Roman Repute is the second scenario of the Trajan campaign in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Return of Rome. It follows the events of Trajan's campaign in Dacia in the First Dacian War (101-102) against Decebalus.
Intro[]
Domitian's successor was a good man but a poor ruler. Nevertheless, he shared my loyalty to Rome, and sought to reverse the damage that Domitian's folly had done.
With no sons to pass the mantle to, Emperor Nerva named me as his heir before striding on into the afterlife after two short years on the throne.
The immense honor of steering the might of Rome is matched only by the weight of its responsibility. I am a general, not a senator — my mind is built for the straightforwardness of the battlefield, not the intricacies of politics!
I can — and I must — learn to be a politician, but in the meantime I should play to my strengths. The divided Roman people need a common enemy, and I will give them that.
North of the Danube lies Dacia, a barbarous kingdom — but one also rich in gold and silver. Its wily king Decebalus once played Domitian for a fool, negotiating an unfavorable treaty that tarnished Roman imperial repute.
My loyal cousin Hadrian will join me on this campaign and learn from my example! I will unite the Roman people, take vengeance on a haughty foe, and enrich our struggling economy all in one fell swoop.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Bronze Age - Starting resources: None
- Population limit: 50
- Starting technologies: Improved Bow, Wheel
Objectives[]
Main objectives[]
- Defeat Decebalus.
Secondary objectives[]
- Conquer local villages (3, Grey) by destroying Dacian towers (4, Orange).
- Raze Dacian buildings (4, Orange) for resources.
Hints[]
- Trajan is restricted to a population limit of 50.
- Many units, buildings, and technologies are unavailable to you. You must seize what you can from the enemy.
- Though your forces are divided from Hadrian's, you are co-dependent. Any resources that you loot will swell his stockpiles as well, and any technologies that he researches will improve your units, too.
- Be swift and decisive in your attacks. Delay too long and your enemies will overwhelm you with their superior numbers and supplies.
- The Logistics technology halves the population cost of Barracks units, allowing you to field double the number of swordsmen.
Scouts[]
- Trajan (1, Red) leads an army into Dacia from the southwest.
- Trajan's confidant Hadrian (2, Purple) attacks Dacia from the southeast with an army of infantry and mounted units.
- Several Dacian villages (3, Grey) dot the countryside. They are rich in resources and supplies but poorly defended.
- King Decebalus of Dacia (5, Green) controls a fortress in the north. He will initially concentrate on Hadrian, but his infantry and archers may turn towards Trajan if the Roman raids get out of hand.
- The Dacian army (4, Orange) is scattered about the region, operating out of several small bases and defending the local villages. This diverse force is numerous but can be defeated in detail by a decisive series of raids.
Players[]
Player[]
- Player ( Romans): Trajan starts with a Market in the south of the map and a small force of Swordsmen, Cavalry and a Scout. He must claim buildings and resources by defeating enemy garrisons and capturing Dacian towns. Both Roman forces begin in the Bronze Age and eventually advance to the Iron Age.
Allies[]
- Hadrian ( Romans): Hadrian is confined to the eastern landmass with a well-developed base and a strong economy. He produces Broad Swordsmen, Cavalry and Stone Throwers, and all Storage Pit technologies he researches are applied to Trajan too.
- Dacian Villages ( Macedonians): The Dacian Villages exist solely to provide the player with buildings to capture. They produce no units of their own and their bases will convert to the player's side when the Dacian army is cleared out.
Enemies[]
- Dacian Army ( Macedonians): The Dacian Army exists in numerous pockets across the western part of the map. In addition to the five Dacian Villages they guard, they also have four Storage Pits. Destroying these is Trajan's primary method of gaining resources, and will benefit Hadrian too.
- Decebalus ( Macedonians): Decebalus' fortress in the north of the map is the main target, he also controls the river crossing near Hadrian's base. Decebalus' fruitful economy produces large groups of Broad Swordsmen, Composite Bowmen and Hoplites/Phalangites, but will mostly ignore the west side of the map until Trajan reaches him.
Strategy[]
The player begins with no economy and only a small army. The starting force needs to be carefully micro-managed, dispatching enemies efficiently with minimal losses, until military buildings can be captured.
Villagers are unavailable throughout the scenario. The main method of gaining resources is to destroy the Dacian Army's structures. Taking down a Storage Pit will gain both Roman players resources: for Trajan, 1,000 food, 1,000 wood and 100 stone. For Hadrian, 500 food, 500 wood and 100 stone. Taking down the Dacian Army's Watch/Sentry Towers will gain Trajan 1,000 gold, and also control of the surrounding buildings, but nothing for Hadrian. Another important resource stream is to build Fishing Ships for food, and to send Merchant Ships to trade with Hadrian's Docks across the bay, which can be done once the player captures the Dock in the southwest. As a last resort, the player has a Market on a little island in the bay, which can be used for commodity trading.
Wood and stone can't be replenished by ships, so wood in particular should be rationed out; Trajan can only receive 4,000 in this scenario without resorting to expensive commodity trading. It may be worth choosing just one research option between Helepolis, Heavy Catapult and Scythed Chariot.
Contrary to the briefing, the only technologies shared between Trajan and Hadrian are Storage Pit upgrades. Both Romans also advance to the Iron Age after 20 minutes, but this happens regardless of the state of Hadrian's economy. So don't bother researching Villager upgrades like Coinage, as Trajan doesn't need them and Hadrian will need to research them himself. By the same token, don't hold off researching anything (such as Broad Swordsman) in the hopes that Hadrian will eventually provide it; nothing that Trajan can research is sharable.
Trajan has no way of repairing or rebuilding destroyed buildings, so try not to lose any.
There's no need to build any warships: the player's civilian fleet shouldn't ever be threatened, and the river leading to Decebalus' fortress is impassable.
Don't be tempted to raid the stronghold in the north. Decebalus responds to attacks with an enormous army, and the player can't afford to get stuck into a war of attrition, as Trajan's economy is limited and Decebalus' is vast. The player needs to wipe out Decebalus' military in a single overwhelming strike, and move forward to take out his buildings and Villagers before he can replenish his forces. He won't field any siege engines, mounted units, Priests, or elite-tier units, so can be taken out without too much trouble, as long as the player fully engages with a large, advanced force.
Walkthrough[]
Hadrian should finish researching Metalworking for both Roman players after just over a minute into the scenario, so it may be worth waiting for this before entering combat. Scale Armor Infantry and Bronze Shield will eventually follow when Hadrian can afford to research them, which will happen sooner if Trajan destroys a Storage Pit.
From the player's starting camp, follow the path northwest. The player will soon meet a Dacian ambush of Axemen and Slingers, with a Storage Pit nearby; destroy the pit to gain both Roman players resources.
After this first fight, there are several options. Perform these in any order, depending on which units are important.
- To the east is a Dacian Village guarded by four Axemen and four Slingers, along with a tower. Destroy the tower and kill the units to capture two Barracks and three Houses.
- To the northwest is another Storage Pit, guarded by three Short Swordsmen and two Improved Bowmen. The player will need to pass this to go further west. Destroy the Storage Pit to gain more food, wood and stone.
- Further west is a Dacian Village guarded by three Cavalry and five Improved Bowmen, along with a tower. Destroy the tower and kill the units to capture an Archery Range, Stable, five Houses, and a Dock, along with two Heavy Transports that can be used to send troops to assist Hadrian if he's in trouble. Send out Fishing and Merchant Ships to build up a sustainable economy.
- To the northeast is a Dacian Village guarded by four Improved Bowmen and three Cavalry, along with a tower. Destroy the tower and kill the units to capture an Archery Range, Stable, and two Houses.
- To the north is a Dacian Village guarded by one Cavalry, four Hoplites, and a Stone Thrower, along with a Tower. Destroy the tower and kill the units to capture an Academy, Government Center, Siege Workshop and five Houses. Research Logistics to double the amount of potential Barracks units.
From the Government Center village, continue north and follow the path. To the left will be one Dacian Storage Pit, guarded by five Improved Bowmen. To the right will be the final Storage Pit, guarded by three Scouts, three Improved Bowmen and four Slingers.
After all of those are captured, proceed to the final Dacian village in the north. It is guarded by ten Short Swordsmen and a Stone Thrower, along with a tower. Destroy the tower and kill the units to capture two Barracks, a Siege Workshop, and three Houses. This puts the player on the threshold of Decebalus' fortress. Stay away for now, as any hostilities will result in a sea of Broad Swordsman, Phalangites and Composite Bowmen pouring out of the fortress that could march right the way down to the coast if they win, torching everything they find. Set up a firing line outside the range of the fortress just in case the battle starts early.
By this point, depending on the difficulty, Hadrian should either have advanced across the river to pen Decebalus back into his fortress, or will be coming under pressure from the enemy Phalangites. If Hadrian is in serious trouble, the player can send a force across the bay on Transports to aid him, but even on Hard he can usually take care of himself.
Before striking Decebalus' fortress, wait for the Iron Age at 20 minutes (and Hadrian's ensuing Storage Pit technologies, finishing with Tower Shield), and select unit upgrades carefully, as resources are limited. Max out the population cap, and don't forget to research Logistics at the Government Center to field twice as many Barracks units, and Ballistics to improve ranged accuracy.
In terms of force composition, the player could bait Decebalus into attacking and shred his army with a line of Ballistas/Helepolises, Improved Bowmen and Catapults, with an infantry meat shield to protect the siege engines. With this strategy, the player will need to micro-manage the main fight so that the Ballistas are each aiming for different targets (preferably Phalangites), the archers are aiming for the softer or nearer targets, and the Catapults are targeting mobs or fortifications. Or the player could take a more aggressive strategy and just pile in a huge mass of Legionaries, which do a vast amount of damage with Roman bonuses, and can be fielded in double numbers with Logistics. They'll need to be supported with some Cavalry, Chariots or Slingers to mop up the Composite Bowmen, and maybe a few Ballistas to shorten the lifespans of enemy Phalangites. Don't bother with Catapults if going for a melee strategy, as their splash damage will kill the player's own units, and a cluster of Roman Legionaries can melt through enemy buildings without siege support.
Outro[]
Peace between Dacia and Rome was the story of one man's panic and another's bluff. As Decebalus saw my legions thrust into his realm and capture his sister, he must have feared that the end was near.
Yet, my imperious tone and stern demands during the negotiations were a mere facade. With only a few legions on the front, I knew in my heart that I lacked the strength to overthrow Decebalus today, but he did not.
For now, the conman has been beaten at his own game, but I know better than to trust a cornered wolf. As we march home after a draining campaign, I have tasked my best architects with building a bridge across the Danube into Dacia.
If Decebalus shows even a hint of treachery, my legions will now have a direct route to his front door.
