Lustrum: Rome in the Late Republic
The War of the Allies is over. The Lex Julia offers citizenship to all communities not in rebellion against Rome. Thousands gain the franchise. This number of new citizens is further expanded with the Lex Plautia Papiria which grants amnesty and citizenship to all those in rebellion who present themselves to a Praetor's Court for recognition. Already, the old families move to find new ways to accommodate the recently enfranchised masses. New families see opportunities to undercut the power of the old.
Thus a new cycle begins, one out of many stretching back to the foundation of the City. What fate will be in store for the Senate and the People of Rome is now in your hands.
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You will play a citizen of Rome, a member of one of the new families (or an old clan fallen on hard times), with the goal of accumulating power, glory, and perhaps absolute dominion. Now, let us introduce you to the Rules and other mechanics that shall be employed to showcase Roman democracy in the 1st century B.C.;
Factions in General:
For the purposes of this simulation there will be 7 player controlled factions at game start. More may arise as time goes on. Each faction consists of a leader, an heir, and other assorted members. It is incumbent upon the faction leader to formulate orders for each turn, to manage his followers, care for his many clients, and to grow the number of persons associated with his cause. The same goes for the faction heir who is expected to conduct himself similarly but to defer to the directions of the leader; as heir you will have a bonus applied to the actions you undertake for your faction. The faction leader usually will designate the heir of their faction.
All members of the faction are expected to advance the goals of the faction. Though, the actions of each member of the faction are their own and given human tendencies internal rivalries and other problems may arise as the game moves forward.
Every faction will begin as a respected but marginal part of the lower rung of the Roman elite. In general there will be no advantages or disadvantages associated with the starting player factions, though by actions in game boons or burdens can be attached to each faction as the situation develops.
Most of this game, aside from military campaigning, shall take place in and around the city of Rome. The families of your faction may possess land elsewhere but for the most part your characters will be residing within the city limits of the capital.
Unless the GM grants approval, you may not sign-up as a historical character.
Finding Patronage:
While players are generally barred from being historical characters, those same characters exist as NPCs to be interacted with. Many of these figures wield great power and can do much to help or hinder your faction's rise. Your first task in game will be to cultivate one or more of these figures to enlist their help in placing your faction on a firmer footing. Beware, you will inherit not only the friends of a these patrons but also their enemies. Consider your choices carefully before consorting with these figures.
Managing your Faction:
This game tracks two statistics to judge your faction's power, on a 1 to 100 scale, with 1 being the lowest and 100 being the highest.
The first statistic is Dignitas, which is a representation of your faction's suitability in the eyes of your peers for holding public office or other positions of trust, such as priesthoods. Popularity can be a good shorthand description of this stat.
The second statistic is Auctoritas, which represents the ability of your faction to be obeyed or otherwise to get others to do things as your faction wishes. Authority can be a good shorthand description of this stat.
Role-play can improve or degrade your faction's level of Dignitas or Auctoritas. These stats are meant to be used and not just stockpiled. Every turn, regardless of your faction's competence, you will generate a randomly measured--and usually modest--amount of each stat. Only the faction leader may indicate the use of either stat in their orders, which should be allocated towards ensuring the success of a given action.
Monetary wealth and land holdings will remain abstracted. You can safely assume that your faction is one of some means but it is by far on the lower rung of wealth in comparison to established fortunes.
The Political Institutions of Rome:
Without holding a magistrate's office your faction will lack the necessary power to expand its reach. The offices of consul, praetor, censor, and quaestor, as well as the tribunate, are to be aspired towards by members of your faction. Most offices require membership in the Senate to hold.
We shall now go over in some detail each of the political bodies these offices report towards;
The Senate of the Republic: This is the main deliberative body in all of Rome.
The Senate meets in the Senate House, or Curia. Here laws are proposed, debated, and voted upon. Membership in the Senate is controlled by the Censor, who assigns membership based on a threshold of wealth in land; currently 1 million sestertii, meaning in the beginning only a few members of each player faction would be called to the Senate for lack of wealth. For reference the value of 1 horse can be safely assumed to be around 1,500 sestertii.
There are 600 Senators of which 400 are required for a quorum. All meetings of the Senate are open to the public. Senators are appointed by the Censor, who may also dismiss senators. This body can only be called to order for a meeting by a Consul or Praetor. The Consul or Praetor who called the meeting presides over it and will present an opening speech that lays out the particular issue/s that are presented to the Senate during that meeting. Senators may debate the issue but cannot amend or modify it; the issue is either approved or disapproved. The presiding magistrate may block the vote of the Senate. A tribune of plebs may also block a vote of the Senate.
Attendance is mandatory and if made a Senator you will be expected to be present at all its functions. Additionally you are barred from most forms of commerce and may not receive any remuneration or salary from anyone or any organization while you are a Senator.
Take note, the etiquette of the Senate dictates that every Senator may speak once on an issue, this means you may only post once per meeting; historically the Senators spoke in order of rank and seniority, but for game purposes, the weight of the Senator's persuasiveness is based on their social status as determined by the GM.
The Censorate: The highest normal office of the Republic. Has power over matters of public morality and the for game purposes, control over Senate membership. Players need not worry about or aspire to this office for the time being.
The Consulate: This is the most prestigious political office in the Republic. They head the government. Numbering two colleagues, these magistrates have the have the right of summons and arrest, although this may be appealed to the other consul. This power of punishment extends over other magistrates. The consuls can convene the Senate, and preside over its meetings. They may also summon any of the three Roman assemblies and preside over them. Thus, the consuls conduct the elections and put legislative measures to the vote. When neither consul is within the city, their civic duties are assumed by the praetor. Outside the walls of Rome, the powers of the consuls are more extensive in their role as commanders-in-chief of all Roman legions with full imperium. The consuls conduct the levy in the Campus Martius. Upon entering the army, all soldiers take their oath of allegiance to the consuls.
The Praetors: Praetors serve primarily as judges. They preside over trials as well as grant court orders. While in Rome, they can conduct many of the functions usually delegated to Consuls, or command an army in the absence of the Consuls. Essentially, they are Vice-Consuls, with the power to oversee trials.
Quaestor: The lowest catagory of magistrate. The Quaestor oversees the finances of the Roman treasury and has a de facto responsibility for supervising public games. It is a junior post but the worthy citizen who assumes this office is generally expected to continue climbing the ranks of power. Unlike the other magistrates, prior senatorial membership is not required.
Tribunate of the Plebes: These individuals presides over and is elected by the plebeian membership of the Comitia Centuriata and have the power to veto the Senate and the actions of the magistrates. The tribune is sacrosanct and is protected against any assault or interference with their persons during their terms of office. Anyone who harms a tribune can be summarily killed on site. The tribune can introduce proposals before the Century Assembly, which can become law. Any citizen of Rome may also appeal to the tribune for a redress of grievances or to appeal an action taken by the state. Only a plebeian can be elected by the Century Assembly and membership in the Senate is not required. For game purposes there shall be a limit of 3 tributes, though up to 12 were present historically.
Comitia Centuriata or Century Assembly: This assembly divides Roman society into one hundred classes and meets beyond the walls of Rome. For gameplay purposes this Assembly combines the political bodies of the Roman Republic, including the Plebeian Assembly. The Century Assembly elects the magistrates--consul, censor [chosen by the GM for the moment], praetor, and quaestor--and any citizen may attend, but only members of the Century Assembly may actually vote. The highest classes vote first and voting ends with a simple majority is reached; therefore, the higher classes may reach a majority before any of the lower classes even get to vote.
The Dictatorship: In times of grave emergency a Dictator may be appointed. First the Senate must pass a decree authorizing the Consuls to nominate a name, the Consuls shall then nominate a Roman citizen, then the Century Committee will decide by majority vote by approving a Lex curiata de imperio granting such an office to the nominee; the law could include conditions that constrained the power of a Dictator. The term of office automatically expires in 6 months unless renewed by the Century Committee. Currently this office is in abeyance and may only be revived if certain conditions are met in game.
How do elections work:
Each term of office lasts one year starting on March 1st and concludes the following year on the same date.
Elections are held in the December prior to the year taking office and officers elected will assume their positions on March 1st. You must declare your standing for magistrate office before the December elections are called. In general, it is expected that you follow the Cursus Honorum, or the traditional course of a succession of offices. This starts with quaestor, then praetor, then consul, and then censor.
If the Senate feels your expertise is continues to be required beyond your normal term of office, you may have your term of office extended by being declared a "Promagistrate" or seek reelection to that office, though this practice is of questionable legality and is quite frowned upon at this stage of Roman history.
The Military:
If elections aren't your cup of tea or if you lose out, there's always the choice of a period in the army to refurnish your finances. The Consuls allot commands during their year in power. Typically if you are not of a famous lineage or have the benefit of patronage you will find yourself a junior office or placed in command of some marginal outpost. Only Divine Providence knows what will be in store for you during your service. It could be a time of epic deeds or a tale of shoveling shite in some forgotten corner of the Republic.
If you manage to impress the powers that be, you may even find yourself in command of a sizeable garrison or even a field legion. All those who hold these key posts are considered to have been given Imperium, the power to command; this usually will go along with the appointment of a Promagistry for gameplay purposes. You have power equivalent to that Promagistry you have been given while in command and you may exercise such command while outside the sacred boundary of the city of Rome; cross that and you lose imperium. This means that while you hold imperium you may not attend meetings of the Senate, but you may vote in elections as the the assembly is held outside the sacred boundaries of the city of Rome.
The Senate may strip you of your Imperium or even brand you a traitor to the State if you exceed the terms of your command, act incompetently (or too competently), or as part of some rival's scheme against your faction. It is up to you to bow to the demands of the Senate or not; just remember that the troops of this era tend to back someone who looks like a winner.
Turn Updates and Formatting Orders:
Each faction leader is charge of formatting and submitting orders for his faction. This is to be done in the same forum conversation thread sent to GM, with a heading of "[Insert Faction name.], Lustrum."
Each faction starts out with two orders, limited to 250 words each with a brief but descriptive title to summarize each action, that it may use to attempt any action you may think useful to advance your goals. You ought to use Dignitas and Auctoritas to advance the chances of your actions.
Hint: The traditions of Roman 'Mos Maiorum' will be applied to evaluate player orders.
Here is an example turn:
[Faction Name]
[Faction Leader]
Dignitas: 57/100
Auctoritas: 75/100
Faction Members:
[List each faction member in order of the oldest aged here.]
Faction Actions:
1. Agitate for Gaius Flavius Flave for command of Legio XX Taurica by appealing to Consul Clodius Porcius Thrax.
[Insert descriptive text here.]
2. Increase Populares support for Numerius Maximus Meridius' candidacy for Tribune of the Plebs.
[Insert descriptive text here.]
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Interested? Well, here's how you sign up. First we shall pick Faction Leaders over the following week, then we will open business for gameplay and general sign-ups.
If you wish to play a Faction Leader please post a sign-up in this thread modeled after this format;
Faction Name: [Keep it period sensitive, please.]
Faction Leader: [Your faction leader's name goes here; keeping to Roman naming conventions is preferred.]
Leader/Faction Biography: [How did your faction leader come to prominence in the aftermath of the Social War of 91–88 BC?]
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