Jihad!

Jihad! is the fifth scenario of the Saladin campaign in Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings. It's loosely based on Saladin's conquest of the remaining Crusader cities prior to the Third Crusade.

Scenario Instructions

 * Starting age: Castle-age-reseach.jpg Castle Age
 * Starting resources:,, ,
 * Population limit: 75
 * Starting units:
 * 3 s
 * 4 s
 * Gaia units: None
 * Enemies: Ascalon (Teutons), Tyre (Byzantines), Tiberias (Persians), Tripoli Guards (Franks)
 * Allies: Hebron (Saracens)

Objectives:

 * Defeat any 2 of the 3 Crusader cities:
 * - Tiberias
 * - Tyre
 * - Ascalon

Hints:

 * Remember: You only need to defeat 2 enemy cities.
 * You can trade with the village of Hebron, as long as it survives.

Strategy
This scenario will require you to build up your economy quickly and mount an attack, while at the same time putting up an effective defense against powerful opponents. You start with a walled city containing all major buildings (except the Castle, University, Monastery, and Siege Workshop), but no military units. Because there is so much to do in a short period of time, it is advisable to change your game speed to slow.

The Tripoli Guard, a band of soldiers that have no city and cannot create units, will be the first enemy civilization to attack you. Their forces include a few Knights, several Crossbowmen, Mangonels, and a Battering Ram. They're not nearly as dangerous as Tyre and Tiberias, but this attack can still cause quite a bit of damage early in the scenario.

Of your three main opponents, Ascalon is perhaps the least threatening. It's located in the south corner of the map and is heavily fortified. Ascalon starts with an impressive army and navy, but they will not create any units making it easy to wear down their forces. However, their three Villagers will begin constructing a Wonder early in the game (shortly before the Tripoli Guard's attack). It's essential to build up quickly and destroy it, as you'll lose if it stands for 350 "years". Ascalon's forces consist of Crossbowmen, Cavaliers, Onagers, Galleons, Heavy Demolition Ships, Fast Fire Ships, and Cannon Galleons.

Tiberias is east of your city and is also heavily fortified. They start in the Castle Age and attack with Knights, Camels, and Battering Rams. They may eventually advance to the Imperial Age and add the occasional Trebuchet. Their first of many attacks will closely follow the Tripoli Guard.

Tyre is north of your city on an island, surrounded by Keeps and Bombard Towers. It will attack you almost exclusively by sea with all types of ships (including Elite Cannon Galleons), though its first attack (shortly following Tiberias) will include Bombard Cannons and Cataphracts as well. Tyre starts in the Imperial Age.

You also have an ally, Hebron, which is northeast of your base. They do not have a military, but will send Trade Carts to your Market. Hebron's key feature is its Market, as you can optionally send your own Trade Carts to it for gold as long as it remains standing. Your enemies generally don't bother attacking Hebron at all.

Defending your city and advancing in age
Create as many Villagers as you can - try to ensure that your Town Center is never idle. Your first priorities are food and wood. Fishing Ships will be helpful at first, but Farms are more reliable as Tyre's warships will soon decimate anything you put in the water. Start mining the stone outside your city once you have enough wood for a Mining Camp, and aim for at least five Villagers on each resource (seven on food and wood), plus a few more to construct buildings. Try to build the University and Monastery sooner rather than later. The Siege Workshop can wait, as you won't need it for quite a while (if ever). Build Castles as soon as you have the stone. Build the first one southwest of your Archery Range, the second northeast of your Market, and the third next to your Docks. Optionally add a fourth one in the south corner of your city, after you've depleted the gold there. Demolish Houses as necessary - remember that one Castle is as good as four Houses.

All this is easier said than done, of course, because you'll soon be under attack from all sides. Create around 3-5 Knights and around 1-3 Camels to counter the first few attacks, concentrating on rams and other siege weapons. You should begin producing military units when you get the message that Ascalon has started building its Wonder. Once your first Castle is up, switch to Mamelukes for your defense. They aren't quite as powerful as Knights, but they make up for it with their anti-cavalry bonus and their ranged attack (allowing them to damage rams from behind your walls). This versatility makes them an ideal choice for this mission. Tyre will soon attack you with its navy, so you'll need some warships of your own. Research the War Galley upgrade and create at least five of them to take out Cannon Galleons.

For defensive technologies your top priorities are Murder Holes, Bodkin Arrow, and Ballistics. Research them strategically as the need arises - the latter two are effective against ships, while the former will help counter melee units that attempt to destroy your Castles. Other defensive technologies (Masonry, Husbandry, and Fortified Wall) are always nice to have, but will need to wait for quite a while because you are pressed for time and resources.

Tiberias will ask for an alliance if the player tributes, but will only become an ally if the player tributes an additional afterwards. Tiberias was actually meant to demand an additional after receiving the first payment, but the second message doesn't appear. Most players choose to finish them off, rather than pay them. If you do plan on getting them on your side, don't tribute at the start, as it will not count as two payments. Doing that will waste the extra. Also, you will have to manually change your stance after they join you.