Benefits of Spartan Hoplites

[anubis88]

I've modded my game to give KH two units of uber-Spartans at the beginning of the campaign - they have double gold experience, and gold shield and sword upgrades.

However, I've also made Spartan hoplites completely non-recruitable, so once the two units of uber-Spartans are destroyed in battle, that's it - the Spartans are history.

For me, this represents as accurately as possible the historical decline of Sparta as a major force in Greece.

Why? Sparta was imho stronger 50 years after EB start, under Kleomenes III

[Gaivs]

But wiped out basically after Selesia.

[Dubius Cato]

Gives me the idea to try a KH game and recruit Spartans exclusively, except for Skirmishers maybe.

[Tarkus]

Gives me the idea to try a KH game and recruit Spartans exclusively, except for Skirmishers maybe.

Huh?

[Teleklos Archelaou]

Ah, the EB unholy trinity: SL, koine greek, and this...

[Vorian]

Ah, the EB unholy trinity: SL, koine greek, and this...

What's SL???

[Teleklos Archelaou]

Oops. I meant LS. Lorica Segmentata.

[Titus Marcellus Scato]

Why? Sparta was imho stronger 50 years after EB start, under Kleomenes III

The number of true Spartiates with the full agoge training declined over time. By 244 BC only 700 were left. Kleomones III restored this to a nominal 4,500 in 234 BC and won two battles with the Achean League as a result, in 228 BC and 227 BC. However five years later in 222 BC at the Battle of Sellasia the Macedonians and Achaen League crushed the Spartan army by sheer weight of numbers, and Sparta never rose again.

See: http://www.xyfos.com/articulos/Sellasia.pdf

In EB (by my reckoning) in Large Unit Size, 1 man in an EB unit = 20 men in real life. So a Spartan unit of 80 men is really 1,600 men strong. (For Huge unit size, 1 man in an EB unit = 10 men in real life).

So having 2 units of Spartan hoplites at the beginning of the game, plus Kleomones' bodyguard unit of Spartans, makes a total of 4,800 Spartan hoplites at the beginning of the EB campaign.

With gold sword and shield upgrades and double gold echevrons, they are VERY hard to kill! But the city of Sparta is still small and weak and can't afford to sustain heavy battle losses (although she can replace older men with young ones to maintain unit size.)

So the Spartan force will gradually decline in fighting strength with time, and will play a smaller and smaller role in the KH army. Eventually the Spartans will all be dead.

It all depends on whether you think the Spartan decline was inevitable, or whether they could have turned things around if the Macedonians hadn't crushed them. My own view is that Kleomones only postponed the inevitable.