The Castle is similar to the RussianBlockhouse and Native American War Hut, but instead of training infantry, it trains siege units. It starts as an Flatland Castle and can be upgraded to a Hill Castle in the Fortress Age, then a Mountain Castle in the next. Without Home City cards, only five Castles can be built.
Upgrades Castles into Mountain Castles (+50% hit points, +50% attack, +100% anti-ship attack and a bombard attack with splash damage radius of 3); requires Hill Castle
Green: TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team
General
Icon
Card
Description
Age
Home City level
Extensive Fortifications
Outposts, Blockhouses, War Huts and Castles get +25% hit points; Outpost, Blockhouse and War Hut build limit +6; Castle build limit +4 (also +1 Villager for the Indians)
2
10
Europeans
Native Americans
Asians
Icon
Card
Description
Age
Home City level
1 Flatland Castle
Ships 1 Castle Rickshaw and Castles get +10% hit points and attack (also +1 Villager for the Indians)
2
0
Extensive Fortifications
Castles get +25% hit points and +4 build limit (also +1 Villager for the Indians)
2
10
1 Hill Castle
Ships 1 Castle Rickshaw and upgrades Castles to Hill Castles (if not already) (also +1 Villager for the Indians)
2
0
Land Reforms
Villagers and Rickshaws construct buildings 50% faster and buildings give +100% XP when built (also +1 Villager for the Indians)
Ships 2 Castle Rickshaws and upgrades Castles to Mountain Castles (if not already)
4
25
TEAM 1 Castle Rickshaw
Ships 1 Castle Rickshaw
2
25
TEAM 2 Castle Rickshaws
Ships 2 Castle Rickshaws
3
40
History
“
The fortification of towns had been in practice since ancient times, exhibited in the high-walled cities of Rome and the palaces of Byzantium; but in the ninth century, the feudal lords of Europe began to experiment with the castle, or fortified residence. These began as an elevated patch of terrain surrounded by a primitive ditch. Throughout medieval times, as siege technology developed and the threat of war constantly loomed, European rulers began to raise the walls of their fortresses higher and higher, and thicker walls were topped with towers and parapets.
By the thirteenth century, castles had become highly sophisticated, and the integral spine to any kingdom. First, a strategic location was chosen, such as on a high cliff or at the bend in a river. Then a moat was dug, restricting access to a narrow point that was often blocked by a retractable drawbridge. The keep, or innermost part of the castle, was protected by a series of walls that had to be breached in order to enter, defeat the survivors, and claim victory.
The earliest Japanese castle was the yamashiro, a deforested hill carved into a series of walls and courtyards. Each of the horizontal baileys gave defenders an open view of the battlefield. Because it had the same primarily defensive purpose as the European castle, the yamashiro shared many of the same features, with its squat, angular walls surrounding ditches. Also, both structures housed barracks and training facilities for a standing army led by the elite warrior class (the samurai, in the case of the Japanese).