Actual Play] FVLMINATA

[Curt]

Joe Cohen kicked off his new FVLMINATA campaign tonight in grand style. Over a ‘Roman style’ buffet of grapes, cheese, olives, bread and a very nice wine, we received a run down on the rules and created characters.

Heronymus is playing Felix – Assassin, ne’er do well, and ‘go to’ guy for dirty work.
Mat Helms is playing Marius – Gladiator and ex-slave. Not bright but scary as all get out.
I am playing Spurius – A bastard of the noble class, scholar and tutor.

After the meal and character creation it was on to …

The Adventure:
It was unseasonably warm in Caesarea and tempers were running high even though The Hundred Year Games were just a few days away. Especially heated was Ursus, the head of the vigilies in Caesarea. He made a life-altering mistake in abusing his wife, Lydia. She appealed to her brother for help, and he being the patron of our characters, this is where we came in.

After a short Gladitorial battle that highlighted the combat system’s speed and ease of use, Marius made his speaking entrance waiting in the daily line of clients paying homage to their patron by proceeding to hit upon our patron’s sister with such lines as “Now, now. There are easier ways to earn your way in to see the Patron.”

This set the tone for Marius. Arrogant, shallow and none too bright, he is both hilarious and a lot like a half-trained lion. We are trying to use him in ways that don’t get the bystanders killed.

We were given the task of removing Ursus from office, breaking him without killing him if possible, making it possible for Lydia (the sister) to return to her family home without disgrace. To that end, we decided on a plan to ruin his reputation and frame the wife-beating fool.

While Felix and Marius went off to find a sympathetic and bribable ear among the guardsmen/firefighters, Spurius went to talk to some actors about a special commissioned play that he had a hankering to see.

Felix hit pay dirt with an old contact and friend who was able to put them in contact with a scribe who did the accounts for the vigilies and after a small donation to the watchman retirement fund, a meeting was arranged for later that night.

Meanwhile, Spurius cultivated the attention of one of the doyens of the local artistic scene and offered her at least a season’s worth of patronage for her company if they would perform, often and free, a work that stressed the folly and evil of a Roman official who strayed off the path and robbed from his commission. And if the main character happened to look like Ursus … well, now. That would be very nice.

Later, at the inn Felix and Marius met with the hapless bookkeeper to whom Felix gave the following proposition. “I want to have a working relationship with you. And you can have a relationship with me … or a relationship with Marius. Briefly, anyway.” Marius was silently doing math tables in head and the fierce grimace of concentration that gave him was enough to scare the scribe into compliance.

Surprisingly enough, they found out that man we were working so hard to frame actually was siphoning off funds for his own use. Proving that the gods (in the form of our GM) have something of a sense of humor.

Simultaneously, Spurius was picking up a small fortune in gold coins, sealed in a pouch with the imperial governor’s seal upon the strings. A lot like the pay bags given to the leader of the vigilies to pay for extra mean and materials during the games.

In the next session, Marius is going to stage a one man assault on the vigilies’ barracks and in the ensuing chaos, Felix will slip said bag into the rooms of Ursus, insuring that the evidence to force his resignation (rather than live with disgrace) will be in place.

And the rumors will begin even before the satire is played….

Interesting enough, I discovered that the proud and angry scholar I designed turned out to be a plotting spider of a man in actual play. As soon as he found his own voice, it was pretty clear that he wasn’t going to be quite the wallflower I thought he was.

FVLMINATA is surprisingly well-designed for social interactions like the one that up the bulk of the adventure tonight and ran smoothly and well even though we were all new to the system.

All in all, it looks like a great game platform from which Joe is launching an outstanding campaign.

[Ubermonkey]

Sounds really cool, keep posting Actual Plays.

[SteveD]

Nice! I knew there was a reason I didn't sell my copy of Fvlminata.

Keep us posted!

[Quasar]

Now there's a game I wish I could play.

Please keep updating so I can live vicarious through you.

[Joe Cohen]

Good write-up. What was that line you used on Dolabella? It was the Roman equivalent of "Your daddy must have been a thief..." :)

Oh, and a clarification. These aren't the Ludi Saeculares in the next few days, these are special games to help keep Judea satisfied. The big festival is still a couple months off.

[Heronymus]

You forgot the dolmas! So good!

The addition of Curt to the gaming group has been a positive effect for all concerned, I think; Joe, Matt, Curt and I are able to improvise, harmonize, and build upon one another's choices, and like Jazz, it's a whole lot of fun!

Curt is less-than-generous to say that his character is a "spider"; he is quick-witted and cunning, and willing to go to great lengths to fulfill his patron's wishes, which is a quintessential Roman thing to do. On the whole, Rufus is very Roman in almost every way that Marcus Aurelius emphasized as proper.

Matt does a brilliant job at playing dumb. And playing someone dumb without playing them as a joke is hard; something I've never been able to master, anyway. Marius desperately wants to be someone; he wants to rise above his station as a freedman and assume the mantle of diplomat and hero. That he is smart on the level that is generally used to describe sacks of hammers makes his struggle all the more impressive...and makes Matt's ability to play him humbling.

Joe, as the GM, has a gift for painting noticable characters in just a few strokes of the metaphorical brush; I won't confuse Ursus and Appalonius, though they are both Vigilens; I won't confuse Hercules and Sargon, though they are both slaves, and I certianly won't forget Dollabella, the actress who is smart enough to ask the right questions before taking on the head of the local police force.

I often marvel how I manage to get such good gaming groups, and sometimes fear I fail to hold up my end of the bargain as a player.

[Curt]

Good write-up. What was that line you used on Dolabella? It was the Roman equivalent of "Your daddy must have been a thief..." :)

Oh, and a clarification. These aren't the Ludi Saeculares in the next few days, these are special games to help keep Judea satisfied. The big festival is still a couple months off.

:D

Rufus: It must truly be an astrological anomaly.
Dolabella (warily): Oh?
Rufus: That Venus should rise so early in this season.
Dolabella: Ah, now I know you want something.


Sorry about confusing the games there.

[Curt]

Matt does a brilliant job at playing dumb. And playing someone dumb without playing them as a joke is hard; something I've never been able to master, anyway. Marius desperately wants to be someone; he wants to rise above his station as a freedman and assume the mantle of diplomat and hero. That he is smart on the level that is generally used to describe sacks of hammers makes his struggle all the more impressive...and makes Matt's ability to play him humbling.


I know. RPing with Matt is a lot like stepping on the mat with a black belt. You know he is going to just run circles around you, but you want to see what he does and might learn something.


Joe, as the GM, has a gift for painting noticable characters in just a few strokes of the metaphorical brush; I won't confuse Ursus and Appalonius, though they are both Vigilens; I won't confuse Hercules and Sargon, though they are both slaves, and I certianly won't forget Dollabella, the actress who is smart enough to ask the right questions before taking on the head of the local police force.

I often marvel how I manage to get such good gaming groups, and sometimes fear I fail to hold up my end of the bargain as a player.

Oh yes. Everyone has their voice. Dollabella and Sargon especially grabbed me. When Sargon said, "We ... will have to repay a great favor for this." In regards to the pouch with the governor's seal, I actually found myself thinking “Oh crap!”

And yea, it is one of those groups where you spend the whole game having fun and the rest of the time wondering if you are good enough to hang.

[G. H. Owl]

Wow, sounds like a great game! I enjoy most reading of how your group works so well together, and the strong role-playing and characterization. I haven't had gaming that good in years. Not that I'm jealous or anything. :)

[Balbinus]

Did you find any particular strengths or weaknesses in the unusual mechanics? Did the mechanics make for a better game in your view?

[Curt]

Did you find any particular strengths or weaknesses in the unusual mechanics? Did the mechanics make for a better game in your view?

Strange that you should mention that. I think the general consensus around the table was that the mechanics added to the 'flavor' and immersive factor of the game quite a bit.

For instance, you have four attributes and the classic four bodily humors. The attributes are Intelligentia, Agilitas, Pietas and Vis, the humor Flegmaticus, Cholericus, Melancholicus and Sanguinicus. From the moment character creation starts, you are thinking in terms of classic virtues and weaknesses.

If your humors are out of balance, you are subject to things like arrogance and rage. If they are in balance, you get extra humor (hero) points to spend.

Also, you skills are divided up by their patron deity and the character himself has a patron deity. Skills that fall under the provenance of 'your' god get a +1 bonus.

The Tali (eight sided dice with numbers ranging from I to VI) also help foster the flavor of playing a distinctly roman game. And the effect roll basically uses a period gambling game to determine the degree of success.

I honestly didn't find any weakness in the skill resolution system and combat looked both quick and deadly. We have not gotten into firearms or magic yet, so I can't report how those work.

Overall, I'd say the mechanics of the game are extremely atmospheric, adding to the immersion factor of the game greatly.

[Balbinus]

I own the game, I just found the mechanics read rather strangely hence why I'm interested in how they actually play out.

How easy did you find it to remember what the various dice results mean?

[Curt]

I own the game, I just found the mechanics read rather strangely hence why I'm interested in how they actually play out.

How easy did you find it to remember what the various dice results mean?

Joe provided us with nifty handouts with the success charts and such on them, so we can do things like subtract a Senio from Vultures quickly.

One thing that IS a little disconcerting is remembering that the four dice you are rolling only go up to six each. I kept expecting to fail attribute+skill rolls because after twenty odd years of gaming, I can pretty much do rough odds in my head and subconsciously, I kept trying to think of my success rate in a range of 4 to 32, rather than 4 to 24.

[SteveD]

Now there's a game I wish I could play.

Please keep updating so I can live vicarious through you.

What he said - both parts.

Damn, I would eat my legs to be in this group. Not only are the players and GM stellar, but Fvlminata's one game I love but just can't run.

Steve

[Curt]

What he said - both parts.

Damn, I would eat my legs to be in this group. Not only are the players and GM stellar, but Fvlminata's one game I love but just can't run.

Steve

I've wanted to play in a Roman themed game for at least five years now. Hell, I've been whining about it on RPG.net for at least three. When Joe dropped it into our laps, I almost offered to wash his car in sheer gratitude.

And yea, Hero, Joe and Matt have been amazingly gracious to let me join in what amounts to 'Role Playing 310'. :D

[Paka]

I've been reading the thread, lovin' it.

How would one procure this game?

[Curt]

I've been reading the thread, lovin' it.

How would one procure this game?

The company that put out the game went out of business, so your best hope would be ebay or the Amazon.com partners programs. With the latter, I've been able to pick up several games in mint condition and very, very cheap.

Joe might have better suggestions, so you may want to pop back by this thread in the morning, in case he checks it again.

[Balbinus]

Were there any combats? One thing I thought odd was that there was no real possibility of getting killed from being stabbed with a knife or gladius, it had to happen multiple times.

For a social/political game I think I'd prefer combat to be a little deadlier, less cinematic.

[tetsujin28]

Hey, Curt! Never knew you were a historical gamer at heart ;)

[3rd Level Fighter]

Hey, Curt! Never knew you were a historical gamer at heart ;)
One of us...one of us...one of us...

[tetsujin28]

One of us...one of us...one of us...
:)

And colour me just one of the many folks who're glad to see the gamma hamster back.

[Balbinus]

:)

And colour me just one of the many folks who're glad to see the gamma hamster back.

I hadn't noticed Curt's avatar before.

I find it curiously disturbing...

[tetsujin28]

It's the blinking and the ass wiggling, isn't it? ;)

[Balbinus]

It's the blinking and the ass wiggling, isn't it? ;)

Particularly the latter.

I may have nightmares this evening...

[Thierry]

Hey, Curt! Never knew you were a historical gamer at heart ;)

He's known as Tangency's Caligula.

[tetsujin28]

He's known as Tangency's Caligula.And yet, being a Tang regular, I somehow never knew this.

[Thierry]

And yet, being a Tang regular, I somehow never knew this.

Probably because I just made it up - I should write a "Life of the twelve Moderators".

To put this thread back in its rails, Curt, did you use the guns and magic of the setting or do you plan to use it at some point?

[tetsujin28]

Probably because I just made it up - I should write a "Life of the twelve Moderators".Aha! You and your hetorodox beliefs!

[Dave Turner]

I know Jason Roberts, so I'll steer him to this thread so that he can both receive the positive feedback and let everyone know how they can get a copy of the game, if they're still available. ;)

[Joe Cohen]

To put this thread back in its rails, Curt, did you use the guns and magic of the setting or do you plan to use it at some point?

I'm not Curt, but I know what the game is going to use better than he does. ;) I'm not using any of it at first, not overtly, but as the campaign goes on, both magic and fulminata will play a role.

As for the combat not being deadly, I disagree. We ran one combat, between Marius, the gladiator PC and his opponent. In two rounds, it was all over but the dying. That was a fight between two trained opponents, with humor points being used by the loser to improve his tali hand. If you're trying to stick a knife in the ribs of an unsuspecting or unskilled victim, using a humor point or two to increase your tali hand and without their level of success being attracted from yours, I think it's quite deadly.

[Joe Cohen]

I've been reading the thread, lovin' it.

How would one procure this game?

It pops up on eBay from time to time, and I ordered my newest copy from Chris Aylott's Space Crime Continuum (http://www.spacecrime.com/) after requesting copies on the Sales/Auctions forum here.

[Curt]

Hey, Curt! Never knew you were a historical gamer at heart ;)

Heh. Let's say I'm an alternate historical gamer at heart. I still love the touches of the odd and supernatural but a historical setting just can't help but be rich and detailed.

I hadn't noticed Curt's avatar before.

I find it curiously disturbing...

You’d be surprised how often I get that. :D

He's known as Tangency's Caligula.

That would explain the horse ….



I'm not Curt, but I know what the game is going to use better than he does. ;) I'm not using any of it at first, not overtly, but as the campaign goes on, both magic and fulminata will play a role.


Eeeeep!



As for the combat not being deadly, I disagree. We ran one combat, between Marius, the gladiator PC and his opponent. In two rounds, it was all over but the dying. That was a fight between two trained opponents, with humor points being used by the loser to improve his tali hand. If you're trying to stick a knife in the ribs of an unsuspecting or unskilled victim, using a humor point or two to increase your tali hand and without their level of success being attracted from yours, I think it's quite deadly.

Let me chime in with agreement here. Somebody with a Vis of 14 (like our Gladiator character) using a trident (his favored weapon) is going to at least 17 damage.

Given that your health is equal to your Vis and that you black out at that number of wounds and die at twice that, a good solid roll or one that you spend a humor point on is probably enough to put the average guy (Vis 10-11) out of the fight instantly.

We learned pretty much instantly that combat is going to be brutal when it happens. Which is appropriate for the genre and style of the game.

[Joe Cohen]

Let me chime in with agreement here. Somebody with a Vis of 14 (like our Gladiator character) using a trident (his favored weapon) is going to at least 17 damage.


Not quite. He'd do the base damage for the trident, plus his Vis modifier (+2), multiplied by the tali effect. Still, with a good tali hand, it can do enough damage to incapacitate a normal person.

[Curt]

Not quite. He'd do the base damage for the trident, plus his Vis modifier (+2), multiplied by the tali effect. Still, with a good tali hand, it can do enough damage to incapacitate a normal person.

Ahh!

My mistake, thanks for catching it.

Still, with my Vis, I'm not going to be running out to get into fights any time soon.

Our bruiser and throat cutter can do that. :D

[SteveD]

I found combat made more sense if I thought as each round as a scene, just like the skill rolls. No dice roll in Fvlminata is a one-second punch, it's something that takes like ten minutes.

[Dave Turner]

I hope this isn't too necromantic, but here's Jason's reply to the email I sent him regarding this:

Thanks for the link. Unfortunately, I don't have posting privileges
anymore on rpg.net. If you could say that "limited supplies are still
available of books and tali (dice) - contact FVLMINATA@aol.com for
details", I would appreciate it.

Enjoy. :)

[Curt]

Session Two

Night settled over Caesarea and the creatures of night and stealth were about their work. While this category definitely covered Felix, Marius and Rufus proved that they were children of the day.

Rufus headed back to the inn with a pouch full of golden coins and the seal of the Imperial Governor of Judea upon the strings, unaware that he’d picked up a follower. He unknowingly led his shadow to the wine shop that the trio were using as a meeting place.

Felix, on the other hand, was his usual observant self and rushed past the bemused Rufus even as the latter came through the door. Not knowing what was going on, but sure to lose Felix almost instantly in the dark, twisting alleys, Rufus sat down and had a drink with Marius.

Felix was led a merry chase down silent byways and stinking alleys, hounding his quarry into a blind alley, where the tail was revealed to a teenage boy who was shaking in fear. Felix was able to quickly learn that the boy’s employer was none other than the lovely and cunning Dolabella, trying to figure out who was hiring her to make an enemy of the vigilies. He instructed the boy to return to his mistress with the name Felix on his lips and let him understand that if our patron was mentioned, the results would be painful and fatal.

Felix returned to the wine shop and let the other two know what had occurred and after a moment’s appreciation for the clever actress, they put the next phase of the plan in action.

Marius procured a donkey and began a bragging session at the top of his lungs that would have shamed Mohamed Ali. In no time at all, half the city was awake and the vigilies were stirring. When someone protested loudly, Marius slapped the donkey between the ears and shouted, “Why don’t you come down and say that to my ass?!”

After a short battle and some fairly disturbing offers to get oiled up and leg wrestle with the viligies, either singularly or en masse, Marius was clubbed in the back of the head and dragged off to spend the night in chains. Or so we thought.

His distraction allowed Felix to slip into the barracks and find Ursus’ office fairly quickly and with only one minor misstep. The pouch of gold was hidden in Ursus’s mattress and Felix used Marius’ renewed bellowing as a cover for his escape. He also discovered dispatch from a legion traveling from Egypt to Judea that stated that three entire centuries of legionaries had vanished. Over three hundred people, all told, with no clue as to where they went.

Marius was bellowing because he’d managed to get himself whipped by Ursus for continuously challenging the man to battle. After several lashes, Ursus put forth a bargain for the champion gladiator. If Marius would win his next match in the manner that Ursus preferred (the sword, rather than the trident), Ursus would let Marius go free. The chief of the vigilies stood to make considerable money by winning bets on the style of the defeat. Marius appeared to agree and was released, but loyal, stalwart and mentally challenged as ever, he offered to stay in jail so as not to endanger the populace. He had been told he’d be bailed out in the morning and tried to stick to the plan as he understood it.

When that failed, he sought out Rufus at his patron’s estate (in the middle of the night) and brought Rufus up to speed. As Rufus had been planning on getting Ursus to place bets that Marius would lose the upcoming match, this made Rufus change his plans quickly. He had Marius attended to and sat up the rest of the night working on revising his plot.

In the morning, Rufus arranged a meeting with the second in command of the vigilies and determined that the man could be moved against Ursus, if they could present the appropriate proofs. He scheduled another meeting with the man that night, soon after the meeting with the book keeper from session one that would be able to produce records detailing Ursus’ thefts.

The three touched base again and Felix passed off the information about the legion to Rufus, who hastened to take it to his patron. While passing through the gardens of his master’s estate, Rufus noticed that his student was doing something amazing. He was scribing a scroll on his own time, with no lessons assigned. When the boy reluctantly produced the scroll, it was a list of what conspiracies that the boy’s adopted father, Rufus’ patron, might be engaged in. Things like ‘Stopping another Jewish revolt, overthrowing a gladiator rebellion, etc.’ were his guesses.

Rufus was proud and pleased that the lad was paying attention, but bade him to burn the scroll and learn to use his memory for all things of great importance. To that end he instructed his pupil to memorize a large chuck of ‘Meditations’. The sting was a little removed by his offer to take the boy to the arena the next day to watch Marius fight.

Rufus also extended the same offer to his master, saying, “Tomorrow you will see the end of a great many games, my lord.”

Felix, meanwhile, returned home to find a note waiting for him. It had the address of a local bathhouse and a time that would be about when the bathhouse was switching over from women patron to men for the day. A hint of perfume suggested who the sender might be.

Sure enough, when Felix followed up on the note, he discovered his shadow of the night before and Dolabella herself. They shared a bench and a verbal fencing match as she tried to find out who Rufus’ patron was. At last she was content when Felix told her that if trouble started, she should point him, personally, out to the vigilies as a sacrifice. She then told Felix that Rufus should attend the street theatres in the northern district that very night to see something he would be interested in.

The session closed with everything up in the air. That night, there will be meetings with the final couple of people needed to seal the fate of Ursus, the book keeper and Ursus’ second. With the matches in the area the following day will come great honor for the three and esteem in the eyes of their patron or the ultimate disgrace….

[Joe Cohen]

There's one important fact that hasn't been mentioned yet: this entire game thus far has basically been a flashback. The only scene in the "present" has been the opening scene, the gladiatorial match between Marius and Pernix, in which Pernix is defeated by a thrown trident, not a sword. :)

Of course, knowing how the fight will turn out, the players immediately had their characters find bookies to place bets. The great thing is, most of the money will go to fund Dolabella's theatre troupe in return for her assistance in bringing public attention onto Ursus' finances. I love having a group that's willing to do political intrigue, and doesn't degenerate into an orgy of violence whenever the plan strays...

[Curt]

There's one important fact that hasn't been mentioned yet: this entire game thus far has basically been a flashback. The only scene in the "present" has been the opening scene, the gladiatorial match between Marius and Pernix, in which Pernix is defeated by a thrown trident, not a sword. :)

Of course, knowing how the fight will turn out, the players immediately had their characters find bookies to place bets. The great thing is, most of the money will go to fund Dolabella's theatre troupe in return for her assistance in bringing public attention onto Ursus' finances. I love having a group that's willing to do political intrigue, and doesn't degenerate into an orgy of violence whenever the plan strays...

Heh! The plan did some serious straying, last night.

And yea, it will be nice to be able to keep the promises Rufus made on behalf of his patron without asking for the funds to do so, assuming everything works out. And besides, funding an entire season of the local players will mean that we can use them again when we need a politically pointed play staged.

And it will give Felix more chances to hit upon Dolabella. (If he continues to bathe.) :D

[Heronymus]

There's one important fact that hasn't been mentioned yet: this entire game thus far has basically been a flashback. The only scene in the "present" has been the opening scene, the gladiatorial match between Marius and Pernix, in which Pernix is defeated by a thrown trident, not a sword. :)

Of course, knowing how the fight will turn out, the players immediately had their characters find bookies to place bets. The great thing is, most of the money will go to fund Dolabella's theatre troupe in return for her assistance in bringing public attention onto Ursus' finances. I love having a group that's willing to do political intrigue, and doesn't degenerate into an orgy of violence whenever the plan strays...


Right. According to you, the orgy and violence comes later in the game.

This is a Roman game, right?

Orgies? Violence?

Anyone?

Matt once again blew us all away with his RPing skills, and Curt played the schemer to the hilt, and Joe got to embody several really amusing and fun characters (including Shadow, who may become my favourite NPC ever, if only because Felix just has to smile at him and he'll wet his tunic...).

Mostly, I sat around and failed my Piety rolls...

[Curt]

Right. According to you, the orgy and violence comes later in the game.

This is a Roman game, right?

Orgies? Violence?

Anyone?



Well, I don't know about Marius and Felix but Rufus is just hoping to go back to being a nice quiet teacher for a little while at least. Of course, I suspect Joe won't let it work out that way ....

:D

[Joe Cohen]

Well, I don't know about Marius and Felix but Rufus is just hoping to go back to being a nice quiet teacher for a little while at least. Of course, I suspect Joe won't let it work out that way ....

:D

Well, now that Pertinax knows he has someone of such varied talents in his clientele, he can't very well let those skills go to waste, can he?

[Balbinus]

I'm not Curt, but I know what the game is going to use better than he does. ;) I'm not using any of it at first, not overtly, but as the campaign goes on, both magic and fulminata will play a role.

As for the combat not being deadly, I disagree. We ran one combat, between Marius, the gladiator PC and his opponent. In two rounds, it was all over but the dying. That was a fight between two trained opponents, with humor points being used by the loser to improve his tali hand. If you're trying to stick a knife in the ribs of an unsuspecting or unskilled victim, using a humor point or two to increase your tali hand and without their level of success being attracted from yours, I think it's quite deadly.

I thought humour points just let you reroll, I don't remember them adding to your roll.

[Curt]

I thought humour points just let you reroll, I don't remember them adding to your roll.

Having managed to avoid fighting thus far, this is hypothetical, but I believe the success level rolls are used in combat as well. So a good reroll (going from two pair to Vultures, for instance) could kick up your damage significantly.

[Joe Cohen]

I thought humour points just let you reroll, I don't remember them adding to your roll.

You're correct, I wasn't clear. I meant you could use a humour point to reroll one of the dice that was keeping your from having a good tali hand, therefore improving your hand. For example, three III's and one VI is a senio, the lowest result, but you could spend a humour point to reroll the VI, and if it comes up as anything other than a VI, it improves your tali result, because it's then at least a three of a kind.

[Curt]

[episode 3]

To recap what has gone before:

The group consists of Joe Cohen (our GM for this game), Matt Helms (playing Marius, the gladiator with more ambition than brains), Heronymus (playing Felix, assassin, thug, strong-arm arm and general ne'er do well) and me (I'm playing Rufus, tutor and schemer with an unfortunate flair for the dramatic).

Based in Ceasarea, in the Roman province of Judea, each of the three is working for a wealthy nobleman and businessman. He called in Marius and Rufus to handle something of a domestic dispute, wherein his brother in law, who was head of the local vigilies (think watchmen crossed with firefighters), was abusing our patron's sister. Marius and Rufus were then given the services of Felix, who has no direct contact with our patron for reasons of plausible deniability

We three set to work ruining the head of the vigilies, one Ursus by name, by means of setting him up as a thief. To do so, we found the vigilies' bookkeeper and had him produce proof of Ursus' thefts, planted incriminating funds in Ursus' possession and had rumors started about his honesty, as well as commissioning a satire of him that painted him as a villain.

Ursus also helped plant the seeds of his own downfall by blackmailing Marius (who ended up briefly in jail) to win his match in the area not by his signature weapon of the trident, but by the sword. Since Marius was known to almost always finish up his matches with his favored weapon, the bet stood to make Ursus quite a bit of money and he wagered heavily on the 'fixed' match.

All was going according to plan, but at the last minute, things started to get complicated ....

Rufus gathered up Marius as a bodyguard and they headed to the theater district in time to catch the lovely Dolabella's troupe performing a scandalous farce that obviously painted the chief of the vigilies as a fool and a thief, dipping into the pockets of everyone around him. Marius, with characteristic subtlety yelled, “Look, it is Ursus!” The point of the piece was not lost on the citizens and after arraigning a market performance the next day and for the troupe to lay low for a while afterwards, they left. The rumors were already flying about Ursus.

Meanwhile, Felix was having a meeting with the vigilies' bookkeeper, who produced a number of documents 'proving' that Ursus was embezzling funds from the firefighting side of the vigilies' duties for his own use. Felix convinced the bookkeeper that discression and a long vacation might be be in order, that he should remain healthy to spend his payoff. The bookkeeper expressed that he thought a nice retirement far, far away would be just the thing for his nerves. Satisfied, Felix brought the documents down to the common room of the inn, where his compatriots were waiting by this time.

A quick glance over the papers gave Rufus a bit of a shock. The bookkeeper, rather than anger Felix by not being able to produce actual evidence, had manufactured it. Ursus really was innocent and the papers were not that good a forgery. As part of the plan hinged on getting Ursus' second to turn him in for his 'crimes', this was something of a problem.

After proving that he was more of a scholar than a forger (SIX failed rerolls to improve the documents for Rufus), Rufus decided that he would have to distract the Ursus' second while he read and then stage a distraction that allowed him to reclaim the scrolls. Rufus and Marius would wait outside and then rush in to simulate an attack by Ursus' hired assassins. That was the plan anyway ....

The second arrived and things got a little more complicated as he brought guards with him. The guards began to patrol the area, looking for trouble, and worse, one of them was one that Marius had tackled the night before, staging a diversion for Felix to break into Ursus' office and hide the 'stolen' funds.

While Rufus kept up a distracting line of patter inside (much to the annoyance of the second), Felix decided discretion was the better part of valor, and he dragged Marius into a darkened house across from the inn. The large wolfhound who was on guard inside began growling immediately in the pitch black room.

With infinite caution (and a really good piety roll), Felix befriended the dog before it awoke the neighborhood by barking or trying to rip his throat out. He and Marius exited the house to the rear, thoughtfully stopping to throw the now friendly dog a haunch of meat from the kitchen on their way out.
Leaving Marius behind outside, Felix rushed in to complete at least part of the plan and pretend that Ursus had agents closing in on the conspirators. Rufus scooped up the papers and asked the second if he had seen enough proof. Happily, the forgeries and distractions proved good enough and he said that he had. Rufus told the second where to find the hidden gold in Ursus' possession and they rushed out.

Meanwhile, the two guards found Marius and recognized him. They were considering calling for help even as he grinned maniacally at them and tried to get them to come drinking with him. Their master hurried out of the inn and collected them, fleeing ahead of the assassins that did not truly exist before they could question Marius closely.

The next day was the day of the gladiatorial combats and both Marius and Rufus were in attendance. Marius on the sands for his match with a brother gladiator and Rufus in the stands for his with Ursus.

As Marius' match started, Ursus wandered down to the box where Ursus was sitting and got his attention. Ursus vaguely knew Rufus and identified him as the servant of his brother-in-law. The two watched the match for a while and Ursus reacted in shock as Marius bested his foe ... with the spear.

Rufus smiled at Ursus. “That, my lord, is going to cost you a great deal.” Ursus asked what Rufus was talking about and Rufus explained that he knew about the wager. And knew that Ursus' name was being spoken in connection to corruption and theft on the streets all across the city. And that even as they spoke, evidence of that theft was being presented to the Governor. “My suggestion, my lord Ursus, would be for you to flee this place. Get on a horse, ride out of the city, ride of Judea and never come back. And, my lord, in your next life, under whatever assumed name you take in whatever filthy, pestilential hole where you end up hiding, should you marry again ... you might be nicer to your wife.”

Ursus tried to strangle Rufus at that point and was dragged off, protesting, by his own men as the word came down from the Governor to detain the (now former) head of the vigilies.

The deed was done. Ursus was broken and exiled and his wife returned to the house of her brother.

And that was the first adventure that Joe ran for us. A great game, a ton of fun and a nice system.

I was a little guilty at all the screen time I ended up with on this one, but it was AMAZING to play with a group and gm that would actually let us pull off plans rather than just rush in, kill people and run off to buy stuff. :D

Of course ... his prologue to the next adventure made everything much, much more complicated ....

:D

[Joe Cohen]

You forgot the melon fight between Hercules and Gratiunas. :)

When Rufus and Marius went to see Dolabella's play, she strolled up to Rufus and said "It's a good thing your friend Felix told me his name. My next step was going to be to seduce you. We're both lucky it didn't come to that." Marius' eyes just about popped out of his head.

About a week after Ursus was removed from his post, Pertinax asked Rufus to accompany him on his visit to his patron and on his errands. Rufus was asked to trust Pertinax, that he had the best in mind for Caesaria, for Judea and for Rome. Rufus was nervous but agreed. Pertinax then proceeded to lead him into a meeting with two leaders of the Jewish rebellion, Eliahu (a more peaceful, quiet man) and Yosaif (who wants a rebellion sooner, rather than later).

After the meeting, Rufus expressed a few misgivings. Pertinax explained the situation: he has a fondness for the Jews, and doesn't wish to see them crushed if they do rebel. Of course, telling them not to rebel would have the exact opposite effect, and it wouldn't allow Pertinax to be somewhat trusted by their leadership. So Pertinax provides the would-be rebels with select information to discourage an actual uprising (such as the X Fretensis legion's arrival, but not mentioning the missing Centuries), while voicing his support for their goals. He also believes the Jews have magicians working in their favor, and wants to use Rufus as a proxy for his dealings with them, since he's shown his talents in dealing with Ursus.

In the meantime, Marius is joined at breakfast by an old friend, Yitzhak, a former gladiator turned agitator. They spoke of Marius' decisions to continue to amuse the people who kept him in bondage for years. Marius insisted that his path was open to anyone, and that it's a sign of the opportunity afforded by Pertinax, his master when he was a slave, that he has the fame he does now. Yitzhak, showed Marius the Star of David on a chain around his neck. "Not everyone has the ability to rise to the heights you do." He mentions the efforts of others in history to allow the equality that Marius enjoys, such as Judah Maccabee. Marius says he will investigae who this man was, but adds, as he flicks Yitzhak's Star of David, "I will not wear a chain again."

Felix is contacted by one of his contacts, an attendant at a bath who puts him into contact with those who would have his services. He is met in the sauna ("The best thing about meeting in the sauna," said Felix, "Is that you know everyone is unarmed.") by Yitzhak, who says he needs a problem solved: Yosaif.

[Heronymus]

The first adventure was a great lesson in tension without combat. There were lots of times when we could have resorted to "I waste 'em with my javelin", but that wasn't the optimal solution, and so we spent a lot of time doing alternate things.

It was a blast.

Though this next adventure could be interesting; Felix doesn't like to back out on jobs, since it hurts his reputation. And he's got no reason to talk to the other members of the conclave (indeed, he's been avoiding being seen with either Marius or Rufus because of the...furor...surrounding them). In addition, he's inclined to take the job simply because the cops don't look to hard when a troublemaker meets trouble.

[Curt]

In the meantime, Marius is joined at breakfast by an old friend, Yitzhak, a former gladiator turned agitator. They spoke of Marius' decisions to continue to amuse the people who kept him in bondage for years. Marius insisted that his path was open to anyone, and that it's a sign of the opportunity afforded by Pertinax, his master when he was a slave, that he has the fame he does now. Yitzhak, showed Marius the Star of David on a chain around his neck. "Not everyone has the ability to rise to the heights you do." He mentions the efforts of others in history to allow the equality that Marius enjoys, such as Judah Maccabee. Marius says he will investigae who this man was, but, as he flicks Yitzhak's Star of David "I will not wear a chain again."


That was one of my favorite lines of the evening. It really sums up Marius in one quick sentence. :D

[Curt]

Though this next adventure could be interesting; Felix doesn't like to back out on jobs, since it hurts his reputation. And he's got no reason to talk to the other members of the conclave (indeed, he's been avoiding being seen with either Marius or Rufus because of the...furor...surrounding them). In addition, he's inclined to take the job simply because the cops don't look to hard when a troublemaker meets trouble.


Yea, it is going to strain the working relationship a bit if Marius and Rufus ever find out that Felix offed (assuming he gets the job done) somebody whose death may trigger a revolt. :D

[Curt]

Tonight’s Episode: Guess who’s dying at dinner.

Well … things got interesting tonight.

We opened with Felix taking a commission to kill a leader of the Jewish resistance by the name of Joseph. The person taking out the contract was Joseph’s co-leader (though none of us know this in character).

The next scene had Marius and Rufus assigned an odd mission by Pertinax. They were to travel to a small limestone-mining village in the mountains to find out what Joseph was up to, so far from Caesarea (and his power base). On the way Marius and Rufus had a discussion about why the Jews were imperfectly assimilated into Roman culture. Marius didn’t appear entirely convinced by Rufus’ arguments comparing non-Romans to well tended livestock.

Rufus also took the time to sound out his master’s major domo and factor, Sargon, about the details of Pertinax’s lover, Hercules. After assuring himself that Hercules wasn’t a Jew who was leading his master into ruin by running with the underground, Rufus let the topic drop.

Meanwhile, Felix was shopping for a headstone. Well, an obelisk to be exact. Posing as a buyer, he was given the grand tour of the quarry by the owner, a man named Dio. After the tour, Dio invited Felix to a formal dinner he was holding that evening.

Later in the day, Sargon, Marius and Rufus showed up and were also invited to dinner. Without knowing that Felix was there. And the stage was set….

The dinner party consisted of the three PCs, Joseph, Dio, his wife, a fabric merchant, Dio’s doctor, and a legionnaire, a centurion to be exact. We shortly learned that he was the leader of an elite group of anti-insurrectionist guerrilla warfare experts. Who are in the province to put down the rumored trouble.

When Felix walked in, things ended up … tense. Three quick diplomacy rolls later, they managed to avoid giving away that they knew one another. However, Rufus was fairly sure that if Felix was there, he was there to hurt or kill someone. To confirm it, Rufus asked if Felix was buying the obelisk as a monument to the living or the dead. Rufus replied that it was for the dead. ‘A … sudden passing?’ ‘Very.’ So he was there to kill someone. Someone probably at that table.

And so the dinner was a delicate affair of probing questions, veiled meanings and oblique investigation. With some difficulty Rufus and Marius managed to eliminate everyone but Dio and Joseph. With Marius shocking both of his sometime friends by asking just the right questions to help. As dinner broke up, Rufus managed to get away and pen a quick note and warn Sargon to be alert for assassination attempts versus Dio.

So a large group retired back to the inn and Rufus managed to slip Joseph the note, which basically read ‘You are in great danger. Leave tonight’ unobserved by either the centurion or Felix.

At the inn, there was a brief face to face where Marius and Rufus let Felix know that their patron would be upset if Joseph or Dio were to meet a sudden end. He shrugged and said quietly, ‘I’m just here to buy an obelisk.’

And with all hell about to break lose, we ended the session for the evening.

Tonight’s game was a great example of conflict and contest, even though we never came near combat. It was exciting, edge of your seat RP and a hell of a lot of fun to boot.

I just hope we don’t wait a month for the next session. ;)

[Heronymus]

Sooooo much fun. Like volleyball with words.

Joe once again did a great job of playing six people effectively and without ever confusing us, a talent I wish I had as a GM.

*Rufus expounds long and intelligently on the metaphor of wild horses in the desert versus a riding animal as an example of why the Jews should aquiesce to Roman rule*

Marius: "But aren't camels better suited for desert work?"
Rufus: "More wine, please."

[Joe Cohen]

Curt is really glossing over the conversation between Rufus and Marius. It was actually a fascinating in-character discussion on the merits of Roman society and the opportunities afforded and denied by the class system.

I also enjoyed the reaction at dinner when Marius announced his intention to go into politics, and his immediate acquisition of a political (at the very least!) enemy in Valens (the centurion and leader of the Decurae Perigrinae).

"When I begin to lose my touch in the arena, politics is a natural progression! I inspire people on the battlefield now, I can inspire them in civics." Noticing Valens' hard look at the comparison. "Of course, I mean no disrespect. I'm sure you and your men do a good job."

There was also a great out-of-character moment when Heronymus realized that Rufus was going to warn off Felix's quarry. Errr, no pun intended.

[Xeno]

Wow, that's just amazing stuff right there. These session reports are the reason roleplaying was invented, I think.

Good work, gentlemen :)

[G. H. Owl]

Yea, I'll chime in with Xeno...this is some good shit, and inspiring to boot. Sounds like a really good dynamic, with a group of people who are on the same page in terms of the style of play.

In all seriousness, the threads coming out of Chicago have gotten me off my lazy ass and actually running a little something again, and I'm excited.

[Joe Cohen]

Oh, and I forgot to mention The Plan, which Curt and Hero decided to let me in on. In order to keep Pertinax safe and out of trouble, considering his dalliances with the Rebellion, Rufus has decided to play kingmaker, and plans to begin working on getting his patron into the position of Imperial Governor. I can't wait to see how they're planning on pulling this one off (although I thought this might happen when planning the campaign). :)

[Curt]

Oh, and I forgot to mention The Plan, which Curt and Hero decided to let me in on. In order to keep Pertinax safe and out of trouble, considering his dalliances with the Rebellion, Rufus has decided to play kingmaker, and plans to begin working on getting his patron into the position of Imperial Governor. I can't wait to see how they're planning on pulling this one off (although I thought this might happen when planning the campaign). :)

It is the only way to make sure he doesn't end up disgraced or dead, if he insists on consorting with rebel scum. :D

[MattyHelms]

Great job, Joe, on the fascinating setup to get us all together. I got so excited as soon as the dinner party was mentioned by the host, I could hardly sit still.

Curt and Jerome, listening to the in-character conversation as you each tried to figure out the other's motives while mainting the guise of pleasant dinner chatter was top-notch entertainment. Bravo.

See, I had the easiest job - sit back and watch the artists, then come in sitcom character-like, say my catch phrase, and fall down to thunderous laughter.

I'm a lucky man for having a group who is as character and story oriented as I am, yet still gets excited over a good die roll. I wish all of us could be so lucky with our groups.

-Matt

[Curt]

See, I had the easiest job - sit back and watch the artists, then come in sitcom character-like, say my catch phrase, and fall down to thunderous laughter.

-Matt

You are soooo underselling Marius (and yourself). He's the ultimate dark horse contender. The big lug who is trying to do well for himself.

And personally, I am just waiting for the day when he figures out how tilted things are for anyone who isn't Roman. The results should be ... interesting. Like train wrecks are interesting. :D

[Curt]

Tonight’s session was tense. Or as Joe put it, ‘this is like a caper movie’.

We started off immediately after where last week’s session left off. Felix had retired to his room in the inn and Marius and Rufus were talking quietly in a corner of the common room. In another corner sat a Legionnaire. After a quiet consultation, Marius went to watch the windows on the outside while Rufus stayed in the bar.

Yossef, meanwhile, was taking the note that told of his danger to heart. He looked outside and sure enough, Felix was living up to his name, stalking across the overhangs like a cat and making his way to Yossef’s room. Yossef panicked and left downstairs, crossing the room to meet Rufus. Rufus did some fast thinking and realized that he had only one hope for Yossef to get out of this alive. He apologized to the man, turned to the Legionnaire and said, “Arrest this man, he has stolen from my master!”

The Legionnaire called for help and Yossef was brutally beaten and taken into custody. Marius came back after hearing the noise and Rufus explained what he had done and then set about working towards having Yossef tried in Caesarea where their Patron’s influence could save the day (and Yossef’s life).

Meanwhile, Felix had also taken note of what happened and he met the Legionnaires who escorted Yossef to a cell as they came out of the de facto jail. He mentioned that it was a surprise that Yossef was a thief as well as a suspected rebel. The Centurian overheard that and questioned Felix a bit. The assassin wove a fairly convincing story that he’d been hired to follow Yossef and in the course of his duties, he’d come to suspect the man.

The night in the cell became an all-night torture session for the poor supposed thief.

In the morning, Rufus rose early and discovered that Yossef was not only being held as a thief but as a revolutionary. Figuring out that Felix had to be behind it, he penned a simple cipher with a message that said ‘Frame Yossef and you will have earned your fee’. He then hid that note in Felix’s horse gear, under the saddle padding. Paying a visit to the jail to see exactly what the Centurion now knew, he arranged to travel back to the city with them, which suited the suspicious official to a ‘T’. He also found out that Yossef had confessed to being a leader in the Underground and it was only a matter of time before he cracked entirely.

Felix and Marius had a discussion over breakfast, with Marius trying to keep Felix in the inn until the column moved out for the day, including the very blunt line from the Gladiator, “So. We aren’t on the same side any more. Why not?” Felix declined to answer and went out to check his gear and saddle up. He discovered the note, but could not decipher it, so he tore it up and tossed it into the local latrine.

Back at the inn, the three men met up again and had a tense discussion. Rufus tried reason and bribery to get Felix to finish his mission and kill Yossef (who was now a danger to Marius and Rufus’ patron, Pertinax, because he knew the latter was involved in the underground). When Felix refused, he resorted to blackmail and when the assassin replied that he had discovered the ‘evidence’, Rufus made his bluff check (three of a kind) and stated that the assassin had discovered what Rufus wanted him to discover to prove he was serious and that there was more. The two men discussed things while Marius went to get a bottle of laudanum from the local doctor. He returned, unfortunately
, with a bottle of laxative, remarking ‘Going to make for a long ride back’. Rufus ran to secure a bottle of the drug.

On the trail, the three agreed to work together and Marius promptly started goading the Legionaries into a test of martial skill when they camped for the night. When Rufus mentioned that Yossef was safest in the arms of his silly One God, Marius dropped a bombshell. Of course, there was only one god. Marius had been raised a Jew. Which suddenly made him much, much more dangerous.

His challenge was taken up by none other than the Centurion himself. Marius soundly defeated the man in a wrestling challenge while Felix slipped the drug (in a lethal dose) to Yossef, ending the chance that he might talk while the guards were distracted by the match.

Lacking any evidence, the elite unit had nothing to go on and when questioned (lightly and politely, due to his station), Pertinax claimed that he had hired Felix, wrapping the whole thing up neatly and leaving them with no room to make accusations or question anyone else.

Felix and Rufus met in a bath house, where, good to his word, Felix gave Rufus double his normal fee and swore that he hoped the two of them would be able to work together in the future. Felix replied, “I always do what is best for business.” On that ominous note, they parted.

Meanwhile, Marius knocked on the door of his old friend, another leader of the Rebellion and former Gladiator and said simply, “We have much to talk about.”

And with that, the session (and this adventure) drew to a close.

As usual, the game was fantastic, with Joe setting up great situations and cool NPCs and then letting us room with them. Heronymus (as Felix) and Matt (as Marius) continue to amaze me with their RP skill. A lot of time tonight was used up with us just reacting to their great character work.

In short, this is probably the best game I’ve ever had the honor to play.

[Joe Cohen]

Fantastic session. All I had to do was, as Matt said "Just stay out of [their] way!" They propelled the story forward using the setup from last week, and I just adjucated a few actions by NPCs. It was beautiful, because Rufus' announcement that Yossef was a thief caught everyone by surprise, and so did Rufus' revealing that Yossef was a rebel. It was a great tennis match with poor Yossef as the ball.

Throughout the session, Marius began to look at Rufus' actions questioningly. The use of Yossef as a tool and his eventual sacrifice didn't sit well, and Marius began to see that some people are more worthy than others in the eyes of Rome.

Th group seems to have made an enemy in Valens (the Centurtion), especially Marius. His grandstanding after the wrestling match nearly led to a real fight, and Rufus association with Marius makes him an enemy as well.

[Curt]

The group seems to have made an enemy in Valens (the Centurtion), especially Marius. His grandstanding after the wrestling match nearly led to a real fight, and Rufus association with Marius makes him an enemy as well.

Rufus has plans for Valens. Oh yes he does. :D

Unfortunately ... he also now has plans for Marius as well.

[Heronymus]

Felix is actually glad of what happened.

He knew, after the setup of the Vigilius, that Rufus was a dangerous man.

He made the mistake of thinking that Rufus wasn't dangerous to him. He is, upon reflection, greatful for the lesson, and greatful that he survived.

It was all about raising the stakes, this session. It was also probably the best session I've ever played in.

[Curt]

Felix is actually glad of what happened.

He knew, after the setup of the Vigilius, that Rufus was a dangerous man.

He made the mistake of thinking that Rufus wasn't dangerous to him. He is, upon reflection, greatful for the lesson, and greatful that he survived.

It was all about raising the stakes, this session. It was also probably the best session I've ever played in.

Rufus isn't dangerous to anybody. He's a scholar. A tutor. Just a humble functionary in over his head. Felix can trust him.

Trust me.

:D

[Joe Cohen]

The next session is tonight, so I thought I'd post this for a reference.

Gaius Livis Pertinax – Equestrian and noble. Patron of the player characters. Sympathetic to the Jewish Rebellion. Brother of Livia. Adoptive father of Gratiunas. Owner of Sargon & Hercules.

Gaius Livis Pertinax Gratiunas – 12-year-old adopted son of Pertinax. Student of Rufus.

Livia – Formerly Livia Pollia Ursula. Brother of Pertinax. Ex-wife of Ursus.

Titus Pomponius Ursus – Former commander of the vigiles in Caesaria, now exiled. Ex-husband of Livia. Framed by the PCs for theft of government funds in retaliation for beating his wife.

Flavius Valerius Lepidus – Quaestor of Caesaria. Suspects Rufus and Pertinax of arranging Ursus’ crimes.

Aulus Silius Elvorix – Governor of Judea.

Sargon – Assyrian slave of Pertinax. Household steward and contact with Felix. Owes someone a big favor in return for evidence used to frame Ursus.

Hercules – African slave and lover of Pertinax.

Vibius Flavius Asina – Scribe working for vigiles. Falsified records and left town.

Appius Vibidius Epolonius – Member of the vigiles & Felix’s contact.

Sextus Murruys Dulcitius – Commanding officer of X Fretensis Legion, recently arrived in Judea. Two centuries of his men (200, including support staff) disappeared during the march from Nubia to Judea.

Marcus Petilius Pollio – Former second-in-command of vigiles, now commander. Focused on fire fighting. Mostly honest, although he was willing to work with Rufus to remove Ursus from office.

Dolabella – Greek actress. Helped depose Ursus, but keeps a few cards close to the vest to keep herself safe.

Quintus – Street urchin employed by Dolabella. Terrified of Felix.

Pernix – Up and coming gladiator defeated by Marius.

Yosaif – Older Jew and one of the leaders of the Rebellion. Tortured by Valens in Bachar, and committed suicide with help from Felix before he could be forced to reveal Pertinax’s involvement.

Yitzak – Former gladiator & leader of Jewish Rebellion. Friend of Marius who tried to convince his friend to join the Rebellion. Secretly arranged murder of Yosaif.

Eliahu – Pertinax’s personal contact within the Rebellion. Wavering in his support.

Marcus Volumnius Dio – Minority owner of Bachar limestone mine. Business partner of Pertinax.

Naevia – Wife of Dio

Titus Opsius Valens – Centurion. Commanding officer of XVI Decuraea Peregrinae. Suspects Pertinax, Rufus and Felix of involvement with the Rebellion. Dislikes Marius personally.

Appius Salvius Clodian – Dio’s personal physician.

Servius Helvius Cicero – Travelling fabric merchant.

[Curt]

When we left everyone last time, they were recovering from the disastrous trip to the limestone quarry. The next couple of days held ups and downs for our little trio….

Marius started off the day with a conversation with Yitzak, his gladiator friend and a leader of the Rebellion. Marius sought clarification and proof that the Jews are mistreated under Roman rule and don’t have the same chances as Romans to make good. In reply, Yitzak took Marius to a small slum hovel where a poor woman and her children were living. He claimed that her husband was snatched up by the Vigilies several months before on suspicion of sympathizing with the Rebels. Marius left with some food for thought and on the way to Pertinax’s home, he saw notices posted proclaiming that he has an upcoming match in the Arena.

Rufus’ day was less pleasant still. Pertinax called him on the carpet over his massive failure with the affairs at the quarry and seemed prepared to fire him entirely. Rufus explained that there were outside forces at work and that he didn’t have the whole picture to work with. He also suggested that the bloodshed of Jews in an upcoming revolt was inevitable and the best way to control and limit that bloodshed would be for Pertinax to take up the mantle of Imperial Governor. His patron told Rufus to keep him up to speed and kept him on the payroll.

Meanwhile, Felix was called upon by Sargon, (Pertinax’s major domo) and asked to attend Pertinax. It was their first face to face meeting. After a little back and forth, Pertinax basically recruited Felix as his personal, in house assassin and secret agent, on a monthly salary and exclusive to Pertinax’s house. A bit reluctantly, Felix agreed.

Later in the day, Marius went to Rufus to get a counterpoint to the information that his friend Yitzak had given him. Rufus explained that Marius could be as successful as a Roman if he WAS a Roman and put aside what Rufus sees as disloyal and anti-Roman behavior on the part of the Jews. To be perfectly assimilated, all they have to do is give up their identity. Marius departs, dissatisfied.

As he prepares to also depart, Rufus was pulled aside by Pertinax’s sister, Livia. She wanted an assurance that her brother was still acting in the best interests of Rome. Rufus swore on his honor and life that his master was and is a good Roman and will continue to be so as long as Rufus has any say in the matter. He also suggested that Livia might be able to divorce soon, since her husband abandoned her, and that she might consider remarrying in a way that would be advantageous to her brother. He mentioned that certain nosey Centurion was single and in town. Valens would make a good brother in law to Pertinax. She also raised some interesting questions about Pertinax’s adopted son, Gratiunas’s background and actual parentage. Suddenly, Rufus began to get a bad feeling….

Marius went to the arena and crashed his upcoming opponent’s training session, WWF style. He basically trash-talked young Leo (who is still a slave) until the other gladiator agreed to a practice bout together. The slave stripped down and Marius didn’t, as a sign of confidence. The two sparred, back and forth with a few light touches and a long exchange of parries and dodges until Leo went into overdrive and scored first a long paint-slash down Marius’ tunic and then a solid blow to Marius’ forehead that knocked him senseless. As he left the arena, the bookies were giving good odds against Marius for the first time in a long, long time.

Felix was back at the baths, trying to track down Yitzak, who hired him to kill the late Yosaif. His contact at the baths wasn’t able to help much, but Felix asked him to spread around that Felix was no longer in the assassination business. From the baths, Felix went to his contact in the Vigilies, and treated the man to a nice drink in a public and expensive wineshop. Felix declared that he was now (mostly) on the straight and narrow and had given up crime. He also asked one last favor from the man, the arrest of Yosaif. His contact declined, stating that Yosaif’s arrest could led to his own arrest and he wasn’t willing to take the risk. On the other hand, if Felix found him….

And lastly, Rufus met with Dolabella, the mistress of the theatre scene, to secure her aid with his new schemes. He promised her wealth, position, power and the appearance of being a lady of quality if she signed on, whole-hog. She demurred, wanting to keep her options open until she could see which way the wind was blowing, and Rufus applauded that caution while offering her a position as a mistress of spies. Basically, he wants her to get information from the actors, jugglers, dancers and conjurers of the theatre world. People who gain entry to many houses and hear many things, because people, rich, powerful, Roman people, tend to forget that they have ears and speak around them. Dolabella rose to the challenge and accepted that job, providing Pertinax with the core of a spy network.

(Whew)

And that was all we got done this session. :D

There is a storm brewing in Caesarea. It remains to be seen who will ride it to glory and who will be swept away….

[Joe Cohen]

Heronymus said during the game that listening to Rufus made him want to go take a shower. He fed Marius a line of BS about how fortunate he was because of Rome, suggested his patron's sister remarry to benefit her brother's abmitions (and if she didn't want to marry, perhaps just to sleep around), then tried to talk a local sex symbol into marrying a man who would have no interest in her. He's quite the sleaze, but very effective. :)

Matt, for all his protests that he's not a good roleplayer, had great conversations with Yitzak and Rufus, trying to see the glory of Rome from both sides. And as for his defeat by the young Isatis Leo, Matt had been holding onto 2 skill points for a rainy day. I feel a "I am not left-handed either" moment coming on.

[Curt]

Matt, for all his protests that he's not a good roleplayer, had great conversations with Yitzak and Rufus, trying to see the glory of Rome from both sides. And as for his defeat by the young Isatis Leo, Matt had been holding onto 2 skill points for a rainy day. I feel a "I am not left-handed either" moment coming on.


Rufus was going to bet on the big lug anyway. He needs more money for ....er.... 'consultants' and doesn't want to bug Sargon constantly. :D

[Joe Cohen]

...and doesn't want to bug Sargon constantly. :D

Speaking of Sargon, I hope you noticed what was said about Sargon on the NPC scorecard. I haven't forgotten about that...

[Curt]

Speaking of Sargon, I hope you noticed what was said about Sargon on the NPC scorecard. I haven't forgotten about that...

Oh, I know ... but actually, ICly, Rufus is eager to have that favor called in. Because then we'd get to see who is calling it. And hey, there has to be a way to use a person corrupt enough to act freely with the Governor's purse and seal. Unless it is the governor himself. And if it is ....

Oh my. Rufus has a few ... ideas.

:D

[Joe Cohen]

Oh, something I was thinking about last night after you left. I wonder how this campaign would have been so far if you'd played the other character you had in mind, the 20-year-man turned baker. Felix would likely have been the one pulling the strings, and he'd have gotten to show off that high dagger skill quite a bit. :)

[Curt]

Oh, something I was thinking about last night after you left. I wonder how this campaign would have been so far if you'd played the other character you had in mind, the 20-year-man turned baker. Felix would likely have been the one pulling the strings, and he'd have gotten to show off that high dagger skill quite a bit. :)


Oh yea. That would have been interesting, wouldn't it? The baker/ex-Legionnaire was basically a simple man, with a tendency for pragmatic answers to complex problems and a loyalty to the empire he served for 22 years. The campaign would have involved a lot more chopping. :D

[Neil]

Nice thread guys. Inspirational stuff.

[MattyHelms]

Good stuff with a good group. It is honestly creepy to see how slimy a character Curt can play. Yeah, I was thinking about that favor last night too, wondering when that would come into play.

And it actually wasn't Marius' lack of skill that cost him the match; it was the Tali rolls. Well, fate may have worked in the story's favor, as that defeat may be one more thing to push Marius in a certain direction.

-Matt

[Curt]

Good stuff with a good group. It is honestly creepy to see how slimy a character Curt can play. Yeah, I was thinking about that favor last night too, wondering when that would come into play.

And it actually wasn't Marius' lack of skill that cost him the match; it was the Tali rolls. Well, fate may have worked in the story's favor, as that defeat may be one more thing to push Marius in a certain direction.

-Matt

Heh. I'm wondering if being good at playing bad is why I don't knock over banks or something in real life. :D

And yea, Marius is going to knock that kid into the next century. :D

[Joe Cohen]

Yesterday's session was a short, but interesting one. Rufus paid a visit to Yitzak, who was very different from Yosaif. Where Yosaif was willing to listen to Pertinax and take his advice, Yitzak very clearly wanted to wash his hands of the Roman and encourage his people to rise up. Rufus, though, is a hard man to argue with. He had an answer for everything Yitzak said, and by the end of the conversation had encouraged the man to remain patient for now, that any freedom they might win would be "blessed, and brief. If you won your freedom, you wouldn't next be facing a legion. You'd be facing the Legions."

Marius went to visit his patron, Pertinax, and for the first time discussed how he came to be a slave. His mother was starving, and Marius stole bread from Pertinax. As punishment, he was enslaved. Pertinax had him sent to a gladiator school, giving him the opportunity to fight and earn his freedom. He did, for which Marius has always been thankful to Pertinax before, but he questioned why his mother was not punished.

Pertinax told him that it is not the place of Rome to feed all those who can't fend for themselves. This seemed to make up Marius' mind.

Felix continued his investigations to try to find Yosaif. His next contact, a bookie, was a hit. Yosaif was a former gladiator, so the bookie knew him. He didn't know where he was, but he directed him to Eliahu, one of Pertinax's contacts within the rebellion (unbeknowest to Felix).

Rufus began doing some research into young Gratiunas'past, obstentially for an astrological chart, with the help of Sargon. The boy was born to a stable owner in Italia, and was adopted in Rome the previous year. Sargon asked who Rufus was planning on visiting for the astrological information, and when Rufus replied that he was considering a Jewish mystic, Sargon warned him that he had been forbidden from associating with Jewish mystics by Pertinax, for reasons unknown. Rufus replied that perhaps a Greek mystic would be a better fit, but his curiousity was whetted...

Later, as Marius practiced, Rufus went to see him. Marius made hints about retiring from service to Rome, and Rufus began to push him TOWARDS the rebels. If Yitzak was not willing to deal with Pertinax, perhaps another leader would be needed. It looks like Pertinax's agreement to hire Felix exclusively is going to be put to the test in short order.

Next session, the final fight of Gaius Livius Marius?

[Curt]

Last night was a short session, due to a bit of an emergency, but here is what happened ....


Rufus went to speak Yitzak. After being escorted to the man, he quickly discovered that Yitzak is loosing patience and was perhaps planning on doing something soon that would take the Jewish revolt into an active and deadly phase for all involved. Rufus tried to talk the man down from his metaphorical ledge and painted a picture of just how disastrous open rebellion would be at the moment.

Yitzak appeared to settle for the idea of Pertinax and the underground continuing to work together, in the short term, for the removal of Valens and his legion from Judea, by political means and Rufus mentioned that the underground had a chance to help Pertinax assume power, effectively having a governor in their pocket. In the meantime, Rufus arranged for an information sharing arrangement. He mentioned that he would make a point of investigating the death of Yosaif, since Rufus doesn’t know that Yitzak ordered the assassination of his co-leader. It appeared to work, but they parted with distrust and plotting on both sides.

Marius and Pertinax had a conversation, with Marius asking Pertinax about his original arrest and the fate of Marius’ mother (who died while Marius was being held as a slave). He wanted to know why things were handled as they were. Pertinax replied, “It is not the law of Rome to insure that everyone is fed. It is the law of Rome to insure that those who commit crimes are punished.” Marius went on by asking if Pertinax thought of Marius as a Roman. Pertinax hesitated and then nodded. “For the purposes of the law, you are a citizen.”

Marius took his leave, perhaps unsatisfied with the way his inquiries were taking him.

Felix, meanwhile, dropped in a bookie of his acquaintance to talk about the odds against Marius in the upcoming match and see if he could track down Yitzak. The two engaged in some verbal fencing for a while, including, Felix being told, “I remember back where you were just a messenger boy.” After a while, the bookie wanted to know what Felix wanted with Yitzak. Felix replied, “Has it ever been good news when someone’s name came to my attention?” A little more fencing and a bribe later, the bookie agreed to tell Felix the name of a member of the underground who could lead him to Yitzak. As long as Felix left that man alive, as he was one of the bookie’s most lucrative customers. Felix agreed and they parted, with the assassin now homing in on his prey.

Marius received a visit from Rufus, who went out of his way to tell Marius that he’d put a large bet on the gladiator to win against his upstart foe, because he Marius was his friend. Marius grunted and asked, “Are you my friend?” Sensing trouble, Rufus affirmed that he was and asked what was on Marius’ mind. They walked together and Marius asked Rufus the same question he asked Pertinax, “Am I a Roman?” Rufus considered the question and answered almost exactly the same way that Pertinax did, “Under the law, you are a citizen.”

Marius went on to ask what would happen if he no longer served Pertinax. Would he still be considered a Roman. Rufus answered that as long as he did nothing to betray his citizenship, he would be considered a Roman for the rest of his life, be that as a gladiator, a brink layer or an innkeeper. Marius seemed unconvinced and Rufus realized that Marius was feeling the weight of his Jewish heritage on his shoulders and feeling it conflict with his status as a citizen and a hero of the Roman citizens. And in that moment, Rufus stepped over the line from merely shady to truly damned.

“You must do as your conscience bids you, my friend. And if that means using your position as a gladiator and a famous man to aid yourself, Pertinax and your people, then that is what you must do.” Marius smiled and said, “You always help me see things clearly, my friend.” Rufus nodded back and said, “With that in mind, I think that I’d like to introduce you to a few friends of mine. People with whom you have much in common.” If the leader of the uprising was going to be a problem, Rufus would just help them find a new leader. Even if it meant throwing one of his only true friends in the line of fine.

To get things started, he mentioned, “Too bad that your opponent is such a hater of Jews. A man like that ... he needs humbling.” Marius snorted like a bull and vowed to give the man a fatal lesson in tolerance.

Rufus left for home, penning a note to Dolabella asking her to use her street performers to start spreading rumors that Marius’ opponent was a foe of the Jewish people.

He also stopped off to speak with Sargon, claiming that he wanted to have Pertinax’s adopted son Gratiunas astrological chart done as a reward for the boy’s scholarship. But alas, Rufus claimed, he didn’t know exactly when or where the boy was born. Sargon handed over the adoption papers (which is what Rufus really wanted to see, with Livia’s hints still echoing in his head from the day before) and asked if Rufus had anyone in mind to do the chart. Rufus mentioned that he was thinking of having a Jewish mystic in the marketplace do the chart. Sargon noted that Pertinax gave Sargon a command to stay away from the Jewish mystics. Rufus’ ears perked up. “Well, we must obey the commands of our master, perhaps a Greek, then.” Of course, Pertinax hadn’t given Rufus any such command....

So, things are beginning to tighten and expand at the same time. Felix is on the trail of Yitzak, determined to kill the man who set him upon a target that nearly got him killed. Marius is headed towards the uprising, apparently with Rufus’ blessing and Rufus has sold his friend and perhaps his soul to further the ambitions of his master. The mystery of Gratiunas’ birth is looming over them all and with the hint of mysticism and magic in his nostrils, the old passions that ended up with Rufus exiled from Rome are rising....

[Curt]

Next session, the final fight of Gaius Livius Marius?

Well, maybe the last in the arena. He will still kick that boy's butt. :D

[MattyHelms]

Rufus, though, is a hard man to argue with.

No $#!+. Curt is the scariest damn roleplayer I've ever gamed with. There are points where I don't even know what my own character is going to do coming out of convesations with Curt's Rufus.

-Matt

[Curt]

The game kicked into high gear tonight ….

We started off with Rufus visiting an astrologer in the Jewish quarter. The two talked shop a little and Rufus was bid to return in a month or so.

Marius, meanwhile, was using a hapless tailor (also in the Jewish quarter) as a sounding board to talk about fame, the Jewish condition and the nature of Roman citizenship. Or at least get the ideas straight in his head. He left without buying clothes but with his mind made up.

Felix sent word that he wanted to meet Rufus for dinner and somewhat hesitantly, Rufus accepted the offer. It didn’t take long to ascertain that Felix was going to let bygones be bygones and not kill Rufus, something that caused the scholar to breathe easy for the first time in a week. As Felix put it, his loyalties were ‘expanded and contracted’. Rufus also took a moment to ask Felix to murder Leo should he win in the upcoming match with Marius. His words were something to the effect of, “I like Marius quite a bit and if anyone kills him outside of my plans, I will most displeased.”

Rufus had a series of short meetings with Marius (wishing him well and helping point him to the Jewish rebellion), with Sargon to obtain funds and then Felix to arrange for agents to be sent to Italy to check on the circumstances of the birth of Pertinax’s adopted son.

Later at the arena, Felix has a short pep talk with Marius while Valens (the head of the elite legion) chats with Rufus a moment, letting him know that he has his suspicions about Pertinax’s household. Rufus forms an awful plan to deal with the man….

And it was time for the match between Marius and Leo. The handlers set up a tableau of composite blocks and pillars, evoking the idea of a ruined temple. The two gladiators saluted the Questor and each other. Leo snidely asked, “Have you recovered from your last beating?” Marius merely growled, “Die.” And the match began.

Straight off, Marius launched a mighty blow with his gladius that shattered Leo’s shield and surprised the younger man considerably. Leo’s counter attack left Marius with a shallow scratch down his forearm.

They exchanged blows again and again, small cuts and clashes of steel on steel until Marius managed to use Leo’s momentum to smack him into a pillar and while he was trying to recover, Marius used his net to capture Leo’s sword arm. Marius howled, “This is what happens when you challenge a son of the desert!”

They clashed again and Leo was cast to the ground, stunned. Marius turned away from his foe and turned his strength towards toppling a pillar onto Leo, capturing his opponent’s leg and breaking it. He turned to the Questor and waited for the command, which was … death.

Marius shook his head at the Questor and said, “I am not your man.” Leaving the shocked and disbelieving crowd behind him, Marius walked out of the arena for what seems to be the last time.

His friend Yitzak was waiting for Marius outside the arena and led him away to the Jewish quarter, where he revealed an underground passage and then much, much more. There were members of the resistance practicing and sharpening swords. Yitzak remarked that these were but one cell of the thousands in Judea and then he showed him the next room, which was full of Pilum (rifles) and worse yet, a cauldron full of fulminata, gunpowder. The most powerful weapon and the best kept secret of Rome is in the hands of the rebels.

And there we ended, with everything changing direction in an instant. Matt’s journey with Marius has been consistently and powerfully moving towards joining the uprising, but it was amazing to watch how he made tonight the character’s defining moment.

Joe runs one hell of a game. :D

[Heronymus]

So much fun.

The best of all possible worlds has been seen in this game: intelligent conversations, verbal sparring, plotting and scheming, good fighting, and a total body count of two.

I also think it's very interesting that we've gotten to the point, with the characters machinations, where no one can have a straight conversation any longer.

Every interaction from now on between any given combination of players and NPCs will be laced with questions about trust, loyalty, and betrayal. Including discussions between players!

All this, and ultimately the three PCs are still all aimed at the same goal: a peaceful and stable region of Judea.

Watching Matt grow the character of Marius beyond his muscle-bound beginning to the erstatz leader of the Jewish Rebellion has been a real treat, as has watching Curt turn a "simple scholar" into, essentially, the roman equivalent of Karl Rove. Sometimes, I feel completely overmatched: my character is very good at putting the pointy bits of metal into other people, and I haven't managed to accomplish that even once. Mostly, I'm just flailing about in the dark, trying not to get killed or framed.

And Curt is right. His plan for Livia, the sister of Pertinax, is very, very Evil. it's also brilliant AND effective.

[Joe Cohen]

Something from the previous week I forgot to mention: young Gratiunas has learned far too well from Rufus. While helping himself to an afternoon snack from the cellar, he overheard a discussion on the Jewish Rebellion between Rufus and... was it Sargon? And then at the arena, when Rufus noticed he seemed nervous and distracted, he managed to completely snooker Rufus about his concerns. :)

Also, before the match, Felix went to see his bookie to begin working on sending someone to Italia. They were interupted by the Perigrinae Decuriae marching down the alley. Valens recognized Felix, and after a few tense moments, Valens placed a bet of 25 sesterces on Marius. "I may not like him, but I know what he can do."

Next week, Felix should finally get to wet his blade. Be careful what you ask for, Hero... :)

[Heronymus]

Something from the previous week I forgot to mention: young Gratiunas has learned far too well from Rufus. While helping himself to an afternoon snack from the cellar, he overheard a discussion on the Jewish Rebellion between Rufus and... was it Sargon? And then at the arena, when Rufus noticed he seemed nervous and distracted, he managed to completely snooker Rufus about his concerns. :)

Also, before the match, Felix went to see his bookie to begin working on sending someone to Italia. They were interupted by the Perigrinae Decuriae marching down the alley. Valens recognized Felix, and after a few tense moments, Valens placed a bet of 25 sesterces on Marius. "I may not like him, but I know what he can do."

Next week, Felix should finally get to wet his blade. Be careful what you ask for, Hero... :)

Actually, Felix was seeing the bookie to get a line on upper-class betting habits, so Felix will know who has money, who doesn't, who bets, who doesn't, and who pays and who doesn't. But that's not important. The Italia trip will get set up in the couple of days between the aftermath of the fight and the appointment that Appellus (of whatever the hell his name is) is setting up.

And a chance to kill something? Whoo hoo!

[Curt]

Something from the previous week I forgot to mention: young Gratiunas has learned far too well from Rufus. While helping himself to an afternoon snack from the cellar, he overheard a discussion on the Jewish Rebellion between Rufus and... was it Sargon? And then at the arena, when Rufus noticed he seemed nervous and distracted, he managed to completely snooker Rufus about his concerns. :)


That was a conversation between Marius and Rufus.

And Gratiunas' performance gets even more amusing when you consider Rufus' 'This is the power of a man fighting against an idea' talk with him when Marius' actions in the fight are taken into account.

Our little boy is headed for trouble, I suspect. :D

[Joe Cohen]

Actually, Felix was seeing the bookie to get a line on upper-class betting habits, so Felix will know who has money, who doesn't, who bets, who doesn't, and who pays and who doesn't.

Ah! I see now. And you say Felix is just flailing about in the dark...

[Curt]

Actually, Felix was seeing the bookie to get a line on upper-class betting habits, so Felix will know who has money, who doesn't, who bets, who doesn't, and who pays and who doesn't. But that's not important. The Italia trip will get set up in the couple of days between the aftermath of the fight and the appointment that Appellus (of whatever the hell his name is) is setting up.

And a chance to kill something? Whoo hoo!

Yea, going after the gamblers is good. Very good. We can do a lot with that information.

As for killing things .... I can think of at least two people in the near to mid future who might require a sudden and pointed retirement.

And a little Felix brand terror is in the future for a certain young lad of the revolt, I suspect. :D

[MattyHelms]

Yup, good times. I didn't really know eaxctly what Marius was going to do until it happened - so much hinged on how the match went. Before the combat, I was so nervous, I couldn't sit still. After that first roll, though...

All the build-up is coming to a glorious head. Also, don't forget - Marius publically disobeying the Questor can be used against him if needed...

And, yeah, remind me never to cross Curt in my life:
Rufus by Roman standards = efficient
Rufus by modern standards = toally fucking evil

-Matt

[Curt]

And, yeah, remind me never to cross Curt in my life:
Rufus by Roman standards = efficient
Rufus by modern standards = toally fucking evil

-Matt

The character is a ruthless bastard. I, on the other hand, am a sweet, nice and friendly guy who wouldn't say boo if I were a ghost. I just channel a bad, bad man once a week. ;)

[Curt]

We opened tonight with Marius and Yitzak speaking of how Yitzak had come by the Fulminata (black powder) and rifles the rebellion has. He basically mentioned a trip to the orient where they discovered the substance being used in a temple. They learned the formula and brought it home. Yitzak then takes Marius off on a trip into the desert to the training camp for the rebellion.

At the same time, Felix was meeting with Besta the bookie/restaurateur and legitimate businessman of Judea. Felix made a pitch by which both would profit: Besta would hand over information on who is deeply in debt (especially politicians and officials) and Pertinax would pay for the information as well as perhaps buying the debt of selected deadbeats. Besta liked the plan and promised to go over his accounts and get back to Felix with names.

On the way back to his house, Felix met with a minor league assassin and spy type who went by the name of Bradua. After checking the man's credentials, he sent for Rufus, who explained Bradua's mission: Go to Italia, find Gratiunas' birth parents and find out everything he can about them. And if they don't measure up, quietly dispose of them. When asked what he meant, Rufus replied, “Their blood needs to be Roman or it needs to run.” With that, Bradua was sent on his way to sunny Italy.

Rufus next met with Livia, sister of Pertinax to ask her if she'd thought about seducing the head of the Decuraea Peregrinae, Valens. Getting the head of the elite rebel busting legion off their backs would be a good thing. She initially refuses and hints that she is planning on having Rufus sold as a slave for even suggesting it. Rufus reminds her that her brother just saved her from a bad marriage and that her filial loyalty seems to be lacking. She remains mostly unconvinced but agrees to host a party with Valens present.

Rufus went right along to a quick meeting with Pertinax, where he revealed that Yitzak seemed dangerous and unstable. He suggested that they have a man in the rebellion now, Marius and that Yitzak is no longer needed. Pertinax agrees to allow Rufus and Felix do whatever they need to do to figure out the command structure of the rebellion, insert Marius into it and remove Yitzak.

Yitzak, perhaps feeling his ears burning at this point, arrived in the desert camp with Marius, after having spent the trip explaining the cell-structure of the rebellion and how Pilum (firearms) work. The camp is full of Rebel Scum and Marius turns out to be a natural crack shot, surprising everyone around him.

Felix tracks down Eliahu, Yitzak's assistant and tells him that they have more in common than they look. He lays out a convincing case that Yitzak had Felix kill Yosef and then sent killers after Felix. (The first is true, the second a lie.) He mentions Rufus' name several times and stresses that Rufus has nothing but the best interests of the Jews in mind. Felix's visit seems to excite and upset Eliahu quite a bit and they part.

Rufus goes back to the Astrologer he hired to draw up a chart for Gratiunas and the man tells him that the boy is going to be the fulcrum on which a great many changes are going to be wrought. Something he is going to say or do is going to be very important to Judea. He also says that he feels a kinship with the boy, though he doesn't know why. This news disturbs Rufus greatly but he tries to hide it. He does, however, hesitantly beg a favor. He tells the Astrologer that he is in love with a certain woman who does not yet return his affections and he asks if the Astrologer can do magic of some kind to help him. A love potion or an amulet or something. When Rufus stacks gold on his table, he agrees to help true love find its way.

Felix gets a knock on his door and it is Rufus. The two sit down and Rufus tells Felix that Pertinax has given permission to do what they must to root out all available information on the rebellion and when the time is right, kill off Yitzak. Rufus covers a few more work related topics and then reveals his plan to deal with Valens and get Pertinax focused and more practical (meaning bloody-minded concerning current events (and secretly, to remove a threat to himself). The plan is give Livia the spell from the Astrologer to get her to fall in love or lust with Valens and then when they eventually tryst, to frame the Centurion for her murder and use it as either blackmail or a straight up and speedy way to an execution. Felix is not quite convinced, but he knows he holds Rufus' life in his hands now, one word to Pertinax would see Rufus dead. He ponders his options....

And in the desert, a few days later, Eliahu bursts into Yitzak's tent, not noticing Marius, yelling, “That Roman bastard knows everything! Everything! Rufus knows!” Marius quirks an eyebrow and says quietly, “I know Rufus.” His expression suggests that the two better start talking.

And we stopped there. :D

Just an awesome, awesome campaign.

[MattyHelms]

Yes, a lot of build up this session - all of it enjoyable. There's a red typhoon coming. Joe, you always manage to one-up us somehow! And I can't wait to see what Felix is going to do! In a selfish sense, I can't wait to see what Marius is going to do!

Side note - it's amazing that even though I've been largely desensitized to the concept of evil in the universe because of Rufus, he can still manage to surprise me. :)

Kudos to the group again - you're in my sig!

[Heronymus]

Last night was very fun. For all the talk of killing, there's been only one death, and he was a suicide.

A word, now, on GMing: I must, absolutely, give huge props to Joe Cohen as the Best GM Ever (sorry, Lizard, sorry, Matt). He builds into the structure of the game a chance for everyone to spend almost exactly the same amount of time in the spotlight. Generally, our scenes take about 20 minutes a piece. We generally game from roughly 7 to 10. Three hours, 180 minutes. That means that each person in the party gets 3 scenes each, in rotation. Joe just goes around the table, interacting with each of us, and building the story as it goes.

This is made more interesting because the three characters, with one notable exception, have been operating independently of each other for most of the game, now. So he's advancing three separate but intertwined storylines, in 20 minute chunks, flawlessly.

I've seen movies that didn't do this good a job of editing.

I can't wait to see what's coming next.

[Joe Cohen]

The only reason this style has worked so well is because of the players. In order to run seperate stories like this, it demands players who can all work on their own, who can make decisions without being part of a group. Not to mention you all make a lot of the decisions on what to do and where to go yourself. I've attempted to run games like this before, and generally you get a few players who just sit there and wait for the Big Obvious Sign showing them where to go and what to do.

Curt's love potion/amulet/spell idea caught me completely off guard. Shouldn't have, though. Rufus was originally conceived as a scholar fascinated my mysticism, so I should have know he'd have a solution up his toga somewhere that involved magic. Curious how he has a blind spot to Roman virtues there... :)

[Heronymus]

The only reason this style has worked so well is because of the players. In order to run seperate stories like this, it demands players who can all work on their own, who can make decisions without being part of a group. Not to mention you all make a lot of the decisions on what to do and where to go yourself. I've attempted to run games like this before, and generally you get a few players who just sit there and wait for the Big Obvious Sign showing them where to go and what to do.

Curt's love potion/amulet/spell idea caught me completely off guard. Shouldn't have, though. Rufus was originally conceived as a scholar fascinated my mysticism, so I should have know he'd have a solution up his toga somewhere that involved magic. Curious how he has a blind spot to Roman virtues there... :)

Heck, I just realized that my character took skills in pharmacology. On purpose.

I just foresaw something going WAY different than I thought it would...

[Curt]

The only reason this style has worked so well is because of the players. In order to run seperate stories like this, it demands players who can all work on their own, who can make decisions without being part of a group. Not to mention you all make a lot of the decisions on what to do and where to go yourself. I've attempted to run games like this before, and generally you get a few players who just sit there and wait for the Big Obvious Sign showing them where to go and what to do.

Curt's love potion/amulet/spell idea caught me completely off guard. Shouldn't have, though. Rufus was originally conceived as a scholar fascinated my mysticism, so I should have know he'd have a solution up his toga somewhere that involved magic. Curious how he has a blind spot to Roman virtues there... :)

I like the round robin format we get into when the party is split, personally. Watching what is going to happen next is fun.

And yea, Rufus has three major flaws. Greed - for power (mysticism is just another path to power), ego and envy. He wants to be a true member of the Equestrian class that he can't see straight, so he practices their stated values with a vengence.

[Heronymus]

Curt's going to do the writeup for last night's episode, but I have to say: FUCKING ROCKED.

Marius as a Sergio Leone-style gunslinger. Rufus as a consigliere. And Felix, the assassin, spending all of his time and energy trying NOT to kill people.

Not to mention the fact that my character came within about ten seconds of dying...at the hands of a party member.

So very, very cool.

[Curt]

Well, wow. Everything got ugly, fast last night.

Marius confronted Yitzak about the meaning of Eliahu's outburst. Yitzak set about carefully explaining certain political 'realities' to Marius, who plainly was not having any of it. At last Yitzak confessed to having Yosaif assassinated and Marius just stared at him a moment and said, "I see a snake before me and snakes need to be stepped on."

Yitzak pointed out that he and Marius were friends and Marius, furious at this point, grabbed him by the throat, lifted him off the ground and asked, "Did you call Yosaif a friend as well?" When Yitzak had no answer, Marius threw hum to the ground and in a brief struggle in front of all of his men, broke the neck of the Rebel leader with telling ease.

Eliahu made the tactical error of attempting to get away and when Marius bellowed out, "Where is he?" the crowd melted to the sides to show Eliahu on a horse, frantically trying to get away. Marius held out a hand and barked, "Pillum." One of the followers slapped a rifle into his hands and Marius took one shot (and rolled the best hand in the game for his talli) and killed the fleeing young man with a single shot through the back of the head.

He commandeered the late Eliahu's horse and appointed a leader until his return. His show of violence and honor was apparently enough to turn the rebels to his side, because they were shouting, "Hail Marius, Leader of the Rebellion!" as he rode back to town to find Rufus.

Rufus was busy as well, as he made a complicated three part cypher and message containing the whole of his involvement with the Rebellion and stashing the parts with various people, all with orders to send them to the Governor General if he vanished or was killed. Any of the three parts alone are worthless and indeed, any two parts would be near impossible to put together, but the three together are damning evidence. Rufus considers it one of his last-ditch bargaining tools if and when Pertinax turns on him.

Rufus also took Gratiunas far away from the family estate and related to him the oldest bit of history of the birth of the Republic. How the original Brutus gave his own sons up for execution rather than allow them to betray Rome and the people to the tyrant Tarquinis. He wanted the boy to understand that Rome was more important than family or position or anything else. It was his first, best duty as the heir to a member of the Patrician class. Gratitiunas asked where Rufus' loyalties lay and he honestly answered, Rome first and everything else after. With a sigh, the boy put away the dagger he'd been hiding under his cloak. Rufus realized that he had never been prouder of his student as they headed home.

Felix, meanwhile, was buying up the gambling debts of several minor and one fairly major player in the local political scene. One of the senior assistants to the local Questor was up to his neck in gambling debt and with Pertinax in charge of that debt, a certain amount of subtle pressure could yeld great results. Afterwards, Felix escorted Rufus to see the Astrologer who prepared Gratiunas' horoscope and to pick up the love spell he planned to use on Livia, Pertinax's sister. On the way there, Felix talked Rufus out of having the old man killed, suggesting that if his spells worked, he would be far more useful later. Rufus agreed and then when he had Felix out of the room, he gave the old Jew part of the cypher, with instructions to sent it to the Governor General if Rufus didn't check in with him. After all, Felix would probably not suspect Rufus of leaving something important with a man that he wanted to kill earlier in the day.

Marius slipped back into town under cover of night and soon he, Felix and Rufus were meeting in a wineshop in the Jewish quarter. Marius explained that he killed Yitzak, which made Rufus happy and then admitted that he was probably the logical choice to lead the rebellion, which made everybody fairly gleeful. And then he told them about the fulminata and rifles and both of his Roman friends nearly had heart attacks. After a very impassioned discussion, they get Marius to agree to try to be a peace-maker, to try to reign in the rebels and get them to solve things without using the rifles, yet. He agrees to try. Rufus suggests that he go back to the rebels at once, carrying a message of restraint and take Felix with him for tactical help. Rufus hints that he wants Felix to kill everyone who knows how to make the gunpowder but Felix doesn't quite take the hint.

Felix discovers that Marius is learning deception as, a short ride away from the walls of the city, the former gladiator pulls a pistol on him and tells him that he does not approve of Felix's string of assassinations and dirty deals. He threatens to kill Felix while he is cleaning house of all the snakes and Felix assures him that he has changed his ways and gone back to the straight and narrow. Marius doesn't totally believe him but agrees to give Marius a chance and puts away his pistols. His ruse discarded, he then suggests that they go back to Rufus because Marius now needs something from him.

Felix is not only happy to be alive, he is treated to the sight of one of the rebel cells. Complete with containers of gunpowder and stacks of stolen and more crudely made local rifles. Marius tells him that this is just one cell of hundreds if not thousands. Felix suggests that Marius call a meeting of the cell leadership and suggests that Rufus might be able to help him prepare a speech that will get the rebels to see things his way, 'I want equality, not freedom from Rome'.

Rufus, of course, runs to Pertinax as fast as his skinny legs can carry him and lets him know that his dalliance with the rebellion could prove disastrous for Rome. Once again he asks if Pertinax knew of the rebel's plans and his patron swears on his honor that he did not. Rufus doesn't entirely believe him, either, but he tells him point blank that they are now partners. 'I will not risk being executed as any man's servant'. Pertinax agrees, too quickly and easily. The two begin to hatch plans to cause some of the rebels to react before the have pilum, to cause a crack down that will cause the rebels to rise up before the distribution network for the pilum and fulminata is in effect and effectively weed some of them out.

Next session: The dinner party from hell (Mark 2). :D

[Joe Cohen]

The funny thing is, as good as it was, this was my weakest session thus far, in terms of how much of my story came out. Pretty much everything in this session was determined by you guys, which I think is just awesome.

[Curt]

The funny thing is, as good as it was, this was my weakest session thus far, in terms of how much of my story came out. Pretty much everything in this session was determined by you guys, which I think is just awesome.


Sometimes part of being a good GM is knowing when to let the players run with it. You are doing great, in my opinion. I mean, you must be doing something right, I spent my train ride this morning writing the rough draft for Marius' speech to the rebels. :D

And ... er ... it kicks ass.

[Heronymus]

So much of this game is about speaking in the right code, finding the right metaphor. Hell, I spent five minutes talking about tapestries as a metaphor for murder, last night.

A lot of that is because Joe spent so much time with the NPCs, having their names mean something, and having them be just as twisty with words as the PCs, if not moreso (excepting Rufus; he's the twistiest).

And really, Joe, as the GM you've set things up for us. Now all we can do is burn it down, or not, depending. That you've adjudicated us to this point is a sign of good work.

[MattyHelms]

Nothing in this campaign has turned out I think the way any of us have planned. After we get over the intial shock (which may be misperceived as disappointment), we will realize what a ride it was. My own self-centered example - Marius taking over the rebellion and their Fvlminata - instead of a bloody surprise to the legion, it is one rifle slammed down on a cheap table. The end result, however, may be the complete redirection of the course of history.

This campaign is scary 'cause no one knows exactly where it's going to end.

And that, in the long run, kicks ass.

-Matt

[Heronymus]

Someone else needs to do the actual play from last night, but OH, WOW was it a ride.

All the players are in a room. Now it's just a question of who gets out alive...

[celebrityomnipath]

snip...
And it was time for the match between Marius and Leo.
...snip
My group would have had Marius fighting under the name "The Hebrew Hurricane" or possibly "The Hebrew Hammer" and would also have dressed him up as a Rabbi for the fight. We seem to have an obsession with Jewish superheroes, Jewish cowboys, Jewish Frankenstein’s Monsters, it’s all very bizarre.

[Curt]

Well, these last couple of sessions saw the end of the campaign. It went fast and it went ugly. Since we last saw our band....

Marius, Rufus and Felix sat down to talk of the Rebellion and how to prevent an armed uprising. All three agreed that an open conflict would make Rome retaliate at full force, laying waste to the region.

Slipping away from the meeting, Felix, ever the boy scout, took the time to brew up a batch of his favorite poison. A nice concoction that killed by closing the victim's windpipe, stangling him to death.

Marius, meanwhile, addressed members of the Rebellion and in a fairly good bout of oritory, convinced them to let him try to get the Governor to meet their terms before they rose. Grudgingly, they let him do it.

And so came the party. Both the Legate of the Legion stationed in Idea and the Centurion in charge of the elite anti-rebel taskforce showed, as did the Questor, his staff, and eventually the Governor himself. Also invited was the lovely Dolabella, pretending to be a noble from the provinces and fulfilling Rufus' promise to introduce her into society.

What nobody else knew was that Marius was also in the building, hiding in a storage room, waiting for a chance to talk privately with the Governor.

There was idle chit-chat and some veiled and not so veiled maneuvering. Failing to get Valens (the Centurion) to trigger the love charm he'd had prepared earlier, Rufus was feeling particularly insecure and worried when he noticed Pertinax summoning Felix into the kitchen alone. Convinced that he was about to made the target of a little in-house clean up, Rufus used the love-charm on himself, snaring Livia instantly.

Felix was indeed getting orders for a murder, but his target was ...Gratiunas. Pertinax decided that his time to show his true colors had come. If his adopted son was murdered by the rebels as part of a general uprising, public sympathy would go through the roof for him and it would help when decided to nudge the Governor aside. Felix vowed to do it that night.

Rufus and Felix decided that the meeting should be soon, before Marius got nervous or bored and did something fatal. They split and began to make the rounds to the Governor and the Questor.

Soon after, Felix and Rufus passed one in the kitchen as Felix prepared a poisoned cup and Marius secured his love-charm, dropping it down a well where it might lay for ages, undisturbed.

Marius slipped into the meeting chamber and took off his cloak shortly after the Governor, Questor and Pertinax arrived. They were ... not happy.

Rufus and Felix arrived and Felix set out the cups, with the poisoned one in front of Marius.

What followed was some intensive wrangling but in the end they were able to convince the Governor to sign off on a statement of willingness to present a peace treaty to Rome to keep the secret of Fulminata getting out to the other barbarians in the world. Judea would gain a Jewish Legion, under the command of Rome.

Though the governor was unhappy and bemused by the new state of affairs, they drank to victory and Marius swallowed the poison. Which made him somewhat ill but didn't kill him. Constitution of an Ox. Brains too.

They called in the commander of the Legion and showed him the same evidence, with the governor commanding his obedience. Everyone knew that Valens would never go for the deal, being a fanatic and war-hawk of the highest order, so it was suggested that they take him prisoner in secret for a few days.

The meeting split up and while Marius went back towards the camp and Rufus went to call upon Livia in her chambers, Felix went to Pertinax with a disturbing claim....

(Continued tonight as I am out of time for the moment)

:D

[Heronymus]

I have to jump in and say this, since Curt is apparently waiting to reveal all.

This was the best game EVER. There was a point, right before the big climax, when I realized that no one could hold an in-character discussion with anything resembling honesty; we were all trying to manuver one another in-character, and out-of-character we were actively conspiring with one another to bring about the ends of the story, to try and tie it all together into a grand story, a story of Rome: love, blood, and rhetoric, mostly blood.

Damn, but it was fun.

And nobody got out alive. Well, with one exception.

The fucker.

[MattyHelms]

And nobody got out alive. Well, with one exception.

Joe and I had a discussion about this last night. Just you wait for his post :)

[U_C]

How did the game end? Inquiring minds wish to know.

[Heronymus]

Gah.

Sorry; life interfered, and my attention to finishing up this thread dropped off the face of the Earth.

Felix went to Pertinax and, in the tone of "of course, you already know this, but we should probably tell someone" laid out a plan where the governor and the head of the 10th Fretensis was being blackmailed by Rufus, who was in league with the Jewish Rebellion and had assassinated Pertinax's son. Which was a damned lie, but a convenient one, as it threw blame off of both Pertinax and Felix and onto the current Governor and Rufus (whom Felix felt he still owed for interfering in his last job).

Felix then was sent to summon Valens, who immediately mobilised his Peregrinae and personally chased down Marius as he fled the city. The fight between Marius and Valens was a battle of guts, each being wounded several times including a point-blank duel with loaded pilum. But Valens triumphed in the end, and Marius was shackled and dragged away for interrogation.

In the meanwhile, Rufus after "dallying" with Livia, tells her that, if something should happen, she should take the boy and herself and flee Judea, and not to wait for him. He then heard a commotion, and went to investigate...

...where Felix had sent Gratiunas' bodyguard, Hercules, away as a feint to allow him access to the boy, so as to kill him to cover the story Felix and Pertinax had told Valens. Sadly, the professional assassin, cutthroat, and cold-blooded killer got his ass handed to him by a thirteen-year-old boy. The return of Hercules put paid to the assassination attempt, with Felix's knees being broken to prevent him from escaping while Pertinax was summoned, by Hercules, on behalf of Rufus, who showed up at the end of the fight to watch Felix get his ass handed to him.

"Who was behind this?" Rufus asked. And Felix, being a loyal retainer for the first time in his life, threw the blame for the assassination onto the head of the 10th Fretensis, who had lobbied hard for Felix to join the Legions as his aide.

With the arrival of Pertinax, Felix reiterates that of course the assassination of his son was a part of the Jewish plot. Pertinax asks "If I can get you out of Judea, would you leave?" To which Felix answers "I would rather walk through the underworld than crawl from Judea." Pertinax stabs him, killing him quickly and neatly. Thus ends Felix, a true Roman in the end.

Rufus gathers his things, alerts Livia and Gratiunas to flee, and then rides off into the night, ahead of the Perigrinae. Marius, under torture, refuses to reveal anything of the Jewish Rebellion, but the information gained from Felix and Pertinax is more than enough to crush the incipient rebellion.

Rufus flees Judea for Egypt. Livia and Gratiunas flee Judea, also for Egypt, though separately from Rufus. Felix is buried. Marius, King of the Jews, freedman of Judea and once-citizen of the Empire, is cruicifed alongside his conspirators and the Governor is recalled in disgrace. The Perigrinae continue the purgings as Pertinax is named Governor of Judea.

And thus ends The Triumvirate, as all Roman stories must end: in betrayal, blood, and fire.

I would point out that I died halfway through the session and had just as much fun watching Matt and Curt run their storylines as I did getting my ass killed. And Joe did an AWESOME job, tying together all of the threads to make this a game to remember.

Sorry it took so long for me to post; it wasn't that I didn't have a kick-ass time, just that life soonafter interfered something fierce.

[U_C]

Excellent, thank you for taking the time to write it up, I'm glad to hear that it ended this way.

Cheers
Steve

[Joe Cohen]

What you're read here is actually the directors cut. The studio felt that the dark, 2-out-of-3 main characters die ending wouldn't go over well, so they had a variety of alternate endings, one focusing on each character...

As Marius hangs from the cross, he drifts in and out of conciousness. Suddenly, he feels someone taking him down. It's his Persian gladiator friend (who never actually made an appearance in the campaign, but was the subject of lots of jokes). He holds him in his arms, carrying him off to safety. Marius takes his turban and throws it up in the air, as the strains of "Up Where We Belong" begin to play.

Felix has been beaten by Hercules, and is about to have his kneecaps broken, when his TWIN BROTHER leaps through the window! Renewed, Felix leaps to his feet, and the two brothers fight off Hercules. Then, they fight crime! (Also known as the "Double Impact" ending)

Rufus does end up on the same boat with Livia and Gratiunas! In a few years, though, a bucket is dropped down the well and shatters the clay figure, so Livia comes to her senses. Gratiunas continues his studies, but when Rufus finds out his forged papers don't show him to be an educated man, he has to go back to school himself!

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2004/10/06/dangerfield_narrowweb__200x365.jpg

[Heronymus]

Felix has been beaten by Hercules, and is about to have his kneecaps broken, when his TWIN BROTHER leaps through the window! Renewed, Felix leaps to his feet, and the two brothers fight off Hercules. Then, they fight crime! (Also known as the "Double Impact" ending)

I KILL YOU.

[ExaltedMouse]

I want to thank you for a wonderful wonderful WONDERFUL thread...

[Heronymus]

I want to thank you for a wonderful wonderful WONDERFUL thread...

Gotta say, the thread wasn't half as much fun as playing it...

[Joe Cohen]

And not a quarter as much fun as running it. For over 10 years, I've wanted to try my hand at a political game. And not only did I finally get a group willing to try it, I found one that embraced it. It was, honestly, my greatest experience as a GM. The session in Bachar, as each player tried to stay one step ahead of the others, and all of them one step ahead of the Peregrinae, was the single best gaming session I've ever been in.

[MattyHelms]

Thanks everyone - glad you enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed playing it. My favorite part was being carried off "Officer and a Gentleman" style at the end. :)

Nope, seriously it rocked and I was sad to see Marius fail so miserably.

Mostly I was sad to see such a great campaign end.

[celebrityomnipath]

Marius, King of the Jews, freedman of Judea and once-citizen of the Empire, is cruicifed alongside his conspirators... The Lucky bastards!

[James Knevitt]

Arise! Arise!

I've mentioned it in my previous Fvlminata thread, but I just wanted to thank Curt, Joe, et al. for such an entertaining, captivating read. This thread sold me on Fvlminata. I point my group in the direction of this thread as an example of how a game like this should turn out.