Middle Provincial Era GROGPUBLIC game thread

[Tripoli]

I'll vote for the military law proposal

[JasonPratt]

With the Aristocrat vote (including activists), plus AzTank's vote (which I already know he's going to do -- he wasn't planning to play the law and then vote against it), plus Tripoli's vote (confirmed verbally), that's a solid majority, so the Law is put into effect!

This effectively cancels (by overriding redundantly) Tripoli's anti-appointment contract, so I've deleted it.

Erax's senators were going to get 1 Influence each regardless of how they voted on the Law, and he'd be silly to abstain from that, so I'm going to assume he voted them (unless he tells me later he doesn't want the influence points!) Plautius up 1 from 19 to 20; and Flaminius up 1 from 10 to 11. Total Influence up from 29 to 31.

Scipio gains 3 Influence as Sponsor, up from 57 to 60; and Valerius gains 1 point as Co-sponsor, up from 25 to 26. Total Influence up from 111 to 115.

Aristocrats generate 2 extra Influence points thanks to their special ability. Both can be given to Quincy, or one each can be given to two of the senators (e.g. Val and Scipio could give each other their extra points).

If there are no other surprises, we'll move along back to the normal First Mandatory Business of Scipio ( = I.I.) Proposing two new Consuls. They can't be himself, Plautius of the Progressives, or Claudius of the Plutocrats, because those are already Consuls or himself the Dictator. And it can't be Acilius of the Plutocrats or Terentius of the Conservatives, because they're away from Rome Governing. Any other choices should be valid.

[Ethel the Frog]

I will vote against the new law. 

In addition, Claudius will assassinate Scipio with the help of my assassin card.

[JasonPratt]

Oooookay! -- the Frog votes against the new Law, but it won't make any difference since there's a solid majority already.

Meanwhile, it's time to assassinate Scipio!  <:-)

Assassination has been in the game since Turn 1, but we haven't used it yet. I'll provide a rundown on how it works.

First, you can only assassinate someone during the Senate Phase; but you can do it at any time during the Senate Phase. Check!

Second, targets must be in Rome (not Captive, Proconsuls, or out Governing somewhere). Scipio is in Rome, check! (There are some other invalidities involved, such as the inability to assassinate Consuls for Life once they have the title, which is naturally not very realistic but is necessary for game balance.)

Third, senators assassinate each other, so the Player must declare which senator of his Faction will be making the attempt. Claudius, check!

Fourth, the attacking senator must also be in Rome. Claudius, check!

Fifth, a Faction can only try an assassination once per Turn. The Frog hasn't tried yet this Turn, check!

Sixth, no Faction (thus no senator) can be targeted more than once per Turn. Aristocrats haven't been targeted yet, so check!

Assassination is valid, and so goes forward!

Assassinations always interrupt any ongoing action, and sometimes (not always) will abort the action if successful. (I won't go into all the rules about this.) There's no specific action going on right now (only a general consideration of whom to Propose for Consul), so there's no interruption.

The natural chances of an assassination are based on a 1d6. 5 or 6, the target dies. 1 or 2, the assassin is caught and dies. 3 or 4, nothing happens either way.

If Scipio had one or more Open Bodyguards (which are Intrigue cards played on senators, like Concessions), each one would modify the die roll down one notch; and moreover, regardless of the original outcome Claudius would have to keep rolling again to see if he escapes each Bodyguard! (Thus it is possible for an assassin to kill his target but not escape the bodyguard(s).)

In this case, there are no Open Bodyguards. But the Frog plays his own Intrigue card, an Assassin, which as the umpire I can verify he does have! (It will discard permanently, as usual, after use.) The Assassin isn't necessary to try an assassination, but the professional help will add +1 to the die roll. (Any number of Assassin cards can be played on an assassination to help it. They do not negate extra Bodyguard rolls, nor add extra attempts on the target, but they do help survive Bodyguards.)

[JasonPratt]

In case you're wondering, here's what an Assassin Intrigue card looks like. (This snapshot comes from the Discard pile, where I've already put it.)



Notice that this one has a white border, so comes from the Early Era (and was possibly dealt out during the Italian or even Latin Era!) How many other players have an assassin card? Who knows?!  :D

I go to my nice dice-rolling tool in TTS (...this is one reason I wish the dice-rolling module still worked on the forum, because any result I roll will be controversial...)....

...and it's a six!

The Assassin wasn't even needed. Scipio dies on an adjusted roll of 5 or more, and this was an adjusted 7.

Had the assassin been caught, either on this roll or while trying to escape one or more Bodyguards, Claudius would have been automatically killed instead, and then the Plutocrats' Faction Leader would have been immediately brought to a Special Major trial by the Censor (Furius of the Conservatives in this case, or the HRAO if no Censor is available). That would have been Acilius -- but he would have been invulnerable because he's out of Rome off Governing somewhere!  ^-^ Consequently, he couldn't have been brought to trial! (And he would have had plausible deniability, not being there, anyway.)

This is why the Frog gave Faction Leadership to Acilius.  >:D And why the Frog was willing to volunteer him, before he became Faction Leader, to Govern that ditzy and unprofitable Province.

Now, it is possible to even send one's own Faction Leader on an assassination attempt -- which, note, was formerly Claudius! If he gets caught and thus executed, however, there's a general panic among the senate and I would draw a number of mortality chits equal to the target's Popularity: and every active family member drawn would immediately be executed on suspicion of conspiracy!  :o :hide:

Moreover, if a Faction loses its last senator, necessarily the Faction Leader, due to being caught and executed on an assassination mission, that Faction would be kicked out of the game! -- this is the only way for a Faction to ever be put entirely out of the game. (However, per optional house rule, the other Players may vote to keep the Player and his Faction in, with certain severe penalties preventing him from being active for a while.)


None of that is necessary, in this case. Scipio dies, and Claudius gets away with it, and Acilius is off innocently Governing the dirthole of Sardi/Corsi and shrugging his shoulders at this dastardly crime.  >:D

[JasonPratt]

Scipio dies. Tax Farming Concession #1 goes to the Forum for reassignment. Loyalty chits for 2nd, 4th, and 5th Legions go back to the bank. (The Vets stay Vets, but they'll be loyal to the Republic now, not to a senator personally.) The Cornelian family was supporting Scipio -- I.I. has the Cornelian family card -- so they emergency promote a new scion to the Senate. (Had this Cornelius died, the generic family Senator, not the specific historical character Statesmen, the family card would have gone to the Curia to await a reactivation.) Only the Conservatives have the ongoing special inheritance ability, so the new Cornelius starts with no chits.

New Faction total influence, 60. (29 + 26 + 5) New normal vote tally, 16. (Oras 2+2+3 plus 5+4 knights.)

So, alas, passes the great Statesman and hero of the Republic, Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, often Dictator and Consul, savior of the Punic Wars. Deleta Carthago est. 


I. I. still has two extra Influence hanging out, due to the Aristocrat special ability, unassigned. Since the new Cornelius is a different 'character' than Scipio Africanus, he could receive both points if I.I. wants.


With his passing, the post of Presiding Magistrate descends to the next Highest Ranking Available Officer, who... gosh, turns out to be Roman Consul Claudius of the Plutocrats. WHO COULD EVEN HAVE GUESSED?!?

The Frog, y'all.  :clap:

[JasonPratt]

In case you're wondering, Manlius of the Militarists would now be rather close to automatically winning the game, since his Faction is now 30+ points in the Influence lead, and he himself is 8 points ahead of the second place senator(s).

However, thanks to the recent Law, no one can win the game automatically anymore.

[Tripoli]

In case you're wondering, Manlius of the Militarists would now be rather close to automatically winning the game, since his Faction is now 30+ points in the Influence lead, and he himself is 8 points ahead of the second place senator(s).

However, thanks to the recent Law, no one can win the game automatically anymore.

Do I want to be in the lead with Ethel "Corleone" running around?   Retiring to my farm is looking attractive right now  :o

[JasonPratt]

He just has enthusiasms!

(...enthusiasms. .....enthusiasms.)

{/untouchablesref}  >:D

[malize]

"Leave the Gladius, bring the cannolis"

[JasonPratt]

Ooooh, Gladius! -- I love that game so much. Works perfectly fine on PCXS2, too!

(It's an old PS2 game from Lucasfilm, of all things. Superb soundtrack, great plot, great turn-based tactical mechanics.)

[Ethel the Frog]

Well, becoming Presiding Magistrate was a surprise result.  I wish I could say I planned it that way...

I am to propose 2 consuls, apparently.  I was braced for a prosecution. 

Not quite sure who we need. 

[Ethel the Frog]

As a show of good faith, I will recuse myself from the post in favor of Erax and give him the task of assigning the next consuls. 
I am hoping that this will persuade the group that my intentions are honorable and not driven by lust for power. 

[JasonPratt]

Alll righty!  :D

I've p-mailed Erax to alert him that Field Consul Plautius is the PM now.

[JasonPratt]

I think Erax is out of town for the week, and players may be spotty over the coming Easter Weekend, so don't be surprised if play slows down for a while.  O:-)