The Correct Post Reform Roman Army?

[The Rights 2]

hi all

it been a while and ive just picked up RTW again and ive just reached the reforms with brutii (so money is not a problem). I've got vetearn pre-reform armies in the middle east and now that i can't retrain them i need to build four new green armies from stratch.

my question is... what would be the ideal roman army and how do you change it to fit your style?

thank you in advance

The Rights to everything

[Xavier Dragnesi]

Hmmm, this is quite a hard one. Put it this way. In the historical Roman army, they didn't go straight from pre-reform to suddenly all legions become reformed. It was a slow process of change. So I suggest you implement it in your game as well, in this way:

- Continue fighing with your eastern armies
- Once one unit of soldiers becomes to weak to be of use, or is destroyed, replace it with one of the reform units
- Do this until all of your units have gone from pre-reform to post-reform

Basically, the best composition for a full Roman RTW army would be somethign like this:

1 General
1 1st Legionary Cohort
8 Legionary Cohorts
3 or 4 auxilia
2 archers
2 or 3 cavalry
1 or 2 spaces for mercenaries

And so basically just swap them around until the legions are changed. Saves a lot more time that recruiting four whole new legions. Plus, you can continue fighiting even while you change.

[Aristarchus]

Once the reform happens you will not be content wandering around with principes and equites for very long. I spend the early reform years filling in the towns with auxilia as a home guard. You can't build much else at first. So I stop building armies until at least the legionary cohort comes up that Xavier relies on above. But this won't make a conquering army. Egypt, for example, would chew it up and spit it out. Sure, you'll have some legionary cohorts and some early legionary cohorts, but I always go hard in my best cities to build praetorian cohorts, and in a select few cities to get praetorian cavalry. The earlier Roman cavalry are only so-so, and don't do much more than the beloved equites in the beginning, but the praetorian cavalry is supreme. And the praetorian cohorts can stand up against chariots and laugh while slaughtering. The reform skirmishers and archers are also valuable. I build a lot of them while waiting for the good cohorts to come up.

[hæressiarch]

i try to use "historical" roman armies.
when i use camillian reforms army my stack is:
1. general unit
2. 5 stacks of hastati
3. 5 stacks of principes
4. 3 stacks of triarii
5. 2 stacks of velites
6. 2 stacks of cavalry
7. other units (demends of campaign theathre)
why? there i have units mixed for different purposes on the battlefield. i can use them in many formations. for holding enemy i use triarii, hastati and principes are throwing javelins and when triarii engaged they manevouer to the enemy's flanks and cavalry hits the rear. triarii are very good to crush cavalry so often i use them in countercharges or move my troops behind them when enemy cav units charges. hastati are my cannon-fodder units. principes are the fighters and triarii i use to hold back every enemy designs. flexible army is a good army but...
when my army is at marian reforms i have it simplier:
1. general
2. 10 stacks of legionairies (including one first cohort unit)
3. 2-3 stacks of skirmishers
4. 4 stacks of auxillia
5. 2 stacks of cavalry (if 3 stacks, one is always missile cav).
flexible center with legionaries and auxilia to protect their flanx/rear/front whenever i like them to react on enemies designs. skirmishers are usefull if i need to break enemy with javelins (phalanx).
imperial legions works fine in the same setting as marian reforms...

[The Rights 2]

ok thanks but one question and i can't belive i don't know that answer... how do i get a 1st cohort unit?

oh and to the one who helps me :tacticalw and +rep

[Lord Romanus III]

In Vanilla, you have to have Rome. As to Post-Reform armies, I wouldn't go for Praetorians. They lack the stamina needed. If you are going for the best you should stick with: 1 general, 1 First Cohort, 11-12 Urban Cohorts (depending on whether or not you have the First Cohort), 3 Archer Auxilia, and 4 Praetorian Cavalry. What I like to use (easier to get) is:1 general, 4 Early Legionary cohorts*, 4 Legionary Cohorts, 3 Archer Auxilia, 4 spear units (preferably Mercenary Hoplites), and 4 Roman Cavalry (or good mercenary cavalry).

I prefer the weaker army because it is more flexible and it is faster to raise (4 turns in Greece) which is good for when the reforms first hit.

* I like to use Early legionaries because I use the Triplex Acies formation and like to use them as a front line so they can be re-trained in captured cities.

[Carl von Döbeln]

My composition:
1 General
1 1st Legionary Cohort
8 Legionary Cohorts
3 or 4 auxilia
2 archers
2 or 3 cavalry
1 or 2 spaces for mercenaries

[Al Merko]

Historical (and that is what I like) my late Roman legion consists of
1 General
2 Roman Cavalry
2-4 Light Auxilia/Archer Auxilia
2-4 Auxilia
8-10 Early Legionary Cohorts
the rest are mercenaries

If Rome is near, I replace one legion cohort with first cohort.
I don't use Urbans or Praetorians because they are lame.

[King_StuvartiniusIII]

You get 1st cohorts from Rome. Until you take Rome you cannot recruit them yourself but you might get them as rewards for missions. At least I think this is the case.

[Lord Thesaurian]

Well, this is what i usually do:
1 general (if possible)
1 legionary 1st cohort (if possible)
4 Praetorian Cohorts
2 Urban cohorts
3-4 auxilla
2-3 light auxilla
2 archer auxilla
3 Legionary/Praetorian cav

Of course, army format differs from person to person, and situation to situation, but this is the format I pretty much stick 2 religiously in post-Marian Rome