"Most interesting Roman army from wargames point" Topic

So what's the opinion about the most interesting roman army from wargamers point: which had the most different opponents, the worst ennemies, the best army, the nicest dress to paint, the best battles to recreate, the most inspiring generals etc etc.
BeforeI forget, of course, the most available figure range is also a point.

Republican Roman has got the most variety in opponents.

IMHO EIRs tick all the boxes with its stereotypical look and a huge range of enemies to fight against including other Romans.

Aventine is simply the best range of 28mm Romans available on the market.

Raglan

Republican Roman, around the end of the third, beginning of the second century BC. Carthaginians, Gauls, Italians, Macedonians, Successors, Spaniards. Great!

Mollinary

IMHO,from early Repubilcan to late Roman. Alot of enemies to go around and different fighting styles with the Legions! Mike

Middle Imperial/Aurelianic … still fundamentally Roman but gets to fight against all the stylish opponents

I like EIR (the only Romans I have), for the reasons stated previously above. Although that said, I've had numerous enjoyable games in the past pitting my Successors against my buddy's Rep. Romans. Dean

EIR. They fight everyone. Including themselves.

Late Republic Romans as they can fight each other when no other enemy is on hand.

VR
James Mattes

Twilight of the West I like my Roman armies German

Mollinary is spot on … The "middle" Republican Roman army offers the most interesting array of opponents.

Although I have 2 Caesarian Roman armies, a large EIR army and the start of an early Roman army, by far the most fequently used army I own is the Middle/Polybian Republican Romans … Mostly beacuse of the wide variety of cool historical enemies.

Mike B

Goths aren't cool enemies? or Hunz?

I like the Late Roman army from about 300AD to 410AD. It is still powerful, but not quite the world beater as it was in days of yore.

My second choice would be for the Punic Wars era.

Macedonian and Punic Wars.

I'm collecting them all, but have a real soft spot for Middle Imperial; they have everything the Early Imperials have, but blingier. And plenty of competant foes…

My favorite period in Roman military history is the Late Republic. Armies are built around tough-as-nails professional legionaries, leavened with a wide assortment of interesting allies and mercenary auxiliaries.

Foes include Numidians, Celtiberians, Gauls, Germans, Britons, Pontics, Armenians, Parthians, Cilician pirates, Ptolemaic Egyptians, revolting slaves and allies, and of course other Romans!

The personalities involved are some of the biggest in history, including Marius, Sulla, Crassus, Pompey, Caesar, Brutus, Cassius, Antony and Octavian, not to mention Jugurtha, Mithridates VI, Tigranes, Spartacus, Ariovistus, Cassivellaunus, Vercingetorix, Surena, and Cleopatra.

Naturally, YMMV. In the end, it is very much a matter of personal interest and preference.

I think the Late Roman army is the most interesting to play. While the opponents are not as diverse as some of the earlier ones, as noted, the army itself is much more diverse. You have a variety of cavalry that can be fielded and your infantry can range from some crappy levy subject allies to some pretty tough foot guard.

For sheer variety of shield patterns and uniforms, you would have to go Late Roman period. I prefer Trajanic period myself but have to admit that you don't get much in the way of variety in this period. The Late Period gives you all the barbarian European and Asian armies to fight as well as the Middle Eastern armies. You could also do a what if against one of the Chinese armies.

For inspiration, Trajan or Caesar I would fit the bill…. Aetius was pretty inspirational too, though. If you count Byzantium as being Roman (they sure thought of themselves as such!), Belizarian period is really tough to beat.

Late Roman has the advantage of a wide variety of troop types and particularly good cavalry. Also it has interesting enemies as doe mid republican. Imperial, early and mid is oo dominated by legionaries nd has less in the way of interesting enemies.

Middle Imperial Roman. Coping with the 3rd Century crisis and an army and Roman world in transition. Most fascinating.

I agree with Lord Raglan

IMHO EIRs tick all the boxes with its stereotypical look and a huge range of enemies to fight against including other Romans.

IMHO I do like Foundry EIR figures

I'm biased but Late Roman by a wide margin. Innumerable enemies that are 'almost' the same quality as the Roman troops.
Emphasis shifting from infantry to cavalry.
Excellent figure ranges in a variey of scales.
No longer the 'uber' army but still packing a good punch if you play it right.

Personally I find the guys who built the Roman Empire the most inspiring – so early Republicans (Pyrrhus and the Macedonian and Punic Wars) and late Republicans (Caesar, Pompey, Crassus, Brutus figthing Gauls, Parthians, Numidians, Macedonians, Germans, and each other).

Early through late republic have lots of opponents, including each other – Marius, Sulla, Sertorius, Ceasar Pompey, etc. Later Romans vs Huns, Goths, Sassanids, and each other also very interesting into the Byzantine periods. The EIR and Mid Imperial period has Dacians, the Palmyran thing, and holding the boundaries of the empire against Germans and Goths. I have Rep Romans and Late Romans, but no EIR. The Aventine figs are terrific, but I don't have as much interest in that period. Maybe I don't know as much about the history of that period. What campaigns and adversaries did they have?

Syagrian Roman

My own concoction, based on research into the hypothetical state of of the military in the enclave of Syagrius in the late 4th century. A mixture of a few good units (residual legions) plus indifferent garrison troops and raw recruits. Interesting mix.

Based on Procopius' description of Western 'Roman' units in the 6th century, plus some educated guesswork and archaeology – continued military occupation of Roman fort of Le Yaudet in Brittany for example.