| “ | You have been governor of Gaul (modern France) since 58 BC and have fought a series of brilliant campaigns. The entire region west of the Rhine River is now under Roman control. With the Gauls subdued and their German allies punished, it is time to invade Britain and deal with the tribes there that have supported the Gauls against us. Take your legions across the channel into Britain and force the tribes to make peace. We want no further interference from them in Gaul. | ” |
| —Scenario description | ||
The Invasion of Britain (Britain in the original) is the second scenario of the Ave Caesar campaign in Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome. Caesar's Romans must enter Britain and take control of the local Ruins.
Objectives
- Capture and hold all the British centers of power (Ruins). If Caesar dies, the mission will be lost.
Players
- Player (Romans) - The player begins in the Iron Age with no resources, but with twenty Legions, ten Centurions, two Priests, two Heavy Catapults and Helepoli, six Improved Bowmen and Hero Caesar. Their navy includes four Heavy Transports, two Juggernaughts and eight Triremes.
Enemies
- Cassivellaunus (Pheonicians) - The strongest enemy in this scenario, they have some Sentry Towers and patrolling units guarding the shores, as well as a well-established city inland, to the westernmost part of the map. Their armies mostly consist of Scythe Chariots, Chariot Archers and Broad Swordsmen and the occasional Stone Thrower. One of the Ruins located inside the city.
- Veneti (Macedonians) - They are sited in the easternmost part of the map, with a large walled base. Altough their ships and towers may threaten the player nearby ships, they will infrequently send landing parties at Britain in order to attack the player's army. Still, they are not sited near the Ruins, so they can simply be ignored.
- Picts (Greeks) - Picts occupy the northermost corner of the map, just to the northeast of the Brigantes, and are in the Tool Age. Their settlement is rather small, with merely a Town Center, as well as some Houses. Starting forces include Axemen, Slingers, Scouts and Chariots. Both Ruins are located just to the south of their position.
- Brigantes (Greeks) - They are located between Cassivellaunus and the Picts as the weakest enemy in this scenario. They have some Sentry Towers guarding the way towards their base, but no starting units, and also start in the Tool Age.
Strategy
The player starts off at the south end of the map, with a sizable army of infantry, archers, siege units, and Priests. The Ruins are found at the mainland to the north, one in the territory of the yellow player and two to the south of the Picts' position. The fourth enemy, on the red island, does not have a Ruin, so don't bother going there.
Transport the starting units across. There are two places where the cliffs allow the player to land: one to the west, and one to the east. The eastern one is less defended, and will bring the player closer to their goal.
Land, and make way north, using the Siege Units on the towers and the infantry on enemy units. Caesar makes a good scout, with his good speed and large Line of Sight, provided that the player keeps him somewhat safe - he can defend himself quite well, but if he dies, the player will lose the game.
Move towards the brown enemy's base, with a quick detour to the east to capture the Ruins. Leaving a few infantry units at the Ruins will ensure that none of the enemies enemies manage to take them back. Continue through the brown and orange bases, and locate the second Ruin. Then, move on the yellow enemy.
They are more heavily defended than the other two bases, and fighting your way in will take time. Luckily, the player won't have to - send Caesar in to capture the Ruins, killing any enemy unit that stands too close to them. Once all three Ruins are under the player's control, the game ends.
