| “ | Otto is King of Germany, but he has greater ambitions: to claim Italy and be crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope himself. Standing in Otto's way are rebellious dukes, Viking raiders, pagan Wends, and Magyar horsemen. Can Otto withstand these challenges, ensure the loyalty of his dukes, and become known as 'the Great'? | ” |
| —In-game scenario description | ||
Otto 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 Teutons and the player color is yellow. This scenario is based on King Otto the Great's struggles against the Vikings, Magyars, Wends, Western Franks, Italy, and his own vassals, to become the Holy Roman Emperor.
Intro[]
At the age of twenty-three, Otto succeeded his father as King of Germany. He was only the third king to rule who was not a descendant of the famous Charlemagne.
But rule was an understatement.
At his coronation banquet, Otto made his dukes his personal attendants, a traditional act of submission. The young king was not naïve, however. He knew that this was only a formality.
The dukes watched him carefully that night: every step he took, every word he spoke, even down to the way he held his cup. They would be watching him and his every move.
Otto had grand ambitions. He would accept nothing less than to receive the crown of the Holy Roman Emperor from the Pope himself. To achieve this, he would need his dukes strong, but he would need to be stronger…
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
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Objectives[]
Main objectives[]
- Claim the Kingdom of Italy.
- Defeat the Vikings, Wends, and Magyars.
- Defeat West Francia. (If the tribute is not paid)
Secondary objectives[]
- Tribute 1000 Gold to West Francia. (If all vassals rebel at the same time)
Hints[]
- You have a population limit of 200 and cannot train gunpowder units.
- Vassals are powerful allies. Use Flares to direct their armies. You can also direct vassals individually by changing your Chat settings before using your Flare.
- Keep your vassals fighting. Vassals with large, unused armies are more likely to rebel.
- Loyalty decreases over time and based on a vassal's military population. It is increased by tributes, killing enemy units, and razing enemy buildings. If one vassal is disloyal, the loyalty of the other two will decline more rapidly.
- Lotharingia is most likely to rebel if others rebel. Franconia is prone to disloyalty, but also the most receptive to tribute. Bavaria is the most loyal but will rebel if its military is sufficiently large.
- You do not need to destroy rebellious vassals to subjugate them: only reduce their army size. In fact, it is better if they can recover to help you in your wars. For this reason, your units will only attack buildings, Villagers, and Trade Carts of disloyal vassals if you direct them to.
- If the King of West Francia believes that you are weak, he may side with your rebellious vassals.
- Claiming Italy will give you a big economic boost at the cost of vassal loyalty.
Scouts[]
- Otto rules as King of Germany, though his power base is limited to his Saxon homeland. The kingdom is made up of powerful duchies: Lotharingia (Green), Franconia (Cyan), and Bavaria (Blue). Together, they are a formidable power, but only a cunning king can maintain the loyalties of all three dukes.
- The Vikings (Red) are a northern threat on land and sea. A fortification, called the Danework, protects their land approaches, but the Vikings can only be defeated by invading Sweden further north. The Vikings fight as infantry.
- The Wends (Grey) are Slavic pagans inhabiting the dense northeastern forests. They fight with infantry, Skirmishers, and cavalry.
- The Magyars (Orange) are horse nomads of the east. Their armies are made up of cavalry and Cavalry Archers, but they do have experience with sieges.
- Queen Adelaide of Italy seeks a powerful ally in the south. Otto simply needs to send an embassy to claim the Kingdom of Italy. This will reduce the loyalty of the dukes, however.
- Finally, West Francia (Purple) looks on Otto's exploits with interest and jealousy. The King of West Francia will likely invade if he believes that Otto is losing control over his dukes.
Players[]
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Player[]
- Player (
Teutons)
Vassals[]
- Note: All vassals are allies initially. Any vassal may revolt when their "loyalty" reaches 0, upon which they become neutral for the player, and the player becomes enemy for them. Should a revolting vassal's military be reduced below a certain size, they will revert to being allies and their loyalty score will reset to 100.
- Lotharingia ( Burgundians): Located at the center-west of the map.
- Franconia Franks): Located at the center of the map.
- Bavaria ( Goths): Located at the center-east of the map.
Enemies[]
Ally → Potential Enemy[]
- West Francia ( Franks): Located at the very south of the map. Passive when allied, except when building their base. Will change diplomatic stance to enemy when all vassals have revolted together.
Gaia[]
- Queen Adelaide of Italy: Located at the southeast of the map mainly, but has some buildings in the center-east, reaching which alone will transfer all her territory to the player.
- Anglo-Saxons: Located at the far west corner of the map, on the island of Britain. Despite being Gaia, they will not transfer any buildings or units to the player, but their Dock can be traded with. Other than a Relic, there is nothing on the island save for some forests.
Strategy[]
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Hard Difficulty[]
The scenario seems more intimidating than it is. Its just about knowing what to target and learning how to manage the loyalty component.
The most immediate concern is setting up a defense against the Magyars, as they will be the most aggressive opponent. Keeping in mind that, on this difficulty, all Vassals start with 50 loyalty, as soon as the player starts, send the scout to the southeastern edge of the map. This will allow the player to inherit Italy right away. Between the player's two bases, garrisoning the Relics in Italy, get up to 20 Villagers on food, 8 on wood and gold, and 4 on stone.
What the player needs to do is, among the Houses and Market in the north of the Italy base, the player wants two Castles. Once upgraded and garrisoned, they will defend well against most Magyar attacks. Once this defense is in place, and the player's economy is going, the player needs to build up a force of Paladins.
While working on this, the player's Vassals need to be managed. Early on, while their armies are weak, the player can manage them using each other, flaring a point on the map to have them gather. They will then fight when one rebels. The best trick is to space out their loyalties so only one rebels at a time. Tribute, if necessary, 100 resources gets a point or two of loyalty. If all three rebel at the same time, West Francia will demand payment for not joining them. Refusal to do so results in needing to defeat them as well.
Once the player's two Castles are up in Italy, gather them there, and the player's Castles can help kill off their army as they rebel, quickly ending rebellions. Remember to constantly flare, as they produce new units, and as there seems to be a pathfinding issue and they sometimes just stop walking.
Later, when their armies are powerful, send them against the Magyars. They are the most troublesome opponent, and as long as the player flares just outside the base so the armies catch up to one another, and then flare a target, they can do some serious damage as time passes, even wiping out half the Magyar base themselves.
Once the player has an army of 60 Paladins, focus on rushing Wend. They are easy and should go down quick if the player rushes the Paladins from Shrine to Shrine. While doing this, if possible, start building a second army of Paladins.
After this, build a Dock and some Transport Ships. Fully upgraded, Transport Ships will only carry 10, through the player should only need three. Send half the player's army across the water to the island in the north corner, and focus them on the Town Center. Focus the other 30 on getting through the Palisade Gate north of the player's first base, and destroy the Town Center there. Once the Vikings are defeated, gather the player's army together back on the mainland, and send them against the northern section of the Magyar base. Have the second army, even if not complete, reinforce them.
If lucky, or managed correctly, the player's Vassals should have wiped out a Castle or two and a Town Center in the southern Magyar base. Keep them going, while the player focuses on wiping out the two Castles and Town Center in the northern Magyar base. Only focus spare Paladins on enemy units. Whoever finishes their side first, have them reinforce the other side.
Opponents[]
The Magyars are set up in the eastern corner, with a wide, spaced-out base with multiple Castles and Town Centers. They favor Light Cavalry, Cavalry Archers, Magyar Huszars, and rams. They have multiple Stables and Archery Ranges around most Castles, meaning they produce armies fast. Once their five Castles and three Town Centers are destroyed, they are defeated.
The Wends are based along the northeastern edge of the map. They use Skirmishers, Knights, and Obuchs. They base is spread out into four smaller sections nestled among the trees. There are 4 Shrines in their base, one in each section. Once these shrines are destroyed, the Wends are defeated.
The Vikings are based along the northern corner of the map. The player can reach one base by land, but must cross the water to reach the other. The player's Transport Ships, when upgraded, can only hold ten units, and may need to contest with Longboats. There are two small islands here with Viking buildings, but they can be ignored. To defeat the Vikings, the player must destroy both their Town Centers, one on the mainland base, and one on the corner island base.
Achievement "Saxon Revenge"[]
Let all of the player's Vassals rebel at the same time, then do not tribute to West Francia. This will trigger them to go to war with the player.
West Francia use Monks, Knights, Men-at-Arms, and Archers, upgrading as the game progresses. They have three bases, each with a Castle. They surrender once each Castle has been destroyed. Just rush the Castles with an army or two of Paladins, per the above strategy, though be warned, the Vassals will still be rebelling, and are likely going to be powerful. Try the same strategy, but on Standard difficulty, for an easier time.
Outro[]
In the year 953, Otto's realm was racked with rebellion led by his own son. Two years later, he had cowed the rebellious dukes. And on the plain of Lechfeld, he defeated a Magyar army, ending their invasions for good.
The German soldiers acclaimed their king emperor. Seven years later, Otto was formally crowned by the Pope: the first Holy Roman Emperor.
But Otto was not simply a military leader. During his rule and those of his son and grandson, the Empire flourished with arts, science, and learning. A brief renaissance blossomed inspired by remembrances of the Roman Empire and the empire of Charlemagne.
Gallery[]
.jpg "Victors and Vanquished (3).jpg (2.9 MB)")
.jpg "Victors and Vanquished (11).jpg (4.38 MB)")
.jpg "Victors and Vanquished (12).jpg (3.66 MB)")
