Caught in the Crossfire is the third scenario of the Thoros II campaign in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - The Mountain Royals. It's about the Armenian raids in the Holy Land against the Crusaders and the Seljuks between 1154 and 1156.
Intro[]
Many crusaders who set out for the Holy Land truly believed that they were guided by the shining light of the Lord. The less gullible among us, however, knew the source of that alluring light not to be God, but rather the gold awaiting us in the infidels' coffers.
Before long, God's voice called most of the knights back to their comfortable estates in Europe, and they were quick to heed it. I, however, remained in the Holy Land.
A second son like Thoros, I had no great inheritance waiting for me in France. Just as Thoros refused to kneel before his emperor, I had no desire to serve the master of any knightly order.
I set out to make a name for myself. My knights ravaged the Saracen trade routes in the Arabian desert, even raiding the holy cities of Medina and Mecca. I played by my own rules, to the ire of my Christian brothers.
They called me a barbarian and a bandit – but what do I care about the opinions of lords who wage war from the safety of their castles?
When an infidel mother tells horror stories to frighten her children into behaving, it is not of them that she speaks – but of me, Reynald de Chatillon, the fiend of the Cross.
This fearsome reputation drew the Byzantine emperor's interest. Thoros was quarreling with the Knights Templar over a fortress on his southern border, and the emperor asked me to... intervene.
I was conflicted. You see – to the east, the Seljuk Turks were a flock of vultures eagerly waiting for us to turn on each other, and the emperor was walking right into their trap. But in the end, his gold outweighed my doubts.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Castle Age - Starting resources: 450 food, 400 wood, 125 gold, 100 stone
- Population limit: 150
- Starting units:
Main objectives[]
- Wait for instructions.
- Pay the Seljuks tribute before the timer runs out.
- Defeat the Seljuks.
- Capture at least 2 Knights Templar Castles. To capture a Castle, you must damage it below 1,000 HP.
- Pay the Seljuks tribute before the timer runs out.
Secondary objectives[]
- Escort Simon de Raban to the Transport Ship that awaits him on the northern coast.
Hints[]
- Thoros can reach the Imperial Age and is restricted to a population limit of 150.
- The Seljuks will leave you alone so long as you pay them tribute. However, should you forge another alliance or fail to pay them on time, they will attack.
- Focus initially on fighting the Knights Templar. They will become weaker as they lose Castles, but have a powerful ally in the shady crusader Reynald de Chatillon.
- To capture a Templar Castle, you must damage it below 1,000 Hit points.
- Armenian Composite Bowmen are very effective against Templar foot soldiers.
Scouts[]
- Thoros' army (Orange) camps near the disputed territories.
- The Seljuk Empire (Green) lies to the east and fields Cavalry Archers, Camel Riders, and Light Cavalry.
- The Knights Templar (Red) control the Castles to the south and west which Thoros covets. They will defend their strongholds with infantry, Monks, and Battering Rams.
- The prince of Antioch, Reynald de Chatillon (Blue), leads a large army consisting of Knights, Throwing Axemen, Skirmishers, and Battering Rams to support the Templars.
- In the southeast dwells a Frankish crusader named Simon de Raban (Cyan), who has no interest in fighting Thoros. It may be worth paying him a visit.
Players[]
Player[]
- Player ( Armenians): The player starts at the northern corner of the map with a small base consisting of a Town Center, Castle, Fortified Church, and several other buildings. There is a pond with fish to the left. The player must fight the Knights Templar, Reynald, and the Seljuks.
Allies → Enemies[]
- Seljuks ( Turks): The most dangerous enemy. They are currently at peace with the player, at the cost of periodic tribute that will increase from time to time. As the peace treaty is fragile, it can be broken if the player sends enemy units in their territory, or build any buildings near their base. They will also turn on the player if the player refuses to pay the tribute, changes their diplomatic stance to enemy, or allies with the Crusaders. When war is declared, they will make large numbers of Heavy Cavalry Archers, Heavy Camel Riders, Hussars, Siege Rams, and Trebuchets.
Neutral[]
- Simon de Raban ( Franks): A friend and admirer of Thoros's father, he wants no part of the conflict. Once encountered, he will offer Thoros his base if he is escorted to his ship in the north. If he is killed by an enemy, his fortress will instead fall to them.
Enemies → Allies[]
- Reynald de Chatillon ( Franks): Has a base to the south, and will train Throwing Axemen, Knights, Skirmishers, and later Trebuchets to attack the player. However, he will turn into an ally when his Castle or Town Center is destroyed.
- Knights Templar ( Teutons): Controls three fortresses, and will train Teutonic Knights and Champions to harass the player. They will ally with the player once two of the three Castles are down.
Strategy[]
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This scenario is not what it seems, as enemies will become allies and overlords will become enemies, so do not overcommit to any single movement, and do not scorch the earth of the starting enemies, lest they become too weak to aid against the Seljuks. When the scenario starts, the player is allied to the Seljuk Turks, to whom they are paying tribute. The Turks will remain passive unless tribute is not paid, the player sends soldiers into their base, or an alliance is formed with the Christians. The tribute can get expensive, but fighting all three enemies at once is not easy, so it is important to pay it. If soldiers are moved too close to the Seljuks, they will give a warning and a brief chance to remove them before they attack.
After the player either captures two Templar Castles, destroys Reynald's southern Castle, or destroys his Town Center, he will call for a truce and the sides will immediately switch, with the Seljuks becoming the enemy and the Knights Templar and Reynald de Chatillion becoming allies. Despite his shady nature, Reynald is sincere and will not betray the player later. Hence, a choice must be made before an attack can begin. Crippling the Knights is far easier and quicker, but will also leave them as a functionally useless ally against the Seljuks. Attacking Reynald, in contrast, is much farther away and is better guarded, but leveling his Town Center is the easiest way to cause the truce without crippling an ally.
Regardless of which strategy is used, the first order of business should be to clear a path for Simon de Raban to escape. This can be quite easy if the player builds a Dock and trains a Transport Ship. If the the player instead chooses to fight, when the scenario starts, send all units to the west, past the gold miners. There is a line of Palisade Walls, a Barracks, and three Towers guarding a Gate that leads to some wooden piers. This is where Simon will need to pass through, so it is best to destroy the Gate and Towers with the starting army, which is more than capable of doing so. Pull the Composite Bowmen back after breaking through the Palisade Wall, as they do little good against buildings. Once those are destroyed, move the injured troops back to the starting base and heal them. The Templars will launch an attack soon and it is best to be prepared to fend them off. Meanwhile, send either Thoros or a surviving Light Cavalry directly to the southeast, between the Seljuks and Renyald. Escort Simon north to his ship, and the base will switch sides, granting the player several Siege Workshops, a Frankish Castle, a Barracks, a Blacksmith, and a few Villagers. This provides a significantly fortified position from which to attack any of the three other sides. Additionally, grab the Relic to the south of Simons's base. Around this time, the player should also advance to the Imperial Age, as Trebuchets are necessary to ensure a swift defeat of enemies before they can mass.
From here, a decision must be made. The player can either attack two Templar Castles or attack Reynald.
Attacking the Knights Templar[]
The northern Castle can be captured from the sea using Dromons. Once the base is turned over to the player, it can be used to train Trebuchets to attack the western Castle.
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Attacking Reynald[]
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It is not necessary to even attack Reynald's base, as he brokers a truce between the Armenians and all the Crusaders when two of the Knight Templar fortresses are captured by the player. Alternatively, the player can attack Reynald and ignore the Templar.
The Seljuks[]
After either of the previous conditions are met, the Seljuks will become the enemy and will immediately start raiding with Cavalry Archers and Cavaliers. They will resign once both of their Castles and Town Centers are destroyed.
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Outro[]
Those who need to buy their followers' loyalty should always pay their debts. The Byzantine emperor had apparently never learned this lesson.
Having fulfilled my side of the bargain, I waited in vain for my blood money. Whether the emperor had promised me too much, or had never intended to pay me in the first place, mattered little. He had broken his contract with the so-called bandit that he had hired – and I was all too willing to uphold that reputation.
If I am not given what I am due, I will take it by force. In that respect, Thoros and I were much alike.
Changelog[]
- Before update 99311, the unique technology Fereters was disabled in this scenario.
