Start the game already!

Today, we‘re visiting eastern europe and talk about the Poles. The Poles have been introduced to the game in the second DLC for the Definitive Edition in August 2021 together with the Bohemians introducing unique game mechanics and farm economy which I was very sceptical of when it got released but now believe to be one of the best designs decisions in the game. You'll be hearing me praising the civ design a lot in this podcast, when I go through all civilization bonuses, their unique techs, units and even buildings. They probably have the best campaign of the game, which if you haven't already, should defenitely give a go. The Poles are hard to master and had little impact on the eSports scene, yet I wouldn't want to change a thing about them. Well actually, one thing, but you'll find out when listening to the Podcast! ChrisTalk to the community on:⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Timecodes:00:00 Introduction05:08 Folwarks16:00 HP Regeneration21:45 Stone-to-gold conversion28:00 Cheaper Scout Upgrades & Teambonus34:10 Winged Hussar & Unique Techs51:50 Obuch59:00 Strategies & army compositions01:22:15 CampaignMusic: Poles Intro Music and "Operation Monkey" of the official AoE II Soundtrack

Welcome back to another episode of the Age of Empires Magazine! Once again, I am joined by Daniela!We’ve got exciting topics to discuss, starting of course with the sixth edition of King of the Desert and a recent update with balance changes from the 2nd of december. We’ve also got a couple of Franchise News, because the South AmericaDLC has been announced for AoE II and is coming to the game in February 2026. As is the theme with our Franchise, if one game get’s something new, another game probably has something similar in store and that’s true for Age of Mythology and Age of Empires IV. We’ll finish up the episode with some emails and the tournament outlook for January 2026, where we’ll talk about the RB Wololo Ladder Qualifier and TTL Season 5. I’d also like to mention that we recorded this podcast just before the News about GL and their members have dropped, so there is no mentioning of that in this episode.Please check out ⁠⁠Daniela over at Twitch⁠⁠: ⁠⁠https://www.twitch.tv/daniela_aoe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠Timecodes:00:00 Programme02:30 News02:12:54 Franchise News02:26:45 Podcast News & Emails02:39:25 Tournament Outlook January 2026Links:⁠King of the Desert VI⁠Danielas Statement of MMBalance Changes⁠AoE 2025 Review⁠⁠TTL 5RB Wololo Ladder Qualifier

Macht euch bereit für einen Podcast, bei dem wir uns so richtig alt fühlen. Alles ist neu und unübersichtlich: AoE II verändert sich mit Phosphoru Rushes, Stand Ground Patrols und der Siegetower Meta. World of Warcraft ist überhaupt nicht mehr das, was es einmal war und ist kaum wieder zu erkennen. Und wenn Felix einfach mal ne Runde Hitman spielen will, scheitert er daran, weil er den Überblick über die verschiedenen Spieleversionen nicht bekommt. Christian hat wurde außerdem von Europa Universalis gemobbt. Klingt alles scheiße, aber lass euch nicht beirren, denn in Wahrheit haben wir gerade ziemlich viel Spaß mit unseren Spielen!Viel Spaß beim Hören!Felix & Christian⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠Musik: Joey Jojo vom offiziellen AoE II: DE OST.

Well, this episode is all about the Celts. But who were the Celts, really? If you're asking the Devs, it seems the answer is: whatever was shown in the movie Braveheart! For a game drawing inspiration from history, the Celts do seem like the odds one out. Sloppy research, a lousy tutorial campaign and underwhelming tech tree make it hard for the Celts to really shine amongst the many civilizations in the game, despite looking back to more than 25 years of AoE II history. Of course, being an infantery civilization doesn't make things any easier. If it weren't for Hoang, maybe the Celts would've been completely forgotten. Well, don't shed your tears just yet, I'm here to save the day and tell you everything I could uncover about the Celts, including some fun facts from what the Celts were first invisioned by the Devs, before they became the Civ we know today. I hope you enjoy this episode!ChrisTalk to the community on:⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠Timecodes:00:00 Introduction05:43 Wood bonus14:47 Faster moving infantery18:54 Stealing herdables22:40 Faster firing siege & Team bonus30:15 Furor Celtica 35:58 Strongholds40:28 Woad Raider50:35 Strategies & army compositions01:11:25 CampaignMusic: Celts Intro Music and "Operation Monkey" of the official AoE II SoundtrackLinks:Computer Gaming World MuseumCeltic Life InternationalBraveheart Critique bei Sharon KrossaOriginal Handbook of Age of KingsCattle Raids

Once again I am joined by Daniela in this Podcast!This month was much more quiet than the last month, but there’s still some interesting topics to discuss. We’ll start off with Thalassocracy Cup 2, which has just concluded last night at the time of this recording. The Bronze League of TTL 5 has also finished up determining who will get into the gold and silver league. We’ll also give a quick outlook on what we’re expecting from King of the Desert VI, which has started as of now. There’s no real Franchise News for a change, so we’ll be skipping that segment today. But I’ve got important news for all patreons and supporters of the podcast in the podcast news and we’ll be answering a couple of your messages, that have been sent in. At last, we’ll finish up the episode with the tournament outlook for december 2025.Please check out ⁠Daniela over at Twitch⁠: ⁠https://www.twitch.tv/daniela_aoe⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠Timecodes:00:00 Intro06:46 News01:42:30 Podcast News & Emails01:59:01 Tournament Outlook December 2025Links:King of the Desert VIThalassocracy Cup 2⁠⁠Master of HyperRandom 3⁠⁠TTL5 Bronze League⁠⁠Naval Rework⁠

Willkommen zur 28. Tafelrunde! Felix Fälle vor Gericht werden immer abwechslungsreicher. Neuerdings häufen sich die Fälle, in denen sich Menschen um ihre Katzen streiten. Wie kann man da eine Entscheidung darüber fällen, wer die Katze bekommt? Christian ist indes aus Schottland zurückgekehrt und hat dadurch die William Wallace Kampagne erneut gespielt... wenn man da überhaupt von einer Kampagne sprechen kann. Außerdem verbringt er seine Abendstunden mit Ball x Pit, was mal wieder Anlass dafür ist, die Nostalgiebrille auszugraben und von vorinstallierten Windows 95 Breakout-Spielen zu erzählen. Felix ist da viel mehr am Puls der Zeit und spielt das gerade erschienene Europa Universalis V.Viel Spaß beim Hören!Felix & Christian⁠Discord⁠Musik: Joey Jojo vom offiziellen AoE II: DE OST.

If you're looking for a challenge in Age of Empires II, the Khmer are just the civilization for you. At first glance, the Khmer seem like an easy civilization to play because they have the best food economy in the game alongside the Khitan, you are usually one step ahead of your opponent, and thanks to their broad tech tree, they can play almost anything they want. They even have powerful elephants and scorpions! However, they have a few bonuses that can quickly become a trap if you don't master the game perfectly. The particular difficulty arises from the fact that you have to build on your initial advantage with the Khmer so that you don't go down in the late game. On the one hand, their strong economy makes the Khmer a beginner-friendly civilization, but on the other hand, their playstyle makes them a difficult civilization to master. I hope you enjoy this podcast, which, for once, will be all about elephants!ChrisSupport the Podcast on:⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Steady (german)⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠Timecodes:00:00 Introduction08:15 Eco bonus13:18 House bonus16:58 No prerequisites for age-up & buildings21:23 Battle Elephants & Tusk Swords 29:19 Ballista Elephants, Scorpions & Double Crossbow45:39 Strategies & army compositions01:08:22 CampaignMusic: Khmer Intro Music and "Operation Monkey" of the official AoE II Soundtrack

Welcome to another episode of the monthly magazine, covering all important topics about age of empires. Today is a very special episode, because this podcast will be cohosted by the up and coming talent of our scene: welcome Daniela!We’ve had a lot of tournaments recently, so there are lots of topics to cover. In today’s episode, we’ll be talking about the Ling Yuan Cup, Amigo Wars 3, Masters of Hyperrandom 3, the announcement RB Wololo: Londinium, TTL 5 Bronze League, the Naval Rework, the onimaru bootcamp, the Chronicles DLC featuring Alexander the Great and the betting scandal of aoe 2. There’s a little bit of Franchise News after that and then we’ll pick out a few of the emails that have been sent in to discuss them. As always, we’ll close the show with the tournament outlook for november 2025.Please check out Daniela over at Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/daniela_aoeSupport the Podcast on:⁠Patreon⁠⁠Steady (german)⁠Discord⁠Timecodes:00:00 Intro03:11 News02:35:44 Franchise News02:40:20 Podcast News & Emails02:51:05 Tournament Outlook October 2025Links:⁠Master of HyperRandom 3⁠LingYuan CupTTL5 Bronze LeagueSotL InterviewNaval ReworkT90 about Biry

Willkommen zur 27. Tafelrunde! In der heutigen Tafelrunde diskutieren wir das aktuell etwas leidige Thema von Wettanbietern in Age of Empires II. Wir haben diesbezüglich eine klare ablehnende Haltung und führen hier einen eher lockeren Austausch und erzählen euch von unseren eigenen Gefühlen zur Diskussion, statt ein Fachgespräch über die negativen Auswirkungen von Glücksspiel im eSport zu führen, da dieser Zusammenhang längst erwiesen ist. Doch damit die Stimmung etwas aufgebessert ist, empfiehlt Felix eine Gameshow der besonderen Art von einem ihm sehr lieb gewonnenen Streamer. Außerdem hat Felix Death Stranding begonnen und outet sich als großer Freund von Kojimas filmischer Videospielregie.Viel Spaß beim Hören!Felix & ChristianUnterstütze unser Projekt hier und höre deutsche Versionen der englischen Podcasts:⁠SteadyDiscordMusik: Joey Jojo vom offiziellen AoE II: DE OST.

This episode offers a very different kind of content for you. I analyzed Hera's past 39 defeats on Arabia during his world record attempt and collected some data, which I analyze here in the podcast. My goal: to find out if there's a pattern that tells us how to defeat Hera. In doing so, some truly interesting insights have come to light. It's impossible not to acknowledge that Hera is an exceptional player, almost unmatched in versatility and mechanical skill. Therefore, finding systematic weaknesses in such a complete player as Hera is an ambitious undertaking. Well, decide for yourself whether I've succeeded.ChrisThe Excel sheet⁠Discord⁠⁠Support the Podcast on:⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠Steady (german)⁠Music: "Carne y Helado" of the official AoE II Soundtrack.

In this episode of Masterpieces, I'll tell you the story of what I consider to be the best final that we've seen in competitive Age of Empires II to this day: The finals of RB Wololo 3 between Daut and Liereyy. This matchup brings together two generations and two different playstyles. I hope you enjoy reliving one of the best games of Age of Empires II!ChrisThe GameDiscord⁠Support the Podcast on:⁠Patreon⁠⁠Steady (german)Music: "Carne y Helado" of the official AoE II Soundtrack.

I’m Chris, your host of this wonderful podcast, and please forgive my cracky voice because I was super sick recording this episode! In the news, I’ll be talking about Sudden Dessaster 2, the Quintessential Cookout, the cancellation of the December LAN, and the announcement of a new DLC. In the franchise news, I’ll briefly touch on the fact that we’ve received more info on the new roguelite RTS game mode in AoE IV and that the second — and possibly final — DLC for Age of Mythology has been released. As for game news, I’ll skip that this time to save my voice, so we’ll head straight into podcast news and then take a look at the tournament outlook for October 2025.  I hope you enjoy the show!ChrisDiscordSupport the Podcast on:PatreonSteady (german)Timecodes:00:00 Intro01:17 News19:36 Franchise News23:14 Podcast News26:30 Tournament Outlook October 2025Links:Master of HyperRandom 3Sudden Dessaster 2Midweek MadnessAoE2Germany

The Romans are kind of an odd civilization amongst the medieval civilizations of Age of Empires II, but they fit right in with how they play out. Their strong economy favors melee units and they have one of the best scorpions in the game. In this podcast we'll do a deep dive into how the Romans play out and what their best unite compositions are. As usual, we'll try to understand how the devs were inspired by history when they created this civilization. Since there is a lack of a dedicated campaign for the romans, I have devided to include two wonderful custom campaigns made by the community. I hope you'll enjoy this episode!ChrisSupport the Podcast on:⁠Patreon⁠⁠Steady (german)⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠Timecodes:00:00 Overview08:35 Eco Bonus13:15 Double Infantry Armor & Legionary17:47 Scorpions & Ballistas24:02 Centurions & Comitatenses32:50 Strategies and army compositions47:14 Campaigns & ScenariosMusic: Romans Intro Music and "Operation Monkey" of the official AoE II Soundtrack

The decisive battle in Tenochtitlan marks the culmination of the Aztec campaign. Surrounded by the Spanish and Tlaxcalans, we must attack from our city and repel the enemy: on land and at sea. But woe betide the Spanish if they manage to destroy our wonder!This episode is the final episode of the entire Aztec season, so at the end there's a brief final assessment and, of course, a rectification of the events we experience in this mission. I really hope you enjoyed the campaign!ChrisSupport the Podcast on:PatreonSteady (german)HomepageDiscordMusic: Aztecs Intro Music of the official AoE II Soundtrack

In the 5th mission of the Aztec Campaign, we are pursuing the Spanish and their allies after we've defeated them in La Noche Triste. The Spanish are trying to escape along the lake Texcoco to the safety of the Tlaxcaltecs, but we caught up to them and try to defeat them once for all, in what is known today as the battle of Otumba on July 7th, 1520. More than 20.000 Aztecs faced off against a couple of thousand Spanish and Tlaxcaltec soldiers, but they have set a deadly trap for their Aztec pursuers.I hope you'll enjoy listening to this podcast!ChrisSupport the Podcast on:Patreon⁠⁠Steady (german)⁠⁠Homepage⁠⁠DiscordMusic: Aztecs Intro Music of the official AoE II Soundtrack

Welcome to the September edition of the Age of Empires Magazine, where once again we’ll be covering the most important topics surrounding Age of Empires. Let’s take a look at today’s magazine program: as promised, we’ll be talking in more detail about the big update. In terms of eSports, we’ll briefly cover the LingYuan Cup and Sudden Dessaster 2, as well as the first month of Midweek Madness. Jens from Age Lan will invite you all to the Age Lan in October. In the Franchise News, I’ll tell you about the new DLCs in AoE IV and AoM. In Game News, I’ve got a whole bunch of interesting titles to introduce. In Podcast News, there’s a short update on what’s coming up in the podcast. And finally, of course, the tournament outlook for September 2025! I hope you enjoy the show!ChrisHomepage: www.startthegamealready.deDiscord: discord.com/invite/SYp9dCXYsKSupport the Podcast on:Patreon: patreon.com/startthegamealreadySteady (german): steadyhq.com/startthegamealready/Timecodes:00:00 Intro02:07 News26:21 Franchise News31:54 Game News37:43 Podcast News42:55 Tournament outlook September 2025Links:Trailer AoM DLC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYeR54lRm00Master of HyperRandom 3: https://liquipedia.net/ageofempires/Master_of_HyperRandom/3Quintessiential Cookout: https://liquipedia.net/ageofempires/Quintessential_CookoutSudden Dessaster 2: https://liquipedia.net/ageofempires/Sudden_Dessaster/2Midweek Madness: https://liquipedia.net/ageofempires/Midweek_MadnessDynamic Battle: https://www.universe.com/events/dynamic-battle-lan-tickets-KGM9LC?ref=share-widget-buffer?ref=share-widget-bufferEmpire Village 2025: https://www.aoe2insights.com/announcements/empires-village-2025-3rd-edition-loano-italyBOOM: https://aoe2germany.com/brandneueoriginalundoffiziellemapsAoE Leagues: https://www.aoe2insights.com/announcements/aoe-leagues-season-14 Arabia Lovers 2: https://discord.gg/uUfVU7QJfu

Willkommen zur 26. Tafelrunde! Felix und Christian kommen erneut zusammen und sprechen über den vergangenen Monat. Für Felix ist die Zeit schnell vergangen, für Christian ging es langsam, denn der Urlaub kommt erst in zwei Wochen. Felix hat seine Zeit in Stronghold gesteckt und kommt von dem Spiel nicht los. Christian hat ein neues Elo High erreicht, nur um danach in Grund und Boden gestampft zu werden. Es gibt viel zu erzählen und wir freuen uns, dass ihr uns zuhört :)Viel Spaß beim Hören!Felix & ChristianUnterstütze unser Projekt hier und höre deutsche Versionen aller englischen Podcasts:steady.page/de/startthegamealready/Homepage: www.startthegamealready.deDiscord: discord.com/invite/SYp9dCXYsKMusik: Joey Jojo vom offiziellen AoE II: DE OST.

This is the complete Interview with Chris (IamChris), a legend of AoE II eSport history. Chris war once considered the best player in the world and has witnessed pretty much every phase of the development of competitive Age of Empires II. The main focus of our conversation revolves around the Hun Wars and Chris shares both his knowledge and memories about this topic. But before we got to that subject, we also talked about what Age of Empires II was like back in the day and specifically, how Chris percieved the pro scene and how his career as a pro player has developed. I had a great time talking to Chris and hope you'll enjoy our conversation!ChrisLinks to I am Chris:twitch.tv/iamchris_age2youtube.com/@IamChrisAge2Podcast:Homepage: www.startthegamealready.deDiscord: discord.com/invite/SYp9dCXYsKSupport the Podcast on:Patreon: patreon.com/startthegamealreadySteady (german): steadyhq.com/startthegamealready/Music: www.purple-planet.com

The Hun Wars were played between 2000 and approximately 2016 and are by far the most frequently played matchup in Age of Empires II history – to this day. In this documentary, I attempt to recount how the Hun Wars came about, how they changed over the decades, and what led to the end of the Hun Wars just under 10 years ago. To do this, I brought two veterans of the game, Andre (Slap) and Chris (IamChris), in front of the microphone, who told me in detail about the good old days of the Hun Wars. It quickly became clear that my image of these mirror matches was far too one-dimensional. I hope you enjoy this nostalgic trip into the past of Age of Empires II eSports. Support the Podcast on: Patreon: patreon.com/startthegamealready Steady (german): steadyhq.com/startthegamealready/ Podcast: Homepage: www.startthegamealready.de Discord: discord.com/invite/SYp9dCXYsK Koven-Interview: https://members.tripod.com/legionx_black/cerpioclan/id42.html External audio sources used in this episode: SMB about Hera: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJKSN41zJ40 T90 about Hoang: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEhZ5hwHhgc Nili (Outro): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mKCyF7eIgQ&t=12s

Episode 3 of the Montezuma Campaign leeds us to confront the Spanish invadors and their allies, who a threatening the Tabasco. This mission is considered the hardest of the campaign if you want to save Tabasco, especially because there's quite the distance to overcome before you can help your ally. Challange accepted, also I want the achievement you get for saving Tabasco, so I'll be telling you how I succeeded on the hardest difficulty. Apart from that, this mission is loosely based on the Battles of Centla (March 14, 1519) and Nautla (October 1519), during the Spanish conquest of Mexico and there are two ways of finishing off the Spanish: Either by conquest or by taming their horses. Unfortunately, because of my ungrateful allies, I was forced to take the difficult path, Chris Support the Podcast on: Patreon: patreon.com/startthegamealready Steady (german): steadyhq.com/startthegamealready/ Homepage: www.startthegamealready.de Discord: discord.com/invite/SYp9dCXYsK Music: Aztecs Intro Music of the official AoE II Soundtrack