REPUBLIC OF ROME is a game that captures 250 years of political history during the Roman Republic, from its appearance on the world stage around the time of the 1st Punic War (264 BC) through its eventual collapse into civil war with the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC. Players control factions composed of the leading Senatorial families who compete for state offices, military commands, economic concessions and new adherents. Each player is attempting to become the dominant political force in Rome. However, the Senate must also attend to the affairs of state in a hostile world, necessitating a certain amount of cooperation in the prosecution of wars and the maintenance of public contentment. Failure to do so, especially at the outset when Rome is most vulnerable, may result in the collapse of the Republic. Therefore, the players must not only out maneuver one another, but also defeat the game itself, which constitutes an ever-present opponent scheming to divide and defeat them all. Players are advised to keep the threat of the downfall of the Republic foremost in mind and stand ready to cooperate for the good of the state. Otherwise, the most likely winner will be the game, and all players will be put to the sword!
WINNING: There are multiple ways to win REPUBLIC OF ROME. One common way is for the Senators in your Faction to accumulate the most combined Influence by the end of the game. However, if a single Senator can accumulate enough Influence to be elected or appointed Consul for Life, this will usually result in a victory for his Faction. The most difficult and most dramatic way to win is to gain the allegiance of the formidable Roman Legions, Revolt against the State and attempt to take the Senate by force! For more details on Victory Conditions see 1.12.1.
LOSING: Be ever watchful as Rome can fall in a myriad of ways! If the State goes Bankrupt due to poor fiscal policy, all players lose. If the citizens of Rome ever Revolt due to the poor stewardship of the Senate, all the players lose. Finally, if, at the end of any turn, Rome is beset by four Active Wars, the Republic will collapse under the strain and Rome will be no more! For more details on the Losing Conditions see 1.12.2.
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1 Game Board
160 Scenario Cards
18 Event Cards
1 Summary Sheet
15 Provinces
6 Solitaire/Two Player
6 Faction Treasury
Reference Cards boxes/Vote Counters
3 Dice
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Markers/Chits:
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Each Game Turn is modeled on the political year of the Roman Republic wherein lackluster “years” are skipped to keep the action constant. Each turn is composed of seven Phases.
Blue Text: Text in blue signifies that the listed rule applies only to an Advanced Rule. Advanced Rules are optional rules that can be incorporated into the Basic Game.
1.04.1 GAME TERMS: The following terms are used throughout the rules and players should be familiar with them. The index in the back (Section VII) contains additional game term definitions.
1.04.2 FACTIONS: Each player will control a Faction of Senators, which they will display before them. These Senators have different attributes that increase a Faction’s voting power and Influence. The black-text Senators represent Families, while the red-text Senators represent specific Statesmen of the era. Statesmen are treated like Senators but usually have better attributes and a special power.
1.04.3 PUBLIC AGREEMENTS: During the course of the Game players will conduct negotiations and make deals. Deals made publicly, for all players to hear, are considered binding and must be honored. If one party to the deal is unable to fulfill his or her side of the bargain when required, the wronged party can rescind those aspects of the deal that are still being held (and are therefore retrievable). However, a player may not back out of a Public Agreement simply because it is inconvenient. Virtually anything that does not circumvent the rules can be agreed to in such a deal. However deals involving the distribution of the Rome and Field Consul offices amongst the two candidates are never enforceable, nor is any deal involving an Assassination attempt, or agreements to Revolt or to remain loyal to Rome. If there is disagreement as to the terms of a Public Agreement, the other players must honestly and impartially arbitrate the disagreement, by majority vote if needed.
EXAMPLE: During the Senate Phase, Chris agrees in open discussion to give Eve 15 Talents in exchange for Eve’s promise that her Rome Consul will propose Julius for Censor and vote for his election. Eve does as promised. However, the Rome Consul calls upon Chris to vote first for his own election, whereas Chris wants to vote last to assure passage. The measure is defeated when Paul spends money to buy votes to defeat it. Chris protests that the bargain was not kept, but the other players agree with Eve that nothing was said about a specific voting order and the trade stands. Eve is entitled to 15 Talents from Chris during the next Revenue Phase. Chris gets nothing except heartburn.
1.04.4 PRIVATE AGREEMENTS: Players who discuss their deals in private have no recourse when a deal partner fails to honor the terms of any agreement. Caveat emptor.
1.04.5 TRADING CARDS: During the course of the Game players will hold secret cards that will make up their hand. Players may trade and/or give away their held Faction cards only during the Revolution Phase (1.11.1). Players may show their cards and agree to the terms of trade (including binding Public Agreements), but they may not exchange cards until the next Revolution Phase.
1.04.6 TRANSFERRING TALENTS: Players may give Talents to each other only during the Redistribution step (1.06.3) of the Revenue Phase. Players may make deals for votes, buy Faction cards, and even agree to the terms of a binding Public Agreement (1.04.3), but they may not actually transfer any Talents until the next Revenue Phase.
1.04.7 VOTE TALLY: Each player should always readjust his Vote Tally dial as soon as he gains or loses votes for any reason.
1.04.8 RESOLVING TIES & TURN ORDER: Ties of any nature not resolved by stated secondary considerations are always broken in favor of the highest roller on 2d6. Disputes about what order players should resolve actions not resolved by stated secondary considerations are always broken by the HRAO going first and play proceeding clockwise around the board.
1.04.9 HIDDEN INFORMATION: Only Talents kept in the Faction Treasury and a player’s hand of Faction cards are hidden. Unless otherwise specified everything else, including discard piles and Personal Treasuries, are always open for inspection. When a card is discarded, place it face up on the discard pile. Except during setup (3.01, 3.02, 3.03), cards in the discard pile never return to the game.
1.05.1 IMMINENT WAR ACTIVATION: Wars located in the Imminent Wars box in the Forum move to the Active Wars box. See Imminent Wars section (1.07.3321) for more detail.
1.05.2 MORTALITY PHASE DRAW: One Mortality Chit is drawn at random from the cup every Mortality Phase.
1.05.21 MORTALITY RESOLUTION: Whenever a Mortality Chit is drawn, the chit indicates that the Senator whose numerical ID matches that of the chit has died. If the named Senator is not in play, there is no effect. In the event you need to draw more than one chit (whether through “Draw 2” chits, combat losses, or events), these chits are laid out and not returned to the cup until the appropriate number of chits have been drawn [EXCEPTION: If a Draw 2 marker is drawn, it is immediately returned to the cup and two more markers are drawn (i.e. it does not stay out)]. It is possible (although unlikely) that a “Draw 2” marker could be redrawn several times in the same turn resulting in three or more deaths in a single turn. Once all the needed Mortality Chits have been drawn, the chits are returned to the cup.
1.05.22 GRACCHI & LICINII BROTHERS: No Senators with the same ID# can be in play at the same time, except for the Gracchi brothers (Statesmen 25A and 25B) and the Licinii (Statesmen 29A and 29B) in the later scenarios. Should the 25 or 29 Mortality Chit be drawn when both its respective Statesmen are in play, the Senator affected is determined by a random 2d6.
1.05.3 DEATH CONSEQUENCES: Regardless of the cause of death, all markers except a Faction Leader marker are removed from the afflicted Senator’s card. Any Concessions attached to the Senator are placed in the Forum and, if they are Governors, their Provinces are placed in the Forum. If the Primary Rebel dies, the Revolt fails (1.11.372 and 1.12.3). Any Family card (black-text Senator) that does not have a Faction Leader marker is placed under all other Family cards in the “Repopulating Rome” space in the Curia [EXCEPTION: Special Major Prosecution of Assassins (1.09.74) and Statesmen pairs (1.07.312)].
1.05.31 STATESMAN CARD DEATH: A Statesman card (red-text Senator) is permanently removed from play when he dies and any Family card beneath the Statesman card suffers the normal death consequences (1.05.3). Statesmen that are Faction Leaders without a Family card are still removed from play and the player can reappoint a new Faction Leader in the Forum Phase (1.07.7). Statesmen cards are discussed in detail later in the rules (1.07.312).
1.05.4 FACTION ELIMINATION: A Faction is eliminated only if it loses its last Senator as a result of trying an Assassination (1.09.74). Any cards held in the eliminated Faction’s hand are discarded and the Faction Treasury is returned to the Bank. If a Faction is not eliminated, but has no Senators left, that player may either quit the Game or draw the top Senator card in the Curia that does not match a played Statesman to use as his new Faction Leader. If there is none, he must wait and take the first Senator that enters the Curia.
1.06.1 PERSONAL REVENUE: All Senators generate Personal Revenue unless they are in Revolt (1.11.34), Captive (1.10.71), or non-Aligned [EXCEPTION: Rebel Governors if using the Rebel Governor (2.03) Advanced Rules]. The revenue includes Base Income plus funds from Concessions, Governorships and Knights. These are given as a lump sum to the player for Redistribution (1.06.3).
1.06.11 BASE INCOME: Each Faction Leader collects 3 Talents and all other Senators collect 1 Talent apiece.
1.06.12 KNIGHTS/CONCESSIONS: Each Senator collects from the Bank 1 Talent for each Knight on his card, plus he must generate revenue on each Concession (1.07.32) he controls and he reveals the Concession’s corrupt bar.
1.06.13 PROVINCIAL SPOILS: Each Governor has the option to roll a die or dice to generate that number of Talents of Provincial Spoils from his Province that turn. A Governor need not pay a negative Provincial Spoils result, but the State must pay for unpaid negative amounts collected by both Personal and State Income rolls during the Debits step (1.06.53) of the Revenue Phase. A Governor need not collect Provincial Spoils produced by his Province, but must make that decision before rolling to determine the amount. A Governor who attempts to collect Provincial Spoils from his Province takes a Corrupt marker and is subject to a possible Minor Prosecution until the end of the first Prosecution Phase after his return to Rome (1.09.41). If using the Provincial Wars Advanced Rule (2.02.4), ALL Provinces listed under Defends provide no Provincial Spoils.
EXAMPLE: The Governor of Undeveloped Hispania Ulterior takes a Corrupt marker and rolls a 2 for Provincial Spoils, which results in net income of -1 (2 - 3 = -1), but he need not pay any negative totals out of his own funds. Total bill to the State Treasury is -1 Talent.
1.06.2 REBEL MAINTENANCE: Rebel Forces must be maintained at a cost of 2 Talents per Legion and Fleet before the Redistribution of wealth occurs (1.06.3). See (1.11.33) for more details.
1.06.3 REDISTRIBUTION: All Personal Revenue generated, in addition to any existing Talents, may at this point be moved freely between Personal Treasuries and Faction Treasuries. The exceptions to this rule are that Rebel Senators may not transfer money in their Personal Treasury to or from either non-rebel Senators or any Faction Treasury (to or from other Rebel Senators is ok), and Captive Senators may not give or receive money at all. Money may be transferred to or from Senators who are not in Rome. Except as noted for Rebels and Captives, players may give Talents from their Faction Treasury and the Personal Treasuries of their own Senators to other players (1.04.6), who may then redistribute the Talents as needed.
1.06.31 FACTION TREASURY: Talents allocated to the Faction Treasury are placed in the Faction Treasury Box in front of each player. Faction Treasuries are secret and not available for inspection by other players (1.04.9). This is the only money that may be used to defend against another Faction’s Persuasion Attempt (1.07.4). Talents from the Faction Treasury may also be used to maintain Legions and Fleets in the event of a Revolt by a Senator of that Faction (1.11.33) or Ransom a Captive Senator (1.10.71). Only money in the Faction Treasury is safe from loss due to death. Money in the Faction Treasury may not be spent for any purpose other than these listed.
1.06.4 PROVINCE DEVELOPMENT: After collecting or declining to collect his Provincial Spoils, the Governor of each Undeveloped (yellow-bordered) Province (unless in Revolt) must roll 1d6 to see if that Province has been improved by Roman control. Rebel Governors do not roll for Province development and provinces without a Governor are not eligible to be Developed. There is a +1 drm to the Improvement roll if the Governor does not hold a Corrupt marker. If the roll is ≥ 6, the Province card is flipped to its Developed (green) side. The new values listed thereon remain in effect for the rest of the Game. Provinces being attacked by a Barbarian Raids Event, allied with a War (Advanced Rule 2.02), or under attack by a War (Advanced Rule 2.02) cannot be Developed. The current Governor of a Province when it is Developed earns 3 Influence.
1.06.5 STATE REVENUES: The players adjust the Treasury markers on the State Treasury track. The State receives 100 Talents Annual Revenue at the start of each Revenue Phase.
1.06.51 TAXES: If there are any active Provinces, each non-rebel Governor rolls a die or dice as indicated on that Province card after “State Income” to determine the number of Talents in taxes paid to the State by his Province. In some cases, this can be a negative amount and results in the Treasury Track markers being reduced accordingly. The amount of taxes collected is recorded on the Treasury Track. A Province with a Rebel Governor, without a Governor (1.09.54), or engaged in a Provincial War (2.02) does not provide Talents to the State.
1.06.52 CONTRIBUTIONS: Any non-rebel Senator (even those not in Rome) may contribute money to the State Treasury regardless of the level of the Treasury. In doing so, a Senator may gain 1 Influence for 10 Talents, 3 Influence for 25 Talents, or 7 Influence for 50 or more Talents. A Senator may make one such contribution per Revenue Phase. Excess Contributions do not accumulate credit for Influence gains in later turns. Players may wish to determine the State Debits (1.06.53) before making Contributions in order to avoid Bankruptcy.
1.06.53 DEBITS: After adding the Annual Revenue, Provincial Taxes and any contributions to the State Treasury, subtract 20 Talents for each Active War (including Unprosecuted Wars and Civil Wars) and the costs for any Land Bills in effect. Finally, deduct 2 Talents for maintenance of each existing Legion or Fleet not in rebellion and not in the Garrison of a Rebel Governor (1.11.32). Players cannot eliminate Forces by voluntarily not paying maintenance. [EXCEPTION: The HRAO may decline to pay the maintenance for Forces released by a Rebel; any of these Forces not maintained must be eliminated (1.11.33, 2.03.6).] If unable to pay its obligations at any time in the game, the State is bankrupt and only the declared Rebel (if there is one) has a chance to win the game (1.12.3); otherwise, all players lose. Forces that cannot be maintained are eliminated. All the players should be advised when the State Treasury drops below 50 or 20 Talents due to the danger of Bankruptcy (and immediate loss) to subsequent Natural Disaster or Evil Omens Event draws.
1.06.6 RETURNING GOVERNORS: At the end of the Revenue Phase move the center term dial of non-rebel Governors. When a term dial moves off of “1” return the Governor to Rome and return the Province card to the Forum. Returning Corrupt Governors keep their Corrupt marker.
1.07.1 PASSAGE OF TIME: Remove any Event cards in the Forum, unless the card specifically states otherwise.
1.07.2 INITIATIVE SEQUENCE: The HRAO player (1.09.11) must roll 2d6 for Initiative. If he rolls a 7, he must roll 3d6 on the to determine which Event card he has drawn (1.07.21). Otherwise, he draws a card from the Forum deck. If the Forum deck is empty and will not be replaced with another deck (Extended Scenario 3.04), a player must still roll but does not get to draw a card. He may then take any of the following steps in the order listed below:
A player need not have a Senator in Rome to take his regular Initiative.1.07.21 EVENTS: If the player rolls a 7 as his Initiative roll, he does not draw a card but instead must roll 3d6 on the and place the corresponding light blue Event card from the table in play. If that Event card is already in play, it is flipped to its dark blue side. If the Event card is already flipped to its dark blue side, there are no additional effects unless otherwise specified on the Event card. This nonetheless prevents the drawing of another Forum or Event card by that player.
1.07.22 BIDDING ON INITIATIVES: Once the HRAO has completed his Initiative Sequence, the other players in clockwise order complete an Initiative Sequence until all players have completed one Initiative Sequence. Any additional Initiatives needed to bring the total number for that turn to six are publicly auctioned off to the highest bidder (once around clockwise, starting with the HRAO, minimum bid is 1 Talent). Each Initiative is immediately completed by the winner of the bid. This is repeated until there are no remaining Initiatives.
Only those Senators currently in Rome may bid for an extra Initiative with the winning bid coming from a single Personal Treasury. Winning the bid allows the entire Faction to take the Initiative Sequence, not just the winning Senator. If nobody bids for an Initiative, the HRAO’s Faction takes any Initiatives that are not bid on.
1.07.3 CARDS: There are two classes of cards: Cards with black text are called Forum cards and must be played face up in the Forum when they are drawn. Cards with red text are called Faction cards and belong to the player who draws them. A Faction card may be held secretly in a player’s possession until he chooses to play it in accordance with any restrictions pertaining to that card.
1.07.31 SENATORS: There are two types of Senator cards: Family cards (1.07.311), which are Forum cards, and Statesmen (1.07.312), which are Faction cards. The number after the “MIL” on the right of the card is the Senator’s Military rating, representing his ability as a Commander (general and admiral). The number after the “ORA” is the Oratory rating, representing his political skills and voting power. The number after the “LOY” is his Loyalty rating, measuring the degree of allegiance the Senator feels towards the Faction controlling him (1.07.411). The number in the bottom center of the card is his Influence and serves as a fluctuating gauge of his prestige. This rating can be increased during the Game by his public service or reduced by his misdeeds. This number is always positive; a Senator can never have less than 0 Influence. The small number in the upper center of the card is the Senator ID Number, which corresponds to a like-numbered Mortality Chit. Senator cards also contain designated areas to record the Senator’s Popularity and Knight markers. If a Senator’s Popularity is negative, it is recorded with a black Number marker. Popularity may not go above 9 or below -9.
1.07.311 FAMILY SENATORS: Family cards are Senator cards with black text and a marble background that represent leading families in the Senate. New Family cards are added to a Faction only through Persuasion Attempts (1.07.4), when Repopulating Rome (1.09.81) and sometimes when playing a related Statesman card (1.07.312). Having a particular Family card means a player has in his Faction the leading member of that family. Should that Senator die, his place is taken by the next leading member of that family who, if not a Faction Leader, leaves the current Faction and goes to the bottom of the Curia. Family cards with an ID# in brackets “[ ]” include a related prominent Statesman that may appear during play.
1.07.312 STATESMEN SENATORS: Senator cards with an alpha-numeric ID, red text and a marble background represent outstanding individual Statesmen with special capabilities. Statesmen can enter play only at Game start (3.01.9) or during the Revolution Phase (1.11.1). A player may not add a Statesman card to his Faction if either of the following conditions exist:
When a Statesman enters play, if the player already controls the 7 related Family card, place the Statesman on top of it. If the related Family card is in the Forum, move the Family card to the player’s Faction and place the Statesman on top of it. The Statesman is placed over it and both cards are moved to that player’s Faction. If the related Family card is in the Curia or deck, place the Statesman by itself in the player's Faction.
When a Statesman is already in play and its related Family card appears in the Forum (not the Curia), immediately place it beneath the Statesman.
If two Statesmen with the same number are in play legally [25A/B or 29A/B per (1.05.22)] and the Family card then appears in the Forum (not the Curia), place the Family card under the “A” Statesman of the pair. A player may not play one of these Statesmen if the Family card is in play with a different Faction, unless the other Statesman of the pair is already in play. If one of the pair dies, and the Family card is with the other, move the Family card to the surviving Statesman, even if the dead Statesman was the Faction Leader.
When a Statesman is placed on his Family card, the Statesman takes over any Influence and Popularity ratings on the Family card that are greater than his own and all its Concessions, Governorships, Knights, and other markers. Note that the Statesman's Military, Oratory, and Loyalty ratings which are less than those on the Family card remain equal to the Statesman's printed rating.
Statesmen may use their special abilities even while they are away from Rome. Marius must still be in Rome to attract a Knight.
1.07.32 CONCESSIONS: Concessions are Faction cards with a picture frame background that represent economic considerations such as collecting taxes or distributing grain. The player who draws it from the deck owns a Concession. He may assign it to one of his Senators at Game start (3.01.9) or during a Revolution Phase (1.11.1) by placing it partially beneath that Senator’s card. That Senator must then collect the number of Talents listed on that Concession during the Revenue Phase (1.06.12) or as otherwise indicated on the Concession card. Generating revenue on a Concession reveals the corrupt bar on that Concession’s card. This indicates that the Senator is liable to a Minor Prosecution during the next Senate Phase. A Senator loses a Concession due to his death (1.05.3), a successful Minor Prosecution (1.09.441) or due to certain Wars or Natural Disasters. Whenever a Senator dies or is convicted, his Concessions are returned to the Forum, where they can be awarded to another Senator by a proposal (1.09.61).
1.07.321 DESTROYED CONCESSIONS: If a Concession is destroyed (aka eliminated) (by a War, Leader or Natural Disaster), then it is placed in the Concession space of the Curia and has a chance to be revived at the end of the Forum Phase (1.07.8).
1.07.33 WARS: War cards are Forum cards with a parchment background representing external threats to Rome. The numbers next to the icons on the right of the card represent its value in combat. The number next to the Swords icon is the enemy’s Land Strength, which represents the value of his Army. The number next to the Anchor icon is the Fleet Support number, which indicates the number of Roman Fleets, if any, required to support the War. Some War cards have a number next to a Ship icon, which represents enemy Fleet Strength which must be defeated in a Naval Battle before conducting the Land Battle. The numbers highlighted black and gray next to the D and S on the right of the card determine automatic Disasters and Standoffs and are explained in the Combat section (1.10.21, 1.10.31). The number inside the Coin on the bottom right indicates the Spoils of War that are generated upon defeat of the War and are detailed in the Combat section (1.10.4). Some Wars have a Dying Plant icon, which indicates the War causes a Drought Effect (1.08.12). Some cards have an Armaments icon beside the date, which indicates whether the War is Active or Inactive (1.07.331). When a War card with an Armaments icon is drawn, it goes into one of the the “Active Wars” spaces in the Forum [EXCEPTION: Imminent Wars (1.07.3321)]. It usually remains active until the Senate defeats it.
1.07.331 INACTIVE WARS: War cards without an Armaments icon are Inactive Wars. When drawn, place them in the “Inactive Wars” spaces of the Forum [EXCEPTION: Imminent Wars (1.07.3321)]. They remain inactive in the Forum until the Senate sends an Army or Fleet to attack them, or until activated by their Leader (1.07.341) or a Matching War (1.07.3321). Once activated, change the War’s status by moving it to one of the “Active Wars” spaces of the Forum. Some War cards list how many Matching Wars activate them and where they reside within their sequence of Matching Wars.
1.07.332 MATCHING WARS: Whenever two Wars of the same type are active (e.g., two Punic Wars or two Cilician Pirates), the Land and Fleet Strength (but not Fleet Support) of each are doubled as long as the two remain active. If a third Matching War is active, the Strength numbers of all three are tripled. If all four Macedonian War cards are active at the same time, their Strength is quadrupled. However, each War is fought individually - not added to its related Wars. In these situations, the Strength numbers of the remaining related Wars are reduced again to tripled, doubled, or normal Strength as their Matching Wars are individually vanquished. When counting Active Wars [4 and Rome is defeated (1.12.2)], each Matching War card (not set) is considered a separate War. Rome may not attack the latter of any currently active Matching Wars unless she first (or simultaneously) prosecutes all earlier (in Matching War Sequence) currently active and related Matching Wars.
EXAMPLE: Assume the 1st and 2nd Punic Wars are in the Forum. Rome need not defeat the 1st Punic War in order to attack the 2nd, but she must attack the 1st Punic War in the same turn she attacks the 2nd Punic War.
Each Matching War contains a line of text similar to “1st of 2 Cilician Pirates (1)”. The number in () is the number of Wars of that type in the Era of the card (i.e. in the Early, Middle, or Late Republic deck).
1.07.3321 IMMINENT WARS: Whenever a War card is drawn from the deck that would match another War or Revolt card already located anywhere in the Forum, the drawn card is placed in the “Imminent Wars” Forum space for the remainder of the current turn, and it does not multiply any Active Wars until it, itself, becomes Active. If the already existing War in the Forum is currently located in an Inactive War space, it is immediately moved to the Active Wars space; otherwise, nothing else happens. At the beginning of each new turn, before any other action is taken, all cards in the Imminent War space are examined, and one card for each War is moved to an Active War space on the Forum (1.05.1). Activate all Imminent Wars in Matching War order (e.g., 1st Macedonian before 2nd Macedonian), even if it means the most recently drawn War card must be activated. Imminent Wars can be attacked by the Senate (just as if they were Inactive); however, the moment the Senate sends a Force to attack the Imminent War, it is instantly moved to the Active War column and begins to multiply War Strengths. Once played in the Imminent Wars space the War will only be moved out of that box at the beginning of a turn or if attacked by the Senate; Leaders (1.07.34) do not active Imminent Wars. For the brief period the Wars are located in the Imminent Wars space they are considered Inactive, regardless of their Armaments icon.
EXAMPLE: First Punic War begins the turn in an Inactive War slot. Third Punic War is drawn; it is placed in the Imminent War space, and the 1st Punic War is moved to an Active War space. The 2nd Punic War is drawn in the same turn; it is also placed in the Imminent War space. The Hannibal Leader card is then drawn; it is immediately placed with the active 1st Punic War. At the start of Turn 2, the 2nd Punic War is moved to an Active War space, but the 3rd Punic War remains Inactive until the start of Turn 3.
1.07.333 REVOLTS: A Revolt is a type of War card in which no Spoils of War are created by defeating the War. Many Revolts are conditional (i.e., they are treated as Revolts if a named Province currently exists at the time of being drawn, but are treated as Wars that are not Revolts if it does not). Whenever the last War in a numbered series of Matching Wars is defeated, any previous War in that series is thereafter treated as a Revolt.
EXAMPLE: If the 3rd Punic War is defeated, the 1st and 2nd Punic Wars are considered Revolts.
1.07.334 WAR CONSEQUENCES: A War need not be fought immediately, but for each Active War during the Revenue Phase, the State loses 20 Talents (1.06.53). If, at the end of any Combat Phase, there are 4 Active Wars, the Republic collapses and all players lose (1.12.2). Any Active War in one of the “Unprosecuted War” spaces (1.10.9) also increases the Unrest by 1 each during every Population Phase (1.08.11), in addition to costing 20 Talents. Inactive or Imminent Wars do not count against the four-war limit, the State Treasury drain, or Unrest.
1.07.34 LEADERS: Leader cards are Forum cards with a parchment background representing the appearance of a particularly able enemy Commander. Their presence makes a War more difficult to prosecute.
1.07.341 LEADER ACTIVATION: If, while an Inactive or Active War is in play, a matching Leader card is drawn (e.g., Hannibal is drawn while any Punic Wars are Active or Inactive), the Leader is immediately placed with the War and the War is considered Active [EXCEPTION: Leaders cannot activate Imminent Wars (1.07.3321)]. If a Leader resides in the Curia and a War matching that Leader is drawn (or moves from Imminent to Active), both the Leader and the War are immediately considered Active, even if the War would normally be considered Inactive.
1.07.342 LEADER STRENGTH: While a Leader is active and matched with the War(s), the Land and Fleet Strength (not Fleet Support) number(s) of the War(s) are increased by his value, after any relevant doubling, tripling, or quadrupling for Matching Wars.
1.07.343 ADDITIONAL LEADER PENALTIES: The numbers on the right side of the Leader card determine automatic Roman Disasters and Standoffs (1.10.21, 1.10.31) directly attributable to the skill of the Leader and in addition to those in effect for the War itself. Statesmen with “Nullifies Disaster / Standoff” abilities only void the D/S associated with the Wars, not those of associated Leaders.
1.07.344 LEADER DEATH: If the last active Matching War associated with a Leader is defeated, or a Leader is drawn when none of his Matching Wars are currently in play, the Leader is moved to the Curia. If all of the Matching Wars associated with the Leader are removed from the deck and board the Leader is removed from play. At the end of each Forum Phase, an Aging roll on 1d6 must be made for each Leader in the Curia. If the result is a 5 or 6, that Leader dies and is removed from play. On the Refuge / Rise from Refuge Event “killed by a Victory” refers to a Leader who was aiding a War card and was either removed from play or moved to the Curia due to a Victory result (1.10.4) or the New Alliance / Another New Alliance Event. A Leader in Refuge still aids his normal Matching Wars.
1.07.35 INTRIGUE: Intrigue cards are Faction cards with a picture frame background that have various uses and requirements on when and how they can be played.
1.07.36 LAWS: Law cards are Faction cards on a scroll background that represent changes in the rules governing the Republic and play of the Game. Display played Law cards in the Law space rather than mixing them with the discards. Law cards may be played anytime during the Senate Phase (1.09, 2.06) - even before the Consuls are elected. A player need not have a Senator present in Rome to play a Law card.
1.07.37 EVENTS: A few Event cards are Forum cards on a picture frame with parchment background. They are resolved immediately and in the same manner as the blue-bordered Event deck. They are discarded after being fully resolved.
1.07.4 PERSUASION ATTEMPTS: A Senator in Rome may attempt to persuade an Unaligned Senator in the Forum or an already Aligned non-Faction Leader Senator also in Rome to join his own Faction.
1.07.41 RESOLUTION: The Senator making the Persuasion Attempt adds his Oratory and Influence and subtracts from this sum the target Senator’s Loyalty rating to get a Base Number. This Base Number can be modified by Loyalty (1.07.411), Bribes (1.07.412) and Counter-Bribes (1.07.413). The resulting Base Number is then compared to a 2d6 roll. If the roll is less than or equal to the Base Number, the Persuasion Attempt succeeds and the target Senator joins the Faction of the Senator making the Persuasion Attempt. If the original (unmodified) roll is greater than or equal to 10 (or 9 after the “Era Ends” card is revealed), or the modified roll is greater than the Base Number, the Persuasion Attempt fails and the target Senator remains either Unaligned in the Forum or Aligned to his current Faction.
1.07.411 LOYALTY: If the target Senator is already Aligned, 7 is added to his Loyalty rating. The number of Talents in the Personal Treasury of the target Senator, whether Aligned or not, is also added to his Loyalty rating.
Some Statesmen oppose others and display a “-“ followed by another Statesman’s name. If a Statesman belongs to the same Faction as any Statesmen shown with a "-" on his card, his printed base Loyalty rating is reduced to 0; however, he still adds 7 for being Aligned. Some Statesmen oppose others who do not oppose them back.
The exception is the Gracchi bothers (25A/B), which have a “+” next to their names because both desire to belong to the same Faction. In this case the Loyalty of 0 occurs when one brother belongs to a Faction without his brother. This effect only occurs when both 25A and 25B are in play (otherwise their Loyalty is 6).
1.07.412 BRIBES: The Senator making the Persuasion Attempt may spend money from his Personal Treasury to aid the Persuasion Attempt. Each Talent spent adds 1 to the Base Number. This money is paid into the Personal Treasury of the target Senator at the end of the Attempt, regardless of the outcome.
1.07.413 COUNTER-BRIBES: All players may interfere in a Persuasion Attempt made against a Senator by spending money from their Faction Treasuries to resist (not aid) the Persuasion Attempt. Each Talent thus spent subtracts 1 from the Base Number. This money is paid into the Personal Treasury of the target Senator at the end of the Attempt, regardless of the outcome. If an Unopposed Persuasion Attempt is made (which requires a Seduction or Blackmail card), this type of interference is not allowed and the target Senator must defend strictly with his Loyalty rating and Personal Treasury.
1.07.414 BIDDING: The Senator making the Persuasion Attempt announces his target and the initial Base Number, which may already reflect money irrevocably spent from his Personal Treasury. Play then moves clockwise around the table, and each player in turn announces the Talents, if any, he is irrevocably spending from his Faction Treasury to resist the Persuasion Attempt. The player making the Persuasion Attempt may then either roll 2d6 at the present Base Number or irrevocably spend more Talents, with bidding moving around the table again. This cycle of bidding continues until all players stop spending money or the Persuader accepts the current Base Number. Money thus spent should be initially placed on the table in front of a player’s Faction (making change as necessary) and transferred to the target Senator’s card only after the Persuasion Attempt is resolved.
EXAMPLE: Fabius wishes to make a Persuasion Attempt against Claudius, who is an Unaligned Senator in the Forum. Fabius adds his Oratory and Influence ratings and gets a sum of 7, from which he subtracts Claudius’ Loyalty rating of 7 to produce a Base Number of 0. Fabius spends 9 Talents from his Personal Treasury to bring the Base Number up to 9. Play then moves around the table, and the other players spend a total of 8 Talents from their collective Faction Treasuries to lower the Base Number to 1. Fabius responds by spending the 7 Talents remaining in his Personal Treasury to raise the Base Number to 8. Play revolves around the table again, but this time the other players are unwilling or unable to spend any more money, so the final Base Number is 8. Fabius rolls a 9, which is not less than or equal to 8, so the Persuasion Attempt fails and Claudius remains uncommitted. All the money spent on the Persuasion Attempt is placed in Claudius’ Personal Treasury, making him both more attractive and harder to get, since the 24 Talents now in his Personal Treasury are automatically added to his Loyalty rating in any future Persuasion Attempts.
1.07.5 KNIGHTS: A player may attempt to attract one Knight per Initiative to one of his Aligned Senators in Rome by paying 0 or more Talents from that Senator’s Personal Treasury and then rolling a die. If the sum of the die roll and the number of Talents paid is greater than or equal to 6, a Knight is attracted and that Senator places a Knight marker on his card indicating the total number of Knights he controls. There is no limit to the number of Knights that may eventually be controlled by a Senator. For each Knight a Senator controls he gains an extra vote in the Senate and an extra Talent of income during the Revenue Phase unless the Senator is held Captive. A Senator in Revolt (1.11.34) loses control of all of his Knights.
1.07.51 PRESSURING KNIGHTS: Instead of rolling to attract a Knight, a player may opt to pressure any Knights he has in his Faction for contributions and, in so doing, loses their support. He announces how many of his Knights under each of his Senators he will pressure and rolls a die for each to determine the amount of Talents gained. This money must be added to each controlling Senator’s respective Personal Treasury and the pressured Knights are returned to the Bank. Pressured Knights no longer provide extra income or extra votes.
1.07.6 SPONSORING GAMES: Sponsoring Games allows a Senator to increase his Popularity while lowering the Unrest Level of the populace. The Senator pays the cost of the games he wishes to Sponsor from his Personal Treasury (see the ). Adjust his Popularity and reduce the Unrest Level as indicated. The Senator need not be in Rome to Sponsor Games.
1.07.7 APPOINT NEW FACTION LEADER: A player may change a Faction Leader by placing his Faction Leader marker on any Senator in his Faction. The new Faction Leader does not need to be in Rome.
1.07.8 PUTTING ROME IN ORDER: After all six Initiatives have been resolved, the following steps are completed in order to prepare Rome for the upcoming Senate Phase (1.09).
1.08.1 UNREST: The Unrest Level represents the degree of dissatisfaction of the populace with the government. The Unrest Level starts at 0. There is no limit to how high the Unrest Level can go, but it can never go lower than 0. To show an Unrest Level higher than 9, flip the Unrest Level marker over. At the beginning of the Population Phase, the Unrest Level is adjusted for the following conditions:
1.08.11 UNPROSECUTED WARS: Each Unprosecuted War (1.10.9) adds 1 to the Unrest Level.
1.08.12 DROUGHT EFFECTS: The Unrest Level is increased by 1 for each separate Drought Effect in play. Drought Effects can be caused by both Events and Wars. Each Drought Effect is cumulative and adds 1 to the Unrest before the State of the Republic speech is made (1.08.2). Drought markers can be used to keep track of the number of Drought Effects in play.
EXAMPLE: A War with a Drought Effect is in play and Unprosecuted. The Drought Event is rolled twice in the Forum Phase. The total modifier to the Unrest would be +4 (+1 for the Unprosecuted War and 3 for 3 Drought Effects - the initial Drought Effect on the War plus the 2 additional Drought Events rolled).
1.08.2 STATE OF THE REPUBLIC: The HRAO gives a State of the Republic speech by rolling 3d6, subtracting the Unrest Level, and adding his Popularity. The result is found on the . The numbers on the indicate the amount the Unrest Level is to be immediately increased or decreased. A result of “NR” (No Recruitment) places the No Recruitment marker onto the Force Pool, prohibiting the raising of any Forces for the rest of the turn. [EXCEPTION: Neither No Recruitment nor Manpower Shortage applies to Legions/Fleets recruited via the Gabinian Law card.] “MS” places the Manpower Shortage Event card into the Forum, places the Manpower Shortage marker onto the Force Pool and is cumulative with any existing Manpower Shortage (1.07.21). “Mob” results in an assault on the Senate by an outraged mob, which is resolved by drawing six Mortality Chits to check among those currently in Rome to determine the Senators killed (1.05.21). “People Revolt” results in an overthrow of the Senatorial government and immediate defeat for all players, unless a Rebel is currently in Revolt, in which case he wins the Game [barring loss due to four Wars].
1.09.1 HOW THE SENATE PHASE WORKS: The Senate Phase is the heart of the Game. Players will put forward a variety of proposals which will then be voted on by Senators and enacted if passed. The Senate is convened the moment the State of the Republic dice are thrown in the Population Phase.
REMEMBER: Each player should readjust his Vote Tally dial as soon as he gains or loses votes for any reason.
1.09.11 HIGHEST RANKING AVAILABLE OFFICIAL (HRAO): The HRAO is the highest ranking available official in Rome. The order of precedence is listed on their Office Marker:
1.09.12 PRESIDING MAGISTRATE: The HRAO is typically the Presiding Magistrate. The HRAO will not be the Presiding Magistrate during Prosecutions (1.09.41) or after stepping down as a result of a unanimous proposal defeat (1.09.144). The Presiding Magistrate has complete control over the procedures of the Senate and conducts all business. He may recognize Senators in any order he wishes and may call for the votes of each Faction in any order. He alone makes nominations and proposals without the use of a Tribune card (1.09.151), and he may break off discussion on any proposal by calling for an immediate vote. Any player who ignores his demand for an immediate vote is considered to have abstained and loses his right to vote on that proposal. After all elections (including Governors) and Prosecutions, he may close the meeting at any time there is no unresolved proposal on the floor by saying “the Senate is adjourned.” If the Presiding Magistrate dies as a result of an Assassination or Prosecution, the next HRAO becomes Presiding Magistrate.
1.09.13 PROPOSALS: A proposal is anything put before the Senate for a vote (except a Prosecution, see 1.09.41), either by the Presiding Magistrate, a Tribune, or as otherwise allowed. A nomination is a type of proposal. Whenever a vote is not in progress, any player may offer advice, discuss options, and/or suggest courses of action, but only the Presiding Magistrate or a Tribune can formally define a proposal. Only the Presiding Magistrate may call for votes.
1.09.131 PROPOSAL ALTERATION: Defeated proposals may not be introduced again in the same Senate Phase without significant change.
EXAMPLES:
1.09.14 VOTING: After announcing the proposal, the Presiding Magistrate chooses a Faction to vote first. That Faction must vote, abstain, or use a Tribune to veto the vote (1.09.151). After that Faction votes or abstains, the Presiding Magistrate selects another Faction to vote, and the process is repeated until all Factions have had an opportunity to vote, abstain, or the proposal is vetoed. The voting procedure of the Senate is the same for all business requiring a vote except that abstaining is not allowed during the passage or repeal of a Land Bill (1.09.62); any player refusing to vote on a Land Bill when prompted is considered to have voted against it (or for its repeal).
1.09.141 VOTES: Each Senator in Rome controls votes equal to his Oratory plus the number of Knights he controls. However, he may temporarily increase his votes for any particular proposal or Prosecution (1.09.41) by buying them. For each Talent he pays out of his Personal Treasury he receives 1 extra vote for that round of voting. These Talents are paid out when the Senator’s votes are called upon.
1.09.142 BLOCK VOTES: All the Senators in a Faction need not vote alike, though they usually will. Once a player declares his vote, he may not change it, nor play a Tribune to veto (cancel) the vote.
1.09.143 PASSAGE: A simple majority (> 50%) of votes cast is required to pass any measure (i.e. a proposal, Prosecution (1.09.41), or anything else requiring a vote), except recalling a Pontifex Maximus.
1.09.144 LOSS OF INFLUENCE: Whenever the Presiding Magistrate makes a proposal which is defeated by unanimous vote of all Senators in Rome controlled by the other players, he may choose to lose 1 Influence (down to a minimum of 0) or he may step down as Presiding Magistrate and immediately hand over conduct of the meeting to the next HRAO. If the Presiding Magistrate does not have any Influence to lose he must step down as Presiding Magistrate. The Senator stepping down retains his office, but is not available to be the Presiding Magistrate at any further point in the turn. This does not affect the HRAO order, just who is the Presiding Magistrate. This can happen multiple times during a Senate Phase. These penalties do not apply when a Tribune is used to put forth a proposal (1.09.151).
1.09.15 TRIBUNES: Tribune cards may be played during the Senate Phase to veto or initiate proposals, including nominations. Once used, Tribunes are discarded. If two or more players play a Tribune at the same time, those players dice off to determine who gets precedence with the loser(s) taking their Tribune(s) back to their hand(s). Players may play Tribune cards even if they have no Senators in Rome.
1.09.151 PROPOSAL USING A TRIBUNE: Players may force proposals to a vote by using a Tribune card and announcing “Tribune!”. A proposal is considered on the floor the moment the first vote is called for. The Presiding Magistrate may call for the votes of each Faction in any order. The proposal must still be made at the correct time in the Senate Phase (e.g., a player may not propose to recruit Legions before the Censor has been elected). This may be done any time there is no proposal already on the floor. Alternatively, it can be played during a current proposal with or without specifying intent so as to establish that player’s right to make the next proposal. Other facts about Tribunes:
1.09.152 VETO USING A TRIBUNE: A Tribune may be used prior to or during the owning Faction’s turn to vote to stop any vote from being taken, whether it is an election, Prosecution, or other proposal [EXCEPTIONS: Consul for Life, Special Prosecution of Assassins, any proposal by a Dictator, and the appointment of the last eligible candidate for any office]. The player playing the Tribune announces “Veto,” and the vote is cancelled, even if it already had enough votes for passage. The slate of candidates in a vetoed election may not be nominated again in the same turn, nor may the Accused in a vetoed Prosecution be prosecuted again that turn for the same reason.
1.09.16 PROPOSAL IMPLEMENTATION TIMING: A proposal is implemented as soon as the last Faction votes on it and the proposal passes. No cards can be played or actions occur between the time the last Faction votes and the proposal is implemented.
EXAMPLE: A Senator could not be Assassinated after he is elected Governor since he is considered to be in his Province as soon as the last vote on the passing proposal is cast.
1.09.17 PROHIBITIONS: The Senate may not put forth a proposal or nomination not defined within the rules.
1.09.171 RESIGN: A Senator elected to an office may not resign it.
1.09.172 DECLINE A NOMINATION: A Senator may not decline a nomination; however, he may vote against or veto the proposal.
1.09.18 OFFICE INFLUENCE: Influence gained from an office is not lost when the Senator ceases to hold the office, but is his to keep until lost by some form of misdeed or death. [EXCEPTION: Pontifex Maximus Advanced Rule (2.01)]
1.09.2 CONSULS: The first act of any Presiding Magistrate must be to conduct elections for new Consuls from among the ranks of Aligned Senators in Rome. He must nominate candidates in pairs. Any pair of candidates that is defeated may not be nominated again that turn as the same pair, but the individuals making up the defeated pair may be nominated again as part of a new pair. Candidates are elected or defeated as a pair; one cannot be elected while the other is defeated in the same vote. The current Consuls and Dictator (if any) may not be elected Consul this turn until the Tradition Erodes Law is passed. A Senator may not hold two offices simultaneously, but the current Censor or Master of Horse may be elected Consul with the understanding that he will not continue to serve in his existing office.
1.09.21 AUTOMATIC APPOINTMENT: Nominations continue until two Consuls are elected or until only one possible pair of candidates remains, in which case this final pair is automatically appointed.
1.09.22 ROME/FIELD CONSUL: The newly elected Consuls decide amongst themselves who will be Rome Consul. If they cannot agree, they dice off for the choice of office. Place the appropriate Consul markers on their respective cards and immediately increase their Influence by 5. The new Rome Consul becomes Presiding Magistrate and takes over conduct of the meeting. The outgoing Consuls receive Prior Consul markers (assuming they don’t already have one). Upon the election of the Consuls if a Dictator and Master of the Horse exist, they lose their offices and the Dictator gains a Prior Consul marker.
1.09.3 DICTATOR: If and only if Rome is facing 3 or more Active Wars, or one Active War with a combined Land and Fleet Strength of at least 20, which could be a Civil War (1.11.3), a Dictator may be elected or appointed immediately after the Consular elections. A Naval Victory marker reduces the Naval Strength of a War to 0 for this purpose. To be eligible for Dictator, a Senator must be Aligned, in Rome, and not holding any office except Censor.
1.09.31 AUTOMATIC APPOINTMENT: The Consuls, acting together, may appoint any eligible Senator on whom they can agree as Dictator. If there is only one Consul present because the other has been assassinated, he may act alone to appoint a Dictator. This appointment may not be vetoed with a Tribune.
1.09.32 DICTATOR ELECTION: If the Consuls cannot agree to appoint a Dictator, the Senate may immediately elect a Dictator if the Presiding Magistrate calls for such elections (which may be vetoed). A Dictator may also be proposed via the use of a Tribune at this time (after the Consuls decline to make a joint appointment). The Presiding Magistrate, or anyone with a Tribune, may continue to try to elect a Dictator even after multiple failures; however, once a Censor is elected (1.09.4) a Dictator nomination may no longer be put forth (even with a Tribune).
1.09.33 TERM: The new Dictator becomes Presiding Magistrate, takes the Dictator marker, increases his Influence by 7, and appoints as his Master of Horse any Aligned Senator in Rome not already holding an office (except Censor). That Senator takes the Master of Horse marker and increases his Influence by 3. The Dictator’s proposals cannot be vetoed, though all proposals must still be voted upon normally. The term of the Dictator and his Master of Horse lasts until the Consular elections of the next Game Turn, at which time both the Dictator and his Master of Horse must immediately surrender their offices [unless already in revolt(1.11.3)] and the Dictator (not the Master of Horse) takes a Prior Consul marker. The Dictator (or another Senator) may be immediately appointed/elected Dictator again, assuming the War requirements are met (1.09.3).
1.09.34 MASTER OF HORSE: Whenever the Dictator commands a Force, he is accompanied by his Master of Horse. The Dictator’s Military rating for any combat is the sum of his Military rating and that of his Master of Horse. The Master of Horse must accompany the Dictator to War and cannot act independently of the Dictator; until the Dictator dies in combat or Revolts (1.11.3), the Master of Horse must remain loyal to the Dictator. If victorious in a War, the Dictator receives the usual increase in his Influence and Popularity (1.10.4), while the Master of Horse gets nothing. If the Dictator is defeated, the Master of Horse is killed along with him. The Master of Horse can also be killed by a Mortality Chit draw during a battle result (1.10.7). The Master of Horse adds to the Commander’s Military rating in a Naval Battle (reflecting the greater efficiency of a unified command), but cannot be used to nullify a Disaster or Standoff result in any battle (1.10.21, 1.10.31).
1.09.4 CENSOR: Immediately after the election of the new Consuls and the option to appoint or elect a Dictator, the Presiding Magistrate conducts elections for Censor. Eligible candidates for Censor must have a Prior Consul marker, must be an Aligned Senator in Rome, and must not hold an existing Major Office except for Censor. If only one eligible candidate of Consular experience is available (as usually happens on the first turn), he is appointed automatically. If there are no Senators with Consular experience present in the Senate and free of other offices, the election for Censor is temporarily thrown open to all Aligned Senators in Rome. Each time a Censor is elected or appointed, the Censor marker is placed on that Senator’s card and his Influence increases by 5. The Presiding Magistrate now turns the conduct of the meeting over to the Censor temporarily to conduct any Prosecutions (1.09.41).
1.09.41 PROSECUTIONS: The Censor either declares no Prosecutions and returns conduct of the meeting to the Presiding Magistrate or announces a Prosecution. He may conduct up to two Minor or one Major Prosecution each turn in addition to any Special Major Prosecutions of Assassins. During Prosecutions the Censor is the Presiding Magistrate and conducts all voting. If he suffers a unanimous defeat, he may either lose the required Influence (1.09.144) or hand control of the meeting back to the previous Presiding Magistrate and end all Prosecutions. A Censor may not Prosecute himself [EXCEPTION: Special Major Prosecutions of Assassins (1.09.74)]. Only Senators in Rome may be Prosecuted. If the Censor dies as a result of an Assassination while the Prosecutions are ongoing, all unresolved Prosecutions fail and the meeting returns to the Presiding Magistrate.
1.09.411 PROSECUTOR: The Censor must appoint a consenting Senator to be Prosecutor for each Prosecution [Exception: Prosecutors are not appointed for Special Major Prosecutions of Assassins]. The Prosecutor can be any Senator in Rome, provided he is neither the Censor himself nor the Accused. If no consenting Prosecutor can be found then there can be no Prosecution(s).
1.09.412 ELIGIBILITY FOR MINOR PROSECUTIONS: A Senator with a Corrupt marker (1.06.13), a Major marker (1.07.8), or a Concession with a revealed corrupt bar (1.06.12, 1.09.631) is eligible for a Minor Prosecution.
1.09.413 ELIGIBILITY FOR MAJOR PROSECUTIONS: To be eligible for a Major Prosecution the Accused must hold a Major marker (1.07.8), which means that the Senator held a Major Office last turn.
1.09.42 TRIAL: The Censor calls for votes. Voting for the Prosecution is a vote for conviction. Voting against the Prosecution is a vote against conviction. During a Prosecution the Accused receives additional votes equal to his Influence.
1.09.421 POPULAR APPEAL: A Senator Accused in a Prosecution may appeal to the people when his Faction is called upon to vote. He rolls 2d6 a modifies it by his Popularity and finds the result on the . All negative votes are added to the votes “for” conviction; all positive votes gained are added to the votes “against” conviction. “Accused Killed” means the populace is so disgusted by the self-serving rhetoric of the Accused that they kill him themselves. If the Accused is killed in this way, the Accused is considered to have been guilty, and the Prosecutor still gains his Prior Consul marker (if any) and half of his Influence, as usual (1.09.44). Conversely, a result of “Accused Freed” ends the Prosecution with an acquittal. In addition, one Mortality Chit is drawn for each number which exceeds 11 on the modified roll in order to see if either the Censor and/or the Prosecutor (the only two vulnerable to the chit draw) is killed by a mob enraged over this obvious frame-up.
1.09.422 TRIBUNES DURING PROSECUTIONS: A Tribune may be played by anyone to veto the Prosecution. The vetoed Prosecution still counts towards the Censor’s total allowed Prosecutions for that Game Turn. A Prosecution is not considered to be a proposal and therefore cannot be proposed with a Tribune. A Senator who makes a Popular Appeal and is not killed as a result may play a Tribune to veto the Prosecution after discovering the result of his appeal.
1.09.43 FAILED PROSECUTION: If the Prosecution fails, the Accused goes free and may not be Prosecuted again this turn for the same reason. Each Concession with a revealed corrupt bar is a different (separate) reason for Prosecution. However, the Accused must have the corrupt Concession at the time of the Prosecution for it to be a reason for Prosecution, e.g. if the Accused has been convicted and thus lost all of his Concessions (1.09.441 and 1.09.442), none of his prior corrupt Concessions is a valid reason for a second Prosecution within the same Senate Phase.
1.09.44 SUCCESSFUL PROSECUTION: If the Accused is convicted or dies as a result of the Prosecution, the Prosecutor gains the Prior Consul marker of the Accused plus half (fractions rounded up) of any Influence lost by the Accused. Note that when a senator dies, he loses ALL of his influence.
1.09.441 MINOR PROSECUTION CONSEQUENCES: If convicted, the Accused loses 5 Popularity (which can become negative), 5 Influence (to a minimum of 0), any Prior Consul marker, and must return all of his Concessions to the Forum.
1.09.442 MAJOR PROSECUTION CONSEQUENCES: If convicted, the Accused is executed (1.05.3).
1.09.45 END OF PROSECUTIONS: Upon completion of his Prosecutions, the Censor turns the meeting back to the normal Presiding Magistrate. Immediately remove all Corrupt and Major markers on Senators in Rome (but not on Senators away from Rome). Armaments and Shipbuilding Concessions should be adjusted to hide the corrupt bar (1.09.631), indicating that these Senators cannot be Prosecuted next turn unless they take money from their Concession again.
1.09.5 GOVERNORSHIPS: When a Province is created, place its card in the Forum yellow side up. Each Province in the Forum has a Governorship that the Senate must fill from its membership (in Rome) during the Senate Phase. Elections for all open Governorships are conducted immediately after Prosecutions and before conducting other business. Elections continue until a Governor is selected or there is only one eligible candidate remaining. When a Governor is elected, the Province card is placed with his Senator card, and he must leave Rome immediately without participating in any remaining Senate votes. Elections for multiple Governorships, including recalls (1.09.52), may be held simultaneously so that Governors will be elected (or rejected) in tandem and depart at the same time, but no other proposal may be added to the same vote. The holder of a Major Office may not be proposed as a Governor.
1.09.51 TERM: All Governorships are for a period of up to 3 turns. Adjust the term dial on the Province to “3” and reduce it by one at the end of each Revenue Phase unless its Governor is in Revolt. When the dial moves off of “1”, the Governor returns to Rome. He may not be re-elected to that or another Governorship without his consent during the turn of his return unless there are no other eligible candidates in Rome. Likewise, a newly recalled Governor (1.09.52) may not be sent out again on the same turn he was recalled without his consent unless there are no other eligible candidates in Rome.
1.09.52 RECALL: A non-rebel Governor may be recalled immediately to Rome by electing a new Governor, provided the recalled Governor was not elected this same turn. The replacement Governor inherits the Province with the term dial reset for 3 turns.
1.09.53 UNALIGNED GOVERNORS: An Unaligned Senator in the Forum may be elected Governor, but is removed from the Forum and becomes immune to Persuasion Attempts until his return to Rome, when he is again placed in the Forum. He collects taxes for the State (1.06.51) but does not take Provincial Spoils (1.06.13) from the Province.
1.09.54 VACANT PROVINCES: All Provinces must have a Governor at the end of the Senate Phase unless there are no eligible candidates available. If a Governor dies during the Senate Phase after all vacant Governorships have been assigned, another Governor must be elected at the earliest opportunity. A Province without a Governor does not generate or lose money for the State, cannot be Developed, and cannot be selected for, or affected by, resolution of (either side of) these Events: Internal Disorder, Pretender Emerges, Barbarian Raids, and Trial of Verres.
1.09.6 OTHER BUSINESS: The Presiding Magistrate may now conduct other business by proposing whatever motions he wishes. Each proposal may consist of only one kind of proposal at a time. For example, a proposal could not group a Land Bill with a Concession vote to increase the chances of passage. Proposals of the same type may always be grouped together [EXCEPTION: Land Bills (1.09.62)]. The Presiding Magistrate may close the meeting whenever he chooses, as long as there is no unresolved motion on the floor. He simply states “the Senate is adjourned” and thereby ends the opportunity for Assassinations (1.09.7). The closing of the Senate cannot be vetoed and does not require a vote; however a Tribune can be used to temporarily keep the Senate open in order to introduce a single proposal (1.09.151).
1.09.61 ASSIGN CONCESSIONS: Proposals may be made to assign a specific Concession from the Forum to a specific Aligned Senator present in Rome. Group proposals may be made to simultaneously assign different Concessions to different Senators to increase voting support. If a proposal to assign a Concession fails (whether singly or as part of a group), that Concession card is flipped over to indicate that it may not be proposed again during the same Game Turn. There is no limit to the number of Concessions a Senator may control. The Land Commission Concession may only be assigned if a Land Bill is in effect; once assigned it must be returned to the Forum if there are no Land Bills in effect at the end of a Senate Phase.
1.09.62 LAND BILLS: The Senate can improve the Unrest Level by passing Land Bills. Three kinds are available; Type I is a one-turn, single payment measure costing 20 Talents, while Types II and III are permanent measures requiring payments of 5 and 10 Talents every turn, but lowering the Unrest Level only during the turn of their passage. The Senate may propose no more than one Land Bill of each Type per turn. The number of Land Bills that may be in effect at one time is limited by the number of such markers available.
A Land Bill proposal must name two consenting Senators in Rome as Sponsor and Co-Sponsor. If the Land Bill passes, lower the Unrest Level and raise the Popularity of the Sponsor and Co-Sponsor as indicated on the . Place the appropriate Land Bill marker in the applicable box of the State Revenue as a reminder of funds owed by the State during the Revenue Phase (1.06.53). Every Senator who votes against a Land Bill lowers his Popularity as indicated on the . Popularity changes for Sponsoring, Co-Sponsoring, and Voting are cumulative. Senators of a player who vetoes a Land Bill with a Tribune are not penalized.
1.09.621 REPEALS: The Senate may attempt to repeal a Type II or III Land Bill (not a Type I), even on the same turn it passed. A Senator in Rome must volunteer to Sponsor the repeal, and he must have Popularity equal to or greater than the amount he will lose by sponsoring and voting for the repeal. The Sponsor lowers his Popularity as indicated on the and must vote for that repeal. Popularity losses for Sponsoring and Voting are cumulative. If the repeal passes, raise the Unrest Level as indicated on the . Senators who vote for the repeal lower their Popularity accordingly. Only one Land Bill repeal may be attempted per turn.
1.09.622 PAYMENT: Payment for Land Bills is made during the Revenue Phase (1.06.53) by subtracting the costs of any current Land Bills from the State Treasury. Remove the Type I Land Bill marker after payment is made.
1.09.623 ASSASSINATION FOR LANDBILL: Whenever both the Sponsor and Co-Sponsor of a Land Bill are from the same Faction, they risk Assassination (1.09.7). Any time prior to the end of the vote on the Land Bill, one Senator may attempt an Assassination of either the Sponsor or Co-Sponsor by rolling on the . If caught, that Senator is killed. However, there are no further consequences to his Faction as would normally occur due to a caught Assassin (1.09.74). Regardless of the outcome, the vote on the Land Bill continues.
1.09.63 RECRUITMENT OF FORCES: The Senate may vote to raise or eliminate Forces. The maximum number of Legions and Fleets the Republic may have as Active Forces is 25 of each. A Legion or Fleet cannot be both eliminated and built (or rebuilt) in the same Senate Phase. The number to be raised must be specified in the original proposal. Theater and Commander must be the subject of subsequent proposals. Forces raised are taken from the Force Pool and placed in the Active Forces boxes. The State Treasury must immediately pay 10 Talents for each new unit raised. The Senate may only vote to eliminate units located in the Active Forces boxes.
1.09.631 CONCESSION GAINS: Any Senator who holds the Armaments or Ship Building Concessions must immediately collect the income listed on the Concession when Legions or Fleets are built. Senators taking money in this way reveal the Concession’s corrupt bar. This indicates that the Senator is liable to a Minor Prosecution (1.09.412) during the next Senate Phase.
1.09.64 DEPLOYMENT OF FORCES: The Senate may send a Commander and a specific group of Forces in the Active Forces boxes to attack any available Active, Inactive, or Imminent War, including a Civil War (1.11.35). The Senate may not send a Force to fight a War unless it is supported by the number of Fleets required by that War. Multiple Forces may even be sent against the same War (1.09.645).
1.09.641 MILITARY COMMAND: When a measure to send a Force to attack passes, those units are placed on the Commander’s card, and he is immediately absent from Rome and placed overlapping the War. Forces already on the War without a Commander join his Force. Only the Field Consul, the Rome Consul and the Dictator (with the Master of Horse) can be sent to War. The Field Consul must be sent to War before (or in conjunction with) the Rome Consul, but there is no such limitation as to the sequence in which the Dictator can be sent to War. These proposals may be made separately or in a package.
1.09.642 DEPARTURE OF A PRESIDING MAGISTRATE: Passing any measure sending the Presiding Magistrate to War ends the Senate Phase. Consequently, a player wishing to enact some other proposal during that Senate Phase may play a Tribune card before or during his turn to vote on sending the Presiding Magistrate away, not as a veto, but as a measure to suspend the vote until after his proposal has been acted upon. If the proposal put forth from this Tribune results in making the suspended Deployment proposal invalid (e.g., the troops no longer exist), the suspended proposal automatically fails.
1.09.643 MINIMUM FORCE: The Senate may not propose to send a Commander to fight a War without his consent unless the combined Strength of his Force (including his Military rating) is greater than or equal to that of the War and any applicable Leader. If as a result of losses sustained in a previous turn, a Proconsul’s Force falls beneath that of the opposing War, he has no such right of refusal and must attack again the following turn. [EXCEPTION: If the Proconsul has insufficient Fleet Support, no Legions when fighting a Land battle, or no Fleets when fighting a Naval battle, he is automatically recalled when the Senate Phase ends]. The Senate may not recall Legions from a Proconsul without his consent that will reduce the Strength of his Force to less than that of his War and any applicable Leaders.
1.09.644 RECALL: The Senate may vote to recall or replace any Proconsul (1.10.8). He returns to Rome immediately and his Force is placed in the Active Forces boxes unless a replacement Commander is sent to take his place as part of the recall. The Senate may also recall part of a non-rebel Force to the Active Forces boxes, leaving the rest with its Commander in the field, providing the recall follows the standard Minimum Force rules. (1.09.643). The Senate may also recall all or part of a Force without a Commander. The Senate may neither recall a Commander (or his Force) who was deployed during the current Senate Phase nor a Commander (or his Force) if he has already been reinforced in the current Senate Phase.
1.09.645 MULTIPLE FORCES: The Senate may send more than one Force under different Commanders to fight the same War. However, if they do so, each Force must attack separately, one at a time, until the War is defeated or all Forces have attacked. The advantage of sending separate Forces to fight a single War is that each Disaster and Standoff number (1.10.21, 1.10.31) can only be applied once a turn.
EXAMPLE: A natural roll of 14 would result in a Disaster for the first battle resolution of the Jugurthine War, but a subsequent natural roll of 14 for a different Force against the same War on the same turn would not be considered a Disaster.
1.09.646 BASE PROVINCE STRENGTH AND GARRISONS: Each Province has a Base Land and Naval Strength depending on whether the Province is Developed or not. These Base Province Strengths are defenses innate to the Provinces and can be enhanced by Garrisons (Advanced Rule 2.02 expands on the role of Provincial Forces). The Senate may vote to send one or more Legions to a Province to augment its Base Land Strength. Once sent, they remain there until recalled and follow the Province to the Forum when it is up for reassignment. Garrisons cannot be recalled in the same turn they are deployed, or from a Province with a Rebel Governor. Garrisons are under command of the current Governor. The Senate pays Garrison Maintenance costs (1.06.53) unless the Province has a Rebel Governor. The only thing that Garrisoned Legions do (without using the Provincial Wars (2.02) and Rebel Governor (2.03) Advanced Rules) is protect the Province and Governor from dangerous Events (e.g., 1.09.6461).
1.09.6461 FRONTIER PROVINCES: Provinces with underscored names and black-bordered silhouettes are Frontier Provinces, which are susceptible to the Barbarian Raids Events (in the Middle and Late Republics) and should be Garrisoned accordingly.
1.09.647 REINFORCEMENTS: The Senate may send additional Forces to a Commander during the Senate Phase. If a Proconsul has no Legions left or insufficient Fleets to prosecute the War, he must be reinforced or he will be automatically recalled at the end of the current Senate Phase. A Commander that left Rome in the current Senate Phase may not be reinforced.
1.09.7 ASSASSINS: Players may attempt to eliminate opposing Senators by announcing an Assassination attempt which will be carried out by a specific Senator belonging to the player attempting the Assassination. The player making the attempt may add to their Assassination roll by playing one or more Assassin cards prior to the resolution (1.09.72), but possession of an Assassin card is not necessary to attempt an Assassination. Non-targeted Factions may not interfere with this attempt with their own Assassin or Bodyguard cards. No Faction may be the target of more than one attempt per turn, and no Faction may attempt more than one Assassination per turn. A Faction may not attempt to Assassinate one of its own Senators.
1.09.71 SENATE IN SESSION: Assassinations may be attempted only while the Senate is in session and only by and against those in attendance. Once the Senate is adjourned, it is no longer possible to attempt an Assassination during that Game Turn. The timing of an Assassination attempt can be critical, so the players may want to agree beforehand on a short phrase (e.g., “die swine!”) that will mark the exact moment of the attempt. It will thus be easier to decide if a sole Consul was killed before he could finish announcing the appointment of one of his fellow Faction members as Dictator. No other card besides Assassin may be played between when the Assassination is called and when the 1d6 roll is made.
1.09.72 RESOLUTION: The Assassin announces the Senator making the attempt and his target before rolling 1d6. Results are found on the .
1.09.721 SUCCESSFUL ASSASSINATION: If the Presiding Magistrate dies, the vote continues with the next HRAO acting as Presiding Magistrate. A nominee up for an office who is Assassinated immediately cancels the current proposal and a new nominee (or set of nominees) must be provided by the Presiding Magistrate. The exceptions are Concession Assignments (1.09.61) and Consul for Life nominations (1.09.821), which can only be proposed once a turn. If the Prosecutor dies, the Prosecution is cancelled but still counts towards the Censor’s limit. If the Censor dies during the Prosecution step, the current Prosecution is cancelled and no more Prosecutions are possible. A Senator’s vote is counted even if he is dead by the end of the vote (as long as he voted before he died). A Land Bill vote is never cancelled by the death of a Senator, whether he is Sponsor or Co-Sponsor.
1.09.73 BODYGUARDS: If the target Senator has one or more “Secret Bodyguard” cards, he may announce after the roll how many of those cards he will play to defend against the Assassination attempt. Each Bodyguard so used subtracts 1 from the roll and is discarded after use. The Open Bodyguard card must be in play prior to an Assassination attempt to have any effect. If the Assassin is not caught, for each Bodyguard card played, the Assassin must roll again with all applicable modifiers solely to determine if he is caught. It is therefore possible for the first roll to kill the victim and a subsequent roll to result in the Assassin’s capture.
1.09.74 PUNISHMENT: A caught Assassin is killed. In addition, his Faction Leader loses 5 Influence and, if he is in Rome, is the subject of an immediate Special Major Prosecution, in which he MUST make a Popular Appeal (1.09.421). However, instead of modifying the Popular Appeal roll by his own Popularity, he must subtract the Popularity of the target Senator. So, if the target had negative Popularity, add it to the roll. The Censor is Presiding Magistrate for a Special Major Prosecution, even if he is the Accused Faction Leader. If there is no Censor, the current Presiding Magistrate runs the vote. A Prosecutor is not selected for this Special Major Prosecution. Influence of the Accused is counted as normal. A Special Major Prosecution only temporarily suspends the current proposal; the proposal continues after the Prosecution is resolved, if possible. If the Faction Leader is found guilty he is killed and any Family card belonging to the Faction Leader goes to the bottom of the Curia. If guilty, in addition to his own death, a number of Mortality Chits equal to the target’s Popularity (if positive) are drawn, and other members of the Assassin’s Faction currently in Rome whose chits are drawn are also implicated and killed. If the caught Assassin was the Faction Leader he is automatically killed, and any Family card belonging to the Faction Leader goes to the bottom of the Curia. There is no Special Major Prosecution but chits are drawn as above to implicate additional Faction members. The Faction is eliminated if it loses its last Senator via Punishment for trying an Assassination (1.05.4).
1.09.8 MISC SENATE RULES: The following proposals and rules apply alongside the routine procedures of the Senate Phase.
1.09.81 REPOPULATING ROME: Whenever the number of Aligned Senators currently in Rome falls below 8 during a Senate Phase due to death or absence, the top Senator card in the Curia is promoted to active status in the Faction of the player with the fewest total Senators. Ties are resolved in favor of the player with the least total Influence currently in Rome, with further ties being broken by a dice roll. Such promotions continue until the number of active Senators in Rome reaches 8 or the Curia is empty. If the Curia has no Senators, those in the Forum can be substituted. The choice of which of the available Senators to take is up to the receiving player. If no further Senators are currently available in either the Curia or the Forum, no such promotion occurs.
1.09.82 CONSUL FOR LIFE: If a Consul for Life is elected or appointed, that player gains control of all non-Rebel Factions and will win the Game should the Republic survive the current Game Turn (1.12.3), unless a Rebel achieves one of his own Victory Conditions (1.12.1) in the same turn.
1.09.821 CONSUL FOR LIFE (ELECTION): At any time during the Senate Phase following the Consular elections, the Presiding Magistrate, or a player using a Tribune, may nominate any Aligned Senator in Rome with at least 21 Influence “Consul for Life”. The exception to this is it cannot be proposed while the Censor is Presiding Magistrate during Prosecutions. The nominee may already hold an office. For this vote, the nominee may add his Influence to his vote total. Consul for Life can be proposed only once per turn and cannot be vetoed. If a Tribune is used to propose Consul for Life, it may, however, be cancelled by an appropriate Intrigue card (e.g., Graft). Assassination attempts may take place during such a vote, but once elected or appointed, the Consul For Life cannot be assassinated, not even by a Senator belonging to the Rebel Faction.
1.09.822 CONSUL FOR LIFE (APPOINTMENT): If at any time in the Game an Aligned Senator is in Rome and has 35 Influence, and the Military Reforms Law (Middle Republic) is not already in place, he immediately becomes the Consul for Life. If two or more Senators qualify in the same turn, the one exceeding 35 by the most is the Consul for Life. If equal, the Senator belonging to the Faction with the most combined Influence is Consul for Life. Achieving Consul for Life in this manner is an automatic appointment – there is no chance for an Assassination attempt. In the exceedingly rare event that Senators are both elected and appointed Consul for Life in the same turn, the elected one ceases to be Consul for Life.
1.09.823 CONSUL FOR LIFE (END GAME): If a Senator has “won” by being elected or appointed Consul for Life, he takes over all Factions (except for the Faction belonging to the player who currently controls the Primary Rebel) and plays them as if they were his own and makes all decisions on their behalf, unless he dies. He is not the HRAO or the Presiding Magistrate. He may look at a non-rebel player’s hand at any time, but may not play any of the other player’s cards. He may not force other Factions to make Assassination attempts, to make any Public Agreements or to vote against a Land Bill. He may not become a Rebel (1.11.3, 1.11.32), although he may be in the Rebel Faction. Only the Faction with the Primary Rebel may vote normally and conduct Assassination attempts. Note that players will regain control of their Factions if the Consul for Life dies, but not if he is Captured. If a Civil War is already ongoing, the Rebel can still win (1.12.1) during the turn in which the Consul for Life is elected or appointed – otherwise the Consul for Life will win the Game at the end of the turn regardless of the Civil War status [unless faced with 4 or more Active Wars (1.12.3)], even if he dies during that turn.
1.09.83 MINOR MOTIONS: A player may make gratuitous motions to enhance the atmosphere of the Game or inform another player of his desire or dislike for a certain course of action. Passage of Minor Motions has no Game impact. Defeat of a Minor Motions carries no loss of Influence penalty to the initiator of that motion. Votes of censure or gratitude, reprimands, personally insulting proposals, etc., can all be appropriate.
1.09.9 AUTOMATIC RECALLS: Once the Senate is closed, all Proconsuls who have insufficient Fleet Support, no Legions when fighting a Land Battle, or no Fleets when fighting a Naval Battle are automatically recalled. Any Force without a Commander is also automatically recalled at this time. Fleet Support is not required for the automatic recall of Legions.
1.10.1 WAR: Any Wars to which the Senate has sent a Force are now fought. Except in the case of multiple Forces fighting the same War (1.09.645), Wars are resolved in the order in which the Senate dispatched the Commanders during the Senate Phase. If a single proposal resulted in the deployment of multiple Armies against the same War and they cannot agree in what order to attack, randomly dice off to determine the order. Wars should be fully resolved one at a time, since a victory in one War could drastically alter another (e.g., fighting a set of Matching Wars). Rome is always the attacker.
1.10.11 LAND BATTLES: Land Battles may only be fought if enough Fleets are present to meet or exceed the Fleet Support of the War. In Land battles the Commander adds his Military rating to the Strength of his Army. Army Strength equals the number of Legions in the Army with Veteran Legions (1.10.5) counting double. The points added by the Commander’s Military rating cannot be greater than the Strength of his Army. From this he subtracts the Land Strength number of the War (the number next to the Swords icon), which may be modified by the presence of a Matching War (1.07.332) or Leader (1.07.342). To this number is added 3d6, and the result is located on the to determine the outcome (see also 1.10.21 and 1.10.31).
1.10.12 NAVAL BATTLES: Those Wars that show a Fleet Strength (i.e. a number next to the Ship icon) require two separate battles, one Naval Battle and one Land Battle. The enemy Fleet Strength must be defeated before his land Forces may be attacked. A Naval Battle is the same as Land Battle except that the number of Fleets, rather than Legions, is counted. War cards whose Fleets have been defeated are marked with a Naval Victory marker. Once the enemy Fleets are defeated, any Legions still present may (at the discretion of the Commander) immediately attack the Land Strength of the War (1.10.11) in the same Combat Phase, provided there are still sufficient Fleets in the Force to support the Army and the Commander was neither killed (1.10.7) nor captured (1.10.71) in the Fleet Battle. If the Land Battle is not won, the Naval Battle need not be re-fought in subsequent turns. The War can be won in subsequent turns by defeating only the enemy Land Strength. Consequently, the Senate may decide to send no Legions to conduct such a War, endeavoring to defeat the enemy Fleets in one turn and its Land Strength in a subsequent turn. If Rome sends a Fleet with no Legions, the Commander and his Force return to Rome immediately if victorious. If the Senate attempts to win both the Naval and Land Battles in the same turn, it must send a combined Force of Fleets and Legions, and must first defeat the enemy fleets. Accompanying Legions could be lost in the ensuing Naval Battle (1.10.61).
1.10.2 DEFEATS: A result of “Defeat” means the Roman Commander and his Master of Horse (if present) are killed and their Force returns the number of Legions and Fleets (if present for Fleet Support or for a Naval Battle) indicated on the to the Force Pool. Surviving Forces remain on the War card until the next Senate Phase, when they may be recalled or reinforced. The Unrest Level is immediately increased by 2.
1.10.21 DISASTERS: Each War and Leader has a black Disaster number following a D on the right side of the card. If this number is rolled prior to any modification while resolving combat, the is ignored, and the Battle is an automatic “Disaster”, causing loss of half (fractions rounded up) of all participating Roman forces. However, each Disaster number can only be applied once per turn per War. Fleet and Legion losses are each halved and rounded up separately. The Unrest Level is increased by 1. The Roman Commander remains in command as Proconsul unless he becomes a Secondary Rebel (1.11.32), is recalled (1.09.644), killed (1.10.7), or captured (1.10.71).
1.10.3 STALEMATES: A result of “Stalemate” means the War is undecided. The Roman Force loses the number of Legions and Fleets (if present for Fleet Support or for a Naval Battle) indicated on the to the Force Pool. Surviving Forces remain on the War card until the next Senate Phase, when they may be recalled or reinforced. The Roman Commander remains in command as Proconsul unless he becomes a Secondary Rebel (1.11.32), is recalled (1.09.644), killed (1.10.7), or captured (1.10.71). There is no effect on the Strength of the War.
1.10.31 STANDOFFS: Each War and Leader has one or two gray Standoff numbers following an “S” on the right side of the card. If these numbers are rolled prior to any modification while resolving combat, the is ignored, and the Battle is an automatic Standoff, causing loss of one quarter (fractions rounded up) of all participating Roman Forces. However, each Standoff number can only be applied once per turn per War. Fleet and Legion losses are quartered and rounded separately. The Roman Commander remains in command as Proconsul unless he becomes a Secondary Rebel (1.11.32), is recalled (1.09.644), killed (1.10.7), or captured (1.10.71).
1.10.4 VICTORY: A Land “Victory” lowers the Unrest Level by 1 and eliminates the War. A Naval “Victory” also lowers the Unrest Level by 1 and results in a Naval Victory marker being placed on the War. The Roman Force loses the number of Legions and Fleets (if it has them) indicated on the and the surviving Forces remain on the Commander’s card, provided the Commander survives (1.10.7). In some cases one or more Provinces will be created and placed in the Forum. The victorious Commander increases both his Popularity and Influence by half (fractions rounded up) of the unmodified (printed) Land or Fleet War Strength number (or both, if both were defeated in this turn by the same Commander). Players should increase the State Treasury for Spoils of War by an amount equal to the number inside the Coin on the bottom right of the card (except for Naval Battles). Revolts do not yield Spoils of War.
EXAMPLE: Marius is dispatched with 9 Legions to deal with the Gladiator Revolt that is matched with the Leader Spartacus. Marius’ Military rating of 4 is added to the number of his 9 Legions, for a total Strength of 13. If Marius had only 3 Legions, he could only add 3 from his Military rating (1.10.11). The Land Strength on the Gladiator Revolt card is 6, which is increased to 11 because the appropriate Leader card, Spartacus, happens to be in play. 13 minus 11 is 2. The player controlling Marius then rolls 3d6, rolling a 10, which is added to the base of 2 for a final result of 12. A 12 on the is a “Stalemate” with a loss of 1 Legion and 1 Fleet. Marius loses 1 Legion (he has no Fleets), and must draw 1 Mortality Chit to check for his own death (1.10.7). Had he had a Fleet to lose, he would have had to draw 2 Mortality Chits. The Gladiator Revolt may be fought again during the next Combat Phase. Had the Combat roll been 11 or 6, the result would have been a “Disaster” with the loss of 5 Legions. Had the Combat roll been a 14 or 16, the result would have been a “Standoff” with the loss of 3 Legions.
1.10.5 VETERANS: One Legion from among the survivors of a Land Battle that is a Stalemate, Standoff, or Victory is transformed into a Veteran Legion by flipping it to its Veteran side. A Senate Legion in a Senate Victory, a Rebel Legion in a Senate Defeat, and one surviving Legion (if any) on each side in a Civil War Stalemate also becomes Veteran. Veterans are not created in Naval Battles. The corresponding Legion Allegiance marker is placed on the Commander’s card until he dies or the Legion is eliminated. The Legion will remain a Veteran Legion until eliminated, raised while disbanded (2.04.3), orits Senator dies while it is disbanded (2.04.2), even if it is placed under another Commander. Veteran Legions count double in combat regardless of which Senator owns their Allegiance.
1.10.6 TAKING LOSSES: Units removed are chosen at random.
1.10.61 LAND LOSSES: When both Veteran and normal Legions are involved, the units eliminated must be drawn at random from among those present. If Land Forces accompany Fleets on a Naval Battle, the Land Forces still take losses normally. The Commander, regardless of the Battle result, immediately loses 1 Popularity for every 2 Legions that are lost (round down).
1.10.62 NAVAL LOSSES: Fleet losses always apply whether the Fleets were active in a Naval Battle or simply used for Fleet Support. Commanders never lose Popularity as a direct result of losing Fleets, unlike the case with Legions.
1.10.7 COMMANDER DEATH: In any battle other than Defeat, draw a number of Mortality Chits (1.05.21) equal to the number of units lost. In a Senate Victory, Civil War Stalemate, or Senate Defeat (1.11.37), draw a number of Mortality Chits equal to the units lost from (only) the Senate Force, but these chits can affect either side. If a number belonging to the present Commander or Master of Horse is drawn, that Senator is killed (1.05.3) or captured (1.10.71). Mortality Chits belonging to other Senators have no effect. A Commander who loses his entire Force is not necessarily harmed as a result of losses taken, unless it was a Defeat or his Mortality Chit has been drawn as a result of losses taken. If the Master of Horse has been killed or captured, the Dictator may not appoint another unless he is reelected or reappointed as Dictator. If the Dictator is killed and the Master of Horse survives, the Master of Horse immediately returns to Rome and relinquishes his office. If Provincial Forces (2.02) or Rebel Governor (2.03) Advanced Rules are being used, a Governor can also be killed in this manner.
1.10.71 CAPTURE: If the last Mortality Chit drawn to check for Commander Death would kill the Commander or Master of Horse, and two or more chits were drawn, the Senator is captured instead of being killed, unless the battle was a Land Battle Victory, Senate Victory, Civil War Stalemate, or Senate Defeat (1.11.37). Captives lose all future Revenue and have their Personal Treasuries frozen except for purposes of paying the Ransom. A Captive keeps his office (provided he is returned before his term expires) and does not become a Proconsul. A Captive’s Influence does not count towards that Faction’s total for purposes of winning the Game, but a Rebel or Consul for Life who is captured may still win the Game (1.12.3). Captives are subject to normal Mortality Chit and Foreign Epidemic draws. The Captive may still restrict the play of a Statesmen card of the same ID#.
The Captive is subject to Ransom. The Ransom amount is 10 Talents or 2 Talents per Influence of the Captive, whichever is greater. Ransom money can be paid from the Captive’s Personal Treasury and/or his Faction Treasury. Ransoms may be paid at any time prior to defeat of the War, or prior to the next Forum Phase, in the case of Barbarian Raids. Captives always return to Rome when Ransomed; they are killed if their War is defeated, discarded, or otherwise returned to the deck.
1.10.8 PROCONSUL: A Commander who survives a non-victorious battle, or who gains a Naval Victory but does not fight a Land Battle despite the Senate having included at least one Legion in his Force, and is not captured, becomes a Proconsul and remains in command of the Force and away from Rome through the next Combat Phase, unless he becomes a Secondary Rebel or is recalled by the Senate during the next Senate Phase (1.09.644). A new Proconsul immediately receives a Prior Consul marker. A Commander may remain Proconsul as long as he retains his command against the War he was originally sent to fight. This is the only circumstance in which a Commander other than the current Consuls or Dictator may command non-rebel Forces [EXCEPTION: Governors in the Advanced Game (2.02)]. If a Dictator is made Proconsul, his Master of Horse must return to Rome. There is no limit to the number of Proconsuls that can exist. A Proconsul is not a Consul. Proconsul is a Major Office.
1.10.9 UNPROSECUTED WAR: An Active War is considered “Prosecuted” if at least one of the following requirements is met:
If neither of these requirements is met, the Active War (including a Civil War, 1.11.3) is moved to an “Unprosecuted War” space of the Forum at the end of the Combat Phase. The Unrest Level is increased by 1 for each Unprosecuted War at the start of every Population Phase (1.08.11). Since a War can only be moved to an Unprosecuted War space during the Combat Phase, it is not Unprosecuted in the Population Phase of the turn in which it is drawn (or the turn after it is created, in the case of a Civil War).
1.11.1 PLAY STATESMEN/CONCESSIONS: First, all players may trade (or give away) Faction cards (1.04.5). Then, starting with the HRAO and proceeding clockwise, each player may play any of his or her Statesmen (1.07.312) and/or Concessions (1.07.32). Statesmen and Concessions can be played in the same phase in which they are received in trade. Statesmen and Concessions can be played even if the target Senator is not in Rome.
1.11.2 EXCESS FACTION CARDS: Next, each player must discard Faction cards until there are no more than five in his or her hand.
1.11.3 DECLARATION OF CIVIL WAR: Victorious Forces without a Commander return now to the Active Forces boxes. Starting with the HRAO and proceeding clockwise, each Commander who gained a Land Victory in this turn (including a Senate Victory) must either lay down his command (i.e. return his Force to the Active Forces boxes and return to Rome) or declare himself in Revolt. If the Rebel Governor Advanced Rules (2.03) are being used, a Governor may also declare his Revolt now. For the specific purpose of determining the order of declaration, assume that all Senators in play are in Rome.
Only one Faction may be in Revolt at a time. Since the Master of Horse does not have an independent command, he can only be declared in Revolt in conjunction with the Dictator (1.11.32). Should a Faction that wishes to Revolt field a stronger Force (inclusive of the respective Commanders’ Military ratings) than that of a previously declared Rebel, the initial Rebel’s declaration is ignored, and the player with the stronger Force is considered in Revolt instead. Once a Primary Rebel has been determined, no other player may Revolt until that Rebel has been killed (1.11.371, 1.11.372). Unless the Primary Rebel is a Governor (2.03), he is now “Marching on Rome.” The Army of the Primary Rebel or Governor is an Active War until the Rebel is killed or achieves one of his Victory Conditions (1.12.1).
1.11.31 COMMANDER ALLEGIANCE: Before announcing his decision, a Commander considering Revolt may roll 1d6 for each Legion in his current command (unless they are Veteran and belong to the Commander) to determine if it will follow him. A result ≥5 is required for a Legion to follow the Rebel Senator during the Early Republic. The number is lowered to ≥4 in the Middle Republic, and to ≥3 in the Late Republic. Before making the first die roll, he may irrevocably spend money from his Personal Treasury (or the Personal Treasury of his Master of Horse with his consent) to buy modifications to those die rolls. For each Talent spent, the Rebel Commander may add 1 to the die roll of one Legion. Only one Talent may be spent on each Legion. Veteran Legions owing their allegiance to a Rebel Commander and Garrisons and Provincial Forces of a Governor (2.03) follow their Commander automatically. Veteran Legions owing their allegiance to a non-Rebel Senator must still roll a die and do not automatically follow the Rebel. Legions that do not follow the Rebel Senator return to the Active Forces boxes. Since it is assumed that the Rebel has already returned to Italy with his Army, Fleets play no role in a Civil War and any Fleets that started with the Rebel Commander immediately return to the Active Forces boxes upon declaration. [EXCEPTION: Rebel Governor Advanced Rule (2.03)].
1.11.32 SECONDARY REBELS: When a Senator Revolts, after the Primary Rebel has been determined, each other Senator in his Faction must immediately declare his loyalty to the State or join him in Revolt. Those who remain loyal to the State may continue to function and collect Revenue normally. Those who join the Revolt leave Rome but lose all Offices (except Governorships) and Senatorial income (1.11.34), and share the fate of the Primary Rebel should he be defeated (1.11.371). The Primary Rebel can use any money in the Secondary Rebels’ Personal Treasuries as if it were his own. Governors that join the Revolt keep their Provinces, but except for Veteran Legions owing allegiance to Senators, in the Basic Game, Garrisons of Rebel Governors are not available to (and do not require maintenance from) the Primary Rebel or the Senate. Veteran Legions owing allegiance to the Primary Rebel or a Secondary Rebel follow the Primary Rebel in Revolt without maintenance. Secondary Rebels with independent commands may not contribute other Forces to the Rebel at this time and must return their non-Garrison Legions and Fleets to Senate control (to the Active Forces boxes if Victorious). [EXCEPTION: Rebel Governor Advanced Rule (2.03)] Secondary Rebels are no longer Proconsuls. In the case of the Master of Horse with a Rebel Dictator, the Master of Horse may become a Secondary Rebel only if he is in the same Faction as the Dictator. This allows the Master of Horse to continue to add his Military rating to the Dictator’s Military Strength.
1.11.33 MAINTENANCE: Rebel Legions & Fleets cost 2 Talents per turn to maintain and must be paid before the Redistribution of wealth occurs (1.06.3). The Rebel Senator can pay this from his Personal or Faction Treasury. Rebel Governors may collect Provincial Spoils from Provinces, as well as all State and Local Taxes as Personal Revenue before paying maintenance costs (Advanced Rule 2.03.5). Veteran Legions owing allegiance to a Rebel Senator (and all Garrisons of Rebel Governors in the Basic Game) require no maintenance, while Veteran Legions owing no allegiance must be maintained normally. If the Rebel cannot pay the required maintenance during the Revenue Phase, he must release the Legions and Fleets he cannot afford. Any Legions or Fleets that are released in this manner immediately return to the Senate. If the HRAO does not wish to pay the maintenance costs of these Forces, or if the Senate cannot afford them, they are immediately eliminated (1.06.53).
1.11.34 INCOME: A Senator in Revolt returns his Concessions to the Forum, loses all of his Knights and Offices (except Governorships), and forfeits all Personal Revenue (1.06.1). In the Basic Game, a Governor in Revolt may not take any Provincial Spoils (1.06.13), and Rebel Provinces do not produce State Income (1.06.51). A Senator in Revolt may not receive money directly from any Faction Treasury or any loyal Senator’s Personal Treasury; however, loyal Senators of his Faction may still contribute to the Rebel Senator’s Faction Treasury.
1.11.35 COMBAT REQUIREMENT: During each Combat Phase in which there is a Rebel Marching on Rome, the Primary Rebel must fight the Army deployed by the Senate. If the Senate fails to deploy an Army against him (1.09.64), his coup is successful and he wins the Game, provided the Republic survives (1.12.3).
1.11.36 VETERAN LEGION ALLEGIANCE: If any Rebel (except a Rebel Governor, if using 2.03) owns the Alliegance of any active Veteran Legions, they desert to the Primary Rebel (regardless of where they are, except in the Bank (2.04.2)) immediately after Secondary Rebels are determined (1.11.32). If there are Veteran Legions of a loyal Senator in a Rebel Army or a Rebel Garrison, the loyal Senator may instruct his Veteran Legions to desert to a Senate Army sent to fight the Rebel Army, or to the Active Forces boxes, at any time after the Primary Rebel has been determined (1.11.3).
1.11.37 COMBAT RESOLUTION: The Senate is the attacker and the rebel the defender. The normal combat procedure is followed (see 1.10.11). The Strength number of the defender is the sum of the Strength of the Legions in his Army and the Military rating of the Primary Rebel Senator (which can never be higher than the Strength of his Force). If both the Master of Horse and the Dictator were declared Rebels (1.11.3) the ex-Master of Horse (Secondary Rebel) may add his Military Rating to the ex-Dictator’s (Primary Rebel) Military Rating. Any combat losses called for by the are applied to both armies, except, in any “Defeat” result, the Rebel Force suffers no losses. Mortality Chits drawn for losses can affect either Commander, and any Master of Horse and Rebel ex-Master of Horse.
1.11.371 SENATE VICTORY: A result of “Victory” means the Revolt has failed, all Rebel Senators are killed and all surviving Rebel Legions and Fleets are returned to the Active Forces boxes. Lower the Unrest Level by 1. The Commander of the Senate’s Army increases both his Popularity and Influence by an amount equal to half of the Strength number of the defender he defeated (round up). A Rebel is considered defeated (i.e. the Revolt fails, 1.11.372) if all his Legions are destroyed through combat losses; however, this cannot count as a Victory (for Popularity, Influence, and ability to declare himself in Revolt) for the Senate Commander unless the losses were a result of achieving a “Victory” on the .
1.11.372 CIVIL WAR STALEMATE: “Stalemate” means the Revolt is undecided and must be continued during the next Combat Phase. If all the Senate Armies are destroyed through combat losses, the Rebel does not automatically win and the Senate will have a chance to attack him again next turn. If the Primary Rebel is killed in battle (1.10.7) or through a Mortality Chit draw (1.05.21), the Revolt has failed. When a Revolt fails, all Secondary Rebels are killed and any surviving Rebel Forces are returned to Senate control (i.e. place them in the Active Forces boxes).
1.11.373 SENATE DEFEAT: “Defeat”, unless the Primary Rebel dies in this battle (1.10.7 and 1.11.372), means the Revolt has succeeded and the Rebel now rules Rome and wins the Game, barring the collapse of the Republic (1.12.3). All surviving Senate Armies are returned to the Active Forces boxes and the Rebel Force suffers no losses.
1.12.1 WINNING: The Game ends when a Faction fulfils any of the following Victory Conditions, listed in trump order. In all cases except number 5, Rome must survive until the end of the turn (1.12.3).
1.12.2 LOSING: The Game ends in defeat for all players if one of the following conditions occurs:
1.12.3 SURVIVAL: Unless a player wins through the draw of the Era Ends card (1.12.1 #5), his victory is not secured until the end of the current Game Turn, at which time Rome must still exist. If Rome is beset by 4 or more Active Wars at the end of any Combat Phase, all players lose. A Civil War counts as an Active War unless a Rebel has achieved one of his Victory Conditions (I or II from 1.12.1).
If a Rebel achieves one of his Victory Conditions (either I or II from 1.12.1), but there are still 4 or more Active Wars, move directly to the Combat Phase immediately after the Victory Condition is triggered (if needed). The Rebel may immediately add to his Army any remaining Forces in the Active Forces boxes, including the remainder of the defeated Senate Army, if any (i.e. if the Rebel won a Senate Defeat battle), along with all remaining Roman Fleets. In the order of his choosing, he then immediately prosecutes the Wars one at a time. If the Rebel dies (1.10.7) or is captured in the last necessary battle, his faction may still win the Game (the Revolt is over, so it cannot fail due to the death of the Primary Rebel at this time). However, if he dies or is captured, he may not prosecute any more battles. If he is unable to bring the number of active wars to fewer than 4 because he lacks the necessary Fleets to support his Army to continue prosecuting Wars, or does not gain a Victory after each battle, all players lose the Game. If he gains a Victory in enough Wars to reduce the number of Active Wars to fewer than 4, he wins.
1.13.1 VATINIAN LAW: During the Revenue Phase, a Province
controlled by a Legate is treated exactly the same as if that Governor
were present. Governors may not move between their Province(s)
and the Senate. Corrupt Governors using Legates are eligible for a
Minor Prosecution for each Province in which Provincial Spoils were
taken and may only be Prosecuted the turn they take it (while in
Rome). There is no marker for Governors that are ruling via Legates;
it is suggested that you place a Negative Number marker on the
Province to indicate that the Governor is not present.
1.13.2 INCREASED RHODIAN INVOLVEMENT: The 12 fleets received are not cumulative with the 8 fleets received for RHODIAN MARITIME ALLIANCE. Instead, 4 additional fleets are received.
1.13.3 CN. POMPEIUS MAGNUS: Pompey’s MIL is 2 when considering Force Strength for Dictator requirements (1.09.3) and for determining the Primary Rebel (1.11.3).
The following Advanced Rules are available for a Game of REPUBLIC OF ROME. Players may mix and match these rules as they see fit. The overview of each rule provides information on the complexity and recommendations on when they should be used.
2.01.1 OVERVIEW: The Pontifex Maximus is a Major Office that allows the holder to assign Priesthoods and veto proposals without a Tribune. This Advanced Rule adds minimal complexity and is highly recommended.
2.01.2 ELECTION: Unlike normal offices, the Pontifex Maximus office is held for life unless it is stripped by a Senate vote, multiple Evil Omens, or Prosecution. If, during the Senate Phase, no Senator holds the Pontifex Maximus office, a Pontifex Maximus is elected immediately after the two Consuls but before a Dictator appointment or election, to look after Rome’s religious affairs. The candidate must be an Aligned Senator in Rome. The elected Senator places the Pontifex Maximus marker on his card and increases his Influence by 5, but gains no further Influence in succeeding turns for holding the office.
2.01.3 PRIESTHOODS: During the Senate Phase of each Game Turn, except during a vote, the Pontifex Maximus may assign or reassign a Priesthood to any one Senator present in Rome, unless there are no Senators left without a Priest marker. He may not assign or reassign a Priest to himself.
2.01.31 INFLUENCE: The announcement of the new Priesthood may be made at any time during the Senate Phase, and the nominee immediately places a Priest marker on his card and increases his Influence by 1. A Senator may hold only one Priest marker, but this does not bar him from holding any other office. When a Priesthood is reassigned, the Senator who loses the office must decrease his Influence by 1 (to a minimum of 0).
2.01.32 PRIEST BATTLE INFLUENCE: Every Priest receives one extra vote when voting on a proposal that will send Forces against a War or recall/retain their Commander. This does not include any proposals that only contain the deployment of Garrisons or Governors.
2.01.4 PONTIFEX MAXIMUS BATTLE INFLUENCE: The Pontifex Maximus doubles his personal votes (including those of his Knights but not those bought with Talents) when voting on any proposal that will send Forces against a War or recall/retain their Commander. This does not include any proposals that only contain the deployment of Garrisons or Governors.
2.01.5 VETO: Once each Senate Phase during or prior to his Faction’s turn to vote, the Pontifex Maximus may cast a veto without the use of a Tribune card. He can veto (but not propose) anything that could normally be vetoed with a Tribune.
2.01.6 COLLECTIONS: During the Revenue Phase, the Pontifex Maximus receives 1d6 Talents in addition to his normal base income (1.06.11).
2.01.7 EVIL OMENS: When the Evil Omens event is drawn, the Pontifex Maximus must pay the 20 Talent cost from his Personal Treasury. If he cannot pay the 20 Talents or if a second Evil Omens occurs in the same turn, he is immediately stripped of his office, gets a Major marker, and loses 5 Influence (to a minimum of 0). If he is unable to pay the full Evil Omens cost, the difference plus a 10 Talent fine is levied on his Faction Treasury (payable to the Bank). If the Faction Treasury has insufficient funds, what money there is in that Treasury is lost, and the Faction Leader may also be the subject of a Major Prosecution during the following Senate Phase, in addition to any regular Prosecutions the Censor may wish to conduct. The State must pay any shortfall in the Evil Omens cost (excluding the Faction fine) not paid by the Pontifex Maximus or his Faction.
2.01.8 RECALL: The Pontifex Maximus may be stripped of his office during any Senate Phase by a simple two-thirds majority of votes cast. He may not veto that proposal with the Pontifex Maximus veto ability, although any player (of his or another Faction) wielding a Tribune may. If voted out of office, he loses 5 Influence (to a minimum of 0). Existing Priests are not affected in any way by the recall or death of the Pontifex Maximus.
2.02.1 OVERVIEW: Provincial Governors may now raise/maintain local Forces and command Garrisons, which may be used to defend the Province from attacking Wars. This Advanced Rule adds a medium level of complexity. The Provincial Wars rules should only be used once players have a good understanding of the Basic Rules.
2.02.2 TAXES: The Provincial Spoils (1.06.13) and State Income (1.06.51) derived from Provinces remains the same as in the Basic Game. However, an additional Local Tax income is generated immediately after the State pays its debits (1.06.53) in the Revenue Phase for the purpose of raising Provincial Forces. Local Taxes may be supplemented by the Governor, but are never decreased or stolen. Local Taxes must be spent the turn they are generated and cannot be saved.
2.02.3 FORCES: The Province’s Governor spends the Talents raised by Local Taxes immediately after the State pays its debits (1.06.53) in the Revenue Phase. It costs 10 Talents to build an Army or Fleet. He must build as many Forces as possible, but may choose the types. An Unaligned Governor will raise Forces in equal proportions, with Armies getting preference in the case of an odd number of builds. The maximum number of Provincial Forces that each province may raise is defined on the Province card. Note builds by adjusting the Provincial Forces dials on the Province card. Provincial Forces cost nothing to maintain unless controlled by a Rebel (Rebel Governor Advanced Rule 2.03).
2.02.31 GARRISONS: As in the Basic Game, the Senate may, as a normal Force deployment proposal (1.09.646), send Legions to a Governor to serve as a Garrison that will stiffen a Provincial Army. Garrisons require maintenance by the Senate, not the Province.
2.02.32 PROVINCIAL ARMY STRENGTH: Provincial Armies are counted at full value as long as a Garrison or Rebel Legion accompanies them at the start of the battle. Otherwise, Provincial Armies count as half (fractions rounded up) a Legion. Note that the Base Province Strength (1.09.646) of a Province is considered separately from Provincial Armies and is not halved.
2.02.4 PROVINCIAL WARS: Whenever an Active War appears that names Provinces under “Attacks”, those Provinces are considered under attack (if they exist and are loyal to Rome). All of these listed Provinces lose all Provincial Spoils (1.06.13) and all Taxes (1.06.51, 2.02.2). They may maintain their existing Provincial Forces for free, but may build no new ones. At the end of any Combat Phase, but before Unprosecuted Wars are moved to the Unprosecuted Wars spaces (1.10.9), the first Roman-controlled Province for each War must attack that War (unless a Roman Force sent by the Senate this turn has achieved a Stalemate, Standoff, or Victory against it). If multiple Provincial Wars exist, randomly determine their resolution order (1.04.8).
2.02.41 COMBAT: The Roman-controlled Province must attack the War, plus any Matching Wars, with Strength equal to its Base Province Strength and Garrisons (1.09.646), plus its Provincial Army Strength (2.02.32), plus the Military rating of its Governor. If the War requires only a Land Battle, Provincial Fleets are not required but must be fully committed to battle, if available (i.e., they may take losses). If the War requires Fleet Support, a Province lacking the necessary Fleets to support its battle against a War must still attack, but any “Victory” result obtained is treated as a “Stalemate” instead (losses remain the same). Any War requiring a Naval Battle that cannot be fought results in an automatic ”Defeat.” Combat is resolved in the normal fashion, except for Losses (2.02.411).
2.02.411 TAKING LOSSES: It takes 2 Provincial Armies to satisfy 1 combat loss, unless a Garrison Legion was present at the beginning of the battle (in which they count as 1 loss each). Provincial Fleets take losses normally. When eliminating Forces consisting of a combination of Garrison Legions and Provincial Armies, 2 Provincial armies are always lost first, followed by 1 random Garrison Legion. Continue with the 2 Provincial, 1 Garrison pattern until the required number of losses has been taken (e.g., 8 losses will equate to 6 Provincial Armies and 2 Garrison Legions).
2.02.412 DEFEAT: A “Defeat” in a Land or Naval Battle results in the death of the Governor. The Province becomes allied with the victorious War, combining with it to increase the Strength of the latter by the printed Strength of the Province card and all remaining Provincial Forces. Any surviving Roman Forces are returned to Rome. However, because this was a Provincial Defeat rather than a Roman Defeat, the Unrest Level is not further affected. The surviving Provincial Forces increase the Strength of the War by one for each Army/Fleet but are not affected by multipliers for Matching Wars. These Provincial Armies/Fleets must be removed as losses first (at normal, not double, rate) in any subsequent battles. They must match Roman/friendly Provincial losses on a one-to-one basis in Stalemates/Standoffs and Naval Victories. However, they take no losses as a result of Roman/ Provincial Defeats/Disasters. The Province may not build additional Forces while allied with a War. Once this War is defeated by a non-Governor Commander, it returns to the Forum all allied Provinces, now to its Undeveloped side, and with no Provincial Forces.
2.02.413 STALEMATE/STANDOFF: A result of “Stalemate” or ”Standoff” is treated as no effect other than the loss of any called for Provincial Forces and the resulting Mortality Check for the Governor. The War is still considered Unprosecuted.
2.02.414 VICTORY: A result of “Victory” in a Land Battle (or a Naval Battle if the War has no Land Strength) by a Governor turns the War into an Inactive War, provided there is presently no Active Matching Wars or Leader in the Forum. If this War has allied Provinces augmenting its Strength, these Provinces stay allied until defeated by a non-Governor Commander. In this case, the defeated War does not incur an Unprosecuted War penalty during the Population Phase. It will stay Inactive until attacked by Rome or made Active by another Matching War or Leader. If there is already an Active Matching War or Leader in the Forum, the War is shuffled into the top six cards of the deck. If there are only six cards left, it is shuffled into the top of the next deck (in the case of an Extended Scenario) or discarded outright (if this is the last deck). A Provincial Victory has no effect on the Unrest Level and no Spoils of War are gained. Governors that win a Provincial Victory (Land or Naval) receive standard Influence and Popularity gains. Veteran Legions are created from Garrison Legions (Provincial Armies cannot become Veteran) and owe allegiance to the Governor. A result of “Victory” in a Naval Battle that still requires a Land Battle results in a Naval Victory marker being placed on the War, and the War is considered Prosecuted for that turn.
2.03.1 OVERVIEW: Provincial Governors may now use their local Forces and Garrisons to Revolt against the Senate. This Advanced Rule adds a high level of complexity and should only be used once players have a very good understanding of the Basic Rules. The Provincial Wars Advanced Rule (2.02) must be used in conjunction with this Advanced Rule.
2.03.2 REBEL GOVERNOR DECLARATION: Governors may Revolt during the Revolution Phase, during the Declaration of Civil War (1.11.3). Starting with the HRAO’s Faction and proceeding clockwise, each Faction may declare a single Victorious Commander and/or one or more Governors to be in Revolt. If a Victorious Commander is declared a Rebel, he must be the Primary Rebel, otherwise, any Rebel Governor may be the Primary Rebel. The Primary Rebel may be joined by any number of Secondary Rebels belonging to the same Faction. Should a Faction that wishes to Revolt field a stronger Force than that of a previously declared Rebel, the initial Rebel’s declaration is ignored, and the player with the stronger Force is considered in Revolt instead. Determine the Force Strength for this purpose as follows:
2.03.21 SECONDARY REBELS: Governors belonging to the same Faction as the Primary Rebel may also go into Revolt, bringing their Provincial Forces, Garrison Legions, and Province with them. Additional non-Governor Senators belonging to the Rebel’s Faction may also join the Revolt in support of the Primary Rebel, as in the Basic Game (1.11.32).
2.03.22 LEGION/ARMY ALLEGIANCE: Provincial Armies and Garrison Legions automatically owe allegiance to the Rebelling Governor. If the Rebel Governor has any active Veteran Legions, they immediately desert to him (regardless of where they are). If there are Veteran Legions of a loyal Senator in the Rebel Army, the loyal Senator may instruct his Legions to desert to the Senate’s Army at any time (even right before battle).
2.03.23 FLEET ALLEGIANCE: : A Victorious Commander attempting to Revolt may dice for the loyalty of the Fleets under his command as if they were Legions (1.11.31) and must pay maintenance for those that remain loyal to him. He may forfeit their control to the Senate if he prefers not to pay for them. Provincial Fleets automatically owe allegiance to the Rebelling Governor. A declaring Rebel may still land his Army in Italy before declaring his Revolt and in doing so avoid a Naval Interception (2.03.72), therefore a Fleet is not always necessary.
2.03.3 REBEL PROVINCIAL STRENGTH: When in Revolt, Provincial Armies are counted at full value only if a Garrison/Rebel Legion accompanies them at the start of battle. Otherwise, Provincial Armies count half (fractions rounded up). Provincial Fleets are always full Strength.
2.03.4 REBEL PROVINCE EXCEPTIONS: A Rebel Province is never considered under attack by any Wars in play (the Wars simply ignore them). It always generates Revenue (2.03.5); however, it cannot be Developed and cannot be affected by Random Events. All Rebel Governors adjust their term dials to show nothing.
2.03.5 REBEL GOVERNOR INCOME: A Governor in Revolt is not subject to recall but loses all Concessions, Knights, and Aligned Senatorial Income. He must collect all Provincial Spoils and State and Local Taxes of his Province, which are transferred to his Personal Treasury.
2.03.6 REBEL PROVINCIAL MAINTENANCE: A Rebel must pay 2 Talents per Provincial Army/Fleet, Legion/Fleet, and for each point of Strength in the Province’s printed Base Province Strength for maintenance. He may pay using Talents from his Personal Treasury, his Faction Treasury, or the Personal Treasuries of other Rebel Senators. Veteran Legions owing allegiance to a Rebel Senator require no maintenance. If, during the Revenue Phase, the Rebel cannot pay the required maintenance he must first release non-provincial Legions/Fleets until he can afford to pay the maintenance. Any non-provincial Legions/Fleets that are released in this manner may be returned to the State. If the HRAO does not wish the State to pay (or the State cannot) the maintenance costs of these Forces, they are immediately eliminated. If, after releasing all non-provincial Legions/Fleets, the Rebel still cannot pay his maintenance costs, he must release Provincial Armies/Fleets until he can afford to pay the maintenance. If he still cannot pay, he simply pays all of his money (but does not lose any printed Base Province Strength points).
2.03.7 MARCHING ON ROME: After the Rebel Faction has been decided upon, the Primary Rebel must immediately decide if he will March on Rome. When a player declares multiple Rebel Senators in Revolt, the Forces of only the Primary Rebel may March on Rome. A Primary Rebel that is a Victorious Commander must March on Rome. A Primary Rebel Governor may decide to March on Rome or remain in his Rebel Province (2.03.8). If the Primary Rebel Governor elects to immediately March on Rome, he does not have to make a Naval Interception (2.03.72) (his Forces just land) but he may never return to his Province (though he still collects Income and Taxes). His Land Strength is equal to all his Provincial Armies [halved in value if not accompanied by a Legion (2.03.3)], loyal Veterans and Garrison Legions. If he Marches on Rome, he may not use his Province’s Base Province Strength, which remains behind on the Province. The Revolt itself is resolved as in the standard rules (1.11.37) except for Reinforcements (2.03.71) and Naval Interceptions (2.03.72).
2.03.71 REINFORCEMENTS: At the beginning of every Revolution Phase following a Combat Phase where a Primary Rebel Marched on Rome achieves a “Stalemate” result, one (and only one) Secondary Rebel Governor may attempt to reinforce the Primary Rebel’s Army in Italy with any Forces he currently commands. This reinforcement does not count as an additional War, rather as an expansion of the current Civil War. The reinforcements are automatically added to the Primary Rebel’s Army if the Rebel Province has a Base Province Naval Strength of 0 (1.09.646). If the Province has a Base Province Naval Strength greater than 0, then the reinforcements are considered to be “in transit.” Reinforcements in transit are added to the Primary Rebel’s Army only if it avoids Naval Interception (2.03.72) at the beginning of the next Combat Phase. The Senate cannot attack a Rebel Province (2.03.81) if that Province has already transported Forces to Italy or has Forces in transit.
2.03.72 NAVAL INTERCEPTIONS: When a Governor from a Rebel Province attempts to land in Italy or reinforce the Primary Rebel in Italy on a turn after he declares his Revolt, the Forces are subject to a Naval Interception by the Senate if its Base Province Naval Strength is greater than 0. Naval Interception battles are resolved before all other battles. The Rebel’s Naval Strength consists of the Province’s Base Province Naval Strength in addition to any Provincial Fleets belonging to the reinforcing Province and all Fleets controlled by the Primary Rebel (Military ratings are not used). Provincial Fleets are always counted at full Strength. The Senate’s Strength is equal to the number of Fleets in the Active Forces boxes. If the Rebel suffers a Defeat in the Naval Interception, all his Forces remain in the Rebel Province, minus those lost in the Naval Battle. On any other result (including Stalemate), they land in Italy to attack or reinforce. Battle losses are taken equally from each side for every combat result other than “No Losses” and “ALL”. Only Fleets are subject to such losses, Mortality Chits are not drawn, and this battle has no effect on Unrest. If the Rebel has a combination of Provincial and non-Provincial Fleets, they take losses in the same way that Provincial Armies/Garrison troops take losses (2.02.411). Provincial Fleets losses can come from either the Primary Rebel’s Forces or the reinforcing Rebel Province (Rebel’s choice).
2.03.8 STAYING IN THE PROVINCE: If a Primary Rebel Governor remains in his Province, he cannot win due to the failure of the Senate to send an Army against him or even for defeating the Army the Senate sends against him (2.03.81). He can, however, still win if the People Revolt (1.08.2) or the State Treasury goes Bankrupt (1.06.53, 1.07.21). His War (in combination with all Secondary Rebels) count as one of the 4 Active Wars needed to destroy Rome and costs the State 20 Talents per turn. The Rebel Governor’s Strength is equal to the Province’s Base Province Strength plus all Provincial Forces, loyal Veterans and Garrison Legions, and Fleets he has. In a future Revolution Phase during Declaration of Civil War (1.11.3), the Primary Rebel can decide to March on Rome. If the Province has a Base Province Naval Strength greater than 0, the Senate can attempt to prevent the Primary Rebel from landing in Italy by Naval Interception (2.03.72). If the Senate does not send an Army to attack the Primary Rebel Governor remaining in his Province, that Revolt is considered Unprosecuted and will increase Unrest per the normal rules (1.10.9).
2.03.81 ATTACKING A REBEL PROVINCE: Rome can attempt to defeat a Rebel Governor occupying a rebel Province by attacking his Province. Rome cannot attack a Province if the Governor is marching on Rome (2.03.7) or in transit to reinforce an existing Primary Rebel (2.03.71). When attacked at his rebel Province a Rebel Governor’s Land Strength is equal to the sum of his:
Fleet Support might also be required to fight the Land Battle. The Rebel’s Fleet Support is equal to the sum of:
If the Rebel Governor’s Fleet Strength exceeds the Undeveloped Base Province Land Strength of the Province (even if it is Developed), a Naval Battle must be fought first (unless the maximum number of fleets that Province can build is 0).
The Rebel Governor’s Fleet Strength is equal to the sum of the following:
EXAMPLE: Sardinia et Corsica is fully Developed and in Revolt. Its full complement of 1 Provincial Army and 5 Provincial Fleets added to its Base Province Strength of 1 Land Strength and 0 Fleet Strength gives it a total of 2 Land Strength and 5 Fleet Strength. Because its Fleet Strength is greater than its Land Strength, Rome must defeat it in a Naval Battle before attacking it on land. If Rome defeats it while losing 3 fleets, the Sardinia et Corsica Fleet is also reduced by 3 and the Rebel Province gets a Naval Victory marker. The new Strength of Sardinia et Corsica for the impending Land Battle is 2 Land Strength and 2 Fleet Support. Rome must commit 2 Fleets to that battle in support of its Land Forces.
2.03.9 RESOLUTION: The resolution of a Rebel Governor combat is the same as the normal Game (1.11.37) except for the following:
2.03.91 SENATE VICTORY: If the Senate attacks and defeats a Rebel Governor in a Naval Battle, that Rebel Province gains a Naval Victory marker. If the Senate attacks and defeats a Secondary Rebel Governor in a Land Battle, that Governor is killed and the Province is returned to the Forum Undeveloped with no Forces. The Civil War will continue until the Primary Rebel is killed, either through a defeat in Marching on Rome (2.03.7), or through a defeat in a Land battle in a Rebel Province (2.03.81), or through a Mortality Chit draw (1.05.21). Once the Primary Rebel dies, all remaining Rebel resistance collapses, Secondary Rebels are automatically killed and their Provinces are returned to the Forum Undeveloped with no Forces.
2.03.92 REBEL VICTORY: If the Rebel Army attacks the Senate in Italy and achieves a “Victory” result, the Revolt has succeeded and the Rebel now rules Rome and wins the Game, barring the collapse of the Republic (1.12.3). If he defeats the Senatorial Army attacking him in his Rebel Province, he does not win the Game. For the Primary Rebel to win he must successfully attack the Senate in Italy or he may wait in his Province and hope for a “People Revolt” result (1.08.2) or a Bankruptcy of the State Treasury (1.06.53, 1.07.21).
2.04.1 OVERVIEW: Commanders with the Allegiance markers of Veteran Legions may now gain Influence and Oratory by disbanding these Legions. These Advanced Rules add minimal complexity and can be used once players have some familiarity with the Basic Rules.
2.04.2 DISBANDMENT: When it is his turn to play cards (1.11.1), a Victorious non-Rebel returning Commander may disband any commanded Veteran Legions for which he holds the Allegiance markers. The identities of the disbanded Legions are noted by retaining their Legion Allegiance markers on his card and flipping them to their disbanded side. The Legions are then placed in the Bank (not the available Force Pool) with their Veteran side up. For each Legion disbanded, the Senator increases both his Oratory and Influence by 1. When a Senator who holds the Allegiance marker of any disbanded Legion dies, his disbanded Legions are placed in the available Force Pool and lose their Veteran Status.
2.04.3 RECALL: A Consul or Dictator may recall his disbanded Veteran Legions from the Bank during the Senate Phase (1.09.63) by paying 10 Talents per Legion from his Personal or Faction Treasury (No Recruitment and Manpower Shortages do not affect the ability or cost to recall Legions). For each Legion he recalls, the Senator flips its Allegiance marker on his card and decreases both his Oratory and Influence by 1. Recalled Legions retain their Veteran status and must be maintained by the Senate at the normal rate.
Once all the remaining Legions from the available Force Pool have been raised, the Senate may also raise disbanded Legions from the Bank. Disbanded Legions raised in this way may no longer be recalled by their Senator and no longer have Veteran Status. Give the Legion Allegiance marker back to the Bank, but the Senator keeps his +1 ORA and +1 INF.
2.05.1 OVERVIEW: Prosecutions now have Trials where the Censor and an Advocate debate with Oratory to influence the verdict. This Advanced Rule adds a moderate level of complexity and can be used once players have a good understanding of the Basic Rules.
2.05.2 APPOINTING AN ADVOCATE: Immediately after the post of Prosecutor is filled for a Prosecution (1.09.411) the Accused may ask one Senator, belonging to any player (including himself), to represent him in the trial as an Advocate. A Senator must be in Rome and cannot hold the position of Censor or Prosecutor in order to be eligible to be an Advocate. The Censor must give the Accused a reasonable amount of time to obtain the services of an Advocate. If no Advocate comes forward to represent the Accused, he is considered to be his own Advocate and is representing himself.
2.05.3 TRIAL VOTES: The Prosecution (1.09.41) is carried out as normal. After the votes are announced the Advocate rolls 2d6, adding the Advocate’s Oratory while subtracting the Prosecutor’s Oratory. This modified die roll is cross-referenced with the to determine how many extra votes are added or subtracted on behalf of the Accused. The Trial must be conducted (unlike the Popular Appeal, which is still optional).
2.05.4 POPULAR APPEAL: The rules for Popular Appeal are not changed, except that when a result of 2 or less is achieved, the Accused is automatically killed by the angry mob, and for each number that the modified 2d6 result is less than 3 a Mortality Chit is drawn to see if the Advocate (the only one vulnerable to the chit draw) is also killed by the angry citizens of Rome. No chits are drawn if the Accused was representing himself.
2.05.5 GUILTY: If the verdict is “Guilty,” the penalties and rewards are carried out exactly as in the normal Game, except that the Advocate(provided it is not the Accused representing himself) loses 3 Influence, regardless of the type of Prosecution (to a minimum of 0). If the Accused is representing himself (and thus is his own Advocate) and the verdict is Guilty, the penalties and rewards are unchanged from the normal Game.
2.05.6 INNOCENT: If the verdict is “Innocent,” the Advocate (provided it is not the Accused representing himself) gains 3 Influence, regardless of the type of Prosecution. The Prosecutor also loses 3 Influence (to a minimum of 0). If the Accused is representing himself (and thus is his own Advocate) and the verdict is Innocent, the Prosecutor still loses 3 Influence, but the Accused gains nothing.
2.06.1 PASSING LAWS: Laws are now treated like regular Proposals, which may be put forward by Senators and which award Influence if successfully passed. These Advanced Rules add only a slight level of complexity and can be added once players have some familiarity with the Basic Rules.
2.06.2 ENACTING LAWS: In order to be enacted a Law must be voted upon by the Senate and passed. Law cards may be proposed by a Senator at anytime during the Senate Phase, even before the Consuls are elected. If played in the middle of a Proposal resolution, it will automatically be the next Proposal. The player of the card does not have to be the Presiding Magistrate and is able to put the passage of the Law forward as a Proposal without the use of a Tribune. The Presiding Magistrate still controls the order and speed of the vote.
The player of the card names two consenting Senators in Rome to be the Sponsor and Co-Sponsor. The sponsor and co-sponsor need not belong to the Faction playing the card. This vote cannot be vetoed and assassinating the Sponsor or Co-Sponsor does not stop the vote. Once enacted, the provisions of the Law apply as normal, although several Laws have slightly different effects (as noted on the card) when using this rule. Display Enacted Law cards as you would normally in the Law Box. If the Law fails, it is discarded from the game.
2.06.3 REWARDS FOR ENACTING: If enacted, the sponsoring Senator gains 3 Influence, while the Co-Sponsor gains 1 Influence. However, the law goes into effect before the Influence is awarded.
2.06.4 DISCARD PROHIBITION: A Law card cannot be discarded voluntarily by a player during the Revolution Phase (1.11.2). If a player’s hand rises above 5 cards in the Revolution Phase, he must discard a non-Law card unless he has only Law cards.
3.01.1 EARLY REPUBLIC SCENARIO OVERVIEW: Below are the steps for setting up the Early Republic Scenario. The other Scenarios will reference this setup procedure.
3.01.2 GAME BOARD: Place the Game Board so that each player has space off-board to display his Faction’s cards. Give each player a Faction Treasury Box.
3.01.3 MARKERS: Place the 36 Mortality Chits in an opaque cup suitable for random draws. The State Treasury starts with 100 Talents. The Unrest Level starts at 0.
3.01.4 CARDS: Set up the Early Republic (white) deck as follows:
3.01.5 LEGIONS: Four Legions are put in the Active Forces boxes.
3.01.6 TEMPORARY ROME CONSUL: Draw a Mortality Chit from the cup. If the ID# drawn does not match an existing Senator put it to the side and draw again until a matching ID# is drawn. The matching ID# is Temporary Rome Consul until new Consuls can be elected during the first Senate Phase. Place the Rome Consul and Prior Consul markers on his card and add 5 to his Influence. Place all the Mortality Chits back into the cup.
3.01.7 FACTION LEADERS: Each player (starting with the Temporary Rome Consul and proceeding clockwise) places a Faction Leader marker containing the symbol of his Faction on one of his Senators
3.01.8 PROVINCES: No Provinces are currently in play
3.01.9 INITIAL FACTION PHASE: Each player (starting with the Temporary Rome Consul and proceeding clockwise) may play any Statesmen or Concessions from his hand, if he wishes. Faction cards may not be traded until the first Revolution Phase.
3.02.1 MIDDLE REPUBLIC SCENARIO OVERVIEW: The setup for the Middle Republic is the same as the Early Republic, except for the following:
3.02.2 CARDS: Set up the Middle Republic (gray) deck as follows:
3.02.3 LEGIONS: Six Legions are put in the Active Forces boxes.
3.02.4 PROVINCES: Shuffle the Undeveloped Province cards of Sicilia, Illyricum, Sardinia et Corsica, Hispania Citerior, Hispania Ulterior, and Gallia Cisalpina and deal 1 to each player, with any remaining being placed in the Forum. Each player assigns his Province to one of his Senators and sets the term dial to 1, 2, or 3 turns (his choice).
3.03.1 LATE REPUBLIC SCENARIO OVERVIEW: The setup for the Late Republic is done the same as the Early Republic, except for the following:
3.03.2 CARDS: Set up the Late Republic (red) deck as follows:
3.03.3 LEGIONS: Eight Legions are put in the Active Forces boxes.
3.03.4 PROVINCES: The Developed Province cards of Sicilia, Illyricum, Sardinia et Corsica, Hispania Citerior, Hispania Ulterior, and Gallia Cisalpina and deal 1 to each player, with any remaining being placed in the Forum. The Undeveloped Province cards of Gallia Narbonensis, Cilicia et Cyprus, Macedonia, Africa, and Asia are likewise distributed. [EXCEPTION: In a six-player Game, each player rolls dice (1.04.8) to determine who will not receive a Governorship.] Each player assigns his Province to one of his Senators and sets the term dial to 1, 2, or 3 turns (his choice).
3.04.1 EXTENDED SCENARIO: Rather than simply playing one scenario, continue into the Middle (or Late) Republic by shuffling the second (or third) deck from that period and placing it in play. Players may play just two decks (Early to Middle or Middle to Late) or opt for the complete extended Game (Early to Middle to Late). Play proceeds normally after noting the increased Legion Loyalty numbers for Revolts (1.11.31) and the new column in use for the new period. The Game is considered to be in the Middle or Late period the moment a card is drawn from that deck (the drawing player must announce he drew from the new period). Setup should be done for the first deck only according to the starting Scenario for that deck, except that the placement of the “Era Ends” card should be done by using the Era Ends placement rule for the ending Scenario deck.
EXAMPLE: If doing the Extended Scenario from the Middle to Late scenarios, follow all the steps in the Middle Republic Scenario (3.02) except for steps (3.02.2 G and 3.02.2 H). Instead, use step (3.03.2 H) from the Late Republic Scenario (3.03) to place the Era Ends card.
3.05.1 ALTERNATIVE HISTORY SCENARIO: Set up the Game exactly as the Early Republic Scenario (3.01), except ignore all deck borders [e.g., deal out 3 random black-text Family cards (from any scenario) and 3 random Faction cards (from any scenario)]. The deck will consist of all 3 decks shuffled together. The Random Events column and Legion Loyalty Numbers will advance at the start of the 8th and 16th turns. Randomly shuffle the “Era Ends” card into the last 12 cards of the combined deck.
4.01.1 SCENARIO OVERVIEW: Set up any one of the Basic Scenarios as if you were playing with five players. If playing solitaire, 4 Factions will be “dummies” and referred to hereafter as “Neutrals”. If playing with another person, 3 Factions will be Neutrals. The actual player(s) will be referred to hereafter as “Player(s)”. All cards and Faction Treasuries of the Neutrals are kept face up at all times. All other rules of play remain the same, except as amended below and on the Solitaire/Two-Player Sequence of Play cards. The Solitaire and Two-Player Scenarios do not use any of the Advanced Rules.
4.01.2 ASSIGNING NEUTRALS: The Neutral Factions are fictitious, although they may be considered as representative inclinations among Senate members. The Neutral with the highest Total Military rating will be the “Imperials.” Place the Imperials Sequence of Play card next to those Senators. Of the remaining Neutrals, the one with the most total Influence will be the “Plutocrats,” and the one with the least Influence will be the “Conservatives.” If there is no Second Player, the last Faction will be the “Populists.” Deal 2 extra Senators to the Conservatives, and 1 extra Senator to the Populists. Make the Plutocrat Senator with the most Influence the Temporary Rome Consul.
4.01.3 FACTION LEADER: Each Neutral selects a Senator as its Faction Leader by applying the “Faction Leader” Guideline on its Sequence of Play card to the Senators in its Faction. Should another Senator in that Faction subsequently become better qualified under his Faction’s Guidelines, he will become the new Faction Leader during Step 4 of the Forum Phase. Ties for this, or any other position without specified tie-breakers, are resolved by a 2d6 roll (1.04.8).
4.01.4 INITIAL INTRIGUE: Deal each Faction 3 Faction cards as normal. In a two player Game, only the Neutrals’ hands are dealt face-up. The Players draw their cards secretly as in the normal Game. Any Neutral with a playable Statesman plays him immediately. Any Neutral with a Concession assigns it immediately to the Senator of his Faction with the fewest Concessions [breaking ties in favor of those with the most Influence and then by rolling dice 1.04.8)].
4.02.1 SOLITAIRE / TWO-PLAYER REFERENCE SEQUENCE OF PLAY CARDS: Play follows the normal routine as amended on the Solitaire/Two-Player Sequence of Play card. The conduct of Neutrals is governed automatically by a combination of fate and their specific Guidelines. Each Player may govern his Faction as he chooses, within normal rule limits.
4.02.1 DOMINATE PLAYER: The conduct of Neutrals not covered by specific rules is always up to the Player. In two-player Games, the Player making the decision is termed the Dominant Player. The Dominant Player is the one with the best Faction Dominance if both are in or both are out of the Ruling Coalition. Otherwise, the Dominant Player is the one in the Ruling Coalition (4.05.2).
4.03.1 INCOME: All Income a Neutral Faction receives during the Revenue Phase is pooled together for redistribution according to that Neutral’s Revenue Guidelines. It makes no difference which Senator earned the Income. Once the money is distributed, however, Neutrals may not redistribute it in subsequent Revenue Phases. It remains the exclusive property of that Senator until he spends it as directed by his Faction’s Guidelines. Likewise, money deposited in a Neutral’s Faction Treasury remains there until spent to defend a Persuasion Attempt or finance a Revolt. It cannot be moved out of the Neutral’s Faction Treasury into a Personal Treasury.
4.03.2 SPENDING: The Senator in a Neutral Faction who currently has the most money is considered to be the one actually doing the spending for any transaction by that Faction [EXCEPTION: Persuasion Attempts (4.04.2)].
4.03.3 GOVERNORSHIPS: A Neutral Senator who becomes a Governor will engage in graft to collect that Province’s Provincial Spoils, as directed by his ”Provincial Spoils” Guideline. Some Factions have to roll 1d6 to determine whether they will engage in graft. Regardless of their Faction Guidelines, Cicero (28A) and the Catos (22A/22B) will not engage in graft.
4.03.4 CONTRIBUTIONS: Neutrals will contribute to the State only if their “Charity” Guideline lists Treasury, and then only to the extent that they can match Contributions made by the Player(s). If a Neutral cannot afford to match the Player’s contribution, he contributes nothing. Regardless of his Guidelines, a Neutral will always make a Contribution if able and doing so will give him 35 or more Influence.
4.04.1 CARDS: Whenever a Neutral draws a Concession or Law card, it must be played immediately. Concessions are assigned to the Senator with the fewest Concessions within that Neutral’s Faction. A Player may choose to hold his Concessions and/or Law cards for subsequent play, but unlike in the Basic Game, he may play them at any time.
4.04.2 PERSUASION ATTEMPTS: Neutrals always attempt to persuade the Most Available Senator (the Senator in which he can most easily get the highest Base Number for the least amount of money) – taking into consideration the total Faction Treasury of the defendant as being available for Counter-Bribes. Ties for Most Available Senator go to the more Powerful Senator (adding together Military and Oratory, with ties going to the Senator belonging to the Faction with more Votes). Neutrals will use bribes in a Persuasion Attempt only if, after consideration of all Neutral Counter-Bribe possibilities, they can raise the final Base Number to ≥ 7. If bribes are possible, Neutrals will raise the Base Number as high as possible up to a maximum of 9. A Neutral will always use the Senator who can achieve the highest Base Number while using the least Bribe money as his Persuading Senator.
4.04.21 PERSUASION DEFENSE: If able, Neutrals will use Counterbribes to lower the Base Number to exactly 4. If they cannot reduce the Base Number to 4, they will not Counter-Bribe, and they will not reduce the Base Number below 4. Regardless of the outcome, money spent in Bribes and Counter-Bribes against a Neutral’s Senator remains in that Senator’s Personal Treasury until he spends it. It cannot be reallocated. A Player can use his Faction Treasury for reallocation of funds and to defend Persuasion Attempts against other Factions as in a normal Game.
4.04.3 KNIGHTS: Neutrals will always spend the money allocated by their “Knights” Guideline in an attempt to attract a Knight.
4.04.4 GAMES: A Neutral whose “Charity” Guideline specify “Games” will sponsor the most expensive set of Games it can afford during each of its Initiatives if the Unrest Level is higher than the Popularity of the Senator paying for the Games.
4.04.5 SIXTH INITIATIVE: A Neutral HRAO’s Faction’s opening bid for the Sixth Initiative is always equal to the Turn Number plus 1d6 plus his “Initiative” Guideline modifier. If this exceeds the maximum amount he has in any Personal Treasury, he will bid the maximum amount he has (but never exceeding the maximum amount present in any other Faction’s Personal Treasury in play). Neutrals with sufficient money will always bid one higher than the previous bid, unless the bid exceeds the Turn Number plus 4. In this case, they will bid only if they roll 1d6 ≥ 4 after adding their Initiative Guideline modifier.
4.05.1 SENATE PHASE OVERVIEW: The Senate Phase now consists of three separate actions. First, a Ruling Coalition is formed. Second, a Military Plan is defined. Finally, Spoils are divided. There are no Prosecutions in this version of the Game.
4.05.2 RULING COALITION: Each Faction sums all of the votes it can muster among its Senators currently in Rome and marks that total on its Faction Treasury Box. Talents may not be spent to increase this vote tally. Total the votes for all five Factions to determine the number needed for a Majority. For example, if the 5 Factions control 41 votes, 21 are needed for a Majority. Then rate the individual Factions from 1 to 5 in the order of their vote total [breaking ties in favor of the Faction with the most money (Faction Treasury plus all Personal Treasuries)]. Slide the Faction Dominance marker along the Dominance Track of each Sequence of Play card to mark its current position in the hierarchy among the 5 Factions. Once set, this Faction Dominance marker does not change until the next Senate Phase, regardless of events in the interim. Finally read down the Coalition List below to find the first combination of Factions on that list which can muster a Majority. Those Factions form the Ruling Coalition for this turn. A Player may refuse to join a Ruling Coalition, in which case the search continues down the Coalition List to the next combination which can muster a Majority.
COALIATION LIST:
* If Player declines to participate, Coalition adds 2nd Faction instead.
4.05.3 MILITARY PLANS: Plans are determined automatically by a combination of the Wars in play and the Strength of the Republic. If there are 3 or more Active Wars, or a War with Strength >15, or a Rebel, the situation is a “Crisis” and Military Plans are decided using the Crisis List below. Otherwise, use the Normal List below. Reading down the proper list, Rome will use the first plan it can execute taking into consideration the maximum amount of Force builds available (4.05.33). If a choice of Wars to attack is available within the confines of the Military Plan, always choose the largest or the most Dangerous (4.05.32). If the Player(s) are the only Factions in the Ruling Coalition they may devise their own Military Plans.
MILITARY PLANS
4.05.31 ADEQUATE FORCE: “Adequate Force” on these lists is defined as a number of Legions (or Fleets in the case of Naval Battles) equal to the Strength of the opposing War. Commander and Veteran bonuses are not calculated in determining whether a Force is Adequate. The minimum number of Fleets is always used in Support. Half (fractions rounded down) of any excess Legions (or Fleets in the case of Naval Battles) up to the maximum modifier of +15 not committed to any other battle will accompany the Adequate Force. Veterans owing Allegiance to any Senator of the Commander’s Faction will accompany that Force. Otherwise, commitment of excess Veterans and the decision of which Commander fights which of the 2 Wars being attacked is at the discretion of the Dominant Player.
4.05.32 DANGEROUS WAR: A War is “Dangerous” if it has matching cards waiting to be drawn, regardless of whether or not it is currently Active. The measure of the relative danger such Wars pose when more than one is in play is determined by the Force that would be Adequate against it if all of those remaining Matching cards were in play.
4.05.33 BUILDS: If no War is in play, Rome will attempt to maintain 10 Legions and 5 Fleets and will build or eliminate units accordingly. However, if there is a Manpower Shortage in effect, Rome will build Forces only in a Crisis (4.05.3). Given adequate finances, Rome will always build as many Forces as needed to implement the Military Plan. If unable to build sufficient Forces to implement the defined Military Plan, builds are the prerogative of the Dominate Player.
4.05.34 CRISIS OFFICES: During a Crisis the offices of Dictator and Master of Horse are decided before the division of Spoils. Once decided, the division of Spoils proceeds with the strongest Faction of the Ruling Coalition, regardless of who received the Dictator and Master of Horse. In a Crisis, only the Senator with the highest Military rating is eligible for Dictator (regardless of whether he is part of the Ruling Coalition). Any Statesman who is immune to Disaster or Standoff against the War in question wins ties as the most eligible. Only the Senator with the next highest Military rating is eligible for a Neutral Dictator’s Master of Horse (without regard to Disaster immunity or membership in the Ruling Coalition). In a Crisis, only the remaining Senators with the highest Military ratings of each Faction are eligible for Consul. Those with the least Influence win ties among the best Military Senators of that Faction.
4.05.35 BEQUESTS: Rome will dispatch the Field Consul to gain a Bequest only when it can spare the Forces from its Military Plan.
4.05.4 SPOILS: Spoils include all offices and Concessions in the Forum currently available for assignment and sponsorship of Land Bills. The Ruling Coalition divides up Spoils one item at a time. The member Factions of the Ruling Coalition choose in the order of their votes (from highest to lowest). After the Ruling Coalition Faction with the least votes has chosen, a new round starts with the one with the most votes, and so on until all Spoils have been divided. Neutral Factions choose their Spoils in the order listed on their “Spoils” Guideline. Unlike a Neutral, a Player may choose to give his Spoils to any Senator of his choice, even in another Faction and even including one outside the Ruling Coalition.
4.05.41 ELIGIBILITY: A Faction can choose an office only if it has a Senator eligible for that office. If a Faction has several eligible Senators, the office goes to the one with the least Influence. If the Ruling Coalition contains no eligible candidates for an office, then the office goes to the eligible Senator outside the Coalition with the least Influence.
4.05.411 DICTATOR/MASTER OF HORSE: These offices are available only during a Crisis (4.05.3). Ties for most eligible (4.05.41) are won by members of the Ruling Coalition over those outside the Coalition.
4.05.412 ROME CONSUL: Only Senators within the Ruling Coalition whose Popularity equals or exceeds the Unrest Level are eligible to be Rome Consul. If there are no such candidates, then only the Senator with the highest Popularity within the Ruling Coalition is eligible. However, a Player in the Ruling Coalition may give the Rome Consul to a Senator outside the Ruling Coalition as the exercise of this Spoils selection.
4.05.413 CONSUL FOR LIFE: A Senator with at least 21 Influence and a member of the only Faction in the Ruling Coalition is automatically Consul for Life unless Assassinated. Whenever this situation occurs, the Consul for Life candidate must survive an automatic Assassination Attempt (4.07.3).
4.05.414 CONCESSION: When a Neutral selects a Concession, it must be given to his Senator currently in Rome with the fewest Concessions. Ties are resolved by giving it to the tied Senator with the most Influence.
4.05.415 GOVERNORSHIP: If more than one Province is available, Neutrals will select them in the order of their Provincial Spoils. When a Neutral gets a Governorship, it goes to his eligible Senator controlling the fewest votes. When a Player gets a Governorship he can choose which eligible Senator to give it to (including Senators outside his Faction and even outside the Ruling Coalition). However, selecting a Governorship to give to another Faction still counts as the Player’s own Spoils selection.
4.05.416 MANDATORY LAND BILLS: Whenever the Dictator (or in his absence, the Rome Consul) has Popularity which is less than the Unrest Level, he is the only eligible Sponsor for a Mandatory Land Bill, and the Spoils process will continue until it is passed by someone claiming the Co-Sponsor as his Spoil. This will occur even if the Co-Sponsor has to be another member of his own Faction, regardless of whether his “Spoils” Guideline allows Land Bill Spoils. The Co-Sponsor will come from the first Faction in the Ruling Coalition to choose it as its Spoils item after the Dictator has claimed the Sponsorship. There can be only one Land Bill per turn. The Sponsor will always select the highest type Land Bill available.
4.05.417 NON-MANDATORY LAND BILLS: If sponsorship of a Land Bill is not Mandatory, it may be sponsored by the least Popular Senator of a Neutral Faction claiming it as its next Spoils item or by any Player Senator claiming it as his Spoils item. The Land Bill will fail if any member of the Ruling Coalition “passes” (4.05.418) before selecting Co-Sponsorship as its Spoils item [EXCPETION: The pass is negated by a Tribune (4.05.419) from a Player or the next Neutral to select a Spoils item in the Ruling Coalition; that Tribune allows its Faction (whether or not it is part of the Ruling Coalition) to act as the Co-Sponsor]. Division of Spoils continues with the next Faction in the Ruling Coalition hierarchy after the passing Faction.
4.05.418 END OF SPOILS: The division of Spoils will not end until all offices and mandatory Land Bills have been filled. Thereafter, the Spoils process will end as soon as one of the Factions of the Ruling Coalition “passes” [unless cancelled by a Tribune veto (4.05.419)] without selecting Spoils. Any remaining Spoils (Concessions and non-mandatory Land Bills) are not awarded this turn.
4.05.419 TRIBUNES: A Tribune can be played to “skip” the selecting Faction in the Ruling Coalition and pass the opportunity for next Spoils selection to the next Faction in selection order. Neutrals will play a Tribune to veto a Spoils item taken by another Faction if, in doing so, they will become the next Faction eligible to select that item, but only if that item is the highest remaining item on their Spoils list. A Player may also play a Tribune to cancel any non-mandatory Land Bill.
4.06.1 CARDS: During the Revolution Phase, a Neutral will always trade any unplayable Statesman for one whose Family he controls or, failing that, for any two randomly selected Intrigue cards. If there are more such Statesmen available than he can trade for, he always trades for the one(s) with the lowest ID # first. Playable Statesmen must be played immediately.
4.06.2 REVOLTS: A Neutral Rebel always Marches on Rome. A Neutral will Revolt only if can fulfill all of these conditions:
EXAMPLE: Rome has 12 Legions in an Early Republic scenario, and all are under the command of Fabius. He has 1 Veteran Legion loyal to him. By paying 11 Talents Fabius can increase the probability of their Allegiance to him to 50% – thereby giving him an expectation of 5.5 Legions remaining, plus his Veteran for a total of 6.5. This is a majority, so he pays the Allegiance bonus and tests their Allegiance.
EXAMPLE: Continuing our previous example, Fabius commands the Allegiance of 7 Legions (including his Veteran). This is less than 60% of Rome’s 12 Legions (60% of 12 is 7.2), so he declines to Rebel and returns his Forces to Rome.
4.07.1 CARD LIMIT: Neutrals have no limit to the number of Intrigue cards they may hold. The Intrigue cards of Neutrals are always face-up and played as follows:
4.07.2 TRIBUNES: See (4.05.419)
4.07.3 ASSASSINS: An Assassination attempt is triggered whenever a Consul for Life candidate is named or whenever a player requests an Assassination Check. During an Assassination Check, all Factions which are not the target of the Assassination must roll 1d6 to determine a high roller which will attempt the Assassination. A Neutral Faction modifies its roll by +1 for each Assassin card in its possession. Neutrals will not participate in an Assassination unless the target has at least 21 Influence and more Influence than any other Senator. If forced to attempt an Assassination, a Neutral will use all Assassin cards in its possession. Since there are no Prosecutions (4.05.1), the Faction Leader of a caught Assassin is automatically guilty (1.09.74).
4.07.4 BODYGUARDS: Neutrals will play as many Bodyguards as they possess to prevent an Assassination of their Senator and to try to catch the Assassin. A Neutral will play the Open Bodyguard on his Senator with the most Influence if that Senator has at least 21 Influence.
4.07.5 INFLUENCE PEDDLING: A Neutral will play Influence Peddling automatically against whichever Faction has the most unplayed Intrigue cards. If several Factions tie for the most Intrigue cards, the Neutral plays it against the one with the most Influence. The defending Faction’s card must be selected at random.
4.07.6 GRAFT/MURDER OF A TRIBUNE: A Neutral will play Graft first, then Murder of a Tribune against any Faction using a Tribune to cancel Spoils he would otherwise receive. A Neutral who has his Tribune Voided will reply with the Mob Incited to Violence Intrigue card if he has it.
4.07.7 BLACKMAIL/SEDUCTION: A Neutral will play either Blackmail or Seduction on the turn he draws it, using the normal Persuasion Attempt rules (1.07.4), but with the exception that he will not take into account Faction Treasury totals. If there are no valid Persuasions, the Neutral will attempt to use it every following turn.
4.08.1 HOW TO WIN: The Victory Conditions are unchanged from the Basic Game. The Player has many seeming advantages over his predictable Neutral opponents due to his greater freedom of action and ability to inspect their Intrigue cards and Faction Treasury. Balancing this somewhat is the burden of keeping the Republic afloat. The Neutrals tend to be self-serving so the Player must lead the way, often spending not to enrich his Faction but to safeguard the Republic. For instance, it is not unusual for the Plutocrats to use their head start as the Temporary Rome Consul to forge a monopoly on the Censor as long as they remain in the Ruling Coalition. The Player may find it necessary to sacrifice his own Spoils pick to give a Consulship to a lesser Senator among the Plutocrats in order to qualify someone else in that Faction for Censor and thereby slow the Influence gain of the original Temporary Rome Consul. Indeed, the Player may consider it a moral victory if he can keep the Republic intact until Scenario end regardless of how his own Faction fares.
REPUBLIC OF ROME was always known to have an infamous long list of errata, both official and unofficial. The changes listed below reflect actual changes between this latest edition compared to the original game combined with the official Avalon Hill errata. Differences between the original and the current rulebooks that are not reflected below are likely detailed in official errata compiled over the last twenty years by fans and are available (with some searching) on the internet. Keep in mind that terminology changes and cosmetic changes have not been listed here. Only mechanical changes to the game are listed.
NOVICE
Here you stand, wide-eye and innocent, about to leap into your first game of REPUBLIC OF ROME . . . the Early Republic scenario to boot. Good, it’s the toughest! You barely grasp the rules, but it is clear to you that this is not your average wargame. If you are playing with experience players, well, Bunky, you’re dead meat. Just try to pick an ally and stick with him for a while. As long as you’re making yourself useful, he’ll probably throw you an occasional bone. You probably won’t win, but at least you’ll have a say in who does. And who knows, maybe you’ll get lucky. You can also improve your chances by keeping the following pointers in mind:
INTERMEDIATE
Now that you’ve played a few games, you’re probably ready to start cutting some throats, so let’s get a bit more specific.
ADVANCED
By now you have realized, as one tester told me, that this game makes most look like CHUTES & LADDERS. I designed it for those who think DIPLOMACY is too tame. There are many subtle ways to gain advantage over even experienced players. Here are but a few:
Robert Haines
The Roman Republic was born c. 509 B.C. when the young city-state threw out its last king, Tarquin the Proud. The new state than spent its first two centuries making the transition from aristocracy of birth to oligarchy of wealthy (the Struggle of the Orders) and developing the machinery of republican government. By 287 B.C. the finished republican constitution had emerged.
The Republic possessed a hierarchy of annually elected magistrates, the highest of which were the two consuls. They and the next rank of officials, the praetors, were normally the only individuals with the power to command military forces, but in times of crisis the consuls and Senate could together nominate a dictator, who would in turn choose an assistant, his master of horse. These temporary magistrates could hold office for at most six months, but during their tenure, their power was superior to that of the regular officials. The Senate might also choose to extend the power of a consul or praetor beyond the normal year in office by making him a proconsul or proprietor, both of whom could command troops.
Important in domestic affairs were the two censors and the pontifex maximus, the former elected for an eighteen-month term every five years, the latter for life. The censors controlled the census and the Senatorial roles, possessing the power to eject members from the Senate, while the pontifex maximus headed Rome’s secular religious establishment. Finally, there were the ten annually elected tribunes, who possessed the important powers of initiating legislation and vetoing any act of the government.
Of the Republic’s four citizen assemblies only two were of any importance: the Centuriate, which elected the consuls, praetors and censors, and the Tribal, which elected the tribunes and passed legislation. The Senate was made up of ex-consuls and ex-praetors, who held their seats for life, and until the last half century of the Republic it had a membership of about 300. The Senate was simply an advisory body and after 287 B.C had no actual constitutional power.
Rome of the Republic remained in theory a democracy, and the people were the sovereign authority, electing, legislating, and declaring war. But in actuality the Republic was controlled by an oligarchy of wealth, centered in the Senate. The magistracies were theoretically open to all citizens, but in practice were restricted to the wealthy, who thus composed the Senate. Though it lacked any legal powers, the Senatorial oligarchy was easily able to dominate the legislative processes of the Tribal assembly, and the magistrates, who were constitutionally independent, were in reality the executive arm of the Senate.
Being of the same class (and being Romans), the Senatorial nobility had a unity of purpose and action in its direction of Rome, but the families who made up this ruling class were constantly struggling for preeminence within the Senate. What motivated them was not so much wealth or power, as the competition for the prestige gained by serving Rome, and the goal of the Senatorial statesman was to excel his colleagues in prestige and become recognized as the unofficial “Dean of the Senate”—the princes senatus.
Until the last century of the Republic the Roman people were quite content with the rule of the Senatorial oligarchy, which served the state extremely well. While the internal restructuring was going on in the fourth and fifth centuries, Rome managed to conquer and unite the Italian peninsula, creating the power base for her overseas adventures. She won mastery of the western Mediterranean by destroying the power of Carthage (First Punic War 264-241 B.C., Second Punic War 218-201 B.C.) and was then drawn into the Balkan Peninsula by Philip V of Macedon, who had joined Hannibal in the war on Rome (First Macedonian War 214-205 B.C.). Philip’s defeat in the Second Macedonian War (200-196 B.C.) quickly led to a confrontation with the last great Mediterranean power, the Seleucid Empire in Asia, and Antiochus III fared no better than Philip (192-189 B.C.). There were many more wars to be fought, and the Romans had yet to occupy most of the real estate of Europe and the Mediterranean, but after 189 B.C. the Republic no longer had any serious rivals for control of the western world.
On the domestic front, however, the eastern wars, following hard on the heels of Hannibal’s devastating sojourn in Italy, created serious social and economic problems, as what was essentially a city-state government with a citizen militia struggled to meet the demands of a growing empire. Major reform was needed, but the period had also seen dramatic growth in the power of the Senatorial oligarchy, which in the course of the second century looked more and more to its own interests rather than those of the Republic. Even moderate reform was resisted by a short-sighted and self-interested Senate, and in 133 B.C. T. Sempronius Gracchus, using unprecedented, but perfectly legal tactics, gained control of the Tribal assembly and began a revolutionary assault on the traditional authority of the Senate.
So began the Roman Revolution, a century long collapse of the Republic that would end only in 31 B.C. Resisting any change was the majority of the Senate, known as the Optimates; they had the advantage of unity of purpose, wealth and extensive control of the government machinery. Opposing them were the Populares, a mixed bag of anti-Senatorial forces, usually led by the dissenting minority in the Senate. The earliest leaders of the Populares, such as the Gracchi brothers, were true reformers, but very quickly the attack on the Optimates became simply an avenue for the politically ambitious, as the reform movement degenerated into civil strife and finally into civil war.
The Senate resisted the reform bill of T. Gracchus, but before his death in a riot Gracchus had demonstrated that it was possible to gain at least temporary control of the Tribal assembly and pass measures against the wishes of the Senate. The weakness of the Senate—that all its power was based on nothing more than custom—had been made clear, while the Senate had shown itself unwilling to countenance even the most moderate reform. G. Gracchus was perhaps more politically minded than his brother and attempted in 123-122 B.C. to build a more permanent anti-Senatorial base by attracting the support of the Knights, the wealthy class of businessmen, who had until now been essentially apolitical. In this he was essentially successful, but his work was quickly undone when he and the rest of the Populares leadership were killed in a Senate inspired riot.
The Senate had defended itself with violence, and it was not long before the use of force was formalized and escalated by the introduction of the military into politics. The last decades of the second century saw the rise of G. Marius, an eminently successful general who rode his popularity to leadership of the Populares and an unprecedented six consulships in eight years. Marius, whose military reforms furthered the professionalization of the legions, used his veterans in Rome only as political workers and toughs, never as military units, but his actions pointed the way to the emergence of the client army, whose primary loyalty was to the commander rather than the state. The first commander actually to bring legions into Rome itself was L. Cornelius Sulla, who led the Senatorial counterattack in the 90’s and 80’s. Sulla earned his military reputation and loyal veterans in the great allied revolt (Social War 91-87 B.C.), which brought Roman citizenship to the Italian allies, and in his victory over King Mithridates VI of Pontus in Asia Minor (88-85 B.C.). When he returned from Asia he defeated the Marian forces in Rome’s first civil war, and by the time of his death in 78 B.C. the Senate seemed once again firmly in control.
But appearances, especially in politics, can be deceiving. Violence was now firmly embedded in the political system, and there were too many ambitious men ready to follow the examples of Marius and Sulla. The rest of the Revolution can still be seen in terms of Optimates and Populares, but the real contest was now among a group of tremendously powerful individuals and ultimately their armies. More and more, foreign policy became simply a reflection of domestic struggles, as the political contenders sought military commands as a way to gain money, reputations, and above all veteran armies for the contest in Rome.
The next generation of leaders came from the ranks of Sulla’s own lieutenants. Cn. Pompeius (Pompey the Great) and M. Licinius Crassus both took advantage of military crises in Spain and Italy (Sertorian War 80-72 B.C., Revolt of Spartacus 72-71 B.C.) to gain armies with which they then intimidated the Senate. The Senate refused to face reality and ally with Pompey and instead did everything to drive him into the arms of Crassus, a rich Knight and natural leader of the Populares. The two men began falling out during the 60’s, as Pompey gained a greater (and largely unwarranted) military reputation by clearing the Mediterranean of pirates and campaigning in the east (Third Mithridatic War 72-66 B.C.). However, civil war was averted by the young G. Julius Caesar, who in 60 B.C. brought the two leaders and himself into a private political alliance: the First Triumvirate. Caesar spent the 50’s conquering Gaul, and in 53 B.C. Crassus got himself killed fighting the Parthians, thereby simplifying the political situation. The showdown came in 49 B.C., when Caesar invaded Italy, and was essentially over the following year, when a defeated Pompey was assassinated in Egypt on the orders of the last Ptolemy, Cleopatra VII.
The Republic was quite dead by 44 B.C., when Caesar was assassinated, but Rome had to face the agony of one more civil war. Caesar’s lieutenants, M. Antonius (Marc Antony) and M. Aemilius Lepidus, and his grandnephew and personal heir, G. Octavious (Octavian), formed the Second Triumvirate in 43 B.C. In the course of the 30’s Lepidus was set aside. Octavian gained control of Italy and the west and Antony established himself in the east in alliance with Cleopatra. The war came and the Revolution ended in 31 B.C. with the defeat and suicide of Antony and Cleopatra. In 27 B.C. Octavian began laying the foundation of the Principate, an autocracy clothed in republican garb. He took the name Augustus and the title Princeps and became Rome’s first emperor.
Richard M. Berthold
REPUBLIC OF ROME represents a distillation of 250 years of Roman history, from about 265 B.C. to 44 B.C. Prior to this period the Roman constitution was still taking shape amidst the Struggle of the Orders, and after Julius Caesar traditional Senatorial politics, battered for several generations by the rise of the client armies, are dead. Even within this period there is a sharp change in the political scene with the advent of the Revolution in 133 B.C., when personal ambition began rapidly to overtake concern for the Republic as a primary motivation among Senators. REPUBLIC OF ROME, with its player goal of dominating the state, in fact has more in common with the century of the Revolution, but factional politics were a characteristic of the Senate throughout the history of the Republic.
The game was originally designed as a more or less purely political simulation, with random wars and a given number of governorships providing a typical environment for the mid-Republican government. It evolved, however, into a more historical game, in which the players actually build the empire from scratch and thus develop and change the political environment in which they are competing. The major wars, personalities, events and political developments of the period are reflected in the Forum cards, which are separated into three decks in order to provide a more historical framework. The first group (white) is roughly the period 265-189 B.C., the second (gray) 188-100 B.C., and the last (red) 99-44 B.C.
The War cards represent the major conflicts of the period and have been assigned their values on the basis of the actual wars, although these values are to a degree “false”, since in the game they are not likely to occur in exact chronological order. Those that were more or less precipitated by the Romans, such as the Second Macedonian War, have been categorized as Inactive in order to give the players some choice in when to fight them. With a few exceptions the fleet requirements represent necessary transport, rather than naval combat potential. It may seem, incidentally, that the military threats in the game are excessive, what with the potential multiplicative effect of wars, but bear in mind that Rome grew up in a tough world. The hope is that the possibility of a devastating war situation will instill in players something of the national security paranoia that seemed to move the Senate.
The Province cards have likewise been based on their real world counterparts, and here also there is a degree of historical distortion. In the game all the provinces are created automatically by the appropriate wars, and this was far from being the case with the actual Roman provinces. The Senate was in fact loathe to take up the burdens associated with the direct territorial rule and, where it could, avoided taking on provinces, preferring to control areas through client states. We adopted the war-creates-province mechanism because it is simpler. The governorships are also simplified; by the late Republic the posts were automatically filled by the previous year’s consuls and praetors, but we made them elective and lengthened the term of office in order to add more vote stability and political action to the game. “Improvement” of a province simply reflects the development of its economy and infrastructure.
The actual political structure of the Republic is simplified in the game. With the exception of the tribunes all the offices below the consulship are ignored for the sake of playability. The tribunes, with their powerful twin weapons of veto and legislative initiation, could not be ignored, but since ten of them were elected every year it seemed reasonable and far more playable to represent their adherence to a faction with random cards. Further, there were actually two censors, elected every five years for 18-month terms, and they did not bring prosecutions for corruption, as they do in the game. They did have the power to remove members of the Senate for grave misconduct, however, that is what is reflected in their prosecutorial power. A player’s option to appeal to the people during a prosecution represents the basic right of provocation, which allowed a citizen to appeal a magisterial decision to the people. The dictator (and his master of horse) was actually given a maximum of six months in power, and the office was resorted to very rarely. The extra voting strength of the pontifex maximus and priests on questions of military expeditions reflect their ability to sway superstitious opinion through control of the religious establishment.
Completely ignored in the game are the Roman citizen assemblies, but until the Revolution these were little more than rubber stamps for the Senate, and after 133 B.C. they were essentially the tools of ambitious Senators. The bottom line is that for most of Republican history the politics of the Senate were the politics of Rome, and not until the Revolution did the people, or at least those who lived in Rome, play a direct political role, and even then it was a limited one. The Roman people are, however, given some influence in the game through the mechanism of the Unrest Level, which was added primarily to provide another distraction for the Senate to worry about. Games and land bills, which provided for Roman colonies and thus opportunities for poor citizens, were in fact used to please the populace, but mostly during the Revolution and essentially to win their support for some individual politician, rather than to stave off a popular revolt. The Roman Republic actually never faced any real possibility of a revolt of the people, but we wanted to put yet more pressure on the Senate to deal with domestic concerns and thereby give the populus Romanus some role in the game.
The heart of the game is the Senate meeting. Throughout most of the Republican period the Senate numbered about 300 and until the Revolution presented a more or less united front in its direction of Roman policy. Behind that front, however, the Senate was a swirling pool of constantly changing alliances among the families that made up the Senatorial nobility. While the Senate as a whole was generally united in common action (until the Revolution) for the good of Rome, at the same time the individual Senators were continually jockeying to improve their position and influence in the body.
Each Senator card represents the current leading member of that particular family, the families included in the game being the most important for the period. The numbers on the cards are historically arbitrary and differ from family to family simply to add variety. One may understand the larger Oratory numbers (votes) of some Senators as representing their control of lesser lights in the Senate. The Statesmen cards do represent historical figures, and their numbers to some degree reflect the characteristics of that individual. But individuals are in many ways shaped by their circumstances, and in that respect these Statesmen are historically “inaccurate”, since in the game they are unlikely to appear in their exact historical environment. This fact is most obvious in the special characteristics assigned to each: as examples, Fabius Maximus halves losses in combat because his “Fabian” tactics against Hannibal reduced casualties, and Sulla’s Loyalty rating is 0 if in the same faction with Marius because historically the two men were enemies—and this game technique encourages their gravitating to different factions.
In a similar vein many of the Leaders, such as Spartacus, were given the ability to influence Wars/Revolts with which they were not historically associated. This provides for more frequent use of the Leaders, who might match several conflicts rather than just one, and increases the threat potential of most of the Wars/Revolts. One might consequently think of the Leaders in more general terms. Vercingetorix, for example, being a generic good Gallic commander. Further, since Leaders and Statesmen often remain in the game for a long period, they might also be viewed as father-son teams, in which the son carries on the father’s policies.
We do not know all that much about procedural rules in the Senate, but certainly the Senate meeting of the game is more formal and limiting than what was historically the case. It was necessary to add many restrictions in order to make the game work and prevent players from exploiting many unhistorical and game-distorting possibilities inherent in a more wide open meeting. Incidentally, the selection of a Field Consul and a Rome Consul has no historical basis, but makes the game easier to play. Further, widespread bribery, represented in the game by the ability to buy votes, was historically limited to the period of the Revolution, but we needed a way for a player to translate economic power directly into political power and thus the exaggeration was allowed.
Many of the economic aspects of the game are also misleading. The Senatorial oligarchy, especially in the years before the Revolution, represented landed wealth, and commercial matters were for the most part left in the hands of the Knights, Senators in fact being legally barred from many business activities. In order to provide more income and more action in the Senate, however, we have allowed commercial opportunities that would have been handled by Knights to be assigned to Senators in the form of Concessions. The Knights themselves were essentially apolitical until the Revolution, but we include them in a manner that reflects the added economic and political influence that accrued to a faction that established alliances within the business community. A tax farmer, by the way, was some individual or group (inevitably Knights) that contracted with the state to collect the taxes of a province; this notorious and corruption prone system was changed after the collapse of the Republic.
Most of the Event and Intrigue cards are generic and serve the standard purpose of adding variety and sudden changes of fortune to the game, although it should be noted that much of the activity on the Intrigue cards is more characteristic of the Revolution. Some of the Events do represent actual occurrences in Republican history as indicated by their dates, and while most are self-explanatory, a few are not. The proscription was used by Sulla (and later Octavian and Anthony) to eliminate enemies and acquire their property and consisted of publishing lists of people who could be “legally” killed as enemies of the state; 2600 Knights died in Sulla’s proscription. The trial of Verres, an obviously corrupt ex-governor, was historically insignificant, except in that it brought into political prominence Cicero, who prosecuted the case. The same can be said of the Catilinarian conspiracy of 63 B.C., which because it happened during the consulship of Cicero is well documented.
The rules of the political game in Rome changed dramatically during the Revolution, which comprised the last century of the Republic. These changes are represented by the Law cards, which in fact do alter the rules of the game in ways reflective of the changes that actually took place during those troubled years. Perhaps the most important of these is the Military Reforms card, the appearance of which means the game can no longer be won with Influence alone. Many factors led to the direct involvement of the military in the political arena, but the military reforms of the Marius were probably the most important in this rise of the client army, which was more loyal to its general than to the state. What this development meant was that political influence was no longer the end, but only the means to gain military support, which had become the ultimate and only secure form of political power.
Of the possible ways to win the game, gaining supremacy through influence is the only one historically correct for all but the last 50 years of the Republic, since being recognized princes senatus, unofficial leader of the Senate, meant surpassing your colleagues in prestige and influence. In reality of course being princes senatus never meant absolute domination of the state—there could in fact be several principes senatus—but it was as close as you could come. Gaining complete control of the state through a military coup is something that was possible only during the last decades of the Republic, as is the notion of Consul for Life, which in reality presumed you already had a military dictatorship (Caesar).
Richard M. Berthold
REPUBLIC OF ROME was inspired directly by Livy’s History of the Roman Republic. I had just finished reading the histories and stewing about them for several days. It was clear there was an interesting little game there, but there was a hitch. No political simulation could capture the flavor of Roman politics without some compelling reason for players to put personal interest aside. The trick turned out to be reducing the idea to a solitaire game. Once viewed in this fashion, it became obvious one need only split the single player side into factions and voila! The rest of the rules were pretty easy and only took an afternoon working in my garage to produce a prototype we played that evening.
This is not to suggest the game arrived in its present state that first evening. My only real contribution, I think, was to see the possibilities of using the game itself as one of the players. We played three games that first night. Each game took between an hour and ninety minutes to finish. We lost the first two to wars, but won the third when Marcus White returned from a Macedonian war with a big army and a belligerent attitude. He earned the honor of being the first person to win a game of REPUBLIC OF ROME.
The games went quickly because of a rule that permitted a Consul to make proposals without fear of being penalized for a unanimous vote against the proposal. In this way a Consul could drain his opponent’s votes and money with unacceptable proposals before he cashed in with the big Consul for Life proposal. The only thing to fear was that once the groundwork was laid, another faction could jump in with a tribune card and force you to make a Consul for Life proposal with their boy as the beneficiary. We also had no allied armies, no provinces formed by victories, and no historical order for events. One could be sent from Rome as a Governor, but the post was an abstract one.
My focus at this time was the politics of the Senate (in fact we called the game Senate), not the wars or Rome’s expansion. There were two rounds of card draws at the beginning of each turn, and state concessions were placed face up in the Forum and distributed politically during the Senate phase. We had fewer war cards in play, but with the large number of cards drawn, it was always possible for bad luck to smash the State quickly.
Students of history know that Livy is very unreliable. His works are not so much a true history, but rather a representation of the myths the Romans used to think of themselves. There was little chance of a popular revolt, and Livy’s description of the populace withdrawing to the Sacred Mount is pure fiction. But my point was that this fiction still provided the framework for Senate politics. Sure the revolt was fiction, but who at the time could know it was not a possibility? I suspect the possibility weighed heavily on the early Romans. For the same reasons we did not number the Punic or Macedonian wars. There was not a priori way to know what war would pop up, and I was more interested in the atmosphere of uncertainty than historical truth.
Our gaming group played Senate on and off over about five years, usually as the last game of the evening to fill a short time slot. Players won about half the games, and we considered this about what we wanted.
Then one evening Richard Berthold, our own Professor of Ancient History at the University of New Mexico, suggested we should try to sell it, and volunteered to put the rules in a coherent order. I thought this would be good for a laugh and dumped my STACKS of papers and notebooks crammed with rules and notes on the poor fellow.
Imagine my surprise when a week later Rick said he was done. About this time my wife and I were in the process of moving to Berkeley, California, where my wife had been offered a job as a designer for the University of California Press. Rick thought we ought to start at the top, so he sent the rules off to Avalon Hill. Within a week we got a reply in the form of a letter telling us that Avalon Hill NEVER looks at unsolicited manuscripts and just tosses them in the trash, and, oh, did we think we could send him a prototype to playtest(!)
Apparently on the way to the trash the rules must have fallen out or something, and Mr. Greenwood couldn’t help seeing that Senate was a card driven game for which he had a soft spot. Rick whipped up a quick prototype and sent it in for six to eight weeks of playtesting. One week later Don Greenwood sent us a contract.
Now things began to take off. Don’s playtesters were getting crushed game after game. My opinion was that the testers weren’t quite understanding how to work together, but it was decided that waiting for players to figure out how to play skillfully might mean many players would be quickly turned off by it. That really wasn’t my concern, but I understand why a game company might consider this a deal breaker. So rules were added to scale back the lethality of the game. The number of card draws were cut back, and penalties for failed proposals were added.
Next I got a frantic letter saying the testing was on the verge of collapse because players were becoming angry when their opponents failed to complete their side of a public bargain. I was asked to come up with a solution to prevent “fistfights from breaking out”. Look, I’ll admit I wasn’t the guy to ask about this. The mere idea that the testers could become so involved in the game as to make violence a possibility warmed my evil little heart. I suggested the solution might be to hire ADULTS to do the playtesting. As you might imagine, this was not the answer they were looking for, and from this point on, I was out of the development loop.
The rule requiring public agreements to be carried out (1.04.3) was added. As a player of Diplomacy and Junta, I hated it. Oh well, once you create something and turn it loose, it ceases to belong to you.
The next major phase began with a suggestion from Rick that we might want to tie the game more closely to historical events and AH liked the idea. Professor Berthold began to percolate with ideas and it is from this point that the rules which change the rules date. Now early on we had experimented with permitting players to change the rules of the game by votes in the Senate phase, but had discarded them as unworkable. But the experiment had left a residue of silly proposals we still used for color. A player could be required to wear a clown nose while tabulating votes, for instance. But Rick and Don made the idea work. REPUBLIC OF ROME was about to become an historical simulation as well as a political one.
Eventually one has to quit fiddling and publish, and so AH put it into print. REPUBLIC OF ROME won the award at Origin that year for best pre-twentieth century wargame. The following year Descartes Games licensed the rules and put out a beautiful version in French.
I have only played the final game three times. Professor Berthold has played it once. I have watched many games, however, and if you ever played the game online, I have probably seen your play.
Senate was my game when it left my garage, but today many people have had a hand in its development. I have had people ask why, if I was the designer, my name is not more prominently displayed. I must say that it is because I believe that others have contributed more to the game’s development over the years than I. She was my baby, but I turned her loose and others have taken the ideas and run with them.
Robert Haines
| Historical Research and Design | Robert Haines |
| Historical Research | Richard M. Berthold |
| Developer (2nd Edition) | John Rodriguez |
| Original Development | Don Greenwood |
| Box Art | Kurt Miller, Patrick Turner |
| Board Art | Kurt Miller, Mark Poole, Patrick Turner |
| Card Art | Mark Poole |
| Layout and Design | Patrick Turner, Rik Falch |
| Living Rules Editor | Brian C. Mola |
| 2nd Living Rules Editor | Alan E. Richbourg |
| Printing | Panda Game Manufacturing, Inc. |
Valley Games would like to thank Chris Farrell, Roberto Ullfig, Hughes Lamy, Sean Larsen and Lou Jerkich for their extensive contribution to the Republic of Rome community over the years. Also our thanks go out to the Republic of Rome mailing list (RepublicofRomelist@yahoogroups. com) for their contribution and input.