Spoils of War

Who gets it: Semnones, Sugambri, Frisii, Chauci, Cherusci, Gothones, Bastarnae, Langobardi, Marcomanni, Quadi and Hermunduri

Initially, there was little difference in equipment between the warbands and the freemen militia. That changed over time. Successful raids and victorious battles against the Roman Empire yielded great spoils: Wealth and captives, but also arms. Since captured equipment passed from fathers to sons, and more was continually accumulated, the warbands became ever better armed and armored over the generations. Eventually, it became commonplace for members of Germanic warbands to sport equipment pieces of Roman, or even Sarmatian, origin. Often those complemented an otherwise Germanic kit. Yet, most important in the long run was the upswing in native Germanic weapons production that the spoils of war enabled. While an influx of wealth increased demand for better weaponry, captured craftsmen and equipment made it possible to reverse engineer enemy designs and produce Germanic versions. An especially striking adaptation was the angon: A Germanic version of the pilum, that closely resembled the Roman original and was used exactly the same way.

Advanced warband units are now available for recruitment. Check the recruitment scroll to view the details.