3D Units and Faction Info Over At the Official Empire Site

**Sir Beane** · 01-15-2009, 06:35

Originally Posted by YLC

Careful whom you call peasant, Meth.

In any case, The Laughing Knight has done us a great service to begin with, and we should thank him enough for that at least. Knights must patrol the realm after all, he can't always hover over the ETW site 24/7...

I try, I really do... but pesky things like sleeping and eating just keep getting in the way of the important stuff

**Sir Beane** · 01-20-2009, 15:23

Hey there folks, I apologise for the double post but we have a new unit! This time no one beat me to it

http://www.sega.co.uk/empire/units/?id=1

Clansmen

These fierce Highland warriors intimidate all enemies with their wild skirling attacks and barbarous apparel.

Highland clans are the last tribal society in Western Europe. Men fight for their chieftains because they are expected to defend their clans’ honour and lands. They fight for these in the same way that they have done for centuries: with the broadsword and buckler, pistol, and Lochaber axe. There is little that regular line troops find as disturbing as the sight of a clan bearing down on them, screaming their hate and defiance. Highland Scots are brave, hard men.

Historically, the clans were destroyed as a military force at Culloden in 1746, by both British regulars and other, loyalist clansmen. The romance of the clans died on the field, along with a great many men who hurled themselves into a storm of lead and cannonballs armed with nothing more than swords. The clansmen were then repeatedly betrayed and used by their own chiefs, and then eventually driven off the land when sheep became more profitable. Highlanders were forced to scatter across the world, taking their fighting traditions with them.

I guess these guys will be part of the Jacobite forces.

**Fisherking** · 01-20-2009, 15:33

This is a tough one!

The Highlanders were noted for getting the English to fire and duck to ground and come up charging!

If that trick is not available, and I am guessing it is not, then it handicaps their ability as fighter and the fear they caused…

**Sir Beane** · 01-20-2009, 15:41

Originally Posted by Fisherking

This is a tough one!

The Highlanders were noted for getting the English to fire and duck to ground and come up charging!

If that trick is not available, and I am guessing it is not, then it handicaps their ability as fighter and the fear they caused…

I'm willing to bet their advantage will lie in extremely high melee attack stats and probably some kind of 'lowers enemy morale' trait. They will probably be the perfect unit for attacking from ambush, or from cover, and charging the enemy before they can deliver a volley.

In melee their claymore and shield would give them a huge advantage over a man with a musket. At range however they have no protection against a musket volley and no means of returning fire.

I can see them being used like this:

Keep them behind a line of musket equipped infantry, or behind some kind of cover (a wall, building, hill, street corner). Once the musket unit has exchanged fire with the enemy the highlanders can charge out of cover and break the weakened enemy line.

They will probably also be very useful for urban combat and assaulting walls and garrisoned buildings.

**Polemists** · 01-20-2009, 15:46

and no means of returning fire.

with the broadsword and buckler, pistol, and Lochaber axe

Not quite true, they do have a pistol, which while hardly a musket or rifle does mean they can fire a shot or two before they charge. I doubt it would do much, but they do have a mean of returning fire if they are pinned. For instance in a building and across the way is a enemy garrison in another building.

At long range though you are correct as a pistol does little.

**Sir Beane** · 01-20-2009, 15:50

Originally Posted by Polemists

Not quite true, they do have a pistol, which while hardly a musket or rifle does mean they can fire a shot or two before they charge. I doubt it would do much, but they do have a mean of returning fire if they are pinned. For instance in a building and across the way is a enemy garrison in another building.

At long range though you are correct as a pistol does little.

I missed that! In that case it does extend their range of uses a little, and gives them a means to do a little damage to a unit at range.

I'm still sure that their strength will lie in morale penalties and strong melee however, especially if there is a highlander unit which uses the lochaber axe!

I wonder if there will be one generic highlander unit, or several variations (such as a claymore unit, lochaber axe unit etc.)

On a different note this is good news for modders. I've heard many people complain about there being 'no sword units in game'. Now we know their is a unit that uses a sword and shield and that this will allow for mods set in other time periods.