Late Rome WIP Rules

The Roman State

The Augusti:

The Augustus is the ultimate expression of authority in the Empire. As Rome moved away from the anarchy of the Third Century, the Emperor’s role shifted from that of a first among equals to more of a divine monarch. As God’s appointed viceroy on Earth, the Augustus holds near ultimate authority in the civilian and military spheres, and the power over life and death. Succession has moved towards a dynastic model since the reign of Constantine, and typically an Emperor raises his expected successor to the rank of Caesar, or even as a nominally equal Augustus. At the present, there are two Augusti - one in the West and one in the East. The legitimacy of one is contingent upon the confirmation of the other, as the two are supposed to serve as colleagues in the rule of the world. 

At game start, the Augustus is Honorius, with undisputed mastery of the Western Empire as God’s viceregent upon Earth. For all practical purposes, however, the young emperor is a puppet figurehead in Milan. His legitimacy is mostly contingent on his ancestry; he is the son of Theodosius I, and was appointed as his successor in the West before the latter’s death. Even more so, however, is it contingent upon the ability of his military administration to keep the borders of the Empire secure from external threats.

Though the era of the ‘barracks emperors’ has passed, the threat of usurpation remains a constant shadow over the Imperial throne. Should the Augustus fail in one of his appointed duties, it is only natural that another should try to rise to take his place. However, this is not as easy as simply raising oneself to the Purple. A prospective Augustus requires at least three of the following components to enforce his status:

- The support of at least one interest group.
- The support of at least one province.
- To be a Roman Christian by birth.
- Tied to a previous Imperial dynasty by blood or marriage.
- Status as a Vir Illustris.
- Acceptance or elevation by an existing Augustus.
- Status and dignity of Caesar.

Once this criteria has been achieved, then the Augustus may have a chance at being viewed as Legitimate. However, this requires either the acceptance of the existing Western Augustus or his removal. Approval by the Augustus of Constantinople is also beneficial, but is not required. If the Augustus dies without an appointed successor, then the first prospective heir to to achieve acceptance by the majority of interest groups shall be considered the legitimate Augustus.


Imperial and Provincial Government:

Since the separation of military and civilian authority by Diocletian and Constantine, provinces have been governed largely by the Praetorian Prefects - and under them the Vicars, who have jurisdiction over the day to day humdrum of provincial administration. As we are playing as the western military establishment, the civilian authorities are lumped into their respective Provincial interest group - keeping them on side is an important part of keeping the province functioning, but we do not need to be too familiar with the details of how this occurs. The Church and the local aristocracy also hold significant stakes in government at a municipal and rural level, respectively, and also fall under the provincial interest group. 

At central government level, the Imperial Court (specifically the treasurer) controls the flow of funds from tax collection and its allocation. This is a process done automatically and is outside of player control. The entire tax collection process is subject to a great degree of inefficiency and corruption, as well as typically tax avoidance by the aristocracy. 

Treasury and Taxation:

The treasury at game start contains and regularly receives enough to pay the salaries of the imperial army and cover other defensive upkeep and maintenance costs. This is the case so long as the provinces and their civilian administrations remain intact, in which case they will stop providing their tax income to the state.

Tax Income:
Diocese Italian: 0
Dioceses Galliarum: 35,000 Solidii p/a
Diocese Viennensis: 35,000 Solidii p/a
Diocese Hispaniarum: 60,000 Solidii p/a
Diocese Africae: 40,000 Solidii p/a
Dioceses Pannoniarum: 30,000 Solidii p/a
Dioceses Britanniarum: 20,000 Solidii p/a

These funds are enough to cover the annual salary of the soldiery as it stands with a small surplus. The raising of additional funds must be done through extra taxation or through other means, which are dependent on the player. Interaction with the interest groups is encouraged, as well as player creativity. The support of the provincial/civilian government is needed to raise localised taxes, and the Imperial government to enact any tax reforms or institute new empire-wide taxation.


Imperial Household:



Interest Groups:

The complexities of the Roman Empire are represented in this game through a variety of factors known as Interest Groups. These are governed by moderators on a top down level, and typically to rule the Roman world one must have the support of the majority of these interest groups. Undoubtedly these vary in importance, but to govern effectively relies on keeping these groups in balance. Each has their own priorities, or to simplify, ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’. It is important to note that the legitimacy of the administration relies firstly on a legitimate Augustus ruling from the west, and that this is the keystone upon which all the interest groups interact with the Roman state. If there is no legitimate Augustus, then there is no legal framework with which to keep the groups under control. Should the current Augustus lose his legitimacy, then it is only natural for the Interest Groups to seek one of their own…

The Army:
The Imperial field armies and border units are the most powerful interest group on game start, and comprises the officers as well as the rank and file. Though mostly Roman, a significant number of Romanised barbarians operate within the ranks of the army. These differ from the federates in that they are Roman citizens. By default, they support the appointed Magister Militum Utriusque.

Benefits: Loyalty of this interest group allows the beneficiary to command the army.

Priorities: Defending the provinces, regular payment, less reliance on Federate troops.

Likes: Victory in battle, enemy plunder, donative payments, high command characters, Roman army officers.
Dislikes: Defeat in battle, reliance on Federates, barbarian settlement in the Empire.

The Imperial Court:
Dominated by the Italian aristocracy, the Imperial court represents the upper echelons of the Imperial nobility, including the court officials, the Church, and the Emperor himself at game start.

Benefits: Loyalty of this interest group allows for control of the Imperial bureaucracy and the treasury.

Priorities: No taxation for Italy, privileges for the aristocracy, the defence of Italy and grain shipments from Africa.

Likes: Victory in battle, Nicene Christians, Italo-Romans, Intelligent characters.
Dislikes: Germanics, Pagans, heretics, conscription, defeat in battle, army officers.

The Provinces:
Though each province has its own interests to consider and these differ depending on context, they can broadly be categorised as follows:

Benefits: The loyalty of the provinces allows taxes and resources to be raised and used by the beneficiary. 

Priorities: Low taxation, defence, no Barbarian settlement.

Likes: Victory in battle, status quo preservation, locals in power.
Dislikes: Barbarian settlement, barbarian invasion, use of resources to defend other regions.

NB: The loyalty of a province has massive impact on the loyalty of the garrisoned forces, and even though a player may have the loyalty of the army, the troops stationed there may still rise in rebellion if the situation escalates.

The Foederati:
As more Federates are recruited, this interest group will grow. Currently it is dominated by the Visigoths, who are by far the largest active group of Federates. As more Numerii are recruited, this group will strengthen and perhaps even splinter.

Benefits: The loyalty of the Federates allows them to be commanded without incident or fear of betrayal.

Priorities: Settlement within the Empire, official military positions within the Imperial army.

Likes: Germanics, Arians, plunder, victory in battle, regular payment.
Dislikes: Disregard for barbarian lives, military incompetence, imperial weakness.


The Roman Army:

The Roman Army of the West had been severely weakened in the late fourth century by the battle of the Frigidus and the several wars against the Goths. While at the Frigidus the Empire could perhaps field 50,000 professional soldiers in one battle, this was much reduced by the time Stilicho took control of the West.

Command Structure:

By the time of Stilicho, the Western Imperial armies are de facto commanded by the Magister Utriusque Militae, or the Master of Both Services. Under his direct command is the Imperial Comitatus at Milan. He serves as the Commander in Chief of all Roman Armies, and all provincial military commanders report to him.

Other Magister Militae include the Magister Peditum, who serves alongside the Magister Militum in Italy, and the Magister Equitum, who acts as the field commander for the armies of Gaul. Others may be promoted on a provincial basis as the situation requires; it usually denotes command of a field army greater that twenty thousand active soldiers.

Under the Magister Militae in terms of rank are the Comes rei Militaris, or Counts. They command the mobile field armies of the provinces, and are responsible for carrying out punitive expeditions or meeting provincial threats as required.

Under the Count is the Provincial Dux Limitis, who reports directly to the Magister Militum but is also expected to operate in subordination with the Comes when required. They command the Limitanei troops and oversee the frontier garrisons. They are not usually expected to undertake offensive operations, and primarily oversee the garrisoning and maintenance of border fortifications.

Under these officials are senior regimental commanders, named Tribuni, or Tribunes.

The Scholae fall outside of the normal chain of command, reporting directly to the Emperor through the Magister Officiocorum. They are the Imperial Cavalry Escort, stationed wherever the Emperor is at the current time, and are commanded by the Comes Domesticorum.

Recruiting Troops:

Generally speaking, the Western Roman Army could not support the recruitment of additional standing legions by early fifth century, and tended to siphon additional troops from the border on an ad-hoc basis when necessity arose. These are the ‘pseduocomitatenses’ established for in game purposes across the border that usually were Limitanei drafted into field armies during emergencies. The consequences of such actions are highlighted in the Limes section.

Recruitment of additional Roman field soldiers will be allowed to replenish the ranks of depleted legions, but a new legion cannot be raised unless an existing legion is destroyed completely. For simplicities sake, we will assume the following valuations for soldiers:

1 Limitanei: 1 Solidii
1 Comitatensis: 2 Solidii
1 Palatini: 3 Solidii

As the Imperial Treasury at game start is at capacity, players will have to find the funds to recruit soldiers through their own means - either through taxation, plunder, or the currying of interest groups. 

Another common and viable recruitment practice during this period is to use defeated barbarians to replenish the ranks of the legions, the amount of which depends on the number of enemies captured. This is further covered in the Foederati section.

Bucelarii:

Foederati:

By the early fifth century, several groups of barbarian tribes were settled within the boundaries or on the borders of the Empire and were regularly being used as a source of manpower. The Moorish tribes of Africa and the Franks on the Rhine are among the more prominent of these, and troops are supplied by these groups on an ad-hoc basis. The Franks are particularly important to the defence of the Germanic frontier, and operate semi independently to deter invaders from attacking the Limes. In gameplay terms, Numerii can be recruited from both these tribes based on their existing agreements with the Empire.

By far the largest of these groups however, is the Visigoths. Having crossed the Danube and precipitated a massive crisis following their victory at Adrianople, an uneasy peace was established that allowed the entire Gothic people to settle within Roman borders. Since then, the Visigoths have been fielded up and down the Danube frontier. However useful they are, the dangers of having a large foreign force operating within Roman borders is obvious - the Goths have needs of their own that they are becoming ever more boisterous about. And now that one tribe has crossed into Roman territory seeking settlement, what is to prevent more seeking the same?

In gameplay terms, federate troops may be recruited from Roman allies or defeated enemies. While they can be used to replenish the legions, the additional federate Numerii operate distinctly from them, and do not count towards the legionary cap. However, the larger the numbers of federate troops operating within the Empire, the more the strength of the Federate interest group grows. If recruited by treaty, the barbarians may have demands of their own for their service, which could include imperial settlement, and are likely to upset the established order of things with their presence in Roman lands if not used carefully.

Federated tribes such as the Goths also be recruited indirectly (so as an allied force rather than as units under the PC’s control) but this comes with its own risks.


The Limes:

The Limes are the network of border fortifications and garrisons that stretch up the Danube and Rhine rivers that defend the Roman Empire from barbarian incursions. The Limes require at least 2000 men in each of the listed provinces to function properly. While it was fairly common practice to detach soldiers from the Limes in times of war, leaving the border forts undermanned could lead to barbarians breaking through into the Roman interior

The Navy:

By the early fifth century the Western Empire no longer fielded an effective standing fleet, and raised ships on an ad hoc basis. There are roughly 100 available transports in the Mediterranean for troop movements, but there are no standing warships to speak of. Each boat can transport roughly 200 men.

Troop Classifications:

1 Legion = 1000 Men
1 Alae = 500 Men

Elite:
Scholae Troops
Palatine Troops

Heavy:
Comitatenses
Pseudocomitatenses
Auxilia Cavalry
Germanic Federates

Light:
Limitanei
Nomadic Federates

Army Groups in 395 AD:

Italy: Emperor/Magister Militum

Imperial Scholae: Mediolanum
2 Scholae Palatini Legions

Imperial Comitatus: Mediolanum
12 Palatine Infantry Legions
3 Palatine Cavalry Legions


Gaul:Magister Equitum Per Gallias

Gallic Legionis: Lutetia
10 Comitatenses Legions
3 Auxiliary Cavalry Legions

Limes Germanicus: Split between Belgica I, II, Germania I, II, Ratiae Prima, Raetia Secunda
6 Limitanei Legions
3 Pseudocomitatenses Legions

Illyricum: Comes Illyrici

Illyrian Legionis: Sirmium
2 Palatine Legions
4 Comitatenses Legions
2 Auxilia Cavalry Legions

Limes Danubicus: Split between Pannonia Prima, Pannonia Valeria, Pannonia Secunda, Noricum Ripensis
6 Limitanei Legions
3 Pseudocomitatenses Legions


Africa: Comes Africae

Africa Legionis: Carthago
5 Comitatenses Legions
2 Auxilia Cavalry Legions

Dux Tripolitania: Tripolitania
3 Limitanei Legions
1 Nomadic Cavalry Alae

Dux Mauritania: Caesarea
2 Limitanei Legions

Comes Tingitaniae: Tingi
2 Comitatenses Legions
1 Nomadic Cavalry Alae

Hispania: Comes Hispaniae

Hispanis Legionis: Carthago Nova
4 Comitatensis Legions
2 Auxilia Cavalry Legions

Britannia: Comes Britanniae

Britannia Legionis: Deva
3 Comitatenses Legions
1 Auxilia Cavalry Alae

Litoris Saxonici: Britannia Prima, Flavia Caesarensis
2 Pseudocomitatenses Legions

Dux Britanniarum: Eboracum
5 Limitanei Legions


Total Forces:
19 Limitanei Legions
8 Pseudocomitatenses Legions
28 Comitatenses Legions
10 Auxiliary Legions
17 Palatine Legions