The Sassanids (Empire Divided) Missile Ship

Missile Trieres - Anatolian Slingers

A large contingent of archers can make short work of enemy crews.

There will always be more ammunition for a slingshot, no matter how lengthy the campaign.

Of all the warships found in the ancient world, it is the trireme, or trieres, that remains the most famous and recognisable. Nearly all Hollywood 'sword and sandal' movies will include a trireme somewhere. The vessel was entirely designed for war. Its name came from the three rows of oars carried on each side, stacked above each other in staggered columns to give the rowers some room to work. The top row of oars pivoted on a rowlock, or oarlock, mounted on an outrigger projecting from the hull. This allowed the top oars to pitch down at a sharper angle to reach the sea without getting tangled in the lower ones. The trireme was a greyhound of a ship, capable of high-speed dashes with a well-trained crew and, contrary to popular belief, not all rowers were slaves. Aboard Greek vessels they were citizens, and were given respect, not the lash. They were also largely fair-weather ships, and unsuited to rough seas such as the Atlantic; the lowest level of oars were, at most, less than half a metre above the waterline. That, however, did not stop the trireme being a superb weapon against other ships: a high-speed ramming attack could rip a hole in the side of almost any target. The type was also large enough to be used in other ways, which lead to it carrying archers and assorted light artillery pieces.

(Anatolian Slingers)
Anatolia lies south of the Black Sea, and its people were subject to many influences as their territory frequently changed hands between rulers as the balance of power ebbed and flowed. The tradition of using slings on the battlefield reaches back as far as the 6th century BC, when all of Anatolia was under Achaemenid Persian rule. From that point on, Anatolians saw almost constant conflict in their homeland, from the Greco-Persian Wars to the later clashes between Rome and Parthia. Despite not having access to good equipment, Anatolia's slingers were some of the deadliest wielders of the humble rock in the known world, able to take out enemy units over a considerable distance and quickly disengage.

Abilities

Missile Trieres

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

Attributes

• Resistant to Fatigue
  Fatigue has less of an effect on this unit.
• Hide (scrub & forest)
  This unit can hide in scrub and forest until enemy units get too close.
• Resistant to Heat
  This unit tires less quickly in the desert.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Missile Trieres

• Poor hull strength
• Light crew
• Fast speed
• Weak ramming
• Poor boarding
• Average missile combat

Anatolian Slingers

• Very long range
• Average rate of fire
• Low damage but average armour penetration
• Very weak in melee
• Very poor morale

The Sassanids (Empire Divided) Units
General (4)
1.Armoured Indian War Elephants
2.Gyan-Avspar
3.Royal Sassanian Archers
4.Zhayedan Immortals
Melee Infantry (5)
5.Daylamite Infantry
6.Hamspah Infantry
7.Immortal Infantry
8.Immortal Infantry Guard
9.Persian Light Infantry
Missile Infantry (4)
10.Anatolian Slingers
11.Kurdish Archers
12.Persian Skirmishers
13.Royal Archers
Spear Infantry (4)
14.Immortal Spear Guard
15.Immortal Spears
16.Persian Spearmen
17.Sassanian Levy Spearmen
Melee Cavalry (7)
18.Camel Spearmen
19.Daylamite Cavalry
20.Eastern Scouts
21.Elite Savaran Cavalry
22.Savaran Cavalry
23.Zhayedan Immortals
24.Zhayedan Immortals
Missile Cavalry (7)
25.Armoured Camel Archers
26.Camel Archers
27.Eastern Horse Archers
28.Eastern Horse Skirmishers
29.Persian Horse Archers
30.Royal Sassanian Archers
31.Royal Sassanian Archers
Shock Cavalry (6)
32.Camel Cataphracts
33.Grivpanvar Cataphracts
34.Gyan-Avspar
35.Gyan-Avspar
36.Pushtigban Cataphracts
37.Savaran Cataphracts
Elephant (3)
38.Armoured Indian War Elephants
39.Armoured Indian War Elephants
40.Indian War Elephants
Fixed Artillery (3)
41.Eastern Giant Ballista
42.Eastern Scorpion (Fixed)
43.Eastern Bastion Scorpion
Field Artillery (7)
44.Eastern Ballista
45.Eastern Bastion Ballista
46.Eastern Scorpion
47.Eastern Large Onager
48.Eastern Onager
49.Eastern Bastion Onager
50.Scorpion Pot Ballista
Admiral (2)
51.Assault Hexeres - Immortal Infantry
52.Missile Penteres - Kurdish Archers
Melee Ship (6)
53.Assault Dieres - Hamspah Infantry
54.Assault Hexeres - Immortal Infantry
55.Assault Hexeres - Immortal Infantry
56.Assault Tetreres - Persian Spearmen
57.Fire Pot Dieres - Hamspah Infantry
58.Assault Hexeres - Immortal Spears
Missile Ship (8)
59.Missile Penteres - Kurdish Archers
60.Missile Penteres - Kurdish Archers
61.Missile Trieres - Anatolian Slingers
62.Pursuit Trihemiolia - Persian Skirmishers
63.Raiding Hemiolia - Persian Skirmishers
64.Scorpion Penteres - Kurdish Archers
65.Scorpion Trieres - Anatolian Slingers
66.Tower Penteres - Kurdish Archers
Artillery Ship (2)
67.Artillery Penteres - Eastern Onager (Ship)
68.Light Artillery Penteres - Eastern Ballista (Ship)