recruiting for new campaign: The Decline of the Tetrarchy

[winterbadger]

The Decline of the Tetrarchy

In 293 CE, the Roman Emperor ("Augustus") Diocletian, recognizing that rule and administration of the sprawling principate was effectively beyond the powers of one executive, instituted the innovation later known as the Tetrarchy, or rule of four executives. He had raised Maximian first to caesar and then to augustus, or co-emperor, in 285 and 286. But seven years later, he expanded this ruling council to four men, by giving the title of caesar to the generals Galerius and Constatinus Chlorus. Each augustus ruled half the empire, and each caesar assisted an augustus by ruling part of his portion. This innovative system allowed each ruler to lead military forces in his section, while notionally avoiding the danger of a successful general challenging the power of a single emperor. The tetrarchy created political stability that permitted full-scale military action in several different portions of the empire at once, leading to new Roman successes against old enemies (like Persia) and new ones (the encroaching barbarians).

But the plan only lasted for one generation of leaders. In 305, Diocletian and Maximian stepped down and Galerius and Constatinus Chlorus became augusti. When the latter died a year later in York (after a successful campaign against the Picts), the tetrarchy was riven by conflict over his replacement. Politics and ambition took over, with popular generals declaring themselves augusti or caesars, retired tetrarchs returning to rulership, and bloody civil war al over. In 324, the augustus Constantine the Great defeated all his rivals and returned the empire to exclusive rule by a single augustus/emperor.

The Campaign

The Decline of the Tetrarchy is set just after the retirement of the two original tetrarchs. It will be a new style of campaign game, both cooperative and competitive as befits the nature of the Roman Empire during this complex period. The empire is represented by two "teams", East and West. The empire's foes are represented by four teams: western natives, eastern natives, Sarmatians, and Goths.Players joining the campaign will sign into one of these six teams. To represent the constant warfare of the period, players from the Empire Foe teams will arrange games with players from the Empire teams, play them, and report the results without stopping for diplomacy, moves, or tiresome delays like sieges. Instead of fighting over specific territories, as in a traditional DBA campaign, each team accumulates points that represent the success of their faction against their enemies. At the end of the campaign, the team with the highest total will be declared winners. If both Roman teams have higher scores than their enemies, the empire has withstood the barbarian onslaught. If one diocese of the empire has a lower score than its foes, it has fallen victim to partial or total invasion and the other diocese's augustus is declared sole emperor. If both dioceses have lower scores than all of their foes, Rome has succumbed, and the long dark age of Europe begins.

Armies

Players can use, for any battle, any of the armies appropriate to their team. In other words, Joe the Goth can play Vandals in one game and then Ostrogoths in another. Losses do not carry over from battle to battle. List options can be selected for one battle and then different options for that list selected for the next battle. Any number of battles can be ongoing at once--no army is limited to only fighting one battle at a time. In other words, Fred and Alan, both Eastern Romans, my both be fighting battles at the same time, one against a Persian and one against a Visisgoth (or even both against Visigothic armies.) Two players from opposing teams just pick armies, play a battle, and report the results.

All armies are Book II. The use of 2.2+ mods. is not mandatory, but it is highly encouraged.

Western Roman Empire (can engage in battle with western natives, Sarmatians, Goths, or other Romans): Later Imperial Roman--West (78a)
winterbadger

Eastern Roman Empire (can engage in battle with eastern natives, Sarmatians, Goths, or other Romans): Later Imperial Roman--East (78b)
David Schlanger, Tony Aguilar, dicemanrick

Western natives (can only engage in battle with the Western Roman Empire):Scots Irish (54a), Later Moorish (57), Pictish (68a), Early Franks (72abcd), Old Saxon (73)
kontos

Eastern natives (can only engage in battle with the Eastern Roman Empire): Armenian (28c), Dacian (52), Nobade/Blemye/Beja (55b), Sassanid Persian (69)
gascap, Mitch Harbach, Alex Perez

Sarmatians (can engage in battle with either Western or Eastern Roman Empire): Sarmatians (26), Alans (58), Limigantes (70b)
ferrency, Marc Lautherbach

Goths (can engage in battle with either Western or Eastern Roman Empire): Early Visigoths (65b), Early Vandals (66), Early Ostrogoths (67b), Burgundi (70a)
david kujit

Use the standard Aggression rules to determine who is attacker and defender and thus to decide terrain.

Infighting and Civil War

While there was doubtless infighting among the enemies of Rome, for the purposes of this campaign, non-Romans may only attack Romans.

Romans, however, can attack other Romans, West attacking East or East attacking West or armies within a region attacking other armies of the same region. If at the end of the campaign, there is only one emperor, victories against other Romans will determine which Roman player has clawed his way to the top of the heap (this is the only single-player point of victory; all other victory results are by team). HOWEVER, each Roman-on-Roman battle will count as a loss for the defeated Roman force but not as a victory for the other; thus each such battle will make the chances of overall non-Roman victory that much more likely.

Cives, to arms!

If you are interested in playing, please respond here, indicating which team you would like to play on. Once we have a cadre of players, I'll start the campaign. But new players can keep joining as we play.

I'll post updates, either here or on a campaign-specific blog. At a minimum, there will be a running count of points by team (and of the scores for leading Roman generals competing to become augustus...)

Myself, I'll be playing on the Western Roman Empire team, with my beautiful Paul-Potter-painted LIR/W army.

[kontos]

Love to play. I'll be on the Western Natives team.

[winterbadger]

All teams have at least one player already--huzzah! Plenty of room for more, though. That's the grand thing about this format--the more players, the better!

I will work on setting up a blog over the weekend.

[david kuijt]

As Primo Goth, I promise that we will wear black clothing, dark makeup, and play moody and emotionally.

No piercings, though. They catch on things when we run naked through the woods.

[ps: my name is misspelled in the list]

[Tony Aguilar]

I think I understand that we can play these amongst ourselves with our local opponents.

If that is the case, put us down for:

Tony Aguilar - Eastern Roman Empire

Mitch Harbach - Eastern Natives

We'll be using 2.2+ BTW.

[winterbadger]

Originally Posted by Tony Aguilar

I think I understand that we can play these amongst ourselves with our local opponents.

Yes, absolutely! Local opponents, PBEM opponents, one person even pointed out that we can all get in side games at Cold Wars when we are between events, if we like.

Originally Posted by Tony Aguilar

If that is the case, put us down for:

Tony Aguilar - Eastern Roman Empire

Mitch Harbach - Eastern Natives

We'll be using 2.2+ BTW.

Thanks, yes. I will will add that to the campaign blurb: "The use of 2.2+ rules is not mandatory, but it is highly encouraged."

[Tony Aguilar]

Cool, we play on Tuesdays and we'll probably get 3-5 games in.

[Tony Aguilar]

Note that the description for the Eastern Roman Empire has the army listed as WEST. It should read:

Eastern Roman Empire (can engage in battle with eastern natives, Sarmatians, Goths, or other Romans): Later Imperial Roman--East (78b)

[winterbadger]

Originally Posted by Tony Aguilar

Note that the description for the Eastern Roman Empire has the army listed as WEST.

Bloody cut and paste. Thanks, corrected. At least I got the list number right. Note the time of the original post--I'm impressed I spelled "Tetrarchy" right!

[ferrency]

Originally Posted by winterbadger

The use of 2.2+ mods. is not mandatory, but it is highly encouraged.

You should give double points for games played with 2.2+.