In the first segment, see Dec, issue, we talked about Legion (Legio) organization of the early period. Since the Roman army was of Hellenic organization, no special rules were needed. Once the army evolved into the manipular legion, some special additions to your tabletop rules are now needed.
Rules for the Manipular Legion
Since the manipular legion had special characteristics, there are certain rule mechanics that are needed to set the legion apart from other ancient units. The legion was an articulated formation. It was able to move within its ranks while in combat, for other ancient formations, this was usually a recipe for disaster. It was the legion's drilling and training, much like the later 18th. century Prussian regiments, that allowed it this flexibility. Legionaries were taught to fear the displeasure of their centurions more than the enemy that they were facing.
Rules for forming and moving the legion.
The legion would form for combat in three lines (triplex acies). There should be interval between each line of figures. If there were cavalry that would charge the front of the legion, it could over run the 6-10 rank deep files with their open gaps easily. (This is what happened to a legion at Magnesia.) The legion would have to close up to repel the horse. Either the Hastati (front line) would close up the gaps and narrow the legion's frontage, or the Princips (second line) would move into the gaps of Hastati. This would slow down the formation since it was more like a phalanx. There should be some house rule that will force the legion to do that and slow down to phalanx movement if confronted by cavalry. Otherwise the legion should move faster (peltast speed?) then other close order units/formations of the period.
Battlefield Relief
Realistically, the maniples should be portrayed on single figure or double figure bases to allow the legion its ease of movement. Rather then move separate figures. represent the tactical ability of the legion, by allowing the first line to pass through the second and third lines without disorganizing them, even during their melee. The second line also can pass through the third line without causing disorganization. There should be no order necessary to allow this to happen. This was part of the legion's intrinsic training. When to initiate battlefield relief? The maniples would relieve one another, when it was apparent that the maniple fighting, was tired or losing ground. The fresh maniple would move through the 6 foot gaps between legionaries and relieve the tired solders. So reasons to replace the front line with the second, or second with the third should be, pushback, morale failure, loss of certain number of fighting figures. If your front line of figures drop below 50%, your next move would be a good time utilize battlefield relief.
How to show this ability with the stand games like DBA, or Armati? When the legion unit is recoiled or destroyed by the combat results, instead it falls behind the second or third line, and the victorious units must fight the new fresh stand.
One important fact to note if a legion's line's flank is meleed, relief is not allowed. This how the legions lost at Cannae. Hannibal hit them in both flanks with phalanxes, then once they were pinned took the 4 legions and 4 Ala in the rear with his heavy horse. It also did not help that Varro had left his legions' veteran Triarii in the base camp. There were no units of steady troops in the rear, a major departure from Roman tactics. Varro also had narrowed his legions' front to three feet per man then the normal six, making relief hard, if impossible, Yet to be fair to Varro, because his Hastati and Princips were newly recruited, there had not that been much time to drill and train them, and maybe they were incapable of carrying out these battlefield evolutions.
To represent the compensation of having the Triarii behind the other lines if a line is forced to rout due to excessive casualties, or a bad morale result, the line now will retreat behind the third. If the third line is now routed or forced to retreat, the whole legion will be forced to do the same. If the triarii gave way, affairs were going real bad for the legion.
The Allies
As mentioned before, each legion also had an equal number of allies. These would form on the left or right flank of the legion. They were not called legions, but Ala (Wing). Early Ala were of their native formations, but by the Social War at the battle of Suessa 340 BC, both the Latins and their Roman enemies were fighting in three lines, and were calling the lines by the same names. If the Romans adopted the maniple and pila from the Samnites (Sallust Cut. 51.38), and refined this into tactics to best them in the First Samnite War (343-341 BC), it would not take long for the Latins who already fought in loose formations,to catch on to the new system. If what Livy suggests is true both sides were fighting with manipular tactics and weapons at Suessa except the Roman's allies, the Samnites. They still kept their traditional formations. (Livy 8. 6-11.)
Ala armor would likely would be different and perhaps javelins were used instead, at least by the Etruscans. There is mention of Roman allies in the cities of Falerai and Fescennium, still using hoplite arms, armor, and formations after 340 BC. but it probably was not widespread. (See Dionysms' Roman Antiquities 1.21.1)
Eventually by the second Punic War the troops were starting to dress the same so that by Zama, 202 BC, the difference between the Romans and their allies could not be discerned by Hannibal.
Late Manipular Period (circa 300-210)
The legion retained its organization, but changes, both administrative and tactical, have been added to the formations. The light arm (Leves) were increased in size. By the time the legion fought against Pyrrhus and his Hellenistic phalanx in 280 BC, more javelin armed light infantry (now called velites) were part of the legion. By the first Punic war (264) the number was increased again. Finally during the second Punic war (218) the number reached its final total. Training had continued to hone the legion almost to peak efficiency. while the troops were being now armored uniformly.
The Roman consular army was still two legions with equal to double the number of allies. They would be now be similar to the Romans in three lines, armed with javelins, or pilia, long spear and shield. They would still have light javelin infantry support, also cavalry.
Organization
To represent these changes, the tabletop legion is allowed the following additions: In 280, more javelin armed lights were added for a total of 600 men. In 264, additional figures were added (800 men) and by 218, 1200 men make up the Velite contingent of a legion.
The front line, (the Hastati), has 1,200 men, and may now be armed with two Pila and sword, while the second line, (the Princips), is also 1,200 men and is still armed with long thrusting spear, while the third line has been reduced by additions to the light arm, to 600 men. It is still armed with long thrusting spear. Their depth was shallower then the other two lines, 8 ranks.
Allied units are now the same but the cohort is becoming the unit of organization, not the maniple, 10 Cohorts making up the allied "legion." Cavalry (Heavy or Medium, possible some light types because of South Italian Greek influence) should be in 600 to 1,200 man units. The allies' morale was not the same yet though they were starting to receive the same training.
Additional Rules
The velites should stay within a move of their parent legion. If the velites are forced beyond the one move boundary they should add some kind of penalty for morale checks.
The battlefield relief system has improved. The relieving lines should now be allowed some sort of charge bonus as they pass through the retreating line.
Increased Legion Size.
The Roman writers speak of special legions that were larger then normal (5000 men.) If the scenario being played speaks of these larger legions, increase the Hastati and Princips by 400 or 800 men each.
Scipionic Reforms: circa 209-101 BC
After fighting Hannibal and his Carthaginian army for ten years, Roman generals saw the need for the legion to be still more flexible. Since they were under arms yearly, the legions became better drilled and trained. Rather then being composed of the rigid three lines, legions began become more maneuverable. As most of the troops the Romans were struggling with were armed with missile weapons, many innovative commanders abolished the second line's use of the Hasta (thrusting spear) replacing it with Pilia and sword. But there were probably still the conservative die-hards that still fought the legion the way as their fathers and grandfathers used it. (Rome was notoriously traditional.) To reflect this, allow only legions in Spain 207 BC or later under the command of Publius Scipio the great Africanus to use these reforms. After 208 it is assumed that they are spreading to the rest of the army.
The Extraordinarii
Polybius in his explantion of the Roman military system makes mention of extraordinarrii: 4 cohorts of selected Italian infantry, with 120 cavalry (4 understrength Tumae). It was the purpose of these units to be the vanguard of the Roman army on the march. If the army was attacked, the extraordinarii, would fall back and form the rear guard of the army while the legions deployed. Levy never mentions extraordinarii in his accounts, unless that is what he means by the extra special detachment of oarsmen, that Scipio used in Spain.
It would appear that if the army was going on campaign in an area of rough terrain, Latins still in their traditional formations would precede the army. These Latins were picked, for this duty. They were not drawn from the Alas, otherwise they would rejoin their Ala once it deployed for battle. Instead the Romans stationed them as a rearguard, figuring no doubt that they would be incapable of standing up to the enemy. What eventually happens to them is never certain, we do not know what period Polybius is writing about. he never says, but as velite equipment became heavier, they could replace the extraordinarii. Perhaps they were left to guard the camp. once the army dc loved. At Magnesia, 2,400 Thracian peltasts were left to guard the camp. Four full strength cohorts are 2400 men. Were the Thracians, extraordinarii? We'll never be sure.
Additional rules:
The legion now could operate in units of 1.200 men. While doing this the cohort organization was used. If the 1,200 man option is used, it should be noted in the deployment There can no recombining the dismantled legion during a battle. The third line (the Triarii) could maneuver. It now may be used to guard the flanks of first and second lines instead of waiting directly behind them in a reserve role. Triarii from different legions could now combine to form separate units. Legion cavalry copied their Punic foes by adding a longer thrusting spear (xyston) to' their arms and all allied legions began to be equipped with mail armor of the Romans. While their morale was still not as high but for all other purposes they could act as Romans
The End of the Manipular system, Marius' Reforms (The Cohort) 101 BC.
The manipular system worked fine against enemies that fought with similar ripe of formations it defeated the Hellenistic phalanx in four battles. Unlike the Pyrrhic struggles. where the legion was forced to march straight ahead at the phalanx. It now could and did maneuver. At Cynoscephalai (197 BC). and Pvdna (168 BC), the articulated maniples waited until the phalanx disorganized itself. than broke it. Thermopylae and Magnesia were tougher fights. At Thermopylae the legion couldn't break the Selecuid Phalanx. with its flanks secure.. so they out flanked it, :sing the same path as the Persians 298 years previously. By Magnesia (190 BC) the legionaries knew enough to keep away from the phalanx on level ground. and skirmished with it till it broke.
In the highest form of flattery. Antiochus the Great began to train imitation Selecuid legions based on the Roman model that overthrew his army at Magnesia, but he was assassinated before his plans came to complete fruition. (At the parade at Dephi 165 BC 5,000 Imitation Legionaries 'armed in Roman fashion ... men in the prime of lie. " (Polybius) led the infantry contingents o the Seleucid army. By the Jewish War 166-161 the "legionanes" are not mentioned fighting once. fhe grand experiment was halted with just one "legion.")
In 105 BC, the invasion of Italy by the Germans proved that again it was time to change the legion. At Arausio 105 BC two Consular Armies were defeated by the Cimbri. These Germans fought in deep dense formations, proto-wedges that unlike the Gauls with their equally loose formations, were able broke through the looser Roman formations and routed them. The Roman were said to have lost 40,000 Romans and allies. It was the death-null of the manipular legion.
Roman Consul Gaius Marius would redesign the legion in a style was so effective that his force became the prototype of the Roman army for the next 300 years! But that is another story.
The Roman Legion Part II
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