Mercenary Tarantine Cavalry
Mercenary. Hired from a regional pool, not recruited from a building.
Class: heavy · Category: cavalry · Men per unit: 30
Description
The "Tarantines" are typical of traditional Greek cavalry, in that they used javelins and fought as mounted skirmishers (‘hippakontistai’). What makes them distinctive, however, is that they use a large round shield; next to the protection that is already offered by their Linothorax armour and Attic or Boiotian helmets. The shield used by Tarantine Cavalry is a heavily rimmed and bowl-shaped Argive aspis (Ueda-Sarson, Tarantine Cavalry, 2004). Their main tactical role is that of mounted javelinmen, typically brigaded with other light cavalry, serving as "experts in wheeling and retreating”. However, their heavy shield enables the Tarentines to not just resist the missiles of enemy skirmishers, but also to better engage in close combat when required (i.e. Diod. 19.39.5).
Stats
| Rank in roster | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men per unit | 30 | █········· 8% |
| Attack | 11 | ███······· 34% |
| Charge bonus | 23 | ████████·· 80% |
| Defence | 28 | ████······ 37% |
| · armour | 9 | █████····· 50% |
| · defence skill | 16 | ███······· 28% |
| · shield | 3 | ████······ 37% |
| Morale | 12 | ██████···· 57% |
| Discipline | Normal | |
| Training | Untrained | |
| Upkeep per turn | 798 dn | ████████·· 78% |
Weapons
| Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack | 11 | 11 | Charge bonus | 23 | 25 | Type | thrown · archery | melee · blade | Damage | piercing | slashing |
| Projectile | javelin | — | Range | 60 | — | Ammunition | 7 | — | Properties | Thrown | — |
Defence
| Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 28 | — | Armour | 9 | — | Defence skill | 16 | — | Shield | 3 | — |
Condition and terrain
| Hit points | 1 | Mount | light horse | Ground: scrub / sand / forest / snow | 0 / -1 / -3 / -1 | Charge distance | 40 |
| Formations | Square |
Technical stats
| Time between blows (primary / secondary) | 2.5 s / 2.5 s | Extra fatigue in hot climates | 2 | Spacing between men: close / loose | 2.2 × 5.2 m / 3.3 × 7.8 m | Default ranks | 5 |
In battle: Very good stamina
Where to hire it
Mercenaries are hired from a regional pool, not recruited from a building. This unit is offered by 13 pools covering 76 regions, at 4,002–4,472 dn to hire and 1–2 experience.
Mercenary pools: Achaea · Ambrakia · Attica · Boeotia · Dorian Pentapolis · Epeiros · Euboia · Laconia · Macedon · Naupaktos · Sicily · Thessaly · Troad Mysia
At least one of those pools sells to any faction that has an army in range, with no faction restriction.
Some pools additionally restrict it to Aetolian League · Epirus.
The 76 regions where this unit appears in a mercenary pool
Achaia · Akragas · Akte · Ambrakikos Kolpos · Amphaxitis · Anatolike Achaia · Anatolike Sikelia · Ano Chaonia · Ano Troias · Arik · Arktonnesos · Athamania · Atintania · Attike · Bisaltia-Krestonia · Boiotia · Bottiaia · Brasiai · Chalkedonia · Chalkidike · Chaonia · Dirphysia · Dytike Sikania · Elymia · Emathia · Epikrateia · Euboia · Hellas · Hesperos Achaia · Hipparia · Histiaia · Histiaiotis · Kaikia · Katania · Kerkyra · Kianos Kolpos · Korinthia · Kos · Kythera · Lakonia
…and 36 more.