Geredis
Squire
As Possut promised HERE, we have for you all today a sneak preview of the troop trees we are working on.
Today, we will be explaining the Rhodok's tree. The Rhodoks, as we all know, excel as infantry, with their strong spears and crossbows in Vanilla. This will not change: the new Rhodok armies will be packed with polearms and ranged weapons of all flavours. Spearmen will remain the core of the army, with the majority of the Rhodok's depth in the unit trees coming from spears, pikes, and halberds. Crossbows, and later muskets, will make up the core of the Rhodok's missile forces, though they do have skilled skirmishers, guerillas, and even longbows which they use to great effect, if one chooses to invest the time and money into training the, as they are deep in the skirmisher tree.
Rhodok cavalry, however, are now more than a token mercenary force, spawned as they are from swordsmen, whom have a predictably shallow tree of their own to work with. The basic Rhodok cavalry unit is the Scout, to be used as a fire-and-forget unit, as it were, sent charging across the battlefield to engage the enemy's cavalry in a bid to buy time for the Rhodok infantry formation and heavier cavalry to settle into an appropriate position while on the defense. On the assault, these Scouts are useful to harry an enemy's flanks as the infantry advance under the cover of bows and crossbows, the pikes and spears pushing the enemy back as halberds amongst the ranks do the real killing.
Of course, Scouts aren't the only Rhodok cavalry unit. There is also a traditional knight tree, clad in full plate and carrying a lance with which to charge an enemy. These knights later evolve into either the Cuirassier, a heavily armourd horseman that does away with the lance in favour of the sword and a brace of pistols to be used during the charge.There is also the Demi-lancer, who keeps the knight's lance but does away with much of his armour, preferring to wear an open helmet and a half-plate armour, where the thick metal covers only the rider's torso. Each have their place in the battlefield, with the Cuirassier best used in a charge against infantry where their two pistols can break a hole in the enemy lines which their swords and bulky horses can easily exploit. The Demi-lancer, on the other hand is ideal for a counter-charge against enemy horsemen, their lances and armour making them an ideal anti-cavalry force. It should be noted that aside from a Demi-lancer's lack of personal armour, unlike the Cuirassier and Knight, his horse is likewise vulnerable, emphasizing speed.
The Rhodoks, aside from their heavy cavalry line that stems from the Scout, also have a Light Cavalry line that does likewise, intended to supplement and carry out many of the same roles of the Scouts. These Light Cavalry can be upgraded into either the Caracole Cavalry, pistol-armed cavaliers wearing breastplates and carrying pistols that are ideal for mixing in with the Demi-lancer to add a bit of firepower to the charge. These pistoleers differ from the Cuirassiers in that Cuirassiers carry just their two pistols and their swords: absolutely no spare shot, once a Cuirassier's pistols are discharged, they have only cold steel to rely on; the Caracole cavalry are designed to ride towards the enemy, discharge their pistols, and constantly whirl and circle around the enemy formation, firing their pistols at them at close range. These Caracoles, themselves powerful enough, can be side-graded into the matchlock-wielding Dragoon. They are even lightly armoured than the Caracole, primarily in just a cuirass and helmet, and while they can be used as cavalry, they cannot fire their firearms while on horseback, and thus are designed to be an elite mounted light infantry reserve, kept in the rear and rushed to a trouble-spot before dismounting and fighting as infantry. When the fire is put out, they can mount up and either advance to the next trouble spot, or run down the enemy as light cavalry.
Rhodok crossbowmen will be divided into two types: "Light" and "Heavy." The "Light" crossbowmen go into battle lightly armoured in leather,
carrying a shield which they can use to set up a defensive position with. The "Heavy" crossbowmen do away with the shield, preferring instead to use heavier crossbows with even more power. These are also, predictably, somewhat better armoured, wearing either chain mail or a plate cuirass for protection. A Heavy Crossbowman can be upgraded into the Arbalester, who in addition to being well armoured is ideal for both taking and defending in sieges, carrying the most powerful versions of the crossbow.
The "Light" crossbows can be upgraded after a while into gunpowder-wielding units. However, these handgunners, carrying incredibly inaccurate hand cannons on long poles, are novelty weapons at best until they gain sufficient experience that they are upgraded and can use matchlocks. These guns are easier to aim and far more powerful than the hand cannons used by handgunners.
Today, we will be explaining the Rhodok's tree. The Rhodoks, as we all know, excel as infantry, with their strong spears and crossbows in Vanilla. This will not change: the new Rhodok armies will be packed with polearms and ranged weapons of all flavours. Spearmen will remain the core of the army, with the majority of the Rhodok's depth in the unit trees coming from spears, pikes, and halberds. Crossbows, and later muskets, will make up the core of the Rhodok's missile forces, though they do have skilled skirmishers, guerillas, and even longbows which they use to great effect, if one chooses to invest the time and money into training the, as they are deep in the skirmisher tree.
Rhodok cavalry, however, are now more than a token mercenary force, spawned as they are from swordsmen, whom have a predictably shallow tree of their own to work with. The basic Rhodok cavalry unit is the Scout, to be used as a fire-and-forget unit, as it were, sent charging across the battlefield to engage the enemy's cavalry in a bid to buy time for the Rhodok infantry formation and heavier cavalry to settle into an appropriate position while on the defense. On the assault, these Scouts are useful to harry an enemy's flanks as the infantry advance under the cover of bows and crossbows, the pikes and spears pushing the enemy back as halberds amongst the ranks do the real killing.
Of course, Scouts aren't the only Rhodok cavalry unit. There is also a traditional knight tree, clad in full plate and carrying a lance with which to charge an enemy. These knights later evolve into either the Cuirassier, a heavily armourd horseman that does away with the lance in favour of the sword and a brace of pistols to be used during the charge.There is also the Demi-lancer, who keeps the knight's lance but does away with much of his armour, preferring to wear an open helmet and a half-plate armour, where the thick metal covers only the rider's torso. Each have their place in the battlefield, with the Cuirassier best used in a charge against infantry where their two pistols can break a hole in the enemy lines which their swords and bulky horses can easily exploit. The Demi-lancer, on the other hand is ideal for a counter-charge against enemy horsemen, their lances and armour making them an ideal anti-cavalry force. It should be noted that aside from a Demi-lancer's lack of personal armour, unlike the Cuirassier and Knight, his horse is likewise vulnerable, emphasizing speed.
The Rhodoks, aside from their heavy cavalry line that stems from the Scout, also have a Light Cavalry line that does likewise, intended to supplement and carry out many of the same roles of the Scouts. These Light Cavalry can be upgraded into either the Caracole Cavalry, pistol-armed cavaliers wearing breastplates and carrying pistols that are ideal for mixing in with the Demi-lancer to add a bit of firepower to the charge. These pistoleers differ from the Cuirassiers in that Cuirassiers carry just their two pistols and their swords: absolutely no spare shot, once a Cuirassier's pistols are discharged, they have only cold steel to rely on; the Caracole cavalry are designed to ride towards the enemy, discharge their pistols, and constantly whirl and circle around the enemy formation, firing their pistols at them at close range. These Caracoles, themselves powerful enough, can be side-graded into the matchlock-wielding Dragoon. They are even lightly armoured than the Caracole, primarily in just a cuirass and helmet, and while they can be used as cavalry, they cannot fire their firearms while on horseback, and thus are designed to be an elite mounted light infantry reserve, kept in the rear and rushed to a trouble-spot before dismounting and fighting as infantry. When the fire is put out, they can mount up and either advance to the next trouble spot, or run down the enemy as light cavalry.
Rhodok crossbowmen will be divided into two types: "Light" and "Heavy." The "Light" crossbowmen go into battle lightly armoured in leather,
carrying a shield which they can use to set up a defensive position with. The "Heavy" crossbowmen do away with the shield, preferring instead to use heavier crossbows with even more power. These are also, predictably, somewhat better armoured, wearing either chain mail or a plate cuirass for protection. A Heavy Crossbowman can be upgraded into the Arbalester, who in addition to being well armoured is ideal for both taking and defending in sieges, carrying the most powerful versions of the crossbow.
The "Light" crossbows can be upgraded after a while into gunpowder-wielding units. However, these handgunners, carrying incredibly inaccurate hand cannons on long poles, are novelty weapons at best until they gain sufficient experience that they are upgraded and can use matchlocks. These guns are easier to aim and far more powerful than the hand cannons used by handgunners.