Draca - Select Fyrd Spearmen
This transport ship is light and easy to manoeuvre, but almost defenceless if attacked.The king's most able subjects, hand-picked to hold the line to the last man.
For most of history the only way to move cargoes and people over long distances at any kind of reasonable speed was by water; this remained true until the invention of the railway. Trading vessels carried goods, following the coastlines for the most part, and up navigable rivers. The pattern of settlement and colonisation was almost entirely based on where ships could go. It was also considerably easier to move armies by sea than march them long distances. Trade ships were hired or requisitioned for such tasks, and this was an added incentive for generals to reach a quick conclusion to a campaign: war hurt trade, and used up ships needed for vital food supplies.
(Select Fyrd Spearmen)
Every Saxon man was expected to fight whenever the need arose. Courage could come later, bolstered by massed ranks in the meantime, as could proficiency, since there was rarely much time for training amateurs before a war. However, this revealed a fundamental flaw – whenever a war resulted in too many casualties, there would be nobody to work the fields at its conclusion. To compensate for this, the Anglo-Saxons developed the 'select' system, whereby only those deemed most able would be chosen to join the fyrd. The remainder would stay at work, creating a surplus of provisions and equipment for both the marching army and those left behind, sustaining the realm and improving the army's chances of victory. In practice, most men were not selected, so many were expected to service the war machine in practical ways.
The select men of the fyrd were called upon on many occasions in Saxon history. Armed with spears, they were arguably wielding the oldest purpose-built weapon in existence. Given its comparative cheapness and ease of construction, the spear was one of the most commonly used weapons among all classes of fighting men before and throughout medieval times. Its notable advantage was the longer reach it afforded its bearer, enabling effective engagement with a larger or mounted enemy who might otherwise be out of reach. The Viking tendency to emblazon spears with ostentatious decorative carvings indicates that some were primarily used for thrusting rather than throwing, reducing the possibility of losing what were obviously prized weapons.
Unit Name Draca - Select Fyrd Spearmen |
Main Unit Key shp_eng_select_fyrd_spearmen |
Land Unit Key eng_select_fyrd_spearmen |
Naval Unit Key vik_draca |
Soldiers 160 |
Category Heavy Ship |
Class Melee Ship |
Custom Battle Cost 350 |
Recruitment Cost 350 |
Upkeep Cost 100 |
└ Ship vik_draca |
Speed |
Melee Skill 25 |
28 |
├ Melee Weapon vik_spear_levy |
├ Melee Base Damage 20 |
├ Armour-piercing Damage 8 |
├ Armour Piercing No |
├ Attack Against Cavalry 20 |
├ Attack Against Elephants 0 |
└ Attack Against Infantry 0 |
Charge Bonus 17 |
55 |
├ Base Defence 25 |
├ Shield vik_medium |
└ Shield 30 |
22 |
├ Armour vik_mail |
├ Armour Defence 22 |
└ Shield Armour 0 |
100 |
├ Man Entity vik_inf_med |
├ Man Health 100 |
└ Bonus Hit Points 0 |
Morale 28 |
Abilities
Select Fyrd Spearmen- Shield Castle
"Heads down, lads, things are about to get a little hairy around here!"
Units cannot move in this formation.
Attributes
- [[col:yellow]]Expert Charge Defence[[/col]]
This unit’s melee attack and damage are increased against charging enemies. - [[col:yellow]]Hide (forest)[[/col]]
This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.
Strengths & Weaknesses
No Strengths and Weaknesses