Shetlands
Shetlands is a rugged island map noted for timber and flocks of sheep. A Stuart settlement and Harpooner and Sailor outlaws are available. Sheep provide a mobile Food source, while tree locations and the island approaches shape safe early expansion.
Terrain, routes and neutral sites
- Terrain
- Rugged island with timber and sheep
- Native settlement
- Stuart
Map character
Use the Explorer to find sheep and guide them toward protected gatherers. Scout tree lines, coast and the Stuart site before sending Villagers far from the Town Center. Compare a Trading Post with the army and resources needed to hold it.
What to scout
Secure Food and Wood gathering before spreading the army across the island. A Stuart alliance can add value when its roster fits, but protect the route to the settlement and avoid leaving sheep or lumber workers exposed.
Turn early exploration into a safer Food supply
The flocks of sheep make the Explorer useful for more than revealing the island: locating and herding them can bring Food closer to the Villagers who will gather it. Check the approaches while collecting them so the sheep do not lead workers into an exposed part of the map. Keep the army between vulnerable gatherers and the routes an opponent could use, and avoid sending the whole force away to secure a single herd. The sheep are a mobile resource, so moving them toward a protected area can make the opening easier to defend than spreading workers across distant food sources. Their actual positions vary; use the current map rather than assuming a fixed herd location.
Balance timber, the Stuart site, and island defense
Shetlands is described as a rugged island with timber and a Stuart settlement. Wood supports construction choices, while a Stuart Trading Post is a separate commitment that needs workers, resources, and protection. Scout the tree lines, neutral site, and coastal approaches together before choosing which one to secure first. A distant alliance can be difficult to reinforce if the army is occupied guarding lumber workers; a safe nearby economy may therefore be the stronger opening. Harpooner and Sailor outlaws broaden the neutral recruitment options, but their camps should be judged by the force they add and the route needed to reach them. Expand one defensible area at a time and preserve a response force near the settlement.
Sequence Food and Wood before taking distant ground
The map’s sheep and timber create two early gathering priorities, but both can pull workers away from the force that protects them. Bring sheep toward a safe gathering area so Food remains close to the Town Center, then choose a tree line that does not leave lumber workers isolated. Wood can fund buildings and other investments, yet the Stuart settlement and outlaw camps also ask for resources and military attention. Choose one next objective at a time: secure nearby gathering, establish a supporting army, and only then stretch toward a neutral site or another part of the island. This order reduces the chance that an alliance or lumber expansion costs more than the resources it can protect.
Pair the sheep economy with Stuart access
Shetlands’ sheep are mobile Food sources, and the Stuart settlement provides units that can protect the routes between sheep, timber and the island shore. The Commerce Age Clansman costs 70 Food and 40 Wood, has 140 hit points and moves at 6.5 speed; it can respond quickly to a raid on a herd or a builder moving toward a tree line. The Lowlander costs 50 Food and 40 Coin, has 135 hit points and 30% hand resistance, and provides a 19-damage ranged attack at range 12. Its hand attack has bonuses against Cavalry and Shock troops, making it better suited to hold a gathering lane while the faster Clansman moves between objectives. A Stuart alliance still requires a reachable and defensible Trading Post or Tambo, so secure nearby sheep and wood before sending builders across exposed ground.
Scottish Sheep Culture is a costly but map-relevant option
Scottish Sheep Culture is an Exploration Age House of Stuart technology that costs 500 Wood and takes 30 seconds to research. For each Home City shipment already sent in the match, the technology delivers one Sheep carrying an additional 150 Food and one Feral Sheep; it also delivers an Explorer’s Dog. Because the map already offers sheep, weigh this card’s large Wood cost against the extra herd and Food it can add; it is more attractive when the shipment count is high and the units can be protected. Do not spend the Wood before deciding whether production, a Dock or the Trading Post needs it sooner. Scout the actual flock positions, then place the added animals near a defended gathering area rather than leaving them along an exposed island approach.