Hoplites

[kyriakos87]

Hello,
i am playing a makedonian campaign and i noticed that hoplites and mercenary hoplites have different stats, the former focusing mostly on armor and the latter on defensive ability.
I wonder, is this supposed to make them have different roles on the battlefield?
And secondly, i would like to know if there is a guide about how the stats work, because i haven't found one.
Thanks!

[RodriguesSting]

Armor is a constant, it will always offer its full value, it is observed to be more effective than other means (5 armor is better than 5 defense or 5 shield), and it only goes down when being attacked by armor piercing attacks, a propriety of certain units.

Defensive skill does not suffer from armor piercing, but it will effectively go down with fatigue. A unit with high Armor will be much sturdier Exhausted than a unit with high Defense on the same condition. Finally, I think Defensive Skill effective value goes down by half when the unit is being attacked on the back.

[Shoebopp]

Yep, you may also notice that the mercenary variant has higher stamina, probably because of its lower armor. So they're great for running around flanking the enemy or accompanying your cavalry

[RodriguesSting]

Yep, you may also notice that the mercenary variant has higher stamina, probably because of its lower armor. So they're great for running around flanking the enemy or accompanying your cavalry

I think they are meant to represent more veteraned hoplites that (try to) live as full time warriors, thus having better Defense to portray their better conditioning, but lower armor due to incomplete personal panoply without the benefit of a Poleis armory to complement all of them. Furthermore, they have the benefit of being a fairly common mercenary unit, and the surrendering hoplite script, so these can actually become a staple of Hellenistic armies.

[QuintusSertorius]

I think they are meant to represent more veteraned hoplites that (try to) live as full time warriors, thus having better Defense to portray their better conditioning, but lower armor due to incomplete personal panoply without the benefit of a Poleis armory to complement all of them. Furthermore, they have the benefit of being a fairly common mercenary unit, and the surrendering hoplite script, so these can actually become a staple of Hellenistic armies.

Pretty much, yes. They represent professionals who have to transport all their gear around with them all the time, not part-timers who can turn up to a battle with all their heirloom gear, then put it back into storage when the day is done.

[RodriguesSting]

Pretty much, yes. They represent professionals who have to transport all their gear around with them all the time, not part-timers who can turn up to a battle with all their heirloom gear, then put it back into storage when the day is done.

I am pretty sure wealthy hoplites (the ones represented by the unit we are talking about) had camp followers and the such to do the carrying around for them. Would mercenary hoplites? Eh... not sure. My personal interpretation is, the militia ones got the Poleis to burrow them stuff, while the mercenary ones carry only what they actually need (perhaps half panoply to ensure mobility? Would be a valid thought at the time, with the prevalence of Celtic mercenaries butt naked wrecking the out of the Hellenes) or what they could afford.

[kyriakos87]

Thanks a lot!

[BailianSteel]

If they're like the merc armies in the 30 Years War, Misthophoroi probably have a few members that were press-ganged or picked up from poverty.