Syracuse Melee Ship

Fire Pot Dieres - Militia Hoplites

Fire pots, hurled onto enemy decks, are a terrible threat to wooden ships.

Any honest citizen can take up the shield and answer to the name of "hoplite".

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.

(Militia Hoplites)
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.

Abilities

Fire Pot Dieres

• Row Hard 10
  Increases speed for 10 strokes.
  Ship speed

Militia Hoplites

• Hoplite Wall
  The unit moves into close wall formation.
  Bracing, melee defence, shield strength
  Acceleration, speed
• Square
  The unit moves into a close square formation.
  Bracing, morale, melee defence
  Can't move
• Rapid Advance
  Improved unit movement speed over an extended period.
  Speed, acceleration, charge speed
  Exertion: fatigue

Attributes

• Hide (forest)
  This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Fire Pot Dieres

• Very poor hull strength
• Very light crew
• Fast speed
• Very strong initial ramming
• Good boarding

Militia Hoplites

• Average defensive unit
• Low damage but average armour penetration
• Weak attack
• Poor morale

Syracuse Units
General (3)
1.Hippeus Lancers
2.Hoplites
3.Picked Hoplites
Melee Infantry (5)
4.Mob
5.Thorax Swordsmen
6.Thureos Swordsmen
7.Hellenic Axemen
8.Hellenic Swordmen
Missile Infantry (7)
9.Archers
10.Javelinmen
11.Light Peltasts
12.Peltasts
13.Slingers
14.Cretan Toxotai
15.Rhodian Sphendonetai
Pike Infantry (1)
16.Pikemen
Spear Infantry (9)
17.Citizen Hoplites
18.Hoplites
19.Light Hoplites
20.Militia Hoplites
21.Picked Hoplites
22.Thorax Hoplites
23.Thureos Hoplites
24.Thureos Spears
25.Thorax Spearmen
Melee Cavalry (1)
26.Citizen Cavalry
Missile Cavalry (2)
27.Skirmisher Cavalry
28.Tarantine Cavalry
Shock Cavalry (1)
29.Hippeus Lancers
Fixed Artillery (4)
30.Greek Giant Ballista
31.Greek Polybolos
32.Greek Bastion Scorpion
33.Greek Scorpion (Fixed)
Field Artillery (7)
34.Greek Bastion Ballista
35.Greek Ballista
36.Greek Beehive Onager
37.Greek Scorpion
38.Greek Heavy Onager
39.Greek Bastion Onager
40.Greek Onager
Special (1)
41.Molossian War Dogs
Admiral (2)
42.Tower Penteres - Archers
43.Assault Hexeres - Thorax Swordsmen
Melee Ship (6)
44.Fire Pot Dieres - Light Peltasts
45.Assault Dieres - Light Peltasts
46.Fire Pot Dieres - Militia Hoplites
47.Assault Dieres - Militia Hoplites
48.Assault Hexeres - Thorax Swordsmen
49.Assault Tetreres - Thureos Spears
Missile Ship (7)
50.Scorpion Penteres - Archers
51.Tower Penteres - Archers
52.Missile Penteres - Archers
53.Raiding Hemiolia - Javelinmen
54.Pursuit Trihemiolia - Javelinmen
55.Scorpion Trieres - Slingers
56.Missile Trieres - Slingers
Artillery Ship (2)
57.Light Artillery Penteres - Greek Ballista (Ship)
58.Artillery Penteres - Greek Onager (Ship)