Legions
A Roman AAR (of sorts) by LiT
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Introduction
For a long time now, I’ve wanted to do a full scale AAR for Roma Surrectum. Time commitments, other writing responsibilities, waiting for this update or that fix all contributed to me procrastinating the start of this AAR. Then yesterday Psuedoceasar posted one of those beautiful Roman shields Pacco had created and I found myself saying: "You know, I could just wait until those become available . . ."
But I decided to stop procrastinating and start writing.
So last night I started a new Roman campaign. And this will be the story . . .
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Settings
Before starting this campaign, I did a clean install of RS. Despite the temptation to mod the game so that Gaul is stronger (I’m truly afraid there will be no Gaul for my legions to fight), the only modifications I have made in the RS 1.5a install are:
(1) I modded out the Roman campaign map UI because it hurts my eyes. I have bad vision (blame it on too much reading . . .)
(2) I modded out the default RS skies.
Everything else is "vanilla" RS 1.5a.
Battle Map Difficulty: Hard
Campaign Map Difficulty: Hard
Unit Size: Large (120 Hastati)
Recruitment: 0 turn
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House Rules
I could go on and on about house rules, but most of them will become clear as I play through the campaign. For starters, these are some my basic (and probably obvious) house rules:
Governors: Within ten years of the start of the campaign (or by the summer of 483 B.C.) every city will have a governor and every occupied settlement will be required to have a governor before the occupying army can leave.
Spies: Spies will be used as scouts, not to allow armies to attack cities with open gates.
Ships: I cannot view a ship before attacking it (trying to ships with armies). However, I can protect my shipping lanes by attacking ships that close to my shores.
Ancillaries: I’m struggling with this one. I’m not sure what I will do. I tend to favor trading them, but I can see how this is a bit of an advantage. If someone has a house rule they want to suggest, I’ll consider it.
Conquered settlements: When I take a city or settlement, I will destroy all the buildings in the settlement that I can. This serves two purposes: (1) it slows down the game and (2) it replicates the natural reluctance on the part of the citizens to serve their conquerors. Granted this will give me more money and will get ride of some of the cultural penalty, but the trade off in difficulty of recruiting and retraining troops is far greater, in my opinion.
Those are my general house rules. As I said, others will become clear and, in the meantime, I’m open to suggestions.
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Legion Rules
The following are my legion rules (they have the effect, in my game, of being imposed by Roman law):
Every legion is commanded by two generals: one of horse and the other of infantry. Command is awarded by the Senate (by the random selection that occurs in the game). Generals serve until they are 45 at which time they may apply for a position as a governor. If there is no governor position available, they are required to continue serving until retirement (at 60). At this time, they can return to the city of their birth and collect a pension.
Governors are retired generals and serve until 65 or death. If a governor breaches the trust imposed upon him by his appointment, he may be removed from office and executed in the traditional Roman fashion (in my game): he and his bodyguards will forced to charge into an enemy line. If he lives, he will be transported to a prison outside Rome. If he dies . . . problem solved.
In 473 B.C. Rome has four legions. Any further legions can only be recruited with the permission of the Senate and only during a time of crisis. So, if Syracuse attacks Neopolis and the Senate determines there is insufficient legions to defend Roman land, then a new legion can be recruited.
Once recruited, a legion cannot be disbanded — not even by Senate dictate. The reason here is actually political: in the future, when a soldier is recruited to the legion with the promise of land, then it becomes patently unfair for the senate to use them in battle but then disband them without giving them their promised reward. To me, it just seems logical that once a legion is created and the promise of service is exchanged for the promise of land or payment, then the contract, and the legion, remains in force. Hence, the Senate is very reluctant to raise legions.
The pre-Imperial legions are made up as follows:
1 General (Tribune)
1 General (Legate)
5 Hastati
5 Principes
2 Triarii
4 Velites
2 Equites
The VE Legions will be made up as follows:
1 General (Tribune)
1 General (Legate)
1 First Cohort
9 Standard Cohorts
2 Triarii
4 Veites
2 Equites
At recruitment, the Imperial and Caesarean legions will be made up as follows:
1 General (Tribune)
1 General (Legate)
1 First Cohort
9 Standard Cohorts
4 Light Infantry Auxilia
2 Archers (when they become available)
2 Cavalry units
Each Imperial or Caesarean legion will be supported by at least an Auxilia legion:
1 General (Legate)
8 Cohorts Auxilia spearmen
4 Light Infantry Auxilia (matching those in the imperial legion)
2 Archers (matching those in the imperial legion)
2 Cavalry units (matching those in the imperial legion)
In previous campaigns, I’ve not fought with Auxilia units. In this campaign, I may change my mind. Primarily, they are their to provide reinforcements for the Imperial and Caesarean legions.
Other legion rules will become clear as I play the campaign
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Writing Style and Updates
Updates will occur as I can post them. I’ll try to post something every week or so, as time permits, but it will depend upon my time commitments, etc.
The style of this AAR will be more of a freestyle, allowing me to experiment with some writing styles I do not normally get to use. It will be fiction and in the form of short stories or vignettes, connected together by brief historic updates (think Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles). This will be easier on me, and allow for more independent experimentation than a blow by blow account of the entire campaign.
In addition, I will post periodic commentary on the actual game campaign: what I’m doing right, what I’m doing wrong, what’s working for me, what’s not.
I have reserved the first post in this thread for a table of contents.
That’s it for now . . . I’ll add some images and post more tonight.
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