Portuguese
The Portuguese are an original European civilization included in the base game and Definitive Edition. Each Age advancement grants a free Covered Wagon that can establish another Town Center, while the Explorer’s Spyglass reveals a distant area without moving the hero.
Economy & identity
The extra Town Center can extend Settler production and secure remote resources, but it needs protection and a steady economy behind it. Portuguese armies combine standard European options with Cassadores, whose strong ranged attacks come with lower durability, and Organ Guns, which fire multiple projectiles. Their Explorer’s Spyglass adds scouting reach when a land route is unsafe.
Military & matchups
Use age-ups to plan an expansion site before the Covered Wagon arrives; a Town Center is valuable only when workers and defenses can support it. Keep Cassadores screened from cavalry and use Organ Guns against infantry formations, adding anti-artillery protection when the opponent contests your guns.
Practical direction
Scout a defensible second Town Center location before each age-up, then balance the cost of protecting it against the Settlers it can produce. Use the Spyglass to inspect a contested site before sending the Explorer or army.
A gradual economy built around Town Centers
Portuguese begin with seven Settlers, one more than the usual starting group, and receive a free Covered Wagon whenever they advance to a new Age. That wagon can establish another Town Center, giving the civilization a recurring way to widen Settler production and secure territory. The reward changes how an Age-up should be evaluated: the player gains military and technology access as well as a potential economic center. The wagon itself does not make an exposed site safe. A new Town Center needs room, protection and a reason to exist, such as nearby hunt, a resource line, a route or a defensible expansion. Portuguese Home City decks generally do not rely on ordinary Settler shipments in the same way because of these extra centers. If the player invests in too many buildings before supporting them, the larger footprint becomes a liability; if placed carefully, each center helps the economy grow while extending vision and local defense.
The Explorer and information advantage
The Portuguese Explorer has Spyglass, a scouting ability that reveals a distant area without moving the hero there first. This helps inspect a proposed Town Center site, check an approach to the enemy, or identify a route before the army commits. Portuguese can also obtain a second Explorer through a Home City card, increasing the reach of scouting and treasure collection. The extra hero should be treated as a map-control asset: divide the pair between likely expansion lanes or use one to watch a contested route while the other gathers treasures. Both heroes still need support if an opponent sends an army to capture them. Upgrades at the Capitol can improve their combat usefulness, but turning explorers into front-line infantry is a deliberate investment, not an automatic result of owning two. Spyglass is most useful when its information changes a decision, such as where to send a wagon or which side of the map needs protection.
Military strengths and unit roles
Portuguese combine ranged infantry, cavalry and artillery. Cassadors are a specialist ranged infantry unit with a strong attack but low hit points, so they benefit from distance and a durable screen. Organ Guns fire multiple projectiles and are particularly effective against infantry; they need protection because cavalry and other counter units can close on them. Dragoons give the civilization a flexible mounted ranged option for responding to enemy cavalry and repositioning around the battlefield. Portuguese Musketeers and other standard infantry can help protect guns or hold a settlement while the mobile part of the army moves. The unit mix matters more than any one signature unit: Cassadors punish infantry, Dragoons answer mounted threats, and Organ Guns add concentrated damage when a safe firing position is available. If the opponent changes composition, adjust the supporting screen instead of assuming a fixed Portuguese army remains favorable.
Age-up timing and the mid-game transition
The civilization is often described as slower to establish its full strength because its distinctive economic advantage accumulates through successive Age advances. Reaching the Fortress Age gives access to additional army choices and another Covered Wagon, so a Portuguese player may prefer a stable opening that funds a deliberate transition. An early Town Center can accelerate long-term worker production, but the resources used to establish it are not available for immediate infantry or defenses. A safer sequence is to scout, judge whether the first expansion can survive, then choose between military pressure and a second center. By the Industrial Age, unit cards and upgrades can make the Portuguese force considerably stronger. The reward for reaching that phase depends on maintaining enough workers, production buildings and map access to actually train the improved army.
Using settlements to control the map
Every additional Town Center should serve the economy and the map at the same time. A center near huntable animals can support Food gathering and protect the workers; a site near a Trade Route or contested resource can make the opponent spend units before taking it. Do not send a Covered Wagon to a location merely because the free wagon is available. Place military production and defensive buildings so the new settlement can be reinforced, and keep an escape route for workers if the opponent attacks. More Town Centers can also make shipment arrival and reinforcement easier to organize, but they do not automatically defend one another. If the map is small or the enemy has strong early pressure, hold the wagon until an escort can accompany it. Portuguese strength grows with secure centers; a lost wagon and exposed Town Center can delay the very economy the Age-up was intended to create.
Naval play and expansion content
The Portuguese have a strong naval identity alongside their land roster. On maps with useful shorelines, ships can protect Fishing Boats, carry units and contest movement between coasts. A naval investment should follow the map’s actual value: a fleet is worthwhile when it protects food income, supports a landing or denies a route, but ships do little for a land army if the opponent can ignore the water. The civilization appears in The Asian Dynasties and Definitive Edition, and its available Royal Guard labels, cards and balance details have changed over time. In current Definitive Edition entries, named Royal Guard options include Musketeer and Dragoon lines as well as additional crossbow and ordinance variants introduced or renamed in later updates. Check the release-specific unit pages before treating a current roster as universal across the original game and expansions.
A practical Portuguese plan
Use Spyglass and ordinary scouting to identify a protected expansion, then decide whether the next Age’s Covered Wagon should build immediately or wait for an escort. Keep the opening army inexpensive enough to protect workers and the wagon, and add Cassadors or Organ Guns once their target is known. Dragoons are valuable when the opponent’s cavalry threatens the artillery or when the Portuguese need to move between distant settlements. The best Portuguese approach turns the extra Town Centers into safe, productive space while reaching the Ages where the army scales well. Avoid spending all resources on either side of the plan: an economy without an army invites raids, while an army that prevents every new center from being built loses the civilization’s distinctive long-term advantage.
The cost of an expanding settlement
Portuguese expansion trades a portion of the immediate army budget for more places to produce Settlers and defend a map. The starting seven Settlers give the economy a head start, but each additional Town Center still consumes resources, construction time and a Covered Wagon that could have been positioned later. Keep the first military units close enough to answer raids, and use the Explorer to inspect the area before committing. Town Centers are strongest when their workers have nearby resources and the structure controls a route the opponent also wants. If a site is contested, wait for an escort or choose a more defensible location. Because the civilization receives a wagon on every Age advance, it can expand incrementally instead of placing every building at once. That flexibility is valuable: the next wagon can respond to the map as it develops.
Cassador, Dragoon and Organ Gun coordination
The Portuguese signature units complement one another. Cassadors apply ranged pressure to infantry, but their low hit points make them poor front-line units. Dragoons can cover the Cassadors and chase enemy cavalry without abandoning the main force. Organ Guns add multiple-projectile fire against infantry and are most effective from behind a screen. The formation should therefore keep the fragile ranged units and artillery protected while the cavalry watches the edges. If enemy Heavy infantry or cavalry reaches the back line, use the appropriate screen rather than asking Cassadors to absorb the charge. On an open map, Dragoons can reposition between Town Centers; in a narrow approach, Organ Guns can punish a concentrated advance. Portuguese industrial combat cards reinforce an army that has survived into the later game, so keep enough production capacity to take advantage of those upgrades.
Release scope and settlement roster
The Portuguese are available in The Asian Dynasties and Definitive Edition. Their defining Covered Wagon pattern belongs to the civilization across these versions, but individual cards, unit names and balance values have been revised. Definitive Edition updates add or rename Royal Guard variants, including Order Besteiro and Ordinance Rifleman-related options; the original or earlier expansion roster should not be assumed to contain every later unit. Portuguese campaigns and Historical Battles also use scenario-specific forces. A scenario army can include units that are not part of ordinary multiplayer production, and a multiplayer card may not be available in every campaign. The pages for Covered Wagon, Town Center, Cassador, Organ Gun, Dragoon and individual Royal Guard units distinguish these cases. Use the profile matching the selected game version when planning exact production and upgrades.
Turning shipment tempo into a concrete advantage
The Portuguese shipment cycle works best when each card supports a planned action. Use a resource shipment to finish the next Town Center or Age advance, then use a military shipment to protect the new position. If the opponent is already attacking, immediate units may be more valuable than another economic investment. This sequence links experience gathering, settlement growth and army timing into one plan.
A Town Center with every age advancement
Portuguese age advancement provides an additional Town Center, giving the civilization a distinctive way to expand worker production and secure map territory. Choose the placement around useful resources, safe Villager gathering or a defensible route—not simply the nearest empty ground. The new Town Center needs time and worker production to repay its cost, and an exposed site can become a liability. Build enough protection to hold the area, then use the extra queue to grow the economy while the original base continues producing. This advantage is strongest when scouting identifies a location that improves both resource access and map control.
Ranged roster and defensive support
Portuguese armies can use Cassadors as ranged anti-infantry troops, Dragoons to contain Cavalry, and Organ Guns or other artillery to pressure dense formations and buildings. The extra Town Center supports a longer game, but an economic expansion does not replace a front line. Keep units near new settlements and use the civilization’s defensive tools to discourage raids. Cassadors need protection from cavalry and artillery; Dragoons need support against ranged Cavalry counters; guns need screens to prevent melee units from reaching them. Adapt the army to the opponent instead of relying on a single signature unit.
Trading Posts and the map-wide economy
Portuguese expansion can be paired with Trade Posts, Native settlements and water access when the map offers defensible positions. These investments provide route income, experience or allied options, but each requires resources and attention. A Trade Post that is immediately lost may delay the military building needed to protect the extra Town Center. Scout first, claim routes that connect protected territory and use the second Town Center to secure a resource zone rather than spreading workers beyond support. This creates a layered economy: Villagers gather locally, age-ups expand settlement capacity, and map investments add value when they can be held.