Art De La Guerre

[Ramirescu]

Hello there

Has anyone made any house rules to represent the manipular formation of the republican legion, I have my own ideas but i would love to hear your opinion about the topic.

[Hazelbark]

The usual debate ends up being, "This is how we think the formation operated, but we are not really sure".

But generally it is a very tactical level and would be subsumed inside a base in ADLG.

Most rules just respond by making Romans good. Note the period this was used was basically the Polybian Roman era so it is a shorter time span then most people surmise. I for one though it lasted a lot longer than apparently it did.

[Diocletian284]

It is true that there is some debate on how it actually worked on the tactical level. But, its impact with line relief as a benefit can be thought of. I have seen and play other game systems give Roman legions using the manipular legionary tactics some means of giving them more stamina than other troops in their class. Either they get more hit points or a mechanism to move in fresh troops into the line.

I think in ADLG terms it would be either to give them 5 cohesion points rather than 4, or to given them an armor value one higher than their rating. No armor counts as having armor or armored counts as heavy armor. Some means of giving them more stamina.

My personal preference of a house rule would be to give them 5 hit points versus the normal 4. I think games systems that give Roman manipular units more stamina plays out well. Romans first get the impact in first phase for hurling pila, then stand and hold the line with more stamina because fresh lines are rotated in from the ranks behind.

[Hazelbark]

So the advantage of 5 cohesion would come at a troop cost. The army tends to need more more cheaper troops.

Honestly elite HI sword armor impact is pretty close to aces now, not sure it needs more.

[Ramirescu]

I was thinking in some rules that makes the republican romans to deploy in a checkerboard formation, three lines, for the aesthetics, but also that allows them to be efficient without too much rules twerking... Else there is no point in creating the separate cathegories of hastatii, Princers and Triarrii if we then agree than the manipular formation must be abstracted as extra armor or hit points...

[Hazelbark]

Was the checkerboard in formations of this scale?

I have seen people use 6mm figures and have them in checkerboard formation so you get the visual.

If you had this checkerboard, you would need a rule that allows romans at corner to corner to still count as a group so they could move.

[Ramirescu]