Act II: Ice
Act II: Ice follows John Black and his mercenaries in North America during the Seven Years’ War era. The act shifts from the Malta story to a frontier conflict with British and Native forces.
Setting & objective
Its missions use different factions, maps and scripted goals, ranging from rescue and defense to exploration and siege. The campaign roster is John Black’s Mercenaries and should not be confused with a standard German or Haudenosaunee technology tree.
How to approach it
Check the mission briefing for named allies and survival requirements before sending the starting army forward. Use the terrain and mission-specific reinforcements to reach the objective, and invest in a full base only where the scenario supports it.
John Black’s North American campaign
Act II: Ice is the second chapter of Blood, Ice and Steel, following John Black and his mercenaries in North America during the Seven Years’ War era. The act moves the story from Malta into frontier conflict involving British and Native forces. Its missions use different maps, factions and scripted goals, including rescue, defense, exploration and siege. The player commands John Black’s Mercenaries, not a standard German or Haudenosaunee technology tree, so unit access and starting forces depend on each scenario. Read the mission briefing for named allies, survival requirements and objective order before moving the starting army. Some missions benefit from a developing economy, while others provide limited resources and require preserving the supplied force. Use the terrain and mission-specific reinforcements rather than assuming a universal build order. The Rescue is one mission in this act; its southern attack and optional Haudenosaunee alliance have their own entry. Complete each scenario’s required objective to advance the campaign and use related mission pages for routes and exact goals.
Mission approach across the act
The act’s North American missions vary in their setup, so read each objective panel instead of applying one army plan throughout the chapter. The Rescue asks for an attack from the south and can involve a Haudenosaunee alliance; other missions may emphasize defense, exploration or siege. John Black’s Mercenaries and scenario-provided reinforcements do not follow the same production assumptions as a standard civilization. Preserve named heroes and units when the mission depends on them, and use the terrain to control approaches. Some scenarios permit a growing economy, while others reward acting with the starting force. Follow the linked mission pages for exact routes and objectives, and use the Act II overview for the historical-fiction context. Completing a mission advances the campaign sequence.
Campaign continuity
John Black’s mercenary force and the North American frontier setting connect the act’s missions. Use the mission pages to follow the story and exact requirements; the act overview supplies the campaign context rather than a universal walkthrough.
Mission-specific force
Some chapters provide a base and time to produce, while others rely on starting units or reinforcements. Check each briefing before choosing whether to expand or attack immediately.
Read the active scenario briefing
John Black’s Mercenaries have mission-specific access and reinforcements. Use the current briefing to determine whether the chapter rewards expansion, a direct rescue or a defensive position.
Mission sequence
The Rescue is one chapter mission, but its southern attack and optional alliance are scenario-specific. Follow each mission link for exact goals and do not apply its route to the whole act.
Campaign-only forces
The act uses John Black’s Mercenaries and scenario-provided units rather than a standard civilization roster. Follow each mission’s setup and objective order.
John Black and Ká:nien pursue Warwick
Act II: Ice follows John Black and Ká:nien through a sequence of colonial conflicts that begins with the defense of Brunswick and develops into a pursuit of Warwick. The act includes Defend the Colony, Strange Alliances, The Rescue, The Seven Years’ War, The Great Lakes, Respect, Warwick’s Stronghold and Bring Down the Mountain. Objectives vary from defending a Town Center and negotiating with the Cherokee to controlling routes, protecting Lakota chiefs and stopping Russian artillery. Several missions change phase after a timed event or character decision, so the first objective does not necessarily describe the final battle. Definitive Edition updates names and some campaign material; consult each scenario page for the release-specific wording. This overview describes the story arc and avoids applying ordinary skirmish rules to scripted missions.