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| Author |
File Description |
| Lord Basse |
Posted on 03/16/20 @ 07:00 AM (updated 03/20/20)
| File Details |
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| Version: |
Age of Empires II: DE |
| Style: |
Build and Destroy |
| Number of players: |
8 |
ABOUT THE SCENARIO:
It's the year 20xx and there is war once more in the Baltic Sea! The small region of Scania becomes an international battleground as anarchy spreads throughout the land, and every military power in the area wants a piece of the cake. Take charge of one of eight factions in this role-playing diplomacy map! Forge temporary alliances to forward your goals, and fight your way across a detailed landscape inspired by real life locations: play as Denmark, to regain control of the eastern half of the kingdom lost over 300 years ago; or as Russia's invasion force, seeking control of the area; or as one of the newly formed Scanian city states, seeking retribution for old grudges against each other!
This is a multiplayer diplomacy/RP scenario, set on a giant map and made exclusively for Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition. Each player has unique victory conditions and only one can win in the end, meaning all alliances will be temporary and every player needs to consider their long-term strategy to be able to win.
BACKGROUND:
This was originally meant to be a hastily put together map for a multiplayer game between me and a bunch of friends, hence the somewhat ridiculous plot and setting. It quickly ended up being a much bigger project, though, and I decided to create two versions: one personal, and one for public release - which is this one!
THE PLAYERS AND THEIR OBJECTIVES:
Player 1: Bornholm; Vikings: Danish rebels have taken control of the easternmost province of Denmark, located just south-east of Scania. These modern day Vikings seek to throw all Swedish invaders out of the old Danish provice of Scania, as well as retain their independence from the decadent Danish government to the west. To do this they aim to conquer the cities of Malmö, Kristianstad and Helsingborg, gather 5 cultural treasures (relics) and control the Viking era burial grounds at Ale's Stones.
Player 2: Denmark; Spanish: the Danish government wants to use the chaos across the Öresund Strait to reclaim the region, which they lost in the shameful Treaty of Roskilde in 1658. They also seek to bring Bornholm back into the fold, as well as stay in control of the vital Öresund Bridge connecting their lands to the eastern region.
Player 3: Kristianstad; Britons: this city state in the woodland region of Göinge wants nothing to do with the rest of the world. If they get what they want, Scania will become its own country; the bridge to the continent will be demolished, as will the ghastly Halland Ridge Tunnel still controlled by Sweden. They, too, seek to control the culturally important burial grounds of Ale's Stones.
Player 4: Markaryd; Celts: in the deep woods north of Scania, the town of Markaryd has taken advantage of the anarchy in the south to declare itself independent. They too seek control of the region, but they focus on collecting relics and constructing defensive bunkers (Wonders) in the various cities - whether these cities want to or not! They also see the Russian invaders as mortal enemies.
Player 5: Russian Invaders; Slavs: the opportunistic leaders in the great country in the east see an opportunity to expand into western Europe, and they are not afraid to act on it. Their primary goal is to shut out the other local powers by demolishing the Öresund Bridge and Halland Ridge Tunnel, as well as controlling the strategically important locations of Bornholm, Malmö and Karlshamn in the east.
Player 6: Malmö; Franks: the most populous city state, located at the eastern end of the Öresund Bridge, this city state desperately needs to feed its population. To do this they must control and work the fertile farmlands of the south, as well as wrest control of the bridge from the Danes. Finally, they are taking this opportunity to destroy their age-old rivals to the north: the town of Helsingborg.
Player 7: Helsingborg; Portuguese: this northern trading town sees the war as an unnecessary disruption of trade more than anything. They seek a new stable situation by capturing the Danish town of Helsingör across the sea, ensuring that the Öresund Bridge remains standing - as well as keeping the gold from trade flowing and amassing 50,000 or more of it. Lastly, they want to settle an old grudge they have with Malmö, whose football team have so often shamed them in the league.
Player 8: Sweden; Lithuanians: lastly we have the Swedish, caught off guard and unprepared for war. They are sending in troops through the Halland Ridge Tunnel in the west, while their economic heart lies to the east; a precarious starting position. They seek nothing more than to regain control of the region and to take over the bridge over the Öresund Strait.
(Some liberties have obviously been taken in the civilization choices here, because it would be quite boring with 7 Viking players and 1 Slav. :p)
SCREENSHOTS:
A Danish fortress | Ruins of Glimmingehus | Russian invaders! | Neo-Vikings amassing on Bornholm | The fertile lands of Malmö | Danish farmlands | River sanctuary | Town of Kristianstad | On the road again | Southern Ridge with ruins
A StormWind Studios production. |
| Author | Comments & Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
|---|
| l_Skorpion_l |
Posted on 03/21/20 @ 08:17 PM |
Possidon
Official Reviewer |
Posted on 05/18/21 @ 04:50 AM
Playability: 5
Like of RPs of its kind, this scenario requires players to think tactfully about whether to use diplomacy or brute force in order to achieve their goals. The scenario is highly enjoyable on not one playthrough is the same as another due to the various different tactics players can use. The scenario comes with a set of guidelines to inform the player what their nation's actions might be based on the story, but the player has no need to follow them, and can players however they wish. Each player has their own unique set of objectives which means that you can play with each different faction and have a totally different experience. The scenarios design and mechanics create a completely unique and original gameplay, and I have never encountered any bugs in the scenario.
Balance: 5
The game is very well balanced. It suits every player’s preferable playing style, which means players can play exactly how they wish to play without having to worry about whether they're doing it right or wrong. I didn't come across anything that was so bad balance wise when I played. Every player starts with their own unique nation which includes some form of settlement, and army. It's pot luck what you get, but every nation has its own pro and cons. Some are nicely situated on their own safe island but are therefore limited for building space and resources. Whereas other swill have plenty of space but it will be much harder to defend.Scania is a multiplayer RP scenario designed by Lord Basse for the Definitive Edition. Set around the Baltic Sea, each player must carefully ally themselves with each other and declare war on others to eventually become the conqueror of the entire region fo Scania.
Playability: 5
Like of RPs of its kind, this scenario requires players to think tactfully about whether to use diplomacy or brute force in order to achieve their goals. The scenario is highly enjoyable on not one playthrough is the same as another due to the various different tactics players can use. The scenario comes with a set of guidelines to inform the player what their nation's actions might be based on the story, but the player has no need to follow them, and can players however they wish. Each player has their own unique set of objectives which means that you can play with each different faction and have a totally different experience. The scenarios design and mechanics create a completely unique and original gameplay, and I have never encountered any bugs in the scenario.
Balance: 5
The game is very well balanced. It suits every player’s preferable playing style, which means players can play exactly how they wish to play without having to worry about whether they're doing it right or wrong. I didn't come across anything that was so bad balance wise when I played. Every player starts with their own unique nation which includes some form of settlement, and army. It's pot luck what you get, but every nation has its own pro and cons. Some are nicely situated on their own safe island but are therefore limited for building space and resources. Whereas other swill have plenty of space but it will be much harder to defend. The different objectives also help improve the balance, as they are catered to the strengths of each faction, so the stronger factions are not having to do the same as the weaker ones
Creativity: 4
As with all RPs there is a great deal of creativity involved in creating the scenario in order to make the game and engaging, fun and as well balanced as possible. Each faction has unique objectives, some of which are pretty interesting, such as having to destroy the Danish bridge or capturing the ancient burial grounds of Ale's Stones. However, I didn't really find much in this scenario which set it apart from any of the other amazing RP scenario you can find in the Blacksmith. That doesn't mean that this is a bad scenario in any way. I think it's amazing, I just don't think it brings in enough new stuff to set it apart from some of the other RPs in terms of its creativity.
Map Design: 5
As with all of Lord Basse's scenarios the map design on display here is exquisite. The scenario depicts the Scania region in southern Sweden and the surround waters and lands of the Baltic Sea. It's no wonder that these are beautiful crafted and highly realistic, considering that this is where the author originate from himself. The map is nicely laid out to give each faction a decent sized settlement and room to expand, as well as proving open plains for epic battles. The map consists of some beautiful designs, from open farmlands to ancient burial grounds to an entire ruined town. There plenty to see and you fight your way across the map. Terrain mixing, eye candy, elevation, cliffs - all are used to great effect, along with some of the amazing new assets from the DE editor.
Story/Instructions: 5
The scenario comes with some backstory arounds the history of the area and each faction and clearly lays out the objectives and instructions well. Each faction has its own unique objectives and these are clearly explained in the objectives panel along with some helpful hints that are generic enough for all players, and do not give any faction a greater advantage.
Additional Comments:
This is a highly enjoyable RP scenario which I would highly recommend to anyone who is a fan of this style of multiplayer game. Actually I would recommend it to everyone. This is a great scenario to introduce the RP style to DE players who may not have experienced it yet.
Thanks
Possidon |
 
HGDL v0.8.2 |
| Rating |
|---|
| 4.8 | | Breakdown |
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| Playability | 5.0 | | Balance | 5.0 | | Creativity | 4.0 | | Map Design | 5.0 | | Story/Instructions | 5.0 |
| Statistics |
| Downloads: | 170 |
| Favorites: [] | 1 |
| Size: | 176.79 KB |
| Added: | 03/16/20 |
| Updated: | 03/20/20 |
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