Third Macedonian War

Third Macedonian War
Scenario information
Game	Age of Empires: Definitive Edition
Campaign	Enemies of Rome
Civilization	Macedonians
Color	Blue
Scenario no.	2
Previous	Crossing the Alps
Next	The Revolt of Spartacus
Other versions
Original	Third Greek War
Map

Third Macedonian War is the second scenario of the Enemies of Rome campaign in Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, featuring a reworked version of the scenario of Third Greek War of the original game. It depicts the Battle of Callinicus during the Third Macedonian War.

Scenario instructions

“	Thessaly, 171 BCE King Perseus of Macedon, your spies in Rome have brought word that your rival, the King of Pergamon, traveled from his lands in western Anatolia to give a speech to the Roman Senate. In it, he slandered and defamed your highness and urged the Roman Senators to declare war on your kingdom. Now, Roman legions have landed in Thessaly and have been well-received by treacherous Greek cities such as Larissa. You must not allow the Romans time to become comfortable in Greek lands. Defeat the Romans and lay claim to the Greek cities rightly belonging to you as the heir to the Antigonid dynasty.	”
—In-game section

Starting conditions

• Starting Age: Bronze Age
• Starting resources: 200 food, 200 wood, 100 stone
• Population limit: 50
• Starting units:
  • 2 Cavalry
  • 1 Scout
  • 6 Hoplites
  • 3 Villagers

Objectives

• Destroy the Government Center in Larissa (red).

Hints

1. Your starting Hoplites are stronger than anything the Romans have at the start of the battle. Rely on them to protect your camp as you build defenses.
2. It is not necessary to destroy the Roman Armies to attack Larissa but getting past the Romans will provide access to Larissa's weaker flanks.

Players

Player

• Player ( Macedonians): The player starts with one small base, two Watch Towers, a small Bronze Age force, and 3 Villagers.

Allies

• Greeks ( Greeks): This player represents the walls along the three bridges and nearby isles. They also have a Priest near a House across the northern bridge who can heal the player's troops, as the player is otherwise unable to train Priests to do the same.

Enemies

• Larissa ( Greeks): The main opponent of this scenario. This player occupies a huge town, a large number of buildings, and two Town Centers on its flanks. They will mainly train Cavalry, Ballistae, and Priests.
• Roman Army ( Romans): This player starts with a town containing a lot of resources. They have a small number of Short Swordsmen as their starting army.
• Roman Army ( Romans):This player starts with a town containing a lot of resources. They have four Slingers and two Scouts as their starting army, and will also train Axemen.
• Larissa Garrison ( Greeks): This player controls a sizable army in small groups at various spots within Larissa. They are passive and will not attack unless provoked.

Strategy

Most of the enemies do not have a strong starting army. Split the initial army into two groups, use 1 Cavalry and 2 Hoplites on the northwestern Roman Army and other units on the southeastern Romans. They should be able to destroy their starting armies and then their economy.

Send Villagers and take their resources, wall the bridges or rush the exposed red Town Centers. Do not use the middle bridge or wall it, as the Ballista Towers there have large range.

A good unit composition for assaulting Larissa is Hoplite line and Catapults. After razing the economy of Larissa, the objective Government Center can be targeted.

History

Historical notes

“	By the time Perseus ascended the throne of Macedon in 179 BCE, Rome had become a major power broker in Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean. The defeat of Perseus' father, Philip V, in the Second Macedonian War (200 – 197 BCE) had forced Macedon to relinquish its possessions in southern Greece, Thrace, and Asia Minor. With this weakening of Macedonian power and influence, Rome forged alliances with Greek cities, including Pergamon, a Greek kingdom on the Ionian coast. Upon his ascension, Perseus immediately pursued an anti-Roman policy, drumming up sentiment against Rome and forming alliances against the growing Republic. Perseus was not simply motivated by ambition but also by a personal vendetta against Rome. Although Philip V had officially become a Roman ally after his defeat, the Romans continued to interfere in Macedonian politics. At their urging, Philip even named his son, Demetrius—a man with pro-Roman attitudes—his successor over Perseus, his eldest son. This led to infighting within the Macedonian royalty, forcing Philip to reluctantly execute Demetrius for treason in 180 BCE. This outcome of Roman meddling may have weighed heavily on Perseus when he ascended the throne a year later. Tensions escalated when the Anatolian kingdom of Bithynia pursued an alliance with Perseus. Bithynia was in conflict with Pergamon. Eumenes II, King of Pergamon, traveled to Rome and gave an inflammatory speech to the Roman Senate, urging the Senate to act against Perseus, whom he claimed would jeopardize Roman interests in Greece and the East. Various Greek cities were alarmed by Eumenes' actions, fearing that Roman intervention would diminish their autonomy and make them subject to Rome. Their protests only galvanized the growing pro-interventionist and anti-Macedonian sentiments in Rome. When Eumenes passed through the city of Delphi on his return to Pergamon, he was set upon by assassins sent by Perseus, but survived the attempt. As war broke out, kingdoms and cities in Greece, Thrace, and Anatolia threw their lot to either Perseus or the Romans. Although the Macedonians had some early successes, such as the Battle of Callinicus (171 BCE), the Roman military ultimately triumphed. At the Battle of Pydna in 168 BCE, the Roman consul Aemilius Paullus decisively defeated Perseus and ended Macedonian power. Perseus fled the battle, but later surrendered to Paullus. Perseus was paraded in Rome in chains and imprisoned. Roman retribution was harsh: Roman officials deported and enslaved large numbers of Macedonians who had expressed anti-Roman sentiments and parceled out their lands to Roman colonists. The kingdom of Macedon was dissolved and replaced with four republics subservient to Rome.	”
—In-game section

Victory

“	Your great victory over Rome and her allies has brought renewed glory to Macedon. The Romans fear you and now know not to be so easily drawn to war through the lies of jealous men. Soon, you will have your revenge on the King of Pergamon.	”
—In-game section

Defeat

“	Despite some early successes against the weak Roman interlopers, you have failed to defeat them. Your dreams of ruling Greece and Anatolia have been foiled by your incompetence. The Romans are sending more aid to their Greek allies and the Kingdom of Pergamon. You had better start learning Latin. Here is your first lesson: "Puer ego sum. Hoc ludum est difficile."	”
—In-game section