Preview: The Getai

[jmrc]

Greetings Europa Barbarorum fans.

Today we are proud to present the first preview of the Getai faction, who once again shall be appearing in Europa Barbarorum. The Hellenes have long feared the "barbarians" that live beyond the mountains. And well they should, for they are their distant cousins and fanatic warriors, without anything to lose other than their ethos.

An old enemy of those "civilised" cities has once more returned.

Faction Description

Sarmis Basileus, we are your people. Yet we are divided.

The Marisus flows through our country into the Great Donaris, the river of the Argonauts. The language of the Daci is the same as that of the Getai. Among the Hellenes, however,we are better known because the migrations we make are continuous, and because we are intermingled with the Thraikes and Mysoi (Mysians). And also the tribe of the Triballoi, likewise our brothers, have admitted migrations into this country, because the neighboring peoples force them to emigrate into the country of those who are weaker; that is, the Skythai, Bastarnai and Sauromatai on the far side of the river often raid our settlements. They will be tamed--by the wolf we swear. The king of Epeiros plots from the Haimos to humiliate our ancestors. He is dangerous from the length of his sarissa spears. Tapae shall not fall and nor shall we. Skythia borders our land as far as the source of the Tyras River and the expanse of the Morsian Swamp. Their fertile lands stretch as far as the eye can see. Their warriors fight valiantly on horseback, fleeing like the wind when threatened. They should be struck with Gebeleizis's thunder delivered from our Agrinai while they fight their cousins, the Sauromatai. Where the sun sets lie the Boioi and Tauriskoi. Should the heirs of the Galatai look for another war and raid our sanctuaries again they will die from the scythed blades of Heros. We and our wild Skythian kin allowed the Hellens to build towns like Olbia and Chersonesos so we could profit from their trade. They know to fear us, even as they call us "barbaroi". We can learn from these arrogant "polis dwellers" but can they learn from us?

Their power ends at the mouth of the Donaris and from there, their end will come, shall their strategos defy us. We are destined for immortality, as Zalmoxis promised. He is our prophet and your master. Obey him and his ktistai even if the Hellenes mock him for a former helot.

Fight them in the Desert of the Getai. There Dareios the son of Hystaspes was crushed by a handful of Thraikes and Skythai. He turned back. Later on, Lysimachos, a Thraikian lapdog of Megas Alexandros, in his expedition against our late King Dromichaites, was captured alive; but he again came off safely, because he found the "barbaroi" kind-hearted. Now Makedonia uses our brothers for their armies. As I said before, Herodotos was right. Triballoi from the south and Tylis are pathetic raiders and opportunistic dogs. We grow our wheat; they steal it from their wealthier neighbors. We protect our children; they sell them as slaves to toil in Pangeos's mines. We're free like our ancestors; they're puppets to the successor of Alexandros. Their tarabostes foolishly fight each other rather than uniting for all komatai. Kogaionon, our holiest of sanctuaries has received so many messengers that the godly gates are sealed. We must be worthy of our gods before we ask for their help. Choosing a new high priest and impaling some worthy traitors should please them. Be that as it may, our people once attained very great power, so that we could actually send forth an expedition of two hundred thousand men. Now we find ourselves reduced to as few as forty thousand, spread through twenty or so tribes, scattered by the Galatai onslought with a capital in ruins and a headless koinon.

To rule like your forefathers you must unite the tribes of the Karpathoi. Treat the pilleati as equals or they'll stab you with the cold knife of treachery. Give them false dreams of plunder so you may gain them as subjects. Should you manage to unite all davas under the dracones, the world will tremble under our might. You may need to burn the Hellene wines as they flow with poison for the manliest virtues.

We are one people. We are divided.

The faction symbol for the Getai depicts a Dracones on a wooden shield backdrop.

While the Dracones was used by Iranians and Sarmatians in combat, it is also heavily associated with the Getai, who adopted it as their battle-banner.The Dracones is curled like a Glykon serpent, ready to strike, and has a wolf's head unlike the Partho-Sarmatian ones, who used serpent heads to decorate their Dracones.

Historically the Dracones, unlike other battle-banners, had a practical role on the battlefield. For archers it pointed the direction of the wind, which allowed them to adjust their aim and increase their accuracy. For the cavalry and assault infantry, wind passing through the dracones created a low and continuous bellow, which frightened the enemy units.

The Getai likely adopted it for military purposes through contacts with the Steppe nations, such as Alazonea and Scythia, and implemented it into their own culture, changing the dragon head to a wolf's head and using local manufacturing techniques, examples of which can be seen on copper and steel ornaments from that time period, as well as other items.

The Lands of the Getai










The People of the Getai

__Getians__________________________

The Getians are the northern branch of the great Thracian family, inhabiting Mykra Scythia and the Karpathoi.They are also the manliest and "barbarous" of them all since they are after all in a perpetual war with any power that borderes them, be it the Galatai, the Alzones,the Hellene emporion, even Phillipos and Megas Alexandros found themselves fighting the Getai.During the Galatai migration their capital Helis was left in ruins and the rulling tribe of the koinon scattered, leaving a power vaccum.Like the Hellenes of the Pontus Euxinos, they have never been a cohesive military force, sometimes even finding the support of a foreign power in their small skrimishes.Beyond their military exploits they are pious nation, finding a common ground in their worship of a god-prophet named Zalmoxis who helped them advance their civilization and preached the immortality of the soul.

__Thracians___________________________

The southern Thracians are less powerfull than the Getai and since the foundation of Tylis, have been under the yoke of the Makedones, Galatai, Hellenes and even Getai.They toiled for Phillipos, extracting gold from Pangeos, they served in Succesor armies, even following them to the distant Indos.And they're still a pround and warrior people.They worship Areos, Dionissos and Bendis-Artemis. They mourn a newborn child and cheer at funerals.They are the children of Oedip and Eumolpos, whose diplomats are accomplished singers. They once held all Greece, but now are forced to dwell in mountains too poor to satisfy their thirst for wealth.

The Warriors of the Getai

Getikoi Stratiotai (Dacian Light Phalanx)

The tribes that came into contact with the Hellenic poleis founded on the western shores of the Pontos Euxeinos formed a distinct breed of warriors. These men were renowned for their fierceness, and all Makedonian expeditions sent against them effectively disappeared in the "Getic wasteland", while Makedonian kings like Lysimachos knew Getic captivity. Their contact with the Hellenic poleis made them well familiarized with the phalanx formation. These men are equipped with a variety of Phrygian, Chalcidian and Montefortino helmets, various types of leather armour and the thureos shield. Their main weapon is a taru spear, which is the bread-and-butter of Thacian armies, and a sica should they be forced into fighting close-quarter battles in sieges or mountain skirmishes.

Historically, Getai tribes such as the Krobyzii and the Ordes who traded with the Hellenes were heavily Hellenized. They were praised and feared as mercenaries by Odrysai and Hellenes alike.The experience they gethered during the invasion of Makedonia as well as the expeditions of Phillipos and Megas Alexandros against them proved to be a decisive into shaping their distinct battlefield role in the Getai armies and allowed them victories over both Hellenes and Romanii. Due to the more relaxed phalanx they adopted and favored by their light armor the Hellenes often engaged them against non-phalanx medium infantry, like peltastai or thureophoroi.Impressed by their prowness Herodotos wrote that these Getai were “the bravest and most righteous of all Thraikians”. Most take this to mean they were the most dogmatic of the Thraikians, fitting the religious zeal the Getai often showed later. They often showed pragmatism when dealing with the Hellenic colonies, often forcing these into a protectorate status; their direct commercial and cultural contacts with the poleis helped them to rapidly advance to high degrees of civilization, although their tribal traditions still held strong.

The Getikoi Stratiotai are dependable, phalanx-capable medium infantry, drawn from the more-Hellenized Getic tribes.

Getikoi Hippotoxotai (Dacian Horse-Archers)

The Getai horse archers have a long and proud tradition, having developed superb skills in confrontations with the Skythai and Sauromatai. These Getai "who believe they are immortals" were the only tribes of the Thraikians whose horsemen confronted Dareios in his expedition against the Skythai in 514 BC “who resisting to the point of senselessness were immediately subdued and forced to follow the huge Persian army, even though they are the bravest and most righteous of all Threikes", as Herodotos notes.They are to be used to harass enemy infantry with endless showers of arrows, forceing them to break their formation and than vanish into the wilderness. Their sicas enable them to make swift thrusts into the enemy flanks, and run down fleeing enemies. However, one should never engage them in prolonged close quarters battle.

Historically, the Getic horsemen won the admiration of the Hellenes when they decided to engage Dareios in Mykra Skythia; and they must have won the admiration of Dareios, as after their eventual defeat, they were pressed into service within the Persian army. Their numbers were large; Thoukydides notes, referring to the great army of supposedly 150,000 men, a third of it cavalry, recruited by the Odrysian king Sitalkes: "the largest part of the cavalry was provided by the Getai." Regarding their tactics, their skill at wielding the composite bow transformed them into efficient killers while their hit-and-run tactics learnt from their Steppe cousins kept them out of harm's way.These Getai warriors are semi-nomadic shepherds and fishermen and mostly hail from the Tyragetai living in Mykra Scythia or from the Agathyrsoi living inside the arch of the Karpathia.

These mounted tribesmen are a force to be reckoned with, skilled in mounted archery, which they have learned through long years of training and frequent wars with raiders from the steppe.

Komatai (Dacian Skirmishers)

The Komatai, also called ‘Daoi’ or ’Wolves,’ are the bread-and-butter of the Getai tribes. Unbent and untamed shepherds and farmers, they are still capable of versatile manoeuvres on the battlefield. They fight bare-headed to assure the gods of their fervor and willingness to arrive at their side. The Komatai go to battle wearing studded leather armor, baggy trousers and a thureos shield, borrowed from the Galatai who used to co-exist with them inside the Karpathian arch, before their migration which resulted in the distruction of Helis. Their weapons are a bundle of javelins and a sica, which is the Getai weapon-of-choice because of its cleaving action and light weight. They are best used as skirmishers for their traditional hit-and-run tactics and can be deadly in forests. If forced into melee they can hold their own against other light and even some medium infantry.

Historically, the Komatai were the perfect example of the transitional process of the tribal communities to a stately structure. They were free farmers and shepherds, still gathering at the tribe’s calling, but the tribe’s calling was increasingly a response to a call from a tribal union or from the Basileus himself. By the middle of the third century BC large unions of tribes had begun to fight for the hegemony in the area from the Karpathes to the Istros. The Komatai made up the vast majority of warriors, while the disparities between the Komatai and the noble Tarabostes grew to an even greater extent. The Getic warriors were renowned for their zeal in battle—it was rumored that they did not fear death because of their belief in the immortality of their souls.

Untamed warriors capable of versatile maneuvers on the battlefield, these men fight bare-headed to assure the gods of their fervor and willingness to arrive at their side.

Komatai Epilektoi (Dacian Elite Skirmishers)

The Komatai Epilektoi are, literally, a unit of chosen Komatai, rewarded for the value shown in battle with better equipment and training. The basic komatai, equipped as fast-moving, hard-hitting skirmishers, made up a large percentage of most tribal armies, along with a number of archers and a mix of cavalry. Selected for their better equipment and superior physical abilities, the Komatai Epilektoi are a step beyond the standard Komatai. Some of them are equipped with the same studded leather armour of the Stratiotai, worn over woolen shirts. Most of these men also wear greaves under their trousers and a simple bronze montefortino helmet. They also can afford higher quality shields and better weapons: two heavier, well-made iron throwing spears and a Celtic long-sword are fairly standard. With their better equipment, they can stand in the battle line. Really, they are best used as ambushers and flankers, or for quick assaults against formations against which the other Komatai would falter. Like many other Getai units, they are vulnerable to ranged fire, especially from the flanks or rear. so be sure to screen them when conducting hit-and-run attacks.

Historically,when the Galatai migration destroyed Helis and scattered the Ordes it became clear to the Basileus that new tactics had to be employed to counter the devastating might of a Keltic army.The light sica wasn't simply a match for the heavier Keltic longsword. After previously adopting the thureos in favor of the outdated hoplon, the Getai ware forced to adopt further Keltic inovasions such as the Montefortino and longswords.The heavier equipment meant the appearance of a more permanent army, which was picked from veteran and Karpathian Komatai such as the Predavensoi and Apulii who had the required stamina to hold their own with their new equipment.These veterans had experienced the Keltic hammer and knew how to counter it.

The Komatai Epilektoi are medium infantry excelling at hand-to-hand combat. They are lighter than most medium infantry, preferring mobility over protection.

Basileus And Dracones

Signature Banners

Feel free to use these new sig banners for the Getai fans!

We hope you have enjoyed this preview of the Getai Faction in Europa Barbarorum II.

Please note that unless stated otherwise, ALL pictures, names, and descriptions shown in our previews are works in progress. We continue to improve on all parts of EB, and we will continue to do so long after our initial release.

Since some areas where these news items are posted cannot handle wide images, we appreciate your restraint from quoting full-size images.

As always, if you have questions or comments, the best place to post them is here, where the EB team is most active:

Europa Barbarorum ORG forum

Europa Barbarorum TWC forum

A special thanks to Tux for his excellent models and renders, Gustave for the wonderful unit skins and the sig banners, to -Praetor- for many new animations, to Paullus and Cronos Impera for the historical info and text work and to Cmacq for the map.

Have a great day!

Regards,
The Europa Barbarorum team.