Mauri (Empire Divided) Missile Ship

Raiding Hemiolia - Numidian Javelinmen

These swift, manoeuvrable ships are a useful scouting force for any admiral.

These skirmishers can harass an enemy battle line, or keep enemy skirmishers at bay.

The 'one-and-a-half' or 'hemiolia' was a light galley which was much favoured by pirates in the ancient world. It developed from the bireme, a ship that had two full decks of oars along its entire length. The hemiola reduced the number of oars on the upper level, leaving roughly half the number of oars and rowers in the midship section. The smaller number of rowers had little effect on overall speed because the laden weight of the vessel also dropped. Because it used both oars and sails, and the crew could rapidly change propulsion method, it was an ideal vessel for chasing down fat, wealthy merchant ships. Boarding attacks were mounted from hemiolas; ramming was not a useful tactic as loot ended up with the fish rather than enriching the pirates! The speed and handiness of hemiolas made them useful as scouts, supply boats and vessels used to pick off damaged enemies at the edge of battles.

(Numidian Javelinmen)
Numidia had a fierce warrior tradition, partly due to the bitter feuding and internal warfare between the eastern Massylii and western Masaesylis. While the Numidians were famed as cavalrymen, their infantry forces were also quite effective. The historian Suetonius mentions that there were 'Numidian Legions' - a term normally reserved in Roman writings to describe Roman troops - when passing comment on Julius Caesar’s speech about Juba’s march to aid Scipio before the Battle of Thapsus in 46 BC. This suggests that some Numidians were fighting in the Roman style, and were possibly equipped in the same manner. The Numidians also adopted other tactics and war gear, such as the thureos-style shield and hoplite-like spears.

Abilities

Raiding Hemiolia

• 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.
• Resistant to Heat
  This unit tires less quickly in the desert.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Raiding Hemiolia

• Very poor hull strength
• Light crew
• Very fast speed
• Weak ramming
• Very poor boarding
• Poor missile combat

Numidian Javelinmen

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

Mauri (Empire Divided) Units
General (1)
1.Numidian Noble Cavalry
Melee Infantry (1)
2.Numidian Swordsmen
Missile Infantry (2)
3.Numidian Javelinmen
4.Numidian Slingers
Spear Infantry (1)
5.Numidian Infantry
Missile Cavalry (3)
6.Numidian Cavalry
7.Numidian Noble Cavalry
8.Numidian Noble Cavalry
Fixed Artillery (3)
9.Roman Giant Ballista
10.Roman Polybolos
11.Roman Bastion Scorpion
Field Artillery (7)
12.Roman Ballista
13.Roman Bastion Ballista
14.Roman Beehive Onager
15.Roman Scorpion
16.Roman Heavy Onager
17.Roman Onager
18.Roman Bastion Onager
Admiral (1)
19.Missile Trieres - Numidian Slingers
Melee Ship (2)
20.Assault Dieres - Numidian Infantry
21.Assault Tetreres - Numidian Swordsmen
Missile Ship (3)
22.Raiding Hemiolia - Numidian Javelinmen
23.Missile Trieres - Numidian Slingers
24.Missile Trieres - Numidian Slingers