Mercenaries in Italy (in next patch)

[christof139]

Hi folks,

The Extraordinarii were just varying percentages tken from the Allied troops that formed at least 1/2 of a early to mid Republican Army, whether a 2 Roman Legion and 2 Allied Legion Consular Army or a 1 Roman Legion and 1 Allied Legion Praefectular Army (Army commanded by a Praefect). Extraodinarii troops may have been returned to their units before a major battle, or remained as a Reserve under the Roman commander in chief and maybe even been used at times to provide more flank protection. Their use is diputable but on the march their place in a column is defined. Maybe at times Extraordinarii weren't used by a particular commander.

In early to mid (Punic Wars) Republican Rome there were Roman troops simialr to the Extraordinarri and they were called Celeres, or 'the Swift', and apparently may have consisted of both infantry and cavalry and acted as the bodyguard and mesengers for the Roman Cpnsul, Praefect, or other commander, but their use and equipment is also disputable and much remains unknown about them. They may have numbered 300 or so per army.

Units like the extraordinarii and Celeres (Celeri sp??) for game purposes can be interpreted as upgrade armor and weapon troops and/or Generals' bodyguard units, and any other unit you wish to consider as such a special unit.

Samnites fought in the wars against Jugurtha of Numidia and may have still fought in an Allied Legion rather than a Roman Legion proper, it is a matter of debate and a lack of available knowledge to be for sure, but they fought under Marius just before his reforms, or they may have already been incorporated into standard Roman Legions at this time, it is not known for sure.

What is known is that the Romans used the 1 Roman Legion accompanied by 1Allied Legion apparently up until or slightly after the Marian reforms, so that includes throughout the Punic Wars, the Macedonian Wars, the Wars with Epirus, etc. It also seems that the Roman Allies used larger units than the Republican Maniples and these units are referred to as cohorts, so it seems the Romans adapted the larger Cohort type of unit from other Italians, and the Romans also used the term Cohort before the Marian Reforms to denote a Unit of Administration) an organisational adminisrative unit for the purposes of pay and supply) in a Legion, and that Unit of Pay would consist of 1 Maniple each of Hastati, Principe, Triarii, and possibly their accompanying Velites. Scipio is the first known Roman to have probably used this Unit of Pay Cohort as a tactical unit in battle and this occurred in Spain duirng the 2nd PW.

So, maybe somethings or aspects can be overlooked in a game, but others maybe less so, and Italian Allies were prominent and formed at least 1/2 of Rome's field armies (not to mention garrison troops) in their own seperate units during the time of the early and mid Republic up to at least the time of the Marian Reforms.

The more Samnites and Italians the better!!! (but if they can't be fit in, oh well, just have to use romans and Greeks for them as stand-ins)

Chris