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THE ROMAN S The Roman Army in SPQR BY DAVID FOX So, this is the beginnings of the army that would go on to conquer most of the known world. When you set up your first battle - probably Bagradas - what strikes your eye first is the legion infantry, row upon row in the time- honored order of velite, hastati, principe, and triarii. They are the finest troops of the ancient world, and Europe wouldn't know their equal again in training, discipline, and ferocity until the Swiss landschnekts of the Renaissance, 1500 years in the future. In the battles that appear in SPQR and its modules, while they may often be outnumbered or outgeneraled, because of that infantry, the Romans will never be outclassed. The Roman cavalry is very weak and unless you have some good foreign auxiliaries on your side, like the Numidians at Zama, you can expect going into battle outnumbered and outmatched in cavalry. And with the notable excep- tion of Scipio, chances are your leadership will also be inferior to your opponent's. But the legionnaires are good enough to overcome even these obstacles if you use them properly. The four distinct types of Roman infantry were modeled after their class in Roman society, from the poor in the velites to the more mature veterans in the hastati, to the upper-class principes and the old warhorses in the triarii. The SPQR rulebook does a good job of describing each type and its particular role on the battlefield. Take some time to read those descriptions, because the key to winning with a Roman army is to understand each type and what it can do. Roman Infantry Velites Good, solid light infantry, talented javelinists with a shock capability as well. Best-used to scatter the opposing skirmishers and soften up the enemy's line with their javelins. They are particularly effective against phalanxes, with their ability to enter a ZOC, fire, and retreat. They can keep this up all day long, if spared. They are very useful against elephants, too. Remember to leave lanes open in the ranks of the hastati — behind the velites — to leave room for them to withdraw or rout. Hastati These are your shock troops, and they will probably bear the brunt of the actual fighting in most battles. After the velites have done their work, you should send them crashing into the enemy's line. Don't be afraid to be reckless with these guys — you've got a lot of them, and they are attack superior to most other weapon types. But remember — once they throw their pila they are vulnerable to enemy cavalry, so be a little circumspect if you see horsemen hovering off on the flanks. Princip es The principes are usually your coup de grace, administered to finish off an enemy already reeling from the velites and hastati. They are best used to break stubborn defenders or destroy routing enemy units. Their high TQ's make them very valuable on the defensive as well, as a good line to rally behind if you get into trouble. Triarii You'll find that you rarely use these guys, and if you do , you're probably in trouble. As Heavy Infantry, and with the Triarii Doctrine rule, they just aren't as flexible as the legion infantry. They are defense- superior against cavalry, though, and you may find yourself delivering a timely 14
Transcript of THE ROMAN S - C3i Ops Centerc3iopscenter.com/documents/The Roman Army In SPQR… · ·...
THE ROMAN S
The Roman Army in SPQRBY DAVID FOX
So, this is the beginnings of the army that
would go on to conquer most of the known
world. When you set up your first battle -
probably Bagradas - what strikes your eye first
is the legion infantry, row upon row in the time-
honored order of velite, hastati, principe, and triarii. They are the
finest troops of the ancient world, and Europe wouldn't know their
equal again in training, discipline, and ferocity until theSwiss
landschnektsof theRenaissance, 1500 years in the future. In the
battles that appear in SPQRand its modules, while they may often
be outnumbered or outgeneraled, because of that infantry, the
Romans will never be outclassed.
The Roman cavalry is very weak andunless you have some good foreignauxiliaries on your side, like theNumidians at Zama, you can expect goinginto battle outnumbered and outmatchedin cavalry. And with the notable excep-tion of Scipio, chances are your leadershipwill also be inferior to your opponent's.But the legionnaires are good enough toovercome even these obstacles if you usethem properly. The four distinct types ofRoman infantry were modeled after theirclass in Roman society, from the poor inthe velites to the more mature veterans inthe hastati, to the upper-class principes andthe old warhorses in the triarii. The SPQRrulebook does a good job of describingeach type and its particular role on thebattlefield. Take some time to read thosedescriptions, because the key to winningwith a Roman army is to understand eachtype and what it can do.
Roman Infantry
VelitesGood, solid light infantry, talentedjavelinists with a shock capability aswell. Best-used to scatter the opposingskirmishers and soften up the enemy'sline with their javelins. They areparticularly effective against phalanxes,with their ability to enter a ZOC, fire, andretreat. They can keep this up all day
long, if spared. They are very usefulagainst elephants, too. Remember toleave lanes open in the ranks of the hastati— behind the velites — to leave room forthem to withdraw or rout.
HastatiThese are your shock troops, and they willprobably bear the brunt of the actual
fighting in most battles. After the veliteshave done their work, you should sendthem crashing into the enemy's line.Don't be afraid to be reckless with theseguys — you've got a lot of them, and theyare attack superior to most other weapontypes. But remember — once they throwtheir pila they are vulnerable to enemycavalry, so be a little circumspect if yousee horsemen hovering off on the flanks.
Princip esThe principes are usually your coup degrace, administered to finish off an enemyalready reeling from the velites and hastati.They are best used to break stubborndefenders or destroy routing enemy units.Their high TQ's make them very valuableon the defensive as well, as a good line torally behind if you get into trouble.
TriariiYou'll find that you rarely use these guys,and if you do , you're probably in trouble.As Heavy Infantry, and with the TriariiDoctrine rule, they just aren't as flexibleas the legion infantry. They are defense-superior against cavalry, though, and youmay find yourself delivering a timely
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Analysis of the Roman Army in SPQR
"The art of generalship does not age, and it is because Scipio's battles are richerin stratagems and ruses — many still feasible today — than those of any other
commander in history that they are an unfailing object-lesson."B.H. Liddell Hart
ScipioAfricanus
about-face order to them to seal off therear of your army against maraudingenemy horsemen. Otherwise, they justaren't very useful, and you'll find yourselfrarely having enough line commands leftover to move them anyway.
Roman Cavalry
The less said about the Roman cavalry,the better. Although technically theyqualify as heavy cavalry, in reality theyjust aren't up to tangling with heavycavalry the caliber of what Carthageand Macedon can throw at you. TheRC's really are cannon-fodder, and areprobably best-deployed where they cancause the enemy maximum damagebefore routing off the field. In somebattles, however, notably Zama, Pydna,and Magnesia, you will have some high-quality foreign horsemen on your side,which you will be able to use veryeffectively. You can see why, in a latergeneration, the Romans reverted toexclusively hiring foreign cavalrycontingents.
Scipio Africanus
Publius Cornelius (c. 235-184 B.C.) Romanconsul and general. Smashed Hannibal'sarmy at Zama, ending the 2nd Punic War.
Roman Leadership
The Romans never put a very heavypriority on the quality of their command-ers, relying instead on the strength oftheir doctrine to win the battle, no matterwho was in charge. The good news is thatwith so many 2 and 3 level leaders, youwill almost always have anywhere fromtwo-to-six line commands before youropponent can move, a situation that youcan take advantage of by attacking withwave after wave of legion infantry beforeyour enemy can react. Your cavalrycommanders are usually about as muchvalue as their troops — next to none. Andyour overall commanders are a mixedbunch, from reprobates like Varro to suchshining lights as Fabius and Scipio. Withthe former, and their pitiful strategyratings, you may very well be stuck withtwo or three line commands per turn.With the latter, you will be able to do allsorts of trumping and momentum.
General StrategyWith certain exceptions, like Zama andMetaurus, as the Romans you will see thesame basic situation — facing a strongcombined-arms army that is superior toyou in cavalry and command ability.Your best strategy against this is amethodical, step by step advance.
Step 1— Commit the velites to chasingaway the enemy skirmishers and breakingup the opponent's front line
Step 2 —Charge with the hastati, layingsome more hits on the enemy andpossibly even routing some of them.
Step 3 —Hit the enemy hard with the
principes. These guys should be strongenough to break the your opponent's linesand mop-up many routing units.
Always remember that your flanks arevery vulnerable. The RC's out therewon't last long, so unless you want enemycavalry gnawing on your legions from theside, detach some cohorts to refuse theflank, always remembering to have theseguys hold onto their pila (that way they're
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defense-superior vs. most cavalry). Thiswill narrow your frontage, but it's worthit to keep those horsemen at bay. Also, besure to keep lanes open in your rear ranksfor the troops up front to withdraw orrout through without causing hits to freshtroops behind them.
have the edge in leadership, you will beable to take a few chances knowing thatyou're good enough to trump your wayout of trouble.
Although the Romans and their doctrinemay seem stodgy to some, there's areason why these guys were able to
conquer most of the known world — itworked. By sticking to a methodical,unhurried application of Romanstrengths, and compensating for theirweaknesses, victory will rarely be out ofthe question.
Be methodical, and don't panic. Thingsmay look bad as your cavalry collapsesand the Numidians zip around behindyou, but hang on — your infantry canstill prevail. Resist the urge to go formomentum with your praefects and allbut your last tribune, as they may onlygive Hannibal a chance to trump andmove out of turn. Almost always go formomentum with the last tribune, how-ever, which could give your last line ofprincipes that final little shove that breaksthe enemy. And in those fortunatecircumstances like Metaurus, Pydna,and any battle with Scipio, where you
Example (right) of a Roman Legion in SPQR —The Leh Legion set-up at Trebbia:The battle is begun by the velites, who try tobreakup the enemy formation as it advances.They then retire through the gaps; the hastaticlosethegapsandcharge.If thehastatiarenotsuccessful, they then retire through the gaps intheprincipes,who in turnclose theirgapsandcharge. If the principes are unsuccessful, theycan now either change places with the hastatiand let them have another go or withdrawthrough the gaps of the triarii.
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