He was a god of fun and frolic, the god of the grape and its juices. Often, they went into battle drunk- and like drunks, were fearless and could withstand much more punishment than sober troops, something that enhanced their reputation.ĭionysius keeps the people happy. They need no other, for fighting and drinking is all Thracian warriors do. The Thracians have but two gods- Ares and Dionysius. Summed up, he writes to seize Byzantium, that lonely rebel town to the Thracian south, then decide whether to crush the Dacians or Scythians. The noble Hussarknight has written a guide concerning opening moves. Now, once you are familiar with the warhost and our lands, it is time you learn what to do. It is funny, though, that Thracian infantry- armed with the curved sica and rhompaia- is not a unit recruitable by Thrace itself. They existed there as late as the 1st century, and were later absorbed by the Sarmatians when they began their migrations. History has them down as a Celtic-speaking Germanic tribe that lived in or near the southern end of the Carpathian Mountains, with an offshoot that occupied the Danubian delta. Bastarnae were a tribe from the northern reaches of Thrace who we reputed to be the most ferocious warriors the Greeks had encountered. The Thracians also have as recruitable units the Bastarnae. Peltasts are also a standard Thracian unit. Peltasts proved so effective against armored hoplites that the Greeks decided to employ them themselves- often hiring Thracians to fight as light infantry and javelineers in their interminable wars. Verily, the name derives from the little shield they carried- the pelta. The most typical of Thracian units is the peltasts. The Thracian archers are nothing special in that regard, with neither the range of the famed Cretans nor the power of the Germans. The units in our game carry the Thracian model, and though it curves the wrong way and has the blade on the wrong side in the unit card, the soldiers wield it more or less correctly in battle.įrom the Scythians they have the bow, though most factions have some form of archer. Most think the falx is a Dacian weapon, but there is ample proof that the Thracians developed it as well. Pikemen come from the Macedonians, who alternated between being lords, enemies, and allies of the Thracians.įrom Dacia they have the falx and its shock-troop wielders. From the Greeks, the Thracians learned the phalanx, though their hoplites are far from the professionals of those city-states. The Thracian warhost borrows heavily from those around it. Warfare was a way of life for the pugnacious Thracians. They often served as mercenaries in foreign armies, though their own tribes and warbands were often in battle- often amongst themselves. Herodotus named them as the most populous nation in the world- evidence that the Greeks knew little of the world beyond the Mediterranean and also evidence that the Thracians were numerous indeed. But then again, Thrace is known for its foot soldiers, as you will read next. It will produce Greek Cavalry at its top level, which means the Thracians have no heavy cavalry at all. It too has a practice range and governor’s villa as does Tylis, but this city has stables as well. It is often threatened by the Scythian city nearby, but once archers are available, the ford between the two makes for a wonderful defense. Our other city is Campus Getae, near the mouth of the Danube. Tylis has a wooden wall, though, and a governor’s villa, but the only military building it possesses is the practice range- for churning out those wonderful Thracian peltasts. It starts off with what you would expect a capital city to have in the beginning of the game- damned near nothing. Still, it takes several turns for any army leaving the nearest city to reach it. It is far from everything, but not as far as the Scythian settlements. Tylis is the Thracian capital, located in the Eastern Balkans. You can modify your game to play them by following the instructions in the guide here. The Thracians are originally an unplayable faction. Battle, on the other hand, is a Thracian virtue, and these warlike people require a good general to lead them to eventual victory. They have a somewhat short roster of units available, but variety has never been a Thracian virtue. The Thracians are a tough people in a hard land, and no easy pushover for anybody. The Thracians are not considered by Greeks to be a Greek people, but they have been influenced by many Greek ways- and have influenced the Greeks as well. Welcome to the Danube, river of wild terrain and even wilder men.