Assault Hexeres - Homoioi Hoplitai
A hexareme is a 40 meter long oared warship with two decks of oars, each oar powered by three oarsmen. Developed around 360 BCE by the Syracusans, this huge dreadnought is rare and mainly used as a flagship. It can even hold archer towers at each end of the deck.(Spartan Hoplites)
Homoioi, or "Similars," are men with full citizenship Spartan society. They are just a shadow of Sparta's former glory and martial strength, but they still outclass other hoplites.
As centuries passed, naval tactics and needs changed across the Mediterranean. There was a move towards larger ships, partly as an expression of national or dynastic power: the Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt were particularly fond of large ships to show their wealth and influence in a physical way. These 'polyremes', a term meaning many oared, were not suitable for ramming work in battle. In practice many of them had no more oars than smaller ships; what they had were more rowers per oar than smaller ships. A Roman hexareme or Greek hexeres would have a couple of banks of oars with three men per oar, and appear to be an over-sized version of a smaller ship. Even so, thanks to being tremendously heavy and strongly constructed, they were slow moving, and hardly capable of the quick turns needed to take advantage of enemy mistakes. Instead the large ships made use of their wide decks and plentiful carrying capacities and became fighting platforms for infantry and artillery. Boarding or long-range bombardment were the methods to be used to defeat the enemy; naval warfare had come full circle in terms of fighting methods, even if ships had grown significantly.
(Homoioi Hoplitai)
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 Assault Hexeres - Homoioi Hoplitai |
Main Unit Key Gre_Spartan_Six |
Land Unit Key Gre_Spartan_Hoplites |
Naval Unit Key greek_six |
Soldiers 160 |
Category Heavy Ship |
Class Melee Ship |
Custom Battle Cost 1695 |
Recruitment Cost 1695 |
Upkeep Cost 339 |
1046 |
└ Ship greek_six |
Ship Speed 4 |
Melee Attack 30 |
9 |
├ Melee Weapon spear3 |
├ Weapon Damage 9 |
├ Weapon Deadliness 0 |
├ Armour Piercing No |
├ Bonus vs. Cavalry 4 |
├ Bonus vs. Elephants 10 |
└ Bonus vs Infantry 0 |
Charge Bonus 15 |
72 |
├ Base Defence 25 |
├ Shield hshield2 |
└ Shield Defence 47 |
12 |
├ Armour arm7 |
├ Armour Defence 12 |
└ Shield Armour 0 |
20 |
├ Man Entity shoplite_medium |
├ Man Health 20 |
└ Bonus Hit Points 0 |
Base Morale 60 |
Abilities
Assault Hexeres- Row Hard 30
Increases speed for 30 strokes.
Ship speed
- Stamina (average)
Governs how fast the unit tires and restores fatigue, and is dependent on type of unit, weight and approach to combat. - Phalanx
The unit enters a defensive formation that increases frontal defense but the unit's movement speed and attack are reduced
Attributes
- Disciplined
This unit does not suffer a morale penalty when the general dies. It can also rally after routing more often. - Hide (forest)
This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close. - Expert Charge Defence
This unit’s melee attack and damage are increased against charging enemies.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Assault Hexeres- Very good hull strength
- Heavy crew
- Slow speed
- Strong ramming
- Very good boarding
- Good defensive unit
- Low damage but average armour penetration
- Average attack
- Normal morale
Faction Availability | |
---|---|
Macedonian Wars |