The Fall of Rome is the sixth and final scenario in the Attila the Hun campaign in Age of Empires II: The Conquerors. It is based on Attila's invasion of Italy in 452 A.D.
Intro
As far as Attila was concerned, Honoria was waiting with open arms in Rome. The very next year, partially recovered from his losses, Attila turned his attention to Italy.
The Huns crossed the Alps and moved down the Italian peninsula, launching another great invasion that terrorized the inhabitants of the Western Roman Empire. He meant to take Rome, and crown himself emperor.
As far as Attila was concerned, Honoria was waiting with open arms in Rome. The very next year, partially recovered from his losses, Attila turned his attention to Italy.
The Huns crossed over the Alps, and moved down the Italian peninsula, launching another great invasion that terrorized the inhabitants of the Western Roman Empire. He meant to take Rome, and crown himself emperor.
Scenario Instructions
Starting Conditions
- Starting Age:
Imperial Age - Starting resources: 2,400 wood, 1,600 food, 1,200 gold, 1,000 stone
- Population limit: 125 (150 in the Definitive Edition)
- Starting units:
Differences between difficulty levels
- On Standard difficulty, the player starts with a Castle to the north of their base, as well as two Mining Camps to the east and west, which reveal the locations of Stone Mines and Gold Mines, respectively.
Objectives
- Defeat Milan/Mediolanum, Padua/Patavium, Verona, and Aquileia, so that you may parlay with Rome.
- Attila must survive.
- Attila must meet with Pope Leo I outside the gates of Rome.
Hints
- Do not attack the city of Rome. It is not a threat, and you need someone left who can surrender to you.
- The Hun unique technology, Atheism, is very useful if your opponent attempts a Relic or Wonder victory.
- Do not send all of your troops on the offensive if you lack sufficient resources to defend your town.
- When you do go offensive, make sure you have many fully, upgraded units, as your enemies will work together to stop you.
Scouts
- Your scouts report: The Huns (yellow) begin with ample resources in the foothills of the Alps. Below lie the well-defended city states of Northern Italy.
- Milan/Mediolanum (green) has an aggressive army that may come looking for you if you take too long to go on the offensive. Milan/Mediolanum trains Knights and Archers and has a small navy.
- Padua/Patavium (purple) also lies to the north and may attack early. Padua/Patavium is known for its Archers and siege weapons.
- In the northern marshes lies Aquileia (red), which has few soldiers initially, but can eventually field Knights, Spearmen, and Scorpions.
- As the Huns advance through Italy, they will eventually come into contact with Verona (orange), whose Knights, Archers, and Throwing Axemen offer the final defense of the Roman Empire.
- Rome itself (blue) lost most of its forces fighting the Huns in Gaul. After the Huns defeat the other cities, they can walk into Rome and proclaim themselves the new heirs to the Empire.
Players
Player
- Player (Huns): The player starts with a Town Center, Villagers, forces, and Attila the Hun in the northwest of the map.
Allies
- The Western Roman Empire (Byzantines, Italians in the Definitive Edition) has the city of Rome in the southewestern tip of the map. Though guarded by some Cataphracts, they are inactive for the entire scenario and don't make other units. After all enemies are defeated, Pope Leo I appears north of the city, and the player needs to bring Attila to him. Its only potential value as an ally is a Dock on the western coast, which can be used to trade after Milan/Mediolanum is defeated.
Enemies
- Padua/Patavium in the Definitive Edition (Britons) is a city that lies rather central, between Milan/Mediolanum and Aquileia, and is the closest to the player's starting position. They have two Castles near their southern gates, one outside walls and another inside, and also control a second Town Center in Verona. They start building their first Wonder at the 45th second of the game, and will build a second one after the player has entered Verona. They field Longbowmen, Champions, Arbalesters, Mangonels, Petards, and Trebuchets. They behave more defensively than other enemies, attacking player buildings only near their base or after fighting an inclursion.
- Aquileia (Celts) is a city in the northeastern corner. They start building a Wonder after the player has entered Padua/Patavium. They train Paladins, Scorpions, and Halberdiers. It is the only city without a Castle, but the Wonder site has a second set of walls, and there is a ring of Keeps around the outer wall. They are also the only enemy that build military buildings (Barracks) out of their city walls. They build some War Galleys if the player has a Dock.
- Milan/Mediolanum in the Definitive Edition (Teutons) is a city on the western coast, and the second closest to the player's base after Padua/Patavium. They start building a Wonder at the first hour mark of the game (half an hour in the Definitive Edition). They field Champions, Crossbowmen, Paladins, Siege Onagers, Trebuchets, and Fire Ships if the player has a Dock. They have a Castle outside walls, near the lake next to Padua/Patavium, and another by the sea. They are the only player to start in Post-Imperial Age.
- Verona (Franks) lies to the southeast. They are the furthest enemy but also the most dangerous, and can only be reached after crossing the territory of one of the other three opponents. They start building a Wonder after the player has moved units near Milan/Mediolanum. They field Throwing Axemen, Paladins, Crossbowmen, Onagers, Trebuchets, Petards, and Monks.
Strategy
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Attila must defeat the fortified cities in Northern Italy, which are Milan/Mediolanum, Padua/Patavium, Aquileia and Verona. Each will build a Wonder (two in Padua/Patavium's case, with a total of 5 Wonders for all enemies), and the player must destroy the Wonders before the time runs out. After destroying the Wonder of a city, destroying their Town Center will force them to resign.
It is important to note that the player cannot get to Verona and Rome without crossing over Padua/Patavium, Milan/Mediolanum, or Aquileia first.
Playing as Huns, the Atheism technology is useful to extend the Wonders' countdown and delay their victory (unless the player is going for the "No Wonder on my Watch" achievement in the Definitive Edition, which requires no Wonders to be completed during the game).
Aquileia
They will start their Wonder after the player enters Padua/Patavium. As their Wonder and Town Center are within range of the player's Trebuchets, the player can simply one-shot them both.
They are also the only enemy player not to have an Castle, so the player does not have to worry about them building Trebuchets.
Padua/Patavium
Padua/Patavium is the only player to act defensively, the first city to build a Wonder (starting upon the first minute), and can fall to an early attack. Building a Castle near the lake at Padua/Patavium, and taking out the gate with the Trebuchets the player starts with, should lure out Padua's/Patavium's army. The Longbowmen and swordsmen are no match for a Castle and the units defending it. Once Padua's/Patavium's initial army is defeated by the player's starting forces, it should fall without much trouble. The player can then use the walls of Padua/Patavium - by destroying and replacing the gates - to build up a well protected and fortified base. The two rightmost gates in the direction of Aquileia and Verona are locked, which the player can use to their advantage as reinforcements will have to take a longer route to get inside.
Milan/Mediolanum
Milan/Mediolanum will build their Wonder within 1 hour (for the HD Edition) or 30 minutes (for the Definitive Edition). Their army may be small, but their units are heavily armored. They will constantly attack the player with small raiding parties of Paladins, Archers, Siege Onagers, and Trebuchets.
If the player chooses to attack Milan/Mediolanum once the scenario starts, the player should build a forward Castle north of the city, and send the Trebuchets to snipe down the Castle outside the city. Since the Hunnic army cannot match the heavily-armored Paladins and siege weapons (they have the gift of armor thanks to the Teutonic technology Ironclad), they should hide in the Castle and destroy the Trebuchets that they send. The player should destroy as many military buildings as they can, or completely, if they have good micromanagement skills. The player should leave them alone until they start their Wonder. Once they do, then finish them off.
If the player wishes to trade with the Romans, they must be defeated as soon as possible, since they have a Castle on a, island which can shoot down Trade Cogs.
Verona
As they are the Franks, and the Frankish technology tree is superior to the Huns, Verona is the greatest threat of the four enemies in this scenario.
Verona will construct their Wonder as soon as the player enters Milan/Mediolanum. The player should have a huge army of Tarkans, Paladins, and Heavy Cavalry Archers with at least 12-14 Trebuchets. A forward Castle with many Stables and Archery Ranges is also strongly recommended, in case the player suffers huge casualties and needs to replenish quickly. Send half Trebuchets northwest of Verona, which is in range within the Town Center. The remaining Trebuchets will go northeast, where they can destroy the Wonder. The cavalry units should be used as cannon fodder to guard the Trebuchets doing their work. Once Verona's Town Center and Wonder are down, Verona, the most dangerous opponent, resigns, making the scenario a lot easier.
Return to Padua/Patavium
While the player is occupied with Verona, Padua/Patavium would build another Wonder. Do note that if their second Town Center in Verona is destroyed before they start their second Wonder, they will not resign and will have to be defeated completely. Try to destroy the Wonder first before destroying the Town Center.
Once all enemy forces have been destroyed, Attila must then personally proceed to the city of the Western Roman Empire to have a word with the pope.
Outro
The city of Aquileia at the tip of the Adriatic was wiped off the face of the earth. The fugitives from that pitiful city took refuge among the islands, marshes, and lagoons at the head of the Adriatic Sea and there founded the town of Venetia, or Venice.
'But what of the Pope?' I asked.
No one knows what Saint Leo said to the Hunnic king, but that very day Attila turned his army around and started back for the Hun lands on the Danube.
Attila the Hun died shortly thereafter. Since he had failed to claim Rome, he could not have Honoria, and instead brought another wife into his harem.
On his wedding night, Attila suffered a nosebleed and choked to death. For a man who had boasted that 'where my horse has trodden, no grass grows' it was a curiously anti-climactic death.
The Hunnic warriors cut their hair and gashed their faces, so that the king should be lamented. not by tears of maidens, but by the blood of warriors. Attila's bloody reign of conquest lasted nineteen long years.
Father Armand was silent for a long time. He glanced over at the head on a stake. ' A Hunnic trophy,' he said. 'I think the man was a Visigoth. He died at the Battle of the Catalaunian Fields. I keep it here so that I may see it every day and remember.' 'Remember what, Father?' I asked him.
The scent of a burning village. The sound of butchery. The way peasants would flee before the Hun riders. The way we would ride them down. The way it felt to conquer alongside Attila and the Huns.
He leaned so close I could feel his breath. 'Sometimes...
...I miss it.'
The city of Aquileia at the tip of the Adriatic was wiped off the face of the earth. The fugitives from that pitiful city took refuge among the islands, marshes, and lagoons at the head of the Adriatic Sea and there founded a state that afterward grew into the republic of Venice.
"But what of the Pope?" I asked.
"No one knows what Saint Leo said to the Hunnic King, but that very day Attila turned his army around and started back for the Hun lands on the Danube.
Attila the Hun died shortly thereafter. Since he had failed to claim Rome, he could not have Honoria, and instead brought another wife into his harem.
On his wedding night, Attila suffered a nosebleed and choked to death. For a man who had boasted that "where my horse has trodden, no grass grows" it was a curiously anti-climactic death.
The Hunnic warriors cut their hair and gashed their faces, so that the king should be lamented, not by tears of maidens, but by the blood of warriors. Attila's bloody reign of conquest lasted only eight long years.
Father Armand was silent for a long time. He glanced over at the head on a stake. "A Hunnic trophy," he said. "I think the man was a Visigoth. He died at the Battle of the Catalaunian Fields. I keep it here so that I may see it every day and remember." "Remember what, Father?" I asked him.
The scent of a burning village. The sound of butchery. The way peasants would flee before the Hun riders. The way we would ride them down. The way it felt to conquer alongside Attila and the Huns.
He leaned so close I could feel his breath. "Sometimes...
...I miss it."Trivia
- This scenario is the only time the Western Roman Empire is an ally and the player does not need to defeat them to win.
- As this campaign precedes the release of Age of Empires II HD: The Forgotten, the Roman cities are represented by an array of European civilizations other than Italians (something that also happens in the Barbarossa campaign). This also allows the player to face a wide variety of enemy units and to encounter different Wonders and architectural styles to avoid redundancy.
- In the Definitive Edition, the Western Roman Empire is (unlike other scenarios) represented by the Italians.
- In the Definitive Edition, the "No Wonder on my Watch" achievement can be earned if the player defeats all enemy cities without letting even one Wonder be fully constructed.
Historical comparison
- Despite the name, this scenario does not reference any of the events usually called "the Fall of Rome": The Sack of Rome in 410 A.D., the Vandal sack of 455, and the deposition of Romulus Augustus in 476.
- In reality, the Huns invaded Italy from the east (Aquileia) while in the scenario they seem to be crossing the Alps to attack from the north
- They also didn't cross the Po river so they never came near the city of Rome. In fact, all four cities destroyed by the player in the scenario (Milan, Padua, Verona, and Aquileia) are north of the river, but Verona is misplaced around where Ravenna is in reality, presumably for space. Conversely, the meeting between Attila and Pope Leo I took place near Lake Garda, next to Verona, rather than near Rome.
- The intro claims that Aetius could not fight Attila in Italy because he had retired from the army. This is an invention made for narrative purposes (i.e. explaining why there is no massive Western Roman army to defeat like in A Barbarian Betrothal and The Catalaunian Fields). In reality, Aetius led a small force that tried to slow down Attila with guerrilla tactics around Aquileia. The reason he could not muster a larger force was probably because most of Aetius's army in Gaul were Goths, Franks, Burgundians, Alans, and other Barbarian peoples that would not fight far from their lands.
- Milan was known as Mediolanum under the Romans and became Milan after its conquest by the Goths and Lombards. However, the name is still often used in history (e.g. the Edict of Milan in 313 A.D. that legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire).
- Aquileia being portrayed as Celts may be a reference to the debated existence of a Celtic settlement before the foundation of the Roman city around 180 BC.
