British Units

Peasants

The last option of any desperate army (except perhaps slaves or convicts), peasants are good for increasing your numbers…and not much else. Poorly armed and with little military experience, their morale and discipline are both understandably low. They are cheap to train, however, and their one advantage is an ability to hide well. Peasants should be used as an absolute last resort, or in cases where funds are extremely short.

Slingers

Slingers perform a similar role to archers and skirmishers; their attack differs in method rather than in result. They can “reload” faster than most archers, but are even more vulnerable against any kind of close combat troops. The most famous slingers of the ancient world were those of the Balearic Isles. In general, slingers were not quite as widely used as, say, archers or skirmishers, for whatever reason.

Head Hurlers

The Britons have a rather interesting ranged unit in Rome: Total War. The head hurler does exactly that – throws the heads of fallen enemies dipped in lime (which both preserves them and makes them burn those who they hit). These missiles do both physical damage and emotional damage (in terms of morale) to those unlucky enough to be hit by them.

Warband/Spearmen

Every barbarian chieftain who has fought his way to the top of the tribe has had a warband to help him up there. These men tend to be bound by specific loyalties, and loyalties based more on a perception of strength than anything else. In battle they are the undisciplined barbarians that the Romans describe them as, but this lack of discipline can manifest itself as a ferocity that even the Romans fear. They are armed with spears.

Swordsmen

These warriors are a step up from the spear-toting warband. Swordsmen are better suited against other foot warriors, but their lack of spears makes them susceptible to cavalry. They are, like most barbarian warriors, just as poor at following orders as anyone else – even more so, in fact, since they feel the need to prove their prowess in battle.

Chosen Swordsmen

The elite warriors of the tribe, these swordsmen are unfortunately just as poor at following orders as anyone else – even more so, in fact, since they feel the need to prove their prowess in battle. They are better equipped than most barbarian infantry, though, and so can be used to better effect against the Romans or any other organized infantry body.

Woad Warriors

The British counterparts of Gallic naked barbarians, these fighters coat their bodies with a bluish plant dye (i.e. woad). Although their discipline is poor, they can adversely affect the morale of those facing them (which is quite understandable!). They are armed with swords and shields. These men are excellent for breaking the back of an enemy line with a terrifying charge.

Druids

The religious leaders of the barbarians, druids also fought in battle, armed with swords and shields. Their most useful ability, though, is probably the huge increase in morale that they provide to their units. Druids should not be underestimated, and in fact taking them out first will probably have a negative effect on the rest of the men they are fighting alongside of.

War Dogs

Used occasionally in battle by various nations, these dogs were deliberately starved to make them all the more fierce (and hungry!). They were trained to target horse’s hamstrings and therefore could be used against either infantry or cavalry. Although they were obviously never used on the scale possible in the game, they could be a fairly formidable deterrent to any group of infantry.

Light Chariots

The Britons are another of the few factions that still use chariots. Theirs carry archers, with a separate Briton taking care of the driving. They also have some psychological effect on their enemies. These light chariots, while very strong against infantry, will not hold up very well against an attack by enemy cavalry.

Heavy Chariots

Ridden by the kings of British tribes, these chariots are weapons in themselves – when charging a group of infantry, the chariot itself can be swung around to knock men to the ground. Their riders carry swords, which gives them a slight disadvantage as regards range, but their armor and the size of the chariot itself is usually more than enough to make up for this.

General’s Chariots

A bodyguard was, historically speaking, a functional unit, rather than a type of soldier. In the game, however, they are heavy chariots, whose success or failure depends to a large extent on the personal characteristics of the general who they are guarding – his effect on their morale, for example, or on their discipline, will play a large role in determining how they fight. They are in all cases excellent troops.