The Battle of Marathon (2024)

The Battle of Marathon is the eighth scenario of the Battle for Greece grand campaign in Chronicles: Battle for Greece, and the first scenario to play as the Athenians.

Intro[]

Such was the fury of the Persians. Such was the vengeance they exacted on traitors, oath-breakers, and temple-burners. And though the Athenians had sent only twenty ships to aid the Ionians, they too would face the Great King's wrath.

Panic spread throughout Athens. At this time, the city was far from the grand metropolis it would later become - it had no navy, no empire, no Parthenon. Even its democracy was barely two decades old. Yet now, like a storm-tossed fishing boat facing a towering wave, little Athens was on the brink of being engulfed.

Like good democrats, the Athenians elected their generals, ten each year - and it was these men who now debated what to do. Among these generals was Aristides - "Aristides the Just" they called him. As upright a man as you'll ever meet, his commitment to his city faultless.

And then there was Themistocles, his lifelong rival. Themistocles was an outsider from an obscure family; he was a radical, audacious in thinking; and he was a schemer, who never put justice ahead of expediency.

But in this desperate hour, these ambitious men agreed that the bold Miltiades should take supreme command. Miltiades ordered the Athenians to muster at the plain of Marathon, there to await the Persians. There was little time left to prepare: across the Euboean Gulf, the Athenians watched the Persians burn Eretria - and knew they were next.

Scenario instructions[]

Starting conditions[]

• Starting Age: Classical Age
• Starting resources: 300gold
• Population limit: 200
• Starting units:
  • Themistocles
  • 6 Lancer
  • 8 Hoplite
  • 1 Strategos
  • 10 Laminated Bowmen
  • 4 Guardsmen

Differences between difficulty levels[]

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• On Hard and Intermediate, the player begins with 100gold instead of 300gold.

Objectives[]

Main objectives[]

• Explore Attica. Complete quests to gain troops and bonuses for the upcoming battle.
• Themistocles must Survive.
• Move Themistocles in front of the bodyguard you wish to select.
• Meet Miltiades at Marathon.
• Defeat the Persians!

Secondary objectives[]

• Destroy 0/4 Bandit Camps for Pallene.
• Find and return the Shield of Menestheus to Sphettus.
• Destroy 0/5 Odomantian Mercenary Rams to end the siege of Rhamnous
• Bring Themistocles to Melanthios inside Rhamnous
• Escort Melanthios to Athens
• Bring 0/10 goats to the Oracle
• Find treacherous Medizers along the coast
• Find timber to set up deceptive signal fires
• Build 0/3 deceptive signal fires.
• Find and slay the great wolf Ornucles
• Return Themistocles to Oropos to gain their support

Hints[]

1. Complete as many objectives as you can before the battle commences to give yourself the best chance of winning.
2. If you find mercenaries (8, Green), you can select the main tent in their camp to recruit units. You only have access to these tents when your units are next to them.
3. Like Artaphernes, Themistocles can gain aura effects. Because Themistocles will fight at sea in later scenarios, his aura effects impact both land and naval units. Find the Oracle to get his first aura effects in this scenario!
4. Like the aura, the choice of Bodyguard in this scenario will persist in future scenarios. You will be able to recruit your chosen Bodyguard at the Fort in subsequent scenarios.
5. The Athenians and Spartans have access to the Hoplite, an infantry unit which is sturdier while fighting alongside other Hoplites.
6. The Athenian Strategos is a unique unit that enhances the strength of nearby soldiers.

Players[]

Player[]

• Player ( Athenians): The player starts with Themistocles and a handful of troops, and must make their way around the southern half of the map completing quests, finding stragglers, and hiring mercenaries to build their forces.

Allies[]

• Greek Cities ( Athenians - Attic Towns): The Greek cities of Pallene, Sphettus, Rhamnous, and Oropos are located around the map. They do not directly help the player, but will offer quests, rewarding the player with troops or gold upon completion, as well as lending troops to the battle at Marathon.
• Mercenaries ( Athenians - Mercenaries): A handful of camps spread over the map. The player can recruit an array of units from them with the gold earned by questing.
• Oracle ( Athenians): A handful of Priests in an isolated Temple along a mountain path at the western edge of the map. Completing a quest for them allows Themistocles an aura upgrade.
• Athens ( Athenians): The starting location of the scenario. It does nothing to help the player, serving more as decoration.
• Eretria ( Athenians - Eretrians): Three cities on the northern edge of the map. They offer no aid to the player, and are only there to be conquered by the Achaemenids as an indicator of how much time the player has left.

Enemies[]

• Bandits ( Athenians - Greeks): Small groups of soldiers around the map, the main obstacle for the first part of the scenario. As some quests are initiated, bandits may spawn in.
• Datis ( Achaemenids): Datis is no threat to the player until the culmination of the scenario, in which his army must be beaten at Marathon.

Strategy[]

Three key points to be aware of. First, this scenario is timed. After a quest is completed, Datis will begin attacking Eretria. Completing a few more quests causes the downfall of Eretria. After they are defeated, a timer begins before quests are no longer available and the player must reach Marathon. Second, Themistocles is required to specifically be at or reach certain points to initiate or complete quests. Other troops won't do, so always keep Themistocles moving. Third, Goats cannot be captured or targeted by other players beside the Oracle. The player can use them to scout, if they wish, but send 10 immediately to the western edge of the map, down the path between the mountains. This can help the player complete the quest immediately upon finding it and save time.

Taking care of southeast section[]

The easiest way to begin is by sending the player's forces immediately east to the first city, Pallene. This city offers a nice, quick quest that rewards the player with some troops and gold early. Divide the player's army into two groups. Once Themistocles reaches their city, 4 small Bandit camps will spawn in around them. Each group should deal with two tents. Kill the bandits and destroy the tents. When Themistocles returns, Pallene will give the player troops and leave for Marathon.

While the player's forces take care of the camps, send Themistocles down to the bottom corner of the map, to Sphettus. They will give the player a quest to retrieve the Shield of Menestheus (Ox Cart). Move Themistocles to the east to reveal the shield, then send some units to receive the shield. The player can get up to around 6 Goats on the road. Send the captured cart to Sphettus, the southern city. The player does not need Themistocles there, and they will give the player troops and 200 gold. Send Themistocles immediately back up to Pallene, and the player's troops should be done by the time he gets back, completing that quest.

A Mercenary Camp is near Pallene, just northeast. Further east, along the coast, is a bunch of troops who join the player when they find them.

Getting upgrades and moving toward Athens[]

Hire some troops and move all units to northwest of Pallene. The player encounters a yellow tent with some chains that block cyan Villagers. Kill the bandits and destroy the chains. This grants some armor and attack upgrade for all units. Remember to grab more Goats along the way.

Move all the troops toward west while Themistocles traveling down to Athens. This triggers another timed quest related to Pheidippides. Once Themistocles reaches Pheidippides, the player will be given a quest to clear the way for the runner. The player can send all of their forces for this to make it easier, or just divide into groups, as they should suffice. The player should clear out the bandits and capture the towers as best they can. There is also another chained up group of Villagers. Free them for another bonus.

The player will eventually reach a shallows. Pheidippides is not a tough unit, but he is very fast and hard for the enemy to hit. He can usually slip past anyone beyond the shallows himself.

Getting an aura for Themistocles[]

The mountain pass to the Oracle lies between the fake signals the player built, and the shallows Pheidippides will cross. Send Themistocles up to meet the Oracle, who will ask for 10 Goats. If the player has been sending them already, this quest should immediately complete and the player can take an aura upgrade. Just west of the Temple, across a small river, is another group of soldiers who join the player.

Destroying the beacons and slaying wolves[]

Heading out north of mountainous region, the player encounters a Greek town named Oropos. Once Themistocles gets there, they will task him with slaying a wolf, Ornucles. Ornucles is in a den surrounded by skeletons just southwest of the city. Send the troops in to clear it out while Themistocles waits in the city. Once the wolf is dead, the garrison of Oropos leaves for Marathon, granting the player gold and troops. A second Mercenary Camp is just north of the wolf den.

Around this time, the player should be given other quests that are timer-activated. One is to find traitors along the coast in south of Oropos. There are some Medizer mercenaries guarding 5 beacons (Palisade Wall corner pieces), along with some bandits. Kill the Medizers and destroy the beacons with the troops. After this, Themistocles will suggest fake signals to trick Datis. To find the lumber, head into the trees to find a guarded Lumber Mill, shortly southwest of the northernmost signal the player destroyed. Themistocles needs to reach it specifically. Make sure to clear out the bandits, as a Villager will spawn in once the player finds it, and can be killed easily. Send the Villager up to the city and out the top to build the three fake signals.

There is also a ruined building that grants 200 gold once the player visits it.

Lifting the siege and escorting Melanthios[]

The player will be tackling the toughest objective next: lifting the siege of Rhamnous. Moving them east along the coast. The player will soon find the city, with numerous bandits guarding five rams. Wipe out the bandits and rams, making sure to keep the player's troops focused on the enemy, not the barricades. Its easy for them to get distracted. Keep in mind that the bandits will stop fighting once the rams are destroyed. After the rams are cleared, the gates will open, and the player can send Themistocles in.

Themistocles is given several soldiers, as Melanthios wishes to travel to Athens. He is quite weak, and bandits will attack along the way. Send all units ahead to intercept them, and try to kill them before Melanthios joins the fight. Divide the army and send a small force of units by Athens' Gate to intercept some bandits. Once Melanthios reaches Athens, the player is granted some more troops. This will also award the player additional resources in the next scenario.

With that, all the quests should be completed, and now the player should use the last of their gold to recruit mercenaries. Depending on how the player performed, the Athenian forces should be quite large and offer the player some more troops to bolster their numbers. Move them into position along the Athenian line, and fight the Persians. When enough of them are killed, they will retreat, and the scenario is won.

Achievement - "Marathonomachos"[]

This achievement is obtained by completing all quests within the time limit. This includes the city quests, the timed quests dealing with coastline signals and Pheidippides, and the unmarked freeing of the Villagers: the first few in the Farms north of Athens, the second along the start of Pheidippides' path, northeast of the first tower. All of these must be completed to earn the achievement.

Mercenaries[]

Odomantian Mercenary Camps allow the player to replenish their forces. Only the chosen bodyguard unit is available, and the Camps are accessible only by Themistocles himself and not his troops:

• Ekdromos (50gold) / Cretan Archer (60gold) / Greek Noble Cavalry (125gold)
• Strategos (60gold)
• Swordsman (20gold)
• Mercenary Hoplite (40gold)
• Lancer (60gold)
• Laminated Bowman (50gold)
• Gastraphetoros (90gold)
• Priestess (120gold)

Cheesing the scenario[]

Since the timer starts only after three quests are finished, the player can explore the map, save some Villagers, recruit some Priestesses, and convert the bandits. This grants a huge army before the third quest is done, allowing the player to progress with ease.

Gallery[]

v•d•e	Campaigns in Chronicles
Battle for Greece Achaemenids Prologue: Gates of the Gods· Greeks Bearing Gifts· The Ionian Revolt· A City Ablaze· Chasing Smoke· Death to Traitors· Earth and Water Athenians The Battle of Marathon· Raise the Sails· The Hot Gates· Divine Salamis· Across the Wine-Dark Sea· Wrath of the Regent· The Fruits of Empire· Within the Long Walls Spartans I am Brasidas· Pyres on the Coast· Speeches and Spears· To the Wall!· Blood and Gold· The Fall of Athens