Revolutionary France
Revolutionary France is an Industrial Age Revolution for the French with Paris as its Home City. Coureurs des Bois upgrade to Sansculottes instead of being removed from the economy. The route also changes Native Scouts, unlocks Church technologies and Field Hospitals, and can advance again into the Napoleonic Era with a larger Home City deck.
Access & effects
Coureurs des Bois become Sansculottes, a military-civilian hybrid that can perform the worker tasks but is counted as a military unit and does not receive ordinary villager gather-rate improvements unless specific cards apply. Native Scouts are replaced by Eclaireurs. Edict of Nantes unlocks Code Napoleon, Young Guard, Middle Guard and Old Guard at the Church. Field Hospitals become available, and Master Surgeons enables Surgeons and improves their healing. Revolutionaries can be trained at Town Centers. Sending Napoleonic Era advances to the Imperial Age with technology restrictions, refunds the card’s resource cost and adds 17 cards, including Bourbon and Napoleon Guns options.
Availability
French only; Definitive Edition; Industrial Age. Coureurs des Bois become Sansculottes. The Napoleonic Era shipment advances the player to a restricted Imperial Age and adds 17 Home City cards. Home City: Paris.
Army & economy
This route is unusual because it keeps a working but weaker economy and can later add a second age transition. Sansculottes gather more slowly than ordinary French workers but can defend themselves and contribute to combat; manage them as both economic population and a military unit. Research Church upgrades and build Field Hospitals when the army can benefit from healing. Napoleonic Era can be sent for Imperial access and an expanded deck, but plan the new cards and Bourbon production before using the second transition.
Sansculottes and the continuing economy
Sansculottes preserve gathering while gaining a combat role, so the player can continue collecting resources during a military transition. Their continued economic value makes losses expensive. Gather near protected territory and use them to add support in fights where they are not the only frontline unit. Dedicated troops are still needed to answer cavalry, artillery and specialist infantry; the worker conversion changes flexibility rather than eliminating composition requirements.
A longer transition plan
Revolutionary France is a better fit for a game plan that expects to use its workers after the initial change. Protect resource access, keep Sansculottes within reach of the main army and use Home City support for units that fill missing roles. If the match requires immediate, concentrated military mass, an all-in worker conversion may be more direct. The French route gains value by combining the retained economy with controlled military contribution rather than risking all gatherers in a single engagement.
What changes when France revolts
Revolutionary France is a two-stage path available to the French in the Definitive Edition. The first transition does not simply exchange the working population for a mass of ordinary Revolutionaries. Coureurs des Bois become Sansculottes, which can still perform ordinary work while being classified as military units. They therefore preserve an income stream, but they do not receive the usual villager gathering improvements unless a particular card says otherwise. Their gathering is below that of the French Coureurs des Bois and ordinary Villagers, though their lower cost and combat ability create a different balance. This is a compromise: France can continue collecting resources during the upheaval, yet each loss also removes part of the economy. Revolt only after deciding how the Sansculottes will be protected and which shipments will sustain the next army.
Sansculottes as workers and soldiers
Sansculottes can gather, construct and contribute to combat, but their military classification changes how they interact with the rest of the game. Do not assume that every villager bonus, gather-rate improvement or defensive rule applies to them. Their attack profile is specialized: they are neither Heavy Infantry nor Light Infantry, and their attacks have a 2× multiplier against Heavy Infantry, artillery and pets. Their ranged mode has a 0.25× multiplier against Villagers, while defensive buildings take 1.5× damage. They have 40% ranged resistance and a siege attack of 32; like Villagers, their hand attack deals more damage over time than their ranged mode. Those properties can punish a matching target, but do not make them a universal replacement for regular troops. Keep them on tasks near the army, switch to hand attack when the opportunity is safe, and avoid sending the entire economy into a countered fight.
Reading the counter profile
The Sansculotte bonus list is a guide to choosing engagements, not a promise that the unit wins every fight against those categories. Their range and combat values remain limited, and their strongest value is concentrated in the listed targets. The anti-Heavy Infantry multiplier makes them useful as extra pressure behind a proper frontline; the artillery bonus can help them threaten exposed guns if the approach is protected. Pets are another favorable target. By contrast, their poor Villager multiplier in ranged mode makes them inefficient as ranged raiders, and their lower health than Coureurs des Bois means they should not be left to absorb attacks while gathering. Defensive buildings receive a siege bonus, but approaching a fortified position without artillery or a screen is still risky. Think of the unit as a hybrid whose best contribution shifts between work and selective combat.
Eclaireurs and the native roster
The revolution changes Native Scouts into Eclaireurs rather than leaving the old scout unit in place. Eclaireurs are native Heavy Cavalry and can be obtained through Town Centers, Native Embassies and map-based sources. This gives the French route a mounted component that complements the slower, work-capable Sansculottes. A cavalry group can respond to raids, pressure artillery or pursue retreating troops while Sansculottes continue gathering or attack a favorable target. The two roles should not be confused: Eclaireurs are military cavalry, while Sansculottes retain economic tasks. A Home City deck that relies on Native Scouts should account for this conversion, and Native Embassy access becomes more valuable if it provides a way to replace or support the transformed roster. Preserve cavalry for mobility rather than parking it beside resource gatherers.
Church technologies and Edict of Nantes
Sending Edict of Nantes enables a set of Church research options: Code Napoleon, Young Guard, Middle Guard and Old Guard. These technologies give the French a place to develop their revolutionary army after the initial change. They require the Church and the resources and research time associated with the chosen path, so they are not automatic combat bonuses the moment the card arrives. Consider which units form the actual army before investing: an upgrade that strengthens an unused roster will not improve the next engagement. The Church is also connected to healing support through Master Surgeons, which enables Surgeons to be trained and improves their healing ability. Establishing this infrastructure takes time and should be balanced against immediate units, but it rewards France in a game where multiple battles and continued unit preservation matter.
Field Hospitals and Surgeons
Revolutionary France can construct Field Hospitals, and the Master Surgeons card enables Church training of Surgeons while improving their healing. This creates a recovery system that can turn survival into lasting value. Instead of replacing every wounded unit after a fight, a player can regroup near protected healing infrastructure and return the army to the field with more of its investment intact. The hospital is not a substitute for a safe frontline: a forward structure left undefended can be destroyed, and healing cannot rescue units caught by a decisive counterattack. Place hospitals behind positions the army can hold, then rotate damaged troops out of combat while fresh units maintain pressure. This support is especially relevant to a France that keeps an economy and can afford to play through several engagements rather than staking everything on one immediate attack.
Napoleonic Era as a second transition
Napoleonic Era is a Home City shipment that advances Revolutionary France into the Napoleonic Era and expands its deck. It also advances the player to the Imperial Age, although this is not the same as receiving the Capitol and every ordinary Imperial upgrade: the route has restrictions. The card refunds its resource cost when completed, which means its cost is temporary rather than a permanent loss, but the shipment still occupies a timing window and requires a safe period to complete. Sending it early can unlock the second-stage army and the Imperial-age benefits sooner; waiting can keep a shipment available for an immediate battlefield emergency. Make the choice according to the opponent’s pressure and your capacity to protect the economy while the upgrade resolves.
Carabiniers and the Bourbon branch
The Napoleonic Era opens access to the new Bourbon and Carabinier options, including Foot Carabiniers and Horse Carabiniers. They receive their unit upgrades for free as part of this path. Foot Carabiniers count as Heavy Infantry and use a charged Grenade Launcher ability in place of the Pistol Attack; this gives them a way to threaten buildings and dense groups. Horse Carabiniers are Light Cavalry. Both units have stronger hand-mode damage over time but lower counter multipliers than their familiar counterparts. As a result, Horse Carabiniers can perform better against artillery, Villagers and Light Infantry than a simple label comparison might suggest, while Foot Carabiniers bring close-range pressure and a siege-flavored ability. Choose the branch to fill a specific composition need; a free upgrade does not remove the need to protect the unit from its own counters.
The Grand Armée and army-wide development
Grand Armée is a key shipment for players who want the second stage to function like an alternate Imperial army. It allows military units to receive Imperial-age upgrades even though Revolutionary France does not gain access to the Capitol and its upgrades. That distinction matters: the shipment opens a broad military improvement route, but it does not grant every normal Imperial-age system. The unit base still needs a sensible composition, production buildings and enough economy to replace losses. France can use the transition to recover access to major Home City support such as Thoroughbreds, Gribeauval System, French Royal Army and Edict of Nantes if those cards were not selected in the original deck. In practice, the expanded deck lets the player adapt to a longer match, but its value depends on choosing cards that solve the current matchup rather than collecting upgrades without a plan.
Deck size, shipments and experience economy
Revolutionary France is unusual because Napoleonic Era can increase the Home City deck itself. With the additional cards, the French can potentially reach 55 available cards, not counting the Napoleonic Era shipment. The route therefore rewards thoughtful shipment sequencing: the first revolution, the deck expansion and the later army cards all compete with the need for immediate resources or troops. The route can also lean on resource-generating shipments, particularly those that support experience and continued card delivery. A larger selection is only useful if the player has enough time and experience to send the cards and enough production capacity to use their effects. Before the transition, mark the cards that enable the chosen army; after it, add the specific upgrades and reinforcements that the opponent’s composition calls for.
Reign of Robespierre and Guillotine
Two cards alter the tactical utility of the Sansculottes. Reign of Robespierre causes them to reduce nearby enemy attack damage by 5%, giving their presence a support effect even when they are not the primary damage dealers. Guillotine gives them a 2× multiplier against Heroes, letting them threaten a target that ordinary economic units would not efficiently challenge. These benefits add situational value; they do not erase the unit’s weak matchups or convert it into a durable front-line troop. The damage reduction matters most when Sansculottes can remain near the main engagement without being focused down. The Hero multiplier is most useful when the opponent’s hero is exposed and a controlled group can close safely. Include either card when the army plan can exploit its effect rather than sending it automatically.
Recommended political and age-up choices
The political choice before the revolution can support either speed or the army’s next layer. In the Commerce Age, the Naturalist provides an early economic boost that can help prepare a fast revolution, while the Logistician supplies an Arsenal Wagon and Military Wagon for earlier army development. In the Fortress Age, the Exiled Prince supports a faster transition; the Mercenary Contractor adds Tavern access to Mounted Riflemen and Royal Horsemen, which can benefit from later military upgrades. The Marksman supplies six Skirmishers, and the Bishop supports experience generation from units and buildings. In the Industrial Age, the Cavalry Marshal delivers three Cuirassiers, the Engineer supplies Falconets, and the King’s Musketeer sends ten Musketeers. The Papal Guard can upgrade some infantry to Guard for free or at a discount, while the relevant Imperial Pikeman research remains separate from the Grande Armée discount. Choose for timing and unit roles, not just the largest shipment.
Practical sequence and matchup guidance
A stable sequence begins by identifying whether the French can defend the period needed to complete the revolution and send its follow-up cards. Keep Sansculottes gathering in defensible areas, place the Church and Field Hospitals where the army can protect them, and add Eclaireurs or regular military units for mobility and frontline roles. Use the hybrid unit’s multipliers against Heavy Infantry, artillery and pets rather than forcing ranged attacks into Villagers or an unfavorable army. If the match is already under control, Napoleonic Era can convert that advantage into Imperial-age access and a broader deck; if the opponent is pushing, hold the shipment for immediate defense. Once the second stage is active, choose between Carabinier roles, Grand Armée upgrades, healing and the restored card options according to the opponent. France’s strength comes from adapting over time, while its central risk is exposing the workers that also form its combat support.
How the route compares with other revolutions
The French transition should be judged by what it preserves and what it unlocks. Many revolutions trade most of the worker economy for an immediate army; France instead keeps Sansculottes able to gather and build, while allowing them to fight selectively. This makes its first stage less like a single all-in attack and more like a reorganization of a continuing civilization. The cost is that its economy is weaker than the pre-revolution Coureur des Bois economy, and the workers are now exposed to military counters. France compensates with Church research, healing structures, shipments and the option to send Napoleonic Era for another development phase. The best comparison is therefore not simply the size of the first army: consider how long the game is likely to continue, whether the opponent can pressure the hybrid workers, and whether the French deck can exploit Imperial-age units and extra cards. If those conditions are unfavorable, the transition’s complexity can become a liability.
Shipments and the cost of preserving the economy
France’s hybrid economy changes the way a shipment should be evaluated. A card that sends military units can protect Sansculottes while preserving their gathering time; a card that improves the economy can help replace losses, but may leave the army without a needed counter. Since Sansculottes are military-classified, the player should not plan around ordinary villager improvements that the unit cannot receive. Instead, combine the specific cards that affect their gathering or combat role with Church research, healing and the military upgrades intended for the later phase. Keep the number of Sansculottes exposed to combat proportionate to the value of the target. A small group can help against its favorable categories while the rest maintain the economy. This balance is the practical center of the route: retain enough workers to pay for the next stage, but protect them with shipments and proper combat units.
A decision checklist for the Napoleonic Era
Before sending Napoleonic Era, check three things: whether France can protect the shipment period, whether the current army needs immediate reinforcements more than the second transition, and whether the expanded deck contains cards that will be useful against the opponent. The cost refund helps the long-term resource balance, but does not recover lost tempo if the enemy attacks while the card is completing. Once the Napoleonic stage arrives, the Imperial-age access, free Carabinier unit upgrades and Grand Armée route are distinct benefits. The transition is strongest when the player has planned all three; sending it only for the age label can leave France with no suitable production or follow-up cards.
Unit and building roles after the second transition
Once France reaches the Napoleonic Era, use the new units to cover roles that the first-stage hybrid workers cannot fill. Foot Carabiniers provide heavy infantry and a charged Grenade Launcher, Horse Carabiniers add light cavalry, and Grand Armée supports Imperial military upgrades. Field Hospitals and Surgeons remain valuable between engagements, while the Church technologies develop the chosen roster. The army can therefore be built around a durable frontline, mobile cavalry, artillery and healing rather than asking Sansculottes to do every job. Keep the civilian side protected during this expansion: even in the second phase, the workers are the economy that funds the new unit and upgrade options.