 The game portrays the European colonization of the Americas , between approximately 1492 and 1876 CE . There are fourteen total civilizations to play within the game . Age of Empires III has made several innovations in the series , in particular with the addition of the " Home City " , which combines real @-@ time strategy and role @-@ playing game features . Two expansion packs have been released : the first , Age of Empires III : The WarChiefs , was released on October 17 , 2006 , and introduced three Native American civilizations ; the second , Age of Empires III : The Asian Dynasties , was released on October 23 , 2007 , and included three Asian civilizations . 
