 |
This article needs an image for it to be complete. Please locate and insert one. |
The Combat of the Thirty is the first scenario in the Chivalry chapter as well as of the The Hundred Years War campaign in Age of Empires IV. It depicts the Combat of the Thirty, which was fought between French and English knights and their squires on 26 March 1351 to determine who would rule Brittany.
Intro[]
Scenario description[]
England's king waged war for his claim to France. In the midst of violent raids and devastating battles, one tournament of champions would uphold the values of chivalry
Opening cinematic[]
In 1350, what we know as the idyllic French countryside... was a living hell. For more than 15 years, the people had suffered at the hands of English invaders. Little did they know that this war... would last for another hundred years. But through this crucible of fighting, famine, and plague, there would emerge the modern nation of France.
England's king, Edward III looked jealously across the English Channel. Wanting France for his own, he had added the fleur de lys, the symbol of France, to his own royal standard. This was an all-out declaration of war, and in 1337... he invaded. But France already had a king: Philippe VI. As the English burned their way across the land, Philippe's army and his legendary knights marched to meet them... and came face-to-face with the English longbow. A simple weapon, but the most devastating the knights had ever faced. The heroes of France fell to storms of English arrows. The war engulfed the French countryside. By 1351, the conflict was focused on Brittany. One fight stands out as a spectacular display of chivalry, and a symbol of the wider conflict between the two enemy nations.
Guillac, France. The Combat of the thirty is still commemorated here in Brittany. It was a dispute between two local families, supported by the opposing sides in the war. The French and English commanders decided to settle it through a trial of knightly combat. Each side would choose thirty champions to fight on neutral ground. France prepared to defend itself against England's finest.
Loading screen[]
The French captain, Jean de Beaumanoir, would enlist thirty great fighters to defend France's claim to Brittany. On the opposing side, England's fiercest champions represented their king. The two sides would clash in an arena of chivalric combat.
Start of scenario[]
Intent on ending the suffering of the French peasantry, Sir Jean de Beaumanoir sent a challenge to the English commander. Thirty champions on each side would compete in a tournament for final claim to Brittany. With the battleground of the halfway oak agreed-upon, Sir Jean set out to gather support from local knights.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Age:
Castle Age - Unit: Jean de Beaumanoir
- Technologies: Bloomery
- Resources: 1,200 food, 450 gold
Objectives[]
- Recruit Champions to combat the English (/2).
- Kill wolves attacking Villagers (Recruit Olivier Arrel).
- Defeat the English longbowmen → Defend the Outpost (90 seconds) (Recruit Geoffroy du Bois).
- Defeat the English raiders (Recruit Guy de Rochefort*).
- Win a duel (Recruit Yves Charruel).
- Arrive at the Halfway Oak.
- (Optional) Recruit additional Champions to combat the English. (If not all champions have been recruited)
- Round 1 of 2 - Defeat English soldiers (/30 units).
- Reinforce units and research technologies
- Return to the Arena.
- Round 2 of 2 - Defeat English soldiers (/30 units).
Players[]
- Jean de Beaumanoir: The player starts in a French town on a hill with only the titular leader. They must traverse the map recruiting additional heroes to join them.
Allies[]
- French (French): French is a passive ally. It controls a town with a Keep at the starting location, all of the leaders that need to be recruited, the tournament grounds and spectators, and various other working Villagers and patrolling military units.
- Robert Bemborough (English): This is a placeholder player for the enemy Robert when he is outside of the arena and cannot be attacked.
Enemy[]
- Robert Bemborough (English): Robert Bemborough is the scenario's primary enemy. Before the tournament, he attacks the player while recruiting two of the champions. When approaching Guy de Rochefort, he attacks with Horsemen and Men-at-Arms. When approaching Geoffroy du Bois, he attacks first with Longbowmen stationed near the Outpost, and later attacks the Outpost with Horsemen and Men-at-Arms. The player must kill all his units in the arena to win the scenario. Depending on the second champion recruited (since the first champion will always be Olivier Arrel), he fields the following possible combatants:
- Guy de Rochefort: Veteran Spearmen, Men-at-Arms, and German Mercenaries
- Geoffroy du Bois: Knight, Veteran Horsemen, and Men-at-Arms
- French (French): Yves Charruel appears under this player name during the duel with him.
Strategy[]
This scenario is pretty simple in design. The player just needs to follow instructions and complete objectives. Recruiting more champions will only give more options in the arena. All the champions, including Jean, have a special ability which helps in the final battle and also provide a different type of army for the battle field. Approaching these units will also provide the player with some support units to help their cause further.
| Champion | Support | Ability | Army |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jean de Beaumanoir | none | Increase melee attack of nearby units by 5 | 5x Man-at-Arms |
| Olivier Arrel | 4x  Veteran Spearman
|
Regenerate for 10 seconds | 9x Veteran Spearman
|
| Geoffroy du Bois | 4x  Veteran Royal Knight4x  Veteran Horseman
|
Increase movement speed for 15 seconds | 5x Veteran Royal Knight 4x Veteran Horseman
|
| Guy de Rochefort | 4x Veteran Spearman 4x  Man-at-Arms
|
Decreases enemy armor by 5 for 5 seconds | 5x Man-at-Arms 4x Veteran Spearman
|
| Yves Charruel | none | Increases melee armor by a large amount for 5 seconds and a smaller amount for next 10 seconds | 9x Man-at-Arms
|
After recruiting each champion, it is useful to use Olivier's ability to heal all units and wait for the ability to be available again before moving on to the next champion, since there is no time limit. When fighting the enemy units, the player should constantly make use of the Champion's abilities, pull away injured units from the front line, use the Champions to soak up damage if possible, and then use Olivier's healing ability only when a large number of units are damaged to make most the efficient use of it. Furthermore, when attacking the Longbowmen defending the Outpost, keep the Spearmen far away, as the Longbowmen will prioritize attacking them even if being engaged by cavalry and they will fall quickly. Without following these practices, defending the Oustpost can prove tricky. Recruiting Yves Charruel before defending the Outpost to make use of his Armor ability can further help.
Upon reaching Halfway Oak, all units are lost. The heroes are transferred to the French. The player gets to examine at the enemy army, and then gets to decide which 2 of the recruited champions should be picked. Jean is selected by default. The champions decide which units are recruited, and then the battle happens in two rounds. Which champion is best depends on the enemy army composition and desired abilities. Olivier Arrel's healing ability can essentially provide your units with double the health, useful for evening the matchup with the enemy's more upgraded units. However, his Spearmen are only useful if the enemy has cavalry. Geoffroy du Bois's movement speed boost is not impressive in the enclosed arena, but he brings in Veteran Royal Knights in the battle arena, which are powerful if the enemy has no Spearmen. Yves Charruel provides a melee armor boost which is great since the player will only be fighting melee units, and his Men-at-Arms are a good all-around unit. Finally, Guy de Rochefort's Sunder is also extremely valuable if the enemy has armored units, and his combination of infantry can be more flexible with additional unit micromanagement.
In the tournament, following the same practices above will continue to help lead the player to victory. The battle is a 30 vs 30. Any units lost are gone forever, but injured units return in round two in full health for both sides. This makes it very advantageous to pull back injured units out of fights and replace them on the frontline. If the player decides not to respect the chivalrous nature of the tournament, they can actually surround the enemy units before the start of the fight, putting themselves immediately at an advantage. Between the rounds, the player can research different upgrades at the Blacksmith. The available upgrades depend on the difficulty level, with only Fitted Leatherwork available on Hard difficulty, and Decarbonization and Insulated Helm on lower difficulties. Depending on whether the player comes out of the first round of the arena at a disadvantage, even, or at an advantage, the narration will differ. Due to Lanchester's law, if the player is already at a disadvantage after the first round, it is less likely they regain momentum and win the second round, even with upgrades. They may want to reload and try again. Conversely, if they are at an advantage, the second round becomes easier. Once all enemy units are defeated, the scenario ends.
Achievement[]
Winning in the arena without losing more than 10 units grants the 'Du Bois Are Back in Town' achievement. It is fairly difficult and micro-intensive, especially on hard. It may require tricks such as kiting the enemy units around the arena with a fast cavalry unit while trying to pull them out of formation one at a time and surround them with the rest of the combatants.
Outro[]
End of scenario[]
Triumphant, Sir Jean de Beaumanoir and his loyal knights claimed victory. The combat of the thirty had decided control of Brittany in favor of the French. Little did the two sides know, this was just the beginning of a bitter war that would outlive them all.
Post-game screen[]
The French champions defeated the English and Brittany remained under French control.
Unlockable content[]
- Video: Chivalry
- Video: Chevauchée
- Page From History: A Tournament of War
| “ | The Combat of the Thirty was a bloody counterpart to the pageantry of knightly jousts but also a return to form. By 1350 jousts were focused on showmanship over actual combat. Grand pavilions hid knights ahead of dramatic reveals. An opening day parade displayed combatants in heraldic glory. Knights wielded blunted arms and competed for a rich purse. But tournaments started as training for war. In earlier centuries, jousts were only part of the tourney. Brutal melees with keen-edged weapons were just as important. Injury and even death were common. The most dangerous of these tourneys opposed national groups of knights - especially French and English - which often devolved into pitched battle. This was the tradition revived for the Combat of the Thirty. |
” |
