Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery

2007 · Civilization

Age of Empires III: The Age of Discovery

Players represent competing colonial powers sending explorers, colonists, merchants, priests, and soldiers to the New World across three sequential ages. On each turn players launch expeditions, found colonies, grow a merchant fleet, construct capital buildings that grant national advantages, and develop economic engines. Military forces and diplomacy enable territorial conflict and war when players pursue contested regions. The game supports five players out of the box and can be adapted for a sixth with an extra color of components; expansions add additional capitals and national advantage tiles.

Players
2–5 best 4
Playing time
90–120 min
Age
10+
Complexity
3.1 / 5
7.3 on LudoyaExplorationVideo Game ThemeWorker PlacementTurn Order: Claim ActionWorker Placement, Different Worker Types

On Ludoya's tables

Full stats in Ludoya
77
Plays logged
99
Players
2h 42m
Average play
30
In collections
6
On wishlists

7.3/10

from 32 Ludoya reviews

  • Garfield10.0

    #4 Wow, I really like this game! It plays fast, is quite easy to explain and you have a good amount of choices. [c] Theme: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Very good --> Gameplay: ★★★★★ <!-- size 7]Perfect amount of interesting choices --> Interaction: ★★★★★ <!-- size 7]Fighting, placing in event boxes --> Artwork: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Very nice --> Luck: ★★☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]Discoveries (if you want to be risky) --> Strategy: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]More than one possibility --> Components: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Good (I don't like the minis) --> Play duration: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Very for such an epic game --> Easy to teach: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Not complicated --> Rules quality: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Very good --> Setup time: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Ok --> No downtime: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Little downtime --> Replay value: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Random discoveries, different strategies --> [/c]

  • Mestremuten5.0

    Rating: 3/5 Production value: 2/4 Is the game in my collection/Love to have?: 0/1

  • Sup8.0

    Sleeved

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Rules questions

Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.

Can I save colonists or specialists for the next round if I don't place them all?

No — colonists and specialists must be placed during the placement phase and may not be saved for the next round; play continues placing them until none remain (see page 5).

How do Captains and Merchants count in Merchant Shipping and Discovery — are they worth more than one colonist?

Captains count as two colonists in the Merchant Shipping and Discovery boxes, and Merchants count as two in Merchant Shipping (Merchants also generate $5 if placed via the Colonist Dock when they arrive in a colony); see page 7 for specialist effects and page 8 for Merchant Shipping details.

If I send soldiers on a discovery for plunder, do those soldiers stay in the colony afterward?

No — soldiers sent on a successful discovery generate their plunder payment but are then removed from the board and returned to the player's supply; they do not remain in the colony (see page 7 and page 8).

Do colonists in the Discovery box get cleared at the end of the turn like other event boxes?

No — colonists and specialists remain in the Discovery box until they are sent on an expedition; unlike other event boxes, they are not removed at the end of the turn unless launched on a discovery (see page 5 and page 8).

How do trade goods and Merchant Ships generate income and how are they scored at the end of the game?

Each turn trade goods and Merchant Ships form sets that generate income (e.g., any three different goods = $1, three of the same = $3, four of the same = $6) with Merchant Ships as one-time wildcards; at game end players score victory points equal to the amount of gold those goods/ships would generate on turn 8 (see page 9).

How does Warfare work — how many units does a soldier eliminate and are casualties simultaneous?

Each soldier eliminates one enemy unit (owner of the soldier chooses which enemy unit) and all casualties are determined simultaneously and then removed; a declared full-scale war costs $10 and spawns battles in every colony where both sides have units including at least one soldier (see page 9).

Opens Ludoya's rules assistant, which reads this game's rulebook.

Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.