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Colonization of Ionia is the fifth scenario of the Glory of Greece campaign in Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, replacing I'll Be Back and being a rework of Ionian Expansion.

Scenario instructions[]

Description[]

NuRoR heavy transport idle
โ€œAttica, 1000 BCE.

The Mycenaean civilization has fallen to ruin, and the rule of the Aegean is up for grabs. In the midst of this chaos, your city-state of Athens has managed to survive and even prosper, expanding throughout much of Attica. The local agricultural supply is not enough to support your burgeoning population, however, and before long overpopulation is sure to lead to famine and anarchy. The ruling council has decided on a bold plan to send settlers to establish overseas settlements in Ionia. The local Luwians have inhabited this region for centuries, but they are far too weak to repel your people. Demonstrate your dominance of the region. Seize the initiative quickly before famine strikes, or the Luwians decide to raid Attica and the rest of Greece!
โ€
—In-game section of the Definitive Edition

Starting conditions[]

Objectives[]

  • Destroy the 3 Luwian Government Centers.

Hints[]

  1. You can now advance to the Iron Age.
  2. A strong navy is essential to your expansion.
  3. Aegean pirates hold important resources on the nearby islands.
  4. Take advantage of trade with your ally Athens.

Description[]

โ€œAttica, 1000 BCE.

The Mycenaen civilization has fallen into ruin, and the rule of the Aegean is up for grabs. In the midst of this chaos, your city-state of Athens has managed to survive and even prosper, expanding throughout much of Attica. The local agricultural supply is not enough to support your burgeoning population, however, and before long overpopulation is sure to lead to famine and anarchy. The ruling council has decided on a bold plan to send settlers to establish overseas settlements in Ionia. The local Luwians have inhabited this region for centuries, but they are far too weak to repel your people. Demonstrate your dominance of the region by destroying three Luwian Government Centers across the sea in Ionia. Seize the initiative quickly before famine strikes, or the Luwians decide to raid Attica and the rest of Greece!
โ€
—In-game section of the Definitive Edition

Starting conditions[]

Objectives[]

  • Destroy the three Luwian Government Centers.

Hints[]

  1. A strong navy is essential to your expansion.
  2. The Aegean Pirates hold important resources on the islands of the Aegean.
  3. Take advantage of trade with your ally, Athens.

Players[]

Player[]

  • Player (Greek AOE DE ROR icon Greeks): The player starts on a small island, with a humble starting force. The island contains limited resources.

Ally[]

  • Athens (Greek AOE DE ROR icon Greeks): Athens starts on a small island, sitting in the western corner of the map. They will mainly participate in the fight by landing Phalangites with Transport Ships.

Enemies[]

  • Luwians (Hittite AOE DE ROR icon Hittites): This faction occupies the eastern landmass. They have a huge city, but with very few units at the beginning. They hold the Government Centers mentioned in the objective.
  • Aegean Pirates (Greek AOE DE ROR icon Greeks): This faction starts with four separate bases on islands. Most of their bases are guarded by some Short Swordsmen and a Watch Tower. The main base, however, is lightly guarded. Their economy is focused in the main base shared with the Luwians.

Player[]

  • Player (Greek AOE DE ROR icon Greeks): The player starts on a small island, with a humble starting force. The island contains limited resources.

Ally[]

  • Athens (Greek AOE DE ROR icon Greeks): Athens starts on a small island, sitting in the western corner of the map. They will participate in the fight, but due to the space limitation, they will not be very effective.

Enemies[]

  • Luwians (Hittite AOE DE ROR icon Hittites): This faction occupies the eastern landmass. They have a huge city, but with very few units at the beginning. They hold the Government Centers mentioned in the objective.
  • Aegean Pirates (Greek AOE DE ROR icon Greeks): This faction starts with four separate bases on islands. Most of their bases are guarded by some Short Swordsmen and a Watch Tower. The main base, however, is lightly guarded. Their economy is focused in the main base.

Strategy[]

As none of the enemies have a strong army at the beginning, a rush strategy is a good choice. Let the infantry board the transport ship, then bring the ship along with the navy to either one of the military bases or the main base of the yellow player. If the main base is chosen as the target, bring a Villager along while assigning other Villagers on stone. Use the Scout Ship on enemy ships while letting the infantry focus on the enemy Town Center and Barracks. Kill every Villager repairing the buildings. When the player gets 150 stone, build a tower in the enemy base to draw out all their remaining units. The strike team might eventually be taken out by the Luwians, but as long as the Aegean Pirates lose all their wood economy, they are basically out of the picture.

Raiding their military base is a safer alternative. Use the Scout Ship on enemy ships, and use Swordsmen on the tower, then the Buildings. Take the resources on their islands, then slowly grapple the sea control with a large Navy.

Take Athens' resources, especially their wood. Don't bother with trading until the enemies are thrown out of the sea. Board from the Aegean Pirates' main base and slowly grind down the Luwians' army while supporting them with a navy.

Changes[]

The player now has to destroy the three Luwian Government Centers instead of capturing the three Ruins or building a Government Center.

History[]

Historical notes[]

โ€œIn the centuries following the Trojan War, Mycenaean society experienced a swift decline. The exact causes are unknown, although common hypotheses have involved massive Dorian invasions or infighting among the various Mycenaean city-states. Archaeological evidence and tablets bearing inscriptions in Linear B, an early form of Greek, point to clear episodes of warfare and wholesale destruction of numerous Mycenaean urban centers. This catastrophe ushered in a period of political chaos and uncertainty commonly termed the Greek Dark Ages.

Notably, the city-state of Athens survived this turmoil relatively intact, perhaps due to the defensible nature of its impressive acropolis. Seizing the opportunity to fill the power vacuum presented by the fall of the Mycenaean civilization, Athens consolidated its control over Attica, Euboea, and eastern Boeotia. The proximity of Attica to the Aegean Sea made it an ideal regional nucleus for a major trading power, and the Athenian population grew quickly. Before long, the Athenians were mounting expeditions to establish settlements on various coastal regions throughout the Aegean.

Over the subsequent centuries, Athens evolved into a major naval power, establishing a thalassocracy (maritime empire) that controlled much of the territory surrounding the Aegean, dominating the trade economy of the region. From that center of power, the Athenians engaged in trade with numerous city-states in the Eastern Mediterranean as well as the Greek settlements in Sicily and southern Italy, a region later termed by the Romans as Magna Graecia, or Great Greece. During this time, intellectual and technological pursuits flourished throughout the Aegean. The Athenians went on to develop the first system of direct democracy in the late 6th century BCE, as well as a unique form of exile known as ostracism. Each citizen cast a vote (etched into a shard of pottery, known as ostrakon) for a person they wished to exile. If any single person received more than 6,000 votes, they were forced to leave the city-state for 10 years!
โ€
—In-game section

Victory[]

โ€œThanks to your charismatic leadership, the Athenians have successfully established settlements on the coast of Asia in Ionia. Other nearby city-states have followed your example, and the eastern Aegean has fallen almost entirely under Hellenic influence. As time passes, you watch with pride as settlements such as Miletus and Halicarnassus grow into successful urban centers, producing several marvelous architectural wonders; and numerous philosophers, geographers, and mathematicians. Commerce is abundant, and the growing trade routes contribute greatly to the wealth of your city-state.โ€
—In-game section

Loss[]

โ€œUnfortunately, your settlers underestimated the resolve of the Luwians, who fought dearly to protect their homes from your incursions. Worn down by the raids of Aegean pirates, your people were no match for the Luwian onslaught. You and the few survivors had no choice but to flee and sail back to Athens, where you expect to see your name etched on thousands of ostrakon.โ€
—In-game section
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