Historical Garrison Troops

[Reverend Joe]

I've been mulling over a topic of curiosity for quite some time now. In many (if not most) Romani campaigns where the creator(s) were shooting for maximum accuracy, legionary cohorts are generally not allowed as garrison troops. If this was indeed the case in history, how exactly did the Romans maintain order in their cities? Would they be forced to recall a part of a legion, or the entire legion, in the case of a major riot? Were allies used, and if so, what were they replaced with after the Marian reforms? Most importantly (as a manner of curiosity for me, since I no longer play the game,) how could a typical player represent the usual methods of garrisoning, before the availability of Vigiles?

[Zaknafien]

For me, personally, I keep cities in Italia free of any garrison. In other areas of the world, the provincial governor and a unit or two of loyal local soldiers is good enough. I keep legions stationed in forts outside nearby the cities in some provinces.

[varuna]

I also use local soldier for city garrison wheter it's a homeland or any other province and keep the legions outside the city in a fort but maintain reasonable distant to quickly respond/delay to any invasion and/or raid by Eleutheroi.

[Ag3nt_Magnum]

I use Accensi (beeing reserves and all) as much as I can, since their number/upkeep ratio is best... Where I must, I place other troops. and if there's and extra character, governorship is his destiny !!!!!

[Imperator]

For me, personally, I keep cities in Italia free of any garrison. In other areas of the world, the provincial governor and a unit or two of loyal local soldiers is good enough. I keep legions stationed in forts outside nearby the cities in some provinces.

That's a really cool idea! That way rebellions become much scarier and being a governor isn't such a cushy job- I think I'm going to adopt that strategy myself!
thanks for the idea!

[varuna]

That's a really cool idea! That way rebellions become much scarier and being a governor isn't such a cushy job- I think I'm going to adopt that strategy myself!
thanks for the idea!

Unfortunately the rebel still appears despite you had a consular army within nearby fort

[Ezephkiel]

My garrisons mainly consist of militia type troops and archers. Archers are cheap and vital in a siege to burn stuff and the levy units have the look like they've been raised in the city itself. I have to admit in hotly disputed cities i beef up their garrison with some more professional troops though.

[Puupertti Ruma]

How about Makedonia? I've used akontistai and hoplitai haploi, but should they be restricted to homeland provinces? I was thinking that abroad the garrison should be made of more loyal troops than just some levied citizens. I was thinking of pezhetairoi or some such. Maybe they'd be serving as ephebes in the garrison or something like that. It would make perfect sense in type II (satrapy) and espesially in type III governments (garrisoned allied state).

What do you think? And how about other factions?

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

For garrison duties I use 2 units Phalangitai Deuteroi or 2 units of Hoplitai plus a unit of slingers. In recently conquered cities with low loyalty I use a bunch of mercenary phalangitai plus what I find in the area.

[jhhowell]

For Camillan Romans, I consider Rorarii to be the garrison unit - it's big but not terribly good in battle. Depending on location, regional large units (Akontistai, Numidian Skirmishers, various gallic units) serve instead. Hoplitai Haploi are common additions to Akontistai in Hellenic cities needing two garrison units, while Roman garrisons tend to add Leves and/or Accensi to the Rorarii. Since governors are plentiful and I keep an extremely tight rein on population growth, only the newest conquests need more than a couple of units as garrisons.

As others have mentioned, parking the local legion in a fort somewhere handy is a nice way to deal with rebels. I have no intention of my garrison troops ever fighting anyone, and by and large they haven't. If the rebels were more aggressive this could have cost me a province for a time - a stack popped up next to Noricum's city, the local legion had just taken Rhaetia and was back in Arretium retraining. Fortunately the rebels just stood there until I could race some troops onto the scene. Note that the Samnites are still restless, so leaving Italy without troops would be extremely unwise. I keep an overstrength legion (not all my legions have Pedites Extraordinarii) near Capua for that, and as a precaution in case something screwy happens.

[Kralizec]

I've been mulling over a topic of curiosity for quite some time now. In many (if not most) Romani campaigns where the creator(s) were shooting for maximum accuracy, legionary cohorts are generally not allowed as garrison troops. If this was indeed the case in history, how exactly did the Romans maintain order in their cities? Would they be forced to recall a part of a legion, or the entire legion, in the case of a major riot? Were allies used, and if so, what were they replaced with after the Marian reforms? Most importantly (as a manner of curiosity for me, since I no longer play the game,) how could a typical player represent the usual methods of garrisoning, before the availability of Vigiles?

Legions weren't supposed to be stationed in Italia, a rule invented by Sulla (and the only measure he took wich wasn't revoked shortly after his death)

Not really sure about the provinces, though. I assume garrisoning wasn't one of the typical legionary functions - the Romans discouraged rebels by making examples, not by visible presence AFAIK.

[Watchman]

Well they had to park their standing armies somewhere, and the more or less regularly troubled provinces would sound like the logical place. If only out of considerations of food supply. 'Course, far as I know most of the daily patrolling and policing was left to various auxiliary units.