Aspataka Lancers

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By land, by sea, with foot, with horse,
Resistless in his rapid course,
O'er all their realms his warring thousands pour'd;
Now his intrepid chiefs surveys
And glitt'ring like a god his radiant state displays.

— Aeschylus, The Persians

In game[edit | edit source]

Aspataka rkc.png
Aspataka Lancers — Vital statistics
Aspataka Lancers

Medium cavalry unit in the Dark Age which cannot be upgraded further, strong in the early game but outclassed in the late game.

Prereq: Build time HP LOS Attack Attack speed Movement
speed
Level 3: Heraldry and Code of Honour Military
11.6s
(175t)
65 6 12 1.6s
(25t)
43
Cost Created from Armour Weapon range Specialty
Base Ramp Pop
Food.jpg: 60;
Timber: 40
Food.jpg: 1;
Timber: 1
1

Stable

4 Melee

Attack bonus versus ranged units.

Armenia

Overall strategy[edit | edit source]

Like the Anglo-Scots Reavers of the British Isles, Aspataka Lancers (Armenian: "raiders") serve in all the roles of light cavalry needed by the forces of the lords of Hayasdan, and are by far the best medium cavalry units in the Dark Ages: indeed, they play well into Armenia's being a cavalry-intensive civilisation. As they are fairly tough warriors with added armour, the Armenian faction is well suited towards medium cavalry rushing, given the fact that Armenian buildings consume less timber, allowing for more light- to medium-strength cavalry and medium infantry to be created.

The only problem for them however is that they can't be upgraded, so while they are very powerful in the Dark Age, they are substantially weaker as the game goes by since factions like Turkey and France can raise more powerful medium cavalry units which can trump the Armenian Aspataka in all areas — so while you can use them to trample enemy armies in the early game, by the late game they are hopelessly underpowered, being better for little more than picking off the odd villager or farm as seen fit — the Imperial Era is the era of heavy cavalry and firearms, all which can easily mow down a swathe of Aspatak Cavalry if left to their own devices.

Unit summary[edit | edit source]

  • Cavalry Body Building — As they are fairly tough warriors with added armour, Aspataka Lancers can be raised in large numbers for rushing, given the fact that Armenian buildings consume less timber, allowing for more light- to medium-strength cavalry and medium infantry to be created.
  • Ageing Process — Although good in the Dark Age, Aspataka Lancers become weaker as the game progresses and other factions raise more powerful cavalry units.

History[edit | edit source]

Despite being a mountain civilisation (based in the Caucasus in the Classical era, then the Cilician highlands in the Mediaeval era), the Armenians somehow managed to raise formidable ranks of cavalry, which served with distinction, whether for or against different foreign powers, including the Persians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs and even the Mongols. Perhaps the most likely reason for this was simply because Armenian occupied a geopolitically strategic location between east and west which allowed for both armies and goods to flow between civilisations as needed.