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Heavy Tower Hepteres - Massaloi Epilektoi Hoplitai Massalia (Hannibal at the Gates)Massalia (Hannibal at the Gates) Melee Ship

Heavy Tower Hepteres - Massaloi Epilektoi Hoplitai

A septireme is a 45 meter long oared warship with two decks of oars, the top row powered by three oarsmen, and the bottom by four. Developed around 280 BCE, these huge flagships are slow and cumbersome, but are difficult to sink and can hold many marines.

(Massilian Royal Guard)

The phalanx of the royal guards is a capable force, not a court regiment.

An arms race in warship size developed between the various nations around the Mediterranean. Size, in terms of the number of rowers, ships length and bulk and above all majesty of the vessel became as much a tool of statecraft as of warfare. A people who could afford such ships were almost certainly rich enough to withstand the strains of any war. A 'four' or quadreme was still a handy warship, able to manoeuvre in battle. The same could not be said of some of the large polyremes, a word meaning many oars. Practical archaeology shows that too many banks of oars simply don't work, so polyreme probably referred to the number of rowers: a septireme is likely to have had some seven rowers per bank of three oars, arranged in three, three, and two to an oar going up from the waterline. King Demetius of Macedon led his fleet at the battle of Salamis in 306BC from the deck of a hepteres or 'seven', but his ambitions didn't stop there. Neither did those of other kingdoms, and later lumbering warships including 'elevens', 'thirteens' and larger. As bigger ships to carry more rowers such vessels could also carry big marine contingents, arrow towers and an array of useful artillery.

(Massaloi Epilektoi Hoplitai)
Hoplites date back to the wars between the Greek city-states in the 8th and 7th centuries BC. During the Greco-Persian Wars most hoplites wore a Corinthian-style bronze helm, and a cuirass of bronze or stiffened linen or canvas. They were armed with a short sword and an iron-tipped spear with a bronze counterbalance butt-spike. Hoplites were named, though, after the round hoplon shield they carried. The hoplon-and-spear combination required them to fight as a phalanx, a block of spearmen some eight ranks deep. When closed up, each man would find shelter behind the shield of his neighbour, creating a wall of bristling spear-points. While all hoplites were originally citizen-soldiers, full-time mercenaries took over and became the standard fighting unit of the Greek world. Later, under Phillip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great, the shield became smaller, while the spear developed into the five metre sarissa pike. Many armies adopted the phalanx of hoplites as a tactical unit because it was very successful in battle.

Heavy Tower Hepteres - Massaloi Epilektoi Hoplitai

Unit Name

Heavy Tower Hepteres - Massaloi Epilektoi Hoplitai

Main Unit Key

Mas_Royal_Guard_Seven

Land Unit Key

Mas_Royal_Guard

Naval Unit Key

greek_scorpio_hft_seven

Soldiers

180

Category

Heavy Ship

Class

Melee Ship

Custom Battle Cost

2625

Recruitment Cost

2625

Upkeep Cost

491

Ship Health

1617

└ Ship

greek_seven

Ship Speed

3

Melee Attack

32

Weapon Damage

9

├ Melee Weapon

spear4

├ Weapon Damage

9

├ Weapon Deadliness

0

├ Armour Piercing

No

├ Bonus vs. Cavalry

4

├ Bonus vs. Elephants

10

└ Bonus vs Infantry

0

Charge Bonus

19

Melee Defence

78

├ Base Defence

26

├ Shield

shield7

└ Shield Defence

52

Armour

14

├ Armour

arm8

├ Armour Defence

14

└ Shield Armour

0

Health

20

├ Man Entity

hoplite_heavy

├ Man Health

20

└ Bonus Hit Points

0

Base Morale

65

Abilities

Heavy Tower Hepteres
  • Row Hard 30
    Increases speed for 30 strokes.
    Ship speed
Massaloi Epilektoi Hoplitai
  • Stamina (poor)
    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

Heavy Tower Hepteres
  • Exceptional hull strength
  • Very heavy crew
  • Very slow speed
  • Strong ramming
  • Good boarding
  • Exceptional missile combat
Massaloi Epilektoi Hoplitai
  • Very good defensive unit
  • Low damage but average armour penetration
  • Average attack
  • Good morale
Faction Availability
Grand Campaign
Caesar in Gaul
Hannibal at the Gates