I'll probably fall for the most available option and go for WAB as my rule set for putting Romans on the Wargames table.
To that end I'm thinking on how best to represent the legion organisationally.
If I was to break the legion down to what to me seems like a nice, manageable 1:20 figure ratio, I'd come up with something like this:
Velites - 30-60 figures (depending on your source material!)
Principes - 60 Figures
Hastati - 60 figures
Triarii - 30 figures
Equites - 15 figures
Each group is divisible by three you'll note, so in terms of actual units, you could have:
Velites - 3x10/20 figures
Principes - 3x20 figures
Hastati - 3x20 figures
Triarii - 3x10 figures
Equites - 15 figures
That's between 225 and 255 figures. Not an unmanageable amount, I think.
This leaves out Italian Allies, Gallic Noble Cavalry and Gallic Warbands, of course. At this point in time I'm starting to think I may have to buy the WAB "Hannibal and the Punic Wars" supplement and perhaps even this one when it becomes available.
I ought at some stage do a points breakdown.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Hi Greg,
20 figures is a nice size for the units and seem about right to me. In fact, if you have them on a five man frontage using the standard WAB 20mm per figure base. at the 'old school' 1 inch = 10 yards, you have a forty yard frontage, which Tony Bath states is the correct frontage for a maniple. Now thats spooky!
The WAB supplement is worth having, albeit that it's a lot of money to pay for a glorified army list.
Hi Willum,
I've got some of their other supplements and like them for their pretty pictures and "fluff" as much as for the army lists themselves.
I have the "Armies of Antiquity" book and will use that for a rough cut on points this evening.
Your comments on frontage intrigue me! You're right - that's spooky indeed. And old school. What better combination?
Regards,
Greg
I think that even with my scaled down legion I'm looking down the barrell of 3000 points.
Hi Greg,
I agree about the pretty pictures and I have to say that the supplement for the Punic Wars is a pretty good introduction to the period.
You're probably right about the 3000 points, although there was changes made to the army set up in the Punic Wars supplement because it was realised that it was hard to create a realistic looking Roman army within 2000+ points. On the plus side the units you will have will look right and you will have enough of them to set them up in the correct chequer board formation. I hope you'll be posting pictures when their done because they are going to look good.
Regards,
Willum
The WAB supplement does effect the shape of your units. Because, as long as they are suporting each other in chequer board formations, you can get away with units only two ranks deep and around 12 figures in size. One of the things I don't like about WAB and Romans are these square units you have to have. This addressess the look of the thing and in a historically clever way. It's one of the best WAB supplements, in my opinion.
http://punicwarwab.blogspot.com/
I had a go at buying that book on the weekend - no stock my dealer says.
I'll have to wait, buy online or... wait.
I'm certainly looking forward to finding a copy.
Post a Comment