Roman Field Manual

## Introduction

This manual covers the operational functions of each branch of the Roman military and walks through Roman strategies as well as tactics.

### FM 1: Branches of the Roman Military

#### FM1.1: Infantry

Infantry soldiers wield two handed melee weapons and are the primary source of AOE damage in the Roman army. Abilities like cleave, hurricane, and quake are top priority for infantry soldiers as they can devastate groups of enemies. These abilities should be used frequently, and infantry soldiers should stack on top of each other while engaging enemies to concentrate damage and confuse the enemy.

#### FM1.2: Armor

Armor soldiers do not get the glory or kills of other branches, but play a critical role in absorbing damage so other units don't have to. These soldiers fight along-side infantrymen and use abilities like provoke to draw attention away from their comrades in conjunction with damage blocking abilities to stay in the fight and draw fire as long as possible. Armor troops can stack on top of infantry troops to make a powerful combination of offense and defense.

#### FM1.4: Artillery

Powerful magic wielders, artillery troops tear melee troops to pieces from afar with their AOE attacks like dragonsbreath, chain, and tsunami as well as stunning attacks like impact and asphyxiate. Artillery units should keep separation from infantry to avoid unneeded damage, but mobility is not as necessary as with cavalry. Some artillery troops may also use binding abilities to throw off enemy melee soldiers advancing on their position.

### FM 2: Tactics

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#### FM2.1: Melee Tactics

When starting a battle, melee soldiers (Infantry and armor) will all pile on top of the Commander of War or Emperor depending on who is designated to lead the melee assault. Once in defensive position, the infantry soldiers will attack the lowest level troops, quickly thinning the numbers, and armor soldiers will attack the highest level opponents to draw their damage away from the rest of the Roman forces. IT IS VITAL that armorers do not stack onto one enemy. Each armor unit should focus on their own high level opponent, with the commander of armor taking on the highest level, and descending in order to match up with the second, third, and fourth highest level enemies. This way all high level enemies will be occupied until infantry finishes off the lower levels and can destroy the remaining high ones with ease.

#### FM2.2: Cavalry Tactics

When starting a battle, cav units should split up into individuals or groups of two and scout the map for enemy locations. Depending on the orders of the Commander of War, cavalry will either lure the enemy back to a Roman defense or simply report back and take up an ambush position to flank. Once the rest of Rome's forces have made contact with the enemy, cavalry will fall in with Artillery and do as much damage as possible to enemy forces. Cavalry soldiers are also responsible for chasing down enemy troops who attempt to flee from the Roman defense after the battle has been initiated.

#### FM2.3: Artillery Tactics

Artillery is primarily a DPS role and therefore follows infantry and armor to set up initial defensive positions. Artillery will then secure themselves in an area behind melee troops at a distance far enough to not be hit by enemy swords, but not so far that they cannot cover melee units from range and mage fire. This location will be predetermined on most defensive setups. Artillery should not chase down fleeing enemies and will stick strictly to providing fire support for Rome's melee forces.

### FM 3: Roman Battle Strategy

FM3.1: Northern Infigens

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, infantry and armor will pile onto one dot east of the jail where they are completely protected by artillery fire until the enemy is within melee range of them.

Cavalry will set up position hidden in a nearby hollow protected on 3 sides and will be ready to flank the enemy once they have made contact with the rest of the defensive forces.  Should the enemy come from the center of the map rather than the South, cavalry will move swiftly into the piled legion and act as normal soldiers.  If the enemy tries to lure the Roman army out of position, cavalry troops may engage the enemy but must attempt to draw them back to where our legion will have maximum protection.  If the command "Anullo" is given, 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.

FM3.2: Tatum Silva

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.