War Dance (scenario)

War Dance is the first scenario of Act I: Fire in Age of Empires III: The WarChiefs. The scenario introduces Nathaniel Black, a Revolutionary War hero and the main protagonist of the Act I: Fire campaign. The scenario also reintroduces Kanyenke   The scenario starts out with the cinematic "The Iroquois" and tells a brief story of Nathaniel Black's life narrated by his daughter Amelia Black. Shortly after, Nathaniel and Kanyenke arguing over the Iroquois tribes joining sides in the American Revolutionary War, they both end up deciding to encourage peace but are soon ambushed by several tribal warriors and must defeat them to spread the message across.

The scenario is relatively easy and all the player has to do is to take down the Seneca and Mohawk Town Centers, enemy resistance will come here and there although the player will be able to take an Town Center without having to worry too much about aging up and building an economy, building a navy will play a key role in dominating the tribes.

Primary

 * Bring Nathaniel and Kanyenke to the Iroquois village
 * Task Native Villagers on the Fire Pit
 * Destroy one enemy Town Center

Secondary

 * Gather five Treasures (250 XP)

Strategy
Players start out in the southwestern part of the map where Nathaniel and Kanyenke are seen discussing in a forest before they shortly ambushed by 2 Aennas and 3 Tomahawks on all sides, the player can immediately begin to take out the weak enemy units and defeat them unscathed. They soon met with their first objective of heading to the nearby Oneida village northeast, as soon as they arrive at the village, they will be greeted by the Oneida War Chief and the friendly village will be given under the player's control. The village will provide generous amounts of reinforcements to player including 10 Tomahawks and 4 Kanya Horsemen.

At this point the player will receive their second primary objective and will have to task all 4 Villagers on the Fire Pit, after this the Oneida War Chief will give the location of the Seneca and Mohawk Town Centers on the map, allowing the player to plan on how to defeat them. At this point, the player can split their forces into small numbers and scour the map to gather other reinforcements as well as treasures. It should be noted that the enemy tribes will send in their Kanya Horsmen, Tomahawks, and Mantlets to attack the player's village and their should be some troops stationed in defense.

While the small scale enemy attacks are happening, the player will need to focus solely on their economy for a duration of time. This is in part of allowing the production of a large military to take down the enemy Town Centers. Building Longhouses will be needed to keep up with fast growing population while the shipments should be mainly spent on more military reinforcements to allow a massive army. The player should build a dock along the river bank so Fishing Boats can fish Salmon as well training Canoes to fight enemy units crossing the river.

At this point, the player can start to gather their forces and start a full on direct assault on the Seneca tribe settlement in the west, immediately the village will have their defenses set up and prepared for the assault. As the player forces are crossing the river, numbers of Seneca Forest Prowlers and Mantlets will scramble up to defend their village and will take down many troops before being ultimately defeated. As the player crosses the river they can proceed to take down the Seneca Farms, once they are taken down then the enemy War Hut can be quickly razed next, numbers of Warriors from the Seneca Fire Pit will spawn and cause significant damage to the player's army if ignored, and so they must be taken down quickly along with the Fire Pit.

Once the Fire Pit, War Hut, and other last lines of village defenses are destroyed, the player can finally raze and destroy the Seneca Town Center. Villagers will be seen garrisoning inside but as soon as the Town Center is destroyed, the player has completed the mission.

The map
The map of the scenario features terrain similar to maps set in the northeastern area of North America. Green and yellow grass cover the map where plentiful herds of Deer can be found foraging. Berry Bushes are also a bounty in the region where they can be gathered for Food. Copper Mines are scarcer and found in small numbers dotting the map by river bank near enemy lines, providing a risky source. The trees in the map are very colorful in vibrant reds, yellows, and oranges; providing. Salmon can be found thriving in the river where they can be fished for food.

Trivia

 * The Iroquois Confederacy was formed in 1722 by 5 tribes including the Cayuga, Seneca, Mohawk, Onondaga, and the Oneida.