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The Burmese Tigers is the first scenario of the Bayinnaung campaign in Age of Empires II HD: Rise of the Rajas. It is based on the Toungoo-Hanthawaddy War.

Intro[]

1538 AD. Year eight of the reign of King Tabinshwehti.

Over two decades ago, an old village shaman came to our little mountain kingdom of Toungoo. He claimed to speak with the nats, the ancestral spirits worshiped by our people before the coming of Buddhism.

The nats had told the shaman that an ancient warrior prince would be reincarnated in our kingdom. This prince would rule as the Cakkavatti, the universal ruler embodying Buddhist virtue. Soon after, the king had a son named Tabinshwehti.

At the same time, a servant girl had a son, and she was made the newborn prince's wet nurse. I know this story well, as I am the son of that servant girl and was raised alongside my future king. Thus the nats joined the fates of a king and a servant.

My mother is not so sure Tabinshwehti is who the nats spoke of. She says the nats are tricky spirits who mislead with their blessings. But I tell my mother I am no prince! Only King Tabinshwehti can lead our small kingdom against our enemies!

And our enemies are many. Our lands are under attack by the Shan, a warrior people from the far north. Our walls cannot stop them so we attack south, to gain a stronger foothold in Hanthawaddy.

The nats bring fear into the heart of the Hanthawaddy king. He flees to his allies just as a frightened water buffalo runs to his herd after smelling a tiger. The King and I are the Burmese tigers, chasing after that buffalo!

1538 AD. Year Eight of the reign of King Tabinshwehti.

Over two decades ago, before I was even born, an old village shaman came to our little mountain kingdom of Toungoo. He claimed to speak with the nats, the ancestral spirits worshipped by our people before the coming of Buddhism.

The nats had told the shaman that an ancient warrior prince would be reincarnated in our kingdom. This prince would rule as the Cakkavatti, the universal ruler embodying Buddhist virtue. Soon after, a son named Tabinshwehti was reborn to one of the King's wives. At the same time, a servant girl had herself just birthed a son and she was made the newborn prince's wet nurse. After all these years, I know the story of King Tabinshwehti's well. I am the son of his wet nurse. Though we came from very different origins, the nats had joined the King and I.

Though the nats prophesied King Tabinshwehti's greatness, they blessed me as well. But not in the way my mother sees it. She does not believe that the King is the one the shaman spoke of. She says the nats are not that simple; they are tricky spirits who mislead with their blessings. But I tell my mother that I am no warrior prince! The nats have blessed me, though not as she believes. Because the King and I both suckled from my mother, he has treated me like kin and made me his loyal general.

But with every blessing comes a curse. Our kingdom is under attack by the Shan, a warrior people of the far north. Our city's walls cannot stop them so I have proposed to my King that we attack south, away from the northern threat. The Kingdom of Hanthawaddy is a wealthy land and home of the Mon people but it is ruled by a paranoid and cowardly king.

As we march south, the nats bring fear to the Mon king's heart. He flees his lands for the safety of his allies just as a frightened water buffalo runs to his herd after smelling a tiger. The King and I are the Burmese tigers, chasing after that buffalo!

Scenario instructions[]

Starting conditions[]

  • Starting Age: FeudalageDE Feudal Age
  • Starting resources:
  • Population limit: 100 (125 in the Definitive Edition)

Differences between difficulty levels[]

Objectives[]

Main objectives[]

  • Kill King Takayupti of Hanthawaddy (King).
  • Capture the Monument in Prome.

Secondary objectives[]

  • Kill King Takayupti in less than 5 minutes.

Hints[]

  1. You are restricted to the Castle Age and a population limit of 125.
  2. Use your powerful heroes. Losing them in battle will not bring defeat.
  3. Burmese Battle Elephants have extra armor that can be further increased by the Howdah unique technology and Blacksmith cavalry armor upgrades.[note 1]
  4. The Portuguese will not demand tribute until you encounter them. If you do not wish to war with them, have tribute ready before venturing too far west.

  1. You are restricted to a population of 100.
  2. Losing your heroes in battle will not bring defeat.
  3. Battle Elephants can be effective alternatives to Battering Rams, especially after researching the Burmese unique technology, Howdah.
  4. The Portuguese will not demand tribute until you encounter them. If you do not wish to war with them, have tribute ready before venturing too far west.

Scouts[]

Your scouts report:

  • King Takayupti of Hanthawaddy (3, Red) is feeling the Toungoo invasion. He will seek the safety of his Castles to the south, but if they are destroyed, he will flee to Prome.
  • Prome (2, Blue) is well-defended by Elephant Archers and Hand Cannoneers. The city's great Monument must be captured for victory.
  • The cavalry and archers of the Shan (4, Yellow) pose a threat to Toungoo's base.
  • The Portuguese (5, Cyan) will demand tribute when encountered. They can be a powerful friend or enemy.

Players[]

Player[]

Ally → potential enemy[]

  • Portuguese (cyan before Dynasties of India) (CivIcon-Portuguese Portuguese): The men of João Caeiro (a renamed Francisco de Orellana). They have an outpost in the southwest. While initially allied with all factions on the map, once the player approaches their fortress, they demand a tribute of 500 gold for not attacking the player, and shortly afterwards they want another 500 gold for the player taking over all of their units. They have Organ Guns, Knights, as well as João Caeiro himself and also a fleet consisting of Elite Caravels.

Enemies[]

Strategy[]

The player starts in a base with all Feudal Age buildings and a small army at their disposal. The army includes three heroes, King Tabinshwehti (an Elephant Acher), his general Bayinnaung (an Elite Battle Elephant), and Thado Dhamma Yaza (a Monk). All three heroes are very valuable in fights as they are quite resilient.

Around the map, Gaia units can be acquired, namely in the southeast of Takayupti's camp. They are Toungoo Warriors, very agile and resilient infantry Heroes, who, as Heroes, can regenerate health.

Further resources can be found west and east of the base, and these areas are also quite easily wallable.

Secondary objective: Killing the Mon King in under 5 minutes[]

The first objective of this scenario is to kill the Mon King Takayutpi, while a secondary objective is to do so in under 5 minutes. Succeeding in the secondary objective nets 500 gold (and the "Chasing the Crown" achievement, if playing the Definitive Edition). The King will only run away if military units get too close. A trivial way to complete this objective is to take the starting Villagers and the Arambai, then use the Villagers to lure King Takayupti's units away from the King and into the Arambai. Once enough units are lured away and killed (with only the Spearman remaining), wall in the king by building two Palisade Walls with the Villagers. After that, send the Arambai in to finish off the Spearmen and the King.

Halting the Shan[]

It is a good idea to defend against the Shan coming from the west, as they, while not an objective, are the most immediate threat. Tabishwehti and Bayinnaung can tank their units quite well, while the rest of the player's units can dispatch them. A possible army against them would be Battle Elephants (against the Shan Knights, and they can also take quite some arrow shots thanks to their high pierce armor) and Elite Skirmishers (while the Burmese lack even the Leather Archer Armor upgrade, they do get the much more important Bracer, and Elite Skirmishers are still very cost efficient against the Shan's numerous archers as well as Prome's units, but they get shredded by Knights). A few mixed-in Monks (the Burmese get all Monastery technologies at a 50% discount) can also lead to a huge swing when converting Shan Knights. Mangonels are also strong against Crossbowmen (and to a lesser extent Chu Ko Nu).

A Castle southwest of the base can halt any Shan and Prome onslaught, as long it is protected from Shan Battering Rams.

Before taking care of the actual objectives it might be a good idea to first at least weaken the Shan by razing their camp right west of the player's base. They also have another base a little further west.

Interlude: Optional task: Acquiring the Portuguese mercenaries[]

If the player desires, they can make a run for the Portuguese outpost in the southwest, past Prome and Shan. Before doing so however, they should make sure to have at least 1,300 gold stockpiled (due to tribute fees). Researching Coinage and Banking is not recommended, as they also cost 300 gold in total, while also costing food.

Once their outpost is reached, the Portuguese demand 500 gold in tribute, for them not to attack the player, and then shortly after, they want another tranche of 500 gold. Upon paying the second tribute, the player takes over all of the Portuguese units. These units can either be used to care care of the Shan for good, take down some of Hathawaddy's production buildings, or/and breach Prome itself.

Killing the Mon King (if not done already)[]

It is better to kill King Takayutpi before capturing the Monument, as the Monument has to be held only for a second, if the other objective is already completed, while, if done in reverse, the player has more hassle with Prome.

As mentioned before, the King hides in a Castle in the eastern corner of the map, after his initial camp is approached. The village around the castle produces Ballista Elephants and Battle Elephants, but other reinforcements can come from the west (see Hanthawaddy in the Players section above). If besieging from the north, it is imperative for the player to dispatch some ranged units west of the Castle in order to intercept the King, as he flees once more, when his Castle is in flames. It is also possible to wade through the shallow water and besiege the Castle from the west in the first place, but then the player's forces are attacked from two sides. With the Mon King dead, the first of the two objectives is completed.

Capturing Prome's Monument[]

The shortest way to Prome's Monument is from the north, where the player should have erected a Castle anyways, giving them place to retreat to, if necessary. Good units to counter Prome's army include Elite Skirmishers (like discussed before, only mediocre for the Burmese), Monks (against their Elephant Archers), Mangonels, and Scorpions. To capture the Monument, all enemy units surrounding it have to be removed for a least a second, while the player has to have at least one unit near the Monument.

When the Monument is held for even a second (if the Mon King is already dead), the scenario is won.

Alternative strategy[]

Note: the strategy described below does not work in Dynasties of India.

The scenario can be won in less than 20 minutes, first by killing the Mon King in less than 5 minutes with the starting Arambai (as mentioned in the secondary objective subsection), and then moving all military units to the Portuguese base (using the elephants to tank enemy fire on the way). With the initial resources (and the 500 gold received from succeeding in the secondary objective), the player can pay the first tribute to the Portuguese and use the Market to get enough gold to pay the second tribute. After taking control of the Portuguese units, the player can easily take down Prome's western gate and capture the monument.

Outro[]

To reward my service in battle, my king bestowed a name of great honor upon me: 'Bayinnaung', which means 'King's Elder Brother'. Though he is a King and I am but the son of a servant girl, he embraced me and declared a shared blood!

I am no longer a simple servant. I am Bayinnaung. I am a prince.

To reward my service in battle, my king bestowed a name of great honor upon me: 'Bayinnaung', which means 'King's Elder Brother'. Though he is a King and I am but the son of a servant girl, he embraced me and declared a shared blood! I am no longer a simple servant. I am Bayinnaung. I am a prince.

Trivia[]

  • With the release of Dynasties of India, the player cannot research Imperial Age, and the Prome who are now represented by the Bengalis are also restricted to the Castle Age. In addition, the Shan have a full base with an economy, with a bridge connecting their two bases.
  • The Shan are a Tai ethnic group based in northern Burma and are related to the Dai people in southern China, which may explain why the Chinese civilization has been used to represent them.

Gallery[]

Notes[]

  1. With update 87863, Howdah was moved to the Imperial Age, meaning the player cannot research it in this scenario. However, this hint was not updated.
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