posted 02-18-07 06:58 AM EDT (US)
A Guide to Germany by Mediolanus
During the past few weeks, I've been playing Germany, which was, to say the least, a challenge. I've decided to put my experiences, and the strats I have used, in this guide, to help my fellow German players (Yes, I know there are like 5 of them on this forum), and to encourage others to play this civ.
Before I begin, I'd like to thank some people without whom I could not have created this guide. First of all, 
My gratitude also goes to
NOTE: This guide is written for The War Chiefs. Anything of this may apply to Age of Empires 3, but I am not to be held responsible if you lose using some of the strategies listed.
If you grab the Quick Reference card of Age of Empires 3, and you look at Civilisation Attributes, this is what you’ll see about Germany:
- Settler Wagons from Home City cost more but gather faster than Settlers.
- Can dispatch mercenaries long before other civilisations.
A lot of things there just aren’t right. First of all, they forgot about the War Wagon as one of the Unique Units (you can even say nitro-glycerine petards are unique units to them too). Second, the Uhlans from your Home City aren’t free: Germany needs 14% more experience to gain shipments than the other civilisations. Also, while Germany can get mercenaries in age 2, other civilisations (British, French, Iroquois, Sioux, Aztec) get mercenaries in age 2 too.
So what is Germany in reality? To be blunt: the weakest civilisation. They start off with 3 Settler Wagons and no extra crates compared to other civilisations, which is the slowest start of all civilisations. And, as I said before, shipments cost 14% more XP then for other civilisations.
Germany’s specialty is their strong shipments. You get Uhlans (some sort of cavalry) with every shipment (except for Discovery and TEAM shipments) you send: 2 in age 2, 3 in age 3, 4 in age 4. With some shipments (Mercenaries, Polish Winged Hussars) you don’t get Uhlans, but some extra of the units it sends. This brings us to another strong point of Germany, its mercenaries. Germany has the most mercenary shipments (if you don’t count shipments like Two Kettle support the natives have), has a research to get free mercenaries, and has a shipment which upgrades all your mercenaries. Germany also has a very strong late game economy, because you can exceed your settler limit by building settler wagons from your mill (provided you have sent the Germantown farmers card).
Germany has one big problem though: the Uhlan bug. Some cards (check the list below) are bugged. When you click those cards to send them, the pop they cost is added to your population. However, when you cancel them, the pop stays (and when you click them again the pop is even added again!). When they arrive, the population is added again, but the latter will be removed when the Uhlans are dead. The following cards have been infected:
-7/15 sheep
-7 cows
-600/700 food/wood/gold
-1 Covered wagon (not TEAM)
-2 Outpost wagons
-Fort Wagon
-Castrametation
-Factory
-Robber Barons
-1,2 Caravels
-1 Galleon
-1 Frigate
-1 Monitor (not TEAM)
While some of those cards don’t matter, some of them are a real miss. The resource cards in age 2 were used to fuel a Fast Fortress, the Fort Wagon gave you some good defence, and the factories were needed to get a good late game economy. Remove these cards from your deck as you don’t want any pop space lost)
Now, let’s have a look at the units Germany has at its disposal: (NOTE: no factory units were included as you won’t get factories)
Your basic gathering and building unit. For information how fast he gathers click
Only available by summoning them 6 at a time from your TC for 150 food, 150 gold, and slowly loosing HP, this unit can only be used as a quick defence force.
Germany’s second villager unit. It gathers resources twice as fast as a settler and has twice the HP. Use them as a boost to your economy when you’re at 99 settlers, and manning plantations and mills (because one mill can hold either 10 settlers or 10 settler wagons).
A cheap and weak infantry unit. It’s supposed to counter heavy infantry, but lacks herein because it has no multiplier against them. Don’t build them beyond colonial age (skirmishers are much better, and they only have a fortress upgrade) and in colonial, look for alternatives (strategies will be covering this).
Misspelled, gold-heavy and expensive, but with an area-of-effect attack, this is a specialised unit. It gets killed by every ranged unit, but kills everything in melee (except Ronin) and has a high siege attack. Look for better alternatives against heavy infantry (like skirmishers) and against cavalry (War Wagons).
Another specialised unit, this cutie slaughters horses and has a high siege, but gets killed by everything else. Without upgrades beyond fortress, only use them as a siege/anti-cav unit in colonial.
The first of Germany’s royal guard units (it can be upgraded to Prussian Needle Gunner in Industrial), this is a unit Germany can rely on. Low hit points but a high attack, this unit is your man for killing heavy infantry and ranged cavalry, but stay clear of cannons and melee cavalry.
No matter how you play, you’ll always have some of those. A decent unit (a bit too pricy to my liking), with low hit points but a high attack. Not the kind of cavalry for a head-on charge, but good for flanking. They might die, but they’ll take those cannons with them. Use your free ones for scouting and raiding. They can be upgraded to Czapka Uhlans, and are Germany’s second royal guard unit.
Your favourite anti-cavalry unit. With a good share of Hit Points, anti-melee armour, and a ranged attack that is strong against cavalry and artillery, you’ll want this unit in your army quite some times. Unfortunately, it is very expensive.
A light artillery unit, which does a good deal of damage against infantry and buildings. Be sure to protect them, because they’re quite low on Hit Points.
Similar to the falconet in cost and pop space, but entirely different in use. It has a longer range and its main (actually only) role is to take out enemy artillery. They suck against pretty much everything else.
A suicide unit that blows up buildings, but forget to run away. Only use them when you need a building down fast, or a sneak attack, as what they do is rarely cost-effective.
Slow, and very long ranged, this unit is good for only two things: destroying buildings and sinking ships (it can’t even attack other targets). Very good to obliterate the enemy’s base, but only available from industrial age.
More expensive than a falconet, it’s only difference is the higher speed. I prefer falconets since they have more firepower per pop space, but these might come in handy (especially the three horse artillery shipment in industrial).
A unit whose sole purpose is to heal other units. I never build them. They might be useful to heal artillery though, as they don’t have much hit points.
Melee infantry who can go stealth, can see stealth units, and has a huge multiplier against explorers, war chiefs, mercenaries and minor natives. Your best defence against a native rush.
A villager on sea that can gather food from fish and coin from whales. I’m not too keen on them, since you don’t get schooners as Germany and Settler Wagon booming is usually a better alternative.
A light vessel. They die to frigates, but are good for getting unprotected enemy fishing ships off the water.
A load of hit points but weak in combat, this boat is best used as a transport. And you can train units from them (no artillery) making them very useful in a rear attack.
Big and heavy, this is the ship you want in combat situations. No other ship stands up to him.
A Frigate-like hull with a mortar on top. Useful for killing buildings, but less effective against other ships. They also have a rechargeable long range shot that does loads of damage against buildings.
Now that we’ve seen some of the fine units Germany can bring us, it is time to see what we actually can import from our Home City:
These two shipments are a must for every German. They are, quite simply, the best villager shipments in the game. The other Settler Wagon shipments are weaker versions of those and should not be used (6 SW in industrial isn’t useful either; by that time you’ll have Germantown Farmers shipped and you can train them).
A card that gives you a dog and makes your explorer better. Don’t send: there is a better age 1 card (see above) and a whole lot of better age 2 cards.
A card every German should have in each of its decks. It gives you a lot (well, for a shipment) of archer units that will be able to help you in any rush.
Gives your Doppelsöldner +50% HP and attack but -33% speed. Don’t send because 1) you got better units than doppels 2) With the speed nerf any unit they’re supposed to counter can just run away.
4 Suicide bombers that do 4500 damage each, which is enough to destroy any building but Town Centres, Forts and Factories. I never have had any situation where it came in handy to send them. They might be nice if you can take out the opponent’s factories with a rear attack though.
Gives you 10 Guard Hussars (without wings). A very good shipment early industrial, where all you see is veteran units.
A card which enables 3 researches from your church:
-
-
-
Tilly’s discipline is worthless (you don’t want to spend extra for each unit late game), Wallenstein is overpriced (it would become useful after sending 4 batches of mercs, something you rarely do), and Zweihander is useful once you’ve got Guard Doppelsoldner (which doesn’t happen too often either). Our conclusion: don’t send this card.
Town Centers get +30% Hit Points, + 50% Attack. There are better anti-rush cards around.
All houses give +20 population room. Can save you up to 1100 wood. Useful when ff-ing (to make sure you have enough pop room) or when using very pop-heavy units in colonial (we’ll get to that later).
Gives you the ability to build Settler Wagons from your mills. In my opinion one of those cards you should always have in your deck. It gives you a nice booming boosts, and it is great for revolutions (more on that later).
Gives you a coin trickle of 1.25. Doesn’t sound bad, but that is 0.05 more than 1 Settler Wagon can gather, and you can send two.
Gives Settler Wagons +35% to all gather rates. A very nice card, but only send it when you have 20 Settler Wagons.
Ships 4 Landsknecht. Don’t use this. Landsknechts are only real useful for sieging, and thus would be useful in a rush, but as Germany you don’t rush. And you’ve got two other heavy infantry options in age 2.
Sends 5 Jäger to all your team mates for 1000 gold. In my opinion the most worthless card there is. Who needs 5 Jäger in age 4, let alone waste a shipment and 1000 gold on it?
Now that you have a bit of an idea what Germany is all about, it’s time to go to the part you’ve all been waiting for:
First of all, playing Germany is reacting. You can’t just pick one of these strats here and get on quicksearch. Instead, you need to decide what you are going to do on what you’re enemy is going to do (this must seem like something entirely new to Spain/Iroquois players). Here is my deck that I use in nearly every situation:
Every single card there is there with a reason. It is advisable you have a similar deck, because you won’t always know what your enemy is going to do when you choose your deck.
Most of the time, the enemy will rush you, because Germany’s colonial army sucks. That’s why you often need more than Germany can offer. On a fair number of maps (those with anti-infantry infantry minor natives), minor natives can give you what you need. The following strategy is based around them:
-2 Settler Wagons
-3 Settler Wagons
- 9 crossbowmen
- Native American Treaties
- some age 2 and age 3 military shipments
Gather crates, build as many houses as possible, gather food
First card: 2 Settler wagons.
Keep making Settlers until 17
Age up with 400 wood (only available after level 40)
All (5) Settler wagons to wood
Go to the closest (or closest useful) minor native village
Claim it
Once in colonial, ship 9 xbows.
Gather the wood crates
If your native village is far away from your town, build a native embassy
Build some more vills
Start cranking out natives.
These units should provide you with enough defence to fend of early rushes (Iroquois for example) and you can hold them off for long enough to go to fortress or on a counteroffensive (if you do that, beware of spies!). Don’t forget to build some Uhlans (or ship them) in case the opponent is Ottoman, but his first attack will mostly be Jans only, which your natives can handle just fine. Also note that I do not use ATP; this is because 2 Settler Wagon is a too important card to be missed, and you only get your 2nd shipment when you’re in colonial.
Sometimes, however, you won’t get the right natives (or they are in a place the opponent will have his forward base, like Painted Desert or Bayou), or you want something more powerful for a counteroffensive. In that case we can rely on cowboys (NOTE: not on Saguenay, Patagonia, Hispaniola and Caribbean, because there are no pistoleros or renegados there) (for more information look
-2 Settler Wagons (I)
-Palatine Settlements +2 Uhlans(II)
-3 Settler Wagons +2 Uhlans(II)
-9 Crossbowmen +2 Uhlans(II)
-Minimum level: 40 (for quartermaster politician)
-Fencing School
-Dance Halls
-5 Uhlan
-Some nice age 3 military shipments, including mercs
Age I:
- gather crates, hunt animals, ship 2 SW when possible. Age up with 6/7 vills (and 5 SWs).
- While aging, put all SWs on gold, half the vills on wood, keep the rest on food. Age up with 400 wood. Build as many houses as you can get.
Age II:
- Ship Palatine Settlements as soon as you arrive. send your wood vills to collect the crates and build 2 more houses and a saloon (behind your TC).
-Continue to make settlers.
-If the enemy comes early, use minutemen to fight them off. Garrison some vills, but keep your Settler Wagons out collecting gold (somewhere out of sight preferably).
-When your saloon is up, have 5 vills on food, 3 on wood, and the rest on gold. Use the food to buy non-stop vills.
-Buy some outlaws. Preferably more. Use them to fight off the enemy.
-When your next shipment arrives, you can choose between 3 SW (when things are going easy and you want to boost your eco), or 9 xbows (when you need some extra military).
And you're off! If all things went well, you should now have some decent defence force. Because of the pistolero’s musk-like nature, and the renegado’s high siege damage you might even want to go on a counter-offensive! You can also ship fencing school for making those outlaws come faster (due to one saloon build limit), 5 Uhlans against abus guns.
Or you can age up and use your spare gold for merc shipments, or even buying them from the saloon!
Of course, there are some situations where you can’t get outlaws or natives (Patagonia for instance). In that case it is best to age up with 400 wood, build a barracks, a lot of xbows, and pray to your favourite god.
Now think of an entirely different situation: the enemy FFs. This can happen (but does not have to) with French, Iroquois, Aztec, Dutch, Spanish, German (yes, you will even encounter those!), Ottomans (don’t ask why) and Portuguese opponents. In that case it is best to a slower, but more economical FF:
- 2 Settler Wagons
- 3 Settler Wagons
- Palatine Settlements
- 13 Jäger
- 9 xbows (in case you were wrong and he does rush
- 8/7 Skirmishers
- 3 War Wagons
- 9 Uhlans
- 1000 gold
Standard discovery age, age up with 400 wood (as always. The nice thing about all strats listed here is that you can easily switch strats).
All Settler Wagons to wood.
Build a Trade Post (not the one nearest to your base)
Place some houses so you have enough for 40 pop.
When in colonial, gather wood, build trade posts, send new villagers to gold
Send 3 Settler Wagons
Research stagecoach, build some more houses (until you have around 70 pop), and another trade post if possible, then switch all Settler Wagons 50/50 to food/gold. Use your trade posts to make sure you get 1200 food and 1000 gold at about the same time.
3rd card: Palatine Settlements. Use your Uhlans!
You should have around 14 vills when you have 1200 food and 1000 gold. Age up with the 6 skirms politician (or the fast one if you fear you might be too late).
All Settler Wagons and trade posts to gold, settlers 50/50 on food/wood. Build a barracks or stables (depending on your opponent), and some houses if you need them, while aging.
When in age 3, send Jäger (or Hackapells or Black Rider, depending on what you thinks the enemy will send to you. Jäger are your best bet against most attacks), build a foundry, and create falconets (culverins if you suspect the enemy has falconets).
You will probably have your army by the time the enemy is at your door, but you will have a much stronger economy (due to those trade posts). If you can survive long enough (which you should) you can switch to falconets + war wagons, a combo that is still very strong nowadays, especially against France.
Now imagine a map without a trade route, or when you can’t grab (part of) the trade route (like Rockies). In that case there are two options: the Merc FF and the Merc FF.
- Jäger
- Black Riders
- Hackapells
(actually, either of these three, but having them all is better if you don’t know what your opponent is going to send)
- 2 Settler Wagon
- 3 Settler Wagon
A nice heap of fortress unit shipments
- Standard Discovery with 400 wood age up.
- 2 Settler Wagons to gold, 3 to wood.
- when aged up, gather the wood, build some houses
- ship 3 Settler Wagons
- gather food and gold until you have enough to age up
- ship Palatine Settlements
- age up with skirm politician
- all Settler Wagons on gold, settlers 50/50 on food/wood
- when arrived in fortress, ship your favourite mercenary.
- build a barracks/stables/artillery depot (depending on what your opponent will send to you)
- build troops
- defend.
I know I have been rather vague here, but as I’ve said before, Germany is all about reacting. You have no fixed build orders that will always work. You will always have to scout.
The next Fast Fortress option relies less on mercenaries and more on regular troops. It is a safer bet if you expect your opponent to come fast (like a Spanish ff).
- 2 Settler Wagon
- 3 Settler Wagon
- Palatine Settlements
- Good fortress shipments, like:
- 9 Uhlans
- 8 Skirmishers
- 7 Skirmishers
- 3 War Wagons
- 5 Doppelsoldner
- 1000 gold
- nothing really
The same as the previous one, but, when on your way to fortress, get two food villagers and two wood ones on gold to get 1500 ASAP. Build a Church and research mercantilism. Use your shipments to build up a good army and back it up with some troops trained.
This is about all the help I can give you with handling FFs. Sometimes it will work, sometimes it won’t. Just remember: every single action of you should be a reaction.
Germany has the strongest revolt in this game. It is the only civilisation with the option to revolt to Argentina, which gives you 6 Imperial Howitzers, which is by far the best revolutionary. After Germantown farmers is sent, you also can build Settler Wagons from your mills.
While it’s hard to make a strategy entirely based upon revolting (since you can’t go FI as Germany), the following should be done when you find yourself in such a situation:
- Germantown Farmers
- Fencing School
- Guild Artisans
- Polish Winged Hussars
- Refrigeration
When you revolt, make sure that you have at least 100 food and 100 wood left, and a mill left standing (two is better, and so is 2000 food, 2000 wood). Also, researching Mercantilism and the church tech that reduces infantry train time before you revolt is recommended, as is researching farming techs.
Put all Settler wagons on food/wood to get more Settler Wagons. When you have 20, put them on two mills and use them to spam Colonial Militia. Use any shipments for Gattling Guns. You must overwhelm the enemy as soon as possible, because his economy will be MUCH better. This is also one of Germany’s most fun strategies.
Well, this was pretty much all there is to say about Germany. You should now have a counter for every strat your opponent can bring to you (though this doesn’t mean it can be tough). I’ll finish this guide with a list of units your opponents mostly use against you and how to counter them:
Rush: Macehualtin, Puma Spearman, Coyote runners; counter with Renegados/ Pistoleros/ skirmisher-like minor native.
FF: Eagle Runner knights, arrow knights; counter with skirms
Rush: Musketeers; counter with renegados/ pistoleros/ skirm-like natives/ xbows (if nothing else is available)
FF: more musketeers, highlanders, longbows, falconets; counter with skirmishers+cannons.
Rush: Pikemen, Skirmishers; counter with renegados/ skirm-like minor natives
FF: Skirmishers, Halberdiers, Ruijter, falconets, stradiots; counter with culverins (early fortress)/ skirmishers/ jäger/ War Wagons/ falconets
Rush: musketeers or natives; counter with renegados/ skirm-like natives/xbows or spies, respectively.
FF: Cuirassiers+skirms+ falcs; counter with culverins/ falcs + WW
Rush: Tomahawks+ War Chief; counter with renegados/ skirm-like natives/xbows
FF: Forest prowlers, mantlets, 5 cuirassiers; counter with hackapells, falcs, uhlans, skirms.
Rush: Jans+Abus; counter with renegados/ skirm-like native + Uhlans
FF: Jans+Abus+falcs+Spahi; counter with falcs+ Black Rider + skirmishers
Rush: not applicable
FF: Cassadors, mamelukes, dragoons; counter with skirmishers, jäger, war wagons
Rush: Strelets+ musketeers; counter with Uhlans + renegados/ skirm-like native/ xbows
FF: more Strelets/Cossacks/falconets; counter with falcs + WW
Rush: Cetan bows + axe riders; counter with Uhlans + renegados/ skirm-like natives/ xbows
FF: Rifle Riders + Wakina; counter with skirms + falconets
Rush: rodeleros+pikes+xbow; counter with renegados/ skirm-like natives/ xbows + doppelsoldner meatshield
FF: lancers+ rodeleros+falcs; counter with skirms/ war wagons/ doppelsoldners/ falconets
Good luck playing Germany!
You gotta be really tough to write such a great post about Germans, specially when not crying about ES' job!
)
