New unit at the .com: Woodsmen

[KiberMax]

I think the Woodsman will not want to vary axes. he cannot cut trees with a small axe

[Herkus]

I think that there have never been such military troops like "woodsmen".
They all were peasants not bunch of guys who lived in woods, and I would like to see unit named Russian peasant levy with variety of weapons like javelins, spears, daggers, axes( not that huge one).

In if this unit comes from Russia north, than his hair and beard should be fair not black like the Mediterranean type.

[Watchman]

Well, the engines forces a certain degree of generalization of arms. Anyway, I'm under the impression the axes used for chopping wood *could* get pretty large - think them merry lumberjacks of old - and peasant levies/militias/guerillas/marauders/arrow fodder typically went to the field with whatever they already had at home. That's one reason why spears (useful for hunting and generally dealing with wild animals) and various axes (basic tools everyone had, and not all that rarely employed as a valid and traditional means of settling personal disputes) were so common.

That said, the fellow does seem to have nicked the Huscarle's "danish" axe. Maybe he got the guy drunk on vodka and swindled it off him...?

[Furious Mental]

Looks like a four foot long axe to me. Besides the decorations I don't see the problem.

[Myrddraal]

cutepuppy I find it incredible that you can deduce the number of units per faction from the preview of 5 or so units.....

[edyzmedieval]

With that silly thing on their head, they look like Turks to me...

[lancelot]

Nice lookin unit...not a terribly exciting unit but hey...

Where are the Varangians?!?!?

[Orda Khan]

Woodsmen would need a pretty big axe to cut down trees and chop wood. They could lose the decoration and I agree that he should probably look more caucasian, apart from that I think he looks OK

......Orda

[Zenicetus]

I think that there have never been such military troops like "woodsmen".
They all were peasants not bunch of guys who lived in woods, and I would like to see unit named Russian peasant levy with variety of weapons like javelins, spears, daggers, axes( not that huge one).

I had the same reaction.... the individual model doesn't look bad (except for the length of the axe handle), but a full unit of these guys, all running around with that same axe and all dressed basically the same? Uniform weapons make sense for organized units, but not peasant irregulars like this. It would be so much better if they had a mix of agricultral weapon/tools like axes, scythes, pitchforks, etc. But I know the engine isn't really set up to handle this.

Oh well. Maybe we'll eventually get a game engine and powerful enough computers to handle mixed weapon types (and stats), within a unit.

[Mithrandir]

To cut trees you need a big axe, the one the woodsman has may be just 20cm (2/3 foot) too big. If you've got a small axe, it's hard to make enough of an impact on the tree. Try cutting a tree with a hatchet of a foot and a half...

[Duke John]

It would be so much better if they had a mix of agricultral weapon/tools like axes, scythes, pitchforks, etc. But I know the engine isn't really set up to handle this.

The engine is up to it. Just like it an unit can have multiple helmets it can also have multiple weapons. I don't know wether the weapon system is able to handle it, but if you attach the weapon to the helmet, then if you 4 types of helmets you can have 4 types of weapons.

[spmetla]

Too bad they can't make other uses for woodsmen. Like a construction time reduction for siege weapons. I guess they'd have to make timber requirements then and that would make taking desert cities really difficult.

[Taurus]

I think it looks amazing. Nice axe!