Roman Battle Manual

## Overview

This manual
displays all the formations, tactics, and command that all Roman soldiers
should know for legionary combat.  The manual will be updated with new segments
as new tactics are integrated.  **The two current strategies used**
by Rome are the Northern Infigens and the Tatum Silva.**Below**
are the four soldier classes which should be known by everyone.

**Legionary:** Basic Roman soldiers who wield 2h weapons.  Their purpose is to deal as
much damage as possible and there are no level requirements to be one.

**Sentinel:** Heavily armored tank soldiers who lead combat formations.  They are put
upfront to absorb the initial impact of the enemy with their shields.  All
Sentinels must have at least 50 defense, and there are generally never more
than four in formation.  The uniform consists of full rune(H5) with a
kiteshield and rune sword.

**Ranger:** Rangers must be highly proficient in ranged or mage.  No melee skills are
required of them and their job is often to scout the battlefield for enemy
occupation or back up formations.  In some cases, if a primarily ranged
assault is expected, Ranger units will move directly behind the Sentinels to
provide offensive fire.  Rangers will most commonly be found in the last
row of formations behind Legionaries.

**Ante Hastam:** The special forces unit of the Roman Army.  Ante Hastam are the
most powerful soldiers of Rome who are adept in all combat styles and have
memorized the Roman fighting tactics.  They often are used for ambushes or
scouting and should be able to engage multiple enemies at once.

### FM 1-1 (Northeast Defensor)

**(Antique)** The Northeast Defensor was for
years the most favorable battlefield position of the Roman army. It is assumed
when Rome receives the "ND" command when the war begins. Upon the
battle beginning, all Romans shall swiftly move to the northeast corner of the
map where four Legionaries will form walls of defense on each of the two narrow
lava straits, thus closing off a fair sized area. As the legionaries take up
defensive position on the straits, Ranger units will take up tactical positions
in the protected area to provide fire support and to defend against oncoming
assaults. The Legionaries shall defend the line they are holding, or die
honorably on the field of battle. Never for any reason shall a legionary depart
from the line of defense. If the enemy retreats, the Legionaries protecting
their line shall hold position and not pursue the enemy. That will break
contact and stay near or directly at the post they were assigned. As necessary,
Ranger units may approach the line of defense to assist the Legionaries with
combat against hostile range and mage units, but they too will never depart
from the defended area.

### FM 1-2 (Southeast Defensor)

**(Antique)** The Southeast Defensor is similar
to the Northeast Defensor, but will be assumed when Rome receives the southern
portal for clan wars and the "SD" order is given.  As soon as
the battle begins, all soldiers will rush to the southeast of the map and
assume defensive position easily defended by pools of lava and rocks.
 Four Legionaries will defend the two main areas of entrance and the
Rangers will stand in the protected area behind them.  Never will any
Legionaries pursue the enemy if they retreat and never for any reason may a
soldier pass the red flag north of the defense zone.

### FM 1-3 (Northern Infigens)

**(MODERN)**The Northern Infigens (impaler) is the primary
Northern position currently used by Rome. It should automatically be assumed
when the battle starts unless ordered otherwise.  In this formation, the Legionaries will pile onto one dot east of the jail where they are completely
protected by mage/range fire until the enemy is within melee range of them.The

The Northern Infigens

Rangers
will take up a similar stance behind the Legionaries to provide firepower and
remain protected from melee attacks. Additionally, hidden in a nearby hollow
protected on 3 sides, 3 Ante Hastam will be ready to flank the enemy once they
have made contact with the Legionaries.  Should the enemy come from the
center of the map rather than the South, the Ante Hastam will move swiftly into
the piled legion and act as normal soldiers.  If the enemy tries to lure
the Roman Army out of position, Rangers and Ante Hastam may engage the enemy
for a short time, but must attempt to draw them back to where our Legionaries
will have maximum protection.  If the command "Anullo" is given,
the Legionaries and all Roman soldiers are free to charge the enemy in furious
combat.  The graphic below shows the positions of each Roman element as
well as the possible enemy routes.

### FM 1-4 (Tatum Silva)

**(MODERN)**The Tatum Silva
(Protected Forest) is the primary southern formation used by the Roman Army.
 The formation is quite simple and involves all units piling onto a single
dot in a specific area protected by trees.  The location of this formation
is the most protected on the entire battlefield and provides the best
visibility from a protected location.  While standing on the location
specified in the graphic below, no enemy will be able to attack Rome until they
are within melee range of us.  The tight spacing and protection allows
Rome to swiftly pile and destroy the enemy. Although not generally deemed
necessary, the "Anullo" command may be used with this formation.

The Tatum Silva

### FM 2-1 (Basic Legionary Formation)

The
Basic Legionary Formation consists of a four man Sentinel front, filled in by
any number of Legionaries, and then backed up by Ranger's in the last row. It
is used exclusively in free-for-all clan wars as the terrain is more open than
in purple portal wars.  This formation is executed when the Legion
Commander shouts a command that begins with "FORM" and ends with a
direction such as North, East, South, or West (Ex: Form North!).  When the
command is given, four Sentinels will rush to the front of the formation in the
direction which the commander orders.  There will NEVER be more than four
sentinels at the front of the formation.  Behind the sentinels, the
legionaries will fill in to make a rectangular formation which will be fronted
by the sentinels.  At the very back of the formation in the last row,
ranger units will line up in a a stacked row of four.  This is a formation
which expects a head-on coalition of melee based soldiers.  See diagram
below for a visual expla