Blemmyes Melee Ship

Assault Hexeres - Swordsmen

These magnificent ships are both intimidating and extremely dangerous.

Curved swords do terrible damage in these warriors' hands.

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.

(Swordsmen)
Although some historians use Aethiopia to refer to all of the sub-Saharan regions of Africa, it was commonly used in reference to regions in the south of Egypt that became the Kingdom of Kush. The skilled swordsmen from this area followed a long tradition of elite troops from the south that begun under the Egyptian and Nubian dynasties. Although they went into battle wearing only simple cloth armour, the Aethiopians did employ Greek thureos-like shields. These sported a central handgrip, and offered greater protection than the hide-bound wicker or wooden shields of the sub-Saharan tribes. They also used a form of khopesh-like sword that would eventually evolve into the shotel used by the later warriors of Aksum. This had a forward curving, sickle-like blade designed to reach around an opponent’s shield, either to hook it away or pierce his vital organs.

Abilities

Assault Hexeres

• Row Hard 30
  Increases speed for 30 strokes.
  Ship speed

Swordsmen

• Frenzy
  Improves a unit's charge and weapon damage for an extended period.
  Charge damage, Weapon damage
  Exertion: fatigue

Attributes

• Hide (forest)
  This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.
• Resistant to Heat
  This unit tires less quickly in the desert.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Assault Hexeres

• Very good hull strength
• Heavy crew
• Slow speed
• Strong ramming
• Very good boarding

Swordsmen

• Very good attack
• Average defence
• Average damage but low armour penetration
• Good morale

Blemmyes Units
General (7)
1.Aethiopian Cavalry
2.Swordsmen
3.Garama's Noble Guard
4.Syrtis Chosen Spearmen
5.Thapsus Noble Cavalry
6.Kandake Royal Cavalry
7.Kandake Royal Guard
Melee Infantry (14)
8.Swordsmen
9.Nubian Axe Warriors
10.Desert Swordsmen
11.Desert Axemen
12.Leopard Swordsmen
13.Lion Warriors
14.Tribal Clubs
15.Mailed Swordsmen
16.Red Sea Light Infantry
17.Tribesmen of the Oasis of Augila
18.Meroitic Sword Infantry
19.Nubian Axe Marauders
20.Garama's Noble Guard
21.Axumite Noble Infantry
Missile Infantry (7)
22.Archers
23.Javelinmen
24.Tribal Slingers
25.Tribesmen
26.Blyemmes Bowmen
27.Meroitic Archers
28.Mauri Javelinmen
Pike Infantry (2)
29.Nubian Pikes
30.Meroitic Pikemen
Spear Infantry (10)
31.Levy Spearmen
32.Desert Spearmen
33.Kandake Royal Guard
34.Herdsmen
35.Red Sea Hoplites
36.Garamantian Desert Spearmen
37.Axumite Desert Spearmen
38.Iol Spearmen
39.Garamantian Heavy Spears
40.Syrtis Chosen Spearmen
Melee Cavalry (7)
41.Aethiopian Cavalry
42.Desert Camel Spearmen
43.Nubian Cavalry
44.Blyemmes Noble Horsemen
45.Kandake Royal Cavalry
46.Axumite Desert Cavalry
47.Thapsus Noble Cavalry
Missile Cavalry (1)
48.Desert Camel Archers
Shock Cavalry (1)
49.Nubian Heavy Lancers
Elephant (1)
50.African War Elephants
Fixed Artillery (3)
51.African Giant Ballista
52.African Bastion Scorpion
53.African Scorpion (Fixed)
Field Artillery (6)
54.African Bastion Ballista
55.African Ballista
56.African Scorpion
57.African Heavy Onager
58.African Bastion Onager
59.African Onager
Admiral (2)
60.Assault Hexeres - Swordsmen
61.Scorpion Trieres - Tribal Slingers
Melee Ship (3)
62.Assault Hexeres - Swordsmen
63.Fire Pot Dieres - Levy Spearmen
64.Assault Dieres - Levy Spearmen
Missile Ship (6)
65.Tower Penteres - Archers
66.Missile Penteres - Archers
67.Scorpion Trieres - Tribal Slingers
68.Missile Trieres - Tribal Slingers
69.Raiding Hemiolia - Libyan Javelinmen
70.Pursuit Trihemiolia - Libyan Javelinmen
Artillery Ship (2)
71.Artillery Penteres - African Ballista (Ship)
72.Artillery Penteres - African Onager (Ship)