. Champions were professional warriors who might also be members of the nobility. |
Spearman | II | Barracks | Cost: 115/40 Atk: 100 Def: 150/150 Move: 8 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Anti-Cavalry | The medium infantry of medieval times were often Spearmen wearing half-armour. As the Middle Ages advanced, the role of the spearman became more important. Armies learned to employ Spearmen as a counter to heavy cavalry attacks because horses would not charge home against a bristling wall of spear points. |
Pikeman | III | Barracks | Cost: 140/50 Atk: 150 Def: 200/200 Move: 8 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Anti-Cavalry | The success of Spearmen against cavalry led to innovation in the equipment and tactics they used. Pikemen were an innovation of towns and communities that did not have the resources to field large armies of heavy cavalry. Pikes were cheap and could be effective in training, and could reach lengths of up to eighteen feet long. |
Halberdier | IV | Barracks | Cost: 165/60 Atk: 200 Def: 250/250 Move: 8 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Anti-Cavalry | The Halberd was a pike weapon invented in the Middle Ages for use against armoured men, especially on horseback. It consisted of a six-foot shaft with an axe head at the front, a spear point at the top, and thin point at the rear. The spear was used to ward off cavalry. The thin rear point could be chopped down on an armoured man to penetrate the strongest armour. The axe head brought down with both hands could chop through armour and helmets. |
Eagle Scout | II | Barracks | Cost: 40/80 Atk: 100 Def: 100/150 Move: 9 Sight: 10 Range: 1 |
None | Aztec soldiers earned increased status in society through distinction in combat and promotion in rank. One of the higher ranks was that of the Eagle Warrior. These fighters wore great colourful headdresses made of eagle feathers and costumes that enhanced their military bearing. |
Eagle Warrior | III | Barracks | Cost: 50/100 Atk: 150 Def: 150/200 Move: 9 Sight: 10 Range: 1 |
None | Eagle Warriors wore great colourful headdresses made of eagle feathers and costumes that enhanced their military bearing. Because they were lightly armoured, they were able to move quickly. They were the fast, light troops of the Aztec armies, quickly pouncing on enemies. |
Elite Eagle Warrior | IV | Barracks | Cost: 75/120 Atk: 200 Def: 200/300 Move: 9 Sight: 10 Range: 1 |
None | The best of the Eagle warriors were promoted to Elite status. These were the champions of the Eagle Warrior formations and led the attempts to disable and capture enemies. |
Scout | I | Stable | Cost: 120/30 Atk: 50 Def: 75/125 Move: 12 Sight: 10 Range: 1 |
Scout | The importance of fast horse units for scouting had been learned in ancient times and carried forward into the Middle Ages. Even middle age armies built around heavy knights maintained a force of lightly armoured scout cavalry to act as the eyes of an army on the march. |
Light Cavalry | II | Stable | Cost: 140/35 Atk: 125 Def: 125/175 Move: 12 Sight: 10 Range: 1 |
Scout | As Middle Age armies grew larger and campaigned farther afield, the importance of scouting grew. Many civilisations developed light cavalry, an improvement on simple scouts, for this role. Light cavalry were better trained and better equipped for fighting. |
Hussar | III | Stable | Cost: 160/40 Atk: 150 Def: 175/225 Move: 12 Sight: 10 Range: 1 |
Scout | Hussars were excellent horsemen, trained to ride from their youth. They wore brightly coloured uniforms that gave them added dash and distinction. On the march they scouted and raided as needed. In an emergency they could charge in battle, but were usually too lightly armed and armoured to engage heavy cavalry or infantry. |
Knight | III | Stable | Cost: 190/45 Atk: 200 Def: 200/200 Move: 10 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Plains Charge | The knight was a heavily armoured and mounted warrior who have achieved certain minimums in training and positions in Middle Age society. When made a knight, a warrior was often given land to support his military expenses in return for a pledge to serve his Lord on campaign for so many weeks each year. |
Cavalier | IV | Stable | Cost: 225/60 Atk: 250 Def: 250/250 Move: 10 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Plains Charge | There was a hierarchy among knights based on feudal rank and fighting prowess. A lowly knight might achieve social standing through battlefield commendation, tournament victory, or marriage. Elite knights who were made members of important orders were known as chevaliers or cavaliers. |
Paladin | IV | Stable | Cost: 250/75 Atk: 300 Def: 300/300 Move: 10 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Plains Charge | The ultimate fighting knights were paladins, the cream of the cavalier class. Paladins were champions for their lords and their orders of knighthood. These men were of the highest social class and elite warriors. They often made up the personal bodyguard of a great king and were sworn to protect his life with their own. |
Camel | III | Stable | Cost: 200/50 Atk: 150 Def: 150/150 Move: 10 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Desert Charge, Scares Horses | The camel was a useful mount for warriors in desert regions of the world because it could move quickly across sand and could go long periods without water. In addition, horses shied away from the presence of camels. |
Heavy Camel | IV | Stable | Cost: 240/65 Atk: 200 Def: 200/200 Move: 10 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Desert Charge, Scares Horses | The heavy camel was an especially experienced warrior and camel rider who wore some armour. They were used by desert civilisations of the Middle East who fought against archers from the Byzantine Empire and horse archers raiding down from the steppes of Asia. |
Archer | II | Archery Range | Cost: 105/45 Atk: 150 Def: 100/100 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1-3 |
None | The bow remained an important military weapon after the fall of Rome, although less so in areas of Europe covered by dense forests. Archers could fight from a distance, from behind walls or other cover, and from ambush. They were usually not decisive in battle on the attack because they could not physically take ground from the enemy like infantry could. |
Elite Archer | IV | Archery Range | Cost: 160/65 Atk: 250 Def: 200/200 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1-3 |
None | Archers acted mainly as defensive troops and as light troops that disrupted enemy formations prior to the decisive moment when the armies clashed hand-to-hand. If barrages of arrows could cause casualties and drain the fighting spirit of the enemy prior to the clash, friendly troops had a better chance of breaking the will of the enemy and being victorious. |
Skirmisher | II | Archery Range | Cost: 95/40 Atk: 100 Def: 50/150 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1-2 |
Skirmish | Many armies of the Middle Ages used lightly armoured Skirmishers in support of the main fighting force of armoured fighting men. They could be difficult to control and of little value of the battlefield, but some armies used them effectively. |
Elite Skirmisher | III | Archery Range | Cost: 125/50 Atk: 150 Def: 100/225 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1-2 |
Skirmish | The intent of a Skirmisher was to disrupt the enemy force and cause casualties before the main battle lines clashed. They could also be useful in pursuit of a beaten enemy because they could move more quickly than men wearing armour. |
Crossbowman | III | Archery Range | Cost: 125/50 Atk: 250 Def: 150/150 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 2-3 |
None | The crossbow was a missile weapon consisting of a bow on its side attached to the end of a wood stock. The stock was held against the shoulder like a modern rifle and a trigger fired the weapon. The crossbow had been invented in ancient China, but was not used widely in Europe until the Middle Ages. |
Arbalist | IV | Archery Range | Cost: 165/75 Atk: 300 Def: 200/200 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 2-3 |
None | The arbalest was an advanced crossbow made of steel. The greater tensile strength of steel gave the weapon greater power. The word "arbalist" refers to a person who uses a crossbow. |
Horse Archer | III | Archery Range | Cost: 125/50 Atk: 150 Def: 150/150 Move: 10 Sight: 7 Range: 1-3 |
None | Archers mounted on horses originated in ancient time on the great plains of Asia and continued to make up the bulk of the armies from this region throughout the Middle Ages. They could cross almost any kind of terrain quickly, strike unexpectedly, and withdraw if necessary before heavy cavalry or infantry units could react. |
Heavy Horse Archer | IV | Archery Range | Cost: 160/65 Atk: 200 Def: 225/200 Move: 10 Sight: 7 Range: 1-3 |
None | Cavalry archers could be a devastating force when skilled and properly used, but they were as susceptible to archery fire as their enemies. One innovation intended to make them less vulnerable was to equip them with armour. This created the heavy cavalry archer, which was less nimble than its unarmoured counterparts but able to engage in combat while taking fewer casualties. |
Hand Cannoneer | IV | Archery Range | Cost: 190/75 Atk: 300 Def: 225/225 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1-3 |
None | Following the development of cannons, small hand-operated gunpowder weapons began appearing in Europe in the fourteenth century. These early firearms were small iron tubes mounted on a wooden stock. They were inaccurate and slow to load. This weapon was effective only in volleys at close range. |
Fishing Ship | I | Dock | Cost: 75/35 Atk: 0 Def: 25/75 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 0 |
Build | One result of the technology of shipbuilding, sailing and navigation was the advancement of Fishing Ships. The rich waters off the coast of Europe, North Africa and Asia provided a bounty of seafood that became important trade goods in the Middle Ages. |
Transport Ship | II | Dock | Cost: 120/50 Atk: 0 Def: 150/200 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 0 |
Transport | Trading ships of all kinds were requisitioned when armies were moved overseas. Such ships were usually modified into transports to better accommodate troops, horses, livestock, siege equipment and supplies. |
Galley | II | Dock | Cost: 100/40 Atk: 100 Def: 75/125 Move: 8 Sight: 7 Range: 1-3 |
None | Warships largely disappeared in Europe during the Dark Ages because no civilisation other than the Byzantines possessed the wealth and organisation necessary for maintaining any sort of navy. As the centuries passed, there came a few oar-powered galleys, used primarily for scouting and chasing down pirates that plagued sea trade. |
War Galley | III | Dock | Cost: 120/45 Atk: 150 Def: 125/175 Move: 8 Sight: 7 Range: 1-3 |
None | The war galley was a larger and improved fighting ship. It carried a larger contingent of marines and archers. When necessary, the equivalent of a war galley was created by putting fighting towers at the stern and bow of a trading ship. These provided better protection and a height advantage for archers when closed with an enemy ship. |
Galleon | IV | Dock | Cost: 140/50 Atk: 200 Def: 175/225 Move: 8 Sight: 7 Range: 1-3 |
None | The galleon was a sailing ship outfitted for war, the largest fighting ship used in the West prior to the mounting of cannons on board. This large and sturdy ship carried a large contingent of fighting men and possibly some heavier siege artillery. The crew would attempt to board and capture an enemy ship in hand-to-hand fighting. |
Cannon Galleon | IV | Dock | Cost: 180/65 Atk: 300 Def: 175/225 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 2-4 |
None | Primitive cannons were first mounted on ships in the fourteenth century. These were mounted in the stern or bow for firing forward. Small weapons were mounted on the rails for use against enemy crews in close action. The first ship built specifically for carrying cannons appeared in 1406. Effectively mounting a large number of cannons on a ship took many years to work out. |
Elite Cannon Galleon | IV | Dock | Cost: 220/75 Atk: 350 Def: 225/275 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 2-4 |
None | Effectively mounting a large number of cannons on a ship took many years to work out. It required new designs to compensate for the enormous weight of the guns high on the ship’s sides. Safe procedures were also needed for storing and accessing powder, and to allow the guns to be fired and reloaded safely. Useful cannon galleons did not appear until late in the Middle Ages. |
Fire Ship | III | Dock | Cost: 115/55 Atk: 100 Def: 125/175 Move: 8 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Greek Fire | The fire ship was a narrow and fast warship powered by both oars and lateen sails. The secret weapon of this ship was Greek fire. This extremely volatile mixture was squirted out of hoses from the bow of the fire ship and ignited on contact with air. Fire was a devastating weapon against wooden ships, which could not stand up to fire ships spraying Greek fire. |
Fast Fire Ship | IV | Dock | Cost: 135/75 Atk: 150 Def: 175/225 Move: 10 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Greek Fire | The fire ship was improved over the years to increase its speed, manoeuvrability, and armour. While other civilisations acquired the Byzantine secret of Greek fire at times, it was so closely guarded and dangerous to use that it is lost today. |
Demolition Ship | III | Dock | Cost: 125/50 Atk: 300 Def: 125/150 Move: 8 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Demolition | Kings and civilizations without a naval tradition turned to a simple expedient when facing a naval engagement. They loaded an expendable ship with combustibles and a skeleton crew. The doomed ship was then sailed into contact with enemy ships and set alight. When done properly, demolition ships burned fiercely and exploded, setting adjacent enemy ships on fire also. |
Heavy Demolition Ship | IV | Dock | Cost: 150/60 Atk: 400 Def: 125/175 Move: 8 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Demolition | Demolition ships eventually were made larger and filled with explosives of greater power, especially gunpowder. This heavy demolition ship resulted in greater explosions and a greater chance of damaging or destroying one or more enemy ships. It could be devastating against a large target or many enemy ships caught travelling close together. |
Turtle Ship | III | Dock | Cost: 200/95 Atk: 300 Def: 300/250 Move: 6 Sight: 7 Range: 1-2 |
None | Under attack by samurai Japan in 1592, the fate of Korea and perhaps China depended on breaking the invader’s supply lines at sea across the Straits of Korea. Korean admiral Yi Sun-Shin won two great naval victories off southern Korea with the aid of Turtle Ships, the first armored warships in history. These oarpowered ships had a low profile and mounted a battery of cannons on their broadside. |
Elite Turtle Ship | IV | Dock | Cost: 250/135 Atk: 400 Def: 400/300 Move: 6 Sight: 7 Range: 1-2 |
None | The sides and top of the Turtle Ship were rounded and shaped like a flat turtle shell. They were not well suited for use on the high sea but quite useful in coastal waters where waters were relatively calm. The Japanese ships were at a great disadvantage in combat against them as most missile fire glanced off their rounded armour. |
Longboat | III | Dock | Cost: 105/75 Atk: 200 Def: 150/150 Move: 8 Sight: 7 Range: 1-3 |
Volley | The Viking raiders of the ninth through eleventh centuries were especially terrifying because they could strike anywhere along the seacoast and even upriver. They had this capability thanks to their longboats. These ships were long, narrow, and of shallow draft, but were surprisingly seaworthy. |
Elite Longboat | IV | Dock | Cost: 125/100 Atk: 250 Def: 200/200 Move: 8 Sight: 7 Range: 1-3 |
Volley | Each Longboat used oars and a single square sail for propulsion. Longboats could be taken into very shallow water and beached. Only a coast with high bluffs or rocky shoreline was safe from them. |
Battering Ram | III | Siege Workshop | Cost: 65/190 Atk: 400 Def: 0/1000 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Buildings Only, No Counter | The most direct way to attack a stone wall or other fortification was to knock it down with a battering ram. The battering ram frame required a roof of some sort to protect the crew from above. This was often covered with wet animal hides to repel fire. Given enough time, any obstruction could be knocked down, opening a breach for assault. |
Capped Ram | IV | Siege Workshop | Cost: 75/215 Atk: 450 Def: 0/1300 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Buildings Only, No Counter | Rams were simple and effective weapons for breaking into fortifications. The typical battering ram was a stout log mounted on wheels or suspended from a frame so it could swing forward and backward. Capping the point of a battering ram with iron greatly improved the battering ram. The capped ram did more damage and lasted longer before needing replacement. |
Siege Ram | IV | Siege Workshop | Cost: 85/245 Atk: 500 Def: 0/1500 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Buildings Only, No Counter | The ultimate battering ram was the siege ram. This was a large engine that was heavily protected and designed to hit with a powerful force. Siege rams were often prefabricated weapons that were hauled to the site of the siege and assembled on the spot. |
Mangonel | III | Siege Workshop | Cost: 60/180 Atk: 200 Def: 50/400 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 2-3 |
No Counter | The mangonel was an improvement on the ancient catapult that was used to throw stones and other missiles, usually in a siege attack against a fortified position. The mangonel usually fired directly at a target, using a bar to stop the throwing arm when it was vertical. This threw the missile directly forward. |
Onager | IV | Siege Workshop | Cost: 75/200 Atk: 250 Def: 50/450 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 2-3 |
No Counter | The onager was an improvement of the mangonel; it was larger, more powerful, and hurled a heavier payload for greater distance. Onagers were used to fire one large stone or a basket of smaller stones. |
Siege Onager | IV | Siege Workshop | Cost: 85/225 Atk: 300 Def: 50/500 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 2-3 |
No Counter | The siege onager was the largest upgrade of the onager line of weapons. It had the longest range and did the most damage. They were often assembled on the spot for use, but were also built on wheeled frames for easier movement. |
Scorpion | III | Siege Workshop | Cost: 65/190 Atk: 250 Def: 25/300 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 2-3 |
Units Only, No Counter, Piercing | The scorpion represents a light artillery weapon that fired large arrow-like bolts. These weapons came in a variety of sizes and looked like large crossbows. Scorpions might be mounted on tripods or more substantial wooden frames. They were used primarily in siege attacks but could also be deployed in a set position on a battlefield. |
Heavy Scorpion | IV | Siege Workshop | Cost: 95/235 Atk: 300 Def: 25/350 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 2-3 |
Units Only, No Counter, Piercing | The heavy scorpion was an improved version of the Scorpion. The heavy scorpion consisted of a heavier bow and frame, and could fire larger missiles. They were useful against massed enemy troops, especially cavalry, and against fortifications. |
Bombard Cannon | IV | Siege Workshop | Cost: 70/235 Atk: 225 Def: 275/325 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 2-4 |
No Counter | Gunpowder reached Europe from China by the thirteenth century and primitive cannons appeared first in the fourteenth century. Bombard cannons were large, ponderous, and dangerous to fire because the guns tended to break and because gunpowder was of uneven quality. They were used mainly in sieges where the time was available to set them up and fire them at a fixed target. |
Monk | III | Monastery | Cost: 50/155 Atk: 0 Def: 150/150 Move: 9 Sight: 7 Range: 1-2 |
Convert, Heal | Religion was a powerful force during the Middle Ages, where it was Roman Catholicism of the West, Islam in the Middle East, or Buddhism in Asia. The missionaries and teachers of religion were mainly monks, men who took vows of poverty and who dedicated their life to spreading their message. |
Missionary | III | Monastery | Cost: 75/155 Atk: 0 Def: 150/150 Move: 10 Sight: 7 Range: 1-2 |
Convert, Heal | As Europeans gradually came to understand that Columbus had opened the door to two complete continents, they awoke to the desirability of converting the potentially immense native population to Christianity. The Spanish, Portuguese, and other European nations sent monks called missionaries into the New World to bring about conversion and salvation. |
Petard | III | Castle | Cost: 120/40 Atk: 300 Def: 75/150 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Demolition, Buildings Only | The primary use of gunpowder during the Middle Ages was as a propellant in firearms and cannons, but it eventually found use as an explosive as well. Explosive charges, called petards, could be used to damage or blow down castle gates and other obstructions. In very dangerous situations, an armored man would carry the petard to the point of attack and light the fuse. |
Trebuchet | IV | Siege Workshop | Cost: 90/270 Atk: 375 Def: 350/300 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 2-5 |
Buildings Only, No Counter, No Move and Attack | The most powerful of the Middle Age non-gunpowder siege engines was the trebuchet. This was a large catapult-like weapon with a long throwing arm and missile bag suspended by ropes. When released the arm swung up and the bag was brought up and forward. Centrifugal force acting on the suspended bag increased the range and height achieved by the released missile. |
Jaguar Warrior | III | Castle | Cost: 120/50 Atk: 250 Def: 175/175 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Anti-Infantry | Another rank of Aztec fighter was the Jaguar Warrior, who was more heavily armed and armoured than the Eagle Warrior. Their role was probably to be the heavy infantry of the army and to engage the enemy main body. They likely had the advantage in combat against lighter troops that were caught off-guard or foolish enough to engage the heavier Jaguar Warrior. |
Elite Jaguar Warrior | IV | Castle | Cost: 140/70 Atk: 300 Def: 225/200 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Anti-Infantry | True to their name, Jaguar warriors wore jaguar headpieces and clothing that represented jaguar fur. The jaguar was chosen as the totem for warriors because it was the fiercest predator in the Central American jungles. In combat, they used an obsidian-bladed sword known as a macana. Although it lacked the penetration power of steel weapons, the macana was able to keep a razor-sharp edge. |
Longbowman | III | Castle | Cost: 185/80 Atk: 225 Def: 125/150 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1-4 |
Volley | The longbow was very tall, 5 or 6 feet long, and crafted from a single piece of wood, commonly yew. It fired 3-foot-long arrows at a great range and, in the hands of an expert, could be extremely accurate. All sports other than archery were banned on Sundays in Britain to ensure that archers practised. The long bow was used effectively in long-range barrages against massed troops, firing thin pointed arrows called bodkins that could pierce armour. |
Elite Longbowman | IV | Castle | Cost: 215/100 Atk: 275 Def: 175/225 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1-4 |
Volley | Longbowmen typically employed a strategy which involved firing thousands of arrows at a distant area. Enemy troops within the area were forced to receive the barrage with no cover but their armour and shields. The barrage caused casualties and reduced enemy morale. The most famous examples of this tactic were the great English victories during the Hundred Years' War. |
Cataphract | III | Castle | Cost: 200/50 Atk: 225 Def: 200/200 Move: 10 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
None | The best units in the Byzantine army were partially armoured cavalrymen called cataphracts. They fought with several weapons, including the bow and sword. With plains to the east and north of their empire, the cataphract was ideally suited for combat against the unarmoured cavalry of their enemies. |
Elite Cataphract | IV | Castle | Cost: 240/70 Atk: 300 Def: 250/250 Move: 10 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
None | The Byzantine army carried on many of the military traditions of the old Roman Empire into the Middle Ages. This was a professional force that was well trained and well led. The Byzantine army went into decline partially because it lost the plains of Asia Minor from which it had drawn both horses and cavalrymen for service as cataphracts. |
Woad Raider | III | Castle | Cost: 200/115 Atk: 200 Def: 150/200 Move: 9 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Cause Fear | Woad is a plant found in the British Isles from which a blue pigment can be extracted. Celtic warriors painted themselves with this pigment prior to battle to look more fearsome and unnerve their enemies. Celtic warriors had been raiding more developed areas of Britain and Europe since ancient times. |
Elite Woad Raider | IV | Castle | Cost: 240/125 Atk: 250 Def: 200/250 Move: 9 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Cause Fear | When the English sought to conquer the Celts inhabiting Ireland, Wales, and Scotland during the Middle Ages, the Celts were at a great disadvantage against the English mounted knights. The Celts often turned to guerrilla tactics, raiding English settlements and withdrawing before English armies arrived. Raiders painted with woad devastated the borderlands. |
Chu Ko Nu | III | Castle | Cost: 125/105 Atk: 150 Def: 125/150 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 2-3 |
Rapid Fire | The crossbow was invented in China in ancient times and the chu ko nu was an improved crossbow invented there during European Middle Ages. The chu ko nu was something like a semi-automatic crossbow. It was fitted with a magazine of bolts. When the operator pulled back the bowstring, a new bolt was automatically loaded. When the bowstring reached its limit, the weapon fired automatically. |
Elite Chu Ko Nu | IV | Castle | Cost: 155/115 Atk: 200 Def: 175/200 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 2-3 |
Rapid Fire | When the operator of a chu ko nu pulled back the bowstring, a new bolt was automatically loaded. When the bowstring reached its limit, the weapon fired automatically. The operator pulled back as quickly as he could to maintain a rapid fire. The weaknesses of the weapon were a short range and weaker power compared to larger single-shot crossbows. |
Throwing Axeman | III | Castle | Cost: 210/70 Atk: 225 Def: 225/250 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1-2 |
Woodsman | French warriors were especially noted for their ability to throw axes in battle. The axe was well balanced and could be hurled a good distance by a strong man. Throwing Axemen carried several axes into battle, holding on to one for hand-to-hand combat. As they advanced they could pick up axes thrown previously to replenish their supply of missiles. Carrying axes was also useful for dismantling fortifications. |
Elite Throwing Axeman | IV | Castle | Cost: 240/90 Atk: 275 Def: 275/300 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1-2 |
Woodsman | The throwing axe, or Francisca, was the preferred weapon of the French in ancient times. They continued to use the axe into the Dark Ages and their warriors were especially noted for their ability to throw this axe in battle. Throwing axemen were especially good against light troops wearing little armour. |
Huskarl | III | Castle | Cost: 165/50 Atk: 250 Def: 200/450 Move: 8 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
None | Within the Germanic tribes that overran the Western Roman Empire and brought in the Dark Ages, including the Goths, tribal leaders kept a personal retinue of warriors known as huskarls. These men served their chiefs fanatically in return for a large share in any plunder the tribe could grab. |
Elite Huskarl | IV | Castle | Cost: 200/75 Atk: 300 Def: 250/500 Move: 8 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
None | Huskarls trained for battle continuously and had few other duties. A chief had to be successful in acquiring plunder, however, or risk being removed or abandoned. As the Dark Ages progressed, huskarls were absorbed into the feudal system as vassals of lords. |
Tarkan | III | Castle | Cost: 180/30 Atk: 150 Def: 175/225 Move: 10 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Arson | The use of the stirrup by the Huns gave them a technological advantage against other armies when they advanced toward the west in the 3rd century. They could set themselves in their stirrups and charge into a target with a lance. The impact of the lance point transferred the force of the combined moving man and horse, thanks to the stirrup. Heroes of Hunnic, and later Mongolian, armies were known as Tarkans. |
Elite Tarkan | IV | Castle | Cost: 210/45 Atk: 200 Def: 225/275 Move: 10 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Arson | The best of the Hunnic light horsemen rode hard, hit with surprise, and could withdraw as quickly if the situation was not advantageous. The mobility of the Tarkan warriors made them devastating raiders, but their light cavalry status put them at a disadvantage against heavily armoured horsemen in close combat. |
Samurai | III | Castle | Cost: 215/70 Atk: 250 Def: 225/250 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Veteran | When knights were coming into dominance as lords and warriors in Europe, a similar social and military change was taking place simultaneously in Japan. A weak central government and a scramble for control of land gave rise in Japan to a local military ruling class called the samurai. These men of noble birth trained continuously in the military arts, as well as various cultural arts. |
Elite Samurai | IV | Castle | Cost: 250/90 Atk: 300 Def: 275/300 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Seasoned Veteran | Samurai fought with a variety of weapons, including the bow and their unique curved swords made of the strongest steel. They sought out high-ranking enemies on the battlefield for personal duels and were trained to seek death in battle to increase their aggression and avoid hesitancy. |
War Wagon | III | Castle | Cost: 150/100 Atk: 250 Def: 200/250 Move: 9 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
None | The Korean kingdom of Koryo was often under attack from all sides — by China, by barbarian civilizations to the north like the Mongols, and by sea raiders. To survive, they needed a strong military. So became the war wagon, a classic chariot with scythed blades and mobile forts from which archers could fire with some protection. |
Elite War Wagon | IV | Castle | Cost: 200/125 Atk: 300 Def: 225/300 Move: 9 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
None | We have hints from scant records that the Koryo were innovative warriors, perhaps being the first to use rockets in combat and carriages of some type. Trains of these wagons could be arranged into temporary fortifications in open areas, providing a mobile, yet substantial, defensive position against mounted enemies. |
Plumed Archer | III | Castle | Cost: 150/60 Atk: 225 Def: 150/175 Move: 8 Sight: 7 Range: 1-3 |
None | The natives of Central America had developed the bow and used it in combat. Their bow technology was not far advanced, however, in comparison to the Asian composite bow or English longbow. Like all other Mayan warriors, archers wore distinctive costumes so commanders could distinguish their troops and place the right group where needed. |
Elite Plumed Archer | IV | Castle | Cost: 175/75 Atk: 275 Def: 200/225 Move: 8 Sight: 7 Range: 1-3 |
None | Archers could be ordered to wound when capture of enemies was more important than killing. The status of archers was low in comparison to other warrior ranks, so men of lower standing and skill entered their ranks. Men of status and ambition joined the ranks of the Eagle Warrior where they could have the opportunity to take captives. |
Mangudai | III | Castle | Cost: 190/80 Atk: 150 Def: 150/175 Move: 10 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
First Strike | The Mongols were united by Genghis Khan, who took them off on a campaign of conquest that reached from the Pacific to the Mediterranean to Central Europe. The strength of the Mongol armies was the horse archer firing a composite bow from the saddle. The best of these archers, called the Mangudai, used great tactics to catch enemies at a disadvantage. |
Elite Mangudai | IV | Castle | Cost: 220/100 Atk: 200 Def: 200/225 Move: 10 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
First Strike | Mangudai used feints and traps to wear out enemy cavalry and shoot it to pieces. Slower troops could be shot to pieces at range with little risk. Enemy armies were exhausted and shattered without ever coming to grips with the elusive Mangudai. The main weakness of the Mongol army was that only great leaders could keep it together. |
War Elephant | III | Castle | Cost: 210/105 Atk: 200 Def: 250/300 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Cause Fear | The last civilisation in the Middle East to employ war elephants was Persia, who got their elephants from India. The war elephant was a powerful complement to an army, especially against troops with no experience against them. They were difficult to kill, but remained difficult to control as well. |
Elite War Elephant | IV | Castle | Cost: 250/120 Atk: 250 Def: 300/350 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Cause Fear | The war elephant was a powerful complement to an army, especially against troops with no experience against them. They were very difficult to kill, but remained difficult to control as well. If they could be directed into an enemy formation, the enemy troops almost always fell back in disarray. |
Mameluke | III | Castle | Cost: 225/55 Atk: 250 Def: 200/200 Move: 10 Sight: 7 Range: 1-2 |
Scares Horses | The mamelukes were slaves trained as warriors by various Arab leaders, partially because early believers in Islam would not fight each other. Slave warriors got around this ban. The mamelukes were well trained and highly motivated. |
Elite Mameluke | IV | Castle | Cost: 255/65 Atk: 300 Def: 250/250 Move: 10 Sight: 7 Range: 1-2 |
Scares Horses | A mameluke army from Egypt won a rare victory against the Mongols in Syria, turning these barbarian horsemen back from the Nile and North Africa. In time the mamelukes rose up against their Arab rulers and took control themselves. |
Conquistador | III | Castle | Cost: 180/50 Atk: 300 Def: 175/200 Move: 10 Sight: 7 Range: 1-3 |
None | Spanish adventurers who set off to conquer the New World became known as Conquistadors. These men were an assortment of disposed sons of the nobility and soldiers of fortune looking for adventure and loot. They arrived in the New World with a great technical advantage in weapons over the natives who could not stand up to steel swords, firearms, and mounted lancers. |
Elite Conquistador | IV | Castle | Cost: 230/70 Atk: 375 Def: 225/250 Move: 10 Sight: 7 Range: 1-3 |
None | Conquistadors arrived in the New World with a great technical advantage in weapons over the natives who could not stand up to steel swords, firearms, and mounted lancers. The horse was particularly terrifying to the first natives who encountered it. Thanks to the spread of European diseases before them and advantageous use of native allies on occasion, ridiculously small armies of Conquistadors conquered with relative ease. |
Teutonic Knight | III | Castle | Cost: 200/70 Atk: 300 Def: 300/200 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
None | At the height of the Christian Crusades into the Holy Land, German crusaders formed an order of warrior monks called the Teutonic Knights. This order gave up crusading in the Eastern Mediterranean and turned its attention to Eastern Europe. Through conquest they brought Christianity to the Baltic region and forests of what became Prussia. |
Elite Teutonic Knight | IV | Castle | Cost: 250/100 Atk: 400 Def: 500/225 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
None | The Teutonic Knights brought Christianity through their conquests and built castles from which they could control the surrounding countryside. The Teutonic Knights were committed warriors who carved out an empire that lasted into the twentieth century. |
Janissary | III | Castle | Cost: 145/110 Atk: 200 Def: 125/125 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1-3 |
None | Some of the best units in the Turkish armies were the janissaries. These men were slaves captured as children and raised under Islam to be fanatical warriors. They wore distinctive white headgear and marched into battle accompanied by music. They fought on foot with a variety of weapons, including early firearms when these weapons reached the Middle East. |
Elite Janissary | IV | Castle | Cost: 180/120 Atk: 250 Def: 175/175 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1-3 |
None | The military was the entire life of a Janissary. They took great pride in their ability. They led the successful assault into Constantinople and the unsuccessful Turkish attacks against Malta and Vienna. |
Berserker | III | Castle | Cost: 200/110 Atk: 200 Def: 175/200 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Frenzy | Late in the eighth century Viking sea raiders from Scandinavia appeared suddenly in Northern Europe. They raided and plundered coastal communities for the next 150 years. Most of the progress made by Charlemagne in uniting Northern Europe and beginning a rebirth of civilisation was erased by the turmoil they caused. The Vikings were known for their great seamanship and ferocity in battle. |
Elite Berserker | IV | Castle | Cost: 230/130 Atk: 250 Def: 225/250 Move: 7 Sight: 7 Range: 1 |
Frenzy | Witnesses claimed that Viking warriors would occasionally go "berserk" and attack with nearly inhuman zeal, oblivious to all danger. Such behaviour was terrifying to behold and very difficult to withstand. The ability to go mad with battle lust was a powerful attribute during a period of widespread superstition. |
Buildings[]
All buildings can be built by Villagers, save for Fish Traps which can only be built by Fishing Ships. If a damaged building is within a Villager's range, they may repair that building at the cost of some resources. In addition, most buildings must be built on specific tiles.
Name | Age | Stats | Purposes | Build Site | History |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Town Centre | I | Cost: 600/400 Atk: N/A Def: 425/575 Sight: 7 Range: N/A |
Trains Villagers, allows you to advance in age. | Anywhere | All villages and towns had an administrative centre that was the seat of governmental power and leadership. During the Dark Ages this might have been the local leader's home. Later it might have been the town hall or local lord's manor house. The town centre was often the place where important supplies were stored, especially food surpluses. |
Barracks | I | Cost: 360/240 Atk: N/A Def: 250/350 Sight: 7 Range: N/A |
Trains infantry. | Adjacent to a Town Centre | Weapons were made and stored and soldiers drilled in the barracks. During the late Middle Ages, the barracks was incorporated within a castle complex. It also became the part of the castle where professional soldiers lived, ready to help defend the castle or maintain order in the surrounding countryside. |
Stable | I | Cost: 360/240 Atk: N/A Def: 250/350 Sight: 7 Range: N/A |
Trains cavalry. | Adjacent to a Town Centre | As the Middle Ages continued, the rise in importance of mounted warriors created demand for large numbers of horses, which were bred and maintained at the stable. A variety of horses were bread, including horses for long-distance travel and fast horses for quick movement. |
Mill | I | Cost: 120/80 Atk: N/A Def: 200/300 Sight: 7 Range: N/A |
Raises food income. | On a wheat tile | One of the early industrial enterprises of the Middle Ages was the grinding Mill. Handed down from antiquity, this technology greatly sped up the otherwise backbreaking process of grinding wheat and other grains into flour. |
Farm | I | Cost: 90/60 Atk: N/A Def: 75/125 Sight: 7 Range: N/A |
Raises food income. | Adjacent to a Farm | The technology of farming was carried forward into the Middle Ages and improved. Northern European soils were often rich glacial deposits hidden under dense forests. Over the course of the Middle Ages, much of this land was cleared and converted into farms. |
Mine | I | Cost: 360/240 Atk: N/A Def: 250/350 Sight: 7 Range: N/A |
Raises gold income. | On a gold tile | Mining continued throughout the Middle Ages, especially for iron, salt, copper, tin, gold, coal and silver. By 500 CE, valuable surface deposits were rare and mines had to be driven into the earth. The desire to improve mining productivity and safety led to many important technology improvements. |
Dock | I | Cost: 325/215 Atk: N/A Def: 250/350 Sight: 7 Range: N/A |
Trains water units. | On a river corner | The emergence of deep-draft merchant ships led to the construction of docks where these ships could tie up and unload. Ships of this new design could not be dragged ashore easily for unloading. Associated with docks were the shipyards where ships were built. |
Fish Trap | I | Cost: 90/60 Atk: N/A Def: 75/125 Sight: 7 Range: N/A |
Raises food income. | On a fish tile | Dried and salted fish were valuable commodities in the Middle Ages because they were a source of protein that could be transported and stored. Cod caught off Iceland and Norway was an especially valuable resource. Fishing technology improvements included the fish trap that allowed the netting of fish migrating up rivers and in coastal areas. |
Watch Tower | II | Cost: 225/150 Atk: 75 Def: 100/200 Sight: 7 Range: 2-3 |
Attacks enemies between turns. | On a town corner | Some of the earliest fortified stone structures were simple watch towers. From the watch tower, a local lord could keep a large area in view. The stone structure made it impregnable to assault except by a major force. The lord could withdraw into the tower, putting his animals on the bottom, stores and treasure on a second floor, living on upper floors, and fighting from the top. |
Guard Tower | III | Cost: 240/160 Atk: 125 Def: 125/225 Sight: 7 Range: 2-3 |
Attacks enemies between turns. | On a town corner | The defensive tower continued to evolve during the Middle Ages by getting stronger, taller, and better designed for fighting defense. Whereas some earlier watch towers had been square, guard towers were usually round to eliminate a sharp corner that could be knocked off. Fighting positions at the top of a guard tower were also improved to protect defenders. |
Keep | IV | Cost: 265/180 Atk: 150 Def: 200/300 Sight: 7 Range: 2-3 |
Attacks enemies between turns. | On a town corner | The central and strongest building inside a castle was called the keep. This was the last bastion of defense inside if the walls and outside towers were taken. The remaining defenders withdrew into the keep for the final defense. The keep was a mini-castle often constructed in place of a castle to cut expenses. |
Bombard Tower | IV | Cost: 360/250 Atk: 500 Def: 200/300 Sight: 7 Range: 2-3 |
Attacks enemies between turns. | On a town corner | The high vertical walls of towers were particularly susceptible to direct cannon fire aimed at their base. Military engineers solved this problem by building new structures that were less susceptible to cannon fire and by mounting cannons within these structures to augment their defensive positions along coasts, at important river crossings, and at other strategic points. |
Archery Range | II | Cost: 310/190 Atk: N/A Def: 250/350 Sight: 7 Range: N/A |
Trains archers. | Adjacent to a Town Centre | Missile weapons like the bow carried over the Middle Ages from ancient times in most areas of the world. Northern Europe was an exception for many centuries because the dense forests of the region nullified the range advantage of bows. Throwing weapons like axes, javelins, and knives were more popular there. |
Blacksmith | II | Cost: 325/215 Atk: N/A Def: 250/350 Sight: 7 Range: N/A |
No purpose asides from research. | Adjacent to a Town Centre | Iron-working technology had been learned by the barbarian tribes of Europe prior to the fall of Rome and was carried forward into the Dark Ages. Iron working was done at the blacksmith, named partially for the black iron worked there and for the black soot that covered the workers each day. At the blacksmith, iron was forged and hammered into tools, weapons, shields and armour. |
Market | II | Cost: 325/215 Atk: N/A Def: 250/350 Sight: 7 Range: N/A |
Allows trading, trains mercenaries. | Adjacent to a Town Centre | As the Dark Ages gave way to better economic conditions, the exchange of produce and craft goods increased. Towns of all sizes set aside an area for a market where farmers and tradesmen could set up stalls for selling their merchandise. One or more days each week were designated market days and became the social highlight of the typical workweek. |
Siege Workshop | III | Cost: 380/250 Atk: N/A Def: 250/350 Sight: 7 Range: N/A |
Trains siege weapons. | Adjacent to a Town Centre | The construction of castles and fortified towns created demand for artillery engines that could knock down walls and open the fortification to assault by troops. Without such artillery weapons, the taking of a castle required a long and costly siege that eventually starved the defenders into surrender. |
University | III | Cost: 380/250 Atk: N/A Def: 250/350 Sight: 7 Range: N/A |
No purpose asides from research. | Adjacent to a Town Centre | During the bleakest days of the Dark Ages, learning was all but extinguished in much of Europe. A scattering of priests and monks in isolated monasteries carried forward the ability to read and write and kept books alive by copying old manuscripts. Charlemagne attempted to reverse this trend by creating a school to train men who could help him control his empire, but this experiment largely disappeared under a new wave of barbarian invasions from the north and east. |
Monastery | III | Cost: 330/200 Atk: N/A Def: 250/350 Sight: 7 Range: N/A |
Trains Monks. | Adjacent to a Town Centre | Monasteries were closed religious communities to which particularly devout priests, scholars, and believers withdrew for a life of prayer, study, and service. Monastic life was embraced by several religions, including Christianity and Buddhism. Residents of monasteries became known as monks. In parts of Dark Age Europe, monasteries were the only remaining centres of learning. |
Castle | III | Cost: 780/520 Atk: N/A Def: 500/1000 Sight: 7 Range: N/A |
Trains unique units, Petards and Trebuchets. | Anywhere | The first castles appeared in Europe in the ninth century as an improvement of the local lord's stronghold. Castles were tactically defensive but strategically offensive. Because they were so difficult to capture if adequately defended, they provided a secure base from which a mobile force of warriors could extend political control. A local lord installed himself inside with a professional force of fighting men to serve him. |
Wonder | IV | Cost: 2400/1600 Atk: N/A Def: 1000/2000 Sight: 7 Range: N/A |
Instant victory after 15 turns. | Anywhere | One distinguishing cultural characteristic of the great Middle Age civilisations was architecture. Buildings in Japan, Scandinavia, Britain, Constantinople, and Arabia looked quite different and employed different construction techniques. In many cases, particularly noteworthy buildings stand as icons for the building civilisation, marking it for all of time as a culture that achieved greatness, if only temporarily. |
Technologies[]
Each technology requires a specific building in order to be researched. Some technologies also require a previous technology to be researched. You may research one technology per building, per turn.
Name | Age | Building | Cost | Benefits | History |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loom | I | Town Centre | 50 Food, 150 Gold | Villagers gain +50% Defence. | The invention of the loom and the ability to weave cloth was an important ancient technology that was quickly recovered during the Dark Ages. Good wool clothes were an important asset that lengthened life expectancy in the Northern European climate. |
Leather Soles | I | Town Centre | 50 Food, 150 Gold | Villagers gain +1 movement range. | An important and often underestimated factor in the advancement of civilisation was footwear. Without durable shoes, workers cannot be as productive, carry heavy loads, and labour consistently without injury and slowdown. |
Town Scouts | I | Town Centre | 50 Food, 150 Gold | Buildings gain +4 Sight. | The loosest of community defences, organised scouts helped ensure time to prepare defences in the face of nearby danger. |
Weaponsmiths | I | Barracks | 50 Food, 150 Gold | Swordsmen gain +25% Attack. | Tradesmen who devoted a majority of their time to crafting weapons produced better weapons than those produced by less specialised smiths. Better quality weapons meant that an organised militia could be more effective in their duties. |
Town Watch | II | Town Centre | 95 Food, 280 Gold | Buildings gain +2 Sight and +20% Defence. | Each town and community was responsible for its own defence for much of the Middle Ages, relying on the local lord and his retinue of soldiers for protection. The danger from bandits, raiders or unfriendly neighbours was real. Communities developed a town watch that scouted the nearby countryside regularly. |
Wheelbarrow | II | Town Centre | 125 Food, 375 Gold | Buildings cost 10% less. | The simple wheelbarrow, or one-wheeled hand cart, was a significant invention at a time when most people worked with their hands in an agricultural community. There was little industry in the early part of the Middle Ages. The economy was powered largely by people growing crops, herding livestock, gathering, and buildings. The wheelbarrow provided an important productivity improvement. |
Horse Collar | II | Mill | 95 Food, 280 Gold | Mills and Farms give 10% more Food. | The horse collar was invented in the East, possibly China, and gradually worked its way to Europe. This was an important innovation for European farming because it tremendously increased the pulling power of horses. This reduced the time needed to plough land and led to more land being taken into cultivation. |
Advanced Mining | II | Mine | 100 Food, 300 Gold | Mines give 15% more Gold. | The search for gold and silver since ancient and even prehistoric times meant that by the Dark Ages there was little of these precious metals to be found on the surface. To find more, it had to be mined from underground. The technology of gold prospecting and gold mining advanced during the early part of the Middle Ages, driven by the need for currency and demand for jewellery. |
Scale Mail | II | Blacksmith | 95 Food, 280 Gold | Infantry gain +25% Defence. | An improvement over leather, scale mail armour partially protected the wearer from both missiles and hand weapons. A blow against scale mail armour was partially deflected and the layers of scales absorbed much of the energy of the blow. |
Scale Barding | II | Blacksmith | 95 Food, 280 Gold | Cavalry gain +25% Defence. | Barding was armour placed on horses. Scale barding armour was made of layers of rounded metal scales that overlapped each other in a cascade. This partially protected the horse from both arrows and hand weapons. |
Fletching | II | Blacksmith | 95 Food, 280 Gold | Archers gain +25% Attack. | The provision of feathers or other wind foils at the rear of an arrow was called fletching. This innovation improved the stability of an arrow in flight. Fletching increased the range and accuracy of the arrow. Well-made arrows were essential to the success and effectiveness of archers. |
Padded Armour | II | Blacksmith | 95 Food, 280 Gold | Archers gain +25% Defence. | Archers and skirmishers were not expected to engage in hand-to-hand fighting so they rarely wore armour early in the Middle Ages. They also needed flexibility of arm movement and might be required to move about a battlefield quickly. When available, however, these troops would add protective clothing that did not interfere significantly with their fighting ability. |
Forging | II | Blacksmith | 160 Food, 475 Gold | Infantry and Cavalry gain +25% Attack. | Iron tools and weapons were hammered out of iron bars through forging. The bars were heated in the forge until they were red hot. At this point the metal could be shaped by hammering. The hot bar was held against an anvil and pounded into the desire shape. |
Tracking | II | Barracks | 95 Food, 280 Gold | Infantry gain +2 Sight. | As the Dark Ages passed and barbarian clans became trained armies, military techniques improved. The new armies were better prepared for campaign and manoeuvre. One result of these improvements was being less susceptible to surprise and ambush. |
Cartography | II | Market | 95 Food, 280 Gold | All units gain +1 Sight. | There was a revival of European learning after the Dark Ages that started mainly in the monasteries of the Christian Church, particularly in Ireland. Kings and churchmen commissioned maps and cartography, the science of map making, became a newly prized skill. |
Trading | II | Market | 95 Food, 280 Gold | Trading is more economical. | The trade cart represents the wagon, pack horses and other means of land transport used for the overland trade of goods during the Middle Ages. One important land trade route was the movement of wool from England across the Channel into France. The wool was manufactured into cloth and this cloth was carried into Italy to exchange for spices and silk from the East. |
Coinage | II | Market | 125 Food, 375 Gold | Increases gold and food income by 5%. | The rise of Charlemagne's empire and other strong kings created the stable administrations that could successfully provide coinage. A stable and available supply of money was a great boost to economic growth. The most useful European coins were silver pennies, roughly the size of the modern U.S. 10-cent piece, and smaller denominations made of copper and bronze. |
Town Patrol | III | Town Centre | 150 Food, 450 Gold | Buildings gain +2 Sight and +20% Defence. | As communities grew, they had more to defend and more resources with which to defend. The town watch grew into a town patrol, usually provided by the local lord as part of his responsibility for the community's safety. Town patrols ranged far from the community to crossing points or passes where enemies might appear. |
Hand Cart | III | Town Centre | 150 Food, 450 Gold | Buildings cost 10% less. | The hand cart or simple wagon, pulled by a horse or other animal, was an improvement in land transport and boosted productivity. A man with a cart could carry the load of many men, and more cheaply. The demand for carts was a boost to the economy itself by creating jobs for horse breeders, harness makers, cart makers and wheelwrights. |
Shaft Mining | III | Mine | 160 Food, 475 Gold | Mines give 15% more benefit. | When sources of gold and silver near the surface were exhausted, miners developed technology for going deep underground. This involved building lifts to send men down and bring ore up. It required pumps to pull water up and push air down, and required new tunnelling techniques for shoring up mine galleries and shafts to prevent cave-ins. |
Heavy Plough | III | Mill | 150 Food, 450 Gold | Mills and farms give 10% more benefit. | Following the implementation of the horse collar, the next important innovation for European farming was the heavy plough. This was a large wood and metal plough that could bite deep into the dense, rich soil deposited on the European plains following the last Ice Age. |
Chain Mail | III | Blacksmith | 150 Food, 450 Gold | Infantry gain +25% Defence. | Whereas a row of scales might come loose after a blow, chain mail armour stayed largely intact. Because the linked chains were smaller than the scales they replaced, chain mail armour was more flexible and comfortable to wear. While an improvement, chain mail was also more expensive and time consuming to manufacture. |
Chain Barding | III | Blacksmith | 150 Food, 450 Gold | Cavalry gain +25% Defence. | Armour made of linked metal chains was an improvement over a cascade of metal scales. It had greater integrity and held up better after taking some damage. Where a row of scales might come loose after a blow, chain barding armour stayed largely intact. |
Bodkin Arrow | III | Blacksmith | 150 Food, 450 Gold | Archers gain +25% Attack. | The bodkin arrow was an innovation that made archers of all types more effective against men wearing armour. The bodkin was simply a straight point intended to puncture, rather than a typical broad point intended to slice as it penetrated. |
Leather Armour | III | Blacksmith | 150 Food, 450 Gold | Archers gain +25% Defence. | Padded armour for light troops was improved with an outer layer of leather over the cloth padding. Leather was light and flexible, but provided more protection than simple cloth. |
Iron Casting | III | Blacksmith | 250 Food, 750 Gold | Infantry and Cavalry gain +25% Attack. | The ability to pour molten iron into a mould to create complicated shapes was called iron casting. This was useful for making iron tools and weapons that could not be easily made by forging or to speed up the process of manufacturing. |
Squires | III | Barracks | 150 Food, 450 Gold | Infantry cost 15 Food less and 15 Gold less. | Prior to becoming a knight, young men put in a long apprenticeship as a squire. Squires were assigned to a knight for their training in weapons and social graces. In return they cared for the knight's equipment and horses, dressed him for combat, guarded him, and accompanied him into battle. |
Husbandry | III | Stable | 150 Food, 450 Gold | Cavalry cost 15 Food less and 15 Gold less. | In an age dominated for centuries by knights, the breeding and provision of horses, a branch of animal husbandry, became an important skill. Horse breeders of the Middle Ages selected for various traits, and horses of different abilities were the result. |
Archery Tournaments | III | Archery Range | 150 Food, 450 Gold | Archers cost 15 Food less and 15 Gold less. | One of the best ways to ensure the development of a particular skill was to incentivise the populace to practice it. In England specifically, there was a time during which all work and trades were outlawed on Sundays with the exception of practising archery. |
Mechanicians | III | Siege Workshop | 150 Food, 450 Gold | Siege units cost 15 Food less and 15 Gold less. | The knowledge required to construct siege engines was very specialised, difficult to come by and difficult to practice. By sharing information, techniques and ideas, siege engineers were able to make more progress than if they had operated "in a vacuum". |
Shipwright | III | Dock | 150 Food, 450 Gold | Water units cost 15 Food less and 15 Gold less. | Men who built and designed ships were called shipwrights. Their value to sea coast communities increased as the demand for sea trade and war ships increased. Expert shipwrights built sturdier ships at a lower cost. |
Careening | III | Dock | 150 Food, 450 Gold | Ships have +30% Defence. | Barnacles and seaweed attached themselves to the underside of wooden hulled ships over time. These “passengers” slowed the ship down as they spread across the hull, making the ships ever more inefficient. Careening required unloading the ship, dragging it up onto a sandy beach sideways, and scraping and resealing seams with new pitch. Careening was usually done in conjunction with tides to help float the ship off. |
Gillnets | III | Dock | 150 Food, 450 Gold | Fish Traps offer 15% more Food. | Both drift gillnets and setnets have been widely adapted in cultures around the world. The antiquity of gillnet technology is documented by a number of sources from many countries and cultures. Japanese records trace fisheries exploitation, including gillnetting, for over 3,000 years. |
Merchant Network | III | Market | 150 Food, 450 Gold | Mercenaries cost 25 Gold less. | By organising, co-ordinating, and standardising the practices of trade, a kingdom could ensure more stable prices and consistent access to important good. This included easing the process of hiring mercenaries, or "freelancers". |
Banking | III | Market | 200 Food, 600 Gold | Increases food and gold income by 5%, improves trade rate. | The loaning of money for interest was long prohibited by the church in the west, and this proved a handicap for economic growth. The religious laws were avoided by a number of ploys, and non-Christians were often allowed into a community to provide this service. The religious and political climate changed gradually, especially in the great trading cities of Italy where the first of many great merchant banking firms came into existence. |
Redemption | III | Monastery | 150 Food, 450 Gold | Monks and Missionaries can convert and heal siege units. | The ability of someone fallen from the faith to redeem himself or herself was a powerful act of forgiveness on the part of religion. Religions that were forgiving and allowed redemption had an advantage over those that did not. |
Fervour | III | Monastery | 150 Food, 450 Gold | Improves the Convert skill of Monks and Missionaries. | The strongest religions inspire great passion and fervour among their faith. The result is a high degree of commitment and effort, especially among the teachers and interpreters of the group. |
Sanctity | III | Monastery | 150 Food, 450 Gold | Monks and Missionaries gain +25% Defence. | To achieve sanctity was to achieve a holiness of life and character. The holy men of the great religions of the Middle Ages strove for sanctity through their obedience to sacred texts, their vows of poverty, and their respect to all living things. Through sanctity they inspired those of other religious or those less committed. |
Herbal Medicine | III | Monastery | 150 Food, 450 Gold | Improves the Heal skill of Monks and Missionaries. | Although classical societies advanced the studies of anatomy and physiology, prior to the scientific and industrial revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries, medicine was an inexact science built on practical knowledge. The principal agent of healing was herbal medicine, the application or digestion of herbal compounds whose curative powers had been discovered through experiment. |
Murder Holes | III | University | 100 Food, 300 Gold | Towers have less minimum range. | Murder holes were trap doors implemented in towers and castles. These could be opened and defenders could shoot arrows and drop stones, boiling water, or burning sand directly down. Without murder holes, enemies up against the bottom of a wall were relatively safe. |
Heated Shot | III | University | 150 Food, 450 Gold | Towers deal 50% more damage against ships. | Coastal gunners who engaged ships learned to heat their cannonballs in furnaces until they were red hot. If a heated shot lodged in the woodwork of a sailing ship, it could set the ship afire. The wadding in the barrel of the gun had to be sufficiently thick to not burn away before the cannon could be fired. If the shot burned through the wadding too quickly, the gun could go off before being properly aimed. |
Masonry | III | University | 150 Food, 450 Gold | Buildings have +5% Defence. | Europeans of the Dark Ages and after had to relearn the techniques of masonry exhibited by the Roman ruins that surrounded them. The craft of masonry was gradually reclaimed and then advanced. The great achievements of European masonry in the Middle Ages were the cathedrals that appeared across the region. |
Crop Rotation | IV | Mill | 200 Food, 600 Gold | Mills and farms give 10% more benefit. | With experience over time, farmers noted that food production gradually declined on fields where the same crops were planted year after year. Experimentation showed that proper crop rotation could restore high yields. Through crop rotation, different plants were found to restore the nutrients needed by something else. |
Plate Mail | IV | Blacksmith | 250 Food, 750 Gold | Infantry gain +25% Defence. | Making plate mail armour became an important craft. Specialists in Italy received orders for amour from all over Europe. The booty from battle or tournaments included valuable armour. Armour required regular oiling to prevent rust, and this was the duty of squires indentured for knights. |
Plate Barding | IV | Blacksmith | 250 Food, 750 Gold | Cavalry gain +25% Defence. | Armour made of large metal plates was the best defence obtainable against missiles and hand weapons. It was stronger and absorbed more energy. Large sheets of hammered steel were fashioned to fit the body of the horse. |
Bracers | IV | Blacksmith | 200 Food, 600 Gold | Archers gain +25% Attack. | The bracer was a hard leather guard worn on an archer's forward hand. This improvement had the duel advantage of supporting the wrist, which would grow quite weary after many shots, and protecting the inside of the arm from the fletching of launched arrows. |
Ring Armour | IV | Blacksmith | 250 Food, 750 Gold | Archers gain +25% Defence. | As the Middle Ages progressed, light troops were more aggressively employed in battle. Therefore, the armour that light troops wore was upgraded to ring, or chain mail. This was the lightest and most flexible of the metal armours and minimised interference with fighting, while providing better protection than padded leather. |
Blast Furnace | IV | Blacksmith | 325 Food, 975 Gold | Infantry and Cavalry gain +25% Attack. | Innovators learned to speed the process of making steel through a blast furnace. By blasting oxygen into the furnace when iron ore was being smelted, the temperature of the mixture was raised and more impurities were burned off. The resulting steel was useful material for weapons because it could hold a sharper point and did not fracture as easily as iron. |
Arena | IV | Barracks | 250 Food, 750 Gold | Unlocks Champions. | Organised combat events, whether in an arena or at Knight's Tourney, gave trained soldiers a chance to demonstrate their ability. The victors of these competitions, the champions, could gain wealth, power, prestige, honour, and sometimes even the eye of an available maiden. |
Knighthood | IV | Stable | 250 Food, 750 Gold | Unlocks Paladins. | Knighthood is conferred through a ceremony known as an accolade. During an accolade, the knight-elect kneels in front of a king or queen, who touches his shoulders with a sword and presents him with the insignia of his new order. A man who has been dubbed a knight may put "Sir" at front of his name. |
Flaming Arrows | IV | Archery Range | 300 Food, 900 Food | Archers deal double damage to buildings. | Most man-fired projectiles could do little damage against buildings and other defence emplacements. But with the addition of a flaming pitch, a single arrow could become a significant danger. Many Middle Age buildings were built with wood, thatch, or other flammable materials. Even large stone structures were exceedingly vulnerable because of the copious amounts of wood used in flooring, roofs and the like. |
Dry Dock | IV | Dock | 200 Food, 600 Gold | Water units gain +1 Movement. | Ships needing extensive repairs were sailed into a new structure called a dry dock from which the water could be pumped. This left the ship dry and accessible to workmen from all directions. |
Sappers | IV | Castle | 300 Food, 900 Food | Infantry deal double damage to buildings. | Men who specialised in the techniques of attacking fortifications became known as sappers. They dug the trenches to bring weapons up close and undermined walls to cause their collapse. Armies without a contingent of sappers were handicapped when attempting to take a castle or fortified town. |
Hoardings | IV | Castle | 250 Food, 750 Gold | Castles gain +35% Defence. | Men fighting from the top of sheer castle walls could not shoot or otherwise attack enemies at the base of the wall without exposing themselves to arrows. Castles were improved with hoardings, which were fortifications and crenellations that extended out from the tops of walls to protect defenders. |
Conscription | IV | Castle | 300 Food, 900 Gold | All units cost 5% less. | Lords of the Middle Ages had the ability to call up their vassals and the peasant militia for limited service. Conscription was the next evolution in acquiring men for military service. It allowed a lord to put men into military service for an extended period, not just a few months for campaigning each year. In some parts of the world, a man might be conscripted for many years of service. |
Spies | IV | Castle | 325 Food, 975 Gold | See the Line of Sight of enemy towns. | Advanced civilisations of any age gathered information about potential enemies as part of their foreign policy. Much of this intelligence was gathered overtly through the normal channels of trade and diplomacy. Prudent civilisations with hostile neighbours actively enlisted spies and informants to monitor enemy activity. |
Guilds | IV | Market | 250 Food, 750 Gold | Increases food and gold income by 2%, improves trade rate. | Near the end of the Middle Ages, the middle class of townspeople grew more important and took a share of political power. One innovation of the middle class was the creation of guilds. Guilds controlled a specific enterprise such as cloth trading, butchering, or iron making within a town or region. |
Illumination | IV | Monastery | 250 Food, 750 Gold | Relics provide more Gold. | The strength of any religion is its ideas and the faith that these ideas encourage. The message and spread of these ideas can be enhanced by their presentation. During the Middle Ages religions used icons, impressive churches, music and artwork to help spread and strengthen their message. |
Faith | IV | Monastery | 200 Food, 600 Gold | All units are more resistant to conversion. | Civilisations can conflict ideologically, as well as militarily and economically. When the Christian Crusaders invaded the Holy Lands, for example, they encountered the ideas of Islam, as well as new weapons, tactics and desirable goods. |
Block Printing | IV | Monastery | 250 Food, 750 Gold | Monks and Missionaries get increased range. | Block printing, an old Chinese inventions, made possible the printing press, one of the great inventions of the Middle Ages. This made possible the wide dissemination and easy storage of information on an amazing scale that continues to accelerate today. The first book printed was the Christian Bible. |
Treadmill Crane | IV | University | 250 Food, 750 Gold | Buildings cost 10% less. | The construction of castles, cathedrals and other major building projects required the invention of new techniques as well as the rediscovery of ancient technologies. A critical tool known to the ancients but lost to the Europeans of the Dark Ages was the crane. The simple crane was a long pole with block and tackle gear that was used to pull loads to a height. |
Siege Engineers | IV | University | 250 Food, 750 Gold | Enables Siege Rams and Siege Onagers. | Men who specialised in designing, building and operating siege weapons were called siege engineers. These weapons were marvels of their age and complicated to operate. Hitting a narrow stone wall from a distance with a plunging stone shot was a difficult problem. Kings prized men who could solve it. |
Architecture | IV | University | 200 Food, 600 Gold | Buildings gain +5% Defence. | The rebirth of masonry allowed the architecture of the Middle Ages to advance as well. New technologies for vaulting and support made possible the great cathedrals that stand as icons for this age. |
Ballistics | IV | University | 300 Food, 900 Gold | Ranged siege units and towers gain +25% Attack. | Missile weapons grew increasingly important as the Middle Ages proceeded, culminating in the development of firearms and cannons. Before these innovative weapons there were longbows, crossbows and a variety of siege engines throwing rocks, spears and arrows. Practical men studied how these missiles performed in flight and worked to improve velocity and accuracy. This was the science of Ballistics. |
Chemistry | IV | University | 325 Food, 975 Gold | Enables gunpowder units. | The science of chemistry was very crude during the Middle Ages and devoted almost entirely to finding ways to convert base metals into gold. This study was called alchemy and practitioners were called alchemists. Alchemists occasionally stumbled upon useful chemicals by accident. The most significant result of chemistry experiments was the European acquisition of gunpowder, which had been invented many centuries earlier by the Chinese. |
Tiles[]
Terrain[]
- Plains: Uses up 2 movement and 2 sight. Activates Plains Charge.
- Plains Road: Uses up 1 movement and 2 sight. Activates Plains Charge,
- Hills: Uses up 3 movement and 2 sight. Raises Defence by 20% and Sight by 2. Ranged units on Hills get +1 maximum range.
- Hills Road: Uses up 1 movement and 2 sight. Raises Defence by 20% and Sight by 2. Ranged units on Hills get +1 maximum range.
- Desert: Uses up 2 movement and 2 sight. Activates Desert Charge.
- Desert Road: Uses up 1 movement and 2 sight. Activates Desert Charge.
- River: Uses up 1 movement and 2 sight. Restricted to water units.
- Shallows: Uses up 3 movement and 2 sight. All units except Siege units may pass. Raises Defence by 20%.
- Bridge: Uses up 2 movement and 2 sight. Raises Defence by 40%.
- Forest: Uses up 3 movement and 3 sight. Raises Defence by 20%. Ranged units on Forests get -1 maximum range. Activates Woodsman.
- Mountain: Uses up 4 movement and 3 sight. Raises Defence by 40% and Sight by 4. Ranged units on Mountains get +1 maximum range. Siege units may not pass.
- Mountain Road: Uses up 1 movement and 3 sight. Raises Defence by 40% and Sight by 4. Ranged units on Mountains get +1 maximum range.
- Swamp: Uses up 3 movement and 3 sight. Raises Defence by 20%. Ranged units on Swamps get -1 maximum range. Siege and cavalry units may not pass.
Items[]
- Wheat: Only mills can be built here.
- Gold: Only mines can be built here.
- Goat: If a unit ends their turn on this tile, you gain bonus food.
- Coins: If a unit ends their turn on this tile, you gain bonus gold.
- Ruins: If a unit ends their turn on this tile, a random event occurs.
- Relic: If a Monk ends their turn on this tile, your Gold income increases.