Macemen

"Tho' all the world betray thee, One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard, One faithful harp shall praise thee!"
	—Thomas Moore (1779-1852), The Minstrel Boy"

In game

61px Macemen — Vital statistics
Militia	Medium melee unit specialised in countering heavy units. Strong versus siege weapons, buildings Weak versus heavy cavalry
Prereq:	Build time	HP	LOS	Attack	Attack speed	Movement speed	Upgrade of	Upgrades to
	10s (150t)	105	8	16	2.1s (32t)	29	8	16
Cost			Created from	Armour	Weapon range	Specialty
Base	Ramp	Pop
: 40; : 40	: 1; : 1	1		1	Melee	Small defensive bonus versus missile infantry.

Overall strategy

Though weak against ranged units like most infantry, Macemen have one special skill, and that is to destroy armoured units whenever they come in contact with them. Their weapon of choice, the Mace, functions very much like a light axe or sword, allowing them to counter heavy units with ease.

Unit summary

• Hack is the New Black — Versatility is key to using Militia — they do exceedingly well against archers and possibly fortifications, and will perform well in melee against cavalry too but only if they enjoy crushing superiority.
• Militia are cheap and fast to create, so you can easily amass an army of them.
• Suicide Guys — Suicide soldiers are conscript troops available only to Asian factions. They are substantially weaker, but cost far less and are trained faster, making them excellent for human wave tactics, especially for China.
• Colonel Kerne — Scottish and Cumbrian light infantry do not use swords, but instead use javelins. Called ceithernn, these men have poorer range than archers, but have enough armour and hitpoints to make themselves the bane of bowmen worldwide. A renegade version of the ceithernn, the kerne, wander Europe as journeymen and will sell their service to the highest bidders.
• Axe Rated — Slavs and Caucasians are fond of axes. Axe Wojaky are trained more slowly, but have enough hitpoints to already make them a menace to cavalry.
• Teutonic Order — The feudal system of Germanic tribes throughout northern and central Europe elicit feudal retinue, professional warriors who are tougher than normal Militia, making them deadly against archers. Upon the advancement of Christianity, these lesser noblemen will eventually take on new armour and weapons, and become the Palatinate Burgmänner to those elected as Holy Roman Emperors.
• Great Danes — Vikings are Norse shield bearers who are known for being devastating raiders, having better stats than normal Militia and a knack for destroying buildings.

Notes

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

• 

  Musketeer of the Colonial Era.

• Lineinf.png

  Musketeer of the Mercantile Era.

• Colonials tap.png

  Musketeer of the Imperial Era.

History

The first few centuries of the post-Roman era were highly turbulent times for many communities throughout Europe, which often found themselves at the mercy of several different enemies, and it was thus natural that sooner or later a body of chosen men would be required to supply the strong arms which was needed to ensure survival. Unlike common conscripted levies which were called up only for a single campaign, militias were fulltime, semi-professional armed men who were supposed to be ready for combat at all times, even in peace. The most famous of these institutions was the Anglo-Saxon fyrd, which was first introduced by Alfred the Great, and which continued to survive in some form or the other well throughout the Mediaeval Era.