[Preview] new Parthians

[AqD]

Parthian Standard (Deraf?-e K?v??n)

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The parthians used various banners - not only the dragon adopted by romans later, but also eagles and many other different symbols. The Deraf?-e K?v??n is choosed because it's probably the most siginificant symbol for Parthians and Persians, even through the actual use of it in parthian army cannot be confirmed.

The symbol was first depicted in one mosaic, the subject of which is the victory of Alexander at the battle of Issus; and it's possibly adopted as the national banner during the Parthian period. It later became the royal standard of Sasanian kings.

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Core Units

Basilikon Kataphraktoi (Royal Cataphracts)

The nucleus of Parthian army - cavalrymen from the royal Parthian family. They're equipped with two-handed lance and heavy mace, and wear scale armour and bronze defenses for the arms and legs. The mounts are of the best Nisean breed and well protected by horse trapper - usually made of metal scales or thick felt, making them invulnerable to common arrows and javelins.

These cataphracts are the highest-rank unit in parthian army. They're lead by great lords (= your generals) and the availability is based on land. Although not as heavy as Hellenistic or later types of cataphracts, they're the best trained and most skilled cavalry unit in the world, and it's guaranteed that they can beat anyone in single combat on horse! (as long as you're not fighting steppe people )

Credit: armoured horse from Europa Barbarorum (replaced with my own model)

Eugeneis Kataphraktoi (Noble Cataphracts)

Cataphracts formed by the Parthian fedual nobles. It is an actually recruitable unit and has the same role as royal cataphracts, but with more men and cost less than a city governor.

Eugeneis Hippotoxotai (Noble Archers)

Cataphract archers also formed by the Parthian nobles; Historically they're mixed with the common cataphracts, who have dual roles and usually carry 3 or 4 weapons into battle (bow, lance, sword, and mace or axe). It's only separated for game-play reason due to the limitation of RTW itself.

While not capable of delivering a powerful charge, the noble archers are faster and can be used to hunt down enemy cavalry and their generals, and also to support cataphract lancers in melee or cover their retreat.

Credit: armoured horse model [edited] from monkwarrior's Iberia: Total War

v2.5: Changed to parthian noble cavalry, armed with lance and swords

Parthoi Hippotoxotai (Parthian Horse Archers)

The 'original' horse archers drawn from steppe people (ex: the Dahae). It's cheap and more cost-effective, but the availability of recruitment is limited to the initial parthian provinces and central asia, armenian and steppe regions.

Persikoi Hippotoxotai (Persian Horse Archers)

Horse archers formed by Persian lesser nobles. They're equipped with a pick-axe for secondary weapon and are better trained for melee combat.

Partho-Persikoi Hippotoxotai (Partho-Persian Late Horse Archers)

Late-period horse archers formed by Parthian/Persian lesser nobles. The unit represents those whom Romans had meet - with long range bows which outshoot most other foot archers. They're dressed in Sassanian style.

Kataphraktoi Bareis (Heavy Cataphracts)

Late-period super heavy cataphracts, available outside of the historical border of Parthian kingdom. The unit is modelled after a real cataphract type used by Parthians in 2nd century AD

Credit: thanks B.A.L.T.S. group's Lithuania Mod for the metal plates!

Hippotoxotai Bareis (Heavy Horse Archers)

Hellenikoi Thureophoroi (Hellenistic Infantry)

Hellenized militia infantry available in babylonia and syria. They're medium infantry and usually used for garrisons.

Klibanophoroi Hippotoxotai (Clibanarius Horse-archers)

Local arab-parthian cataphracts, for fighting in desert. Available in the regions above Arab, from Elymais to Palmyra.

v2.5: changed to lancers, armed with bamboo lance and longswords.

Parthian General

Parthian Captain

Credit: thanks KLA for the red hat and the cloak with emblem!

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Auxiliary Units

Daai Eugeneis Hippeis (Dahae Nobles)

The Dahae were a confederacy of three semi-nomadic tribes, including the Parni or Parthians, in the region to the immediate east of the Caspian Sea. They were famous for their horse archers and their role was critical to both of Macedonians and Persians during the conquest of Alexander.

In 280 BC, the Dahae is all but a name of the past, as it fell into disintegration after the end of Persian empire. The remaining Dahae nobles now serve under you, the new Parthian lord. They may not be as disciplined as your own cataphracts or persian satrap guards, and they wouldn't do good in melee combat due to lack of quaity longswords and maces, but they're still superb horse archers, and against enemy arrows and javelins they're unmatched at the moderate cost - just twice as expensive as the unarmoured ones.

Persikoi Phyletai (Iranian Mountaineers)

Hillmen from the mountains of Persia. Armed with javelins, axes, and moon-shaped 'taka' shield, they're very similar to the old day Takabara royal light infantry, though less disciplined and dirty-looking. Unlike their cowardy lowland farmers, they're very fierce and blood-thirsty, willing to crack human skulls for anyone who can pay for their service - sometimes their mere presence on battlefield is enough to rout demoralized enemies!

Persikoi Eugeneis Hippeis (Persian Noble Cavalry)

They were once the persian satrap cavalry, the core of mighty Persian army before the demise of Achaemenid empire. Unlike cataphracts and macedonian companions, they're primarily used to skirmish and to flank the enemy, rather than launching head-on charges. If you could afford to pay, you would find them very useful in protecting the flanks or supporting general cavalry in close combat, especially against steppe nomads and other eastern heavy cavalry.

Persikoi Bareis Toxotai (Persian Heavy Archers)

The heavy archers are the remains of Persian Immortals, the true elites drawn from persian fedual nobles. They're versatile soldiers capable of archery and close combat, and disciplined enough not to rout at the first sign of defeat. They also have superior bows and archery skill which enable them to outshoot most other archers.

Persikoi Kardakes Hoplitai (Persian Imitation Hoplites)

The Kardaka (= Royal Household) are infantry trained as hoplites since the old Achaemenid Persian Empire, probably some kind of royal troops. Though not much better than the battle-hardened greek hoplites, being one of a few heavy infantry types in persia, their role is very important and irreplaceable to eastern factions, which lack good garrison militia and guard units.

Ioudaioi Thureophoroi (Jewish Medium Infantry)

Mercenary soldiers recruited from Jews in Near East - by the time you could begin getting them, you should have nearly achieved the campaign mission and expanded beyond the real parthian empire in history! These men are nothing like the clueless judean zealots, but regular soldiers heavily influenced by greeks and trained to be 'Thureophoroi' medium infantry, with several javelins, smaller thureos shield, and spears and swords. They also have old-fashioned helmets and armours, and could be used as line infantry if you're really desperate.

[AqD]

Added the general and captain. Now it's time to work on standard bearers!

EDIT: standard bearer is done!

Two symbols:

The Deraf?-e K?v??n standard:


And the lion symbol on the chest of the bearer:

[AqD]

UPDATE: add persian Kardaka and Cyrtian axemen

[AqD]

I have tested the early campaign and there are some differences with RTR and current version of my mod:

1. While AI parthians get scripted money to recruit all the expensive cataphracts, a human player would find them impossible to afford even after he conquers some like 6-7 mining regions.
2. Infantry are too weak and too slow to maintain defense on these large provinces. The only regions with high-quality AOR infantry (kardaka) available are media and babylonia and other southern provinces, which you cannot take in early campaign - if you do you'd drag yourself into a full-scale war with Seleucid and Armenia!
3. Horse archers have been made much more expensive. Because they're lesser nobles not nomadic levies. They're also given basic melee skill and can be used to kill generals or heavy cavalry if the numbers are like 3:1 or 4:1.
4. Seleucid are at war with you in the beginning (because you're occupying their lands!), and they just wouldn't accept cease-fire and give you trade right - which worth a lot of $$$, even if they don't bother to attack in the first 10 or 15 years.
5. Bactrians are busy with saka rebels and they're always friendly to you due to forced diplomacy. But since you cannot afford to fight seleucid, bactria is the only choice... Just do it quick and be careful of their heavy-armoured horse archers.
6. The financial status is very bad and treasury is always low. Spend your money wisely because you would never have enough money to develop all towns at the same time, at least until they upgrade to minor cities (boost trade & mining) or you somehow get the impossible cease-fire with seleucid. Your cities will become very rich later, but not in the beginning.

[DR. Hobo. PHD.]

wow, i love what you have done with the kardaka hoplights
also i see that you have improved on diffrentiating your units.

mind if i critique?
the sore thumb of the parthians to me are the lesser captians. he dosent even look iranian to me, more roman. you might want to give the model long hair, sort of how your horse archers are(which as ive said scythians/saka>dahae>parthians).
also experiment with layering when your skinning, its helluva lot easyer to add shadows with them, and to focus on one part of the skin without hitting the rest of the skin.
also, wrinkles and textures you could add in your clothing as well.
hope that helps

[AqD]

wow, i love what you have done with the kardaka hoplights
also i see that you have improved on diffrentiating your units.

mind if i critique?
the sore thumb of the parthians to me are the lesser captians. he dosent even look iranian to me, more roman. you might want to give the model long hair, sort of how your horse archers are(which as ive said scythians/saka>dahae>parthians).
also experiment with layering when your skinning, its helluva lot easyer to add shadows with them, and to focus on one part of the skin without hitting the rest of the skin.
also, wrinkles and textures you could add in your clothing as well.
hope that helps

Thanks!

BTW I'll have to change the face of the general, because the original texture in alexander doesn't have the long hair part.

[AqD]

Umm are you sure their nobles have long hair? I searched for a few pics and all of them seem to have short hair style, like this =>
and
They look weird though, and I dunno how to make that style...

[AqD]

UPDATE: add a new super-heavy cataphract to be recruited outside of persia and asia AORs:

[AqD]

UPDATE: late-period cataphract archer



The faction parts are done, now I just need to make more AOR units

[HunGeneral]

Wow.
I like these new Parthians

But thinking about what you wrote - I don't know what would schock me more: the "battle capabiliteis" of these troops or their upkkep cost:hmmm:

[AqD]

Their cavalry are cheaper than Hellenistic cataphracts, but overrall the military upkeep in early times is much higher than when I play other factions - and still I couldn't afford to recruit heavy cavalry until I invaded Seleucid's well developed provinces

The high upkeep is compensated by very rich cities; the economics will get better and better overtime once you establish trade routes - for example, in my current campaigh the initial capital was a poor town with less than $2,000 income, which can barely support more than 4-5 HAs; but now (230BC; 200 turns) it's fully-developed large city and give me more than 15,000 denarii per turn under some professional city governor (which costs $1,000).

[Angmar_nite]

Would it be possible to increase their infantry unit variety with at least reskins. I understand the low quality, but the lack of variety I also find bothersome.

[AqD]

Yes of course. I'm adding new AOR infantry units

[AqD]

New Eastern AOR: Persikoi Bareis Toxotai (Persian Heavy Archer)


(based on KLA's persian immortal and texture from Lithuania mod)

[Jamey]

We've been talking about the lack of axe wielding units in ExRM. Since I have a somewhat irrational liking for axes, I'd like to hear about the historical evidence that lead you to making the Cyrtian axemen.

[AqD]

We've been talking about the lack of axe wielding units in ExRM. Since I have a somewhat irrational liking for axes, I'd like to hear about the historical evidence that lead you to making the Cyrtian axemen.

No direct evidence; my reasons are:

1.Swords are expensive and axes are cheap
2.Hillmen on the mountains in that area were known to use axes, for many centuries
3.There are similar units in EB, which is my primary historical source

[lelouchx99]

Should you not release it instead of describing about it? Just as the Bosphorian Mod...

[AqD]

Yes but it's only a small part of next version

[lelouchx99]

Come on don't leave us hanging instead of having fun

[AqD]