The Pistolero is an Outlaw unit armed with a pistol. As with other outlaws they cost little coin but many population slots, though their population cost can be lowered with the Dance Hall shipment. Compared to standard Musketeers, Pistoleros are faster and slightly more powerful.
Pistoleros are difficult to recommend beyond the Colonial Age, as standard Musketeers will eventually outdamage them with their upgrades. For Dutch, German, and Chinese players, who do not have a musket unit, Pistoleros are still a decent option, unless a better mercenary such as the Fusilier or Highlander is available.
On a dusty street, two steely eyed men grimly face one another. A moment of dread anticipation as a tumbleweed rolls past.. and then, two hands slap leather and pistols bark death. When the smoke passes, only one man still stands.
The mythos of the American Old West would not be nearly so compelling without its archetypal protagonist: the gunslinger (or pistolero). Their names have become the stuff of legend: Wild Bill Hickok, Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp and his gun fight at the OK Corral.
But the reality of a gunfight is never quite as dramatic as depicted. The epic mano-a-mano showdown in the street is more a fixture of Hollywood than history. Most fights resembled drunken brawls, often involving fists and blades rather than bullets. And while some of the most famous gunslingers did meet their makers through showdown or ambush, many others simply passed away after living out their days recounting tall tales of improbable glory.
The term "outlaw" is derived from a Scandinavian designation for the worst sort of criminal imaginable - one who lived outside the protections of the law and should be killed on sight. The gun-slinging, horse-riding, bandana-wearing outlaw of the American frontier is a common image, and one lived up to by famous shootist Billy the Kid, a career thief and cattle rustler. He escaped capture on a number of occasions and is thought to have been shot dead at the age of 21. Some think he died in the early 20th century in the far west Texas town of Hico.
Flint Lock (+10%)
Thin Red Line (+20%, British only)
Corselet (+25%, Spanish only)
Cree Tanning (+5%)
Navajo Weaving (+5%)
Wild West (+35%, Europeans only)
Compunction (+35%, Asians only)
Socket Bayonet (+20% melee attack)
Paper Cartridge (+15%)
Yoga (+5%)
Smokeless Powder (+30% siege attack)
Clenched Fist (+30% melee attack)
Military Drummers (+10%)
Tilly's Discipline (+20% speed, Germans only)
Incan Road-building (+20%)
Apache Endurance (+5%)
Town Watch (+2)
Standing Army (-25%)
Incan Chasquis Messengers (-25%)
Mapuche Ad-mapu (-10% coin cost)
Coffee Trade (-10% speed, Dutch only)
