Epirus Melee Ship

Assault Hexeres - Agrianian Axemen

These magnificent ships are both intimidating and extremely dangerous.

A force of mobile axemen always gives a general the cutting edge over his opponent.

As centuries passed, naval tactics and needs changed across the Mediterranean. There was a move towards larger ships, partly as an expression of national or dynastic power: the Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt were particularly fond of large ships to show their wealth and influence in a physical way. These 'polyremes', a term meaning many oared, were not suitable for ramming work in battle. In practice many of them had no more oars than smaller ships; what they had were more rowers per oar than smaller ships. A Roman hexareme or Greek hexeres would have a couple of banks of oars with three men per oar, and appear to be an over-sized version of a smaller ship. Even so, thanks to being tremendously heavy and strongly constructed, they were slow moving, and hardly capable of the quick turns needed to take advantage of enemy mistakes. Instead the large ships made use of their wide decks and plentiful carrying capacities and became fighting platforms for infantry and artillery. Boarding or long-range bombardment were the methods to be used to defeat the enemy; naval warfare had come full circle in terms of fighting methods, even if ships had grown significantly.

(Agrianian Axemen)
The Agrianes were a Paeonian tribe of fierce fighters. Known for their incredible dexterity and speed, they became an auxiliary infantry unit in the army of Alexander the Great. Carrying a clutch of javelins into battle, the Agrianes were able to move fast and strike hard. They wore little or no armour to hinder them and carried no shield. Alexander employed them time and time again as front line troops in many of his major battles, where they developed into an elite missile assault unit under the command of his general Attalus, proving especially effective in mountainous areas where agility was essential and the phalanx formation proved unwieldy. Carrying axes and knives that could also be used as climbing hooks, the Agrianes were exceptional not only at climbing and traversing difficult terrain, but also when assaulting manmade defences and walls. Fiercely loyal and extremely effective, they were also used to protect siege equipment before joining the crack hypastists for the assault. Alexander rewarded the Agrianes for their service with the right to govern their own lands. Later an elite force of Agrianes fought for Antiochus at Raphia in 217BC against Ptolemy IV.

Abilities

Assault Hexeres

• Row Hard 30
  Increases speed for 30 strokes.
  Ship speed

Agrianian Axemen

• Quick Reload
  Improved reloading for an extended time.
  Shots per minute
  Exertion: fatigue

Attributes

• Resistant to Fatigue
  Fatigue has less of an effect on this unit.
• Hide (scrub & forest)
  This unit can hide in scrub and forest until enemy units get too close.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Assault Hexeres

• Very good hull strength
• Heavy crew
• Slow speed
• Strong ramming
• Very good boarding

Agrianian Axemen

• Short range
• Fast rate of fire
• Very good damage and armour penetration
• Very weak in melee
• Very poor morale

Epirus Units
General (4)
1.Hellenic Royal Cavalry
2.Hellenic Royal Guard
3.Epirot Champions
4.Epirot Elite Spearmen
Melee Infantry (13)
5.Mob
6.Royal Peltasts
7.Illyrian Levies
8.Grosphomachoi
9.Taulantian Noble Guard
10.Epirot Infantry
11.Epirot Heavy Axemen
12.Epirot Veterans
13.Epirot Champions
14.Thureos Swordsmen
15.Hellenic Axemen
16.Hellenic Swordmen
17.Pyrrhus' sons
Missile Infantry (8)
18.Agrianian Axemen
19.Archers
20.Javelinmen
21.Peltasts
22.Slingers
23.Chaonian Peltastai
24.Cretan Toxotai
25.Rhodian Sphendonetai
Pike Infantry (4)
26.Levy Pikemen
27.Pikemen
28.Hellenic Royal Guard
29.Chaonian Phalanx
Spear Infantry (11)
30.Citizen Hoplites
31.Hoplites
32.Militia Hoplites
33.Thureos Spears
34.Sibunetes
35.Thesprotian Chthonic Champions
36.Molossian Shieldsworn
37.Epirot Spearmen
38.Epirot Elite Spearmen
39.Thorax Spearmen
40.Olympias Defenders
Melee Cavalry (3)
41.Aspis Companion Cavalry
42.Citizen Cavalry
43.Aspis Royal Cavalry
Missile Cavalry (3)
44.Skirmisher Cavalry
45.Tarantine Cavalry
46.Tarantine Expatrii Cavalry
Shock Cavalry (3)
47.Hellenic Royal Cavalry
48.Thessalian Cavalry
49.Thessalian Expatrii Cavalry
Fixed Artillery (4)
50.Greek Giant Ballista
51.Greek Polybolos
52.Greek Bastion Scorpion
53.Greek Scorpion (Fixed)
Field Artillery (7)
54.Greek Bastion Ballista
55.Greek Ballista
56.Greek Beehive Onager
57.Greek Scorpion
58.Greek Heavy Onager
59.Greek Bastion Onager
60.Greek Onager
Special (1)
61.Molossian Dogs
Admiral (3)
62.Assault Hexeres - Agrianian Axemen
63.Scorpion Trieres - Slingers
64.Assault Tetreres - Thureos Spears
Melee Ship (4)
65.Assault Hexeres - Agrianian Axemen
66.Fire Pot Dieres - Peltasts
67.Assault Dieres - Peltasts
68.Assault Tetreres - Thureos Spears
Missile Ship (7)
69.Scorpion Penteres - Archers
70.Tower Penteres - Archers
71.Missile Penteres - Archers
72.Raiding Hemiolia - Javelinmen
73.Pursuit Trihemiolia - Javelinmen
74.Scorpion Trieres - Slingers
75.Missile Trieres - Slingers
Artillery Ship (2)
76.Light Artillery Penteres - Greek Ballista (Ship)
77.Artillery Penteres - Greek Onager (Ship)