Nah, we should separate the wounded from the bulk of the fighting force, we need speed if we're to make our way to Nora in good time.
If swapping about men is the problem, it's nothing to worry about. Legion training ensures that all the soldiers fight in the same way. Unless we're replacing commanders, the soldier swapping shouldn't cause an issue.
I was also hoping to tilt other people into voting for Celeritas as well, yes. All we need is 6 more voters. Well, 6 converts specifically.
I think he's making that assumption about 6 voters based on people going from Plan Moving Forward to Plan Celeritas. Every person who goes from Plan Forward to Plan Celeritas would bring Celeritas closer to Forward by 2 votes (as Forward loses a vote and Celeritas gets that vote).
Other than that, it is true that if we assume that no one is willing to change from one plan to another, then Celeritas needs 11 more votes to tie.
Nah, we should separate the wounded from the bulk of the fighting force, we need speed if we're to make our way to Nora in good time.
If swapping about men is the problem, it's nothing to worry about. Legion training ensures that all the soldiers fight in the same way. Unless we're replacing commanders, the soldier swapping shouldn't cause an issue.
I was also hoping to tilt other people into voting for Celeritas as well, yes. All we need is 6 more voters. Well, 6 converts specifically.
Not really. Wounded roman legionaries at this point in time would simply be loaded up in the baggage train. I doubt we'd be making significantly better time, and quite honestly, the reorganization, and swapping of men and belongings proposed by Celeritas could take time to do as well.
As to the second point, Legion Training does ensure they all fight in a similar way, but not exactly at the same level. Remember, we started out with 2 green cohorts and only recently got them up to speed. Swapping and mixing of men, particularly at the Contubiernum level, particularly of our old, seasoned men and the younger, greener men might cause tensions in the short term.
Nah, we should separate the wounded from the bulk of the fighting force, we need speed if we're to make our way to Nora in good time.
If swapping about men is the problem, it's nothing to worry about. Legion training ensures that all the soldiers fight in the same way. Unless we're replacing commanders, the soldier swapping shouldn't cause an issue.
I was also hoping to tilt other people into voting for Celeritas as well, yes. All we need is 6 more voters. Well, 6 converts specifically.
It seems like a lot of people voted and then are not intersted in further discussion; I'd love to informally poll them about what they think, but it'd be crass to tag them all.
As to the soldier-swapping, I DO think Nurgle makes a good point about how small squads of men (and companies) that train to fight together will work better if they stay together than if they're diced up and re-mixed with different men. Military experience does uphold this, I believe it. The only reason I haven't already revised my plan is that I have not heard even ONE of the people who criticized my plan comment favorably on the idea of modifying it to keep centuries intact rather than reassigning individual men. So it doesn't feel like there's much point in trying to change my plan in response to criticism; all it'd do is split off any voters who exactly copied my old plan, as far as I can tell.
I don't mind so much the people who didn't participate in the conversation.
I'm frustrated when people feel like participating long enough to tell me I'm wrong, then don't care if I try to negotiate or compromise with them or listen to their criticisms and improve my plan.
The former is just someone else having different priorities and not wanting to spend time talking with me. The latter feels like being punished for respecting the opinions of other people who disagree with me.
I don't mind so much the people who didn't participate in the conversation.
I'm frustrated when people feel like participating long enough to tell me I'm wrong, then don't care if I try to negotiate or compromise with them or listen to their criticisms and improve my plan.
The former is just someone else having different priorities and not wanting to spend time talking with me. The latter feels like being punished for respecting the opinions of other people who disagree with me.
Sorry about the swap Jester, but it was a good point and it seemed to late in the game for you to change the vote and pick up the same amount of voters.
The only reason I haven't already revised my plan is that I have not heard even ONE of the people who criticized my plan comment favorably on the idea of modifying it to keep centuries intact rather than reassigning individual men. So it doesn't feel like there's much point in trying to change my plan in response to criticism; all it'd do is split off any voters who exactly copied my old plan, as far as I can tell.
I'm frustrated when people feel like participating long enough to tell me I'm wrong, then don't care if I try to negotiate or compromise with them or listen to their criticisms and improve my plan.
Sorry dude. If this is about your idea to simply swap men out at the century level, I personally didn't respond because I don't know what to say, I couldn't find any historical example, and because it doesn't address the other parts of your vote which was about the Second Cohort to Bovianum, and the prisoners, which I remain firmly against.
Someone, please correct me if I'm wrong, but I could not find any historical precedent for actually swapping out centuries, so I can't actually speak with as much certainty here as before. At a glance, it does kind of seem to mitigate tensions but it doesn't address the other issues such as changes in the heavily structured legionary routine, and the logistics.
It doesn't address the issues I have with the current Celeritas plan - stationing men at Bovianum and how we deal with prisoners. Any possible gains still remain marginal but we'll also expose ourselves to risks with disproportionately worse consequences.
Look, I'm serious, I'm done. I regret trying to come up with a detailed plan to mitigate issues or accomplish goals. The only reason I don't go back and delete the plan itself is because over twenty people voted for it. I might have been interested in having this conversation a day or two ago, but right now I just want it to be over. You are flogging a dead horse.
I can understand the desire for a cooler looking birb, but I can't use any of those.
For the site ads you're only allowed to use something fully original (I'm not good enough at actual art for that) or something marked for fair use/use with modification/etc.
The one I've got up there is one of the best Roman Aquila I could actually use.
[X] Plan Moving Forward
-[X] Turn and march immediately for Nola, in order to reinforce Sertorius and the Hirpini in the siege.
-[X] Sell them into slavery, both increasing your own personal coffers and gaining more money for the legion.
August 4th 85 BC
669 Years After The Founding Of Rome
The Year of Flaccus and Marius.
The Fourth Samnite War (85 BC - Ongoing)
Your first ever campaign, you were assigned as military tribune to the VI Legion under one Quintus Sertorius, a famed general and the Legate of Italia. The legion was dispatched by the Proconsul Cinna to defeat the Samnite tribes once and for all, and win a resounding Roman victory close to home.
Legion(s): LEGIO VI GRADIVIUS (Sixth Legion, Blessed By Mars) Position: Tribunus Laticlavus (Broad-Striped Tribune) Commanding Officer: Quintus Sertorius Commanding Officer Reputation: 8/10 -- Sertorius is the soldier's ideal, a young man who rose from nothing and won the Grass Crown, the Republic's ultimate military honor. Held to be a champion of his soldiers and a defender of the common people, there are many in the Sixth who would die for Sertorius without question. Total Forces: 5,600 combined Roman legionnaires, equites, and auxilaries. Green/Veteran Split: 3 half-green Cohorts, 5 Average, 1 Skilled, 1 Elite, 1 Skilled Auxiliary Reputation With The Legion: 6/10 -- The giver of laurels and the breaker of the Samnites, the bringer of coin and law, and a capable fighter in your own right -- you are many things to the men of the Sixth Legion, but first and foremost you are the Tribune. They may not all love you, but they respect you. Location: Apennine Italy Occupied Cities: N/A
Allied Cities: Bovianum (7/10), Aquilonia (5/10), Bovianum Vetus (3/10), Alife (5/10) Campaign Profit: The tallied loot and profit for the legion(s) from this campaign currently amounts to 67 talents and 1,200 denarii of gold. The payout after the campaign ends, once the required sums are given to the city and the officers, is currently 32 denarii to a man, a sum equal to 14% of a full year's pay. Outcome: ???
There is much to deal with in the aftermath of the Battle of the Tabelline Gate. Your men spend hours picking through the ruins of the dead, identifying their friends and brothers, and taking the corpses off for burial. A funerary mound is erected by some of the soldiers of the Ninth cohort, a great mass of rocks piled on the site of the battle. The men debate amongst themselves whether to memorialize the names of every cohort that fought, every man that died, every century that lost men, or some mix of all three. Finally, they settle for simply carving the legion's name into the largest of the rocks, with the simple declaration that the Sixth Legion Under Mars fought and bled here, under the command of Quintus Cingulatus Atellus, in the Six Hundred and Sixty-Ninth Year of Rome.
The defeated Samnites receive a far more ignominious fate. Though you see to it that Gemino gets, at the very least, a shallow grave, the great majority of the dead Samnites are burnt in a massive pyre. Their ashes scattered by the wind, but the charnel-smell of their flesh lingers on the wind for days after. For a time, there is great debate among you and your officers on the topic of what, exactly, to do with the surviving Samnites, with some advocating killing them, others championing enslaving them, and some even advocating for their freedom. Finally, however, the defeated soldiers are marched in chains past the mass pyre of their dead fellows, and, on the grey summer morning that follows the bloody battle, are bound into the perpetual servitude of Rome.
The fittest and most hale are selected by the medici, taken aside, and chosen to die or thrive in the sand as gladiators. They will travel with the legion until they can be auctioned off at the nearest town with enough gladiator-trainers and luduses to sell them off at auction. The rest, however -- the average, the weak, the young, and the wounded -- are simply pressed into slavery, to be sold off at Bovianum and surrounding towns, and the profits from their sale taken and added to the legion's coffers. Your own wounded are treated and bandaged, with the worst off sent to the baggage train to follow after the cohorts until they heal.
With Gemino's death, your spies and informants report, organized resistance among the Pentri has essentially ceased entirely. Tercerian and his three thousand are all that remain, and they are anything but 'organized'. The earliest reports from the Valley of the Vulturnus indicate that this latest defeat has further demoralized the tyrant's rebels, who grumble that their crops go untended and their families unfed, even as any chance of victory dwindles. Any attempt by Tercerian to raise his forces up and lead them from the valley en masse would probably end with his death, and his frustrated men dispersing home.
Riders return from across the lands of the Pentri, bearing declarations of unconditional submission to Rome from across the hills. Those cities who saw Gemino as their last and best hope have begun to submit, among them Bovianum Vetus, the sister city of the first, which was burnt and sacked by Sulla. It has long been a source of rebel recruits and anti-Roman sentiment due to this harsh treatment, but now its elders seem to have seen the wisdom of submitting to Rome. You will march for Nola with Northern and Northwestern Samnium firmly under Rome's thumb — but only time may tell how that will change without a strong Roman presence in the area.
Before setting off for Nola, you make a cursory stop at Bovianum to auction off what slaves you can and to take care of what few affairs remain. Rufus and his servants have taken care of affairs admirably in your absence, with Rufus mopping up what little dissent remained in the city by mollifying the elders and patricians of the Pentri. He has built up a following for himself in the city, picking up several servants and allies by acting the part of the sympathetic advocate, while you provided the uncompromising judge to contrast him against. This strategy, you reflect, has worked wonders for the both of you.
You appoint Himatus as the temporary governor of the town, entrusting him to enforce the will of Rome in the area and to ensure that the remnants of Gemino's rebels are driven to ground. He makes clear his intention to retire from the post and move to Rome as soon as the war is over, meaning the city will likely require a new governor within the year -- a fact, of course, which does not concern you, as you will be long gone from Samnium by then.
The Ninth sets about the task of dismantling the fortifications it erected only a scant few months earlier. The engineers and the legionnaires manage to dismantle the impromptu fortress in a fraction of the time it took to assemble it, efficiently redistributing the supplies in the baggage train for later use by the legion. In a day's time, the hill where the camp sat is bald and clear, and there remains not even the faintest sign that two thousand men lived and slept upon it for well upon three months. Indeed, when the Ninth are done dismantling all the temporary fortifications, outposts, and camps, there is little sign that Rome was here at all -- yet though Rome leaves in flesh, in spirit she will never leave these lands again.
As you ride away from Bovianum, the long line of the cohorts trailing behind you, you reflect on these last months. You have shouldered enormous responsibility and handled it admirably, tactfully negotiating with the elders of the Pentri while managing the legal and administrative apparatuses of an entire city. You have not only succeeded, but succeeded wildly, accomplishing all that Sertorius had hoped for and more. Thanks primarily to your actions, the famously stubborn Pentri have succumbed at long last to the fate of the Etruscans, the Volsci, and the Latins before them: they have bent the knee to Rome. In time, their children and their children's children will speak as Romans speak, live as Romans live, and serve as Romans serve. You have put no cities to the sword, no families to the blade, burnt no fields and slaughtered no towns -- but you have ended the Pentri as surely as if you had razed them to the earth. Their story, their myth, their culture and their history that have survived the centuries -- it ends here, now, with you.
That thought rests on your mind until long after Bovianum has dwindled away on the horizon.
Rewards:
4250 XP to Diplomacy, Administration, and Law (6750/8000) XP to Diplomacy Rank 10! (4535/9000) XP to Law Rank 10!
(4250/5000) XP to Administration Rank 6
You have not looted the Pentri or their cities, and what gold your cohorts recovered from raiding bandit hideouts and rebel encampments has gone to feeding the army. However, you have made several connections among the merchants of the Pentri, and encouraged them to seek your vineyard for their wines in the future. Some of them may well take you up on it. (Monthy Income increased by 80 denarii until 76 BC!)
Trait Weakening:Enemy of the Samnites (Rank I): You have not reinforced this trait in some time, and/or have taken actions to reduce it severely. This trait will fade or reduce in Rank in 1 Turn.
August 10th 85 BC
669 Years After The Founding Of Rome
The Year of Flaccus and Marius.
You see Nola on the horizon from miles away, a speck surrounded by a veritable sea of men, a sprawling field of tents and campfires and training grounds. The siege is well underway, and the men have already settled in for the long haul, planting their feet before the walls of the city. To the ordinary man, it would simply look like the camp of an army at siege, filled with all the hustle and bustle such an endeavor might require. But your eyes, trained by months in the legion, can pick out some...oddities. For one thing, the auxiliaries are camped apart from the main force of the legion. The orderly Roman tents in rod-straight rows contrast starkly with the mass of huts and tents that is the camp of the Hirpinic auxiliaries. The cramped alleys and haphazard placements of the Hirpinic tents invites disorder, disarray, and confusion -- all things frowned upon in the legions.
Tercerus, surveying the siege at your side, scoffs. "Sertorius would never tolerate this disarray. Where are their ranks? How are they supposed to assemble with anything resembling speed?"
Mercator, next to him, scowls deeply before speaking. "The Hirpini do not rejoice in fighting those they so recently held as brothers. Their elders have come over to Rome, but there is yet unrest in the ranks. They are a warlike sort, not given to the structure of the legions, and their commanders have already clashed with Sertorius more than once over the layout of their camps. He would force them with heavy hand, but fears driving any portion of them to side with their kinsmen within the walls."
Rufus, on your other side, raises an eyebrow. "It seems to my eyes that there are far more of them than there are of us. Our own arrival closes the divide, but should they chance to ally with Appius and strike final blow against Rome..."
Tercerus, as ever, finishes eloquently. "We'd be fucked."
You nod in silent agreement as you take it all in. It puts you on edge. The Pentri, you could at least trust -- you spoke to them, convinced them to act in their own self-interest. But the Pentri had no armies, and the Hirpini...well, to a hungry soldier far from home and surrounded by those who have so long been his natural enemy, there is only one course of action that is truly in his self-interest. You are on the edge of victory, so close you can almost taste it, and yet the possibility of defeat hangs over your head like the blade of Damocles.
Shaking off your misconceptions, you raise your hand over your head, then let it fall. As one, the cohorts begin to march down towards the waiting camps.
Sertorius greets you with smiles and applause, and the legion much the same, if somewhat subdued. Yes, their beloved Tribune has returned, but this time he brings no spoils, no gold to feed their families or put food in their children's bellies. Your victory is well-celebrated, however, and word of your maneuvers at the Tabelline Pass spreads throughout the camp, impressing Roman and Samnite alike. Your own men are more than glad to see their friends and brothers again, and taunt them with tales of 'real' victory won in the northwest while they sat here on their asses and did nothing. As for you yourself, you set up your tent and quickly got your affairs in order, seeing to it that your slaves had a place to sleep and your possessions -- foremost among them the Tablet of Ascargantus, the treasure you took from Aeculanum all those months ago -- were well taken care of. Then, with a small entourage consisting of Rufus, Veniximaeus, Mercator, a recovering Pompolussa, and Tercerus, you make your way up the small hill on the outskirts of Nola to the tent where Sertorius has set up his command.
The light-haired general meets you outside his tent with a grin and a firm clasp of your arm, his single eye twinkling in the afternoon sun.
"Welcome back, Tribune. I see you've gone and delivered on your promise to bring me Samnium. The Pentri towns have been sending oaths of submission all week, and from what I hear, you accounted yourself well against this rebel...Geminus, was it?"
"Gemino," you correct respectfully.
"Gemino, then. By all accounts, an admirable victory. And you've even managed to rein the Gauls in, I see. Veniximaeus, you old bastard, I trust you didn't give him too much trouble?"
The Gaul grins toothily. "Too much trouble? Ha! You Romans have reared a fine one here. The boy can hold his drink, and talk a good game too. I've never met a Roman could make a pack of Gauls respect him, but this one comes close."
Sertorius nods, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. "A ringing endorsement, from you."
Pompolussa, boasting a long, fresh scar down the side of his face, speaks up. "He knows how to fight, at least. 'S more than I can say for the other one."
Rufus snorts, scratching at his beard with an arm you have just noticed is actually somewhat muscular. "Bold words from a man who left more than a few pieces of himself back in Bovianum."
The old soldier laughs, at that. "Oh, the lawyer has a bite! Oh gods, if only our swords were as sharp as his tongue -- we might have Samnium by now."
Sertorius merely grins as they continue trading barbs, then turns to the tent, beckoning you and the other officers to enter. Within are a group of centurions and officers most vital to the legion, among them Carcellus, the barrel-bodied camp prefect, who greets you with a respectful nod as you enter.
In so many words, Sertorius lays out the situation as it stands. The legion has roughly 5,000 men, and combined with the 3000 auxiliaries the Hirpini sent to assist in the siege, there are 8000 men under his direct control. The forces under Meddix Appius are some 4,500 men encamped within the city. The walls of Nola, however, are some of the strongest in central Italia, having stood against Hannibal a famed three times. Even during the Social War, the Samnites only took the city by treachery, when one of the city's Elders betrayed it to the Samnites in return for thirteen talents of gold. Besieging it will no doubt be a long, tedious affair, one likely to last months and possibly years. The growing tensions between the Hirpini and the Romans could undo everything the legion has worked for in Samnium, but if they can be browbeaten into obedience until the city falls, the Samnites, the most intractable of all the Italic tribes, might at long last bend the knee to Rome.
An important decision stands before Sertorius, however. With the eighth month nearly halfway over and the ninth fast approaching, he must decide on what to do should the siege stretch into the winter months. Protracted sieges have been carried through the winter, true, but the entire region is riddled with banditry, and initial reports say the harvest in the surrounding towns, while fair, was not enough to feed both the townholds and eight thousand men. So, the question remains -- what to do should winter come?
The officers immediately erupt into arguments. Eventually, after an hour of bickering, several schools of thought emerge among the officers, each spearheaded by a different member of the inner circle. One group, led primarily by Carcellus, feel the legion should fall back to nearby Beneventum for the winter. Well-stocked and full, it ought to feed the legion for the winter months. There is another divide within this group -- whether or not to leave a cursory force to hold the siege, and reinforce them with food and supplies weekly, or to pull the entire legion back to Beneventum and simply have a cohort hold the roads out of Beneventum to stop supplies from getting in, with scouts watching the city itself to report any activity.
Another group, led by Pompolussa and Rufus, decries this as folly, insisting that the legion should instead build winter quarters and lodge within them. This would require careful protection of your supply lines, and would mean your men might on some days be just as hungry and cold as the men within the city walls -- perhaps even moreso. However, it would allow you to continue the siege unbroken. If you were attacked from behind in the winter, however, it could end disastrously.
The final group, led, rather predictably, by Mercator, advocates no defensive measures whatsoever, instead proposing to throw the full force of your time and energy behind cracking the walls of the city, building siege engines, and finding ways to tire the defenders more quickly. If the city falls before the winter, there will be no need for winter plans, he reasons.
Knowing Sertorius values your opinion strongly, you throw your weight behind...
The Carcellan Stratagem [] Should the siege continue into the winter, the legion will fall back to the Roman city of Beneventum and winter there.
--[] You suggest leaving a token force to continue the siege in wintertime, cycling out the cohorts on duty to prevent exhaustion.
--[] You suggest planting men on the roads in order to ensure their food supply is cut off, and placing scouts to watch the city for any sorties.
The Pompolussan Stratagem [] Continue the siege, but build winter quarters for the legion around the city, with thick walls and defenses to keep out the cold and the swords of your enemies.
The Mercator Stratagem [] Make no winter preparations, but throw the manpower and resources that might have been used otherwise into ending the siege as quickly as possible. (+2 Siege Votes)
Write-In [] After careful thought, you have come up with your own plan, which you pitch to the gathered officers.
VOTING
A Note On Siege Voting: Siege voting is not like normal voting. You'll be stuck in the same place for potentially months at a time, freeing you up to do a lot of things you normally couldn't. Of course, when the siege comes to an end, all your plans end with it. So, in a siege vote, you plan out your actions by selecting the five/four/three votes you most favor, then ranking them from first to last. The one you rank first is guaranteed to get done, but all the others are tossups -- the siege could end in two weeks, making it all meaningless. Of course, if you stick something useless on the end, then you're going to end up wasting an entire month should the siege stretch that long.
This is where plan voting is imperative, and well-thought out and well-described plans will carry the day.
Siege
As broad-striped Tribune, you have many duties to see to during the siege, but there are also several tasks that, while they do not officially need your attention, could certainly benefit from it. As well, there are, as always, the myriad responsibilities which are continuously cropping up that you should see to at some point. Select Three (5 if Plan Mercator is picked) and rank them from 1 (most important) to 3/5 (least important)
[] Engines of War: You begin pushing for the construction of powerful siege engines, devoting your intelligence and skill to procuring more men to help build them, more resources to construct them, and, if you have the knowledge, putting them together.
[] A Crack in the Walls: You begin attempting to make contact with unhappy elements within the walls of the city, using your charm and not a bit of luck to make contact with men you hope may be willing to betray the Samnite cause from the inside out.
[] A Matter of Allies: Many in the Roman camp trust the Hirpinic auxilaries about as far as they could throw their entire army, and the feeling is almost entirely mutual. You attempt to impress upon the men the importance of accepting the Samnite auxiliaries as their brothers-in-arms.
[] A Matter of Allied Officers: You begin speaking to the officers among the Hirpini and attempting to convince them to support Rome, as you did their Pentri cousins. These officers, while not the source of much of the dissent in their ranks, could certainly do more to quell it if they felt so inclined.
[] Training: The men you took with you to the north have been hardened by battle, it is true, but some of them have not fully shaken off the dew of civilian life. You begin subjecting them to a harsh training regimen in order to bring them all up to par.
[] Outriders: You take the Gallic auxiliaries and begin scouring the surrounding area for rebels and rebel-allied bandits, hoping to tighten the noose and reduce the amount of food which slips through the barricades into the city by hidden means.
[] An Army Marches On Its Stomach: You visit the outlying towns and cities, hoping to procure extra food for the legions by convincing the elders of these towns to donate to the war effort, as it's in their best interests.
--[] You take a few legionnaires with you and set about 'convincing' them to 'donate'.
[] A Matter of Wealth: Some of the men feel their share of the loot is a bit too small, and have taken to complaining about it rather loudly. It is Carcellus' duty to administer discipline, but if you stepped in and saw to their problems directly, you could improve your standing among the men.
[] A Law Beyond The Sword: The men often have simple issues, complaints, or grievances which they wish to address. As broad-striped tribune, it is your duty to see to these. One afternoon, you set up a table in the middle of camp and invite men to come air their grievances before you, and perhaps even raise a case against a fellow soldier.
[] Maintenance: Though it is the Camp Prefect's duty to ensure maintenance of equipment and materials, you begin to rigidly enforce the proper maintenance of personal weapons and armor. Through reduced rations and corporal punishment, you will force the men to ensure their equipment does not rust or rot.
[] Blessed By Mars: Sertorius has made clear his intentions to honor Mars as the patron of the Sixth Legion, and the nickname given to the legion, the Blessed-By-Mars, has already filled the men with a sense of pride and driven up Mars worship in the legion. You begin to enforce and codify this practice, trying to encourage commonplace worship of Mars (in his aspect as Gradivus the Soldier-God).
[] Justice Beyond The Walls: You begin cracking down on even minor offenses and crimes, making it more than clear that the rule of Rome extends far beyond the city walls. The men respect a disciplinarian -- but they will never love him.
[] The Left Hand Strays: The other tribunes are, well, a disappointment. With the exception of Rufus, they are all young men who were elected on the strength of their family names over any actual skill or worthiness they might have. You take it upon yourself to whip them into shape and make them decent extensions of Sertorius' will -- and your own. You failed at this the last time you tried, but you have now had a taste of battle and leadership.
[] Portents and Signs: You contact the Camp Augur and hold a public augury. Auguries are necessary to determine the fate of any military venture, as men are often nervous marching into battle without a sign from the gods, but if the augury is unfavorable to the campaign, the morale of the legion will be lowered.
Personal
Despite the rigors of command and administering an enemy city, you have managed to find some little time for yourself -- or rather, for you to advance your ambitions. Select Five and rank them from 1 (most important) to 5 (least important).
[] Write Home: You take the opportunity of remaining on the Italian Peninsula to write back home to your friends and allies in the city. You wrote to... (Pick Two)
--[] Scaevola
--[] Cicero
--[] Atticus
--[] Proserpina
--[] Volero
[] Study Logistics: You read books on planning and organization, hoping to gain greater mastery of logistics and large-scale planning.
[] Speak With The Architects: You speak with the legion's architects and engineers, hoping to increase your own knowledge of Engineering.
[] Brotherhood: You begin eating your meals with the men, to show them that you stand as one of them, not some aloof aristocrat.
[] Bonds of Brotherhood: You spend time with Rufus, Pompolussa, Mercator, and the other friends you've made in your time in the legions, hoping to deepen the bonds further. Some of Rome's greatest political alliances were born in camps like this one.
[] Carousing: You spend some of your nights carousing and partying with the Gauls, hoping to increase their opinions of you even further.
[] Old One-Eye: You begin making an effort to bond even more with Sertorius outside of your daily talks. You have won the general's approval, but if you can win his friendship, your survival in Rome will become far, far easier.
[] Exercise Regimen: You begin a daily exercise regimen, waking in the morning and running a circuit of the camp to begin your day.
[] Expand Journal: You begin expanding your journal to include more than strictly military matters, such as political happenings or philosophical musings.
[] Sparring: You began sparring with the men, testing your own skill with the blade against the skill of the men serving under you.
[] Silver Tongues, Silver Words: You began to attempt to form deeper connections with the men, walking around the camp and speaking and talking to your soldiers. With enough personal charisma and skill for speech, you can begin to make yourself as loved in their hearts as Sertorius.
[] Fortune's Favor: After camp is made for the night, several of the officers, including Carcellus, gather to gamble and game. These men are all fast friends, with ties stretching back years, but if if you integrated yourself with them and got them to consider you one of them, it would go a long way towards improving your standing in the legion.
[] Study Finance: Money. How does it work? Where does it come from? What, exactly, is it? You're not too sure on any of those counts, so you decide to sit down and try and find out when you have the time.
[] Study Warfare: You study the campaigns of some of Rome's greatest generals, hoping to increase your own skill with command.
[] Study: You have your slaves bring you as many books as you can and begin to read. This has a chance of increasing any skill by a random amount of XP, or even learning a skill you do not know.
IMPORTANT:
An Announcement from the QM:
As some of you may have noticed, the ad I made for the Quest went out of circulation at the end of March. I was considering putting it up again, but I realized this is the perfect opportunity to have a contest (and an ad banner better than the one I made in PowerPoint) so I am now looking for a banner ad for the Quest. For the next week, players are free to submit potential ads. Just tag me in your post and let me know. The victor will either be the one I personally like the best, or, if I can't choose, the one with the most likes.
To incentivize you, since the winner's submission will be representing the quest to the entire website, he will get to pick one skill or stat to level up to the next level. Instantly. All gathered XP will carry over, unspent, to the new level. The winner will also get 600 XP to apply as he or she wishes, and a mention from myself on the title page of the quest.
Bonus points if you use the font I use for the quest's titles and numbering, Roman SD.
And, of course, if nothing is submitted, I'll just repost the old one, but I thought this'd be a fun way of doing it, and bringing the quest community together besides.
Good luck!
There is now a TWENTY-FOUR HOUR MORATORIUM on all votes.
Use this time to discuss the choices available and create different Plans. As previously discussed, any votes not in plan form, or submitted before the moratorium is up, will not be counted.
As always, discussion is rewarded. (As are Omakes and Reaction posts.)
The biggest difference we can make, thanks to our Diplomacy skills, is ensuring that the Hirpini remain on our side. Our first priority should be fulfilling our basic duties as tribune ('Law Beyond The Sword') but a close second should be the 'Matter of Allied Officers'.
As for the 1 or 3 other options (I have no real opinion on the Strategem we pick)...
'Crack in the Walls' (recruit a 'fifth column' within Nola) sounds tempting, but unlikely to succeed due to our poor Subertfuge score. Though our Charisma is pretty high
'Matter of Allies' (encourage the legion to extend an olive branch to the Hirpini auxiliaries) seems like a pretty high priority as well, and might synergize very well with the 'Allied Officers' option.
'Outriders' (use Gallic cavalry to enforce the siege) is another good option; we have good relations with the Gauls, and this would boost our Command skill
'Army Marches on its Stomach' (request food from nearby cities) is another good option to make us loved by the men (and ensure the siege succeeds!) We could bring some legionaries to compel such gifts of food, but I think our Diplo/Oratory is up to the task.
'Matter of Wealth' (adjudicate disputes over loot) is pretty much right up our wheelhouse (oratory/law), but a much lower priority in terms of our contribution to the siege
'Blessed by Mars' (encourage worship of Mars) shores up the religious side of things, and might help us win better prophecies and augurs in the future
'Left Hand Strays' (train the other tribunes) strikes me as pretty non-essential at this point, but might be good for reason we've discussed in the past
'Portents and Signs' (hire an augur) also shores up the religious side, but seems too chancy at this point without other roll bonuses
Here's my suggestions: [1] A Law Beyond The Sword: The men often have simple issues, complaints, or grievances which they wish to address. As broad-striped tribune, it is your duty to see to these. One afternoon, you set up a table in the middle of camp and invite men to come air their grievances before you, and perhaps even raise a case against a fellow soldier. [2] A Matter of Allied Officers: You begin speaking to the officers among the Hirpini and attempting to convince them to support Rome, as you did their Pentri cousins. These officers, while not the source of much of the dissent in their ranks, could certainly do more to quell it if they felt so inclined. [3] An Army Marches On It's Stomach: You visit the outlying towns and cities, hoping to procure extra food for the legions by convincing the elders of these towns to donate to the war effort, as it's in their best interests. [4] A Matter of Allies: Many in the Roman camp trust the Hirpinic auxilaries about as far as they could throw their entire army, and the feeling is almost entirely mutual. You attempt to impress upon the men the importance of accepting the Samnite auxiliaries as their brothers-in-arms. [5] Blessed By Mars: Sertorius has made clear his intentions to honor Mars as the patron of the Sixth Legion, and the nickname given to the legion, the Blessed-By-Mars, has already filled the men with a sense of pride and driven up Mars worship in the legion. You begin to enforce and codify this practice, trying to encourage commonplace worship of Mars (in his aspect as Gradivus the Soldier-God).
As for Personal, we should definitely spend more time with Sertorius -- the man is awesome, after all. As for the rest:
'Write Home' -- we've already seen how letter-writing was amazing for our XP growth, so this is another big chance. I'm inclined to put this as #2, and focus on Cicero and Scaevola.
'Study Logistics' -- an important skill, and one we suck at, so it might be pretty important.
'Speak with Architectures' -- engineering is also important, but I'm not sure we need to max this one anytime soon.
'Brotherhood' -- we are ridiculously popular with the men, so I don't think it's worth investing even more time in making us even more loved.
'Bonds of Brotherhood' -- securing the support of the other officers seems like a really good idea. As mentioned, camps like this one are where the greatest political alliances were born. OTOH, while Rufus is awesome, I'm not sure the other officers are quite as high-profile or high-skilled to make such lasting alliances particularly useful.
'Carousing' -- Gauls are neat, but I don't think this one is worth our while.
'Exercise Regimen' -- we're on campaign, so I really don't think we're out of shape, and I'm not sure how our personal fitness relates to combat...
'Expand Journal' -- if we want to be a legend (and a resource for future historians) this is our option. Also, writing things down has always helped me understand things better, and the same is probably true for Atellus...
'Sparring' -- basically the 'study combat' option, which is good but may not be worth the investment
'Silver Tongues' -- same as 'Brotherhood', we don't need to be even more beloved by the men
'Fortune's Favor' -- go gambling with the lesser officers? Thanks for the offer, but I think we'll pass
'Study Finance' -- YES. Our stewardship sucks, and money is one of the biggest defects of pretty much every Roman. Competence at business is what make Crassus "as rich as Crassus", and the political chaos in Rome is as good an opportunity as any to make our fortune.
'Study Warfare' -- if we're studying with Sertorius, I doubt this will be necessary, but it's an option.
'Study' -- this seems like a fairly 'random XP' option, which might be good if there are any skills we haven't unlocked. Are there?
Anyway, here's my recommendations for 'Personal': [1] Old One-Eye: You begin making an effort to bond even more with Sertorius outside of your daily talks. You have won the general's approval, but if you can win his friendship, your survival in Rome will become far, far easier. [2] Write Home: You take the opportunity of remaining on the Italian Peninsula to write back home to your friends and allies in the city. You wrote to... (Pick Two)
--[2] Scaevola
--[2] Cicero [3] Study Finance: Money. How does it work? Where does it come from? What, exactly, is it? You're not too sure on any of those counts, so you decide to sit down and try and find out when you have the time. [4] Bonds of Brotherhood: You spend time with Rufus, Pompolussa, Mercator, and the other friends you've made in your time in the legions, hoping to deepen the bonds further. Some of Rome's greatest political alliances were born in camps like this one. [5] Expand Journal: You begin expanding your journal to include more than strictly military matters, such as political happenings or philosophical musings.
I can't do this justice in a reaction post until tomorrow morning, but I wanted to think through my votes.
So okay, this is NOT a vote, I'm deliberately 'scarring up' the boxes so it won't get counted, but it communicates my priorities.
I'm not sure which of the three strategems to pursue, so I'm not going to vote on that question. I know that if the Mercator Strategem is not chosen then we only get three siege votes, but I'm going to list priorities up to five anyway.
SIEGE
[1 Engines of War: You begin pushing for the construction of powerful siege engines, devoting your intelligence and skill to procuring more men to help build them, more resources to construct them, and, if you have the knowledge, putting them together.
[2 Outriders: You take the Gallic auxiliaries and begin scouring the surrounding area for rebels and rebel-allied bandits, hoping to tighten the noose and reduce the amount of food which slips through the barricades into the city by hidden means.
[3 Blessed By Mars: Sertorius has made clear his intentions to honor Mars as the patron of the Sixth Legion, and the nickname given to the legion, the Blessed-By-Mars, has already filled the men with a sense of pride and driven up Mars worship in the legion. You begin to enforce and codify this practice, trying to encourage commonplace worship of Mars (in his aspect as Gradivus the Soldier-God).
[4 The Left Hand Strays: The other tribunes are, well, a disappointment. With the exception of Rufus, they are all young men who were elected on the strength of their family names over any actual skill or worthiness they might have. You take it upon yourself to whip them into shape and make them decent extensions of Sertorius' will -- and your own. You failed at this the last time you tried, but you have now had a taste of battle and leadership.
[5 A Matter of Allied Officers: You begin speaking to the officers among the Hirpini and attempting to convince them to support Rome, as you did their Pentri cousins. These officers, while not the source of much of the dissent in their ranks, could certainly do more to quell it if they felt so inclined.
...
Basically, I'd like to unlock the Siegecraft skill, if any, even if we don't actually make much progress at it. @Telamon , there is a Siegecraft skill, isn't there? If not, my (1) is less important.
Taking Outriders materially benefits the legion; taking Blessed by Mars is going to be good for moraleand help build up our reputation, while also synergizing with that omen we critted and building up the beginnings of a personal legend as a great soldier.
This may also indirectly help us FINALLY make the other tribunes non-useless, which would be good both because it would help the legion perform better, AND because it means there will be four more Roman aristocrats who are accustomed to listening to us, taking our advice seriously, and respecting us. Potential future clients, who may not be as useless in the city as they are in the field.
Talking up the Hirpini will be a good thing in the short to medium run but I doubt it's critical now that we've got the legion united.
...
PERSONAL
[1 Study Logistics: You read books on planning and organization, hoping to gain greater mastery of logistics and large-scale planning.
[2 Sparring: You began sparring with the men, testing your own skill with the blade against the skill of the men serving under you.
[3 Write Home: You take the opportunity of remaining on the Italian Peninsula to write back home to your friends and allies in the city. You wrote to...
--[x Scaevola
--[x Proserpina
[4 Bonds of Brotherhood: You spend time with Rufus, Pompolussa, Mercator, and the other friends you've made in your time in the legions, hoping to deepen the bonds further. Some of Rome's greatest political alliances were born in camps like this one.
[5 Study Finance: Money. How does it work? Where does it come from? What, exactly, is it? You're not too sure on any of those counts, so you decide to sit down and try and find out when you have the time.
Studying logistics goes without saying, and is especially important if the campaign plan involves something other than forting up in Beneventum for the winter. Sertorius may want us to help with the logistics.
I'd like to eventually grind up our Combat to at least Renowned (+4) so that we're not quite so completely in the soup against enemy 'champions' in single combat should someone try the old "hew his way through our ranks to the commanding officer. This will involve grinding a lot of XP, and I can understand if people don't consider this a priority, but sparring with the legionnaires might have other advantages too.
Writing letters home seems to have potential to actively improve our skills and keeps us informed of developments in Rome; both are important. Cicero'd be a great choice based on last time, but our patron Scaevola would be a good choice too. Among other things, I'd like to know how the old optimate is doing in a Rome that is still up in the air about Marius's confrontation with Sulla.
Bonds of Brotherhood helps solidify some of the contacts we've already made, while Study Finance helps (eventually) build our Stewardship/Administration, which is good too.
