Campus Martius/Roman Fortress

[Roger Smith]

How come getting Allied Republican Cohorts is so easy compared to getting non-numbered legions, not to mention numbered ones? All you need is Client State Barracks 1, which is fairly quick to get as long as the settlement you capture is city level(which, I don't know about you guys, but they rarely are for me). For new players who aren't familiar with the recruitment system, that would discourage going much higher in the barracks building tree since they don't need to, then the reforms hit, and shazam! You can't recruit crap. Any answers appreciated.

[TheDarkKnight]

Probably because even lower level legions are capable of kicking the crap out of most if not all factions fairly easy. It has to take a while to get to imperial legions or else it'd be too easy.

[Roger Smith]

Probably because even lower level legions are capable of kicking the crap out of most if not all factions fairly easy. It has to take a while to get to imperial legions or else it'd be too easy.

I agree, you can pretty much steamroll any melee focused faction with them, but unless you get a lot of cities ready for the legions before the reforms, which most new players won't because they're unaware that they should, then you'll be sitting around for a while turtling to build barracks, depending on the pre-marian units you already have. Plus, in newly conquered regions, it can take (my guess) about 20-30 turns to be able to recruit them, what with Annexing/Client State, Regional Focus, Govt Det., Rations, Imports, Oppidiums, etc. And that's assuming it's already city level. Retraining wouldn't be very easy.

[RafoutRoud]

Probably because even lower level legions are capable of kicking the crap out of most if not all factions fairly easy. It has to take a while to get to imperial legions or else it'd be too easy.

Unless you play VH battle, in which case, imperial legions are just as big a sack as any other unit. Honestly, I get more use out of Arevaci spearmen or w/e.

[Antiochus_III]

I think its partly a reflection of the difficult process of reform and also to make a challenge for the player. The years just after the reform can be the hardest, with you being able to as you say not recruit squat. If you've developed your AORs however it shouldn't be to difficult! That's why it can be hard for players who rush the Reforms(disbanding stacks around Akragas and so forth)

[Roger Smith]

I think its partly a reflection of the difficult process of reform and also to make a challenge for the player. The years just after the reform can be the hardest, with you being able to as you say not recruit squat. If you've developed your AORs however it shouldn't be to difficult! That's why it can be hard for players who rush the Reforms(disbanding stacks around Akragas and so forth)

I've been trying to learn what I can about Roman history lately, but haven't read anything about the marian reforms being difficult for them. Someone care to shed some knowledge on me?

[ur-Lord Tedric]

I've been trying to learn what I can about Roman history lately, but haven't read anything about the marian reforms being difficult for them. Someone care to shed some knowledge on me?

We'll have to see what the Developer Team can confirm, but I think we just have to accept that there are limitations into what the game (which can't be changed) can support.

For you are quite right - to perhaps better reflect reality then when the Marian Reforms hit all your existing Polybian cohorts/Triarii would transform into the Generic Legion Cohort. However, that wouldn't be accurate for your Allied units - for those legions (post-Marian ones) were only recruited from Citizens. Either way, changing the units can't be done that way.

More, the expectation is that the player has continued to Romanise (certainly by the Reforms it should be all of Italy) - grant Citizenship to those Allied settlements. More, the settlements should be developed (Oppidum).

So, in summary, there are some limitations - but the RSII Team have: told the player what triggers the reforms; told the player what buildings do what and what is recruit-able before and after and what they need to build; and left it all in the players control.

If the player then doesn't use all that information - then that's rather up to them.

[Antiochus_III]

As ur_Lord Tedric says I think its meant to simulate in some way the Social problems of the 1st Century. With the serious lack of man power and also the Social wars to some extent. Thats why allied legions disappear and it takes a while for you to be able to recruit troops in their areas. If you have done things well you should be able to recruit non-named legions in Italy at least.

I am somewhat stingy with citizenship before the Marian Reforms. It's stupid I know! But it seems wrong to grant citizenship to the people who fought me 100 years earlier! I guess thats why I have such a hard time during this period.

[Bosje]

Actually, i think the reforms feel very very proper the way they are in 2.1a

as your influence spreads, more areas of italy become Roman while you start getting allied cohorts from your newly conquered provinces

when Capua, Tarentum, Arretium and Lilybeum can produce Polybian cohorts and triarii, your allied legions can be reinforced with troops from spain and north-africa. when the reforms hit, i am usually able to recruit generic legions from many of my starting cities while i have lots of allied legions running around.

well then, these allied units slowly die out, securing the funds i need to pay for two generic legions.

conquering new lands with these legions secure me the cash i need to pay for a couple of named and numbered legions. by that time, i retired all old polybians and allies, i have one or two generic legions and gradually i get more and more actualy named and numbered legions, as and when those areas get civitas and upgraded barracks

in my current campaign, i am fighting in macedon with the VII, VIII, X and early Preatorians.
i have 2 generic legions around Massilia and Emporia
Patavium/Segestica are defended by the XI and because i cant even spend all the gold i am making from my campaign in Greece, i am now recruiting Legio III in Africa and soon Legio IX in Spain.

all that's left is to add legio V and XIII and i am off to Gaul, whenever a properly suited young gun comes of age to lead a 5-legion assault there.

loving it