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I'll Be Back is the fifth scenario of the Glory of Greece campaign, and the first where the player faces non-Greek opponents. In the Definitive Edition, it was reworked and swapped to the third scenario, The Conquest of Crete.

The Greeks (Blue) must retreat to allied territory (White, Gaia) through the lands of the Greek Doria (Red) and the Assyrian Ionia (Brown). Afterwards, they must take the battle to the Babylonian Minoa (Yellow).

Scenario instructions[]

Description[]

1200 BC

After helping the Minoans capture a powerful Artifact, you discover that they plan to use it to dominate the world. Led by a group called the "Seven Yellow Old Men", the Minoans plan to kill you and your men! Hopelessly outnumbered, your only chance is to flee. Run like the wind and don't stop until you find allies. Return to Crete and make the Minoans pay. Beware - the Minoans have allies also. Destroy the Temple of the Seven Yellow Old Men and take back the Artifact to hold it safe.
—In-game section

Starting conditions[]

Objectives[]

  • Capture the Artifact.
  • Destroy the Temple.

Hints[]

  • Your friends are vital to your success.
  • Escape the initial trouble quickly, but thereafter proceed carefully.

Players[]

Player[]

  • Athens (Greek AOE DE ROR icon Greeks) - The player starts with a handful Cavalry to the north, on the lands of the Minoans. Their forces are greatly outnumbered by the enemy.

Enemies[]

  • Doria (Greek AOE DE ROR icon Greeks) - has scattered Sentry Towers on the middle island
  • Minoa (Babylonian AOE DE ROR icon Babylonians) - has a large city to the north of the map. They control the Temple the player must destroy.
  • Ionia (Assyrian AOE DE ROR icon Assyrians) - has scattered band of units, which include Improved Bowmen and Ballistae on the middle island, waiting to ambush the player's units.

Strategy[]

The player start off in the (hostile) Minoan city at the north of the map. The goal of the scenario is to run away towards the south end of the map, take the army that is waiting there, and go back up north to destroy the Temple and take the Artifact.

Take the Cavalry available, and run south-east towards the Dock. Do not bother trying to save any infantry or archers, they are too slow. And do not fight back against the enemy units, there will be time for that later.

At the Dock, the player's War Galleys are battling the Minoan ones. They will be destroyed, but that does not matter; take the Light Transports and send the Cavalry across to the other side.

Now, ride to the south. If the player comes across a Watch Tower, continue moving the troops. If the player comes across a Ballista, destroy it. Soon, the forces will reach another Light Transport. Once the player's Cavalry reach the land to the far south, they will acquire a large fighting force: Heavy Cavalry, Long Swordsmen, Composite Bowmen, Horse Archers, Elephant Archers, Priests, Ballistae, and Catapults.

They will also acquire a few War Galleys, which are useless in this river, and a few Heavy Transports, which will make it easier to ship the army across.

There are two paths to take here. Going to the northwest will eventually lead the player to three Heavy Transports, which will make crossing the river easier, but the forces will be wading slowly through unfamiliar territory. Going to the northeast will lead the player through land they have already scouted, but will lead to the previous two Light Transports, so crossing the river will take more time. The second option might be better, unless the Transports were sunk after they were used, in which case going northwest is the only option.

Destroy the Watch Towers with the Catapults, and use Heavy Cavalry on units, as the forces march to the north. Keep the Priests nearby, to convert enemy units and heal any wounded troops. Keep the Ballistae at the front when the forces reach the river, and if any warships come too close to the transports, sink them with the Ballistae. Once the player has crossed the river, use Elephant Archers and Horse Archers to kill the infantry and archers, and the Catapults on Towers as the player's forces march to the northwest through the city.

Watch out for enemy Priests; they will try to convert the player's units. Once the player has destroyed the Temple at the far north of the map, move a few units forward in order to capture the Artifact.

History[]

Historical notes[]

The brilliant Minoan culture that was centered on Crete long preceded the Myceneans on the Greek mainland and was unique for its time in many areas. The Minoans were master mariners as attested by the wonderful frescoes of ships and sea life that adorn their buildings. They built their civilization on trade and control of the nearby seas, not on agriculture as was the rule elsewhere. They did not fortify their cities and palaces, relying perhaps on their ships to intercept any possible enemies at sea. Trade was the key to their surprisingly early development. Through contact with Egypt and Canaan, they acquired not only wealth but technology and ideas. There is some thought that refugees from periodic Egyptian turmoil brought advances to Crete at an early date.
—In-game section

Historical outcome[]

The Minoan culture went into decline around 1400 BC and was extinguished completely by 1100 BC. The cause of their demise is not clear, however. It may have been barbarians that overran much of Mediterranean world around 1200 BC, or a violent eruption of Thera that devastated their economy, or an invasion by the mainland Myceneans. It is believed that around 1450 BC all of the Minoan palaces on Crete were destroyed. The destruction of ships and the loss of life following the cataclysmic explosion at Thera could have opened the door for the Myceneans. Or the Myceneans could have grown strong enough eventually to contest control of the Aegean outright. The culture on Crete and in the Aegean was a mixture of Minoan and Mycenean influences for the next three centuries. Whatever the reason, the mainland Greeks gained the upper hand over the Minoans and the Aegean until all cultures in the area were swept away around 1200 BC.
—In-game section
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