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HomeHome / Total War SAGA: Thrones of Britannia / West Seaxe / Units / Draca - Select Fyrd Spearmen
Draca - Select Fyrd Spearmen West SeaxeWest Seaxe Melee Ship

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.

Draca - Select Fyrd Spearmen

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

Hull Strength

└ Ship

vik_draca

Speed

Melee Skill

25

Melee Damage

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

Melee Defence

55

├ Base Defence

25

├ Shield

vik_medium

└ Shield

30

Armour

22

├ Armour

vik_mail

├ Armour Defence

22

└ Shield Armour

0

Health

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