Zee Germans

Peasants
Peasants are reluctant warriors, but barbarian peasants are better fighters than most: hard lives produce hard men. Numbers are useful in all armies, and forcing peasants to fight is one way of getting lots of men in the field quickly and cheaply. They have little tactical sense, and even less willingness to fight - they would rather be defending their own homes than be dragged to a battle they neither care about nor understand. They are, however, experts at reading the land and hiding when there is cover.

Germanic Peasants

Skirmishers
Skirmishers are lightly armed troops who should break up and harass enemy formations before the main battle lines meet, and act as a screen for heavier troops. Their skills also make them useful in springing tactical ambushes. Each man is armed with a clutch of throwing spears, a short sword and a small shield, but they do not wear armour preferring speed over protection. Skirmisher warbands are often the tribe's younger warriors. These men have yet to prove themselves as warriors, so are not necessarily tough enough to stand against a seasoned enemy in hand-to-hand fighting.

Germanic Skirmishers

Chosen Archers
Chosen archers are highly prized for their superior skills in war. They are the best archers available to barbarian warlords. They are all, as might be expected, excellent bowmen, fleet of foot and expert hunters. They are given the best bows available to their people, and are also equipped with good swords and chainmail armour too. This equipment means that they can do more than just defend themselves in hand-to-hand combat. They can, when required, act as light infantry. Their presence on a battlefield is always useful, as they have the flexibility to be both archers and infantry and do a good job in both tasks.

Germanic Chosen Archers

Spearmen
The men of a spear warband are effective against cavalry and most infantry, but lack the discipline of more 'civilized' troops. Their spears, however, make them valuable defensive warriors for any warlord. The warband is the basic unit of any barbarian army - a group of tough warriors bound together in the service of a tribal strongman or village headman. Each warrior is protected by a large shield. In common with other Germanic warriors, these men are very clever when concealing themselves in forests.

Germanic Spearmen

Axemen
Axemen are steadfast and aggressive warriors, the 'infantry of the line' for barbarian warlords. They are not very disciplined at times, as their sense of honour and bravery can make them eager to get into any fray, but they are uniformly superb fighters. They are equipped with good axes and small shields. Every warlord worth the name makes sure he has a couple of warbands of these hard men under his command.

Germanic Axemen

Chosen Axemen
Double-handed axes are intimidating weapons, especially in the hands of chosen axemen. These men can hack a hole in almost any enemy battle line. Chosen axemen are an elite among tribal warriors, selected for their physical size, strength, bravery and - some would say - pig-headedness. They are the assault troops of any barbarian army, the men whose only job is to smash any organised resistance and keep on killing until no foes remain. Fear is completely alien to them, as is any concept of mercy to a foe or a weakling among their own kind. They are fantastically strong men - and need to be to wield their enormous double-headed axes with any degree of skill and control. The axes are easily capable of cleaving a man down to his breastbone even through armour. Chosen axemen themselves disdain armour as a sign of cowardice.

Germanic Chosen Axemen

Naked Fanatics
There are warriors among the barbarian ranks whose love of battle is such that they live for little else. Clad only in flimsy loincloths, the fanatics whip themselves into a frenzy by chanting, beating themselves and drinking heavily. In this state they make an unnerving sight on the battlefield! They are best sent into battle en masse, shocking the enemy by a ferocious charge, but they should be kept away from enemy cavalry. They carry just swords and shields and have practically no discipline, but they can cause heavy casualties among most enemies. They fight mostly (if not completely) naked to emphasise their own fierceness and utter lack of fear. Scars and tattoos adorn their skin, and they let their hair grow wild. Only after a kill is their hair cut often with a sword blade while standing over a freshly dead foe. While their reckless courage is not in doubt, they can lack the cohesion and discipline to adapt to setbacks, breaking and running in confusion when subjected to severe pressure.

Germanic Naked Fanatics