Strategy — European Federation
Opening (rounds 1–10)
Leverage compactness: short roads and fast neighbour integration. Avoid two-front wars before Economic 2. Early scouting beats a parade stack in the capital.
Mid-game (rounds 10–25)
Mid-game is a science–city-level balance: Europe likes even eco/stability curves so timers stay reliable. If Africa presses, shorten the front and buy time on the tech branch.
Late game (25+)
Late game plays from the grid: trunk lines, ports, and science_5 underpin both economic and tech wins. Military is possible but costly due to siege tempo.
Counter-factions
Strong in mirrors versus another compact Europe and economically versus chaotic expanders: the road discount turns every held corridor into compound interest. Against Eurasia, play the tempo gap—their integration is slower than your grid, so take contested nodes before they lock. Weak to early Africa (cavalry cuts roads faster than they pay off—keep a SiegeCannon behind the line and do not overextend) and to long oceanic lines from Americas / Pacific Union: without ports of your own you concede the economic race, so a port is insurance, not a luxury.