The Tigris Valley (Tigris Valley in the original) is the second scenario of the Voices of Babylon campaign. The Babylonians must recover two Artifacts from a recent raid.
Scenario instructions[]
Description[]
| “ | Tigris Valley, 1755 BCE The addition of the Sumerian and Akkadian cities to the rising Babylonian Empire pleases Hammurabi greatly. Now, he sets a more difficult task for you. One of our frontier cities was recently sacked and important treasures, including a copy of Hammurabi's law code engraved in stone, were carried off to the Tigris River. Chase the raiders to where the treasures were taken and build up a force to recover them. They must not be allowed to move the treasures upstream. The prestige of your great king remains tarnished for as long as these treasures remain in enemy hands. |
” |
| —In-game section | ||
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Tool Age - Starting resources: 500 food, 500 wood, 500 gold, 500 stone
- Population limit: 75
- Starting units:
Objective[]
- Return both Artifacts to the flagged area on your side of the river.
Hints[]
- The Babylonians can support a population of 75 and are restricted to the Bronze Age.
- A lot of the action takes place on the Tigris River, so a strong navy is key to ensuring your victory.
Description[]
| “ | Tigris Valley, 1755 BCE The addition of the Sumerian and Akkadian cities to the rising Babylonian Empire pleases Hammurabi greatly. Now, he sets a more difficult task for you. One of our frontier cities was recently sacked and important treasures, including a copy of Hammurabi's law code engraved in stone, were carried off to the Tigris River. Chase the raiders to where the treasures were taken and build up a force to recover them. They must not be allowed to move the treasures upstream. The prestige of your great king remains tarnished for as long as these treasures remain in enemy hands. |
” |
| —In-game section | ||
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age: Tool Age
- Starting resources: 500 food, 750 wood, 400 gold, 250 stone
- Population limit: 50
- Starting units:
- Gaia buildings:
- 6 Houses
- 6
Objective[]
- Capture the 2 missing treasures (Artifacts) and return them to your side of the river.
Hints[]
- A lot of the action takes place on the Tigris River, so a strong navy is key to ensuring your victory.
- The Babylonians are restricted to the Bronze Age — you cannot advance to the Iron Age.
Description[]
| “ | 1755 BC The addition of the Elamite and Akkadian towns into the Babylonian Empire pleases Hammurabi greatly. He has a more difficult task for you now. One of your frontier cities was recently sacked and important treasures were carried off, including a copy of Hammurabi's law code engraved in stone. Push into the area where the treasures were taken and build up a force to recover them. The prestige of your great king remains tarnished as long as these treasures remain in enemy hands. |
” |
| —In-game section | ||
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age: Stone Age
- Starting resources: 500 food, 500 wood, 500 gold, 500 stone
- Population limit: 50
- Starting units:
- Gaia units: None
Objective[]
- Capture 2 missing Treasures.
Hints[]
- A strong navy is the key to ensuring your victory.
- Seek trade with others to stockpile gold.
Players[]
Player[]
- Player ( Babylonians): The player begins alone on the large northern island, with a Tool Age village comprising a Town Center, Dock, four Houses, a Watch Tower, three Villagers and a Scout. It is possible to advance to the Bronze Age.
Enemies[]
- Eblaite Raiders ( Persians): Stone Age faction with no economy or buildings. Their force consists of numerous Clubmen on an island to the west, with trees and Gold Mines. One of the Artifacts is above some cliffs on the east side of the island.
- Mariote Raiders ( Sumerians): Bronze Age faction with a strong economy, possessing the other Artifact. The Mariotes hold the south-west island with advanced structures and walls, and periodically send raiding parties across the water. They can train Villagers, Fishing Boats, Light Transports, Scout Ships/War Galleys, Chariots, Chariot Archers, and begin with several Axemen.
- Elamite Raiders ( Assyrians): Non-militaristic Tool Age faction based on the eastern island, they have a Dock which can be traded with, and abundant local resources. They begin with a Scout Ship for exploration, but otherwise only train Villagers.
Player[]
- Player ( Babylonians): The player begins alone on the large northern island in the Tool Age, with a small force of Villagers and soldiers, and some Gaia Houses just beyond the starting point, but no Town Center until the Villagers build one. It is possible to advance to the Bronze Age.
Enemies[]
- Ebla Raiders ( Persians): Stone Age faction with no economy or buildings. Their force consists of numerous Clubmen on an island to the west, with trees and Gold Mines. One of the Artifacts is above some cliffs on the east side of the island.
- Elam Raiders ( Assyrians): Bronze Age faction with a strong economy, possessing the other Artifact. The Elamites hold the south-west island with advanced structures and walls, and periodically send raiding parties across the water. They can train Villagers, Light Transports, Scout Ships, Axemen, Short Swordsmen, Scouts, Chariots, Chariot Archers, Cavalry, and Priests.
- Mari Raiders ( Sumerians): Strong faction controlling the eastern island, they begin in the Tool Age and can advance to the Bronze Age. While they guard their base with Slingers, Scouts, Chariots, Chariot Archers, and Priests, they aren't ship-builders, so are easily avoided. Merchant Ships can trade with their Dock, but will take a little damage from the Mariotes' towers and archers.
Player[]
- Player ( Babylonians): The player begins alone on the large northern island, with a Stone Age village comprising a Town Center, Dock, four Houses, and three Villagers. It is possible to advance to the Iron Age.
Enemies[]
- Elam ( Egyptians): Stone Age faction with no economy or buildings. Their force consists of numerous Clubmen on an island to the west, with trees and Gold Mines. One of the Artifacts is above some cliffs on the east side of the island.
- Elam ( Assyrians): Bronze Age faction with a strong economy, possessing the other Artifact. The Elamites hold the south-west island with advanced structures and walls, and periodically send raiding parties across the water. They can train Villagers, Transports, Scout Ships/War Galleys, Axemen, Bowmen, Chariots, Chariot Archers, Cavalry, and Hoplites. Sometimes they can reach the Iron Age if the scenario continues for long enough, in which case they can add Triremes, Heavy Transports, Ballistas and Catapults to their roster.
- Akkad ( Egyptians): Tool to Bronze Age faction controlling the eastern island. They send raiding parties too, but are less powerful than the Elamites. They can train Villagers, Light Transports, Scout Ships/War Galleys, Clubmen/Axemen, and Chariots. If the scenario continues for long enough, they might add Bowmen, Improved/Composite Bowmen, Hoplites, and Stone Throwers.
Strategy[]
The player starts off on the northern island. Each of the enemy forces has their own island, and two of them have navies that will come looking for the player. Start by creating a Town Center, finding the Houses, and then creating Villagers. Build a Granary and several Docks to gather food, and a Storage Pit for wood and stone. Upgrade to towers and walls and advance to the Bronze age as soon as possible, build all the military buildings, and focus on upgrading everything before attacking. Start creating Scout Ships and upgrade them. The player will need warships on the offense to keep away the enemy ships and the occasional transport of Short Swordsmen - keep them from landing.
The player has gold and stone on the island. Trading with enemy Docks is risky until the player has destroyed enemy towers near their Docks, and isn't really worth the effort. There is gold on the closest island (southwest). It's full of Elbaite Raiders (red), but they have no base, and it's mostly Clubmen. Transport the upgraded Archers and some villagers, build a tower on the southeastern cliff-face. Start luring the Clubmen toward the tower and take them out easily. The player should also build a few towers on the shoreline (to keep enemy boats away) and some Docks for fishing. Transport the first Treasure to the marked area.
Once the player has enough gold, train a few Cavalry, Hoplites, and Stone Throwers and ship them over to the brown Elam's island. Bring a Villager and start building military buildings. Attack the enemy base to finds the Treasure and ship it back to the player's base. Once both Treasures are in the player’s base, the player has won.
Alternatively, the player can build 10-11 War Galleys and kill everything the player can from shoreline (on the brown Elam’s Island). Most of the army and villagers will come to attack and the player can kill most of them with the War Galleys. Then land a transport ship full of Villagers on the southeastern edge of the island, build a Siege Workshop and a Temple, and train 3-4 Stone Throwers and a Priest (to repair if necessary). Move west and destroy any towers or military buildings until the player arrives at the Town Center. Kill the Villagers, and the Treasure (just south of the Town Center) will become the player’s, and the player can transport it back to the flagged area.
History[]
Historical notes[]
| “ | After succeeding in uniting all Sumerian, Amorite and Akkadian city-states along the banks of the two rivers, Hammurabi invaded and conquered Elam to the east and the kingdoms of Mari and Ebla to the northwest. This secured Babylon's eastern borders, which had always been prone to raids by its neighbors from the Zagros mountains. Late in his reign, Hammurabi attacked Assyria, then still called Subartu, and forced them to pay tribute to Babylonia, making Babylonian rule over the Euphrates and Tigris rivers complete. Under his rule, the Babylonian Empire became a great power in the region. The city of Babylon itself grew into a vast and holy city. But upon Hammurabi's death in 1750 BCE, the Empire of Babylonia gradually started to decline, disintegrating into smaller states. Nevertheless, the citadel of Babylon managed to remain a large urban center because of its strong position, reputation, and many trade routes. Nowadays, Hammurabi is most remembered for the Code of Hammurabi, which is one of the best-preserved law codes from ancient times. The code was carved into a great stele (stone slab), and contains 280 judgments on civil and criminal law, dealing mainly with matters related to everyday life such as corrupt administrations, theft, receiving stolen goods, robbery, looting, murder, abduction, taxes, merchant relations, slavery, divorces, dowries, and inheritances. Remarkably, the expression "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" is also inscribed in the code—a saying which has survived until the present day. Although it is not the only law code from that period, it is the most well-known and extensively researched of them all, and yields a great deal of insight into ancient societies. |
” |
| —In-game section | ||
Victory[]
| “ | The great king Hammurabi has died. During his lifetime, you managed to prevent raids and invasions into the Babylonian heartland, ensuring Babylon's continued success. But with Hammurabi's death, the Babylonian Empire has gradually started to decline. Only time will tell when we will have another great king such as Hammurabi to once again make Babylonia a great power. | ” |
| —In-game section | ||
Lose[]
| “ | You have failed your king, and many Babylonian cities have been plundered and razed to the ground. Hammurabi has ordered you to be attached by a rope to his chariot, and dragged along when he goes on his next campaign. | ” |
| —In-game section | ||
Historical notes[]
| “ | The Babylonian Empire expanded and enjoyed prosperity throughout Hammurabi's reign. There is little record of rebellion against his rule, which is a testimony to his skill as a ruler over a diverse area. The wealth that followed long years of peace attracted raids, however. | ” |
| —In-game section | ||
Historical outcome[]
| “ | Hammurabi was a capable general as well as administrator. As he expanded his empire, he also managed to stop any raids or invasions from other quarters. The Babylonian Empire that he assembled gradually declined following his death, but would be reconstituted once again a thousand years later. | ” |
| —In-game section | ||
Changes[]
- Definitive Edition
- Faction names and civilizations: red player (Elam / Egyptians) changed to Ebla Raiders (Persians). Brown player (also Elam, Assyrians) changed to Elam Raiders. Yellow player (Akkad, Egyptians) changed to Mari Raiders (Sumerians). Both Ebla and Meri were Mesopotamian city-states and kingdoms.
- Player start: the starting position, initial units, buildings and resources were changed. Instead of a Town Center with three Villagers, a Dock and Houses, the player now begins with six Villagers, a Scout, and six gaia Houses next to them. The starting age was changed from the Stone Age to the Tool Age, and the Iron Age was no longer researchable.
- Player landmass: in the original game, the only food on the player's landmass was a herd of Gazelles in the west, and two sources of Villager-accessible fish in the lagoon. The Definitive Edition adds numerous Berry Bushes, and more fish along the shoreline. There is also a small amount of gold on the landmass; previously the player could only accrue gold by trading with an enemy Dock, or invading their island.
- Uninhabited landmass: uniquely to the Definitive Edition, the uninhabited island in the western corner contains Gold Mines.
- Yellow player: the Mari Raiders (formerly Akkad) don't send attackers across the water in the Definitive Edition, making them a belligerent trade target rather than a serious threat.
- Artifacts: formerly, victory required the Artifacts to be anywhere on the player's landmass, but from the Definitive Edition onwards, they must be brought to a flagged area near the player's start location.
- Return of Rome
- Faction names and civilizations: the red player is now named Eblaite Raiders (Ebla Raiders in the Definitive Edition, Elam in the original). The purple player is now named Mariote Raiders and is Sumerian (formerly brown and Assyrian; Elam Raiders in the Definitive Edition, Elam in the original). The yellow player is now named Elamite Raiders and is Assyrian (Mari Raiders / Sumerian in the Definitive Edition, Akkad / Egyptian in the original).
- Player start: reverts to the original game, with a small village at the start, but also adding a Watch Tower and Scout.
- Player landmass: Villager-accessible fish are only in the lagoon, as in the original game. There are only two Gold Mines (whereas the original had none and the Definitive Edition had seven mines), and they are now guarded by Lions.
- Yellow player: the Elamite Raiders (formerly Akkad or Mari Raiders) are now completely non-hostile, although they still have their diplomacy set to Enemy. They have a single Scout Ship for exploration, but otherwise field no military units. Nor do they advance from the Tool Age.
- Surrender: the two enemies with settlements resign shortly after their Town Center is destroyed.
