As posted on agecomm by GoodSpeed
French:
Pros: Coureurs!!; French are a strong all round civ. Their rush is strong, their FF is strong, their boom is strong and their late game is strong.
Cons: They are the only civ (don’t count Germans) that is not the best at anything… as someone so greatly put: they are good at everything but are not the best at anything.
Difficulty: Mediocre
Best strategy: Xbow/pike rush.
French counters:
Vs Portuguese: Xbow/pike rush
Vs Spanish: Xbow/pike rush
Vs French: semi-FF or Xbow/pike rush
Vs Ottomans: Xbow spam
Vs Russians: FF
Vs Dutch: semi-FF or Xbow/pike rush
Vs British: Xbow/pike rush
Vs Germans: FF
Civs that French are best against: Spanish, Ottomans, and Dutch.
Notes:
- Semi-FF is strong against enemy FF’s, as you will have early raiding and a better fortress economy cs of 4 vil shipment. The risk is that if his FF is strong military-wise (like the Spanish and dutch one) you might not make it to fortress unharmed.
- the musk rush is meant to be sort of semi-FF and is more economic than the usual rush. when musk rushing it's way easier to just stop military production and go fortress w/ 700g card. if you xbow/pike rush that's more difficult/takes longer.
BO’s:
Musk rush:
The rush I started with when I first bought this game. I remember playing against my 8 yr old brother always doing the same. Musk spam in colonial until I had like 100 and he had like 50. then would be the first and last fight. LoL
Anyways:
Age1: Sometimes 13 mostly 14 villager age-up with 400 wood politician. 13 with food treasures (will speed you up). Allocation when aging: 4 gold rest food.
Age2 (4.20 to 4.40): Collect the age-up wood as fast as possible and build a forward barracks and 2 houses. Your second card depends on what your opponent does. If he rushes, 8xbows can come in handy, if he has no army, go with 4 vils to boost your eco and prepare to either go fortress (that would make this a semi-FF) or continue spamming musks if you think you can make it.
Xbow/pike rush:
Age1: same as musk rush. Except the allocation when aging should be 7 food rest wood
Age2: card depends on opponent, same as musk rush. Do not go fortress though, your only choice is to rush on. Changing this into a semi-FF will slow you down too much as you will have a lot of vils on wood. So rush on if he has no army. Switch over to pikes and rush rush rush his tc down before he gets into fortress. Your eco will be stronger than his, and if you manage to hold out his early fortress shipments, you will go fortress and out-eco him.
FF:
Age1: allocation 10 food 4 gold, 400 wood politician.
Age2: chop wood (try to gather from treasures) till you have 500 (400 from aging + another 100) then put wood vils on food. Gold vils go on food if you have 300 gold.
Of the 500 wood, build 2 TP’s for many shipments and/or stage coach economy. Age at 5.30 to 6.00 with the 6 skirmishers politician. Allocation depends on what civ you face. Divide your vills the same as with the Spanish FF (find allocation at “notes”). Send 700 wood (or 4vils if you have good wood treasures) and build barracks and/or stable and houses.
Age3 (7.20 to 7.50): spam cuirs and/or skirms and military shipments. You can also choose for some sort of boom in which you build only a barracks and 1 house of the 700 wood, put some vils on wood while aging to fortress and build a TC right when you hit fortress. This can be effective against British, Dutch, and Ports, which will then have a hard time outbooming you. Against Spanish or other strong FFs or rushes I wouldn’t recommend this though.
this is one of the many variations on a french FF, but this is the one i prefer, as it's agressive and military-heavy in early fortress, therefore more effective against dutch and spain. there are more economic ones, where you age with 500 food and send 4 cdb.
