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Rome, the eternal city...city of champions of blood, sweat and toil, countless inspirations stem from Rome whether it be Traveller’s Imperium or Greyhawk’s Great Kingdom each of course different but sharing a lineage back to Rome. In recent years, there had been a spat of splat books dealing with Rome in a RPG setting usually trying unsuccessfully to capture the grandeur of this fine city until now. Rome, Life and Death of the Republic, is a absolutely fabulous Basic Role-playing supplement for running the history of Rome from its inception to the proclamation of the Empire (Pax Romania). I am not too sure what is the cause for this recent fascination with Rome, it might the HBO series, it might something cyclical – whatever the reason is, as noted above Rome has been a template for many pseudo-Romes and it is good to play in the real article. And, if you need one BRP sourcebook to do it – buy this one.
This supplement details everyday life of the Romans from what they eat, how they sleep, what they do for pastimes, how they worship and countless other fascinating details to make a Roman campaign come alive. This was the supplement that I was expecting for Cthulhu Invictus (albeit with the taint of the Mythos suggested). First and foremost, this is a historical sourcebook grounded in real facts, lavishly and beautifully illustrated throughout with many classical and renaissance depictions of Roman life combined with modern floor plans make this an exciting and attractive product. The sections are so comprehensive, in that they seek to answer every question that one might have of Roman life vividly describing the sights, smells, sounds and overall colour (book’s illustrations are b&w) of the Roman Republic. Few sourcebooks have been this ambitious but Pete Nash skilfully writes in a precise stiletto style imparting the full details without wasting a single word. Furthermore, the book references itself and the references do line up – indicative of the excellent editing that went into making this volume. And, now onto the details...
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION is just a quick introduction to what the book will contain and also contains a useful primer on the pronunciation to Latin words. Preceding the introduction is a sonnet from Virgil that indeed inspires and pulls the reader immediately into what Rome is and was.
CHAPTER 2: ROMAN SOCIETY outlines what Rome was truly like from its earliest days leading up to the dawn of the Empire and for a civilization that lasted 700 years, it was both stable and dynamic. After a short introduction of social structure, including a discussion of slavery (and how it should be viewed through the eyes of Antiquity not through Modern eyes), one gets a real sense of the difference between the Rome of movies, TV Shows and horrible RPG mélanges and the real Rome. Its social structure while did not promote upward mobility had a unique dynamic – so if there are still some Game masters having difficulty between Patrician, Plebeian, Freeman and Slave or what the term citizen encompasses then they should look no further. Also, noteworthy, is the discussion on women – they are not the passive quasi-slaves that they were in Greece thus paving the way for excellent opportunities for characters to be of both genders. In the section, that immediately precedes class, there is a discussion of the social building blocks of Roman society – the Family, the Clan and the Guild, etc. This uncovers many of the motivations that can compel players to think differently from the modern age or traditional fantasy games. Assisting players in playing characters from Rome is a discussion on the Virtues or the attributes that make playing a Roman citizen different. I am tempted to call this section the Drives after the GUMSHOE mechanic, as it nicely ties into what Rome life is centred upon and provides a good grounding for the supplement.
Following up next, is a discussion of government and the different titles and responsibilities of each member and how it evolved from Kingship to a Republic, as well as the exceptions. One should not equate Republic with democratic rule, but rather a breathing space for plutocratic rule whose excesses are curved by a number of institutions that appear quite alien to the modern, yet, vaguely familiar. Included here is a discussion of the greatest of Roman accomplishments – its laws and legal systems, although court cases were determined more by theatrical antics – it is the firmness of law that makes Rome unique. Law was not something could be trifled with, and it was the obligation of the citizen to respect the law but equally the law protected the citizen from the worse abuses of the social system thus making it seem almost modern.
CHAPTER 3: ROMAN CULTURE this is the meat and dried fruits chapter. Here is what the essence of daily life for Romans is highlighted, from what they eat, to their different styles of clothing including a discussion on what each gender should wear and how it ought to be styled. Accompanying food & drink is naturally a section on etiquette (contrary to many presentations, it is not about bleaching and flatulence). Also, included in this chapter is what the Romans did for amusing themselves ranging from the appreciation of drama in stage but disavowal of dancing equating it with a form of prostitution, and also the honourable profession of prostitution. The latter handled in a mature and sensible way that marks a quality product.
CHAPTER 4: THE CITY OF ROME – key to understanding the Rome is the ever-changing geography of this fine city. It was a different city constantly remaking itself yet preserving some essential characteristics from the earliest times to the late Republic. It was more than an endless procession of marbled temples but sophisticated apartment blocks, public baths, forums, and sports facilities – in fact, much of the glories of modern life can be seen to have their counterpart in this splendid city. Included in this chapter also discusses the hazards of urban life – ranging from the omnipresent threat to the person through street crime (included is a discussion of riots by the mob) to disease and filth – reminding us that the clean white marble, spotless streets are more from the imaginations of Hollywood rather than the historical record.
CHAPTER 5: THE GAMES – naturally, no discussion of Rome cannot be complete without the essence of Sword & Scandal epics – the Games whether they are gladiatorial, animal sports or the chariots dispelling some of the myths but ensuring that fun can be had by all players.
CHAPTER 6: THE ARMY is a chapter that outlines what made Rome the fighting force to be reckoned with over time. It is not, so much that the Roman Army was undefeatable but the strategy and tactics that Rome used to conjure much of Italy and then onto the known world is the essence of this chapter. Roman tactics were flexible and dynamic that allowed them in many ways to adapt to different civilizations furthermore the vigour of discipline meant that a Roman legion was an almost unstoppable force even against a superior enemy. Not to mention, that Romans were already gaining a superior edge in terms of technology.
CHAPTER 7: RELIGION & PHILOSOPHY – by far this is my favourite chapter for it contains all the seeds that I need to sow as a Game master. Whether, it is of primal cult that can be linked to Bacchus or divine nature of the dictator – these are essence of good Cthulhu games or even Science Fiction gaming, as seen in Fading Suns (how religion can be co-opted into a SF game). I found fascinating the multiplicity of Roman beliefs and their ability to hold even two contradictory belief systems in one’s head. I had long assumed that Romans once they encountered Hellenistic beliefs simply made them their own – albeit with a Roman flare however; the relationship is much more complicated than that. Most interesting was the discussion of the priesthood and sacrifices – including the practice (for me) hitherto unknown practice of human sacrifice.
The multitude of festivities and ways of marking the passage of time is highlighted, remembering this is set before the Julian calendar provides some interesting record keeping. For the calendar resembles, the current setup but is radically different in other ways but that is only for Game masters who wish to be authentic but warning it requires some rethinking and arithmetic.
CHAPTER 8: CHARACTERS starts to get into the mechanics of playing with Rome. There are rules scattered throughout the previous 119 pages, however, they are more illustrative and suggestive. Which given the free-from nature of BRP is excellent and I prefer things that are rules-lite to avoid rules lawyers jumping up and down. The characters section takes some of the basic concepts that are outlined in Chaosium’s Basic Rule Playing and gives the tweaks necessary to make characters of Rome (whether it be citizens or barbarians). Thus, it outlines Roman names, unique professions and skills. And, most importantly a nice mechanic that allows you to use Credit Rating to account for the barter system and different monetary systems across the Republic. I commend the author for doing the extensive build-up and background before going into the RPG details. Naturally, Game masters intimately knowledgeable (or have their own version) of the Rome Republic may wish to skip to this section right away and use the previous 119 pages as reference. I found the rules easy to understand and do not fuss into great detail to hold up play. Essentially, a Game master must be familiar with the basic concepts of BRP for this chapter to work but as this is designed as a supplement to BRP that should pose no surprise.
CHAPTER 9: MAGIC AND SUPERSTITION perhaps one of the best chapters in the whole book. As it is a RPG and magic is bound to have a place in it. How do you reconcile Magic with a world that has none that we know about? While, it does postulate that this sourcebook can be set in an Alternate Earth where Magic is possible – it ties it back into our world and outlines the belief systems that might lead to Magic (or simple Science we cannot understand or the feverant belief structures of less modern societies). So the beauty of this chapter is that it leaves things entirely in the hands of the Game master – to go with our world norms or begin to import from fantasy whilst keeping an overall historical veneer showing that magic exists behind the veil that we call reality.
CHAPTER 10: CREATURES, a monster manual of sorts... Traditional animals found then are outlined as well as a selection of mythological beasts (with the caveat that probably these beasts were just figments of an imagination of citizens who had never encountered the strange animals of Africa and beyond the Republic and mixed and merged the two). But, like Magic gives the options for the Game master to bring in these elements of the supernatural, if needed or as wanted. Excellent!
CHAPTER 11: ROMAN CAMPAIGNS – the meat and potatoes for any Game master and the chapter does not disappoint. It gathers together everything in bite-sized formats with suggestions how to run a campaign set in historical Rome or an alternate Rome. But, because of the breadth and intensity of the background material this chapter seems a little skimpy. Perhaps, it might have been better placed after the introduction, thus, framing the discussion for the milieu. Or leave it right here. Hard to know... if it is Game masters who are buying this, they might want to read this chapter first, if players then the fluff pieces are vitally important for knowing how to play in Rome. As certainly the locale of Rome is overwhelming at times for its encyclopaedic detail (even if the experience is ultimately rewarding). I found the suggestions for alternate Romes tantalizing especially Pax Cthulhu (as this book a thousand times better than Cthulhu Invictus – but at the same time Cthulhu Invictus is set later in the era of the Empire and pulls more from the fantastic) – similarly, High Sci-Fi had interesting possibilities – and naturally the default for many Fantasy was good – but as I do not really Game master fantasy games any more, not of great interest. More interesting was how to set up the historical Rome that has been presented up to this point. The sourcebook postulates a series of linked scenarios (essentially, one/two shots) that could be built into a campaign. This unfortunately is a weak link in the book, you, are given a majestic history but not really the narrative to play in – so it becomes a question – do want to run a Rome Campaign for the next six months or not? And, each playing group decides differently but there is nothing there to sustain the effort. Perhaps, if Alephtar Games in the future is planning to release scenarios then it might be more helpful.
CHAPTER 12: Famous PERSONAGES – statless descriptions of the major movers and shakers in any Roman campaign providing full backgrounds. Much as it is necessary to have a Rogues Gallery of NPCs, this was more than a little intimidating. Clearly, geared with the historical campaign in mind, these personages are culled directly from the history books and provide just the facts of their bibliography. One weakness of this chapter is that the personages are not cross-referenced; one has to be really immersed into the time period that they are focusing upon. Some sort of indexing showing the interrelationships between different individuals should have included making it easier for the reader to sort of follow the history and where these individuals had their place in it.
CHAPTER 13: HISTORICAL TIMELINE - this may viewed as a corrective for the lack of an index in Chapter 12 however, it does a moderately good job at doing just that. However, at the end of it, it is just one large chart and not sure if a different format would have made it more readable. Such as, breaking down the timeline into different periods, with a short summary before each timeline but this would have added to the length and hence the cost of the book.
CHAPTER 14: APPENDICES – never had there been a more amusing set of appendixes since the 1st edition DMG. Topics include – a Bibliography (absolutely necessary to go back and fact check or for more depth), Latin Profanity (amusing, but, just as the section on graffiti shows the light-hearted need that trash talk can even be incorporated as part of play), The Twelve Tables (basic law/constitution of the Roman Republic), Minor Roman Deities (good for campaigns that emphasize cults and intrigues as every campaign can copy mythology and the Clash of the Titans but these minor deities would and could have much more impact on character lives creating the basis for new myths and stories around the gaming table). And, lastly Character Sheets & Maps no game supplement can be without these playing aids.
This book resembles an Encyclopaedia Romania for BRP gaming and can be adapted to any BRP game with no effort and because it is very rules light and background heavy – easily into any other game system. Pete Nash has done a wonderful job at conveying the sights, smells, and mood of the Roman Republic without getting bogged down in excessive detail. It is overwhelming because of the sheer breadth of the material covered. The lack of index is compensated by a generous and excellent table of contents that would make finding specific material easy. That said there are internal references within each section of the book which line up perfectly. This is a beautifully illustrated book – if you are fond of the artists of Renaissance and Antiquity portraying the Roman civilization. There are a few modern touches but overall, it adds a sense of gravity and seriousness to the tome befitting the text itself. That is not to say there is not humour and wit, it is just more subtle requiring patience. It is a truly excellent book that transports the reader into a different world than our own without reverting to clichés, as it patiently explains the fallacies of the Sword & Scandal epics but still puts the power back to the Game master to decide how fantastic or historical they want to go. In that vein, there is room for supernatural and historical to exist side-by-side without any of the pseudo-history offered by its competitors. Whilst, there are minor protests noted throughout the review of some of the editing decisions – it is an excellent product. I certainly feel that this book is the gold standard for anyone needing a primer for role-playing in Rome.
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