Cimmeria Melee Ship

Assault Hexeres - Scythian Hoplites

These magnificent ships are both intimidating and extremely dangerous.

If you can't beat the local nomads, get them to join you…

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.

(Scythian Hoplites)
Hoplites date back to the wars between the Greek city-states in the 8th and 7th centuries BC. During the Greco-Persian Wars most hoplites wore a Corinthian-style bronze helm, and a cuirass of bronze or stiffened linen or canvas. They were armed with a short sword and an iron-tipped spear with a bronze counterbalance butt-spike. Hoplites were named, though, after the round hoplon shield they carried. The hoplon-and-spear combination required them to fight as a phalanx, a block of spearmen some eight ranks deep. When closed up, each man would find shelter behind the shield of his neighbour, creating a wall of bristling spear-points. While all hoplites were originally citizen-soldiers, full-time mercenaries took over and became the standard fighting unit of the Greek world. Later, under Phillip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great, the shield became smaller, while the spear developed into the five metre sarissa pike. Many armies adopted the phalanx of hoplites as a tactical unit because it was very successful in battle.

Abilities

Assault Hexeres

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

Scythian Hoplites

• Hoplite Wall
  The unit moves into close wall formation.
  Bracing, melee defence, shield strength
  Acceleration, speed

Attributes

• Disciplined
  This unit does not suffer a morale penalty when the general dies. It can also rally after routing more often.
• Formation Attack
  The unit will try to stay in formation when in melee.
• Hide (forest)
  This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Assault Hexeres

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

Scythian Hoplites

• Good defensive unit
• Low damage but average armour penetration
• Average attack
• Normal morale

Cimmeria Units
General (3)
1.Cimmerian Noble Infantry
2.Citizen Cavalry
3.Noble Horse Archers
Melee Infantry (1)
4.Young Axes
Missile Infantry (5)
5.Cimmerian Heavy Archers
6.Javelinmen
7.Picked Peltasts
8.Slingers
9.Steppe Archers
Spear Infantry (7)
10.Cimmerian Noble Infantry
11.Citizen Hoplites
12.Hoplites
13.Militia Hoplites
14.Scythian Hoplites
15.Steppe Spearmen
16.Tribesmen
Melee Cavalry (1)
17.Citizen Cavalry
Missile Cavalry (3)
18.Armoured Horse Archers
19.Steppe Horse Archers
20.Noble Horse Archers
Shock Cavalry (1)
21.Steppe Lancers
Fixed Artillery (4)
22.Greek Giant Ballista
23.Greek Polybolos
24.Greek Bastion Scorpion
25.Greek Scorpion (Fixed)
Field Artillery (6)
26.Greek Bastion Ballista
27.Greek Ballista
28.Greek Scorpion
29.Greek Heavy Onager
30.Greek Bastion Onager
31.Greek Onager
Admiral (2)
32.Missile Hepteres - Cimmerian Heavy Archers
33.Assault Hexeres - Scythian Hoplites
Melee Ship (5)
34.Assault Hexeres - Scythian Hoplites
35.Assault Tetreres - Young Axes
36.Assault Hexeres - Young Axes
37.Fire Pot Dieres - Young Axes
38.Assault Dieres - Young Axes
Missile Ship (9)
39.Heavy Tower Hepteres - Cimmerian Heavy Archers
40.Missile Hepteres - Cimmerian Heavy Archers
41.Raiding Hemiolia - Javelinmen
42.Pursuit Trihemiolia - Javelinmen
43.Scorpion Penteres - Slingers
44.Tower Penteres - Slingers
45.Missile Penteres - Slingers
46.Scorpion Trieres - Slingers
47.Missile Trieres - Slingers
Artillery Ship (2)
48.Light Artillery Penteres - Greek Ballista (Ship)
49.Artillery Penteres - Greek Onager (Ship)