EB May Preview :: Diadochoi
Greetings Europa Barbarorum fans
We are still working on bringing EB to v1.5. And we can announce that we have managed to make a build for 1.5 now. However, by porting over we have encountered several bugs and new CTDs, which we are trying to fix. So keep your fingers crossed and pray to Zeus-Ahura Mazda (or another god of your liking) for us to work them out fast and without too much difficulty.
The next update to EB will not just be a port to v1.5 and containing a few fixes and edits to the textfiles. There will be two new factions in, all the 1.5 goodness in addition and a massive amount of new units. We can safely say we are all excited about 0.8.
And to whet your appetites, here are some Successor units showcased for your pleasure, as well as some rework on existing ones.
As usual, there are people to thanks for the work they have put into these units. Thanks to Agart, Alin, Panda Centurion, shogo, Skeletor & Spartan Warrior for modelling these units, and shogo, skeletor, Spartan Warrior, spirit_of_rob & webbird for skinning these.
And lastly, a big thanks to Sarcasm for helping out with this preview.
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Thrakioi Peltastai
Rebel - Makedonian :::: Mercenary - Getai
The Thracian Peltast was the originator and best of the Peltasts. They are armored in good quality linen and carry the thureos style shield. They are Hellenized, but still have their trademark wild beards that also serve to remind their enemies of their country of origin. They are expert javelineers, able to pepper their targets with javelins before charging in with their fearsome Thracian swords, the Rhomphaia. They are well trained and among the fiercest and most feared warriors in the entire world, a fact which they know all too well. Since they are aware of this fact, they are often impetuous, but an able general can keep them at bay. Thracian Peltasts can be used with equal precision as skirmishers or medium shock infantry. They are even deadly against armored horsemen, due to their wicked armor piercing blades.
Historically, Thracian Peltasts have been around since the late Bronze Age, and have been plying their deadly trade against Greeks for as long as any Thracian or Greek can remember. Their method of warfare is so effective it was copied by Greeks and Macedonians and even mimicked by tribes as distant as the Illyrians. The number of battles and by whom they were used is uncountable. Suffice to say Thracian peltasts have been used in every major conflict between Greek states.
Thrakioi Prodromoi
In the Thraikian and Makedonian armies, these medium cavalry are a common sight. The reason for this is that they are excellent medium cavalry, capable of skirmishing, charging, and fighting fairly well in melee. They are armored with good quality linen, bronze helms, and the distinctive Thraikian shields that mark their country of origin. They are an extremely versatile cavalry force that can be given the moniker ‘jack of all trades and master of none’. They are great all-round cavalry, but will not fare well against heavier cavalry or spear or pike armed infantry. They are drawn from the lower Thraikian nobility and many have settled in Makedonia, lured by land grants and higher pay.
Historically, Thraikian light cavalry was some of the best in the ancient world. They proved their worth in battle after battle, whether in Makedonian or Hellene service, or the service of their own kings. Their tactical versatility made them a light cavalry equivalent to the Romaioi legions, well able to perform any battle role and to adapt quickly to any circumstance.
Babylonian Shipri Tukul Infantry
These heavy infantrymen use the old pointed Assyrian helmet and have iron scale corselets. Their weapons are the sword and spear. Their defence is the old fashioned Aspis shield faced with bronze. Their role on the battlefield is that of well drilled loose order infantry organized along the lines of Hellenistic Thureophoroi
Historically, the Hellenistic monarchies established after Alexander the Great’s conquest used the military settlement system widely, probably taking it over from the Persians. Native heavy infantry such as this was not well regarded by the Hellenic conquerors of Asian territories nor particularly trusted. Necessity, however, required troops to govern the kingdom and these troops were readily available and these considerations applied as well to the Parthian that would supplant the Seleucid Empire as masters of the lands where these heavy infantrymen were recruited. They came from the Aramean population of Babylonia, Syria and the Jews of Mesopotamia. While not playing the same significant role that Jews played in the Ptolemaic military system these men were present in significant numbers.
Katakphraktoi Indikon Elephantoi
Arche Seleukeia - - - - - - - Baktria
Imported from the regions around the old Eastern Persikos provinces, Indikon Elephantoi are an exceptionally valuable resource in combat, very popular among Alexandros' Diadochi. Towering over most other creatures, they can easily scare men and horses alike, with both with their size and smell, though elaborate bells and trappings often add to their intimidation. Such corps are directed by their own mahouts riding behind their heads, often a native of their own country who has spent at least two years training his beast from capture. The mahout is armored to better protect against the obvious assault that generally comes against him, launched to bypass the thick natural armor of his mount. A thorakia (tower) or howdah is also attached to the elephantos' back, which serves as a missile platform for a few archers. The elephantos itself is also armored, protecting its head and sides and thus giving the elephants a much better chance at resisting enemy missile fire.
Elephantoi are best used as cavalry screens for your army, where their presence can scare away enemy cavalry. They can also be used to ram through an enemy battle line, though they are less useful when faced with loose order or phalanx infantry. Pyrrhos of Epiros even innovated a tactic of flank screens when he fought the Romans at Heraklea. Beyond their obvious use against enemy infantry or cavalry, they can also be used in siege combat; battering down gates, though they're highly vulnerable to better prepared installations. Their greatest vulnerability is against skirmishers, slingers and archers, who can pepper them with missiles - eventually toppling them by virtue of their cumulative impact. To counter the effect of enemy skirmishers, it is often wise to array your own in opposition, or to maintain constant attacks upon each individual group. These "towered" elephantoi though are much less vulnerable then their unarmored corps, well protected as they are by their own armor and skirmisher mounts of their own.
Historically, the use of elephantoi in war was largely contained to India, but after the battle of Hydaspes that changed. Though Alexandros never cared over much for the animals, his successors were very much in favor of their use, organizing their own elephantoi into a distinct corps under their own 'elephantarchos.' These "Indikon Elephantoi" (Indian Elephants) were imported for war in the West from the old Persikos provinces around Baktria, Gandhara, Sattagydia, and Sind - though most originally hailed from the regions directly around the river the natives call the "Sindhu. In the first wars of succession, each Diadochi had a contingent of Indian elephants and Indian mahouts, who stayed on where they taught the Hellenes how to capture and train elephants for war. Such forces had been wreaking havoc on battle lines for centuries within the armies of India Rajas, and the Diadochi used them on an equal scale (the first substantial group supposedly numbered 500 elephantoi total, granted to Seleukus I Nikator by his new ally Chandragupta Maurya, called "Sandrocottus" in Greek), attaching substantial political power to their possession - some officers gained temporary power and success simply by this virtue (most notably, the Eastern Satrap Eumenes). Among the Baktrians, they were particularly commonplace, owing to their comparatively easy access to them; numbering regularly in the hundreds, faced as they were by traditionally vast elephantos components in Indian armies.
However, even with many different anti-elephant weapons being used and with the huge expenses, time and effort that had to be put into maintaining a elephant herd, the elephant was still employed so it shows that it was still valued and served its purpose. The Seleukids even developed specific ‘elephant guards’ units, whose task was to solely defend these beasts. The elephant riders or the mahouts, were often called Indoi, as in the beginning they were all Indians and the majority of mahouts continued to be Indians, yet they did teach their skills to ‘westerners’ as well, as the Ptolemaioi did not have access to India yet they kept a sizeable elephant corps. The mahouts often wore protective armor as they were an obvious target for enemy missiles, even though ancient artists often portray them unarmored, which is highly likely to have been how they dressed for parades.
Makedones Hysteroi Pezhetairoi
Early in the 2nd Century, after having fought the Romans in a few ruinous wars, the Macedonian army modified it’s pike phalanx accordingly. Gone was the single greave and fully bronze shield, not to mention the linothorax. They were replaced with mail armor and a wooden composite (plywood) shield of similar strength but far less weight. They were retrained to a great degree, and many Thracians and Illyrians who settled in Macedon were added to the rolls. These men have a greater degree of training and equipment compared to their predecessors, and are better able to stand up to the mobile and disciplined troops of Rome or the Greeks to their south.
Historically, the late pikemen were a development of the Macedonian Wars, in which Macedon was fighting a hopelessly outnumbered battle against the juggernaut of the Roman republic. They augmented their numbers by adding non-Macedonians to the rolls and trained those that they had far better, using new methods. The result was better than the earlier pikemen, but still not enough to defeat the Roman armies at the state of readiness they were at after the second Punic War. If Rome could defeat Carthage, which once had a massive amount of capital and excellent manpower to draw upon, then she could certainly defeat little Macedon, whose population had been depleted to a large extent due to eastern migration of many citizens.
Argyraspidai
Makedonia - - - - - - - - Arche Seleukeia
The veteran Pezhetairoi often became the Argyraspidai, the Silver Shields. These are tough men often better armed than their fellow phalanx soldiers, who usually are used to hold the center of a Makedonian or Seleukid battle line. They are older and more disciplined than other phalangitai and are thus able to hold their own against good odds. They are armed and armoured much the same as regular Pezhetairoi, but with slightly better equipment and weapons, including scale reinforcement on their Linothorax. They should be employed in much the same manner, except they can be relied on to hold their ground and should accordingly be saved for where the battle is going to be the heaviest.
Historically, the Silver Shields were an elite force within the armies of Alexandros, made up of the veterans often in their mid-40s and upwards. After the death of Alexandros, the term ‘argyraspidai’ came to describe the veterans among the Pezhetairoi, the soldiers aged 45-60. How this happened is anyone’s guess, but it is what came to pass. In Makedonia the term was used to describe the veteran pezhetairoi who more often than not weren’t a distinct corps, while in Arche Seleukeia they remained a distinct unit, as carrying a silver shield was a mark of elite. The Makedonian Argyraspidai eventually “died out” and was replaced by the reformed Pezhetairoi, while the Seleukid Argyraspidai evolved into an assault infantry corps, the Thorakitai Argyraspidai. As with most elite units, they were best utilized as troops that take the brunt of an assault.
And as an added bonus, reworked skins of elite Successor cavalry
Hellenikoi Kataphraktaroi
Arche Seleukeia - - - - - - - Baktria
Hetairoi
Arche Seleukeia - - - - - - Ptolemaioi - - - - - - - - Makedonia
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We hope you have enjoyed this preview of some of the Successor units.
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
We give special thanks to Imageshack that provides us with a simple, foolproof, and free way to show you all these pictures each week.
Have a great day!
Sincerely,
The Europa Barbarorum team.
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Keep up the good work -Leon
Originally Posted by k_raso
