Town Militia (M2TW Unit)
Overview
These men are commoners and peasants who have been levied into local militias to defend towns, roads and bolster armies. Given some training and equipped with a short spear and shield, though little armour, these units are useful in defense, but cannot be expected to endure for long on an open battlefield.
Detail
The Town Militia is most basic of the melee militias. All of the factions, with the notable exception of the Aztecs, that have no militia equivalent, the Russians, that go straight for the Archer Militia and the italian factions (Milan, Venice, Papal States, Sicily) that have a superior militia equivalent, have access to this unit. There are some differences aesthetically between the cultural groups but the primary stats (attack, defense, morale) are all the same. Although being militia light infantry, Town Militia is deceptively decent at its roles in the early game. It has a non-listed anti-cavalry bonus attack and can be upgraded up to two armor ranks, making it quite the cheap, mobile and useful early game infantry to plug gaps and bolsters armies, apart from the obvious settlement garrisoning and defense. However, in spite of having a decent shield rating, they have no base armor and are destroyed by heavier troops and cavalry charges. They suffer from low morale and should not be relied much into as time progresses, although they retain some value as garrisons for their cheap training and upkeep, to keep public order.