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Assault Bireme - Classiarii RomaRoma Melee Ship

Assault Bireme - Classiarii

A bireme is a 30 meter long oared warship (galley) with two decks of oars, thought to have been invented by the Phoenicians in the 8th century BCE. Often called a liburnia in later Roman fleets, these swift yet durable warships are excellent for boarding actions and coastal patrols.

(Roman Marines)

The waterline ram was first mounted on a vessel in around 850BC. Warships and naval tactics were transformed. Ships were no longer platforms for infantry battles on the water; the ship itself became the weapon. Galleys changed as the new reality sank in. Ramming at speed would hole and sink an enemy, therefore slimmer, faster, handier ships were required. More speed on demand obviously required more oars a fast ship with a single row of oars ended up being stupidly, impractically long. The solution, then, was to put in a second set of oars above the first, but slightly offset to allow for rowers' benches. These biremes, a Latin word meaning 'two oars', or dieres, the Greek equivalent, were no longer than previous designs but had twice the number of rowers. They were fast, manoeuvrable, and could carry a fighting contingent. Some nations also gave their bireme crews fire pots; these clay pots filled with oil and pitch were hurled at enemy ships in the entirely reasonable hope of setting them ablaze.

(Classiarii)
During the 4th century BC the Romans abandoned the phalanx in favour of armies consisting chiefly of hastati, principes and triarii. These were deployed in maniples: compact blocks of men, arranged in a checkerboard formation. This allowed flexibility when moving across the battlefield, particularly when compared to the sluggish movements of a solid pike phalanx. Like most sophisticated city-states of the ancient world, Rome expected its men to fight, and supply their own war gear when they did so. A cynical observer might be tempted to note that the manipular Legion also made sure that the hierarchy of Rome was preserved. The youngest and least wealthy became hastati, the first line of battle in a Roman Legion. Behind them came the second line of principes, older and richer men, and finally came the triarii, the most experienced warriors. “Going to the triarii” was a Roman saying that came to be used in all kinds of situations, implying that everything else had been tried and found wanting.

Assault Bireme - Classiarii

Unit Name

Assault Bireme - Classiarii

Main Unit Key

Rom_Assault_Bireme

Land Unit Key

Rom_Marines

Naval Unit Key

roman_two

Soldiers

60

Category

Light Ship

Class

Melee Ship

Custom Battle Cost

938

Recruitment Cost

938

Upkeep Cost

234

Missile Damage

15

├ Missile Weapon

pilum1

├ Projectile

pilum1

├ Missile Damage

12

├ Missile Ap Damage

3

└ Base Reload Time

6

Accuracy

5

Range

80

Reload

0

Shots Per Minute

10

Ammunition

4

Ship Health

501

└ Ship

roman_two

Ship Speed

4

Melee Attack

24

Weapon Damage

10

├ Melee Weapon

gsword3

├ Weapon Damage

10

├ Weapon Deadliness

0

├ Armour Piercing

No

├ Bonus vs. Cavalry

0

├ Bonus vs. Elephants

0

└ Bonus vs Infantry

0

Charge Bonus

13

Melee Defence

79

├ Base Defence

21

├ Shield

shield6

└ Shield Defence

58

Armour

14

├ Armour

arm8

├ Armour Defence

14

└ Shield Armour

0

Health

22

├ Man Entity

medium_medium

├ Man Health

20

└ Bonus Hit Points

2

Base Morale

65

Abilities

Assault Bireme
  • Row Hard 10
    Increases speed for 10 strokes.
    Ship speed
Classiarii
  • Stamina (low)
    Governs how fast the unit tires and restores fatigue, and is dependent on type of unit, weight and approach to combat.

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.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Assault Bireme
  • Very poor hull strength
  • Very light crew
  • Fast speed
  • Weak ramming
  • Good boarding
Classiarii
  • Good attack
  • Average defence
  • Average damage but low armour penetration
  • Normal morale
Upgrade
Required Technology Roman Unit Upgrades Cost 600 Upgrade To Assault Bireme - Legionarii Classici
Requires Buildings
Assault Bireme - Classiarii Lv. 0 Port of Alexandria
Port of Alexandria
(dei_port_ALEXANDRIA_2)
Level 1
Port of Alexandria
Port of Alexandria
(dei_port_ALEXANDRIA_3)
Level 2
Port of Alexandria
Port of Alexandria
(dei_port_ALEXANDRIA_4)
Level 3
Cothon
Cothon
(dei_port_CARTHAGE_2)
Level 1
Cothon
Cothon
(dei_port_CARTHAGE_3)
Level 2
Cothon
Cothon
(dei_port_CARTHAGE_4)
Level 3
Port of Massalia
Port of Massalia
(dei_port_MASSILIA_2)
Level 1
Port of Massalia
Port of Massalia
(dei_port_MASSILIA_3)
Level 2
Port of Massalia
Port of Massalia
(dei_port_MASSILIA_4)
Level 3
Port of Rhodos
Port of Rhodos
(dei_port_RHODES_2)
Level 1
Port of Rhodos
Port of Rhodos
(dei_port_RHODES_3)
Level 2
Port of Rhodos
Port of Rhodos
(dei_port_RHODES_4)
Level 3
Fishing Port
Fishing Port
(rom_ROMAN_port_food_2)
Level 1
Fishmongers
Fishmongers
(rom_ROMAN_port_food_3)
Level 2
Forum Piscarium
Forum Piscarium
(rom_ROMAN_port_food_4)
Level 3
Military Wharf
Military Wharf
(rom_ROMAN_port_large_military_2)
Level 1
Drydock
Drydock
(rom_ROMAN_port_large_military_3)
Level 2
Portus Classis
Portus Classis
(rom_ROMAN_port_large_military_4)
Level 3
Fishing Port
Fishing Port
(rom_ROMAN_port_minor_food_2)
Level 1
Fishing Port
Fishing Port
(rom_ROMAN_port_minor_food_2)
Level 1
Fishmongers
Fishmongers
(rom_ROMAN_port_minor_food_3)
Level 2
Fishmongers
Fishmongers
(rom_ROMAN_port_minor_food_3)
Level 2
Shipwright
Shipwright
(rom_ROMAN_port_minor_small_military_2)
Level 1
Docks
Docks
(rom_ROMAN_port_minor_small_military_3)
Level 2
Harbour
Harbour
(rom_ROMAN_port_minor_trade_2)
Level 1
Trading Port
Trading Port
(rom_ROMAN_port_minor_trade_3)
Level 2
Shipwright
Shipwright
(rom_ROMAN_port_small_military_2)
Level 1
Docks
Docks
(rom_ROMAN_port_small_military_3)
Level 2
Coastal Patrol
Coastal Patrol
(rom_ROMAN_port_small_military_4)
Level 3
Harbour
Harbour
(rom_ROMAN_port_trade_2)
Level 1
Trading Port
Trading Port
(rom_ROMAN_port_trade_3)
Level 2
Emporium
Emporium
(rom_ROMAN_port_trade_4)
Level 3