Sean Larsen, NJ

2007 GM

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Et tu Brutus? …

Republic of Rome is often agreed to be one of the most exciting games available, but suffers in tournament play. With all players having a good idea of when the game is about to end, much of the action is delayed until the final turns, since all players can afford to bide their time and wait for the self-balancing mechanisms of the game to kick in. “End-of-the-world” phenomena like a plethora of assassinations on the final turn just make the problem worse. Finally, a perverse incentive can lead the highest-influence faction to want Rome to fall to result in a “victory".

This year, there will once again be two nights of qualification play. Winners of games from either night will advance. If there is no outright winner in a qualification game, the player with the highest-percentage influence will advance. Alternates for the finals will also be drawn from the pool of high influence finishers. The Final this year will once again feature the Late Republic. However, in an attempt to avoid the final turn chaos that has become a perennial problem we will be using a drop dead card shuffled into the final quarter of the deck. When this card is reached the game is over. This should hopefully lead to bolder moves towards the end of the game as players reach for victory.

House Rules / Rules Changes:
* All games will use the Matching Wars Time Delay 7.3321 from the General V27#4. All games will use Advanced Game rule 13 (Pontifex Maximus).
* All games modify the Cataline Conspiracy card as follows: The HRAO may voluntarily step down after the effects of the Cataline Conspiracy card have been resolved. If this Senator refuses to step down, he is subject to immediate potential assassination, offered first to the faction on the HRAO’s left and proceeding clockwise. The HRAO may only be subject to one
assassination attempt during this special phase. This assassination attempt does not count as a Senate Phase assassination; thus, either the assassinating or assassinated faction can attempt or receive further knifings in the Senate Phase.

Republic of Rome Errata and Clarifications
3.III Is there only one round of bidding for each additional Initiative? A. Yes.
3.III.4 Can a player appoint a Faction Leader AND sponsor Games in the same Initiative? A. No; “or” means one or the other.
4.7 & 5.2 If a statesman is made a Faction Leader at the start of play, does that mean he can not die prior to the appearance of his Family card? A. No. A statesman cannot be made Faction Leader until the first Forum Phase (4.5). Thereafter, if he were to die, that faction would be without a Faction Leader until the next Forum Phase Initiative provided an opportunity to name a new one.
5.1 Is a Mortality Chit drawn on the first turn? A. Yes.
5.1 Are Senators in the Forum (not the Curia) considered “active” and thus subject to Mortality Chit draws? Are Mortality Chits permanently removed when drawn or returned to the cup? A. Yes; Mortality Chits are always returned to the cup at the end of the draw—except for the “draw Two” chits which are returned immediately even before that draw is concluded.
5.3 If a faction is eliminated, what happens to its cards in hand? A. They are returned to the deck and reshuffled.
5.3 & 9.84 Upon the execution of a Faction leader, can the player immediately appoint a new one, or does he have to wait until Step #4 of the next Forum Phase? A. The latter.
6.1 Does a captive Senator (10.82) receive personal and/or concession income? A. No.
6.12 After the Calpurnian Law is passed, do the Talents collected from the corrupt Senator go into the state Treasury? A. No. They are returned to the Bank.
6.14 Do rebel governors roll for province improvement? A. No.
6.141 Can Bithynia also be improved in the normal way? A. Yes.
6.22 Do Wars such as the Jugurthine War whose card does not indicate a subtraction of 20T. still cost the Rome Treasury 20T? A. Yes.
6.22 & 9.41 Can someone not in Rome be prosecuted?
A. No. In general, a Senator away from Rome can do nothing in Rome except make contributions or sponsor games.
6.22 & 9.64 Can the Senate disband Legions and fleets by refusing to pay maintenance?
A. No. The only way to disband forces is by passing such a proposal in the Senate Phase. If unable to pay maintenance for existing forces, the state is bankrupt and all players lose (except any declared rebel).
6.3 If the Redistribution of Wealth (III.3) occurs after the collection of Personal Revenue (II.1), how can it “make no difference to which Senator of a faction, the money is given at this point? A. The reference to Redistribution of Wealth is to reallocation between Factions. Reallocation of funds between senators of the same Faction is allowed in 6.1—which happens before such things as Contrubutions.
6.3 Is Faction income distributed sequentially or simultaneously? Can a Senator absent from Rome take part in the redistribution? Are previously allocated funds eligible for reallocation? A. Simultaneously. Yes. Yes.
7.2, 7.355, 7.357 Does the exception to “all” DR/dr for initiative mean that the random event TDR that follows a “7” initiative DR avoids a “-1” drm? When a Natural Disaster occurs, does the subsequent dr to see which concession is destroyed have a -1 drm? A. No. No.
7.31 Does a Statesman take over any Prior Consul marker on its Family card? Can a Senator’s Popularity go above +9 or below -9? A. Yes. Yes.
7.312 Does a Statesman have a Personal Treasury even though the symbol is not shown on his card? Does Scipio Africanus negate Hannibal and Hamilcar Disaster/Stalemates too or only those of the Punic Wars cards? A. Yes. Only those of the Punic Wars cards—not those of enemy leaders.
7.312B If Statesmen 29A and 29B are both in play when the Family card #29 is drawn, who gets it? A. It is placed beneath Statesman 29A.
7.331 Errata: Add “/Fleet” after “Army” in the third line.
7.332 Errata: Delete “(those with matching illustrations)"
7.332 MATCHING WARS: No game is perfect. Inevitably, something is omitted that would have made the game a tad better had only we thought of it in time. Such an instance occurs in REPUBLIC OF ROME with respect to rule 7.332. Kirk Schlesing correctly points out that matching wars are allowed to pile up too quickly before the players can do anything about it, no matter how cooperative they may wish to be. While the Early Republic scenario was intended to be difficult to win, we should have taken steps to lessen the effects of a shuffle that brought the 2nd Punic War into the game right on the heels of the first. We therefore urge all players to incorporate this modification to the rules as an official variation.
7.3321 TIME DELAY: Whenever a War or Revolt card is drawn from the deck that would match a face-up War or Revolt card already located in the Forum, the drawn card is placed face-down in an Inactive War slot for the remainder of the current turn. If the face-up matching card is currently located in an Inactive War slot, it is immediately moved to an Active War slot; otherwise, face-up cards are not affected in any way. At the beginning of each new turn, before any other action is taken, all cards in Inactive War slots are turned face-up, and one card for each War or Revolt is moved to an Active War slot on the Forum. Wars should be selected for activation in chronological order (e.g., 1st Macedonian before 2nd Macedonian, etc) whenever possible. An Inactive War and its Leader are instantly matched and activated; there is no delay. If a Leader is drawn that matches an Active War, the Leader is immediately placed on the Active War card, but no additional War cards are activated.
EXAMPLE: First Punic War begins the game face-up in an Inactive War slot.
Second Punic War is drawn; it is placed face-down in an Inactive War slot, and First Punic War is moved to an Active War slot. Third Punic War is drawn in the same turn; it is placed face-down in an Inactive War slot. The Hannibal Leader card is then drawn; it is immediately placed with First Punic War. At the start of Turn 2, Second Punic War is moved to an Active War slot, but Third Punic War remains Inactive until the start of Turn 3. If the Hamilcar Leader card is drawn during either turn, it would be placed with an Active Punic War card. Third Punic War would remain Inactive. This rule allows Rome at least one opportunity to attack with a reasonable chance of success before its strength multiplies without resorting to extraordinary measures such as a Dictator.
7.3322 What determines if a Leader matches a War/Revolt? A. The picture is the sole determining factor.
7.335 If playing the Early Republic scenario (where the 3rd Punic is not in play), does defeat of the 2nd Punic War reduce the 1st Punic War to a revolt? A. No.
7.34 If a War with a matching leader is defeated, does the leader remain on display in the Curia (subject to an aging dr) if there are still Wars which match the Leader left in the deck? A. Yes.
7.341 Is Cleopatra discarded at the end of the turn it is played? A. Yes. It can be played only once, but remains in effect until the Alexandrine War is defeated.
7.352 BARBARIAN RAIDS What happens if not using the Provincial Forces rule? A. This event is ineffective without Provincial Forces; re-roll on the Event table.
7.3510 PRETENDER EMERGES/VICTORIOUS What happens if not using the Provincial Forces rule? A. The governor is killed but nothing else happens.
7.3631 CALPURNIAN LAW What happens to a Senator if neither he nor his Faction Treasury can pay the fine? A. His Popularity and Influence is reduced by the amount of the shortfall.
7.3632 VATINIAN LAW: When may a Governor governing by legate leave for/return from his Province? A. He may leave for the Province anytime during the Senate Phase. If he goes to the Province he must remain there until the start of the next Senate Phase or until rerolled.
If his Province is attacked in his absence, what military rating is used? A. None.
May a Governor rebel with more than one Province or can he choose only one? A. He can choose only the one in which he is currently residing. All other Provinces governed by legate return to the Forum for control by the Senate.
7.364 Murder of a Tribune. Can the same player play another Tribune on the same proposal? A. Yes. This card specifically allows OTHER players to initiate the same proposal again. However, it does not preclude the same player from also doing so. Rule 9.69 is not relevant because a canceled Tribune does not constitute a defeated proposal; in fact, the proposal was never successfully initiated.
7.37 Is an Intrigue card which is traded outside the Revolution Phase and placed beneath the board edge subject to selection due to the play of the Influence Peddling card? A. Yes, but in this case, it must be returned to the hand prior to the random draw and then be returned again to beneath the board edge immediately afterwards regardless of who owns it.
7.4 May a Senator not in Rome sponsor Games? Can Popularity of a Senator increase beyond 9? A. Yes. Yes.
7.511 Do historically opposed Statesmen belonging to the same Faction still retain the “+7” for alignment? A. Yes.
7.511 Is the Flamininus that opposes Cato the Elder and triggers his loyalty drop to 0, Statesman 18a (T.Quinctius Flamininus) or the Family card Flaminius (13)? A. The former. The loyaltry drop to 0 does not appear on the 18a card but it should.
9.11 & 9.34 Is the Censor considered the Presiding Magistrate during a Prosecution and thus subject to loss of an influence point if a proposed prosecution is voted down unanimously? A. Yes, however, the prosecutor is not subject to any such influence loss.
9.22 Can a Senator play a Tribune to make a proposal to adjourn the Senate? A. No. Only the Presiding Magistrate may adjourn the Senate?
9.24 & 9.91 Can a Senator refuse to be Master of Horse? A. No.
9.34 Does a Senator who forced a proposal to a vote using a Tribune lose influence if the motion is unanimously defeated by the votes of all Senators of other factions? A. No —he is not the “Presiding Magistrate". Defeat of his proposal and loss of his Tribune is penalty enough.
9.34 If the HRAO “steps down", does he resign his office or simply pass control of the meeting to the next HRAO? A. The latter; he may not become Presiding Magistrate in that turn again.
9.411 Does a successful Minor Prosecution strip the prosecuted Senator of any office he is currently holding? A. No.
9.412 Can the Censor name himself as Prosecutor? A. No.
9.421 Does an exiled Senator lose negative Popularity also? A. No, he loses only positive Popularity.
9.41 Can the same Senator be prosecuted twice in the same turn if he held two concessions, or a concession and an office? A. Yes.
9.423 Does a faction that cast the most votes for an exiled Statesman’s return and makes a successful Persuasion Attempt vs that Statesman also get the Family card of the Statesman even if it is held by another faction? A. Yes —even if that Family card is the Faction Leader.
9.5 Insert: “and Repopulating Rome (9.5)” after “(see 7.5)".
9.611A In which phase are concessions destroyed by the 2nd Punic War or Gladiator Slave Revolt? A. The Senate Phase.
9.622 See 7.3632 Vatinian Law.
9.631 Can you repeal a Type I landbill? A. Yes, but they are rarely repealed because they expire during the next turn anyway.
9.64 Can a Legion or fleet be disbanded and rebuilt in the same Senate Phase? A. No.
9.64 How is the status of Veteran Legions determined when sending a force to oppose a particular war? A. Should the proposal to send forces fail to specify the specific makeup of those forces, the Commander of the forces may pick which ones to take.
9.642 Pompey’s military rating is rolled before each combat so what is it considered to be when determining his Minimum Force in the Senate Phase? A. The minimum value of 2.
9.642 & 9.93 Can a Senator refuse an appointment as Master of Horse to avoid being sent on a hopeless war with a Dictator who volunteers for the suicide mission? A. He may refuse such appointment.
9.67 Can a “Consul for Life” nomination be made without the approval of the Presiding Magistrate or use of a Tribune? A. No.
9.69. See 7.364 Murder of a Tribune.
9.72 Can a Tribune veto either an appointment or a Dictator’s election? A. It can’t veto an appointment. It can veto a Dictator’s election, but only during its faction’s turn to vote.
9.8 May a Faction attempt to assassinate one of its own Senators? A. No. “Opposing” Senators are the only possible targets.
9.81, 9.9, 9.91 A Dictator has been appointed and is then assassinated after appointing his Master of Horse. Can another Dictator be appointed? Would the new Dictator get to appoint a new Master of Horse? In the absence of a new Dictator, can the original Master of Horse go to war alone? A. Yes—unless the assassination is after the Censor’s election. Yes, the old Master of Horse would have no duties but may keep his three Influence gain. Yes.
9.83 Are re-rolls for possible capture modified by the played Assassin and Bodyguard cards? A. Yes.
9.84 If the Faction Leader is the assassin, who is considered the Faction Leader for purposes of the special Major Prosecution? A. No one—nor can a Faction Leader away from Rome be recalled for such a Prosecution.
9.84 If “neither the Censor nor Prosecutor” is involved in a special Major Prosecution, who chooses the voting order? A. The Censor.
9.91 Can more than one Dictator election be held if the first is defeated? A. Yes, but unlike Consular elections, there doesn’t have to be one elected; 9.23 doesn’t apply.
9.92, 10.7 If a Dictator becomes a Proconsul, what happens to his Master of Horse? A. He returns to Rome without office.
9.93 If a Dictator and Master of Horse both rebel, may they add their military ratings in the Civil War? A. Yes
10.1 What order are wars fought (especially when two commanders are sent to fight the same war)? A. The Senate may determine in which order wars are prosecuted (in what order dice are rolled), as part of the proposal to give military command and send forces to fight the wars. If not done by the Senate, then the commanders decide (just like 9.25).
10.12 If Rome sends a naval force with no legions and is victorious in naval combat, must the commander return to Rome or can he remain in the field as Pro-Consul to conduct the land war next turn? A. He must return to Rome. By being given no legions, he was not entrusted with the conduct of the land war and has no claim to it.
10.4 Does a victorious commander gain Popularity and Influence when defeating a Revolt? The rules say that Revoluts do not yield Spoils of War. A. Gained Popularity and Influence are not Spoils of War.
10.5 If legions are present and survive a naval battle, does fighting a naval battle create a veteran legion? A. Yes —if it was at risk in the battle. It can claim veteran status before any following land battle.
10.6 Can the returning legions be used during the same turn elsewhere? A. Yes.
10.72 Errata: The Unrest Level is increased by one at the start of every Population Phase.
10.72 Assume Rome wins a naval victory against the 1st Punic War but does not wish to pursue a land battle against them in the next turn. Is there any way they can avoid an Unprosecuted War penalty? A. The victorious commander could remain as Proconsul in command of at least five fleets, but the 20 T. cost of an Active War would still apply.
10.82 When a commander is captured, when is the ransom paid? A. Anytime prior to the defeat of the war, except for Barbarian Raids which must be paid before the next Forum Phase.
10.9 In what order do Multiple Commanders attack their common War? A. The order is determined randomly by die roll.
11.1 May a player discard a Statesman card instead of playing/trading it? A. Yes.
11.51 May the Senate vote to deactivate veteran legions who will otherwise desert to a rebel during the ensuing Combat Phase? A. No.
11.52 Does the rebel Army suffer any losses if the result is “Defeat”, but not “Defeat ALL”? A. No. A result of Defeat for the Senate’s Army exempts the Rebel Army from losses.
12.1A/12.3 Does a Senator who reaches 35 Influence or is elected Consul for Life still win if captured by a war on the same turn? A. No.
12.1E A suggested “house rule” to avoid the “end of the world” syndrome which occurs when artificial time limits dictate the end of a scenario and send all players off on a desperate grab for influence is to continue the game with the next deck of cards as if playing an extended Campaign Game. However, at the end of every turn starting with the turn the first deck expired, a die is rolled to see if the game ends. The game ends on a die roll of 6 or more. There is a +1 modifier for every turn that the die is rolled without resulting in the end of the game.
13.21 May the Pontifex Maximus appoint himself as priest? A. No.
14.2-.3 Are local taxes insufficient to purchase even one unit, and unsupplemented by a Governor or the Senate, simply lost? A. Yes.
14.4 Do all bracketed provinces immediately lose all taxes even though the War will attack only one per turn? A. Yes.
14.4 If the Province is in Revolt, does the Active War card pass over that Province and attack the next listed Province remaining loyal to Rome instead? If the Germanic Migrations win when they are attacked, is Narbonese Gaul its ally? A. Yes. No—Narbonese Gaul is an open province even while the Migration remains active.
See 7.3632 Vatinian Law.
14.41 The rule says “Provincial Armies”. Does it hold true for Fleets as well? A. No.
14.41-.411 The provincial forces increase the strength of the War, but are they still removed at double rate (since there will be no legions backing them up)? A. No.
14.411 Is the printed strength of the Province card which is added to the strength of a victorious War subject to doubling or tripling for matching War cards? A. No.
14.413 Does a Governor gain Popularity and Influence for defeat of a Provincial War? A. Yes.
14.5 See 7.3632 Vatinian Law.
14.6 “Each Provincial Army adds one to the printed strength of the War/Province card,” appears to contradict 14.51. In the case of 14.6, if unaccompanied do they only add half? Do they take losses at double the normal rate? A. No. No. Once Provincial Armies are added to a War card, they cease to be Provincial Armies and are not treated as such.
14.7 Do Provincial Fleets dice for allegiance? A. No.
16.51 Can the player use money to increase his votes as in the regular game? A. Not for purposes of putting together the ruling coalition.
16.51 Is the tie breaker use of money pertaining to the respective Faction Treasuries, or all the Treasuries of that Faction? A. The latter.
16.56 If the player(s) are the only Factions in the ruling coalition, do they have to use the Military Plans List or can they make their own plan? A. They can make their own plan.
16.76 When would a Neutral use the blackmail/seduction cards? A. Automatically when drawn vs whatever faction has the most votes (16.51).