Italian Spear Militia (M2TW Unit)

Italian Spear Militia (M2TW Unit)
Class	Spear Infantry
Unit Size	60 on small, 150 on huge
Weaponry	Spear
Morale	5
Melee Attack	7
Ranged Attack	NA
Armour	4
Shield	6
Defence	3
Charge Bonus	3
Accuracy	NA
Range	NA
Ammunition	NA
Region	Global
Recruitment Cost	460
Upkeep Cost	125
Turns to Build	1
Unit Limit	6
Building Requirements	Towm Guard
Technology Requirements	None
Attributes	Can withdraw Free upkeep unit Hide forest Sea faring

Experienced and well trained local militia equipped with good armour and a spear, able to form a defensive ring of spears.

Overview

Local militias, organised around city quarters and surrounding towns, play an important role in Italian armies. Whilst service is compulsory, it tends to be short and most serving it are sustained by a strong element of civic pride. These spear militia are comprised of more experienced troops with some armour and long spears, making them a tough defensive unit.

Details

While technically a militia, the Italian Spear Militia fights as well and bravely as early Professionals. This makes them one of the most important units available to any of the Italian factions. Their strategic value lies in their availability, cost and strength.

They have almost double the stats of lesser Spear Militia, including morale, allowing them to crush them. They also break down any cavalry in extended melee. They have a high defense value so they can resist most missiles attacks. Their schiltrom formation is extremely tactically useful both to hold out at chockpoints and as a precaution against cavalry flanking. On an early battlefield they are able to counter almost anything they would come up against them. For these reasons this unit perhaps is the best Infantry in Medieval 2 Total War until Dismounted Feudal Knights start appearing in the campaign.

In the early game they are no doubt the best infantry choice for playable Italian factions, and likely the backbone of the army. By the middle game and later game, they are still useful primarily as a mobile anti-cavalry unit and they also provide a cheap, effective garrison unit. They will not beat sword units but will at least hold against them for awhile.

The Italian Spear Militia is also quite cheap for its usefulness. It out performs the sergeant spearmen and is roughly equivalent to Armoured Sergeants, which require castles and much more investment. Their upkeep is 125, as opposed to 155 for both Sergeants and the same as normal Spear Militia. This means the Italians get a great unit that is recruitable in cities without sacrificing coin for military power.

That advantage can give Italians the strength take and hold cities from non Italians early on. These cities then provide wealth and training for more Italian Spear Militia. Then these new forces can take more cities, and before long an Empire is born.

Factions

• Milan
• The Papal States
• Sicily
• Venice