Eagle standard?

[Archer of Sparta]

I've always wondered, what is this whole eagle thing?

[Scutarii]

The Roman Eagles give morale bonuses to nearby friendly troops when in a Roman First Cohort. When a foreign faction captures one, it is taken to a nearby city, and kept there. The Romans will then relentlessly siege that city in an attempt to get it back.

[Archer of Sparta]

I see. And if the foreign faction takes the eagle does that give them morale boosts for them too? Or does it just make the city special?

[The Good]

Posted by Archer of Sparta:
I see. And if the foreign faction takes the eagle does that give them morale boosts for them too? Or does it just make the city special?

I don't think you get a morale bonus, but I think the Romans lose morale because you captured their Eagle Standard.

[Prof]

doesn't a unit that captured an eagle in a battle get it?

I once fought a groupd of rebels, which had defeated some ally romans and a militia unit of them had an eagle (unmodded Rome)

[kkbob33]

that would be great if thw winner did get it! i didnt know if u lost an eagle that the enemy would keep it in a city LOL

[Scutarii]

I'm pretty sure a nearby city gets it, I guess if a Rebel army in enemy territory might keep it because they don't have any cities nearby.

Anyway, my post is at least correct in BI. Although I thought they same thing happened in RTW... Oh well, maybe I'm wrong. But if you do capture one I'm sure the Romans will have some sort of 'vendetta' against you. Don't expect any ceasefire offerings!

[Wolf-RTG]

Nothing happens to the eagle in RTW from what I know it justs gives nearby troops morale bonus, but I am 100% sure that the enemy cannot capture it.

[piranha45]

in Barbarian Invasion, you actually capture the eagle and hold it in the nearest city, whereupon you receive the message that you have the eagle and that the romans will theoretically try to reclaim it at all costs (but the AI didn't bother in my case, lol!). It does not seem to confer any bonus of any kind to your faction...

i recently wiped out a First Legion in RTW vanilla, and did not claim an eagle, so I guess you can't.

[68 Powers]

For the Romans, The eagle gives a moral bonus.

For the men who capture the eagel. They will give te loser a nasty reputation and will get a good traited that gives moral bonus and command stars and they nerby city will occupy the city and will become the main target for roman armies

[zznɟ ǝɥʇ]

And you can read a community newsletter every few weeks on the TW sections of the website with the same name

[Xavier Dragnesi]

In the real Marius reform, Marius used the Silver Eagles as signalling devices and rallying points for the illiterate lower-class Romans in his legions. There was one eagle for each cohort, and it told the soldiers in that cohort where to go in case they were separated. The loss of an eagle to the enemy signified one of the worst things the standard bearer could do.
In the unmodded game Rome: Total War, the Eagles act like some sort of general for the unit it's in. They give morale to the men and keeps then willing to fight, yet the loss of ones reduced the morale of that unit, just like if a general dies. I don't know if it can be captured though, nor if it can be taken back.

[J@mes]

sorry please give me more information on the Eagle i know it where Roman military ensigns but where is it in the game? SPQR? i remember once along time a go the Senate gave me a legion of units with this Eagle but i do not remember what i did to earn this honor and never had it since.

[Xavier Dragnesi]

I think the way it works is that the 1st Legionary Cohort holds the standard, yet the only place you can train a 1st Legionary Cohort is in Rome. So the Senate might give you a 1st Legionary Cohort as a reward for doing a mission or something. But once you conquer Rome, I think you can make your own.

[J@mes]

thanks

[Double A]

What does it do? What happens when the unit carrying it gets pwned? And why does the unit get a subtitle? Just wondering because never got far enough in campaign to find out! (I got bored)

[Xavier Dragnesi]

There's already a thread for this. It's here: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=85424

[Double A]

I already did and it was toooooooo confusing

[Xavier Dragnesi]

Well this is what happened historically. Gaius Marius came along to reform the Roman legions. He made the army into cohorts instead of the old "hastati, principe, triarii' mode. And he recruited men from the Roman Head Count, i.e. lower class people into the army. The problem with these Head Count was that many of them couldn't read and write, so Marius had to think up a method so that the soldiers knew what to do. So from each legion, he chose the smartest man in it, and gave him a silver eagle. Then, everyone in the army just had to follow the eagle to know where to go, and it was also a good rallying point.
In the game, the eagle is sort of like a "second general". It comes with the 1st Legionary Cohort, which can only be recruited in the city of Rome. The eagles boost the morale and fighting energy of the soldiers in the army, and makes them less liable to rout. If a legionary eagle is lost when you lose a battle, you will receive a report that tells you that it's gone, and where your enemy is taken it. Then you must try to get it back, otherwise the fighting ability of that particular army will be seriously diminished.

[Double A]

Ouch.