Hellenic Rebels Melee Ship

Assault Hexeres - Thureos Spears

These magnificent ships are both intimidating and extremely dangerous.

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

As centuries passed, naval tactics and needs changed across the Mediterranean. There was a move towards larger ships, partly as an expression of national or dynastic power: the Ptolemaic rulers of Egypt were particularly fond of large ships to show their wealth and influence in a physical way. These 'polyremes', a term meaning many oared, were not suitable for ramming work in battle. In practice many of them had no more oars than smaller ships; what they had were more rowers per oar than smaller ships. A Roman hexareme or Greek hexeres would have a couple of banks of oars with three men per oar, and appear to be an over-sized version of a smaller ship. Even so, thanks to being tremendously heavy and strongly constructed, they were slow moving, and hardly capable of the quick turns needed to take advantage of enemy mistakes. Instead the large ships made use of their wide decks and plentiful carrying capacities and became fighting platforms for infantry and artillery. Boarding or long-range bombardment were the methods to be used to defeat the enemy; naval warfare had come full circle in terms of fighting methods, even if ships had grown significantly.

(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

Assault Hexeres

• Row Hard 30
  Increases speed for 30 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

Assault Hexeres

• Very good hull strength
• Heavy crew
• Slow speed
• Strong ramming
• Very good boarding

Thureos Spears

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

Hellenic Rebels Units
General (2)
1.Citizen Cavalry
2.Hoplites
Melee Infantry (2)
3.Galatian Swords
4.Mob
Missile Infantry (6)
5.Archers
6.Javelinmen
7.Light Peltasts
8.Peltasts
9.Picked Peltasts
10.Slingers
Pike Infantry (2)
11.Levy Pikemen
12.Pikemen
Spear Infantry (5)
13.Galatian Spears
14.Agema Spears
15.Hoplites
16.Militia Hoplites
17.Thureos Spears
Melee Cavalry (2)
18.Light Horse
19.Citizen Cavalry
Missile Cavalry (2)
20.Skirmisher Cavalry
21.Tarantine Cavalry
Shock Cavalry (2)
22.Hippeus Lancers
23.Pergamenes Noble Cavalry
Fixed Artillery (4)
24.Greek Giant Ballista
25.Greek Polybolos
26.Greek Bastion Scorpion
27.Greek Scorpion (Fixed)
Field Artillery (6)
28.Greek Bastion Ballista
29.Greek Ballista
30.Greek Scorpion
31.Greek Heavy Onager
32.Greek Bastion Onager
33.Greek Onager
Admiral (2)
34.Tower Penteres - Archers
35.Assault Tetreres - Thureos Spears
Melee Ship (4)
36.Assault Tetreres - Hoplites
37.Fire Pot Dieres - Peltasts
38.Assault Dieres - Peltasts
39.Assault Hexeres - Thureos Spears
Missile Ship (6)
40.Scorpion Penteres - Archers
41.Missile Penteres - Archers
42.Raiding Hemiolia - Javelinmen
43.Pursuit Trihemiolia - Javelinmen
44.Scorpion Trieres - Slingers
45.Missile Trieres - Slingers
Artillery Ship (2)
46.Light Artillery Penteres - Greek Ballista (Ship)
47.Artillery Penteres - Greek Onager (Ship)