Swordsmen (RTW unit)

Swordsmen (RTW unit)
Class	Heavy Infantry
Unit Size	160 men
Weaponry	Sword
Morale	8
Melee Attack	10
Ranged Attack	N/A
Defence	12
Charge Bonus	4
Accuracy	N/A
Range	N/A
Ammunition	N/A
Region	Global
Recruitment Cost	460
Upkeep Cost	170
Turns to Build	1
Unit Limit	Unlimited
Building Requirements	Meeting Hall
Technology Requirements	None
Attributes	Warcry

Swordsmen are the third infantry unit two barbarian factions can recruit.

Description

Swordsmen are steadfast and aggressive warriors, the 'infantry of the line' for barbarian warlords. They are not very disciplined at times, as their sense of honour and bravery can make them eager to get into any fray, but they are uniformly superb swordsmen. They are equipped with good swords and large shields.

Every warlord worth the name makes sure he has a couple of warbands of these hard men under his command.

Use

Swordsmen are tough, steady infantry, that make up a significant part of the infantry in the Britons and Gauls developed armies. These units are generally relied on to go through more fighting than Warbands. But despite having better statistics than their preceding units, the Warband from the Muster Field, the total cost of a Swordsmen unit becomes cheaper than for a Warband unit in two turns (without considering the cost of the building needed to produce them).

Swordsmen are more than a match for their Roman counterparts, the Hastati, even though the Swordsmen lack a missile weapon. On an even battlefield, a Swordsmen unit will rout a Hastati, which gives the barbarian army a distinct advantage by getting units with better statistics sooner than “civilized” factions.

Swordsmen can hide in forests and have the ability to start a warcry.