Form your legion and prepare for battle! Military training in Citadelum.

As leaders, it is our responsibility to organize all aspects of the city to achieve prosperity and ensure the glory of Rome. Among the crucial elements, the military stands out as one of the most vital. At Citadelum, the integration of military affairs with the construction and management of the city is seamless. We will efficiently stock up on weapons and equipment, conduct military training, deploy legions, and combat enemy threats.

The recruits are drawn from the unemployed citizens who arrive at your settlement. As their leader, you'll be responsible for conducting military levies to enlist them and oversee their training before deploying them on the battlefield when you consider they are ready. Let's talk about the different classes of soldiers at our disposal.

Infantry

Legionnaires are the backbone of our ground forces. Armed with the fearsome gladius and protected by the iconic scutum, these soldiers form the impregnable turtle formation, an impenetrable wall against any attack. After the Marian reforms, legionnaires served up to 25 years in the Roman army, a lifetime of war. We are all familiar with how Roman infantry looks, but few have seen how they train. At Citadelum, we can witness how our soldiers prepare by refining their sword technique against poor dummies and using an intricate rock-throwing mechanism where these rocks will fall directly onto our soldier, who is ready to block them with their large shield.

Archers

Archers are marksmanship experts, capable of taking down their targets with deadly precision from long distances. Whether against moving or static targets, their rain of arrows is swift and devastating. They played pivotal roles in battles such as the Siege of Jerusalem. Due to the need for marksmanship to be trained in various circumstances, the engineers at Citadelum have designed a mechanism where archers can climb onto a carriage that will move swiftly while they must shoot at their targets. Be very careful of your comrades' heads!

Cavalry

Swift and lethal, the Cavalry is the mobile vanguard of our forces. Mounted on powerful steeds, they surprise unsuspecting enemies and annihilate them with their sharp gladius. After the Marian reforms, the infantry needed the support of a cavalry corps called Auxilia. In their training, we will witness how they improve their mastery on horseback, both in controlling jumps and galloping. At the end of the training, each soldier becomes one with their mount.

Centurions

Centurions are the master strategists of our legions. With their profound knowledge of military arts, they lead our troops to victory. They are the cornerstone upon which our military might stands, as through them, we can create the regiments of our legion. The rank of Centurion is one of the oldest, dating back to the first army of Rome. Within our army, they are a key piece, as we will need one of them to deploy each legion. You will easily recognize this elite troop by the gallant and distinctive horizontal red crest they wear on their helmets. During their training, you can observe the centurions improving their use of the gladius, throwing the pilum, or enhancing their technique in blocking heavy blows with their shields.

Defense Soldiers

Our protective guard, the Defense Soldiers, watch over the walls of Citadelum and protect our city from any external threats. Additionally, they maintain internal order and ensure peace among our citizens. If you encounter any problems in your city, do not hesitate to quickly turn to the troops wearing armor combined with elegant purple garments; the safety of our city and villagers depends on them. You must train an excellent defense force if you don't want your city to become a complete disaster.

Explorers

They are the pioneers of our territorial expansion. Tireless in their search, they explore the surrounding territories for new locations and opportunities for the growth of Citadelum. According to the Marian reform of the military structure in the legion, 15% of the total number of soldiers were non-combatant personnel. This peculiar type of soldier must train their endurance and agility like no other and has a great capacity for survival and orientation since they will have to cover extremely long distances, adapt to all kinds of environments, and go unnoticed in hostile lands in order to later communicate their findings (as long as they don't fall into the terrible hands of the enemy). In the camp, we can see them mapping and performing various tests of agility and physical endurance.

With several of these soldiers, we can later make combinations and create our legions to send them into battle, but that is a topic we will discuss in the future. And this is how a possible military training area in our city would look like.

Even though is not a soldier, the role of the blacksmith is fundamental for creating your arsenal. The equipment of your burgeoning legion depends on their work, using mined iron, you can forge a variety of essential weaponry:

• Gladius: The iconic short sword, perfect for close-quarter combat.
• Scutum: The large, rectangular shield for infantry defense.
• Pica: A long spear ideal for mounted cavalry units.
• Archery Equipment: Bows and arrows for your ranged attackers.
• Armor: Various types of armor to outfit your soldiers for maximum protection.

What do you think about our soldiers and their training? Do you miss anyone? We'll be listening.