Austro-Hungarian Empire notes

Austro-Hungarian Empire – bordering Romania, this empire is right beside Dracula's realm. Currently fighting the Ottomans and Napoleon, they would be a useful ally for Dracula, but such an alliance would be ambiguous.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire has access to modern bolt-action rifles, but most troops still use breech-loading or even firelock (caplock and flintlock) guns, as bolt-action rifles are rather expensive and rare.



Austro-Hungarian classes



Landwehr/Landsturm
militia of German-speaking countries. Often wear long coats and armed with firelock guns, sometimes having horses.
Militias may also have attack or guard dogs, useful for guarding, sniffing out dangerous animals, criminals or monsters, and then attacking the threat.



Schutze (plural, schuetzen)
meaning “shooter”, refers to modern light infantry who shoots with a rifle or carbine. Schuetzen rely on stealth, ambush, sniping and tactical strategy rather than force. They usually do not bring bayonets to attach to their guns, as it is not their job to fight face-to-face. Light infantry are not uncommonly recruited from hunters and frontiersmen, but they may be just regular soldiers trained to be light infantry.

Light infantry tend to wear large backpacks, complete with bedrolls, food, water, fire-starters, some supplies, and cooking utensils, so they are useful for surviving tough conditions, and tend to also be good at hunting.

Some are armed with the windbuchse (“wind rifle”), which is a kind of musket with a rifled barrel, equipped with an air reservoir and a twenty-round magazine, which can shoot as fast as the trigger is pulled, but each shot slightly depletes the air pressure, but a new air reservoir and magazine can simply be screwed in, allowing fast reloading. Such air rifles are nearly silent and produce no muzzle flash or smoke, but like bolt-action rifles, weigh nearly ten pounds. However, air rifles are delicate and so easily damaged.

Historically, air rifles were discontinued sometime around the mid-nineteenth century but continued to be used for sport shooting and target practise.



Jager (pronounced “ya-ger”)
meaning “hunter”, refers to soldiers recruited from hunters, rangers or woodsmen, they are also trappers, pathfinders, stalkers, trackers, lumberjacks, poachers, and frontiersmen. They know the lay of the land well, and can live off the land, too. A lifetime spent hunting is an excellent training for war, and now use their skills to hunt men. All this means they are useful for hiding and setting up tactical ambushes.

Jager tend to have hunting dogs, bloodhounds, or wolf hounds with them, useful for sniffing out enemies, wolves, dangerous animals, monsters, and then attacking the threat, trained to bite into hamstrings, limbs and throats especially, making them ferocious animals to face.

They may wear uniforms and backpacks like other modern soldiers. Although rare, some ride horses, usually then referred to as light dragoons or mounted rifles. Like other hunters, they always have a hunting dagger, hunting knife, or skinning knife, and can use them well.



Grenzer
an aggressive skirmisher with a rifle, muzzle-loader, or double-barrelled or over-and-under musket, often recruited from the Balkans and Transylvania, fighting for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but Transylvanian Grenzers may defect and fight for Dracula or the various Romanian lords. Grenzers can live off the land, but they are also trappers, pathfinders, stalkers, trackers, lumberjacks, poachers, and frontiersmen, but also have a reputation for banditry, all this meaning they are very good a hiding and ambushing. A lifetime spent hunting is an excellent training for war, and Grenzers can use their skills to hunt men, or monsters.

They tend to have hunting dogs, bloodhounds, or wolf hounds with them, useful for sniffing out enemies, wolves, dangerous animals, monsters, and then attacking the threat, trained to bite into hamstrings, limbs and throats.



Pandour
a Croat who fights for the Austro-Hungarian Empire as an irregular musketeer or skirmisher, but also are aggressive swordsmen. Pandours are soldiers first, but brigands, poachers, woodsmen, and frontiersmen second, and are infamous for ruthlessness, brutality, and cruelty.



Fusilier
modern soldier equipped with a rifle or a carbine, who serve both as light infantry and regular infantry, capable of skirmishing and holding a battle line, but not necessarily adept in either case. Sometimes, those with carbines have sword bayonets, to make-up for the shortness of the carbine.

They also wear large backpacks, complete with bedrolls, food, water, fire-starters, some supplies, and cooking utensils, so they are useful for surviving tough conditions so long as they can make camp.



Freikorps
mercenaries from German-speaking countries, now serving the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Usually riflemen or skirmishers, but at times also cavalry. They may also be Hungarians, Poles, Lithuanians, Croats, Serbs, Albanians, Slovaks, South Slavs, or even Tartars, Turks or Cossacks.



Expatriate
a kind of soldier who was exiled or fled from one's homeland, and now serves the Austro-Hungarian Empire, often as infantry of some kind. Although often assumed to be of low quality, they tend to be experienced soldiers who can think for themselves during battle, even serve as reliable captains, but tend to be of dubious morale and loyalty.



Infantry/Foot
typical modern soldiers go to battle as disciplined, orderly infantry of the line, meaning they arrange themselves in a wide line and march to the enemy, intending to defeat them with volleys or charging with a bayonet fixed to their firearm. Usually equipped with caplock or breech-loading rifles, but may even be equipped with bolt-action rifles.

They also have large backpacks, complete with bedrolls, food, water, fire-starters, some supplies, and cooking utensils, so they are useful for surviving tough conditions so long as they can make camp.
Infantry who ride horses are generally called dragoons, but they are neither remarkable horsemen nor carabineers.



Grenadier
large, tall, strong, courageous, disciplined modern soldier; despite being heavy infantry, they are fast-moving shock troops. They can reload quickly and aim well, and are excellently trained in bayonet fighting, charging, and grenade-throwing.

Each grenadier carries two or more hand grenades (similar to Ketchum Grenades or the iconic hollow ball with a fuse on the top), which can be thrown at enemies, vehicles, buildings, trenches, or anything else. Since these grenades are hollow balls of iron that weigh up to five pounds (they come in 1, 3, and 5 pound variants, heavier ones more destructive but requiring greater strength to throw farther), and the weight and size doubles as a concussive projectile.

Grenadiers wear a uniform, and a big, tall, iconic bearskin hat, which can stop a sword's cut.
Being large soldiers, grenadiers are easier to shoot, and can't hide or take cover as effectively as smaller people would. Hungarians have a reputation for being excellent grenadiers.

Like other modern infantry, grenadiers wear large backpacks, complete with bedrolls, food, water, fire-starters, some supplies, and cooking utensils, so they are useful for surviving tough conditions so long as they can make camp.



Officer
officers lead regiments to battle. They are equipped with a sword, being capable swordsmen, but also are rich enough to afford up to multiple revolvers or single or multi-barrelled caplock pistols. The presence of an officer boosts the prowess of friendly forces. If an officer becomes separated from the main army for whatever reason, the officer commands a force of a few to several dozen soldiers. An officer's bodyguard or attendant is a trabant.



Life Guard/Guard/Guard Grenadier/Foot Guard
elite modern infantry who fearlessly guard monarchs, governors or generals and their families. They are perfectly uniformed, and given the best training, food and drink, and often dine with monarchs, generals, nobles, and governors. As gentlemen who behave like spoiled brats despite their perfectly uniformed dress, they possess elan and courage that is unmatched by regular soldiery.

Since they reside with other nobles, they do not wear backpacks or carry supplies, instead relying on servants to bring them whatever they want. As gentlemen, they also know how to ride horses and fence, but tend not to be true cavalry or swordsmen: they are modernized but noble riflemen. Being wealthy, they also go into battle having swords as well, and may have up to multiple revolvers or double-barrelled or single caplock pistols.



Sapper/Pioneer
a military engineer, not necessarily a combatant, but armed with a sword, revolver or caplock pistol, and an axe designed for chopping timber, lumber, and wooden fortifications, or people, if the situation demands it.

They can also plant (fictional) bombs, which are flintlock mines activated when stepped on or triggered by a tripwire, causing a flintlock pin to activate, striking iron and so igniting the black powder, sending shrapnel, fire and smoke everywhere. They can build or disassemble various fortifications, buildings, constructs, and can repair almost anything.



Cannoneer/Bombardier
not necessarily a combatant, but someone who operates any kind of cannon. They carry sabres and caplock pistols for self-defence.
When not operating field artillery, they may wield hand cannons, which can shoot up to dozens of bullets at once and essentially be a giant shotgun, or fire a fist-sized ball capable of shooting through walls and bodies. The hand cannon can also be loaded with just about anything, even shards of glass, shrapnel, small bombs, stones, or even coins! If they do not have a hand cannon, they may instead wield a hand mortar, which is essentially an early grenade launcher.



Machine gunner
an operator of a machine gun, especially the Gatling gun or some other mitrailleuse. Such big guns tend to weigh around sixty pounds and require four operators to shoot efficiently. The operators are not necessarily combatants, but at least have a firelock pistol and sword for self-defence.





Dragoon
mounted infantry, who ride standard horses mostly for transport. They are not remarkable horsemen, riding heavy or light horses, but they can still fight as mounted and dismounted shooters and swordsmen. They wield a carbine or shotgun as their main weapon, but also have swords and up to multiple caplock pistols, but often unable to afford revolvers.



Carabineer/Carabinier
a soldier who rides a good horse, capable of shooting a carbine very well while on horseback, even while galloping. The carbine is shorter and smaller than a rifle used on foot, but more suitable to horseback shooting as it's easier to reload while on the move. They also have swords, but are not true swordsmen.



Hussar
light horseman who rides an extremely fast, swift, agile horse, armed with up to multiple caplock pistols or a revolver, and a sabre. Hungarians, Serbians and Poles are excellent hussars.



Lancer/Uhlan
light horseman who rides a very fast, swift, agile horse, armed with a lance, and sometimes up to multiple caplock pistols or a revolver. Although they also carry swords, they are trained to fight with their lances.

Uhlans are peculiar in that, unlike common lancers, they wear Polish-influenced attire, are often trained by Polish officers, and sometimes are ethnic Poles fighting for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Therefore, Polish uhlans tend to be excellent lancers.



Horse Grenadier
a mounted grenadier or bodyguard; historically, they never used grenades on horseback, but in this role-play, they do. Horse grenadiers are large, tall, powerful men, who ride large, tall, powerful horses, armed with heavy swords and a caplock pistol or revolver. Slow-moving despite not wearing armour, but powerful.



Cuirassier/Life Guard
heavy horseman riding a large, powerful horse, who wears a cuirass and helmet, and sometimes gauntlets, armed with up to multiple caplock pistols or revolvers and a sword. Slow-moving, but powerful. They are entirely noblemen or gentlemen, tasked with loyally guarding the monarchs or generals and their families. They behave like spoiled brats but are courageous and bloodthirsty. Their armour makes them useful for fighting monsters, whose fangs and claws simply cannot pierce solid steel.



Schwarze Reiter
meaning “Black Rider” in German, refers to an old-fashioned mounted soldier, who wears blackened or black'n'white armour (hence their title), but may wear enough armour until they almost look like knights of old. If they do not wear black armour, they are just referred to as reiters.

Each reiter is armed with up to multiple oversized firelock pistols, sometimes double-barrelled, and a sword, and although rare, some even bring a windlass-operated crossbow, to be used as a silent weapon when necessary. Although armoured, modern rifles can shoot through plate armour.

The presence of werewolves and supernatural forces has caused old-fashioned troops to be reintroduced, to better protect from claws, fangs, and magical projectiles, and so some European regiments have reiters of old in their armies, but reiters are still rare. Mostly used for anti-monster patrols, reiters are also useful against other armoured forces.



Ironside
refers to a kind of horseman who wears bullet-proof plate armour: a cuirass with up to two additional breastplates screwed on. Ironsides are bullet-proof at long range, but at close range, modern rifles will break through their armour after a few or so shots. Although they do not wear armour for the arms or legs, the Ironsides' multi-layered cuirasses are quite heavy, and slows down the wearer. Ironsides are rare, and like other cavalry, armed with swords and up to several caplock pistols.

Historically, Ironsides were Parliamentarian cavalry formed by Oliver Cromwell in 1643, but in this role-play, they were copied and employed by some armies.



Commander
A commander controls armies ranging from hundreds to thousands of soldiers, and may also include mercenaries, militia, levies, and tradesmen to support the army. The commander and staff are usually not soldiers, as they have an army and its battles to plan.