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Gandalf
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Maia

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Rules Thread May 22, 2022 10:04:38 GMT -5

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Post by Gandalf on May 22, 2022 10:04:38 GMT -5

Character Rules:

Players are advised to create multiple characters and families of senatorial or equestrian rank, with a recommended maximum of three families per player.
Your character may start as pro-consul or imperial legate of a province if they so choose.
Historical characters may be played, with moderator permission and subject to various conditions.
Use these parameters in your character creation sheet.

Traits:

Each player character has 4 points to put into resilience, command, dignitas and intelligence

Resilience governs personal strength and health, affecting survival chance in battle, from assassination, and any other mortal danger.
Command governs military skill, affecting your character's prowess as a general.
Dignitas is your character's prestige, importance, and commitment. It governs your character's 'clout' and how they influence non-player characters and factions, as well as their weight in political matters.
Intelligence is your character’s general mental fortitude, and will be used as a general modifier for character actions. Each point of intelligence increases annual income by 5%.

Bloodline:

Roman Noble: You can trace your descent to various heroes and founders of the republic, to consuls who left their mark on the city before the rise of the Caesars. For generations your family has earned the right to sit in the Senate, a privilege you guard jealously. After the civil wars of the previous century, few of you remain, and your ancient pedigree is treated with mistrust by those in power even as your fortunes are squandered and your bloodlines wither. +1 Dignitas

Italic Noble: You are from the communities made Roman at the end of the Social War or by the laws of Augustus, your ancestors being thrust into prominence by the Emperors to supplant the old nobility. You are the lifeblood of the Empire’s bureaucracy, now filling the ranks of the Senate and commanding the Imperial armies. +1 intelligence.

Provincial Noble: You are a member of the Roman communities in the provinces, your ancestors having been settled in one of the many colonies planted by victorious generals. You and your ilk have only recently come to importance, but have injected some much needed vigour and competence into the Imperial officer corps. +1 Command.

Freedman: You are a generation or two from slavery, an outsider to the higher echelons of power by the low circumstance of your birth. But with the coming of the Caesars such lowborn men have talents that can be used and appreciated. +1 Intelligence, +1 Resilience.

Virtues:

Pick one. This is your defining virtue.

Comitas: You are good humoured and known for your natural charm. It is easy for you to make friends. +1 Dignitas

Virtus: You are strong and vigorous, suited for war and other trials of the body. +1 Resilience.

Prudencia: You are a rare citizen of foresight and discretion, often thinking several steps ahead of everyone else. +1 intelligence

Gravitas: You carry yourself in an upright manner that demands respect from your peers. You are sure of yourself in everything you do. +1 Command

Birth Rules:

Siring Children

Order of rolls:
Conception: d20
Birth: d100 and d50
Defects: d20
Gifts: d100

Conception
Roll a d20. 15-20 is a successful copulation. +resilience stats for the woman increases chance of conception. Age can have an impact on the conception chance, down to mod discretion.
You can only have one successful childbirth every year. If you fail at conception, you may try again in 2 RL days.
If successful at conceiving a child, the child will be born during that calendar year.

Birth Roll
At that point (or earlier if you like), ask for a childbirth roll. This is one d100 to determine gender, 1-50 is a boy, 51-100 is a girl; and then a d50 to determine the outcome of the birth: 1-4 is dead mother and child, 5 is a surviving child but dead mother, 6-10 is a stillbirth. 11-50 are perfectly fine births. Each point of resilience equals +2 to birth rolls. Advanced age may cause a malus.

Birth Defects
If the child survived, we roll a d20, to see if they have any defects. The age of the mother also comes in as a factor.
Roll a d20. Subtract penalties from the age of the parents if applicable.
1-5 result is a child born with an abnormality of some sort, which sends you to the second roll.

If you got a 1-5 and the child has a defect, the mod will choose a condition for the child (or let the player). Depending on the condition, it will have moderate to severe effects in life.

1-5. Physiological defect. 
6-10. Physical defect. 
11-15. Developmental defect. 

Birth Gifts

Lastly, there are gifts. Roll a d100.

97-100 is a genius. +3 trait points on turning 16.
91-96 is a prodigy. +2 trait points on turning 16
80-90 is gifted. +1 trait point on turning 16
1-70 is no gift.

Gifts may counteract a defect, cancelling it out. 

Last Edit: Jun 4, 2022 10:46:13 GMT -5 by Gandalf

Gandalf
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Maia

Posts: 2,701

Rules Thread May 31, 2022 14:27:20 GMT -5

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Post by Gandalf on May 31, 2022 14:27:20 GMT -5

Political Guide:

The Res Publica has been under the benevolent guidance of a Caesar for the last century, prosperous and free of civil strife. Though Augustus ruled the Roman world as an autocrat, his absolute power was carefully masked through the preservation of legality and traditional republican values. Power, on the surface, remains in the hands of the Senate and People of Rome, with the humble and reluctant Princeps the appointed guardian of their liberties through his virtue and auctoritas. Originally, all of Augustus’ powers and authority were accumulated through a long and distinguished career in the service of the state, a career which his potential successors had initially been careful to follow in the footsteps of. The Roman people detest nothing more than despotism and monarchy, and so painful steps were taken to avoid the appearance of a hereditary kingship. Elections went on as they always did, and Augustus ensured that all of his enacted measures were passed through the proper legal channels.

In reality, Caesar Augustus accumulated several extraordinary legal powers and privileges that set him above merely being ‘first citizen’. This senatorial granted ‘package of powers’ includes his very name as a mark of divine authority. The Princeps is placed above even the Consuls in power, and public officials would have to obtain his permission to stand for election - essentially being appointed to the post by his authority. With half a century having passed since the death of Augustus, the supreme power of the Princeps is now more nakedly apparent to all, with the Roman world now apparently comfortable with the idea of one man holding supreme authority. None alive now remember the days of the Republic; the Senate knows nothing but subservience, and the army knows no chief but Caesar.

The Package of Powers:
Imperium Maius: Absolute imperium over numerous if not all provinces of the empire, superseding even that of the Consuls and Pro-Consuls. In effect, this makes the Princeps commander in chief of every legion in the Empire.
Tribunician Potestas: The ‘Powers of a Tribune’, giving the Princeps the right to introduce legislation to the people, veto decisions of the senate and renders him legally immune to physical harm.

Other Dignities:
Prefect of the Morals: Grants powers equivalent to the Censor, allowing the Princeps to regulate public morals and expel or induct citizens into the senate.
Pontifex Maximus: As Chief Priest of the Roman State, the Princeps holds unmatched authority over the religious sphere of life.
Princeps Civitatis: As First Citizen, the Princeps is permitted to speak before the Consuls and introduce legislation to the senate.

Though these powers are officially granted by the Senate, that they are done so is a mark of republican formality. These powers are usually held by the Princeps alone and are only shared with a prospective successor.

The Senate:

Made up as it was in the republic of the Roman aristocracy, legal requirement for membership in the senate was a certain wealth classification and election as a Quaestor, the Republic’s most junior magistracy. It serves officially as the empire’s legislative body, with senatorial decrees bearing the full force of law.

Most senators then advance through the traditional Cursus Honorum, being elected as Aedile, Praetor, and then Consul. Achieving the Consulate was once considered the pinnacle of a man’s career, with the two annual consuls being the premier magistrates of the Republic with vast powers over the military and civic sphere. With the rule of one man the Consulate and the senate alike have lost some of their prestige and standing, with much of their old authority now vested in the Princeps. Elections are now a formality, with the candidates approved by the Princeps naturally chosen by the people to serve the state. However, the Senate remains the legislative arm of the Roman Republic, and membership of the senate is usually a requirement to serve at the highest level of politics; most provincial legates are of the Senatorial class. To serve as Consul is a high honour and a mark of Imperial favour, with members of the Imperial family often serving as Consul to officially introduce them into the public eye. To serve as consul with the Princeps himself is regarded as the highest honour of them all.

Though the Senate is now a ceremonial body, it expects to be consulted and respected. Emperors that ignore, bypass and disrespect the Senate do so at their own peril and may invite aristocratic discontent towards their regime.

Cursus Honorum:
Though the Cursus was by now largely ceremonial, prospective politicians still followed the ancient steps tread by their ancestors to pursue high office. For game purposes, a ‘Cursus’ has been created for players to loosely follow.
Be aware this is only a guideline - the emperors often created exceptions to their own rules, and it wasn’t uncommon for those shown favour to skip multiple rungs up the ladder.

Step I: Junior Magistrates:

A: Serve as a military tribune
B: Be named Quaestor (age 20)
C: Be named Praetor (age 25)

Step II: Senior Magistracy

A: Serve as a Pro-Praetorian governor/junior provincial legate
A1: Serve as urban prefect of Rome
A2: Be named Praetorian Prefect
B: Serve as Suffect Consul (age 32
C: Serve as Ordinary Consul (age 32)
D (optional): Serve as Consul with Caesar.

Reward: +1 Dignitas if D is fulfilled.

Step III: Career Pinnacle

A: Be named senatorial Pro-Consul/senior Imperial legate.
A1: Be named prefect of Egypt.
B: Defeat an enemy of Rome in war.
C: Be awarded triumphal honours.
D: Be named Consul 5 times.

Reward: +1 command if B and C are fulfilled. +1 Dignitas if D is fulfilled.

Step IV: Augustus
A: Be named/acclaimed Augustus by the army.
B: Be named/acclaimed Augustus by the Senate.
C: Be named/acclaimed Augustus by the Praetorians.
D: Be named/acclaimed Augustus by the mob.

Warning; this may not be popular. Achieving one of these grants +1 dignitas to the character. Achieving all of these grants +3 dignitas and +1 command to the character, indicating their status as the undisputed ruler of the Empire.

Step V: Miscellaneous
Conquer a province (+1 command)

Social Class:

Social divisions among the aristocracy have long since ceased to hold much meaning in politics, with the conflict of orders long since passed. Nonetheless, some important distinctions remain, a legacy of Rome’s ancient history.

Senators are members of the Roman Senate by virtue of their wealth and political prominence. The membership is strictly controlled by the Princeps and represents the very top of Rome’s political class. Introduction to the Senate and achievement of high office is usually a prerequisite for provincial governorship. The Senate is divided between Patrician and Plebeian senators, with Patrician families having the distinction of tracing their ancestry to the founding of Rome. Under the Princeps, an increasing number of provincials and ‘new men’ are being allowed to enter the senate. Young men aspiring for a position in the senate traditionally serve in the Legions as a military tribune, or junior officer, and are sometimes even promoted to serve as a legate.

Equestrians are the wealthiest members of Roman society outside of the old senatorial families, and unlike them are able to engage in trade and merchanting. While not typically able to pursue political office, they are often relied upon by the Princeps for military and civilian duties throughout the empire; many Legionary Legates are of equestrian rank, and prominent officials such as the Praetorian Prefect and Prefect of Egypt are exclusively Equestrian.

Freedmen are freed slaves, and many educated Freedmen came into increasing prominence during the early Imperial period as prominent members of the Imperial household. They are usually unable to hold official office, but are still able to wield a large amount of indirect authority over the reins of government.

Imperial Court:

With the government of the Empire increasingly being conducted from house of the Augustus rather than the Senate chamber, power has moved away from the Senate and into the hands of imperially appointed officials. Some of these men hold no official rank at all, but are invested with a level of trust and authority by virtue of their ties to the Emperor that their commands are effectively obeyed as if they were law.

However, there are a few official positions of import appointed by the Emperor:

Praetorian Prefect: A position of enormous trust and influence as the commander of the Emperor’s bodyguard and military police force. Usually a post held by two men in conjunction due to the immense authority it commands. In practice, the Prefect often is second only to the Emperor in authority within the Imperial court, and in recent years the office has functioned as something of a Kingmaker; the absolute peak of the Prefect’s influence came under Lucius Aelius Sejanus, who served as nothing less than the de facto imperial colleague of Tiberius.

Urban Prefect: Effectively the Mayor of Rome, the Praefectus Urbi is in charge of keeping order in the city, securing the grain supply, and the maintenance of public works. It also holds command over several cohorts of armed police troops, the Urban cohorts. The Prefect also holds judicial authority within the city of Rome.

Rationalis: The official in charge of the Imperial purse strings. Usually a Freedman or a trusted man of Equestrian status.

Last Edit: Jun 4, 2022 6:50:53 GMT -5 by Gandalf

Gandalf
Administrator

Maia

Posts: 2,701

Rules Thread Jun 1, 2022 17:42:45 GMT -5

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Post by Gandalf on Jun 1, 2022 17:42:45 GMT -5

Economic Rules:

Public Income:

Roman Treasury/Princeps’ purse. Expenditures will be the legions and public works.

Private Income:

There are three tiers to invest in, for simplicity, and these are broken down into assets that can be sold, confiscated, or bargained with another player character. Events may effect the price or yield of these assets. Players start with one asset in their chosen branch.

Income is collected every harvest season (5th day of the month) and at year end (12th day of the month). Moderators will inform players when this is.

Lesser assets automatically convert into greater assets when the required amount is met. For example, Caesar has 5 small farms - this is automatically converted into his first medium farm free of charge.

Agriculture:

Small farm:
Cost: 500 talents
Income: 1000 talents

Medium Farm:
Conversion cost: 5 small farms
Cost: 5000 talents
Income: 5000 talents

Large Farm:
Conversion cost: 5 medium farms, 5000 talents
Cost: 35,000 talents
Income: 25,000 talents

Mercantile:

Small ship:
Cost: 500 talents
Income: 1000 talents

Medium ship:
Conversion cost: 5 small ships
Cost: 5000 talents
Income: 5000 talents

Large ship:
Conversion cost: 5 medium ships, 5000 talents
Cost: 35,000 talents
Income: 25,000 talents

Urban Housing:

Small bloc:
Cost: 500 talents
Income: 1000 talents

Medium bloc:
Conversion cost: 5 small blocs
Cost: 5000 talents
Income: 5000 talents

Large bloc:
Conversion cost: 5 medium blocs, 5000 talents
Cost: 35,000 talents
Income: 25,000 talents

Provinces:

The provinces of the Roman Empire are divided into those governed by the Senate, defined as ‘Senatorial Provinces’ and those governed by the Princeps and his deputies, defined as ‘Imperial Provinces’. Senatorial provinces are usually wealthy, quiet, and located away from dangerous frontiers with only a few legions garrisoned within them. They are wholly under the authority of the Roman senate, with the governors being appointed magistrates of consular rank as was done in the days before Caesar Augustus. However, times have changed. No longer can Pro-Consuls make war and command armies at will, and though they officially fall under the remit of the Senate the watchful eyes of the Princeps remain upon them. The main responsibilities of the Pro-Consular governors are to ensure funds from the provinces are directed towards the Roman treasury. Despite the diminished authority, a pro-consulate remains a lucrative post and opportunity to accumulate wealth at the expense of hapless provincials. Legally the Princeps is unable to directly interfere with the governance of Senatorial provinces or else risk revealing themselves as an autocrat.

Imperial provinces are governed by appointed Legates, usually of consular rank and denoted by their military experience and loyalty to the Princeps. They hold imperium over the legions and their commanders within the province and are charged with both civilian and military duties on behalf of the Princeps. Within these provinces the Princeps holds supreme command of all military forces, and can assume direct control at any time necessary as well as replace governors at will. As commander in chief over the Imperial provinces, all military victories and glories are officially credited to the Princeps, allowing them to claim victory honours even when completely absent from the field.

Egypt is the exception to the norm. As the private property of the Princeps, it is governed by an appointed Prefect of equestrian rank. The Prefect is responsible for ensuring the wealthiest province in the Empire remains stable and profitable.

Province List and incomes:

Senatorial:
Italia: 5000 talents
Sicilia: 2500 talents
Sardinia et Corsica: 2500 talents
Asia: 10,000 talents
Bithynia et Pontus: 2500 talents
Macedonia: 10,000 talents
Achaia: 2500 talents
Africa: 10,000 talents
Crete and Cyrenaica: 2500 talents
Baetica: 2500 talents

Imperial:
Britannia: 2500 talents
Cappadocia: 4000 talents
Gallia Aquitana: 2500 talents
Gallia Belgica: 2500 talents
Gallia Lugdinesis: 5000 talents
Hispania Tarraconesis: 5000 talents
Hispania Lusitania: 5000 talents
Germania Inferior: 1000 talents
Germania Superior: 1000 talents
Raetia: 1000 talents
Mauretania: 2000 talents
Noricum: 1000 talents
Pannonia: 1000 talents
Illyricum: 2500 talents
Moesia: 2500 talents
Judea: 3000 talents
Thracia: 2000 talents
Syria: 15,000 talents
Aegyptus: 35,000 talents

Client Kingdoms:
Armenia: 2500 talents
Bodporan Kingdom: 2500 talents

Edicts:
To codify some of the things a Roman Pro-Consul/Legate would get up to in the provinces, there are several ‘edicts’ that governors can choose for their term of office that will effect how the province responds to them. Exploitation is often met with discontent and rebellion, while treating the province well can yield benefits in the long term, such as support during times of civil strife. Provincial loyalty dictates a province’s ‘weight’ when factoring in random event rolls, particularly those that involve rebellion. Loyalty should be kept track of in the province thread’s OP

Choose one edict per term of office per province.

Edicts:
Recruitment: -25% auxiliary recruitment and upkeep costs.
Exploitation: +25% annual income, - 1 province loyalty
Autonomy: +1 province loyalty, but offers no other benefits.
Construction: -20% construction costs.
Shipbuilding: -25% ship construction costs.

NB: Provincial income may be increased or decreased through the levying or forgiving of taxes. Naturally this will bear consequences.

—

Actions can be taken at any time with various effects. This is not an exhaustible list.

Actions:
Offer a tax break: +1 loyalty
Build a building: +1 loyalty
Extort provincials: d20 x 500, add result to income. -2 loyalty.
Allied gifts: Lose 5000 denarii, gain +1 loyalty.
Province income can be increased through warfare, building projects, and RP investment opportunities.

Civil War:

The matter of legitimacy is a difficult one, as it governs the behaviour of legions loyal to the Augustus. Legitimacy derives from being a general acclaimed Caesar or from the Imperial government in control of the city of Rome. Legions will automatically be loyal to the legate in command of their province if they are appointed by the sitting Augustus and are acting as his representative. If the governor attempts to raise himself as emperor, there is a chance the legions will either be loyal to him or to the regime in Rome; this is dependent entirely on contextual factors. If a general who has won great victories with his men has a legitimate reason to raise himself up (or is raised up by the legionaries themselves) then it is likely that those legions will be loyal to him. On the flip side, if a general declares himself Caesar without any support then he can expect to be regarded as illegitimate. There may be instances in which the legions themselves prove mutinous to the imperial government and may demand their general take action.

Regardless, once a general is up in arms against the Emperor, there are some guidelines to cover what happens in this scenario. Disaffected provinces/governors may side with the revolutionaries; this, again, will be subject to rolls weighted in the favour of the legitimate imperial government in Rome. If there is no legitimate imperial government, then a power vacuum will ensue, by which legitimacy will be conferred upon the first man that enters the city of Rome unopposed, and all NPC provinces will be rolled for their loyalties.

Provinces loyal to the Imperial government will continue to direct their funds to Rome. Provinces that are disloyal will direct their funds to their chosen Caesar. and the legions stationed there will be loyal to him. Player governors may choose to throw their weight behind whichever pretender they choose, though naturally their choice must prove popular with their men, or else they may find themselves forced to declare for another.

The side not in control of Roma will also not be able to spend any money save for on the recruitment or upkeep of legions, ships, and auxiliaries.

Last Edit: Jun 4, 2022 11:18:34 GMT -5 by Gandalf

Gandalf
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Maia

Posts: 2,701

Rules Thread Jun 1, 2022 17:45:15 GMT -5

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Post by Gandalf on Jun 1, 2022 17:45:15 GMT -5

Military Rules:

The Roman imperial army is made up of legions of Citizen and auxiliary soldiers, numbering around 6000 men per legion (5000 legionaries, 1000 auxiliaries). Following the civil war, Augustus was in command of 28 legions dispersed throughout the provinces. Most provinces are garrisoned with at least one or two legions, with imperial controlled frontier provinces (such as Germania and the Danube) holding more than average. It is not uncommon for legions to be transferred between provinces in times of crisis. Legions are paid directly from the Roman treasury and the purse of the Princeps, each individual legion costing 4000 talents in upkeep.

All the legions fall under the command or ‘imperium’ of the Princeps, who functions as the commander in chief and paymaster of the army. In his absence, however, they fall under the command of the senatorial proconsuls or an imperial legate. As in the Republic, one must hold legal mandate to command, or ‘Imperium’, deriving either from their position as a Roman magistrate or as a deputy of the Princeps.

Legionary Recruitment Cost: 15,000 talents
Legionary Upkeep Cost: 6,000 per annum
Military units shall take 2 days to gather

New legions are only usually raised in times of crisis, as they place a significant strain on the treasury and the civilian population. Raising a new legion costs 15,000 talents. Auxiliary Troops may also be hired at varying cost; legions by default have 1000 cavalry auxilia attached to their unit.

Losing a legion is no small matter, and will result in a serious loss of prestige for the commander as well as serious loss of morale amongst the citizenry.

Within Italy or Rome itself, only the Praetorian Guard exists as a standing military force. Roughly equitable in size to a legion, these elite troops are garrisoned across Italy and serve as a personal guard and private police force to the Princeps. They are commanded by one (sometimes two) imperial Prefects of equestrian rank. They are paid a considerably higher salary (10,000 talents per annum) than a Legion and similarly expect a donative on the accession of a new Princeps. In addition to the Praetorians the Princeps commands a personal bodyguard of 500 Germanic warriors. A force of 1500 vigiles - the Urban Cohorts - police Rome itself, similarly commanded by a senatorial prefect.

Upon coming into the purple, it became tradition for the new Princeps to give the legions a large ‘donative’ to secure their loyalty, translating into a large monetary bonus that equalled several years pay. Failure to award this bonus was often met with discontent and sometimes even outright rebellion.

Legions hold a strong personal loyalty to the Princeps and the August family, but were also known for developing an affinity towards their commanders. A commander may win the loyalty of a legion in battle depending on moderator discretion.

Veterancy and Retirement:

Each battle a legion fights will increase its veterancy status. A defeat awards 1 point, a victory 2 points. Every 3 veterancy points = +1 battle rolls.  If two legions are merged, they adopt the median between their two veteran point tallies.

For example, a 6 veteran legion merges with a ten veteran legion. Their new veterancy is 8.

Veterancy also can prove to be a measure of loyalty if these battles were fought under the same commander. Every year a legion loses a veterancy point by default.

Battle Rules

When two armies approach each other and neither are giving ground, sometimes their only recourse is to do battle.

When a battle thread is opened, a moderator will provide sufficient environmental information on the terrain, weather, and other factors that effect orders or rolls.

Then, the primary players involved divide their forces into three flanks, each with a commander, and present the moderator with their orders. These orders should be exhaustive, but no longer than a paragraph.

The moderator will then roll this battle as they see fit, taking into account orders, troop composition, and environmental factors. They may give the opportunity for some on field RP between battle phases which could also provide an impact on the outcome for the individual and the battle as a whole. Orders and terrain will give hefty modifiers. Moderators should liberally award creativity, planning, and good RP with bonus modifiers.

The minimum requirement for being split up into three flanks is that the army size is at least 3 legions. A 2 legion army will be split up into two flanks, and a single legion will only fight as one.

Rolling:

Battles are fought in three phases, with the winner of the majority of the phases winning the battle unless there is a serious roll discrepancy between the two armies. Generally speaking the casualties for the loser for each 'phase' is the difference between the two rolls x 50 (or whatever scale the moderator deems applicable. Normally a smaller scale engagement under 20,000 for both sides will use x50). The winner divides this number by 2 if the difference is below 10, and 4 if it is above.

For example:

Ambiorix rolls 7. Caesar rolls 20. 

Ambiorix loses 750 men. Caesar loses 188.

Each phase is decided in a best of 3. Casualties in one phase are capped at 10% of the entire force.

SPOILER: Click to show

Modifiers - By no means exhaustive

Basic rock/paper/scissors confers modifiers, IE cavalry attacking light infantry, spears attacking cavalry, infantry attacking spears.

Roman legions get a blanket +3 bonus which scales down against better unit types.

Holding the cavalry advantage on a flank confers a scaling modifier.

Attacking high ground gives a -4 malus unless negated.

Numerical advantage gives +2 for every 4000 or superior equivalent class of troops per flank unless negated by terrain or orders

Attacking a walled city without equipment is a basic -10 malus. Equipment or strategy can negate or reduce this.

Once inside the city, the attacking side gets a +5 modifier to all rolls, stacking on top of existing buffs.

Modifiers will be granted liberally for concise and well thought out orders.

Aftermath:

Usually, a roll is conducted based off the command skill of the general to see if they can retreat in good order, the base chance being d2* command skill. This is all but assured by the leaving of a reserve.

If the loser fails this roll, roll a d45. This number multiplied by 300 is the casualties in the rout. This can be capped at 100% of the enemy force. If a force routs, it leaves behind its baggage train which will contain plunder (rolled by a mod with a d25)

If the loser succeeds, roll another phase with one flank (remaining force with remaining force) but give a +8 modifier to the victor

Example:

Ambiorix has 4 command. This puts his base chance at 8/20. His leaving of a reserve of at least 1000 puts his chances up +5 to 13/20. 

Ambiorix rolls 12. He managed to retreat in good order.

Post Battle Rolls:

In the aftermath of the battle, characters fates are rolled to take into account their survival - unless this has already been addressed through RP. Generally a d100 is rolled. For the victor, chances of being seriously wounded are killed are generally between 1-15, while for the loser this is considered double. In the event of a rout, being killed, wounded or captured is all but certain. This is done at mod discretion, but a general guide is as follows:

SPOILER: Click to show

1-4 death
5-10 major wound
11-20 minor wound
21-30 captured (can only occur if on the losing side)
31-100 survive

The winner of a battle has a chance to recover a percentage of their casualties from among the wounded - this being usually rolled by a d50 by a moderator.

In the advent of a particularly decisive victory against a numerically superior or feared fighting force, the commander’s troops may hail them as ‘imperator’ which entitles them to petition the Roman senate for a triumph. Whether troops hail a commander Imperator or not is subject to rolls and moderator discretion.

In the event of a roman rout, rolls shall be done to see if the legionary standards are captured by the enemy. If they are, this will incur great shame on the losing commander should they live, and the legion will have a malus against all enemies save the ones that took their standard.

Sieges:

Depending on preparations, RP, and moderator discretion, a force with access to supplies can hold out against a besieging force indefinitely. For example, a port city will be able to withstand siege indefinitely unless their supplies from the sea are cut off. An isolated hillfort will be less able to do so. The number of days a fortification is able to hold out will be set by a moderator. Once this number of days is up, and presuming no action was taken by the defenders to remedy their situation, then the fort surrenders.

However, there are other ways to take a fortification. What cannot be accomplished by starvation can be done by guile or brute force. Moderators will reward creative and authentic solutions to fortifications and will at least give a chance for your ploy to succeed.

As a rule, attacking fortifications generally comes at a -5 disadvantage, though this comes down to moderator discretion. A small and well situated stone fortification can provide up to a -15 malus to attackers. Roman Legions can construct siege weapons, the basics (by no means comprehensive) is outlined below.

Ram: +2 to attack rolls. Takes 2 hours to build.
Ladders: +3 to attack rolls. Takes 4 hours to build.
Siege tower: +5 to attack rolls. Takes 6 hours to build.

Like field battles, large scale sieges are rolled as three flanks by the standard procedure. However, the defending force has no means of escape if they lose (unless such provision is made in the orders, and is successful via rolls) and thus the entire defending force will be killed or captured. Post battle rolls for the losing defenders will be heavily weighted to death or captivity.

Last Edit: Jun 4, 2022 11:18:23 GMT -5 by Gandalf

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Rules Thread

Post by Gandalf on May 22, 2022 10:04:38 GMT -5

Post by Gandalf on May 31, 2022 14:27:20 GMT -5

Post by Gandalf on Jun 1, 2022 17:42:45 GMT -5

Post by Gandalf on Jun 1, 2022 17:45:15 GMT -5

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