Age of Empires III Abbreviations: The Complete Glossary for Players
Whether you’re reading a forum thread, watching a stream, or chatting with teammates in a lobby, Age of Empires III is full of shorthand. This glossary explains the most common abbreviations and terms so you can follow the conversation and speak the language of the community.
Strategy and Economy
- FF (Fast Fortress): Advancing to the Fortress Age (Age III) as quickly as possible, with minimal military in the previous age. The goal is early access to stronger units and better Home City cards.
- FI (Fast Industrial): Advancing to the Industrial Age (Age IV) very quickly to unlock the most powerful upgrades and units.
- Semi-FF: A hybrid approach. You build a small army in Age II for defense or pressure, then advance to Age III.
- Boom / Booming: Focusing on economic growth, usually by producing a large number of settlers, sometimes from several Town Centers.
- Rush: An early, aggressive attack in Age II meant to cripple the enemy’s economy or end the game early.
- Turtle / Turtling: A defensive strategy built around walls, towers, and forts.
- NR: No rush, means no rushing during treaty game
- HM: Half map, use only half map in treaty mode.
Buildings and Map Control
- FB (Forward Base / Forward Builder): A military base built close to the enemy or in the middle of the map so reinforcements reach the front faster. Some community glossaries use FB for the settler sent ahead to build it (the “forward builder”), so check the context.
- TC (Town Center): Your main building, where settlers are trained.
- TP (Trading Post): A building placed on a trade route or next to a native settlement.
Units and General Game Terms
- Cav (Cavalry): Mounted units.
- Inf (Infantry): Foot soldiers.
- Arty (Artillery): Cannons, mortars, and other siege units.
- Eco (Economy): Everything related to gathering and managing resources.
- Micro (Micromanagement): Precise control of individual units in battle, such as pulling back wounded units or dodging artillery fire.
- Macro (Macromanagement): The big picture of your economy: constant settler production and efficient resource allocation.
Home City and Cards
- HC (Home City): Your home city, which supplies reinforcements and bonuses through cards.
- Shipment: A card delivery from your Home City, earned by collecting enough experience points (XP).
- Deck: The set of cards you prepare before the match.
Civilization Nicknames
Most civilizations are shortened to the first letters of their English names:
- Brit: British
- Port: Portuguese
- Franks / French: French
- Otto: Ottomans
- Ger: Germans
- Russ: Russians
- Dutch: Dutch
- Iro: Iroquois (Haudenosaunee in the Definitive Edition)
- Siu: Sioux (Lakota in the Definitive Edition)
Chat and Community Slang
- GG (Good Game): Typed at the end of a match, either as a sign of surrender or as a gesture of respect.
- WP (Well Played): A compliment for your opponent, often combined as “GG WP”.
- GLHF (Good Luck, Have Fun): Typed at the start of a match.
- OP (Overpowered): Something too strong compared to the rest of the game, which usually calls for balance changes.
Final Tip
Many abbreviations change meaning depending on context, so watch how other players use them. The best way to learn is to play, watch replays, and join the community discussions.