legions

From this guide:

Quote:

Historical composition and deployment of your forces is the name of the game. Note that this is definitely not optimal from an effectiveness perspective, and using historical formations can take some getting used to.

Composition is the first question. The core Roman units are pretty good, and if you're playing for pure effectiveness there's a temptation to recruit all-Roman (or even all-principes) armies. Not only is this historically inaccurate, I think you miss out on the variety you can get with a Roman army. Historically half of a consular army (the unit upon which my standard army is based) was composed of allied/non-Roman troops, the socii. They fought in two alae alongside the two Roman legions. A praetorian army half that size (ie one legion and one ala) may be commanded by a praetor (or possibly quaestor or tribune under exceptional circumstances).

Now after the Second Punic War, many Italian communities (particularly the Samnites, Bruttians and Lucanians) who had previously sent armies organised in their traditional manner fell out of favour with Rome for their infidelity in defecting to Hannibal. These were either forbidden from raising their own armies, or else organised in an entirely Roman manner. To represent this, after 211BC or so, the only Italian infantry you should recruit are the pedites extraordinarii. Replace the other pair of allied infantry with some other non-Roman troops.

On the question of when to upgrade your MICs to take advantage of reform events, resist the temptation to do this immediately (since reformed troops are almost always better than the ones you had before). You will get the Polybian reform not long after 240BC when you take Lilibeo, but wait until later in the 230sBC before upgrading and recruiting a new army to replace the old legions. Make sure you disband the old Camillian Roman troops - possibly in the same settlements you recruit the new Polybian ones in if you're concerned about population levels.

Even if you get the Marian reformin the 170sBC, don't upgrade your MIC until 110BC at the earliest. Technically you shouldn't recruit any evocati until you've fought some battles with your new cohor reformata.

Optional rule for Polybian armies: Triarii maniples. Historically these were half the size of the hastati and principes maniples. There are two ways of representing this. The simplest is to recruit half the number of units of triarii. My personal preference is to go into the EDU and halve their size, cost and upkeep.

Command
The command unit for all armies is the same; a general of sufficient age and office to lead and possibly a younger family member acting as tribune (or a legate if they're a quaestor or above). Additional family members are purely optional. The general should not be used as cavalry unless absolutely necessary. His job is to supervise from behind the fighting line, providing inspiration along with ensuring his men know that valour and cowardice both will be witnessed and this rewarded or punished as necessary. The tribune/legate on the other hand should be used as cavalry, since it is the place of young men aspiring to office to demonstrate their bravery.

Camillian
The Roman core of a Camillian consular army is two legions, represented by the following units:
1 unit of Leves
1 unit of Accensi
1 unit of Rorarii
2 units of Hastati
2 units of Principes
2 unit of Triarii
Optional: 1 unit of Equites (your FM tribune/legate can count as Roman cavalry)

The two socii alae are composed as follows:
2 units of allied skirmishers (any mix of javelineers, archers and slingers)
4 units of allied infantry (two different pairs of Samnite, Lucanian, Bruttium, Ligurian or Gallic infantry)
1 unit of pedites extraordinarii
1 unit of classical hoplites
1 or 2 units of allied cavalry (Campanian, Greek, Gallic, Ligurian or anything else available, or possibly equites extraordinarii)

Polybian
The Roman core of a Polybian consular army is two legions, represented by the following units:
1 unit of Velites
1 unit of Accensi
2 units of Hastati
2 units of Principes
1 unit of Triarii (or two if you're playing with half-sized maniples)
Optional: 1 unit of Equites (your FM tribune/legate can count as Roman cavalry)

The two socii alae are composed as follows:
2 units of allied skirmishers (any mix of javelineers, archers and slingers)
4 units of allied infantry (two different pairs of Samnite, Lucanian, Bruttium, Ligurian, Gallic, or Iberian infantry)
1 unit of pedites extraordinarii
1 or 2 units of allied cavalry (Campanian, Greek, Gallic, Ligurian or anything else available, or possibly equites extraordinarii)

Marian
The Roman core of a Marian army is as follows:
1st Legion
1 General
1 unit of First Cohort
1 unit of cohors reformata
1 unit of antesignani

2nd Legion
1 tribune
1 unit of First Cohort
1 unit of cohors reformata
1 unit of cohors evocata

Support
1 unit of Scorpions/arrow throwers

The allied part is as follows:
1 unit of allied javelin-men
1 unit of allied slingers or archers
1 unit of allied cavalry
Optional: 2 units of allied close-order foot

This represents two legions and their supporting artillery, light troops, cavalry and allied infantry. Feel free to add additional support units. A third legion can be presented by adding three more cohorts as above.

An option for early post-Marian troops is to have just the First Cohort and two normal cohorts as one legion, since there were as yet no veterans to draw upon.

Disposition
Camillian and Polybian armies should be deployed in the triplex acies, three lines giving strength in depth and keeping most of your forces in reserve. Marian forces can be deployed in three, two or even one line as befits the situation.

Key:
Gen - The general
FM - Family member
Tri - Triarii (or allied hoplites)
Pri - Principes
Has - Hastati
Ski - Accensi/Leves/Velites
Ror - Roraii
ASk - Allied Skirmisher
ALI - Allied Light Infantry
AHI - Allied Heavy Infantry
Cav - Cavalry

Camillian and Polybian

----ASk----Ski----Ski----ASk
Cav-----ALI----Has----Has----ALI----FM/Cav
----AHI-----Pri-----Pri-----AHI
--------Ror-----Tri-----Tri-----Gen

Placement of the General varies, as long as he's behind the fighting line it doesn't really matter. Put the extraordinarii wherever you want to, or keep in reserve with the general. The only difference between Camillian and Polybian armies is the absence of the Rorarii.

Marian

Garrisons

Don't use your legions as garrisons (it's bad for discipline). Indeed station them in a fort in the region they're based. Since you can't demobilise and re-mobilise veterans, you have to keep them as though they were a standing army. Historically there was a consular army stationed at the barracks in Capua, and later on certain proconsular provinces came with a consular-sized force. Create a fort outside Capua to station the consular army for central Italy. This can be used both for the defense of Italy, and if need be to be shipped out to a provincial hotspot (making sure you recruit a new consular army to replace them if you can). Other places which you can station a fort to house your legions are Cisalpine Gaul, Sicily, Illyria, Hispania (one in "nearer" Spain, one in "further" Spain), Macedonia, Greece, Africa, Asia Minor, Syria and Gaul. More detail is in the conquest timeline.

Garrisons should be composed of troops from the local area, representing either local levies or demobilised veterans in the area. In fully Roman areas (Roma, Capua, Arpi, Arretium, Ariminium), these should be composed of Roman troops, just a couple of units is more than enough. In those besides Roma, feel free to switch one of the Roman units for an Italian one - Samnites, Bruttians, Lucanians, Campanians, although try to stick to those who are from that region.

In new regions outside of central Italy, you should begin with a client ruler in place, and thus the garrison should be local levies available in place at the disposal of the client ruler. Given that they aren't greatly Romanised yet, they won't be Roman troops, and the legion used to capture the settlement should be moved out as soon as the transition period is complete (ie when unrest has died down a bit). This means rather immediately Gallic troops in Bononia and Segesta, and Greek troops in Taras, Rhegion and Sicily. They're also useful for adding some variety to the allied component of your armies (Gallic Slingers, Hellenic Heavy Skirmishers and Ligurian Leuce Epos in particular).

So as an example, a Camillian consular army of two legions and two alae might be thus:

Command
1 General

First Legion
1 Hastati
1 Principes
1 Triarii
1 Leves

Second Legion
1 Hastati
1 Principes
1 Triarii
1 Accensi

Right Ala
1 Bruttian infantry
1 Samnite Allied medium spearmen
1 pedites extraordinarii/Samnite Heavy infantry
1 Peltastai

Left Ala
1 Bruttian infantry
1 Samnite Allied medium spearmen
1 Classical Hoplites
1 Gallic slinger

Cavalry
1 Tribune (also acts as equites)
1 Campanian Equites
1 Hippeis