Two Quick Questions...

[Cornhog]

1.) When you're just starting the game, how big of a standing garrison do you keep in your colonies? I never worried about much of one in the old Col, but in this version the Indians seem more eager to attack me — even if I've been buying their land from them and being all around nice. In my last game, a big swarm of them attacked while I was trying to be super kiss ass nice. I don't wanna fight. I love Indians. They train my colonists!

2.) When you're starting out, do you try to find a wide range of cash crops or do you focus on one? In other words, do you find cotton, tobacco and furs before worrying about producing clothes, cigars and coats? Or do you find tobacco, make cigars and then move to another crop? .... If that makes any sense...

 

[Smak]

1. A cannon and stockade will destroy any indian that attacks your city. If you leave your city undefended the indians will attack, they are opportunists. Also keep your troops out of forests and dont attack indians in forest they get like 95% bonus in forest. The cheapest way to get cannons is to diplomaticly request military aid from your king, on quick games its like 183 or something for the first cannon.

2. I play spanish and rush buy cannons and veteran dragoons, i sell the horses and guns to indians for gold and when the indians are broke i turn all my gold into guns and horses to requip the dragoons who were working tiles in my city to build docks and stockade and peter minuet points. So i dont actually produce cash crops per say, im more of an arms dealer who sells you guns and then backstabs you.

But if i was going to generate cash from my cities i would go for silver or fur trading. Fur tiles can have like 7-9 fur base with a lodge and with an indian trained trapper you can generate tons of fur to process into coats. Look for tundra forests for fur. And if any peaks in sight put a converted native on it to generate an extra silver per turn. Silver is great gold generation with no infrastructure required, aside from a mine if you got a pioneer handy.

 

[lovepuppy]

you can get rich(er) continuing to sell guns/horses/tools to the indians, even after they are out of money....buy thier cash crops, you break even(ish) in europe and as you give the indians more gold the will be able to buy more guns (at 200% profit it's nothing to sneeze at) and with the gold you give them when you buy land.

as soon as you are able get a 2nd ship to go around the coasts and buy the indian made goods, while you use your main ship to transport guns/colonists. you do end up with a crappy tax rate this way, but the amounts of gold tend to make up for it all.