Res Publica: A Quest of Ancient Rome
- Thread starter Telamon
- Start date
- Original Historic
- Location
- The Philippines
In these ancient days, there is no difference between your religion and your ethnicity. They're all Samnites, and none of them like us.
ThatGuyWithIdeas
Treize died for our sins
- Location
- Romania
Inserted tally
Always Late
Lacking in coffee, sleep, and brains
- Location
- Ohio
Except, yes there is, and we're looking at one.
The Samnite dislike in rome is in part rooted in their religion.
Not to mention the part in the last update where our reputation with the locals is no longer one of hate.
- Location
- Texas
The Samnites are semi/mostly Hellenic, like every Italian tribe of Antiquity around this time. They worship Mamercus (Mars) and have reverence for Jove, Mercury, Demeter, and the same major gods as Rome. They have, however, retained several local cthonic gods like Mephitis and others, or blended their gods with Greek ones, as the Romans have done.
But Visella Tertia is a priestess of Mephitis. This Sibyl is, like all Sibyls, a priestess of Apollo/Mercury, and (allegedly, at least) speaks her Prophecy with the Voice of the God.
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Temes1066
To Defy Gravity you must Let It Go
- Location
- Coleraine
I guess it is back to my old plan.
[X] Plan Gauls & Glory Modified
-[X] 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.
-[X] 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.
-[X] 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.
-[X] Defeat the Rebels You continue the hunt for the crafty and wily rebel captain Gemino.
--[X] You join the hunt for Gemino yourself (-1 Personal Action)
--[X] 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)
-[X] Establish Supply Lines You try again to establish a supply line to Boventum, and you delegate the task to...
--[X] 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.
-[X] 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.
-[X] Study Logistics: You read books on planning and organization, hoping to gain greater mastery of logistics and large-scale planning.
[X] Plan Gauls & Glory Modified
-[X] 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.
-[X] 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.
-[X] 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.
-[X] Defeat the Rebels You continue the hunt for the crafty and wily rebel captain Gemino.
--[X] You join the hunt for Gemino yourself (-1 Personal Action)
--[X] 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)
-[X] Establish Supply Lines You try again to establish a supply line to Boventum, and you delegate the task to...
--[X] 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.
-[X] 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.
-[X] Study Logistics: You read books on planning and organization, hoping to gain greater mastery of logistics and large-scale planning.
- Location
- The Philippines
They still don't like us. Gods know we've still made enemies among the Samnites, and it's up in the air whether this priestess of Apollo is one of them or not, and whether she will let that affect her interpretation of the Voice of the God.
- Location
- Central Europe
My main argument against this would be that leaving him unopposed let's him strike at any of our isolated half-Green cohorts at will. I worry what he and his +8 modifier will do versus one of our generic officers.
That said, I'm not opposed to the current winning plan. It follows a very well laid out long-term strategy and my worries might proof completely unfounded. Regardless, only by choosing not to hunt Gemino for a round do we get a chance to see how he will act when not directly engaged.
- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Plan Cunctator
-[X] Castrum Aestiva
-[X] Garrison
-[X] Eliminate the Bandits
--[X] Use the Gauls
--[X] Join the hunt
-[X] Establish Supply Lines
--[X] Pompolussa
-[X] Liberate the Towns
-[X] Connect With Elders
-[X] Study Logistics
We need logistics, that's the biggest lesson I want to take away from this campaign (and ideally make our stewardship somewhat less sucky in the process?). Hunting the bandits puts the Gauls to good use, and garrisoning the other town expands our influence.
-[X] Castrum Aestiva
-[X] Garrison
-[X] Eliminate the Bandits
--[X] Use the Gauls
--[X] Join the hunt
-[X] Establish Supply Lines
--[X] Pompolussa
-[X] Liberate the Towns
-[X] Connect With Elders
-[X] Study Logistics
We need logistics, that's the biggest lesson I want to take away from this campaign (and ideally make our stewardship somewhat less sucky in the process?). Hunting the bandits puts the Gauls to good use, and garrisoning the other town expands our influence.
NavySeel
"I don't know what I'm doing."
- Location
- Places
Isn't Apollo just Apollo in both religions?
- Location
- Texas
Some of his aspects slid into Mercury as the religions syncretized, but he's still the primary god of Sun, Music, and Prophecy, yes.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Maybe this one will be nicer?
Visella Tertia hates us way more than normal, though. Remember that she explicitly said that she'd have committed suicide-by-legion fighting us if she hadn't been the one left behind so there'd be at least one member of her cult left alive.
Furthermore, she may not actually be ethnic-Samnite; she could be a Greek or something. Moreover, if she's a priestess of any deity BUT the one that encourages fanatical anti-Romanism, she might be more chill than Visella Tertia.
Honestly, if he gets into a grinding battle with any of our cohorts, it's probably going to hurt him more than it hurts us. His whole force is about the size of one of our cohorts, so even if he manages to inflict, say, a 2:1 loss ratio in his favor, he'll get ground down more proportionately than our force will.
- Location
- Central Europe
A grinding battle is not the thing I'm worried about.
He will probably try to ambush and disrupt cohorts going after their tasks away from Bovianum.
My worst case scenario is Gemino breaking the cohesion of one of our half-Green cohorts and then harassing them back all the way to the camp.
The existence of moral checks in previous battle rounds makes me think that such a scenario, however unlikely it admittedly may be, could occur in this quest.
xa na xa
A.E.I.O.U. - Antarticae est imperare orbi universo
- Location
- σ Octantis
[X] Plan Cunctator
-[X] Castrum Aestiva
-[X] Garrison
-[X] Eliminate the Bandits
--[X] Use the Gauls
--[X] Join the hunt
-[X] Establish Supply Lines
--[X] Pompolussa
-[X] Liberate the Towns
-[X] Connect With Elders
-[X] Study Logistics
I am 100% behind the military reasoning of @Caesar: secure and improve our logistics through redundancy, expand our zone of control by occupying Aquilonia and the small towns around Bovanium, goad and bait the enemy to attack us where we want, and take personal command of the Gauls as our strike force.
My only regret is that we have to sacrifice 2 out of 3 of our personal actions, the need to study logistics, and the need to be personally present at the front, to support the military operation.
But needs must. If I had my wish though, this is what I would choose for the personal actions:
[] 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.
[] 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.
The Sibyl, while the least urgent option, is intriguing. I am curious to see if we would get an opaque prediction, or what else. Religion is an important factor for hearts and minds, and a way to influence the Samnites we should not neglect.
The cases and the elders have such strong synergy with each other, both give us intelligence and insight in the internal affairs of Bovianum, both increase our reputation and influence in the city, both let us practice major skills like Law or Oratory, and they capitalise on the phenomenal success of our good cop just cop routine with Rufus.
-[X] Castrum Aestiva
-[X] Garrison
-[X] Eliminate the Bandits
--[X] Use the Gauls
--[X] Join the hunt
-[X] Establish Supply Lines
--[X] Pompolussa
-[X] Liberate the Towns
-[X] Connect With Elders
-[X] Study Logistics
I am 100% behind the military reasoning of @Caesar: secure and improve our logistics through redundancy, expand our zone of control by occupying Aquilonia and the small towns around Bovanium, goad and bait the enemy to attack us where we want, and take personal command of the Gauls as our strike force.
My only regret is that we have to sacrifice 2 out of 3 of our personal actions, the need to study logistics, and the need to be personally present at the front, to support the military operation.
But needs must. If I had my wish though, this is what I would choose for the personal actions:
[] 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.
[] 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.
The Sibyl, while the least urgent option, is intriguing. I am curious to see if we would get an opaque prediction, or what else. Religion is an important factor for hearts and minds, and a way to influence the Samnites we should not neglect.
The cases and the elders have such strong synergy with each other, both give us intelligence and insight in the internal affairs of Bovianum, both increase our reputation and influence in the city, both let us practice major skills like Law or Oratory, and they capitalise on the phenomenal success of our good cop just cop routine with Rufus.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Well, yes, in our worst-case scenario Gemino may manage to re-enact the Battles of Lexington and Concord, with us cast as the British.
At the same time, though, note that the British hung onto Boston just fine after Lexington and Concord, ultimately won at Bunker Hill, and would have squashed Boston like a grape eventually if not for the sheer stroke of outside luck the Continentals had in capturing the artillery train from Fort Ticonderoga.
Furthermore, while that may be our worst-case scenario, our best-case scenario could inflict massive damage on Gemino's forces.
- Location
- Central Europe
With this plan Gemino gets to choose where to engage. Which means he will probably pick the best odds/modifiers available. Thus a worst case scenario is significantly more likely than the opposite.Well, yes, in our worst-case scenario Gemino may manage to re-enact the Battles of Lexington and Concord, with us cast as the British.
At the same time, though, note that the British hung onto Boston just fine after Lexington and Concord, ultimately won at Bunker Hill, and would have squashed Boston like a grape eventually if not for the sheer stroke of outside luck the Continentals had in capturing the artillery train from Fort Ticonderoga.
Furthermore, while that may be our worst-case scenario, our best-case scenario could inflict massive damage on Gemino's forces.
Anyway, the overall strategy of this plan is sound and we won't know what the rebels will do (and how the rolls went) until the update drops.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Depending on the exact resources available to him, even his best-case scenario may not be very good. See the comments earlier about trying to get Gemino to over-extend himself through overconfidence.
NavySeel
"I don't know what I'm doing."
- Location
- Places
I do think a hearts and minds approach could work very well in the city currently, we're trying to get them food and Gemino is trying to starve them.
Even if there's no major change his popularity is going to fall in our immediate area of control.
The best way to deal with it would probably be to cast him as a bandit, since we already have the reputation of a fair and just (though kind of harsh at times)person.
He clearly doesn't care about the Samnites, if he did why would he be starving them?
This is all a quest for glory to relive his campaign against Sulla.
Even if there's no major change his popularity is going to fall in our immediate area of control.
The best way to deal with it would probably be to cast him as a bandit, since we already have the reputation of a fair and just (though kind of harsh at times)person.
He clearly doesn't care about the Samnites, if he did why would he be starving them?
This is all a quest for glory to relive his campaign against Sulla.
- Location
- Anatolia
If I'm being honest I really want to raise our Stewardship to at least Accomplished. Sure, we'll never be Crassus but we'd still be skilled enough to fleece the rest of the population when they're not economically conscious and able to bankroll more plans with money from businesses we own.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Yes, but getting from zero Stewardship to Accomplished Stewardship takes roughly 1/4 as much XP as advancing a stat from Accomplished to Legendary. Higher levels of stat require more grinding.
There is some balance point at which the future benefits of having a slight Stewardship bonus, or at least not a penalty, offset the opportunity cost of slightly delaying our finishing off the last level of something else.
There is some balance point at which the future benefits of having a slight Stewardship bonus, or at least not a penalty, offset the opportunity cost of slightly delaying our finishing off the last level of something else.
- Location
- Anatolia
I think you're being a bit too anal about this.