Rocket Troop

Rocket Troop
Belongs to	All Western Factions
Type	Fixed Artillery
Guns	4
Firepower	24
Range	750
Accuracy	15
Reload	5
Morale	3
Tech requirement	Explosive Rockets
Produced from	Engineer School
Shot Types	Rockets
Cost	1040 SP/800 MP
Upkeep	260
Turns to Train	1
Unit Cap	None

Rocket Troop is an artillery type in Empire: Total War.

Description

War rockets are a terrifying device, capable of carrying different kinds of warhead and of causing utter panic in their targets.

These iron tubes filled with gunpowder propellant are fired in large volleys; the noise alone could be somewhat unnerving. Each rocket is laid in an angled launcher, and it is the job of the artilleryman to correctly judge the angle of launch to drop the rockets in the middle of the enemy. He also needs to take into account wind, as the long tails of the rockets can mean they are blown off course. The least dangerous rockets are tipped with a large spear point, but explosive heads are also fitted.

Historically, it was the Indian war rockets used by Tippu Sultan of Mysore that introduced Europeans to the concept. The experience was not a pleasant one. The British copied these weapons as the Congreve rocket system, and used them aboard ships as well as on land. A rocket troop was present at the final defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815, although accounts of their effectiveness vary. Congreve’s system even included illumination rounds to light up the battlefield!

General Information

At first glance, rockets may seem powerful with their impressive visual effects and great range. However, in Empire: Total War the casualties they inflict are nominal at best, although their area of effect is quite large, granting a slight morale penalty to large portions of the enemy army consistently.