Thracian Rebels (Imperator Augustus) Missile Ship

Medium Missile Raider - Thracian Slingers

Tough warships for harrying the enemy, constructed to take on the worst of seas.

All Thracians are born warriors. Some are good shots too.

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 Slingers)
Slingers were common in ancient armies. Slings are ancient weapons, dating back to Palaeolithic times. In comparison to bows, they were easy to make and had a greater effective range. Constructed from braided flax, hemp or rushes, a sling has a cradle where the shot is placed. One end has a finger-loop, while the other has a knot or strip giving a firm handhold. The slinger puts his middle finger through the loop and holds the knotted end with his thumb and forefinger. After whirling the shot in the sling it is released with a flick of the wrist. Quick to fire and reload, the sling was widely hated by those on the receiving end. Shot varied from stones collected in rivers to shaped lumps of clay and lead; lead shot could fly over 400 metres. Such missiles were sometimes inscribed with comments such as “Catch!” or “Take that!” Shot was difficult to see in flight, and although it lacked the penetrating power of an arrow it could easily break bone or stave-in armour at short ranges. Famously, the Roman Consul Paulus was killed by a slinger early in the disastrous Battle of Cannae.

Abilities

Medium 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

Medium Missile Raider

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

Thracian Slingers

• Very long range
• Average rate of fire
• Low damage but average armour penetration
• Very weak in melee
• Very poor morale

Thracian Rebels (Imperator Augustus) 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)