Norwegian Ski Troops are a type of skirmisher infantry in Napoleon: Total War.
Description[]
These men are a superb force of crack marksmen, able to hit targets with almost supernatural accuracy.
Their skis are the perfect way of moving across a snowy landscape at speed, although it is often easier, and stealthier, to walk into battle. Mobility allows these soldiers to quickly select good firing positions and then make full use of their sniping skills, honed over years of hunting. Their hunting experience allows them to hide in plain sight and their loose formation provides them with a small amount of protection from enemy missile troops.
Historically, the rifle was an expensive item to manufacture, as the barrel required careful machining to create the grooves that impart spin to the bullet; smoothbore weapons were nowhere near as difficult to make. A rifled barrel, however, would shoot further and with more accuracy than any smoothbore.
Ski-ing as a tool of warfare has a long history in Scandinavia, being first mentioned in the 13th Century works of Saxo Grammaticus, the Danish historian and antiquary. Ski troops were able to cover vast distances at speed in wintertime, giving them strategic mobility, and yet remain fresh enough to fight a battle.
General Information[]
Norwegian Ski Troops are available to Denmark and Norway only. Their accuracy and reloading fall in between that of Jägers and Sharpshooters. They have slightly better melee stats and morale than either of their skirmisher counterparts, though they are still by no means suited to close range combat. In addition, they are slightly more expensive than either sharpshooters or jägers.
Contrary to what their name and description might suggest, Norwegian ski troops do not have a mobility advantage in snowy terrain, nor do they have resistance to cold fatigue or winter attrition.