[Langrisser (IV and V specifically)]

Just as a reference for people who are eager to try out all the games in English (except III, which is only partially translated in menus), do look up "Team Shika Shika Langrisser 1.2"

You won't be disappointed.

[Let's Play: Rome 2 Total War - Completed - ROMA INVICTA]

So, out of curiosity; what do you think of Rome II so far in comparison to other Total War games?

I love Rome and Medieval II, and I'd be playing Rome II but my current laptop can't run it well at all. I'll be getting one soonish that can, though, so I'm just curious how Rome II compares.

On release, I'd say Rome 2 was overly hyped and Sega's marketing turned it into a successful cash grab. Many performance issues were apparent, some things weren't clear, exploring the game's files found that they experimented with radial menus and interfaces that were more suitable for a console release.

Now patches have rolled out and many issues (like SANIC SPEED battles) have been fixed. The latest one upped defense and HP of many units so battles last a few minutes longer.

Still, testudo doesn't work like it does before (i'd say it's more realistic this way, Roman shields weren't force fields)

But those are just specific things, overall I'd say Rome 2 has potential to be "up there" with the games of the past. There's still the unit variety, and at the very least every unit is useful (unlike Rome 1 where javelineers can quickly take a backseat once you have archers on the field)

I don't know if you played the games in the series after M2 and R1, but be prepared for serious downgrades to the characterization of your generals. They don't really develop traits much on their own, instead it's more or less a skill tree system where you pick abilities and bonuses as they level up.

It's pretty bad in Rome 2 where each turn is 1 year (you can mod this, of course) but on average you get 30 turns to level up a general before he gives out from old age. However, at the very least there is a lot more personality given to your average joe.

Apologies for my absence, I was in Hawaii and my cousins were visiting. No time to be on the computer.

I also found a new imagehosting site in the meantime. Imgur doesn't have bandwidth limits so that would be a good way to do LPs in the future.

Previously, the Civil War had erupted and I didn't really prepare for it. I ignored who had gravitas and influence in the senate and whatnot, and now a fuckton of armies from Apollonia (damn Romanised Greeks!) are just a few turns away from Rome herself!

The old men of the Senate have decided that their own interests outweigh ours. They will pay in blood.

I've also modded the game, restoring cut content (and putting in some of my own, inspired by historical accuracy) such as more mercenary units.

The Bittermelon Brigade now includes the Scutarii, the elite of the Iberians, in its ranks. An additional guard legion is raised in Rome to guard the peninsula so our elite armies can smash the traitors without worrying about home.

Surprisingly, those generals of ours who hail from the other families are still with us.

Epidamnos, the settlement above Apollonia, comes under direct assault from the traitors. They managed to hold off the first wave, but are destroyed by the second. Still, they did far more than expected. Their sacrifice will be remembered. After all, the olive tree is sometimes watered by the blood of patriots.

It's funny to see that the traitor legions are a motley of troops from throughout Rome's different eras: Hastati, Legionnaires, and Cohort troops fighting together.

Units with low HP will visually be in pain.

The threat doesn't look so serious that it should warrant all our armies' attention. The Euskadi Legion has been dispatched to strengthen Rome's grasp in North Africa.

The Senators are fools, perhaps senile! They leave their cities undefended. Even our naval crews can easily take back lost land!

Without regions of their own, the traitor forces starve and rot in misery.

Their lone and disunited navies are easily mopped by us.

As our garrison armies pull off spectacular last stands and make the Senate legions pay for every inch of ground, the Bittermelon Brigade launches the first counterattack on unsuspecting enemy forces.

The Iberian and Illyrian forces head to the forests. The rest head the other way and prepare to make a direct offensive.

The missile troops and skirmishers provoke the traitor forces into a rash charge. Our men remain hidden in the forest.

SPRING THE TRAP!

Some of our peltasts get caught up in the mess, but our cavalry make their lives a bit easier.

Caught between javelins and swords, the traitors run. Should've bet on the Junia, assholes.

The Bronze Wolves use their experience to figure out how best to deliver fast offensives and fierce charges.

Reaching Army level 5 also unlocks new Traditions.

Bittermelon specs in Barbarian subjugation. The other points are undecided.

The Daorsi offer themselves to be a client state. We graciously accept.

Euskadi begins annexation operations in Africa.

Iader is taken back by the Bronze Wolves.

Some more Celts join the Fiorentina Coarse Lads. They will prove useful.

War begins with the Gaetuli, whose destruction was postponed by the commencement of the Civil War.

FIRST. CAPUA. FIGHT. ALWAYS READY. ALL THE TIME.

If you're wondering why the Socii infantry look kind of different, it was a mod done by a user named Lavrentivs. He made the units more diverse by incorporating both northern and southern Italic influences instead of just boring chainmail. Stats remain unchanged, of course.

Cavalry are stationed on the shores to kill off units that dock.

Slingers don't stand a chance in melee.

Where are you running off to now, Numidian?

The nobles, for all their fighting prowess, are no match for the veterans of the First Capua FIGHT.

Modern day Morroco must be ours!

I do wonder what the Scythians are doing here.

As abruptly as it begun, the Civil War ended. While the Bittermelon Brigade was the most successful (how ironic, Rome being saved by the non-Roman arm of her military), credit must be given to the garrison armies who stalled the traitor forces long enough.

The Junia may have been tyrant killers in the past, but if we are to ensure no other tyrants arise to sow disorder in the Republic, we must make it an Empire and we her ever watchful guardians.

And so, the Roman Empire was born.

I modded the game now so armies can hold 30 units instead of 20. As there is a shortage of the old Republican units, the Hispanic Guard transfers its units to the Capitoline Brigade.

[Let's Play: Rome 2 Total War - Completed - ROMA INVICTA]

HISTORICAL LESSON SPECIAL EDITION POST

I don't know how many of you are interested in history or what your reading preferences are, but the past year i played a mod of the first Rome Total War called Europa Barbarorum.

It was an amazing overhaul of the whole game: the mod team strived to make everything authentic. The units spoke their own language, and it wasn't Gauls speaking French. No, they contacted linguists and history professors and recorded proto-Celtic, Punic, Classical Greek, Classical Latin, and even made a jab at reconstructing Indo-Iranian, the language of the Steppes.

The units were redone, giving everyone a historically accurate set of armor and gear. Buildings and unit descriptions were almost turned from paragraphs into essays.

While CA has clearly used this mod for reference in making the units of Rome 2, I think you guys may enjoy a read.

Of course, I will spoiler the copy-pasted paragraphs if you're not interested.

Roman Units

LEVES

They can be recruited in the central Italian provinces Latium, Umbria, Etruria, Apulia, Liguria and Campania. These are the heartlands of the Res Publica, filled with our colonies founded during the epic struggles of the past centuries.

The Leves are the legion's front line skirmishers. In a pitched battle they will screen the legion's main battle line during the advance and harass the enemy. Before the heavy infantry engages trumpeteers signal them to retreat through the gaps in the Roman line and reform in the rear of the formation, or on the wings with the cavalry.

The leves are armed with the gaesum, light javelins of Iberian style, a short thrusting spear and a small, but strong round shield. They wear no armour despite a helmet.

Historically, the roman infantry of the late 4th and early 3rd century BC was divided by wealth in two groups. Those with the lowest property classification for military service were fighting as light infantry, separated by fighting ability into the Leves, Rorarii and Accensi. The second, more wealthy group consisted of those fighting as heavy infantry, separated by their age and fighting ability into Hastati, Principes, and Triarii.

Every male roman had the duty to serve in the infantry for 16 years, or 20 years in the case of national emergency, until he had completed his 46th year of life. (Excepting those rated high enough by the censor to be members of the ordo equester.) Normally, every roman must have served at least ten years in the military before he was permitted to hold any political office.

Rorarii (Camillan Reserve Skirmishers)

Rorarii are reserve skirmishers that are placed behind the Triarii in the legion's battle formation. They can be used to fill gaps and support wavering lines but they can’t be expected to hold whole sections of the battle line by themselves.

The Rorarii are armed with a hasta spear, javelins of the light Iberian gaesum type, and carry an early version of the scutum. They do not wear armour, but wear a helmet.

Hastati (Polybian Medium Infantry Maniple)

The Hastati are the youngest soldiers that wear a full panoply and form the first of the three lines in a legions battle formation. They are expected to weaken and tire the enemy if they cannot break him, the next line that of the Principes engages.

Armed with two pila and a gladius, Hastati are protected by a scutum, a bronze Montefortino helmet, a bronze greave on the leading leg and a mostly square chestplate, called pectorale or "heart protector." As soon as the enemy comes in range they will throw their pila to soften his formation and then engage at close quarters.

The high quality equipment has become one of the great strengths of the Roman infantry, besides their strict discipline. The scutum is an oval, canvas covered, plywood shield, around 1.2m high, that offers excellent protection against most weapons. The gladius hispaniensis, adapted during the late 3rd century BC conflicts, is a great weapon for fighting in close formations. Its strong, unbending blade has a sharp point to penetrate heavy armour and can deal an effective blow with both edges. So it can be used for stabbing or slashing as well. The pilum, the heavy Roman javelin, is designed to bend after impact so that it is worthless for the enemy and is difficult to remove from shields. Its weight also gives the weapon great penetration capability.

Historically, the legion's 1200 Hastati were organised in ten manipuli, the basic tactical unit of the Roman army. Normally the legion advanced in the famous, chessboard like, quinqunx formation. Three lines of heavy infantry with broad gaps between the single manipuli covered by the next line's displaced marching units. This practice gave the Roman army a higher maneuverability on the battlefield and made it less dependant upon the terrain than the Greek phalanx. During the battle the gaps allowed beaten or retreating units as well as fresh troops to move through the lines.

Over many centuries the Romans had the reputation to be more willing than others to adopt new customs and techniques if they proved useful. This was seen as one of their greatest strengths. The Montefortino Helmet was probably of Celtic origin and was adapted during the 3rd Century BC conflicts.

Principes (Polybian Heavy Infantry Maniple)

The Principes are the soldiers in the prime of their life and form the second line in a legion's battle formation. They will engage if the Hastati were unable to break the enemy formations. Having large reserves of fresh troops available on the battlefield to engage in critical moments is one of the Roman army’s keys to success.

Armed with two pila and a gladius, the Principes are protected by a scutum, a bronze Montefortino helmet, a bronze greave on the leading leg and now mostly by a coat of lorica hamata (chain mail). As soon as the enemy comes in range they will throw their pila to soften his formation and then engage at close quarters.

Triarii (Polybian Heavy-Spear Maniple)

The 600 Triarii are the oldest and most experienced soldiers of the legion, forming its last reserve, the third line. Most often during battle they rest in reserve on one knee, under cover of their shields, to stay fresh and protected until they are needed. They are the rock of the legion, covering a "rearward advance" if the heavy infantry assault fails, and an old Roman adage came of their use: "to have come to the Triarii" meant that the situation was dire, indeed.

Armed with a hasta thrusting spear and a gladius, Triarii are protected by a scutum, a bronze Montefortino helmet, a bronze greave on the leading leg and now mostly by a coat of lorica hamata (chain mail). They continue to fight with long hasta spears in a close formation more suited to stop the enemy and stabilize the line if all hope rest on them.

Accensi (Republican Light Reserves) [Levy Slingers from Prologue]

Accensi are light reserve troops placed behind the Triarii and Rorarii in the legion's battle formation. They are too poor to have any real equipment besides a sling, and in most cases too old or not experienced or skilled enough to use this effectively. Still, they are better than nothing.

Hastati Samnitici (Samnite Medium Spearmen) [socii Hastati/Italian Spearmen]

The Samnites come from the Apennine highlands of central and southern Italy. They have a military tradition as old as Rome itself. They were an expansionistic people until they were forcibly put down, for the last time in the 290’s BC. Their flexible formations were ideal to fight in rough terrain and the Romans eventually copied and improved them after having felt their effectiveness first-hand. These Samnite Spearmen are dependable medium infantry carrying heavy javelins that they throw before ensuing melee with their spears. They are well armored with bronze breastplates and helms and have a single greave on their left leg (the leg most vulnerable in hand to hand combat). Although not a shock unit as their swordsmen counterpart, they are well trained, fast and reliable spearmen. They are not capable of standing up to professional heavy infantry, but their spears, bronze breastplates and large shields make them suited to fighting against quite a few infantry and light and medium cavalry types. If they were swordmsen, Samnite Heavy Infantry are well armored with bronze breastplates, greaves and a round argive shield. They are trained to a high degree and carry heavy javelins and the Greek Kopis.

Historically, the Samnites were one of the most rebellious Italian peoples and joined up with Rome’s enemies on a regular basis. They fought with Pyrrhos in the 290’s, rose up in rebellion during the first Punic War, and fought alongside Hannibal in the second Punic War. They rose a final time during the Italian Social Wars, and were incorporated into the Roman state by receiving Roman citizenship. They still fought with their distinctive bronze belts until the middle empire, and even then legions from Samnium still had the national symbol of their former country on their shields.

Extraordinarii

In a standard consular army the best third of the socii cavalry and the best fifth of their infantry are selected to serve as Extraordinarii, a special unit under the direct control of the consul, available for decisive maneuvres. On the march they are the advance or rear guard, defending the army against possible attacks.Equites Extraordinarii are the finest horsemen Italia can field, mostly drawn from the aristocracy of the horse breeding regions. Especially campanian cavalry proved to be a valuable addition for every roman army and many of them were picked as Equites Extraordinarii. Armed with Greek xyston lances and kopis slashing swords, they normally fight as shock cavalry, spared in battle for the decisive attack. To show their position in society most riders wear elaborately decorated armour, mainly bronze muscle cuirasses, attic helmets and greaves.

Historically, quite a few regions of the Italian peninsula were well suited for horse breeding and their aristocracy provided the bulk of the cavalry for the roman armies. Especially the horsemen from Campania, that came under Roman rule in the 4th century BC were famous for their qualities. The campanians' large horses and their well trained riders, coming from an equestrian nobility with its own strong traditions, made them the one of the most respected cavalry in Italia.

The structure of the roman society and the position of the ordo equester as part of the leading classes made it impossible to supply the armies of the Res Publica with a sufficient number of citizen cavalry, so the socii, the Italic allies of the Romani, and their horsemen had to fill the gap. In roman service every eques sociorum had two horses and was accompanied by a groom.

Especially the Samnites are famous for their heavy infantry and many of them are picked to serve as pedites extraordinarii.They fight in a similar manner to the ordinary roman legionary with javelins and swords but besides their native traditions the soldier’s equipment is more influenced by greek fashions. with a bronze muscle cuirass, a helmet, a hoplon style shield, several light javelins and a kopis sword.

Historically, Italy was inhabited by many proven people that could field their own powerful heavy infantry equal to the contemporary legions. After they had been subdued by Roma they became socii, the Italic allies of the Romani, and now had to provide troops for their wars. Most respected was the infantry of the Samnites, proud warriors with their own strong military traditions who had heavily influenced the development of roman manipular warfare in the third century BC. They were a group of tribes that inhabited Samnium, a mountainous region in the southern part of the Apennines in central Italy. For a long time they could successfully rival the Roman hegemony over central Italy. The Romans had to fight three changeful wars against them between 343 BC and 290 BC when Samnium finally lost its independence. However their hatred of the Romans did not disappear. On many occasions the Samnites rebelled or fought with Roma’s enemies until they were defeated a last time in the social war. After high losses the survivors received roman citizenship and were assimilated into the roman state.

When a republican roman army was enrolled the socii were ordered to send troops as well and to join the roman forces on a decided place. Usually, their infantry equalled that of the Romans while their cavalry was three times as numerous. In a standard consular army composed of two legions the remainder of their troops, extraordinarii aside, were divided into two equal sized units. Called ala sinistra and ala dextera (left and right wing) for being placed on the flanks of the similar sized legions.
During the 2nd century BC non Italic auxiliary cavalry increasingly replaced the socii as the dominant part of most armies mounted contingent and after the social war their distinctive units disappeared when most inhabitants of Italia received full citizenship and were directly recruited into the legions.

Eqvites Campanici (Campanian Cavalry) [socii Equites]

Equites Campanici are renowned as the finest horsemen in Italy, with the Samnites their only true rivals. They ride stout, if small, war horses and are well trained. They are famed for their skirmishing tactics, charging, retreating, and charging home again, engaging in melee only when they fight small groups of isolated enemies. These men wear bronze armor, have stout greaves, and carry javalins and the Greek Kopis sword with which to perform their deadly efficient work.

Historically, Campania was ever a rich region in Italy. Blessed with a fair amount of flat terrain, the horse farms of the nobility provided a steady stream of cavalry with which to protect the capital, Capua. Their final demise happened during the Second Punic War, when Rome took the city after it had gone over to the Carthaginians. Its male population were put to the sword or sold into slavery, ending the great tradition of cavalry.

Eqvites Consvlares (Republican Consular Guard Cavalry) [General and Guard, Roman]

Consuls, and other high Roman officials, are escorted by small mounted bodyguards. Most of these horsemen share a similar background and strong social ties with their general, and loyally fight with him as heavy cavalry.
Magnificent, prestigious Greek armour is predominantly used by the Equites Consulares. Most of them wear shining bronze muscle cuirasses, Etrusco-Corinthian helmets, and greaves on both legs. Besides the traditional Roman round parma equestris shield they carry a hasta lance and swords as weapons. Each eques has at least three horses and is accompanied by two grooms.

Historically, during campaigns, the consuls and other leading men of the Res Publica were accompanied by a group of voluntarii. Personal friends, veterans of former commands or clients, most of them also from the higher classes of Roman society, acting as a bodyguard in the field. The equites were the members of the ordo equester and the sons of the families of the ordo senatorius, the two classes of the Roman nobility, the wealthiest and most influential men. These proud horsemen were the future leading men of Roma.

Normally every Roman must have served at least ten years in the military before he was permitted to hold any political office. The eques had the duty to serve ten years, the infantryman 16 or 20 years in the case of national emergency, until he has completed his 46th year of life.

Eqvites Romani (Polybian Roman Citizen Cavalry) [Regular Roman Cavalry]

The equites are the roman citizen cavalry force. 300 of them, divided into ten turmae, are attached to each legion.They are equipped with a hasta lance, a sword, a round parma equestris shield with a diameter of 50-80 cm, thessalian helmets and wear lorica hamata (chainmail). Each eques has three horse and is accompanied by two grooms.

Historically, the equites were the members of the ordo equester and the sons of the families of the ordo senatorius, the two classes of the roman nobility, the wealthiest and most influential men. The rise of Roma had brought both, an increasing number of wealthy and influential citizens and an increased need for more cavalry for the growing number of legions. Since the middle republic the ordo equester itself was divided between the 1800 equites equo publico, the original and true equites romani, which fought on mounts provided by the state and the less respected equites equo privato, who fought on their own horses.
This proud horsemen were the future leading men of Roma. Their small numbers and the formidable opposition of other nations more professional cavalry often limited their effect on the battlefield, so that they were rarely used for other tasks than securing the flanks of the heavy infantry.

Over many centuries the Romans had the reputation to be more willing than others to adopt new customs and techniques if they proved useful. This was seen as one of their greatest strengths. The chainmail armour was probably of Celtic origin and adapted during the late 3rd century BC conflicts.

Normally every roman must have served at least ten years in the military before he was permitted to hold any political office. The eques had the duty to serve ten years, the infantryman 16 or 20 years in the case of national emergency, until he has completed his 46th year of life.

Eqvites Gallorvm (Gallic Auxiliary Cavalry) [seems to be the unit the generic Auxiliary Cavalry was based off of]

Equites Gallorum are a versatile medium cavalry equipped for both, skirmishing and shock actions. Besides their main lances, every rider carries several light javelins to weaken the enemy formations and some of them also a Celtic long sword for close combat. Other than many of their counterparts from free Celtic tribes the horsemen recruited in our provinces are comparably well protected and better prepared to fight the enemy at close quarters. Each eques defensive gear consists of a good quality bronze helmets, a small round shields and a shirt of lorica hamata (chain mail). Additionally Equites Gallorum now use the four horned saddle, a new and very useful supplementation to cavalry equipment, that enables a firm seat in almost all situations.
Drawn from the upper classes of local Celtic societies these are well trained and respected warriors that have become an integral part of many armies of the Res Publica. Together with other auxiliaries they give our legions the much needed effective cavalry support and are a worthy replacement for the roman equites of previous centuries. Gallic cavalry can ride down skirmishers, protect the flanks of the infantry or prepare their attack with their javelins while they are always capable to charge at the right opportunity. However they are still medium cavalry and a supporting force, it should never be expected that they alone can win a battle.

Historically, various auxiliary cavalry completely replaced the Italic contingents in the roman armies of the late republic and Celtic horsemen were seen as one of the best in the roman realm. At the time of Julius Caesar they had become the backbone of the army’s cavalry arm, fighting with roman forces at places very far away from Gaul as Egypt and Mesopotamia. Celtic and Iberian tactics, fighting style and vocabulary remained dominant in the later regular cavalry arm of the imperial army well into the 2nd century AD, when the major recruitment areas for cavalrymen had shifted to other provinces for many decades.

Allied and subdued states and tribes always had to supply the roman army with troops. Almost at all times at least 50% of Roma’s soldiers were non-citizens. During the first centuries of the republic the old alae of the Italic socii were organized and equipped in a similar way to the roman legions, but around the beginning of the 1st century BC the situation changed. After the social war almost all free people of Italia received roman citizenship and could now be recruited into the regular legions. In the decades after the “marian reforms” the roman light infantry disappeared. The ordo equester, since decades unable to provide a sufficient number of cavalry for the many wars the late republic had to fight, had split off in two main groups. A mainly political elite that filled out the numerous officer and administrative posts the ever growing Res Publica had to offer, and a pure economical elite, the large majority of the Roman and Italic equestrians.

The various different peoples now ruled by the republic were a much more heterogeneous group than the former Italic socii. Depending on their relative military strengths, they had to supply the roman army with the various troop types needed, besides heavy infantry, in order to be competitive on the battlefield.

Most of these troops were levied in the surrounding areas under roman control prior to campaign and only large scale or intesively prepared wars demanded additional forces and specialised units from distant areas of the Roman world. Many of the auxiliaries fought under their own chieftains and officers, while others, especially those recruited from regular provinces, were commanded by roman officers and even organized in roman manner. Usually the auxiliary units were disbanded and sent home after the end of a conflict. However, in the continuous wars during the last decades of the republic many served so long alongside the legions and fought for their generals that they were largely Romanized in the end.

Cohors Reformata (Post Marian Legionary Cohort) [The legionnaires, NOT the cohort troop type unlocked in the last research]

Besides the regions of Italia, that now have collectively gained citizenship, they can be recruited in all fully Romanized provinces of the Imperium Romanum, where great numbers of our citizens have now their home.

Roman legionnaires are now uniformly equipped with two pila, a gladius, and an elliptical scutum around 1.28m high. Their main armour still remains a coat of lorica hamata (chain mail) and a Montefortino-type helmet. The high quality of the legions equipment has become one of the great strengths of the Roman infantry, besides their strict discipline. In battle they will throw their pila as soon as the enemy comes in range to soften his formation and then engage at close quarters.

Historically, the organization of the legion began to change at the end of the 2nd century BC and in the early 1st century BC all but the heavy infantry had disappeared. The Hastati, Principes and Triarii were now all equipped in the same manner and only their names remained. Three of their maniples, each increased in size to 160 men, now formed one cohort, the new main tactical unit of the Roman infantry, besides the now 80 men strong centuria. However, in most times the late republican legions did not reach their theoretical strength, and around 400 men per cohort was far more common. These changes offered much more tactical flexibility to the legion. Instead of being limited to a three line battle formation, the soldiers could be positioned as easily in one, two, or even more lines. A cohort was big enough to operate separated from the main army, to perform smaller tasks independently.

To reduce the legion's vulnerable baggage train and increase the mobility of the troops, the legionnaires now had to carry as much of their equipment as possible by themselves. They received the nickname “mules mariani”, the "mules of Marius," for the nearly 50 Kg they carried. The long time they normally had to serve made it possible to train all soldiers to an equally high standard in the whole army. This, and the heavy load they have to carry, gave them their unrivalled endurance. Experts in siege warfare, artillery, and other engineering tasks could be found in the ranks of the legion, and all contubernia, the eight men strong basic logistical unit of the army, were equipped with tools and valli for the fast construction of field fortifications.

After these changes the Roman legionnaires could easily be considered the most disciplined and most versatile heavy infantry in the world.

The problem of the late republic to find enough men who fulfilled the property requirements to serve as heavy infantry in the many and continuous wars the masters of the Mediterranean world now had to fight was one of the main reasons that reforms in the army had become inevitable. Earlier attempts to increase the number of suitable small farmers through land reforms by the Gracchi were blocked by senate, as many senators owned great latifundia now sprawling all over Italy. So all property requirements were given up and volunteers from all social classes were welcomed as well as the conscripts, while the state or their generals paid for their equipment. The senate had refused to bear the incalculable able costs for the veterans so that the generals had to take care of them. The loyalty of these men shifted more and more to charismatic leaders that they were now depending on, preparing the ground for many bloody civil wars of the 1st century BC.

Cohors Imperatoria (Imperial Legionary Cohort) [The final tier troops]

Besides the regions of Italia, they can be recruited in all fully Romanized provinces of the Imperium Romanum, where great numbers of our citizens have now their homes.

Legionary infantry is still the backbone of the imperial army and it is now easily considered as the most disciplined and most versatile heavy infantry in the world. Their broad training and famous discipline offers them many tactical possibilities in battle, but normally legionnaires will fight in the traditional way: throw their pila as soon as the enemy comes in range to soften his formation and then engage at close quarters. While not designed to do so, the pilum can be used as a normal spear as well to make it possible for the legionnaires to defend themselves more readily against heavy cavalry attacks.

The legion's high quality equipment has become one of the great strengths of the Roman infantry, besides their strict discipline. Most legionnaires are now equipped with Coolus bronze helmets, shirts of lorica hamata or squamata (chain or scale mail) as main body armour and a half ovular scutum, slightly lighter than the old republican oval type, while being armed with a type Mainz gladius, two pila and a short dagger called a pugio.

Historically, the citizen legions and their heavy infantry still were the core of the Roman army during the Principate, although their portion of the imperial army’s regular soldiers steadily decreased and fell below 50% during the first century AD. They combined the functions of infantry, pioneer and artillery units in them, and besides the ordinary heavy infantrymen experts in siege warfare, construction projects, and other engineering tasks could be found in the ranks of the legion. Each contubernium, the eight men strong basic logistical units of the army, was equipped with tools and valli for the fast construction of field fortifications or other structures, while some of the legionnaires were trained to act as skirmishers or missile troops in the case the specialised auxilia units were available. To reduce the legion's vulnerable baggage train and increase the mobility of the troops, the soldiers had to carry as much of their equipment as possible by themselves; nearly 50 Kg, so that only one mule was needed for each contubernium. As a welcomed side effect this gave these men, combined with their regular training, an unrivalled endurance.

The legion of the Principate was divided into nine ordinary cohorts and the elite first cohort, that was of double strength at least since the middle of the first century AD. Each cohort consisted of three maniples, still named after the Hastati, Principes and Triarii of the long gone glorious army of the old republic, that are divided into two centuriae of 80 men. Other than in Caesars times the legions of the imperial army are usually up to strength and field approximately 5.500 combatants, including the officers. Despite the size of the imperial legion the organisation had slightly changed again from the post Marian pattern by attaching a small group of 120 horsemen. They mostly operated as scouts and messengers, screened the legion on the march and some of them formed the bodyguard for the legatus legionis, the legions senatorial commander.

During the decades of his rule following the end of the civil war, Augustus reformed the imperial army significantly and created a standing army with 28 legions as its core. In many fields a systematic approach replaced the improvisation of the late republican era. Most important was that the auxilia, with its indispensable cavalry and archer units, became a regular arm of the professional army and its second base.

The length of service for all soldiers was finally set to 26 years for fleet soldiers, 25 years for soldiers of the auxilia, 20 years for legionnaires, and 16 years for praetorians. After their discharge they received a cash bonus, the praemia militare, or a small piece of land. The veterans from the auxilia and the fleet were rewarded with Roman citizenship, and a diploma to prove it. Also, medical treatment was improved and all units were now supplied with physicians.

Cohors Praetoriana (Cohort of the Imperial Praetorian Guard)

New Praetorians can only be trained in their garrisons in Latium, the Empire’s heart, where they protect Roma, the seat of the imperial government.

The Cohortes Praetoriae are the highest ranked units in the whole imperial army. Their infantry is the core of the Emperor's Guard in Roma and is considered the best in the empire. Praetorians are equipped as, and fight in, the same manner as the normal legionnaires, but their look is often somewhat more magnificent. Their lack of experience in actual combat is compensated by excellent, continuous training, and capable officers. High quality equipment has become one of the great strengths of the Roman heavy infantry, besides their strict discipline. The soldiers of the cohortes praetoriae wear coats of lorica hamata, greaves on both legs, imperial Gallic iron helmets and half oval scuta for protection. Their weapons, the same as in contemporary legions, are a type mainz gladius, two pila and a short dagger called the pugio.

Historically, generals in the late republic began to form cohorts of elite legionnaires for their own protection, and as an elite tactical reserve. They were called praetorians for guarding the "Praetorium", the tent or house of a Roman Army’s commanding officer. After the civil war Augustus reformed his praetorians into a permanent guard with nine cohorts of 500 infantry and 90 cavalry. Each of them was organized independently and commanded by an equestrian tribune. Three were stationed in Roma, the others in surrounding towns in Latium and Umbria.

In the early Principate, Praetorians were mostly recruited in central Italy and had to serve 16 years under excellent conditions and better pay compared to the frontier legions. After their discharge they received a high cash bonus, the praemia militare, or a small piece of land. Later, during Augustus' reign, the praetorian guard was commanded by two, and finally one praefect of equestrian rank, soon one of the most powerful men in the empire. In 23 AD, Tiberius, influenced by his praetorian prefect Seianus, concentrated all cohorts in a single fort in Roma on the Viminal hill.

Cohors Validvm Avxiliarivm (Imperial Heavy Auxiliary Infantry Cohort) [Generic Auxiliary INfantry Spearmen]

Soldiers for the auxiliary cohorts can be drafted into the army in all provinces of the Imperium Romanum.
Auxiliary infantry is a cheaper supplement of the legionary troops and a good way to better participate the provinces at the huge burdens of the empire to defend it’s people. The soldiers of most of these cohorts fight as heavy spearmen in close formation similar to the legionary infantry, but without the tactical flexibility offered by their larger scutum and the pilum. However other than the pilum, the hasta, commonly used by the auxiliaries, is a true thrusting spear and as such a better defence against cavalry attacks. Other than the hasta they are equipped with the gladius, long flat mostly oval shields and old style bronze montefortino helmets, often phased out from the legions.

Greek and Asian soldiers in the east are much less influenced in their appearance by western roman culture than their European comrades. Although used in Europe, the lorica squamata (scale mail) armour is more widely in use among the eastern troops and offers a better protection against arrows than chain mail shirts.

Historically, after his final victory in the civil war when he formed the standing army of the Principate, Augustus vastly decreased the numbers of legions from over forty to a necessary minimum strength of 28. However to observe and garrison the sheer endless borders of the Imperium Romanum, many more cheaper troops were needed. Subdued tribes and states always had to supply the Roman army with soldiers and around 50% of its soldiers were at all times not Roman citizens. The empire continued this practice. To increase their efficiency and ease the cooperation with other parts of the army most of these troops were organized into cohorts with roman command structure and training. During the following decades of Augustus rule, the imperial army changed significantly. In many fields a systematic approach replaced the improvisation of the late republican era. Most important was that the auxilia, with its indispensable cavalry and archer units, became a regular arm of the professional army and its second base.

The ordinary infantry of the auxilia received less pay and their equipment was often of inferior quality than the legionnaires’. Their cohorts made the bulk of the auxilia and were ranked lowest of all regular units of the imperial army. These infantry units were a cheap supplement to the legionary infantry and relieved them from secondary tasks like garrison duties, border patrols, the protection of missile troops on the battlefield or to hold less important sections of the battle line. Their soldiers were equipped in the Roman fashion, and well commanded first by proven Centurions, transferred from the legions and later by a corps of equestrian officers. They were now mostly directly recruited from amongst the peregrines, free provincials without roman citizenship, in Romanized areas who either volunteered for service or accepted a draft into it. However, the transformation of the auxilia did not happen over night and the irregular contingents of soldiers supplied by allied tribes and vassal states did not disappear all at once. While the large majority of the alae (pure cavalry units where the need for regular forces was more urgent) were reorganized during Augustus reign, the infantry followed much more slowly, lingering in the old fashions until the later years of the 1st century AD.

Most cohorts of the Principate’s auxilia were standard sized cohors quingenaria units, consisting of 480 enlisted soldiers organised in six centuriae. Later in the first century elite approximately double strength cohors millaria and mixed cohors equitata appeared. The equitata units had their own attached cavalry contingent of 120 respectively 240 troopers for the millaria version, so that these units could either operate independently without further assistance or provide a more flexible support for the legions in the case of specialised archer units. Normally the cohorts were named after the ethnicity of the original recruits and kept their name even if they were transferred to other parts of the empire where they immediately begun to recruit locals as replacement.

The length of service for all soldiers was finally set to 26 years for fleet soldiers, 25 years for soldiers of the auxilia, 20 years for legionnaires, and 16 years for praetorians. After their discharge they received a cash bonus, the praemia militare, or a small piece of land. The veterans from the auxilia and the fleet were rewarded with Roman citizenship, and a diploma to prove it. Also, medical treatment was improved and all units were now supplied with physicians.

Ala Imperatoria (Imperial Cavalry Wing) [Legionary Cavalry]

New auxiliary cavalry wings can be formed in all provinces of the Imperium Romanum, where the local population is practicing horse breeding and riding in a degree to support such a move.
The alae of the auxilia are the imperial army’s first rate cavalry units. Their riders wear lorica hamata (chain mail) or lorica squamata (scale) armour, iron or bronze helmets and large hexagonal or oval shields for protection, while everyone is armed with a sword, a hasta lance and several iacula, light javelins. The helmets they wear are still from the same type as the legionary infantry’s gear, either variants of the Coolus bronze or iron imperial Gallic helmets, and less than optimal for cavalry warfare. Especially the large neck guards can be disasterous if the rider falls from his horse. In a few decades, in the first half of the 1st century AD they will be replaced with true cavalry helmets. Narrowly enclosing nearly the whole head, except the face, they will offer good protection against attacks from all sides in a prolonged cavalry melee. Their swords are either type Mainz gladii or Celtic longswords, ancestors of the spatha, the first real roman cavalry sword. Introduced around the midst of the 1st century AD the fine and well balanced spatha will become the main sword of the cavalry for the remaining centuries of the empire’s existence and even replace the gladius as primary infantry weapon in the late roman army. With its two-sided narrow blade the spatha is considerably longer than the gladius and much better suited for use from horseback. The use of the one handed hasta lance as primary weapon allows the horsemen to handle large shields with their left hand. The hasta’s compactness allows it to be used mainly overhand, to stab from above at the enemy besides rarer attacks in the conventional way and even to throw it in emergency situations. Like most of the imperial army’s cavalry, they use the famous four horned saddle, which enables a firm seat in almost all occasions.

The training of the alae is excellent and extensive, their equipment makes them multifunctional. They can weaken enemy formations with javelin showers and than attack with their lances in the very next moment. However, this versatility has its price. Their horsemen are comparably lighter armoured than the former Hellenistic cavalry or even the heavy cataphractarii of the east and the hasta is shorter than many of the cavalry lances used by our enemies. The alae should only be used with care against such opponents.

Historically, the large majority of the cavalry in roman service in the late republic were irregular auxiliaries of mostly Celtic or Iberian origin and their influence will remain dominant in roman cavalry warfare for the next centuries. Some of these units were already organized and commanded by Romans or served that long aside the legions that they had been largely Romanized in the mean time, while others were still commanded by their own leaders. In the early Principate they become a fully integrated part of the professional imperial army. Their training and equipment was unified and brought to a similar level of quality than in the legions they should cooperate with.

The alae (ala/ lat. wing) received their name for the cavalry's natural position in a battle formation, the flanks. These units had an excellent reputation in the imperial army and were ranked highest among the auxilia. Later it was not uncommon for exceptional horsemen from the legions to be transferred to an ala. Normally, one or later mostly two of them cooperated with each legion during campaigns and together they formed the core of the Principate’s armies. The 4th century military theorist Vegetius reported that only for ala and legionary first cohorts units a minimum height requirement of at best six (1,77m) or at least 5,5 roman feet (1,62m) had existed.

The standard ala quingenaria of the early Principate consisted of 16 turmae with 32 men and was armed as above. However after almost a century of warfare in the east some were already equipped as horse archers. Later in the second half of the 1st century AD elite ala millaria with 24, approximately 40 men strong, turmae will be formed and in the early 2nd century units of catafractarii and contarii will appear under the increasing influence of Parthians and Sarmatians on the development of roman cavalry. Most alae were named after the ethnicity of the original recruits and kept their name even if they were transferred to other parts of the empire where they immediately begun to recruit locals as replacement.

During the decades of his rule following the end of the civil war, Augustus reformed the imperial army significantly and created a standing army with 28 legions as its core. In many fields a systematic approach replaced the improvisation of the late republican era. Most important was that the auxilia, with its indispensable cavalry and archer units, became a regular arm of the professional army and its second base.

Their soldiers were equipped in the Roman fashion, and well commanded first by proven Centurions, transferred from the legions and later by a corps of equestrian officers. They were mostly recruited from amongst the peregrines, free provincials without roman citizenship, who either volunteered for service or accepted a draft into it. However, the transformation of the auxilia did not happen over night and the irregular contingents of soldiers supplied by allied tribes and vassal states did not disappear all at once. While the large majority of the cavalry units were reorganized during Augustus reign, the infantry followed much more slowly, lingering in the old fashions until the later years of the 1st century AD.

The length of service for all soldiers was finally set to 26 years for fleet soldiers, 25 years for soldiers of the auxilia, 20 years for legionnaires, and 16 years for praetorians. After their discharge they received a cash bonus, the praemia militare, or a small piece of land. The veterans from the auxilia and the fleet were rewarded with Roman citizenship, and a diploma to prove it. Also, medical treatment was improved and all units were now supplied with physicians.

CELTICS

Lugoae (Celtic Levy Spearmen)

During periods of strife and war, it is necessary sometimes to call upon ordinary citizens to organize as militia. Militia in Celtic societies, called Lugoae (Lug-oo-ay; "Levy Troops"), are farmers, craftsmen, fishermen, and so on, called to brief military service in periods of crisis. They may train a few times a year to fight, and games and sports encourage a decent level of physicality, but they're still only militia, and can only be trusted to do so much.

Historically, the Celts, being a warrior culture, encouraged their people to engage in sports and games that would increase their physical strength and preparedness for war. This doesn't mean everyone was a warrior though. Those not in the warrior class would be levied into warbands at times, or form their own militias in their towns to defend themselves from outsiders and act as a type of early police force. Their weapons and equipment would be whatever they could afford personally, usually simple hunting implements, such as a hunter's spear, and a shield.

Sotaroas (Celtic Archers)

Celtic archers, Sotaroas (Sow-tah-rows, "Bow Soldiers"), while not great or exceptional, are good. They are well trained, disciplined, and can put a fair deal of range behind their attacks. While their arrows aren't too notable, their ability to swiftly pepper an enemy with arrows is always of use. They are not really meant to defeat an enemy force, or even truly damage one, so much as they are meant to irritate and draw attention away from a main force, so it can position itself for flanking. As such, they are good runners, who fire a few volleys as a distraction, and then withdraw to a safe position to hide. If caught in a melee, they would be slaughtered for sure.

Historically, archers in Celtic culture had little variety, with only a few truly notable types of archers. They were irritative forces, and intended to soften large enemy forces, but rarely meant to be truly effective in the manner of eastern archers. However, if positioned properly, or experienced enough, they could be truly devastating. Their skill was good, they could fire many volleys swiftly. The Celtic concept of archery was more often to simply blacken the sky with arrows, than it was to fire few, effective volleys. However, their arrows were well made, though not great, and would be capable of puncturing lighter armors, and were quite deadly in their own right. All the same, these men were better off as hunters than field warriors.

Teceitos (Celtic Axemen)

The Teceitos (Tek-ee-tos; "Axe Soldiers") are a facet of a Celtic army that is not written about as much as their swords and spears, but many Celtic warriors were buried with axes, particularly in Britain and eastern Europe. The axe is a fine weapon, able to do great damage, even through armor. One can actually strike a man in a mail shirt, not damage the mail itself, but kill the wearer by the sheer amount of blunt trauma dealt to the foe's internal organs. As such, armor stands little chance against these men. They wear leather or padded vests and bronze or iron helmets to help protect themselves. They are light enough to move swiftly over the battlefield, allowing them to flank heavy infantry, and strike them from the sides or flanks. Coupled with their axes and javelins, they are especially valuable at breaking up heavy infantry; they make a great asset to chariots particularly, following the chariots into breaches in the enemy heavy infantry, and cutting open the gaps wider.

Historically, Celts were, by the late La Tene, mostly recorded using spears and swords. However, in some regions, Britain and Ireland particularly, the axe was still used, and has been found in numerous burials and hordes, and axes are depicted on Caesar's coins of weapons and armor of defeated Gauls. This should not come as a surprise. The axe is easy to make, cost effective, and can be used to defeat armor or shieldwalls. The Celtic axe is not necessarily the largest of axes, but Celtic metalwork is skilled, so their heads are most likely of good quality, and upkeep would be easy for a Celtic warrior, by himself or with attendants. The head would surely keep a good edge, and even without one, a blunt edged axe can still be used to savagely hack a foe apart without the fear of it breaking like a blunted sword.

Gaeroas (Celtic Spearmen)

Gaeroas (Guy-rows; "Spear Soldiers") are the file warriors of the tribes of Gaul and Britain. The Gaeroas all utilize well-made long spears, and a few decent javelins, making them both fair melee warriors and impromptu skirmishers. Their versatility, and low relative expense, mean they are a fine warrior band for enterprising warlords looking to expand their lands. They have some experience with combat, but are not yet hardened to battle. However, they are trained well enough to march in a good formation, something actually lost on greater warriors for the Britons. Their longspears may seem a bit unwieldy, but this is likely to help them in combating cavalry and chariot horses as a unit. While unarmored, they have large oval shields, which provides them a good amount of protection. They are fairly well trained with these shields, and they provide a fair amount of protection from ranged attacks, but the lack of armor makes them quite vulnerable to flanking.

Historically, spearmen in Britain and Gaul would have been the young to middle-age warriors, who had not risen greatly in prestige, or who had chosen to continue to fight as a lower warrior. They would use well-made, but not truly exceptional spears, and javelins for skirmishing. This allowed their most basic warriors to perform two duties, and allocate other soldiers to more specialized positions. Their equipment would be self maintained, and they would be expected to keep their weapons and shield in good condition. They likely paid for their own equipment, but spears and javelins are relatively cheap, the most expensive part of their equipment was likely the shield. These warriors represent the most basic professional warriors of almost all of the aforementioned tribes. They would be highly viable for the warchief who couldn't afford to bring in many swords or other weapons for his tribe.

Iaosatae (Celtic Slingers)

Iaosatae (Yo-sah-tie; "Slingmen") are a varied lot, some young and some old, who've been educated in the art of sling combat. They're quite skilled with their slings, which are truly a deceptively simple weapon. A sling bullet, when slung by a skilled man, will bury itself inside of its target, or break bones. Either way, the one hit is incapacitated or dead. Impressive for what amounts to a leather strip and a rock. The sling is also inexpensive, and with an impressive range. This allows Iaosatae to be both effective and affordable. However, when the distance between them and the enemy is closed, their low expense is quickly made up for in the ease of their breaking and fleeing, as, armed with only light weapons, they are not intended to fight hand-to-hand.

Historically, the Iaosatae would have been a variety of warriors, mostly young men though with little experience in close combat. Few older men continued to use the sling, it would generally be replaced by a spear or sword, but it never fell out of favor with younger men, who could use it for war, games, and hunting. However, their youthfulness, and lack of experience with the grimmer face of combat, makes them prone to run, because, after all, a man fifty meters away with a sword looks a lot different two meters away. Making matters worse for them, their inexperience in close combat means they probably aren't as hardy as other warriors, with more experience fighting in long engagements. Slings were popular with levy warriors in all of Celtic culture, as it didn't take long to train one in the basics, and skilled slingers who went on to become somewhat elite professionals were often well-versed in both sling and short spear combat, meaning an experienced group of Iaosatae would double as impromptu light infantry.

Solduros (Gallic Noble Infantry) [aka Oathsworn]

The Solduros (Sul-dur-ohs; "Devoted Ones") are remarkably skilled, fearless elite guards of Celtic nobles. They pledge themselves to eachother and their charge, and fight to the very end. Small in number, they are a remarkable elite, best used to combat an enemy's opposing elite soldiers or heavy troops. They are very well armored and armed, and can surely break many enemies, but they are rare, very expensive, and while their armor and shields are of good quality, they have no form of retaliation at range, and would be too slow to chase off skirmishers or missile troops, and so would need ranged or cavalry support to be used to best effect.

Historically, Celtic nobles surrounded themselves with elite bodyguards of kings, magistrates, and other important nobles and officials, such as high ranking druids. Among them were the "Soldurii", the greatest warriors of the Aquitanni. Each man pledged his life to a fellow of this brotherhood, and the man pledged to would return this pledge; if the one of these two died, and the other did not, the remaining man would take his own life after the battle, for having failed defend him. Julius Caesar noted that no man ever backed down from this duty, and did so fearlessly. Their skill was tremendous; they fought against great odds and could defeat many times their own number. So great and legendary was their name even to their enemies that it can be found having influenced words such as 'soldier' and 'solidarity'.

Botroas (Southern Gallic Swordsmen) [barbarian Swordsmen, also covers Celtic Auxiliaries]

The Botroas (Boat-rows, "Sword Soldiers") are the basic medium infantry of southern Briton and Cisalpine Gaul. They are well trained, with a fair amount of experience, and good quality swords, with javelins to soften an enemy before a charge. Like near all Celtic warriors, they are loyal to a tribal head, who is himself loyal to numerous mounting tiers of nobles, leading to the king. These form the core of the southern armies. Like most Celtic shock infantry, the brunt of their attack is in the charge.

Historically, the Botroas were the younger professional warriors of southern Briton and Cisalpine Gallic tribes. Their lack of armor would leave them vulnerable, but they had great mobility, and their youthfulness included a desire to prove themselves to their people, making them somewhat lacking in fear, or, perhaps, simply more afraid of disgrace than they are of death. The southern Briton warriors looked a great deal like the Cisalpine Gallic swordsmen, and fought in much the same manner.

The La Tene Celts were used as mercenaries all over Europe and Africa by the Romans, Carthaginians, other Celts, and various peoples. These men often form the core of a mercenary army, and are usually tough veterans who have seen many different campaigns and have taken pay from many different masters. They are an excellent heavy infantry, well able to deal with most opponents. They are armed with javelins and spears and use these javelins to break up an enemy formation before the charge. As with most Celts, the charge can become disorderly, but it often succeeds in breaking through the enemy line none-the-less. Their name, Curoas (Koo-roo-as) means "Paid Soldiers".

Historically, Celtic mercenaries were used all over the ancient world. Graves and artifacts have been found even into Asia. Celts were rightly famed for their ferocity in battle, as well as a number of innovations in arms and armor development. There were many Celts willing to leave their tribes and serve other masters in exchange for wealth. This made them somewhat untrustworthy, willing to flee if a battle went poorly, as they didn't fight for honor or glory, but money, and money was useless if one was dead. The La Tene Celts actually encompassed a number of sub-cultures, most notably Gaul, but also the Lugians, Belgae, most Britons, and others. This meant that in much of Europe, Celtic warriors were never far away, and so, for the wealthy general, he could have always had at least some heavy infantry on hand.

Brihentin (Gallic Noble Cavalry) [Noble Horse]

Gallic Brihentin (Bree-hen-ten; "Knights") are heavy cavalry. They are used as shock cavalry to break an enemy position and destroy flanks, as well as overrun heavy infantry and slaughter lighter cavalry. Their spears, swords, and chain armor is all of finest quality, and their skill is great, though they are, as any cavalry, vulnerable to long spears and pikes. They can be used to best effect for riding down enemy heavy infantry and defeating light cavalry. Their armor can absorb many blows, and that should allow them to keep fighting.

Historically, the Gauls employed heavy cavalry as a method of breaking dense enemy formations, and were sometimes employed by Carthage, in addtion to various Gallic chiefs and kings. They were apparently of great enough skill to impress their employers; Hannibal grouped his Gallic heavy cavalry with his Iberian heavy cavalry during his campaign in the Italic peninsula. Such warriors would cost much to outfit, but they would surely be worth everything spent to ensure they had the best possible equipment.

Leuce Epos (Gallic Light Cavalry) [Light Horse]

Leuce Epos (Luk Eep-os; "Light Horse") constitute the bulk of Gallic cavalry. Comparatively well-trained to many of their enemies' cavalry, they are invaluable to a Gallic army. They throw javelins at a distance, depleting an enemy before charging with their main spears. They are trained to throw javelins, charge, and withdraw repeatedly, and they do it well. They are so named for their speed, rather than equipment. A bronze helmet, shield, and their weapons may not seem the equipment of any partiuclarly great cavalry, but they are a solid medium cavalry force, capable of running down routers, defeating light cavalry, and skirmishing if necessary.

Historically, Gauls were rather fond of cavalry in their later years. While Celts were originally more based upon infantry and chariots, and still were built around varying degrees of infantry, the value of extremely mobile cavalry was constantly more apparent. With that in mind, they developed good quality cavalry that could be used as both shock cavalry and ambushers. These cavalry were a large basis of what the Romans employed as their Gallic cavalry auxilia, though a bit heavier than the Gallic originals.

Illyrians and Greeks

Illyrioi Paraktioi (Illyrian Coastal Levies)

Those men when not using their boats to plunder enemy coasts or shipping, are on the lookout for easy pickings, be it from the enemies that surround them or other Illyrian tribes in their vincinity. Their helmet is a standard Illyrian helmet, simple and trustworthy. Armed with a crude mace, and a rope that they use when they assault enemy ships, to either grab them using hooks, or tie up their slaves after the fact. Rowdy and fierce against unarmed civillians, they tend to flee when armed enemies arrive. Brilliant in ambush and cunning in deceit, they can fill the ranks, but not quite hold them.

Historically, Illyrians were notorious as pirates of the Adriatic. Their tribes, used small boats and ambush to offset any quality or quantity of troops stacked against them. They were very succesful. Agathokles of Sicily organised colonising expeditions in the Northern Adriatic, with stopping Illyrian piracy as a stated goal. Later it got worse. In fact Romani first expanded across the Adriatic, as an attempt to stamp off their acts of piracy.

Illyrioi Hippeis (Illyrian Light Cavalry)

The Illyrioi field a light cavalry that has surprising tenacity on the battlefield. Armed with spears and axes, they are ideal for riding down routing infantry and attacking the flanks of vulnerable phalanxes. While not quite as useful as some cavalry, they have a definite presence as a somewhat inexpensive all-purpose melee cavalry.

Historically, the Illyrioi were a people that inhabited modern Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro. They were greatly influenced by their Hellenic neighbors to the south and their Makedonian neighbors to the east, but managed to stay fiercely independent until conquered by Philippos of Makedonia and Alexandros of Epeiros. That same fierceness allows them to be a reliable and fitting unit for any Epeirotes general that is clever enough to control the wild Illyrioi provinces.

Hippeis (Greek Medium Cavalry) [Citizen Cavalry]

Hellenic cavalry is not the most awe inspiring and powerful in the world, but nothing to be scoffed at either. Hippeis are a mix of good old fashioned Hellenic know-how with the practical needs for an effective medium cavalry force. The result is the wedding of linen armor, Attic helmets, and hoplon shields to cavalry spears and the xiphos producing a warrior with excellent all-round equipment. Since they are mainly drawn from elite nobility, these cavalrymen have a high morale and a good discipline. They ride stout horses whose stock was imported from the north. They are an able, if not spectacular, medium cavalry.

Historically, Hellenic cavalry was always thought of as better than Roman cavalry, even though it was not particularly significant. The Hellenes have enough trouble keeping the equestrian Makedonians to the north at bay without having to worry about doing much of significance.

Misthophoroi Peltastai (Mercenary Hellenic Heavy Skirmishers)

The Peltastai is a type of elite skirmisher that sacrifices heavy arms and armor for mobility and range. They are armored in linen and carry a medium sized ovular shield. Originally, they carried a crescent shaped ‘pelta’ shield, originated in Thrake and gave the Peltastai their name, but this was phased out in the fourth century. Their armaments consist of several javelins and a sword. This panoply makes them light and mobile, but still able to engage in melee after their javelins have been thrown. They are a versatile unit but one must remember that their primary arms are javelins, and they are not equipped to stand toe to toe with heavier infantry. Their role is one of speed, harassment, and critical flanking maneuvers.

Historically, the Peltastai were often Hoplitai or Pezhetairoi equipped to fight in the manner of a skirmisher. This meant that they were adept melee combatants as well as being deadly with their javelins. Peltastai were used to great effect on ancient battlefields but by 270 BC the Thureophoros was becoming the dominant melee skirmisher and the Peltastai were carrying more javelins and were used in a manner that was consistent with this. This was simply a matter of specialization, and it did not mean that Peltastai would be any less effective if deployed correctly. Their light armament makes them extremely fast, but tends to be to their detriment in melee combat. They were mostly used in the role of supporting missile troops who charged in at the last moment, after they had spent all their javelins. The great Athenian general Iphikrates is credited with the invention of the peltast as a distinct unit, and it is he that first employed them in this manner to great effect against the heavier armored and better trained Hoplitai of Sparte.

Hoplitai (Greek Classical Hoplites)

Even though the Makedonian Phalangitai have become the dominant infantry type among the Hellenic powers, the Hoplitai of old who fight in much the same manner as the Hellenes did at Thermopylai, Marathon and Plataiai, are still around defending their poleis. Each hoplites is equipped with linen or leather armor, an aspis shield, greaves, the attic style helmet and of course, his spear. The equipment might have changed since the battles of centuries past, but their tactics have not. The Hoplitai still fight in the phalanx formation, often eight man deep whose purpose is to advance forward upon the enemy line, tie them and to whittle them down through attrition.

Historically, the hoplites is one of the most famous types of soldiers that has ever existed. The Hellenic military ethos and culture from the 8th century until the Roman hegemony created a highly skilled heavy infantryman. This combined with the phalanx formation, proved to be key factors in winning over the numerically larger Persian and barbarian armies of the day.

The Hoplitai were mostly drawn from the well-to-do citizens of a polis, who often had a stake in the outcome of the battle or war to come, and who were bound to eachother by a patriotic feeling to their home city, creating a body of citizen-warriors whose motivation was unlike that of any levy, mercenary or other professional soldiers. The hoplites of the Hellenic city states continued to be the dominant infantry type on the battlefield for almost two centuries after the Persian Wars, but the appearance of the Peltastai made them more vulnerable than before and highlighted the shortcomings of the phalanx. Then the rise of Makedonia in the north and its Phalangitai, caused the decline of the "classical" hoplites being fielded in large numbers. However, variants of the hoplites were succesfully adapted by various Hellenic powers, such as the Ekdromoi and Thorakitai Hoplitai. And even after the wars of Alexandros and those of his successors, some poleis and smaller communities still fielded contingents of Hoplitai, who were trained and fought in the same fashion as the Hoplitai of old.

Epilektoi Hoplitai (Hellenic Distinguished Hoplites) [Mercenary Veteran Hoplites]

Hail Stratege! Your finest warriors, the true elite of the polis, stand here before you. They are drawn from the bravest and wealthiest men. They eschew the horse, preferring to allow their brothers who are too cowardly to fight on foot the role of cavalry. They are armored in the finest bronze armor, with shields made from only the best and stoutest wood. These shields are faced with fine leather or bronze, and in the skilled hands of your greatest soldiers, they can stop all but the most determined blows. The spears of these fine soldiers are made from the best cornel wood and iron. All of them are battle tested veterans. None will shirk from the shield wall and the killing, for each regards it with the cold dispassion of an elite soldier that belies their name: the Epilektoi, or picked ones.

Historically, the Greek poleis fielded small numbers of extremely hardened and well armed warriors. These soldiers were every bit the match of the elite units of other nations, as proven in engagement after engagement. They are best used where the decisive action will take place, either to force their way through enemy infantry, or to repulse the heavy cavalry of the other Greek states.

Misthophoroi Thureophoroi (Mercenary Hellenic Spearmen) [Thureos Spearmen]

Thureophoroi were a new class of Hellenic infantry that was designed to both augment the phalanx and provide a type of soldier in between the Phalangite and the Peltast that was able to skirmish and fight in melee. They are an extremely mobile force that can hit hard with their heavy javelins then rush in to flank pike units. They are well armed and armored for the task, having stout bronze helms, linen armor, an almond shaped theuros shield, heavy javelins, and a stout spear. They are highly versatile infantry, akin in spirit to the legionnaires of Rome. They are usually Pezhetairoi, middle class property owners with voting rights. As such, they are well able to devote time to training and practice. They have good morale and are highly disciplined. They were often described by Latin writers as copies of the legion. It is debatable whether they were developed with knowledge of warfare in Italy or not, they are a highly effective force of heavy infantry that is in the forefront of Hellenic military know-how.

Historically, Theurophoroi were used as harassing and flanking troops by the successor states. There seemed to be a lot of confusion as to how to utilize these new soldiers, since they were deadly in the extreme to the less mobile phalanx units. Most of the successor states used them conservatively, except for the Seleukeis, who took to these new soldiers quite well. The city-states of Greece used them even more frequently against the armies of Makedonia, and were often able to hold the more powerful kingdom at bay. Still, their uses were limited in scope and not as widespread as their versatile and deadly role would have indicated. This is the fault of their commanders, however, and any more astute or innovative commander might have realized their potential in conjunction with the more static Phalanx.

Sphendonetai Rhodioi (Rhodian Slingers)

These men hail from Rhodos, one of the most storied states and greatest mercantile powers in the Hellenistic world, famous for its fine slingers throughout the Classical and Hellenistic periods. Men like these traveled with Xenophon, fought in the armies of Phillip and Alexander, and served as mercenaries with most of the major powers even through Roman domination. They are armed with slings made from leather, as well as hemp and flaxen cord, and are armored in a padded linen 'half-cuirass'. This gives them some longevity in melee combat, but they are best withdrawn before melee begins in earnest. Their missiles will rain death upon most foes, and they out-range most enemies.

Historically, slingers from Rhodes and others trained in their methods made significant contributions to Hellenic and Successor armies. Xenophon's Anabasis is probably the clearest example, where slingers from Rhodos are able to outfight archers and presumably keep mounted archers at bay. They performed the latter function for Alexander as well, in concert with bolt-throwing engines. In the acceding Hellenistic age, their use by virtually every power is a testament to their effectiveness. Slingers from Rhodos appear later in the Roman army, but history from later periods becomes increasingly sketchy.

Akontistai (Hellenic Skirmishers) [Levy Skirmishers with the funky hats]

Those unlucky enough to be extremely poor freedmen were pressed into service as psiloi, missile units, and the lowest class of Hellenic infantry. The Psiloi were divided into three parts: javelineers, slingers, and archers. The javelin-armed Psiloi, the Akonistai, were ragged peasants armed with javelins and small knives. Their function was simply to throw their missiles and then run as fast as possible to safety behind the Hoplitai lines. They were used for skirmishing and to provide a demoralizing hail of missile fire during the grinding battle between the two phalanxes. Never use Akonistai in melee except as diversionary fodder or as a flanking force; roles in which they don’t excel, but might actually be better than nothing. They have their uses, as their javelins are still sharp and deadly, but they were often used only as light skirmishers or as a last resort in Hellenic armies for obvious reasons.

Historically, Akontistai did not play a particularly large role on the battlefield, and weren’t normally a particularly decisive force. They were used mainly for their ability to induce an enemy to attack prematurely. They are little more than an annoyance on the open field, but can be deadly if positioned in places where their javelins can be used for maximum effect: on high terrain, on an enemy unit’s flank, or atop a city wall.

Iberians

Iberi Caetrati (Iberian Light Infantry)

Caetrati are a deceptive type of infantry. Well able light troops, they can skirmish while softening their enemy before closing in for hand-to-hand combat. Although sometimes they use their mobility to keep them out of the reach of enemies, they are quite often able to produce very unpleasant surprises to units not normally vulnerable to light troops. Four things contribute to this capability: their agility on the battlefield, their all-metal heavy javelins ("soliferum"), the traditional Iberian ferociousness and their superb swordsmanship. They are not, however, due to their light equipment and occasional warrior status, designed to face experienced heavy troops and should be spared to those types of combat. Their lack of anti-cavalry weapons and armour also makes them very vulnerable to such enemies.

Historically, the Caetratii were one of the most numerous type of troops in Iberian armies. They were multi-purpose light infantry made up of non-professional soldiers that filled several roles generally reserved to various types of troops. Although most Iberians were not professional soldiers, they were very used to constant tribal warfare and, as such, became skilled and resolute. Caetratii were known for their unique style of swordsmanship that employs two specific types of equipment: a curved heavy-tipped sword known as "falcata" and the small, agile buckler the Romans called "caetra". Hannibal lavished upon his Caetratii, and many of them wore white linen tunics with a crimson border.

Centuries of feuding among the Iberian tribes hardened the people in such a way that there was no shortage of tough and cunning warriors. Iberians used varied weapons, shields and armour, differing according to region, wealth, specific battlefield tasks and personal preference - most swords ("falcatas" and "gladius hispanniensis") were custom built to suit the arm length, weight and strength of it's owner. Even though Iberian tactics were generally constant and specific, they were also unpredictable and very effective when properly used. The Iberians' ability to hide, while keeping their enemy under close watch, before performing coordinated attacks followed by swift retreats, allowed them to surprise enemies when least expected. These Iberian hit and run tactics were called by the Romans "concursare", and sometimes described as "simple absence of tactics". It is known, however, that to perform these coordinated attacks and retreats, across an entire army, in simultaneous different areas, needed an impressive amount of organization and signaling that was probably performed through the use of rounded ceramic horns. Although the many tribes that populated Iberia never became united under a single ruler before the Roman invasions, several temporary alliances against foreign enemies were known. These alliances, linked to the Iberians' great determination to remain independent of any foreign power, constituted a unenviable obstacle that put Carthage and Rome at check for more than a century.

Iberi Curisi (Iberian Medium Cavalry)

The Curisi are no different from most cavalrymen in Iberia. They are surprisingly good horsemen for a country with common rough terrain. Riding their agile, resilient Iberian horses they are good medium cavalry that are able to perform the role of shock against light troops. They wear bronze helmets and chest plates combined with leather armor, which gives them staying power in a melee contest. They carry the normal "falcata" and "caetra" combination of the Iberian tribes, which allows them to hold their own in a melee situation, although being more adept at spearing down fleeing enemies. They are armored and fast enough to stand up to most light and medium cavalry and some medium infantry, but will generally get cut to pieces by heavier spear infantry or cavalry. A good commander will take this into account.

Historically, the Iberian Curisii were excellent medium cavalry, being used by the Carthaginians, due to their agility, in a more versatile screening role than heavier cavalry. Iberian tribes used them in the same task on occasions of open confrontation, but preferred to take advantage of their stealth before using them in a surprise charge against enemy units, as all Iberian horses were trained to be quiet and silent. This skillful training of Iberian horses combined well with hit and run surprise tactics. Due to the lack of quality of Roman cavalry, they almost always had an advantage that was muted somewhat with the arrival of mercenaries from Numidia and the eastern steppe. In addition, the Curisii demonstrated their great ability to chase down light cavalry, making them truly a unit deserving of the fame given them.

Trokalobutiamm (Shepherd Slingers) [iberian Slingers]

The Trokalobutiamm (Tro-kay-low-boot-i-am; "Herds/Field Worker Combatants") are shepherds that have been banded together to fight as a unit of slingers. They’re made up from the lower classes of all peninsular tribes and nations, who mostly scrape off a living grazing small flocks of sheep and goats on arid hills. Being so poor and with a high demand for slingers, it’s no wonder these hardy highlanders have come down the hills seeking to join bandit groups or to offer their services as mercenaries in urban armies. Armed only with their sling and a knife, they are also largely unprotected besides their small wicker buckler. That makes them extremely vulnerable to any troops that can catch them in a melee and even light cavalry is likely to just run through them without breaking a sweat.

Historically, with the abandonment of the bow by the end of the Bronze Age, the sling was the only long-ranged missile weapon to be found in 3rd century Iberia. It had always been the weapon of choice of the shepherd, who relied on its range and accuracy to keep predators such as wolves and lynxes from threatening his valuable flock. It is no wonder then, that these men constituted the majority of slingers present in battle, driven by their hard-life in the hills into mercenary service. Despite using rounded rocks in their day-to-day life, they were supplied by their lords with clay and lead shot for better performance in battle. So ubiquitous was the sling that its ammunition remains today one of the most numerous finds in military contexts.

North Africa

Pilei Ya'ar Libim (African Forest Elephants)

Imported from the regions far south of Aigyptos or from the mountain forests of northwestern Africa, forest elephants are an exceptionally valuable resource in combat, used mainly by the Ptolemaioi and Qarthadastim. Towering over most other creatures, they can easily scare men and horses alike, with both their size and smell, though elaborate bells and trappings often add to their intimidation. Such corps are directed by their own mahouts riding behind their heads, often a native of their own country who has spent at least two years training his beast from capture. The mahout is armored to better protect against the obvious assault that generally comes against him, launched to bypass the thick natural armor of his mount.

Elephants are best used as cavalry screens for your army, where their presence can scare away enemy cavalry. They can also be used to ram through an enemy battle line, though they are less useful when faced with loose order or phalanx infantry. Pyrrhos of Epeiros even innovated a tactic of flank screens when he fought the Romans at Heraklea. Beyond their obvious use against enemy infantry or cavalry, they can also be used in siege combat; battering down gates, though they're highly vulnerable to better prepared installations. Their greatest vulnerability is against skirmishers, slingers and archers, who can pepper them with missiles - eventually toppling them by virtue of their cumulative impact. To counter the effect of enemy skirmishers, it is often wise to array your own in opposition, or to maintain constant attacks upon each individual group.

Historically, the use of elephants in war was largely contained to India, but after the battle of Hydaspes that changed. Though Alexandros never cared over much for the animals, his successors were very much in favor of their use, organizing their own elephants into a distinct corps under their own "elephantarchos". The forest elephant was used in battle after the Ptolemaioi dynasty established itself in Egypt. Being cut off from India by their Seleukid rivals, the Ptolemaioi needed another source of elephants and sent expeditions to the Horn of Africa to gather Forest Elephants and later they established “elephant stations” to make sure the Ptolemaic armies were well supplied.

Qarthadastim also used forest elephants in war and they seem to have begun using them around 300 BC. The forest elephants were captured in the Tunisian mountain forests, but the Carthaginians also imported elephants from the Seleukeis and Ptolemaioi, which might indicate the native herds were not enough to supply the Carthaginian elephant corps.

The Forest Elephant was smaller in size and strength compared to the Indian elephant. The battle of Raphia is often used as an example of the Indian elephant’s superiority, as Antiochos III elephants routed Ptolemaios IV elephants, yet it’s important to remember that Ptolemaios IV elephants were outnumbered at that battle.

A side effect of the Ptolemaic use of elephants caused the kingdom of Meroe to also start to tame and use elephants during the Hellenistic period, a practice they eventually taught to the Ethiopians as well. The forest elephants could be found in north-western and eastern Africa, but after the Romans conquered north-western Africa they hunted the forest elephant there to extinction due to their love for using them in circus and the arenas.

Despite their great usefulness when properly employed, it was not unusual for elephants to cause defeat for those who employed them. If an enemy was clever enough to devise their own means to combat elephants, as was the case at the battle of Gaza when Ptolemaios planted an ‘iron spiked minefield’ to ward off elephants, or when Caesar properly utilized slingers and Scipio gaps between his infantry cohorts to channel the elephants, they could be defeated and even turned against their masters. Even pigs were used on occasion, released among elephants who were often scared of their comparatively small, darting forms. However, despite the many different weapons and stratagems being devised to fight them and the huge expenses required to maintain them, the elephant was still considered a valuable asset, maintained widely. The Arche Seleukeia even developed a corps of "elephant guards", whose task was simply to defend the beasts in combat.

Mitnagsim Numidim (Numidian Skirmishers)

Numidian javelinmen are fast moving skirmishers trained from infancy in the use of the javelin for hunting. They are recruited from amongst nomadic peoples who need their weapon skills to survive in harsh conditions.

They are best employed to harry enemies and thin their ranks with volleys of missiles. They should avoid being sucked into hand-to-hand combat, as their knives are more useful in skinning animals than killing men; also, other than a small shield they have no armour.

Historically, Numidia was a territory to the west and south of Carthage. Their people were Berber tribes that had a semi-nomadic existence. Numidian justice was extremely harsh on deserters and cowards: crucifixion was a common punishment.

Even though Numidians preferred to use horsemen against their enemies, Polybius mentions a infantry regiment of Numidians accompanying Massinissa before the Battle of Zama in 202 BC.

Parasim Numidim (Numidian Cavalry)

Numidia produces some of the finest cavalry in all Africa, if not the Western Mediterranean world. Armed with javelins, these mounted skirmishers can be a nightmare for an opponent as it can prove practically impossible to pin them down in combat. Their tactics are to pelt the enemy with deadly volleys of javelins, and then swiftly retreat when charged. If the enemy stand, they are slaughtered with volleys of javelins, and if they run the Numidian cavalry can ride them down! Their horses, even tough they are small, have excellent stamina and mobility.

Instinctive riders, the Numidians are famed for not using a saddle or reins, using only a stick to direct their horses. Nevertheless, they maneuver with the "grace of a flock of birds". Having adapted to the broken expanses of their homelands, Numidian cavalry have great stamina, and they are also experts in their form of the Cantabrian circle attack.

Historically, Numidia was a territory to the west and south of Carthage. Their people were Berber tribes that had a semi-nomadic existence. Numidian justice was extremely harsh on deserters and cowards: crucifixion was a common punishment.

Hannibal used these horsemen with supreme skill during his war against Rome. Some examples are the Battle of Trebbia, were the Numidian cavalry engage the Romans and draw them out before they were fully prepared for battle, or the Battle of Cannae in were the Numidian cavalry pinned the cavalry in the Roman left flank until the Carthaginian heavy cavalry arrived to give the decisive blow. After the Second Punic War, the Numidians fought for and against the Romans. Even tough, the Romans had to fight the Numidian cavalry in their war against the Numidian king, Jugurtha, these horsemen were invaluable as auxiliary cavalry for them.

Germanic

Dugundiz (Germanic Spearmen) [spear brothers]

The Dugundiz is a unit of proud and experienced, “proven” warriors steeled by years of constant warfare and veterans of numerous conflicts, mostly tribal, but some of a larger scale. These men are hardened for battle and unlikely to flee from conflict, and are trained through long experience to work in close or open formation.

Historically, the Jugundiz (Youth) formed the front line of battle in order to act as a screen, taking losses to increase the odds of survival for more valuable "proven" warriors (Dugundiz) who stood just behind. The Proven formed the bulk of any Germanic force and were very versatile warriors. They were renowned for their courage in melee combat and have earned their place through consummate skill with their well accustomed to weapon, the spear. Their weapon is a mark of freedom and honor, has a narrow and short head, so sharp and easy to wield that the same weapon served, depending on the circumstances, for both close quarter and long range combat.

Reidonez (Germanic Light Cavalry) [Germanic Scout Cavalry]

Reidonez ride small and sometimes poor quality horses, though they are excellent light cavalry. They are useful as scouts as well as skirmishers. Like many Germanic warriors, however, they can lack battle-discipline and be over-keen to enter battle against worthy opponents. This can lead them to be headstrong, and difficult to restrain before a fight, as personal glory gained in battle is always welcome. Honor and standing come from fighting, and sometimes the urge for glory overwhelms their good sense!

Historically, Germanic tribes did not frequently use cavalry and their warriors mainly fought on foot, however, some tribes were known for their use of cavalry and many peoples praised the good quality of Germanic cavalry. Though the horses that were used by the Germanic tribes were not exceptional, Germanic horsemen could still maneuver very well and operated as a unit, rather than as an unorganized band.

These early Germanic horsemen did not use saddles by choice, nor stirrups because they were unknown in Europe at that time, later introduced by invading peoples from the east. The Germanic tribes were among the first peoples to copy the stirrup because they recognized its potential, for with a stirrup the warrior could not only mount his horse more easily but he could also "step up" on his horse to throw a spear. They were mostly armed with shield and spear and were supported by fast-moving light infantry - this light cavalry combined with light infantry allowed great tactical speed and versatility on the battlefield; the cavalry could break through enemy lines while the infantry quickly followed behind to finish off any remaining enemy soldiers.

Skudjonez (Germanic Archers) [Longbow Hunters]

Skudjonez, whose name can also mean "Skirmishers" or "Marksmen," are equipped to harass and break up enemy formations so more experienced and valuable melee warriors can get in amongst their thinned ranks and finish them. Shooters are often untrained or uncapable warriors who guard the baggage train, but many are also excellect hunters or Germanic freemen of the lowest rank who cannot afford training or equipment. shooters are also armed with the typical Germanic spear, which means that they can do a little more than other units of similar type in hand-to-hand combat and can act as light infantry in times of need. Their presence on a battlefield is always useful, as they have the flexibility to be both archers and infantry, but they will not last long in melee battle against opponents with superior training and protection. shooters are at their best in wooded country, where their superior ambush skills, learned on the hunt, can be put to best use.

Historically, Germanic bowmen on the battlefield were few in numbers, because weapons were status symbols and tools whose exclusive purpose was for war required more wealth and training than common multipurpose tools, such as the axe or bow. Yet all Germanic warriors were potential shooters, having mastered hunting skills in dense and dark Germanic forests where their learned techniques of skulking and stalking serve them well. The shooters use hunting bows which have only a short range, but each carries a good selection of hunting arrows, as well as war arrows, designed to cause massive bleeding and pierce armor respectively.

[Let's Play: Rome 2 Total War - Completed - ROMA INVICTA]

The dogs turned into fried dog. They got bottlenecked too.

Through a strong desire to prove themselves, they got through. Many Germans died that day; the legion was a bit more accepting of them after the ordeal.

It would appear that siege engines cannot be deployed when you're initiating a battle from the sea. Only the crew is pictured.

ALl melee units will beach. Siege operators will stay in their boats. Ranged units will go distract that huge enemy blob.

I underestimated the shitstorm and maneuverability of the Raiding Hemiolia ships in numbers. The Velites and Leves of the Capitoline Brigade did not meet a pretty end.

Boiling oil doesn't seem to kill my troops. All it does is make their fury burn hotter.

KILL ALL RESISTANCE.

Now the siege engines are proving to be bait. WITHDRAW

We're going to need Velites and Leve replacements in the Capitoline Brigade,

Wait, WHAT?

NO. NO. NO PLEASE MARS NO JUPITER SAVE ROME NO NO NO NO NO. NO. NO. NOOOO.

[Let's Play: Rome 2 Total War - Completed - ROMA INVICTA]

The new legion arrives in North Africa for its first battle. Rapax was merely a temporary codename given. Let it be known to the enemies of Rome that a new foe has arrived on the playing field... LEGIO. ADEPTUS. SERENUS.

The Numidians were utterly unaware (or they were too stupid) and were caught by surprise.

The imperial cavalry units look like they have fancier plumes, but that's about it.

It's funny how OP the new units are, yet strange that Armoured Legionnaires have less armor than regulars. If you think everyone looks the same, notice that their shield patterns are quite different.

The Numidians don't look like much, but...

Numidians don't look threatening at all. And then you look at the stats of this elite unit...

PLEBS. ATTACK. (It didn't go very well)

Plebs attempted to flank noble spearmen, but got flanked themselves, leading to a rout. The legionnaires didn't bat an eye.

We can field more armies now! Not that we need much more....

Time for the Germanic auxiliaries to prove their worth in battle.

They have fat cheeks.

Having units that can shoot farther than a javelin can be extremely helpful.

GERMANICS. PROVE YOUR WORTH COME ON.

Boiling oil kills many of them.

They're bottlenecked at the gates.

Their morale is dangerously low.

But they kept fighting, they didn't break.

[Let's Play: Rome 2 Total War - Completed - ROMA INVICTA]

Lemonum needs protection, the Capuans spec in heavy infantry and horsemanship.

With Massalia's agents down, she is vulnerable to our legions...

He's actually a little sad.

After some in-depth observation, it became known to me that Auxiliary Iberian Slingers are bugged: They use the stats of the velites. Because of this, I disbanded the ones in the Bittermelon Brigade after this battle.... such bugs are just...they bother me.

This is also Massalia's last stand.

Illyrians sure got funny helmets.

The Iberians look a little unsure of themselves, but I'm sure they're just getting used to the bitterness of losing their independence and you know, serving Rome.

MISSILE UNITS, ADVANCE

What I somehow didn't notice was a sudden influx of Massalian barbarians right behind me. While the missile units will have to fend off cavalry and wall defenders on their own, the melee troops all rush back to intercept (and hopefully hold off) the enemy.

After an extremely short and bloody massacre, the auxiliaries emerge victorious.

The Iberian Slingers take heavy losses, but eventually our men win and the defenders fall back from the walls.

I think I forgot to mention the Rhodian slingers did I?

Vesontio is part of Germania Minor, and the mercenaries encountered here are quite different from the Celtics.

North Africa seems to be in turmoil again. Legio AVBT is close by...so...

Are we going a bit too Northern?

DOGS. DOGS EVERYWHERE

Burn them out. Roll over the wretches. BE THE WOLF.

Turns out that wasn't Massilia's last settlement. They have more.

For some reason the Massilians moved their armies away upon the offense....

Dammit, Cyrenaica!

BYE

The experience of the Coarse Lads has given them another skill point: They will refine their offensive techniques.

Back in Rome, I commission my own joke legion.

The Germans are even more barbaric than the Celts are. Still, they have an odd fascination with the wolf as shared by the Bronze Wolves. A few of them have joined up as auxiliary forces (albeit they're not very welcome)

With professional soldiery researched, we unlock the final tier of Rome's land forces. Despite the fact that we are a hundred years too early, this final tier is supposed to depict the Imperial Legionnaires. Marian legionnaires and Republican Maniple Troops can upgrade to this tier, but for diversity's sake I won't do the upgrading.

Now that the northern frontiers are pacified and secured. The legions gather close to the territories of the Numidians.

Soon....

Honestly in real life Praetorians weren't that much better than their regular counterparts aside from having slightly better equipment. They rarely saw battle and lacked any real experience.

[Let's Play: Rome 2 Total War - Completed - ROMA INVICTA]

Some skirmish cavalry make their way out, but are quickly repulsed by the legionnaires.

Rule #1. Don't charge pikemen from the front.

Tip #1: Pikemen are shit in following your units and are generally a lot more content to stay in one place than give chase. In other words, they couldn't support their cavalry when the navy crew hit them from behind.

Peltasts stream from the gates into the swords of my men.

When pikemen lose their cohesion, they often end up losing. They may have been issued shortswords, but they lack any skill in using them.

Arverni are gone, moving on to their previous allies, the Pictones.

The weather sucks, but at least the cavalry have plenty of areas to hide in.

They also assassinated the general of First Capua FIGHT prior to the battle. Clever.

"Set 'em up and I'll knock 'em down" - Extraordinary EXTRAODINARII Cavalryman

Spearmen? FUCK SPEARMEN. I mean, unarmored ones. No offense to our mercs.

The enemy reinforcements are now visible through the fog. I retreat the left flank cavalry, as there's no way they can break more slingers without eventually getting trapped themselves.

Having cavalry superiority is a great feeling. While equites may not be a match for Noble Horse, they can tie them down long enough for Velites and rear attacks to take effect.

And the battle devolves into clusterfuck status as the infantry lines engage.

The triple line formation is very versatile. WHile the first line pretty much holds off the enemy, those in the second and third lines can quickly rush up to intercept flankers or bolster the first line as needed.

SAY CHEESE TO THE CAMERA YOU UNWASHED DOG

Exhausted units will vomit (without vomit graphics)

This diplomacy is really random.

As we finish off the Pictones, the Massalians suddenly show up (they've been hanging around our armies a lot and it's making me nervous) to help us out. Okay.

It's rainy, my feet are wet, and we've got some barbarians to gut. Will we let the Massalians take part in the glory? NO FUCKING WAY!

Hey equites, cover our backsides, will you!?

Pictone scum, you're not wiggling your way out of this one.

Look at how far Rome has grown.

You know what, let's just take all of Celtica.

[Let's Play: Rome 2 Total War - Completed - ROMA INVICTA]

Really late here, but great playthrough and pictures again! Sorry I didn't check back in time to request much for AVBT, but I'm basically just happy to see what the game has to offer/what you'd like to show. A play at historical accuracy sounds neat.

Thanks!

So, previously in this LP, Legio AVBT captured Rhodes, a island known for its Colossus and its slingers, the deadliest in the known world.

Meanwhile, one of our client states is attacked and I can't be arsed to defend them. Sorry our interests are in Hispania and our legions aren't interested at all in shedding their blood for you.

Oust the Lusitani. Oust the Gallaeci. Set the stage up for Masaesyli.

Euskadi, you will remove the Lusitanians.

The narrow entrance to this small coastal village makes it near impossible to use the Scorpions and Polybolos as direct fire weapons. We'll have to do this the old fashioned way.

Romans (and especially the Euskadi) are the best specialists at meatgrinder combat. It was said that their ferocity was such that Euskadi also came to be known as slang for "Carne Asada" for Romanised Iberians in the years to come.

You brave fucker. I put my general close by to give stat boosts to the men. The Iberian slingers gave him a bullet to the head.

If only there was blood. Could imagine all that red pouring into the waters.

I think we can take on the Arverni.

Some Illyrians join the ranks of the Bittermelons. The Gallaeci fall without much of a fight, their garrisons were empty.

As our legions are going to be busy conquering, we'll have to rely on the navies to keep the peace. Our heavy infantry are still extremely strong in small numbers, and they can quickly sail to reinforce any coastal settlements under siege.

Looks like the North African coast is in turmoil. Perhaps there will be eager pickings for Rome (Historically speaking, Egypt was Rome's breadbasket. No wonder they were so eager to annex it). Legio AVBT has been sent in to investigate for vulnerabilities.

I'm not sure if it's a game design or bug that I cannot attack settlements that have been blockaded by fleets of other factions. Blockades also do not inflict attrition damage on the attacker nor the defender, leading to near-infinite scenarios where an AI just blockades a settlement and "forgets" about it. This occurred when I wanted to conquer Lilybaeum, and Carthage's fleet was blockading. I ended up declaring war on Carthage earlier than I wanted.

This game seriously needs a lot of polish, especially when testudo merely improves armor but decreases speed to the point where you end up taking more damage walking slowly over to the enemy instead of just charging in. Being in testudo also increases the surface area of the soldier, making him easier to hit because his shield is raised (shields are a sort of damage modifier to HP instead of acting as a hit or miss affair in the previous games). Good thing CA apologized for the near-fiasco of a release (some blame Sega for rushing the release date) and have promised to do weekly patches to fix bugs and improve game balance.

Hells fucking yes.

Egyptian infantry on the other hand appear to be shit. Only thing worthwhile is their resistance to heat.

What better thing to do than to send Celtics to fight Celtics (this was actually rather common for Romans, they just made sure their Celtics had better equipment and training)

Why is there only 1 ballista? Dammit.

The Axe Warriors are more armored up than their Swordsman counterparts; they wear padded armor.

SHOW THEM FURY. PROVE YOUR WORTH TO ROME

Do the legionnaires have to lift a finger? Maybe.

Some of the auxiliaries were getting killed pretty badly by the Noble Cavalry (the forerunners to medieval Knights), so I sent in gladiators to finish up the job.

The Celtic Ballista broke after the battle, and now a unit slot has opened up for the Coarse Lads.

FIRST CAPUA FIGHT adds some more units to the army. I should start modding the game soon; I'd give Rome the Levy Slingers unit from the Prologue. Rome DID have her own slingers, albeit they were only used at the very last minute in an emergency.

Cyrenaica had pacified those North African cities. Legio AVBT sees no opportunity and will sail back north to Rhodes...but wait, what is happening at Ephesus?

The Pictones are allies of the Arverni, and they wish to postpone their doom by making peace with Rome.

I see no more need for Massalia to have military access to our lands; I only needed it to march the Coarse Lads to Arverni territory.

The Arevaci own a huge chunk of land yet have little military forces. The Euskadi will steamroll them.

Beggars...

Ephesus will be ours! MUH ELEPHANTS

This gate is dangerous with all the towers defending it.

Crossing the bridge will be better.

[Let's Play: Rome 2 Total War - Completed - ROMA INVICTA]

But, after some more fighting, they broke. Guess they lacked Roman discipline.

More public order is always helpful.

MOOONNEEEEYY

CAPITOLINE BRIGADE. CARTHAGO. DELENDA. EST.

With fame comes danger. Somebody tried to pull an Ides of March on one of our generals.

The Romans in the Bittermelon Brigade AVBT have been upgraded and underwent a class change into the Marian legionnaires. Now Legio AVBT is complete, but the Bittermelon Brigade is undermanned. Never fear, Iberian auxiliaries eager (or pressganged into serving Rome from the bitter taste) to fight can find a place here.

As Apollonia is in Greek territory, the auxiliary camps there can recruit hoplites, peltasts, tarentines, and citizen cavalry.

What a flatterer, of course you get to be a pet of Rome.

HEY CARTHAGE.

North Africa gives us some feared javelin cavalry and skirmishers. Their melee is shit, but look at that rate of fire. Holy fuck, that's 3 times as fast as Leves' and twice as fast as Velites' rate of fire. Holy shit.

Siege engines? Fuck that, we got heavy artillery on our side

Onagers don't look like much. The Giant Ballista....those are fucking huge.

BOOM BITCH, GET OUT THE WAY

CHARGE, MUH SKIRMISHERS

Either due to a miscommunication on the part of the Socii or incompetency of the scribe, but the name of the First Capua FIGHT has been corrected and matched to that of Integrity's wishes.

I need to wipe out the Gallaeci. I pay the Lusitani to allow me Military Access.

Legio AVBT may have had their fair share of death and killing, but they have yet to conquer a province. Knossos owns most of Greece, but Rhodos looks vulnerable. They will be sent there to investigate and "annex" the island if they find it weak.

Euskadi will have the honors of of defeating the Gallaeci. They have been assigned heavy anti-personnel engines.

Fiorentina Coarse Lads add a unit of axemen to the group. Finally.

MARS SAVE US

DEFEAT THAT ARMY FIRST

Oh look a wolf

The scorpions and polybolos barely kill anyone, and they soon ran out of ammo later. Maybe they needed some more experience?

TRUST IN YOUR SWORD

The Iberian Scutarii Cavalry constantly try to probe my flanks for weaknesses. WHile they didn't succeed in getting to the heavy weapons, the Iberian infantry did. The crew died rather quickly.

A personal charge by the general saves the day, and starts the mass routing that gave us the victory.

Polybolos and Scorpions cannot damage buildings. Makes sense, they use giant bolts, not blunt stones.

However, infantry can burn down gates like in Shogun 2.

SLAUGHTER THEM ALL

Euskadi did Rome proud. Can you do it, AVBT?

Rhodian Slingers are one of the most skilled slingers in history. They also had nice hats.

Either way, there's not much to say about the pitiful Rhodian defence. A few legionnaires was all I needed to gut them.

Their reinforcements never landed in time to prevent me from taking the victory point.

RHODES IS OURS

[Let's Play: Rome 2 Total War - Completed - ROMA INVICTA]

New siege weapons are available. Onagers and Giant Ballistae are better wall-breakers than regular Ballistae. Scorpions and Polybolos Repeaters can be used to strike fear in armored targets, but probably wouldn't do so well against fast hordes.

No peace!

Retreating for now. I don't think our transport ships can fight off being outnumbered.

Brigantium has been made bitter. Yum. The whole province is under Roman rule, but pockets of Cantabri still hang around.

It's time that A.V.B.T. got their own legion and general. They will be modernized just like the Euskadi legion, though I plan for them to have a more historically accurate army composition (some auxiliary cavalry support)

The Capitolines have not replenished their numbers yet, but we're under attack!

Rorarii and Plebs look like pitiful units.

Surprisingly enough, the iberians don't even attempt to flank. THey send everyone down one street, perhaps in an attempt to break through.

This poor Hastatus got knocked over and the Iberian proceed to whack the shield repeatedly. He got slammed by the shield and proceeded to get stabbed.

FRIENDLY FIRE AARGH

As the first wave is beaten back the troops begin taunting. The slingers decide to close in and that's when I told my Equites to start their run.

We can use some more public order.

The Bronze Wolves continue unhindered.

Capitoline Brigade is recalled for reinforcements.

Euskadi gets some new toys as they move to Hispania.

Capua moves to Epidamnos, Wolves to Apollonia.

As nobody is telling me what traditions to pick for their armies, I've started to pick them.

The Bronze Wolves receive skills that improve their charge and melee. After all, they're supposed to be a fierce group with a rather unconventional method in dealing with ranged units.

Alright AVBT, MOVE OUT. Yes, I know you're undermanned but there's a special reason for that.

Fiorentina Coarse Lads specialize in movement, having high morale, and melee, of course.

It seems that the pool of Ancillaries has grown quite huge. Heh.

I like how the provinces sort of just crumbled without much resistance.

The Capitoline Brigade receives traditions that affect their influence on regions. They besiege, they stabilize, and they make cheaper.

Liguria is too much trouble. I don't even know where the Arverni are so I will abandon them. For now. Maybe I should just annex them.

13000? Yeah, we better start conquering more.

Arverni only own one little town/village. Welp, maybe I'll whup their asses and then get the Ligurians to be my client state again. Or I'll just conquer them too.

Brigantium needs protection, and the AVBT run into some rebels. Luckily, they are supported by a nearby garrison fleet.

No regular Legionnaires in here at the moment.

You're probably wondering why they don't wear the non-plumed helmets that are commonly depicted in media. This is because these legionnaires are Marian reform legionnaires, not Imperial legionnaires.

Plus, the plumes are pretty cool. Praetorians sport bitchin' purple capes.

The fleet arrives and disembarks their crew. It's gonna be a bloody land battle.

Regular legionnaires lack the white plume. The only guy who has one is the officer leading the unit.

FORM TESTUDO

Testudo no longer makes your men invulnerable to projectile attacks as in Rome 1. It just increases their resistance. This makes sense; Roman shields weren't fucking force fields. However, the lack of mobility offsets the damage resistance, as the first cohort found out the wrong way. Best to just charge in this case.

I think we're outnumbered, and these guys brought in Guerilla Warriors, who seem to have better stats than the regular Caetrati. The Iberians were known for their ambush tactics with their slings and javelins.

These motherfuckers wiped out a 60 man crew!

[Let's Play: Rome 2 Total War - Completed - ROMA INVICTA]

Can't see anything.

Oh there they are. BOMB THEM

Iberians turn out a bit harder to kill than the Celtics. They have swordsmen as a main melee unit, not spearmen. Their slingers are superior to skirmishers, outranging my own.

My skirmishers screen the siege engines for me and serve to distract units that are trying to get to the ballista.

General buffs units that need it.

Things suddenly look like they're going nowhere. I'm doing my best to hit them in the rear when possible but it's not working out. Not to mention, they have superior cavalry.

Enemies that are isolated end up being targets for my ballista.

The hastati get butchered, one of the ballista crew get into melee and are killed rather quickly.

The Iberians finally lose control of their flanks. My skirmishers harass their cavalry and my own finally are able to charge in their rears and blow DRACO in their ears.

HEADSHOT

We can now build better siege engines....after upgrading a workshop.

Additional attrition will kill off whatever units were depleted from the last battle.

The Capitolines are siege experts, ASSAULT.

Skirmishers kill off Iberians in the streets. Counterfire doesn't stop us. Depleted units stay behind and guard the ballista.

The hastati advance slowly.

An Iberian finds a javelin in his heart, looks at it in disbelief, then keels over.

The melee troops finish up what's left.

Research continues on some tech that I don't need but can be found quickly.

A bitter taste is in the air. They know not what legions will come.

We can recruit Illyrian auxiliaries now!

Rome gets clean.

Liguria is getting too much trouble, but I'll help them out this time, as their enemies are my Illyrian neighbors. I wanted their lands anyways and some of the armies are getting restless.

Auxiliary versions of Iberians are now available for recruitment!

[Let's Play: Rome 2 Total War - Completed - ROMA INVICTA]

Idiots left their ballistae unguarded, making them easy pickings for our cavalry. Their infantry engage ours.

Still, kudos to the AI for actually realizing they left their siege engines unguarded. They caught one of my cavalry while I was busy managing other units.

When a unit routs, I send the cavalry to heckle them until they shatter, meaning the unit won't return to battle anymore. Then I move on to hit other units.

Enslaving captives decreases public order throughout your provinces but increases income.

I've never seen Zeal so high. Seems to be unlocking a trove of abilities.

SO, it seems that Authority, Zeal, and Cunning sort of work in a rock-papers-scissors manner. Some characters are more predisposed to specific stats, determined by RNG. Raising different stats unlocks different abilities.

Zeal for agents unlocks brute force methods, whereas for generals it buffs their personal combat prowess and unlocks skills that debuff enemies through fear. Authority for agents unlocks effects on campaign map provinces, and for generals it unlocks troop buffing skills that rely on charisma. Cunning for agents unlocks underhanded methods (like poisoning), but for generals it raises tactical prowess and unlocks troop buffing skills that imply the general is using good tactics.

I decide to autoresolve the next battle because it doesn't seem to be an exciting one and my photobucket is running out (gotta make my 6th account soon)

Carthage seems to have resurfaced.

It will fall. Soon.

For some reason the Coarse Lads find themselves with a captured unit of Celtic Ballista, probably from the previous battle. Go figure.

Additional reinforcements are called in to subdue and wipe the Gallaeci out.

NO. MERCY.

[Let's Play: Rome 2 Total War - Completed - ROMA INVICTA]

While the hoplites held the lines, the Principes went off in another direction.

The Iberian peninsula will be ours. Well, when we're ready to stab the Masaesyli, that is.

Tarraco needs a slight change in the way it operates.

The Capitoline Brigade and the Coarse Lads will launch a joint offensive against Aracillum and Burdigala.

When suddenly, some of them attack the Coarse Lads! Is that a ballista I spy in their army?

Tactics? What tactics? Roll over the fuckers.

[Let's Play: Rome 2 Total War - Completed - ROMA INVICTA]

Bittermelon log: We have introduced them to our might. Soy sauce does not exist in this region. The enemy is helpless against our never-ending onslaught. We pity their mouths.

March on, my unit! And thanks for all the pics so far!

You're welcome!

The Greeks lead the assault. Our skirmishers offer covering fire and act as brave meatshields.

Roman shields may be cool, but I find the Greek hoplon to be sexy.

The hoplites push through the Iberians with the famous shield wall, activated in-game as the Hoplite Shield Phalanx ability. While outdated in this era, we're not facing off against pikes so no worries.

There have been reports that it's a buggy ability but I don't see any problems with it thus far, they attack normally.

The dismounted Tarantines act identically to Peltasts, They took quite a beating but came out in the end.

[Let's Play: Rome 2 Total War - Completed - ROMA INVICTA]

Rome HAS PROSPERED.

Trade agreements from the Levant (aka the east)

Time to build some more. Love the developing cities, it makes me feel accomplished.

Armies in the Cisalpine region can now upgrade shields and armor so they can survive longer. It seems to be percentage based: Leves receive less armor upgrade points than a unit with naturally high armor like triarii.

Marian Reform units are now available.

Hastati and Principes can change unit type into Legionnaires and Veteran Legionnaires, respectively, improving weapon attack and armor. Honestly this kind of makes Rome OP but whatever. I'm not going to upgrade the Bronze Wolves or Capitoline Brigade, I have other things in mind.

Making mercenaries cheaper would be nice. As of now their upkeep cost is equal to their hiring host.

Seeing as how my food production is getting low again, Lilybaeum's new expansion can use a Villa.

Someone wants to mess with our bitch Liguria. Dalmatae is going to get it.

Euskadi Legion shall split from the Bittermelons and the AVBT. Euskadi shall be reraised with the newest training, equipment, and Roman military fashion.

Meanwhile, the Bittermelons AVBT will increase their numbers via Greek mercenaries and peoples who have been subjugated by Rome. Bitter group indeed, but all men can serve Rome.

Time to go west, we will take the Hispanics by storm.

Euskadi shall also have a few elites of their own. First Cohorts are regular legionnaires who carry an eagle that inspires fellow units. Praetorians are elite of the elite and guard Rome itself.

Capuans, you go take care of the Ligurians and keep them alive. Everyone else will march to Hispania.

SIGNA FERTE (all standards forward!)

CAN THE COARSE LADS TAKE ON THE ENTIRETY OF THE TOLOSAN ARMY? YES THEY CAN.

Gladiator Spearmen are tasked with holding off the entire reinforcement army by themselves while everyone else proceeds to fuck over the main force. It might work.

Some of the cavalry get caught in spears and take some casualties. They pulled out just in time.

As the spearmen get stabbed by our own superior auxiliary infantry, I send the cav back in to break them. It works.

The enemy Celtic noble horsemen rout one of ours. Good thing they didn't get away from our spearmen.

The majority of the Tolosans managed to escape being run down. The Capitoline Brigade will take over in siege assault duty.

That's one big fucking ballista.

Regular shot is great in knocking walls down, but barely does anything to enemy troops. Explosive shot is less accurate but if it hits, it HURTS.

Equites rape faces. Well, ranged faces.

Our melee troops tie up theirs, and the ballista bombard the their rear ranks.

Huh, turns out Tolosa was owned by the Volcae. And to think I called them Tolosans the whole time. Either way, the province of Provincia is now complete.

Suddenly, a lot of trade agreements show up.

As the Bittermelons make their way to Hispania they find new Iberian Mercenaries.

With huge swords.

Mercenary Iberian Cavalry seem to have a very high weapon attack but low defense and charge bonus. Perhaps they're decent in sustained combat.

Mercenary Cantabrians are mainly ranged javelin cavalry. Their melee stats are horrible.

Mercenary Iberian Slingers may have been modeled after the slingers of the Balearic islands, but I need to check the actual islands (read: conquer). Still, something that can shoot farther than velites and javelins is always useful.

Meanwhile, in Dalmatae, we find Illyrian coastal mercenaries. Tough axemen, the buggers.

Their cavalry seem horrible though.

Time to teach the Dalmatians not to mess with Rome's client states.

Slave Javelinmen? With higher base stats than Leves?

They cannot win against us.

The Bittermelons have reached Tarraco and will conquer it for Rome.

Super zeal = Gale Force, muthafucka.

Time to get this shit started, my Greek servants.

I like how the Greeks wear their characteristic linothorax armor. Not as great as Roman chainmail though.

Peltasts

[Let's Play: Rome 2 Total War - Completed - ROMA INVICTA]

We are a relentless tide. Rage is a hell of an anesthetic.

CAPUA FIRST FIGHT YOU MAKE THE ITALICS PROUD

Alright, Wolves. How will you deal with the Nori? Can you outdo the Capuans!?

WAAARDOOOOOGS

They're fucking everywhere. KILL EVERYONE YOU SEE

Taking out their general, wherever he was, was the key to a mass rout.

The Raeti are gone. Whew.

Let's build a Blacksmith in Cisalpina. That way we can upgrade both weapons and armor.

Alright, we gonna finish these fuckers off.

It's foggy, and we have reinforcements but hopefully we don't need them.

Not much to say about tactics, just mop up.

WE OWN A NEW PROVINCE.

Raetia et Noricum gives us new mercenaries in the form of Axe Warriors.

Trade Agreements flood in afterwards.

Fiorentina Coarse Lads receive some Auxiliary Cavalry.

Other factions ask me not to attack them.

Improvements are nice.

The Capitoline Wolves have now split into the Bronze Wolves and Capitoline Brigade. Both will use the "old" units of Hastati, Equites, Principes, and Triarii. However the Wolves will use Wardogs while the Capitolines will have access to siege engines.

After I research this, we will have access to Legionnaires, the iconic soldiers of Rome.

[Let's Play: Rome 2 Total War - Completed - ROMA INVICTA]

The Helvetii and Nori won't relent and refuse all peace. Well, we have no choice but to push ahead.

Meanwhile, we receive trade agreement offer.

Cis-Alpina seems to have stabilized, but that probably won't last as I press on with developing heavy industry.

The construction of a Workshop allows for production of Ballistae, the basic siege engine in the Classical world. It's a giant crossbow that shoots giant rocks.

Nori next.

Meanwhile the Coarse Lads march on Octoduron, owned by the Helvetii.

Heh, talk about body hair. And a few black dudes.

GLADIATORS DO NOT FEAR DEATH. STRAIGHT INTO THE FRAY THEY GO.

The Celtic Riders proceed to flank slingers and such.

The Celts were taken by fury they thought never existed. Good job, gladiators.

CAPUA FIRST FIGHT. Time to take Koria!

I've got cavalry hiding in the woods.

I'll let the bastards come to me.

Cavalry to hit any unprotected slingers, Leves go draw fire and piss off enemy spearmen. FREE FOR ALL. FIGHT. FIGHT. FIIIIIGHT.

We took out the skirmishers on their left (our right), hopefully the cav can wrap around.

The Equites Extraordinarii emerge from the forests. The Celtics have exposed themselves to a flank attack.

WHO WANTS SOME MORE!?

This breaks the Celts.

The Capuan general has been heavily injured in the process. He will be replaced by a Roman general.

The Capitoline Wolves besiege Noreia, meanwhile the camera pans to the last stand of the Celts at Koria.

The men have taken heavy casualties, but are eager to have that debt paid in blood.

[Let's Play: Rome 2 Total War - Completed - ROMA INVICTA]

Getting paid for doing whatever I'm already doing? No problem.

It's funny to see an old guy stab people to death.

While the Capitoline Wolves hold down Patavium, it is time for CAPUA FIRST FIGHT to show their mettle. Off to Medhlan, which may or may not be Midland.

This city development really grows on me.

It's nice to see how there's separate options for autoresolve and a "prediction" of the results. They're generally rather accurate.

Genua is ours.

The next turn, reinforcements from Helvetii come to retake Genua. We will not give way, right?

Their swordsmen will probably go toe to toe with mine. Their slingers need to be flanked. My equites should be able to hide thanks to buildings obscuring enemy vision.

Beginning to circle around...

Oh look, another group marching in behind me.

And they cut off all escape, blowing their horns and driving the Helvetii into a panic.

The 2nd group arrives just as we finished off the 1st group. They fell quickly, exhausted dogs they were.

Liguria suddenly offers to become my client state. We graciously accept. Historically they were an interesting hybrid people, situated at northern Italy. They are a mix of Italic-Celtic, donning robes and italic helmets whilst wielding Celtic weapons. How they got displaced to the east, I have no idea.

Okay.

The Fiorentina Coarse Lads receive new recruits.

North Africa pls

Cisalpina unrest is high thanks to us forcing Roman rule on them. They will become eager subjects soon enough.

Meanwhile, the Capuans shall assault Medhlan

The Extraordinarii use extra long lances; they're shock cavalry after all.

Italic Spearmen are exactly what it says.

Socii Hastati look similar to Roman Hastati, except they have funnier armor.

Socii Extraordinarii have motherfucking mohawks

Socii Equites look more fancy than our own.

Cavalry can't climb, and I'm in a bloody mood today. DISMOUNT AND CHARGE DAMMIT

WHY ARE THEY SO HUGE

Casualties were heavy, and then the game crashed. It crashed again when I tried to refight it the second time, so I was forced to autoresolve. Dammit, Creative Assembly.

Either way, Medhlan is ours, and we own the province of Cisalpina.

Rebellion? I'll crucify the shit out of you.

It's time we constructed facilities to upgrade the weapons and armor of our troops. Cisalpina is a good site.

I don't have time to raise another army.

The coarse lads can use some training too.

[Let's Play: Rome 2 Total War - Completed - ROMA INVICTA]

My bet's for Hispania.

Yes, that would be cool to see a bit of Hispania, they need more love from your legions of death and despair!

It shall be done.

Dang, getting an "upgrade to plus for more bandwidth" message from all the pics before this page. At least the embeds link to the pictures on your account

Oh shit, well okay making a new photobucket account every 600 pictures should be my policy from now on.

As our financial capabilities grow and trade is prospering, the Senate and People of Rome (latter having no say actually) accept the petition of the Capuans to found their own legion. Previously, they had been working with the Capitoline Brigade and the Bronze Wolves. Now, they have their own army. As they hail from some parts of Magna Graecia and generally the Italic allies of Rome, they shall consist mostly of Socii units. They are not to be underestimated and are right to consider themselves the equals of our true Roman brethren.

Sidenote: The portrait of this general that I'm using is from that of James, a fan of total war who was granted alpha access to the game back in 2012. He had liver cancer and his face was scanned into the game. He died happy a few days after visiting Creative Assembly's headquarters.

When the veteran members of the integrated Capitoline Wolves FIGHT are transferred over to Capua First FIGHT, then I can rename the legions.

Client state Egypt asks me to join a war against some other desert tribe. I decline. You are my bitch, not the other way around. It's your fault you got yourself into such a hairy situation.

Trigeminus returns home for whatever reason, a Champion is called to train the new troops of Capua First FIGHT,

The Euskadi Bittermelon AVBT approaches Genua. (Funny how in Medieval the city is called Genoa.)

Meanwhile, i'm issued a mission of conquest. No worries, we shall make it so...soon.

TRANSFERRING.

A new legion shall be raised. They will be an auxiliary legion, consisting of mostly non-Romans, save for the officers. Recruited from amongt the coarse-haired, unshaven masses of Massalia and beyond, they are the FIORENTINA COARSE LADS

As the Capitoline Wolves are severely undermanned at the moment, members of the home guard are transferred in as replacements.

Rival agents and generals safeguard the cities to the north. Time to remove them.

Barbarian scum! Time to remove you!

Resistance encountered. Objective: Eliminate.

War Dogs look like Leves with pets.

Auxiliary Infantry look rather professional: Spearmen with chainmail

FORWARD YOU DOGS, TO VICTORY.

Celtic skirmishers got nothing on dangerously starved beasts of war.

The only units I need to pay special attention to would be the Oathsworn, heavy infantry of the barbarians and equal to most of ours.

Everyone else is easy game, they're levy spears or just slingers or some form of javelineer that will dissolve in close combat.

The general lets out a warcry, sending the barbarians scurrying home. No mercy. No respite.

Still, some stubbornly refuse to run and engage in combat with the infantry. Others proceed to play tag with us using stones and javelins, which actually kind of fucking hurt. I'll take that capture point, which I'm not sure why it's there but it's there

It was a good victory, but we must press on. Better to die in battle than to die from attrition.

This is just a sorry lot, let's wipe them out.

The hounds will keep those at bay. Our main force can then focus on theirs unhindered and safe from stones.

That was quick. Patavium is now under Roman control.

[Let's Play: Rome 2 Total War - Completed - ROMA INVICTA]

Massalia is one of those interesting Greek settlements that also mixed in with a lot of Celtic barbarians. This is reflected in-game by their garrison being made up of Celtic support troops and hoplites.

An Auxiliary Barracks has finished construction in Neapolis, and this is what we get!

Socii Equites - Less armor than Roman equites, but have slightly higher attack, better defense, higher HP. I don't need Mercenary Italian Cavalry or CItizen Cavalry with these guys around. However, they lack the Draco demoralizing ability of the equites.

Auxiliary Cavalry - Better in almost every stat than Equites, and to an extent, every other Italic cavalry unit. Historically speaking the Romans would've gotten their cavalry from Gaulic, Germanic, Hispanic, or Thracian stock.

Socii Equites Extraordinarii - Lacking melee defense, they make up for it with armor and a huge health pool. They also have a charge bonus that's more than double that of regular Equites. These cavalry are used for shock action. Leaving them in sustained combat is pretty much asking them to die.

Socii Extraordinarii - The elite of the Socii infantry are better than Principes in armor and defense and health, but have slightly, JUST SLIGHTLY, lower attack.

Massalia is close to Celtic territory, and so the mercenaries there are all barbarians. Barbarian units tend to have lower melee attack skill but higher weapon attack (they use longswords, not short swords). They wear little armor but have higher melee defense skill.

Rome has no need of such inferior men, yet, and thus will assault Massalia alone. Our discipline will triumph over these hybrid scumbags.

They go to battle half naked and unarmored. Such is not the way men should fight!

I didn't bother with the galleries this time, only ladders are enough.

The skirmishers and slingers didn't last long once the melee began. Only the hoplites put up some of a fight, but then there weren't many of them so Massalia was an easy win.

The technology found in Massalia was beyond anything the Res Publica had so far. All their buildings are in tier 3! We couldn't even Romanise it because our own knowledge was at tier 2. Still, research is underway and soon we will make use of these buildings. A dignitary is on the way to educate both the Hellenes and Celtics present about the superiority of Latin culture.

I don't need another fleet. Already have 2.

Found a Massalian spy. She was easy prey to the manipulation of our educated dignitary.

We can surely improve our engineering, which I haven't even begun to direct research on. Until now. Our armies could use a bit more bang and less stabbity stab stab.

Bibracte is all the way in barbarian territory. I'm not following you, Senate.

Industry develops in Alalia..

Massilia makes peace. Good decision. I only wanted your capital anyways for access to Celtic auxiliaries.

Another bloody madman in the family. Hide him as always.

Whereas a zealous general can use abilities on enemies to disable them, a cunning general uses abilities to support his troops.

The hiding didn't work out this time.

Crete is famous for its archers, but apparently this "minor" faction Knossos has conquered it AND all of Greece.

Egypt suddenly wants to become my client state. Sure why not. You give me money and I'll go to war with whomever declares war on you AFTER the treaty is signed. I will have nothing to do with whomever you're war with at the PRESENT.

And now we have access to the Celtic auxiliaries, courtesy of a new camp in Massalia.

Also, Gladiator troops are available. These fuckers are like Berserkers from FE. They lack armor and for some reason also lack health, but their weapons and skill in dealing damage are extreme.

Upgrading all these buildings in Massalia requires food that I don't have. Time to enable Bread and Circuses everywhere to address the shortage.

Alright guys if you have special preferences in how you want your armies to be structured and customized let me know.

Here's the tradition list and their bonuses thus far. Armies can pick traditions as long as thye have the skill points, they can go for level 1 of each tradition or just upgrade existing traditions, I think

Accomplished Skirmishers - +3% weapon damage by all missile units

Engineering Experts - Enables medium siege engines for assaults, -5% construction costs of the region they're in

Formidable FIghters - +3% weapon damage by all melee units

Dread Ambushers - +5% morale when fighting ambushes and night battles

Level 2

Inexorable Conquerors - Combination of Accomplished Skirmishers and Formidable Fighters. . Not sure how many skill points it costs.

Keepers of the Peace - +2 public order in regions present, +6% morale fighting enemy armies that have assumed a raiding stance

Stalwart Defenders - Can use an additional set of spike traps, barricades, caltrops and fire balls when in Fortify Stance

Unrelenting Force - +6% Campaign Map Movement, +4% Charge Bonus

Who gets conquered next? Illyrians? Knossos? North Africa? Hispania? Gauls?

[Let's Play: Rome 2 Total War - Completed - ROMA INVICTA]

The buildings in Karalis will need to be Romanised. Currently they stink of Punic.

Masaesyli is the actual name for the Numidians from Rome 1. Historically they were Rome's allies and battled against Carthage fairly often. Let's leave them to that line of work.

When generals commanding an army die, you can immediately replace them with someone else from the homeland via teleportation. Of course we'll put someone from our family in. Don't want the other houses getting too much influence, Junii has a rather low percentage at the moment thanks to the fact that all the winning was done by members of other houses.

Navies can choose their own tradition too, surprisingly.

Trade Agreements are accepted by the Illyrians to the east and the North Africans to the south.

What the shit? Somebody must be envious.

Time to go west, maybe there's more Carthage for me to destroy.

More blackmailing? 3300? Screw this.

Dammit, first they try to blackmail me, and now they want to adopt one of my guys...

For some reason I let them. Why. Why did I let this happen..I could've just spent some more cash... oh wait I needed the cash to continue construction.

Trigeminus now serves Cornelia.

Muwahahahahaha

Nova Carthago is reduced to a single fleet. Carthage itself is nowhere to be found, seems like the Masaesyli did all the work already.

An Auxiliary Barracks is the next step from an Auxiliary Camp in Neapolis. Since I love unit diversity, it is built.

Years pass, one of ours marries off to some influential house at great expense, and war is declared on Massilia.

[Let's Play: Rome 2 Total War - Completed - ROMA INVICTA]

Let's reveal our objectives, namely the ones I can reach easily for the cash reward. I'm not too interested in holding North Africa.

As upgrading fishing ports and such brings in squalor, it's time we step up our sanitation.

And of course, we better improve our navy if we ever hope to expand across the seas since I don't care about barbarian lands. I just want to massacre some Greeks and Macedonians.

An Auxiliary Field has been established in Neap...I forgot the name, it's an upgrade to the Aux Field or whatever earlier. It allows me access to the Socii, the non-Roman Italic allies that historically supplied half of Rome's armies.

I'm thinking of filling the CAPUA FIRST FIGHT with them when they split from the Capitolines and Bronze Wolves.

Socii Hastati - An expy of the Italian Swordsmen unit, they're mostly identical to the regular Hastati with slightly lower stats and are 20 denarii cheaper. They are most likely made up of Samnites, other miscellaneous Oscan peoples, and maybe even Bruttians though those are more from the Magna Graecia area.

Auxiliary Infantry - These are non-Romans who sought citizenship and allowed themselves to be armed and armored in the Roman fashion. Usually they only appeared after the establishment of legionnaires. In-game they are inferior to the Triarii.

War Dogs - Holy shit, they'd fit in well with the Bronze Wolves!

Well, looks like things are going well. Nevermind the Carthage invasion force, we took care of that easily. I'm going to assume the "General" we obtained is Statesman Trigeminus.

Our income's too low, with only 286 per turn. I noticed that I left taxes low, and decided to pump them to an all time high.

A new docks allows for new ships, with flaming pots and other nice goodies.

It would appear that Carthage has lost her capital to someone else.

It also turns out that besiegers take losses as readily as the besieged. Best to assault as soon as the engines are all finished.

Ladders let you assault walls.

Galleries let you shield lightly armored units within. They're not battering rams, however, just big roofs with wheels.

Years of siege have rendered this city damaged.

Why is there nobody at the walls?

The towers are ours, and a few armed peasants scurry past.

Oh, there they are, trying to defend that flag aka capture point. Note on the top that there's a number. 100. If I capture the majority of the capture points, that decreases the enemy's victory points. Get it down to 0 and I can win without needing to kill everyone in the city.

CHARGE.

These brave fuckers

For once, I think the enemy is standing their ground.

That stopped when they got flanked, though.

The day is ours! Karalis and therefore the Corsica et Sardinia province is under our control! Sadly, due to our lack of "Imperium", we can only issue 2 edicts in 2 fully controlled provinces.

[Let's Play: Rome 2 Total War - Completed - ROMA INVICTA]

It seems that the release of Rome 2 has caused an outrage in the gaming community. I would have to agree with performance fixes as well as a big change in battle length.

Right now all these battles last at most 1 minute. Yes, you heard me correctly. 1 minute of fighting and the enemy is either dead or routing.

Did gameplay get casual? Sort of. There's no more loose formation and it appears infantry use guard mode on default, even barbarians.

Regional specialization is extremely important now, and the fact that you can't just ave everyone build farms means that upgrades are limited; not every settlement can turn into a city.

The new health mechanic is sort of worrying. Armor and shields sort of modify the damage done to health, but you cannot check the health of every man. Your unit can be taking stones/arrows/javelins and they'll be fine until the front rank suddenly keels over and dies because most of them lost health.

Those blockading Lilybaeum have been removed. Now it is time for the Euskadi Bittermelons to take it by the throat.

Honestly given the enemy army composition it matters not who lands where, as long as I'm not sending Leves up against Libyan Hoplites. I mean, holy shit, most of the Hastati and Velites are at level 6.

Those of the lowest level will get their kills this day.

I appreciate that the men cheer once they've routed an enemy. What I dislike is that they don't automatically go chasing them.

Whoa whoa whoa what the fuck are elephants doing here

They barely killed any of the men anyways. For some reason. At most 30. I just saw elephants drop after wading around.

Lilybaeum is ours, and with that, we control Magna Graecia. Carthage is also very angry.

These are some of the level 2 traditions available, which I will list in text form later on so it's easier for you guys to pick and choose.

Meanwhile Cornelius Scipio obtains Dread, which lowers enemy morale throughout.

Karalis is a provincial capital, hence the walls. Because it has walls, we have the option of constructing siege engines to aid in the assault. Of course, we can do it without but that might not be the wisest of decisions, fierce as the Capitoline Wolves FIGHT are.

With public order instability from the recent conquest of Lilybaeum, the Senate of Rome has decided to enact extra bread alms and entertainment for the masses.

A family member, a child if I may add, has been kidnapped by pirates. Like the good, responsible family we are, we decide to pay the ransom. Let's hope they keep to their word. I bet the pirates are Illyrian in origin. We'll have their heads some day....

Jupiter is the father of all, and it is about time a temple is built to his honor.

[Let's Play: Rome 2 Total War - Completed - ROMA INVICTA]

I will post more another time.

I've already conquered Lilybaeum and Karalis, and would like to know where should I expand next. I've set up a poll so please take a look at that.

Also, let me know if you have suggestions on what army compositions that you want for your armies. I will be raising more armies soon.

[Let's Play: Rome 2 Total War - Completed - ROMA INVICTA]

Legio Luskadi Bittermelon AVBT does not care about your mewlings regarding trespassing. We came to make war, Greek boy.

It's funny how only the province capitals have walls. In the past total wars everyone had walls.

It'll be the first time we're fighting hoplites, but I'm sure they'll fall to the ground just as readily as anyone.

A zealous general has fear abilities that negate enemy special abilities. I should also let the Principes and Triarii fight from time to time, the hastati are hogging all the experience...

The slingers fire on my skirmishers, to little effect. Stones may travel farther than a javelin, but since I got to close up and throw back, I'm winning.

The slingers withdraw and the hoplites charge. Our hastati make short work of them. That's a bitter defeat for the Syracusians. And then the Equites mop up the slingers.

Well, we wiped out most of their best infantry, who paled in comparison to our basic infantry. Sad.

I expected more.

Archers? No problem, we GOT TESTUDO.

CLOSE THE DISTANCE!

Followed by MASSIVE DEBUFF

Followed by DEAD GREEKS EVERYWHERE

I decided not to subjugate, I have no need for client states.

Now you guys need to pick a tradition for your men too!

As Syracuse is full of Greek buildings, we Romans cannot use them due to culture incompatibility. They must be "converted" first with a large sum of money.

I forgot that garrisons need time to show up and so I lost Syracuse the next turn. Then I quickly took it back. You never saw this.

Gotta raise public health and reduce squalor.

Alalia continues to respond well to Romanisation.

Meanwhile I accidentally married some distance relative of the Junii family to one of the Cornelii. It didn't help enough, the family influence is still so small.

I continue to improve on Gnaeus' strength, which is his zeal. Who knows what other fear abilities he can use.

Dammit Veneti, stay in your own turf.

Their rampant trespassing prompts me to bring the Wolves back home.

This is a useful item. Notice how Brundisium has an aqueduct going through it as it finishes construction.

We've neglected military techs for awhile. Time to get in shape.

Any attempt to save money fails; a natural disaster prompts me to spend it all on repairs.

The more I play the more I realize just how different this game is from the past games. Every settlement retty much has a large garrison army provided by buildings. However, you can't add more men to it manually. Only an army with a general can add to the settlement garrison. If it's a coastal settlement, there's also the garrison fleet, which can also contribute its own troops in a siege...

Huh looks like Lilybaeum has rebelled and is under blockade (aka under siege by a navy) by Carthage. I want it, but the game doesn't let me attack it because of the blockade. If I want that settlement fir myself I will need to declare war on Carthage and get rid of the navy. Might as well.

A wild long lost son appears! Junii uses Adopt! It's not very effective...as you will see later.

Out of necessity I decide to raise a third army as a "home guard". They won't be very important.

Dammit.

Carthage is next on the hit list.

Our champion is sent to train the Wolves. He was previously with the Bittermelons

We can now upgrade to Auxiliary Camps, which provide greater variety in the native units that are willing to serve Rome.

These events sure are random. By the way I chose the White Bull, not the 100 Bull choice.

CARTHAGO DELENDA EST (Carthage must be destroyed in Latin)

Still can't reach Lilibaeum, so I must remove that fleet first using transport ships.

Julius Libo also dies of old age, and is replaced by some random bloke from one of the other houses.

Looks like it doesn't pay to be stingy...

TRANSPORT SHIPS STRONK.

Or maybe I was lucky? Meh, raiding ships couldn't stand up to straight up combat. My hastati took some losses but they were acceptable. I mean, holy shit, transport ships are free and sturdy. I know I had numbers but still, does that make them OP?

Ships have 2 methods of combat. Well 3, sorta.

Ranged ships (determined by crew) can shoot or board an enemy ship.

Melee ships can ram a ship or board it.

Ramming is useful when you're coming from the side, boarding is useful when you have the superior crew but maybe an inferior ship.