Roman History

Any one play any Roman games out of interest?

Rome Total War 2, which is now decent given that it is now on patch 12. The old Rome Total War with the Europa Barborum mod was a sublime work. There is a good mod for the end of Roman Britain at the Total War Center website hosted on the Medieval Total War 2 Kingdoms.
The Third Age Total War mod (as in Tolkien but still a good game) on top of the Kingdom game is worth experiencing. Paradox Games have a Roman period game but its not very good. I think Praetorians (a game by Slytherine) is probably awful but I have never played it.

A good starting place would be the Total War Center website and then go to the forums for the mods. There are absolutely hundreds of mods based on the Total War games and lots of them are based around the ancient period. The new Rome 2 game has a lot of mods but these seem to be more visual with graphics than changes to the structure of the game.

Good Luck

I meant PBM but thanks for the run down on those...

Not that I know of for about 20 years. There was a game based on the late Roman Republic which seemed a bit slow to me. The best game was one based on the post Alexander Succesor states but that must have finished by 1988 if not before. So sorry that is no help.

No I know of one was wondering if any one else played them or was interested.

I love roman history, there's a lot of PBM potential there and I would certainly play. I was involved in a desultory attempt to write a late roman republic en guard variant that fell apart because I got a new job and the other GM got a third child

Really like the idea of a late Roman Republic en guard variant.......assume that instead of throwing parties and going to your club you throw an orgy and go to the games?

In the past Agema has attempted "Ancient" period games........Assyria's End & Crusade are the two which come to mind.

While Assyria End is in my opinion the worst game ever produced by Agema but Crusade was interesting. Its strength and weakness was a very historic setting at the point in the 1st Crusade when all the Crusaders arrive in Byzantium. Sadly our lot new got out of Anatolia and the Arab/Egyptain players got bored waiting for something to happen.

Feel as a game it would have worked better if the Crusader factions already had holdings in the Holy Land and Crusaders had option of land or sea movement.

Own personal view is that the best period for a PBM ancient period game would be the period of Alexanders Successor States and the rise of Rome. Which would also include Dodgy Merchant types, Bolshy Samaite Hillmen, Hairy Barbarians and various other types who do not want to fall in with the Program.

if you want a Roman PBM here is one:

http://palatine.romanlegion.com/index/

rather different for normal pbm in that you have ti Role Play with the GM at various points and have ICQ chat installed