Odrysian Kingdom Missile Ship

Missile Raider - Thracian Skirmishers

These ships keep a contingent of archers aboard to harry enemy crews.

Unencumbered by armour, these fast moving skirmishers use javelins to disrupt enemy units.

Most of the northern European tribes were not naval powers, but there were still able seafarers to be found amongst them. Shipbuilding techniques were well understood, so while many vessels were small leather-skinned boats for inland and inshore use, bigger sea-going vessels were also made. Shipwrights used heavy planking for hulls, stitched together and then fastened to a wooden skeleton to create sturdy craft able to cope with Atlantic conditions. Julius Caesar was surprised at the quality of the enemy ships when his fleet clashed with the Veneti from modern-day Brittany. The Veneti vessels had flat bottoms to cope with shallows, but were also of heavy oak construction to cope with rough seas. This made them tough opposition for Roman galleys, and capable of shrugging off a ramming attack. Caesar said that the enemy ships "...were constructed of planks a foot in breadth, fastened by iron spikes the thickness of a man's thumb; the anchors were secured fast by iron chains instead of cables”. When the Romans were forced to board, they faced fearsome warriors used to close-quarters fighting at sea.

(Thracian Skirmishers)
The javelin is among the oldest weapons in the world. Equipped with javelins and little else, skirmishers harried their opposite numbers and peppered hoplite phalanxes before quickly retreating. This was the typical tactic of all unarmoured, javelin-armed troops: to engage at range and then fall back behind more heavily-armoured infantry, or continue attacks while trying to stay just out of reach of the enemy. Such harassment could be highly effective, in 391BC at the Battle of Lechaeum, a force of Spartans, lacking the support of skirmishers or cavalry, were severely punished by javelin-armed Athenians who refused to meet them at close quarters. Over time, shields became common, such as those used by Thracian and Greek peltasts, but in turn these were rendered obsolescent by the Hellenic thureophoroi. Nevertheless, javelinmen and other irregulars continued to play a part in many armies throughout antiquity.

Abilities

Missile Raider

• Row Hard 10
  Increases speed for 10 strokes.
  Ship speed

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

Missile Raider

• Good hull strength
• Medium crew
• Fast speed
• Weak ramming
• Poor boarding
• Good missile combat

Thracian Skirmishers

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

Odrysian Kingdom Units
General (2)
1.Thracian Nobles
2.Thracian Royal Cavalry
Melee Infantry (2)
3.Thracian Nobles
4.Thracian Warriors
Missile Infantry (5)
5.Thracian Bowmen
6.Thracian Peltasts
7.Thracian Skirmishers
8.Thracian Slingers
9.Tribal Garrison
Spear Infantry (1)
10.Spears
Melee Cavalry (2)
11.Thracian Horsemen
12.Thracian Royal Cavalry
Missile Cavalry (1)
13.Thracian Cavalry
Fixed Artillery (3)
14.Dacian Giant Ballista
15.Dacian Bastion Scorpion
16.Dacian Scorpion (Fixed)
Field Artillery (6)
17.Dacian Bastion Ballista
18.Dacian Ballista
19.Dacian Scorpion
20.Dacian Heavy Onager
21.Dacian Bastion Onager
22.Dacian Onager
Admiral (2)
23.Heavy Raider - Thracian Nobles
24.Medium Missile Raider - Thracian Slingers
Melee Ship (4)
25.Heavy Raider - Thracian Nobles
26.Persian Assault Teteres - Thracian Warriors
27.Medium Assault Raider - Thracian Warriors
28.Assault Raider - Thracian Warriors
Missile Ship (3)
29.Greek Missile Penteres - Thracian Bowmen
30.Missile Raider - Thracian Skirmishers
31.Medium Missile Raider - Thracian Slingers
Artillery Ship (2)
32.Roman Light Artillery Quinquereme - Dacian Ballista (Ship)
33.Roman Artillery Quinquereme - Dacian Onager (Ship)