Age of Empires Series Wiki

Feel free to comment on a page! To do this, simply scroll to the bottom at type into the box.

READ MORE

Age of Empires Series Wiki
Age of Empires Series Wiki

Saracen and Berber armies swiftly conquered Spain and now march north into the Frankish heartland. As Charles 'The Hammer' Martel, lead the Frankish warriors in a desperate defense of your homeland.
—In-game scenario description in the Definitive Edition

Tours is a scenario in the Battles of the Conquerors campaign in Age of Empires II: The Conquerors. The Franks, led by Charles Martel, must defend their homeland from the Arab invasion of 732. This scenario is based on the Battle of Tours.

Intro[]

It is impossible to imagine the world ending on such a fine fall day. Yet the storm of Muslim horsemen continues to rage throughout Europe, leaving conquered cities and shattered armies stunned in its wake. The lightning-quick strikes of the Muslim horsemen break the city of Bordeaux and then Poitiers, leaving precious little of the Frankish Kingdom to defend.

Yet Charles Martel gathers the disheartened Frankish army for one last stand at the city of Tours.

Arabic horses, bred for speed and beauty, begin to splash across the Vienne River. Martel's knights and swordsmen, trudging under the weight of iron mail, struggle to interpose themselves between the Muslims and the city of Tours.

Carrion birds circle the air, anticipating the savagery to come. The rest of Europe watches anxiously, for this is the climax of the Muslim invasion and the last stand of Christian Europe.

It is impossible to imagine the world ending on such a fine fall day. Yet the storm of Moslem horses continues to rage throughout Europe, leaving conquered cities and shattered armies stunned in its wake. The lightning-quick strikes of the Moslem horses break the city of Bordeaux, and then Poitiers, leaving precious little of the Frankish kingdom to defend.

Yet Charles Martel gathers the disheartened Frankish army for one last stand at the city of Tours.

Moslem horses, bred for speed and beauty, begin to splash across the Vienne River. Martel's knights and swordsmen, trudging under the weight of iron mail, struggle to interpose themselves between the Moslems and the city of Tours.

Carrion birds circle in the air, anticipating the savagery to come. The rest of Europe watches anxiously, for this is the climax of the Moslem invasion and the last stand of Christian Europe.

Scenario instructions[]

Starting conditions[]

Differences between difficulty levels[]

  • On Standard difficulty, a Castle guards the southwest gate of Tours, and the player begins with Murder Holes researched.
  • On Hard, the Berbers start with additional Light Cavalry and Villagers, and the 'cemetery island' on Charles Martel's path to Tours is guarded by Moorish Watch Towers and Camel Riders.

Objectives[]

  • Prevent the Muslims from destroying any of your 3 Town Centers.
  • Capture the 6 Trade Carts in the Moors' baggage train and bring them to the Cathedral in Tours.

Later objectives[]

  • Since part of the Muslim baggage train has been lost, you will now need to defeat the Muslims.

Hints[]

  1. The Franks are restricted to a population limit of 125.
  2. The Berbers and Moors utilize inexpensive troops in combat. While Frankish Knights can defeat them, the Muslims spend fewer of their resources fielding armies.
  3. The Muslims are attacking outlying Frankish Farms. This will slow them down while you send for Charles Martel's army and build up your defenses.

  1. The Moslems are attacking outlying Frankish Farms. This will slow them down while you send for Charles Martel's army and build up your defenses.
  2. The Berbers and Moors utilize inexpensive troops in combat. While Frankish Knights can defeat them, the Moslems spend fewer of their resources fielding armies.
  3. You can click on signs for directions.

Scouts[]

  • The Franks (1, Red) defend the large city of Tours to the north. Charles Martel's army is to south of the city.
  • The Berbers (2, Yellow) occupy the western edge of the map. They train Light Cavalry, swordsmen, and rams, but their town is not well-defended and could fall to an early attack.
  • The Moors (3, Green) have occupied the city of Poitiers to the southwest, making their army harder to defeat. They train Camels, Knights, and Scorpions, but will switch to Mamelukes given enough time.

Players[]

Player[]

  • Charles Martel ( Franks): Located at the top of the map in the titular city, their army is located near the eastern side of the map. There are a lot of Farms scattered around the top half of the map, though they are usually destroyed by wandering enemy troops.

Ally[]

  • Frankish Villages ( Franks, only the Definitive Edition): They are burned villages that consist of some abandoned Houses, Mills, and Farms outside Tours.

Enemies[]

Dialogue[]

(Note: before the Definitive Edition, "Moslem" is used instead of "Muslim".)

Frankish Soldier: The Muslims are advancing slowly, but we will not have long before they are at the walls of Tours. Poitiers has fallen already.

Sign #1 to the northwest of Charles Martel (not active in-game):

-- North to Tours --

Sign #2 to the south of sign #1 (not active in-game):

-- West to Poitiers --

Sign #3 to the southwest of sign #2 (not active in-game):

-- Poitiers --

Sign #4 to the west of sign #3 (not active in-game):

-- Poitiers - West Gate --

Sign #5 to the northeast of sign #4 (not active in-game):

-- North - Tours | South - Poitiers --

Sign #6 to the northeast of sign #5 (not active in-game):

-- Graveyard --

Sign #7 to the northwest of sign #6 (not active in-game):

-- Tours - South Gate --

When approaching Poitiers:

Frankish Soldier: We have reached Poitiers! The Muslim baggage train is protected inside. If we can capture it, they will retreat back from whence they came.

After bringing 6 Trade Carts to the Cathedral in Tours:

Frankish Soldier: The Muslims have retreated from Frankish lands! We are victorious!

If a Town Center in Tours is destroyed:

Frankish Soldier: The Muslims have destroyed one of our town centers. The rest of the city is sure to fall!

If Charles Martel is killed:

Frankish Soldier: We lost Charles Martel in battle today. The Franks may keep fighting, but their hearts are no longer in it.

Strategy[]

The player faces two enemies in this scenario: the Berbers (Berbers/Turks before the Definitive Edition, yellow) and the Moors (Saracens, green).

Berbers

The Berbers' base.

In the north lies Tours, a city owned by the player, with a handful of villagers, lots of buildings (including a few Guard Towers for defense), and many Gold and Stone mines for a stable economy, yet no army (on Standard difficulty, the player also starts with a Castle). The army, consisting of 16 Knights, 11 Throwing Axemen and the hero Charles Martel, is at the south of the map, not too far from the now-Moor-controlled city (Poitiers).

There are two ways the player can continue the campaign from there. On one hand, with the starting army, it is possible to break through the wall or hold the enemy Gates open with units, sneak in, and steal the Trade Carts that will grant victory. But this plan has a lot of flaws. Aside from being a major risk, Poitiers is heavily defended and the player is not armed with any siege weapons, and they might lose the entire army trying to break in. If the player loses a single Trade Cart, they will have to defeat all enemy forces, so take good care of them.

Poitiers

The city of Poitiers under Saracen control, as it appeared in the scenario.

A second, risk-free, safer way is to send the army back to Tours and advance to the Castle Age as soon as the player has the resources. Gather the Sheep from outside the city for food, and delay the enemy by rebuilding walls if possible. When in the Castle Age, build a few Castles for defense close to, but inside, the walls of the player's city. Use Throwing Axemen to destroy any rams and straggler enemies from inside the walls of the city. The hero unit, Charles Martel, is particularly good at this. Unlike other scenarios and campaigns in the game, the hero does not need to survive, so it is not a major risk if he joins the forces to attack.

From here, the player will finally have some breathing room to build up an army and economy. Make a large army consisting of Pikemen/Halberdiers and siege weapons, and research all useful upgrades. Break through the Moors' base through the east, ignoring the Berbers' base, and escort the Trade Carts out of the city to the Cathedral in Tours.

Tours Cathedral

The Cathedral in Tours

If the player loses the Trade Carts, they will need to defeat the enemy forces. Since the enemy forces rely heavily on Infantry, Camel Riders and Mamelukes, sending in Knights will be costly, so the player should rely almost exclusively on Pikemen or Halberdiers, with Knights being used to protect the other units from enemy siege.

While that is not strictly necessary to win the scenario, the player can advance to the Imperial Age, which will enable the construction of Trebuchets, thus making the siege easier.

Bugs[]

Researching Spies before the Trade Carts are captured will cause the "Since part of the Muslim baggage train has been lost, you will now need to defeat the Muslims" objective to appear, despite no Trade Carts being lost, and the player will have to defeat the two enemies to win the game. Using the "marco" then "polo" cheats will also cause this bug. It is fixed in the HD Edition.

Outro[]

The soul of the Frankish army was its knights, but Charles Martel knew that his cavalry-undisciplined, buried under weight of weapons and armor-could not match the swiftness of the Muslim riders. Therefore, he ordered the knights to dismount and join ranks with the Frankish swordsmen to form a tight shield-wall.

The Muslims had always conquered with swift offensiveness and were not equipped to counter the Franks' defensive strategy. The arrows of the Muslim archers bounced harmlessly off the heavy Frankish armor, and the light Muslim cavalry could not breach the human chain.

Battered and bleeding, the invaders broke ranks and fled back to the Pyrenees and the protection of Spain. From Charles Martel's Frankish kingdom eventually grew the Holy Roman Empire, making him the founding father of both Germany and France.

The soul of the Frankish army was its knights, but Charles Martel knew that his cavalry -- undisciplined, buried under weight of weapons and armor -- could not match the swiftness of the Moslem riders. Therefore, he ordered the knights to dismount and join ranks with the Frankish swordsmen to form a tight shield wall.

The Moslems had always conquered with swift offensiveness and were not equipped to counter the Franks' defensive strategy. The arrows of the Moslem archers bounced harmlessly off the heavy Frankish armor, and the light Moslem cavalry could not breach the human chain.

Battered and bleeding, the Moslems broke ranks and fled back to the Pyrenees and the protection of Spain. From Charles Martel's Frankish kingdom eventually grew the Holy Roman Empire, making him the founding father of both Germany and France.

Trivia[]

  • This battle in 732 AD directly follows from the last scenario of the Tariq ibn Ziyad campaign in The African Kingdoms: Razzia, which depicts the Battle of the River Garonne. In the battle, Abdul Rahman al-Ghafiqi raided Bordeaux and defeated an Aquitainian army under Odo of Aquitaine. Odo, fearing for his fiefdom in Aquitaine reached out to the Mayor of the Palace of the Frankish kingdom, Charles Martel, which starts off this scenario. Charles Martel accepted Odo's submission and let him join his army in Tours, where they defeated the Umayyad forces and killed al-Ghafiqi.
  • The Berbers on this scenario are represented by the color Yellow, which probably explains why the player uses the same color in the Tariq ibn Ziyad campaign.
  • AOE2 TOURS AL GHAFIQUI

    Abd ar-Rahman al-Ghafiqi in the Berber camp.

    In the Definitive Edition, Abd ar-Rahman al-Ghafiqi appears as a Genitour hero unit in the Berber camp, and even attacks the player. However, killing him gives no result.
  • In the French localization, the scenario retains the name of Tours despite the fact that the battle is commonly referred as the Battle of Poitiers in the French language. The battle site is generally located between the two cities, and English and French historians disagree on which of the two was closer.
    • The French localization's intro of the original edition refers to "one last stand at the city of Poitiers", but the Definitive Edition did not retain this change.
  • The first illustration in the Definitive Edition version of the opening cutscene was also used to represent the Lithuanians in the History section. This was corrected with Dawn of the Dukes, where it is replaced with a Leitis illustration.
  • While the scenario depicts the Muslim forces besieging the city of Tours and the Franks responding with an attack on occupied Poitiers, the actual battle took place in the open on a hill somewhere between the two cities, the exact location of which is still unknown.
  • In co-op mode, the first player controls the city of Tours, while the second player in blue controls Charles Martel with a starting base where his army starts.
    • Winning the scenario in this mode will unlock the achievement "Can I be Frank with You?".

Gallery[]

Campaigns in Age of Empires II
The Age of Kings
William Wallace PC: Marching and Fighting · Feeding the Army · Training the Troops · Research and Technology · The Battle of Stirling · Forge an Alliance · The Battle of Falkirk
PS5 - Xbox: Preparing for Battle· The Battle of Stirling · Forge an Alliance · The Battle of Falkirk
Joan of Arc An Unlikely Messiah · The Maid of Orleans · The Cleansing of the Loire · The Rising · The Siege of Paris · A Perfect Martyr
Saladin An Arabian Knight · Lord of Arabia · The Horns of Hattin · The Siege of Jerusalem · Jihad! · The Lion and the Demon
Genghis Khan Crucible · A Life of Revenge · Into China · The Horde Rides West · The Promise · Pax Mongolica
Barbarossa Holy Roman Emperor · Henry the Lion · Pope and Antipope · The Lombard League · Barbarossa's March · The Emperor Sleeping
Others E3 1998
* added with update 75350
The Conquerors
Attila the Hun The Scourge of God · The Great Ride · The Walls of Constantinople · A Barbarian Betrothal · The Catalaunian Fields · The Fall of Rome
El Cid Brother against Brother · The Enemy of my Enemy · The Exile of the Cid · Black Guards · King of Valencia · Reconquista
Montezuma Reign of Blood · The Triple Alliance · Quetzalcoatl · La Noche Triste · The Boiling Lake · Broken Spears
Battles of the Conquerors Tours · Vinlandsaga · Hastings · Manzikert · Agincourt · Lepanto · Kyoto · Noryang Point
Hidden scenario The Saxon Revolt
The Forgotten
Alaric HD: All Roads Lead to a Besieged City · Legionaries on the Horizon! · Emperor of the West · The Sack of Rome
DE: The Battle of the Frigidus · Razing Hellas · The Belly of the Beast · The Giant Falls · A Kingdom of Our Own
Vlad Dracula The Dragon Spreads His Wings · The Return of the Dragon · The Breath of the Dragon · The Moon Rises · The Night Falls
Bari HD: Arrival at Bari · The Rebellion of Melus · The Great Siege
DE: Arrival at Bari · The Rebellion of Melus · Loose Ends · The Best Laid Plans · The Onrushing Tide
Sforza HD: An End and a Beginning · O Fortuna · The Hand of a Daughter · The Ambrosian Republic · A New Duke of Milan
DE: Mercenaries and Masters · His Own Man · Prodigal Son · Blood and Betrayal · Viva Sforza!
El Dorado# (removed) Tales of La Canela · The Split · The Amazones · The Cannibals
Prithviraj* HD: A Promising Warrior · The Digvijaya · The Elopement · Battles of Tarain
DE: Born of Fire · The Digvijaya · Hand of a Princess · The Fate of India · The Legend of Prithviraj
Battles of the Forgotten@ Bukhara · Dos Pilas · York · Honfoglalás · Langshan Jiang · Kurikara · Cyprus · Bapheus · Kaesong (cut)
# added with patch 3.3; * added with patch 3.5; @ added with patch 3.6
The African Kingdoms
Tariq ibn Ziyad The Battle of Guadalete · Consolidation and Subjugation · Divide and Conquer · Crossing the Pyrenees · Razzia
Sundjata Hunted · The Sting of the Scorpion · Djeriba Gold · Blood on the River Bank · The Lion's Den
Francisco de Almeida The Old World · Lion of Africa · Ruins of Empires · Estado da India · A Son's Blood
Yodit Path of Exile · The Right Partner · A Fallen Crown · Broken Stelae · Welcome Home
Rise of the Rajas
Gajah Mada The Story of Our Founders · Unconditional Loyalty · The Oath to Unify Nusantara · Serving the New King · The Pasunda Bubat Tragedy
Suryavarman I Usurpation · Quelling the Rebellion · A Dangerous Mission · Challenging a Thalassocracy · Nirvanapada
Bayinnaung The Burmese Tigers · The Mandalay Cobra · The Royal Peacock · The White Elephant · The Old Tiger
Le Loi The Dai Viet Uprising · The Mountain Siege · The Battle at Hanoi · Reaching South · A Three-Pronged Attack · The Final Fortress
Definitive Edition
The Art of War Early Economy · Booming · Rushing the Enemy · Fast Castle Age · Defending Against A Rush · Land Battle · Destroying a Castle · Naval Battle · Battle Formations
Pachacuti A New Power Arises · The Field of Blood · War of Brothers · The Falcon's Tent · Like Father, Like Son

Historical Battles
Tours · Vinlandsaga · Hastings · Manzikert · Agincourt · Kyoto · Noryang Point
Bukhara · Kurikara · Cyprus · Bapheus · Lepanto
Dos Pilas · York · Honfoglalás · Lake Poyang
Event scenarios E3 2019 Demo · Mongol Raiders · Barbarossa Brawl · Mangudai Madness · The Siege (co-op) · Ayn Jalut
The Last Khans
Tamerlane Amir of Transoxiana · Gurkhan of Persia · Harbinger of Destruction · Sultan of Hindustan · Scourge of the Levant · A Titan Amongst Mortals
Ivaylo A Most Unlikely Man · An Unlikely Alliance · Tsar of the Bulgars · Echoes of Heroes · Where the One-Eyed Man is King
Kotyan Khan Raising the Banners · The Battle at the Kalka River · Saving the Huts · Blood for Blood · A New Home
Lords of the West
Edward Longshanks Vain Ambition · A Man of God · Of Castles and Kings · Toom Tabard · Hammer of the Scots
Grand Dukes A Kingdom Divided · The Wolf and the Lion · The Cleansing of Paris · Unholy Marriage · The Hook and Cod Wars · The Maid Falls
The Hautevilles Guiscard Arrives · Roger in Sicily · Bohemond and the Emperor · Bohemond in the East · Wonder of the World
Dawn of the Dukes
Algirdas and Kestutis Family Affairs · No Man's Land · The Tatar Yoke · A Worthy Opponent · In the Shadow of the Throne
Jadwiga The Matter of the Crown · Star of the Poles · Duel of the Dukes · The Siege of Vilnius · Vytautas' Crusade · The Fruits of Her Labor
Jan Zizka The One-Eyed Wanderer · Courage and Coin · The Iron Lords · The Golden City · The Emperor's Fury · Warrior of God
Dynasties of India
Babur Pearl of the East · The Last Timurids · Into India · The Battle of Panipat · The Rajputs
Rajendra The Successor · Deeds of the Father · Rising Star · Sacred Waters · Slaying the Vritra
Devapala Dissatisfaction · Desire · Renunciation · Liberation? · Enlightenment
The Mountain Royals
Ismail The Red Hats · Road to Royalty · Alexander Safavi · The Fallen Amir · Khata'i
Thoros II Outlawed · The Emperor's Revenge · Caught in the Crossfire · Bloody Crestwaves · Of Turncoats and Traitors
Tamar Takeover · Yury's Revenge · The Protectorate · Tamar the Builder · The Queen in the Panther's Skin
Victors and Vanquished
Victors and Vanquished
Charlemagne · Finehair · Ironside · Nobunaga
Drake · Fetih · Gaiseric · Robert · Temujin · Xie An*
Constantine XI · Karlsefni · Komnenos · Mstislav · Otto · Ragnar · Seljuk · Shimazu · Stephen · Vortigern
* added with update 141935
The Three Kingdoms
Liu Bei The Oath of the Peach Garden · Heroes of the Realm · The Scholar and the Sandal Maker · The Great Escape · The Battle of Red Cliffs
Cao Cao The Yellow Turban Rebellion · Emperor In All But Name · The Battle of Guandu · Lord of the North · The Battle of Red Cliffs
Sun Clan The Imperial Seal · The Conquest of Jiangdong · The White Tiger · The Avenger · The Battle of Red Cliffs