Roman Legion OOC Forums

Marcus Fallentus stood for another proposal in the Senate...

"My esteemed colleagues of the Senate, with the borders of our empire expanding and the citizen elite also expanding and most definately with times changing I wish to propose that we make sure that our Legions change with the time as well. I propose that we set up a Tribune Officer Academy in Athens. This is where all new Tribunes must go prior to joining the legions, to learn all legionnary techniques rather than learn it on the job in the legions themselves. These new Tribunes who will mostly be coming from the new citizen elite, will be trained to be the best and trained bythe best. I suggest that we pick the best ten Centurions and one Camp Praefectus to run the academy. We must ensure that both our Legates and Legions are manned by men who are well trained and prepared for there roles. This is an excellent chance for the new citizens to prove there worth as ew members of the citizenry. This will also hopefully harden the young men if they desire to return to politics after there term of service, it will also encourage a higher rate of career soldiers within the Tribunate population, which in itself is an added bonus."

"So gentlemen I would like you to consider that we construct this new academy in Athens, to further our military and political progression. Plus the training of the new citizen elite will enable us to put more effective men into the Tribunate."

Consul Decius Agrippa speaks;

“The point of Tribunes being sent to the legions is so that they learn out in the field. The best teachers and scrolls do not compare to field experience. As well removing some of our best officers from the legions to train patrician in Athens would not be beneficial to the legions. If you want to create good officers then have your sons follow the course of honour, advancing through the political and military officers through merit and hard work.


<OCC: I’m more opposed to this for OCC reasons. I don’t think it would be accurate to have military officer schools in this period. Most patricians could have afforded Greek tutors for this roll and then being posted to the legions would have completed officer training. The modern concept of officer schools with leadership training, logistics, military history and different branch orientation is a little advanced for this time in history. But that is a personal opinion.

(ooc: I know that in the past military training schools were created by other players, but heck if I can remember anything about them. They were a modern idea... and Ed is right. So... keep debating anyway!)

Senator Claudius Sextus Vitellius says, "There is already an academy that exists, which has been training future officers for years; the Ludus Terpum-Vitellium started as just a school for political thought, founded by the former statesmen-cum-rebels Daratius Antonius Terpus and Lepidus Tetricus Vitellius. In recent years it was taken over by the family of our very Princeps, and curriculum began to include military tactics, strategy and leadership- which is important in the political role our Legates play when they come to Rome to sit as Senatores. If you wish to see the quota of attendees enlarged, Senator Fallentus, perhaps we should increase the budget of the ludus by adding public funds."

Marcus Fallentus mused for a moment...

"Will it not be beneficial to the legions that these Tribunes arrive ready for active service. I propose that bruise and batter these Tribunes, you toughen them, you forge them into men of honor. The Tribunes role is largely Administrative and thus the intellectual side is something I expect to be covered. These men need the experience of soldier toughened by experience on every frontier. These Tribunes need to learn to be adaptable and be the new leaders of our Military. I understand that there are some reservations, but surely the two can work together to provide the legions with strong leaders. The Academy can train them to be ready mentally and Physically then the legion assignment will complete there training. So gentlemen its a question of how well trained you want your future leaders to be."

"Considering that any one of us Senators can legally and traditionally be handed command of a legion as Legate, as I am proud to bear as a right," Gnaeus Fabius Tertilius said, "I think training future Tribunes specifically is a tedious idea. I am against creating a new academy for soldierly training, and against dumping sesterces into a private school founded by rebels- let our new Imperator continue to select tribunes pulled from experienced legionaries, and from the other traditional pool: noble families."

Decius Agrippa speaks;

"Oh that reminds me.... speaking of schools founded by rebels, there are three military schools under the administration of the Valenii Juliani. One in Pertinaxus, Lusitania, another someone in Gallaecia and the famed one Tyre, Phoenicia. Although they are not what you are speaking off, they are private schools for the sons of legionary soldiers which teach Latin, Greek and Mathematics. Perhaps we should be looking at these as a model instead. Small scale, no burden on the state and teaching the basics that our future soldiers need. Cause as we all know, the sons of soldiers inevitably become soldiers themselves. And the sons of senior centurions promoted to the Equestrian order, occasionally become future tribunes."