The Emperor's Fury

The Emperor's Fury
Scenario information
Game	Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Dawn of the Dukes
Campaign	Jan Zizka
Civilization	Bohemians
Color	Cyan
Scenario no.	5
Previous	The Golden City
Next	Warrior of God

The Emperor's Fury is the fifth scenario of the Jan Zizka campaign in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Dawn of the Dukes.

Intro

As I suspected, even after being humiliated time and again, Emperor Sigismund is still determined to quench the fire started by the great Jan Hus. That two-faced scoundrel invades Bohemia once more with an army of crusaders!

I would shed a tear for my homeland, but I no longer have the means. As we besieged Rabi Castle, an arrow took my last good eye, ripping away my vision for good. Mercifully, Providence intervened and left my keen wit intact; I am blind, but I see the future clearly.

We must deal a crushing blow to Sigismund's army before he can become entrenched for the winter. The bird first out of bed is the earliest fed, as it were - and Sigismund's wit is softened with delusions of grandeur.

Our first target is Kutna Hora, a town famed for its silver deposits but infamous for the local nobility's custom of hurling Hussites down mine shafts. Soon, retribution shall be meted out to these fiends for their cruelty to our brethren.

Sigismund is not alone, however. Riding with him is the fiery Zawisza the Black, our former comrade at Grunwald and bane of the Teutonic Order.

I shall spare Zawisza for old time's sake, but any other invading scum can expect justice from the barrel of a firearm and the head of a mace.

Scenario instructions

Starting conditions

• Starting Age: Imperial Age
• Starting resources: None; then 1,500 food, 1,000 wood, 1,500 gold
• Population limit: 100
• Starting technologies:  Architecture,  Arrowslits,  Conscription
• Starting units:
  • 10  Pikemen
  • 10  Hand Cannoneers
  • 10  Crossbowmen
  • 7 Hussite Wagons

Objectives

Main objectives

• Escape Kutna Hora and reach your Hussite allies in the north.
  • Defeat Emperor Sigismund and Zawisza to drive the crusaders from Bohemia.
  • Assure that your Hussite allies are not defeated.

Secondary objectives

• Recapture Kutna Hora.
• Kill Crusader troops (5, Yellow) to inspire local peasants to join the Hussite cause.

Hints

1. Jan Zizka begins in the Imperial Age and can support a population limit of 100.
2. The crusader army will not take long to slaughter the Hussite garrison in Kutna Hora. You must break through Sigismund's lines and escape before you are enveloped.
3. When going on the offensive, remember to defeat in detail. Prioritize the small Crusader forces - their resources will still help you improve your army, and each small victory will convince increasingly large groups of local peasants to join your cause.
4. Coordinate with your Hussite allies. Attack when they are attacking, and help them defend when they are attacked.
5. The Houfnice is a deadly unique Bohemian upgrade to the Bombard Cannon. Use groups of them to destroy fortresses and armies from afar.

Scouts

Your scouts report:

• Jan Zizka (1, Cyan) has decided to abandon Kutna Hora (3, Grey) and retreat north to the Hussite village of Kolin (2, Purple) to recruit reinforcements.
• Emperor Sigismund (4, Red) blocks Zizka's path to Kolin, besieging Kutna Hora with an army of infantry, cavalry, and siege engines.
• Crusader forces (5, Yellow) from Sigismund's eastern domains in Hungary have entered Kutna Hora with cavalry, swordsmen, and archery units and have taken to slaughtering the Hussite garrison, hoping to take the town and then attack Zizka from the rear.
• The border town of Nemecky Brod (6, Blue) defends the main crossing of the Sazava River and the route to Hungary. The Polish knight-turned-crusader Zawisza the Black, Zizka's old comrade from the Battle of Grunwald, commands the garrison of Obuch Infantry and cavalry.

Players

• Player (Bohemians) starts on the northern outskirts of Kutna Hora, attempting to flee to the Hussite base of Kolin further north.

Allies

• Kutna Hora (Bohemians) is besieged by and soon falls to the Crusaders. It will become empty after the player reaches Kolin and, by recapturing it, the player will get 1,000 food, 1,000 wood, 500 gold.
• Hussites (Bohemians) have a base in the village Kolin in the north of the map, where they will train troops and periodically attack the Crusaders and Sigismund. Their initial forces at Kutna Hora will attempt to intercept the Crusader assault to grant the player time to escape. Once the player retreats to Kolin, the Hussites will provide a stockpile of 1,500 food, 1,000 wood, 1,500 gold.

Enemies

• Emperor Sigismund (Teutons) has a fortified base in the east with two castles and towers, and will send out periodic attacks against the Hussites.
• Crusaders (Magyars), after initially seizing Kutna Hora, set up 10 camps across the region to settle down for the winter, which are patrolled by various cohorts of infantry, arbalests, and cavalry including Crusader Knights and Magyar Huszars.
• Zawisza (Poles) has taken over the town of Nemecky Brod in the south which has a fortification of two castles and several towers, similar to Sigismund's base, and also similarly sends out attackers against the Hussites.

Strategy

This scenario begins in the west of the map with a retreating Hussite force. The player's first objective is to break out of the encirclement by blasting through the Emperor's forces outside Kutna Hora. This is an easy task: set the player's Hussite Wagons in front to take archer fire and simply destroy the force with superior numbers. Once the player has accomplished this, the player must reach the Hussite allies in the north. Upon arriving, the player will receive the western half of their city, including two of each military building (except Stable) and a Castle, University, and Market. The player has no Villagers in this scenario. However, they receive resources from the Hussites and their siege weapons regenerate, so they will not need to be repaired.

After a minute has passed, Jan Zizka will declare that the Crusader troops are split and that it is time to destroy them. There are 10 Crusader encampments scattered across the map. They are highlighted and the troops are visible. Every time a crusader encampment is destroyed (units only), more peasants will join the player's army. See below section for a list of reinforcements after each encampment.

The best strategy here is to be aggressive, but not overextend. Destroy an encampment, then pull back. Sigismund and Zawisza will launch full scale and devastating assaults on the Hussites, and they must be protected. They cannot survive alone. Zawisza fields Cavaliers, Siege Rams, and Polish Obuchs, whilst Emperor Sigismund fields Teutonic Knights, often inside rams, and Paladins. Remember: Bohemian spear units do an additional 25% bonus damage against cavalry; a mass of 20-30 can smash a cavalry force in seconds, and they are effective enough against siege units to destroy them. Also utilize the Bohemian ability to wreak devastation with gunpowder; a majority of the player's army should be Hand Cannoneers and Houfnices by the time the player attacks the enemy fortresses. Even their full assaults can be halted dead by a force of 50 Hand Cannoneers. Note also that four Houfnices can crush a fully upgraded Polish or Teuton Siege Ram, and their low angle of fire allows them to reliably hit moving siege weapons, giving them an extra bonus use.

One strategy against the Crusaders is to use Houfnices to draw the troops out. Their fire will cause enemy units to attack the player, sometimes killing them. This allows for the appropriate counter to be ready when they charge. However, this section is very flexible. Just destroy the encampments and the player's armies will grow. Avoid contact with either fortress in the south or east until the end.

At some point whilst attacking the western crusader units, send the player's units into Kutna Hora. It will be abandoned and burned; the player will receive 1,000 food, 1,000 wood, 500 gold.

There are two main enemy fortresses: Zawisza's southern fortress and Emperor Sigismund's eastern fortress. They are well fortified, but suffer from one crucial flaw: they have no designated defenders. They will launch their entire army in their attack on the Hussites, leaving no defensive force, and will fall quickly to a surprise attack.

The easiest way to do this is to start with Sigismund, as his base is an easier run from the Hussites. The moment his assault is broken, rush a force of Houfnices, Hand Cannoneers, and Elite Hussite Wagons straight down the western bridge to the Emperor's base. Launch a volley of Houfnice shot at his forward (eastern) Castle, then retreat them. Destroy the enemy force that attacks, as this will be their last true resistance. Destroy the Castle and other buildings from the outside, using the player's ranged units to kill the lone and paired cavalry that charge out the gate. Destroy the base, then move east to the outside area with Villagers. Both the Emperor and Zawisza will resign once their Town Center and both Castles are lost, so this can play like an assassination type attack, with the main goal being the protection of Houfnices.

Overall, by far the majority of the challenge, especially on Hard, is defending the Hussites. The player's foes will build massive armies and expend them, leaving few defenders, and the Crusaders will never attack unless attacked first.

Reinforcements

After each Crusader camp falls, the player will gather local peasants who come to fight. This is the list of the units after each encampment. It is not entirely clear, but it is almost certain that these are based on the number destroyed, not the specific encampment. The unit changes based off researched technology, i.e, if the player has Arbalester, they will be Arbalesters, otherwise Crossbowmen.

1. 10 Halberdiers, 500 gold.
2. 10 Halberdiers, 500 gold.
3. 5 Halberdiers, 5 Arbalesters, 500 gold.
4. 5 Halberdiers, 5 Arbalesters, 500 gold.
5. 5 Halberdiers, 10 Arbalesters, 500 gold.
6. 5 Halberdiers, 10 Arbalesters, 500 gold.
7. 5 Halberdiers, 10 Arbalesters, 5 Hand Cannoneers, 500 gold.
8. 5 Halberdiers, 10 Arbalesters, 5 Hand Cannoneers, 500 gold.
9. 5 Halberdiers, 5 Arbalesters, 10 Hand Cannoneers, 1 Houfnice, 500 gold.
10. 5 Halberdiers, 5 Arbalesters, 10 Hand Cannoneers, 1 Houfnice, 500 gold.

The achievement Against All, which can be earned by defeating the Crusaders, is credited after the player wins the game.

Outro

I may be blind, but my mind's eye sees all- and there are few things quite as sweet as witnessing an overconfident fool like Sigismund degenerate into a despondent wretch. His frustration is my elation; his despair the question that I would spend the rest of my days answering if I could.

As the battle unfolded, I could all but see the determination of loyal Hussites as they fixed the tarasnice guns to the wagons; the volley of bolts and bullets that tore through Sigismund's ranks; and the torrents of blood that stained the once pure-blanket of snow a deep scarlet.

I could even picture Zawisza's wry grin as he mused that a blind man had taught him a crucial lesson that no one else could- to expect the unexpected.

With Zawisza ransomed home to Poland and Sigismund finally beaten back, I sense that Jan Hus' dream of a free, rightous Bohemia is close to becoming a reality.

Trivia

• One of the enemies in this scenario is Zawisza, who is a former comrade of Zizka, having fought in the Battle of Grunwald alongside him and the Polish-Lithuanians. In this scenario he speaks several lines to the player, and all of them are prosed as rhymes just like his sole dialogue in the previous meeting. They are:
  • (When he sends out the first raid) "Zizka, old comrade, how do you do? I fear that my obuchs have a date with you!"
  • (When his troops are killed) "Killing my brave crusaders will do you no good; God deals out graver vengeance than you ever could!"
  • (When the player's troops reach his base) "Piercing the air is the cawing of the crow; before long, your scarlet blood will stain the snow!"
  • (When his Castles are razed) "If my tall fortress indeed is to fall, it will be ransom for which I soon call!"