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Diggin' In, A Crusader Scenario
By Quetzelcoatl/RayvenQ
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In the Year of our lord 1213,
A small band of crusaders were caught out in an Arid Desert,
winter was setting in,
erecting Temporary barricades with what little resources they had,
they gathered their food and settled down for a long hard winter.
If the winter wasnt bad enough,
forward scouts reported a large number of Arabian forces headed their way,
with such limited resources it will be hard,
and even if you manage to survive the assault,
winter may kill you nonetheless.
Veterens have noticed that during winter the rocks shrink slightly
and large cracks can sometimes appear, especially in cliffs.
Your keep may not be as enclosed as you think!
There is a small area of grassland suitable for agriculture,
it is the ONLY pool of water in this entire region,
and it is sure to be a popular watering hole. another added danger of the grassland
is that it is one of the first places that the enemy will reach, and it isnt easy to defend.
This is my first map, and so i have it rated as NORMAL feedback would be aprreciated.
Thanks to JunoCommando for giving me some valuable suggestions
Usually I prefer playing SH-maps, but a couple of months ago I completed the Crusader campaign, too and when I saw this interesting map on the Crusader platform I thought it will be the time to play it immediately. I’ve needed three attempts.
Your keep and a small settlement are located between two plateaus that you can’t climb up.
There’s a thick stone wall and a gatehouse included connecting those two plateaus and “sealing up” your settlement, it seems. But keep attention of these inconspicuous narrow passages on the plateaus’ borders leading towards your keep. The best way to stop up these open accesses is to put in three or four stone wall elements. Generally it’s advisable to handle your limited resources carefully. At the beginning you’ve just got one dairy farm and one apple orchard inside your fortification that will provide you with food through the total scenario. The only suitable and “seductive” area to build up another “food farm” is an oasis situated outside in the desert. But it wouldn’t be efficient to set any farms there because you can’t protect them at all.
So I’ve changed my tactics after some strategic mistakes in my first attempts: First of all I lowered food supplies to half rations by low taxes and a relatively constant popularity (+1). Then I forced the weapon production to be prepared for the forthcoming assaults. Besides I pulled down my gatehouse, replaced the blank by walls integrating the “hidden” iron ore resources by an additional wall. All archers and crossbowmen on the walls assisted by a handful swordsmen and pikemen awaited the enemy and fought against these annoying assassins who entered the wall trying to kill my archers. I also ordered a few knights on speedy horses out to the desert eliminating some remaining Arabian units.
As the title of the map “Diggin’ in “ says, it turned out to be the most effective strategy for a successful resistance , in spite of increasing tough invasions making me get a move on.
If you lose there’s no defeat condition (in the editor) and the game’s goin’ on and on… alas!
As well time before the first invasion as the time after the last attack might be shortened a little bit. Nevertheless I liked that brief and uncomplicated story and the conception in a whole. A sparse but authentic map-design representing a simple, well modelled outfit of the landscape.
All in all a fine and promising first start creating maps by Quetzelcoatl.
By the way I loved those lions fighting by my side against the approaching hostile units and what a fire at the end of the game, when the Arabian slaves burnt down my settlement and the Arabian swordsmen walked through it and all died…!