Part 4

Learn how to effectively expand your Civilization VI empire inland, build roads with Pioneers, and manage resources for maximum productivity and profit.

Alright, let's talk about getting your empire to really stretch its legs! You've got your coastal cities down, but to truly dominate, you'll need to push inland. This means getting your hands on those sweet, sweet Muskets and making sure your soldiers are well-equipped. Don't forget about your Pioneers – they're crucial for building roads that connect your inland cities to your ports. This is how you'll get all those valuable goods out and sold, which is super important for keeping your economy booming. And while you're at it, make sure to build up those improvements to make your land as productive as possible. That's the basic recipe for a massive empire; how you cook it up is all you!

Now, about Independence (section [2.05]). This is a big deal! Once at least half your population in all your colonies is feeling rebellious (that 50% rebel sentiment mark), you can declare your independence. Be warned, though: this is a risky move. The King isn't going to take it lying down and will send in his troops, and they'll likely be overwhelming. Winning at this stage is tough, and I'll detail how to pull it off in its own section because it's that complex. At least you get to draft a constitution, which is pretty neat.

Let's dive into setting up your colonies, specifically in section [3.01]. Keep in mind, this isn't quite like the original Civ 4. Here, you're limited to harvesting from just 9 tiles around your city, no matter how much culture you have. Culture mainly just defines the land you control. Resource gathering is fundamentally different too. You can only harvest one type of resource per tile, and you don't assign people to each one like before. Instead, you've got various resource collectors, each with unique abilities. Servants and criminals aren't the most efficient, while regular colonists are your average workers. Converted natives are better in the field than colonists but worse in manufacturing, and Experts are amazing at their specific jobs, giving double productivity over a colonist. However, if you put an Expert in a job they're not specialized in, they'll act like a regular colonist.

Also, unlike Civ 4, you'll build structures where colonists can refine resources. Every turn, you'll get resources from your tiles based on your colonist's production. So, if a colonist can produce 5 tobacco, you add 5 tobacco to your stockpile. Many buildings will turn raw materials into valuable goods that fetch a better price in Europe. For instance, Iron Ore is turned into tools, which your colonies use, and those tools are then used to make Muskets. It's really in your best interest to settle near areas with resource bonuses. Seeing a resource on the map gives a significant boost to harvesting, meaning more money for you. You'll want to develop and build new buildings, starting with a warehouse to increase your resource storage capacity. Then, depending on what resources you have, focus on more efficient processing buildings. Think bigger lumber mills and coat factories – they not only use more raw resources (reducing waste) but also transform more raw materials into those high-value manufactured goods.

Now, let's talk about Import/Export in section [3.02]. At the start, you'll be tight on cash, but you need money to buy Experts and, more importantly, military gear from your mother country. They don't seem to suspect your hiring of Dragoons and thousands of horses and muskets as a military buildup, do they? Anyway, you need to be able to buy and sell goods to your mother country. First, you need a colony, and with your limited starting funds, you'll obviously need to export something to make money. This is why settling near resource sources is so vital – you can harvest those resources and sell them raw back to Europe for cash. When you load items onto your ship, remember it needs to be in port to load and then sail back to Europe. Depending on the map, this might take a while, but it's good downtime to build up your resource stockpile. Pay close attention to the selling prices of goods. Food, Lumber, Horses, Tools, and Muskets usually sell for less than 5 gold each. Raw items like Tobacco, Cotton, Fur, Sugar, and Ore typically go for just a bit over 5 gold. Processed goods such as Rum, Coats, and Cigars sell for around 10 gold, and the rarest item, Silver, can fetch nearly 20 gold initially. The game uses supply and demand: over time, prices for goods will rise as demand increases. However, if you flood the mother country with too many of your goods, the price will drop, though you'll always be able to sell them for some amount. As you send more goods, you'll need more ships as your colonies expand. You have two main choices: Ships of the Line are a solid option with 4 cargo slots and 4 movement, while the Galleon offers slightly more carrying capacity but less movement. A balance between the two is probably a good idea.

Finally, let's touch on Building in section [3.03]. As you expand, you'll need to establish more and more colonies. You can't have them all on the coast, though; eventually, you'll need to venture inland. If you do, you'll need a couple of key things. First, you'll need Pioneers to build more roads for faster travel. And what are those roads for? Well, you'll need wagon trains to transport goods to your port cities.