Poly Cohort to Legionaries

[ricandy144]

I have a question on the ability to upgrade Poly Cohort to Legionaries. Can we directly update the current Poly Cohort to Legionaries to keep their chevrons after Imperial reform? Instead of making them obsolete as current.

[Primative1]

Afraid not.

You have to build new units.

[ricandy144]

Yeah, that's painful to abolish those 3 golden chevron professional army to get Temporary Legionaries during the transition to Numbered Legions.

I am more getting using to back up the Front line with Spearman, now during my transition time, I hardly have those spearman in the back. Any idea for me?

[century x]

That is the only downside. But in those times just don't expand just chill until you get the named legions.

[Patricius]

Yeah, that's painful to abolish those 3 golden chevron professional army to get Temporary Legionaries during the transition to Numbered Legions.

I am more getting using to back up the Front line with Spearman, now during my transition time, I hardly have those spearman in the back. Any idea for me?

Why abolish? Use them until they are dead. There is no particular reason to disband. It is not as though older style of legionaries were cashiered in favour of Marius' mules.

[ricandy144]

No, I didn't disband them, but use them for guarding my fort along the teritories. By the way, would you guys upgrade Capua with Crucia Hostila to have Auxilary units? I didn't since I love Campania Calvary. I use them widely in my legions.

[ur-Lord Tedric]

....... upgrade Capua with Crucia Hostila to have Auxilary units? I didn't since I love Campania Calvary. I use them widely in my legions.

This is something I've been thinking about....

Campania was known for its horse breeding, but nowhere in Italy was really renowned for its cavalry - so what are these units really? Nearly all Rome's Western cavalry units were either Gauls or Germans, plus Illyrian later.

My main gripe is that there isn't really a good replacement for them (apart from Praetorian Cavalry, which are expensive and not realistic). The Auxilia ones are more expensive and not quite as 'good' - and its that sort of thing that has me puzzled.

There are a number of ways to achieve balance: playing with the unit stats; tweaking unit size within the 20-unit normal limit; as well as the buying costs (helping the AI recruit the right mix of units).

However, within a factions army it would seem sensible to have costs, and particularly the upkeep, more in line with what the unit has in its 'toolbag'.

It just doesn't seem right to have to make an 'odd' decision to not upgrade somewhere, because the unit is too useful; or make a decision based on costs/upkeep that makes more sense.

It may be a much larger question - but have the unit stats all been 'costed' somewhere? Buying costs need to be tweaked as necessary, but I'm sure the upkeep (certainly within the player faction) really should make sense.

[TheDarkKnight]

Don't disband them. Even an outdated legion is still worth having around.

[Ferdiad]

I use them as Border Garrisons.

[ricandy144]

What would you guys recommend the troop which can replace the Triarii after Imperial reform? Evocoti is not a good choice and will take me 12 turns or more to build the Crucia Hostillia in a certain city to have spearman unit.

[ur-Lord Tedric]

What would you guys recommend the troop which can replace the Triarii after Imperial reform? Evocoti is not a good choice and will take me 12 turns or more to build the Crucia Hostillia in a certain city to have spearman unit.

I've been thinking on this when it comes to 'trying' to have my armies somewhere near a historical composition. In my own play-testing campaign I took additional Allied Cohorts instead of Triarii (the whole army is Allied, rather than mixed) to Africa to invade Carthage and later have used later Client State troops (Salues Swordsman and Scordisi Infantry) before any later Auxiliaries can kick in.

So far this has been a reasonable success and the Vanilla-era time of needing Spearman to be useful, particularly as flank guards, against cavalry doesn't seem to be as needed; the cohorts stand up very well since all units have been beefed up, particularly on Guard-mode (their missile weapons are nice too).

With the post-Marian cohorts and the early legions, before the Curia Hostilia, you might just want to try your armies without Spearmen. If not, the Massalian ones are rather nice too.

[TheDarkKnight]

Pretty much any merc spear units will do, in my experience.