The Rise of Athens

Description[]

The Rise of Athens is the fourth scenario of the Greek Campaign in Empire Earth.

Briefing[]

The Rise of Athens: 1,000 - 500 BC

The Sons of Pelops were long gone. But north of Argos, on the Saronic Gulf, their descendants continued to rule in the city of Athens. Though at first little more than a sleepy village, Athens was poised to take control of the entire Attic Region.

No one believed in that vision of Athens more strongly than her king, Theseus.

Theseus has assembled the leader of Athens at the Hill of Ares. Here, he will share his plan for expanding the city... one that he hopes will secure forever the future of Athens.

The legendary Greek city-state is about to emerge.

History[]

Around 750 BC, the blind poet Homer appeared in Asia Minor, near the site of ruined Troy, and recorded the tales of the Sons of Pelops in immortal verse. In the following century, even more reliable historical accounts chart the rise of Greece's three most important city-states: Athens, Sparta, and Thebes.

The People of Athens were descended from those who survived the onslaught of the Dorians. They saw themselves as the inheritors of the heroic tradition preserved in Homer's poems.

Spartans and Thebans, however, were descended from the Dorian horde who overran Homer's heroes. Hailing from the region of Thessaly, these Doric races traced their own ancestry back to Herakles, son of the demi-god Perseus. Indeed, the Spartans sometimes referred to themselves as the Sons of Herakles.

The Athenian King Theseus falls squarely in realm of mythology. He may have existed, but we don't know for certain. We do know that the struggle to unite all of the Attic Peninsula under one city, Athens, was paramount to her rise to glory. And as the city became more powerful, she had to deal with successive generations of tyrants who first seized control in the sixth century. In fact, democracy was invented in Athens to prevent future tyrannies from arising.

But Sparta and Thebes - traditional and conservative - found this new form of government to be an unacceptable threat. Together they launched an invasion of Athens. By defeating them in pitched battle, Athens proved once and for all that she would not be denied a place among the greatest cities.

The age of Athens had arrived.

Objectives[]

Defeat the armies of Eleusis, Aphidna and Pallene. Do not destroy any of their Town Centers, however, or the cities will refuse to ally with and you will lose.
Pallene is ready to surrender. Bring Theseus and at least 2 Athenian nobles to the Town Center in Pallene in order to make the city your ally.
Aphidna is ready to surrender. Bring Theseus and at least 2 Athenian nobles to the Town Center in Aphidna in order to make the city your ally.
Eleusis is ready to surrender. Bring Theseus and at least 2 Athenian nobles to the Town Center in Eleusis in order to make the city your ally.
Bring Theseus to the Temple of Athena in Athens.
Theseus has been taken to Mount Olympus. You must defeat the Spartan and Theban armies without him.

Only the first objective is visible at the beginning of the scenario. The rest follow as the scenario progresses

Losing Conditions[]

Theseus, the Temple of Athena, and at least 3 of the Athenian Nobility do not survive.

Hints[]

Gold, Iron, and Stone can only be found near Pallene.
It would be wise to stay clear of Sparta and Thebes until the time comes when you absolutely must fight them. If you stray into their territory prematurely, you will have your hands full!
Once you have conquered each of the villages, they will become your allies, so you don't want to do more damage to the villages than you have to.
Don't forget that when you have allies, you can signal them with a flare if you need help.
Building the Temple of Zeus will help your armies to heal between battles.
The army that Sparta and Thebes attack you with at the end of the scenario is smaller than the army that they use if you stray into their borders.

Storyline[]

Theseus has gathered his people near the Temple of Athena. The priest stands near him.

Theseus: Friends and fellow Athenians! Sparta and Thebes, to our north and south, are growing stronger, threatening our very survival. To expand our power we must bring Eleusis, Pallene, and Aphidna under Athenian control. Once we have defeated their armies, their people will follow us!

After the army of Eleusis has been defeated.

Theseus: The army of Eleusis is defeated, and the city has pledged to be our ally. They have paid us a tribute in gold and iron. Athenian power is growing!

After the army of Pallene has been defeated.

Theseus: We have destroyed the army of Pallene, and the city has agreed to an alliance. They have given us gold and iron in tribute. The strength of Athens grows!

After the army of Aphidna has been defeated.

Theseus: The army of Aphidna has been decimated, and the city has agreed to become our ally. They have paid us gold and iron in tribute. The power of Athens steadily grows stronger!

After all the alliances have been made.

Theseus: ...And Attica has finally been united under the leadership of Athens. My vision has become reality! Now I must go to the Temple of Athena inside the city and give thanks to the gods. There I shall discover what the gods have in store for me next.

As Theseus heads to the Temple of Athena.

Theseus: As I approach the temple, my friends, a feeling of joy is growing in my heart. I believe that my time here is coming to an end... and that I will go onto a greater glory.

Theseus gets taken to Mount Olympus.

Narrator: The age of legendary heroes has passed. Theseus has been taken by the gods to Mount Olympus.

After Theseus is gone.

Narrator: Athens continued to gain strength until Sparta and Thebes decided they could tolerate the upstart city no longer. They formed an alliance and their armies were soon on the march, forcing Athens to defend herself.

After the allies join in to fight against Sparta and Thebes.

Citizen: Mighty Athens! Your allies offer assistance in turning back the invading armies of Sparta and Thebes.

As the Thebans make their attack on Athens.

Citizen: The Thebans are attacking! We must defend our city!

As the Athenians have defeated a majority of the enemy armies.

Narrator: The Athenians have won several victories against the invaders. Now their enemies must be driven out of Attica for good.

Both enemy armies have now been fully defeated.

Narrator: The Spartan and Theban armies have been annihilated! The power of Athens has been established once and for all on the Greek peninsula. From this day forward, greatness - and greater enemies - assuredly await.

Walkthrough[]

Warning: Do not read this if you wish to solve this on your own.

This scenario is best divided into two phases: The first phase in which players drive Athens into conquering the Attic region, and the second phase where they have to deal with the attack of the rivaling city-states of Sparta and Thebes.

First Phase: Securing Attica[]

Send five Citizens to build a Granary within the city's gates. Send the rest to gather wood from just outside the eastern gate and be sure to queue five more Citizens as well. Once you have trained five Archers and five Macemen send your entire army(including Theseus and your priest) to attack Pallene's army. Once you have done that send Theseus to their capital to gain their city.

Once conquered, Pallene will offer a tribute of gold and iron which you should use to add another five units each of Archers and Macemen to your army. Once added, attack the army of Aphidna (which is larger than Pallene's and consist of Spearmen and Macemen) and be sure not to lose any of your nobles or Theseus. As soon as they are annihilated, send Theseus to their town center. Since by now your army will be badly wounded, generate ten Citizens and send them up to a build a Hospital and a Settlement near the resource patch near Aphidna. When your Citizens have finished, have them to mine Stone which you will need later on.

Once you have added five more Archers and Macemen and your wounded have healed, send your Army to Eleusis and use a flare above it to signal for aid from your allies. Be sure to attack Eleusis from the north-eastern gate as it will be easier to enter the city that way. Be sure Theseus is near Eleusis's Town Center while attacking as you don't really have to destroy their whole army to get them to surrender. Have your wounded once again retreat to your Hospital in Aphidna.

Second Phase: Sparta and Thebes[]

Route A: Defensive[]

Now that the player has the alliance of the three cities, DO NOT send Theseus back to the city yet, for as soon as he does, the mighty armies of Sparta and Thebes will come crashing down. First, construct two Towers near the Theban border flag (be sure not to get too close) and two Towers right next to Attica's eastern gate where the Spartans will attack from, and upgrade their range. Then train a Prophet and station him just behind the towers near the Theban border. After that, train another ten Macemen and Archers and have them rendezvous with the rest of the army alongside the Prophet. Don't worry about who'll defend against the Spartans. When all preparations are complete, send Theseus in to the Temple of Athena. Straight after Theseus is taken up to Olympus, Sparta and Thebes will declare war on the player.

When the Theban army attacks, wait until most of them are near the towers and then use the Prophet to send malaria upon them. Draw him back and finish off the Thebans with the army. The allies nearby will aid the player. Send the army back to Athens as soon as the Thebans are finished, for by this time the Spartans will be advancing upon the city. Do not panic, for as soon the Spartans are sighted, EVERY SINGLE UNIT the allies possess will be sent to defend Athens. Once the Spartan army has been defeated, the player will have won.

Route B: Initiative[]

A more daring but manageable route to finish the scenario is by provoking both Sparta and Thebes into war by crossing their borders and engaging their respective armies one at a time. While the armies both faction will send are bigger this way, there are several advantages to consider that might set this route as, in actuality, the easier and more rewarding course of action:

Theseus will be able to participate in the engagement, greatly increasing the performance of the player's troops and their allies'.
Although each rival faction will deploy larger armies, players have more control of when and from where the hostility would arrive. This reduces the difficulty in mobilizing and regimenting troops.
This route rewards civilization points, which will be helpful in the following scenarios.

It is highly recommended that players attempt this route ONLY after they've conquered all three target of conquest, despite it being technically possible to trigger war with Sparta and Thebes before doing so.

The stratagem of anticipating the attack by either Sparta or Thebes remains pretty much the same, although players will have to pool more army and defensive towers in anticipation; remember, bring Theseus along, his innate Morale boost will be very helpful against both armies, who possess units that are one Epoch ahead from what's allowed in the player's camp.

The allies will periodically try to launch attacks on both Thebes and Sparta, whilst setting guards and patrols along the borders in-between attempts. The optimal timing to bait either Sparta and Thebes into attacking is when the allying factions have their masses ready for attack. Be sure to also read the situation as to which enemy they're dogging on; they would likely target Thebes first for being in such a close proximity.

The most notable change in composition of the opposing army is the presence of Shock Cavalry; luckily, all three of the allies seem to favor Spearmen, but nonetheless, be ready to bolster the force with the player's own.

After the player successfully repels both armies, Bring Theseus to the Temple of Athens to win the scenario.

Alternative Walkthrough[]

This walkthrough assumes that you are familiar with basic tactics.

At the start, immediately pause the game with F3. Orient yourself and give the first commands. Then unpause.

Economy: Order 8 of your citizen to build a granary where they are, but let a bit space between the fields and the hospital. Send the ninth citizen east of the city for wood and build 5 more for this.

Pallene: Immediately order Theseus and his nobles to go north to Pallene and start upgrading the nobles (attack and armor). Queue 10 bowmen. Theseus and his group will defeat easily Pallenes tiny troop (5 civ points). Send them back to your hospital and on the way continue upgrading. Upgrade the bowmen (1x attack, 1x range) since your next opponent has a lot of spearmen. Build up to 24 more citizen to chop wood, you will need them a bit later and they can bolster your resources until then.

Aphidne: Once your troops are healed, immediately send them with the bowmen to Aphidne. Order your ally Pallene to attack Aphidne using the flash. When they attack, go after them and make short work of Aphidnes troops (5 civ points). Send your workers to the resource patches of Aphidne, build a town center and start mining all 4 patches. Upgrade the town center to a capitol. Build 10 more bowmen, 10 spearmen and 5 sampsons and upgrade all your units to max.

Eleusis: Once this is done, let your allies attack Eleusis and let your troops join the party a bit later, wreck the gates with your sampsons and conquer Eleusis (5 civ points).

Thebes: Now do not send Theseus to Athens. Build a wall with 4 towers on the border to Sparta. And a similar defense on the two ways to Thebes. Train 2 prophets. Let the prophets destroy the accessible theban towers with earthquakes. Let Theseus go near Thebes to trigger their attack. They will come to your towers and bowmen, weaken them with Malaria and the fight is easy.

Send Theseus to Athens and let him have his ascension.

Sparta: The Spartan attack, but due to your wall the AI send their troops to their own shore. Build 2 Battleships to kill them to win the scenario (10 civ points).

Trivia[]

It is entirely possible to penetrate beyond the Walls of Sparta and Thebes and destroy all of their structures through gameplay, though doing so yields no reward and mitigates nothing for the scenario; both Sparta and Thebes will be inactive after their armies have been repelled.
- The Towers of both enemy factions will have their attributes pumped up, but it is possible to topple them through the combination of upgraded Sampsons, Prophet, Theseus's influence and the Temple of Zeus.
- If the player intend to do this for whatever reason, they will have to quickly find and destroy the Temples inside the walls to be able to use Calamities; Thebes has one Temple, whilst Sparta has 2.
The Gates of Eleusis will open for the player once their armies have been defeated; there is no need for making a breach on their structural defense if players can draw out their army into fighting outside the walls.