I Stood in a Roman Shield Wall. Total War Gets It Wrong.

In Total War: Rome II, a legion fights like one giant blob. I've stood in a Roman battle line – 14 years of Roman reenactment, in the shield wall, in the arena and on the march. It doesn't look like that. 4 things the game gets wrong, 3 it gets right, a bonus on the armour, and a final score – checked against the ancient sources. 0:00 Intro 0:32 1 – The Pilum 1:18 2 – The Blob 2:08 3 – Six Hours 3:15 4 – The Shield 3:53 5 – The Sword 4:32 6 – Morale 5:04 7 – The Testudo 5:28 Bonus – The Armour 6:35 The Score ▶ Watch next: How 11,000 auxiliaries beat 30,000 Caledonians – while the legions just watched    • How 11,000 Auxiliaries Beat 30,000 Caledon...   Sources: Polybius, Histories 18.29–30 – spacing of the Roman soldier Caesar, Gallic War 1.25–26 – pila at Bibracte, length of the battle Livy 8.8 – hastati, principes, triarii Vegetius, De Re Militari 1.12 – the point, not the edge Tacitus, Agricola 36–37 – Mons Graupius 📖 My book: The Rules of the Roman Battlefield – on Amazon Reenactment footage used with permission of the participants. Total War: Rome II gameplay footage used for commentary and comparison. #RomanEmpire #TotalWar #RomeII