Middle Provincial Era GROGPUBLIC game thread

[JasonPratt]

I'll process them after work asap.

Keep in mind that Tripoli won't be where he can access the internet much over the weekend, so while he'll try to check in and make choices for his Faction, we could run into some delay until sometime after Sunday.

[JasonPratt]

Tripoli sends a message: "Julius will buy  a knight for 5.  Remainder in Faction treasury."

That leaves the Frog, I think.

[Ethel the Frog]

6 to each senator, remainder in faction cash. 

[Ethel the Frog]

Fulvius will buy a knight. 

[JasonPratt]

All righty then, everyone has their choices reported (more or less, with some possible leeway for later in the Forum phase perhaps), and it's time to run the clock!

I.I. gives 19 to Cornelius, keeping 2. Cornelius immediately donates 10 to the Republic (up to 66 Talents) for 1 influence (up to 11, total up to 30). No stated plans yet for the Forum Phase.

Tripoli gives 5 to Julius, to buy a knight later, keeping 15.

The Frog gives 6 to each senator, keeping 5. Fulvius plans to buy a knight later.

AzTank gives 3 to each senator, keeping 17. Fabius will spend 2 of his 3 later, trying to persuade a knight.

Malize gives 13 to Brutus (who will spend all of his on level 2 games later) and 2 to Aurelius (who will gamble his on a knight later), keeping nothing.

Erax gives Flaminius 10, Plautius 2, and keeps 1. Plaut will gamble 1 of his 2 on a knight later.

This ends the second Revenue Phase segment.

Third segment, Republic income: 66 starting cash; +40 (new!) standard income; +25 (yet another!) Allied Enthusiasm event resolves; (7 Legions x 2 Talents) -14 unit upkeep; -10 Active Aequian War; -0 Land Bills = new total 107 Talentons of silver!  <:-) :bd:

For context, it should be kept in mind that 100 Talents of this silver comes purely from random Allied Enthusiasm. ;) But without them you'd still be 7 Talents in the black, though possibly needing an ongoing high Consulship of Plutocrats to stay solvent.

Allied Enthusiasm Event resolves out. The Twelve Tables historical Event discards. The Spolia Opima historical Event remains untriggered. This ends the Revenue Phase for Turn Five.

[JasonPratt]

TURN FIVE -- FORUM PHASE
------------------------

I.I. has the current HRAO, so starts the Forum Phase clockwise around the board. Rolls for Scenario/Event...

[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 3, 1, total 4[/blockquote]

[JasonPratt]

Not a 7, so that's a Scenario card -- the last from the Latin Deck. (Though the Italian Era hasn't strictly started yet.)

As it happens, it's a Faction card, which I've given face-down to I.I. -- currently this is the only card in your hand. I've sent you a p-mail about it already.

You didn't specify whether you want Corny to try for a knight, and whether he'll automatically persuade one with 5 Talents if so.

Cornelius can also sponsor Games, up to level 3 for 18 Talents, though currently the only benefit would be additional Popularity (unrest is 0). Paying for this might preclude other options of course.

Lastly, you may freely change Faction Leadership at this time, as always.

[IncompetentIdiot]

Sure, I'll drop 5 on a knight.

[JasonPratt]

Cornelius spends 5 of his 9 Talents to pick up his 2nd minion; normal vote tally up to 11. Presumably this ends the Aristocrats' round.

Next up, Tripoli's Militarists roll for the first Scenario or random Event from the Italian deck...

[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 6, 3, total 9[/blockquote]

[JasonPratt]

Not a 7, so the first Scenario card from the deck! (All the yellow-bordered cards are now either played, discarded, or dealt out.)

It's a red-text Faction card however, so I've sent it to Tripoli's mat face down, and I've sent a p-mail to him explaining it. I'm excited to see its arrival, but who knows when it will be played?!  :D

Per his instructions, Julius spends his 5 Talents automatically adding a 2nd knight as his minion, increasing his Mil score to 6 (per Militarist special abilities) and the vote tally to 9.


The Frog's Plutocrats roll...

[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 1, 4, total 5[/blockquote]

[JasonPratt]

Not a 7, so it's another Scenario card, namely:



The Ultra-general of his generation arrives, the King of Molossus and later of Epirus, a second cousin of Alexander the Great and one of the aspirant Successors (sort of), PYRRHUS!  <:-) :hide:

Since he has no current War, he goes to the Curia in the Forum to await his fate.


Note the orange border: this triggers the actual start of the ITALIAN ERA! ...wow that color scheme doesn't look so good on the forum's blue background.  L:-)

Please refer back here for an introduction to rule changes triggering in this new Era: http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=22942.msg634176#msg634176

The upshot is, not many really. ;) Or not yet. The main practical difference is that most Senatorial Offices (not PontMax) gain +2 Influence awarded for election.

[JasonPratt]

Meanwhile, per the Frog's prior instructions, Fulvius sacrifices 5 of his Talents to buy a 2nd minion. Plutocrat vote tally goes up to 13. This ends his round.


AzTank's Conservatives roll...

[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 1, 3, total 4[/blockquote]

[JasonPratt]

Not 7, so yet another Scenario, namely the Circus Maximus historical Event!



Rome's first Circus Maximus was built very early in the Republic's history, and was only a wooden structure at first.

Like the Spolia Opima there next to it, this Event hangs out in the Forum until triggered. Unlike the Spolia, any senator can pay to discard it at any time, thus gaining its benefits. Also unlike the Spolia, this Event costs the Republic a little construction-upkeep cash every Turn until some senator pays to finish building it!

(Also like the Spolia, the Birth of the Republic rules mention the CircMax event -- as part of the Italian not the Latin Era -- but I never found any information, including online, about what the Event in the game involves. So I made a reasonable guess based on its history, and created the card myself.  O:-) )

[JasonPratt]

Per his prior instructions, AzTank's Fabius spends 2 of his Talents to roll for a knight. He'll thus succeed on a 4 or better:

[blockquote]Rolled 1d6 : 6, total 6[/blockquote]

[JasonPratt]

Wins with a natural 6! Fabius gets his first minion, and the Aristocrat normal vote tally goes up to 14. As far as I know, this ends AzTank's round.


Malize's Populists roll...

[blockquote]Rolled 2d6 : 5, 5, total 10[/blockquote]