Representing Romans

 

Completed Roman Polybian Legion : Velites deployed to front, Hastati, Principes and Triarii lined up to the left.  Equites are just out of shot at the top.

One of my objectives in developing the Ancient Rules of Engagement System - ARES - is that the combat mechanisms should be able to accommodate formations of very different size and composition so that players can field armies that are organised and will fight as close as possible to what we know of deployment and battlefield behaviour from ancient records rather than adhering to prescriptive army lists, basing arrangements and standardised unit sizes.  Figures have to be based, of course, but I have tried to come up with a scheme that allows a lot of flexibility.  Close order infantry are mounted 4 to a base, open order skirmish infantry 2 to a base, but every base has magnetic material underneath and can be placed on a sabot of a size and shape appropriate to the troops.  Usually these sabots are rectangular, but I thought that something a bit different was needed for Roman and Allied Legions.

As the photograph at the top shows, I have settled (I hope!?) on a combination of small rectangular sabots for the velites who can be deployed in front of the main infantry line and fall back behind the triarii when close combat is about to take place - or be deployed separately ahead or out on the flanks as required - and larger partly truncated rectangles for the Hastati, Principes and Triarii.  The truncation at the rear is partly to reflect that the Triarii were only half the strength of the other two lines, so one base of figures rather than two for each of the Hastati and Principes.  Partly also it is a visual reminder that the Roman Legions have an advantage of greater flexibility than Greek style phalanxes.  Unengaged segments of a legion can be turned without impairing the combat effectiveness of the whole, or even detached to make opportunistic attacks on other enemy flanks, as at Cynoscephalae.  

In addition to the truncation, the depth of the sabot is a little greater than normal, so that the three lines of differently armed and armoured men can be distinguished.  Moving the line of Principes forward indicates when they are committed to a melée and then, in extremis, one can send in the Triarii in fact as well as in a combat modifier.

The photograph shows five sabots each of Velites and main infantry.  This constitutes a standard size legion at a scale of 1:30.  An enlarged legion might have 6 or 7 sabots of each type while an understrength one might have only 3 or 4.  If a large battle with several legions is to be fought, then one could adopt a scale of 1:60 or so and have only 2 or 3 sabots of each type per legion, or 1:120 and have one of each sabot to a legion.  Much of this remains academic as I have only finished painting the figures shown above plus enough Velites and Equites for another legion.  The figures for another two legions at 1:30 scale have been cleaned and undercoated but their appearance on the battlefield will have to wait until next year.

The Legion goes head to head with ferocious Gauls in its first table top outing