Yury's Revenge is the second scenario of the Tamar campaign in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - The Mountain Royals. It is about the second and last of Yury's rebellions against Tamar in 1193.
Intro[]
Opportunists lurk in the shadows of victory. Just as your father contended with the vengeful Kushluk, my mother now faced the wrath of those blindsided by Yury's ousting.
One evening, Tamar invited the aznauris to dinner, only to notice that her drink was not quite the usual color. When she caught the smug looks on her guests' faces, she knew exactly who was at fault.
Her suspicions were soon confirmed when Yury returned from exile and seized the stronghold of Gori. Hungry to overthrow the woman who had disgraced him, the deposed leader now spearheaded a resistance of vengeful aznauris and new followers whom he had met while in exile.
Having only recently seized power, Tamar now had to hold it. In a tense showdown, the two former partners would decide their future – or lack thereof.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Castle Age - Starting resources: 800 food, 700 wood, 800 gold, 700 stone
- Population limit: 150
- Starting units:
- Tamar
- 23 Villagers
- 13 Monaspas
- 8 Light Cavalry
- 10 Pikemen
- 5 Monks
Main objectives[]
- Do not allow your enemies to capture your Monument.
- Resist Yury's invasion until the siege ends.
Secondary objectives[]
- Destroy the Georgian Rebels' Castle to capture their base for Zakare.
- Destroy the Byzantines' Castle to capture their base for Ivane.
Hints[]
- Tamar can support a population limit of 150 but may not advance to the Imperial Age. Maintaining a navy is impossible during a siege, so you will not be able to construct warships.
- Yury's rebels are powerful, but can be decimated by defensive structures boosted by the Svan Towers technology.
- The Zakarian brothers will provide a temporary buffer against Yury's auxiliary forces, but you will eventually need to reinforce them.
- Destroying enemy Castles will allow your allies to take over their bases and go on the offensive.
- Georgian cavalry gradually regenerate hit points, making them ideal for hit-and-run defensive tactics.
Scouts[]
- Tamar (Red) defends the Georgian capital of Tbilisi (Grey) with the aim of ending the civil war engulfing her kingdom.
- The Zakarian brothers support Tamar from the field. The young Ivane (Orange) will deploy swordsmen, Knights, and rams from the north, while his older brother Zakare (Blue) will send Warrior Priests, Halberdiers, and Composite Bowmen from the south.
- Tamar's ex-husband Yury (Yellow) has returned vengefully and laid claim to the Georgian throne. Though separated from his old Rus' followers, he has swiftly replaced them with Bulgarians that he met during his exile. He marches on Tbilisi with infantry, cavalry, and siege engines.
- Embittered by Tamar's gains, several Georgian rebels (Cyan) have joined Yury in his plot to overthrow Tamar. These treacherous leaders will send Monaspas, Knights, Skirmishers, and Pikemen into battle. Though initially weaker than Yury himself, they will grow exponentially stronger if left unchecked.
- During his time in Constantinople, Yury charmed many Byzantines (Purple) into supporting him. These auxiliaries will attack Tamar from the southwest with Archers, swordsmen, Camel Riders, and Cataphracts.
Players[]
Player[]
- Player ( Georgians): The player begins with control of Tblisi, the capital of Bagrationi Georgia, in the eastern corner of the map. It is a well fortified and fairly large city, but with limited natural resources. A Castle and towers defend the northern entrance, and to its east the player can find more gold, hunt, and forests. The starting forces are spread out across the three access points to Tbilisi. The player must defend Tbilisi for 50 minutes and prevent the Monument from being captured, or alternatively end the scenario earlier by defeating Yury.
Allies[]
- Ivane ( Armenians): Ivane's camp is to the west of Tblisi, they will bear the brunt of the Byzantine assaults, and defend with Knights and swordsmen. They will be defeated if their Fortified Church falls.
- Zakare ( Armenians): Zakare's camp is to the southwest of the Georgian capital and will be under heavy attacks from the rebel Georgian Aznauris and will primarily deploy Composite Bowmen and Warrior Priests. They too will be defeated if their Fortified Church falls.
Enemies[]
- Yury ( Bulgarians): He will attack Georgia with fury from a large but ungated base in the northern end of the map. He initially attacks with Cavalry Archers, Hussars, Konniks and Two-Handed Swordsmen. He will progressively upgrade his forces and can become a major threat as he will deploy Capped Rams (later upgraded to Siege Rams) and Trebuchets after some time. He is defeated if his two Town Centers, Castle and three Kreposts are destroyed.
- Georgian Rebels ( Georgians): The Aznauris attack Zakare, and if Zakare is beaten, then the player will face their attacks, which is composed of Skirmishers, Pikemen (lated upgraded to Halberdiers), Monaspas and Knights, later adding Battering Rams. If their Castle, which is not hard to access, is destroyed, their territory goes into the hands of Zakare.
- Byzantines ( Byzantines): The Eastern Roman supporters of Yury attack from a modestly sized, but not a fully walled city, deploying Cataphracts, Crossbowmen, swordsmen and Monks, later adding Camel Riders. If their Castle is destroyed, their territory goes to Ivane.
Strategy[]
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Time is of the essence in this scenario. The player must both defend their allies and defeat the Byzantines and Georgians first by destroying their Castles; otherwise, they will be pressed from all sides very quickly. This scenario might look overwhelming at first glance, but it is actually quite simple. There is an achievement for this scenario, titled "Game's Over, Yury", if the player manages to defeat Yury before the timer runs out. This is quite simple and should be little challenge to earn on Standard mode.
When the scenario starts, the player controls the great city of Tbilisi in the east of the map. To the west, Ivane has a small base with a few units and buildings, and in the southwest, Zakare has the same. Both will be able to hold the line for a while, but neither will last long against a determined attack, and if either should fall, all enemies will begin to encircle the player very quickly. Fortunately, Yury's allies are not loyal to him and will surrender when their Castles are destroyed. Broadly, Zakare is facing down the Georgian Rebels, Ivane is facing down the Byzantines, and the player is facing down Yury. These enemies will attack their respective opponents head-on, directly into the existing towers each time, so as long as those remain intact, they are not likely to break through. The Svan Towers upgrade makes these towers very difficult to destroy, as it allows for grouped units to be taken out far quicker and reduces the usefulness of the Konnik's 3 pierce armor.
The first thing the player must do is defend the north of their base, right by the Church, as Yury's army of Konniks and Two-Handed Swordsmen will attack it. Although they cannot destroy the Castle, they will try to move around it if they destroy the tower nearby. If they succeed, they can end the scenario before it begins by destroying the player's economy. To prevent this, the player may opt to build another Castle next to the existing, and these two in tandem should stop any incursions into Tbilisi. Once Yury's units are defeated, it is a good idea to unite all forces in Zakare's southern base. Take advantage of the many production buildings to rapidly produce 10 Knights, 10 Cavalry Archers, and several Monaspas. Since the player receives Cuman Mercenaries (and a free Capped Ram upgrade) a few minutes after starting the scenario, Kipchaks may also be a useful addition if the player has more than one Castle. Additionally, send several Villagers to build a Siege Workshop, as there is not one provided, and rams will be the key to a swift victory over Yury's allies. Take note of the Relic next to the player's southernmost Fortified Church; use the nearby Monk to store it whilst waiting for the rest of the army to coalesce.
Once the player has around 60 units in the south, it is safe to attack the rebels. Do not destroy any buildings beyond what is necessary, as the entire base will convert to Zakare's side once the Castle falls, but the units will not. From the east, it is a straight shot southwest to the corner of the map, where the Town Center and two towers make progressing difficult. Store the Pikemen in the rams and destroy them, with the rams guarded by cavalry, who are themselves supported by Tamar and her Monks. After this, use the shallows to cross the river to the north and then destroy the Castle. The Fortified Church is empty and thus poses no threat, and there are few units nearby. Use the cavalry to destroy the enemy rams and Monaspas. Remember that Monaspas fight better in groups and have an 11-second creation time, so strike quickly and do not allow them to mass more than 5 Knights or Monaspas together. Once the Castle falls, the units vanish, the Georgian Rebels are removed from the field, and the entire base converts to Zakare's side, making him an ally equal in strength to the player and more than capable of holding his own against Yury.
After this, pull all units back to Ivane's camp. Replenish the units lost in the fighting and begin to make even more Monaspas, Knights, and rams for the eventual attack on Yury's base. Also remember to research all relevant unit upgrades, as Yury will begin to attack in greater numbers, and his Konniks, Hussars, and Two-Handed Swordsmen are powerful. When all units are healed and restored, move west to the fork in the path and then north. The Byzantine Castle is very exposed and poorly defended; by this point, Zakare will have begun attacking it by himself, destroying most units nearby and drawing off the rest. The Castle lies just inside the walls, but there is no Gate nor tower to defend it, so rams can roll up and tear it down. When this happens, any remaining Knights, Cataphracts, and Long Swordsmen will attack them, but they should pose no threat to the army of cavalry defending the rams. Once the Castle falls, the units vanish, the Byzantines are removed from the field, and the entire base converts to Ivane's side, making him an ally equal in strength to the player and more than capable of holding his own against Yury.
Once his two allies are defeated, Yury begins to attack in greater force. He will start producing Trebuchets as well, trying to tear down the player's towers and Castles. There are two strategies at this point: one defensive and one offensive. Either will work, although the offensive one is quicker by several minutes, sometimes as much as 10 if the player has been very quick thus far.
If at any point any of the enemies do capture the player's Monument in Tblisi, a countdown of 1 minute will begin within which the player must recapture the Monument, or lose.
Offensive Strategy (achievement strategy)[]
Immediately after the Byzantines surrender, move all military units west down the stone path to the place where it splits to either side. Bring any nearby Villagers, as the player should have enough stored resources to last the rest of the fight, and Castles will be the key to a rapid victory. Once they are assembled, follow Zakare and Ivane's attack parties across the first set of bridges into the rectangular area. Quickly move across the second set of bridges and defeat Yury's nearby units. Build a Castle between the Archery Range, Stable, and Barracks, making sure it can reach the Town Center on the left and the edge of the fields above it. Defend it until it is finished and then allow Yury's army to destroy themselves against it, keeping all ranged units and Monks inside rams Rams behind. Keep cavalry ready for the inevitable Trebuchets and rams that attack it.
Once Yury's army starts to falter, use rams to destroy the Kreposts to the north and northeast. Yuri will resign when both of his Town Centers, two of his Kreposts, and his Castle are destroyed, so the fastest way to victory is precision. The Castle can handle the Town Center to the west, so all the player must do now is move all units to the Town Center in the north and destroy it. If the rams are still alive, send them to attack the Castle while the Villagers build one over the old Town Center. Hold all units around this Castle and immediately begin producing Petards and building a Siege Workshop. 8-10 Petards can destroy the now-damaged Castle, so send the cavalry in to distract it while they approach. Once it falls, Yury surrenders and the scenario ends.
Defensive strategy[]
After the Byzantines are defeated, simply pull all units back to the northern Castle and Church. Wall off any other access points and funnel Yury's troops into a small attack front. Build another Castle a few tiles north of the Church and a third right next to the tower, above the Gold Mines. Keep cavalry at the ready for Yury's Trebuchets and rams, but otherwise just wait for the timer to run out.
Outro[]
When Tamar's guards brought Yury before the queen, everyone in the room held their breath as she contemplated the fate of the man who had just brought her kingdom to the brink of collapse.
As vengeful stares surrounded him, the once dauntless spirit suddenly broke down and burst into tears. Much like myself, Yury looked into the face of death.
But in that moment, something unexpected came over my mother, and she ordered her executioner to freeze his weapon before it could land.
This act of mercy appalled many, yet Tamar stood firm. Such a ruthless demonstration, she said, was unworthy of a man who had battled her so valiantly – especially when only a stroke of luck had kept her from the same fate.
Yury was blessed with another chance. I can only pray that I am offered the same...
Trivia[]
- The name of the scenario is most likely inspired by the 2001 real-time strategy game expansion Command & Conquer Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge. Adam Isgreen, a game designer who worked on the Command & Conquer series between 1996 and 2003, is currently the creative director at Microsoft Studios, and is working on the Age of Empires series.
- Ivane's comment after defeating the Byzantines ("The Byzantines have surrendered - their base now belongs to us!") might refer to the "All your base are belong to us" Internet meme of the early 2000s, originating in the poor English translation in the 1991 Sega Mega Drive / Genesis port of the 1989 Japanese arcade game Zero Wing.
Gallery[]
