Quote Originally Posted by Aemilius Paulus View Post
I do not believe that the Babylonian Spearmen should have something like 8 defence skill while Lugoae have 12, but that is the way it is. Often times one can observe the "civilised" soldiers having low defence skill which is compensated by armour, while the "barbarian" troops have low armour but high defence skill. That's balancing, as the Lugoae have as much defence skill as some of the elite "civilised" units.
I think the civilized units often have lower defence skill not because the armor compensates for it, but because the fact that they are wearing armor decreases their ability to defend themselves.
It is much easier for an unarmored man not to be hit, while an armored man can't move as fast and has to rely on the armor: Lugoae dodge blows that a Babylonian Spearman has to take, without being better fighters as such.