Scout
“I have seen lands beyond the horizon that would make you weep with wonder.”
The Scout is a lightly equipped explorer, trained to move quickly through rough terrain and report back on what lies beyond the borders. Carrying little more than provisions and a simple weapon for self-defence, Scouts trade combat ability for unmatched speed and vision.
Stats
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack | 4 |
| Defence | 2 |
| Movement | 3 |
| Range | – |
| Cost | 15 Production |
| Required Tech | None |
| Required Resource | None |
Abilities
- Melee Attack – Weak melee combat against adjacent units.
- Rapid Movement – 3 movement points allow the Scout to cover ground faster than most early units.
- Exploration – Reveals fog of war as it moves.
Available Promotions
- March – Extra movement point.
Upgrade Path
The Scout has no upgrade path. It becomes obsolete as the map is revealed.
Strategy
Build a Scout early – ideally as your first or second unit – and send it spiralling outward from your capital. The information a Scout provides in the first twenty turns is invaluable: the locations of rival civilisations, natural wonders, city-state allies, and prime settlement sites. This knowledge shapes your entire strategy for the game ahead.
Scouts are not fighters. With only 4 Attack and 2 Defence, a Scout will lose to virtually any military unit and most barbarian camps. Use the Scout’s superior movement to avoid threats rather than engage them. If a barbarian appears on an intercept course, reroute rather than fight. A dead Scout reveals nothing; a living Scout wins games.
Historical Background
Every great civilisation employed scouts and pathfinders to extend its knowledge of the world. The Persian Empire maintained a network of mounted scouts called the “Eyes and Ears of the King,” who ranged ahead of armies and along trade routes to gather intelligence. Alexander the Great relied heavily on his prodromoi – light cavalry scouts who mapped terrain, located water sources, and identified enemy positions before the main army arrived.
In the Age of Exploration, the role of the scout expanded to continental scale. The Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806) was essentially a scouting mission writ large, tasked by President Jefferson with mapping the newly acquired Louisiana Territory and finding a practical route to the Pacific Ocean. Their journals – filled with observations on geography, flora, fauna, and the Indigenous nations whose lands they crossed – shaped American settlement of the West for decades to come, with profound and often devastating consequences for the peoples already living there.