Rome is about to fall, the Sarmatians are about to lose the steppes to the Huns, the Nubians resist the conquest of Egypt as the last bastion of Egyptian culture, the Thracians defend the hopeless northern borders of the Byzantine empire, and the Vandals dreadfully await the Byzantine reconquista of Africa...
...but you can change the course of history and save one or all of these civilizations from fading, rebuild their glory and have them compete with medieval factions they would have never encountered otherwise.
Dedicated to my late step grandfather Helmuth Siepmann who always loved to discuss the Great Migration.
IMPORTANT BUG-FIX: The Vandal unique unit upgrade is restored, also the population cost for the (Elite) Lancer, fixed today (03.04.2020).
I could never quite reach satisfaction with "Borderland Empires" of the same type I experienced with "Age of Vampires" or "Tzars and Salesmen"...
My newest project "Dawn of Rome" is to replace "Borderland Empires" for several reasons:
1. Overlap in concept (Great Migration/Beginning of the Middle Ages/End of the Classic Era)
2. Overlap in civilizations (Vandals)
3. Overlap in game-play (mobile buildings)
My best efforts for "Borderland Empires" will be donated, however, for integration with "Realms" which already overlaps with Borderland Empires in some aspects (like the playable factions Bulgars and Moors).
The new project takes over some of the exciting features of the old one, like mobile buildings and mine-able ruins, but alters the overall setting to introduce civilizations which faded at the beginning of the Middle Ages, but which the player will have the power to save and have compete with other medieval factions.

Several features will help you immerse in the (late) Roman Era... technologies like "Phalanx" which allow spearmen to form double-rows by providing +1 range, or buildings like the "aquaeduct" which will lift up the population limit and increase farm food amount. Support units like the dog can defend your villagers from wolves and help hunting boars.
You can choose from 5 new civilizations which are seldom portrayed in the Age of Empires series (including other mods), but still ring a bell with hardcore history fans, like the Sarmatians, Thracians and Nubians...

Alternative Expansion for the Age of Kings, explores the last days of Rome, the Sarmatians, Thracians, Nubians and Vandals. Changed its name from "Dawn...
Little Update: The graphics of the Bolgar Unique Unit have been improved. In the older version the head was too skinny and the back views did not match the front views.
great job, looks good. regards
Great job, very interesting mod :)
Dziekuje bardzo, Pane!