I spend far too much time on Facebook. When my brother-in-law provided the funds last Christmas for yet more minis, I thought I’d share my good fortune with the SAGA Facebook community. The gift was from Gripping Beast miniatures depicting Late Roman deserters.

Feeling in a jovial mood, I posted a photo of the above bases under the title “ Roman deserters?”. The internet gets a bad rep for trolls and bad actors but in this particular case I was the one who felt bad. Only a few got the joke and the thread was filled with comments offering advice and contacts to right the above wrong! I was so taken aback by the warmth of the community, I was feeling abashed. How could I be so cruel…..I removed the post.

Desertion was a serious crime under Roman military law, as it meant the violation of a sacred military oath of allegiance that was given to military commanders and to fellow comrades in arms. More than two millennia later desertion remains a grave military crime in most jurisdictions.

“The army was the foundation of the Roman Republic, and later the Empire’s strength and dominion over the existing world. Surrounded by enemies, the existence of Rome itself depended on its army. Desertion (desertio) from the Roman Army could also have catastrophic consequences on the morale of the other soldiers, and if the army suffered, then Rome’s power and dominion would as well. Consequently, as the social, political, and economic success of Rome depended largely on its military successes, a military career was a badge of honor for any Roman citizen. Desertion was considered a serious offense and severely punished (“in military life desertion may result in the loss of a whole city,” L.V. Postma, Roman Military Law, 85 S. African L.J. 65 (1968), at 66)

I wanted my deserters i.e. the minis and not just the bases, to represent a band of tough hombres, steeled by the legion but now seeking more lucrative employment.

“War isn’t like fighting civilians—you have to hit first and hit hard, make ’em hurt, and when you’ve got the chance, finish them off.”

McDonald Frazer

So, a desperate bunch who have some uniformity but are distinctly the worse for wear…

The leader with an eye-patch reminded me of more MacDonald Frazer prose; “I recognised the handwriting, and my heart gave a skip; when I opened it I got a turn, for it began, ‘To my beloved Hector,’ and I thought, by God she’s cheating on me, and has sent me the wrong letter by mistake. But in the second line was a reference to Achilles, and another to Ajax, so I understood she was just addressing me in terms which she accounted fitting for a martial paladin; she knew no better. It was a common custom at that time, in the more romantic females, to see their soldier husbands and sweethearts as Greek heroes, instead of the whore-mongering, drunken clowns most of them were. However, the Greek heroes were probably no better, so it was not far off the mark.”

You can hear him thinking, “ I thank God I’m not a tiger, or a crocodile, or a warrior with a skull fetish … but a sensible man ‘oo wants to go ‘ome!”

Roman law defined a “deserter” as he who takes arms against the state or in any other way takes a belligerent stance against the prince, that is, the Roman Emperor. A “transfuga” was a deserter who joined the enemy lines. Soldiers who were captured trying to join the enemy were also punished. Those who aided and abetted desertors (called receptarores) were punished as well.

Desertion was punished with death. Resisting arrest for desertion while using arms was an aggravating circumstance. The abandonment of a guarding post was considered as an aggravating case of emansio. For cases of long-protracted desertion —that is, where it is not possible to assess the desire to return, which is proper of the emansor— Roman law applied deportation instead of death, a penalty that otherwise was exclusively reserved for pagansand involved the deprivation of Roman citizenship.

So there you have it, a useful SAGA unit for the Age of Invasions and well sculpted, characterful minis. This was one of the few occasions that I glued the shields only after painting. Much easier to reach the nooks and crannies but we shall see if the join is any weaker?

SAGA is such a great game. Remember that Cardiff Dice Studz are always looking for new players if you have a freee Thursday or Friday evening. We can’t promise beer and loot but the burgers are good…

Best

Michael B