On 28th April 1998 the BBC showed a Timewatch programme about the Roman campaign against the Dacians, as depicted on Trajan's Column. I rather enjoyed it; the information on the Roman army was nothing new, but to the layman it probably was. However, it did do quite a good job of covering the course of the campaign, from the Roman point of view at least, and this was something new to me. It did make me think about rushing out and buying a Dacian army, but fortunately for my finances I am unlikely to do so.
As a HOTT player though I was inspired by the frequent references to Trajan being at the forefront of battle, inspiring troops and being an all-round good egg and to Jupiter aiding the Romans with a thunderstorm. To this end I have produced a couple of semi-historical army lists.
| Troops | Type | Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emperor (Trajan) | Hero General @ 4AP | 4 |
| 1 | Jupiter with Thunderbolts | God @ 4AP | 4 |
| 2 | Auxiliary Cavalry | Riders @ 2A | 4 |
| 4 | Legionarii and Auxiliary Infantry | Blades @ 2AP | 8 |
| 1 | Ballista | Artillery @ 3AP | 3 |
| 1 | Slingers | Lurker @ 1AP | 1 |
| Option: Lose the God and add: | |||
| 1 | Testudo | Behemoth @ 4AP | 4 |
| Troops | Type | Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | King (Decabelus) | Blade General @ 2AP | 4 |
| 2 | Falxmen | Blades @ 2AP | 4 |
| 2 | Cavalry | Riders @ 2A | 4 |
| 1 | Sarmatian Allies | Knights @ 2AP | 2 |
| 2 | Ambush Parties | Lurkers @ 1AP | 2 |
| 4 | Warriors | Warband @ 2AP | 8 |
| 2 | Lots of Warriors | Hordes @ 1AP | 2 |