I'm working on Roman Era campaign

[Matt Holck]

what sort of atrocities were committed by the Roman Empire?

 

all I know

they crucified 6000 slaves along their main Highway

[bigbywolfe]

Re: I'm working on Roman Era campaign

 

what sort of atrocities were committed by the Roman Empire?

 

I all know

they crucified 6000 slaves along their main Highway

 

Does "I all know" mean you already know them all? Or are you looking for other suggestions?

[Blue Jogger]

Re: I'm working on Roman Era campaign

 

Here's a quick list, although it just has a body count, nothing spectacular from a RPG standpoint.

http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/romestat.htm

 

“The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic.” -Joseph Stalin

[Blue Jogger]

Re: I'm working on Roman Era campaign

 

The death of Sejanus' daughter was one famous atrocity. Because there was no precedence for killing a minor by capital punishment. They found a legal loophole (forced her to be with a man), while she had the rope around her neck and then hung her as an adult.

[Black Ops]

Re: I'm working on Roman Era campaign

 

Of course population density was then much thinner then nowadays.

[Lawnmower Boy]

Re: I'm working on Roman Era campaign

 

Blue Jogger's link makes for a good one stop shop. It wouldn't meet a classical historian's test of accuracy, but, and forgive me for jumping to conclusions, you don't seem to be a classicist, Matt.

Have you looked at this? If you want more details, you should be able to get this for cheap in any bookstore near a college campus. In fact, if you live in a college neighborhood, look for it left on the curbside at semester end. If anything, you will find that these books are too kind on the Romans. (Or so it has been argued.)

If you don't want the details, bear in mind that the Roman Empire lasted 5 centuries and covered a great deal of territory. You'd be safe to assume that practically anything in the way of enslavement, torture, massacre, mass murder and political murder that you needed for your campaign, happened in the Roman Empire. About the only thing you're missing is cannibalism and human sacrifice, and in my opinion, the latter happened and just wasn't talked about.

By the way, you seem to be referencing the Spartacus Rebellion. That actually occurred under the Republic, not that you would have any difficulties finding parallels under the Empire.

[Killer Shrike]

Re: I'm working on Roman Era campaign

 

It's not facts, but for flavor you should watch the ROME miniseries by HBO. Good entertainment, and also provides a wealth of ideas for a an RPG in that general era.

[Shadowsoul]

Re: I'm working on Roman Era campaign

 

I can't give you any dates but, supposedly, the word 'decimation' comes from an extreme punishment sometimes inflicted on units of Roman soldiers. One man in ten would be chosen by lots to be executed and the other nine would have to beat him to death with stones or fists. This was a punishment for cowardice or mutiny.

[tkdguy]

Re: I'm working on Roman Era campaign

 

One event is the destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem, c. 80 AD. The looting of the Temple is commemorated in the Arch of Titus. My history teacher said that Orthodox Jews to this day will not walk under the arch, as it would acknowledge submission to Rome.

[Matt Holck]

Re: I'm working on Roman Era campaign

 

I can't give you any dates but' date=' supposedly, the word 'decimation' comes from an extreme punishment sometimes inflicted on units of Roman soldiers. One man in ten would be chosen by lots to be executed and the other nine would have to beat him to death with stones or fists. This was a punishment for cowardice or mutiny.[/quote']

 

I heard the actual practice was rare but the threat kept soldiers to their ranks.

 

Lawnmower Boy I have been reading through wiki until my brain turned to mush

I may well get back their after some rest

[Curufea]

Re: I'm working on Roman Era campaign

 

It's not facts' date=' but for flavor you should watch the ROME miniseries by HBO. Good entertainment, and also provides a wealth of ideas for a an RPG in that general era.[/quote']

 

It is actually full of facts - there are many suppositions as well, but to date it is more factually correct than any movie of television series based on the Romans.

[Curufea]

Re: I'm working on Roman Era campaign

 

If you don't want the details' date=' bear in mind that the Roman Empire lasted 5 centuries and covered a great deal of territory.[/quote']

Also bear in mind that the Roman Republic that preceded it also lasted 5 centuries. The Romans dominated a large portion of the world (not as big as the Mongols, but a nice try atworld domination nevertheles) for over a thousand years. Coming in 16th for largest empires of all time

[Matt Holck]

Re: I'm working on Roman Era campaign

 

the sun never sets over the British Empire

[Curufea]

Re: I'm working on Roman Era campaign

 

the sun never sets over the British Empire

 

It didn't - when there was one. Many years ago.

[Manic Typist]

Re: I'm working on Roman Era campaign

 

the sun never sets over the British Empire

 

That's cause God doesn't trust a bunch of Brits in the dark.

[DusterBoy]

Re: I'm working on Roman Era campaign

 

And woe betide any soldier who fell asleep on sentry duty. He would have been beaten to death by his comrades.

[Matt Holck]

Re: I'm working on Roman Era campaign

 

Also bear in mind that the Roman Republic that preceded it also lasted 5 centuries. The Romans dominated a large portion of the world (not as big as the Mongols' date=' but a nice try atworld domination nevertheles) for over a thousand years. Coming in 16th for largest empires of all time

 

I've been thinking about both the Senate first sold out the support of the people (plebs)

that left them in a vulnerable position when the Octavius came around

 

 

 

returning warriors

saw the senate decline

people were cynical

on who held the reigns

Senators were shoved

shoved-shoved-shoved

Senators were shoved

 

offered protection

by Octavius.

who killed dissenters

while out in the sticks.

rewrote their laws

laws - laws-laws

their power lost

 

you know Antony lost it

while loving in Egypt

('Cause Rome was fascist baby!)

you know that's the cost of

that su-icide romance

[Curufea]

Re: I'm working on Roman Era campaign

 

Well, yeah - the Roman Empire and the Republic were both fascist - the word comes from the fasces - the whole point of which was to symbolise that the society was more important than the individual. That many sticks together are harder to break than those same sticks by themselves. Although it was mostly used for legal reasons, it does show the general Roman attitude as well - of self sacrifice for the good of something larger than themselves (family, country, ideal, etc.).

[Black Ops]

Re: I'm working on Roman Era campaign

 

Oh right since you mention fasces.

These Guys are pretty good on Roman History : http://www.livius.org/ ( and general Ancient Stuff)

[Matt Holck]

Re: I'm working on Roman Era campaign

 

Thanks for the link

 

Well' date=' yeah - the Roman Empire and the Republic were both fascist - the word comes from the fasces - the whole point of which was to symbolise that the society was more important than the individual. That many sticks together are harder to break than those same sticks by themselves. Although it was mostly used for legal reasons, it does show the general Roman attitude as well - of self sacrifice for the good of something larger than themselves (family, country, ideal, etc.).

 

I thought also of using the word "racist" or "nationalist"

 

anyway

when Octavius publicly read Antony's will,

The people heard Antony was leaving his fortune to his Egyptian heirs.

They felt he was no longer a true Roman and therefor fair game to declare war on.

[Shadowsoul]

Re: I'm working on Roman Era campaign

 

Fasces? That's a load of crap.

 

Actually it sounds like a good way to demonstrate Roman values to the players and to remind them just how harsh those values could be. A more visceral way would be to have them watch as slaves from a newly conquered tribe are dragged into the city and executed or forced to fight in the imperial games, all for the pleasure of the people of course.

[Curufea]

Re: I'm working on Roman Era campaign

 

As to e if crap

 

I wouldn't say the Romans were racist - if you were a citizen, all power too you

[Matt Holck]

Re: I'm working on Roman Era campaign

 

Fasces? That's a load of crap.

 

Actually it sounds like a good way to demonstrate Roman values to the players and to remind them just how harsh those values could be. A more visceral way would be to have them watch as slaves from a newly conquered tribe are dragged into the city and executed or forced to fight in the imperial games, all for the pleasure of the people of course.

 

 

I want your vote in exchange for this bread

I'll join the Senate and soon will be head

I want your lot

lot lot lot

cast me your lot

 

judge our slave warriors with the thumb of your hand

watch fools get eaten by vicious lions

divert your thoughts

oh oh oh

forget your lot

 

 

vent your frustration in the coliseum

leave the power to the other men

I give you panem et circenses.

you and me could write on Bad Romans

 

you know that they had slaves

one third of the people

you know that they had ways

to keep them in shackles

I write on Bad, Bad Romans

 

grizzled scarecrows all along road (Whoa-0h---oh oh oh)

from Roma down to Capua

so the slave were shown the terrible toll (Whoa ho ho ho ho- oh oh oh)

if they disobeyed the ruler

[Michael Hopcroft]

Re: I'm working on Roman Era campaign

 

One positive thing about the Empire was that most of the time it was one of the most diversity-tolerant societies on Earth. As long as you paid respect to Caesar, people like the Greeks and Egyptians got to keep their gods. Only when religion became political did the Romans crack down -- but when they did, they cracked down hard.

 

All that came to an end when Constantine declared Christianity the new state religion in the fourth century. The full force of the Roman state was put into stamping out the pagans. But the religion also spread beyond Rome's borders; most of the "barbarians" who overran Rome in the fourth and fifth centuries were also Christian.

[Matt Holck]

Re: I'm working on Roman Era campaign

 

Christianity wasn't just popular in Rome

 

 

 

In the years of the Early Empire,

Emperors seems obsessed with creating family lines of succession

to the point of political marriages and adoptions

The favored successor often wound up dead.