Prosperous inheritors of Roman Britain, the Saxons use strong fortifications and infantry armies to vigilantly guard their realms against the constant threat of Viking raids. The organized and efficient fyrd system facilitates levying foot soldiers from Saxon towns and estates, while Alfred the Great’s naval reforms have created a fleet capable of challenging even the Danes at sea. Resilient and adaptive, the Saxons may bend but won’t break, and present a stiff challenge to any invader.
Bonuses
Dropsites provide a little extra food and stone when built.
Foot soldiers cost less per Town Center or Castle controlled.
Towers and Castles fire more arrows starting in the Castle Age.
Longships and Catapult Galleons have more HP.
Team Bonus: Repairers work faster.
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Regional Assets
Varangian Guard
A mercenary force in service to the Byzantine emperor, the Varangian Guard drew recruits from all over Scandinavia as well as England and Rus’ lands. After completing their service, grizzled veterans returned home fabulously wealthy in both riches and renown.
Trained at the Barracks, the Varangian Guard is a deadly shock infantryman who generates gold while fighting and excels at raiding and melee combat.
Saxon Varangian Guards are less expensive per Town Center and Castle controlled and gain additional armor when massed.
Longship
Masterfully constructed to traverse any waterway with speed, the Longship was the most advanced and versatile warship in northern Europe through the end of the Viking Age. Rivals bemoaned the lightning-quick longship raids that terrorized coasts and rivers from the North Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean, Baltic, Black, and Caspian Seas.
Constructed at the Dock, this swift warship fires a volley of projectiles and poses a severe threat to warships, soldiers, and buildings alike.
Saxon Longships benefit from additional HP.
Mounted Crossbowman
While lacking a tradition of horse archery, European armies soon discovered how much more deadly an armor-piercing weapon like the crossbow could be when made more mobile.
Trained at the Archery Range, the Mounted Crossbowman fires somewhat slower than its nomadic bow-wielding counterpart, but packs quite a punch. Mounted Crossbowmen are available to most European civilizations, which produce them instead of Cavalry Archers.
Unique Unit
Hearth Troop
Hearth Troops were a Saxon leader’s professional retinue, so named because they literally shared his hearth and hall. Armed with the best equipment available, they usually bore a shield and at least one blade and spear, the latter of which could be thrusted or hurled. Hearth Troops were glorified in Saxon heroic poetry such as the Battle of Maldon, the Fight at Finnsburh, and Beowulf, often fighting to the bitter end even after their lord was slain.
This elite infantryman excels in melee combat with his sword and shield, but also periodically hurls a javelin at enemies.
Unique Technologies
Clerical Recruitment
Rich ecclesiastical culture and promises of salvation made enrolling new members easy for the Saxon clergy. These immensely pious clerics swiftly became well-educated and persuasive.
Effect: Monks gain +1 range and train 33% faster.
Shield Wall
Adopted from the Roman legions, a wall of interlocking shields was the supreme infantry tactic in early medieval northern Europe. It required immense discipline and coordination to maintain in a chaotic battle, but the victorious results of successful use were undeniable.
Effect: Infantry gain additional armor in larger groups.
Saxon Castle
The Saxon Castle, based on the citadels of stout Saxon burhs depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry.
