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The Republic Reborn

Started by Polycarp, January 23, 2012, 06:16:14 AM

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Nomadic

[ooc]
I'm imagining it would work like my armsmen in Nettuno. Basically a minor NPC that will do things in the background, make suggestions and requests, and try to follow his given orders.
[/ooc]

Magnus Pym

[ic=Meeting with Roberto Basile, during recess at the Senate]Consul, might I have a word with you?
I had hoped for a more simple solution regarding the Charter of Order, but, in the end, the project might be delayed. Do you think there is some way we could retain the services of the calafatan palatini even if the Senate has not yet agreed on a legal structure for their employ by the Commune? If you should find any, and be in need of a hand, I would certainly like to help. I believe in this opportunity we have here.[/ic]

Polycarp

Quote from: Light DragonQuestion, for Polycarp:
How will Nomadic's suggestion work, mechanically?

If the guard is headed by an NPC, I will play that NPC.  How I play him depends on how he is selected.  Assuming he's more or less impartial, I imagine it would be as Nomadic says - sort of like his Captain in Nettuno, who doesn't really do anything or show up in updates unless some event happens that concerns him or he is the subject of orders.

Of course, riots in Rome happen somewhat more often than riots in Nettuno, so the NPC might be more active than Sismondii's captain.
The Clockwork Jungle (wiki | thread)
"The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way." - Marcus Aurelius

Magnus Pym

[ic=In the Lesser Council]Esteemed colleagues,
After some thoughts, I decided to come before this council to ask you all to vote on some issues regarding the Charter of Order. Our opinions differ from each other in some cases and I think it is important that we take a stand on certain things before continuing to flesh out the details in the Greater Council. So let's proceed to a vote in civilized manner, with simple yes or no answers.

First, the matter of much debate, shall the individual in which the Senate will invest the responsibility of commanding the Sentinels be a senator, or not.

I vote yes.

Secondly, unless in times of crisis -which substance can be determined later,- do we all agree that if command of the Sentinels cannot be handled by the person appointed by the Senate, a vote must take place in seven days or less to appoint a new commander?

I vote yes.

Third and last for now, will the commander of the force have to resign before running for consul, and vice-versa, or only upon being appointed to the relevant office?

I vote yes.

I will now let you vote on these matters.[/ic]

TheMeanestGuest

Blehh. I've been kind of busy with exams just having ended, and now I have to pack stuff up and get ready to go to the States to see my sister. If we could have a few days extension, that would be cool.
Let the scholar be dragged by the hook.

Elven Doritos

[ic=In the Council]I vote yes on all three, with the understanding that a vote of yes on the third proposal is a vote for resignation before running for, not assuming, the consulship.[/ic]
Oh, how we danced and we swallowed the night
For it was all ripe for dreaming
Oh, how we danced away all of the lights
We've always been out of our minds
-Tom Waits, Rain Dogs

Polycarp

An extension is fine with me.  Do you have any requests, or do you just want me to pick another date?

I have about three weeks until graduation, so I've been pretty busy and haven't spent much time in the thread.  If I still owe you a letter please let me know.
The Clockwork Jungle (wiki | thread)
"The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way." - Marcus Aurelius

Magnus Pym

Polycarp,
Not sure if you read it, but I did post a letter to the prefect. If you noticed it, ignore this post.

TheMeanestGuest

If it could be extended to Friday that would be good for me.
Let the scholar be dragged by the hook.

Polycarp

Done.

[ooc=Due Date]The due date for orders this season is now Friday, April 25th.[/ooc]

[ic=A Letter to Roberto Basile]Consul,

I understand fully that the Senate has limited resources.  We are also in a similar position.  My father was a wealthy man, but his estate is less prodigious when divided up, and - so long as the nobility of Rome remains vassals of His Holiness - relief upon inheritance must be paid to the Curia for the entirety of the estate.  [15 WP] was agreed upon by all of us as a discounted price we would offer the Senate as an alternative to an auctioned sale; we believe we could well find a higher price were we to open it up to other interests in Latium.

If the Senate needs time to amass the additional [1 WP], we are willing to accept a debt, so long as a time limit is given for its repayment; perhaps that will satisfy the Senate and allow it to find the additional funds.  I am afraid I must insist on the asked amount, however, as this was the agreement made between myself and my brothers.[/ic]

Magnus, thanks - yes, I did see that letter.  A response to de Vinti has not yet arrived.



The Clockwork Jungle (wiki | thread)
"The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way." - Marcus Aurelius

LD

#1660
[ic=Letter To Della Suburba]
Dear Prefect Antonio Della Suburba,

Rome regrets the suffering you experienced while you sojourned beyond its walls.

I am informed that Consul Basile is handling the resolution of this issue and that he does not wish for me to be involved in the particulars. Be that as it may, I have a strong interest in seeing this issue being resolved amicably. If the issue is not resolved to your satisfaction, I entreat you to communicate further with me. In addition, I note that we intend to make available to you, a force to protect you on your entrance into Rome. If you would like to greater discuss methods for your protection in the future, should it become necessary, I am more than willing to meet with you to plan an amicable method that will lead to your security whilst reducing the likelihood that the popolo will become a nuisance.

I also take this moment to note, again, that while we regret that we could not prohibit all loss of property or life at your estate, I personally led the troops to defend your lands, joined by Consul Basile's men. Rome did honor its treaty and it looks forward to honoring its treaty as best as it can in the future. Perhaps if we keep open methods of communication, we can better ensure that security is maintained for you going forward.

I look forward to seeing you soon.

Consul Vittorio Manzinni.[/ic]

[ic=In Senate]

As to the matter of Senator de Vinti's three propositions, I vote "No on the first. Yes, on the second, with the understanding that there will be situations in which the senate will fail to meet within that seven day limit, turning the prohibition in those situations, into a farce. Seven days at least, is a worthy goal and I do not disagree with the heady impulse to strive for a perfect situation that it implies. On the third issue, I state Yes, expressing no great preference for one option or the other but while acknowledging that voting yes is a vote that may establish a better guard against the position being misused."

[/ic]

Nomadic

#1661
[ic=Letter to Basile]
I am quickly growing weary of the bickering about such a small matter as who will handle the day to day operations of the city armsmen. I feel that much of it is just a power play when there is no need for a senator to directly oversee them. I had offered funding to go towards their hiring but while the whole thing sits in limbo there is little I can do there. Still I wish to do something. If I am quite correct based on the price you gave for the purchase of the Colosseum and the offers you've been given by your fellow senators we are still [1 wp] short of being able to purchase it. Therefore I would like to offer you the final necessary funding so that you might purchase it. The guard issue may languish but I will at least see something passed successfully in this senate.

As an aside I wish to let you know that work on the road from Antium has begun in earnest. It goes slower than I had hoped, not for lack of funds but lack of hands. The bread shortages have made it difficult to find workers willing to leave Rome for any amount of coin. I have considered purchasing grain and offering that as payment. Nevertheless, the road gets closer to Rome every day. I thought this might cheer you as it means that it gets closer to your son and daughter-in-law and your grandchild. Hopefully before long there will be a safe route between your home and theirs. Still if you know of any surplus of workers in need of bread or money do let me know, it would greatly speed the progress of the road.

Best Regards,
Arrigus Sissmondii
[/ic]

[ic=Lesser Council Vote]
To the matter of a senator overseeing the sentinels I vote no, to the second I vote yes, and to the third I see no reason to vote as I do not see the need to have a senator yet I will vote yes on it as I do agree with the general sentiment behind it.
[/ic]

Polycarp

#1662
On an unrelated note, I've been working on and off on the "naval expansion" mentioned many pages ago.  This is the plan in its current form.

I welcome your comments on this.  I'm still tweaking the prices.

[spoiler=Ships in RR]Naval terminology from this period is imprecise; dozens of words are used in period texts, often apparently interchangeably, to refer to kinds of vessels in use at the time.  I have made an effort to make a few basic "classes" of ships, using that terminology, which we will use here.  While ships at that time varied substantially in their sizes and crew complements, our classes are standardized; for the purposes of the game, for instance, every galea has a 150-man maximum crew.

Naval warfare was conducted principally by boarding.  The naval ram of the ancient days had been forgotten, and ship-borne artillery would not be implemented with much effect until the advent of gunpowder.  Missile weapons, particularly the crossbow, were used heavily, but as a prelude to boarding rather than the principal means by which to defeat the enemy.   This dependence on boarding meant that the ship with the largest crew generally had the advantage, and smaller ships were seldom able to contend with larger ones without the advantage of numbers (assuming both were fully crewed).  This also means that there was much less of a distinction between a "transport ship" and a "warship" than there is in modern times; any ship could be a "warship" once it was packed to the gills with armed men.  Civilian merchant vessels were frequently pressed into service as reasonably effective warships.

[spoiler=New Units]Galea
The galea (pl. galeae), or "galley," is the product of a long process of development of an ancient vessel.  The Greek dromon that ruled the waves of the Mediterranean starting in the 6th century was a double-decked ship with around a hundred oarsmen; "galea" referred to a lighter single-decked version with half as many oars.  In the last century, however, the galea was redesigned by Latins – probably Italians – to have two levels of oars rowed by only one level of rowers, by putting two men to a bench.  With this design, half the rowers need not be confined in cramped conditions below deck, and are free to adopt a "stand and sit" stroke that uses the whole body for rowing power.  The 12th century galley is thus lighter, faster, and more stable than its predecessors.

The galea is a long, narrow ship with a single mast bearing a lateen sail, though it relies chiefly on its oars.  The usual galea measures around 40 meters from end to end and 15 meters across at the widest point of the hull.  The maximum complement of a typical galea is 150 men, 100 of which are rowers.  The galea was the most common warship of the time – while it does not carry crews as large as some of the bigger ships, its speed and maneuverability allow it to either outrun or cooperate to take down larger foes.  Galeae equipped for war are often given a "spur," an above-water ram that is intended to cripple a ship by smashing its oars.  These ships are also used for fast transport, particularly of wealthy individuals who can afford this kind of passage, but their cargo space is quite limited.

Sagita
Named for the Latin word for "arrow," the sagita (pl. sagitae) is a smaller version of the galea.  Designed in a very similar manner to the more common galea, this ship is built for superior speed at the expense of crew and cargo space.  The smaller crew complement disadvantages the sagita in a boarding action, but its greater speed makes the sagita an excellent vessel for raiding, scouting, and fast transport of important persons (albeit in substantially less comfort than in a galea).

The sagita is probably the best ship in the Latin arsenal for the business of piracy.  Though its crew is small compared to any other fighting ship, a fully-crewed sagita usually has no difficulty overwhelming more lightly crewed merchant ships, and with its prodigious speed it seldom has trouble catching them either.  A flotilla of these ships is no substitute for a "real" navy for the purposes of naval battle or sea-borne invasion, but they can wreak havoc on merchant shipping.  The usual sagita carries no more than 100 men, around 64 of whom are rowers.

Tarida
The tarida (pl. taridae, from the Arabic tarrida, apparently a kind of merchant ship) is something of a hybrid ship, a "transport galley" midway between the classic galea and the larger nave.  Like the galea, it is primarily an oar-driven ship, but it is wider and rounder than a normal galley to fulfill its purpose as a military transport.  The tarida is most commonly known as a "horse transport" – while a nave could certainly transport horses as well, the tarida, being a galley, can be directly beached and does not rely on there being an established port.  Some taridae were actually equipped with removable hull sections or landing ramps to facilitate fast offloading, and there are records of Greek and Siculo-Norman taridae landing cavalrymen, mounted, fully armed, and ready to fight, directly on to foreign shores.

Taridae can transport men as well as horses, and can be formidable fighting ships in their own right, as they can carry a larger crew complement than a regular galea.  They are, however, slower, less maneuverable, and marginally less seaworthy than those ships, and are not equipped with the galea's spur.  The usual tarida has 100 oars and a total capacity of 200 men, but 50 of those men can be exchanged for 25 horses.

Nave
In medieval Latin, nave (pl. naves) simply means "ship," but as a technical term in the Mediterranean it has come to specifically mean a sailing ship, as opposed to the galea and its relatives.  The early crusading armies found that galleys, even the new taridae, were insufficient for conveying truly large armies; around the same time, the increasing volume of trade in the Mediterranean caused the maritime republics to look to better ways of shipping bulk goods.  The modern nave, also known as the "roundship," was the answer to both these dilemmas – taller, wider, rounder, and deeper-keeled than any galley, and relying entirely on sail for propulsion.  While this frees up precious room for cargo and transport that would otherwise be taken up by rowing benches, it means the nave is more at the mercy of the elements and cannot maneuver in the same way an oared ship can.

The nave is the typical large cargo ship of the Mediterreanean, and also the principal means of conveyance for pilgrims to Rome and the Holy Land.  The nave does not make long sea voyages, hopping rather from port to port along the coast, as its capability to carry its own supplies when burdened with cargo or passengers is not great.  With its smaller crew and poorer maneuverability than an oared ship, it is also vulnerable to pirates if it strays too far from friendly ports.  When filled with soldiers instead of goods or pilgrims, the nave can be a surprisingly formidable opponent – its high sides make it difficult to board, particularly if those sides are manned by hundreds of armed men – but oared warships usually have no difficulty escaping the slow nave, and can simply wait for reinforcements before making an attack.  The deeper keel of the nave makes it somewhat less vulnerable to storms than a galea or smaller ship, but its draught also means it really must have a proper port to land, and cannot merely be beached.  The nave has a maximum capacity of 300 men, assuming it is carrying no other cargo; 80 of those men can be exchanged for 40 horses.

Nave Castellate
While a regular nave may serve as a decent warship in a pinch, the nave castellate ("castled ship") is a sailing ship purpose-built for fighting.  Essentially, this ship is just a nave with two "castles" – raised fighting platforms – on the bow and stern.  These castles are often designed just like fortified towers, with crenellations behind which marines can shoot crossbows as their ship closes with another.  In a boarding action, men on these castles can rain missiles down on the deck of their hapless opponent.

While the nave castellate is a formidable ship, it is no faster or more maneuverable than a regular nave, and its high castles make it substantially less seaworthy.  A nave of any sort is unlikely to ever catch a galea; as a result, these ships are usually used in a defensive capacity, protecting harbors and escorting fleets of smaller ships.  They may be most effective as a deterrent, as no galea captain will want to put his ship in a position where a nave castellate could soon be looming over it.  Being a nave, this ship can be used for transporting horses and goods as well, but this may be somewhat of a waste of its potential.  These ships are usually built even larger than a standard nave, and the usual ship of this class has a maximum capacity of 350 men; 100 of those men can be exchanged for 50 horses.


Classiarii
Galley slaves did not come into common use in Europe until the 16th century – the oarsmen of the navies of the medieval maritime republics were free citizens performing their duty to the state.  In the 12th century, there was little distinction between a sailor/rower and a maritime soldier in the communal navies, and the oarsmen would be expected to drop their oars and take up their weapons to board an enemy ship or repel those trying to board their own.  Citizen-sailors provide their own arms, and are typically armed with various daggers, swords, and long spears (sometimes specialized for boarding with added hooks or prongs).  A portion of them are also equipped with crossbows to engage the enemy before closing, and officers and other more well-off seamen wear mail shirts as well.  Going barefoot and bare-headed seems to have been the norm among communal marine forces.  While not ideally equipped for land warfare, these men have equal training and discipline to any other citizen militia force and can be usefully deployed on land as light infantry, usually to complement heavier landing forces or to conduct coastal raids.[/spoiler]

Building Ships

Each ship has its own construction cost.  The cost of a ship must be paid all at once.  Once paid for, a ship takes one season to complete.

Sagita: 2 WP
Galea: 3 WP
Nave: 4 WP
Tarida: 5 WP
Nave Castellate: 5 WP

If you own a Lumber Yard enterprise in the vicinity of where you are building a ship, the cost of one ship you build per season is reduced by 1 WP.  Multiple local lumber yards do not further discount ships, but allow you to apply the discount to multiple ships if you build multiple ships in a single season.

Ships must also be maintained.  Standing navies were rare for a reason – being made of wood, ships are constantly degrading, and the costs of maintaining a fleet could be high.  Merchant vessels, at least, could pay for themselves, but vessels reserved for war were a constant drain on the state's treasury that seemed like a waste during peacetime.  Maintenance costs for ships are paid annually every winter, when sailing season is over and ships are typically laid up for repairs.  Maintenance costs are 2 WP for all ships except for the Sagita, which costs only 1 WP to maintain.  If maintenance is not paid for a ship, it is lost - shipworms and rot

Drafting and Crewing Ships

As galley slaves are not in use in the 12th century, ships must generally be crewed either by citizens doing their duty or paid rowers.  Militiamen drafted for naval service will bring their usual equipment.  Fishermen and sailors, being non-citizens, currently have no obligation to serve the Senate.  They may be paid to row ships – 1 WP for every 200 per season would be typical – but they will be only lightly armed (cudgels, daggers, hatchets, and whatever else they took with them) and not particularly useful in a boarding action.

The Senate can also draft ships, not merely sailors.  This essentially means seizing all the merchant ships in Rome and commandeering them for the state.  As some ships in Rome are likely to be non-Roman (trading or passenger ships from other lands), the Senate must decide whether it wishes to seize only local ships or foreign ships as well.  This action will anger local merchants (and possibly foreign countries as well, if their merchants had their ships seized), and it will greatly anger them if their ships are subsequently lost or are seized for a purpose they believe to be nonessential.  Drafting the ships of Rome to defend the city against an invasion, that is, will meet with much less opprobrium than drafting them for some foreign expedition.  The number of ships available for drafting is semi-random, and is influenced by the season and how much business the port is doing that year.

Drafted ships are always of the nave class.  Drafting ships does not mean drafting crews – the ships must be crewed normally, either by militiamen or paid rowers.

A senator with a Storehouse enterprise is engaged in overseas trade, and as such has ships that he may call upon in an emergency.  For each storehouse a character possesses, he can draft up to two naves.  At the player's option, these ships are also minimally crewed (50 men each) by merchant sailors.  These men are equipped as classiarii but are not as experienced at fighting as actual naval infantry, as they have probably never performed a boarding action (though they may have defended against a few).  They will typically refuse to participate in military actions other than troop transport - they didn't sign up for that.  In any season in which a senator has called up ships from one of his storehouses, however, that storehouse makes no profit.  If a ship called up from a storehouse is lost, the enterprise will be "damaged" and restitution will have to be made to restore it to working order.

A player with a storehouse engaged in piracy instead of trade drafts sagitae instead of naves, which have crews of 75 men.  These men are functionally identical to classiarii, and unlike merchant sailors will participate in military actions if ordered - though they prefer to fight those weaker than themselves and may not have the courage of militiamen.[/spoiler]


The Clockwork Jungle (wiki | thread)
"The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way." - Marcus Aurelius

LD

#1663
Thank you for the expanded rules.

Regarding the classiarii ... are they also available in certain emergencies in intra-city actions to act as a weaker/less loyal but more numerous masnada? If so, how many are available: 100% of the potential from storehouses, or are 50% estimated to be gone at any time? And if someone only has one storehouse, is there a 50% chance that the classiari are at home.

I see this: "They will typically refuse to participate in military actions other than troop transport - they didn't sign up for that"... but typically doesn't mean never; thus the question above.

[ic=Manzinni speaks to two of his sons]
Leonardo, Rodrigo, you both know that I am old and that I will not be with you many more years.

You also know that this family has amassed a measure of wealth; but wealth, unspent, is wealth unearned. This season, I am spending some that was hoarded away- for the good of the family. Long term, this family must do as my father did, and expand its interests. We will invest in lands surrounding Senator Sissmondi's Nettuno project, and these investments will have long-term payoffs. We also invest in a forge mill, with expectations that this investment will improve this family's standing.

These investments may turn poorly and I ask you to watch them carefully and to be on the lookout for other opportunities. A Manzinni must never be at rest, lest he be caught by the bitter and hungry wolves that surround our doors.

During this time of leanness, I ask that you bear with me, for by a years time, we will again recoup some of the lustre that once decorated our halls.
[/ic]

Polycarp

Quote from: Light DragonRegarding the classiarii ... are they also available in certain emergencies in intra-city actions to act as a weaker/less loyal but more numerous masnada? If so, how many are available: 100% of the potential from storehouses, or are 50% estimated to be gone at any time? And if someone only has one storehouse, is there a 50% chance that the classiari are at home.

I see this: "They will typically refuse to participate in military actions other than troop transport - they didn't sign up for that"... but typically doesn't mean never; thus the question above.

Classiarii, the unit, is supposed to represent the citizen-marines of cities like Genoa, Pisa, and Venice - men who performed their obligatory military service at sea.  Rome at the moment has no such persons, obviously, because it has no navy.  If it did have a navy, the senate would have to decide whether (and how) to divide part of the citizenry into a classiarii section, in a similar manner to how the Roman senate decreed that a portion of the militia would now be equipped with crossbows.

Drafted crews from merchant ships are equipped as classiarii, but are not exactly the same.  Merchant sailors had to arm themselves in this day and age - the threat of pirates or corsairs from rival cities was constant.  Unlike actual classiarii, however, merchant crews avoid battle whenever possible, and have no militia training.

Back to your question - employees of enterprises are not the same as masnada.  Just because merchant sailors keep some crossbows and boarding pikes for when they go on a journey doesn't mean they're going to use them for their employer whenever he wants.  They are just employees who happen to be armed because their job is inherently dangerous.  If you tell them you need to help them sail a ship full of soldiers they may reluctantly agree and grumble about how that isn't in the job description, but if you tell them to participate in a naval battle or help quell a Roman riot they are going to refuse, and then they're going to quit and find another merchant who doesn't treat them like masnada.  They don't feel any more obligated to fight for you than the bakers you employ at a bakery enterprise.

Sailors engaged in piracy are slightly less discriminating because their job actually is to attack other ships, but pirates are essentially robbers, not soldiers - they have no interest in actually fighting if they can help it, and never engage in a fight they can't obviously win.  Their tolerance of a "dangerous" job is higher than that of a merchant crew, but they will similarly refuse to be part of a pitched naval battle and will certainly not act as a masnada force.

The point of these drafted sailors is not to be a source of additional masnada for characters, but to allow merchant characters to have a handful of ships at their disposal for contributing to transport fleets or performing special tasks.  I used "typically" because I can't rule out every possibility, and because the line between military and non-military is a bit fuzzy - if they are just transporting troops, but it's possible there could be an enemy fleet en route, will they still agree?  That will probably be decided on a case by case basis.  (Maybe they'll demand a bonus.)
The Clockwork Jungle (wiki | thread)
"The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way." - Marcus Aurelius