Cimmeria Missile Ship

Heavy Tower Hepteres - Cimmerian Heavy Archers

The threatening towers on these powerful warships should serve as a warning to enemies!

Adopt the nomad's ways if you wish to defeat him.

An arms race in warship size developed between the various nations around the Mediterranean. Size, in terms of the number of rowers, ships length and bulk and above all majesty of the vessel became as much a tool of statecraft as of warfare. A people who could afford such ships were almost certainly rich enough to withstand the strains of any war. A 'four' or quadreme was still a handy warship, able to manoeuvre in battle. The same could not be said of some of the large polyremes, a word meaning many oars. Practical archaeology shows that too many banks of oars simply don't work, so polyreme probably referred to the number of rowers: an octeres is likely to have had some eight rowers per bank of three oars, arranged in three, three, and two to an oar going up from the waterline. King Demetius of Macedon led his fleet at the battle of Salamis in 306BC from the deck of a hepteres or 'seven', but his ambitions didn't stop there. Neither did those of other kingdoms, and later lumbering warships including 'elevens', 'thirteens' and larger. As bigger ships to carry more rowers such vessels could also carry big marine contingents, arrow towers and an array of useful artillery.

(Cimmerian Heavy Archers)
Although archery was not highly thought of as a military skill in Greece, Crete produced truly excellent archers who were able to sell their services to the highest bidder as mercenaries. Firing bronze-tipped arrows from their heavy self bows, Cretan archers tended to carry shields, indicative of some additional prowess in melee, which must’ve made them an even more enticing proposition for a general hiring mercenaries for campaign. Their finest hours came when Alexander the Great hired Cretans directly into his army to support its unbeatable phalanx. Commanded by Clearchus, 500 Cretans accompanied the Macedonian phalanx into battle at Granicus, off-setting the Persians' numerical superiority on the day and enabling Alexander’s subsequent victory. Whereas the Romans didn’t traditionally use archers in their forces, once they conquered Greece Cretan archers began to appear as auxiliary troops in their armies. Notably, they fought in Caesar’s campaign in Gaul against Vercingetorix, causing him to rally the best archers the tribes could provide to range against them.

Abilities

Heavy Tower Hepteres

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

Cimmerian Heavy Archers

• Precision Shot
  Improved missile weapon damage for an extended period.
  Missile damage
  Exertion: fatigue

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

Heavy Tower Hepteres

• Exceptional hull strength
• Very heavy crew
• Very slow speed
• Strong ramming
• Good boarding
• Exceptional missile combat

Cimmerian Heavy Archers

• Long range
• Fast rate of fire
• Good damage but low armour penetration
• Very weak in melee
• Poor morale

Cimmeria Units
General (3)
1.Cimmerian Noble Infantry
2.Citizen Cavalry
3.Noble Horse Archers
Melee Infantry (1)
4.Young Axes
Missile Infantry (5)
5.Cimmerian Heavy Archers
6.Javelinmen
7.Picked Peltasts
8.Slingers
9.Steppe Archers
Spear Infantry (7)
10.Cimmerian Noble Infantry
11.Citizen Hoplites
12.Hoplites
13.Militia Hoplites
14.Scythian Hoplites
15.Steppe Spearmen
16.Tribesmen
Melee Cavalry (1)
17.Citizen Cavalry
Missile Cavalry (3)
18.Armoured Horse Archers
19.Steppe Horse Archers
20.Noble Horse Archers
Shock Cavalry (1)
21.Steppe Lancers
Fixed Artillery (4)
22.Greek Giant Ballista
23.Greek Polybolos
24.Greek Bastion Scorpion
25.Greek Scorpion (Fixed)
Field Artillery (6)
26.Greek Bastion Ballista
27.Greek Ballista
28.Greek Scorpion
29.Greek Heavy Onager
30.Greek Bastion Onager
31.Greek Onager
Admiral (2)
32.Missile Hepteres - Cimmerian Heavy Archers
33.Assault Hexeres - Scythian Hoplites
Melee Ship (5)
34.Assault Hexeres - Scythian Hoplites
35.Assault Tetreres - Young Axes
36.Assault Hexeres - Young Axes
37.Fire Pot Dieres - Young Axes
38.Assault Dieres - Young Axes
Missile Ship (9)
39.Heavy Tower Hepteres - Cimmerian Heavy Archers
40.Missile Hepteres - Cimmerian Heavy Archers
41.Raiding Hemiolia - Javelinmen
42.Pursuit Trihemiolia - Javelinmen
43.Scorpion Penteres - Slingers
44.Tower Penteres - Slingers
45.Missile Penteres - Slingers
46.Scorpion Trieres - Slingers
47.Missile Trieres - Slingers
Artillery Ship (2)
48.Light Artillery Penteres - Greek Ballista (Ship)
49.Artillery Penteres - Greek Onager (Ship)