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Cian McGuire
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Philadelphia, PA
Aug 2001
time: 00:23
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Unit Information:
Cheti:
As the Bulgarian replacement of the Guerilla, Cheti require no strategic resources to build, and aren't any stronger than a stardard Guerilla; however, Cheti do possess extraordinary movement skills by knowing the terrain so well, and therefore treat all terrain as roads and exert a zone of control.
6/6/1, 9 Shields, no resources, all terrain as roads
The term "Cheti" (singular: "Cheta") is the Bulgarian term for small armed groups of revolutionary fighters. The Cheti gained their first combat experiences during the fight for Bulgaria's independence from the Ottoman Empire. Georgi Rakovski (1821-67) began to organize the Cheti from Bucharest with the intent that they would cause unrest inside the Empire proper. Consisting of five to ten men, with a plan to have one cheta per town, and organized with the goal to being able to mobilize quickly and rapidly respond to threats. Recruitment was carried out in the utmost secrecy, and all orders were given by word of mouth to maintain that secrecy.
Although poorly armed and vastly under-manned (sometimes as high as ten Turks to 1 cheti-member), the Cheti fought fierce battles and gained legendary reputations amongst the Turks. With Bulgarian autonomy obtained in 1878, due in no small part to the Cheti and other, related revolutionary organizations, the official revolutionary aspect of the Cheti lost it's importance- however the term and its traditions became to be associated with smaller, partisan groups of fighters which fought in the Balkan Wars of 1912-13, the Great War of 1914-18, and the Second World War of 1939-45.
Fotfänikor:
The Fotfänikor is the Swedish replacement of Medieval Infantry; while it's only slightly stronger defensively than its standard counterpart and it has a population cost of one, it requires no support once built.
The Fotfänikor upgrades to the Guerilla and requires iron to be built.
4/3/1, 4 Shields, 1 population cost, iron, upgrades to Guerilla
The Fotfänikor stems from the reorganization of the Swedish army into a permanent, national army by King Gustav Vasa I. He realized that the existing army of cavalry as provided by the nobles and an infantry force of peasants strengthened with hired mercenary companies was exceedingly expensive. Therefore, in 1536 he took the first steps towards organizing a new army through two principles: one, that the army should be nationalized, and two, that the soldiers should have a craft with a small piece of land for their disposal. The foot soldiers were called Fotfänikor and divided into "rote"- a regiment based on households.
It was this army that allowed Sweden to become considered as the strongest Protestant nation during the Thirty Years War of 1618 to 1648 when Sweden was allied with the strongest Catholic nation, France, at a time when it was Protestant versus Catholic feuding that lead to the beginning of the war.
Hussar:
The Hussar is Hungary's answer to the Knight. They're not as strong defensively as the Knight, due to having lighter armor; however, they can strike rapidly and repeatedly, and their lighter horses are extremely adept at navigating the hills of Central Europe.
A Hungarian city must have horses and iron in its Strategic Resource box to be able to build the Hussar.
4/2/2, 6 Shields, horse and iron, zone of control, blitz, ignores hill cost, upgrades to Cavalry
Although the term "hussar" originated as late as the fifteenth century, the tradition of Hungary's light, skirmishing cavalry dates back much further. The nomadic light cavalry of the Hungarian tribes fought as mercenaries and allies alongside of the Byzantium, Bulgarian, and Holy Roman Empires at different periods throughout history. Though they gained their international popularity during a stint in the employ of the French Sun-King, Louis XIV, and several countries adopted cavalry regiments similar to the hussars in dress and tactics, the true beginnings of the hussars lie in the Hungarian adoption of the chivalrous attitudes prevelant throughout Europe in the Middle Ages.
Lancer:
The Polish Lancer replaces the standard Cavalry. Stronger offensively and faster than their standard counterparts, Lancers do not possess as strong of a defensive rating, so make sure they are adequately protected. Due to its speed a Lancer also exerts a zone of control.
A Polish city requires horses and saltpeter in its Strategic Resources to be able to build the Lancer.
7/2/4, 8 Shields, horses and saltpeter, zone of control
The Polish Lancers gained their fame and accolades as a result of Napolean Bonaparte organizing the light cavalry regiments that populated Poland (or as Bonparte prefered to call it, the Grand Duchy of Warsaw) into a cohesive and loyal force. The Lancers fought in Spain and participated in Napolean's disasterous Russian campaign, and after his exile to Elba they were the only troops he allowed on the island.
In the years after the Congress of Vienna, all the major West European powers tried to recruit the Polish Lancers to their own armies, but due to the shortage of actual Polish troops the countries were compelled to raise their own lancers dressed and equipped on the Polish model.
Scythian Horseman:
The Scythian Horseman replaces the standard Horseman for Ukraine, and is slightly stronger offensively. In addition, the Scythian Horseman has the ability to attack multiple times in one turn. Horses are required in the Strategic Resource box of the city that wishes to build a Scythian Horseman.
A Scythian Horseman can be upgraded to a Knight.
3/1/2, 4 Shields, horse, zone of control, blitz, upgrades to Knight
The Scythians flourished from the 8th to the 4th century B.C., thanks in part to their excellent horsemanship skills. Spirtual precursors of later nomadic horse-riding tribes which attacked from Central Asia, the Scythian Horseman was known throughout the Greek-speaking world as war-like and violent. Due to the strength of their horsemen, the Scythians established suzerainty over a wide swath of land "from the Danube on the west to the borders of China on the east". This 'kingdom' came to be more ephemeral than lasting, but not before the Scythians invaded Mesopotamia and Syria, threatened Judah, and fought off the Greeks under Alexander and the Persians under Darius.
Sea Beggar:
The Sea Beggar replaces the Musketman for the Dutch, and has a slightly increased attack strength, yet a slightly decreased defensive strength. To showcase the sea-faring ways of the Sea Beggar, they are also amphibious.
A Dutch city requires saltpeter in its Strategic Resource box to be able to build a Sea Beggar.
5/3/1, 8 Shields, saltpeter, amphibious, upgrades to Infantry
As the Dutch fought for their independence from the Spanish-Austrian Empire of the Habsburgs, William the Silent and his fellow Confederates petitioned the reigning Duchess, Margaret of Parma, to right the wrongs inflicted on the Protestant Dutch by their Catholic rulers. After hearing the petition, the Duchess held a debate amongst her ministers and one of that number, Count Berlaymont (a keen partisan of Rome and Spain) argued vehemently against the demands of the Confederates. "Why, madam," he said, "why should you be afraid of these beggars?" After the Confederates heard of the slight they adopted it as a badge of honor; "Beggars, you call us," said they, "henceforth we shall be known as beggars."
At first the term "Sea Beggar" was applied to the vessels of Flemish refugees as they preyed on the merchandise of the ships sailing from the Netherlands (which was still under Spanish control). Yet it occured to William that these "terrible beggars" might serve well in the cause of the country's emancipation, he arranged for their ordering as warriors of the United Provinces. It was this ordered fleet that was expelled from English ports under duress from Spain and weighed anchor at Brill, a small yet heavily fortified town at the mouth of the River Meuse. Under Admiral de la Marck, the Sea Beggars stormed the town and captured it in the name of William of Orange.
The Sea Beggars trumped this performance in the defense of Brill shortly thereafter. As the Spanish fleet plied into the harbor, the citizens of Brill fled, and the Sea Beggars prepared for siege. As the Spanish troops rushed the gates, the Beggars opened the sluice of one of the water-walls, or dykes, and rushed out the opposite gate. They quickly rowed across the harbor and set fire to the mostly-deserted Spanish fleet. When the Spaniards saw their ships beginning to blaze, and marked the waves steadily rising around them, they were seized with panic, and made a hasty retreat along the ****. Many perished in the waves, and the rest escaping to the fleet crowded into the vessels that remained unburned, weighed anchor and set sail. The inhabitants who had fled at first returned, had their names registered, and swore allegiance to the Prince of Orange.
Trireme:
The Trireme replaces the Galley for the Phoenicians. Due to superior construction techniques, better materials found in the Cedars of Lebanon, and the plotting of reliable celestial reference points, the Phoenician Trireme is both faster and stronger than its standard counterpart, and can enter and end turns in sea squares, but not ocean squares.
The Trireme upgrades to the Frigate.
2/1/4, 3 Shields, transports 3, sinks in oceans, upgrades to Frigate
The destruction of the Minoan civilization around 1400 BC and the decline of the Egyptian empire left the mEditerranean open to newcomes, espeically to the Phoenicians and the emerging Greek kingdoms. The Phoenicians had been at sea for some time, and were traders rather than warriors. However, due to the war-like nature of the region, the Phoenicians were not inexperienced in the ways of fighting on the waves and incorporated many features from a variety of sources.
The epitome of the naval arts of the time was the trireme, and reached its highest point of development in the eastern Mediterranean during the 5th century BC. Light, fast, and maneuverable, it was the principal naval vessel with which Persia, Phoenicia, and the Greek city-states vied for mastery of the seas from the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC through the end of the Peloponnesian War in 404. Thr trireme's unprecedented propulsive power was achieved by the arrangement of 170 oarsmen in three tiers along each side of the vessel; the ship was said to have been capable of speeds greater than 7 knots and perhaps as high as 9 knots under oars. The principle armament was a bronze-clad ram, which extended from the keel at about the waterline and was designed to pierce the hulls of enemy warships. In addition, the ship carried a complement of spearmen and bowmen who attacked enemy crewmen or attempted to board their vessels.
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23-11-2002 02:03
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