Reading Group--Caesar's Legion

[Yuan-Ti]

I wrote a review of Caesar's Legion for Amazon, too! My review should be posted there any day now!

Shark, you should consider writing a review for RPG.net in which you relate how this book would be useful as campaign source material. I won't order you to do it, but someone else might.

 

[mmadsen]

Chapter III -- Savaging the Swiss

"How many days' rations do the men have left?"
"Two days' rations, Caesar."
"We march for Bibracte."

It's all about logistics, isn't it? Getting your men to the fight in condition to fight.

He had quickly marched the 10th Legion to Geneva, destroyed the Rhone bridge, then had his legionaries build a sixteen-foot earth wall for eighteen miles along the bank of the Rhone from Lake Geneva to the Jura Mountains.

Amazing. Anyone else getting ideas for dwarf legions?

His rank evidenced by the transverse crest of eagle feathers on his helmet, the metal greaves on his shins, and the fact that he wore his sword on his left hip rather than on the right like enlisted men.

I still love that.

Coming up the slope, with the hill above them thick with Roman legionaries and the air full of missiles, the Helvetian warriors instinctively raised their shields to protect themselves from the Roman javelins. This they quickly discovered, wasn't as easy as just blocking them. Forty years before, Consul Marius had introduced a revolutionary change to the design of Roman javelins; since his time, they had been manufactured with soft metal behind the point. Once the javelin struck anything, the weight of the shaft casused it to bend like a hockey stick where shaft and head joined. With its aerodynamic qualities destroyed, it couldn't be effectively thrown back. And if it lodged in a shield, it became extremely difficult to remove, as the Helvetii now found. What was worse, in their case, with their shields overlapping, javelins were going through several at a time, pinning them together.

I already know all about the Roman pilum, but I still love reading about it.

Finally the wagon laager was overrun by the legions. All the Helvetian worldly goods and all the tribe's supplies were captured, along with numerous noncombatants, including the children of nobility.

It's strange to think of families following armies around.

Apart from six thousand fighting men who slipped away at night and were rounded up by friendly tribes and put to death...

Note to self: Don't go AWOL in ancient Switzerland.

Ariovistus, king of Suebi Germans, had sent Caesar a message accepting an offer of a peace conference. But he had attached an unusual condition to the meeting -- both leaders were only to be accompanied by a bodyguard of mounted troops. this started Caesar thinking that perhaps the German had bribed members of the Roman general's Gallic cavalry to assassinate him on the way to or at the conference. To be on the safe side, Caesar ordered his cavalry to temporarily give up their horses, and mounted infantrymen of the 10th Legion in their place.

I'm not sure I'd find that believable in a movie or novel. Truth is stranger than fiction. Very cool though.

Then, from prisoners, Caesar learned that the Germans believed they would not win if they fought a major encounter before the new moon.

That's the kind of divination I'd like to see in D&D -- not finding secret doors.

Undaunted, men of the 10th brushed aside the spears and literally threw themselves on the front line of German shields. Some wrenched shields out of the hands of their owners. Others reached over the top of the shields and stabbed the points of their swords into German faces.

First, that's a cool battle scene. Second, from this and other snippets, it's clear that shields are very, very important -- more than a -10% to get hit, I'd think.

 

[Maldur]

Damn, My copy still isn't in yet.

Hope it gets here before you guys finish ( and you just might, if your this enthousiastic)

 

[mmadsen]

Hope it gets here before you guys finish (and you just might, if your this enthousiastic)

Don't worry too much, Maldur. Chapter III only takes us through page 23 -- and I'm only super gung-ho right now because I may not have ready net access in the next few days; I'll be traveling.

 

[SHARK]

Greetings!

I think it is interesting that reading through the passages, the Legionaires are all equipped to a much higher standard than you usually see in the Middle Ages. In the Middle Ages, remember, there is often just a small nucleus of armoured knights, supported by a mob of peasants armed with a spear, and wearing no armor, or leather at best.

The legionaires are quite different, though. The list of armor and shield, weapons, and equipment shows a very different capability and attitude towards fielding military forces. The legions are all lined up, armor gleaming in the sun, ready to launch a storm of javelins towards the enemy, and then close in for hand-to-hand combat! Damn, Caesar's Legion rocks!

Imagine the sense of pride in the different units, and their desire to compete with each other for glory upon the battlefield! Of course, the Romans also believed in decorations for valor! Being awarded a prestigious medal or granted some unusual priviledge is quite a different reward indeed as opposed to just another sack of gold!

Semper Fidelis.

SHARK

 

[SHARK]

Greetings!

Chapter II--Impatient For Glory

Page 7, Quote:
____________________________________________________

"Recruiting officers were soon bustling around the province, drafting thousands of young men from throughout Baetica, which roughly corresponded with the modern-day region of Andulasia. Within days, the recruits assembled at Cordoba. Following the pattern set by Pompey, Caesar gave the new legion the number ten. And Legio X was born.

For its emblem, the 10th took the bull, a symbol popular in Spain then as it is now. The bull emblem would appear on the shield of every man of the legion, and on the standards of the legion."
____________________________________________________
End Quote.

I find it interesting that it only took the recruiters a few days to recruit some 6000 men. That's raising armies for you! Imagine what the young recruits were thinking? Caesar seemed to have a particular skill in raising legions quickly.

I can see how these ideas would be very useful in the game. Powerful lords and influential leaders could sweep through the land, raising armies very quickly. The Leadership feat takes on a new sense of importance. Has anyone done an expansion of the leadership table? Forget raising a hundred or so soldiers! THOUSANDS is the way to get the job done!

The importance of the bull emblem becomes quite apparent with some thought. The emblem would serve as a symbol of inspiration and courage. Can you visualise the bull symbol flapping in the breeze from the banners? Or carefully inscribed on their shields? Damn, that's got to be very cool, you know?

I can see developing special magical properties for unit banners and standards, that provide general magical powers, but also some unique properties from the specific emblem. For example:

Bull: Provides Bull's Strength 3/day to all allied soldiers within 1000 yards of the enchanted banner.

The Bull standard, crafted from gold, and inlaid with rubies, allows all allied soldiers within 1000 yards to make use of the feat "Bull Rush" up to 3/day.

Very cool!

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

 

[Skarp Hedin]

Imagine what the young recruits were thinking?

Probably something like this (if I remember my Roman history properly):

"Whoa! Citizenship -and- land ownership? Sign me up!"

One reason (among many), I've always felt, that the Romans were able to mount large armies is that their benefits of service were very good, especially when compared to the plight of a non-soldier plebian. Extended rights (citizenship) and the promise (not always fulfilled) of future land ownership.

Pre-Augustan period's never been a big subject of study for me, though, so I may be misremembering.

 

[LostSoul]

Re: Chapter II -- Impatient for Glory

[B"After tough training and daily arms and formation drill, they were capable of marching twenty-five miles a day with a pack weighing up to a hundred pounds on their back."[/B]

That's an 18 Strength, if you follow the Carrying Capacity and Overland Movement tables.

 

[Reprisal]

Hey all,

Just bought the book today, and from what I've read so far...

I'll obviously have some catching up to do, but I'll keep my eye on this thread.

 

[Maldur]

I got mine.

Very nicely written, finaly a history book which is actually readable.

Im amazed (again, I already knew this) that legions build a palisade and moat camp every day! Its like rebuilding a village every day, for months on end. Thats an amazing degree of disipline (and paranoia).
How did they do this when traveling through the empire itself?

But was Ceasar a general or a politician? He knows his job as a army commander, but isn't his motivation power in politics?

thx Shark for suggesting this book.