Being Experimental?

Stuart recently reported on a newly raised legion being equipped with very barbaric long swords, a shocking development

It has made me wonder, are anyone else being a bit experimental in their Legions? This isn't Glory so clearly I'm not talking about a 1st Century version of Dragoons with improved muskets and lots of equipment improvements. However, has anyone else tried giving their Legions unusual weapons or equipment?

For myself, I have pondered replacing Segmentata armour with chainmail. Having worn (replica) chainmail and Segmentata, I do prefer chainmail, much more comfy for prolonged wearing and it is just so much cooler Chainmail just makes you look good, Segmentata makes you look like an off-colour and incomplete Mitchelin Man

Jason2 wrote:Stuart recently reported on a newly raised legion being equipped with very barbaric long swords, a shocking development

It has made me wonder, are anyone else being a bit experimental in their Legions?   This isn't Glory so clearly I'm not talking about a 1st Century version of Dragoons with improved muskets and lots of equipment improvements.  However, has anyone else tried giving their Legions unusual weapons or equipment?

For myself, I have pondered replacing Segmentata armour with chainmail.  Having worn (replica) chainmail and Segmentata, I do prefer chainmail, much more comfy for prolonged wearing and it is just so much cooler   Chainmail just makes you look good, Segmentata makes you look like an off-colour and incomplete Mitchelin Man    

Oddly too the best of my knowledge no one has tried to reintroduce elephants too the Roman Army or introduce the Cataphract Scythed Chariots, multi
armed artillery or more odd siege equipment proposed by some later Roman writers but probably never built or used.  However if you want one of your characters to vastly impress much later European's you could always give some of them a go.  

However if you do not want Roman troops trampled by out of control Elephants or Scythed Chariots probably best to never try and use them in action and just use them to impress visiting Barbarian Envoys or in your Triumph.  Which seems to be how Claudious used the Elephants he brought on his "campaign" to Britain.  The Emperor and his Elephants not getting within a 100 miles of actual fighting but no doubt they both impressed the locals - or some locals said they were impressed which was what mattered for the reports being sent back to Rome and the Senate.  

As well as the long slashing swords introduced in one new Eastern legion the only reforms to actual legions introduced in game seem to be:-

a) The Danube Legions faced with the threat of Dacians and other related tribes armed with the falx (a one or two handed curved bladed weapon) issued extra arm armour for the sword arm and reinforced the helmet.  To stop naught Dacians from chopping off arms and protect against hooked blows over the top of the shield.  Historically this is linked to Trajan the younger Dacian wars but as a practical reply to a known threat in this area it could well have been an earlier local development.

b) To help poor Iberian silver miners find a wider market for their lead a campaign has been started to "re-introduce" the sling into the Legions and use cast lead shot rather than stones.  Use of the sling formed part of basic training for the Roman Legions but slings do not show up in the standard RIB Legion's equipment (ditto artillery and caltrops).

Seems that while every (Western) Legion recruit was given training in the sling and perhaps had one in his kit it seems they were only used as a siege weapon and when faced with skirmishers outside of Javalin range.  When the best slingers were detailed to form a skirmish screen bit like the roll of the Velites in the pre Marian reform's Legions of the Punic Wars.

Note such "part time" skirmishers will not be as effective as specialist auxiliary skirmishers but they are better than nothing at all and not every Legion has access to such specialists.

c) Under the class of "possible" but I believe not yet introduced come:-

- Martiobarbuli which are lead weighted darts issued 5 per man and attached to back of shield.  Which seems like another cracking idea to improve demand for Iberian lead/silver miners products.  Probably will need a invention to introduce in RIB, in military terms another way to increase range of individual soldier.

- Legionary archers and replacement of the Pilum with lighter throwing spears with greater range (called spiculae or lancea).

Along with lighter armour and long swords many of the "improvement" esp the replacement of the Pilum reduce the combat power of the Legion in peer on peer clashes with Heavy/close formation Infantry.  And represent a either a need for increased range to deal with mounted horse archers staying out of Pilum range.  Or the Legions taking on a more defensive role in which they are spending most of their time on patrol and skirmishing with fast moving lightly equiped raiders, bandits and pirates who are not into fighting battles with close formation foot in heavy armour.

Naturally being pragmatic Romans of the old school I expect "team Rome" in RIB to avoid Greek type stuff - Elephants, Pikes (raised but never used by one later Emperor with a thing about wanting to be Alexander the Great), Scythed Chariots and also avoid the the really mad, bad and dangerous to use stuff.  Rhine legions excepted here as they need something to do in cold German winters.

While making risk based decisions based on likely opponents.  In this respect long slashing swords and lighter armour which means a more individual spaced out style of fighting may work chaseing Jewish bandits but I think is very rash v Parthian Cavalry.

However in order to help poor, hard working Iberian miners and traders can someone please invent the Martiobarbuli and make sure they have lots of slingers using lead sling shot rather than inferior stones or baked clay sling shot.