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This article is about the scenario in Age of Empires II. For the scenario based on the same historical event in Age of Empires III, see Raid on the Caribbean. |
| “ | In 1572, the English explorer and pirate Francis Drake reaches the Spanish Main where the gold and silver of Peru is collected aboard Spanish galleons bound for Europe. With his native England threatened by the looming Armada, Drake sets out to cause as much trouble for the Spanish as he can -- and become rich in the process. | ” |
| —In-game scenario description | ||
Drake is one of the scenarios in the Victors and Vanquished campaign in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Victors and Vanquished. In this scenario, the player plays as the Britons and the player color is blue. This scenario is based on the English privateer Francis Drake's expedition of 1572–1573 to raid Spanish colonies in the Caribbean.
A similar historical event is depicted in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition as the Raid on the Caribbean Historical Battle.
Intro[]
In the summer of 1572, Francis Drake reached the Caribbean after two long months at sea.
From his ship, he saw the rising outlines of the islands. These were part of the lifeblood of the Spanish empire: the stopping points for galleons filled with gold and silver mined in Peru.
Drake knew that the Spanish king and his viceroy were greedy. The cannons on these galleons had been removed to make more room for gold.
With his own England threatened by the Spanish king, Drake concocted his daring plan to plunder the Caribbean and seize these unarmed galleons.
If all went well, the Spanish would have no idea what would hit them.
And Drake would become a rich man.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Castle Age - Starting resources: None
- Population limit: 200 (unlocked since the start)
- Starting units:
- Pascha (modified Caravel)
- Swan (modified ABGAL)
- 2 Transport Ships (contents as follows)
- Francis Drake (modified Gonzalo Pizarro)
- 2 Hand Cannoneers
- 2 Arbalesters
- 2 Halberdiers
- 2 Condottieri
- 1 Monk
Objectives[]
- Plunder 40,000 gold.
- Francis Drake must survive.
- The Pascha and the Swan must survive.
- Free Play: delete the Pascha to end the scenario.
Hints[]
- Gold can be plundered by capturing Spanish Galleons and raiding enemy colonies. To raid a colony, kill all of the Viceroy's men and destroy all Towers in a settlement or on an island. Drake's men will then plunder the possessions of the settlers.
- The Pascha is Drake's flagship and can be upgraded by finding sailors. Her shots tear through multiple ships, making smart positioning the key to winning sea battles. The Pascha is very weak against land units, however, and should not venture too close to shore.
- The Swan is a unique ship, capable of capturing enemy vessels. The ship's marines must rest between boarding actions, however, so the Swan is best used in quick hit and run actions, protected by the larger Pascha.
- Spanish Galleons are so laden with gold and silver that their cannons have been removed to hold more riches. Therefore, these ships cannot attack and move very slowly.
- Galleons are protected by faster warships. Drawing these escorts away from the Galleons will leave the Galleons vulnerable to boarding.
- When a Galleon is captured, Drake's sailors will begin unloading its treasures and scuttling the ship. It should avoid combat and damage to maximize the amount of Gold plundered.
- Explore the Spanish Main to find French pirates and African former slaves who will join Drake. There may even be a hero or two among them.
Scouts[]
- Francis Drake has reached the Spanish Caribbean with two ships and a retinue of soldiers. He carries a letter of marque from Queen Elizabeth allowing him to plunder Spanish ships and ports.
- The Spanish have several colonies on the islands and the mainland. A Viceroy is charged with defending these colonies from pirate attacks. If the Viceroy's men are killed, however, the Spanish settlements will be easily plundered.
- Spanish treasure galleons sail from the various ports, carrying gold and silver from the colonies. These ships are slow and vulnerable, making them appealing targets for plundering. They are defended by escorts.
- Other daring men see the same opportunities here. Drake will be able to find sailors and soldiers throughout the islands and beaches. Likewise, Drake can also find former slaves called Maroons who will join him to get revenge on their erstwhile Spanish slavers.
- Finally, the remnants of the native cultures cling to the jungles of the Yucatan and remote reaches of other lands. Spanish conquistadors have ventured into these areas in pursuit of gold, but few have returned.
Players[]
Player[]
- Player ( Britons): The player starts with just the hero warships and transports with units in them in the northeast. They must sail the Caribbean to board (convert) enemy vessels, find reinforcements, convert or kill enemy soldiers, and capture Spanish Galleons and towns to loot them.
Allies[]
- Spanish Settlements ( Spanish): The settlements represent the Spanish merchants, civilians and colonists and make up the bulk of the buildings. The settlements are guarded by the Viceroy's Men who need to be defeated in order to plunder them.
- Maroons ( Malians): The emancipated or runaway slaves will gladly join the English to wreak vengeance on the Spanish and have several Demolition Rafts to press into service.
- Natives ( Mayans): The natives have several villages and a moderate-sized city in Yucatán, but are passive in the conflict.
Enemy[]
- Viceroy's Men ( Spanish): The Spanish troops camp on the various islands and occupy the settlements, as well as man fortifications. Some of their warships are stationed near their coastal towns and cities, while several groups consisting of one unarmed Galleon protected by warships (consisting of War Galleys and sometimes Cannon Galleons) patrol the seas.
Strategy[]
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Try to capture enemy War Galleys and Cannon Galleons whenever possible. The Pascha does only 1 damage to all land units and consequently should be kept a safe distance from shorelines, although only towers and siege weapons such as Organ Guns will pose a threat to it.
The amount of gold gained from a captured Galleon is proportional to the amount of hit points it has when it is captured (up to a maximum of 6,000 gold at full health). Ensure that the player does not attack or sink them by accident.
The key to this scenario is to proceed slowly and methodically. Healing units are few and far between, so protect them. If the player can kite enemies away from each other, do so. The only units the player get are the ones the player finds, or the ones the player converts, with one exception described below. Losing the Monks or Missionaries is thus problematic. To clear towns or cities, the player must destroy all enemy towers and units in them. Most towers can be reached by Cannon Galleons, particularly on the islands.
Once the player captures the Spanish town with a Siege Workshop in the northeastern Yucatan (southwest of the map center), they gain control of the building and can train exactly one Bombard Cannon from it (which costs only wood). This can be used to reach enemy towers away from the shoreline, which there are a few of in the westernmost Spanish stronghold.
If the player can, approach the target towns and cities by land. Transport Ships can only carry 10 units, and this puts the player at a disadvantage that could cost the player dearly. Send a single unit in, like Francis Drake himself, to lure the enemy out a few at a time. If the player can, convert some of them, remembering to protect the player's Monks and Missionaries above all else.
Be careful when raiding or sailing around. It is entirely possible that, while assaulting a town, the player could have a Galleon and its escort sail up behind the player and put the Pascha, the Swan, and any other ships the player have in severe danger. Also, be aware that it is usually possible for any ships the Swan is boarding (converting) to still attack it during the process. Thus, be careful when trying to convert while the Swan is low on hit points.
Outro[]
In his raids, Francis Drake caused so much trouble for the Spanish that they gave him a name ruefully spoken: El Draque.
But Drake was not yet finished. He would go on to raid the coast of California, circumnavigate the globe, and then, in 1588, he helped defeat the Spanish Armada.
Trivia[]
- This map is a remaster of the custom scenario called "Francis Drake on the Spanish Main", present in the mod center.
- The maximum amount of gold that can be plundered is 65,000. This requires the Spanish Galleons to not be damaged in any way before they are converted.
- While intended to represent boarding actions, the Swan is fully capable of converting land units.
- Drake explains that the name of his ship Pascha is based on a Christian holy month. Pascha is another name for Easter, and originates from the Jewish Passover.
- A modified Gidajan named Diego can be found in a Maroons settlement. Diego was an African who fled Spanish enslavement to join the English when Francis Drake and his company attacked the port of Nombre de Dios in Panama in 1572. In-game, he is accompanied by Cimarron Warriors. Cimarron is the Spanish root for the English word Maroon, which was used to refer to Africans who escaped slavery to form independent communities.
- As this scenario depicts similar events in Raid on the Caribbean in Age of Empires III, there are several similarities between the two, but also differences:
- This scenario is set in 1572, when Drake plundered Spanish trade in the Americas by his own volition, before the onset of the Anglo-Spanish war. The other scenario is set in 1586, after the start of the war, where Drake raided Spanish holdings in North America on the orders of the monarchy.
- The players, layout of the map, and placement of units and buildings are similar. Differences are the greater native and Maroons presence in this scenario, while friendly English Pirates are present in the other.
- Capturing unarmed ships laden with gold (Galleons in this scenario and Treasure Ships in the other).
- Finding exactly one land artillery unit for a terrestrial assault on the westernmost Spanish fort. In this scenario, the Bombard Cannon can be trained, while in the other, a Mortar is salvaged in the jungle.
- The method of capturing Spanish settlements is nearly the same. Buildings in the other scenario collapse when a town is captured and ransacked.
- In this scenario, the westernmost base can be attacked both by land or sea, but in the other, the presence of a long range Fixed Gun makes a naval assault extremely risky.
