Swooper/Bronze Dawn

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"Let the hull be of medium thinness, that the ship be capable of agility in movement and at the same time be solid and robust to repulse the foe."

—Leo VI the Wise, Tactica Ch XIX.4

In game[edit | edit source]

Mengchong.png
Swooper — Vital statistics
Swooper

Fast raiding vessel, best used for taking out unarmed targets and patrol duty. Cheaper than War Galley.

Prereq: Build time HP LOS Attack Attack speed Movement
speed
Upgrade of
  • Imperial Era
  • Level 1: Caravan Train Commerce
10s
(150t)
175 13 14 x 3 1.6s
(25t)
56
Barque Stomach Striker
Cost Created from Armour Weapon range Specialty
Base Ramp Pop
Food.jpg: 30;
Timber: 30
Food.jpg: 1
1 Estaleiro.png 1 0–8
China Japan Mongol.jpg

Overall strategy[edit | edit source]

Whereas the Mediaeval Swooper is a warship armed with guns, in Bronze Dawn, the Swooper is now a heavy assault ship.

More armour, lower HP, range is set to 3. Should be allowed to attack from the front. Increased attack versus ships.

Unit summary[edit | edit source]

  • Taking Enemy Fire — The increased accuracy of a Dromond's missiles and speed make them good for raiding and defending against fireships. On the other hand, their low cost makes them ideal as decoys.
  • A Warm Welcome — As Dromonds are weak against heavy ships, complement your Dark Age fleet with fireships to keep enemy Longships and Roundships at bay.
  • Planned Obsolescence — Upgrade your Dromonds to Barques once resources are available.
  • Dromonas— The Byzantines do not build Dromonds, but instead maintain the Dromonas which is in fact the original prototype; the Dromond itself being a weaker and less efficient counterfeit thereof.

Notes[edit | edit source]

If you are playing the Western factions, this unit will undergo 3 different changes, depending on the Age you are in:

History[edit | edit source]

The term "dromond" was an Anglo-French derivation of the word "dromon", coming from the Greek word "drom-" (lit: run), meaning a "runner" or, in later Italian parlance, a "corsair", capable of good speeds at sea, while being sturdy enough to run down smaller prey. Contrary to more ancient models, dromonds did not ram enemies, but instead used a wooden beak or spar to break enemy oars, thus disabling the ship and making it easier to board. Dromon-type craft were popular to the communities that maintained contact with Byzantium (and were based off the more advanced Byzantine dromonas), although longships, based off a design used by Nordic tribes, were more popular throughout the North Sea and Baltic regions.

Chronicles

Bronze Dawn