German Units

Peasant

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.

Skirmishers

Much like the Roman velites, skirmishers are restricted to peppering the enemy with long-range javelins before the actual battle commences. They can also be useful for acting as a distraction to the enemy, to lure them into an ambush, or to create a diversion by attacking some target. They are fairly useless in melee combat, and should not be subjected to it.

Chosen Archers

German archers are better equipped than is the norm amongst most factions. Armed with not only a bow but also a sword, they can be used for hand-to-hand combat in a pinch. Their experience in hunting makes them ideal for raining death on their enemies, and it is this (rather than being employed as light infantry) that they ought to be used for.

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.

Axemen

Another area in which the Germans stand out is in their use of axes rather than swords or spears for their regular infantry. Axes can be devastating weapons in battle, but they also restrict maneuverability and slow troops down. As always, these men are poor when it comes to discipline, and motivated largely by their personal desire for glory and loot.

Chosen Axemen

The elite warriors of the tribe, these axmen are unfortunately just as poor at following orders as anyone else’s 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. Their massive axes will cut through almost anything in their path, rendering it unnecessary for them even to wear armour. These warriors should be treated with great respect.

Naked Fanatics

This is a rather stereotypical unit that one finds in almost every game which features barbarians. Nevertheless, the naked fanatics, wildest of the barbarian hordes, are truly a force to be reckoned with, as they are entirely without fear and think nothing of sacrificing themselves – as long as they can take their enemies down with them. They are poorly disciplined, obviously. Like most other barbarians, they are armed with swords.

Night Raiders

Substantially more aggressive than their other barbarian relatives – the Gauls and Britons – the Germans have a number of specialized units whose main purpose is only to attack. One of these is the night raider. Night raiders are lightly armed with axes, but the black dye that they cover their bodies with has as much effect on their enemies as their weapons – and of course, serves to make them very stealthy.

Berserkers

Everything that frightens you about the Germans rolled into one. Huge, angry warriors wielding large axes, they are similar to the naked barbarians or woad warriors in the manner that they work themselves into a frenzy before battle (possibly through the use of various natural drugs). They are probably the most powerful infantry unit any of the barbarian factions can bring onto the battlefield, and should be dealt with accordingly.

Screeching Women

It was not uncommon in many barbarian tribes for women to go into battle alongside their men. These women are armed with axes just as the other infantry, but the fact that they are women will also have an effect on the Romans who are not used to seeing females on the battlefield. They also have a major effect on the morale and discipline of the other German troops they are fighting with, and should be kept alive as long as possible for that reason.

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.

Barbarian Cavalry

The light spear-wielding scout cavalry of the barbarians, these cavalrymen are as excitable as their counterparts from any other nation. Due to this, they are not a particularly disciplined force on the battlefield. However, they can be used for scouting, for ambushes, for cutting down fleeing enemy troops, and sometimes even for applying unexpected pressure on an enemy flank.

Barbarian Noble Cavalry

A few steps up the tribal pecking order, the barbarian cavalry is even more susceptible than Chosen Swordsmen or Barbarian Cavalry to going glory-hunting in the middle of a fight. Their aggressiveness can also be an advantage, though, if they are used correctly. Since they carry spears and shields, they can also be employed against other cavalry.

Gothic Cavalry

These are the most dangerous of the barbarian cavalry units. Gothic cavalry is also made up of the most powerful warriors of the tribes, and will go to ridiculous lengths to live up to their reputations. This obviously has a negative effect on their discipline, but these spear-wielding horsemen are so powerful that almost regardless of when or where they attack, they will send the enemy fleeing before them.

Warlord’s Cavalry

A bodyguard was, historically speaking, a functional unit, rather than a type of soldier. In the game, however, they are spear-armed shock cavalry, 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.