Attila the Hun 2: “The Great Ride”

Civilizations: Huns (you — Huns), Adrianople (enemy — Byzantines), Dyrrhachium (enemy — Teutons), Eastern Roman Empire (enemy — Byzantines), Naissus (enemy — Goths), Scythians (ally — Mongols), Sofia (enemy — Franks), Thessalonica (enemy — Byzantines)

Starting Units: 8 Cavalry Archers, 12 Tarkans

Starting Buildings: None

Starting Resources: None

Starting Age: Castle Age

Heroes: None

Most Useful Units: Tarkans, Cavalry Archers

Most Useful Technologies: Husbandry, Thumb Ring

Introduction

Your population in this scenario is a mere 75 units. Fortunately, only two of your enemies will put up any resistance, and neither of them is very aggressive.

Raiding the Romans

Your initial Tarkans should be focused on destroying buildings — the “Stand Ground” or “No Attack” stances may be useful for this — while your Cavalry Archers clear away enemy units. Sofia is your first target, just southwest of your starting point. Pick off as many Villagers as you can before knocking down their Barracks and Town Center, then slay the rest. Now move directly east, all the way to the edge of the map. Swat the Villagers of Naissus aside while wrecking their Lumber Camps, then make a 90-degree turn south to Adrianople. (Do not allow your troops to attack the Eastern Roman Outposts along the way!) Adrianople has a Monastery, a Barracks, an Archery Range, and two Watch Towers to demolish — plus a pair of Monks to kill — before you can plunder its Mining Camps. Another 90-degree turn west will bring you to a chain of islands and shallows. Cross over to Thessalonica and burn everything down, Houses and all. A handful of Archers and Monks will mount a feeble defense, but for once, decline from massacring the Villagers. Without their Houses, most of them will surrender to you, and the rest can be converted or killed at your lesiure.

Rebuilding Thessalonica…

Build your Town Center on the still-smoldering rubble of Thessalonica’s Market. The former site of its Lumber Camp makes a good spot for yours. A small hill nearby, just large enough for a Mill and surrounded by deer, is a perfect place to begin hunting and farming. As you’ve seen, there’s plenty of gold in Adrianople, and a large stone deposit lies to its northeast. Finally, to foil the sporadic attacks of the Eastern Romans, build a pair of Watch Towers on your northern shallows, and (eventually) a Castle, Stable, and Archery Range on the southern shallows.

Once the necessities are taken care of, you can start researching and exploring. A few civilian buildings around either your Castle or your Town Center — a Blacksmith, a Monastery, and so on — will make the rest of the scenario much easier. At some point your recon will stumble into the Scythians (now 50% more anachronistic!), but don’t give them anything just yet.

…And Razing Dyrrhachium

In the real world, Fifth Century Dyrrhachium was a port and provincial capital, with famously thick walls. In the game, it’s landlocked but still a major city, complete with a Castle and multiple Barracks. Five Tarkans and two Hussars are imprisoned there…but one does not simply walk into Dyrrhachium.

Add Tarkans and Cavalry Archers to your army until you have 20 of each, and back them up with a pair of Monks. Dyrrhachium is northwest of Thessalonica, past a large field of gold mines. Ignore the Farms and Mills all around you (though you may, by all means, shoot down any Villagers who cross your path) and order your Tarkans to attack the Gate. Spearmen will boil out from behind the walls, but they’re nothing your Cavalry Archers can’t handle. Proceed into the city, destroying Barracks and Town Centers as you go, until you reach the Castle and rescue the prisoners there. Keep your Cavalry Archers and Monks well away from the Castle while your Tarkans — both new and old — pull it down. Dyrrhachium will then resign, although you’ll probably lose the Hussars during the assault. Feel free to destroy their Market, which isn’t worth the expense of sending a Trade Cart, and lead your army back home.

The Roman Fort

By now, the Eastern Romans should be making their presence known, either by raiding your Mining Camps in Adrianople or by attacking your main base in Thessalonica. Bring six Villagers and a Tarkan to the Scythian clearing. Perhaps contrary to your expectations, the Scythian witches will not boil your Villagers in a giant cauldron, but will instead put them to work as Lumberjacks. In return, the Scythians will give you their Petards and some of their Hunting Wolves. Bring these, along with the rest of your army, forward to Adrianople.

Send the 100-h.p. Hunting Wolves to the Roman fort first, as a screen to protect your Petards. Use two or three of the Petards to blow down the fort’s southernmost Gate, and send the other nine or ten onward to destroy any three Guard Towers of your choice. Once they’ve given their lives for the cause, send the rest of the troops in, and wipe the Romans off the map.

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