We’ve put together 1000 Denarii warbands for Caesar’s Legions and Gaul Warriors. We look at how they play on the ancient battlefields of SPQR.
Caesar’s Legions
Minions
Warbands from Caesar’s Legions represent a small force split off from a legion for an extended period of time to achieve specific objectives; Though Caesar’s Legions Warbands have perhaps the best soldiers of the ancient world they will always be outnumbered by lesser men.
Thus when constructing a Caesar’s Legions Warband, a solid and durable core is required that can withstand the attack of a numerically superior force. Thus we begin with two 12 man units of Legionaries. By including this many men, they are able to form both shield walls and Tetsudos, and will not lose this capability until they have suffered at least three casualties each. Well armoured and with significant ability to parry; this core force will be extremely difficult to dislodge from a melee.
Caesarian Legionaries
With the legionaries pinning down the enemy units, the cavalry is practically guaranteed to get a charge off, smashing those foes who are less well equipped than the Romans. Though Roman cavalry is well armoured, it is nonetheless capable of swift movement and repositioning, and has the ‘Hit & Run’ rule to boot.
A powerful Scorpio team rounds out the minions in this force. If positioned well, the war machine can singlehandedly turn the tide of a battle. A single bolt is both immune to parries and capable of killing three men. You need to be particularly selective when deploying this unit at the outset of battle.
Hero
A mounted hero leads this warband, at the head of the 8-man cavalry unit. He is extremely capable and as well-armed and armoured as the troops he leads. In campaigns, Caesar’s legions heroes have the capability to develop extremely quickly, gaining bonuses to multiple characteristics at once.
Includes 24 Plastic Infantry, 9 Resin Cavalry & 1 resin Scorpion with crew, supplied unassembled & unpainted
Gaul
Minions
The strength of a Gaul Warband is not in the might of an individual warrior, capable though he might be. The ultimate power of a Gallic Warband lies in the sheer quantity of warriors that can they throw at the enemy.
Playing to this strength we’ve gone very light on the upgrades with this 1000 Denarii Warband. This allows us to fit in fifty-seven infantry minions, not including war dogs! The Gaul Warriors, Skyclad Warriors and War Dogs provide the central aspect of the force; their goal is to get well and truly stuck into a melee as quickly as possible and tie up the largest portion of an enemy warband. All Gaul Warriors are dangerous on the charge and Skyclad Warriors are especially so. The warriors are scant on armour, but most carry shields to parry the missile fire that will inevitably eclipse their charge.
Warriors of Gaul
Supplementing the core force are two units of missile-armed tribesmen. Slings are a powerful weapon with plenty of range, though may only fire once per turn. Archers are not hampered in this manner. They are ideal to harass the enemy from afar. They have the ‘Hit & Run’ rule so can prove resistant to being exposed to an enemy charge.
Finally, we have a unit of horsemen. Though not the hardest hitting of cavalry units in the game, we like to use them as a reactionary unit; shoring up gaps in the line, or to take advantage of an exposed enemy flank. They can also benefit from the ‘Hit & Run’ rule.
Heroes
With the close combat focus of the warband in mind, we’ve included a Druid. As well as ‘blighting’ an enemy hero at the start of a game, the Druid provides a significant close-combat bonus to any unit it leads. We’d tend to place him at the heart of a twenty strong unit of Gaul Warriors.
The force is led by a mounted hero. In keeping with the themes of the greater Warband he has not been tooled up with armour. He is not particularly durable but is nevertheless useful to provide some extra punch and to keep them in the fight longer.
The bundle below also comes with miniatures to represent the Heroes of Legend; Vercingetorix and Lucterius. Though these are not part of the 1000 Denarii Warband, they can be coerced to fight as mercenaries if your Warband should suffer casualties in a Campaign. You can alternatively use them as suitably heroic-looking generic heroes for the Warband.
Includes 20 Plastic Infantry, 40 Resin Infantry, 7 Resin Cavalry, 12 resin dogs, supplied unassembled and unpainted
Are you ready to forge your empire?
With a lightning-fast and easy to play system, SPQR allows you to build a complete warband capable of scouting out enemy armies, clashing across borders, and conducting raids on farms and villages. The book contains 196 Pages containing 42 scenarios dedicated to ten warbands including both Caesar’s Legions and Gaul.
Tom Mecredy