The Premise
Welcome to Springtime of Nations, the game of alternate history and organized chaos. In this third installment, Late Republic, you play a prominent figure in the late Roman Republic, working to chart a course through an extraordinarily difficult period in human history. The Roman Republic is a nation of political generals and martial statesmen, making the line between officer and politician largely meaningless. As such, the famous dictum about war being politics through other means holds true, as does the reverse.
The game begins in Rome in 78 BCE, following the death of the former Dictator and Consul Lucius Cornelius Sulla. The Republic has recently undergone an incredible period of tumult and strife between the conservative oligarchs of the Optimate faction, led by Sulla, and Gaius Marius' radical pro-commoner Populare faction. After a vicious civil war culminating in widespread proscriptions, executions, and exiles, the Optimate faction has come out on top, reforming the constitution to ensure the continued dominance of the aristocratic Senate and purging its political enemies.
Unfortunately for the Optimates, these reforms have not quenched the fiery anger of the streets. Resentment against aristocratic domination and historical inequities continues unchecked and only the bloody purges have briefly quelled the chants for reform and revolution. Unemployment is at an all-time high due to the continued importation of foreign slaves, the people have virtually no say in government, and all the wealth of the world empire is channelled to the rarefied heights of the aristocracy, leaving nothing for their social inferiors. The Marian wars were not an end to the violence but rather the prelude to the true conflict that lies ahead.
And yes, this one will make it farther than the other two. I've done away with (most of) the stat hangups.
The Game
Longtime denizens of this subforum should all know how to play character games at this point; if you find yourself somewhat at sea, let me know and I'll help you out. In this installment, I've dispensed with inherent character stats. All I'll be keeping track of is your character's externalities (reputation, wealth, etc). Everything else is up to you.
In this game, the only historical figures who are retained are the ones who predecease the game's start, such as Marius and Sulla. Living or not-yet-born historical characters do not exist and cannot be submitted or referred to. It's your job to populate this remarkable generation with figures of renown and glory.
The primary form of player currency in this game is the order, a two-sentence description of a character action or project. Each character has one (1) personal order that they can submit each turn to describe their character's actions or projects. Additional orders can be gained through attaining offices or achieving special renown. The following orders can be gained by players:
Official Order: Earned through election or appointment to high office. This order allows you to use (or misuse) the power of your office.
War Order: Earned through appointment to military command. This order allows you to use (or misuse) your military forces.
Consular Order: Earned through election to the consulship. This order can be used as either an Official Order or a War Order, at the consul's discretion.
Senatorial Order: Earned through election to the Senate. This order allows you to initiate or influence the legislative process.
Renown Order: Earned through attaining pre-eminence in the following fields: Prestige, Popularity, Wealth, Oratory, Military, and Honor. The first three orders are given to the character who has the highest of the listed value, while the latter three are awarded to the characters with the greatest oratorical and military accomplishments as determined by the GM. These orders can be used to leverage your personal fame in a manner related to the field that earned you the order.
You can have two or more different extra orders but you cannot have a duplicate of the same order.
Each turn, I'll publish a list of the three individuals with the most prominence in a particular field. The person at the top of that list for the turn will receive the appropriate Renown Order for the following turn.
The Stats
Prestige: Prestige is a measure of your character's overall standing with the aristocracy, the monied interests, and the Senate. Prestige can be earned by supporting the aims and goals of the Roman upper classes. Prestige tends to be negatively correlated with Popularity. Characters with higher Prestige will receive greater support from the upper echelons of society and perform actions that require social standing. The character with the highest Prestige is Beloved of Jupiter and holds the Prestige Order.
Popularity: Popularity is a measure of your character's overall standing with the common people and the dregs of Roman society. Popularity can be earned by supporting the aims and goals of the Roman lower classes. Popularity tends to be negatively correlated with Prestige. Characters with higher Popularity will find it easier to whip up crowds of supporters and perform less than honorable actions. The character with the highest Popularity is Beloved of Venus and holds the Popularity Order.
Wealth: Wealth is a measure of your character's personal funds. Characters with higher Wealth can fund larger and more costly endeavors, including putting on public games, building monuments, and outfitting and maintaining legions. You can augment most orders through the use of Wealth, though large-scale usages will deplete your Wealth. Wealth tends to fluctuate depending on economic conditions and how much it's used. The character with the highest Wealth is Beloved of Pluto and holds the Wealth Order.
Oratory: Oratory is a measure of your character's eloquence as determined by the GM. Well-written in-character statements that respond to the issues of the day and convey a strong character voice will influence the success or failure of your orders. They will also potentially qualify you for this category. The character with the best in-character statement from the previous turn as determined by the GM is Beloved of Apollo and holds the Oratory Order.
Military: Military is a measure of your character's success on campaign. Whether against marauding tribes, hostile nations, or even fellow Romans, the gods smile upon those commanders who are victorious in the field. Military success is not just determined by results in the previous update but by the propaganda subsequently released to enshrine the commander's reputation in the minds and hearts of the Roman people; as such, an in-character post detailing the victories and how they were related to the people is required. The character with the best military reputation as determined by the GM is Beloved of Mars and holds the Military Order.
Honor: Honor is a measure of your character's adherence to old Roman virtues while holding a public office on behalf of the people of Rome. Characters who achieve special renown for their virtue or perform in a notable and upright fashion in the pursuit of their official duties are eligible for being listed in this category. Characters who find themselves the victim of scandal or other public disgrace are barred from this category. The character with the most honorable reputation as determined by the GM is Beloved of Minerva and receives the Honor order.
How to Play
Players are expected to regularly post in-character statements and to send orders for each turn, which will comprise one year of in-game time. In-character posts should be your character's public actions and rhetoric, ideally on the issues of the day or their personal agenda. Orders should be sent to me in a private conversation using the title format [SoN:LR - Character Name]. Each order submission should include the relevant year, which kind of order is being used, if the order is public or covert, and if the order is part of a conspiracy (if so, name the other participants of whom you're aware).
Covert orders are intended to mask the character's involvement in their undertaking. They may have public effects, but successful covert orders do not reveal their originator. Covert orders cannot be used to increase your character's public renown.
Conspiracies are joint orders submitted by multiple players with the same general aim. If two or more players submit orders as a conspiracy, the effect of those orders will be magnified beyond the sum of their individual parts. Conspiracies do not have to be covert, but Roman society tends to be suspicious of groups of powerful men colluding, so bear that in mind. Each participant may decide whether or not their participation in the conspiracy is covert. Conspiracies can be used to increase your character's public renown, but only if their participation is public.
Turn updates will be succinct public announcements regarding public order results, generally in the format of Forum announcements. Each player who undertakes covert actions will also receive a succinct private update. All stats are public.
Any combination of not making in-character posts or not sending orders for two consecutive turns will result in your automatic ejection from the game unless extenuating circumstances are explained to the GM ahead of time.
Prestige, Popularity, and Wealth will be ranked on a scale between 1 and 25 and represented by both temporary and permanent stats. Your permanent ranking determines how many temporary points you can spend each turn to augment your orders. You can also spend a permanent point in a stat to generate five temporary points, which must be used during that turn.
The number of temporary points you allocate to your orders determines the magnitude of their success and how they fare in contests with contrary orders. Large-scale actions and opposed actions may require the liquidation of several permanent points to ensure success, but that's what the moneylenders are for. You can also transfer temporary or permanent points to other characters at a 2-to-1 ratio. That's called being a moneylender.
The Cursus Honorum and Magisterial Office
The cursus honorum is a succession of public offices pursued by male citizens of Rome to enshrine themselves as men of honor, notability, and wealth and to bring glory to their families. By holding an office, characters gain magisterial rank, which comes with a host of privileges, but must also bear the responsibility for their official duties.
This game is set right after Sulla's death and the Sullan reforms are still in effect, leaving the balance of power firmly in the Senate's hands for the moment. Characters must wait ten years before being re-elected to any office and three years before standing for election after holding an office. There are strict age requirements for each office, which can be reduced only for members of the patrician class. However, in addition to providing an additional order, magisterial offices provide unique opportunities for gaining personal renown and offer special privileges, most notably immunity from prosecution for the duration of the office's tenure.
Any holder of a magisterial office is automatically enrolled in the Senate unless they fail to meet the requirements for doing so. Officeholders may not use an Official Order unless they spend the majority of the turn within the confines of the city of Rome or their assigned province, depending on the nature of the office.
For more detail on the cursus honorum, see this page or ask me on IRC. Note that most prominent young men looking for public careers began as military tribunes as part of their mandatory service.
The Senate
Any character may be a member of the Senate at the start of the game. This confers several privileges, including immunity from prosecution, but comes with certain requirements. Any player who wishes to be a senator at game start must select Wealth as their primary or secondary statistic, representing the property requirement to hold senatorial office, and must maintain their permanent Wealth at sufficient levels to maintain a senatorial lifestyle. Additionally, senators may not engage in banking or commerce (they're expected to be landholders) and are not permitted to leave Italia without the permission of the full Senate.
Senatorial characters may not make use of their Senatorial Order if they do not spend the majority of the turn within the confines of the city of Rome. Any character who is currently or has served in a magisterial office is automatically enrolled as a member of the Senate unless they do not fulfill the property and ethical requirements.
Submissions
Character submissions are as follows:
Name: Your character's name. If your character is a patrician, this should include their gens as well.
Birthdate: Your character's date of birth. Use the Common Era calendar. Characters should be at least 26 years old.
Class: Your character's class. Most characters should be patricians, equites, or noble plebeians.
Faction: Your character's publicly known faction; this should be either the Optimates or the Populares. Use "Undeclared" if your character has yet to publicly align themselves.
Offices Held: Your character's previously held offices. Having previously held offices will positively impact your character's stats, but will also necessitate a minimum age (at bare minimum, the minimum legal age for holding the office plus the length of the term). Note here if you are now or ever have been a member of the Senate or Plebeian Assembly. Former officer-holders must wait a minimum of three years before holding another office and ten years before repeating the same office. Former tribunes are permanently disqualified from holding all other offices under the Sullan reforms.
History: Your character's personal history in brief. Should include any notable achievements prior to this point, as well as how your character endured the Marian wars.
Stats: In order, rank Prestige, Popularity, and Wealth. These stats will receive values according to their place and modified by your character's held offices and personal history.
One Unique Thing: Each character should have a distinguishing feature or possession that sets them apart from all the rest. This One Unique Thing should be directly keyed to one of the six stats and will modify it accordingly. Examples include a distinguished family lineage (Prestige), the support of a particular gang (Popularity), vast estates in Asia (Wealth), a clear tenor speaking voice (Oratory), an aggressive temperament (Military), or a dignified bearing (Honor). Most things will be acquired over the course of play and your One Unique Thing can be modified or taken away depending on circumstances. Your One Unique Thing should not duplicate anyone else's at character creation. A Senate seat is not a Unique Thing; note that in your Offices Held.
Deadline
I'll keep this up for a few days and see how it goes. I'm aiming for about 13 players. If you have an idea but aren't immediately ready to post it, let me know and I'll keep signups open. If we get more than 13 players, I'll perform a culling and throw the remainder into the Tiber. We'll probably start sometime this week.
Communication
Players should contact me on IRC (irc.coldfront.net) in #Forum (ideally via IRC PM) or PM me here on the actual forum.
Welcome to Springtime of Nations, the game of alternate history and organized chaos. In this third installment, Late Republic, you play a prominent figure in the late Roman Republic, working to chart a course through an extraordinarily difficult period in human history. The Roman Republic is a nation of political generals and martial statesmen, making the line between officer and politician largely meaningless. As such, the famous dictum about war being politics through other means holds true, as does the reverse.
The game begins in Rome in 78 BCE, following the death of the former Dictator and Consul Lucius Cornelius Sulla. The Republic has recently undergone an incredible period of tumult and strife between the conservative oligarchs of the Optimate faction, led by Sulla, and Gaius Marius' radical pro-commoner Populare faction. After a vicious civil war culminating in widespread proscriptions, executions, and exiles, the Optimate faction has come out on top, reforming the constitution to ensure the continued dominance of the aristocratic Senate and purging its political enemies.
Unfortunately for the Optimates, these reforms have not quenched the fiery anger of the streets. Resentment against aristocratic domination and historical inequities continues unchecked and only the bloody purges have briefly quelled the chants for reform and revolution. Unemployment is at an all-time high due to the continued importation of foreign slaves, the people have virtually no say in government, and all the wealth of the world empire is channelled to the rarefied heights of the aristocracy, leaving nothing for their social inferiors. The Marian wars were not an end to the violence but rather the prelude to the true conflict that lies ahead.
And yes, this one will make it farther than the other two. I've done away with (most of) the stat hangups.
The Game
Longtime denizens of this subforum should all know how to play character games at this point; if you find yourself somewhat at sea, let me know and I'll help you out. In this installment, I've dispensed with inherent character stats. All I'll be keeping track of is your character's externalities (reputation, wealth, etc). Everything else is up to you.
In this game, the only historical figures who are retained are the ones who predecease the game's start, such as Marius and Sulla. Living or not-yet-born historical characters do not exist and cannot be submitted or referred to. It's your job to populate this remarkable generation with figures of renown and glory.
The primary form of player currency in this game is the order, a two-sentence description of a character action or project. Each character has one (1) personal order that they can submit each turn to describe their character's actions or projects. Additional orders can be gained through attaining offices or achieving special renown. The following orders can be gained by players:
Official Order: Earned through election or appointment to high office. This order allows you to use (or misuse) the power of your office.
War Order: Earned through appointment to military command. This order allows you to use (or misuse) your military forces.
Consular Order: Earned through election to the consulship. This order can be used as either an Official Order or a War Order, at the consul's discretion.
Senatorial Order: Earned through election to the Senate. This order allows you to initiate or influence the legislative process.
Renown Order: Earned through attaining pre-eminence in the following fields: Prestige, Popularity, Wealth, Oratory, Military, and Honor. The first three orders are given to the character who has the highest of the listed value, while the latter three are awarded to the characters with the greatest oratorical and military accomplishments as determined by the GM. These orders can be used to leverage your personal fame in a manner related to the field that earned you the order.
You can have two or more different extra orders but you cannot have a duplicate of the same order.
Each turn, I'll publish a list of the three individuals with the most prominence in a particular field. The person at the top of that list for the turn will receive the appropriate Renown Order for the following turn.
The Stats
Prestige: Prestige is a measure of your character's overall standing with the aristocracy, the monied interests, and the Senate. Prestige can be earned by supporting the aims and goals of the Roman upper classes. Prestige tends to be negatively correlated with Popularity. Characters with higher Prestige will receive greater support from the upper echelons of society and perform actions that require social standing. The character with the highest Prestige is Beloved of Jupiter and holds the Prestige Order.
Popularity: Popularity is a measure of your character's overall standing with the common people and the dregs of Roman society. Popularity can be earned by supporting the aims and goals of the Roman lower classes. Popularity tends to be negatively correlated with Prestige. Characters with higher Popularity will find it easier to whip up crowds of supporters and perform less than honorable actions. The character with the highest Popularity is Beloved of Venus and holds the Popularity Order.
Wealth: Wealth is a measure of your character's personal funds. Characters with higher Wealth can fund larger and more costly endeavors, including putting on public games, building monuments, and outfitting and maintaining legions. You can augment most orders through the use of Wealth, though large-scale usages will deplete your Wealth. Wealth tends to fluctuate depending on economic conditions and how much it's used. The character with the highest Wealth is Beloved of Pluto and holds the Wealth Order.
Oratory: Oratory is a measure of your character's eloquence as determined by the GM. Well-written in-character statements that respond to the issues of the day and convey a strong character voice will influence the success or failure of your orders. They will also potentially qualify you for this category. The character with the best in-character statement from the previous turn as determined by the GM is Beloved of Apollo and holds the Oratory Order.
Military: Military is a measure of your character's success on campaign. Whether against marauding tribes, hostile nations, or even fellow Romans, the gods smile upon those commanders who are victorious in the field. Military success is not just determined by results in the previous update but by the propaganda subsequently released to enshrine the commander's reputation in the minds and hearts of the Roman people; as such, an in-character post detailing the victories and how they were related to the people is required. The character with the best military reputation as determined by the GM is Beloved of Mars and holds the Military Order.
Honor: Honor is a measure of your character's adherence to old Roman virtues while holding a public office on behalf of the people of Rome. Characters who achieve special renown for their virtue or perform in a notable and upright fashion in the pursuit of their official duties are eligible for being listed in this category. Characters who find themselves the victim of scandal or other public disgrace are barred from this category. The character with the most honorable reputation as determined by the GM is Beloved of Minerva and receives the Honor order.
How to Play
Players are expected to regularly post in-character statements and to send orders for each turn, which will comprise one year of in-game time. In-character posts should be your character's public actions and rhetoric, ideally on the issues of the day or their personal agenda. Orders should be sent to me in a private conversation using the title format [SoN:LR - Character Name]. Each order submission should include the relevant year, which kind of order is being used, if the order is public or covert, and if the order is part of a conspiracy (if so, name the other participants of whom you're aware).
Covert orders are intended to mask the character's involvement in their undertaking. They may have public effects, but successful covert orders do not reveal their originator. Covert orders cannot be used to increase your character's public renown.
Conspiracies are joint orders submitted by multiple players with the same general aim. If two or more players submit orders as a conspiracy, the effect of those orders will be magnified beyond the sum of their individual parts. Conspiracies do not have to be covert, but Roman society tends to be suspicious of groups of powerful men colluding, so bear that in mind. Each participant may decide whether or not their participation in the conspiracy is covert. Conspiracies can be used to increase your character's public renown, but only if their participation is public.
Turn updates will be succinct public announcements regarding public order results, generally in the format of Forum announcements. Each player who undertakes covert actions will also receive a succinct private update. All stats are public.
Any combination of not making in-character posts or not sending orders for two consecutive turns will result in your automatic ejection from the game unless extenuating circumstances are explained to the GM ahead of time.
Prestige, Popularity, and Wealth will be ranked on a scale between 1 and 25 and represented by both temporary and permanent stats. Your permanent ranking determines how many temporary points you can spend each turn to augment your orders. You can also spend a permanent point in a stat to generate five temporary points, which must be used during that turn.
The number of temporary points you allocate to your orders determines the magnitude of their success and how they fare in contests with contrary orders. Large-scale actions and opposed actions may require the liquidation of several permanent points to ensure success, but that's what the moneylenders are for. You can also transfer temporary or permanent points to other characters at a 2-to-1 ratio. That's called being a moneylender.
The Cursus Honorum and Magisterial Office
The cursus honorum is a succession of public offices pursued by male citizens of Rome to enshrine themselves as men of honor, notability, and wealth and to bring glory to their families. By holding an office, characters gain magisterial rank, which comes with a host of privileges, but must also bear the responsibility for their official duties.
This game is set right after Sulla's death and the Sullan reforms are still in effect, leaving the balance of power firmly in the Senate's hands for the moment. Characters must wait ten years before being re-elected to any office and three years before standing for election after holding an office. There are strict age requirements for each office, which can be reduced only for members of the patrician class. However, in addition to providing an additional order, magisterial offices provide unique opportunities for gaining personal renown and offer special privileges, most notably immunity from prosecution for the duration of the office's tenure.
Any holder of a magisterial office is automatically enrolled in the Senate unless they fail to meet the requirements for doing so. Officeholders may not use an Official Order unless they spend the majority of the turn within the confines of the city of Rome or their assigned province, depending on the nature of the office.
For more detail on the cursus honorum, see this page or ask me on IRC. Note that most prominent young men looking for public careers began as military tribunes as part of their mandatory service.
The Senate
Any character may be a member of the Senate at the start of the game. This confers several privileges, including immunity from prosecution, but comes with certain requirements. Any player who wishes to be a senator at game start must select Wealth as their primary or secondary statistic, representing the property requirement to hold senatorial office, and must maintain their permanent Wealth at sufficient levels to maintain a senatorial lifestyle. Additionally, senators may not engage in banking or commerce (they're expected to be landholders) and are not permitted to leave Italia without the permission of the full Senate.
Senatorial characters may not make use of their Senatorial Order if they do not spend the majority of the turn within the confines of the city of Rome. Any character who is currently or has served in a magisterial office is automatically enrolled as a member of the Senate unless they do not fulfill the property and ethical requirements.
Submissions
Character submissions are as follows:
Name: Your character's name. If your character is a patrician, this should include their gens as well.
Birthdate: Your character's date of birth. Use the Common Era calendar. Characters should be at least 26 years old.
Class: Your character's class. Most characters should be patricians, equites, or noble plebeians.
Faction: Your character's publicly known faction; this should be either the Optimates or the Populares. Use "Undeclared" if your character has yet to publicly align themselves.
Offices Held: Your character's previously held offices. Having previously held offices will positively impact your character's stats, but will also necessitate a minimum age (at bare minimum, the minimum legal age for holding the office plus the length of the term). Note here if you are now or ever have been a member of the Senate or Plebeian Assembly. Former officer-holders must wait a minimum of three years before holding another office and ten years before repeating the same office. Former tribunes are permanently disqualified from holding all other offices under the Sullan reforms.
History: Your character's personal history in brief. Should include any notable achievements prior to this point, as well as how your character endured the Marian wars.
Stats: In order, rank Prestige, Popularity, and Wealth. These stats will receive values according to their place and modified by your character's held offices and personal history.
One Unique Thing: Each character should have a distinguishing feature or possession that sets them apart from all the rest. This One Unique Thing should be directly keyed to one of the six stats and will modify it accordingly. Examples include a distinguished family lineage (Prestige), the support of a particular gang (Popularity), vast estates in Asia (Wealth), a clear tenor speaking voice (Oratory), an aggressive temperament (Military), or a dignified bearing (Honor). Most things will be acquired over the course of play and your One Unique Thing can be modified or taken away depending on circumstances. Your One Unique Thing should not duplicate anyone else's at character creation. A Senate seat is not a Unique Thing; note that in your Offices Held.
Deadline
I'll keep this up for a few days and see how it goes. I'm aiming for about 13 players. If you have an idea but aren't immediately ready to post it, let me know and I'll keep signups open. If we get more than 13 players, I'll perform a culling and throw the remainder into the Tiber. We'll probably start sometime this week.
Communication
Players should contact me on IRC (irc.coldfront.net) in #Forum (ideally via IRC PM) or PM me here on the actual forum.
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