On this page:

5.8.1 Overview
5.8.2 Strategy
5.8.3 Why does the mission not finish?

5.8.1 Overview

Skip preformatted map

                               .-''-.
                            .-'    . '-.
                         .-' .  ~    1  '-.
                      .-' .           .  ~~'-.
                   .-'   .     _   . .       ~'-.
                .-'         . |3| .           ~ ~'-.
             .-'           . . . .       .  .     . '-.
          .-'            .            .       . .    . '-.
       .-'           .  . . . . .   .               .     '-.
    .-'         . .     .        . .       8   .   .   .     '-.
 .-'     _   .          +7    .  .   ~~ ~~ . .   .       .     _'-.
'-.     |4|   .          .      .  . . . .        .           |5|.-'
   '-.          .         .     .                 .      .  ~~.-'
      '-.   .     .      . .    .             .   .        .-'
         '-.   .    .  .     .  .              .        .-'
            '-.  .        .    .   _          .      .-'
               '-.          .    .|6| . . . .     .-'
                  '-.         . . .            .-'
                     '-.    .       .       .-'
                        '-.  .     .     .-'
                           '-.. 2     .-'
                              '-.  .-'
                                 ''
 _
| | = Village/barracks (may include various defenses).
 +  = Tower (free-standing from village).
. . = Path (minor pathways not shown).
~ ~ = River, sea or lake.
  1. Start location for northern army.
  2. Start location for southern army.
  3. Sublones. Population 300.
  4. Car Menaphi. Population 300.
  5. Asciburgium. Population 300.
  6. Gelduba. Population 500.
  7. Suevii army.
  8. Lake and grassland.

5.8.2 Strategy

Your forces start divided on different sides of the map. You also lack any of your own scouting capability, although allied Menapii Explorer Hawk Scouts provide some intelligence on enemy positions. The northern army (1 on the map above) will eventually come under light attack if it remains stationary. The southern army (2 on the map above) is unlikely to be attacked until it moves.

You must capture or destroy the four villages. I recommend capturing initially, since you will be able to increase your army size by recruiting. There is no need to attack the Suevii (who start at point 7 on the map above), however it is quite likely you will run into them at some stage. All four villages are defended, but their defenders tend to be spread out, allowing small groups of enemy to be engaged separately. If you are seen to have a large army the village may surrender before you get close (this is more likely to happen towards the end). Villages that surrender cannot be used to recruit troops. Once you start attacking troops around the village, their Chieftains will flee. They often leave while you are engaging defenders, rather than waiting for you to actually destroy the garrison or village. The mission orders hint that the village Chieftains should not be allowed to escape, suggesting that "things will get a lot worse" if they do. I'm not sure how much worse - in reality it seems almost impossible to stop one or more Chieftains from escaping their villages.

It is possible to immediately join your forces. The safest route between starting positions uses the path to loop round the south-eastern side of Gelduba (6 on the map above), skirt the grassland on the eastern side of the inland lake (8 on the map above), and then take the path north. The southern army is the most mobile, and is just about able to deal with most enemy troops on the route at the start of the mission. Take particular care with the enemy troops hiding in the grassland by the lake, and heal between battles. The only units the southern army cannot attack effectively are those in woodland. After a few minutes Suevii cavalry will start moving around the centre of the map, making this route considerably more dangerous. There is no need to join forces first. With careful use of troops, the southern army can attack Gelduba and the northern army attack Sublones. In order to capture Gelduba you will need to demote some Spearmen from the southern army.

Use the captured villages to build the troop types missing from each army. Be sure to recruit some scouts. Once ready, join your armies and advance on the remaining villages one at a time. Pay careful attention to the terrain. For example, around Asciburgium (5 on the map above) consider a two-pronged attack with Legionaries attacking through the woodland from the north and cavalry attacking across the shallow water from the east.

5.8.3 Why does the mission not finish?

Check the objectives (press F9). If you have destroyed or captured all the villages (or had one or more surrender to you) and the mission remains incomplete, it is likely that one or more village Chieftain are still on the run. They can be a real pain to find, but show up eventually if you sweep the map using troops and scouts.