Slitherine

i am currently building this army, and have got a choice to make, do i take the byzantine style archer cavalry or the equites and cataphracts? Either way they will prob be superior, while the foot is average?
Cheers
Ben

I think the ghulam-style cavalry (eheheh) is the best, definitely out of period and somewhat in period too. Cataphracts work well in large numbers otherwise they are easily avoided and they lose against a lot of decent foot and of course knights. There's room for everything, but afaic armoured cav archers are great. Check out the Madaxeman's reports from Roll Call that have 4 battles using his Foederate Romans - http://www.madaxeman.com/reports/roll_call_2008_1.php You can learn from his mistakes and successes...

Agreed the shooty cav are never obsolete.

Just for the feel of it, I like substantial foot in a foederate force, but some players believe this is stronger overall as a mounted list.

MikeK wrote:Agreed the shooty cav are never obsolete.

Just for the feel of it, I like substantial foot in a foederate force, but some players believe this is stronger overall as a mounted list.

Just curious-do you like a combination of Foederati foot and auxilia, or prefer mostly the later?

An aside--it seems like this is one of the most flexible lists out there--can be fairly foot heavy, or a mounted arm, and can have a variety of allies. Interesting ton contemplate fielding a mounted Eastern army with shooty cav, a hunnic BG or two, and lots of Isaurian LF. Would be fairly nimble. Or one could go with lots of Foederati cavalry and other Roman mounted.

Cheers,

Dale

daleivan wrote:Just curious-do you like a combination of Foederati foot and auxilia, or prefer mostly the later?

May not be optimization, but it doesn't seem like a western list without a brigade of 2x10 Foederati BGs (they get 1 4+2 Aux BG for rear support). The 10s are deployed 4-wide, of course.

Mike

MikeK wrote:

daleivan wrote:Just curious-do you like a combination of Foederati foot and auxilia, or prefer mostly the later?

May not be optimization, but it doesn't seem like a western list without a brigade of 2x10 Foederati BGs (they get 1 4+2 Aux BG for rear support). The 10s are deployed 4-wide, of course.

Mike

I think that could be effective in the right circumstances, and fun, too
I agree that a western list needs to have a brigade of the Foederati foot--in fact, the Eastern list probably would as well, at least at the early point in the period the list covers.

Thanks!

Dale