"Who should your first Roman Army be?" Topic

I always thought mine was gonna be Marian Caesarian. Get to fight the Celts, Germans, other Romans, Parthians, Pontics, etc…

But now I'm collecting Carthaginians, so looks like it will be Punic War after all these years!

Which would you rec' to someone as a first army to collect?

Roman Republic before Marius. Lots of options and covered well by several lines out there. Aventine being the best of the lastest age 25/28mm these days.
VR
James Mattes

Republic

I started with Early Imperial but now have Republican as well. I would go with Replublican since the variety of enemies is much more interesting.

Pre- or Post- Marian. I like Pre- slightly better, just because it's less uniform – I want some triarii, etc. Either way you have lots of lovely opponents.

Doug

Uhh… Roman…?

Is there more than one? I really don't know…

EIR

Roman army? Collections? Where to start? Yes. My Dad and I have a 15mm Roman army which is capable of fighting from EIR through 1453 and the end of the Eastern Roman Empire. It is a fairly huge army.

Unleash Hell!

Aurelianic Roman.

If you have done carthaginian, you would want polybian roman to fight them. However, many of the Carthaginian foreign troops ( celtic cav, spanish scutarii, skirmishers, numidian light horse, ligurians, and even elephants) can be used for Marian Romans. I did a Marian army and realised than with the auxiliaries, I was just a few units short of a carthaginian army. This led me to paint up a load of Gallic warband, which led me to a full Gallic army…..

Marian Roman troops can be used well into the Imperial era, certainly into the conquest of Britain.

Phil

Late Republic captures my imagination the most, but pre-Marian has got the most varied and interesting enemies to game with.

Caesar, I would have thought you would go with Marian….

Romans???
Baaah! >ptui<

Holy

Was the Republic version the one that fought against Spartacus?

Yes. Crassus and that late comer Pompey put down the Spartacus revolt.

I vote Late Republican/Marian/Caesarian for sheer variety of opponents, and from what I've read the distinctions in armour and weapons between hastati Princepes and Triarii had pretty much disappeared by the Third Punic War and the wars against the Successor kingdoms. So a late Republican army would be verysuitable for those campaigns too.

I kinda backed into collecting a Roman army as an expansion from dark ages gaming. I wanted to play games involving a possible Arthur as Dux Bellorum Brittanica. At least I think that's what the title was. So late Imperial, I think.
Not sure that's what I'd recommend.

Romans???
Baaah! >ptui<

You have to have somebody for all those other nice armies to stomp on, don't you?

Doug

I think it depends on your personal taste. The Republic and Empire lasted over a millennium. The Byzantines and Papal states armies are even arguably "Roman," although I doubt they're what you had in mind. The real question is what do you want in an army? Lots of regular infantry? Cavalry? A large pool of allied troops? Barbarian mercenaries?

My first was Late Imperial, which I spent a lot of money fleshing out as an Eastern army!

Ive come to the conclusion Punic (Polybian) gives the best range of opponents.