Who would you like to be in an ancient Roman legion?

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Total War Heaven » Forums » Total War History » Who would you like to be in an ancient Roman legion?

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Topic Subject: Who would you like to be in an ancient Roman legion?

Alex_the_Bold
Legionary

posted 06 January 2013 15:41 EDT (US)

So, if you had a chance to be a member of an ancient Roman post-Marian legion, what rank would you wish to have and why? Here is a list of the ranks in an early imperial legion...

Invincibility lies in defence, while the possibility of victory in the attack -Sun Tzu
Akouson me, pataxon de (hit me, but first listen to me)-Themistocles to Euribiadis prior to the battle of Salamis.

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Awesome Eagle
Spear of Mars
(id: awesomated88)

posted 06 January 2013 19:10 EDT (US) 1 / 8

Well being the Legate would be cool. I dont think i could be a Centurion as all the crap they have to deal with in terms of the men. They were the NCOs and lower officers of the Legion. Being a skilled craftsman would allow me to get out of most of the crappy work of the legion and make me important. But all up, early imperial times were surprisingly stable in terms of civil wars so being a legate would be best.

Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it- George Santayana
History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are- David C. McCullough
Wars not make one great- Yoda

Punic Hebil
Centurion
(id: Punic Hoplite)

posted 06 January 2013 21:05 EDT (US) 2 / 8

Immunes

I'm a specialist and thus don't have to do watch or manual labor. I can agree to that. The extra pay doesn't hurt either.

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Terikel Grayhair
Imperator
(id: Terikel706)

posted 07 January 2013 02:03 EDT (US) 3 / 8

Tribunus angusticlavius, especially after the initial stupidity of making such men desk officers went away.

These guys were once centurions, who were once legionaries, and made rank fast enough to become an officer while they were still young enough to do something about it. They were given broad latitude in fulfilling the legate's wishes. Many could advance to their own commands of cavalry (yay!) or Praetorian Guard cohorts. In a few words: tough veterans flexible enough to do anything.

Plus, being equestrian, means they avoid all the senatorial horseshit that legates and broad-stripers had to carry around.

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Warlod Redvig
Legionary

posted 07 January 2013 03:28 EDT (US) 4 / 8

Bog standard legionaire if it happened today :P Not much else to say really, travel the world, kill some Gauls, hope Crassus doesn't recruit me, get paid, hope I don't die, Hope I don't get diseased, hope I don't get.... you get the idea

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ShieldWall
Legionary

posted 07 January 2013 03:35 EDT (US) 5 / 8

I'd be happy to be somewhere down the bottom, perhaps a Tesserarius. Still in the infantry and I wouldn't mind all the hard work that went with it, plus a 50% pay rise, some admin responsibility, and third in command of the century. I could do that. Also it has the advantage of being high enough up the ladder to be a position of modest respect, but low enough that I can always grumble about my superiors who got me into this mess.

Alex_the_Bold
Legionary

posted 07 January 2013 16:16 EDT (US) 6 / 8

I'd rather be an Optio. Second in command of the century and receiving two times the pay of normal legionaries sounds good...

Invincibility lies in defence, while the possibility of victory in the attack -Sun Tzu
Akouson me, pataxon de (hit me, but first listen to me)-Themistocles to Euribiadis prior to the battle of Salamis.

Awesome Eagle
Spear of Mars
(id: awesomated88)

posted 07 January 2013 19:13 EDT (US) 7 / 8

I'd rather be an Optio. Second in command of the century and receiving two times the pay of normal legionaries sounds good...

If you lived...

Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it- George Santayana
History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are- David C. McCullough
Wars not make one great- Yoda

Latinium
Legionary

posted 08 January 2013 16:33 EDT (US) 8 / 8

For me I would more than likely want to be the Primus pilus. Mainly because of the extra pay and the respect of being the first among the Officers.

Also I don't have the overall command but I get to make some which would suit me just fine.

"Confront them with annihilation, and they will then survive; plunge them into a deadly situation, and they will then live. When people fall into danger, they are then able to strive for victory"-Sun Tzu
"They can beacause they think they can" -Virgil
"Laws are silent in times of war"- Cicero
"Who watches the watchmen"-Juvenal

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