Roman Manipular Formation

[m4rt14n]

How do u usually form ur battle line with Pre-Marian troops?

I usually go with:

*** *** *** --- velites
------ ------ --- barb mercenaries/samnites
||| ||| ||| ||| --- hastatis
||| ||| ||| ---- princeps
|||| |||| -- triaries/more barb mercs or samnites
0 -- general

and I would generally have cavalries (preferably Gaulish mercs) and wardogs on my wings for flankin manouvers. I tend to stay away with archers cos they only add to friendly fires.

I like keeping barb mercs in the front, in long thin lines, to absorb/deliever charges. This way my hastatis would get the chance to throw their pilas without getting slobbered by massive amounts of screaming enemies. IIRC, their pilas do more damage then their actual attack. This kind of armies work well with barbarians, although against Phalanx they may not be worth it.

With Post Marian troops I keep the same formation only changing hastatis, princeps and triariies with Legionaries. Especially after the reform, retraining is hard when ur campaigining in less developed regions. I'm guessing I could've used Auxillias or Town Watches, but I like the merc's charge better.

I just wished there's an auto manipular formation setting. I know sometimes the AI form ur troops in maniple, but a lot of times its just one big line of troops and u had to move stuff around alot.

[Somebody Else]

I tend to have my skirmisher types (velites) way out in front, my main infantry in a double line - weaker (hastati) in front, heavier (principes) slightly behind and on the wings. Spears (triarii) on the wings in the same line as the light line, but slightly away from the line - so that my archers/slingers/whatever can fire through the gap. Cavalry behind my archers.

[LordKhaine]

A line of principes/hastati at the front, and archers in the middle. And either a second line of principes or ideally triarii at the rear. If I have any velites they shall be in a flank. My general and cavalry would start at the rear, and move up either of the flanks depending on where they're needed. If I have any cheap mercs, they will usually take the front line so I don't lose good Roman lives when I have cheap barbarian scum to die instead Decent melee mercs will usually be kept back as a reserve to protect my flanks.

That's my basic start formation, but they usually aren't in that formation when I meet the enemy.

[USMCNJ]

as romans i usually don't use cavalry or missle troops, the army consists of general (x), and affordable roman infantry (chars)

AAAA BBBB CCCC DDDD EEEE FFFF GGGG
HH LLLL x MMMM JJ
I I KK

with fire at will on, the front line is stretched 2-3 ranks deep ( to make the army almost the same width as the enemy). 2 units on each flank 5-6 ranks deep. and if i have enough units i put a few stretched units as a second line.
general in the middle of the second line.

once ingaged i send the HH&II to flank the units that is fighting AAAA, and i send JJ&KK to flank the unit that is fightin GGGG. Once they rout I move on to help BBBB and FFFF and just keep on going towards the center.

[FURRY_BOOTS]

////////////////////////// ^^^^

xxxxx lllll lllll lllll lllll xxxxx ^^^
xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx
kkkkk kkkkk kkkkk kkkkk



l=triarii
x=hastati
k=principes
/=veletis/archers,who fall back if charged.
^=cav,protecting the flanks

this formation works for me most times,
very early in the game i use town watch for triarii, & i find there not to bad as long as the flanks are protected.

[KyodaiSteeleye]

sorry for ignorance - what is the manipular formation? - the chequerboard one, or the 3 lines?

[Kraxis]

sorry for ignorance - what is the manipular formation? - the chequerboard one, or the 3 lines?

Both really...

[TheDuck]

sorry for ignorance - what is the manipular formation? - the chequerboard one, or the 3 lines?

Post Marian reforms:

maniple = 2 centuries = 160 men

3 maniples = 1 cohort = 480 men

10 cohorts = 1 legion (minus horse and other auxiliaries) = 4800 men

cohorts organized themselves in rectangles.. The full 10 making a typical 'checkerboard' layout.. sometimes two lines of offset rectangles (5 and 5) , sometimes 3 (4/3/3). All this depends on circumstance and what they were facing.

Each rectangle (I believe.. I'm foggy on this part because its been so long since I read this..) was organized by maniples in lines.. so 1st maniple in front, 2nd behind, 3rd in rear. based on circumstance if the cohort was charged from behind the 3rd maniple could change facing and defend the cohort.. same for the leftmost centuries when attacked from the left, etc.

That reason alone made the roman army a very difficult thing to contend with.

If anyone is fresher on this, feel free to correct me..

And to stay on topic:

full 20 unit deployments for me:

3 units Equites + general for cav support
4 units either Velites or Archers
12 units Hastati.

2-4 units of hastatii held in reserve on both wings (either 1/1 or 2/2)... velites either set up on the wings or in front depending on presence of enemy cav... archers always behind if I have them.

the balance of Hastatii set up shoulder to shoulder 4 deep.

When engaged, I commit my reserves where my line beings to bow inwards. Horse are charged to flank enemy when the enemy has fully committed their flank units. Horse charges unit closest to end of my line until it routes, continues to next..

If I have Velites, once they have expended their ammunition I'll use them (sometimes) as flankers.. I only do this if all enemy units on the side I'm flanking are fully engaged.. otherwise they end up going toe to toe with something that can kill them easily.

And I follow the general rule of warfare practiced for centuries... I only close to melee if ranged attacks do not decide the engagement or the enemies ranged attackers will decide it for me if I don't close (chasing down routers being the exception to this rule, since there is little risk to your melee troops).

Finally, I don't use Triarii since I only get them JUST before Marian reforms.. and Principes are so similar to Hastati, and use of principes complicates logistics so much.. I just stick with Hastati.