Land Units
Land Units
Type......Morale..Firepower..MP.....$
Pike...........4............0...........2......2
Musket.......3............1...........2......3
Grenadier...4............1...........2......7
Cuirassier..4............0...........2.....15
Hussar.......3............0...........2.....10
Dragoon....3............1...........2......7
Artillery.....3............1...........1......7
The Foot
Pikemen: Mrl 4, FP 0, $2, MP 2, 3 Months
The pike is a long spear between 16 and 18 feet in length and weighing about 17lbs. It was used by the Macedonian army of Alexander and the Hellenistic successor states. It was not used by the Romans, and it disappeared from the battlefield until the late middle ages. The pike by itself is not a useful weapon. It is heavy and slow. Only when used in a phalanx does it become the formidable queen of battle. Its length permits several ranks to engage the enemy at once. Few opponents will advance into a bristling wall of pikes.
Musketeers: Mrl 3, FP 1, $3, MP 2, 3 Months
The musket used in this period is the matchlock. It is heavy enough that a forked rest is commonly used to support it when firing. Accuracy was limited to 60 yards, but maximum effective range was 250 yards. A greater problem then the inaccuracy was the unreliability. About half of the attempts to fire it would result in a misfire or failure to ignite due to damp matches.
Fusiliers
Fusiliers carried a fusil. A lighter gun then a musket. The role of the fusilier was close support of the artillery and assisting handling the guns. These came late in the period. They are not considered a separate unit type, but are merely musketeers placed in artillery brigades.
Grenadiers: Mrl 4, FP 1, $7, MP 2, 6 Months
Grenadiers were picked men chosen for their courage and their height. They were equipped with hand grenades and being taller allowed them to throw farther. They were also equipped with swords and muskets. They can fill the role of the pikemen or musketeer but at a greater cost. They were not organized into their own formations during this period, but on the battlefield they were often combined into special formations. At the end of the era regiments of grenadiers were raised.
The Horse
Cuirassiers: Mrl 4, FP 0, $15, MP 2, 5 Months
Cuirassiers were heavy cavalry. They carried swords, wore breastplates and rode on warhorses. The warhorse was the primary expense of the cuirassiers and their reason for being. They were able to engage infantry in battle and pursue broken foes. They were considered the only true cavalry.
Hussars: Mrl 2, FP 0, $10, MP 2, 3 Months
Hussars were light horse. They carried curved sabres but wore no armor. Their horses were not proper warhorses (hence the cost savings) being trained for speed and endurance more then strength and courage. Hussars were not able to stand up to cuirassiers or unbroken infantry. They serve admirably in pursuit and for raids and screening.
Dragoons: Mrl 3, FP 1, $7, MP 2, 3 Months
Dragoons were mounted infantry. They rode cheap riding horses capable of carrying them to the battle, but unprepared to face the terrors of the field. The dragoons fought on foot as ordinary musketeers. They were employed as scouts and to prepare the way for the main army.
Artillery
Artillery: Mrl 2, FP 1, $7, MP 2, 6 Months
Artillery began the era as siege guns. They were used to breach walls and for counter-battery fire. The employment of artillery on the battlefield developed gradually. Artillery suffers primarily from its ponderous movement rate. Gustavus Adolphus made great advances in reducing the weight of artillery carriages and moving them with his infantry. This allowed it to keep pace with a regular army. The low morale of artillery (its lack of ability to stand up to attack) was a further factor in keeping it from the battlefield. When employed properly, its effects were devastating in terms of casualties inflicted, but not often on the outcome of the battle. Not until Napoleon made use of massed artillery was it able to begin taking its place as the new queen of battle.
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