Roger in Sicily is the second scenario of the The Hautevilles campaign in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Lords of the West.
Intro[]
"Stories of Robert's successes in Italy inspired a Normandy broken by civil war. The Norman Duke William had not yet earned the title 'The Conqueror' and was still a controversial young bastard barely clinging to power. Many Norman knights, bloodied by civil war and lured by southern riches, set out for Italy."
"Robert's youngest brother - your great grandfather - Roger de Hauteville, was among them, but he was different. Where Robert was ruthless and cunning, Roger was patient and chivalrous. He was motivated by love."
"Judith d'Evreux, cousin of Duke William, had stolen Roger's heart and the two wished to be married. Judith's father, however, would never entertain the thought of his daughter marrying a mere landless knight."
"Roger had no choice but to go to Italy to prove himself worthy of the woman that he loved."
"But Robert Guiscard, like his brother before him, expected Roger to make his own way in Italy, as he had done years before. He offered Roger no lands and no knights."
"Fortunately for Roger, there was still a prize awaiting a man of his talents. An island - ruled by Muslims for two centuries, but now divided between rival emirs - Sicily beckoned."
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age: Feudal Age
- Starting resources: None
- Population limit: 80 (+30 for every town seized)
- Starting technologies: Careening
Differences between difficulty levels[]
- On standard difficulty, Castle Age is researched right in the beginning. While this saves the player 800 food, 200 gold, Feudal Age technologies and upgrades still have to be researched.
Main objectives[]
- Choose one of the following objectives:
- Surrender Ibn at-Timnah to his rival by boarding Ibn al-Hawwas' Transport Ship.
- Ignore-al Ibn al-Hawwas' demands.
- Kill all the emirs and princes to capture their cities.
Secondary objectives[]
- Bring Relics to the Sicilian People to inspire rebellions in Berber-occupied cities.
- Fight with Roger Bosso to improve his skill in battle.
- (If Ibn al-Hawwas' demands are ignored) Gather Ibn at-Timnah's followers.
- (If Ibn al-Hawwas' demands are ignored) Capture Syracuse (2, Orange) for Ibn at-Timnah's.
Hints[]
- Roger Bosso may reach the Imperial Age. You may not train gunpowder units in any scenario of this campaign, however.
- The Normans are few in numbers. You begin with a population limit of 80 and cannot build houses.
- You can support a larger population by capturing the various Sicilian cities. Every city that you take for your own increases your population capacity by 30.
- You can inspire a rebellion in the lands occupied by the two Berber princes by bringing Relics to the Sicilian Monasteries outside of Palmero (5, Red) and Agrigento (6, Cyan). These Relics will be lost to you, however.
- Focus on killing the enemy emirs and princes while preserving their cities and armies. These will submit to you once their leader is killed.
- If you choose to support Ibn at-Timnah, actively explore the island to gather his supporters. By supporting a local faction, you will also be able to train Genitours.
- If you choose to surrender Ibn at-Timnah to Ibn al-Hawwas, use the resource that you gain to build a strong invasion force. Ibn at-Timnah's supporters will become hostile, however, and you will be unable to train Genitours.
Scouts[]
Your scouts report:
- Roger de Hauteville (1, Blue) has gathered Normans for the invasion of Sicily. He is joined by an exiled Muslim emir named Ibn at-Timnah (7, Yellow) who promises to help him.
- Three Saracen emirs rule Sicily. Ibn al-Hawwas (4, Green) is based in central Sicily at Cerami, Ibn al-Ward (2, Orange) in the southeast at Syracuse, and Ibn Mankut (3, Purple) in the west at Mazara del Vallo. Each faction fights with a mix of Saracen unit types.
- Two princes of the Berber Zirid dynasty seek power and influence over Sicily. Ayyub Zirid (5, Red) controls the north of the island from Palermo while his younger brother, Ali Zirid (6, Cyan), controls the south from Agrigento. Both princes command mobile armies of Camel Archers, Camel Riders, and cavalry.
- Although Sicily has been ruled by Muslim emirs for two centuries, the island retains a diverse religious community (8, Grey) of Catholic and Orthodox Christians along with the Muslims. These Sicilian groups have no love for the two Berber princes and can be inspired to rebel in Palermo and Agrigento if holy Relics are brought to their Monasteries.
Players[]
Player[]
- Player ( Sicilians - Normans): The player begins with a small force on the mainland to the west of Sicily, under demand to hand over Ibn at-Timnah. The player must gather troops and capture cities to gain power.
Enemies[]
- Emir Ibn al-Ward ( Saracens): Ibn al-Ward is located to the south of Sicily and controls the city of Syracuse. If Ibn at-Timnah aids the player, he will request this city be taken back for him, at which point it will become the player's ally. The Emir's death will trigger this. The Emir himself is recognizable by the glow of Hero units. He is represented by a renamed Camel Archer.
- Emir Ibn Mankut ( Saracens): Ibn Mankut controls the northwest of the island. He will attack if left alone too long, training an army of cavalry, rams, and Pikemen. He is difficult to reach at first due to the location of the two princes, effectively blocking him in. The Emir himself is recognizable by the glow of Hero units. He is represented by a renamed Camel Rider.
- Emir Ibn al-Hawwas ( Saracens): The weakest of the three Emirs, Ibn al-Hawwas begins by demanding the surrender of Ibn at-Timnah. His city is located in the east of the island. His initial base is weak, lacking Gates, and can be easily overrun with or without the aid of Ibn al-Timnah. (see Strategy). The Emir himself is recognizable by the glow of Hero units. He is represented by a renamed Mamluke.
- Prince Ayyub Zirid ( Berbers): The elder of two powerful Berber princes, Ayyub Zirid controls the north of the island with a powerful fortress. His people can be inspired to rebel if they receive proof that Roger Bosso is truly a liberator.
- Prince Ali Zirid ( Berbers): The younger of two powerful Berber princes, Ali Zirid controls the south of the island with a powerful fortress. His people can be inspired to rebel if they receive proof that Roger Bosso is truly a liberator.
Allies[]
- Sicilian People ( Sicilians): Barely present in the scenario, the Sicilian People can nonetheless be a powerful ally. They control only two Monasteries, one east of Palermo (5, Red) and one east of Agrigento (6, Cyan). Placing a Relic in either will inspire the people of that town to rebel.
Allies, possibly โ Enemies[]
- Ibn at-Timnah ( Berbers): Ibn at-Timnah begins in exile, hiding in the land of Roger Bosso. If Ibn at-Timnah is surrendered, this player becomes Bandits, remaining defensive but attacking any Sicilian units that draw near. If he is aided, they will join the player once in line of sight, providing a powerful mounted Camel backup to the Sicilian Knights. Aiding Ibn al-Timnah also will later grant substantial aid once Syracuse (2, Orange) falls.
Strategy[]
At the beginning of the scenario, the player will be tasked to hold or surrender Ibn at-Timnah to Ibn al-Hawwas (in 45 seconds). Deleting at-Timnah in the 45 seconds means defeat.
Note: any unit that goes on the ship will be lost, as the ship despawns just into the unexplored map area. This includes heroes; although their loss is not immediate defeat, they are powerful fighters.
Hold Ibn at-Timnah[]
If the player chooses to hold Ibn at-Timnah, they will not receive additional resources, but will be able to locate enemy bases and Ibn at-Timnah's followers (who are scattered around Sicily) will join the player. Scout the map to find Ibn at-Timnah's followers and then go to the green city and kill their Emir (Ibn al-Hawwas). Since the green city is not fully walled, this should be easy. Try to avoid killing other units or destroying buildings, as the player will take control of everything when the Emir is defeated. Instead, send a quick unit in to draw the army out to the east, then send all forces in after the Emir. He is tough and tends to retreat from battle, although he will not garrison in the Castle. Once he falls, the city surrenders and the player gains a number of Villagers as well as the remainder of the green army.
Now that the player has taken control of the green city, they should finish walling the city and set up some defenses. The next target should be the orange Emir, as killing him will make Ibn at-Timnah take control of the orange city, and so the player will have an ally rather than having to do everything on their own. Luckily, the enemy AI is not very smart at protecting their heroes, and the orange Emir can occasionally be spotted outside his city. When that moment comes, send all the cavalry to kill him.
To find the remaining three enemy heroes, a similar strategy should be taken. The behavior of the enemy heroes is quite erratic: sometimes they go to the player's base (which was originally the green city) on a suicide mission; sometimes they just step outside their gates waiting to be killed by the player; sometimes the ally manages to kill one of them. Whenever any of the enemy heroes is killed, the player will take control of their city.
Bringing Relics to the Sicilian Monasteries will inspire rebellions from the Sicilian People (and unlock the achievement "Haute, Haute, brief candle!") and it has mixed results: sometimes the new units the player gets manage to kill an enemy hero; sometimes the rebellion is easily crushed.
In the event that the player has some trouble finding one of the enemy heroes, it is very likely that they are hiding inside a Transport Ship. In this case, the player should scout the coast until they find a Transport Ship with a flag in it, which they should sink.
Surrender Ibn at-Timnah[]
If the player chooses to surrender Ibn at-Timnah, they will get a few resources, but the scenario will be harder due to the inability to locate enemy bases, and Ibn at-Timnah's followers will become enemies. The player must search for the enemy bases and will struggle to defeat the first Emir they come across (Ibn al-Hawwas) without Ibn at-Timnah's powerful Genitours and Camel Archers. The player should use their resources to research upgrades, increase the size of their army and then proceed with killing Ibn al-Hawwas. The rest of the scenario will play out similarly to if the player chooses to hold Ibn at-Timnah (except that in this case, the player will take control of Syracuse after killing its Emir), although slightly harder because the player does not have an ally and so will have to fight four enemies alone.
Outro[]
"Sicily was a land fitting for a man like Roger: daring and ambitious, but also patient, chivalric, tolerant, and, above all, motivated by love. He married his beloved Judith and settled in a Sicilian court."
"Roger Bosso - the Great Count, as your great grandfather would come to be known - was more than a conqueror. Adopting the ways of the island, he fashioned a new eclecticism that gave Sicily its unique character and strength."
"I do not know these words," the boy king said sadly.
"Forgive me, my king. What it means...is that the warm Mediterranean breezes, the cool marble colonnades, the bubbly fountains splashing among the lemon trees...these are marked on your soul."
"You are shaped by this land where Catholic church bells and the Orthodox liturgy mingle seamlessly with the Islamic call to prayer. It is a heritage unlike any other, all thanks to your great grandfather."
The boy nodded. I did not think he could yet fathom just how unique his kingdom was...
Trivia[]
- If the player chooses to spare Ibn at-Timnah, it will trigger a message from him saying "The people are weak and if they see you killing an emir, they will submit to us - I mean you." As it is very frequent in Age of Empires II campaigns, the last part may hint at a future betrayal, but in reality, what happens is that Ibn at-Timnah will take control of one of the five cities (while at the same time fighting the player's enemies) while the player takes control of the remaining cities.
- In reality, Roger allied with Ibn at-Timnah (as Robert Guiscard had done before), so keeping him alive is the historically accurate option.
- In the event that the player loses Ibn at-Timnah before killing the orange Emir, Ibn at-Timnah will still take control of Syracuse after the Emir is killed.
- The player occasionally gets reinforcements from Robert Guiscard, the protagonist in the campaign's previous scenario.
- Although the hints say that gunpowder units are not available in this campaign, neither Hand Cannoneers nor Bombard Cannons are available to the Sicilians anyway.
- The transport sent to take Ibn at-Timnah actually belongs to the Ibn at-Timnah player, but its displayed owner and color is changed at the start of the scenario to correspond to Ibn al-Hawwas. It's also incorrectly displayed as being Sicilian culturally, despite Ibn al-Hawwas being Saracen.