Preview: Achaemenid Persia
Preview: Hakamanishiya Pars
Hey guys;
The last time we showed a faction preview was a long time ago, and it's about time we'd show you another one. This preview, which features Hakamanishiya Pars (Achaemenid Persia), is one of the last before we release our public beta.
The beta will feature six fully playable factions: The Pandyan Empire, Athenai, Makedon, Sakae, Kemetic Empire and last but certainly not least: Achaemenid Persia. Off course, you can try any of these factions in the Rise of Persia campaign. All other factions have some RTW Vanilla units so that it won't be boring to compete with them.
Okay now because we're so close to releasing our public beta, we thought it'd be time to show our first non-WIP preview. All units in this preview are the final ones, and we're proud of them. Our skinner/modeller Goscinio, which has joined our team only a few weeks ago, has already proven himself to be an excellent modeler by making and improving four units in this preview, including the first one we'll show you: The Satapatis.
They are the most accurate depictions of the Achaemenid Persian army possible. Our historian rez, with Persian blood in his veins, is extremely happy with the Anusiya, which also has been modified by Goscinio, with the credit for the original model going to the amazing Darkfenrir.
We hope you'll all enjoy this preview. The first part will be about the units themselves, then we'll show you some in-game screenshots. Here is the first part:
Part 1: Descriptions
Satapatis
The Satapatis was the Persian given the command of a hundred soldiers. His task is to lead them head first into whatever dangers wait for them on the field. The Satapatis is likely to have been promoted from the ranks of the ordinary soldiers and given this responsibility because of some great prowess he showed in battle. As such every Satapatis is a deserving veteran of many battles with years of combat experience and a courageous heart.
Given the honour of the battle dress of a proffesional Persian soldier, the Satapatis is armed with a short Persian Akinake and a shield of solid wooden construction. He also wears a corslet of scale armour and a Persian Kidaris upon his head. He is also distinguished by his splendid nightshade cloak given to him as recognition of his deeds in battle perhaps by the Great King himself.
There is a Satapatis for every unit of Persian soldiers in the army, exorting his men to great displays of bravery and valour the Satapatis can be seen at the forefront of every engagement leading by example. Or instead keeping order in the archer's volleys. Making sure the deadly rain hits in perfect synchronisation to maximise fire efficiency. One thing is certain, the Satapatis of the Anusyia or even more so the Arstibara is likely to be a noble Persian warrior with the courage of a lion!
Youth Sparabara
The Persian Empire's Non-standing army is comprised of the Sparabara and archer units. These men are all given military training from the age of five until twenty-five, then being called up for service at every major campaign until they reach fifty. However the older members of the youths being trained for battle as Sparabara are sometimes sent to battle to gain experience and prove their worth.
They are armed by the king with a corslet of metal described by some as looking like fish scales, Whilst being able to offer a form of defence against enemy attacks, it is still light enough for the Persians to move quickly across the field. They are also given large wicker shields to block arrows and a six foot long spear for engaging the enemy up close.
These men are trained nearly from birth in the art of war but their training is not complete, those who show promise may continue into the professional army. But for now they are still boys, boys who have not seen men dying and screaming in agony. They cannot be the mainstay of a line although they fight with a discipline in the making.
Sparabara
The Sparabara were taken from the full members of Persian society, they were trained from childhood to be soldiers and when not called out to fight on campaigns in distant lands they practice hunting on the vast plains of Persia. However, when all is quiet and the Pax Persica holds true, the Sparabara return to normal life farming the land and grazing the herds. Because of this they lack true professional quality on the field, yet they are well trained and courageous to the point of holding the line in most situations long enough for a counter attack.
They are armed by the king with scale armour and large wicker shields as a form of light manoeuvrable defence, this leaves them at a severe disadvantage to heavily armed opponents such as the hoplite, and his six foot spear will not give him ample range to plausibly engage a trained phalanx. However, against opponents in the east, the Sparabara can deal with any conscript unit and most trained units will be hard pressed to break the line of brave men who have been reported to give their lives for their king on a multitude of occasions.
Takabara
The Persians recruited a particularly ferocious Iranian tribe known to them as the Takabara for a strong offensive front, or many times used as garrison forces. They were called Takabara because of the arms which they carried, The 'Taka' is the crescent moon shaped shield which eventually many Persian units would adopt because of the better manoeuvrability afforded by its shape. The Takabara were also armed with axes capable of cleaving through bronze in the hands of the vicious Takabara tribe.
As they do not wear much armour other than leather tunics studded with bronze they are vulnerable to missile attacks and their short ranged weapons mean that Phalanxes and Cavalry can make short work of them. However, when used to counter attack pinned down cavalry, or flanking a phalanx the Takabara's assault is rarely halted.
The Takabara were known for their ferocity in battle and as such their charge is particularly effective, on top of this the Takabara will not flee from a straight engagement as soon as the Akinakes or Youth Sparabara might.
Anusiya
The Anusiya, roughly translating as 'companions' or 'comrades', were the Professional standing army of the Persian people, numbering always at ten thousand they were stationed in the homeland ready to be dispatched to any engagement necessary. The vast amount of experience that the Anusiya have collected on the field during the masses of engagements they have fought and won makes them a deadly foe on the field. They were recruited from the normal ranks of the Persian society, but this particular battalion was created from the most promising of the Sparabara. In this way only the bravest and most skilled soldiers in Persia were fighting in the Persian standing army.
They were equipped for the most part in the same way as the Sparabara, with the exception of their shield and the addition of a powerful composite bow. With only a scale corslet of armour and no helmets they were not as heavily armoured as hoplites, but their shields were made of heavy doubled curved wood and bossed with a bronze plate to protect against most enemy thrusts. Their bow was extremely powerful and in the hands of the Persians made even more lethal. The Persians practiced archery as one of the greatest staples of warfare; hence their archers were some of the best in the world. Their spears are still 6 feet long; however they are distinguished by the silver pomegranates used for counterweights on the butts of the spear.
They were the Elite response unit sent to deal with any situation and the most flexible unit on the field in almost any battle. The Anusiya were true Professional soldiers capable of engaging and defeating most soldiers the enemy can produce. Furthermore their bravery holds as a true example of loyalty in the many cases they will fight until all is lost.
Arstibara
The Arstibara were the elite of both the Persian Army and the Persian society, drawn from the aristocracy this unit was supremely loyal to the Achaemenids and the ideal of Persian supremacy. Numbering always at 2000 men this unit was usually the bodyguard of the commanding officer of the Persians on the field. They are armed in a far more handsome manner than their lower classed brethren, with expensive robes and jewellery the Arstibara are a gleaming example of imperial might. But the image of the decadent aristocrat is shattered when the Arstibara are seen in battle at the forefront of the chaos and fighting like lions until victory or an ordered retreat. However, in the case of the death of their commander the Arstibara are noted to fight to the death in brave defiance of the enemy.
They wear only a little scale armour underneath their robes and they do not carry shields to encourage their comrades with contempt for the enemy's attacks. Their lack of shield also gives them the greatest manoeuvrability to fire their bows, practiced on the hunt and in many wars, with some of the deadliest accuracy in the world. Their spears are distinguished by the golden apples used as counter weights on the butts of their spears. In this way they got the nickname 'Armtaka' meaning apple bearers. These men are often used as officers in the lower echelons of the Persian army's battalions, and in this way they also get command experience.
This unit shows the ultimate in loyalty to the King, being made up of many of his relatives and the rest being his noble's. Darius the Great served as an Arstibara before his ascension to the Persian throne. Whilst protecting the King this unit shows unswerving skill and courage, they must not be thrown away in risky operations. The survival of this unit involves, to an extent, the protection of the Achaemenid dynasty, and it is a most shameful deed for a commander to lose this prized unit.
Thanvabara
These were the Persian archers of the Kings army. Taken from the normal ranks of Society in the same way as the Sparabara and the Akinakes, they were also trained from childhood, but because of promise in archery directed to work in cohesion with the Sparabara as the lethal rain of arrows behind a protected wall of spears and shields.
They are armed with the powerful double curved bows which in the hands of the trained Persian can achieve deadly range and accuracy. Other than the bow they only carry a knife, in this ay the Thanvabara should be kept out of close combat at all costs. Even thought there are noted examples of Persians without ammunition drawing their knives and charging the enemy lines, this is only a brave gesture and not a tactic to be employed by any commander.
Asabari
Drawn from the wealthier of the Persian citizens who can afford to maintain horses, the Asabari form the bulk of the Persian cavalry arm. They are armed with Javelins to soften the enemy up before charging in with swords. They are not suited to the heavy cavalry role of charging down the enemy head on but are more than a match for light infantry and most cavalry units. They are armoured with a bronze cuirass and helmet, but their main weapon is speed and manouverability - being able to lure out slower units before peppering them with missiles and finally finishing them off. However they are not proffesional soldiers and their many years of training go only so far to compensate for a lack of armour. Hence the Asabari should avoid being trapped and bogged down in combat.
Anusiya Asabari
The Anusiya also comprised the main arm of the Persian cavalry because the thorough bred and expensive horses of the Persians would be trusted only to professional soldiers. This unit, always of ten thousand men, served as the complimenting support half of the normal Persian standing army of Anusiya.
The cavalry of the Persians is descended from a long tradition of steppe horsemanship in the Iranian tribes and is thus incredibly powerful on the field. Persian cavalry was equipped in the same manner as the foot soldiers but with the possible addition of a bronze helmet later on in the development of the army. The Persian tradition of horse archery was developed on the hunt and in many campaigns, with the opportunity to learn from the Scythians from their constant raids on Persia.
The Anusiya Asabari are swift cavalry capable of softening up the enemy first before tearing through the enemy lines with a thundering charge. However when pinned down they become incredibly vulnerable and must be kept away from massed infantry counter attacks.
Arstibara Asabari
Some of the higher level Aristocrats would prefer to fight on backs of the horses they breed back on the plains of Persia. With the same devotion to their horses that their steppe ancestors had the Persian cavalry became one of the most important elements for deciding victory.
The Arstibara Asabari are equipped exactly as their foot soldier counter parts, with the same devotion to their king and the ideal of Persian supremacy they can deal with all but the powerful Scythian cavalry without many casualties. But again they must be protected from counter attacks and being pinned down.
Part 2: Action pics
Okay, we hope you all enjoyed the first part of the preview, now it's time to show some in-game action pics of a battle between the Persians and the Athenaian Greeks. For your information: The Persian army won the battle. Enough has been said, here you go:
Thanvabara shooting their arrows to the greeks, being backed by a unit of Anusiya Asabari.
Anusiya shooting their weapons, while their flanks are being protected by Takabara.
Anusiya Asabari sitting ready to throw their javelins to that greek rubbish.
Arstibara stabbing a greek soldier in the back (hehe)
Well the Anusiya can't always win. They're trying hard to beat these greeks
Luckily the greeks are being attacked from the back by Sparabara.
The Youth Sparabara are also trying hard to beat the he** out of those greeks.
Waah!! There goes one of the Satapatis. Being surrounded by dozens of Hoplitai isn't very healthy.
Okay that is the end of the preview of Achaemenid Persia (Hakamanishiya Pars). We hope you all enjoyed this preview, and will be looking forward to play with these units yourselves. It's only a matter of days now
The Rise of Persia Team
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