Recap / Age of Empires II – Joan of Arc

Recap pages are Spoilers Off by default, so in all these pages all spoilers are unmarked. Proceed with caution. You Have Been Warned

The Hundred Years' War was a series of French defeats to the English with seemingly no end in sight, and little ambitions for the rightful monarchs to strike back, and then a young maiden shows up, determined to restore much-needed morale in order to turn the tide. The player is in control of the Franks, the color being Blue.

Scenarios

1. An Unlikely Messiah

France was grappled by generations of warfare with the English, with seemingly no end in sight and having a particularly draining effect on her soldiers. Then a young maiden named Joan arrived at a camp, stating her intention to save France and lift the spirits of the downtrodden men. She planned to bring them to Chinon, where the the Dauphin was hiding away from the conflict. The way to Chinon may be dangerous, with brigands and Burgundian fortifications, but it's a journey that the men were willing to take to seek an audience with the rightful ruler of France.

2. The Maid of Orléans

Joan the Maid won the approval of the Dauphin, and got outfitted with armor and a horse with which to help lead the French army. She also had them look at a cemetery in Chinon for a blade, which although was weathered was the sword used by Charlemagne. She also carried alongside her a banner bearing the fleur-de-lis, with which she'll inspire men to march to the city of Orléans. The city had been subject to a siege by the English and Burgundian forces, so she will provide it with the needed supplies then launch an assault with the intention of lifting the siege.

3. The Cleansing of the Loire

Orléans was the first major victory for France in a while, but it was merely a setback for the English, and they still have a firm hold on half of France. Moreover, there still was some bickering among the Dauphin's courtiers. Nonetheless, Joan's resolve remained firm, and she even enlisted the help of various knaves and brigands to make them into heroes, one among them being La Hire. Joan moved her forces to Patay, with which to wrest back control of the Loire River by destroying the fortifications of John Fastolf.

4. The Rising

Little by little, France is regaining its confidence thanks to its victories and the resolve of Joan's uniting cause. The mission to give the Dauphin his rightful place as monarch of all of France was nearly complete, but Rheims was the city of coronation, and was under the firm grasp of Anglo-Burgundian forces. Furthermore, the towns of Troyes and Chalons were also along the way, so Joan would have to liberate them all.

5. The Siege of Paris

The Dauphin was now King of France, but the war was not over, and for all the influence and good will Joan fostered among the people, courtiers were losing patience and seeking to discredit her. Paris was also still under the possession of the English crown, and there were a host of citizens that had been oppressed under it. Joan assembled an army in an effort to liberate the citizens, then wait for the king's reinforcements.

6. A Perfect Martyr

After being captured by Burgundians, Joan was brought to an English court. She avoided the prosecutors' traps, but since she refused to renounce her mission, she was found guilty and burned to the stake. The French rallied around the martyred Joan, and resolved that although the King will not help them, they shall take their fight to the English at Castillon, to make good on an effort to drive them out of France once and for all..

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This campaign contains examples of:

• Adapted Out: One of the more notorious companion of Joan, Gilles de Rais, was not present at all in this scenario. Though considering his latter reputation as a Serial Killer, it might be for the best.
• Anachronism Stew:
  • At the outro of "A Perfect Martyr", Guy Josselyne states Joan was later declared innocent and "eventually beatified as a saint." While she was retried and pronounced innocent and considered a martyr three years after the events of this level, she was beatified in 1909 and canonized a saint in 1920, five centuries after Josselyne's death.
  • The game also gives the impression, intentionally or otherwise, the Battle of Castillion takes place shortly after the Siege of Paris and Joan's trial and execution, when it was actually over twenty years later, and La Hire had died of disease a decade earlier.
• Artistic License – History: Some liberties have been taken for this campaign:
  • Joan spent most of the battle carrying the banner - which is more of a religious than nationalistic nature - rather than fighting in the front lines; the rusted sword she got broke easily. She did nonetheless play a big role in boosting French morale.
  • Duke D'Alençon joins Joan in "The Maid of Orléans" and is absent in the next scenario, "The Cleansing of the Loire." This is inverse to reality, where he was not present at Orléans, but was a decisive commander in the Loire campaign, though he was not present for the Battle of Patay, which was the primary inspiration for that level. He was also at the Siege of Paris, but is absent in that level.
  • La Hire, who appears in "The Cleansing of the Loire," is absent from "The Maid of Orléans" when he actually fought at Orléans and was even in command of the city's forces when Joan arrived.
  • Constable Richmont is present in "A Perfect Martyr", based on the Battle of Castillion, when in reality he wasn't present at Castillion (though his nephew Peter II of Brittany was there and lead the cavalry charge that routed the English), but is not in "The Cleansing of the Loire" when he was at the Battle of Patay and met Joan of Arc.
  • Burgundy is an enemy in "The Maid of Orléans" when they had made an agreement with Orléans and withdrew a week before Joan of Arc arrived, and "A Perfect Martyr" despite switching sides twenty years before then and becoming an ally of France. Ironically, they are not present in "The Rising" (based on the March to Reims, and the only scenario not to feature them), despite all the factions depicted, aside from the English army, being a part of, or occupied by Burgundy at the time. On that note, only Troyes put up any resistance in the March to Reims as depicted in "The Rising". Chalons let the army through without incident.
  • In the intro to "The Maid of Orléans," Guy Josselyne states Joan of Arc sent him to find a sword behind the alter of "a local church," which turned out to have belonged to Charlemagne. The Sword of Charlemagne, Joyeuse, had been the coronation sword of the kings of France since 1270 and had been on display since the 13th century (currently at the Louvre since 1793). The sword found at the church of Saint Catherine de Fierbois is, according to legend, the sword of Charles Martel, Charlemagne's grandfather, left as an offering to Saint Catherine after the Battle of Tours (though Charles Martel often gets confused with his grandson Charlemagne).
  • While it's possible for Sir John Fastolf to fight and die in "The Cleansing of the Loire", in reality he escaped the Battle of Patay and was labelled a coward.
  • "The Siege of Paris":
    • King Charles never promised any reinforcements at the Siege of Paris, and called off the attack before they entered the walls. Also, the Siege of Compiègne, where Joan got captured, took place months after the Siege of Paris.
    • The scenario ends with Joan being captured while retreating from Paris. While the siege failed and Joan was wounded in the leg by a crossbow bolt, she escaped and recovered and went on several more campaigns^note Attacking the lands of Perrinet Gressart, a mercenary who served both Burgundy and England; besieging Saint-Pierre-le-Moûtier, which she took in a single day and was rewarded with a nobility, and La Charité, which ended inconsequentially, followed by a truce with Burgundy that lasted from December 1429 until Easter 1430, during which time she wrote a Strongly Worded Letter to the Hussites of Bohemia, telling them to knock it off and convert back to Catholicism or she would break off the war with England and fight them instead. Joan was captured at the Siege of Compiègne, which was otherwise a French victory and a stunning loss for Burgundy (the gates closed before Joan and the rearguard could reach the city after an assault on Burgundy's lines, trapping them outside).
  • "A Perfect Martyr":
    • The Battle of Castillon didn't take place right after Joan's execution, but 22 years after the fact.
    • La Hire had been dead for more than a decade at that point. There have been developments between the two events, which even included French victories like Formigny three years before.
• Artistic License – Religion: At the end of the Joan of Arc campaign, Guy Josselyne mentions she was "beatified as a saint." Beatification is when the Church recognizes a deceased person's entrance into Heaven. Canonization is when the Church declares someone a saint.
• Ax-Crazy: La Hire, who will frequently announce (in third person) that he wants to kill something, or the blood on his sword is almost dry.
• Baseless Mission: The first scenario, "An Unlikely Messiah" is an Escort Mission where Joan is surrounded by a bunch of infantry, archery and cavalry units and must make their way to Chinon.
• Bittersweet Ending: The English were driven off France, however Joan died burning at the stake.
• Butt-Monkey: Burgundy appears in five of the six missions of the campaign, and in three of them you hand their asses on a silver plate.
• Captain Obvious: Your knight in Joan of Arc tells you "Ze bridge is out! We must find another way to Chinon!" after you can quite clearly see the bridge is out.
• The Computer Is a Lying Bastard: The final Joan of Arc mission hints on how "Longbowmen are powerful, but Bombard Cannons are better!", when in practice the English Longbowmen can easily take out Bombard Cannons due to their superior range and numbers.
• The Computer Shall Taunt You: In "The Cleansing of the Loire", you must destroy 3 of the 4 English Castles to achieve victory. Given the fact that you still can't advance to the Imperial Age, you have no practical way of completing the task, hard enough as it already is, other than by massing lots of Battering Rams and sacrificing them to breach the outer walls first and then to destroy the Castles. Sir John Fastolf, being the usual English jerk that he needs to be, will mock your ability to mount an effective siege.
  Sir John Fastolf: An army of Rams? How quaint.
• Cool Sword: Joan of Arc's sword, found buried behind the alter of the Church of Saint Catherine de Fierbois, reputed to have belonged to Charles Martel (incorrectly stated to be Charlemagne in-game by Guy Josselyne), which he left as an offering of thanks to Saint Catherine after the Battle of Tours and to be taken up by the next person God chose to save France. It's covered in rust, but the priest is able to wipe it all off, revealing five fluer-de-lis. Supposedly it broke just before the (disastrous) Siege of Paris when Joan hit a prostitute across the back with the flat side (she had a habit of beating any prostitute she came across), which the king and others took as a bad omen.
• Cosmetic Award:
  • The HD Edition has "Joan of Arc Campaign Completed":
    "“Of the love or hatred God has for the English, I know nothing, but I do know that they will all be thrown out of France, except those who die there.” - Joan of Arc (Trial 1431)"
  • Definitive Edition has "Iron Maid", for completing the campaign, replacing the HD achievement.
• Dire Beast: Among the dangers in "An Unlikely Messiah" are Dire Wolves that will chase Joan and are highly resistant to arrow fire. Other than that, they're still slightly stronger wolves.
• Early-Installment Weirdness:
  • Unlike every other campaign, where almost every scenario has a player whose colour is green, only two scenarios in this campaign have a green player - in fact, "The Maid of Orléans" has a player of every colour except green!
  • There are far more allied heroes in this campaign, while most campaigns would have no more than three by average.
• Escort Mission:
  • "An Unlikely Messiah" requires Joan to be escorted to Chinon, located at the other end of the map.
  • "The Maid of Orléans" requires the player to guide Joan first to Chinon and then to Orléans. The rest of the mission can be done without her assistance.
  • "The Rising" requires the player to escort Joan to a small village. Afterwards, she doesn't need to be exposed.
  • "The Siege of Paris" not only requires Joan to traverse through Paris alive, but at one point six villagers are found and required to get into Compiègne alive. Lose one of them and it's Game Over.
  • "A Perfect Martyr" requires you to escort the caravan with the French flag to Castillon.
• Excalibur in the Rust: A rusty old sword is found buried under the altar of the Church of Saint Catherine de Fierbois, following instructions from Joan's Voices. A priest is able to wipe off the rust, revealing five Fluer-de-lis. Its previous owner was Charles Martel (incorrectly stated to be Charlemagne), who left it as an offering after the Battle of Tours for the next hero of France to take up. According to legend, it broke when Joan used it to beat a prostitute before the Siege of Paris, though at her trial, Joan herself claimed it was a different sword that broke and would not say what happened to the sword of Saint Catherine.
• Failure Is the Only Option: In "The Siege of Paris", you're invading Paris, but it's clear you're pretty much outnumbered from the start and will never survive on your own. So you have to wait for the King's reinforcements which... number only two men. The rest of the mission is pretty much an Escape Sequence, and Joan is captured in the ending cutscene and burned at the stake.
• Heel–Face Turn: During the Escape Sequence in "The Siege of Paris", Joan's reamining army can encounter a bunch of French soldiers who decide to follow Joan.
• Hero Must Survive:
  • Whenever Joan appears, her death is an instant Game Over.
  • Losing the caravan with the French flag in "A Perfect Martyr" ends with a Game Over.
• Important Haircut: Very easy to miss, in the Definitive Edition, Joan starts with long hair reaching to her shoulders, but after receiving her armor at the start of the second scenario, she's cut it short to befit her role as commander of the French army.
• Ironic Echo: In the third scenario, Fastolf taunts the player by saying, "We'll see how your knights fare against British longbows!" When you get your artillery in "A Perfect Martyr", Jean Bureau says, "We'll see how British longbows fare against French cannon!".
• Large Ham: La Hire speaks in third person and demands a fight constantly.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: La Hire, French for "The Wrath".
• Not-So-Harmless Villain: Burgundy spends the first half of the Joan of Arc campaign acting as flunkies for the English armies, and are usually dispatched without too much trouble. Then they successfully ambush Joan during the conclusion of the fifth scenario, leading to her capture, trial, and execution.
• Our Hero Is Dead: The prologue to "A Perfect Martyr" begins with Guy Josselyne lamenting the death of Joan at the hands of the English.
• Perspective Flip: The counterpart to Lords of the West's "Grand Dukes of the West", which is written from the POV of the Burgundians.
• Protection Mission:
  • Joan must survive whenever she appears as an unit.
  • In "The Siege of Paris", the six villagers must survive as well.
  • In "A Perfect Martyr", the caravan carrying the French flag must not be destroyed.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: "A Perfect Martyr" has you taking the role of Guy Josselyne and making the English pay dearly for killing their messiah.
• Suspicious Videogame Generosity: "The Siege of Paris" starts you with a massive army of elite units. You'll probably lose them all before the first part of the scenario is over.
• Sword of Plot Advancement: Joan of Arc's voices tell her where to find a sword behind the altar of a church. This sword turns out to be Charles Martel's sword, which he left both as an offering after the Battle of Tours and for whoever was chosen next by God to defend France.
• Third-Person Person: La Hire in the Joan of Arc will start every sentence in the third person ("La Hire wants to kill something").
• Wham Episode: The Siege of Paris did not go as planned. The King's reinforcements were paltry, no doubt a product of the courtiers' influence getting to him. The army must now go through Paris with what they have, refugees in tow, and evacuate north where they must also go through a Burgundian battalion. The ending cinematic had Joan being captured by said Burgundians.
• Wham Line: In "The Siege of Paris", when you meet the King's reinforcements, only to see a single Scout Cavalry and Militia:
  "We are all the king could afford to send."

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