New Faction Preview: The Parthians

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One of the major pieces of work being done behind the scenes for RS2.0 is the complete renovation of every non-Roman faction in the mod. New units, new skins, new buildings, new icons, you name it.

One faction that desperately needed this face lift was the Parthian Empire. These guys have rarely been treated properly in the world of Total War. Historically, they were one of the meanest collection of horse-riding bow-fiends this side of Mongolia. And yet, in vanilla RTW, they looked like the Purple Pajama People. What a way to represent one of the great empires of antiquity!

So our team of skinners got to work and created an entirely new roster of units for the mighty Parthian Empire -- units so impressive that the Parthians of RS2.0 will send the nearest Roman legions rushing back across the Euphrates with their eagles between their legs!

And so without further ado, Roma Surrectum 2.0's PARTHIANS:

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PARTHIAN SPEARMEN

While the Parthian cavalry provide the offensive power of the Parthian armies, these spearmen, raised from the villages and royal estates of Parthia, Media and Persia, have their place in the line of battle. Especially useful for holding terrain or garrisoning forts and cities, they receive some training and are drilled in basic formations, but cannot be expected to hold their ground for long against heavy infantry.

[Stats: decent morale, good discipline, can form close formations, poor armor but decent shield, average melee ability – inexpensive levy spearmen]



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HYRKANIAN SLINGERS

Hyrkania is a wild land of forests, mountans and swamps bordering the Caspian Sea, home to many fierce tribes who have perfected the art of guerilla warfare. These Hyrkanians are expert slingers, and more than willing to serve their Parthian overlords for the chance at rich plunder.

[Stats: poor morale, poor discipline, long-range missiles, cannot form close formations, poor armor, small shield, average melee ability – inexpensive slingmen]


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HYRKANIAN HILLMEN

Excellent skirmishers, these wild Hyrkanians prefer to keep their distance and rain javelins down upon the enemy, but if necessary they can fight toe-to-toe with great ferocity. However, their lack of armor leaves them vulnerable to heavy infantry, so they are best suited for use against light infantry.

[Stats: good morale, impetuous, can swim, can hide, cannot form close formations, no armor, small shield, good melee ability – fairly inexpensive skirmishers]


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PERSIAN FOOT ARCHERS

South of Parthia lies Persia, a land with a long history of warfare. The Persians often fight with their Parthian masters, and these Persian foot soldiers are low-born men trained well enough with the bow, but lacking any close-combat ability. They have poor morale and discipline, and should never face the enemy face to face. That said, they are inexpensive and their arrows will help darken the skies and rain death upon Parthia’s enemies.

[Stats: poor morale, poor discipline, cannot form close formations, no armor, poor melee ability – inexpensive levy archers]


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PARTHIAN FOOT ARCHERS

All Parthians can ride and most can shoot, but at times it is better to shoot from the ground than from horseback. These Parthian foot archers, not as wealthy as their mounted brothers, forgo the mobility of horseback for added accuracy and distance with their deadly compound bows. They are among the best archers in the world, and if used properly will be invaluable in softening up the enemy formations.

[Stats: good morale, good discipline, long-range missiles, can form close formations, poor armor, no shield, poor melee ability – moderately inexpensive archers]



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DAHAE HORSE ARCHERS

The Parthians belong to a great family of horse-riding tribes who have dominated the areas east of the Caspian for centuries. The Dahae are wild, undisiplined horsemen, the unruly cousins of the Parthians, who have retained the ancient ways of raiding and banditry. Drawn to the recent successes of the Parthian kings, they seek to enrich themselves with the plunder of the south. But they are fickle men, and lack the discipline and stalwart nature of the true Parthian warrior, so they must be used them with care.

[Stats: moderate morale, poor discipline, impetuous, can swim, cannot form close formations, cantabrian circle, no armor, small shield, good missile attack, average melee ability – moderately inexpensive horse archers]


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PARTHIAN HORSE ARCHERS

The backbone of all Parthian armies, these are the true-born warriors of Parthia. They are excellent bowmen and even better riders, and are known to carry extra quivers of arrows to enable them to rain death upon the enemy for several hours at a stretch. They have good morale and, when needed, can charge home the attack with their spears, although their lack of armor makes them poorly suited for fighting armored infantry or spearmen. These are the tough, tenacious riders who humbled Rome at Carrhae.

[Stats: good morale, good discipline, can form close formations, cantabrian circle, no armor, no shield, good missile attack, extra arrows, good charge, average melee ability – moderately inexpensive horse archers]


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HYRKANIAN HORSEMEN

From the hills and valleys of Hyrkania ride these tough light cavalry, ideally suited for ambush, pursuit and harassing attacks. Their large shield gives them better protection in close combat than horse archers, and their natural ferocity makes them a dangerous foe indeed. However, their wild nature also makes them impetuous and somewhat difficult to control, unlike their more civilized Parthian cousins.

[Stats: good morale, poor discipline, impetuous, can swim, cannot form close formations, cantabrian circle, no armor, large shield, good missile attack, good melee ability – moderately inexpensive horse skirmishers]


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MEDIAN LIGHT CAVALRY

Inheritors of the ancient ways of war practiced by the great Persian Empire, the Medes excel as light cavalry. Drawn to the banners of Parthia, they see an opportunity to finally overthrow the Greek heirs of Alexander, barbarian tyrants who have ruled their lands for far too long! Median light horse are expertly disciplined and drilled to perfection -- a devastating light cavalry force, particularly against light infantry or missile troops. Their lack of armor, however, leaves them vulnerable to missiles or to heavy cavalry.

[Stats: good morale, good discipline, can form close formations, no armor, small shield, good missile attack, average melee ability – moderately inexpensive horse skirmishers]


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PARTHIAN NOBLES

From the great estates of Parthia come these warriors, combining the wild horsemanship of the steppes with the armor and discipline of the Parthian culture. These are the young nobles who hope to one day rule the many provinces of a future Parthian Empire. As horsemen and archers they are excellent, and they perform equally well in close combat. Their impetuous nature can be troublesome, but they are less expensive to maintain than the Cataphracts or other Parthian armored horse, so they are likely to be the main armored contingent of a Parthian host.

[Stats: excellent morale, decent discipline, impetuous, can form close formations, good armor, no shield, good missile attack, good melee ability – expensive armored horse archers]


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PERSIAN NOBLES

These men are the descendants of the Great Kings, the rulers of the immense Achaemenid Empire that once spanned from the edges of Greece to the Indus. Long ago cast down by the wandering barbarian butcher Iskander the so-called ‘Great’, these proud people have waited long years for the chance at revenge and now, allied with their Parthian cousins, their time has come. Persian nobles ride the best steeds, wield the finest weapons and wear the best armor available. They are a powerful and versatile force, both excellent archers and fearsome in close-combat. If only their slaves and henchmen did not cost so much to feed!

[Stats: excellent morale, excellent discipline, can form close formations, can form wedge, excellent armor, no shield, excellent missile attack, excellent melee ability, inspires nearby troops – very expensive armored horse archers]

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DAHAE NOBLES

The Dahae are not a subtle people -- when they arm for close combat they layer themselves in scale armor, wield an enormous two-handed kontos lance, and as a back-up keep an iron-bound club to bash in the skulls of their enemies. These are the tribal leaders of the Dahae, men as unpleasant as they are ferocious. They prefer to watch from a distance as their countrymen riddle the enemy with arrows, then, when the moment is right, they charge and break the enemy formation like a ripe melon. While not as heavily armed as the Parthian Cataphracts, they move faster and are more easily able to circle round the enemy and find the weak point for their final charge.

[Stats: excellent morale, average discipline, impetuous, can form wedge, can charge without orders, can form close formations, excellent armor, no shield, excellent melee ability – very expensive heavy cavalry]


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PARTHIAN CATAPHRACTS

The Parthians are nothing if not inventive – seeking an answer to the heavily armored infantry of their Seleucid and Baktrian enemies, they have taken the concept of the armored horseman and perfected it with these metal-clad behemoths. Clad from head to toe in the finest armor available, their steeds likewise covered in scale barding, they are the tanks of the ancient world, fully prepared to smash into infantry formations and deal bloody death with their great kontos lances. Many a line of enemy infantry has turned and fled at the sight of these monstrosities lumbering down on them!

[Stats: excellent morale, excellent discipline, can form close formations, can form wedge, excellent armor, no shield, excellent melee ability, inspires nearby troops, frightens enemy infantry – really, really expensive heavy cavalry]


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PARTHIAN GENERAL AND BODYGUARDS

The nobles of Parthia are men aware above all of two things: the small territory of their homeland, and the very large territories of the Successors to the south. With their fearsome armored bodyguards, men trained from birth for combat and glory, they feel the time has come to even the scale a bit. Babylon should do, for starters!

[Stats: excellent morale, excellent discipline, can form close formations, excellent armor, no shield excellent melee ability, inspires nearby troops, frightens enemy infantry – very expensive heavy cavalry]

Now this is what the Romans would call a horrendus visum:

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THE DRACO
One thing to note about our new Parthians is the beautiful Draco standard they carry into battle, modelled by tone. The draco standard was originally developed by the cavalry peoples of the steppes, and it may have been used to help determine wind-direction for the horse archers. Under this banner the armies of Roma Surrectum's Parthians will spread across the world as they build their empire!

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"BYE BYE, LEGIONNAIRE!"
And one final image, showing the last moments of one Quintus Darius Macro, legionnaire serving with the army of Crassus at Carrhae, just before he succumbed to a bad case of broken skull:

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-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=CREDITS:-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

tone: Models and skins
Antiochus Epiphanes: Historical input; Parthian Horse Archers, Parthian Cataphracts and Parthian Nobles skins
Europa Barbarorum Team: Parthian Cataphract Horse and Parthian Horse Archer models

HAHA, Rome Surrectum 2.0 is looking good. Can not wait! :)

I'm so glad the Parthians are getting the attention that they deserve in RS 2.o.

They certainly didn't get it in RTW vanilla.

HOLD ON.
I just re-looked at the units and I only saw one unit of straight up infantry. The "Parthian Spearmen". Is that really all you are giving them in terms of infantry? That seems a little lacking, don't ya think?

Well given they were a horse culture and didn't use many if any infantry type units that's pretty reasonable for specifically Pathian units. They will also be able to recruit various AOR units as well.

They'll certainly be getting some AOR infantry units that they can recruit....but we're trying to keep them pretty much as they were which is as a horse culture.

It's all good, as long as your choices are not unjustified.

And when you speak of AOR units, are you referring to city hoplites etc?

AOR units in the sense I'm talking about are units that are recruitable by multiple factions but are area specific. So an AOR unit might be a galatian unit recruitable in and around galatia.