Epirean Secessionists Melee Ship

Assault Hexeres - Agrianian Axemen

These magnificent ships are both intimidating and extremely dangerous.

A force of mobile axemen always gives a general the cutting edge over his opponent.

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.

(Agrianian Axemen)
The Agrianes were a Paeonian tribe of fierce fighters. Known for their incredible dexterity and speed, they became an auxiliary infantry unit in the army of Alexander the Great. Carrying a clutch of javelins into battle, the Agrianes were able to move fast and strike hard. They wore little or no armour to hinder them and carried no shield. Alexander employed them time and time again as front line troops in many of his major battles, where they developed into an elite missile assault unit under the command of his general Attalus, proving especially effective in mountainous areas where agility was essential and the phalanx formation proved unwieldy. Carrying axes and knives that could also be used as climbing hooks, the Agrianes were exceptional not only at climbing and traversing difficult terrain, but also when assaulting man-made defences and walls. Fiercely loyal and extremely effective, they were also used to protect siege equipment before joining the crack hypaspists for the assault. Alexander rewarded the Agrianes for their service with the right to govern their own lands. Later an elite force of Agrianes fought for Antiochus at Raphia in 217BC against Ptolemy IV.

Abilities

Assault Hexeres

• Row Hard 30
  Increases speed for 30 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

Assault Hexeres

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

Agrianian Axemen

• Short range
• Fast rate of fire
• Very good damage and armour penetration
• Very weak in melee
• Very poor morale

Epirean Secessionists Units
General (2)
1.Hellenic Royal Cavalry
2.Hellenic Royal Guard
Melee Infantry (3)
3.Mob
4.Royal Peltasts
5.Illyrian Levies
Missile Infantry (5)
6.Agrianian Axemen
7.Archers
8.Javelinmen
9.Peltasts
10.Slingers
Pike Infantry (3)
11.Levy Pikemen
12.Pikemen
13.Hellenic Royal Guard
Spear Infantry (4)
14.Citizen Hoplites
15.Hoplites
16.Militia Hoplites
17.Thureos Spears
Melee Cavalry (2)
18.Aspis Companion Cavalry
19.Citizen Cavalry
Missile Cavalry (2)
20.Skirmisher Cavalry
21.Tarantine Cavalry
Shock Cavalry (2)
22.Hellenic Royal Cavalry
23.Thessalian Cavalry
Fixed Artillery (4)
24.Greek Giant Ballista
25.Greek Polybolos
26.Greek Bastion Scorpion
27.Greek Scorpion (Fixed)
Field Artillery (7)
28.Greek Bastion Ballista
29.Greek Ballista
30.Greek Beehive Onager
31.Greek Scorpion
32.Greek Heavy Onager
33.Greek Bastion Onager
34.Greek Onager
Special (1)
35.Molossian Dogs
Admiral (3)
36.Assault Hexeres - Agrianian Axemen
37.Scorpion Trieres - Slingers
38.Assault Tetreres - Thureos Spears
Melee Ship (4)
39.Assault Hexeres - Agrianian Axemen
40.Fire Pot Dieres - Peltasts
41.Assault Dieres - Peltasts
42.Assault Tetreres - Thureos Spears
Missile Ship (7)
43.Scorpion Penteres - Archers
44.Tower Penteres - Archers
45.Missile Penteres - Archers
46.Raiding Hemiolia - Javelinmen
47.Pursuit Trihemiolia - Javelinmen
48.Scorpion Trieres - Slingers
49.Missile Trieres - Slingers
Artillery Ship (2)
50.Light Artillery Penteres - Greek Ballista (Ship)
51.Artillery Penteres - Greek Onager (Ship)