You are not restricted to warriors from your own army list when constructing SPQR warbands. The option to hire mercenaries can made for some very interesting army compositions, and provide tactical options that may not normally be available to certain warbands.
Hiring Mercenaries
Mercenaries are most commonly used by a warband when facing a stronger enemy. While mercenaries will allow players to always fight on an even scale, they are expensive to use and will always leave your warband after their work is done. Some mercenaries are no better than common thugs, but can be used in vast numbers, while others are great heroes, known across the Mediterranean and beyond. They are also a good way of gaining models not normally accessible in a warband list.
In non-campaign games you have the option to spend up to 40% of your available Denarii on recruiting mercenary units and Heroes of Legend into your warband. Whenever a player finds he is facing a warband of greater points value in a campaign, he may use any number of Mercenaries to bring his warband into balance. He may add as many Mercenaries as he likes from his warband list, but his total warband Denarii value may not exceed that of his opponent.
The following mercenary units are available now, but you’ll find many more in the book!
Numidian Cavalry
Renowned as the best horsemen in Africa, Numidians went into battle with no armour but were adept at harassing slower enemy units with javelins and faced enemy cavalry with ferocious zeal. Best employed on the flanks of a warband rather than forming its centre, a well-used unit of Numidian cavalry could reverse defeats and make victories exceptional.
In SPQR, Numidian cavalry may re-roll any melee check against any opposing cavalry.
Numidian Skirmishers
While Numidians much preferred the use of cavalry, some infantry were used as skirmishers. Trained in the use of javelins from an early age, they were superb hunters haling from nomadic tribes where such skills were used every day.
In SPQR, Numidian skirmishers are particularly adept at utilising the Hit & Run rule, snagging a bravery bonus for any of these checks.
Parthian Horse Archers
Parthians were renowned for their cavalry, and none more so than their horse archers. Their well-rehearsed tactic of feigning retreat only then to turn around and unleash a storm of arrows into their would-be pursuers is legendary.
In SPQR, Parthian Horse archers may perform two free shoot actions after successfully performing a hit & run.
Parthian Horse Archer Command
Supplement your Parthian horse archers with a command group to include banner and horn. These can provide you with a particular boon. The banner confers a re-roll for bravery checks to friendly units. This couples well with the Parthian’s enhanced capability of succeeding in a hit & run. The horn confers a once-per-game option of performing a third action in a turn. This means that a Parthian Horse Archer unit has the potential to fire 5 times in a single turn!
