How come all the Romans I play against are Later Romans?

The answer to the above question is that the ability to triple a the legionaries makes them extremely effective. You can make them even more effective by including a third rank of archers. The unit then shoots as well as close order foot bows and fight extremely effectively in melee. You can even make them "B" grade. But in this article I intend to cover a broader spectrum of Roma than just the triple armed Rambo. I will, however, leave the Byzantines till a later article, even though they did s themselves as Romans. As a general rule of thumb the Late Imperial Roman army is the most versatile competition army out of all the Romans, and the least competitive is the Early Imperial. The problem with the Early Imperials is the army is quality but expensive and lacks light troops. It is therefore vulnerable to lance armed cavalry, scythed chariots and elephants.

Like the pike armies, there are advantages in collecting a Roman army. They fought a lot of different nations and so finding historical opponents is not too difficult. A few extra figure will allow you to step across to earlier/later Roman lists.

Later Imperial Roman, for instance, can be used as a Middle Imperial or a Patrician Roman, and even an Early Byzantine. The auxiliaries that Romans can use can form a useful base for starting another army. The Hun auxiliaries in my Late/Patrician army grew into a Hun army in its own right, and the Numidian auxilliaries in my Republican Roman army may very well become the nucleus of a Numidian army.

At the core of any Roman army, excepting perhaps the Patrician Roman army (5th Century AD), is the legionary. Despite the increasing importance of cavalry in the later armies, the legionaire remained the bed-rock of the army. And this should be the case for any modelled army. Even if you only need to use the legion unit as a pinning force, it is still an extremely effective pinning force. People will often go to length to avoid contacting the legionaries, especially the triple armed Later Imperial legionaries. Exploit this by using the legion to foil an enemy attack or to dominate a sector of the table you wish to control.

And speaking of the Later Imperial Roman legionary figure - should you triple arm him? The answer is: yes if you are playing in competition, otherwise it depends on what you want to achieve a whether you are playing a historical opponent or not. The reason for triple arming a legionary for a competition is pure pragmatic - it is points effective to do so. A double armed legion with HTW (pilum) and JLS (javelin) is very effective against foot opponents and can do a reasonable job of keeping most mounted troops at bay. But the dart virtually guarantee invulnerability against all but the most heavily armoured mounted frontal charges. They also give you a missile capability which can be used to clear away skirmishers. Adding a third rank of legionary archers allows you to deliver a tremendous amount of fire power, but of course the extra rank costs extra points. If you go for triple armed legionaries then you should think about leaving your legions as "C' grade to economise on points.

If you are not playing competition, or wish to experiment with the JLS plus dart option, with a third rank of bows, is worth considering. You are then relying more on fire power than melee power (the JLS is a poor second compared to HTW + JLS in melee). A final point - take all 72 legionary figures (3 units of 24) for a competition. If you wish to experiment with the JLS/Dart late empire combination, then try units of 36 (24 JLS, dart plus 12 bows).

Supporting the legion was the auxilia. These are javelin, and optionally dart armed in later lists, loose order troops. You can also have a third rank of bowmen. These are useful terrain clearers or for employing on the flanks to support cavalry or to provide a link between the cavalry and slower legion. It is worth while making auxilia 'B' grade if possible so that they are not so vulnerable to cavalry in the open, and if used on the wings, to help cushion against a reversal on the wings - in a Roman army it is the support troops that are likely to crumble before the legion does. And in fact this is exactly what many opponents of Romans attempt to do: ignore/skirmish against the legionaries, rout the support troops and hope that the routing supporters will cause the legion to get a bad waver test.

Roman light infantry often gets ignored, but there are a reasons. The selection of these troops in most Roman armies, and they can be cheap and effective. They can also be used to screen the legionary from the troops types that they are vulnerable to - lacce-armed armoured cavalry, scythed chariots, elephants and irregular 'A' foot screamies. Although the Later Imperials are less vulnerable to these cavalry, Tutonic SHK and SHC can still give them a hard time. Six figures light infantry in one rank out in front of the legion can be used to absorb the initial charge of the nasties. They should attempt to stand against the blunted charge. They will fail and rout but it does mean that the pursuers will take additional fatigue points on a converted charge (p23 - fatigue) and mounted will then fight tired against the legionaries. They can also be used to similarly screen auxilia.

Some clubs and competitions interpret the waver test for LMI/LHI (p22, waver test causes) as only applying to troops who have to respond to a charge. Since troops receiving a converted charge cannot respond to the charge (p25, para 6, July 1991 amendments) the argument is that they do not have to waver. Check with you opponent before the game on this one, although in the UK the accepted interpretation is as the rules now read - in a converted charge situation the auxilia would not have to waver because they do not have the opportunity to respond to the mounted charge.

Roman cavalry varies according to the period of army you are using, with the cavalry getting heavier as time progresses. Although the EHC and SHC figures look tempting in the lists, you should think carefully before using them because they are expensive. Light cavalry, supported by some heavy cavalry and perhaps by some auxilia can be an effective combination and can be used to secure the wings.

Roman armies also have an assortment of allied or client troops types which are worth considering. They are often cheap and are useful to "bulk" out your more expensive Roman troop types. In the Patrician Roman army virtually the whole army consists of these troop types!

Tactics

The Roman period covered a much greater span of history than the Hellenistic era, and over time tactics changed as the enemy changed and the advent of cavalry based armies developed. Initially the Roman army was a citizen based army, developed along a Classical Greek and Etruscan model. The three line approach followed, with the hastati forming the first line, then the principes forming the second line and the triarii as the final line. Velite skirmishers formed up in front of the legion line. The principle was defence in depth and the effective utilisation of fresh lines of troops. This formation was replaced by the well known cohort organisation which formed up in checkerboard formation.

his in turn was replaced by a more solid legion formation. Auxiliary troops were often used, and sometimes won the battle while the legionaries looked on. The importance of cavalry varied throughout the period, but essentially it became more important during the later period. Above all, the Roman were resourceful and tenacious. They were capable of varying their tactics according to the circumstance.

On the Table

Taking our five basic battle plans (hammer blow, mixed order, envelopment, double envelopment and probe), let us consider the Roman army.

The probe option can be used by the Patrician Roman army and perhaps a light cavalry variant of the Later Imperials. These armies have a wide selection of light cavalry available, notable Hun and Alan allies. There is also available a selection of rough terrain troops to secure or contest key terrain features which cavalry armies otherwise could not consider. This is still difficult option to execute. The bow armed light cavalry need attempt to disrupt and sweep away the enemy light troops on the first or second turn of contact while the javelin armed light cavalry are used to work around flanks. The bow cavalry must attempt to maximise firepower. If you do succeed in stripping away the enemy light troops you will have the initiative and the opponent is at a serious disadvantage. On the other hand, if you get embroiled in melees the heavier enemy troops will probably beat your light cavalry. Worth experimenting with.

The double envelopment is again a possibility with the later armies. You again will need to use the Huns and Alans since they can both shoot and fight. These need to be backed up by one or two units of heavier cavalry. Your legionaries are used as a pinning force - try to make them as cheap as possible so that you have the points to spend on ensuring your wings are strong enough. You also want to entice the enemy into attacking your centre - so double armed 'C' grade legionaries are enough. You could even try being really brave and making them single armed ...

The single flank envelopment is an ideal for Romans. You can muster enough good cavalry to weight a wing. It needs to be well supported by light cavalry and light infantry. The refused wing can be populated by lights and one or two units of heavy cavalry, who can both fight if needed and skirmish if appropriate. The centre is populated by legionaries who are there to draw as much against them as possible in order to give the enveloping wing the best chance.

Small units of four JLS light cavalry of quality should be kept in reserve. They are used either to work around a flank if an opportunity presents itself, or drive off enemy lights if he tries to use skirmishers to neutralise your legions.

The mixed order attack is again popular with the Romans, although less so than with the Hellenistic, due to the Roman's lack of chariots and elephants. I have always found it more effective to try and either keep the legionaries together to form a solid centre or to divide them into two groups. One group consists of two legion units, the other group consists of a legion and an auxilia unit. Both operating groups, supported by cavalry, can be used to pressurise the enemy line, or alternatively one group can be used to attack while the other group holds up an enemy envelopment.

The concentrated hammer blow is only really possible with the triple armed legionary, preferably backed up with a third rank of bowmen to ensure maximum shooting hits. If these legions can get close to enemy non-light troops then the enemy is in serious trouble. The shooting followed by a charge can rout enemy cavalry or average infantry in one or two turns. This will generate wavers and hopefully the opponent will fail one of them. The problem here is that most people will realise that your legion is super tough and attempt to avoid contact. Your options in this are either to ensure that you pin your selected target with light troops first, or feign a hammer blow attack, while in reality delivering a mixed order or envelopment attack.

The Roman period occupies a significant part of the ancient period. It's armies are popular with wargamers, with figures easily obtainable and a large amount of research available. On the table the army is dependably and most Roman lists have a wide range of allies available to add variety. A Roman army is a strong possible alternative to a Hellenistic army for new player starting up in Ancients.

More Beginners Guide to Tactics Under WRG 7th

Part 1: Pick Your Army {Saga v5n6)
Part 2: The Waver Test and How to Avoid It {Saga v6n1)
Part 3: Movement, Missiles, Melee {Saga v6n2)
Part 4: Competition Wargaming {Saga v6n3)
Part 5: Pilum, Darts and Javelins {Saga v6n4)
Part 7: Foot or Mounted? {Saga v6n6)