| Issedones (Light Celtic Chariotry) | |
|---|---|
| |
| Unit type | Light chariot |
| Base cost | 80  Timber, 60  Wealth
|
| Ramping cost | 3 Wealth
|
| Creation time | 19.9 seconds (291t) |
| Hit points | 122 |
| Line of sight | 10 |
| Movement speed | 35 |
| Attack strength | 30 (19t) |
| Attack range | 2-10 |
| Armour | 6 |
| Population cost | 
|
| Created at | 
|
| Prerequisites | none |
| Upgrades from | none |
| Upgrades to | none |
| Available to | Britons |
In comparison to most other light chariotry (such as those recruited by Carthage, Numidia, and Saba) the Issedones or light Celtic chariot is a massively superior machine of war. Whereas most other chariots consist of little more than wheeld baskets, the Issedones has a different construction altogether, whereby the chariot consists of a platform tied on a web secured within a wheeled frame, providing some semblance of suspension, granting more hitpoints, speed and stability as a fighting platform, nearly comparable to common javelin cavalry.
Such a sophisticated structure makes itself manifest in the style you may use these units — they suffer from no blind spots, are faster comparison to the chariot units of other factions, which are weaker and can only throw their missiles when charging the foe. In addition, the greater stability afforded by the suspension of the chariot model used by the Issedones also confers higher accuracy on the missiles of the charioteer, making these units deadlier than ever before.
Thus Issedones make for a powerful and versatile unit, capable of throwing more javelins in comparison to normal horse javelins, and can be used in various roles — frontline skirmishing, or pursuing enemy foes. For this reason, when facing these units in combat it is not ideal to attempt to pursue them with ranged cavalry - the Issebones may be slower than a fair number of cavalry units, but it can throw more javelins that actually HIT as it trundles across the battlefield. Only if you are using units such as horse archers should you contemplate attempting to chase them with cavalry. Otherwise, get out archery units to deal with them or at least keep them at bay.
See also[]
Background[]
Horses didn't always exist in the sizes that we see them today. In the times of the early Copper Age, they tended to be smaller and more akin to ponies, and thus were not suitable for riding by humans — and certainly not as a heavy shock element in any army.
The chariot thus formed a simple yet effective stopgap measure for early Bronze Age societies seeking to harness the powers of the horse — relatively greater speed, stamina and domesticability — while eliminating the drawback of not being able to mount them. For many societies with a dearth of proper cavalry mounts, chariots could be ideal — for one, they could be used as missile platforms as implemented in ancient Egyptian and Hittite armies, or used to transport troops into battle — the Bronze Age Greeks and Celts were known for this use of chariots in which noble fighters could be sent into battle, dismounting from the chariot the moment contact was made, with the remaining crew assisting in the skirmishing role as mentioned above.
There were two notable drawbacks to chariot warfare, however: if the horses were despatched, the chariot would be useless; equally, chariots were costly machines, requiring immense upkeep and a livery of attendants similar to the retinue of a mediaeval knight, and so only the most warlike and prosperous societies could afford them. Still, for those who needed a touch of dash in their armies but who had no pedigree horse breeds to make it happen, chariots remained fairly ideal, especially in the plains of northern England and the deserts of Africa and southern Arabia.
Trivia[]
These units replace Horse Archers for the Britons in CtW.