The most powerful, balanced overall armies

[NeoSpartan]

I think the Marian Era roman army is pretty good.A core of about 9 legionary cohorts + spearmen to guard the flanks + some range troops + some elite for crucial actions + medium cavalry in reserve to use for a hammer-and-anvile later on when the enemy is tired and hasn't routed yet and then cutting down the fleeing foes = an infantry-based war machine that chews up "barbarians" and more.Worked and still works for me in my campaigns in Aegyptus,Levant,Armenia,Germania and now Mesopotamia.Only problem is dealing with those heavy cataphracts(very hard to kill) and maybe horse archers,but using bosphoran heavy archers against them(the HA that is) is usualy enough to make them a minor factor in battle.Phalanxes are a bit tougher to take care of,but a roman cohort can stand up valienly in guard mode before any phalanx for a long time before the cohorts situated to the flanks can rout the enemy's flank guards and then envelope and surround the phalax and anihilate it.Of course,a more ballanced succesor amy,with heavy cavalry and missile support is harder to beat,but the AI has little understanding of combined arms.Still,I recon with some extra and better-class spearmen on the flanks to hold back the heavy cavalry untill the infantry does its job,a roman army of this type can be a match for the best the successors can conjure up.

In a low $$ game, and up to 35kg yes I agree with you. BUT in a game with 40k or above Marian and Post Marian ain't crap if ur facing a good player.

Hell I beat Post Marian with Aedui back when a Legionary could beat a Soldurus in .81x. Now?? s**t they can't stop me.

Like u point out the Marian/post Marian Romani's weakness is their cavarly, IF I can go and engage your cavarly away from ur spearmen with Hetaroi/Brenthim/Catapharact (sp), etc... ur a dead man
..As I can deal with them before my lines break (if they break).

The best you can do is buy Merc cavarly. Legionaries are cheap so u will have $$ for good cavarly.