The Sassanids (Empire Divided) Melee Ship

Assault Tetreres - Persian Spearmen

Ramming attacks from these ships inflict terrible damage.

The regular standing army of Persia, their spears will hold the line.

There is a good deal of debate as to how large ancient warships worked; the principles are understood, but the details are not always so clear. A Roman 'quadreme' or Greek 'tetreres' would seem to have four rows of oars if the name is translated literally. However, it is unclear how four sets of oars each with one rower apiece could be used without them getting in a terrible tangle even with a magnificently trained crew, or how the top set of rowers would be able to handle the extremely long oars pitched at a steep angle and still produce any power. The chances are that the term 'oar' had become synonymous with 'rower' and that the lowest bank had more than one man per oar. The other option was to go back to a double row of oars, with two men apiece. Two banks of oars would also have made for a cheaper construction task for each ship. Either way, the result was a ship that could rival the lighter trireme in speed, yet had more deck space for a large fighting contingent or artillery pieces.

(Persian Spearmen)
The Persian war machine differed greatly from that of the west. Gone was the reliance on a backbone of columns and infantry; instead, the eastern empires fielded heavy cataphracts, drawn from the nobility, as their main strength. These powerful shock troops were complimented by horse or camel archers, to harry the enemy and keep them under pressure. On foot, the Persians fielded light spearmen levies supported by an elite division of archers to back the cavalry and rain death upon the enemy. Also, the cataphracts were often aided by the hammer-blow of the terrifying elephant corps, upon which great importance was placed due to its magnificent power.

Abilities

Assault Tetreres

• Row Hard 20
  Increases speed for 20 strokes.
  Ship speed

Attributes

• Hide (forest)
  This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.
• Resistant to Heat
  This unit tires less quickly in the desert.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Assault Tetreres

• Average hull strength
• Medium crew
• Average speed
• Average ramming
• Average boarding

Persian Spearmen

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

The Sassanids (Empire Divided) Units
General (4)
1.Armoured Indian War Elephants
2.Gyan-Avspar
3.Royal Sassanian Archers
4.Zhayedan Immortals
Melee Infantry (5)
5.Daylamite Infantry
6.Hamspah Infantry
7.Immortal Infantry
8.Immortal Infantry Guard
9.Persian Light Infantry
Missile Infantry (4)
10.Anatolian Slingers
11.Kurdish Archers
12.Persian Skirmishers
13.Royal Archers
Spear Infantry (4)
14.Immortal Spear Guard
15.Immortal Spears
16.Persian Spearmen
17.Sassanian Levy Spearmen
Melee Cavalry (7)
18.Camel Spearmen
19.Daylamite Cavalry
20.Eastern Scouts
21.Elite Savaran Cavalry
22.Savaran Cavalry
23.Zhayedan Immortals
24.Zhayedan Immortals
Missile Cavalry (7)
25.Armoured Camel Archers
26.Camel Archers
27.Eastern Horse Archers
28.Eastern Horse Skirmishers
29.Persian Horse Archers
30.Royal Sassanian Archers
31.Royal Sassanian Archers
Shock Cavalry (6)
32.Camel Cataphracts
33.Grivpanvar Cataphracts
34.Gyan-Avspar
35.Gyan-Avspar
36.Pushtigban Cataphracts
37.Savaran Cataphracts
Elephant (3)
38.Armoured Indian War Elephants
39.Armoured Indian War Elephants
40.Indian War Elephants
Fixed Artillery (3)
41.Eastern Giant Ballista
42.Eastern Scorpion (Fixed)
43.Eastern Bastion Scorpion
Field Artillery (7)
44.Eastern Ballista
45.Eastern Bastion Ballista
46.Eastern Scorpion
47.Eastern Large Onager
48.Eastern Onager
49.Eastern Bastion Onager
50.Scorpion Pot Ballista
Admiral (2)
51.Assault Hexeres - Immortal Infantry
52.Missile Penteres - Kurdish Archers
Melee Ship (6)
53.Assault Dieres - Hamspah Infantry
54.Assault Hexeres - Immortal Infantry
55.Assault Hexeres - Immortal Infantry
56.Assault Tetreres - Persian Spearmen
57.Fire Pot Dieres - Hamspah Infantry
58.Assault Hexeres - Immortal Spears
Missile Ship (8)
59.Missile Penteres - Kurdish Archers
60.Missile Penteres - Kurdish Archers
61.Missile Trieres - Anatolian Slingers
62.Pursuit Trihemiolia - Persian Skirmishers
63.Raiding Hemiolia - Persian Skirmishers
64.Scorpion Penteres - Kurdish Archers
65.Scorpion Trieres - Anatolian Slingers
66.Tower Penteres - Kurdish Archers
Artillery Ship (2)
67.Artillery Penteres - Eastern Onager (Ship)
68.Light Artillery Penteres - Eastern Ballista (Ship)