Roman manipular formations and tactics...unfortunately in Spanish:embarassed:

[Pius Curus]

I found these perfect web-pages, but it is in Spanis, damn...

Camilian Legion
http://www.historialago.com/leg_0210...erasleg_01.htm

Polybian Legion
http://www.historialago.com/leg_0211...rraspun_01.htm

Marian Legion
http://www.historialago.com/leg_0103...egiones_01.htm

Manipular formations and tactics
http://www.historialago.com/leg_0104...ohortes_01.htm
http://www.historialago.com/leg_0104...combate_01.htm

1. I am mad that I understend in Spanis only to pictures...
2. It is a really big pity that in RTW-EB battle engine it is impossible to simulte manipular formation with TWO CENTURIES and SMALL gaps between manipuls Now I think that 3 line formation of Polybian legion without gaps between manipuls is more realistic, because big gaps in the formation are deadly. Manytimes I tried to fight in manipular formation with the gaps - hastates in first line, principes in second line and "sleeping" triarii in the third line - but I can say that ALWAYS I had to make a single line, when pricipes march into the gap between two hastates manipules to save appalled hastates.

[NeoSpartan]

WOW.... when EB3 comes out and we can play with 50,000 men armies this kind of stuff will be posible.

oh boy

[Cheexsta]

A pretty simple explanation of Roman military tactics can be found in books by Adrian Goldsworthy. Complete with pretty diagrams and depictions of Roman soldiers. Can probably be found in just about any library with a decent selection of ancient history books.

[Decimus Attius Arbiter]

If you use google translate, the Marian Reforms are the Mario Reforms.

[bellator Lugha]

here U hv more pictures of Polybian tactics but text is in Polish :P if u want: http://zolnierze.konieczka.net/zolni..._iii_wiek_pne/
PS: not everything on that site is true, so be careful :P

[Lusitani]

A pretty simple explanation of Roman military tactics can be found in books by Adrian Goldsworthy. Complete with pretty diagrams and depictions of Roman soldiers. Can probably be found in just about any library with a decent selection of ancient history books.

Funny i just bought a book by Goldsworthy entitled "Roman Generals". Pretty good so far...

[Big_John]

If you use google translate, the Marian Reforms are the Mario Reforms.

awesome

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

The Mario Reforms are something different. Their only requirement is that you find a magic mushroom. Then your legionaries are twice as tall and have 2HP.

...

[Watchman]

Can you find one that makes them fart fire, too ?

[Cheexsta]

The Romans already come with feathers, so it will also allow them to fly. If you get the fire mushroom you won't be able to fly any more.

[madmatg]

from some prior posts i've read(similar subject different thread) and thinking about the answers they gave i agree that fighting with the gaps is bad idea. Instead think of the gaps being closed in the first line so that when the prinicipes begin to advance the hastati can run back through the holes and then the holes close quickly behind them as a new line is made of principes

FROM FAR OFF:
has____has____has
___prin____prin___


WHEN THE BATTLE BEGINS
hashashas
__prin___prin

HASTATI retrat
has_prin_has_prin

Prin reform line
prinprin
__has__has_has


i know thats very basic and not a great illustration but i think it get s the point across, maybe

[Parkev]

...scribe un ejército romano estructurado en unidades llamadas legiones compuestas de 45 unidades formadas en tres líneas con un total de 5.000 hombres por legión.

That's it. From now my legions are composed of hombres and only hombres/

[V.T. Marvin]

Actually RTW engine is reasonably adept in simulating manipular tactics. You just have to abandon the "checkerboard" (sp.) idea. I mean instead of deploying like this:

HHHHH_____HHHHH_____HHHHH
HHHHH_____HHHHH_____HHHHH

_____PPPPP_____PPPPP______
_____PPPPP_____PPPPP______

_______TTTTTTTTTT________

historical roman deployment in manipular formation is better represented like this:

HHHHH_HHHHH_HHHHH
HHHHH_HHHHH_HHHHH

PPPPP_PPPPPPP_PPPPP
PPPPP_PPPPPPP_PPPPP

____TTTTTTTTTT____

The point is that when you order your hastati to retreat back through the principes line, the principes actually do open their ranks to allow the hastati pass! It looks rather cool and works well (at least for me).
So forget about "checkerboard" - three (or four, with velites) simple unbroken lines are the closest approximation to the historical roman deployment possible i RTW.