Gallowglasses are a type of heavy infantry unit available to the Celts faction in Rome: Total War: Barbarian Invasion
Description[]
Gallowglasses are a warrior elite among their people, armed with double-handed weapons and armoured in chainmail to boot. It is their task to hack a way into an enemy battle line.
The people of the north and west of the British Isles have a long tradition of producing heroic warriors, men loyal to the point of death to their lords, who would stand in line of battle and be the first to rush forwards to meet and enemy hand-to-hand. The 'gallogladh' or gallowglass is but one example.
Historically, the style of warfare in Scotland and Ireland changed little over the centuries, being much the same for hundreds of years. The fragmented and tribal nature of society meant that there was always a need for a group of brave, dedicated (they had no other duties beyond fighting) warriors such as these men. The gallowglass as a recognised type was a comparatively late arrival in Ireland from the Western Isles, but as a style of warfare the old ways didn't change much until the coming of gunpowder, a thousand years or more later.
Tactics[]
Gallowglasses are one of the few two handed infantry seen in the game. Double handed swords are a specialisation of the barbarian factions, being completely ignored by the more 'civilised' factions of the Mediterranean or Middle East. They are comparable to the double handed weapon infantry used by the Lombardi, Alemanni and Burgundii, namely the Lombard Berserker and Chosen Axemen. These men focus on attack with less emphasis on defence, believing that a strong attack will break the enemy before the Gallowglass themselves are killed.
Gallowglass are all about the attack. Their two handed sword and prowess in battle is nearly unmatched in straight combat, while their defence is surprisingly high for an infantryman without a shield. They have a decent charge stat, more than cavalry in some instances, which makes them great for charging into heavier infantry like Western Roman Comitatenses, Mercenary Veteranii or even Romano-British British Legionaries, who the Celts would otherwise struggle to deal with. Their swords are deadly in combat and their chainmail armour gives them good defence in melee, though they lack any sort of protection from missiles. Since Gallowglass are only available in Britannia, Caledonia and Hibernia, few factions bar the Romano-British (if being played or are allowed to settle in a settlement) or the Western Roman Empire (if they keep Britannia) can get access to these solid heavy infantry units as mercenaries, though if the Saxons manage to take Britannia they too could get a hold of these men.
Since they can be recruited from the beginning of the game, Gallowglass are good infantry for the early game as well as still being important in the late game. They can be built from the Celtic capital and the population requirement for the settlement to be able to build the building for them means they can appear quite early on. They make a very good secondary line infantry, placed behind a more solid, missile proof wall of shields from units like the Veteranii or even Pictish Spearmen, since they have shields. Gallowglass are fragile when it comes to missiles, as even though they are wearing chainmail, that alone will not protect them from arrows as much as if they had a shield. They make for very good units when defending a siege, as when placed on walls or behind wooden walls, their excellent melee stats give them great properties for defending a breech or battlements of a wall, though if attacking they should be kept away from towers who could whittle down their number. They're also good flanking units who can charge into the rear of the melee with their cavalry level charge bonus and cause decent casualties and morale damage. Overall, they're one of the most powerful units in the Celtic arsenal and are going to be in Celtic armies in healthy numbers from the beginning of the game.
Gallery[]
