However, when one considers the immense advantages given to the defender in the siege of any fortified town, it is obvious that even the watch can hold off enemies for a substantial amount of time. A militia made up of local townspeople, it is poorly-armed and largely useless against any competent troops. Town MilitiaĪs the name suggests, the town watch is more of a sentry force than anything else. Like most other barbarians, they are armed with swords. Nevertheless, the naked fanatics, wildest of the barbarian hordes, are truly a force to be reckoned with, as they are entirely without fear and think nothing of sacrificing themselves – as long as they can take their enemies down with them. This is a rather stereotypical unit that one finds in almost every game which features barbarians. The design was adopted after Roman armies had faced large formations of scutarii during the First Punic War. Historically, the design of the later Roman legionary sword (or gladius) was influenced by the blades carried by these men. Centuries of feuding among the hill tribes have hardened the people so there is no shortage of tough and cunning warriors – they are quite handy when springing tactical ambushes on enemy units. They fight with heavy javelins and swords, peppering the enemy with missiles before closing up for hand-to-hand combat. They are called by the Romans because of their distinctive, large, oval shields (the Latin for shield being ‘scutum’). Scutarii are well-equipped light infantry armed with swords, shields and heavy javelins.

In general, slingers were not quite as widely used as, say, archers or skirmishers, for whatever reason. The most famous slingers of the ancient world were those of the Balearic Isles. They can “reload” faster than most archers, but are even more vulnerable against any kind of close combat troops. Slingers perform a similar role to archers and skirmishers their attack differs in method rather than in result. They are fairly useless in melee combat, and should not be subjected to it. They can also be useful for acting as a distraction to the enemy, to lure them into an ambush, or to create a diversion by attacking some target. Much like the Roman velites, skirmishers are restricted to peppering the enemy with long-range javelins before the actual battle commences. Peasants should be used as an absolute last resort, or in cases where funds are extremely short.

They are cheap to train, however, and their one advantage is an ability to hide well. Poorly armed and with little military experience, their morale and discipline are both understandably low. The last option of any desperate army (except perhaps slaves or convicts), peasants are good for increasing your numbers…and not much else.

Rome total war 2 factions list