Defend the Colony
Defend the Colony is the first scenario of Act II: Ice in The WarChiefs campaign, set in 1756. John Black’s Mercenaries must hold a settlement during the opening of the French and Indian War storyline. It is a defense with a clear clock, while nearby villagers and refugees create additional opportunities beyond simply surviving the attack.
Scenario setting & objectives
The required goal is to keep the Town Center standing for 15 minutes. Optional objectives involve stopping the Cherokee attack on a southwestern village and escorting refugees back to the colony. The primary defense and the side tasks can pull troops in different directions, so the Town Center’s approaches should remain protected while a smaller force handles distant objectives.
Mission approach
Establish coverage near the Town Center before pursuing the southwest village. Keep mobile units available to intercept attackers and escort refugees along a safe route. Attempt optional tasks when the colony can spare the force; losing the central target ends the defense regardless of progress elsewhere.
Mission setup and story context
Defend the Colony opens Act II: Ice in the original Age of Empires III campaign. The scenario is set in 1756 and introduces John Black, Ká:nien, and the mercenary force that stands in for a German-style civilization. Their destination is Brunswick, where Stuart Black governs a frontier settlement. Cherokee war parties have already killed or captured much of its garrison. The mission begins after the cinematic establishes the uneasy but loyal partnership between Black and Ká:nien and the immediate need to protect the settlement. In the Definitive Edition, the scenario retains this campaign role and story, while its presentation and map assets have updated versions.
Starting force and mission objective
The player begins in the Fortress Age with access to the Industrial Age, a population limit of 200, and 1,000 food, 1,000 wood, and 1,000 coin. The starting force includes John Black, Ká:nien, Stuart Black, the War Dog Max, veteran Skirmishers, Jaegers, a Heavy Cannon, nine Settlers, and a Fishing Boat. The established base provides a Town Center, an Arsenal, two Mills, a Market, a Church, Houses, and seven Outposts. The primary task is to keep the Town Center standing for 15 minutes, until the reinforcements arrive. This is a survival defense rather than a standard elimination match: the player needs to hold the approaches and preserve the colony long enough for the scripted relief force to reach the map.
Optional objectives and allies
Two secondary tasks reward active defense beyond the main settlement. The Cherokee also attack a Frontier Colony southwest of Brunswick; preventing that village from being destroyed awards 500 experience. Refugees flee toward Brunswick, and escorting each group safely back grants 300 experience. When the Frontier Colony survives its attack, its remaining buildings and troops join the player, adding a second defended position and useful economic support. Refugees who reach the main colony become Skirmishers, turning an escort into additional defenders. These objectives connect the mission's narrative rescue effort to concrete reinforcements, but they should be attempted only while the Town Center remains secure.
Enemy pressure and defensive priorities
Cherokee attackers arrive in waves and mix raiding troops with units that can threaten buildings. The starting Outposts provide warning and fire along multiple approaches, while the Heavy Cannon gives the player a way to answer concentrated enemy forces and siege pressure. Keep the heroes and ranged infantry close enough to reinforce threatened sections instead of pursuing every small raiding group across the map. Use Settlers to repair or rebuild infrastructure when a flank is under attack, and maintain a reserve near the Town Center. The southwestern village has its own Town Center and garrison, but it must be supported before it is overwhelmed; rescuing it early makes the later defense easier by transferring survivors and assets to the player. A Caravel carrying thirty Jaegers eventually arrives with the relief force and ends the scenario, so the central strategic measure is time survived rather than territory captured.
Campaign connections
The mission establishes Ká:nien as John Black's companion for the act and sets the colonial conflict that continues through Strange Alliances. Its unit roster combines John Black's Mercenaries with British-controlled frontier settlers and Cherokee opponents. The scenario is therefore a campaign encounter with scripted allies, refugee events, and a timed victory condition, not a general-purpose guide to the full British or German civilization. Players replaying it on a different difficulty should expect the scale of the initial assault and enemy base development to vary.
Map, reinforcement flow, and defense plan
The map is based on Carolina, with a coastal fishing area and Deer available for hunting. At the opening, keep Settlers gathering and use Home City shipments to support the economy while preparing a Stable. The campaign guide favors Uhlans for the southwest rescue: they move quickly, have 30% ranged resistance, and can reach the Frontier Colony before the first Cherokee party overwhelms it. The starting army, including its Heavy Cannon, can instead be sent there, but this risks leaving Brunswick less protected. Cherokee Horse Archers do not have a bonus against Uhlans, making the cavalry a useful answer to that raiding force. Upgrade Outposts to Frontier Outposts and use the Arsenal and Market improvements to strengthen the fixed defensive line. Priests from the Church can heal surviving defenders. Keep artillery and infantry near the Outposts so their fire supports the fortified approaches. Refugees arrive at intervals and join as Skirmishers; the campaign account advises against splitting the whole army to chase them because many reach the base without intervention. The southern Cherokee camps are heavily guarded and are not required objectives, so attacking them can waste forces needed for the 15-minute defense. When the timer ends, allied reinforcements arrive and the Cherokee retreat.
Hold Brunswick through the fifteen-minute assault
The required condition is to keep the Town Center alive for 15 minutes while Cherokee war parties repeatedly raid Brunswick. Treat the mission as a defense problem: protect the Town Center, watch the southwest village and avoid chasing a raiding group so far that the main settlement is exposed to the next wave. The optional village objective and refugee escort compete for time and units, so assign a small mobile group to the route while the main force remains near the colony. Bringing refugees home adds the stated reward per drove, but losing track of a group can leave the escort unfinished. John Black and Ká:nien introduce hero support in this scenario; keep them near forces that need their abilities rather than sending both after the same minor raid. Rebuild or reinforce the threatened side before the timer ends, and do not interpret a quiet interval as the end of the attack sequence.