Covered Wagon

Covered WagonTown TravoisTown RickshawTown Center Builder
Information
Introduced in	Age of Empires III
Type	Wagon
Civilization(s)	All
Training
Trained at	State Capitol
Cost	500 Wood
Train time	5 seconds
Statistics
Hit points	250
Resistance	20% Siege
Speed	4.0
Line of Sight	18
Ability	Builds a Town Center for free

“	Starts a new colony by transforming into a Town Center. Most civilizations can only have 1 Town Center until the Fortress Age.	”
—In-game description

The Covered Wagon (Town Travois for Native American civilizations, Town Rickshaw for Asian civilizations, Town Center Builder for African civilizations) is a special civilian unit in Age of Empires III that builds a Town Center at no cost.

Overview

For most civilizations, the Covered Wagon can only be shipped from the Home City once the player selects a Home City Card, and can be useful for the player to expand their territory.

In the Nomad game mode, every player starts with one Covered Wagon.

The Portuguese receive one Covered Wagon at the beginning of each Age as a civilization bonus.

Most European civilizations can pick The Bishop for aging up into the Fortress Age which is a politician that gives the player one Covered Wagon.

The United States can train Covered Wagons at the State Capitol. Similarly the Texas and California revolutions available to the Mexicans may get the State Capitol with a Home City Card, which will allow them to train Covered Wagons. The California federal state of the United States also ships one Covered Wagon and increases its creation limit by +1.

Further statistics

Unit strengths and weaknesses
Strong vs.	Nothing
Weak vs.	Everything
Improvements
Hit points	Oregon Trail (+25%; United States only) Gadaa System (+5%; Ethiopians only) Tar Kilns (+5%)
Line of Sight	Town Watch (+3)
Speed	Oregon Trail (+25%; United States only)
Train time	New Mexico Immigration (-10%; United States only)
Cost	Oregon Trail (-25%) Tupi Forest Burning (-20% wood) Cree Textile Craftsmanship (-10%)
Other	Jagiellonian Legacy (delivers 3 Covered Wagons if the Temple of Heaven was built for the Chinese to reach the Industrial Age; delivers 1 Covered Wagon if The Chief was chosen for the Inca to reach the Industrial Age; delivers 1 Covered Wagon if The Bishop was chosen for Europeans; delivers 1 Covered Wagon if the California Federal State was chosen for the United States)

Home City Cards

Click for a list of Home City Cards related to the Covered Wagon

Some cards are highlighted with:
Green	TEAM Shipment that is sent to each player in a team
Purple	Shipment that can be sent an INFINITE number of times
Red	Shipment that can be sent twice
Blue	Shipment that arrives fast (5 seconds)

• Definitive Edition
• The Asian Dynasties

All

Card	Description	Age
1 Covered Wagon	Delivers 1 Covered Wagon; Town Center build limit +1 (also +3 Uhlans for the Germans)
TEAM Conestoga Wagons	Delivers 1 Covered Wagon; Town Center build limit +1
2 Covered Wagons	Delivers 2 Covered Wagons; Town Center build limit +2

• "1 Covered Wagon" is not available to Asians, the Inca, and Ottomans.
• "TEAM Conestoga Wagons" is available to the Germans and Lakota.
• "2 Covered Wagons" is available to the Mexicans (also revolting to California), Ottomans, and Portuguese, also Germans, Portugese, and Spanish upon revolting to Gran Colombia.

Asians

Card	Description	Age
Land Reforms	Villagers and rickshaws build buildings 50% faster; buildings grant +100% build bounty (also +1 Hindu Villager for the Indians)

Chinese

Card	Description	Age
Town Rickshaw	Delivers 1 Town Rickshaw; Town Center build limit +1
Town Rickshaw + 5 Villagers	Delivers 1 Town Rickshaw and 5 Villagers; Town Center build limit +1
Western Reforms	All units get +8% hit points and damage

Europeans

Card	Description	Age
2 Covered Wagons	Delivers 2 Covered Wagons
Wanderlust	Land military units and land villagers get +5% hit points; land villagers and construction wagons get +5% speed

• "2 Covered Wagons" is available to the Dutch, Italians, and Portuguese upon revolting to Brazil, and British and French upon revolting to Haiti.
• "Wanderlust" is available to the British and Dutch upon revolting to South Africa, and can be sent 3 times.

Haudenosaunee

Card	Description	Age
Oneida Support	Delivers 1 Town Travois and 10 Villagers; costs 1,000 coin

Hausa

Card	Description	Age
Hausa Kingdom	Delivers various Builders depending on the Age when this card is sent, including the previous one(s): 1 University Builder (Exploration Age), 1 Trade Builder (Commerce Age), 1 Palace Builder (Fortress Age), 1 Town Center Builder (Industrial Age), 5 Camp Builders (Imperial Age)

Inca

Card	Description	Age
Resettlements	Delivers 1 Town Travois and 4 Villagers
2 Town Center Travois	Delivers 2 Town Travois
Huanka Support	Delivers 1 War Hut Travois and 1 Town Travois; building build time -15%; Town Center build limit +1; costs 500 coin

Indians

Card	Description	Age
Town Rickshaw	Delivers 1 Town Rickshaw; Town Center build limit +1; +1 Hindu Villager
2 Town Rickshaws	Delivers 2 Town Rickshaws; Town Center build limit +2; +1 Hindu Villager
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics	All units get +5% hit points and damage

Japanese

Card	Description	Age
Town Rickshaw	Delivers 1 Town Rickshaw; Town Center build limit +1

Lakota

Card	Description	Age
Camp Movements	Delivers 2 War Hut Travois; building build time -25%; Town Centers, Community Plaza, Markets, Corrals, War Huts, Farms, Native Embassies, Estates, and Docks can be transformed into a Travois to be built elsewhere

Maltese

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Knights of the Round Table	Delivers 1 Hospitaller for each Town Center and Command Post build; all units get +2% hit points

Mexicans

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Mariachi	For the next 30 seconds, military buildings work 400% faster and units get +10% speed
TEAM Nuevo México Territory	Delivers 1 Covered Wagon; Town Center build limit +1; all existing and newly constructed Town Centers and Command Posts spawn 1 Frontier Post Wagon; costs 500 food, 500 wood
Colegio de San Nicolás	Delivers Large Collection of Books (500 XP); units get +4 and buildings (except Walls) get +8 Line of Sight; sees what enemies can see for 20 seconds

• "Colegio de San Nicolás" is available upon selecting the Michoacán Federal State.

Spanish

Card	Description	Age
TEAM Spanish Inquisition	Delivers 1 Inquisitor; military and economic units get +10 Line of Sight

United States

Card	Description	Age
Missouri River Expeditions	Delivers 1 Covered Wagon; Town Center build limit +1; the General can summon Hot Air Balloons
TEAM Louisiana Purchase	Delivers 1 Covered Wagon; Town Center build limit +1; all existing and newly constructed Town Centers and Command Posts spawn 6 Bisons; costs 1,000 coin

All

Card	Description	Age	HC level
1 Covered Wagon	Ships 1 Covered Wagon; Town Center build limit +1		1
Stonemasons	Settlers, Coureurs des Bois, Settler Wagons, Villagers, wagons, and travois build buildings 65% faster		10
2 Covered Wagons	Ships 2 Covered Wagons; Town Center build limit +2		10

The 1 Covered Wagon card is available to All civilizations, except Inca, Maltese, and Ottomans. Japanese have Town Rickshaw (Red) card instead.

The Stonemasons card is available to European civilizations and the Aztecs.

The 2 Covered Wagons card is available to Mexicans, Inca, Ottomans and Portuguese.

Asians

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Land Reforms	Villagers and rickshaws build buildings 50% faster and buildings' build bounty doubled		10

Chinese

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Town Rickshaw + 5 Villagers	Ships 1 Town Rickshaw and 5 Villagers; Town Center build limit +1		10

Germans

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Conestoga Wagons	Ships 1 Covered Wagon/Town Travois/Town Rickshaw; Town Center build limit +1		1

Indians

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Shivaji's Tactics	All units get +5% hit points and attack		25
2 Town Rickshaws	Ships 2 Town Rickshaws; +1 Villager; Town Center build limit +2		10

Haudenosaunee

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Oneida Support	Ships 1 Town Travois and 10 Villagers; costs 1,000 coin; Town Center build limit +1		10

Japanese

Card	Description	Age	HC level
Town Rickshaw	Ships 1 Town Rickshaw; Town Center build limit +1		1

Lakota

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Conestoga Wagons	Ships 1 Covered Wagon/Town Travois/Town Rickshaw; Town Center build limit +1		10

Spanish

Card	Description	Age	HC level
TEAM Inquisition	All units get +10 LOS		10

History

“

Covered wagons were so full of food and other supplies that settlers who traveled west could rarely expect to travel inside them. These wagons were so uncomfortable and bumpy that more than a few settlers were happy to walk. The ride could be so bumpy that a butter churn filled with milk at the beginning of the day would have produced butter by the end of the day. Covered wagons traveled about two miles per hour. Until steam-powered trains could reach the frontier, the West was won very slowly.

”

Trivia

• If the player uses their Explorer to start construction of a Town Center and replaces him with a Covered Wagon, the Wagon will resume construction of the Town Center without being consumed in the process.

Gallery

A Covered Wagon in-game

In-game Covered Wagon in the Definitive Edition

See also

• Kingdom Builder – An unit unique to the Hausa, which can build Town Center, Palace, and University.
• Town Center (Packed), a similar unit in Age of Empires II.