| Bowmen | |
|---|---|
| |
| Belongs to | All Native American factions |
| Type | Skirmisher |
| Weapon(s) | Bow; Tomahawk |
| Ammunition | 20 |
| Soldiers in each unit | 60 |
| Melee Attack | 4 |
| Charge bonus | 3 |
| Defense skill | 1 |
| Morale | 4 |
| Range | 70 |
| Accuracy | 25 |
| Reloading | 10 |
| Tech requirement | None |
| Produced from | Hunting Grounds or higher |
| Special abilities |
|
| Cost | 440 SP/540 MP |
| Upkeep | 110 |
| Turns to Train | 1 |
| Unit Cap | None |
Bowmen are a type of skirmisher in Empire: Total War.
Description[]
A bow-armed force capable of long-range, almost-silent, attacks.
The bow is a tool as well as a weapon, used for providing food and defending the tribe. In the time it takes a musketeer to fire and reload, a skilled bowman can loose several arrows making them formidable enemies. Tribesmen hone their skills daily, hunting to provide food for their families and furs to trade with Europeans. The materials used to make a bow vary from tribe to tribe. Some are made from wood, others from the horn of elks or mountain sheep. Bowstrings are sinew or rawhide but, in an example of using whatever is to hand, the Dakotas are reputed to use the necks of snapping turtles!
General Information[]
Thanks to their high range and their resistance to massed fire, bowmen can be quite troublesome to deal with for their European foes. However, bowmen are quite fragile in a melee. Later in the game, Skirmishers such as Light Infantry and Riflemen can effectively deal with bowmen due to their range and accuracy.
If using them in the Warpath Campaign, Bowmen are highly effective throughout the game (though slightly less when musketmen are unlocked). They are fairly innacurate at long range but become far more accurate as they move closer to an enemy. They also have a low rate of friendly fire, so moving them in groups of 2 allows more firepower at range, and if melee is inevitable allows 1 group to close in to melee temporarily whilst the other group provides supportive fire. They can also provide good supporting fire to any melee group.