History VideoGame / RiseOfNations

* SquarePegRoundClass: Much of the challenge that comes from the Alexander the Great campaign comes from having to go to the offense with the Macedonians' research-oriented nation powers. With creativity, the two can compliment one another surprisingly well: despite not having any inherent offensive perks, the Macedonians can still save the resources that would have been spent on library research and knowledge collection, and allocate it to military resources. Much of the remaining slack can be carried by Alexander himself, who grants immense offensive bonuses to the units within his range.

* AthensAndSparta: Both city-states are encountered in the Alexander campaign (in the same level, no less!), with the Athenians occupying dense riverside cities, and the Spartans camped in fortified mountain domains. Even the way they correspond with Alexander/the player is distinct from one another: while the Athenians staunchly refuse to submit to Alexander, the Spartans quietly stand by while the player's advisors warn against attacking the Spartans.

** Similarly, on the American side of the Cold War campaign, players are given the option to first defend South Korea and, after successfully [[HoldTheLine holding the line]], push back to the North. The thing is, the scenario is intentionally designed to make even the mere defence a tedious and uncertain thing, while the North is heavily protected by defensive structures, both on the initial border and inside. Thus, it is tempting to abandon the scenario when fulfilling the main objective. Doing so offers a tiny pay-off for the whole mission and can go down as far as making the real-life [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domino_theory domino theory]] happen in-game, since there might not be enough resources for executing the equivalent of the Marshall plan. Meanwhile, while putting a dent in initial defences is tough, the rest of the Korean Peninsula is easy to subdue, and the AI isn't even scripted to fully develop itself.

* TheWindowOrTheStairs: When uniting the city-states in the Alexander campaign, the player is given the option to either leave the Spartans be or conquer them along with the other city-states. The advisors urge the player not to go to war with the Spartans, expressing fear of a difficult battle (at the end of a MarathonLevel). If the player takes this advice, the Spartans will then send reinforcements to attack the player throughout the rest of the campaign, to which the advisors {{lampshade|Hanging}} this trope.

* TheWindowOrTheStairs: When uniting the city-states in the Alexander campaign, the player is given the option to either leave the Spartans be or conquer them along with the other city-states. The advisors urge the player not to go to war with the Spartans, expressing fear of a difficult battle (at the end of a MarathonLevel with a TimeLimit). If the player takes this advice, the Spartans will then send reinforcements to attack the player throughout the rest of the campaign, to which the advisors {{lampshade|Hanging}} this trope.

* OptionalBoss: The Spartans in the Alexander campaign don't have to be conquered, and the advisors even suggest skipping over them to prevent a difficult battle (note this comes near the end of a MarathonLevel). However, conquering the Spartans prevent them from attacking Alexander's army in later battles.