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"Auxilia in Your Roman Armies" Topic


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Comments or corrections?

Yesthatphil04 Mar 2015 4:10 a.m. PST

I suspect most of us try to use historical proportions rather than min/max for best effect …

These days, of course, the differences between legionary and auxiliary heavy infantry are diminishing anyway (historically it seems more about citizenship than battlefield role …) ..

Phil

Jamesonsafari04 Mar 2015 4:39 a.m. PST

It would appear from the poll results that most are min-maxing.

My reading tells me that auxilia should be AT LEAST 50% and from an analysis of their equipment they did have a different battlefield role.

The legionaries in segmented armour and curved scutum are optimized for close rank sword work. The auxilia with the oval shields, javelins and more flexible chain are more general purpose.

Which too me explains why chain armour for legionaries persisted even though the segmented armour was supposedly faster/cheaper to produce.

James

Winston Smith04 Mar 2015 5:01 a.m. PST

The premise of the poll is faulty. I hate the Romans.

Yesthatphil04 Mar 2015 5:27 a.m. PST

Maybe I misread the question wink I answered what looked like a question about the heavy infantry (legionaries) … where my ratio is 50/50 … As a proportion of the whole army it therefore becomes less.

Of course, if the question meant auxiliaries of all types vs citizens as a proportion of the whole force, it would go back up again, indeed, over 50%.

With regard to form and function within the heavy infantry, I follow Sabin and Goldsworthy … the differences in appearance are because of the strong tradition in the Roman army … there is precious little difference in function attested in contemporary sources (and what there is can be put down to auxiliaries getting the dirty jobs – because they aren't citizens … and no Roman commander can risk having to account for the loss of precious citizen legionaries …) ..

Phil

Yesthatphil04 Mar 2015 5:28 a.m. PST

PS +1 to John … I have lots of Romans but no special love for them. Imperialists are Imperialists wink

Phil

Personal logo x42brown Supporting Member of TMP04 Mar 2015 6:24 a.m. PST

Both my 15mm armies have exactly 50% of the infantry auxiliaries but my 28mm one is all legionary.

x42

Personal logo McKinstry Supporting Member of TMP Fezian04 Mar 2015 9:12 a.m. PST

I only consider auxila to be the non-legionnaire line infantry and the are usually on a 1:1 basis with the legionnaires. The cavalry, bows, skirmishers and anyone else are about 25%.

Micman Supporting Member of TMP04 Mar 2015 3:31 p.m. PST

Since I only have DBA Roman armies it is whatever is allowed by the list. Some are 50/50 and some are all legion

Martin Rapier05 Mar 2015 4:01 a.m. PST

I go for historical proportions, but as I have both Republican and Imperial Roman armies, the proportion varies quite considerably. Overall it is somewhere around 35%, but actual Auxilia are more of an Imperial thing.

Strange timing as I've just finished some more Auxilia, including some western auxiliary archers.

Frederick Supporting Member of TMP05 Mar 2015 6:45 a.m. PST

My Roman army is 50:50 but that is recent – oddly enough, for a long time it was 80% auxillia, probably because I like painting them – I now have many ranks of steady legionaries to hold the line

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