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Retro Game Walkthroughs For
"Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings"
(PlayStation 2)

This game is also available on PC.

Retro Game Walkthroughs for Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings (PlayStation 2)
Submitted By: Unknown
Early Preparation

Your most important goal in the game's opening minutes is to
establish Villager flow-a continual buildup of Villagers.
Build your entire strategy around keeping Villager production
continuous. Lack of housing and low food reserves are the
primary potential hindrances to Villager flow, so monitor these
factors closely! Another obvious goal is to save the food
you'll need to advance to the Feudal Age.

Sheep

Because it doesn?t require a mill, shepherding is a useful way
to gather food, enabling you to herd all of the Sheep you
find back to your Town Center. The hard part is simply finding
the scattered livestock: there aren?t many Sheep and they're
spread all over the map. You must keep your initial Scout moving
as he seeks this highly sought-after food source.

Berries

Berries are now among the games slowest food sources. Don?t
collect them until you?ve taken advantage of all of the Sheep
in your area. If you go for the Berries first, your Villagers
will collect more slowly than enemy Villagers.

Boars

Although an excellent source of food, hunting Boars can be a
deadly chore for your Villagers. A common tactic is to attack
the Boar, then run back toward your Village. Boars and Villagers
run at the same speed, which makes luring the swine to
Town Centers and Mills an effortless task. Just make sure to
have Villagers waiting to help the poor soul doing the luring!


Deer

Hunting Deer differs from hunting Boars in that there's no
danger involved and luring isn't an option. Hunting can be
slower than many other forms of gathering food. Wait to hunt
until Sheep and Berries fulfill the demands that Villagers
place on your food reserves.

Shore Fish

Shore-fishing's gathering rate exceeds that of most other food
sources, bringing in food at about the same rate as hunting.
Shore Fish are spread out all over the map, however. A few
locations on most maps offer three or more Shore Fish close
together. Construct a Mill at these spots immediately.

Boat Fish

Building a small fleet of Fishing Ships during the Dark Age
slows your Feudal and Castle times. Most players simply wait
until after they reach Castle to exploit the naval economy.
Players going for early boat-fishing should know that Boat Fish
gather faster than Shore Fish.

Farms

Farms support a faster gathering rate. Farmers now gather food
just as fast as Berry Pickers. Farms also get a price
discount. These cheaper Farms are much easier to build in
sufficient quantities to supply your growing empire.

Unlike other food sources, you're limited to one Villager per
Farm. Massive amounts of wood must be chopped to set up many
Villagers on different Farms. This tremendous logging project,
like boat-fishing, has a negative impact on Feudal and
Castle Ages.



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Getting Started

The most decisive factor in most games is how quickly you can
set up your village with adequate Food, Lumber, Stone, and
Gold production. The following tips will help you advance to the
Feudal Age and beyond before most of your opponents do.

Normal Opening

Begin by assigning the Scout to search the local surroundings
for Sheep. He or she always finds four Sheep nearby. Two of
your initial three Villagers should begin constructing a House
immediately, while the third looks for Sheep, as well.

Don?t build a Mill or gather Berries yet. Place your first six
Villagers on shepherding duty. Keep your Scout moving,
exploring the local surroundings. Cover the coastline for Shore
Fish and note any gold or stone. Send any Sheep you find
directly back to your Town Center. Once you have six Villagers,
set your Town Center Gathering Point on the closest trees.

Lumber Camp or Mill

If you?ve found a good supply of sheep (eight or so), build the
Lumber Camp to increase Lumber Production. If you haven?t
found enough Sheep, construct a Mill near the best secondary
food source. Sometimes you can build a Mill among multiple
food sources.

Once your population reaches eight, it?s time to build another
House. As a rule of thumb, begin building a House when your
current population is two fewer than you can support.

Now begin working on a Lumber Camp or Mill (whatever you haven?t
built already). Your Scout should have uncovered all of
the local resources by now, so placing it will be easy. Put a
few Villagers on wood-chopping duty during this time frame.

You should have a healthy Villager population, one Mill, and one
Lumber Camp in addition to your housing. Keep the Town
Center Gathering Point selected on the latest food source you're
gathering. Now construct a second Mill near a different
food source. This position usually includes Shore Fish, because
you don't need Mills for hunting. If you're playing on a
map without water, you can skip this second Mill.

Luring Boars back to the Town Center now becomes a priority.
Command a Villager to shoot the closest Boar with one arrow
and then run back to the Town Center. Have five or six other
Villagers waiting near the Town Center for the incoming Boar.
Ambush the Villager-chasing Boar with the small horde of
Villagers.

Mining Camps

Your growing Villager population should number about fifteen.
Command your Scout to search unexplored territory for the
enemy and any remaining Sheep. It?s also time to begin worrying
about wood requirements for Mining Camps. Once your wood
reserves are high enough, build your Mining Camps.

Farming

If you've exhausted all of the local food resources, you must
begin farming. Don?t pass up any of the more difficult, but
more productive, food producing methods like Hunting and
Foraging, before you begin building farms.

Advancing to the Feudal Age

After your population passes twenty Villagers, consider
advancing to the Feudal Age.



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Defense

Dark Age

Town Center Garrisoning

The Town Center is the nerve center of your defense. Plan your
defensive setup around this powerful building. Flee toward
the Town Center whenever trouble surfaces. You can kill two
birds with one stone by hiding Villagers in this safe building
as you damage enemy troops.

Loom Upgrade

The Loom essentially doubles the punishment Villagers can take
under enemy fire. Villagers are an empire's lifeblood, so
this technology is mighty enticing for a mere fifty gold. It's
much easier to fend off an early attack if you've researched
Loom. Your Villagers have greater success reaching Town Centers
under enemy fire and will fight well against weaker Feudal
Age units, such as Skirmishers. Consider researching Loom just
before upgrading to the Feudal Age or just after the upgrade
finishes.

Palisade Walls

Now you can surround your growing village with Palisade Walls
before the enemy even gets the notion of attacking. The walls
are very cheap-only two wood per tile-although admittedly not
particularly strong.

Feudal Age

Towers

Garrisoning Villagers or archery units can strengthen Towers,
which, like other buildings that support garrisoning, offer a
safe haven when the enemy attacks. Placing Towers in range of
the Town Center effectively removes their minimum-range
weakness. Towers also have a weakness-minimum range. If the
enemy begins attacking your Tower, simply garrison your Town
Center. Or build two Towers that overlap and protect each others
weak spots.

Stone Walls

Stone Walls stand tall at an impressive 1,800 hit points and
very strong building armor. They're virtually invincible until
Battering Rams come out during the Castle Age. Begin walling the
area the moment you reach the Feudal Age. Walls delay
enemy advances and tell you exactly where the attack is coming
from.

Assign a small army of Villagers to begin walling right away and
you'll finish far earlier. They can return to their usual
tasks when the project is finished.

Castle Age

Defending Siege

Battering Rams are designed solely for building demolition.
They're stacked with piercing armor, rendering arrow attacks
ineffective. This nullifies the firepower from the three
buildings that support garrisoning-Town Center, Tower, and
Castle.
You'll need melee units to deal with the opposing Battering
Rams-enough to handle the enemy troops defending the Rams.
Knights are quick enough to destroy Battering Rams before they
cause too much damage, and fast enough to retreat back
behind your walls from enemy Cavalry and Infantry, once the Rams
have fallen.

Castles

The Castle is virtually insurmountable until the Imperial Age.
Unless your entire army has been slaughtered and the enemy
has multiple Battering Rams smashing down the front door, you
can count on holding your position. Place these structures
wisely: they'll turn the location into a strong point. The
Castle's destructive firepower forces the enemy to consider
attacking elsewhere and from a different direction. Furthermore,
you can Garrison the Castle, which makes it virtually
impenetrable.

Imperial Age

Any player who hasn't taken the offensive by the Imperial Age is
probably in trouble. The Imperial Age completes a balance
shift, giving the attack a distinct advantage. Units become
stronger than structures, far more powerful than in earlier
ages.

The principal difference, however, lies in the introduction of
two powerful offensive units-the Trebuchet and the Bombard
Cannon. These units outrange all defensive structures, rendering
them vulnerable to their barrages.

Military units offer the only means of countering these
offensive dynamos. Relying on defensive structures during the
Imperial Age will doom you to failure.



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Attack

Dark Age

It is extremely difficult to wage war during the Dark Ages. It
is unlikely that the units you could afford to create this
early in the game could withstand the firepower of your
opponent?s Town Center, let alone any defenses that might have
been
erected. It is recommended that the Dark Age be a time of
preparation for later ages.

Feudal Age

A Feudal Age death blow is rare in The Age of Kings. The
attacker will face too many problems against enemy defenses.
The
goal of a Feudal Age strike, then, is to impede, not destroy.
This paradigm shift forces early attackers to be more careful
and coordinated. Choose your targets wisely and keep building
your economy throughout your attack.

The number-one goal of Feudal Age strikes should be keeping the
enemy from gathering gold and lumber. Your targets may flee
toward the enemy Town Center for safety, but the Villagers who
flee aren't gathering resources while they're garrisoned.
Keep your forces away from the enemy Town Center; they won't
last long under fire from a heavily garrisoned building. Keep
your troops sweeping around the Town Center looking for
additional mining and lumberjack operations. Squelch attempts
to
establish another flow of resources.

Castle Age

The Castle Age brings about the first of two major shifts toward
the offensive. The two main additions to the offensive
repertoire are Raiding units and siege weaponry. Raiding units
rely on speed and guerrilla warfare tactics. Use Cavalry
Archers and Light Cavalry to wear down your target. Siege
weaponry, most notably Battering Rams, takes a less subtle
approach by proudly bashing in the front door.

Raiding Parties

Cavalry Archers and Light Cavalry both possess the speed raiding
tactics require. Each has enticing characteristics. The
Cavalry Archer offers a ranged attack and blazing speed. Picking
off farmers isn't quite as dangerous with these mounted
Archers. The Light Cavalry showcases strength and superior
vision. Finding enemy Villagers won't be a problem with Light
Cavalry. Try not to confront the opposition with your raiding
parties. Your only goal is to slaughter enemy Villagers.

Siege

Attackers get a new trump card in this age. Battering Rams
finally allow them to overcome a garrisoned enemy Town Center
with ease. Loaded with piercing armor, these razing machines
simply shrug off the arrows. The enemy can't hope to stop a
ram-supported army without a contingent of melee forces. As the
attacker, your job is to prevent these hand-to-hand units
from reaching the Battering Rams before they fulfill their
destiny.

Imperial Age

The Imperial Age finalizes the shift of power to the offensive
end of the spectrum. You no longer need to approach enemy
structures with vulnerable Battering Rams, but can bombard them
from a safe distance. The Trebuchet and the Bombard Cannon
have better range than all of the defensive structures and force
the enemy to engage them with ground troops.

Long-range bombardment usually turns into a huge positional war.
Each side establishes a defensive encampment and slowly
attempts to push into enemy territory using appropriate
counterunits: if the enemy builds Cavaliers, counter with
Pikemen
and Monks. Because all players have access to siege units, the
victor is usually the player who can defeat the enemy army.
Defensive structures can only supplement an army; they can't
hold positions themselves.

Joan 1

You start in the French camp where you meet Sieur Bertrand and
Sieur de Metz. Before leaving, collect the four Men-at-arms
and four Crossbowmen willing to follow and help you. Follow the
road south to the two Dire Wolves. Kill the Wolves, using
your Crossbowmen to dispatch them one at a time. Continue on the
path and watch the spectacular battle between the French
army and the British. Don't get involved. After the battle,
continue to the river. There you'll encounter two groups of
highwaymen. They should pose little challenge.

Follow the road as it swings north. Eventually, the road curves
southwest and you come to a bridge. Cross it and follow the
road. Kill the three Dire Wolves along the way with your
Crossbowmen and continue into the village, where you'll pick up
reinforcements-six Pikemen, four Men-at-arms, and a Capped Ram.


Take your troops back across the bridge and follow the road back
the way you came. When you pass the first section of trees
on the south side of the road, turn south. You'll come to
another forest. Stay close to it and follow it around west and
then south. Soon you'll see the walls of the Burgundian
encampment. A road on the southwest side of the forest will
lead
you to the front gates of this Burgundian encampment. Four
Archers and two Light Cavalry wait for you to assault the
encampment walls. Keep your forces beyond Archer range from the
walls and send a single Knight to hit the gate once or
twice.

This triggers the troops within to come out and attack. Quickly
return your Knight to your troops. First out of the gate
will be the Light Cavalry; dispatch them in a hurry, as Archers
soon appear on the scene. The Archers are the reason for
keeping your distance from the walls. If you get too close,
they'll hide and attack with impunity from behind the walls and
gate. After they've advanced a short distance from the gate,
quickly charge before they can retreat back inside. If they
make it back in, retreat and wait for them to show themselves
again. Don't attempt to follow a unit through a gate: the
gate will close, instantly killing any troops under it. Now make
short work of the gate itself with your Capped Ram. Once
inside, send the Ram to take out the Tower to the west.

Head northwest and cross the river. Follow the riverbank to the
south and then west. After you pass the forest along the
north bank of the east-west river, proceed with extreme caution.
A large army of Burgundians waits nearby and, if they
attack, you have no chance of defeating them. Leave all but one
of your troops at the forest edge.

Send a single unit, preferably a Knight, farther along the bank
of the river until you activate the three Transports that
await you. If you should activate the Burgundian army, charge
your lone unit at the enemy as you quickly send your
Transports down to your waiting troops. (To board the
Transports, select your troops and then right-click on the
Transports. When the first Transport fills up, simply
right-click on another, and again on the last.) Once your troops
are
safely in the Transports, follow the river southeast. You'll
come to a fork where a Burgundian ship sits at anchor. Don't
linger near the ship or it may attack. Make haste down the right
fork and follow the river southwest.

Soon you'll see a French Outpost on the east bank. Disembark and
collect more reinforcements, including two Scorpions. This
activates a force of Burgundian soldiers with a Mangonel.
Dispatch the Mangonel quickly with your Knights, Pikemen,
and/or
Men-at-arms. Cross the river to the west, where a small force of
highwaymen waits to attack you, as well. After you
eliminate this final menace, continue along the road to the
Chateau of Chinon.



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Joan 2

You start with a small force you must take to Blois, where a
larger force awaits your arrival-and your command. On the road
to Blois, you'll run into a small group of Burgundian Light
Cavalry and Knights. You should be able to dispatch them
handily. Prior to combat, you pass a Monk on the road-the only
Monk you'll encounter for a long stretch. Send wounded
soldiers, including Joan, to him for healing after the fight.

After you reach Blois and gather your new troops, head out the
northeast gate and proceed north to the riverbank. Follow
the bank east to the Dock, where two Transports await you. Use
them to cross the river. Once all of your troops and the
Trade Carts are on the north shore, take them to the city of
Orleans.

When they reach the Town Center, you'll receive resources to
start your economy. Wall the bridge to the south right away
and then wall the area west of Orleans. Position your
Crossbowmen in the Towers to the extreme east. Build two Towers
to
guard the walls at the bridge.

Wall the area above the bridge; build an east-west wall
stretching from the river to your wall west of Orleans. Building
a
city gate in this area will allow you to deploy troops in the
region and give your Villagers access for wall repair. Now
you can concentrate on economic growth. Your army is large
enough to take care of the light excursions the British send to
harass your walls east of the Cathedral. Use the many Farms west
of the city for food.

The British tend to use Longbowmen, Spearmen, Men-at-arms, and
Monks, mingled with a few siege weapons. Counter the British
Monks with your own Monks. You'll also need Monks to heal your
forces during and after skirmishes. Monks are great assets
against computer opponents because there tend to be limits to
resources and population in campaign scenarios. A liberal
supply of Monks will boost your economy by allowing you to get
the most out of your troops.

Use Skirmishers, Elite Skirmishers, or Knights to counter the
Longbowmen. Because of the abundance of English Longbowmen,
avoid using Swordsmen. Don't engage Spearmen with your Cavalry
units; they'll be hopelessly countered. To counter Spearmen,
opt instead for Crossbowmen.

Upgrading your units is important in most scenarios and this one
is no exception. Build an Archery Range as one of your
first buildings. The Archery Range will supply you with the
Skirmisher and Crossbowman units you need and later will allow
you to build a Siege Workshop. Once you reach the Castle Age,
build a Monastery so you can train Monks. Also build the
Siege Workshop, because you'll need a few Battering Rams to take
down the British Castle and win the scenario. Mangonels
will help counter enemy Longbowmen, British Towers, and walls.
They're key, too, for destroying troops assailing your walls
guarding the southern bridge. Of the two northern British
encampments, it's easiest to assault the westernmost encampment
first.



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Joan 3

You begin this scenario with a force strong enough to protect
you into the Castle Age and beyond. Send a unit west toward
the battle standard to acquire Transports and two Demolition
Ships. Feel free to use the Demolition Ships to destroy a
British ship at will. Use the Transports to land your troops on
the north bank, at the map's east edge. A short walk
northeast along the map edge reveals a gold pile at the edge of
a forest. Establish your economic base in this clearing.
There you'll find a fair amount of gold, plenty of forest, some
stone, and Sheep. Don't dock and fish on the river, as the
British will simply build up a large navy and destroy your work.


Two Burgundian Towers lie to your north and west. Using Joan and
your Knights, you can destroy these Towers with no damage
to your troops. As you approach, jog left or right when the
Towers fire. The Burgundians haven't researched Murder Holes
and, thus, can't hurt your troops once they're next to the
Towers.

Begin collecting the Sheep scattered about the area. You can
send a Scout along the river far to the west. There, just east
of the British Dock, you'll find a few more Sheep.

Three chokepoints work well as you begin walling in your
economy. Just beyond where the northern Tower used to be you'll
find a nice spot to wall. Wall the gap between the two forests
north of your stone pile, blocking this entrance to your
town. Finally, wall from the western forest to the river. Use
the small forest between the two to supplement your wall, if
you wall the hidden path that leads through it.

As you wall yourself in, and even thereafter, small forces of
Burgundians will cross the river from the west to harass you.
Erect a gate on the west bank.

Each time the Burgundians attempt to cross, they'll attack the
gate, alerting you to their presence. Simply dispatch troops
to eliminate the threat and then send a Villager to repair any
damage. Focus on reaching the Castle Age and upgrading your
units fully. In the Castle Age, build Monks to heal your
original forces. You also can put Monks near the gate area to
convert any troops that come knocking.

To assault the Burgundian village, build a force of Cavaliers,
Elite Skirmishers, and Crossbowmen. The village isn't
walled, but has several Towers placed close together for
protection. To effect a quick resignation from Burgundy, build
three Rams, guard them with your troops, and take down some
Towers. Upon resigning, Burgundy will delete most of his
buildings, including all remaining Towers. Send Villagers to
mine gold and stone left in his area.

If you walled in your original town correctly, it will be
largely left alone. Leave Joan in this town (she would become
the
main target in the battles at the Castles). Your army should
comprise about twenty-five percent Knights, twenty-five
percent Pikemen, twenty-five percent Throwing Axemen, four or
five Monks, and five or six Battering Rams. Upgrade all of
your units fully. Travel with a few Villagers to erect defenses
along the way and to repair the Rams as needed. Build
defenses at every crossing of the north-south river to keep the
British and Fastolf's armies off your flanks.

A British encampment lies due north of the now-deserted Burgundy
village. Of the three Castles, raze this first. Work
clockwise to destroy the remaining Castles. After your assault
on the first Castle, you'll face one of the most strenuous
battles of the campaign: Fastolf turns his steady stream of
smaller forces into a torrent of destruction. You'll suffer
severe losses. Build a defensive area, including a Castle of
your own and erect plenty of Towers.

Use this as an area for retreat and healing. You'll need to
destroy Fastolf's Rams immediately or his forces will flatten
your Towers and your Castle. Use your Monks to help even the
odds, sending them back into the Towers and Castle as needed
for protection. After this heavy assault, rebuild your forces
and take down the third and final Castle.



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Joan 4

Scenario 4 begins at the east end of a road. Your initial
destination is a village at the end of this road. A mid-sized
force of British troops waits for you along the way. If you
attempt to circumvent these troops, they'll await you in the
village. The soldiers will stand amongst your future Villagers
and slay them upon your arrival. Proceed down the road and
engage the British. You'll take losses, but you'll survive.

When you arrive in town, you'll get a handful of Villagers and a
meager amount of resources. Immediately collect the Sheep
west of town, or the enemies will snatch them up. Enemy troops
will attack from a river crossing to the north and another
crossing near the former British camp. To head off these
attacks, wall the crossing to the north and station your troops
east of your village. Once the north is walled, work on walling
the crossing to the east, as well. Don't allow your troops
to cross the river; this instigates a large attack for which
you're unprepared.

At this point, the goal is to reach the Imperial Age and have
fully upgraded units at your disposal. It's time to build
your Blacksmith. When the resources are available, build a
Monastery and train a few Monks.

As you begin amassing your army, concentrate on Knight units,
upgrading them to Paladins. Erect a Castle to create
Trebuchets and the Frank's unique unit, the Elite Throwing
Axeman. Cavaliers, Scorpions, Onagers, Pikemen, and Longbowmen
are the primary British units. Build Paladins to counter the
Cavaliers, Scorpions, and Onagers. Build Throwing Axemen to
counter the Pikemen. You can use both against Longbowmen.

When you have a large army at your command, cross the river
north of your town. Chalon is your first target. The Town
Center lies just north of the crossing and it's easy to destroy.
After wiping out Chalon, build a defensive base on its
former site.

Rheims will send a lot of troops to harass you. Without these
defenses you'd soon find yourself without an army to command.
Build several Stables, a Castle, a Monastery, and plenty of
defensive Towers. Use Trebuchets to take out the surrounding
Towers.

Next concentrate on killing Troyes. A large group of Paladins
will take down this Town Center without delay. Rheims has
many Longbowmen and Onagers. Use a constant onslaught of
Paladins to keep them at bay.

Use a few Trebuchets to take out the defending Towers and Gate
and then move them forward and take out the Town Center to
complete the scenario.



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Joan 5

Start by grouping your units by type and assigning them hotkeys;
for example, assign your Bombard Cannons and Jeanne de
Lorraine to [1]. Set your diplomacy with the British to Neutral.
This will keep enemy buildings from distracting your units
from enemy troops. To destroy a building, select the units you
wish to use and then right-click on the building. Use
Trebuchets as Scouts, implementing their extremely long sight
range. With a Trebuchet, you can uncover any enemy unit
without activating it.

After these preparations, you're ready to save the Villagers and
liberate Paris. Follow the west edge of the map until you
encounter a few Towers and a Castle. Paris's western gate lies
northeast. Destroy the Towers and Castle to give yourself
breathing room.

Next, attack Paris's western gate with your Trebuchets and
Cannons. The British will retaliate with Champions and Elite
Longbowmen. Counter with Knights and Crossbowmen. Just past the
Barracks inside the gates, you'll find the Villagers you
must escort to the chateau. Remember, at least six of them must
survive.

Three Galleons lie at anchor in the river and will attack as
soon as you're close enough. Destroy them with your Cannons. A
Castle lies directly south, defended by a Trebuchet, Elite
Longbowmen, and Champions. Destroy the Trebuchet with your
Cannons as quickly as you can. Use Knights to kill the Elite
Longbowmen and Crossbowmen to take out the Champions as they
charge your position. Take out the Castle with your Trebuchets.


Head east toward the bridge, watching for a Cannon Galleon that
will attack. Take it out with your Cannons. Gather your
troops near the bridge. A Tower and two Monks lurk on the
island. Take out the Tower with your Trebuchets and send Joan
after the Monks: don't allow her to take much damage. Two
Onagers come to defend the island. If Joan is healthy enough,
she
can take the Onagers. Otherwise, use your Knights on them. If
the Onagers come into range, take them out with your Cannons.
To avoid losing Cannons, move them quickly should the Onagers
fire on them. Once these blocks are out of your way, assemble
your troops on the island.

Two Houses lie south of the bridge. Destroy them with your
Cannons. Don't attack the Tower north of the bridge; this
unleashes a massive horde of British troops. As you exit the
bridge, the Tower begins firing on you. Use a Paladin or any
other unit with a high Piercing Armor value to draw the Tower's
fire while your Villagers pass through this danger zone.

Head south to the gold. This activates your reinforcements to
the east and British Elite Longbowmen will ambush them
immediately. Send your Knights to their aid, followed by the
rest of your troops. Use your Cannons to make a hole in the
wall next to the gold and leave Paris.

Travel north to the road and follow it south to the fork. Group
Joan with the Villagers and save your game. It's very
difficult to get Joan and the Villagers through. Engage the
Burgundians with your remaining troops. Use Cavalry units to
kill all ranged units. Run Joan and the Villagers to the square
to end the scenario.



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Joan 6

You begin with Guy Josselyn, your narrator, and the Trade Cart
holding the French flag. The Trade Cart must survive to
plant the French flag on the hill in Castillion. Head southeast
and activate the French army awaiting you. Now activate the
French cannon troops across the river to the west. Your first
goal is to kick the Burgundians out of their walled town and
implement it as your economic base.

Repair any holes in the Burgundian walls and then begin working
on your economy. Remember to wall up or destroy the
original Burgundian gates, as enemy troops can still pass
through them. Move your troops to the hill west of your town,
using your Arbalests and Hand Cannoneers against enemy Cavalry
units.

Next, wall the paths south and southwest of the hill to keep the
British from helping Shrewsbury once you engage him in
battle. Use the troops on the hill to protect your Villagers as
they build the walls. Once you've secured your village with
walls, head north to eliminate Shrewsbury. Destroy his Castle
and his Town Center to effect his resignation, which leaves
you alone with the British. Shrewsbury leaves behind gold mines
and stone, which are useful to you later in the game. Use
Towers, Castles, walls, and gates to secure the crossing between
you and the British at Castillion.

Rousted from their town, the Burgundians have set up shop to the
south. They send a continuous stream of Infantry and
Pikemen and are quick to rebuild. Before engaging the British,
relieve yourself of this nuisance.Don't destroy the
Burgundian Market. This gives you the option of building a
Market in Shrewsbury's town and using Trade Carts to supplement
your gold supply.

The British are fond of Scorpions and Elite Longbowmen in this
scenario. Gunpowder units best for dealing with this rabble.
The enemy assails your defenses without letup at the crossing
before you're ready to continue. Steadily build your forces
and then advance toward the hill, building defenses and military
buildings along the way. Once you've arrived at the hill
and are certain of the Trade Cart's safe passage, bring up the
flag and claim your victory.

Genghis 1

You must complete several tasks to unify the tribes of Mongolia.


1. Get the Sheep without fighting

You could raid the huge guarded Kara Khitai sheep pen in the
north, but there's really no need: plenty of sheep roam free
on the map. Find them and send them back to the Kereyids, taking
care not to send them through another tribe's town.

2. Kill the wolves and get the Relic

A well-defended Kara Khitai Relic lies in the northwest, but you
can get another at less cost. Three Wolves guard it in the
northeast. You can dispatch them easily because they aren't
smart enough even to defend each other; they just sit and watch
as you battle their mates. Next, send a Monk to carry the Relic
to the Ungirrads: don't send him past the Kara Khitai
tower. The Ungirrads will join you-a small addition to your
riders.

3. Kill Ornlu the Wolf and his pack

Ride to the far east side of the map and into the mountains,
where Ornlu and his pack await you. They'll defend each other
better than the earlier pack, but you're powerful enough now
that killing them is an easy task.

4. Visit the Naiman

Kill the Naiman tribe for their impertinence in demanding that
you traverse the entire map to destroy their enemies. Now
all you need do to win is pay a (nonhostile) visit to the
Tayichi'uds to hear them swear allegiance. But don't do it just
yet. Instead, first visit every Kara Khitai area on the map and
wipe it clean! It's unnecessary to finish the scenario, but
you'll be glad you did.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Genghis 2

Run to the nearby Tayichi'ud camp. You must pillage it to
enslave a few Villagers to build up your army. One immediate
problem: the Villagers will assist their Light Cavalry in
defending the village and confront your troops with clenched
fists. They're not a serious danger to you, but you are to them.
You'll need every Villager you can get in the next few
minutes, so you can't afford to kill any, even accidentally.

Instead, kill only the Tayichi'ud troops so the Villagers will
surrender. To do this, circle the Village counterclockwise
and approach it from the northeast so you encounter the troops
first. Group your entire force for easy access. Sweep in and
kill all enemy troops. If you keep targeting enemy troops (that
is, continue right-clicking on them until they're killed),
your forces will ignore the Villagers and keep attacking your
chosen targets.

Now you have a new village. Don't just stand there! Any minute
now Kara Khitai bandits will sweep in, attacking Khan's
Wonder and your village. They so vastly outnumber you at this
point you have only one option: build a Stone Wall to keep
them out (they'll hack quickly through a Palisade).
Unfortunately, you can build Stone Walls only in the Feudal Age,
so you
must get there as fast as you can. Immediately start building
Villagers with what little food you have and assign all to
hunt.

Once you have enough Villagers hunting to build more Villagers
without interruption, you can afford to assign the next few
Villagers to get other resources. Send two to mine gold in the
northwest, two to mine stone in the west, and one to chop
wood in the forest next to the gold. Have each build the
appropriate resource-collecting building where they're working.
Next build a mill in the far southeast next to the game there.
Once you've collected all the food from the game near your
Town Center, send all hunters southeast to work at the new mill.
Keep building Villagers until your total population is
about twenty-five. Then advance to the Feudal Age.

During this period, you must destroy one Kara Khitai army of
Archers and Light Cavalry. Your strategy should be to lure the
fast Cavalry away from cover of the Archers; then wheel around
and destroy them. Then ride down the Archers.

As soon as you hit the Feudal Age, start building the Stone
Wall. You'll need to wall off the entire eastern section of the
map, where your Town Center and Khan's Wonder are located. Using
the forest and cliffs to the northwest as a natural
barrier, build a wall that stretches south all the way to the
rock outcropping in the southeast. There's a one-tile crack
in the cliffs on your northwest border: be sure to wall that
too, or all your efforts will be for naught. Surprisingly, you
need only one Villager to erect the entire wall; your computer
foes won't attack this unit, even as it seals their doom.

However, the enemy will make further attempts to wipe out your
small army, so you must build up beforehand. As soon as you
begin the Feudal Age upgrade, start building Militia from the
Barracks the Tayichi'uds left behind Tayichi'ud. As you
arrive in the Feudal Age, upgrade them to Men-at-arms; then use
all of your food and gold to make more. Cluster your entire
army around the Barracks. When the second invasion arrives,
you'll have just enough to defeat it. If your wall isn't
finished by the time their third wave masses, you're in big
trouble: time to restart the scenario.

However, even with the wall up, you may not be out of the woods.
The enemy forces bashing on the wall will shoot at your
Villagers if they repair it. Thus, it's usually quite difficult
to keep the opposition from breaking in after several
minutes.

Use this time to upgrade and enlarge your forces to drive the
enemy off for good. Build a ring of Towers near your Town
Center and fill them with upgraded Archers. Guard them with
Infantry and Light Cavalry. You should weather the storm if you
wait for the enemy to come to you. After you rebuild the wall
and upgrade it, the great danger is past. You still must
hurry, but the general idea is simpler now: build a strong
economy and a large army.

Use the wild game as your first food source, while it lasts, as
the Mongols are extremely efficient hunters. Although not
absolutely necessary, it's a good idea early in the game (while
the route is still open) to sneak a Villager or two to the
far southeast to harvest the Elk herds there. Attack only when
you've built a huge force of Mangudai and Light Cavalry;
sweep in and kill everything in sight.

Kushluk's Scorpions offer little resistance. You have all of the
gold and stone you need; from here it's just a matter of
building up your empire and crushing your weak enemy.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Genghis 3

You begin with just a small force of Cavalry. Clearly you'll
need some Villagers to help you build. Fortunately, a town of
Engineers lies across a river to the northeast; ferry your
troops across using the Transport. Approach the Engineer town
from the northeast, but retreat after shooting an arrow at the
Militia to lure them away from their Town Center. Then turn
and crush them; do the same to the Crossbowmen who follow. After
you've killed the small Engineer army, head farther south
and liberate your siege equipment and three Villagers. Set the
Mangonel to work against the engineer Town Center and have
your Cavalry slaughter all remaining engineer Villagers on the
island.

Meanwhile, your new Villagers have work to do. Waves of Hsi Hsia
attack quite soon, so must build up extremely quickly.
Charge half of the Villagers with making a Town Center in the
south of the island, near the Shore Fish. Have the remaining
Villagers build five Houses. Then build a Dock in the far
southeast and about eight Fishing Ships, even as you continue
building Villagers. Using this fast-start strategy you can get
to the Castle Age in about fifteen minutes. Meanwhile, your
riders must fend off the first attack. They'll suffer losses,
but should prevail.

The second attack (Archers, Scorpions, and Battering Rams) comes
very soon after you arrive in the Castle Age and is harder
to fend off than the first. Because you start with lots of
stone, the best way to survive is to build an east-west line of
Towers just north of all of your buildings. Build several
Archers to garrison the Towers. Next, build Knights, using them
only to smash the enemy Battering Rams; let the Archers kill
everything else. You should just barely be able to withstand
their attack, but thereafter can upgrade the Towers and build up
enough force to establish a comfortable defense.

During all of this excitement, ferry two Villagers and a Light
Cavalryman north across the river. Send them to build a
second base in the northwest. Next, mine the gold and stone
there as fast as you can. The Chinese will attack once they
detect you there, so you also must build up a sizable army
quickly.

Build at least two Town Centers in the north; construct one
between the two Berry Patches. Start creating Miners and
Builders. In general, you must build only military and gathering
structures here. Make structures such as the Blacksmith

and the University on your island, where they're safer. Be sure
to build a Castle and an army as soon as you can to deal
with intruding Chinese. Whatever you do, don't attack the Hsi
Hsia Outposts until you're ready to do full-scale battle.

Your initial thrust should be against the Jin. They have a
formidable navy, so you must build one of your own to protect
any Transports you send. Once you defeat their initial navy,
they dispute the sea no further. However, walls and Guard
Towers protect their island so well, you'll probably need Cannon
Galleons to punch your way through. Water extends all
through this map. About 2two-thirds of the Jin island is within
the range of an Elite Cannon Galleon. A sure-fire strategy
against the Jin is to build about six or eight Elite Cannon
Galleons (protected by normal Galleons) and bombard the enemy
from the sea. Raze towers, kill the troops that come to the
water's edge in an attempt to sink your navy with arrows, and
destroy all buildings on the island that are within range.

Unfortunately, you can't hit the enemy Wonder with your
Galleons; you'll have to land troops to take it out. By the
time
your Cannons finish blasting the Jin, though, they'll offer
little resistance. You should have plenty of time to build a
Castle and a Stable on their island (cover your Villagers with
your navy as they build); make Trebuchets, Mangudai, and
Cavaliers to finish the job.

Once you defeat the Jin, you'll have access to most of the gold
and stone you'll need to conquer the other empires. Soften
up enemy defenses by sending in the navy again. Large and small
rivers reach into most enemy lands, so send a big navy
(including several Galleons) upriver, destroying everything you
see.

Send a few Transports loaded with Villagers and troops to the
end of the main river. It's time to capture the lands west of
the Tangut. Build a base there and capture all of the nearby
stone and gold. For now, stay clear of the Sung lands south of
the river; the Sung horde of Swordsmen is very powerful and you
don't want to deal with them yet. Instead, push east
against the Tangut and Hsi Hsia. It will be a slog, but if you
build mixed forces of fully upgraded units you should have
little trouble.

Deal with the Sung last. Build several Keeps at each crossing to
their domain. Put Archers in the Keeps and build Cavaliers
and Mangudai to defend them. Now, provoke the Sung by raiding
their territory. Their troops should stream toward the
crossings at your Keeps; be sure your navy is on hand to help
pound them into submission.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Genghis 4

Instead of attacking the Khwarazm immediately, accept their
friendship and go after their northern neighbors. It's in this
land that you'll find the resources you ultimately need to smite
the Shah. Don't attack anyone immediately! Your two bases
have enough resources to advance to the Imperial Age. The
Merkids serve as a useful buffer between you and the powerful
Russians. Sit tight. Advance your economy to the Castle Age, at
least; build a large army and wall your western base
against the Russian hordes.

The huge cliff massif running most of the way down the middle of
the map effectively cuts off your western and eastern
bases. Be sure to divide labor efficiently between the two.
Initially, do all wood chopping in the west and all mining in
the east. Use both bases to collect food. Place all military
buildings and troops in your western base, near your initial
enemies.

Another problem is the Shah's fickle affection for you. For the
first twenty-nine minutes, you can retain his good will
simply by keeping your troops out of his city. But at minute
thirty, he'll declare war-unless he receives his "gift"; be
sure he gets it.

You're in no position yet to conduct full-scale war against the
Khwarazm. Instead, you'll be shooting the Russians at your
walls! It's crucial to protect yourself from the Persians by
walling them in. Early on, send two Villagers from your
eastern base south to the Persian gate and cover it with at
least three layers of fortified wall. Then do the same to the
tiny entrance to the east. Purchase the Architecture upgrade to
strengthen these walls still further; then, even with
several War Elephants pounding on them, you'll have time to
prepare.

After fending off the first Russian attacks and assassinating
the Shah, sweep into the Merkid camp. They'll surrender
quickly. Next, send a mix of Mangudai and Light Cavalry,
supported by two or three Siege Onagers, against the Russian
base.
When groups of Infantry approach, stand your ground around the
Onagers. Under your barrage of flaming boulders and arrows,
few enemy units will get to use their swords. Once you wear down
the Russians, build Trebuchets and knock down their Castle
and Barracks. Without these structures, Merkids soon wither and
resign.

The Khwarazm are a far more dangerous opponent. Their Elite
Elephants are virtually unbeatable in battle and the Khwarazm
have the resources to make an awful lot of them. You can win
only if you carefully place and protect several Monks. Build a
large southern fortress, including a Castle and a walled,
towered courtyard. Leave a tiny chink in the courtyard's rear
wall for entry and egress. Build several Stables and Churches in
the rear. Place ten-twelve Monks in the courtyard, along
with the Onagers. Leave the rest of your army outside as bait!

Send a Trebuchet and troops to knock down the Khwarazm western
gate: this provokes them to send countless War Elephants,
Heavy Cavalry Archers, and Paladins to attack. Retreat to your
fortress and start converting! Eventually, you'll have
enough Elephants to go on the offensive. Repeat the process of
walling in your Monks-as far into the Persian town as you
can reach.

This time, include Trebuchets in the courtyard to knock down the
Persian Castle and other buildings. Keep constructing
priestly fire-bases farther and farther eastward until the you
control all of Samarkand.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Genghis 5

Immediately send a Villager south of the nearby stone pile and
build a wall across the canyon. Repeat two or three more
times, as fast as you can. Your goal is to develop fast enough
that you fortify the last two wall lines before enemy
Onagers hit them; otherwise, they'll smash through. Build one
Tower just south of the stone pile-as a defense against the
Germans, not the Poles! Unless you have a counter, the Germans
soon will be firing down at you from the western approach.

You must wall out the Germans, too. Do this at the top of the
long mountain pass. The Germans will attack your
fortifications several times with Battering Rams. This placement
gives you a great deal of warning (the enemy must walk
right past your Tower), allowing you to send Mangudai to defend
against either Poles or Germans, as needed. Build a Tower
behind this northern wall to harass enemy troops.

Meanwhile, build up as fast as you can. Build a Castle and an
army. Be sure to include several Arbalests, which can fire
from Towers. Build Trebuchets to deal with Polish Onagers from
long range. Enemy Siege units immediately recognize it when
you target them and move away. To get around that, target the
ground next to them. Be sure to knock the Onagers off of the
high cliff before you advance. Then head south, building and
filling towers as you go. The Polish army of Paladins will
spend its force on the Towers while your Archers and other units
chew them to ribbons. Use Mangudai to deal with nearby
Onagers.

By the time you conquer them, the Poles will have run out of
gold and stone. You won't find these resources in their land,
so you may run low. Trade food and wood for gold and pursue your
next move: colonizing westward. A group of lost Huskarls
and Monks in the far west will join your army, so send a quick
rider to enlist their aid.

With the added strength of the new recruits, destroy the German
Castle-and-Tower complex in the center of the map. Once
these are gone, you'll have access to a stone pile in the west

and gold and stone in the middle. Beware-the Germans now
come at you in force. You'll have to fight for these resources.
Despite the your lieutenants' predictions, the Bohemian
King Wenceslas should stay put unless you provoke him directly.


Your next challenge is to fight the Germans, represented by the
Teuton civilization. Use several Mangudai, supported by
Heavy Cavalry and Towers, to defeat their Teutonic Knights and
Battering Rams. This will leave you free to mine stone and
gold in peace for a while. Once your resource levels have
recovered, finish off the weakened Germans using Trebuchets
supported by your riders.

Now you'll have access to the rest of the Germans' unused gold.
It is time to gird yourself against the Bohemians! Theirs
is a mighty army, not easily defeated in melee combat. You must
build a system of fortifications and lure them to attack
it. Build three Castles in the flagged area and place Towers and
walls in front of them. Leave only a small open entrance
(also called the "killing zone") to this complex. Man the Towers
with Archers. Build lots of Heavy Camels, Cavaliers, and
Mangudai. Place Trebuchets in the rear to attack their enemy
counterparts. Now you're ready for battle! Send a single rider
north to lure the Bohemian down and watch the spectacle.

The enemy first sends in masses of Paladins. You'll shoot down
most of them. Siege Onagers, which arrive in a large group
with about ten Siege Rams, are more of a threat. Attack as best
you can with your Mangudai and Cavaliers, handling the
Onagers first. With luck, you'll lose only one Castle to the
Battering Rams. The good news at this point is that the
Bohemian is largely finished; you need only rebuild your
Castle(s) and go knock down theirs. The bad news is that Keeps
and
Bombard Towers defend the enemy base. The key to your assault is
the massive Trebuchet, which outranges all other land
weapons. Inch your Trebuchets forward just enough to get in
range of enemy towers; then pull the lanyard. Be ready to
retreat your Trebuchets quickly! Use Mangudai and Cavaliers to
blunt enemy counterattacks and you'll escape the worst.
Tighten the noose around the Bohemians inch by inch until
they're weak enough for your forces to destroy.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Genghis 6

About five minutes into the scenario, the Hungarians
(represented by the Teuton civilization) send in a force of
Paladins,
Teutonic Knights, Scorpions, and Archers. These "invaders"
immediately set upon your outer works, destroying all of your
Towers one by one until they reach your Town Center where they
plan to wipe you out.

Your first impulse may be to send in your whole force. Don't.
Any troops you send in will blow up along with the enemy when
your Saboteurs attack. Instead, let the Saboteurs do their work
alone for a bit. The other side clusters Knights around
Towers when attacking them. When it does this, send in a
Saboteur or two. The resulting blast damages all troops in a
small
radius. In this manner, with two Saboteurs you can often take
out as many as five Teutonic Knights and Paladins. Not bad!
You have ten Saboteurs, quite enough to tear the heart out of
attack. Afterward, send in all of your Cavalry to mop up any
remaining enemy troops.

The carnage will discourage the Hungarians. Aside from a few
halfhearted attacks, they'll stick to their heavily fortified
Castle. You must build a powerful economy and army to root them
out of this den. Build a massive horde of about forty fully
upgraded Cavaliers and Mangudai, several Monks for healing
purposes, four Siege Onagers, and at least eight Trebuchets to
knock down the Hungarian fortress. Your population limit is
seventy-five, so consider building large numbers of Villagers
at the beginning to gather resources, and then killing some of
them to make room for more military units. Try to reach your
population cap by minute forty, when Subotai arrives. If you do,
his force will push you way over the population limit.

Because the Hungarians have switched to a Wonder strategy, you
must take them out much faster than you'd like. Their strong
defensive capabilities make this that much harder. Any head-on
attack will fail miserably. Don't try to cross the bridge
(the Hungarians will blow it up soon). Instead, take a
roundabout route across the shallows.

Set up all eight Trebuchets-two to fire over the woods at enemy
Towers and six to defend the two. The Hungarians are fond
of using Trebuchets of their own for counterbattery fire. Once
the Towers are down, withdraw the Trebuchets and use the
Siege Onagers to cut a path through the woods. This path will
become your first killing zone. Set your Siege Onagers to
fire at the ground in the path and position the rest of your
troops around the Onagers, standing their ground. Now send a
lone rider through this hail of fire to lure the Hungarians to
your army. Slaughter, advance, and repeat, using Hungarian
gate openings as future killing zones.

Frederick 1

Use all of your food to create new Villagers. Send each
Villager, escorted by a military unit, to the edge of your
small
central island. Search for the four crossings to the rest of the
map. As you find them, immediately wall them. As your new
Villagers are made, send them to help until all four barriers
are constructed. Then send everyone back to the Town Center
to gather resources.

Build a balanced economy as fast as you can. As soon as you have
several Archers, attack the clamoring enemy troops
pounding on your walls. Focus on one wall at a time, sending
enough troops there to wipe out the enemy. If the Archers
don't destroy the enemy, at least they will keep the enemy
troops busy while several Villagers build a tower. As you
complete each tower, garrison an Archer or two and move on. Once
the towers are up, add a Mangonel to each crossing to
prevent the inevitable Battering Ram attacks.

Now that your crossings are secure, advance your economy to the
Imperial Age and destroy your opponents one by one. When
you have enough resources, begin building Knights, Teutonic
Knights, and Cannoneers. Mine lots of stone; your enemies will
send endless swarms of Knights, Swordsmen, Scorpions, and
Mangonels against you. The stone is for your overall offensive
strategy: several towers filled with Archers.

By this time, your enemies' energy is dropping. They have seen
their best and brightest slaughtered by your fortified
Towers. Build an army of Knights, Teutonic Knights, and
Battering Rams and quickly bring them to their knees. Use the
Knights to quickly attack dangerous siege weapons, and use the
Teutonic Knights against all other troops. Let the Knights
run wild against enemy Villagers. As you destroy each kingdom's
Castle, Town Center, and Villagers, it will resign. Destroy
enemy churches to reveal the relics inside. To win, you must
have six different Monks holding one relic apiece. Bring them
back to your original church, but leave each Monk and relic
standing outside of the church.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Frederick 2

First, send your Scout to survey Henry's lands. You can see them
now-while he is allied-but when he turns on you, they will
darken unless you explore them beforehand. Spend your initial
shipment of gold on Knights, several Battering Rams, Teutonic
Knights, and Crossbowmen. You'll have just enough time to
campaign against the Polish Castle in the northwest before the
traitor strikes. March north and lay waste to the lightly
guarded Castle.

At the Polish Castle, defend your Battering Rams from Infantry
attack. Use your Cavalry to smite down Polish Onagers before
they savage your army. You'll suffer moderate casualties, but
most only wounded. When Henry initiates his betrayal, do not
throw these soldiers into the fight against him; instead, heal
them inside your Castle and build a wholly new force (using
your next supply shipment) to blunt Henry's initial attack.

Henry attacks with a mix of Teutonic Knights, Swordsmen, and
Battering Rams. Several unit mixes can stop him, but be sure
to include lots of Teutonic Knights and Archers in your army.
Upgrade these units before sending them into battle. Amass a
large force before counterattacking, but do not dally too long;
Henry's Battering Rams will eventually knock down your
houses. If this happens you're in trouble because you have no
way to make more. Once your "Army of the North" is healed,
add it to the fray and concentrate on knocking down Henry's
Castle. "The Lion" will quickly cower when the castle falls.

With Henry's surrender, you can knock down the walls, imprison
his captured Villagers, and use them yourself. Now your
immediate goals are to defend Saxony and Bavaria from the
attacking Poles while building up your economy. Send a ten-unit
mix of Teutonic Knights, Cavalry, and Archers to the border
shallows of each of your counties; this is enough to stop any
Polish incursions. These blockades allow you to focus on
upgrades, more troops, and a navy.

A navy will be of great help in conquering Poland; rivers lead
to both of the enemy Castles, so build a force of Cannon
Galleons and lay waste to them. This may be a challenge because
the Poles like to build Onagers. However, it will allow you
to avoid a long, slogging match against the Polish Huskarls. If
the Poles still don't surrender, instruct your navy to
destroy everything within range of the water and send an army to
take out the northern siege workshop. Send Cavalry to wipe
out any Onagers you find.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Frederick 3

The best initial strategy is to send your force of Priests and
Spearmen on a quick mission to steal Cremali Villagers, then
stay out of the line of fire. Head down the coast until you
reach the Cremali stone-mining operation. Set all units on
no-attack to prevent them from blowing your cover. Use Monks to
convert no more than two Villagers. Next bring everyone
back to your base to start making a Town Center. Meanwhile, send
a few War Galleys to help defend the Garcona dock from the
river patrol.

The Cremali will eventually start attacking you. Quickly build a
Blacksmith and upgrade your Spearmen's armor. If you are
attacked, retreat your forces to the Garcona and then sit back
and watch them fight. Using this technique, you can
eventually coax your ally's troops close enough to your town to
protect it so that you can concentrate on economic
development. The Garcona will usually smash Crema with no help
from you whatsoever. While you build up, the river patrol
will pose a greater danger with their endless naval harassment.
As soon as possible, build two Keeps and put some
Cannoneers inside to keep the coast clear. By the time you start
running low on gold, the Cremali field in the east should
be liberated. Use this gold to reach the Imperial Age; then
consider how best to overcome Milan.

Although a slow advance such as this has its own appeal, it is
not the most fun or elegant way to win the scenario.
Instead, after fending off the first big Milanese attack, finish
it in style! After ramming through Milan's northern gate,
send in about twelve fully-upgraded Cannoneers, four Teutonic
Knights, and three Monks, each in their own group. Rush
straight up to the cathedral plateau, swerving to avoid Onager
blasts. Only stop to shoot units close enough to block your
path. Cannoneers really mow down most units that get in their
way! Once at the cathedral, position your Cannoneers next to
the barracks so they can cut down any new Swordsmen the Milanese
make. Place the Knights to block the path up the plateau
and start converting the cathedral.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Frederick 4

Your top priority from the beginning must be Towers and the
stone to make them. To protect your small fishing fleet and the
food it brings in, focus on fortifying the river mouth. Have two
Villagers immediately build no fewer than three Towers and
send all your Mangonels and War Galleys to back them up. This
little fortress should be enough to beat off the Venetian
attack.

Meanwhile, split your remaining Villagers into two groups. Have
one construct a Town Center next to the southern stone pile
and have the other build houses furiously. You can't build any
new units until you rebuild all of the houses lost in the
initial defeat. You have plenty of wood and food, so concentrate
on getting the gold and (especially) stone flowing.

Your starting army is strong enough to protect you for awhile
from the rampaging Paduan Teutonic Knights and Cavaliers.
Begin training Crossbowmen and staffing a line of Towers running
east-west below the river as soon as possible. Although
the more northerly shallows are usually strong places to defend,
in this case the Venetian navy makes the task impossible.
Build a church and Monks early; you'll need them for converting
and healing. As you grow more secure, increase your food
and wood operations. Train Cannoneers and Cannon Galleys and be
sure to build a Castle. The Paduan is skilled at siege
operations, so your Cavalry must be vigilant against Trebuchet
and (later) Bombard Cannon attacks. Prepare to ride hard at
the enemy before they knock down your Towers.

The only way to win is by land, although you shouldn't hesitate
to use your navy for defense and for limited attacks
against the resource-rich southern islands. Pursue all army
upgrades, including Elite Teutonic Knight and Paladin, in order
to drive the aggressive Paduans and "born-again traitor" Henry
the Lion back across the western plains. This constraint
puts you in a double bind because there isn't enough gold in
your single pile to adequately outfit the Emperor's army.
Therefore, you must brave the seas and commit yourself to a
two-front war in search of gold.

If you decide to land on the far northeastern peninsula, send
Transports counterclockwise along the edge of the map and
avoid Venetian patrols. Send a sizable force with your
Villagers; you'll encounter resistance soon after landing
because
this is the Paduan's front yard. Build another Castle and Tower
network (again, set back from the sea; the Venetian navy
cannot be trifled with). Staff it with deadly hand Cannoneers.
These Towers, backed up by Paladins, will bleed the Paduan
dry, though it won't come easily. To mine the massive gold pile,
you must build either Bombard Towers or Cannons and stand
toe-to-toe with the Venetian navy. Either way, you must spend a
lot of resources to get the job done.

Alternatively, attack the two southern islands for their gold
and stone. The stone island is relatively easy to capture-a
lone Trebuchet can knock down its Tower. The much-needed gold is
harder to get, though. The Venetian navy and a force of
Bombard Cannons guard the Castle. It requires several attack
waves to take. First, send a force of Paladins to kill the
Bombard Cannons. Do not try to retreat the Paladins after their
mission is complete. Next, send upgraded Battering Rams to
knock down the Castle and Towers. The Venetian Cannon Galleons
will make short work of the Battering Rams unless you
establish local (and very temporary) sea control. Send about
eight Cannon Galleons along and keep them clear of the
island's Towers. Curiously, once all of the island's
fortifications are gone, the Venetians trouble you no more in
this
area. Send a several Villagers to collect its gold.

With this gold and stone, you can finally move north from your
southwestern base to drive Henry the Lion, the Paduans, and
the Veronese back and eventually capture many resources. Prepare
a massive force of Paladins, Teutonic Knights, and
Cannoneers (deployed in Towers). Use them all to protect your
several Trebuchets. Also create a few Onagers to combat the
Veronese Cannoneers. By the time you reach the top of the
western plain, your enemies' troops will be shattered.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Frederick 5

You must cross the Sea of Marmara to Turkey either from
Constantinople or from Gallipoli. The obvious choice seems to
be
Constantinople. The Emperor of Byzantium is your ally and his
powerful navy would be of great help in getting past the
Saracen naval blockade, but the Emperor is fickle and will chase
you from the city gates. This may make Gallipoli look more
attractive as a departure point, but the Saracen naval blockade
of Gallipoli is too formidable to run, as you will discover
by having your army sunk several times if you try this approach.
Therefore, the best route does, in fact, lie through
Constantinople; storm the city so that its navy will transport
you.

Several challenges lie between you and the city. Begin by
organizing your troops well. Put Crossbowmen and Pikemen in one
group and place them in a staggered formation so that an errant
Onager shot doesn't kill twenty men. Next, make individual
groups of Paladins and Teutonic Knights, giving the Knights the
same formation (Paladins are agile enough to leave out of
formation). Create one last group out of everyone else. You
won't use this grouping in battle, but it's an easy way to get
the rest of your army to march. Use a Scout to check what's
ahead while the army follows. If you detect a threat, engage it
with the group or individual units that can best handle it.
Sometimes, when handling mixed forces, multiple groups must
engage the enemy; ensure that your units face off against their
intended targets. When fights do not go as planned, don't
hesitate to retreat. Perhaps you can set up a trap for the enemy
with the rest of your army.

A lone Saracen Galley blocks the river crossing; demolish this
with Trebuchets. Across the river are greater dangers. Your
Scouts should retreat from the Saracen ambush without serious
loss, but destroying it is difficult. Most encounters with
the four Elite Mamelukes draw the entire Saracen army of
Mamelukes, Heavy Camels, and Siege Onagers into a larger
conflict.
Destroy each successive wave quickly before reinforcements
arrive. Hit the Mamelukes with your Archers and Pikemen, then
retreat them to be healed while your Teutonic Knights (backed by
Archers) take on a wave of Heavy Camels. Finally, send
your Paladins to dodge and weave their way to the approaching
Siege Onagers. During all of this action, periodically send a
Trebuchet (whose line of sight is fantastic) reasonably close to
the front lines to use it as an early warning radar;
retreat it whenever the enemy gets close. Once you have wiped
out the Saracen army, it's easy to use your Trebuchets to
destroy their Castle.

Now, assault Constantinople. The city is ringed by Bombard
Towers and has two strong gates, but these are easily destroyed
by your Trebuchets. As you fire upon them, the Byzantines rally
forth, sometimes with Elite Cataphracts, sometimes with
Siege Onagers. One attack, in which both of these units approach
simultaneously, is particularly difficult to endure
without loss. The solution is to retreat your entire army. The
Cataphracts will leave the slow Onagers behind. Use your
Pikemen and Teutonic Knights to dispose of the Cataphracts,
retreating away just as the Onagers catch up to their fallen
horsemen. Follow by sending in a few Paladins to smash the
enemy's forlorn siege.

Once you've destroyed Constantinople's defenses, lob a few
Trebuchet rounds at the Hagia Sophia Wonder to make the
Byzantine Emperor see his error. He presents you with a large
navy including several Transports for your use. However, at
this point the navy is in grave danger, along with any
aspirations that you have of crossing the Sea of Marmara;
within
seconds, an immense Saracen fleet sails in to destroy it.

Your only hope is to use your army to support your new navy.
Immediately position Siege Onagers and Trebuchets at the
northeastern walls of the city. Move the warships into the outer
harbor where they'll be protected by your siege weapons.
Spread them out; the deadliest weapon the enemy possesses is the
Heavy Demolition Ship. Finally, move your Monks and a
small force of Paladins (acting as cannon fodder) to the wall.
Use all of these forces to sink or convert as many ships as
you can. Concentrate on fire and demolition ships. Though you'll
take heavy damage, with luck you can save one or two
Transports, which are enough to get you to the eastern landing
area. Ferry all of your remaining troops there and begin the
long journey to the Hospitaller camp.

From this point onward, you must protect your remaining
Trebuchets. You'll continually encounter mounted Archers,
fortifications, or Bombard Cannons. If you bumble into these
engagements, you will suffer crippling losses. It is crucial
to use Trebuchets as your eyes, stopping to assess the latest
threat and figure out which of your remaining troops can best
handle it. This brings up a technique for easily destroying many
threats: using the Trebuchet as a long-distance,
undetectable artillery piece. Due to a limitation of the
computer opponent's intelligence, Trebuchets can fire on enemy
units without being detected as long as they are out of the
enemy unit's line of sight. This makes it easy, although
tedious, to pound your enemies without suffering a scratch. To
do this, don't right-click on the enemy unit; it will be
alerted to your attack and move. Instead, set your Trebuchet to
Area attack the region occupied by the enemy unit. If you
are down to your last ten units, you can often finish the march
by shooting as many enemies from long range as possible
while avoiding or killing enemy Trebuchets with your other
units.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Frederick 6

You must first break through the fortifications of Saladin and
Damascus. With Barbarossa's death, you are not seen as a
threat and are free to set up your attack until (ten minutes
later) your enemies get wise. Pay attention to how long it
takes to produce each unit and the buildings required for
training them.

The Damascene camp must be the focus of your attack. Although
it's possible to punch through the rear camp wall and push on
through to Jerusalem, this is quite risky because the Damascenes
will pursue. You will have no easy way to fortify your
isolated armies and a lucky siege shot could obliterate the
Emperor's body. Leave the Emperor's body tucked away in the
northern oasis of your camp and plan on obliterating the
Damascenes; then use their camp as a forward base to overcome
the
remaining defenders of Jerusalem. Only when the path is cleared
will you escort the Emperor's body in stately grace to the
Dome of the Rock.

Destroy the several Damascene siege weapons scattered throughout
the compound. Position a Paladin or two next to each and
the enemy will automatically attack when alliances change. The
Damascenes have Paladins of their own; to defeat them (and
as an added weapon against Elephants) place your Pikemen in the
middle of the complex. You'll need several siege units of
your own to destroy the front gate (allowing your reinforcements
to enter), the back wall, and the enemy Castle. Build
several Capped Battering Rams and Trebuchets and enclose the
Trebuchets in their own wall within range of the Castle. It is
worthwhile to build a Castle of your own filled with Archers
close to the back wall of the compound; these will wear down
his units. As soon as the Castle is constructed, start training
Teutonic Knights at your Castle. Build several Keep Towers,
both for the elephants to chew on and to cut down enemy
Villagers. Have a few Villagers of your own in the enemy camp to
do
repair work. Don't forget that all of these units and structures
will need to be upgraded to have a chance of victory.

Now that you know which units to make, consider all of the
buildings necessary to construct and upgrade them. You can
build
almost all of these in your camp and still reach attack
positions in time. Produce Villagers to help you get all of
this
building done. Don't bother with resource gathering except for
some gold. It is a good idea to build an upgraded wall
around your camp; Saladin will attack it later. As the minutes
tick down and tension mounts, focus less on your base and
more on theirs-positioning your units is really critical!

At zero hour, the action will quickly desolve into a bloody
chaos that you cannot fully control. Focus your will on two
goals: turning Elephants and destroying the Damascene Castle and
the Trebuchets he will make there. Immediately put your
own Trebuchets to work on the enemy Castle and destroy his
initial siege units so that these efforts will not be hindered.
Then click one-by-one on your Monks and have them convert
Elephants. With the rest of your time, use your other units to
kill enemy Monks and prevent his Elephants from knocking down
the wall to your Monks. If you have a few seconds left over
from these crucial maneuverings, set your Battering Rams to work
destroying the walls or his buildings, but keep them away
from his units!

After a really nasty fight, you'll own the Damascene base. Now
secure it from the impending Saracen counterattacks. Build
Towers on the periphery and fill them with Archers. After
healing your forces (including the Elephants), you are ready to
head south. Your major opposition in this phase comes from
Saracen Mamelukes, Archers (including Saladin's cursed Archers
of the Eyes), and Onagers. Your Paladins, Teutonic Knights, and
Elephants shouldn't have too much trouble rolling over
them, especially if you periodically construct Archer-filled
Towers to consolidate your gains. Put your Villagers to work
in your base to build a strong economy. Your initial resources
will run out soon; use the new resources to fully upgrade
all of your units.

When you have destroyed Saladin's forest of tents, head slightly
southeast and destroy all of his military buildings and
Town Center. This provides a staging area for the final attack
on Jerusalem. Now you encounter forces more difficult to
handle; swarms of Horse Archers backed by Monks sweep in from
the west. If you send Paladins to slice them apart, the enemy
Monks will convert many of them. Use Monks (guarded by the rest
of the army) to show the Horse Archers the error of their
ways. You can often assign several Monks to convert the enemy
while still more heal them from behind. When you have
converted enough Horse Archers, have them shoot down their old
compatriots-especially the Monks.

Using this strategy, you can easily reach the northern wall of
Jerusalem. Punch through it with Battering Rams and
Trebuchets and send in a horde of Teutonic Horse Archers to deal
with the enemy Monks inside. Monitor your troops so that
they do not accidentally knock down the Dome of the Rock. When
the city is stripped of defenders, set up a solemn victory
march-you deserve it for having gotten this far! Line the route
of the Emperor's cart with your cheering troops and deliver
him to heaven.

Saladin 1

When you reach the map's southern edge, Egypt decides you are
untrustworthy. The Franks and traitorous Egyptians form an
alliance against you. While you are engaged with the Franks, the
Egyptians send troops to their aid. The Egyptian aid
consists of Elite Mamelukes, Archers, and Camels.

A Frank Cannon Galley floats near a small island as you approach
the gates of Cairo. The moment any of your units get near
the Galley, it defects to your side. Use this Galley to destroy
the Blacksmith on the island as quickly as possible. After
the Blacksmith is destroyed, you gain the Chain Barding Armor
upgrade. This upgrade gives your Mamelukes, Camels, and Light
Cavalry an additional point of piercing and normal armor. You
need to destroy all of the west Frank's buildings and troops
to accomplish your first objective.

Your second objective, established when Egypt turns on you, is
to bring your troops to the Mosque in Cairo. Use the newly
acquired Cannon Galley to destroy the Egyptian Tower guarding
the gate and the gate itself. Before entering the city with
your troops, set your diplomatic stance with Egypt to Neutral so
your units don't preoccupy themselves with attacking the
buildings. You're not here to conquer, but to rescue Cairo from
the European infidels and the coward who is ruling Cairo.
Once inside the city, send a few fast-moving Scouts to the
Mosque. Don't attack any Egyptian units in Cairo and avoid the
Castle and the Towers at all costs.

Upon reaching the Gate to the Mosque, Egypt once again allies
with you. A nearby Egyptian Monk heals your troops. When your
troops are healed and ready for battle, move out of the eastern
gate and prepare to fight. Between your troops and the
targeted Town Center stands a line of Frank Towers. Once you
attack a Tower, the Franks send a fairly small force to
counterattack, which is easily destroyed. Send one Cavalry
Archer to provoke the counterattack and lure the forces back to
your army. After each battle, reduce your losses by healing your
troops with the Egyptian Monk near the Mosque.

Near the Town Center you find eleven Pikemen, four Crossbowmen,
a Monk, a Knight, and two Onagers. Once your troops are
completely healed, charge in. Attempt to use your Light Cavalry
on the enemy Monk and the four Crossbowmen, your Camels on
the remaining Knight and Onagers, and your Mamelukes, Cavalry
Archers, and Infantry on the Pikemen. Remember not to let the
Pikemen close in on any of the mounted units. Using the right
counter units and controlling the battle is the key to an
easy win.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Saladin 2

You begin the scenario with three Light Cavalry. Send one to the
Town Center of your southern ally, Medina, and one to the
Town center of your ally to the north, Aqaba. Help yourself to
the sheep in Medina. Send Camels and one remaining Light
Cavalry east to the road the Trade Carts travel. Have this group
select a Trade Cart to guard. Set these forces to
Defensive stance so they won't leave the cart to give chase to
the enemies.

After you have established a stable food income, start sending
all new Villagers to chop wood. In the area to your east
near the deer, set up a Mill. Next concentrate on building a
Barracks, an Archery Range, and a Blacksmith. Upgrade both
your Archery and Infantry units at the Blacksmith. As your camp
expands, start building military units. The enemy forces
consist mainly of a horde of Archers, a handful of Skirmishers,
and one Ram from the Raiders. Fifteen Skirmishers and five
Spearmen should be a safe and adequate defense against them.
Build the Spearmen without delay. Beware of enemy Knights that
occasionally wander into your town. A single Knight can destroy
many Skirmishers.

If an ally loses a Town Center, the scenario is lost. Research
Cartography so you can keep an eye on your allies.

With quick preparations, you'll be ready when the Raiders attack
your town. If you're prepared before they attack, take the
battle to them. When the enemy troops are destroyed, park your
remaining units in front of the Raiders' gate. One at a
time, Archers and Scouts will emerge to face you and die
miserably.

During all of these preparations and battles, continue building
military units and Villagers. When you hit a population of
approximately fifty or sixty units, advance to the Castle Age.
Upgrade your existing army by researching the Pikemen and
Elite Skirmisher upgrades. Remember to research the armor and
attack upgrades for your military at the Blacksmith. Build a
Siege Workshop and a few Battering Rams. You should now be able
to easily rid your island of all enemies.

Begin the destruction of the Raiders' town. The Raiders will
resign after you have taken out a good portion of their
buildings. You also must contend with some Knights and
Crossbowmen stationed around the island by Reynald's Bandits,
but
your forces should be more than adequate to rid your island of
their presence. To head off raids by Pirates, build defenses
at your town. Most raids consist of Paladins and siege weapons.
Counter with Monks, Pikemen, and/or Mamelukes; concentrate
on using Mamelukes, because they are an all-around good unit if
you can muster an adequately large group of them.

Proceed westward to the center island. You find a crossing that
you can access from inside the town of Aqaba. Several gold
piles are on this island, including one guarded by the red enemy
at the edge of the map. You'll also find a large pile of
stone here. Destroy the houses, Tower, and dock that lie on the
southern part of this island. Be attentive; a few random
Paladins still run about. Build Barracks on this island and
train fully upgraded Pikemen-the Pirates have many Paladins on
the next island to the west. If you choose to concentrate on
Mamelukes rather than Pikemen, bring them over the crossing
from your initial island. Do not use Camels to fight the
Paladins! One Paladin can destroy one Camel: a losing battle.

Build a dock with healthy defenses on the west side of the
center island. You'll need two or more Transports for the ferry
operation to the far western island. Land a huge group of either
Pikemen or Mamelukes on the Pirates' southern shore.
Shortly after you land, Paladins and Onagers swarm you. As your
units die, keep building new ones and be ready to send over
a second wave. This group should take care of the bulk of the
Raiders' army. When you have cleared an area and are no
longer being overwhelmed by the enemy, bring Villagers in and
erect military buildings and defenses on the southern end of
this last island. Reynald has a Castle in the main part of his
town. Two or three Battering Rams with support can take care
of it easily. In order to complete the scenario, you must
maintain a constant pressure on the Pirates.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Saladin 3

Double up on Palisades by your Barracks in the southern camp to
stave off any attacks until a bit later in the game. Just
as you start to pick up steam, Jerusalem attacks with Knights
and Spearmen. If your northern camp is attacked, you have
plenty of troops to fight back. However, in case the other camp
is targeted, prepare Spearmen in the south. Remember to get
economic upgrades and infantry upgrades at the Blacksmith as
soon as you can. When this is done, upgrade to Castle Age.

After the initial wave of the Jerusalem Knights and Spearmen,
the other three enemy factions keep the troops at your
northern camp busy. Jerusalem now concentrates on your southern
camp, which the British also attack occasionally with siege
units and Crossbowmen. A force of approximately fifteen troops
consisting of Swordsmen, Skirmishers, Light Cavalry, and
Crossbowmen keep this camp fairly safe. A Monk's healing power
is helpful, too.

Concentrate on your northern camp. Move the woodcutters to the
forest at the north side of the map and use Palisades to
wall in the area. Keep a force of Light Cavalry, Pikemen, and
Crossbowmen on hand to deal with the invading forces.

When you have amassed an army consisting of Pikemen,
Skirmishers, Light Cavalry, Infantry, Crossbowmen, Camels, and
several
Monks, head southwest and take the Piece of the Cross from the
Crusaders. A variety of enemy troops await you, so prepare a
wide range of units for this force. Priests hiding behind a
double layer of Palisades will convert some of your troops.
Attack the Palisades relentlessly with a few units while the
majority of your army holds off other attackers.

Use your Monks to convert as many enemies as possible while
keeping your troops healed. At the same time, do not allow your
camps to be overrun. It would be a shame to make the long
journey back to your northern camp with the hard-earned relic,
only to be greeted by a large enemy force intent on recovering
it. Use the box formation to protect the Monk carrying the
relic. Once the Piece of the Cross arrives in the square between
the Horns of Hattin, you are victorious.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Saladin 4

Start by building a Town Center near the gold and forest just
east of your troops. You have a sufficient military to hold
off the initial attacks, so concentrate on building a strong
economy. You'll find scattered herds of sheep all around you.
Send your Light Cavalry out in a wide semicircle to collect them
for your initial food source. When you are done with the
sheep, you can hunt pockets of nearby deer. Finally, when the
natural food supplies have been depleted, fall back on
farming. Use one of your starting Villagers to build a house,
then find the stone pile to your northwest and build another
Town Center near the stone and forest there. When you have about
five Villagers, build a Castle to protect your town. Also
erect a few Towers to support it.

Concentrate on upgrading your economy, but don't skimp on the
military upgrades. Cavalry armor, Cavalry attack, missile
range, ballistics, and building upgrades that benefit your
towers and Castle are also important. Until you have trained
Monks, use your Castle to garrison military for healing
purposes. Keep your Archers of the Eyes garrisoned in the Castle
to
increase your Castle attack; this will keep your town fairly
safe from aggressors. When you can afford to do so, advance to
the Imperial Age.

When you reach Imperial Age, concentrate on training fully
upgraded Elite Mamelukes. Build up a force of twenty or more
Elite Mamelukes. Also make a few Monks for healing the Mamelukes
and build a Trebuchet to destroy the two towers of
Jerusalem closest to you and to knock a hole in the wall so your
Mamelukes can enter Jerusalem. The Elite Mamelukes can
handle anything the enemy throws at them if you heal them
between fights by heading back to your Monks. Keep your Monks
stationed safely in your town.

Slowly move your Trebuchet forward; guard it with Mamelukes. Use
the Trebuchet to wipe out the Towers and put a hole in the
wall. Once there is a hole in the wall, change your diplomatic
stance for Jerusalem to Neutral. You don't want any units
attacking a Monastery or the Dome of the Rock by accident and
the Neutral alliance will prevent them from doing this. You
can use your Trebuchet to take out the remaining Towers, but be
extremely careful with the Tower built right next to one of
the monasteries. Trebuchets aren't always accurate and it would
be unfortunate to lose the scenario at this point because
of a stray shot. Either way, the Towers should fall quickly to
your army and victory will be yours.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Saladin 5

Once more, it is imperative to act quickly to start your economy
growing. The scenario calls for fishing and lots of
farming. Build a Town Center near the stone and wood just
outside of your east wall. Farm inside the walls around your
original Town Center and use Fishing Ships to boost food
production. Build walls around your exterior base in
preparation
for the attacks that are about to begin. Gold is scarce at the
beginning of the scenario, so assign a few Villagers to mine
gold in the first few minutes. Your defenses will be greatly
bolstered by Monks; use them to convert enemy Knights.
Tiberias, Tyre, and Tripoli Guards will all send raiding parties
at around the ten-minute mark. Upgrade your attack and
Cavalry armor at the Blacksmith to prepare for them. By the time
the attackers arrive, you must have five or more Camels
waiting for them.

After surviving the initial onslaught, continue to build your
economy and advance to the Imperial Age. Don't be found
guilty of neglecting your defenses, or you'll pay for it with
your life! Tyre is preparing to send a fleet your way, so
when you have wood to spare, use it to build warships. Make good
use of your Galleys, which attack twenty percent faster.
Your most dangerous naval enemy is the Fire Ship. To ensure a
well-rounded navy, add Demolition Ships to the mix.

When you advance to the Imperial Age, research the Elite Cannon
Galleon. Use these powerful ships to bombard first Tyre,
then Ascalon. As your navy finishes this task, start training
Elite Mamelukes and a few Trebuchets. You won't have much
time left to destroy Ascalon's Wonder. Use your Cannon Galleons
to attack the Towers within range of the water and the
Trebuchets to clear those that will interfere and are out of the
Galleons' range. Slowly advance the Trebuchets to destroy
the Wonder. Finish off Ascalon by killing his three Villagers.

If Tyre is still offering resistance, it will be easy to crush
him once the Wonder is destroyed. Load Transports with the
rest of your army. Send the remainder of your navy to accompany
the Transports and make a beachhead on his island. Defend
your Trebuchets with Mamelukes. Destroy any remaining towers
with your Trebuchets. Once the Towers are down, mop up all
remaining Villagers, troops, and buildings. To effect his
resignation and end the scenario, destroy the dock that stands
on
a small island to the west.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Saladin 6

You begin with a walled city, several Villagers, and a small
amount of resources. As the scenario starts, your first
impulse may be to Scout the map. This is usually a good
instinct-one that should be followed in nearly every situation.
However, if you're playing this game on Hard or Hardest setting,
you really don't have time to do that. The troops are out
there waiting for you to build your Wonder. If you build it,
they will come!

You have a few immediate goals-things that must be started
within the first twenty seconds or so. Move four of the
Villagers that start near your Town Center outside of your
walls. Send one of them to each gap and wall it off with gates.
Build a Town Center with your Villagers near the gold and stone
mine at the southwest corner of your town. Start fishing
with your Fishing Ships near your docks. Move your troops out of
the city so they can defend your new outer perimeter. Move
your navy down to the southeast and around the corner to guard
the narrow strip of land that enters your city.

This scenario is all about walling out the enemies. Once you've
walled every possible entrance to your area, start several
farms; you need the food to create a large economy quickly.
Place a lumber yard near your Town Center by the trees there.
You'll need lots of lumber, so assign a few Villagers to chop
wood. Also, as soon as you have the first layer of gates and
walls erected, build a Trebuchet in your uppermost Castle.
You're going to need several, but only one or two for the first
ten minutes or so will do.

Delete a small section of the wall that borders the sea near
your gold and stone mines. Pop a Villager out of the hole and
have him build a dock. The extra food provided by four or five
Fishing Ships will help you quickly establish a military.
Also, near your gold and stone, erect a second Town Center; this
will help you build Villagers more quickly. You'll need
many Villagers to gather resources and to create the Wonder.

Once you've assigned all of your Villagers and Fishing Ships to
their tasks, finish walling the several entrances to your
town. There are five choke points you must wall. Don't forget
any of them-the enemy is quick to exploit any openings you
neglect. Don't settle for a single layer of wall. Keep walling
over and over again. Put five gates in a row wherever
possible. You're just trying to buy time, so the thicker the
walls and gates, the better. Gates are better than walls in
this scenario because you'll need to sally out with Knights or
other Battering Ram killing units.

Don't get too many military upgrades at first. As soon as you've
successfully walled yourself in, start building
Trebuchets; you need three or four. Watch for enemy attacks and
counter from a distance with the Trebuchets. Remember to
use the [T] Attack Ground command for better targeting.

Now begin saving wood, stone, and gold. The sooner you can get
your Wonder going, the less time the enemies have to build
up troops. Delete a house or two to make room to construct your
Wonder and assign as many Villagers as you can afford to
build it.

You'll be under heavy siege, so keep several Villagers gathering
resources. This is a good time to start getting upgrades.
Cavalry units are extremely useful as siege unit counters-don't
forget to create several Knights and upgrade them. Towers
don't seem to fare very well against all the long-range siege
units the enemies throw at you. More than anything else,
continue to wall over and over again in key spots. If you can
build walls six or eight tiles thick, do it. The extra layers
of wall buy you precious minutes you'll need to hold your
Wonder.

By the time your Wonder is completed, you should have at least a
half-dozen Trebuchets, at least ten Knights, and a small
contingent of Elite Mamelukes. Use the Trebuchets to pelt the
enemy Trebuchets and Cannon. Send small groups of Knights out
to hit Battering Rams, then bring them quickly back in to be
healed by your Monks.

Just when it seems the battle is hopeless, your Persian ally
sends you a Transport full of Elephants. The Elephants provide
a much-needed boost to your faltering defenses. Don't expect any
more help from the Persian; there will be none.

As the clock ticks down, you'll be surprised how incredibly long
the 300 years lasts. Wave after wave of attack continues
to pummel your walls. The enemies will probably break through in
several places and start swarming in toward your Wonder.
To help the Wonder last a bit longer, build walls directly
around it. Also make walls at any other choke point or gap in
your city. Make it as difficult as possible for enemy troops to
approach the Wonder.

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