Accommodating supernumerary officers at events.

[jkaler48]

There are many different Roman Legion groups many with complete sets of officer impressions up to the rank of Emperor which at events can sometime present an unrealistic portrayal of a very top heavy Roman Army. The officer to troops ratio is not a problem in some instances such as an educational visit to a school where a unit intends to show the students examples of each rank in the Legion. More problematic is what do you do with extra officers at public display events and immersion events. While many reenactors who portray officers are more than willing to take a grade reduction and fall in with the troops when needed there are always those who can't or won't do so. A number of different approaches to deal with the extra officers have been developed by event organizers. Some of these are used alone or can be used in combination:

For public display events the extra officers are organized to depict the staff of a Legionary Headquarters with the extra Centurions attached to the headquarters as was sometimes the case in Roman times. Legionaries who are unable to or do not wish to drill are assigned as the headquarter guard element.

For immersion type events the additional officers are written into the scenario as visiting dignitaries or take turns in leadership roles during events or even play roles as several different ranks and or personages during the event.

For recurring events involving two or more units the command and sometimes organizing of the event is rotated between units.

The best way to prevent problem with having too many officers is to determine and assign roles in advance and make sure this information is clearly stated in the event announcements and information.

Occasional problems arise when a reenactor insists that they MUST be in command for one or more of the following reasons:

"I spent a lot of (or more than anyone else) money on my impression."
" I was a Colonel, Admiral, NCO, or other important job in the modern military"
" I have a degree Masters or Doctorate in history, ancient studies"
" I wrote a book on ........."
" I brought a lot of gear, an Artillery piece or .... with me and if I am not given command I will take my (toys) and go home"

The event organizers should do everything possible to diplomatically settle command conflicts that arise in a manner that is fair to all concerned.

If this is not possible should the events organizers ask the individual to leave? Myself I believe there are so few Romans Reenactors in North American that this should only be done as a last resort.