TAMERLANE, PRINCE OF DESTRUCTION An Age of Kings Campaign by Mark Stoker
"Tamerlane moved like a whirlwind through Asia, commanding both fear and awe throughout the world. Rising to power in 1369 on the ruins of the Mongol Empire, his great armies criss-crossed Asia from Delhi to Moscow, conquering and re-conquering, razing some cities, sparing others. His activity was relentless and unending. His fame spread quickly to Europe, where he remained for centuries a figure of romance and horror."
"Tamerlane, Prince of Destruction" is a seven-scenario campaign about Tamerlane, the last of the great nomad conquerors. In this campaign you must lead Tamerlane as he rises from the chief of a small Mongol tribe to the conqueror of the Middle East. More information on this campaign can be found on the SCN Punk Website.
Features:
- Six playable scenarios
- One cut-scene scenario
- Seven soundtracks
- Fun yet historically accurate gameplay
- Battle scenes that don't lag
- Supports all difficulty levels
- Game style is a combination of role-playing, fixed-force, and build-and-destroy.
This campaign also includes an 8.3Mb Music Pack which you can download here. It is not required, but please download it if you have a fast connection. This campaign includes music from the following albums:
"Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears
"BraveHeart" soundtrack
"Caravan" by Kronos Quartet
"The Edge" by Gnomusy
"Gladiator" soundtrack
"Music of the Crusades" by The Early Music Consort of London
This music is for sampling use only. Please do not copy it or circulate it among your friends. If you really like the music, go out and buy the CDs. All of these CDs are great, except maybe one of them ;-)
Q.) How do I install the campaign?
A.) After you download the .ZIP file, use a program such as Winzip to extract it to your main Age of Kings directory. All the files will then be placed in the correct folders.
Q.) What settings should I use while playing?
A.) If you download the music pack, you will need to turn off your CD music. To do this, choose "Options" from the main menu and reduce the Music Volume to zero. The game will work on all speeds, but I recommend playing on "Fast" speed if you downloaded the music pack.
Q.) What difficulty level should this campaign be played on?
A.) This campaign supports all difficulty levels. For a good challenge, I recommend playing on moderate level. However, if you find any of the scenarios too difficult, play on easiest or easy level. The game will be much easier, but it'll still be fun to play. Hard and hardest levels are for AoK experts only.
Q.) Who is the author of "Tamerlane, Prince of Destruction"?
A.) The author of this campaign is Mark Stoker. Other scenarios by this author include Ottoman Onslaught and The Spanish March (a Microsoft Scenario Design Contest finalist).
Q.) What game style is this campaign?
A.) This campaign has a variety of game styles. Most of the scenarios include a combination of RPG, fixed-force, and build-and-destroy elements.
Q.) Where did you get that Infiltrator hero in "The Imperial City" scenario?
A.) The Infiltrator and some of the other map tricks I used were taken from The Rasher's New Units and Objects Scenario Template. This is available in Age of Kings Heaven's download section.
ALLIES
Tamerlane, 1336-1405
Mongol (Barlas tribe)
Although his real name was Timur, he was given the name Tamerlane ("Timur the Lame") after he was wounded in his right leg and arm during his mid-twenties, an event which left him partially disabled for the rest of his life. However, Tamerlane's handicap did not stop him from building up an army of loyal followers for himself. After he defeated his brother-in-law Amir Husayn in 1369, Tamerlane became the ruler of Transoxiana (modern-day Uzbekistan). He then set out to conquer the rest of the world, travelling across Asia from Delhi to Moscow to Anatolia. His life was, in the words of one modern scholar, "one long story of war, butchery and brutality unsurpassed until the present century."
Minamoto, 1341-1388
Mongol (Yasa'uri tribe)
During the Moghul invasions in the early 1360's, Minamoto served under Tamerlane's brother-in-law, Amir Husayn. When Amir Husayn turned against Tamerlane, however, Minamoto went over to Tamerlane's side. Minamoto then served Tamerlane faithfully for many years until he was killed during the Khuttalani uprising in 1388.
Kushluk, 1352-1386
Mongol (Jalayir tribe)
A wealthy merchant family adopted Kushluk after invading Moghuls killed his parents. He later traveled to Samarkand to attend university. In 1381 he was appointed as the governor of Darband after Tamerlane noticed his natural aptitude for command.
Kitabatake, 1374-1417
Mongol (Barlas tribe)
A fierce yet disciplined warrior, Kitabatake served in Tamerlane's army for many years. Kitabatake was also an excellent spy. If it weren't for his superb espionage skills, Tamerlane's glorious capture of Delhi in 1398 never would have been possible.
Kara Yusuf, 1368-1411
Turk
An exiled Turkish prince. During the Battle of Ankara, he helped Tamerlane defeat Sultan Bayezit and the Ottoman army.
ENEMIES
Amir Husayn, 1331-1369
Mongol (Qara'unas tribe)
Commander of the Qara'unas tribe and Tamerlane's brother-in-law. During the early 1360's he helped Tamerlane defend Transoxiana against invading Moghuls. He later turned against Tamerlane and was defeated, allowing Tamerlane to become the sole ruler of Transoxiana.
Urus Khan, 1333-1377
Mongol
Leader of the Blue Horde, a subordinate of the powerful Golden Horde.
Tokhtamish, 1348-1395
Mongol
A rival to Urus Khan, Tokhtamish sought refuge with Tamerlane after he was defeated by the Blue Horde. Urus Khan demanded Tokhtamish's extradition, but Tamerlane refused, and soon Tamerlane set out on his own expedition against the Blue Horde. After considerable effort, Tamerlane and Tokhtamish succeeded in defeating the Blue Horde. Urus Khan himself died in the course of this campaign, and Tokhtamish became the new khan of the Blue Horde. Tokhtamish later betrayed Tamerlane and began his own career of conquest. By 1385 Tokhtamish had succeeded in taking over the Golden Horde, the most powerful army in Asia.
Gawain, 1364-1388
Mongol (Khuttalani tribe)
Became the Emir of the Khuttalani tribe after his father was asassinated in 1388. He led and unsuccessful revolt against Tamerlane, during which he was killed.
Sultan Bayezit "The Thunderbolt", 1366-1403
Turk
Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1389 to 1402. Headstrong and arrogant, he never quite understood the natural limits which his forebears had been careful to respect. He made many enemies amoung the old ruling families he displaced, and was careless of the loyalty of the men he took into his service. Encouraged by exiled Turkish princes, Tamerlane attacked and overwhelmed him in 1402. Taken captive by Tamerlane, Bayezit died within a year.
Campaign Designer: Mark Stoker
Playtesters: Bob Michaels, Crusader14, EUIX, Freedumb, Gray Wolf, The Great Alexander, Strider, and Transcora
Aditional Credits:
Beatrice Forbes Manz - Author of "The Rise and Rule of Tamerlane" (used to research the history for this campaign).
The Downward Spiral - For letting me use some music and sounds from "The Nexus" campaign.
The Rasher - "Map Tricks" scenario.
Steve Ryan - For letting me use some sounds from the "Legend" campaign.
Strider - For helping me find some great music.
Sybex - Official Scenario Design Toolkit.
(C) 2000 SCN Punk Team