Javelin Cavalry

"[H]orse cavalry possesses the additional gear ratio which permits it to attain sufficient speed through mountainous country to get behind and hold the enemy..."

— George S. Patton, American WW2 general

Javelin Cavalry: Vital statistics
Unit type	Ranged medium cavalry
Built/trained at	Stable
Damage and weapon type	Good; javelin
Armour	Low
Production cost	Pop cost: 1 Resource cost: 6; 4 Ramp cost: 1; 1
Range	Mediocre Medium LOS
Unit move and creation speed	Unit movement speed: rather fast Creation speed: very fast
Unit HP	Low
Technological requirements; upgrades	Military Level 2 (Mercenaries) Upgrades to: Mounted Cranequinier for most nations except Mongolia; Aspatak Skirmisher for Armenia; Jinete for Spain and Portugal; Palace Gamekeeper for Burgundy;
Factions available	All except:

A genus of medium cavalryman commonly associated with Western lands, Javelin Cavalry have a special purpose: skirmishing and flanking. Because of their decent armour and the sheer power of their javelins, mounted javelineers often serve as a cross between light to medium cavalry, armed with javelins that can pierce light sheet metal and flesh and cause splash damage, making them deadly missile counters for heavy cavalry. Yet, to think of them being as good as Horse Archers would be totally mistaken — these units are slower and have far worse range, which limits their usefulness, especially if pursued given that they are incapable of attacking while moving — more advanced units, however, are capable of doing this.

There are two ways to use these specialised troops. The first is to mass them in a line to charge your opponents' flanks and rear, releasing a barrage of javelins, and then run away. If facing heavy cavalry, splitting your javelin cavalry into several smaller groups will be better, as one group can function as bait, while the other few can be used to attack, eventually whittling down the enemy cavalry. The other would be to use these units to accompany cavalry charges — because of their speed and brutal attack, Javelin Cavalry are very useful for either preceding or following up a charge of Lancers. Keep these units away from light cavalry, archers, lancers and artillery at all times — light cavalry can easily close in and pick them off, while most ranged infantry and machines can kill them even in a straight up fight. The only units vulnerable to these, though, would be any and all units armed with crossbows, since their slower rate of fire means that your Javelin Cavalry ought to have more opportunities for throwing their salvos at Crossbow Infantry as opposed to the speedier bowmen. On the other hand, use the terrain to your advantage: rivers which slow down enemy units are ideal areas for Javelin Cavalry to operate it: attack stricken units, and then run away if the enemy presses on.

Similar tactics are also used by cavalry units recruited in Iberia and North Africa. Tracing their traditions from age-old tribal traditions in the arid mountains of Africa and Spain, Iberian Riders are upholders of the old Numidian traditions of cavalry skirmishing, and with their speedy mounts, they and their descendents, the Jinetes, are the terror of cavalry everywhere thanks to their lightning-quick rate of fire, despite their being less heavily armoured than their Continental European relatives.

Unit summary

• Ranged medium cavalry, slower than most other cavalry units, but endowed with limited armour and capable of frontline skirmishing.
• They Came...From Behind — Because of their slow speed and poor range, Javelin Cavalry are best used for sneak attacks from behind or from the flanks.
• Riding Like Hell — Because of their decent armour and the sheer power of their javelins, javelin cavalry are highly effective counters for heavy cavalry and crossbow infantry, despite their slower speed and worse range.
• Over-Counter Cavalry — Javelin cavalry are high effective against slow-moving or slow-firing units, but light cavalry and archers can easily kill them.
• Iberian Rider — Moorish Iberian Riders, despite having less armour and hitpoints than normal Javelin Cavalry, are even speedier, making them very lethal especially as a counter-cavalry unit.
• Uchelwr —— Uchelwr and the Teulu, which not only have beter armour and resistance, but are cloaked except when attacking, and so are very useful for infiltration and surprise attacks.