Doge of Venice
Short description: "War is but another way of negotiating for a merchant: blood instead of ink and human lives instead of coins"
Long description: "Although more of a symbol than an actual ruler, power mostly residing in the "Maggior Consiglio" (Major Council) of the oldest and most respected merchant families, the Doge of Venice is still the city's most prominent merchant, a man who possesses more money in his pocket than most kings in their treasure chambers, and a charismatic leader: many Doges led personally the fleets and armies of Venice, be it to protect the city from assaults or to secure a new trade route. In battle the Doge is easily recognised for his hat, a symbol of his charge, and surrounded by the most elite of the city's defenders, ready to lay down their lives for the Most Serene Republic of Venice."
Berrovieri (foot and horse)
Short description: "Even if they aren't knights, their horses will still trample enemies under their hooves"
Long description: "The berrovieri are a light cavalry force, mainly used for the protection of communal officers who travelled while performing their duties. In battle they are commonly used for scouting ahead of the main army, and as a flanking force. Although not heavily armed, their horses are fast and resilent, and can easily escape heavy cavalry or hit the rear of an unprepared infantry force. If used as a foot infantry, they are fairly well equipped and trained, being semi-professional soldiers, and can deal a good amount of damage to light and medium troops, but are not expected to resist for long in prolonged combat or against elite forces".
Cavalieri Appiedati (foot knighs)
Short description: "A horse" A horse! A suitable amount of coins for a horse!"
Long description: "Being a Republic, Venice had no notion of nobility by blood as in France or other countries of the time: a man's social stand was given by money and commercial prestige, and many families rose and fell in the "Libro d'oro" (the Golden Book, containing a list of the families allowed a seat in the Maggior Consiglio); also, being mainly an insular and maritime nation, there were few pastures for war horses. As such, the armoured backbone of the Republic's army is composed of rich people who can afford a finely crafted mail or plate armour, but not a horse: they are highly trained and well equipped, and can resist even the heaviest assaults with ease".
Spadaccini (swordsmen)
Short description: "The mainstay of the Republic's land armies, swordsmen are expected to hold the line and kill in the name of Venice"
Long description: "An old motto recited by Venice's elders recited "seed the sea, it will bear better fruits than the earth", and following it the Republic never colonised much land, preferring the control of the major trade routes over far-stretching domains. However, with enemies lurking just the other side of the lagoon, the need for a regular land army arises more than ever, and lines over lines of swordsmen are sent into the fray: trained and equipped taking money from the bottomless coffers of Venice, these men can dispatch the enemies of the Most Serene with ease, and resist heavy assaults for a prolonged time".
Sergenti Lancieri (Spear Sergeants)
Short: "Close the formation! the enemy cannot pass!"
Long: "Sergeant is not a high rank in the army, but it is still the highest rank a poor paesant could reach by himself, the other ranks being reserved for the nobles (in monarchies) or the rich (in republics): as such, these men carry great pride in their appointed position, and with medium armour, large shields and their trusted spears, they can be expected to butcher cavalry with ease, and resist in melee combat for a fair amount of time. They sould not be expected however to resist for long against heavy swordsmen".
Miliziani lancieri
Short: "Loyal citizen oh Venice, courage and money making up for the light training"
Long: "Militias are a common sight in Europe's battlefield, where the mere idea of a standing army was unknown. These men were expected to protect their homes by themselves, and were given little training and equipment, not being expected to do much more than holding off the enemy for a while before dying or fleeing. Italian militias were different, for they were volunteers who trained in certain days of the week, while still having jobs and families of their own, and were equipped by the city (or, in big cities, by their district of birth): as such, they firmly believe in their role of protectors of the city, which they show in painting the city's emblem or patron saint on their shield, and with medium armour and training they are not to be underestimated, though they will probably be slaughtered against professional soldiers"
Balestrieri (Crossbowmen, both militia and professionals)
Short: "A paesant with a crossbow can learn in one week to kill a noble knight: where are justice and honour in all this?"
Long: "A crossbow has shorter range than a bow, but much higher armour penetrations, and is also easier to use: for all these reasons, it is a favoured weapon while dealing with armoured forces, and the protests of the nobility against such a dishonourable waepon are quickly outnumbered by the advantages. In seafaring nations such as Venice it is widely used on shipboard, being more stable and easier to aim than the bow while the boat rocks under the waves.
Arcieri (Bowmen)
Short: "A keen eye and a steady hand can rain death on unsuspecting foes"
Long: "Southern nations such as Venice do not possess the culture of the bow their northern counterpart, like England, cutivate since ancient times. However, bows are easy to produce, and a bow militia can be trained in a short time, should the need for ranged troops arise. A commander should use these archers to unleash volleys of arrows upon the enemy from the distance as a light support, but they will be slaughtered by any coming foe."
Picchieri (pikemen)
Short: "Just like going through a forest full of blackberry, only with blades instead of thorns"
Long: "Since the times of Alexander the Great, pikemen have maintained the same function, which is to slaughter cavalry and present an impregnable wall against anything which may come their way, and they are still deadly efficient in fulfilling it. While the most famous pikemen come from Switzerland and Flanders, and are rightly renowed all across Europe, every nation deploys its own pike companies. A wise commander will deploy pikemen in the center, their sides well protected, for pikemen suffer from flank and rear attacks more than any other troops, and will provide them ranged support against enemy archers, since they don't have shields."
Balestrieri a cavallo (mounted crossbowmen=
Short: "A pale imitation of Eastern Horse archers, but still very dangerous"
Long: "Since the Crusades, when western armies lost many battles and suffered horrendous losses against the deadly eastern horse archers, many nations devised small companies of mounted crossbowmen: these men use a smaller crossbow than their foot counterparts, easier to reload and aim while riding, at the cost of range and penetration. While not as skilled as their infidel counterparts, and despised by the noble knights for their dishonorable way of fighting, mounted crossbowmen serve well their purpose, harassing enemy flanks and slow units from afar, and fleeing as soon as they try to retaliate. They should never be expected to fight in close combat, for they possess neither the training, nor the equipment, nor the guts.
Great Bombard
Short: "One shot can destroy an entire castle, and with it, the very essence of Feudalism".
Long: "The great bombard is a castle's worst nightmare, for its high, thin walls will be mercilessly torn down by the tremendous power of the new sorcery known as black powder. Military architects soon learnt the hard way that thick walls of bricks and earth, while ugly, can resist much better than stone. Few armies could field such powerful machines, for the craft, manpower and organization needed to produce and maintain them were difficult to achieve even for a powerful nation. In this matter Italian city-states, such as Venice and Florence, proved superior, since with their skilled smiths and their bottomless pockets, they could afford the most advanced warmachines: Leonardo da Vinci's diaries and sketchbooks portrait dozens of such weapons, some existing, others mere fantasies, such as multi-barreled cannons, projectiles that exploded in smaller projectiles, and even self-propelled armoured vehicles filled with guns. As if those things could ever exist!"