[Forum Game] Senatus Populusque Romanus - The Republic of Rome

Plank of Wood · Jun 29, 2014

Plank of Wood, the Senate, and the People of Rome Present;

SENATVS POPVLVSQVE ROMANVS

IRC: #SPQR_Main
The Roman Republic always welcomes new Citizens!

There is a tide in the affairs of men.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.

Brutus
"Julius Caesar", Act 4, Scene 3, 218–224

Following Julius Caesar's victory in the conquest of Gaul, which some would say was an illegal war, many within the political elite of the Roman Republic feared the clout with the plebians and the military power that Caesar had accumulated. The Senatorial elite rallied around Caesar's old triumvirate ally, Pompey Magnus, seeing him as the lesser of two evils. Fearing the threat of dictatorship, and with the bloody proscriptions of the dictator Sulla still in living memory, the so called "Optimates" made calls to have Caesar tried for war crimes and treason. Conversely, the supporters of Caesar, the "Populares", saw him as a hero and a saviour of the Republic, who would bring power back to the Roman citizens from the wealthy Senatorial elite and restore glory to Rome. Many took sides out of duty for the Republic, out of loyalty to their friends, and some for their own selfish gains. With Caesar's Legions about to return home after the long, eight year war, Optimate and Populare elites must make their moves soon, as both need total control of the city and Senate to save the Republic.

The Year is 50BC, and the Roman Republic would never be the same again.

EPITOME

NARRATIO

Composition of the Senate of the Roman Republic, 704 AUC
Res Publica, Voting, Early 704 AUC
Status Quo, Turn 2, Late 704 AUC
Status Quo, Voting, Late 704 AUC
Para Bellum, Turn 3, Early 705 AUC

JVRA

-

Plank of Wood · Jun 29, 2014

REGVLA

Characters

For historical characters, list the top 3 you'd like to play, and you will receive one of them, using this format:

1st Preference:
2nd Preference:
3rd Preference:

To play a historical character, you must have at least an acceptable knowledge of their views and their relationship with other characters. A Caesar-loving Cicero played by someone who can't string a sentence together will probably not fit in with the game.

For original characters, use this:

Name:
Date of Birth:
Position: (Senate or Military)
Faction: (Optimates, Populares, of Unaffiliated)
Bio:

The Senate

The Roman Senate is an appointed body of the "Best Men in the Republic", with each member selected by the Censor. The Senate is the predominate arm of the Roman Government, in charge of administration, money and foreign policy, as well as having the power to pass legislation, providing it is not vetoed. It can also prosecute any character for crimes against the state.

Any Senator may propose a motion, which can consist of appointing someone to an office, declaring someone any enemy of Rome, extending a character's term of office, calling on military leaders to raise their legions, and so on. The first half of every turn will be the proposing phase, and the second half will be the voting phase. A motion requires a simple majority to pass.

Control over the Senate is determined by the factional affiliation of all players with Senatorial characters. Military Characters appointed to the Senate count as half as much control as an initially Senatorial character. To remove inactive Senators, every 4 turns there will be an "election" of sorts, where all players who are in the senate declare themselves and their faction - however, defections to other factions will be updated on a turn-by-turn basis.

When voting on motions, every player vote makes up a percentage of the faction vote they are a part of. For example, if a faction represents 40% of the senate, and 3 of it's members are for and one against, then 30% of that faction will be for, while 10% will be against - but if only one member of that faction votes and is for the motion, then 40% of the faction will be for.

Disenfranchisement of Senators occurs in two cases: the city of Rome is under the military control of a different faction, or the Senator is outside of the city of Rome. In the former case, any Senator in the non-controlling faction cannot vote against motions proposed by the controlling faction - they can only abstain or support it. In the latter case, their vote share will be removed from the Senate.

Any motion by the Senate can be vetoed by the Plebeian Tribune, or made invalid by a contradicting law in the Popular Assembly.

The Popular Assembly

The Popular Assembly is the directly elected arm of the Roman Republic, and is the Supreme body in voting on legislation and thus has power of veto over the Senate. It nominates a Plebeian Tribune, who, as an appointed magistrate of the Popular Assembly, shares it's power of veto.

Any motion can be put forward to the Popular Assembly by the Plebeian Tribune, which will be voted on in plebiscites. The results of this will be determined by which faction currently has the support of the people.

If a faction has military control over the city, then all plebiscites will come out in it's favour if the faction leader indicates they wish to coerce the plebiscite. This has the consequence of losing legitimacy in the eyes of the people.

Any law passed in the Assembly that contradicts a law passed in the Senate will have priority.

Magistrates

Any character can hold an office, also called a magistrate, if they are granted it, or have an office's powers granted to them. While they are powerful offices, they do not act with independent thought - their actions should be advised by the Senate, and to act against the wishes of the Senate can result in prosecution once their term ends. Every office has the power of veto over the office below it. Also, the laws of Sulla require that one person can't hold the same office twice within a period 10 years, but this is more of a guideline than a rule. The offices are, ranked by power of veto:

Dictator
An extra-ordinary office, granted by the Senate only in times of severe emergency. They have absolute power, and can change laws as they see fit, and remove anyone from their office should they choose. They do not require Senate approve for their actions, but historically have acted in unison with the Senate. They are elected for a sixth month period, but can have several terms as Dictator in a row or be declared Dictator Perpetuo should they be granted it by the Senate.

Plebeian Tribune
An office directly appointed by the Popular Assembly. Any character who is a Plebeian may stand for this annual office, and the winning candidate is determined randomly. Although there was more than one Plebeian Tribune in the real Roman Republic, there is only one for the sake of balance. As they are appointed by the Popular Assembly, they have the power of veto over the Senate and other Magistrates.

Consul
The Heads of Government for the Roman Republic, and are also expected to command armies. Must be appointed by the Senate directly, each year, and they must be at least 42 years old. There are two elected. In any turn that brings the timeline into a new year, the Senators will vote for two candidates for the Consulship, and the candidates with the two highest amounts of votes will be consul for that year. They have power of veto over each other.

Praetor
A magistrate with authority second only to the Consuls themselves. He is in charge of the City of Rome should neither Consul be within it's boundaries, and has authority to lead armies, and to preside in the judiciary. They are elected every year by every player currently within the city of Rome, and must be at least 39 years old.

Aedile
Supervisor of public works. Must be at least 36 years old. Elected by every player in the game regardless of location, and as long as they receive a majority they will receive an Aedile office.

Quaestor
A Magistrate in charge of the Finances of the Roman Republic. Anyone who is elected to this office will also become a Senator, pending the Censor's approval. Anyone can stand for Quaestor, and will receive it, as long as their character is at least 30 years old and are in the City of Rome. If they are a military leader, they are expected to remain true to their duties as Quaestor.

Censor
The Magistrate responsible for the appointment or impeachment of Senators. They have no power of veto, and their decisions can be vetoed by the Praetor or the Consul, however is still a position of power and authority nonetheless. They are elected every two years and must have formerly been a Consul, and must not have been a Censor before.

Pro-Consul and Pro-Praetor
After the end of their terms, Praetors and Consuls are frequently assigned position as governors of the provinces. They are chosen by the Senate, and act as a Consul or Praetor in the province they are assigned. It is useful to be assigned to, as it grants legal immunity as long as it is held, and it is useful to assign to enemies, as it forces them out of the city of Rome.

As well as this, there is the concept of Cursus honorum, the expected order of titles to hold before becoming Consul. A character must have held the position "before" it in order to stand for election. Other titles and offices can be held, such as Auger, but they will have no affect on gameplay as of yet.

The role, the power, the term length and the authority of any Office can be changed by the Senate or Popular Assembly.

The Legions

As well as the political side of the Republic, there is also the military. Military characters, who have been granted command, can raise a number of Legions by posting that they will do so in the thread. The amount of Legions they raise is determined by dice roll, and they can only raise Legions once in a given conflict, unless GM allows a new mobilisation. Only the character raising Legions knows the amount of Legions they have, so co-operation with other commanders is necessary.

Once a leader has raised his troops, they may submit orders to me which, for the sake of my own sanity, can be no longer than four lines long.

If two armies from opposing factions are in the same province, they will start to battle. Battles use the Risk system for battles, with extra dice being added depending on situational advantages. Defeat while defending will mean losing that province.

Leading armies is limited to characters who are specifically military commanders, or Senatorial characters holding the offices of Consul or Praetor.

The City of Rome

The territory of the Republic is huge, and as a result it is impossible for someone in Judea to be able to vote on a motion in the Roman Senate. Players who have travelled, are assigned, or are leading troops abroad will be represented as being away from the city of Rome. Away characters cannot run for an office, unless allowed by the Senate to run in absentia, vote in the Senate or take part in Senatorial debates.

If a faction's army occupies the city of Rome, they will be able to ensure their motions are passed through the Senate with ease and coerce Popular Assembilies. The factional leader can also have any character within the city of Rome be killed if they are openly opposing the will of the controlling faction, or they vote against a bill suggested by the majority faction, but the success of this will be determined by dice roll.

Conspiracies

The more underhanded way of achieving your goals is through Conspiracies. Conspiracies are secret groups of several players who attempt to, usually using force, coerce the Republic using less than legal means. This can include a coup d'etat, taking control of the city, exiling a group of opponents, framing someone for a crime, having a rival killed, or attempting to usurp an Office. For a Conspiracy to be possible at least one Conspirator must be in Rome, and it must meet two of the following criteria;

The Conspirators control at least 40% of the Senate.
At least two Conspirators hold a Public Office.
At least two Conspirators are Military commanders.
At least one is a Governor of a Province.

All players part of the Conspiracy must separately message me secretly, through PM or IRC, that they are taking part. At any point, a conspirator can reveal the plot publicly and expose his co-conspirators, which allows their rivals to prosecute them before the Senate. Being asked to join a Conspiracy is also evidence enough to bring before a senate. If a plot is revealed, the individual members can choose to flee Rome (if they are in Rome), or continue to press the Plot. If all the members hold firm, then the plot will continue as normal, but if anyone backs out, the plot immediately fails.

Note: Asking someone OOC to join a Conspiracy will still count.

Plot success is determined by a dice roll. A Conspiracy must roll a 5-6 to succeed if it meets 2 of the criteria, with the range growing by 1 for each criteria it meets. If a success, the Conspiracy's goals are fulfilled, and it is revealed at the end of that turn. A successful Conspiracy gives it's conspirators immunity from arrest or prosecution for one turn.

If it fails, a second roll happens to determine how far it has failed. For a 1-2, it is a Total Failure, resulting in the exposure of the plot and the arrest of all it's members. A 3-4 results in a Failure, where the plot is exposed, but only some conspirators are named. A 5-6 is a Mishap, where the plot simply does not go through, but nothing is revealed and the plot may continue.

Plank of Wood · Jun 29, 2014

INFORMATIO

Character List

Name	Character	Faction	Role
aedan777	Titus Labienus	Unaffiliated	Military
alexu	Lucius Horatius Scaevola	Populares	Military
aussieboy	Paullus Herminius Scaevola	Unaffiliated	Senate
baboushreturns	Gaius Julius Caesar	Populares	Military
BlackBishop	Visious Pilat	Unaffiliated	Senate
Dadarian	Cornelius Marcii f. Dadarius Arvina	Unaffiliated	Senate
Damien0358	Septimus Damianus Macer	Unaffiliated	Senate
Jako473	Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio Nasica	Optimates	Senate
LatinKaiser	Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus
Maxwell500	Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus	Optimates	Military
Noco19	Marcus Antonius	Populares	Senate
parabranko	Lucius Julius Caesar	Populares	Senate
Riccardo93	Marcus Servilius Geminus	Optimates	Military
sealy300	Hadrianus Marius	Unaffiliated	Military
Syriana	Marcus Tullius Cicero	Unaffiliated	Senate
TJDS	Marcus Porcius Cato 'Minor' Uticensis	Optimates	Senate

Current Factions

It should be noted that Factions are not political parties with clear goals and policies, but general groupings of like-minded Senators and Leaders who centre around one or a few people.

Unaffiliated
For whatever reason - be it personal, political or survival - the unaffiliated faction is made up of those whom have either not yet sided with a faction, or have forsworn their current loyalties. This is not to say that the unaffiliated are politically neutral or have no master, but that they currently have no explicit public support for a particular group.

Optimates
The traditionalist, aristocratic and anti-Caesarian faction within the Senate. They view Caesar as a threat to the Republic and a second Catiline. As well as this, they generally wish to extend the power of the Senate and the nobility, and uphold the traditional values of the Republic. Many Optimates are not anti-Plebeian specifically, but identify with the Optimates for the sake of personal goals.

Populares
The populist and pro-Caesarian faction within the Senate. They view Caesar as a hero of Rome, and believe him necessary to restore stability to the Republic. They generally support the lot of the common people, and occasionally wish to restrain the power of the Senate. Like the Optimates, many drifted into this faction not out of ideology, but to achieve personal goals.

Plank of Wood · Jun 29, 2014

Reserved for Other

TJDS · Jun 29, 2014

1st Preference: Marcus Porcius Cato 'Minor' Uticensis (Cato the Younger)
2nd Preference: Marcus Caplurnius Bibulus
3rd Preference: Titus Labienus

parabranko · Jun 29, 2014

1st Preference: Lucius Julius Caesar
2nd Preference: Gaius Scribonius Curio
3rd Preference: Gnaeus Domitius Calvinus

LatinKaiser · Jun 29, 2014

1st Preference: MARCVS ANTONIVS
2nd Preference: GNAEVS POMPEIVS MAGNVS
3rd Preference: DECIMVS IVNIVS BRVTVS ALBINVS

Plutonium95 · Jun 29, 2014

1st Preference: Gaius Trebonius
2nd Preference: Titus Labienus
3rd Preference: Gnaeus Domitius Calvinus

Syriana · Jun 29, 2014

1st Preference: Marcus Tullius Cicero
2nd Preference: Marcus Aemilius Lepidus
3rd Preference: Sextus Pompeius

Revan529 · Jun 29, 2014

((You people and your "historical figures"))

Marcus Servilius Geminus
Born 29 Maius 671 AUC (83 BC)
Position: Military
Faction: Optimates
Biography: The scion of one of Rome’s oldest and most distinguished families, Marcus Servilius Geminus’ own clan has produced four consuls and countless politicians and soldiers for the Republic; Marcus himself believed he was destined for greatness in serving Rome, and saw his first battles under Pompey against the Cilician pirates and the Pontic forces of Mithridates. Now, a fairly experienced officer in his own right, he staunchly supports the Senate and the Republic.

sealy300 · Jun 29, 2014

Name: Hadrianvs Marius
Date of Birth: a.d III non Augustus DCLXXIV A.V.C (1st August 80 BC)
Position: Military, Leader of the newly created Legio VII Claudia
Faction: Unaffiliated
Bio: Born into a Military family, Hardrianvs got his first command at the age of 15, he show great potential, with one of his peers comparing him to Alexander the Great, he was also a learned man, but he preferred the dirt of the battle field than the marble of the Senate. He now commands the newly created Legio VII Claudia, stationed in Illyria, not far from Rome, and is a good friend of Julius Ceaser, although does not follow his beliefs.

Noco19 · Jun 29, 2014

1st Preference: Marcus Antonius
2nd Preference: Marcus Aemilius Lepidus
3rd Preference: Lucius Cassius Longinus

baboushreturns · Jun 29, 2014

Gaius Julius Caesar
Marc Anthony
Titus Labienus

Jako473 · Jun 29, 2014

1st Preference: Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio Nasica
2nd Preference: Gaius Octavius
3rd Preference: Cato the Younger

Dadarian · Jun 29, 2014

Gens Dadarii
Melopepos Eunt et Veniunt, Dadarii Manet

Name: Cornelius Marcii f. Dadarius Arvina (referred to usually as Arvina)
Date of Birth: 105 or 104 BC
Position: Senator
Faction: Unaffiliated
Bio: Born of a minor equites family of the Dadarii tribe north of the city of Croton. His father, Marcius Dadarius Habitus, was leader of the clan and established their dominance over local affairs following the expulsion of the Greeks from the region. Using his connections (his family notably connected with Sulla) and his wealth, Marcius bought an estate and began farming olives. When Cornelius was old enough, his father's wealth managed to allow the young Cornelius to become aediles plebis. He did this job admirably twice, in from 85 - 84 BC and again from 80 - 79 BC (It is rumoured that Arvina got along quite well with Sulla and the two became acquiescence). Though quite efficient at his job, he always took the plebeian status with regret, trying to will himself and the Dadarii into a patrician family. In 70 BC, he was elected as Quaestor, gaining automatic entrance to the Senate. Once again applauded for his job, Cornelius felt unhappy. Lumped with the plebians who didn't like him that much, he eventually tried to drown his worries in a flood of food. To which he lost his previous agnomen Macer and gained the nickname of Arvina or lard.

Now over two decades since his last appointment and Arvina has been unable to get a new appointment. He has mostly focusing on his importation business with some Aegyptian partners, focusing on fruit and wheat to Rome. In politics, both the Senate and the Plebeian hordes view him as a jovial fat man with a slight religious bent. However, even with these thoughts Cornelius is on the front lines of Roman politics, and his makes him nervous.

~~~

Name: Spurius Lucii f. Dadarius Celsus (referred to usually as Celsus)
Date of Birth: 68 or 69 BC
Position: Military - (Legio V Alaudae, Centurion of the VII Century, IV Cohort)
Faction: Unaffiliated
Bio: Born of a minor equites family of the Dadarii tribe north of the city of Croton. His father, Lucius Dadarius Felix, who had the fortune to fight under Sulla in most of his campaigns. He eventually rose to the rank of Centurion. When Sulla saw him lead one of his centuries to battle during the Battle of Chaeronea, he offered Lucius the position of equitius. Seeing it as his chance, Lucius took the rank (and money attached to it) and retired almost immediately to a life a a gentleman farmer in their home territory.

Spurius, who grew quite tall quite quickly, was enraptured with his father's tales of Sulla's exploits and vowed to join the military (much to his father's distaste, wanting to raise Spurius as a member of the political class). Spurius, and his height, quickly became the talk of the local officer's clubs due to his pigheaded loyalty and his ... rather dull nature. However it came to pass that Spurius eventually became a Centurion like his father for the VII Century of the Legio V Alaudae.

aedan777 · Jun 29, 2014

1. Pompey Magnus
2. Gaius Julius Caesar
3. Marc Anthony

Maxwell500 · Jun 30, 2014

1st Preference: Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus
2nd Preference: Gaius Julius Caesar
3rd Preference: Marcus Porcius Cato Uticensis

Sneakyflaps · Jun 30, 2014

1st: Gaius Octavius
2nd: Gaius Julius Caesar
3rd: Marcus Junius Brutus

Plank of Wood · Jun 30, 2014

Historical Character Picks:

TJDS: Cato the Younger
parabranko: Lucius Julius Caesar
LatinKaiser: Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus
Plutonium95: Gaius Trebonius
Syriana: Marcus Tullius Cicero
Noco19: Marcus Antonius
baboushreturns: Gaius Julius Caesar
Jako473: Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio Nasica
aedan777: Titus Labienus
Maxwell500: Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus
Sneakyflaps: Marcus Junius Brutus (priority for Octavian when he comes of age)

aedan777 · Jun 30, 2014

Titus Labienus

[Forum Game] Senatus Populusque Romanus - The Republic of Rome

μεσσηγυδορποχέστης

μεσσηγυδορποχέστης

μεσσηγυδορποχέστης

μεσσηγυδορποχέστης

Schout-bij-Nacht

Recruit

Je me souviens des jours anciens et je pleure

Colonel

Bas de Merde

Field Marshal

General

Little Creole

First Lieutenant

Lt. General

King of Queen's

The Untieable

dictator perpetuo

Lt. General

μεσσηγυδορποχέστης

The Untieable