Baktria Melee Ship

Fire Pot Dieres - Thureos Spears

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

These well-trained warriors are a flexible force of skirmishing hoplites.

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.

(Thureos Spears)
Light Greek infantry, the thureophoroi developed around the early 4th century BC, and straddled the gap between the phalanx and the skirmishing peltasts. Named after the thureos, their large oval shields, they were more heavily armoured than the traditional Thracian and Greek peltast. Able to both skirmish and form up as a phalanx, they were used to guard the flanks and protect other light troops. Their shield, normally made from wood and covered with leather, had a central handgrip that was protected by a vertical spine and a metal boss-like strip, and may have been inspired by Celtic or Roman shields of the time. Like the longer sarissa, the spears used by the thureophoroi had a weighted butt-spike to provide balance, but this also allowed them to throw javelins, if so equipped, by jamming their spears into the ground. Able to fulfil a variety of roles, thureophoroi were common amongst both citizen and mercenary units of the Greek city-states until they were eclipsed by the Macedonian phalanxes of Phillip II and Alexander the Great.

Abilities

Fire Pot Dieres

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

Thureos Spears

• Square
  The unit moves into a close square formation.
  Bracing, morale, melee defence
  Can't move

Attributes

• Disciplined
  This unit does not suffer a morale penalty when the general dies. It can also rally after routing more often.
• Formation Attack
  The unit will try to stay in formation when in melee.
• 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

Thureos Spears

• Good defensive unit
• Low damage but average armour penetration
• Average attack
• Normal morale

Baktria Units
General (5)
1.Bactrian Horse Archers
2.Bactrian Royal Cavalry
3.Bactrian Royal Guard
4.Hellenic Cataphracts
5.Indian Armoured Elephants
Melee Infantry (3)
6.Bactrian Hillmen
7.Mob
8.Thorax Swordsmen
Missile Infantry (7)
9.Bactrian Peltasts
10.Elite Persian Archers
11.Eastern Javelinmen
12.Persian Light Archers
13.Eastern Slingers
14.Light Peltasts
15.Peltasts
Pike Infantry (3)
16.Levy Pikemen
17.Pikemen
18.Thorax Pikemen
Spear Infantry (4)
19.Bactrian Royal Guard
20.Scale Thorax Hoplites
21.Eastern Spearmen
22.Thureos Spears
Melee Cavalry (3)
23.Bactrian Light Horse
24.Bactrian Noble Horse
25.Citizen Cavalry
Missile Cavalry (3)
26.Bactrian Horse Archers
27.Horse Archers
28.Horse Skirmishers
Shock Cavalry (2)
29.Bactrian Royal Cavalry
30.Hellenic Cataphracts
Elephant (2)
31.Indian Armoured Elephants
32.Indian War Elephants
Fixed Artillery (4)
33.Greek Giant Ballista
34.Greek Polybolos
35.Greek Bastion Scorpion
36.Greek Scorpion (Fixed)
Field Artillery (6)
37.Greek Bastion Ballista
38.Greek Ballista
39.Greek Scorpion
40.Greek Heavy Onager
41.Greek Bastion Onager
42.Greek Onager
Admiral (2)
43.Assault Tetreres - Bactrian Hillmen
44.Tower Penteres - Persian Light Archers
Melee Ship (3)
45.Assault Tetreres - Bactrian Hillmen
46.Fire Pot Dieres - Thureos Spears
47.Assault Dieres - Thureos Spears
Missile Ship (7)
48.Raiding Hemiolia - Eastern Javelinmen
49.Pursuit Trihemiolia - Eastern Javelinmen
50.Scorpion Penteres - Persian Light Archers
51.Tower Penteres - Persian Light Archers
52.Missile Penteres - Persian Light Archers
53.Scorpion Trieres - Eastern Slingers
54.Missile Trieres - Eastern Slingers
Artillery Ship (2)
55.Light Artillery Penteres - Greek Ballista (Ship)
56.Artillery Penteres - Greek Onager (Ship)