People and Culture . .65 VI. The Games . .89 Provincial Administration . .65 ARENA COMBAT . .90 CONTENTS AFRICA . .66 History of the Games . .90 Cities and Landmarks . .66 Combat in the Colosseum . .90 People and Culture . .66 INTRODUCTION . .3 Status and Cost of Living . .39 The Gladiators . .91 Mithradates’ Massacre . .66 Other Gladiator Venues . .92 About the Author . .3 Starting Wealth . .39 EGYPT . .67 About GURPS . .3 Money . .39 A Gladiator’s Life . .93 Cities and Landmarks . .67 Extracurricular Activities . .93 I. Life in Rome . .4 JOB TABLE . .40 People and Culture . .67 The Colosseum, Rome . .93 ROMAN SOCIETY . .5 EQUIPMENT . .42 THE DANUBIAN Men and Beasts . .94 The Family . .5 Common Items . .42 PROVINCES . .67 Spartacus’ Rebellion . .94 Common Roman Housing . .42 Adventure Seeds . .67 Gladiator Classes . .95 Greetings . .5 WEAPONS AND ARMOR . .43 Cities and Landmarks . .68 A DAY AT THE ARENA . .96 Roman Virtues . .5 Legionary Weapons People and Culture . .68 Royal Gladiators . .97 Suicide . .6 and Armor . .43 GREECE AND MACEDONIA . .68 Adventure Seeds . .98 Roman Social Classes . .7 Gladiatorial Weapons Cities and Landmarks . .68 Athletes . .100 Roman News Services . .7 and Armor . .44 People and Culture . .68 Blind Fighters City Encounters . .8 ASIA MINOR . .69 and Exotic Skills . .100 Patrons and Clients . .9 Cities and Landmarks . .69 Fighting vs. Animals . .100 The Legal System . .11 People and Culture . .69 CHARIOT RACING . .101 CITY LIFE . .12 THE NEAR EAST . .69 Dangers of City Administration . .12 Cities and Landmarks . .69 Charioteering . .101 The Streets . .12 People and Culture . .70 A Day at the Races . .102 Shops . .13 BRITAIN . .70 Dirty Tricks . .102 Important Buildings . .13 Cities and Landmarks . .70 Roleplaying a Race . .103 Roman Homes . .15 III. History . .45 People and Culture . .71 VII. Myths Graffiti . .15 The Early Days: NEIGHBORS OF ROME . .71 and Religion . .104 The Police and Fire The Monarchy . .46 The Germans . .71 Departments . .16 ROMAN RELIGION . .105 THE REPUBLIC . .46 Parthia and Persia . .71 The Origins of Rome . .105 City Hazards . .17 Early Roman Expansion V. The Legions . .72 Predestination . .105 Crucifixion . .17 (500-270 B.C.) . .46 HISTORY OF THE LEGIONS . .73 Etruscan Undead . .106 A Typical Day in Rome . .18 The Greek World The Armies of the The Roman Pantheon . .107 The Roman Calendar . .18 (200 B.C.) . .46 Monarchy and Republic . .73 The Sky Stones Night Life . .19 The Punic Wars Mass Combat Rules . .73 of Jupiter . .107 Roman Medicines . .19 (264-146 B.C.) . .47 A Manipular Legion . .73 Godly Magic . .107 Roman Poisons . .19 The Wreck of The Triumph . .74 Omens . .108 Education . .20 the Republic . .48 Cannae . .74 Disregarding Omens . .110 Leisure . .21 Hellenization . .48 The Imperial Legion . .75 The Priesthood . .111 Fashion . .21 Italy During the Monarchy . .49 Manipular Legion . .75 Eastern Cults . .111 LIFE OUTSIDE THE CITY . .22 Roman Government . .50 Zama . .76 Evocatio . .111 Typical Roman Villa . .22 The Conspiracy The Late Empire . .77 Stoicism . .112 Food . .22 of Catiline . .51 Decline and Fall The Roman Roads . .23 Epicureanism . .112 THE EMPIRE . .52 of the Roman Army . .78 Christianity . .113 Traveling . .23 Augustus . .52 THE ARMY . .78 Other Christian Heresies . .113 Inns . .23 Julius Caesar . .52 Organization . .78 MAGIC . .114 The Villas . .23 Early Emperors . .53 A Cohortal Legion Common Magic The Public Post . .24 Pompeii . .54 (100 B.C. – 100 A.D.) . .78 in Rome . .114 Tourism . .24 The Zenith of the Empire . .55 Carrhae . .79 The Imperial Cult . .114 The Roman Empire . .25 Imperial Decadence . .55 Cohortal Legion . .79 The City of Rome . .25 Charms and Curses . .115 THE LATE EMPIRE . .56 Auxiliaries . .80 The Secret Magic II. Characters . .26 Independent Households . .57 Pharsalus . .80 Campaign . .116 Point Cost . .27 Roman Emperors . .58 Roman Tactics . .81 The Full Magic CHARACTER TYPES . .27 Stilicho . .59 Roman Fortifications . .82 ROMAN NAMES . .33 Campaign . .116 The Fall of Rome . .60 Late Imperial Army . .82 VIII. The Roman Common Roman Names . .33 Roman Empires After 476 . .60 Siege Warfare . .83 Roman Nicknames . .34 The Huns . .61 THE LIFE OF THE ROMAN Campaign . .117 APPEARANCE . .34 ROMAN TIMELINE . .62 SOLDIER . .83 Campaign Styles . .118 ADVANTAGES,DISADVANTAGES, IV. Lands Recruitment . .83 CAMPAIGN SETTINGS . .118 AND SKILLS . .34 Adrianople . .83 Charietto . .118 and Peoples . .63 Advantages . .34 Training . .84 Adventure Seeds . .118 THE PROVINCES . .64 Disadvantages . .36 The Last Roman Armies . .84 ALTERNATE HISTORIES . .120 ITALY AND SICILY . .64 Skills . .36 The Roman Navy . .84 Campaign Crossovers . .120 Cities and Landmarks . .64 MARTIAL STYLES . .38 Daily Life . .85 The Unending Empire . .121 People and Culture . .64 New Maneuver . .38 Decorations and Magic Rome . .123 Languages . .64 Legionary Combat Punishments . .85 CAMPAIGN THEMES . .124 GAUL . .64 Training . .38 Soldiers in Peacetime . .85 Glossary Cities and Landmarks . .64 . .126 Gladiator Training . .38 Other Enemies of Rome . .85 People and Culture . .65 Bibliography . .126 ECONOMICS,JOBS, Retirement . .86 SPAIN . .65 Index . .127 AND WEALTH . .39 THE ENEMIES OF ROME . .86 Cities and Landmarks . .65 2 INTRODUCTION About GURPS The Roman Empire was the most impressive civilization the Western World has Steve Jackson Games is committed to full support of the GURPS system. Our ever seen. Never before – and never since – have so many different nations, peoples, address is SJ Games, Box 18957, Austin, and cultures been united under a single government. Rome is legendary for the might TX 78760. Please include a self-addressed, of its legions, its decadent nobility, and the barbaric blood sports that entertained its stamped envelope (SASE) any time you write us! Resources now available include: people. The Roman world is rich in adventure, intrigue, and history – elements from Pyramid (www.sjgames.com/pyramid). which nearly any type of campaign can spring. Our online magazine includes new rules and Several science fiction and fantasy empires have been patterned after Rome – why articles for GURPS. It also covers all the hobby’s top games – AD&D, Traveller, not base a campaign on the original Evil Empire? Rome can be depicted as either a World of Darkness, Call of Cthulhu, heroic nation where stoic citizens did their duty with the determination of Japanese Shadowrun and many more – and other SJ samurai, or as a corrupt, destructive society to resist or from which protagonists must Games releases like In Nomine, INWO, escape . or join if that’s where their passions lie. Car Wars, Toon, Ogre, and more. And Pyramid subscribers also have access to This book describes Rome from its humble beginnings through the Republican playtest files online, to see (and comment days, the rise of the Empire, and the days of its division and downfall. This book pro- on) new books before they’re released. vides several character types, along with advantages, disadvantages, and skills appro- New supplements and adventures. GURPS continues to grow, and we’ll be priate to the Roman period. Also described in detail are the Imperial legions, the arena happy to let you know what’s new. A current games, the city of Rome, and the many provinces united under the massive empire. catalog is available for an SASE. Or check Great battles, courtly intrigue, cloak-and-dagger action, and deadly arena fights out our Web site (below). Errata. Everyone makes mistakes, await as you enter the greatest Empire in the world. including us – but we do our best to fix our errors. Up-to-date errata sheets for all GURPS releases, including this book, are always available from SJ Games; be sure to include an SASE with your request. Or download them from the Web – see below. Q&A. We do our best to answer any game question accompanied by an SASE. Gamer input. We value your comments. We will consider them, not only for new products, but also when we update this book on later printings! Internet. Visit us on the World Wide Web at www.sjgames.com for an online cat- alog, errata, updates, and hundreds of pages of information. We also have conferences on Compuserve and America Online. GURPS has its own Usenet group, too: rec.games.frp.gurps. GURPSnet. Much of the online discus- sion of GURPS happens on this e-mail list. To join, send mail to [email protected] with “subscribe GURPSnet-L” in the body, or point your World Wide Web browser to gurpsnet.sjgames.com/. The GURPS Imperial Rome web page is at www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/imperialrome. PAGE REFERENCES ABOUT THE AUTHOR See GURPS Compendium I, p. 181, for a list of abbreviations for GURPS titles, or C.J. Carella’s love affair with GURPS began with the publication of Man to Man, for the most recent list, visit our Web site at and he has never looked back. His fascination for Roman history dates back even fur- www.sjgames.com/gurps/abbrevs.html. ther, and owes much to the works of David Drake and Harry Turtledove. C.J. has a B.A. Rules and statistics in this book are in Medieval History from Yale University. His hobbies/obsessions include science fic- specifically for the GURPS Basic Set, Third Edition Revised. Any page reference that tion and fantasy, comic books, and gaming, all of which he laughingly calls “research begins with a B refers to the GURPS Basic material.” Set — e.g., p. B102 means p. 102 of the Born in New York, C.J. has lived in Peru, Venezuela, and Connecticut, in that order. Basic Set. Page references that begin with CI indicate GURPS Compendium I. TI His writing credits include GURPS Martial Arts, GURPS Voodoo, Witchcraft, refers to Timeline. Armageddon, Nightspawn, and many articles in Roleplayer and White Wolf. 3 When a disturbance lasted more than a few minutes, a unit of watchmen would usually arrive and try to sup- press it.