Newsletter 4 – Fighting your King for Independence!
Welcome to the Journey!
Thank you for coming to learn more about Colonize: The New World, a brand new strategy tabletop game set during the colonial era.
If you’re just joining us, here are a few helpful links to get up to speed:
👉 Visit the official website for an overview of the game.
👉 Learn more about the creation of the game here.
👉 Game Reviews, Strategy & What’s Next 🔍
Stay tuned: In the next update, the winner of the free game giveaway will be revealed! So sign up for newsletter now for a chance to win a free game!
Today’s focus is one of the core elements that sets Colonize: The New World apart: the Revolutionary War mechanic. From the very beginning, your mission is clear—build your colonies, grow your strength, and prepare to challenge the King for independence.
But first, let’s meet the man you’ll be rising up against…
Before we dive into gameplay, it’s worth underscoring the core theme of this game: the fight for liberty and independence. Colonize: The New World doesn’t exist to glorify conquest. It exists to explore what it takes to challenge tyranny: the strategy, sacrifice, and long road to revolution.
The Revolutionary War changed the course of history, and many people today live with greater freedom because others sacrificed everything. But like all wars, it was violent, complex, and full of hard choices with real consequences.
This game reflects that tension—not to simplify history, but to engage with the challenge of it. It asks what it means to risk everything for freedom, and what it takes to win. That’s the story this game is here to tell.
It’s one thing to understand the weight of that struggle. It’s another to step into it yourself. Here’s how the Revolutionary War phase unfolds at the table, starting with Phase 4 of a player’s turn.
Step Into the Fight for Independence
Once a player declares independence, the game shifts. You’re no longer just managing colonies or trading resources—you’re leading a revolution.
And the King is not going quietly.
Declaring Independence
To start a Revolution, you’ll need to spend 20 Liberty Bells—but you’ll also need 7 more in reserve just to stay in the fight. Do it right, and you’ll earn the title of Rebel, and become the target of the King’s wrath.
If you’ve collected nine or more Founding Father cards, you unlock the Patriotism Bonus, giving all your units a permanent power boost.
What Happens When You Declare
Declaring independence kicks off Phase 4: Independence, a unique phase that plays out each round until the war is won—or lost. Here’s a quick look at what changes:
- You’re now at war with the King. He attacks your colonies every turn using the KEF (King’s Expeditionary Force). This also means that all taxes and other effects of King cards are null and void for the duration of the game.
- Other players can’t touch you for 6 turns—giving you space to fight the King without distraction.
- Your colonies are marked as rebel territory. Some may even fall to the King instantly if they’re underdeveloped or poorly defended.
- Sea units near Starting Points? Sunk. The King plays dirty.
- Captured colonies are fortified with royal troops. You’ll need to reclaim them.
Phase 4: The King Strikes Back
Once independence is declared and the game state shifts, Phase 4: Independence begins—and now, the King takes his turn.
Each round, the King launches a campaign to crush the rebellion. Whether controlled by a player or the game’s built-in NPC system, the King follows a clear sequence of actions designed to test your strength and strategy.
Here’s how it plays out:
- Rank Colonies: Colonies are assessed and ranked based on their readiness. This helps the King decide where to strike.
- Movement Phase: King’s forces are mobilized. If the King is NPC-controlled, his movements follow strict, easy-to-follow rules. If controlled by a human, movement plays just like any other player’s.
- Draw KEF Card: KEF (King’s Expeditionary Force) cards—collected throughout the game—now come into play. Each card reveals the size and makeup of the King’s incoming army.
- Target a Colony: Based on the rankings and your colony layout, the King selects a target. Expect pressure where you’re weakest—or where it hurts most.
- Bombardment Phase: The King’s units begin their assault, landing at the chosen colony and surrounding it for battle.
- King Action Phase: Combat begins. These battles use the same rules players already know, with one brutal twist: the King wins all ties.
- End of King’s Turn: If the King’s forces are defeated and all lost colonies are reclaimed, the rebel player wins the game. Until then, the King keeps pressing forward.
⚔️Special Rules That Tip the Scales
The King may follow the same basic rules as other players, but he holds a few powerful advantages:
- He always wins combat ties.
- He automatically sinks rebel sea units that come too close to Starting Points.
These bonuses make him a serious threat—and a satisfying enemy to overcome.
Ready to Join the Revolution?
Win, and you forge a nation. Lose, and the King tightens his grip. This game is tense, tactical, and unlike anything you’ve played before.
More updates are on the way soon, including a look at Kickstarter timing and the reveal of our game giveaway winner. In the meantime:
🗺️ Check out the game pieces and materials
📸 For more gameplay insight, check out our Instagram reel
🛍️ Want to support the game and grab some merch? Visit our shop (unless you wish to displease our most generous King)
Thanks again for being part of this journey. We can’t wait to bring Colonize: The New World to your table.
We’ll leave you with the words of Thomas Paine—rebel, patriot, and Founding Father:
“THOSE who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it. The event of yesterday was one of those kinds of alarms which is just sufficient to rouse us to duty without being of consequence enough to depress our fortitude. It is not a field of a few acres of ground, but a cause that we are defending, and whether we defeat the enemy in one battle, or by degrees, the consequences will be the same.
….
I close this paper with a short address to General Howe. You, sir, are only lingering out the period that shall bring with it your defeat.
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We are not moved by the gloomy smile of a worthless king, but by the ardent glow of generous patriotism. We fight not to enslave, but to set a country free, and to make room upon the earth for honest men to live in. In such a case we are sure that we are right, and we leave to you the despairing reflection of being the tool of a miserable tyrant.”- Thomas Paine, The American Crisis: PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 12, 1777