| Rigessedones (Élite Celtic Chariotry) | |
|---|---|
| |
| Unit type | Light chariot |
| Base cost | X  Food, Y  Wealth
|
| Ramping cost | x Wealth
|
| Creation time | ? seconds |
| Hit points | ? |
| Line of sight | ? |
| Movement speed | ? |
| Attack strength | ? |
| Attack range | 0-0 |
| Armour | ? |
| Population cost | ?  Population
|
| Created at | Meeting House |
| Prerequisites | none |
| Upgrades from | none |
| Upgrades to | none |
| Available to |  
|
In comparison to normal Issedones, Rigessedones (Chieftain's Chariots) are a more superior breed of Celtic chariot, and like war elephants can attack at both range AND melee. These units can also be used to run down retreating units, although they aren't as powerful as the heavier Greek Harmata Drepanephora. These units if used against factions with a melee infantry focus or no heavy missile units (this is discussed below) such as the Suebi or the Getae can prove to be highly devastating. Even so, remember that as regard to all chariotry, they are suceptible to javelins and most heavily armoured melee infantry, particularly those armed with pikes so if you see enemy spearmen or Roman cohors, always remember to keep the Rigessedones as far away as possible.
For this reason, while Rigessedones are the best of the ranged chariot units, they are also the weakest, especially if used against opponents with a good semblance of combined arms, such as the more developed factions such as the Celtiberians or Romans. Heavy skirmishers such as Thureophoroi, Cohors Evocati or Scutanann, followed by a curtain of pike infantry or cavalry are more than sufficient to see them off. Since they can attack at both ranged and melee, your best chance at defeating Rigessedones then would be to use heavy javelineers since they can soak up the missiles of these units, and/or deploy well-armoured melee cavalry, especially if you are playing using the Celtiberians and Lusitanians. If you are playing as the Suebi, Carthaginians or the Greeks, a good mix of archers and pike, followed with cavalry for backup will help to see off chariot attacks.
Ultimately, if you are playing as the Arverni, it would be best for you to convert your Rigessedones to the Brihentin shock cavalry as quickly as possible.
History
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.