Qizilbashi Musketeers (ETW Unit)
These musketeers are a useful addition to any force, even if they lack the fire discipline of regular soldiers.
Overview
For all its smoke and noise, handling the smoothbore, muzzle-loading musket can be taught to all but the most stupid of men. Once the basic skills of loading have been mastered, it is simply a matter of pointing the loud end at the enemy and pulling the trigger. It is in God's hands as to what happens next!
Even the most inexperienced or cack-handed of peasants can be useful with a musket in his hands. The noise of a volley is often enough to frighten, and any casualties in the enemy ranks are a bonus.
Historically, such units of irregular musket men would arrive at a battlefield with all kinds of weapons, from ancient matchlocks handed down from father to son, to modern government-issue weapons looted from the enemy dead. This lack of standardisation did not matter much, as it was the ability to fire at all that made the unit a useful force.
Details
Qizilbashi Musketeers are a Line Infantry unit available only to the Eastern factions, excluding the Ottomans and Marathas. The Qizilbashi Musketeers are among the finest Line Infantry in the Eastern armies. However compared to other European Line Infantry units they are outdated and inferior. As a result of this they will become quickly outmatched once fighting against Europeans with better technology. Despite this they can still perform the same duties as regular Line Infantry and in many cases, with support, achieve their goal.