Just getting started

[NorseKnight83]

Hey everyone first time poster here but long time reader. I just placed an order for the Conquest of Gaul starter set. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on what else would be a good buy to increase both starting armies. The catch is I only wish to buy one more box for the Romans and Barbarians to start out with. Thanks for any suggestions!

[mikeland]

For the Romans I would go for more foot sloggers. The Romsn army was primarily built of heavy infantry, so I'd get the veterans. A really excellent set, my favourite warlord roman set. Or you could get some Auxcillaries, These are other nations who joined the roman armies, in this case onthinknthey are supposed to be celts. Another fine set.

For the celts a little harder as the set already gives you 60 of them. So I would suggest perhaps the cavalry box. But this is just my take on things.

[Centurio Cunibus]

Welcome!

Although I don't have a lot of experience with the game yet, some suggestions:

Celts: with a nice core of infantry already, I suppose you'd like to paint something slightly different now! For gameplay, some variety is good too. Cavalry seems an obvious choice, possibly in the form of chariots.
Romans: I'd suggest some more infantry of some kind, as that is the true core of the Roman armies. A box of normal Legionaries would do, although Veterans are a bit more fun. Auxilia are a great choice too.

Other than that, you'd need some leaders for both armies too, which you could either get in the form of one of the various metal models available, or, certainly for now, build from one of the plastic kits: a nicely painted centurio for the Romans and some warrior with a bunch of fancy bits attached for the Gauls.

Don't be put off by the huge armies usually used for Hail Caesar, the only thing that matters is if units on both sides have a similar frontage. From the starterset you could, for example, make three units of Legionries (2 deep/5 wide) and 4 units of Celts (3 deep/5 wide) or something along those lines. Add some of the boxes mentioned above (or something completely different of course!) and you've got plenty for a proper game!

EDIT: Argh, me and my 'open tab, read later' policy. Ninja'd by Darth Vader!

[mikeland]

[Big Al]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Some good basic advice from the others here and I can't fault them, really. However, in the rulebook, there is a scenario which is between two large Roman and Celt armies. Both are well balanced and really useful. Each army is available from Warlord Celt and Roman.

I realise that these are expensive, but you can build them up slowly and just buy a few boxes at a time. I make my standard Roman units 24 figures strong. This does mean that you can get an an additional unit from four boxes of legionaries and that you might need a set of metal command figures. The first cohort you can make a little larger, by mounting 6 figures to a base instead of 4. That is 36 figures, mind and not absolutely necessary. I did it with my veterans.

The other thing to consider is, are your Celts going to be British or European. If British, then chariots are a must, if European, then cavalry would be preferable (although chariots look nice). Don't forget your separate Commander figures. The Roman Emperors set is handy and there are a couple of other officer blisters, too, including Maximus. Similar ones are available for the Celts. These should be based individually or in a small diorama but separate from your units. The odd standard together with the General figure as the Army standard is nice too.

Hope this helps.

[NorseKnight83]

Thanks for the advice. I am more familiar with Mid-Late Republican Romans to be honest. Never really got into the Imperial period but figured I would since my friend loves the Celt models. Does the Roman Veteran box come with a scorpion? It says it does on the box but there is no mention of it in the description? Also how does the Roman scorpion fair in the game? How many would I need? I like the look of them so I would definitely field a few of them just for the aesthetic impact.

As far as what Celt origin I wanted to portray that is entirely up to my friend Matt who will be playing the Celts. However, the models are going to be mine. I was also looking at the Roman cavalry box. I really liked the look of the figures and definitely want to include a unit of cavalry for the Romans.

[mikeland]

The scorpions are a bit errr... Lame in the game but they look ace!

Yeah the cavalry are really nice set, but the Romans didn't field many in reality, they were no horsemen so they relied on auxillia. Still it's your army, go with a bit of what you fancy.

[Big Al]

Well, I don't rate the scorpions. They're nice models, but they are pretty rubbish in my opinion. You need to protect them if you take them. Stick them behind a wall or something and make it difficult for the enemy to get to them without contacting legionaries or they'll die horribly.

As for the Roman cavalry, the models are nice. I like the javelin armed ones, myself. The Praetorians are nice, too and give a little variation. I replaced the javelins with wire ones. They're more sturdy and durable.

With regard to the Veterans, it does say in the description. Scroll down the page and you'll see it there.

[A Lot of Gaul]

Well, I don't rate the scorpions. They're nice models, but they are pretty rubbish in my opinion. You need to protect them if you take them. Stick them behind a wall or something and make it difficult for the enemy to get to them without contacting legionaries or they'll die horribly.

...which in fact reflects their historical performance and usage quite nicely!

[NorseKnight83]

Thanks for the input. My primary foe and myself both prefer to run armies with aesthetics as opposed to say tournament lists. I would like to run scorpions just for the aesthetics of seeing a battery of them on the field would make me feel like I am fielding a real legion. How many scorpions would I need to field? I won't be getting the starter set for a couple more weeks. Window shopping right now hah.

I do know that scorpions are not good for battles in which the Romans could not set piece the board so to speak. Gladiator is a perfect example of how the Romans preferred to use such artillery. Also on the cavalry aspect. I know the Romans did not field much cavalry of their own but that is not going to stop me from fielding a unit or two of Roman cavalry .