Takeover is the first scenario of the Tamar campaign in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - The Mountain Royals. It is about the first of Yury's rebellions against Tamar in 1191.
Intro[]
You have me right where you want, Ogedei Khan. After all of my unheard prayers, I now find myself kneeling before your bow.
I should feel lucky to have survived this long, but the only thoughts that still cross my mind are of what could have been, before the dreams of my kingdom were silenced by a rampage of butchery.
It is cruel that you now ask me to humor you with a tale so captivating that you cannot loose your arrows into our chests. But for my own sake – and that of my advisors – I, Queen Rusudan of Georgia, will try.
You Mongols look at my lavish garment and assume that we Georgians have never known hardship; but in truth, we come from beginnings as humble as any warlord without a battle to his name.
Our kingdom sits at a crossroads between worlds – the Byzantine west and the Persianate east. For generations, we lived in the war-torn shadows of empires competing on all sides of the mountains surrounding us.
Under the leadership of my mother Tamar, however, Georgia would finally become an empire in its own right.
Initially, Tamar was merely co-regent to her father, who hoped to ready his only child for when she inherited the throne.
Turning to her great-grandfather David the Builder for inspiration, the young heir applied herself to the task, acquainting herself with every tedious detail that comes with ruling a kingdom.
Yet, when her father died, she found herself cast into a political game for which nothing could have prepared her.
Reeling from her father's authoritative reign, the aznauri noblemen in her court deprived her of her powers before she could wield them.
To achieve their ends, they forced her to marry a deposed Russian prince named Yury, who vowed to keep her in check while the aznauris continued to dilute the crown's authority.
Facing resistance at every turn, Tamar had no choice but to travel to Armenia. There, she would seek the help of her only allies in the court, the brothers Zakarian.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Feudal Age - Starting resources: 300 food, 200 wood, 150 gold, 20 stone
- Population limit: 100
- Starting units:
- Tamar
- Ivane
- 6 Men-at-Arms
- After the initial dialogue with Zakare:
- Zakare
- 1 Monk
- 1 Scout Cavalry
- 9 Villagers
Main objectives[]
Secondary objectives[]
- Repair Armenian Fortified Churches to gain extra Villagers and buildings.
- Repair Ivane's Castle to gain ownership of it.
- Kill the three Aznauris to liberate their towns.
- Defeat the Seljuks to end their raids.
- Convert or kill the Cuman Chief to gain access to Capped Rams.
Hints[]
- Tamar's forces are restricted to a population limit of 100 and must liberate Aznauri-controlled towns in order to access certain Castle Age buildings. You also may not advance to the Imperial Age.
- Tamar is an inspirational leader rather than a fighter. She can heal and boost the speed of nearby units.
- Adapting to the rugged terrain of their homeland, the Georgians can deposit resources in movable Mule Carts in place of traditional Mining and Lumber Camps. Hunters may also drop off food at Mule Carts.
- Georgian Villagers work more efficiently near Fortified Churches. They can also garrison inside of them to fire arrows at enemy raiders.
- The Georgians are expert masons and require fewer resources to repair damaged structures.
Scouts[]
- Tamar (Red) starts with only a small group of followers. She must scour the kingdom for ways to reclaim the Georgian throne.
- Tamar's husband Yury (Yellow) rules Georgia and controls a stronghold in the north of the map. If provoked, he will deploy Boyars, Pikemen, Light Cavalry, Monks, and siege weapons.
- While Yury rules Georgia, most of Tamar's allies can be found to the south in Armenia (Orange), including her family friends, Ivane and Zakare Zakarian.
- Armenia is infested with Brigands (Blue) which will attack on sight.
- The Aznauris (Cyan) occupy three Georgian towns (Grey) with a variety of soldiers.
- Georgia's southern regions are frequently harrassed by Seljuk raiders (Purple). Their swift Light Cavalry and Cavalry Archers are lethal to unattended Villagers, but less adept at penetrating defensive structures.
- Georgia is home to a large population of Cumans (Green), who live mostly in the north and sheltered Yury during his exile. These nomads send Steppe Lancers and Kipchaks into battle, but are also expert craftsmen with the ability to construct Capped Rams.
Players[]
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Player[]
- Player ( Georgians): The player begins with only Tamar, but will gain two additional Hero units and a small base after the opening dialogue is finished. The initial base will not be sufficient for long, and expansion will be necessary to sustain an army.
Allies[]
- Armenia ( Armenians): The Armenians provide only a background setting and control no army or economy. They control Villagers near the four Fortified Churches, which will turn to the player once the Churches are repaired, and a damaged Castle, which will do the same.
- Georgia ( Georgians): The Georgians also play no active role in the scenario, and exist only to control the buildings within the Aznauri-occupied towns. Once all three Aznauri leaders are dead, the Georgians will be defeated.
Enemies → Potential Allies[]
- Cumans ( Cumans): The Cuman mercenaries serve Yury at the start of the scenario and are by far the most substantial threat in the early and mid game. They will launch raids of Steppe Lancers, Light Cavalry, Kipchaks, and, most dangerous of all, Capped Rams. If not guarded properly with Swordsmen or Knights, they will quickly destroy the isolated bases the player holds one by one. If their leader is converted, they will become allied to Tamar and begin attacking Yury. If he is killed instead, they will immediately resign and their base will collapse.
Enemies[]
- Aznauri ( Georgians): The Aznauri, Tamar's rebellious nobles, control three Georgian towns between Tamar and Yury. They will not attack, nor can they produce more units. Once the three Aznauris (represented by renamed Kings) hiding in their towers are killed, they will resign, although 3 Aznauri cavalry guard the Monument.
- Yury ( Slavs): Yury, Tamar's estranged husband, is the greatest threat in the late game. Initially passive and insignificant, he will begin to launch increasing attacks as Tamar defeats more and more of his allies. His Boyars, Knights, and Light Cavalry are a significant threat if not guarded against.
- Seljuk Raiders ( Turks): The Sultan of Rum has taken advantage of the chaos to launch raids into Georgia and Armenia from the southwest. The Seljuks will begin attacking relatively early on, but will only launch small raids of Light Cavalry, Knights, Camel Riders, and Cavalry Archers. They pose little threat if handled swiftly, and their base can be overrun with a small army of Knights and Monaspas. They gain upgrades on their units based on how many of the player's units they have slain.
- Brigands ( Armenians): The Brigands are the groups of raiders and bandits which surround the Fortified Churches and Castle near the starting area. They control no economy or means of making units, and will only attack if approached. They will never launch raids or attempt to defeat Tamar, and can easily be overrun with a small group of Knights and Cavalry Archers.
Strategy[]
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This section is most likely incomplete and may need expansion. You can help by adding to it. |
The player starts with a somewhat minimal base. Since there is very limited space to move around because of the Brigands infesting the region, it is recommended to build up quickly and advance to the Castle Age as soon as possible. The Brigands will not attack unless approached, but the Seljuks and Cumans will begin raiding fairly early. A good order of priority for defeating opponents is: Churches > Castle > Turks > Aznauri > Cumans > Yury.
Additionally, do not neglect to use Tamar. She is a mounted Monk, and although she cannot attack, she heals at the same rate as a Monk, and she speeds up non-infantry units by 10%. Her speed is slightly faster than a Knight, and Bloodlines and Husbandry affect her, so she functions as a powerful advance healer who can support Scouts or raiding parties.
The first priority is to secure the 4 Fortified Churches in the area, as these provide Villagers to work and, as they are a defensive building, the Churches protect their local economy independently of the player's army. Once the player acquires their base and the Hero units, the churches are as follows:
One is directly west of the base, surrounded by mountains. Another is directly southwest of the base, practically touching it. A third is slightly southwest of the second, continuing on the same path. The fourth is northwest of the player's base, and is guarded by two Watch Towers. Once these are secured, they will need to be defended, particularly the northern one, which will be the target of frequent Cuman raids. The Church can defeat them, but make sure to have a few Spearmen to push them far enough away for the Church to fire.
After securing the Churches, the player should then retake the Castle. The Castle is directly to the west of the western Church (the one in the mountains). Once repaired, it will become the player's Castle and will allow for the training of Monaspas, as well as the technology Svan Towers, which gives defensive buildings +2 attack and piercing projectiles. It is important to remember that Monaspas gain attack when around Knights or other Monaspas, so take advantage of their quick training time (11 seconds) to mass produce them.
There is one final group of Brigands directly above the westernmost Church, right where the river bends. They are guarding a building which, at present, does nothing, but they will attack if approached. Once these buildings are secure, the Brigands will be defeated and the player can move on to fighting the Turks. By this time, they will have raided two or possibly three times, depending on how fast the player was.
The Turks will start attacking the player early on, so it is important to guard the west side of the base near the river. The Fortified Churches can defeat the raiders, but without Murder Holes, they are vulnerable to cavalry charges and must be guarded. They pose little threat initially, as they attack in small numbers, but if left alive will begin to raid in greater force. The Seljuk base can be defeated with an army of Knights, Monaspas, Cavalry Archers, Swordsmen, and Priests, plus the three Hero units. They will resign if their Town Center is destroyed and their Villagers killed.
At some point in time, the Cumans will join the attack, and while their lightly mounted units can be defeated easily, their Capped Rams are the largest threat, so the player must keep an eye on their raids. Defeating the Cumans grants the player the Capped Ram technology, but they cannot be attacked until the player unlocks Siege Workshops, as there is a Castle and wall guarding the Cuman Chief. It is also a good idea to unlock Castles and Universities as well, as these provide important buffs. Be careful, though, as Yury will begin to stir once two of these towns fall, so time will begin to count down until he starts to attack.
To unlock these three critical buildings, the player must now turn to the Aznauri rebels and their three towns. Each town unlocks one of these when the Aznauri (modified King) hiding in the central Tower is killed. Do not destroy the towns, as every surviving building turns over to the player once the tower is gone, and any surviving Aznauri units within the town disappear. The towers need not be destroyed either, as damaging them enough ejects the nobleman hiding inside who can then be executed.
The central town unlocks Siege Workshops and is the easiest to reach. It is tightly packed and narrow, but the player's army, supported by Tamar and her Monks, can easily push through the maze of walls to the tower.
The northern town unlocks Castles. This one is a straight shot down the middle to the tower, and infantry with Arson, guarded by cavalry and supported by Tamar, can quickly tear it down.
The eastern town unlocks Universities. As with the northern town, the Tower is a straight shot, although the entrance is more heavily guarded. The same group of infantry and cavalry will work to destroy it.
Once these three towns are destroyed, it is easy to defeat the Cumans. Simply build a forward Castle and attack them from a defensive position. There are two options to defeat them: kill their leader or convert him. While the former is easier, the latter is far more useful. For both methods, the attack is the same. Clear out their army, destroy the Castle and towers, and corner the leader. If he is killed, the Cumans are defeated and leveled, and Yury becomes enraged and speeds up his preparations for war. If he is converted, the Cumans become allies and join Tamar in her fight against Yury. Either way, Capped Ram is researched.
After all other players are defeated, it is time for the final fight. This is a matter of simply breaking through and chasing off the three Aznauri cavalry guarding the Monument; the ending dialogue triggers as soon as that happens. The survival of the army does not matter, so it is reasonable to use the entire army as something of a ram, breaking through a few walls (or slipping though the Gates as enemy units sally out) and destroying the Monument's guards.
Alternative Strategy (as of release)[]
As of campaign release, the Hero unit Ivane is extremely overpowered due to having very high Cavalry armor (16) and a healing rate of 0.5 hit point per second. These bonuses together cause him to take net 0 damage from Spear units and Light Cavalry. With Tamar supporting him, he loses no health even when surrounded by several enemy units, including Boyars and Knights. He will eventually become overwhelmed, however, if the enemy units stack enough to wear him down, and while he is efficient at taking units out, he cannot take out most units faster than they can be created, so he will require cavalry support. He is only average against buildings, so infantry and siege are still required to take out defensive buildings.
Outro[]
Raised by the Cumans following his father's murder, Yury was skilled in combat and a shrewd judge of character. It was not long before he earned the respect of the masses.
The one person who vehemently disapproved of Yury was Tamar herself, whose dysfunctional marriage left her in constant misery.
When finally afforded the chance, she insisted that they be divorced. It was an unprecedented move for the already unprecedented queen, but for once, she had her way – and she knew exactly who should replace Yury.
From a young age, Tamar's eyes had been for David Soslan, an Alanian prince who had frequented her palace ever since her aunt began looking after him.
Tall in stature and built like a fortress, my father was the fancy of every maiden in Georgia. Most importantly, however, he respected Tamar in a way Yury never had, preferring to submit to her orders rather than give his own.
After so many setbacks, and with her former husband now exiled to Constantinople, the young queen could at last envision a future where she would take the lead...
Trivia[]
- To prevent the Cuman Chief and his Light Cavalry guards near him from being baited outside once the palisade wall is destroyed, which would make killing or converting the Chief much easier, they are assigned to the player Aznauris instead of Cumans, and then changed via triggers (colour change, object civilization name change, object player name change) to appear as though belonging to the Cumans. This way, these units remain in defensive stance near their assigned location even if attempted to be baited, while also fighting any approaching attackers, as the Aznauri AI is set to not attack the player or change stances.
- Although the player cannot build Universities, opposing Universities (e.g. the Turkish one) can be converted, which allows the player to gain full access to University technologies.
