Unit Browser for RTR: Imperium Surrectum

Short description

Light, mobile spearmen with poor morale. Fare moderately against cavalry and light infantry, but beware of heavy troops!

Description

The lands of the East have seen many Empires come and go, and now the air is more tumultuous than ever with the coming of the Macedonian successor factions. These men's homes have over the years been ruled by Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Alexander the Great, and now the splinter kingdoms of the latest conqueror's Empire have control of these men as part of their fighting forces. Initially developed for chasing down unorganised tribal armies on the plains of Asia, they still do that job extremely effectively, although it is hard to find tribes in Mesopotamia any more since the Macedonians arrived. They also appear frequently in the armies of the Parthians, Pontics and Armenians.

These men are civilians, farmers and traders whose rulers have dragged them off to fight. For such poorly motivated men, they fight quite well, as most of the armies who use them treat them as an important part of their army. The Greeks, however, look down upon them as inferior to their hoplites and phalangites, and these men often become pike fodder for other Diadochi. Even so, these men are familiar with the hot and arid desert environment, unlike many of their Hellenic counterparts, and their large wicker shields provide good protection due to their flexibility, although in a prolonged fight against professional infantry these are not good enough.

With good encouragement and support, their simple spears and shields are all these men need to hold off infantry for a little while to provide time for cavalry to outflank the enemy, and that is where these men's strengths lie: either in providing a flexible light infantry force to help protect the vulnerable flanks of the phalanx, or in holding a foe in place so they can outflank them with chariots, horse archers, cavalry or even elephants!