Massilia Missile Ship

Scorpion Penteres - Celtic Slingers

Deadly accurate dart-throwers give these ships a significant crew-killing potential.

These slingers, eager for glory in battle, are highly effective skirmishers.

The 'five', called a quinquereme in Latin and a penteres in Greek, was a ship first used by the Syracusans against the Carthaginians sometime around 398BC. Like other polyremes, a term meaning many-oared, the chances were that it did not have five banks of oars but that the word 'oar' was used to mean 'rower'. In such a case, the arrangement of rowers would be two-two-one going up from the waterline. It makes sense to keep as much weight as possible low in the vessel to help its stability; a high centre of gravity makes any ship liable to capsize if struck from the side. The quinquereme, then, would be a formidable vessel both in terms of appearance and combat value. With a large fighting contingent aboard and plenty of deck space, this heavy vessel could cope with most enemies and threats.

(Celtic Slingers)
As far as the Celts were concerned, the best way to kill a man was in hand-to-hand combat. The Celts thought there was great value in personal bravery and there was no honour in killing from a distance. Even so, slingers, javelinmen and archers still had their place on the battlefield. It was often the only way that some Celts could go to war: Celtic warriors paid for their own equipment, so only the wealthy could afford, or had the right to carry, fine armour and weapons. Skirmishers were usually the poor: freemen who served as clients to the noble class. While they could never hope to achieve the same status as their noble masters, they could still prove their worth in the cut and thrust of battle.

Abilities

Scorpion Penteres

• Row Hard 20
  Increases speed for 20 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

Scorpion Penteres

• Good hull strength
• Medium crew
• Average speed
• Average ramming
• Poor boarding
• Very good missile combat

Celtic Slingers

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

Massilia Units
General (3)
1.Hippeus Lancers
2.Hoplites
3.Massilian Hoplites
Melee Infantry (3)
4.Axe Warriors
5.Celtic Warriors
6.Thorax Swordsmen
Missile Infantry (3)
7.Celtic Skirmishers
8.Celtic Slingers
9.Peltasts
Spear Infantry (7)
10.Levy Freemen
11.Celtic Tribesmen
12.Citizen Hoplites
13.Hoplites
14.Light Hoplites
15.Massilian Hoplites
16.Massilian Thureos Spears
Melee Cavalry (3)
17.Light Horse
18.Citizen Cavalry
19.Massilian Cavalry
Missile Cavalry (2)
20.Skirmisher Cavalry
21.Tarantine Cavalry
Shock Cavalry (1)
22.Hippeus Lancers
Fixed Artillery (4)
23.Greek Giant Ballista
24.Greek Polybolos
25.Greek Bastion Scorpion
26.Greek Scorpion (Fixed)
Field Artillery (6)
27.Greek Bastion Ballista
28.Greek Ballista
29.Greek Scorpion
30.Greek Heavy Onager
31.Greek Bastion Onager
32.Greek Onager
Admiral (2)
33.Greek Missile Penteres - Celtic Slingers
34.Assault Tetreres - Hoplites
Melee Ship (3)
35.Assault Dieres - Celtic Tribesmen
36.Assault Tetreres - Hoplites
37.Assault Hexeres - Thureos Spears
Missile Ship (7)
38.Raiding Hemiolia - Celtic Skirmishers
39.Pursuit Trihemiolia - Celtic Skirmishers
40.Scorpion Penteres - Celtic Slingers
41.Tower Penteres - Celtic Slingers
42.Greek Missile Penteres - Celtic Slingers
43.Scorpion Trieres - Celtic Slingers
44.Missile Trieres - Celtic Slingers
Artillery Ship (2)
45.Light Artillery Penteres - Greek Ballista (Ship)
46.Artillery Penteres - Greek Onager (Ship)