A Friend in Need is the seventh scenario of the Yamato Empire of the Rising Sun campaign in Age of Empires. The Yamato (blue) must defend their allies in Hyuga/Paekche (yellow, Choson) and defeat the Kyushu/Scilla (red, Choson). In the Definitive Edition, this scenario is replaced by Jinshin War.
Scenario instructions[]
Description[]
| “ | A Friend in need, 400 AD. The Kyushu have revolted from the Yamato confederation and have turned against the Hyuga, one of our vassal groups to their south. If the Hyuga fall, we lose control of the entire island and reconquest will be a difficult task. Aid our Hyuga vassals in any way possible and destroy the nearby Kyushu town to remove further threats. |
” |
| —In-game section | ||
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Iron Age - Starting resources: 400 food, 400 wood, 200 gold, 400 stone
- Population limit: 50
- Starting units:
Objectives[]
- Protect the Hyuga town.
- Destroy Kyushu town.
Hints[]
- Fight for every gold mine that you discover.
- The Kyushu are helpless without their villagers.
Description[]
| “ | A Friend in Need, 562 AD. The success of your invasion of Kyushu brought southern Japan under Yamato control. Over the last century that control has spread to the north on the main island and overseas to a colony on the mainland of Korea. There you have become an ally of the Paekche Kingdom, but enemies of the Scilla. War has recently broken out between the Paekche and the Scilla. It is in your best interest to aid the Paekche. If they fall, the Yamato colony is sure to follow. Aid our Paekche allies in any way possible and destroy the nearby Scilla town to gain control of this borderland. |
” |
| —In-game section | ||
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Iron Age - Starting resources: 400 food, 400 wood, 200 gold, 400 stone
- Population limit: 50
- Starting units:
Objectives[]
- Protect the Paekche town.
- Destroy Scilla town.
Hints[]
- Fight for every gold mine that you discover.
- The Paekche are helpless without their villagers.
Players[]
Player[]
- Player ( Yamato): The player starts with a large yet unfortified base and a decent army in the southern corner of the map. A small force is located in the allied player's base and likely to be crushed by the Kyushu.
Ally[]
- Hyuga ( Choson): The Hyuga start with a small base and army at the north-western edge of the map and are immediately under attack by the Kyushu. The player must help the Hyuga to ensure their survival.
Enemy[]
- Kyushu ( Choson): The Kyushu start with a large base and army (the earlier protected by cliffs and towers) at the north-eastern edge of the map.
Player[]
- Player ( Yamato): The player starts with a large yet unfortified base and a decent army in the southern corner of the map. A small force is located in the allied player's base and likely to be crushed by the Scilla.
Ally[]
- Paekche ( Choson): The Paekche start with a small base and army at the north-western edge of the map and are immediately under attack by the Scilla. The player must help the Paekche to ensure their survival.
Enemy[]
- Scilla ( Choson): The Scilla start with a large base and army (the earlier protected by cliffs and towers) at the north-eastern edge of the map.
Strategy[]
There are some gold mines at the center of the map, protected by enemy towers. Make sure you gather that gold before the Kyushu have a chance to take it.
Horse Archers and Stone Throwers are good units for your attack. The enemy towers have a longer range than your Stone Throwers, so if you want to destroy them, heal your siege units while they attack the tower - repairing and rebuilding towers cost stone, while healing is free.
History[]
Historical notes[]
| “ | The Kyushu clan did not readily accept domination by the Yamato and were emboldened by new iron technology they imported from the mainland countries nearby. The new advanced weaponry encouraged them to revolt from Yamato control. The Kyushu turned first against the Hyuga to the south on their island. the Hyuga joined the Yamato confederation when asked. The Kyushu set out to establish their own confederation for ruling Japan and intended that the Hyuga would be their first conquest. | ” |
| —In-game section | ||
Historical outcome[]
| “ | The Hyuga town was saved and the Kyushu invasion was pushed back. Both the Yamato and Kyushu mustered forces while negotiations went forward. | ” |
| —In-game section | ||
Historical notes[]
| “ | Chinese records of this era called Japan the land of Wa, reporting that it contained over 100 kingdoms. This may have been in reference to the 100+ clan groups that had been united under the Yamato clan. We know that Yamato emissaries traveled to China bearing gifts, but little else. After Yamato had consolidated their power in Japan, they began extending their influence onto Korean Peninsula. At this time there were two kingdoms in southern Korea, the Scilla and the Paekche. The Yamato established an enclave of settlers in the south between the two southern powers. In that position, the Yamato settlers became embroiled in the struggle between the two Korean kingdoms for prominence. the Yamato policy was to keep either from becoming dominant. |
” |
| —In-game section | ||
Historical outcome[]
| “ | The Paekche town was saved and an uneasy balance of power was maintained for another 100 years in southern Korea with Yamato help. Neither the Paekche nor the Scilla were quite able to eliminate or dominate the other. The Yamato held on, but was not able to expand. | ” |
| —In-game section | ||
Changes[]
The scenario instructions from the original version of the scenario.
The original release of Age of Empires featured a different version of the scenario, depicting a conflict between the Paekche and Scilla Korean kingdoms, and an intervention of Yamato in the peninsula. The background was changed, but the scenario remained the same.
Bugs[]
- A bug may cause the player's starting age to be Stone Age, making this scenario impossible to complete, as it needs to withstand Iron Age units.
