Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Age of Myths, Gods and Empires => Topic started by: Melnibonean on October 11, 2018, 05:01:23 AM
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Oh Great Aggregated LAF Mind, I need some advice...
I'm making 15mm Polybian Romans and I'm not sure how to organize them. I've painted up some hastati and principe and mounted them four figures to a 40x20mm base. So far so good! I know that there are equal numbers of velites, hastati and principe and half the amount of triarii but from here I have no idea.
How many bases of each would I need to make a legion? Should the basic units be maniples or cohorts? How many bases would make up a maniple (or cohort)?
As a reference, I have 15mm Successors and I have them organised into pike units of 32 figures (8 bases of 4 figures) and other units of 6 bases with various amounts of figures. I would like my Romans to sort of match them (or should I say: equate with them).
As it is, I have no idea. Please help.
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What rules do you intend to play?
For my Republican Roman my units are based on 80x30mm, I use them for Hail Caesar, To The Strongest and probably Imputvs.
It is for Imputvs rules that I have based my figures.
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Many of the rulesets set out the ratios, I'm basing this on ADLG and FoG.
Broadly speaking (noting I have limited knowledge in this period) for each legion I'd have
4 bases of Hastati & Principes
1 bases of Triarii
2 bases of Velites
You would double this if the numbers don't quite match the successors.
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The numbers of each are relatively simple: 1600 Velite, 1600 Hastati, 1600 Princeps and 800 Triarii as well as 300 Equites = 1 Legion. Therefore decide how many bases of Hastati or Princeps and voila - the ratios work. You can of course reduce slightly the number of Velite bases if you want to.
My own legion in 28mm is 6 bases each of Hastati and Princeps, 3 bases of Triarii. Each base a 40mm x 40mm with 4 figures on each and 16 velite organised on individual bases (20mm x 20mm) but being able to be ranked up if needed.
I also have one small unit of 6 Equites based on 50mm x 50mm with two figures per base.
Hope that helps.
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Hi Melnibonean
Check out this website, I've found it really useful!
https://www.unrv.com/military/roman-republican-legion.php
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Thanks for the input folks. These Romans do have to difficult, don't they?
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Thanks for the input folks. These Romans do have to difficult, don't they?
Indeed, they are! Although, sometimes, I believe that we overthink a bit too much. While Polybius describes how the ideal Republican legion should look like, in his narrative of actual battles looks like it was more flexible, both in organization and tactics. Maybe the difference between Hastati and Princeps was rather artificial, based upon social class -Romans were very class conscious!- rather than in actual combat roles.
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By the time of the 2nd Punic war Hastati and Principes seem to have been equipped much the same.
Not true for the wars against Pyrrhus a bit earlier.