Amazons
Brothers in Arms VICTORY CONDITION: Protect your ally well so that he can survive for 2 hours.
DEFEAT CONDITION: You or your ally have been completely destroyed.
SITUATION: Some believe it was going too far, but Penthesilea has to know what she is doing - even if she is dealing with a man. We need iron ore acutely and since the last round of thefts, the men are keeping a sharp eye on their storage areas. Who would have thought we'd be protecting the Roman pansies ...
Well, that won't last forever.
REPORT BY HELIOS: I had been wondering why Jupiter no longer greeted me at the Gorgons, but then I learned that Penthesilea had lured a Roman faction to her side. It seems the Roman governor was as infatuated with her as she was with his iron ore.
Of course Jupiter's rage fell hard upon the renegade settlement, and the Amazons were forced to come to their aid to protect the vital iron. At least, until they had all they would need ...
This mission requires you to protect your Roman allies. In doing so, you must be careful not to get into difficulties yourself.
Your ally is not just a millstone around your neck. The Romans supply you with iron ore that is not to be found in your territory at all. Although the supply is regular, it may not be enough to take care of the requirements for both settlements. There is only coal and gold present in the mountain (2) to the east. A little farther to the east there is another small mountain (3) where sulfur and gems can be found. With the help of your alchemist you can convert the sulfur and gems into iron, thus lessening your dependence on your allies!
You will need the following buildings to guarantee a trouble-free development of your colony: 2 smelting works, 2 - 3 weapon smith works, 2 - 3, and 2 - 3 meadmaker's huts. You will need, in addition, some waterworks so that your meadmaker and baker have enough water. Food production is especially important in this mission. To ensure optimal production many grain farms and huts for fishermen should be built! Fish can be found in adequate quantities in the lake (1) and seas (6 & 7) nearby.
Since this is a defensive mission, you should concentrate on recruiting a lot of bowmen and some spearmen to be able to ward off the attacks of your opponent.
A major defense problem concerns the positioning of your troops. This is true for all missions where an ally needs support. Since the territory of your ally is adjacent to yours, it makes sense to bundle your defensive strength, even if this cannot be done completely. The ideal positions for this defensive bundling is on your common border to the north (4) and to the south (5). Both positions are easily defended. You can build up your defense on ONE of these positions and then position all of your troops near those of your ally around the castle. If an opponent launches an attack, you can quickly come to the aid of your ally's line of defense. You should also use a chain of thieves as an early alarm system so that you are not caught off guard.
Your opponents will think twice before attacking as a result. You should be careful not to separate your warriors too much but rather to keep them together as best as possible so that you have just one powerfull army.
There should be no difficulties holding out for two hours. If the enemy attacks, he may well retreat on account of your superior numbers. Let him retreat. In this mission, it is up to your opponent to do the attacking...
© Blue Byte Software Inc.
Authors: Christian Haecker & Joerg Niesenhaus