[Railstar]

On pike-and-magic missile, I think there are not enough mages to make a valid substitute for shot. You could use war wizards for a few key blasts in certain places, but not in the numbers or with the frequency required to take the role of pike-and-shot tactics. I like the more subtle approach of communication systems (co-ordinating forces from long distances, giving a strategic rather than tactical advantage) or area denial with cloud-like spells and so on.

In this way I think wooden shields would be even more important if blasting spells are involved. A shield would not stop a cannon ball, but it could reasonably save you from a 3d exploding fireball.

Pavise-like tactics would make a lot of sense, or crossbowman and shield-bearer teams, with the spearman armed with a large shield providing cover for the crossbowmen as a combined arms formation.

I see Megalos as a Roman-like central government as the overall authority over relatively feudal duchies or counties and so on. So the individual states and cities are more medieval, akin to the HRE, but there is a much stronger authority from the Empire itself as an overarching bureaucracy atop it all. So the knights and rural areas seem far more conventionally medieval, or high-late medieval at least (early plate armour, late transitional) while the urban centres have a more Roman aesthetic.

Generally the arenas, practise of slavery and so on seem far more Roman Empire of Antiquity than HRE.

Most of the Legions wear mail, implying a developed infrastructure for such a labour-intensive armour to make. People do wear trousers though in my image of Megalos. I kind of envision a level of “medieval people trying to look Roman” going on, with Roman trappings layered over the medieval aesthetic.

Quality of life is generally higher than either medieval or Roman – it has the high TL of a medieval setting with the greater infrastructure of a Roman setting, so I like to look at fancy medieval inventions like the central heating systems, and make them more commonplace.

I think the contrasts are a deliberate part of the setting for Megalos. There is probably meant to be a clash between the Roman and medieval elements. Beyond that, I think Megalos is purposely a little vague based on the “Evil Empire?” sidebar. The idea is it is flexible enough to be a dystopia or a simply authoritarian government depending on what you prefer.