AOK:HAND CANNONEER
From GenieWiki
This unit class covers all gunpowder units. For a full list of units arranged by class see AOK:List of units.
All historical notes in italics are taken from the game manual.
Hand Cannoneer
- Age: Imperial Age
- Hit Points: 35
- Attack: 17
- Armor: 1/0
- Range: 7
- Speed: Medium
- Special: Requires Chemistry
"Following the development of cannons, small hand-operated gunpowder weapons began appearing in Europe in the 14th Century. These early firearms were small iron tubes mounted on a wooden stock. They were inaccurate and slow to load. In the early 15th Century the hand cannon was made smaller, the stock was redesigned so it could be held against the chest and a mechanism was added to insert the slow-burning match into the chamber. The weapon was effecive only in volleys at close range. In the middle of the 15th Century, the first recognisably modern firearm, the "arquebus" was developed. This employed a wheel lock to bring the slow match in contact with the powder-pan connected to the chamber. Lead and cast iron balls fired from these were lethal. Firearms of the middle ages had inferior range and rate of fire compared to the best bows and crossbows of the Middle Ages. Firearms gradually improved and became more and more popular despite the high cost. They became status symbols. Important lords engaged in arms races to attempt to stock more modern firearms than their rivals."
Janissary
- Age: Castle Age
- Hit Points: 35
- Attack: 15
- Armor: 1/0
- Range: 8
- Speed: Medium
- Special: Turkish Unique Unit
Elite Janissary
- Age: Imperial Age
- Hit Points: 40
- Attack: 18
- Armor: 2/0
- Range: 8
- Speed: Medium
- Special: Turkish Unique Unit
"Some of the best units in the Turkish armies were Janissaries. These men were captured as children and raised under Islam to be fanatical warriors. They wore distinctive white headgear and marched into battle accompanied by music. They fought on foot with a variety of weapons, including early firearms when these first reached the Middle East. The military was their entire life and they took great pride in their achievements. They led the successful assault into Constantinople and the unsuccessful attacks against Malta and Vienna."
