Appropriation means that we take what we need from the surrounding settlements. Sharing means we take from the granaries in Bovianum.
I have reservations about sharing, too. If we roll low on the road to Aquilonia it means that we have a starving city to which we introduced 2500 more mouths to feed. And every last one of them brought weapons with them.
Personally, I feel Sharing requires us to achieve a large influx of food. So, aside from the chance of a great result on "Secure a Route"(IMO a Normal Success wouldn't be sufficient), I feel your plan doesn't provide that. If I was inclined to go for 'Sharing' I would vote for a plan containing 'Liberate the Towns', 'Eliminate the Bandits' and 'Restore the Roads' OR 'Defeat the Rebels'. That would allow us to open up multiple sources of food for both the town and the legion.
A plan like that would be pretty risiky though. As it would leave the legion in a very bad position in case of a rebel attack/uprising.
- Secure A Route
- Liberate the Towns
- Eliminate the Bandits (if possible task the majority of the Gauls with this)
- Write-in: Try to use the "bait" of the transports from Aquilonia to stage an ambush with the target of getting as many bandits as possible by doing things like letting it "leak" that the transport will include a significant portion of the loot
- Friend of the Samnites (Us)
- Write-in: Impartial Administrator - Rufus portrays himself as an impartial administrator following the laws to the letter and the word.
-Sharing: You will share the already-strained resources of the city with your men. This will initially be difficult, but if you increase the town's food stores, the amount available to your men will increase as well.
I know I am bit a late but I really think that there is a case to be made for a different approach here. I think this is a perfect opportunity to rebrand ourselves into less of an enemy of the Samnite people and hopefully make some actual allies.
Adhoc vote count started by Nurgle on Mar 23, 2018 at 4:37 PM, finished with 129 posts and 38 votes.
[X] Plan Slow & Steady
-[x] Whip Them Into Shape
-[x] Secure A Route
-[x] Defeat the Rebels
-[x] Build an Encampment
-[x] I Am The Law
-[x] Willing Advocate
-[x] Forge a Route
[X] Plan Even Trench, Ordered Line
-[X] Whip Them Into Order
-[x] Secure A Route
-[x] Defeat the Rebels
-[x] Build an Encampment
-[x] I Am The Law
-[x] Willing Advocate
-[X] Sharing
[X] Plan A Heavy Roman Hand
-[X] Whip Them Into Order
-[x] Secure A Route
-[x] Defeat the Rebels
-[x] Build an Encampment
-[X] A Harsh Hand
-[x] Willing Advocate
-[X] Appropriation
[X] Plan "Order & Logisitics"
-[X] Whip Them Into Order
-[x] Build an Encampment
-[X] Liberate the Towns
-[X] Restore the Roads
-[x] I Am The Law
-[x] Willing Advocate
-[x] Forge a Route
If we send the Gallic cavalry to hunt the bandits without picking Whip Them Into Order, I very strongly suspect that the Gauls will pillage at least some of the surrounding Samnite villages.
Just finished a binge of this quest, didn't quite have the time to read through all the discussion save for a couple of the last few pages. I still feel what's trying to be achieved with the locals will be aided more by bringing the Gauls in line.
There's been some great discussion here, and while it's late in the round (and 'Even Trench' probably won't win unless there's a significant turnaround), I definitely agree with @Simon_Jester.
'Whip Them Into Order' make cause friction with our Gaulish auxiliaries, but it makes them more firmly part of the legion, and less likely to 'gunk up the works' by pillaging people we don't want them to pillage.
'Sharing' ensures that we don't scatter our cohorts in too many directions, and lets the Samnites see that we're acting like a garrison rather than an occupying or invading force. If we want to turn the 'Athens of Samnium' into a Romanized city, that's a useful starting point.
@Telamon What would happen if we picked and succeeded with 'Forge a Route', but failed to provide sufficient food for Bovianum with 'Secure a Route'? Would we start to share the legion's food supplies with the town? Or, would the amount of food brought in from Beneventum not be able to do more than feed the legion?
In general which quantities of food do we expect to procure from Beneventum/Aquilonia on an average success?
Not looking for exact numbers here. I'm mostly just wondering, how basing the entirety of both the legion's and the town's foodsupply on a single route to Aquilonia, would be evaluated by Quintus (and those around him).
What do the elders of Bovianum think are the rough odds that enough food will be stored there? Etc...
It's too late to make a plan, anyway. This quest specifically has a 12 hour window for coming up with plans, and if you're not there during it, you're out of luck and have to vote for someone else's plan or else your vote doesn't count.
It's too late to make a plan, anyway. This quest specifically has a 12 hour window for coming up with plans, and if you're not there during it, you're out of luck and have to vote for someone else's plan or else your vote doesn't count.
Is it? there is a vote moratorium, but that seems more to give discussion and ideas to crop up and avoid early badnwagoning... but I don't recall vote options lockdown afterwads...
anyway, I think this is my vote [X] Plan Slow & Steady
-[x] Whip Them Into Shape
-[x] Secure A Route
-[x] Defeat the Rebels
-[x] Build an Encampment
-[x] I Am The Law
-[x] Willing Advocate
-[x] Forge a Route
It's too late to make a plan, anyway. This quest specifically has a 12 hour window for coming up with plans, and if you're not there during it, you're out of luck and have to vote for someone else's plan or else your vote doesn't count.
That is flagrantly wrong, that's not what moratoriums are. It is a period in which voting is prohibited, in order to foment discussion and prevent knee-jerk bandwagon voting. Someone could make a vote plan 3 minutes before voting closes and still be valid.
That is flagrantly wrong, that's not what moratoriums are. It is a period in which voting is prohibited, in order to foment discussion and prevent knee-jerk bandwagon voting. Someone could make a vote plan 3 minutes before voting closes and still be valid.
Huh. I've been reading the "any votes not in plan form, or submitted before the moratorium is up, will not be counted" differently. If your reading is the intended, mea culpa, and god dammit.
Huh. I've been reading the "any votes not in plan form, or submitted before the moratorium is up, will not be counted" differently. If your reading is the intended, mea culpa, and god dammit.
The moratorium means that no votes made before it has ended will be counted as valid votes. You can make a functional plan after the moratorium has ended and it will still be valid option to vote for.
[X] Plan Even Trench, Ordered Line
-[X] Whip Them Into Order
-[X] Secure a Route
-[X] Defeat the Rebels
-[X] Build an Encampment
-[X] I Am The Law
-[X] Willing Advocate
-[X] Sharing
[X] Plan Slow & Steady
-[x] Whip Them Into Shape
-[x] Secure A Route
-[x] Defeat the Rebels
-[x] Build an Encampment
-[x] I Am The Law
-[x] Willing Advocate
-[x] Forge a Route
July 8th, 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: 4 Green Cohorts, 1 Half-Green, 3 Average, 1 Skilled, 1 Elite 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: Bovianum (Opinion 4/10) Outcome: ???
In the first few weeks since you arrived in Bovianum, the Ninth Cohort has taken to the task of building an encampment with aplomb. Though the cohort itself is largely green, you have placed them under the more than capable architecti, the legion's engineers and specialists, who have directed the regiment in assembling a semi-permanent camp for your half of the legion. They've taken somewhat longer than a more veteran legion might have, but the Ninth has finally erected a solid edifice on a hill to the north of Bovianum proper. The people of Bovianum are more than happy to no longer have half a legion quartered in their homes, and your men are more organized and controlled in a strictly military setting.
Watching the camp go up has given you some small idea of what goes into the construction and erection of such a compound, and though you can certainly put this knowledge to no practical use yet, building on this may help you and forces under your command put up better encampments, quicker.
New Skill Gained: Engineering
Lesser armies sleep where they fall and allow their movements to be dictated by the environment. But the Legions of Rome know no such difficulties: they are masters of engineering and construction, bending the earth to their will. A skilled engineer can have his armies erect a fortress in days and tear it down in hours, or bridge a roaring river only to demolish the bridge and trap the enemy on the other side.
After establishing a place for your men to rest their heads and sleep, you decide that your first point of order is hunting down the infamous rebel leader Gemino of the Pentrii, who has eluded the legion since you came into Samnium. This Samnite is well-trained, crafty, and has lived in these hills for years. To drive him out and defeat him is no small task, and it is for this reason which you place Gaius Pompolussa and his Second Cohort in charge of ferreting out the rebel wherever he might be hiding. Pompolussa sends his men into every hill, warren, and briar patch between Bovianum and the Valley of the Volunturnus -- to no avail. Gemino, ever the clever dog, manages to disappear into the hills of his homeland, leading the Second on wild chases through the Samnite countryside before vanishing into thin air. His guerrilla tactics frustrate and annoy the Second, but he is always one step ahead of them, leaving taunting messages etched into the sides of rocks and trees.
However, these seeming victories lead the Samnite into arrogance. One night he attempts to raid a town within firmly Roman territory, as an attempt to humiliate the legion in the eyes of the people. And it would have indeed been humiliating -- had it succeeded. One of the Second Cohort's scouts spots the Samnites moving in the dark and rides five miles at breakneck pace to alert the Cohort proper. Pompolussa falls upon Gemino's forces, wiping out his raiding party and capturing several of his band's leaders. Though the rebel himself vanishes into the night, you have at least struck a heavy blow against him and his followers for some time to come.
(Samnite Leader Stat Roll): 1d20 +5 (Heart of Steel)= 21
Samnite Hero Generated: Gemino of the Pentrii (Renowned Military, Renowned Command)
Hunt them Down (Pompolussa): 1d20 +2 (Accomplished Military) +2 (Accomplished Command) -1 (Half Green) = 12
versus
Elude the Hunters (Gemino of the Pentrii) 1d20 + 4 (Renowned Military) +2 (Home Turf) +4 (Renowned Command) = 18
Narrow Defeat
Spit in the Eye of Rome (Gemino of the Pentrii): 1d20 +4 (Renowned Military) +4 (Renowned Command) = 17
versus
Crush the Rebels (Pompolussa): 1d20 + 2 (Accomplished Military) + 2 (Accomplished Command) -1 (Half Green) = 20
Resounding Victory
A mere day after the failed raid, a letter finds it's way inside your camp in the dead of night, nailed to a post on the inside of your tent. You have every guard on duty questioned, but each one swears he saw and heard nothing. The gates remained closed all night, and the walls are so tightly fitted not even a mouse could slip underneath.
Nonetheless, the impossible letter is there, and it reads thus, in the blocky, sturdy script of the Samnites:
Tribune Atellus, forgive me on not being able to welcome you to Bovianum personally. Let this letter, then, stand in place of a more formal greeting. Your name has crossed my ears before, in connection with the death of that vile lackwit Spurio of Aeclanum. I offer my sincerest thanks -- I have long wanted to place a blade in that spineless coward's neck, and I envy you the honor of having done so. Consider this letter your reward for such fine service. Your man Pompolussa is quite a determined sort, and I've enjoyed playing with him myself, but he won't catch me. You won't catch me. Bovianum belongs to the Samnites, and no other. Pack up your camp, take your legion, and go bother that fool Appius at Nola instead.
I will not ask so kindly again.
-- G.
As the summer crawls to a boiling height, Bovianum starves. It's fields lie empty, pillaged first by bandits, then looted by Gemino and the rebels. It needs food, and now. You order the Sixth Cohort, nearly entirely green, to Aquilonia to secure the roads between Bovianum and it's sister city. To their credit, the untested cohort performs well -- despite clashing against several bandit groups with more greed than sense, they emerge victorious. Most of the bandits are sensible enough to find other hunting grounds, but those who are not are easily wiped out by the cohort. A young centurion by name of Marcus Fullio distinguishes himself in the battle, proving skilled enough to lead his men to victory again and again, emerging as foremost centurion of the Sixth.
This same Fullio, however, finds himself at a loss when the city of Aquilonia refuses to send supplies to Bovianum, afraid of meeting the same fate as Bovianum should Gemino turn his eyes to them. The young centurion attempts to negotiate with them, and, with the convincing sight of five hundred legionnaires at his back, proves capable of wringing some small concession out of them, enough to feed Bovianum for a week or two. It is not the windfall which the city had hoped for, and the Aquilonians send a message back with Fullio: they want guaranteed Roman protection, else they will send no more food.
While you struggle to feed the city, your efforts to feed your men go little better. As you have little to no skill with logistics and the proper conduction of supply lines, you delegate the task to your officers, though you grit your teeth at knowing you can do little more than give orders and hope it gets done. The officers to whom you delegate the creation of a supply line return to you shamefaced a week later. It started out well enough, they say -- your men reached Bovianum easily, and retrieved the supplies. However, unknown to them, the supply line they had planned out crossed bad terrain. It was struck by Gemino and his rebels (who else), and the men returned empty-handed.
Hearing of your troubles, Sertorius has diverted his own supply lines to feed your men, but the curt message he sends warns that he cannot afford to do so for long, nor can he spare the men to erect one for you and protect it -- or rather, he did, and they are currently with you. The letter leaves you with the bitter feeling you have somehow disappointed your mentor, but not all is lost. The experience has given you some insight into the confusing but vital world of military logistics, a field in which you previously knew nothing. Now, you are no longer wholly inexperienced -- just absolutely terrible.
New Skill Gained: Logistics
Feeding an army on the go is always a tough proposition. It requires careful planning, intimate knowledge of terrain and resources, and the ability to protect supply lines that stretch across vast distances. Many leaders simply delegate this task to their bureaucratic subordinates, but the best and brightest take it upon themselves to fill their men's bellies.
Command (Training From Tercerus): 1d850 + 200 (Gift of Minerva) = 1003
(2,910/6000) to Rank 7
July 18th, 85 BC
669 Years After The Founding Of Rome
The Year of Flaccus and Marius.
You tap your hand on the hilt of your sword, watching the men drilling in front of you. These men, formerly green, have been drilled and trained almost constantly since your arrival in Bovianum. You have had them jog around the camp in full armor, wake in the morning to spar and drill, and made them practice almost incessantly. You have come a long way from training guards for the temples, and even though it has only been a few weeks, you have begun to trim the fat off of these men. They snap to attention quicker, and you no longer have any qualms about sending them into battle. They aren't on the level of your veteran soldiers, not yet at least, but they're certainly not the embarrassments they used to be.
All Cohorts advance from Rank 2 (Green), to Rank 3 (Half-Green)! The Second Cohort advances from Rank 3 (Half-Green) to Rank 4 (Average)!
A cohort can either be Untrained (-5 modifier), Green (-3 modifier), Half-green (-1 modifier), Average (No modifier), Veteran (+1 modifier), Skilled (+2 modifier), or Elite (+3 modifier). Up until now, you've been fighting with an elite cohort given to you by Sertorius, but in Bovianum, and in the future, it will be your job to train Green troops and turn them into skilled men, which will take dedicated turns, and can depend on the morale, discipline, and health of the men in question.
When you're commanding a legion, you can 'fix' the problem of green or untrained troops quickly by mixing them with veteran cohorts, though this will drag the overall rank of the veteran cohort down a rank.
At your side stands Rufus, dressed in a light tunic to stave off the sweltering heat. His red beard stretches across his entire jaw now, and is thick enough that you cannot see the skin in places.
"The Samnites are beginning to respect your authority," he says casually. "Those whom I've spoken with say there's an understanding in the city that you'll judge every man equally -- or at least equally harshly. After you ruled in their favor in the Pullius case last week, they've even come to see that you'll judge in their favor against Romans. And, of course, who better to assure them of this than a Roman? They've started visiting me at all hours of day and night for legal advice or support."
You can't stop a small grin from reaching your face. You weren't entirely sure this little gambit of yours wouldn't just make you come off as a hardass, and Rufus a simpering panderer, but it has all worked out in the end.
"I am the hammer, you the anvil, and they are driven into the arms of Rome all the same," you remark.
Rufus casts you a sidelong look. "You've certainly got the tact of a hammer. Just rushing in and trying to kill this Gemino fellow. You've invited him to make a mockery of us, and he has. It didn't occur to you that a Samnite might know Samnium better than a pack of Romans?"
You blink. "Well, I'll be damned. That almost sounded like a tactical observation. Maybe you're not hopeless at war after all."
Rufus grins. "I'm full of surprises, Atellus. I've been reading records of Sulla's campaigns against the Samnites. Gemino rose to fame back then by harassing and eluding Sulla's legions until the old bastard gave up. It's because of him Bovianum's still standing."
"Perfect."
"Perfect?" Rufus asks quizzically.
"Yes, perfect. We have a chance to do what the mighty Sulla could not. I'll have this bandit's head before summer's end, and Bovianum singing praises to Rome."
Rufus chuckles. "Right, and how in the world do you intend to do that? The city's still starving, our men will be soon, and Gemino's still at large, his belly fat with Roman food."
"Ever the optimist, aren't you?"
"Just a realist, Tribune."
"Well, Tribune...watch and learn."
Whip them Into Shape: 1d20 +2 (Proficient Military) +0 (Average Command) +1 (Gift of Minerva) = 20 Needed: 10
Critical Success
Divide and Conquer (You): 1d20 +1 (Proficient Law) +1 (Proficient Diplomacy) +1 (Gift of Minerva) -1 (Enemy of the Samnites) = 22
Needed: 14
Critical Success
Divide and Conquer (Rufus): 1d20 +2 Accomplished Law +1 (Proficient Diplomacy) = 17
Needed: 8
Resounding Success
VOTING
The Encampment
Your encampment is already built, and your men already stabled within. However, some of the centurions and architecti have approached you with a suggestion. The encampment, as it stands, is a summer camp. Summer camps are lightly-built things, inexpensive and practical during the summer campaign season, when the necessities of war might force an army to move quickly. The architects suggest that if the campaign calls for you to remain in Bovianum through the summer, you might expand the encampment into a more permanent winter camp instead. Expanding the camp into a winter camp will be a necessity if you remain here anyhow, so doing it now may just save you time in the future -- but it would tie up the Ninth for another two weeks.
Castrum Aestiva [] You keep the camp as it is, a lightly-defended summer camp composed mainly of tents and a thin outer wall. The Ninth are freed to work on other things, and the legion has a place to sleep.
Castrum Hibernia [] You choose to expand the camp into a winter camp, with wooden barracks and thicker gates to withstand winter conditions. While useful if you remain until winter, it'll be a waste if you end up relocating before winter. Of course, if you do remain in Bovianum until winter, it'll become necessary to expand it later, when winter is closer. (Lose One Command Vote)
The Supplies
Aquilonia has refused to send any more supplies to Bovianum until you can promise them the same protection you currently offer their sister city. You could send a cohort to protect them, or to force them into sending supplies, but it will leave you without a cohort for the time it takes to do so.
Obey or Burn [] You send the Sixth back to Aquilonia, to force the city to send supplies at swordpoint. You don't expect them to resist, but if you do, the cohort can handle them. It's just a bunch of peasants, after all.
Garrison [] You send the Sixth to Aquilonia, to garrison the city and protect it for an indeterminate period of time. This will mean effectively losing the Sixth for the next few weeks -- and all the weeks after that, should you choose to continue the garrison.
Train a Volunteer Force [] You send the Sixth to raise and train a volunteer militia of Samnites to protect their city. This, of course, runs the risk of the fact that you are giving training and expertise to the very people whose land you are invading.
Nothing [] You assign the Sixth to other things, leaving Aquilonia to fend for itself. You will find another source of food.
Command
As supreme commander of all Roman forces in Bovianum, it falls to you to command the cohorts and set their goals for the next few weeks. Bovianum looks to you for protection and support, and if it does not get it, the city might turn against Rome. The Gauls have been put to little use in your time here, and could be used to free up one of the cohorts to do something else, but if they attack or savage the people they are meant to protect, Rome may never tame Bovianum. Pick Three (Minus One/Two, depending on your votes above)
Fortify the City [] You set one of the cohorts to building and refurbishing the city's walls. Devastated by Sulla during the Social War, they are a poor defense against bandits and rebels.
Pacification [] You set one of the cohorts to patrol the city's streets, acting as a city guard that cracks down on any signs of rebellion or dissension. -- [] Use the Gauls: The Gallic Auxiliaries you brought with you have sat back and done little for the last week, largely being used to forage and scavenge for supplies. Their ferocity is both a boon and a drawback -- if they attack or loot the very people you're meant to be protecting, your authority in Bovianum will take a nosedive. (Can Only Be Used Once, Does Not Use Up a Command Vote if Used)
Liberate the Towns [] You begin sending your forces to the towns and villages around Bovianum, returning then to Roman rule simply by marching into their streets. You order them to resume supplying the city, which should feed Bovianum come winter. -- [] Use the Gauls: The Gallic Auxiliaries you brought with you have sat back and done little for the last week, largely being used to forage and scavenge for supplies. Their ferocity is both a boon and a drawback -- if they attack or loot the very people you're meant to be protecting, your authority in Bovianum will take a nosedive. (Can Only Be Used Once, Does Not Use Up a Command Vote if Used)
Appropriation [] You appropriate the harvest of the nearby towns and settlements in the name of Rome, in order to feed your men. -- [] Use the Gauls: The Gallic Auxiliaries you brought with you have sat back and done little for the last week, largely being used to forage and scavenge for supplies. Their ferocity is both a boon and a drawback -- if they attack or loot the very people you're meant to be protecting, your authority in Bovianum will take a nosedive. (Can Only Be Used Once, Does Not Use Up a Command Vote if Used)
Scavenge [] You order the men to quite literally live off the land, scavenging farms and hunting local wildlife in order to procure enough supplies to feed the legion. This will necessitate constantly having a detail of men out in the fields scavenging, and will likely mean your men must keep their belts tight for the foreseeable future. (Permanent -1 Command Vote until another food source is found)
-- [] Use the Gauls: The Gallic Auxiliaries you brought with you have sat back and done little for the last week, largely being used to forage and scavenge for supplies. Their ferocity is both a boon and a drawback -- if they attack or loot the very people you're meant to be protecting, your authority in Bovianum will take a nosedive. (Can Only Be Used Once, Does Not Use Up a Command Vote if Used)
Eliminate the Bandits [] You set one of the cohorts to tracking down and eliminating the numerous bandit groups plaguing the hills around Bovianum. There are many places for crafty and cunning natives to hide, and it will no doubt be an arduous task to track down and destroy each group of then. -- [] Use the Gauls: The Gallic Auxiliaries you brought with you have sat back and done little for the last week, largely being used to forage and scavenge for supplies. Their ferocity is both a boon and a drawback -- if they attack or loot the very people you're meant to be protecting, your authority in Bovianum will take a nosedive. (Can Only Be Used Once, Does Not Use Up a Command Vote if Used)
Defeat the Rebels [] You continue the hunt for the crafty and wily rebel captain Gemino.
--[] You join the hunt for Gemino yourself (-1 Personal Action)
-- [] Use the Gauls: The Gallic Auxiliaries you brought with you have sat back and done little for the last week, largely being used to forage and scavenge for supplies. Their ferocity is both a boon and a drawback -- if they attack or loot the very people you're meant to be protecting, your authority in Bovianum will take a nosedive. (Can Only Be Used Once, Does Not Use Up a Command Vote if Used)
Restore the Roads [] The roads between Bovianum and surrounding settlements have decayed and fallen into disrepair, making travel a daunting task. You set a cohort to repairing and, if necessary, rerouting these roads.
Protect the West [] The towns to the west, situated near to the Valley of the Vulturnus, seek Roman protection from the bandit/rebel Tercerian, who has risen up and taken control of the city of Aesernia. While Tercerian's grip on the Valley is far too weak for any expedition to attack the cohort or expand rebel control outside the Valley, his raiding parties have harassed and terrorized outlying villages and townholds for weeks. You dispatch a cohort to protect these towns.
--[] You join this cohort yourself. (-1 Personal Action)
-- [] Use the Gauls: The Gallic Auxiliaries you brought with you have sat back and done little for the last week, largely being used to forage and scavenge for supplies. Their ferocity is both a boon and a drawback -- if they attack or loot the very people you're meant to be protecting, your authority in Bovianum will take a nosedive. (Can Only Be Used Once, Does Not Use Up a Command Vote if Used)
Establish Supply Lines [] You try again to establish a supply line to Boventum, and you delegate the task to...
[] Rufus. He's read enough books to know something about logistics, or so he tells you.
[] Tercerus. Though never a commander, he has a head for numbers about him.
[] Pompolussa assures you he can easily do it, but assigning him here will mean the Second cannot perform any of the many tasks for which it is needed.
Supress Revolution [] You decide to harshly suppress the rebels in Bovianum and the surrounding area, ordering a cohort to round up dissidents and malcontents and crucify them on the major roads in the area as a reminder of the power of Rome. By showing the people what happens to traitors, you may be able to shock them into servitude. -- [] Use the Gauls: The Gallic Auxiliaries you brought with you have sat back and done little for the last week, largely being used to forage and scavenge for supplies. Their ferocity is both a boon and a drawback -- if they attack or loot the very people you're meant to be protecting, your authority in Bovianum will take a nosedive. (Can Only Be Used Once, Does Not Use Up a Command Vote if Used)
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 Three
[] Connect With Elders: The elders of Bovianum are some of the most influental and powerful men in Samnium. By making connections among them, you could shift how you are seen in the eyes of the Samnite people as a whole. [] Prosecute Cases: You have already overseen a handful of cases in Bovianum, and you realize that your career in the law need not grow stunted while you are at war. You begin to diligently see to it that the laws of Rome are enforced in your city and in the camps. [] Reform the Laws: The laws of the city of Bovianum are a mess, a mix of traditional tribal laws and decrees from the elders, filled with contradictions and loopholes. You set about rewriting them, but be warned: failure means hatred in the eyes of the people, and even success may not win you love -- you meddle with traditions as old as Rome. [] 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. [] The Sibyl: In the rolling hills of Bovianum, there waits the Sibyl of Bovianum, a Samnite prophetess said to follow the ancient Greek rites. You make your way to her, hoping to learn your future. [] Brotherhood: You began eating your meals with the men, to show them that you stand as one of them, not some aloof aristocrat. [] 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 Pompolussa, 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: You study the campaigns of some of Rome's greatest generals, hoping to increase your own skill with command.
There is now a TWELVE-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.)
After establishing a place for your men to rest their heads and sleep, you decide that your first point of order is hunting down the infamous rebel leader Gemino of the Pentrii, who has eluded the legion since you came into Samnium. This Samnite is well-trained, crafty, and has lived in these hills for years. To drive him out and defeat him is no small task, and it is for this reason which you place Gaius Pompolussa and his Second Cohort in charge of ferreting out the rebel wherever he might be hiding. Pompolussa sends his men into every hill, warren, and briar patch between Bovianum and the Valley of the Volunturnus -- to no avail. Gemino, ever the clever dog, manages to disappear into the hills of his homeland, leading the Second on wild chases through the Samnite countryside before vanishing into thin air. His guerrilla tactics frustrate and annoy the Second, but he is always one step ahead of them, leaving taunting messages etched into the sides of rocks and trees.
However, these seeming victories lead the Samnite into arrogance. One night he attempts to raid a town within firmly Roman territory, as an attempt to humiliate the legion in the eyes of the people. And it would have indeed been humiliating -- had it succeeded. One of the Second Cohort's scouts spots the Samnites moving in the dark and rides five miles at breakneck pace to alert the Cohort proper. Pompolussa falls upon Gemino's forces, wiping out his raiding party and capturing several of his band's leaders. Though the rebel himself vanishes into the night, you have at least struck a heavy blow against him and his followers for some time to come.
And that accomplished absolutely nothing.
This is guerrilla warfare. There are no shortage of Samnite men and women willing to join up, or at least provide limited aid. Gemino's losses will be replinished in short order, and he will be wise to us.
By contrast, the slightest breach of respect and dignity by a Roman soldier will cause those not yet decided to flock to the enemy, and we will never get them back.
In the war for hearts and minds, there is no margin for error.
And given SV is terrible and social and will believe the first thing told to them, it's a recipe for disaster.
Tribune Atellus, forgive me on not being able to welcome you to Bovianum personally. Let this letter, then, stand in place of a more formal greeting. Your name has crossed my ears before, in connection with the death of that vile lackwit Spurio of Aeclanum. I offer my sincerest thanks -- I have long wanted to place a blade in that spineless coward's neck, and I envy you the honor of having done so. Consider this letter your reward for such fine service. Your man Pompolussa is quite a determined sort, and I've enjoyed playing with him myself, but he won't catch me. You won't catch me. Bovianum belongs to the Samnites, and no other. Pack up your camp, take your legion, and go bother that fool Appius at Nola instead.
Well. Fuck. We're in a bad spot. He's inclined and incentives to hype up his own abilities, but if the rebels have a man that can sneak past all our bodyguards... then we're in for a long fight.
As the summer crawls to a boiling height, Bovianum starves. It's fields lie empty, pillaged first by bandits, then looted by Gemino and the rebels. It needs food, and now. You order the Sixth Cohort, nearly entirely green, to Aquilonia to secure the roads between Bovianum and it's sister city. To their credit, the untested cohort performs well -- despite clashing against several bandit groups with more greed than sense, they emerge victorious. Most of the bandits are sensible enough to find other hunting grounds, but those who are not are easily wiped out by the cohort. A young centurion by name of Marcus Fullio distinguishes himself in the battle, proving skilled enough to lead his men to victory again and again, emerging as foremost centurion of the Sixth.
This same Fullio, however, finds himself at a loss when the city of Aquilonia refuses to send supplies to Bovianum, afraid of meeting the same fate as Bovianum should Gemino turn his eyes to them. The young centurion attempts to negotiate with them, and, with the convincing sight of five hundred legionnaires at his back, proves capable of wringing some small concession out of them, enough to feed Bovianum for a week or two. It is not the windfall which the city had hoped for, and the Aquilonians send a message back with Fullio: they want guaranteed Roman protection, else they will send no more food.
While you struggle to feed the city, your efforts to feed your men go little better. As you have little to no skill with logistics and the proper conduction of supply lines, you delegate the task to your officers, though you grit your teeth at knowing you can do little more than give orders and hope it gets done. The officers to whom you delegate the creation of a supply line return to you shamefaced a week later. It started out well enough, they say -- your men reached Bovianum easily, and retrieved the supplies. However, unknown to them, the supply line they had planned out crossed bad terrain. It was struck by Gemino and his rebels (who else), and the men returned empty-handed.
At your side stands Rufus, dressed in a light tunic to stave off the sweltering heat. His red beard stretches across his entire jaw now, and is thick enough that you cannot see the skin in places.
"The Samnites are beginning to respect your authority," he says casually. "Those whom I've spoken with say there's an understanding in the city that you'll judge every man equally -- or at least equally harshly. After you ruled in their favor in the Pullius case last week, they've even come to see that you'll judge in their favor against Romans. And, of course, who better to assure them of this than a Roman? They've started visiting me at all hours of day and night for legal advice or support."
You can't stop a small grin from reaching your face. You weren't entirely sure this little gambit of yours wouldn't just make you come off as a hardass, and Rufus a simpering panderer, but it has all worked out in the end.
Rufus casts you a sidelong look. "You've certainly got the tact of a hammer. Just rushing in and trying to kill this Gemino fellow. You've invited him to make a mockery of us, and he has. It didn't occur to you that a Samnite might know Samnium better than a pack of Romans?"
You blink. "Well, I'll be damned. That almost sounded like a tactical observation. Maybe you're not hopeless at war after all."
Rufus grins. "I'm full of surprises, Atellus. I've been reading records of Sulla's campaigns against the Samnites. Gemino rose to fame back then by harassing and eluding Sulla's legions until the old bastard gave up. It's because of him Bovianum's still standing."
"Yes, perfect. We have a chance to do what the mighty Sulla could not. I'll have this bandit's head before summer's end, and Bovianum singing praises to Rome."
Rufus chuckles. "Right, and how in the world do you intend to do that? The city's still starving, our men will be soon, and Gemino's still at large, his belly fat with Roman food."
The Gauls have been put to little use in your time here, and could be used to free up one of the cohorts to do something else, but if they attack or savage the people they are meant to protect, Rome may never tame Bovianum.
Defeat the Rebels [] You continue the hunt for the crafty and wily rebel captain Gemino.
--[] You join the hunt for Gemino yourself (-1 Personal Action)
-- [] Use the Gauls: The Gallic Auxiliaries you brought with you have sat back and done little for the last week, largely being used to forage and scavenge for supplies. Their ferocity is both a boon and a drawback -- if they attack or loot the very people you're meant to be protecting, your authority in Bovianum will take a nosedive. (Can Only Be Used Once, Does Not Use Up a Command Vote if Used)
This is what we should use the Gauls for: Send them after Gemino like the finest hunting dogs. Tell them they can keep whatever they loot, and may engage civilians if they bring back proof they're aiding the rebels. In return, they bring us the head of Gemino.
Castrum Aestiva [] You keep the camp as it is, a lightly-defended summer camp composed mainly of tents and a thin outer wall. The Ninth are freed to work on other things, and the legion has a place to sleep.
Castrum Hibernia [] You choose to expand the camp into a winter camp, with wooden barracks and thicker gates to withstand winter conditions. While useful if you remain until winter, it'll be a waste if you end up relocating before winter. Of course, if you do remain in Bovianum until winter, it'll become necessary to expand it later, when winter is closer. (Lose One Command Vote)
Obey or Burn [] You send the Sixth back to Aquilonia, to force the city to send supplies at swordpoint. You don't expect them to resist, but if you do, the cohort can handle them. It's just a bunch of peasants, after all.
Garrison [] You send the Sixth to Aquilonia, to garrison the city and protect it for an indeterminate period of time. This will mean effectively losing the Sixth for the next few weeks -- and all the weeks after that, should you choose to continue the garrison.
Train a Volunteer Force [] You send the Sixth to raise and train a volunteer militia of Samnites to protect their city. This, of course, runs the risk of the fact that you are giving training and expertise to the very people whose land you are invading.
Nothing [] You assign the Sixth to other things, leaving Aquilonia to fend for itself. You will find another source of food.
Can we really afford to lose a cohort? No, seriosuly, legit question. Training a militia is an iffy prospect when we cannot stop the enemy insurgency from acting at will and targeting them and their families.
Establish Supply Lines [] You try again to establish a supply line to Boventum, and you delegate the task to...
[] Rufus. He's read enough books to know something about logistics, or so he tells you.
[] Tercerus. Though never a commander, he has a head for numbers about him.
Getting the supply line open in these conditions is not a matter of bookkeeping. It's a matter of defending the convoy. This is probably why sending Pompolussa is the most likley way to win it, but also hurts the unit in other areas.
[] Connect With Elders: The elders of Bovianum are some of the most influental and powerful men in Samnium. By making connections among them, you could shift how you are seen in the eyes of the Samnite people as a whole.
If there is anyone who understands and has insight into our little insurgent, and/or is the leader of giving him aid, it'd be one of these guys. We should check them out. It's also good to making sure we're not starting a civil war.
[] Prosecute Cases: You have already overseen a handful of cases in Bovianum, and you realize that your career in the law need not grow stunted while you are at war. You begin to diligently see to it that the laws of Rome are enforced in your city and in the camps.
[] Reform the Laws: The laws of the city of Bovianum are a mess, a mix of traditional tribal laws and decrees from the elders, filled with contradictions and loopholes. You set about rewriting them, but be warned: failure means hatred in the eyes of the people, and even success may not win you love -- you meddle with traditions as old as Rome.
FUCK. NO. Never force the locals to change. They must convert willingly, or ask for our aid in this. Maybe if we 'suggest' things to the Elders, but nothing more.
[] The Sibyl: In the rolling hills of Bovianum, there waits the Sibyl of Bovianum, a Samnite prophetess said to follow the ancient Greek rites. You make your way to her, hoping to learn your future.
[] 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 Pompolussa, 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.
These all may seem the same, but they serve different roles, create different portrayals. Brotherhood shows that you are, in a sense, First Among Equals. You're just another soldier, you share their burdens. We'd need to go further to really make that rep stick, like living in the same accommodations or not using a horse on a march, but its useful to have. Silver attempts to create a heroic persona, a larger than life figure. We'll be hailed as divinely touched if it sticks, but such things are easily shattered, especially at the start of the legend. Fortune is to not only be a friend to the officers, but show the superstitious veterans that, yes, the gods have a plan for us.
Okay, I'm going to post in cranky mode. To be fair, my plan was NOT an objectively better plan and would probably NOT have done better than this. This is not me complaining about the plan, but about the situation.
After establishing a place for your men to rest their heads and sleep, you decide that your first point of order is hunting down the infamous rebel leader Gemino of the Pentrii, who has eluded the legion since you came into Samnium. This Samnite is well-trained, crafty, and has lived in these hills for years. To drive him out and defeat him is no small task, and it is for this reason which you place Gaius Pompolussa and his Second Cohort in charge of ferreting out the rebel wherever he might be hiding. Pompolussa sends his men into every hill, warren, and briar patch between Bovianum and the Valley of the Volunturnus -- to no avail. Gemino, ever the clever dog, manages to disappear into the hills of his homeland, leading the Second on wild chases through the Samnite countryside before vanishing into thin air. His guerrilla tactics frustrate and annoy the Second, but he is always one step ahead of them, leaving taunting messages etched into the sides of rocks and trees.
A mere day after the failed raid, a letter finds it's way inside your camp in the dead of night, nailed to a post on the inside of your tent. You have every guard on duty questioned, but each one swears he saw and heard nothing. The gates remained closed all night, and the walls are so tightly fitted not even a mouse could slip underneath.
Nonetheless, the impossible letter is there, and it reads thus, in the blocky, sturdy script of the Samnites:
Tribune Atellus, forgive me on not being able to welcome you to Bovianum personally. Let this letter, then, stand in place of a more formal greeting. Your name has crossed my ears before, in connection with the death of that vile lackwit Spurio of Aeclanum. I offer my sincerest thanks -- I have long wanted to place a blade in that spineless coward's neck, and I envy you the honor of having done so. Consider this letter your reward for such fine service. Your man Pompolussa is quite a determined sort, and I've enjoyed playing with him myself, but he won't catch me. You won't catch me. Bovianum belongs to the Samnites, and no other. Pack up your camp, take your legion, and go bother that fool Appius at Nola instead.
While you struggle to feed the city, your efforts to feed your men go little better. As you have little to no skill with logistics and the proper conduction of supply lines, you delegate the task to your officers, though you grit your teeth at knowing you can do little more than give orders and hope it gets done. The officers to whom you delegate the creation of a supply line return to you shamefaced a week later. It started out well enough, they say -- your men reached Bovianum easily, and retrieved the supplies. However, unknown to them, the supply line they had planned out crossed bad terrain. It was struck by Gemino and his rebels (who else), and the men returned empty-handed.
Where are our Gallic cavalry, anyway? They're not building roads and forts because they're a bunch of Gauls, plus that's the Ninth's job. They're not killing bandits, that's the Sixth. They're not running around trying to deal with Asterix the Gaul Gemino making them look like a bunch of chumps, that's the Second.
Are we paying them to not kill bandits and not build roads? Because I'm pretty sure we could hire a bunch of Samnites to stand around and do nothing for less.
I'm going to be honest, if we'd gone with Sharing we might be screwed here. On the other hand, we would have had more men to secure the line of supply and hunt Gemino, maybe?
Also, @Telamon , hopefully we've at least got the route partially established, so it'll be easier to keep working at it? Like, our men have now walked over that terrain back and forth a few times and all?
Whip them Into Shape: 1d20 +2 (Proficient Military) +0 (Average Command) +1 (Gift of Minerva) = 20 Needed: 10
Critical Success
Divide and Conquer (You): 1d20 +1 (Proficient Law) +1 (Proficient Diplomacy) +1 (Gift of Minerva) -1 (Enemy of the Samnites) = 22
Needed: 14
Critical Success
Divide and Conquer (Rufus): 1d20 +2 Accomplished Law +1 (Proficient Diplomacy) = 17
Needed: 8
Resounding Success
Well, a good commander never blames his tools/men, but in this case it does at least look like the tasks depending on our personal virtues went well. That's something.
The Encampment
Your encampment is already built, and your men already stabled within. However, some of the centurions and architecti have approached you with a suggestion. The encampment, as it stands, is a summer camp. Summer camps are lightly-built things, inexpensive and practical during the summer campaign season, when the necessities of war might force an army to move quickly. The architects suggest that if the campaign calls for you to remain in Bovianum through the summer, you might expand the encampment into a more permanent winter camp instead. Expanding the camp into a winter camp will be a necessity if you remain here anyhow, so doing it now may just save you time in the future -- but it would tie up the Ninth for another two weeks.
Not worth it. It's July. Summer-ish weather will hold for another six to eight weeks at least. Gemino is turning out to be much more of a problem than we'd anticipated; we need all the muscle we can get.
[] Castrum Aestiva
The Supplies
Aquilonia has refused to send any more supplies to Bovianum until you can promise them the same protection you currently offer their sister city. You could send a cohort to protect them, or to force them into sending supplies, but it will leave you without a cohort for the time it takes to do so.
Okay, this is NOT a waste of time. Aquilonia can help solve our food problem, and it's a big problem. Send the Sixth to help out. Since we're trying to win hearts and minds here, and not to destroy Aquilonia to feed Bovianum...
[] Garrison
Command
As supreme commander of all Roman forces in Bovianum, it falls to you to command the cohorts and set their goals for the next few weeks. Bovianum looks to you for protection and support, and if it does not get it, the city might turn against Rome. The Gauls have been put to little use in your time here, and could be used to free up one of the cohorts to do something else, but if they attack or savage the people they are meant to protect, Rome may never tame Bovianum.
In fairness, our Green cohorts would have been a major liability without Whip Them Into Shape, but instead of having five cohorts ranging from decent to crappy, we effectively had four cohorts ranging from decent to mediocre. Not sure which is an improvement.
Fortify the City [] You set one of the cohorts to building and refurbishing the city's walls. Devastated by Sulla during the Social War, they are a poor defense against bandits and rebels.
Still probably a waste of time; Gemino's not stupid enough to attack the city.
Pacification [] You set one of the cohorts to patrol the city's streets, acting as a city guard that cracks down on any signs of rebellion or dissension.
Also still a waste of time. Right now the biggest problem is the Boviani thinking we're useless, not rebelling against us. Plus, we're in a fortified camp so if they do rebel it's not that big of a problem.
Liberate the Towns [] You begin sending your forces to the towns and villages around Bovianum, returning then to Roman rule simply by marching into their streets. You order them to resume supplying the city, which should feed Bovianum come winter.
You appropriate the harvest of the nearby towns and settlements in the name of Rome, in order to feed your men. -- [] Use the Gauls: The Gallic Auxiliaries you brought with you have sat back and done little for the last week, largely being used to forage and scavenge for supplies. Their ferocity is both a boon and a drawback -- if they attack or loot the very people you're meant to be protecting, your authority in Bovianum will take a nosedive. (Can Only Be Used Once, Does Not Use Up a Command Vote if Used)
We could use the Gauls for this, mostly because the villagers will hate us for taking their stuff anyway, so they'd just be hating the Gauls AND us.
Scavenge [] You order the men to quite literally live off the land, scavenging farms and hunting local wildlife in order to procure enough supplies to feed the legion. This will necessitate constantly having a detail of men out in the fields scavenging, and will likely mean your men must keep their belts tight for the foreseeable future. (Permanent -1 Command Vote until another food source is found)
-- [] Use the Gauls: The Gallic Auxiliaries you brought with you have sat back and done little for the last week, largely being used to forage and scavenge for supplies. Their ferocity is both a boon and a drawback -- if they attack or loot the very people you're meant to be protecting, your authority in Bovianum will take a nosedive. (Can Only Be Used Once, Does Not Use Up a Command Vote if Used)
Eliminate the Bandits [] You set one of the cohorts to tracking down and eliminating the numerous bandit groups plaguing the hills around Bovianum. There are many places for crafty and cunning natives to hide, and it will no doubt be an arduous task to track down and destroy each group of then. -- [] Use the Gauls: The Gallic Auxiliaries you brought with you have sat back and done little for the last week, largely being used to forage and scavenge for supplies. Their ferocity is both a boon and a drawback -- if they attack or loot the very people you're meant to be protecting, your authority in Bovianum will take a nosedive. (Can Only Be Used Once, Does Not Use Up a Command Vote if Used)
Defeat the Rebels [] You continue the hunt for the crafty and wily rebel captain Gemino.
--[] You join the hunt for Gemino yourself (-1 Personal Action)
-- [] Use the Gauls: The Gallic Auxiliaries you brought with you have sat back and done little for the last week, largely being used to forage and scavenge for supplies. Their ferocity is both a boon and a drawback -- if they attack or loot the very people you're meant to be protecting, your authority in Bovianum will take a nosedive. (Can Only Be Used Once, Does Not Use Up a Command Vote if Used)
These are high priorities. I think joining the hunt ourselves is probably a good idea, among other things because otherwise we are just sitting here waiting for GODDAMN SAMNITE NINJAS to assassinate us or something.
Restore the Roads [] The roads between Bovianum and surrounding settlements have decayed and fallen into disrepair, making travel a daunting task. You set a cohort to repairing and, if necessary, rerouting these roads.
Not a waste of time. Not sure what to make of this.
Protect the West [] The towns to the west, situated near to the Valley of the Vulturnus, seek Roman protection from the bandit/rebel Tercerian, who has risen up and taken control of the city of Aesernia. While Tercerian's grip on the Valley is far too weak for any expedition to attack the cohort or expand rebel control outside the Valley, his raiding parties have harassed and terrorized outlying villages and townholds for weeks. You dispatch a cohort to protect these towns.
--[] You join this cohort yourself. (-1 Personal Action)
-- [] Use the Gauls: The Gallic Auxiliaries you brought with you have sat back and done little for the last week, largely being used to forage and scavenge for supplies. Their ferocity is both a boon and a drawback -- if they attack or loot the very people you're meant to be protecting, your authority in Bovianum will take a nosedive. (Can Only Be Used Once, Does Not Use Up a Command Vote if Used)
Probably a bad choice for the Gauls. Might be a good idea for us to do, but we really, REALLY want to get Gemino out of the way.
Establish Supply Lines [] You try again to establish a supply line to Boventum, and you delegate the task to...
[] Rufus. He's read enough books to know something about logistics, or so he tells you.
[] Tercerus. Though never a commander, he has a head for numbers about him.
[] Pompolussa assures you he can easily do it, but assigning him here will mean the Second cannot perform any of the many tasks for which it is needed.
Huh. Good idea. Not sure who to send. Tercerus is a better choice, probably. Gemino ambushed our supply train once; he can do it again. Tercerus is more likely to cope with that than Rufus. Plus, Rufus is actively good at what he's doing right now in Bovianum.
Supress Revolution [] You decide to harshly suppress the rebels in Bovianum and the surrounding area, ordering a cohort to round up dissidents and malcontents and crucify them on the major roads in the area as a reminder of the power of Rome. By showing the people what happens to traitors, you may be able to shock them into servitude. -- [] Use the Gauls: The Gallic Auxiliaries you brought with you have sat back and done little for the last week, largely being used to forage and scavenge for supplies. Their ferocity is both a boon and a drawback -- if they attack or loot the very people you're meant to be protecting, your authority in Bovianum will take a nosedive. (Can Only Be Used Once, Does Not Use Up a Command Vote if Used)
[] Connect With Elders: The elders of Bovianum are some of the most influental and powerful men in Samnium. By making connections among them, you could shift how you are seen in the eyes of the Samnite people as a whole. [] Study Logistics: You read books on planning and organization, hoping to gain greater mastery of logistics and large-scale planning.
And one of...
[] The Sibyl: In the rolling hills of Bovianum, there waits the Sibyl of Bovianum, a Samnite prophetess said to follow the ancient Greek rites. You make your way to her, hoping to learn your future. [] Study: You study the campaigns of some of Rome's greatest generals, hoping to increase your own skill with command.
Not sure which. The Sibyl sounds like a cool change of pace! Except, well, if we accompany an expedition to kill Gemino, we have to drop this option. And I think we want Gemino dead ASAP.
