Sahran said:
Regarding the Sassies, I know the wargaming books I sent don't provide for any armored infantry but I think in the fashion of other's depicting the Sassanids we should allow for some heavier foot:
Well there was some material that you sent which did have illustrations suggesting they had heavy infantry.
Your concepts are fairly precise in terms of balance, though there is one thing you haven't mentioned.. elephants.
As it stands, I think this is about the approx of what i'm intending:
Sassanids - Elephants, cataphracts (and archer variant), heavy mailed infantry making up the core of the elite units, with catas being most numerous among those. Beyond that would be some mounterd archers, foot archers, light infantry and perhaps slingers. Those would constitute perhaps 50-60% of the unit.
Palmyrene - Cataphracts and imitation legionaries constituting the core elite. Beyond that some horse archers, good foot archers, then a motley crew of various light infantry types.
All accounts praise their quality of cataphracts, which would be their strong point.
I'm taking a shot in the dark with the "imitation" legionaries, or using legionaries in name, but it seems unreasonable not to have them. Though they would not be on numerical par with traditional roman numbers.
The evidence against them comes from the incursion of Aurelian recapturing the Palmyrene provinces, suggesting that Palmyrene infantry was of poor quality, and their cavalry being superb. Though the text I read does not suggest they didn't have any, and perhaps judged the quality of their infantry on a broader scale.
Others cite a legion which attacked and looted rebelling Palmyrene cities,
Gallica III iirc, as a source against. However that only accounts for 1 legion, where the area under influence of Palmyrene control at it's max would have had a considerable amount of legions at it's disposal.
And I find it absolutely silly where legions on a massive scale defected when the Gallic Empire split from Rome, and to suggest that no legions in the eastern provinces would have defected with the Palmyrene rebellion is quite unreasonable.
Just as well Palmyrene Empire was not some unknown upstart. Just a year earlier of the period of the mod Odenathus, when he was still alive, had at disposal all of the eastern legions, which he used to great effect. An established rapport with the legions, and the fact that aside from Odenathus being dead (his wife causing and son inheriting the defecting empire) , the command structure out of Palmyra which issued orders to legions was still in place.
Barbarians - Heavy mail nobles and retainers making up the elite cavalry and infantry. Beyond that, and making up the bulk of the army would be lighter spearmen, axemen, swordsmen. for the eastern barbs some horse archers and lancers.
Roman Empire - Quality infantry making up the bulk. Legionaries, and Legio Lanciarii. A very small portion of Clibinarii making up the cavalry force, as according to accounts in 250 A.D. there was a unit stationed in Moesia. The great majority of cavalry would be less armored though.
Spearmen and eastern archer auxilia.
Gallic Empire - Essentially the same roster as Rome, save no Clibinarii. I'll probably have a higher quantity of Frankish cavalry in place of Clibinarii.
Auxilia would be Foederati; spearmen and perhaps some Iberian slingers.
Regarding unit size that players would face, i'm going to make them the size of cohort strength. Might seem a little large, though there will be filler size parties to rank up.
Using a Roman "faction lord" as a template, this is the general size:
6 x Centurion
480 x legionary (120 -180 as Lanciarii)
120 x Cavalry
300 x Auxilia (probably 200x accounting for spearmen)
6 x vexillationes
So, some 900 for a faction lord size party, with roughly 200 more (including Aquilifer) for a faction leader representing first cohort strength. Obviously the player will recieve bigger morale and charisma bonuses to face such a size.
Haven't broken down the ratios for other factions yet.
