Delaware
Delaware is a Commerce Age Federal State for the United States in Definitive Edition. Choosing it costs 700 Food and takes 90 seconds, 100 Food less than the standard 800-Food Commerce Age price. Advancing also delivers three Food crates worth 300 Food. Delaware therefore offers an early economy and timing option before its two Federal cards are added to the Home City deck.
Age-up cost & reward
Fertile Lowlands delivers six Cows carrying additional Food and two Homestead Wagons, which can later become economic buildings. Delaware Blues delivers one Regular for each Home City shipment sent so far, counting Delaware Blues itself. Because the unit reward scales with the shipment count, the card can be held until a larger number of shipments have been sent. The food and cheaper age-up arrive immediately, so the state provides useful value even before either card is played. The current reward is 300 Food; earlier Definitive Edition balance listed 200 Food, and update 50830 raised it to 300.
Federal cards & effects
Choose Delaware when the saved Food and delivery support an early timing push or a faster transition toward the Industrial or Imperial Age. Fertile Lowlands fits a livestock or Homestead Wagon plan, while Delaware Blues is strongest after several shipments have accumulated and when Regulars fit the army. A Federal State choice also determines two future Home City cards, so consider the later plan before treating Delaware as only a cheaper age-up. Protect the delivered livestock and wagons as they move into position; their value depends on being converted into a safe food economy.
Timing the two Federal cards
The Delaware age-up combines an immediate economy payment with two cards that operate on different clocks. Fertile Lowlands creates a livestock plan: six Cows carry additional Food and two Homestead Wagons can become Mills or Estates when the player has the resources and room. The wagons therefore offer both flexibility and delayed value; protect them while moving them into position, then choose the building type that matches the resource bottleneck. Florida Cowhunters can later add more Cows as shipments are sent, reinforcing an economy already prepared to fatten livestock. Delaware Blues instead converts shipment history into Regulars. It delivers one for every shipment sent so far, including Delaware Blues, so a player with only a few shipments gets a modest force while a player who waits can receive a much larger batch. The Wiki recommends holding this card until roughly seven or eight shipments have been sent when Regulars are the goal. Do not delay if the match is likely to end before then.
Follow-up choices and version notes
The reduced 700-Food cost and 300-Food arrival make Delaware a useful early option when Food is the age-up constraint. The state can support a fast Industrial or Imperial transition, but doing so means fewer immediate military upgrades and workers may need to keep the base safe while the age-up completes. Delaware Blues fits a Regular-centered army and pairs well with Home City effects that improve heavy infantry, such as United States Army, Patriotism or the 54th Massachusetts Volunteers. Tennessee, New Hampshire and Indiana offer different Fortress Age follow-ups: Tennessee reinforces State Militia and defense, while the other two open their own production, timing and shipment tools. Fertile Lowlands is also compatible with later livestock improvements and can convert the early shipment into a longer-term economy. Balance those cards against the time needed for cows to fatten and the risk of placing wagons near exposed gathering ground. Earlier Definitive Edition versions delivered 200 Food at age-up; update 50830 changed that shipment to 300 Food, which is the current value used here.