Valley Forge

Valley Forge is the sixth scenario in Act I: Fire in Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs.

Summary
The scenario starts off with the cinematic "A Cold Winter" in which Amelia Black narrates that after the sucessful victory in the Battles of Saratoga, the colonials suffered heavy losses at Brandywine and Germantown. Because of this, they were forced to camp in the freezing winter at Valley Forge.

At the camp, the men suffered greatly from the cold and lack of resources leading some men to their deaths. Nathaniel Black became very concerned over the camp conditions and devises a plan with General Washington to slip his way through enemy lines to bring back supplies as well as using most of his family fortune to supply the men throughout the winter.

Player

 * American Revolutionaries (Patriots) -

Enemies

 * British (British) - Forces are much more diverse, consists of Grenadiers, Muskeeters, Falconets, and several array of Cavalry.

Primary

 * Build 6 huts inside the camp.
 * Gather.
 * Destroy the British Fort on Barren Hill

Secondary

 * Destroy the Outpost to open up the pass (300xp)
 * Get the Food Wagon back to Valley Forge (200xp)

Strategy
Unlike Crossing the Delaware, the frigid temperatures in this map forces the player not to move their units far from the fire as they take damage from the cold. Players start out in the north of the map near a partially frozen river with Nathaniel Black, General Washington, 7 Colonial Militia, and 3 tents. At the same time, the first objective of building 6 huts in the camp is revealed.

Note: If any unit takes significant damage from the cold, they need to be brought to the campfire to be healed.

Right off, the player should use Nathaniel and General Washington to take down a treasure of one Villager guarded by 3 Black Bears due to the Villager not taking damage from the cold. Crates of resources will lie further out where Colonial Miltia can gather them to build the 6 huts. Small pairs of British troops will attack as the search for resources and treasurse continue and a repetetive process of gathering and returning to base will occur at this point.

After all 6 Huts are completed, a new primary objective of gathering is revealed. There are many different methods of getting Food, one method is by the Baker. The player must carefully explore on the west portion of the map and head south for the Baker in the center of the map. The other baker is further east near the British stronghold and too risky to access. Each Food Wagon will cost and supplies  when brought back at base.

The player should send Nathaniel and Washington to scout towards the center map where a stranded Food Wagon will lay. The wagon must carefully be escorted back to base with Nathaniel and Washington in case a British ambush occurs on the route. More food crates will be found lying around near the center of the map is up to the player on gathering for food. Once the wagon is brought back to base, the secondary objective of the wagon will be completed granting 300 XP and 1000 Food.

Further southwest of the map, a stranded Outpost wagon will lay and if rescued will provide a free Outpost. It is advised the player takes this oppurtunity as it will provide additonal defense at base, fighting off small invading British patrols. The Outpost should be built nearby the camp fire and huts, so the player has strategic advantage from enemy raids on the huts. Around this point, the player will reach 3000 Food from the Food Wagons and nearby Food crates and are met with another new objective.

A Covered Wagon will now be provided to the player and can be placed anywhere in the map as long as its not too close to the central river or British stronghold. As the Town Center is finished being built, the newly aquirred Villagers should strat building a Market, War Hut , Fire Pit , and Trading Post by the nearby Huron or Cree settlement. Nathaniel and Washington should both be grouped with all Colonial Militia and should be moved east towards the center where mores resource crates will lie by an abandoned Mill.

At this point, the player can finally focus on building an economy and growing their colony so they can overwhelm the British settlement later on. There isn't much stratedgy left at this point as all the player needs to do is to amass enough troops to topple the British Fort east on Barren Hill. The player can scout around for any remaining crate resources and task Villagers to gather coin and wood. The goal is to age up to the Industrial Age to acess Falconets as these will help quickly destroy the British Outposts, Barracks, and Fort in Barren Hill.

At this time larger waves of British patrols will attack the settlement although they should be fended off quiete easily from the player's growing war party. The player should task some villagers to do the Holy Dance at the Fire Pit to aquire 1 Medicine Man to heal troops later as they rush Barren Hill. will help Once at least 4 Falconets, 10-15 Colonial Militiia, 12-13 Tomahawks, and at least 10 Kanya Horsemen are amassed together. The war party is now capable to advance and destroy the British Fort. At this point the player should split their very large army into 2 halves, one consitisting of all non artillery units that should be sent up north to flank the British troops up north. While a second half consisting of the Falconets guarded by either Cree Trackers or Huron Mantlets, whichever native settlment is present.

After crossing the river, the first army up north will rather easily defeat the weaker British troops stationed there. The army should then promptly move directly south along the river. Now the second army of Falconets and Native American warriors will need to head directly east to cross the river, the goal for the player being to marge the 2 armies into one colossual force.

Once the 2 forces meet in the central east, the player can immediatly rush the British troops. The size of the player's army will be gargantuan in comparison to the British Longbowmen and Muskeeters. Allowing for easy sweep of the British settlement. The Falconets and Nathaniel's crackshot ability will help take down scores of Longbowmen and other troops. Once the majority of British troops will be wiped out, a few Outposts and the British Fort will remain, these too will quickly be brought down, and once the Fort is demolished the player has completed the scenario.