Sparta (Wrath of Sparta) Melee Ship

Trieres - Spartan Marines

Of all the warships found in the ancient world, it is the trireme, or trieres, that remains the most famous and recognisable. Nearly all Hollywood 'sword and sandal' movies will include a trireme somewhere. The vessel was entirely designed for war. Its name came from the three rows of oars carried on each side, stacked above each other in staggered columns to give the rowers some room to work. The top row of oars pivoted on a rowlock, or oarlock, mounted on an outrigger projecting from the hull. This allowed the top oars to pitch down at a sharper angle to reach the sea without getting tangled in the lower ones. The trireme was a greyhound of a ship, capable of high-speed dashes with a well-trained crew and, contrary to popular belief, not all rowers were slaves. Aboard Greek vessels they were citizens, and were given respect, not the lash. They were also largely fair-weather ships, and unsuited to rough seas such as the Atlantic; the lowest level of oars were, at most, less than half a metre above the waterline. That, however, did not stop the trireme being a superb weapon against other ships: a high-speed ramming attack could rip a hole in the side of almost any target. The type was also large enough to be used in other ways, which lead to it carrying archers and assorted light artillery pieces.

(Spartan Marines)
Conditioned from the age of seven for a life on campaign, and dedicated to full-time military training, the Spartans were exceptionally well drilled and masters of their weaponry and equipment. Anyone who lost their shield in battle was dishonoured: while cuirass and helmet were for protecting the individual, the shield was seen as protection for the entire phalanx. As such, the Spartans were a highly-disciplined and co-ordinated force, largely superior to any other on the battlefield. It was the Spartans who led the defence of the Peloponnese against the Persians in 480BC and, after two full days of battle, fought the famous last stand at Thermopylae. 300 Spartans and their Greek allies blocked the tiny pass between the cliffs and the sea, forcing the Persians to attack their deadly phalanx head on. When a Greek traitor eventually caused the Spartans to be outflanked, they fought to the very last man. The time spent defeating the Spartans was just enough for the remaining Greek allies to prepare a fleet to defeat the Persian navy decisively near the island of Salamis, ending the war.

Unit Name Trieres - Spartan Marines

Main Unit Key Pel_Spartan_Marines_Three

Land Unit Key Pel_Spartan_Marines

Naval Unit Key pel_greek_three

Soldiers 80

Category Medium Ship

Class Melee Ship

Custom Battle Cost 700

Recruitment Cost 500

Upkeep Cost 100

Ship Health

└ Ship pel_three

Ship Speed

Melee Attack 46

Weapon Damage 26

├ Melee Weapon rome_hoplite_spear

├ Melee Damage Base 20

├ Melee Damage Ap 6

├ Armour Piercing No

├ Bonus vs. Large 15

├ Bonus vs Elephants 15

└ Bonus vs Infantry 0

Charge Bonus 26

Melee Defence 65

├ Base Defence 50

├ Shield hoplite

└ Shield Defence 15

Armour 80

├ Armour spolas

├ Armour Defence 35

└ Shield Armour 45

Health 75

├ Man Entity rome_infantry_spartan

├ Man Health 50

└ Bonus Hit Points 25

Base Morale 75

Abilities

No Ability

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

• Poor hull strength
• Light crew
• Fast speed
• Weak ramming
• Poor boarding
• Average missile combat

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

Faction Availability
Wrath of Sparta	Sparta (Wrath of Sparta) Spartan Gerousia (Wrath of Sparta) Spartan Secessionists (Wrath of Sparta)