The Saxon Revolt (original German title being Anno 782 - Sachsenaufstand) is a hidden scenario on the Age of Empires II: The Conquerors game disc. The historical background of the scenario is the war between the Franks' king Charlemagne and the pagan Saxon duke Widukind. More specifically the scenario covers the Battle at the Süntelberg and the Massacre of Verden in the year of 782. The player controls the Franks against the Saxons and their allies.
Release
The scenario was not scripted by Ensemble Studios but by scenario designer Andreas Marscheider (better known as aMa), who finished the scenario on 28 May 2000 according to the scenario's readme file.
The scenario was the winner of Microsoft's Charlemagne Scenario Contest in 2000 and the reason why it was added to the game disc of the Age of Empires II: The Conquerors expansion. While it was included in the game files, it was not available in the campaign menus to prevent copyright infringement. The only way to play the scenario therefore is to move the scenario file from the disc's "Goodies" folder to the game's scenario folder.
Versions
Even though the scenario originally had German texts and voice-overs, versions for other languages are also obtainable from game discs of the first expansion for the respective countries. Apart from different language versions there there are also separate versions of the scenario for The Age of Kings (.scn), The Conquerors (.scx) and Age of Empires II HD (.aoe2scenario). Andreas Marscheider himself recommended to play the original version for The Age of Kings since the scenario was designed with that version of the game.[1]
Objectives
- Charlemagne must survive.
- Siegfried must survive until he is in the safety of his allies.
- You must return 3 missing relics to your monastery.
Players
- Charlemagne (Player) (Franks)
- Loyal Saxons
- Verden
- Saxon Nobles
- Engern (Saxons)
- Westphalians (Saxons)
- Frisians
Strategy
You start the game in the Franks' camp at the Süntelberg. Try first – in the role of the Frankish general Earl Worad – to keep your troops as long as you can in the battle at the Süntelberg. One man - Siegfried - will survive the fight. Let him escape and follow the further instructions then.
The troops of Charlemagne can‘t be reinforced until you arrive in the town Verden. The 50 existing units have to suffice. Move them carefully through the dense Westphalian marshland as it's not suited for open battles. That will be an advantage to your enemy. Therefore, you have to divide up your forces efficiently and watch out for ambushes.
Charlemagne has to be placed at the head of your army when marching into the town of Verden. Otherwise the gate won't open. Let the rest of your troops stand in front of the gate. After massacring the Saxon nobility in Verden, the town, with all of its remaining inhabitants, are at your disposal. Take your time to gather resources and rebuild your army.
After the massacre in Verden, Siegfried will re-appear. You’ll find him where he hid after the battle at the Süntelberg. He knows the place where you can cross the river Hunte to reach the other bank. If he’s killed before delivering the message, you must find yourself a way to cross the river.
Your last task is to return the 3 missed relics. One of them was placed in safety by a Frankish monk named Brother Tuck. If you find him, he will freely hand it over to you. Another relic was taken by the Frisians as war loot, and you can find it beyond the river Hunte. There’s only one way to cross the river: get it under your control. When you lean against the Frisians, don’t underestimate them. Finally the third relic was seen among the Westphalians.
Trivia
- You cannot produce naval, castle and gunpowder units in this scenario.
- In the English version of the scenario Charlemagne is still called by his German name Karl der Grosse (actually Karl der Große).
- To win the game, you don’t have to destroy the Saxons and Frisians entirely even though Charlemagne in history proceeded very mercilessly. Of course you are free to act like him at that time.
- The Engern are a Saxon tribe known in English as Angeri or Angrivarii.
- The author's name Andreas Marscheider appears in the city of Verden.
- Andreas Marscheider is also administrator of the German scenario design community AgeArena.
References
External links
- Sachsenaufstand for Age of Empires II HD in the Steam Workshop (German version)
- Sachsenaufstand for Age of Kings on AgeArena (English version) - further below at "Engl. Version" in red text
- Andreas Marscheider on AgeArena
- Historical background on the Saxon Wars (Wikipedia)