Poligar (ETW Unit)
| Poligar (ETW Unit) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Elite Light Cavalry |
| Unit Size | 80 Men |
| Weaponry | Sabres |
| Morale | |
| Melee Attack | |
| Ranged Attack | |
| Defence | |
| Charge Bonus | |
| Accuracy | |
| Range | |
| Ammunition | |
| Region | Global |
| Recruitment Cost | 1200 |
| Upkeep Cost | 300 |
| Turns to Build | |
| Unit Limit | |
| Building Requirements | Military Academy |
| Technology Requirements | None |
| Attributes | |
Poligars are unusual: elite light cavalry who wear armour. Despite the extra weight, they are still a terrifyingly swift force on the battlefield.
Overview
They generally wear helmets and cuirasses, often of the highest quality; Indian weapon makers need acknowledge few equals. They carry swords, and have skill enough to use them well in melee. Poligars also have the speed to ride down light troops such as skirmishers, and to pursue broken enemies. They should not be thrown away attacking disciplined infantry in square: they require luck to break such a target.
Light cavalry were a fixed tradition of war in India, romanticised for their bravery and freebooting ways. Horsemanship was a prized and honoured skill throughout Indian society, as was fighting prowess. To make the most of both, Indian craftsmen produced some fascinating weapons, many of which were still in use in the 18th Century. The "patta", for example, was a gauntlet-sword: a blade built into an armoured glove, making it almost impossible for the user to be disarmed, other than by being literally "disarmed" and maimed. It had a horizontal grip like the Indian punch-dagger, something that looked like a Chicago gangster's brass knuckles crossed with a razor-sharp triangular knife.
Details
Poligars are an Elite Light Cavalry unit available only to the Maratha Confederacy. Poligars should be used to charge wavering enemies, chase down routing infantry and to combat other Light Cavalry. The fact that they field armour gives them an edge over any other Light Cavalry units, however they are still vulnerable to enemy Square Formations and Heavy Cavalry.
