Pontus (Imperator Augustus) Melee Ship

Tower Hexeres - Pontic Swordsmen

From a shipboard tower, all enemies become little targets to be potted at will.

A volley of javelins announces these men; their swords eloquently make a general's point.

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.

(Pontic Swordsmen)
Employing Celtic shortswords or the xiphos, with its very similar blade-shape, these heavily-armoured elite swordsmen acted as frontline and shock infantry in Pontic armies. Garbed in scale armour and carrying thureos shields, they were equipped with javelins in addition to their swords. When charging or receiving a charge, they would throw their javelins at close range, draw their swords and attack before their enemy had chance to recover. This has led to them being referred to as imitation legionaries and the suggestion that they copied the fighting style of the Roman Legions. Over the course of the three Mithridatic Wars, waged between Pontus and Rome from 88-63BC, there was certainly time to recruit and reorganise the Pontic army on the Roman model. However, such infantry may equally have developed under the influence of the Celtic Galatian settlers or the Hellenic thorakitai, a more heavily armoured form of thureophoroi. Whatever the case, Pontic swordsmen were well disciplined and equipped, and highly effective in battle.

Abilities

Tower Hexeres

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

Pontic Swordsmen

• Shieldwall
  The unit moves into a close formation and raises shields.
  Armour strength, bracing, melee defence, shield strength
  Limited speed

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.
• Resistant to Heat
  This unit tires less quickly in the desert.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Tower Hexeres

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

Pontic Swordsmen

• Good attack
• Average defence
• Average damage but low armour penetration
• Normal morale

Pontus (Imperator Augustus) Units
General (4)
1.Pontic Swordsmen
2.Bronze Shield Pikemen
3.Pontic Royal Cavalry
4.Scythed Chariots
Melee Infantry (3)
5.Hillmen
6.Mob
7.Pontic Swordsmen
Missile Infantry (4)
8.Eastern Archers
9.Eastern Javelinmen
10.Pontic Peltasts
11.Eastern Slingers
Pike Infantry (3)
12.Bronze Shield Pikemen
13.Levy Pikemen
14.Pikemen
Spear Infantry (3)
15.Eastern Spearmen
16.Hoplites
17.Thureos Spears
Melee Cavalry (3)
18.Cappadocian Cavalry
19.Noble Blood Cavalry
20.Citizen Cavalry
Missile Cavalry (1)
21.Horse Skirmishers
Shock Cavalry (1)
22.Pontic Royal Cavalry
Chariot (1)
23.Scythed Chariots
Fixed Artillery (3)
24.Eastern Giant Ballista
25.Eastern Bastion Scorpion
26.Eastern Scorpion (Fixed)
Field Artillery (7)
27.Eastern Bastion Ballista
28.Eastern Ballista
29.Eastern Scorpion
30.Eastern Large Onager
31.Eastern Bastion Onager
32.Eastern Onager
33.Scorpion Pot Ballista
Admiral (3)
34.Tower Penteres - Eastern Archers
35.Assault Tetreres - Hillmen
36.Tower Hexeres - Pontic Swordsmen
Melee Ship (5)
37.Assault Tetreres - Hillmen
38.Tower Hexeres - Pontic Swordsmen
39.Assault Hexeres - Pontic Swordsmen
40.Fire Pot Dieres - Thureos Spears
41.Assault Dieres - Thureos Spears
Missile Ship (7)
42.Scorpion Penteres - Eastern Archers
43.Tower Penteres - Eastern Archers
44.Missile Penteres - Eastern Archers
45.Scorpion Trieres - Eastern Archers
46.Missile Trieres - Eastern Archers
47.Raiding Hemiolia - Eastern Javelinmen
48.Pursuit Trihemiolia - Pontic Peltasts
Artillery Ship (2)
49.Light Artillery Penteres - Eastern Ballista (Ship)
50.Artillery Penteres - Eastern Onager (Ship)