Hence, you will never have a large character in the dead center. Position of a character within a unit not only determines the number of attacks and amount of damage dealt, but also the type of attack performed by some characters. Place a Paladin in the front and he will slice into the opposition, but if he is in the back row he will heal his wounded comrades. Because of this, oftentimes getting attacked from behind can create a severe disadvantage. About half way through the game, some of your characters gain the ability to command legions.
Legions are basically two to five units all linked up together, traveling in formation.
The number of units that can be in a legion depend on the number of soldiers in the leader's unit. Legions gain the benefit of supportive attacks, but become much slower, and force the units to remain together. It is my opinion that legions sound a lot more beneficial than they turn out to be in practice, and as a result, I almost never use them. The important thing to note about the combat is that it occurs automatically once two opposing units engage. The order of actions is based upon the agility of the participants, and the characters choose whom to target based upon the general battle strategy they have been assigned.