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Res Publica: A Quest of Ancient Rome

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Meep said:
The vote to go with Sertorius has us speaking to Scaevola for that very reason. I figured Atellus owed it Sertorius to explain his decision, maybe promote a sort of understanding. There's no guarantee that he won't be pissed, but an attempt is being made by Atellus.
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"Oh, I know you managed to get me the position of a broad-stripe tribune for the 6th legion but you're cool with me leaving for Spain to hang out with my new Populares patron, right? I really don't feel like being a client of yours anymore and since you already did that huge favor for me I'm pretty set for the forseeable future with Sertorius. Have fun dealing with the Marians!"

Yeah, somehow I don't think a talk with Scaevola is going to help all that much. Actions speak louder than words.
 
I feel like the conversation is a very silly way to attempt to avoid the fundamental reality that you're ditching one guy for another. You can't really smooth relations there; you are literally ditching a patron to go to another patron. Just own it.
 
Versharl said:
"Oh, I know you managed to get me the position of a broad-stripe tribune for the 6th legion but you're cool with me leaving for Spain to hang out with my new Populares patron, right? I really don't feel like being a client of yours anymore and since you already did that huge favor for me I'm pretty set for the forseeable future with Sertorius. Have fun dealing with the Marians!"

Yeah, somehow I don't think a talk with Scaevola is going to help all that much. Actions speak louder than words.
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SwordsmanofS said:
Especially when that new patron is a Populares. That's like a double insult. There's no way to come out of that conversation without looking like a dick.
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Cetashwayo said:
I feel like the conversation is a very silly way to attempt to avoid the fundamental reality that you're ditching one guy for another. You can't really smooth relations there; you are literally ditching a patron to go to another patron. Just own it.
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Sure, but telling him directly seems like less a dick move than running off to Spain without a word. And hiding from him doesn't really feel like owning it. I could be way off base here, but this seems like the decent thing to do. That said, if people want to change the plan, I'd be fine with it. Most of the non-Sertorius choices were more IC stuff in the plan, so if most people have a different opinion it'd make sense to change it.
 
[X] The Quixotic Quest

I'll vote to throw our lot in with Sertorius. Traveling to Late Era Republic Hispania seems pretty interesting and there's a ton of possibilities open to us. This is the western most frontier of Rome and, historically, it wasn't completely conquered and subdued until after the Cantabrian Wars (29-19 BC). While Marius and Sulla are busy far off in the east, it wouldn't be completely out of the question for Sertorius to think about bringing the entire peninsula to heel. Especially if he's got an exceptionally talented, reliable, and loyal second in command that could drum up an extra legion to swell his ranks with Roman legionnaires.

There's also this to consider: Sertorius's sole heir was Perperna, a man that joined his cause late and seemingly only had failure after failure on his record as a military commander. If Atellus stays by his side I would not be surprised in the slightest if we're named his heir sooner rather than later.
 
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Hmm, I don't remember does Quixotic Quest have us talk with Scaevola or do we just ditch him? Because bowing out gracefully seems like it would be good.
 
Ridiculously Average Guy said:
Hmm, I don't remember does Quixotic Quest have us talk with Scaevola or do we just ditch him? Because bowing out gracefully seems like it would be good.
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It has us meeting him.
Meep said:
[X] The Quixotic Quest
-[] Accept Sertorius' offer. Scaevola will doubtless be angered by your implicit rejection of his patronage, but you will gain as a mentor a man who learned at the feet of Marius himself. You will fight in the dusky fields of Spain where your father earned his glory and his name, and learn of war at the feet of a master. Hannibal, Scipio, Sertorius -- some of Rome's most beloved and hated names have arisen in Spain. Might you follow in their footsteps?
-[] A Soldier's Welcome: You pay a visit to your sisters at the apartment Proserpina has rented for your family in Rome. Your old servants will be there as well.
-[] Mentor: You pay a visit to the Pontifex Maximus, your mentor, the old jurist Scaevola.
-[] Blood and Sand: The teeming hordes of Rome gather in the amphitheaters of the city to watch men fight and die and scrabble in the dirt for the glory and the name of Rome. Many of the city's more bloodthirsty elite take a special delight in these festivities, and several influential Senate members often watch.
-[] Revels in the Forum: When night falls, the plebs and the patricians alike join in great revels in the Forum, with wine, flesh, and food abound. The common people will love any who join them in their mad bacchanals.
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[X] The Quixotic Quest

It makes sense to me to choose a path we can steer over one we can't. From others' explanations of the historical context we'd be stuck with an inferior force to a victorious Sulla tied to his strongest remaining rival which gives him extra reason to come after us. If we refuse we could end up anywhere, including being ordered directly into war with Sulla, and there are already reasons we'd be on the outs with his faction anyway. We also don't know for sure he'll win the civil war.

If Marius wins we have lots of opportunities to advance. If Sulla wins at least in Spain we'd have time to dig in, time to gather troops and the defense of distance. That should make for a decent negotiating position for peace if the worst comes to worst.
 
I am basically torn 50-50 between staying with Scaevola and going with Sertorius.

After Telamon's not-very-subtle warnings, I was feeling inclined to go with Sertorius.

However, I dislike the 'Quixotic Quest' plan because it completely throws over our ties to the Optimates, declining the invitation to the 'Bacchanals' in exchange for a midnight 'Revels in the Forum'. Sure, the common people will love us for joining their party, but that love will fade as long as we aren't around. Social connections to the elites, on the other hand... those we can cultivate from a distance. At least the gladiatorial games will have some 'influential Senators' there (even if they are bloodthirsty influential Senators), but the 'Revels in the Forum' just feels like a waste.
 
I'd personally be fine with swapping out 'Revels in the Forum', I said earlier that most of the non-Sertorius choices were mostly IC, I was originally thinking about accepting the invitation over the 'Blood and Sand' option, for example, so I'm not married to any of them. To be honest, I wasn't expecting a lot of support for going with Sertorius, so I was just having fun with it. Turns out a lot of people wanted to see Spain. :V

I'm not really familiar with how voting in quests works, though. If we wanted to change things, then do we have to make a brand new plan? Can we just change the old plan in the original post if everyone agrees on it?
 
Meep said:
I'm not really familiar with how voting in quests works, though. If we wanted to change things, then do we have to make a brand new plan? Can we just change the old plan in the original post if everyone agrees on it?
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You can just change things as the plan maker since everybody is just voting for the plan name without including the details of the plan in their vote. It is arguably rude, but I feel that if you don't want to put yourself at the mercy of the plan maker, you should copy paste the whole plan or make your own.

That said, some people make a new plan entirely to be polite, but at this stage of the voting, I don't think that is a viable option.
 
Meep said:
I'd personally be fine with swapping out 'Revels in the Forum', I said earlier that most of the non-Sertorius choices were mostly IC, I was originally thinking about accepting the invitation over the 'Blood and Sand' option, for example, so I'm not married to any of them. To be honest, I wasn't expecting a lot of support for going with Sertorius, so I was just having fun with it. Turns out a lot of people wanted to see Spain. :V

I'm not really familiar with how voting in quests works, though. If we wanted to change things, then do we have to make a brand new plan? Can we just change the old plan in the original post if everyone agrees on it?
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Oshha said:
You can just change things as the plan maker since everybody is just voting for the plan name without including the details of the plan in their vote. It is arguably rude, but I feel that if you don't want to put yourself at the mercy of the plan maker, you should copy paste the whole plan or make your own.

That said, some people make a new plan entirely to be polite, but at this stage of the voting, I don't think that is a viable option.
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As Oshha said, you can just change it and alert people through tags that you're doing so. Or, if you're feeling more democratic, you could tag everyone who voted on it, then ask them if they were willing to agree to a change. It is your plan, however, and what you decide goes*.

*With exemptions. Minor stuff is okay (most people don't feel too strongly about smaller votes and just go with them as a consequnce of the plan system), but if, for example, your plan involved going Left and everyone voted to go Left and voted for you because yours was the plan that went Left, and at the last moment you changed it to go Right...well, I would take the wishes of the majority of the players into consideration and write an update where you went Left. I read every post in the thread, so I would notice such shenanigans.
 
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@Meep I support swapping Revels in the Forum for Bacchanals as I would prefer to get some long term connections over increasing our popularity with the plebs in Rome. That said, I just want to accept Sertorius' offer because he is my preferred patron so I'll keep my vote as it regardless of what else is in the plan.
 
I think I'll ask everyone who voted on the plan in PM's if they're okay with changing things, let them have their secret ballots if they want them. Letting me know in the thread works as well.

I agree that having more friends among the upper class will help us in the future, so I think it's a good change, but I still figure I should ask.

Edit: I take it back, as I'm not sure how to PM people with private profiles. I'll @ everyone after giving it a bit of time.
 
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This talk about Sertorius leaves me wondering what would a more successful Sertorius would have done IOTL. IOTL, he nearly succeeded in killing Pompey at the battle of River Sucro, only Metellus' intervention saved him, with Sertorius snidely commenting "If this old woman (Metellus) had not come up, I would have whipped that boy (Pompey ) soundly and sent him to Rome."
I wonder if, in a possible future where Sertorius manages to kill Pompey, just how things would have gone, would the Romans just keep sending men to take down Sertorius and his nascent republic, or would they just think "Fuck this, Sertorius is more trouble than he's worth, we're pulling out before we humiliate ourselves even more."
 
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CGTM2002 said:
This talk about Sertorius leaves me wondering what would a more successful Sertorius would have done IOTL. IOTL, he nearly succeeded in killing Pompey at the battle of River Sucro, only Metellus' intervention saved him, with Sertorius snidely commenting "If this old woman (Metellus) had not come up, I would have whipped that boy (Pompey ) soundly and sent him to Rome."
I wonder if, in a possible future where Sertorius manages to kill Pompey, just how things would have gone, would the Romans just keep sending men to take down Sertorius and his nascent republic, or would they just think "Fuck this, Sertorius is more trouble than he's worth, we're pulling out before we humiliate ourselves even more."
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Rome doesn't give up. Like Zap Brannagan, they'll keep throwing wave after wave of their own men until Sertorious kill meter is maxed out and he shuts down.
 
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