Gascon Crossbowmen
The Gascon Crossbowman is a unique unit of England that is trained at the Archery Guild. It is a short-ranged, but well-armored crossbowman with small bonuses vs. infantry and battering rams.
Statistics[]
Vital[]
Available to: England
Trained at: Archery Guild
Century: 13th
Cost: 30 Wood, 50 Florins
Combat[]
HP: 35
Attack: 12
Armor/Pierce Armor: 1/1
Range: 6
Accuracy Percentage: 65
Reloading Time: 5.5
Special: +3 vs. infantry, +2 vs. rams.
Upgrades[]
Attack, Range: Fletching , Bodkin Arrow , Bracer , Bow Practice
Attack: Alchemy
Armour: Padded Archer Armour , Leather Archer Armour , Ring Archer Armour
Accuracy: Thumb Ring
Training time: Indenture
Scenario Editor Notes[]
The Gascon Crossbowman replaces the Genoese Crossbowman in the English scenario editor.
Commentary[]
Unlike the Genoese look-alike, the Gascon Crossbowman is just as strong as a regular crossbowman but has a fairly short range, so it may be best deployed directly behind lines of infantry. They have a small anti-ram bonus, making them good for stopping 13th century siege, as well as a small anti-infantry bonus to protect weaker units, like spearmen, from stronger infantry.
Historical Background[]
The crossbow seems to have been accepted quite early in southern France and when the English controlled Gascony, Edward I prefered to hire contingents of Gascon Crossbowmen to support his army. The Gascons used a quite early type of crossbow which lacked a loading stirrup making it less effective than later crossbows that were equipped with better loading devices.