First of all I have to acknowledge that my sources are mainly
wargaming journals, the excellent WRG "Allies and enemies of Imperial Rom=
e"
and several books of the Osprey series. I won=B4t claim a great historica=
l
accuracy, but these are the data I have.=20
The legion, at the time of the Punic Wars, was organized in the
greek style, with hoplites with long lances and peltasts with javelins.
However, after the war, the romans eliminated the difference between the
hastati, triarii and princeps, and equipped the legionnaries with the pil=
um,
a heavy javelin, possibly due to their experiences with similar weapons u=
sed
by Hannibal=B4s spanish mercenaries. Meanwhile, they experimented differe=
nt
types of armor, from scale to chain to banded. Finally they were
standardized with the lorica segmentata, a banded armor protecting the
torso, while the chain armor was used to equip the auxilia, that had beco=
me
an uniformed rough terrain support infantry instead of natives fighting w=
ith
their own tactics and equipment.
In the middle empire, when new enemies appeared, the pilum was fo=
und
to have limited range to engage cavalry skirmishing to the front of the
legion, so it was first supplemented and then replaced by the spiculum, a
lighter javelin. This enabled the legionnary to carry several. In the Eas=
t,
even the spiculum had a too limited range against bow cavalry, so the
mastobarbulus (sic) was introduced, a twenty centimeters dart weighed wit=
h
lead, carried clipped to the inside of the shield, in bunches of five. It
was at this time too that the lorica segmentata was abandoned for a cuir
boulli breastplate, for weight and expense reasons.
Only elite legions were well trained and equipped to use them,
however. Its use was spread to the west, where goth charges were received=
by
a true shower of projectiles of all sizes. The Auxilia Palatina
(professional peltast equivalents) was apparently equipped also with dart=
s.
Also in the east a greater proportion of the legionnaries, as they lost
importance compared with the cavalry, became archers, forming the back ra=
nks
of the cohorts.
The byzantine cataphracts also used darts, as a short range missi=
le
weapon that lets you use the shield, but its use declined with the declin=
e
in quality of the army.=20
These darts were claimed to be accurate up to fifty paces, and
dangerous up to a hundred. They were the weapon of choice against the
sassanid elephants, as they were accurate enough to blind the elephant an=
d
kill the handlers, brealing the charge.
[Gloranthan Content] However the Lunars have only faced the Penta=
ns
as a succesful missile cavalry. If I recall correctly, the army that
reconquered the Empire from the nomads was mostly Carmanian at start,
reinforced when Dara Happa joined with Magnificus. That is why I have the
Carmanian as dart users (and they must be used in the Empire, if only as =
a
hobby, to coin the term Dart war), while other units do not lose time on
them. The Lunars used a magical solution (Yara Aranis) to the horse nomad
problem, and things have been quite quiet in the East since, so anti noma=
d
tactics are not very high in the Empire=B4s priorities.
The roman history shows how even a succesful troop type (the
legionnary) underwent severe changes in five hundred years, depending on =
the
enemy. But the tactics must conform to the weapons, so you cannot have
succesful pike cohorts or pilum phalanxes.
So, who has heavy throwing weapons (wargaming term for those shor=
t
range projectiles, used to break an enemy charge or to disorder them prio=
r
to melee contact) in Glorantha? Some orlanthi (Lankste, Vermonstran,
Jonatelan highlands) could use heavy spears and throwing axes sistematica=
lly
enough to claim this. The KoW does, of course. And iron dwarfs, too, outs=
ide
Nida. Caladralanders use heavy obsidian spears and throwing maces. Anyone
else you want.=20
Remember that no weapon is all powerful, and there are enemies th=
at
will need different weapons and tactics. The romans became a cavalry army
with infantry support (the byzantines) as the only way to defeat enemy
cavalry. And as the Vandals, the Ostrogoths, the Avars, the Bulgars, the
Huns, and (almost) the Pechenegs show, they could be beaten by a civilize=
d
army. You just need to know how.
And that is what my Carmanians are, the only civilized army (barr=
ing
a magical armageddon) with a proven record against the horse nomads. Ever
wonder why the First Council had to import Praxians?
The Galanini, in Ralios, are a different story. They are a riding
people, but IMO they lacked the bow until the World Council contacted the=
m,
and it has never been a strong weapon in Ralios (besides the elves). The
superb quality of their horses, however, let=B4s them overtake fleeing en=
emy
cavalry, making the "parthian shot" a very dangerous tactic against them.
Jose
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