| “ | It is a new morning. Men and women stream into the streets to join us, and every face is a joyous one. Is this what I have been fighting, what I have been hoping to stamp down into the dirt? No more. Today I lead a new army - an Indian army. | ” |
| —Description in the Definitive Edition | ||
Raid in Delhi is the fourth scenario of Act III: India in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties. It is about the siege of Delhi (8 June-21 September 1857) during the Sepoy Rebellion.
Summary[]
It is one of the shorter scenarios with no resource gathering and a limited amount of forces. The scenario is revolved around Nanib Sahir, Pravar Patel, and their forces heading from Meerut to Delhi and to rescue the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah II from the clutches of the British.
Objectives[]
Primary objectives[]
- Destroy the Weapon Caches to cause an elephant stampede. (1,500 XP)
- Raze the Agra Fort Wonder to free the Shah. (2,000 XP)
- Safely escort the Shah out of the city. (10,000 XP)
- The Shah must survive. (1,000 XP)
Secondary objectives[]
- Free imprisoned Sepoys from the Stockades. (250 XP)
- Inspire the citizens of Delhi by moving the Shah to each flagged area. (500 XP)
Players[]
Player[]
- Indian Mutineers (
Indians): The player will start out near the outskirts of Delhi with Nanib, Pravar, and only three Sepoys. They will have to be on the lookout for the Company troops patrolling the area. They must navigate through the city and free the Shah.
Allies[]
- Indians ( Indians): The city of Delhi itself. It has no impact on the scenario and is primarily made up of various Indian buildings and walls, and in the later half of the scenario will consist of Villagers that will become various military units when inspired by the Shah.
- Indian Resistance ( Indians): Various Indian soldiers present across Delhi whom are either guarding the Weapons Caches needed to startle the Elephant or whom are in Company Stockades.
- Indians ( Indians): A player controlling the Riderless Elephants. Upon being spooked, they will trample and destroy everything in their path (bar the player's units).
Enemy[]
- British India Company ( British): Forces of the Company that patrol the streets of Delhi. They are all upgraded to Guard/Imperial rank and consist primarily of Musketeers, but occasionally possess Highlanders, Hussars, and Dragoons. They also control several Outposts and a small base with the Agra Fort wonder.
The map[]
The map is the city of Delhi itself. The player starts with few units and must avoid British patrols until they have accumulated more troops. Once they have a good number of troops, they must free the Shah and protect him until he can get him out of the city. The Shah's passage through the city will cause more troops such as Sepoys, Arsonists and Rajputs to join the player. Once the Shah manages to leave the city, the player has won the scenario.
Strategy[]
The player will start out near the outskirts of Delhi with Nanib, Pravar, and only three Sepoy. The player will have to be on the lookout for the Company troops patrolling the area. The Company troops will be a dangerous threat throughout the scenario as they mostly consist of Guard and Imperial status. Once the company troops pass by without noticing the troops, the player can then advance and destroy the Weapon Caches.
Once the weapon caches are destroyed, they detonate very large explosions. This in turn spooks the nearby elephants causing a large stampede. The elephants knock down Houses, buildings, and Walls, and kill any units that come in their path. Eventually the elephants disappear, leaving a trail of rubble and destruction left behind. Whether the elephants get shot down or escape after their stampede is uncertain. The player should try to destroy as many weapon caches found throughout Delhi as they can.
As the player is destroying Weapon Caches, they will see multiple stockades with imprisoned Sepoy and Rajput. Once the Stockades are destroyed, the imprisoned units will join the players side. While razing the Stockades, the player will face multiple confrontations and assaults by Company troops patrolling the area. The player should try to avoid the Company troops as much as possible and only fight as a last resort so that the player can harness enough troops to free Bahadur Shah.
Once the third weapon cache is destroyed, a large group of elephants will plow through the outer walls of Agra Fort containing Bahadur Shah and create an open path. Simultaneously, fighting between Sepoy and the British will occur within the fort walls giving the player control to 6 Sepoy, and 2 Siege Elephants. Nearby the Sepoy and Siege elephants will lay an additional 3 stockade containing Sepoy. The player should protect their newly received Siege elephants at all costs due to their high multiplayer against building and artillery.
Once the player has brought their secondary army with Nanib and Pravar, they begin the breaching of the fort. Once this is accomplished, the two armies will join into one large force. The siege elephants will provide an excellent siege attack to destroy the fort and help free Bahadur Shah quickly. Once Bahadur shah is freed, the scenario is still not completed and the Shah has to be safely escorted out of the city.
- Note: Once freed, Bahadur Shah will be unable to attack and if he dies, the player will lose the scenario
While escorting Bahadur Shah, the British will be aware of the raid and will sent waves of strong troops to attack. The player will also be able to use Bahadur Shah to move to rally points and recruit local Indians into military units. The military units will include Arsonists and Rajput. The Shah should have some military units surrounding him in case of an ambush by the company troops.
By now the players should have amassed a large enough army to take out the company's Musketeers, Dragoons, and Rockets. The Siege Elephants will provide an excellent counter to the powerful Rockets. Once the player defeats the last troops on the western edge of Delhi, they will arrive towards the gates of Delhi and will complete the scenario.
This scenario can be won fairly reliably with only the 2 heroes and the Siege Elephants, so the player should not really worry if other troops die.
Trivia[]
- The sepoys managed to free the Shah, but internal divisions among the rebels caused the British to retake Delhi after a two-month siege, dealing a very hard and decisive blow to the entire rebellion.
- Bahadur Shah II was, since 1837, the last of the long line of Mughal Emperors of the House of Babur, named after its founder and first Mughal Emperor in 1526 after the Battle of Panipat and the fall of the Delhi Sultanate. In turn, through Babur, Bahadur Shah II was a descendant of Tamerlane and Genghis Khan. After the sepoy rebellion was defeated in 1858 and the Mughal Empire dissolved for supporting the rebels, Bahadur II was forced into exile in British Burma and died in Rangoon in 1862.
Gallery[]
