This article was inspired by Jim McDaniel's letter in SAGA #44 in which he asks what differences, if any, exist in the Roman armies found in DBM Army List Book 2. I will attempt to explain the differences in these armies under DBM. Please note that in the descriptions, a distinction is made of an army being good against historical opponents vs TOURNAMENT opponents. This is because an army may perform well under the DBM rule-system against it's historical opponents and counterparts, but in a wargame tournament setting where one is likely to encounter anything, the army may not have the diversity needed to face everything well. A player can, however, use terrain placement, deployment, coordination of troop elements, and other factors to improve their chances against an anny that would otherwise be "better." Thus, while I may not recommend an army for tournaments, this does not necessarily mean it can't be played with good results. I have found that there are no so-called "killer" armies in DBM.

10: Camillan Roman 400-275 BC

This is the army of the early Republic from the reforms of Camillus. This is definitely an infantry army. The required 28 infantry elements are distributed as 1/4 Ps (1), 1/4 Bd (0), 1/4 Sp (0), and 1/4 Sp (S). There are only 6 available Cv (0) and I LH. This army has moderately high aggression of 3, so you probably will be the attacker more often than not. There is also a lack of good rough terrain troop types, with only up to 10 Ax (1) being available and NO psiloi better than inferior! The tactics for this army would be to force your opponent into a slugging match in open terrain with the main infantry battle line and use terrain to protect flanks. The spear troops, especially the (S) are TOUGH customers against anything and can stand on their own in a single rank line. The blade troops are tough against any infantry, but are vulnerable to mounted opponents.

Warband armies can cause problems to blades and spears as they are destroyed if recoiled by the warbands. Psiloi, auxilia, or cavalry must be used to break up the warband formations rather than just allowing the warband to hit the bladestspears head on without opposition. Anti-elephant wagons are included for those encounters with PyrThos' elephants, You can also fortify your camp if desired. You may want to consider this option if flank guarding terrain isn't available and a fortified camp could help for anchoring an exposed flank. If you want to try using allies, Saminites are available to just give you more infantry and some Ax (S) for rough terrain use, but no appreciable cavalry.

I could not recommend this army for tournaments due to it's one dimensional nature, but it is tough against it's historical opponents in open terrain. I can also see why the Saminites defeated this army at the Claudine Forks in rough ground.

33: Polybian Roman 275-105 BC

This is the army of the 1st & 2nd Punic Wars up until Marius' reforms. This army is similar to the Camillan, being a strong infantry army with the following differences. Firstly, the quality of the infantry goes up slightly. No more Sp (0) and 1/4 of the required infantry is Sp (S), but 1/2 is now Bd (0). This makes the infantry slightly stronger against other infantry, but slightly more vulnerable to mounted. The final 1/4 psiloi can be upgraded to (S) after 2 10 BC which is a definite improvement and makes them tougher when breaking up warband formations and screening your main battle line. Secondly, you get more cavalry with this army, up to 6 Cv (0) & 3 LK but not enough to stand up against the Carthaginian cavalry numbers unless you go with Nurnidian allies like Scipio did.

A fortified camp of 12 points is required in this list to protect the baggage. More and better rough terrain troops are available in this list, including up to 8 Ps (0) & up to 4 Ax (S), or up to 10 after 2 10 BC, which is an improvement. You can also get up to 4 Gallic Wb (F) for a small warband force of your own. This army is used like the Camillan list, force the enemy to engage the heavy infantry battle line in the open and use terrain to guard flanks. The slightly larger cavalry force should be used carefully. More allies are available in this list, I like the Numidian option the best. Reliable Numidians can be used to guard the flank better than terrain and can go on the offensive. You can also get a large naval force if desired. I saw this option used at Historicon '94 when a Polybian Roman player landed a large force, including cavalry, on the flank of Gary Christiansen's Carthaginians, after sending several naval units down a waterway and holding them "offshore" until the right moment.

I would hesitate to recommend this list as a tournament list because it is still too one dimensional, although I like it better than the Camillan list. It is tough against all historical opponents if used properly.

49 Marian Roman 105-25 BC

This army covers the Romans from Marius to Augustus, including the armies of Caesar, Sulla, and Pompey. All spear troops are gone and 18 Bd (0) are required. In 300-325 pts for a typical DBM game, I wouldn't take any more than that. The cavalry force again gradually improves in this list. You can get the 6 Cv (0), but this time the German Cv (0) can be supported by a rear rank of Ps (S) and fight other cavalry at +4. You can also get up to 7 LH, which makes this army more flexible than it's predecessors.

The 18 Bd (0) are a tough infantry force, but vulnerable to mounted. Even Bd in two ranks fight cavalry at +3. I would suggest supporting the Bd with Ax or Ps, or use the now larger cavalry force to keep your opponent away from the blades. You can get even more rough terrain troops in this list and they are recommended. Up to 6 Reg and/or Irr Ax (S), and up to 16 Ps (0), and up to 10 Ps (S) are available. A 12 point fortified camp is required as before, and this list also allows building up to 24 points worth of ditched palisade to deploy in your rear zone to obstruct enemy cavalry if desired. Tactics for this army are similar to it's predecessors, except now you can have a more balanced force available than previously. If you can deploy with a flank anchored on a waterway like Caesar did at Pharsalus, you could put up to 13 mounted units on the flank/reserve. Large naval forces and available allies can be used, if desired. Of the allies, the Armenians are a good choice for more cavalry, including cataphract Kn (X). This option might find you short of points in a tournament situation, however.

Tough against all historical opponents, this is the first list I feel has the flexibility needed for tournament play.

56 Early Imperial Roman 25 BC-193 AD

This list covers the period from Augustus' reorganization up to Septimius Severus. I like this army because it allows some subtle tactical improvements over the previous lists. The required Bd (0) drops to 12 elements, but there are now 8 required Ax (S) and you can get as many as 20! These are TOUGH troops in DBM because the (S) usually saves them from destruction when any negative combat roll gets an added + 1. The only thing Ax (S) really has to fear are knights. In addition, you are now allowed to have up to 6 supporting Ps (0), which, give blades and auxilia an additional +1 vs mounted opponents. This brings tough Ax (S) supported by Ps (0) to a +3 vs mounted. The Bd (0) in two ranks supported by the Ps (0) becomes a +4 vs mounted!

I appreciated the tactical ability of these troops first hand in a game last year with Mark Huml. I used my Attalid Pergamenes against his Romans. I advanced against his left with a force of Pergamene lancers and Galatian warbands, while he had his Roman battle line deployed with the blades in a 2 rank deep formation (the psiloi in a supporting third rank) and supporting auxilia on the flanks. Realizing that I could not smash through the legionaries with the lancers ( they're +4 in this formation vs the lancers +3), I sent the warbands in toward the legions and turned the lancers toward another target. Mark then moved the third rank psiloi through the ranks of legionaries and engaged the warbands. Next turn, I lost control of the warband which became impetuous due to a lack of'pips.' Mark then counter-attacked with legionaries and auxilia and was able to destroy several warband elements directly due to the warband's disorganization after the fight with the psiloi. Similar tactics work with previous Roman armies, but without the supporting psiloi vs mounted, and the blades are more vulnerable to mounted. When I tried to rescue the warband with the lancers, Mark was able to retreat the psiloi back to the rear of his legionaries to support them again, including some that recoiled back into that position. The above example gives you some idea of the capabilities of these troops.

This list gives you a slightly better cavalry force too, although the German Cv (0) with supporting Ps (0) are no longer available. You can get up to 8 Cv (0) and up to 4 LH (0). After 100 AD you can get 2 Kn (F) as well. The 12 point fortified camp is still required to protect the baggage. You can downgrade all your legionaries to recently converted marines Bd (1), thus saving,at least 24 points. This could be a good idea against certain opponents, allowing you to splurge with the saved points elsewhere. Bolt shooters on carts appear on this list as Art (F) and can be a nuisance to some opponents. Several allies are available, I like the Armenians again because of the cataphracts.

This list is a good tournament list and can take on any opponent due to it's being more flexible. The only weakness again might be the cavalry arm if fighting heavier mounted unsupported.

64 Middle Impeial Roman 193-324 AD

This list covers armies from Septimius Severus up to Constantine 1. The tactical flexibility of this list continues from the previous by allowing more supporting Ps (0). you can now get up to 8. Fortified camps are now no longer required, freeing 12 points for other use. The cavalry increases again slightly in this list too. You can now get up to 12 Cv (0), 2 Kn (F), and I Kn (X) in an eastern army.

The big difference I see with this list is that the 8 required auxilia drops in quality from (S) to (0), though 6 (S) are still available and the Ps (0) can support either. Required legionaries drops to 10, but the option to downgrade them is now gone. Palestinian clubmen Irr Bd (X) are an interesting option available if you're fighting knights or chariots. Army aggression now drops in this list from the usual 3 in the previous lists to 1, thus making your chances of being the defender greater. Your choice of allies includes the Palmyrans.

Overall, this is also a good tournament list, maybe not quite as good as the Early Imperials though it does play similar to them.

78 Late Impeial Roman 307-425 AD

This list was very good in WRG 7th and continues that way under DBM. I like this Roman list the best because of ifs flexibility and it has most everything one could ask for. A well balanced, flexible infantry force that can fight most opponents in either rough or open terrain, and a strong cavalry force. The big difference between this list and the WRG 7th list is that the multi-weaponed legionary was king, The auxilia in this list becomes particularly potent because you can get supporting Ps (0) for all your Ax (S). You can also get supporting Ps (0) for all your Bd (0) too.

Required Bd (0) drops to 4, thus you can run an army with a main battle line consisting o mostly supported Ax (S) if you wish, or increase the blades and/or decrease the Ax depending upon the opposition. You have flexibility with your cavalry force too. If you run a western army, you can get up to 8 Cv (0) and 14 LH? If you run an eastern army, you can get up to 6 Kn, 4 Cv (0), and 16 LH, including Huns. The gimmick scythed chariot is available, but a waste of time and points. Aggression increases slightly to 2, but with this list it doesnt matter whether you are attacker or defender. I wouldn't consider using allies in this list at all because you have everything you need already available.

81 Sub-Roman British 407-945 AD

I don't really consider this list a true Roman list, but include it because Jim McDaniel mentions it. This is a cold climate army with an aggression of 1, so you'll probably be defending the homeland. The main problem I see with this army is the below average quality infantry force of 36 required Irr Ax (I) or Sp (1), though you can get up to 8 supporting Ps (0) for either Ax or Sp. I would choose the Sp over the Ax in this case because inferior Ax is so vulnerable, unless you get a lot of rough terrain. You cannot get a "normal" sub-general in this list unless you upgrade a Visigothic Wb (0) boat crew into one, which seems too uncertain for tournaments. Your only other choice is an ally general. This will give your army control problems similar to those of an irregular army and even more uncertainty.

The main strength of this army is the cavalry force. You can get up to 15 Cv (0), 5 LH (0), and convert 5 of your Cv to Reg Kn (F). I would recommend running this army by taking the cavalry under the C in C's control and trying to win the battle with it, leaving the infantry under the ally general's control. This is exactly the tactic used by my opponent, Jim Dundorf, at the Cold Wars 94 DBM tournament. Since you can't have a normal sub general, using an allied nation is more tempting under this list. You can choose Alans or Vikings, which night be interesting options. No gimmicks, artillery, or fortifications are in this list, though you can get up to 6 Irish mercenaries Wb (F).

I would hesitate to recommend this army as a tournament army due to the above mentioned difficulties, unless one wants more of a challenge.

83 Patrician Roman 425-493 AD

This list is the final Roman list. Aggression remains low at 2. No required Bd's (only 8 are available) and the Ax quality drops to (I), though 1/2 can be upgraded to (S). You can stil get supporting Ps for your Bd's and Ax. The main striking power of this list is actually the foederati, not the Romans. You can get up to 40 as either 3/4's Wb (S) or Kn (F). Thus, you have a mostly irregular army run by regular generals, not a bad combination under DBM. You will be able to allocate your pip die to where you need them most, unlike most irregular armies.

Rich Novak runs this army with about 9- 10 Kn, a large Wb force, a few Ax (S) to seize rough terrain, some blades, and some Roman cavalry. The Irr Kn (F) get an extra +I vs Reg Kn but must pursue opponents, which could make them vulnerable to counter attack. This is not a finesse army like the previous Roman armies due to the behavior of irregular troops. This army could be vulnerable to opponents with a large LH force to either outflank or tempt the Kn & Wb into impetuosity. The Wb is also vulnerable to Kn if you can hold off the foederati Kns. Otherwise, this army works in tournaments.

Well, there you have it, an overview of the Roman Armies in DBM. Their differences correspond with the historical evolution from the Early Republic to the end of the Empire, as one might expect. The best way to see these differences is to play with, or against, many of these armies as I have and see for yourself how they each function. I have found that simply reading a rule-set or army list doesn't always give you the feel for an armys true capabilities. Players will also have to decide for themselves if the armies behave in a manner consistent with their historical abilities.