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Usurpation is the first scenario of the Suryavarman I campaign in Age of Empires II HD: Rise of the Rajas. It is about how Suryavarman I leads his forces to conquer Angkor and claim the throne from Udayadityavarman I.

Intro[]

Forward march! We do not stop until the sun falls beneath the tree line.

I am Sangrama, honored general of the Khmer Empire, tasked with quelling a rebellion. Just a year after the passing of the revered Suryavarman, his successor faces staunch opposition. This chaos threatens to dismantle the empire that took nearly five decades to build.

Inspiring an army of largely levy soldiery is difficult. Most are simple farmers and craftsmen, strangers to the ways of war and the grim chaos of battle. They should understand the cause for which they fight.

As we trudged through the mud, I summoned the captains to the front of the line. I told them of the events that occurred before many of them were born. They would use this knowledge to inspire their men to fight.

Suryavarman was once little more than a magnate with a minor claim to the throne held by another. Udayaditavarman I had established his seat in Angkor, claiming the entire empire as his dominion.

Gathering his army, Suryavarman marched on Angkor from the west, establishing a camp not far from the city.

Forward march! We do not stop until the sun falls beneath the treeline.

I am Sangrama, honored general of the Khmer Empire, tasked with quelling a rebellion. Just a year after the passing of the revered Suryavarman I, his successor faces staunch opposition. It threatens to dismantle the empire that Suryavarman took nearly five decades to build.

Inspiring an army of largely levy soldiery is difficult. Most are simple farmers and craftsmen, strangers to the ways of war and the grim chaos of battle. They should understand the cause for which they fight.

As we trudged through the mud, I summoned the captains to the front line. Knowing them personally, these men speak to the troops directly under their command in a different way than I ever could. I would tell them the events that occurred before many of them were born.

Suryavarman was once little more than a magnate with a minor claim to the throne held by another. Udayaditavarman I had established his seat in Angkor, claiming the entire empire as his dominion.

Gathering his army, Suryavarman marched on Angkor from the west, establishing a camp not far from the city.

Scenario instructions[]

Starting conditions[]

Differences between difficulty levels[]

Objectives[]

  • Storm the city of Angkor and kill Udayavidityavarman I.

Hints[]

  1. Suryavarman I's army is restricted to the Castle Age and its population limit is 100.
  2. Suryavarman I is a powerful warrior who leads from the front lines. If his elephant is slain from beneath him, he will return to the camp to recover and will be unable to take the field again.
  3. Destroying Udayavidityavarman I's field camps will deprive him of his offensive potential, but you will still have to take the battle to Angkor.
  4. The city of Angkor is well fortified. Bringing some siege weapons along to help breach the citadel would be wise.
  5. Khmer elephant units are mobile, hardy, and quite effective against massed enemy forces.

Scouts[]

  • Suryavarman I (1, Cyan) has established a camp in the west of the map. From this foothold it will be possible to launch attacks towards Angkor, Udayavidityavarman I's capital.
  • Udayavidityavarman I has concentrated his forward armies (2, Red) in three military camps. Two block the western and southern routes to Angkor, while a third guards the trade route southeast of Suryavarman I's camp. These forces are composed of levied Spearmen, Skirmishers, and Light Cavalry, but may later add siege weapons to their offensive pushes.
  • The city of Angkor (3, Orange) lies in the northeast of the map. Its garrison consists primarily of Crossbowmen and infantry but may also contain Monks and Battle Elephants.
  • Within the central citadel of Angkor resides Udayavidityavarman I, surrounded by his personal bodyguard (4, Yellow). They will provide a last line of resistance, should Angkor's defenses fail.
  • A neutral village (5, Grey) lies in the south of the map, and is a potential trading party should the trade route be cleared of enemy troops.

Players[]

Player[]

  • Player (Khmer AoE2 Khmer): The player begins at the west of the map with a Town Center, Barracks, and some Feudal Age buildings, including some Watch Towers. They also start with Suryavarman I, and a small Feudal Age army.

Ally[]

  • Local Inhabitants (Khmer AoE2 Khmer): Located to the south. They have a Market that can be used as trading partner once the hostile troops around the trade route are eliminated.

Enemy[]

  • Udayadityavarman's Army (Khmer AoE2 Khmer): They have military bases located to the northwest, south, and southeast. They also have a Market to the easternmost used for trading with Udayadityavarman. Their initial army consists of a full Feudal Age army, including Spearmen, Men-At-Arms, Archers, Skirmishers, Scout Cavalry, and War Galleys. After upgrading to the Castle Age, they start training Pikemen, Light Cavalry, and Elite Skirmishers.
  • Angkor (Khmer AoE2 Khmer): They have a large base surrounded by Stone Walls in the north. Their army consists of Light Cavalry, Battle Elephants, Long Swordsmen, Pikemen, Elite Skirmishers, Crossbowmen, and Monks.
  • Udayavidityavarman I (Khmer AoE2 Khmer): Located to the north, inside Angkor's Walls and Gate. They have a Castle protected by Pikemen, Battle Elephants, and Ballista Elephants. King Udayavidityavarman I lives inside the Castle.

Strategy[]

Immediately advance to the Castle Age. At the same time, attack the base down the road to the right. It has a Barracks and is guarded by a few troops. Continue to build an economy and fend off raids from Udayadityavarman's Army (building a Castle with Murder Holes can be helpful).

Once the player has a decent sized army of Elephants and infantry, continue to attack the three Red bases to stop the raids. These tend to only be a few units, usually Skirmishers and Archers early on, and Pikemen and Light Cavalry later in game. They train Light Cavalry, Pikemen, Crossbowman, and Skirmishers. Protect the Elephants from enemy Pikemen with archers and infantry while they destroy the enemy buildings. Once the bases are dealt with, the player can amass their forces outside the walls of Angkor.

It is recommended to move a Villager or two further north so that the slower moving units do not have to travel as far. The units inside the city will not attack unprovoked. Consider building a Castle and luring the Angkor units out into its range to assist in clearing the city. Once the Angkor units are mostly dealt with, bring Battering Rams in to deal with the walls surrounding the Castle of 'Udayavidityavarman I.

Unlike other scenarios with a hero, if Suryavarman I goes down he is simply taken out of the game so there is no need to panic if he is low on HP or gets trapped in a battle he cannot escape. This is a relatively straightforward scenario that actually gives the player the advantage of having time to build their economy and army before committing to an all out assault. The resources by the player's base combined with the friendly Market to the south and enemy Market in the east of should provide more than enough resources to complete the objectives.

Outro[]

The captains listened eagerly as I gave my account of the usurpation. Despite a numerical disadvantage, Suryavarman's tactical acumen proved critical to the success of such a risky offensive. Droves of Udayadityavarman's troops fell to Suryavarman's disciplined infantry and elephant corps.

Entering Angkor, Suryavarman gave the order to his disciplined army that the city was to be left intact, the civilians unharmed. He would not begin his rule by committing acts of savage tyranny upon his own people.

Trivia[]

  • In the co-op version, the second player starts in place of the southern local village and has the narrator Sangrama as the hero unit.
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