Town Center (Age of Empires III)

The Town Center is the key economic building for a colony and acts as the default Home City drop-off point in Age of Empires III.

Overview
The starting building of all major civilizations, Town Centers train Settlers/Villagers, call in one levy of Minutemen, and serve as the only means of advancing to the next Age for European and Native American civilizations.

The Town Center is a strong building. It can defend itself from land units with its top tower with a musket, from boats with a cannon and can garrison Settlers/Villagers to protect it (the more garrisoned, the more firepower).

Only the Explorer or a Covered Wagon can build a Town Center and each player is limited to only one before Fortress Age which after that increases to three. If the player's Explorer has fallen in battle too close to enemy territory, instead of manually retrieving the unit, he/she may choose to pay Ransom money and receive his/her Explorer back safely.

The Portuguese receive a free Covered Wagon every time they Age up until the Industrial Age and, together the Donatarios card, can have up to six Town Centers.

The Spanish, on the other hand, have the Colonial Estancias card which increases Town Center population to 70, which make Houses unnecessary when the Spanish player has three Town Centers.

The Germans also have the TEAM Teutonic Town Centers card that increases the attack and hitpoints of Town Centers.

From The WarChiefs expansion, European civilizations can select to "revolt" from the Industrial Age at a cost of. Instead of advancing to the Imperial Age, revolting:
 * Converts all Settlers to Colonial Militia and prevents the training of Settlers, except for Cree Coureur des Bois.
 * Changes the player deck to a revolution card deck containing shipments of 4 Gatling Gun, 16 Colonial Militia, 2 Ironclad and 1 Fort Wagon cards. Each may be sent infinite times.
 * Increases the Town Center build limit to 10.
 * Grants full population support without the need for Houses or Town Centers.

Attack
The total attack of a Town Center are calculated on the following formula:
 * $$A = B + 2 * G$$

Where A is the total attack, B is the Town Center's base attack, and G is the number of Settlers/Villagers garrisoned in the Town Center.

Players can garrison up to 50 Settlers/Villagers, but the attack will only increase with the first 10. For example, having 8 Settlers/Villagers garrisoned (at a base attack of 9) grants a total attack of 72.

Units
All of the listed units are available from the Discovery Age.

Improvements

 * Advance to Colonial Age
 * Advance to Fortress Age
 * Advance to Industrial Age
 * Advance to Imperial Age

Related shipments
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%; margin-bottom:0px; margin-top:1px;" ! sab="1148" | Click for a list of Town Center-related Home City cards
 * - sab="1147"
 * - sab="1149"
 * sab="1150" |

Portuguese

 * }

History
"Churches, taverns, and town halls were all important colonial centers where leaders and citizens met to discuss the issues facing their towns and colonies. Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia was the site of several important events in the history of the American colonies. One, the First Continental Congress, was the meeting of the thirteen colonies in the fall of 1774 to discuss their grievances with British governance and just what they could do about it. This historic hall also housed Benjamin Franklin's Library Company and the First and Second Banks of the United States."