Holy Roman Empire FF

Game plan :

Perform a German naked FF with a twist. Instead of shipping 700w as our third shipment, we will ship Prince Electors and make a big mass of veteran musket type infantry backed by uhlans (and other heavy cav) from shipments.

Age I :

Classic market opening with Germans. Market start, mine 75 coin to buy 100 wood and pay for hunting dogs.

In transition research gang saw, queue one settler, chop 400w. build one TP, research placer mines, bank 125w. Finally, send settlers to mine 125 coin. The macro is tight.

Age II :

Research steel traps at the market. Build two houses and a church (or a TP if you have a 2nd safe slot). Send 3 SW. All SW on coin, rest on food. Macro for 1200f and 1000c. 3rd shipment is Prince Electors. Ally with Habsburg or Hanover. Age up with the exiled prince.

In transition build one house and bank 250 wood & food.

Age III :

Ship Circle army. Train musketeers from the embassy. They shadow tech. Once the circle army arrives, push. Your 5th shipment depends on the enemy's response.

Variant :

Instead of ageing up with the exiled prince, you can choose a slower age up and train your age 2 units form the embassy (you will need to build houses). Circle army will automatically promote these units to veteran. Useful if you want to contest a water boom with the gentleman pirate or want to greed with a TC.

Speaking of water maps. For water contentions, replace the cards marked with "W" with the 2 caravels and the frigate.

Habsburg or Hanover ?

Depends on what composition you will be facing and how the mines are distributed on the map. Here are pointers to help you :

• Habsburg line infantry requires slightly more coin to train. However, mounted infantry barely requires any.
• If your opponent is likely to play musk-huss composition Hanover is the best choice. Black Brunswickers can kite and out-range most musketeers with ease.
• Same with skirm-huss. The speed of the black Brunswickers allow them to choose their engagement and the tötenkopt hussars can trade with huss and pin skims down.
• If your opponent plays skirm-goon, Habsburg is a better choice as your mounted infantry can dismount and become a mass of skirmisher to dispatch goons.
• Habsburg is also preferable when facing musk-falc as the line infantry in stand ground mode inflict ~50% less damage per volley, but their damage ignore range resistance which is a net gain when shooting falconets and other artillery with 75% range resist.
• Against bow-pike composition Habsburg is also the natural choice. Mounted infantry can snipe pike form a distance and soak some of the damage from bows as they have less range thus, will be in front of your line infantry.
• Finally, the drummers form the house of Hanover are an excellent force multiplier as the game goes on.