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Units

Several dozen different units are available in FreeCol, but not all units are available to all players. Some units are available only to Indian Players, some units are only available to European Players, and other units are available only to the Royal Expeditionary Force.

The most basic unit of the European Players (including you) is the Free ColonistFree Colonist. The Free Colonist is quite good at any task, but has no special skills. At the beginning of the game, many of the colonists will not be volunteers, but Indentured ServantIndentured Servant, or Petty CriminalPetty Criminal, who are deported to the New World. Indentured Servants are pretty bad at all jobs within the colony, but just like Free Colonists, they can be sent to native villages to learn a skill from the natives. Petty Criminals are very bad at all jobs within the colony and can not learn anything from the natives. However, both Indentured Servants and Petty Criminals can become Free Colonists through Skills and EducationEducation.

Many early colonies failed due to a lack of food. In order to avoid a similar fate, you must ensure adequate food production from the very beginning. All your colonists can produce some amount of food, especially on the more fertile terrain types, but the Expert FarmerExpert Farmer and the Expert FishermanExpert Fisherman will greatly increase your food production. But note that the Expert Fisherman requires a DockDock to moor his boat to, and that this requires at least one ocean tile adjacent to your colony.

Four types of units are not available in Europe because they posses skills that can only be learned from the native population. These are the Master Sugar PlanterMaster Sugar Planter, the Master Cotton PlanterMaster Cotton Planter, the Master Tobacco PlanterMaster Tobacco Planter, and the Expert Fur TrapperExpert Fur Trapper. These units are able to greatly increase your production of SugarSugar, CottonCotton, TobaccoTobacco, and FursFurs, respectively.

In the beginning of the game, you will most likely export a great deal of these goods to Europe, but beware, prices will drop! However, all the raw materials of the New World can be used to produce luxury goods that will sell for higher prices in Europe. SugarSugar can be used to distill RumRum, CottonCotton can be used to produce ClothCloth, CigarsCigars are made from TobaccoTobacco, and CoatsCoats are made from FursFurs. All your colonists can do this, but the Master DistillerMaster Distiller, the Master WeaverMaster Weaver, the Master TobacconistMaster Tobacconist, and the Master Fur TraderMaster Fur Trader are the experts who will really rev up your production.

The New World also has two mineral resources, OreOre and SilverSilver, to offer. Again, all your colonists are able to mine these resources to a certain extent, but you will need the Expert Ore MinerExpert Ore Miner and the Expert SilverMinerExpert SilverMiner to make the most of them.

LumberLumber can be produced in all forested tiles, and can also be exported to Europe, although prices are low. However, you will need vast amounts of lumber in order to upgrade your colonies, and no colonist is more skilled at cutting down forests than the Expert LumberJackExpert LumberJack. Nor is any colonist more skilled at turning the lumber into buildings than the Master CarpenterMaster Carpenter.

The more advanced buildings you can construct in the your colonies require not only lumber but also ToolsTools, which are produced from OreOre. This is the job the Master BlacksmithMaster Blacksmith excels in. Tools are also used by your PioneerPioneer to clear forests and plow fields, but none of your other colonists can match the outdoors skills of your Hardy PioneerHardy Pioneer. And finally, Tools are required for the production of MusketsMuskets, a demanding task best left to the Master GunsmithMaster Gunsmith.

All your units are able to explore the New World, but the colonist most suited to this dangerous endeavour is the ScoutScout, a mounted colonist. A Scout may become a Seasoned ScoutSeasoned Scout through Skills and Educationexperience, either by visiting native settlements, or by investigating Lost City RumoursLost City Rumours. The Seasoned Scout is much more skillful at these jobs, but beware, they are dangerous!

Another colonist able to visit native settlements is the MissionaryMissionary. Any colonist can be converted to a Missionary by blessing him in a colony with a ChurchChurch, or in the Home PortHome Port, which is sure to have several churches and maybe even a CathedralCathedral. Missionaries are able to establish a MissionMission in the native settlement, and to convert the natives. The Jesuit MissionaryJesuit Missionary, however, is much more accomplished at the job.

The converted natives may join your colonies as Indian ConvertIndian Convert. They are unskilled at all jobs within the colony, but more skilled than your Free Colonists at all outdoor jobs. Indian Converts can not be upgraded through Skills and EducationEducation, but they become Free Colonists as soon as Bartolome de las CasasBartolomé de las Casas joins the Continental CongressContinental Congress.

Many colonists come to the New World in search of religious freedom. Thus, they desire a ChurchChurch in which to preach and pray. This religious freedom, which attracts more European colonists, is represented by CrossesCrosses. Naturally, some colonists are more eloquent and inspired than others, and the most famous of these are known as Firebrand PreacherFirebrand Preacher.

While the preachers are concerned with the spiritual welfare of the colonists, the colonists concerned with the secular welfare of their fellow citizens meet in the Town HallTown Hall, which generates Liberty BellsLiberty Bells. The most dignified and influential of these citizens are considered Elder StatesmanElder Statesman.

Any colonist can be equipped with MusketsMuskets, which makes him a SoldierSoldier, or a DragoonDragoon if he is mounted. However, combat-hardened Veteran SoldierVeteran Soldier and Veteran DragoonVeteran Dragoon are much more effective. A dragoon that is beaten in battle is downgraded to a soldier. A beaten soldier becomes an unarmed colonist.

On the other hand, any soldier or dragoon that wins a battle may be upgraded. A Petty Criminal will be upgraded to an Indentured Servant, an Indentured Servant will be upgraded to a Free Colonist, and a Free Colonist to a veteran unit. Veteran units may be further upgraded to Colonial RegularColonial Regular or Colonial CavalryColonial Cavalry, but only after the Declaration of IndependenceDeclaration of Independence.

ArtilleryArtillery is most effective at attacking and defending colonies and fortified units, but is also very vulnerable in the open. Artillery may become damaged, which decreases its efficiency. Damaged ArtilleryDamaged Artillery is still quite powerful, but it can not be repaired, and further damage will destroy it.

The Wagon TrainWagon Train, which has to be built in one of your colonies, can be used to transport up to 200 units of goods over land and to trade with native settlements, and foreign colonies if Jan de WittJan de Witt has joined the Continental CongressContinental Congress.

The Treasure TrainTreasure Train is similar to the Wagon Train, but is used only to transport treasures. You can find these treasures in Lost City RumoursLost Cities, or in the ruins of native settlements you have destroyed. If you move your Treasure Trains into a colony with access to the sea, your MonarchMonarch will offer to ship it to Europe for a ``reasonable fee'', unless Hernan CortesHernán Cortés has joined the Continental CongressContinental Congress, in which case it will be shipped free of charge. If you have a GalleonGalleon, however, you can take the Treasure Train to Europe yourself.

The CaravelCaravel, the MerchantmanMerchantman and the GalleonGalleon are unarmed Naval Unitsnaval units, with two, four or six cargo holds, respectively. A cargo hold may contain up to 100 units of goods, or any land unit except the Treasure Train, which takes up six cargo holds all by itself, and the Wagon Train, which can not be transported by sea at all.

The PrivateerPrivateer and the FrigateFrigate are armed naval vessel with two or four cargo holds, respectively. The Privateer is unique in that it does not fly the flag of your country and can attack the vessels of other countries with impunity. It becomes even more deadly when Francis DrakeFrancis Drake joins the Continental CongressContinental Congress.

The Man of WarMan of War is the most powerful naval vessel, and has six cargo holds. At the beginning of the game, only the MonarchMonarch has these powerful ships, but when you gain independence you can also construct them in your colonies.

The Monarch has two types of units that you can never command, however. These are the King's RegularKing's Regular and King's CavalryKing's Cavalry, which are roughly as powerful as your Colonial RegularColonial Regulars and Colonial CavalryColonial Cavalry.

The natives also have two types of units that you can not recruit, namely the Indian BraveIndian Brave and the Indian DragoonIndian Dragoon. These are strong fighting units that can also carry up to 100 units of goods each.

Skills and Education


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next up previous contents index
Next: Skills and Education Up: FreeCol Documentation User Guide Previous: Your Monarch   Contents   Index
2008-02-10