The Siege of Dover is the first scenario of the Rebellion chapter and overall eighth scenario of the The Normans campaign in Age of Empires IV. It is based on the Siege of Dover Castle by Prince Louis of France in 1216, during the Barons' Revolt against King John of England.
Intro[]
Scenario description[]
King John's poor stewardship of England sparked an invasion to overthrow his fragile rule.
Opening cinematic[]
At Wallingford, in the shadow the castle… Matilda's faction, commanded by her son Henry, proved it was still willing to fight King Stephen for the crown. But after fifteen years of conflict, both sides had had enough. So, they made a deal. Matilda would surrender her claim to the throne… on condition that when Stephen died her eldest living son Henry would succeed him.
A year later he was crowned King Henry II… and proceeded to grow the kingdom into the mighty Angevin Empire. But, once again, what the King had spent his life building… his own children were destined to destroy.
King Henry II had four surviving legitimate sons… and he planned to divide up his kingdom between them. But they fought bitterly for dominance. Against the odds Henry's youngest son, John, became King. But King John was deeply unpopular.
He lost huge swathes of the Angevin Empire gained by his father… then failed to reclaim them in expensive battles… paid for by taxing his subjects. Eventually England's barons could take it no more. They forced John to agree to a charter that restricted his power. The Magna Carta. But he went against his word. Furious, they rebelled… inviting Prince Louis of France to invade England.
In 1216, Louis sailed to Dover and set his sights on taking this – Dover Castle. Held by forces loyal to King John, it was commanded by Hubert de Burgh. He described the Castle as the "key to England." He was right. If it fell to the French… so would the kingdom.
Loading screen[]
King John has angered the English barons. In full revolt, they invited the French to invade and take advantage of his weakness. One key fortification stood in their way: the castle at Dover.
Start of scenario[]
Asked to invade by the rebel barons, Prince Louis' French army launched an assault on the castle at Dover. Opening a crack in the outer defenses, the invading forces charged the castle walls... The garrison at Dover would meet the French with clenched fists and an iron will. Dover could not fall. Commander Hubert de Burgh rallied his men to hold back the French and defend the castle.
Scenario instructions[]
- Age:
Castle Age - Units:
- 10
Horseman - 8 Man-at-Arms
- 8 Spearman
- 40 Longbowman
- 7 Villager
- 10
- Resources: 700 food, 500 wood, 500 gold, 200 stone
Objectives[]
- Hold off the French siege
- Defeat the first French attack
- Prepare for the second French attack
- Defeat the second French attack
- Tip: Prepare for the third French attack
- Defeat the third French attack
- Tip: Prepare for the final French attack
- Defeat the final French attack
- Disrupt French forces with Willikin
- Use Willikin to gather Longbowmen from Dover town
- Use Willikin to gather Longbowmen from nearby villages
- Ambush French Siege Weapons to weaken attacks
- Optional: Produce additional Traders
Players[]
- King John: The player begins with control of Dover Castle and a good-sized garrison of Longbowmen, as well as some Horsemen and infantry. They are tasked with defending the castle from the invading French, and will soon be reinforced by Willikin of the Weald and his small retinue of Longbowmen, who can help the defenders by ambushing enemy reinforcements headed to assist in the siege of Dover. The player's initial base is surrounded by the besieging French, and they must initially rely on the resources available within the walls of Dover Castle.
Allies[]
- English (English): The allied English control the town of Dover, which lies in the shadow of Dover Castle to the west, as well as a couple of smaller villages in the south of the map. They also have a camp in the center-west of the map occupied by a handful of Longbowmen, Men-at-Arms, and a Monk. These, along with a few Longbowmen in each settlement, will pass to the player's control as soon as Willikin comes near them. They also have a few units on the road between the forest camp and the enemy's central base, which the player will be tasked with rescuing from French attackers, should they come within their Line of Sight. There is a Trade Post in Dover town which will be the player's only source of additional gold.
Enemies[]
- Prince Louis (French): The French are besieging Dover Castle from the west and the north with a sizeable force of Veteran Spearmen, Arbalétriers, Men-at-Arms, and Horsemen. When attacking the castle, they will also bring siege engines, namely Battering Rams, Siege Towers, and Mangonels. They also have two bases located further out on the map, one in the center, to the northwest of Dover Castle, and one in the far west. Between their attacks, the French will send siege engines escorted by a mix of Spearmen, Arbalétriers and Men-at-Arms via two routes between the western and central camps, which the player will be tasked to destroy before they reach their destination. Otherwise, the siege engines will be used in the subsequent attacks on Dover.
Strategy[]
Yet another siege survival scenario. The player's forces and attention will be divided between the defense of Dover Castle and the weakening of enemy forces with Willikin of the Weald's party between attacks. Thankfully, the player is given a timer on the French attacks, so they can focus on dealing with one matter at a time.
As they are under siege, the player's first move should be to research improvements for their Longbowmen and Stone Wall Tower defenses, namely Boiling Oil, Network of Citadels, and those Blacksmith and Arsenal technologies that benefit ranged units, such as Silk Bowstrings and Balanced Projectiles, as well as the Veteran Longbowman upgrade. They should also produce additional Longbowmen to post on the walls of Dover Castle, as well as a good-sized force of Horsemen to quickly deal with enemy Battering Rams and Mangonels.
Dover has a small economy set up, with a few Villagers assigned to mining stone and gathering food from Farms. There is, however, little wood and no gold in Dover Castle. The former will not be a problem, as the player will soon be granted a Lumber Camp and some additional Villagers when Willikin arrives in the south. However, they will have to rely on trade with Dover town for gold. While the player can construct another Keep with the stone available in Dover Castle (there is an additional Stone Mine just to the northeast, within the Palisade Walls), this is better spent on building additional Stone Wall Towers and upgrading them with Springald Emplacements.
Once the first wave of attackers is defeated, Willikin will appear in the south of the map with a small group of sixteen Longbowmen. He can immediately recruit more reinforcements by going to Dover town and subsequently to the two English farming villages to the west. The player will also be given control of a small settlement with a Market, some Villagers, and three Traders, and which can be used to trade with the Trade Post in the allied town of Dover, to the east.
The player will then be informed that French siege engines are on their way to join in the siege of Dover Castle, and will be given the objective of ambushing and destroying these before they reach their destination. The enemy reinforcements travel along two marked routes from their base in the west of the map, to the central base closer to Dover Castle. The first two groups will travel along the southern route, close to the allied villages, and can be ambushed from a Stealth Forest located just north of the bridge leading to the westernmost village. The second two can be ambushed from a Stealth Forest located north of the allied camp, where Willikin can recruit some more Longbowmen and a few Men-at-Arms, as well as a Monk which can be useful for healing the player's units between battles.
It is not recommended to attack either of the enemy bases with Willikin's forces, as they are defended by fortified Outposts and large numbers of Men-at-Arms, which may be difficult for the player's Longbowmen to deal with, unless they are able to bring reinforcements from Dover Castle. To accomplish this, the player should train a large number of Longbowmen in Dover and draw out the French units guarding the castle on the western side within range of their towers. The western base has no walls surrounding it, so makes for an easier target, and there are some Treasure Chests there that can be collected. Destroying the western base makes it possible to intercept the enemy reinforcement convoys before they are divided along the two routes. However, the enemy will compensate by bringing more reinforcements than otherwise. The player will also not receive any additional reinforcements to ambush the last enemy siege convoys.
The player will not have much time to build a base outside of Dover Castle, however, as their first priority will be to defend the castle from successive French attacks. As such, it is important to make good use of the starting units by exploiting Willikin's special abilities. Willikin's Movement ability is particularly useful for travelling quickly between positions, which will help to avoid having French reinforcements slip through the player's grasp.
The attacks come in four waves, including the initial assault at the start of the scenario. The interval between the first two assaults is longer at 11 minutes, while the subsequent attacks arrive in intervals of 9 minutes. During the final interval, the player will receive further reinforcements in the form of eleven Longbowmen and four Men-at-Arms, which will allow the player to station forces along both routes simultaneously, thus avoiding the need to have Willikin run back and forth across the map. With each attack, the player should use their cavalry to take out the enemy siege engines as quickly as possible, ideally taking out those on one side at a time and then retreating behind the walls before they are overwhelmed by enemy infantry. It is a good idea to recruit some additional Men-at-Arms and stage them on the walls in case the enemy tries to send some infantry over on Siege Towers. The section of wall to the east of the northern gate will likely be the first target of such an assault, so the player should station some infantry there.
As the player takes out the enemy reinforcements, they should continue building up their forces in Dover Castle, producing Longbowmen, Horsemen and Men-at-Arms, as well as upgrading their units, and strengthening/repairing their defenses. If the player takes out all of the enemy reinforcement convoys with time to spare, they can use Willikin and his men to help fend off the last assault. However, they should beware the enemy Mangonels, as these can make short work of groups of Longbowmen, and the player will want to avoid engaging these without the support of cavalry. Once the last enemy wave is eliminated, the scenario is complete.
Outro[]
End of scenario[]
The tenacity of Hubert de Burgh's loyal soldiers forced Prince Louis and the rebel barons to abandon their siege at Dover. And, thanks to the efforts of Willikin's fearless archers, England remained in King John's hands.
Post-game screen[]
Dover proved an unbreakable fortress. The French invasion collapsed and King John's enemies withdrew.
Page From History: The Key to England[]
| “ | Rising high above Dover's white cliffs stands one of England's largest castles. First built by William the Conqueror to prevent another invasion, it defended england for centuries. Every part of its construction - from its soaring watchtowers, its overhanging firing platforms, its reinforced keep, deep ditches and concentric walls - was designed to impress, impose and stand strong. But in 1216, Dover held back the french siege due to more than just its construction. The castle's commander, Hubert de Burgh, inspired a die-hard English resistance in the face of a full French invasion. His men defended their fortress and their king with unwavering determination. Deburgh described the castle as "the key to England", and thanks to its design and the tenacity of its garrison, it remained firmly locked. |
” |
