Settler
“We shall build a new home here, where the rivers meet and the land is generous.”
The Settler represents the brave pioneers who venture beyond the safety of established cities to carve out new centres of civilisation in the wilderness. Comprised of families, craftspeople, and labourers, a settler party carries everything needed to establish a functioning settlement from scratch.
Stats
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack | 0 |
| Defence | 0 |
| Movement | 2 |
| Range | – |
| Cost | 60 Production |
| Required Tech | None |
| Required Resource | None |
Special: Costs 1 population from the producing city.
Abilities
- Found City – Establishes a new city on the Settler’s current hex. The Settler is consumed in the process.
- Embark – Can board naval vessels or cross shallow water to reach new landmasses.
Upgrade Path
The Settler has no upgrade path. It is a unique civilian unit available from the start of the game.
Strategy
Settlers are the engine of expansion. Every new city extends your borders, grants access to new resources, and provides additional production capacity. However, building a Settler comes at a steep price: the producing city loses one population, temporarily stunting its own growth. Timing is everything – build too early and your capital stagnates; build too late and your rivals claim the best sites.
Settlers are completely defenceless. Never send one into contested territory without a military escort. A lost Settler represents not just wasted production but a lost citizen, making it one of the most costly units to lose in the early game.
Historical Background
Throughout human history, the establishment of new settlements has been driven by population pressure, resource scarcity, and the promise of opportunity. From the Phoenician colonies that dotted the Mediterranean coastline to the wagon trains that crossed the American Great Plains, settlers have reshaped the political geography of every continent.
The act of founding a city was rarely as simple as choosing a spot on a map. Successful settlements required access to fresh water, defensible terrain, arable land, and trade routes. The ancient Greeks formalised the process through their system of apoikiai – planned colonial expeditions complete with a designated founder (oikistes) who would lay out the new city’s laws and sacred spaces.