Reading Group--Caesar's Legion

[Rashak Mani]

Whats your definition of downhill ? Corruption ? Too much politics ?

I think the empire started some very big expansions of the empire. Is military sucess uphill ? I dont think it was the change to empire that started the downfall of Rome itself... many other factors.

 

[mmadsen]

Chapter XI -- The Battle of Pharsalus (continued)

They were easy enough to spot...they wore a transverse crest on their helmets. It made them easy to identify for their own men, and marked them as targets for the opposition. Centurions were the key to an army's success in battle.

Anyone here remember Battlestar Galactica? The evil robot soldiers, the Cylons, were silver. The "boss" Cylons were gold. They were the Cylon Centurions. My older brother's observation: "Cylons take one blaster hit to kill. Cylon Centurions take two." If you watch the show, it's true. Very d20, isn't it?

 

[mmadsen]

Chapter XI -- The Battle of Pharsalus (continued)

The 10th Legion's six tribunes were back between the lines. Young, rich, spoiled members of the Equestrian Order, few had the respect of the enlisted men. From later events it is likely that one of the 10th's tribunes, Gaius Avienus, had done nothing but complain since they set sail from Brindisi that Caesar had forced him to leave all his serants behind.

What's the point of officers again? Seriously, it's amazing how resilient the institution is, even though everyone knows centurions (i.e. sergeants) are the veterans who know what's going on.

 

[mmadsen]

Chapter XI -- The Battle of Pharsalus (continued)

...he [Labienus] led his German and Gallic cavalry around the perimeter of the fighting and charged toward the exposed flank and rear of the 10th Legion....Trumpets sounded, and the reserve cohorts of the fourth line suddenly jumped to their feet and dashed forward behind their standards, slamming into the unsuspecting cavalrymen before they even saw them.

Again, the movie practically writes itself -- and this does read like a movie script, doesn't it? Troops wait in hiding for the special signal, trumpets blare, and they crush the flanking cavalry!

The men of the reserve cohorts had been given explicit instructions not to throw their javelins but to use them instead like spears, thrusting them overarm up into the faces of the cavalrymen.

Doesn't Caesar know that using a javelin in melee incurs a -4 proficiency penalty?

According to Plutarch, Caesar said, when issuing the order for the tactic, "Those fine young dancers won't endure the steel shining in their eyes. They'll fly to save their handsome faces."

And so said the Orc general to his troops before the charge of the High Elf cavalry.

Now Caesar's shock troops mingled with the surprised Germans and Gauls at close quarters, pumping their javelins as instructed, taking out eyes, causing horrific facial injuries and fatalities with every stroke.

Gruesome!

The congested cavalry had come to a dead stop, compressed between the rear ranks of the 10th and the reserve cohorts. There were so many of them there was nowhere for the riders to go; they merely provided sitting targets for the men of the reserve cohorts as they swarmed among them.

As many as a thousand of Labienus's best cavalrymen were killed in this counterstroke.

A thousand cavalry killed in that one maneuver! The rest fled.

 

[Maldur]

Immediately you can see the merit of a enclosed helmet.

Its a very nasty image

 

[mmadsen]

Immediately you can see the merit of a enclosed helmet.
Its a very nasty image

Of course, if you ever wear an enclosed helmet outside while marching in the sun, you quickly see the merit of an open helmet: you don't suffocate. Suffocate, or get your eyes poke out -- what a gruesome choice to make!

 

[JoeGKushner]

With over 7 pages of posts, you've convinced me to order this. Curse you people! Stealing funds away from my d20 account.

 

[Maldur]

Joe, dont feel bad, its a great book.

The funny thing is everyone reading it picks up different things:

mmadsen quote the intresting passages
SHARK compares the legions to the marine corp
And I just throw in ( for me ) usefull observations about the subjects at hand.
Most other people give extra info, from outside sources. giving it a larger context.

I hope to read your ideas about the book soon.

 

[mmadsen]

With over 7 pages of posts, you've convinced me to order this.

My work here is done. Let's pack it up, boys!

Seriously though, I hope you enjoy it, and, like Maldur, I hope to hear your thoughts on it soon. I'll try to keep quoting the good stuff.

 

[SHARK]

Greetings!

Indeed, exposure of such a fine book, as well as exploring our learning and interpretations and applications of the book historically, and applied to D&D, is what this Reading Group Thread is all about! Welcome!

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK