Hellenistic Roman Advice

[vonplutz]

So the club I am part of plays Impetus in all time frames and allows for any "ancient" army against another. That said two of the members play Hellenistic successor armies and once I have the funds to start an ancient Impetus force I'd like to match their time frame but was thinking I'd like to do Romans. My question is who makes 15mm Romans for this time? Also will any of the figures from the Xyston Greek line work? In my survey history of Rome class a few years ago the readings mentioned that the Roman army of this time was not yet the organised Republican and Imperial force we often think of but a hoplite army.

[bigredbat]

You could depict the Romans that fought Pyrrhus or the broadly similar, slightly later Romans that fought the Macedonians and Seleucids.  Although there are some differences of detail between the two (No shields for the velites, for example), they will be broadly similar to the classic 4 line (Velites, hastati, principes, triarii) force that fought Hannibal.  Definitely post hoplite.

I can't guide you on 15s, though, I'm afraid; it's strictly 28mm chez moi.

Simon

[Mad Doc Morris]

I second what Simon said. By the time Hellenistic empires made contact with the Romans, i.e. in the early 3rd century BC, the latter had pretty much developed (or copied) an army structure they were sticking to for the next two centuries.

Regarding figures, if Xyston is your reference you could easily use their line of Republican Romans. Probably employ less armoured men for the principes, since seemingly mail wasn't that prevalent yet. Also use the leves instead of velites. Lastly, to spice things up you could field some Italiote warriors to indicate social contingents, which were actually formed into legions and paired with the ones made up of Roman citizens (and, admittedly, indistingushiable by their equipment).