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HomeHome / Divide et Impera / Sparta (Macedonian Wars) / Units / Assault Hexeres - Homoioi Hoplitai
Assault Hexeres - Homoioi Hoplitai Sparta (Macedonian Wars)Sparta (Macedonian Wars) Melee Ship

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.

Assault Hexeres - Homoioi Hoplitai

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

Ship Health

1046

└ Ship

greek_six

Ship Speed

4

Melee Attack

30

Weapon Damage

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

Melee Defence

72

├ Base Defence

25

├ Shield

hshield2

└ Shield Defence

47

Armour

12

├ Armour

arm7

├ Armour Defence

12

└ Shield Armour

0

Health

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
Homoioi Hoplitai
  • 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
Homoioi Hoplitai
  • Good defensive unit
  • Low damage but average armour penetration
  • Average attack
  • Normal morale
Faction Availability
Macedonian Wars