Dacia (Imperator Augustus) Missile Ship

Missile Raider - Dacian Skirmishers

These ships keep a contingent of archers aboard to harry enemy crews.

These skirmishers are used to plague an enemy line with repeated volleys of javelins.

Most of the northern European tribes were not naval powers, but there were still able seafarers to be found amongst them. Shipbuilding techniques were well understood, so while many vessels were small leather-skinned boats for inland and inshore use, bigger sea-going vessels were also made. Shipwrights used heavy planking for hulls, stitched together and then fastened to a wooden skeleton to create sturdy craft able to cope with Atlantic conditions. Julius Caesar was surprised at the quality of the enemy ships when his fleet clashed with the Veneti from modern-day Brittany. The Veneti vessels had flat bottoms to cope with shallows, but were also of heavy oak construction to cope with rough seas. This made them tough opposition for Roman galleys, and capable of shrugging off a ramming attack. Caesar said that the enemy ships "...were constructed of planks a foot in breadth, fastened by iron spikes the thickness of a man's thumb; the anchors were secured fast by iron chains instead of cables”. When the Romans were forced to board, they faced fearsome warriors used to close-quarters fighting at sea.

(Dacian Skirmishers)
The javelin is among the oldest weapons in the world. Equipped with javelins and little else, skirmishers harried their opposite numbers and peppered hoplite phalanxes before quickly retreating. This was the typical tactic of all unarmoured, javelin-armed troops: to engage at range and then fall back behind more heavily-armoured infantry, or continue attacks while trying to stay just out of reach of the enemy. Such harassment could be highly effective, in 391BC at the Battle of Lechaeum, a force of Spartans, lacking the support of skirmishers or cavalry, were severely punished by javelin-armed Athenians who refused to meet them at close quarters. Over time, shields became common, such as those used by Thracian and Greek peltasts, but in turn these were rendered obsolescent by the Hellenic thureophoroi. Nevertheless, javelinmen and other irregulars continued to play a part in many armies throughout antiquity.

Abilities

Missile Raider

• 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.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Missile Raider

• Good hull strength
• Medium crew
• Fast speed
• Weak ramming
• Poor boarding
• Good missile combat

Dacian Skirmishers

• Short range
• Fast rate of fire
• Very good damage and armour penetration
• Very weak in melee
• Very poor morale

Dacia (Imperator Augustus) Units
General (3)
1.Noble Horsemen
2.Noble Spears
3.Noble Swords
Melee Infantry (2)
4.Falxmen
5.Noble Swords
Missile Infantry (4)
6.Dacian Bowmen
7.Dacian Heavy Bowmen
8.Dacian Heavy Skirmishers
9.Dacian Skirmishers
Spear Infantry (6)
10.Armoured Spears
11.Heavy Spears
12.Noble Spears
13.Spear Warriors
14.Spears
15.Dacian Tribesmen
Melee Cavalry (1)
16.Spear Horsemen
Missile Cavalry (1)
17.Bow Horsemen
Shock Cavalry (1)
18.Noble Horsemen
Fixed Artillery (3)
19.Dacian Giant Ballista
20.Dacian Bastion Scorpion
21.Dacian Scorpion (Fixed)
Field Artillery (6)
22.Dacian Bastion Ballista
23.Dacian Ballista
24.Dacian Scorpion
25.Dacian Heavy Onager
26.Dacian Bastion Onager
27.Dacian Onager
Admiral (1)
28.Heavy Raider - Falxmen
Melee Ship (4)
29.Heavy Raider - Falxmen
30.Persian Assault Teteres - Heavy Spears
31.Medium Assault Raider - Heavy Spears
32.Assault Raider - Spears
Missile Ship (2)
33.Greek Missile Penteres - Dacian Bowmen
34.Missile Raider - Dacian Skirmishers
Artillery Ship (2)
35.Roman Light Artillery Quinquereme - Dacian Ballista (Ship)
36.Roman Artillery Quinquereme - Dacian Onager (Ship)