Recap / Age of Empires II – Genghis Khan

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

After many a year spent as small tribes quarreling over the arid steppelands, the Mongols had been united under the visionary watch of Genghis Khan. After transforming his horde into a disciplined force to be reckoned with, he rides on to the east, and then westward, as he faces off against mighty empires. The player is in control of the Mongols, the color being Orange.

Scenarios

1. Crucible

Mongolia was a harsh area to live, with the various tribes fighting amongst themselves for the scarce resources that can be seen. A man named Temuchin had come forward, stating that in order for the feuds to end, the tribes need to ride out to greener pastures and they must unite against common enemies, not for an individual man, but for all of Mongolia. Temuchin had become Genghis Khan, and he sent his men on an errand to ask the other tribes to join the effort, while flattening those who put up resistance and being aware of the hostile Kara-Khitai encampments.

2. A Life of Revenge

Winter had arrived at the steppes, and an additional challenge stood in the way of Genghis Khan's ambitions; Kushluk had challenged the Khan's legitimacy and joined in the rival Kara-Khitai. This event did not escape the Khan's attention, and he sought to solidify his authority and set an example for all the other tribes by venturing into Kara-Khitai territory, killing Kushluk and crushing the hosts.

3. Into China

Two major powers straddle the extent of Genghis Khan's conquests, with Persia to the west standing in the way of the greener pastures he sought. But first, he had a score to settle to his immediate east, as China paid lip service of supporting the ride westward before ultimately doing nothing to aid him as promise. He headed there in an effort to set an example to the technologically advanced region.

4. The Horde Rides West

With the newfound siege technology acquired from their conquests in China, the horde rode westward to the Khwarazm Persian Empire. To lay ruin to the mighty empire would mean ample access to the luxuries within it. That was by no means the only focus, as Genghis Khan sent Subotai to ride north and also lay claim to Russian lands. To succeed in all of this would mean that the frontiers of the Mongol Empire would straddle the extent of the Asian mainland.

5. The Promise

Genghis Khan was at the ripe old age of eighty and had fallen gravely ill, so he summoned his sons to his tent, asking them to promise that they will fulfill his ambitions. It was at that time that Ogatai emerged and sent the Mongols towards Poland. Surrounding kingdoms in Prussia and Bohemia were horrified at the news, sending a force to aid Poland's defense from the imminent horde.

6. Pax Mongolia

With Europe grappling and vulnerable from the aftereffects of the Crusades, only the Kingdom of Hungary stood in the way of the Mongols' prize. The Hungarians were about as heavily armored as their Western counterparts, but they also rode on horses not unlike what the Mongols had. The two armies squared off at the frozen Sajo River as to who would gain control of the bridge. The Mongolians hoped that they would hold out long enough as Subotai sought to ride in from Russia to aid them.

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This campaign contains examples of:

• 20 Bear Asses: While not as annoying as some examples, one of the tribes in the Genghis Khan campaign will join you if you bring them 20 sheep. They're fairly easy to find, hence "not as annoying."
• Alternate History: The Mongols never conquered all of Europe.
• Anachronism Stew: "Into China" features the Mongol invasion of China, where the antagonists include the Jin, Song, Hsi Hsia, and Tanguts. However, Tanguts and Hsi Hsia are the same faction in reality, with Tanguts being the ethnicity and Hsi Hsia being an antiquated spelling of Xi Xia/Western Xia, the political entity.
• Arc Villain: The honourless Kara-Khitai are your enemies during the first part of the campaign set in Mongolia.
• Artistic License – History:
  • Genghis did claim large parts of China, but he wasn't alive to see it all under Mongol control. The actual conquest of China took place over decades, and was completed by his grandson Kublai Khan.
  • Western Europe did not surrender to the Mongols after the Battle of Mohi.
  • The war with the Khwarazam Empire was not started by the Mongolians assassinating the Shah^note Admittedly, this is optional for the player, but by the Shah ordering the arrest and execution of Mongolian merchants sent by Genghis to open peaceful relations; the invasion was instead a retaliation rather than the unprovoked conquest depicted. The Shah, Muhammad II, fled the Mongol invasion and died on an island in the Caspian Sea. The outro mentions multiple holdout governors were executed by pouring silver in their eyes and throats; only the governor responsible for the murder of the merchants got this treatment.
• Badass Boast: Ogodei Khan gets a good one after succeeding his father at the start of "The Promise":
  "The storm is not yet finished! I still hear the sound of lightning, and it strikes in Poland!"
• Baseless Mission: You never get a base in "Crucible", starting with small group of units and gaining reinforcements as you keep completing various tribes' tasks.
• Beast of Battle: Hunting Wolves, which are controllable in the campaign.
• Broken Bridge: After Subotai's arrival in the last scenario, Hungary destroys the bridge on the Sajo River and starts building a Wonder. Since you cannot build a Dock, the intended strategy is to build Trebuchets or Onagers and use them to cross the ice and open a way through the forest. Of course, with some luck and persistance it's possible to have already established a few buildings on the opposite shore, saving you some time.
• Butt-Monkey: The Tayichi'uds. They aren't even your enemies, but you'll find every time that attacking them is the best way to accomplish your goals.
• Climax Boss: The Khwarazam Empire in the fourth scenario is fought in the middle of the campaign and provides a ponderous challenge, as your forces are divided while half of them must hold off the Russian in the north.
• Conspicuously Public Assassination: In the Genghis Khan campaign, killing the Persian Shah is the most advantageous way to get the war started.
• Cosmetic Award:
  • The HD Edition has "Genghis Khan Campaign Completed":
    "His enemies know only the ruthlessness and speed of the great Khan’s conquests - but the greatest generals also know the tools of cooperation, alliance, and loyalty - these will serve you well in future campaigns."
  • Definitive Edition has "For the Horde!", for completing the campaign, replacing the HD achievement.
  • DE has three more achievements for this campaign: "The Kushluk Assassination"^note Kill Kushluk before 20 minutes have elapsed in "A Life of Revenge", "I Was In China Before"^note Defeat the Jin before they start constructing a Wonder in "Into China" and "The Go-Getter"^note Defeat the Hungarians before Subotai arrives in "Pax Mongolica".
• Cowardly Boss: Kushluk, despite being the one who challenged Temujin, hides behind a palisade in the Kara Kithai village and will run for his base in the forest to the west as soon as a single soldier shows up, forcing you to chase after him across fortifications and ambush units.
• Cutting the Knot:
  • Conventionally in "A Life of Revenge", you can subjugate the Tayichi'ud tribe to the north and establish a base to invade the Kara-Khitai base. However, you can forego that step altogether and invade them with the units you start with, attacking a nearby watch tower with one scout while sending the rest of your units just to the south of the Palisades around Kushluk, then strike him head on before he makes a run for it. There even is an achievement for killing him within twenty minutes in Definitive Edition.
  • In the third scenario, rather than break through the Great Wall with brute stength, you can just capture a ship and land on the island where the Engineers live, conquering them and establishing a base behind the Wall.
• Early-Bird Cameo: Subotai's saboteurs in the last level are basically a more powerful version of the Petards introduced in The Conquerors.
• Early-Installment Weirdness: In hindsight, this campaign becomes this in DE, as it's the only campaign where the player's color is Orange (The Prithviraj campaign color was changed to Blue). The only other campaign with Orange player is introduced in Dynasties of India with Babur.
• Final Boss: The kingdom of Hungary provides the final challenge, starting with a ferocious assault of elite troops and powerful cavalry before switching to a Wonder victory after Subotai's arrival.
• Gameplay and Story Segregation: A few different factions were represented by different civilizations since there were originally only 13 to choose from. This meant that the Russians and Poles were represented by the Goths and the Magyars were represented by Teutons^note Teutons get Paladins, but lack Husbandry and even Light Cavalry. At the time, those choices made sense, and they were made into their proper civilizations (Slavs and Magyars respectively) at the Definitive Edition. By the time of Dawn of the Dukes, Poland and Bohemia are now represented by Polish and Bohemians.
• "Get Back Here!" Boss: Kushluk is visiting a weakly defended village - but as soon as the player attacks the village, he will retreat towards his own fort.
• Herding Mission: One of the tribes in the first mission of the Genghis Khan campaign asks Temüjin to gather 20 sheep into a flock for them. It could be a real pain to complete (as some sheep had managed to get themselves into hard-to-reach areas, and the sheep could be killed both by hostile tribesmen and by wild wolves), but not as much of a pain as some of the other quests in that mission (since the sheep were easy to find).
• The Hero Dies: Genghis may have only appeared once in person in the campaign and you never had control of him, but he died of old age before the end. He appears more in Definitive Edition.
• Hordes from the East: The campaign has Genghis Khan's conquest over Mongolia, China, Persia, Russia, and Eastern Europe.
• Instant-Win Condition: In "The Horde Rides West", all three enemies resign automatically if you destroy certain buildings or units. The Khwarazam resign when their Wonder and two Castles are destroyed, the Russians when their Castle is destroyed and four or less military units remain, and the Merkids (Kipchaks in the Definitive Edition) resign and transfer their buildings and resources to the player when all of their military units are killed. It's possible to win the level in less than ten minutes.
• Keystone Army: Invoked, killing the Shah of Samarkand will weaken the Persian army and seriously handicap their resources and troops.
• Large Ham: The Genghis Khan narrator:
  "The great Khaaan. GENGHIS KHAN!."
• Oh, Crap!:
  • In the second scenario, Kushluk panics when your troops get near him, which causes him to retreat back to his base.
  • In the third scenario, the Engineers express panic once you show up in their nearly-defenseless town.
  • In the fourth, the Merkids will panic when you slay their meager troops and will instantly surrender.
• Optional Stealth: In the fourth scenario, you can deal with Persians by sending their Shah a "gift" (carriages with Champions hidden inside) and carry out an assassination or just defy them by either taking too long or by building anything/sending troops inside their territory, which causes them to turn hostile. You must fight them either way, but the assassination mission makes things easier in the long run, as the Persians become disorganized and weakened.
• Puzzle Boss: The Bohemian army in the fifth scenario is huge and composed of powerful troops such as Champions, Paladins and top-notch siege weapons such as rams, trebuchets and Siege Onagers. Rather than facing them head on, your scouts encourage you to take over the nearby plateau and heavily fortify the place with walls, fortresses and Castles, so that the bulk of the invading army is crushed against the defenses.
• Savage Wolves: During "Crucible", the player must buy one tribe's loyalty by dispatching a monstrous wolf named Ornlu, who has been killing sheep and people. Ornlu is a unique hero unit with stats far beyond those of regular wolves.
• Smug Snake: The Shah initially dismisses the Mongols, making a mocking comment that the gifts they've sent are a bribe. This almost immediately bites him in the ass.
• Stuff Blowing Up: The final mission has Subotai bring along a regiment of Saboteurs, which are powerful suicide bomber units.
• Timed Mission:
  • In couple of missions, your enemies are scripted to attempt a Wonder victory, putting you on a time limit to destroy their Wonders before you lose:
    • If "Into China" mission goes for at least 40 minutes, Jin would try to build a Wonder (assuming they have resources for that) on their island base.
    • In "Pax Mongolica", your enemy would eventually try to build a Wonder, forcing you to speed up your advancement to the other side of the river to destroy it.
  • "The Horde Rides West" has the Khwarazam Empire change their stance to Enemy and automatically receive 2,000 food and gold after 30 minutes if you don't assassinate the Shah (lowered to 13 minutes in the Definitive Edition).
  • Campaign has several achievements for completing missions within certain time limit:
    • The achievement "The Kushluk Assassination" requires you to kill Kushluk before 20 minutes have passed.
    • The achievement "The Go-Getter" requires you to destroy the Hungarians before Subotai arrives.
• Took a Level in Badass: In the original Mongol campaign, the Hungarians fought in the final scenario were "played by" the Teutons, meaning that for all the opening narration hyping how the Hungarians combined the best of eastern and western cavalry traditions, your actual enemy is geared more toward slow, heavy infantry and tough castles to crack - which are both countered by the Mongolian specialties in horse archers and siege engines. With the Definitive Edition, the Hungarians are represented by the actual Magyar faction, and their mix of deadly light cavalry, heavy cavalry, and mounted archers proves much more difficult to deal with.

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