Romans

Rome was a vast empire that started out in modern-day Italy and had control over the entire Mediterranean by the end of its reign. The Romans relied on conquering territory in order to maintain their economy and sustainability and were known for defeating Carthage, Greece and the as well as controlling modern-day Spain and Egypt. Probably one of the strongest and most organised army to ever exist, the Romans relied on a diverse set of strategies to out-maneuver their opponent.

## The Roman Legionnaire

The Roman Legionnaire was the heart of the army and Rome's main driving force. These Soldiers were Heavy-Infantry and relied on teamwork and coordination to defeat the opponent's front line. An individual Roman soldier was not trained to fight one on one and was, therefore, useless in that scenario, however, they were trained to combine with their ally troops to create a mass wall of shields that was almost impossible to break through.

## Legionnaire Equipment

Each soldier carried 20-25 Kg of equipment. This equipment varied from weapons to rations and building supplies.

### Pilum (2 - 5 Kgs)

The Pilum is a javelin used to kill an enemy at medium to short range. Often Romans carried two of these as one would be thrown before impact. The Pilums were used to stick out from under the wall of shields to deliver a blow to the enemy while undercover. These javelins were cleverly designed so that when it is thrown and it hits and shield, the end of the shaft will bend on impact stopping the enemy from picking it up and throwing it back. When a Pilum hits a shield, it sticks to it causing the shield bearer to feel very uncomfortable, unbalanced and sometimes caused them to drop the shield.

### Scutum (10 Kgs)

The Scutum is a rectangular shield that was curved to form a protective barrier around the bearer. The Romans used these to form a wall of shields making an almost impenetrable barricade while they attacked with their Pilums from safety. These shields were made from two thin pieces of wood, as long as the fibres on each wood and travelling in a different direction, the shield will not break on impact. These two pieces of wood were glued together and had a strip of leather at the front to prevent further damage.

### Gladius (0.7 - 1 Kgs)

The Gladius is a short sword made with an iron blade and a wooden hilt. These swords were extremely light and were favoured by the Romans at close range. When the Pilum becomes obsolete at close range, a Roman soldier will whip out his Gladius to deliver a blow.

### Lorica Segmentata (6 - 7 Kgs)

Lorica Segmentata is the armour that the Romans would wear to battle. This plated armour was much stronger than chainmail and kept the weight at a realistic 6 Kgs. This armour was made out of iron and had a metal strap that hung over the wearer's crotch called a Baltea, this was designed to protect the soldier's genital but also to make a sharp sound when walking to intimidate the enemy.

### Sarcina (3 - 5 Kgs)

Sarcina is a large pack containing cooking supplies, rations, a mess tin and a netted object.

## Sagittarius

The Sagittarii (plural) were the archers of the Roman Army. These Ranged Soldiers were known to rain arrows down on their opponents eliminating a mass amount of soldiers with one attack. Two thirds of all Sagittarii were on foot and one third were on horse-back. Mounted archers were necessary to winning the battles fought in the East.

## Sagittarii Equipment

### Roman Composite Bow

The Roman Composite Bow is a ranged weapon made from a single piece of wood. These bows usually have around 25 - 35 Kgs of pulling power and could fire an arrow over 200m. This weapon had the ability to killing an enemy soldier at range making it vital for warfare on structural plains. Group of these have the ability to rain terror on their enemies form above, keeping pressure on them as well as weakening them while the ally foot soldiers take them out.

## Testudo

The Testudo is the latin word for 'tortoise' which describes the legionnaire formation created by the Romans. This formation involves a line of soldiers with their shields together in the front creating an impenetrable wall, then another line of soldiers hold their shields above their heads creating a roof. There will be multiple lines of soldiers holding their shields above their heads, by doing so, volleys of arrows are unable to hit the legionnaires from above. This strategy heavily protects the soldiers meaning they can deliver blows from undercover.

## Seige Weapons

### Onager Catapult

The Catapult is a large rock-launching mechanism of destruction, able to decimate fortresses from long range. Catapults were used to destroy walls at an effective range of 400m but could launch a projectile around 700m. This catapult originated at around 400BC after excessive attempts to create a giant, powerful crossbow.

### Ballista

The Ballista is a giant, powerful crossbow that could fling large arrows or rocks over 400m. This siege weapon could penetrate through the helms and break the shields of enemy infantry causing them to be unprotected and leaving them exposed for an attack. This weapon sparked the design of the much smaller Scorpio.

### Scorpio

The Scorpio was one of the best ranged weapons ever created and was used extensively in Structural Plain combat. The Scorpion was basically a crossbow on a stand and can be pivoted easily allowing for accurate attacks. This weapon can be used in two different ways, parabolically or precisely. In parabolic shooting, the effective distance was 100m and could shoot three to four arrows per second allowing the user to mow down lines of Light Soldiers. In precise shooting, the range extended to 400m but the fire rate was considerably less.