Germans strategy
German shipments add Uhlans alongside their delivered cargo, letting shipment timing build a mobile force as the economy develops. Their roster also pairs heavy infantry such as Doppelsoldners with ranged infantry and cavalry.
Civilization identity & tools
Free Uhlans make Home City deliveries contribute to both the economy and army. Doppelsoldners deal powerful area damage in hand combat and can threaten buildings, while War Wagons provide durable ranged cavalry. Skirmishers help against infantry, but the army needs a response to artillery and enemy ranged cavalry.
Matchups & timing
Use shipment based cavalry pressure when scouting reveals exposed workers or a weak route to the opponent. Add Doppelsoldners against clumped forces or structures, and include protection for them when artillery can keep them at range.
Practical plan
Treat each shipment as a timing opportunity: position Uhlans to raid or screen, then use the delivered resources or units to support the next age or production cycle. Avoid allowing a mixed army to become scattered across separate fights.
Build a combined arms army around shipments
Germany’s defining shipment feature is the Uhlan detachment that accompanies many Home City deliveries. Those free cavalrymen create early map presence and make a German deck unusually capable of turning experience into military pressure, but every arrival also consumes population. Check the population headroom before sending a shipment; a capped army can prevent the next card from arriving when it matters. The Uhlans are fast raiders with strong attack but limited durability, so use them to threaten Settlers, Skirmishers and exposed artillery, then pull them away from Pikemen, Dragoons and concentrated ranged fire. A Fortress Age army can combine Uhlans with War Wagons, Skirmishers and Doppelsöldners. War Wagons supply ranged anti-cavalry damage and are particularly effective against other Cavalry; their bonus against Artillery also helps address German siege pressure. Skirmishers attack Heavy Infantry from range, while Doppelsöldners provide durable melee damage, area attacks and building siege. Their roles complement one another, but the force still needs protection against enemy Artillery and Light Infantry. Avoid sending Doppelsöldners through a skirmisher line or leaving Skirmishers exposed to cavalry. Focus the opponent’s counter unit first, then allow the expensive German units to engage their preferred targets. Settler Wagons are stronger gatherers and builders than ordinary Settlers, but each uses two population and cannot be trained from the Town Center as though it were two villagers. This can leave Germany vulnerable to an early rush if the economy invests too heavily in wagons. Germantown Farmers allows Mills to train them and reduces dependence on Home City shipments; without that card, wagon shipments compete with military cards. Consider whether the immediate plan requires economy or Uhlan-backed pressure, and keep enough villagers producing to fund the next army. Mercenaries add another way to convert Coin into power. German Home City options include Jaegers, Landsknechts and Black Riders, among other available mercenary shipments, and the shipments grant extra mercenaries for Germany. In The WarChiefs and later content, Mercenary Camps expand the recruitable roster and offer a higher cap. Wallenstein’s Contracts reduces mercenary shipment Coin cost by 50%, lowers recruitment Coin cost by 15% and shortens training time by 10%; these improvements can make the mercenary plan more efficient but do not remove its heavy Coin demand. Improved Mercenaries and The Mercenary Contractor can further strengthen a late-game composition. Treat these as an investment path: the economy must sustain the initial hires and keep enough conventional units to protect them from counters. Germany’s strengths create clear weaknesses. Uhlans arrive alongside shipments and can overfill the population cap; Settler Wagons take two population; mercenaries require Coin; and the civilization lacks a two-Falconet Fortress Age shipment, which can delay a direct siege. If Germany attacks early, defend behind buildings and use anti-cavalry units to stop Uhlans while ranged infantry and Artillery threaten Doppelsöldners. Against a later mixed army, identify whether War Wagons, Skirmishers or mercenaries are carrying the fight and target that component with its counter. A static turtle can waste Germany’s shipment momentum, but a coordinated defense can force the German player to spend resources rebuilding losses instead of adding pressure. A reliable plan links each shipment to a battlefield task. Send economy or population support when the army cannot yet engage, and use the Uhlans that arrive to scout or threaten isolated targets. Transition into a balanced Fortress Age force rather than massing one expensive unit type. Keep War Wagons away from anti-cavalry infantry, let Skirmishers counter heavy infantry, and reserve Doppelsöldners for melee and siege. Germany’s strongest attacks arrive when the shipment Uhlans, trained units and mercenaries arrive together; separate waves are much easier to defeat.
Adapt the composition to the opposing army
Against a cavalry-heavy opponent, add War Wagons and keep Uhlans ready to flank rather than charging into Pikemen. Against Heavy Infantry, use Skirmishers and preserve them behind the melee screen. If the opponent builds Artillery, protect the Skirmisher line with cavalry and send a dedicated siege counter; Doppelsöldners can threaten structures but should not be asked to absorb cannon fire. Germany’s shipment Uhlans can scout each production transition, revealing whether the opponent is investing in anti-cavalry or leaving Settlers exposed. The matchup changes as the game moves from early Uhlan pressure to a Fortress Age combined army, so keep scouting rather than relying on one opening attack.
Build around Settler Wagons and shipment cavalry
German economies rely on Settler Wagons, which gather more efficiently than ordinary Settlers but are valuable and limited. Protect them from raids and maintain ordinary Villager production where available. German Home City shipments often include Uhlans alongside another reward, creating bursts of cavalry without the same Stable expense. Use those Uhlans to protect Crossbowmen or Skirmishers, raid an exposed resource line or threaten artillery, and plan population space for the shipment.
Turn the shipment rhythm into a balanced army
Do not rely on Uhlans alone: they are melee Cavalry and can be stopped by anti-Cavalry Infantry or defensive buildings. Scout the opponent, add ranged infantry against Heavy Infantry and train artillery when the goal is to break a base. German age-up choices and cards can change the timing, so prepare the right production building before the shipment arrives. Keep the Settler Wagons gathering safely while the army contests the map; losing the economy makes the shipment advantage difficult to sustain.