Historical Overview Section

This era saw imperial legions being recruited solely on a voluntary basis and from a much wider base of manpower. Likewise, whereas Republican legions had been recruited almost exclusively in Italy, early Imperial legions drew most of their recruits from Roman colonies in the provinces from 68 AD onwards.

The vitality of the empire at this point was such that the use of native Auxilia in the Roman army did not apparently barbarise the military as some scholars claim was to happen in the late empire. On the contrary, those serving in the Auxilia during this period frequently strove to Romanise themselves. They were granted Roman citizenship on retirement, granting them several social advantages, and their sons became eligible for service in the legions.

By the final years of the first century AD, the legions remained the backbone of the Roman army, although the Auxilia in fact outnumbered them by up to half as much again. Early in the 2nd Century AD Hadrian instigated a system of fixed border defences (Latin: limes) around the Empire's periphery, consolidating Trajan's earlier territorial gains, and leading to troops being stationed permanently in the provinces. As a result of more localized recruitment greater numbers of barbarous and semi-barbarous peoples were gradually admitted to the army. 235 AD the Emperor himself, the figurehead of the entire military, was a man born outside of Italy to non-Italian parents.

From the third century onwards, both Germanic tribes and Sassanid Persian armies pierced the frontiers of the Roman Empire, triggering a series of changes in the Roman army which were more organic and evolutionary than the deliberate military reforms of the Republic and early Empire. Roman forces also gradually became more mobile, with one cavalryman for every three infantryman, compared to one in forty in the early Empire. Additionally, the Emperor Gallienus took the revolutionary step of forming dedicated cavalry regiments, separating them from the mixed cavalry and infantry regiments of the past. A diverse range of cavalry regiments existed, including catafractarii or clibanarii, scutarii, and legionary cavalry.

Terrain considerations:

Always try for the waterway, it is generally helpful. If you get a waterway don’t bother with the village it isn’t helpful as it most likely is sitting on your base edge on the waterway which is not a useful spot.
Don’t get overly obsessed with RGo especially of the fields/brush sort. Unless you have a lot of medium infantry – especially medium infantry that shoots (not a Roman forte) it doesn’t make that much difference. Its biggest value is letting LI stand up to mounted so it is of some value but not hugely. Next biggest use is dummy ambush markers preventing marches..
If you are somewhere that isn’t steppes/plains then you want DGo. The single most dangerous thing you can place for the Huns is a piece of DGo (or impassable) sitting on their baseline dividing up the deployment zone. This generally will compact their army which is good and even better dramatically cut down their ability to march away from your advance. Watch out as the counter-move to this is often to flank march. That is not terrible for you unless you deploy badly and get caught out by it.

15mm Manufacturers supplying figures for this army

These are the textbook Romans with square shields. You can see some of the figures in the Ancients Photo Gallery also on this site

Army Lists

Codgers 2024
85 Early Imperial Roman Wright
Brilliant
4 Legionaries and Praetorians Heavy swordsmen armour impact
2 Equities Alares or Cohortales Heavy cavalry
2 Auxiliares Sagittarii Light infantry bow
==
Ordinary Included
1 Legionaries and Praetorians Heavy swordsmen armour impact Elite
3 Legionaries and Praetorians Heavy swordsmen armour impact ------
2 Auxiliaries Medium swordsmen impact ------
2 Moorish or Palmyran Symmacharii Light infantry javelin ------
==
Armenian Ally Competent Included
1 Nobles Cataphract Elite
2 Nobles Cataphract ------
1 Bowmen Bowmen ------
1 Bowmen Bowmen Mediocre
2 Horse Archers Light cavalry bow ------


Beachhead 2024
2 Auxilia Impact Support Armour
1 Bolt Shooter
2 Auxilia
2 LH Javelin
1 Cavalryman
2 LF Sling
4 Fortifications
Brilliant General
==
4 Full fat Legions
2 LF Bow
1 Bolt Shooter
Competent
==
2 Auxilia
1 HCv
2 LH Bow
1 LF Bow
Competent