Privateers

Call them what you want - scoundrels, robbers, or pirates - but Privateers  form a corps of cheap melee infantry who can be raised at moment's notice. These units can be relied on by several factions - not just the Dutch, English, Americans and Swedes, but the Bamar and Vietnamese as well - to be raised quickly, and en masse, provided there is plenty of gold. They are however not to be relied on too heavily, having worse toughness compared to conventional Swordsmen and are usually there only to make up the numbers. 
Only one faction benefits from recruiting Privateers, and that is the United Kingdom, being that they can be a quick and dirty way of creating the Garde Écossaise ahead of schedule. Once you have researched Sovereignty, you can crank them out en masse, then elect to upgrade them right away, granting them a ranged attack, better morale and toughness.
===Notes===
We already have one privateer with a sword. Make the other a Scotsman with dirk and buckler.
Category:Auxiliaries