Part 3

Explore Civilization IV leader traits like Louis de Frontenac's promotions, Spanish Conquistador bonus, Simon Bolivar's Liberty Bells, and Jose De San Martin's XP.

Louis de Frontenac - Militaristic

• Grants a Free Promotion (Grenadier I) to Mounted Units and Gunpowder Units.
• While potentially useful for increased damage, other leader traits may offer more practical benefits for colony development.

The Spanish - Special Trait: Conquistador

• Provides a +25% Attack bonus against Natives.
• This trait reflects the historical conquest of South America.

Leaders:

Simon Bolivar - Determined

• Grants +100% effect of Liberty Bells on Rebel Attack.
• This means units receive a larger damage boost from Liberty Bells during attacks, which is especially useful during the fight for independence when Liberty Bell generation is high.

Jose De San Martin - Resourceful

• Requires -50% XP for Unit Promotions.
• This is beneficial for creating a highly skilled, albeit limited, ground force. It allows units to gain promotions faster, making them more effective when fighting the mother country.
• Reader Theovenon Vivien notes that this trait is also useful for large, untrained forces, allowing all soldiers to gain their first promotion with only 1 experience point.
• Using a Great General with newly trained soldiers can result in numerous promotions simultaneously.
• A favorite application is using this trait after acquiring the last military Founding Father, Dom Pedro, to grant new soldiers the second level of Minuteman, resulting in units with +45% settlement defense.
• This leader trait is also ideal for achieving high-level promotions, making it realistic to aim for Veteran VI (4 power +75%) with multiple units, enabling rapid conquest and efficient elimination of threats like the royal artillery.

The Right Place

When establishing your first colony in Civilization IV, consider the following:

• Land Bonuses: Look for resources like cotton, wheat, or fur, which are useful for manufactured products.
• Port City: If establishing a port-based city, ensure access to items like fish or crabs for fishermen to harvest, providing a good food source.
• Proximity to Natives: Maintain a good distance from native settlements to avoid conflict and potential fines for using their tribal lands.
• Shipping Access: Choose a location that allows easy control of ships to and from England, as these will be crucial for troop landings during independence declarations.

Building a Nation

As you place more colonies in Civilization IV:

• Food Security: While securing food is important, Wagon Trains can supply colonies in need.
• Money Management: Trading valuable goods generates gold, essential for hiring specialists, purchasing ships, and cannons. Be aware that increased trading leads to higher taxes from the king. Refusing to pay taxes (throwing a tea party) will permanently prevent trading that specific commodity.
• Resource Acquisition: Seek out new resources like cotton for cloth, fur for coats, and tobacco for cigars. Iron mines are particularly important as they enable the creation of tools.