A Year at the Ludus: BotS Campaign After getting a number of real life things sorted, or at least deferred, Craigus and I started another campaign with the Ludus of Dubius Status taking on that of Feathercroft to see whose team rules the roost in Brundisium.
We played with v1.8 of the playtest rules and, as an initial comment, the games went well, only a few minor comments on this or that aspect of gameplay that I’ll provide to Frank offline.
We decided to try out the full campaign rules and gave ourselves a stable of six gladiators each with a total of three levels of experience to distribute as per the rules. To give things a workout, we each had one tier two dude and another tier one chap rather than three of each. I am pretty poor at running the retiarius so made him my main man to hopefully compensate for my incompetence while Craigus upped his hoplomachus as it’s a class that neither of us use very much. Level ones were awarded to my provocator (again, a class I rarely use).
Okay. Game on, and we rolled up the first Munus and it was Rafferty’s Rules (i.e., non-matched parings) with an editor who had no time for the hoplomachus. The first fighter for Feathercroft was Felix the big man in heavy armour. Facing him was Arminius, the British Murmillo named with the consideration for foreign cultures for which the Romans were justly famous. Both combatants were tiros. The fight itself played out over 14 rounds with both fighters starting the match and keeping well within themselves, especially in the management of fatigue. As the match wore on Felix started to flag – especially as his armour protected him from real harm but the one-two combo of an Impetus attack followed by another attack from Arminius started to register the odd ‘pressed’ which pushed his fatigue over the edge and into tired territory. Arminius kept up the fight and was close to pushing him over the edge when a good strike collected his opponent in the vitals and that was the match.
Above: Match commencement with special attack cards ready to handThe game itself played out over 14 turns and was, I think, both satisfying to play and a pretty good exhibition of swordsmanship from both combatants in that hits were scored on both fighters but they both played to their strengths and at the end of the bout the crowd appreciated the efforts of both combatants and allowed Felix missio. Fame (
I’m gonna live forever) went 3-1 and the Fame (
I’m gonna learn how to fly, High!) tally advanced to DS-25, FC-23.
Above: Blows are traded
Above: Down goes FelixThe second match was quite different, apart from it being two tiros having at it. In turn one Feathercroft’s netman, the aptly-named Poseidon, landed a deep wound on my Thracian’s lead arm and the sand discoloured as the claret pumped out before the crowd really had time to settle down. Mendax (that’s the Thracian) then fumbled a swing with his sica barely retaining his feet and found himself skewered in turn two with a trident severing more arteries on his injured arm and the flow his lifeblood already reduced to a trickle as he hit the sand never to rise again. Game over in two turns as the net remained unused. Not too much time for Poseidon to pick up much favour as the fight was done and dusted so quickly (starting with a disfavour really cost him in this case). Three Fame (
I feel it coming together) to Feathercroft and none to Dubius Status.
Above: Mendax's short arena career comes to an endCampaign tally is now FC-26, DS-25.
Thus ended the first munus of the year. Feathercoft just ahead on points as dead men collect no Fame (
people will see me and cry).
The second munus was well timed as the merry crowd were obviously enjoying their day off and much inclined to mercy. The editor, however, wanted to add some interest and ordered that braziers be deployed and lit.
Dubius Status as the less popular lanista had first choice of fighter to nominate and decided to give his tier two netman, Getafix, a run. The big Gaul had acquired a fair bit of experience and as a level two fighter had the ‘signature move’ when he elected to be a combination of Extended Lunge and Aimed Strike. Facing him was the tiro Secutor, Astinax.
Above: Fighters face off amid the Anibi braziersGetafix played a pretty poor match, with feeble attacks and only desperate defence, where the boost for his tier level (and trident) was just enough to ward off the worst of things, keeping him in the game for the first half dozen turns. The braziers made it hard for him to manoeuvrer but the disparity in tier levels was enough to keep him going – again, but not by much. Eventually, he managed to get his act together and surprised the egg-head (and his owner) by launching a successful attack and pushed the chaser into a lit brazier this saw him regain and retain the initiative running down the Secutor’s fatigue to force the exhausted man to raise the finger. The crowd, despite their benevolent disposition which was somewhat undone after a long hot bout (12 turns) were pretty ambivalent so passed the decision onto the editor who hand no qualms in pronouncing “iugula!’”. So, a close fight and one that showed that a tiro’s life hangs on the whim of others and in this case Astinax was dragged lifeless from the arena. Having a superstar (at least on paper) defeat a novice didn’t really impress anyone so only the three Fame (
I’m gonna make it to heaven) for the Gaul. DS-28, FC-25.
Above: Skill and experience finally tellsThe last bout of the munus saw Craigus put forward his main man, Leonidas the level two Hoplomachus. This guy had it all going on and his signature move of extended lunge and piercing blow would be hard to counter. Dubius Status elected to push forward Arminius taking the approach that any early success and then an early concession when experience began to show might be enough to push him up to tier one.
Above: Arminius stages an upsetThe fight went a dozen turns and by the end of it Arminius’ big shield was riddled with holes from the barbed tines, but it had done the job and kept him safe. He put a lot of resources into defending against the signature move and tended to have but the single his attack augmented with other attack dice and, occasionally, the post-combat laurel die to give him some sort of parity against Leonidas. Leonidas, for his part, had some pretty lacklustre rolling and managed only a couple of flesh wounds on his opponent. The Son of Nemesis ability really come to the fore once and forced the reroll of a natural 12 which would have almost certainly skewered the Murmillo. The braziers weren’t as important as they were in the earlier match but Arminius managed to get some good use from the Impetus followed by a Driven Attack to force his opponent into the flames a couple of times. Anyway, the fight finally ended as Arminius ground down the favourite and recorded a win. Missio was swiftly granted, but defeating a favoured opponent, and doing so with the crowd on-side went over very well, yielding a 5 Fame (
Light up the sky like a flame, Fame!) to 1 result. Halfway through the year Dubius Status had a tally of 33 to Feathercroft’s 27. Importantly, this Fame (
I’m gonna live forever) injection was enough to push Arminius up a tier and he acquired the Agile skill augmenting his defence. Makes sense as he learnt a lot avoiding the jabs of Leonidas’ dory.
The good feelings continued to the penultimate munus of the year with the crowd remaining merciful and the editor again deciding that non-matched pairing were more fun than a barrel of monkeys. Feathercroft led with their Thracian tiro, Procurus while Dubius decided to let Arminius have a rest and pushed out Myron, the tier one Provocator. The match ran for eight turns over which it really felt like Procurus wasn’t at the ludus in that nothing he put together worked for him, the only point of joy for him was a sneaky flesh wound on Myron’s head. By contrast, Myron was able to use his Vigorous ability to keep his fatigue under control and his taunt (assisted by his Disfavour trait) to sledge the tiro like he was an English batsman facing Steve Waugh’s 1990s cricket team. This dice management was a constant hassle for the Thracian who had to use more than a couple of laurel dice to keep his delicate emotions under control. Eventually, the weight of armour told and a couple of good blows had the sand glazed crimson and Myron raising his finger. The crowd appreciated his efforts (even if his owner didn’t) and granted missio but cheered off the big German in his big armour. Four Fame (
Baby, remember my name) to one and Dubius Status looked to be in the box seat for the campaign. DS-37, FC-27.
Above: Proxy Provocator vs ThracianAs in Euripides’ Medea so it went for the men on the sand when ‘the things we though would happen did not happen and the unknown God makes all things possible’. In this case, looking to nail the campaign lead, Dubius rolled out Getafix thinking a tier two fighter was just the ticket to keep the lead. Feathercroft, by contrast, knew it was down to the triarii (almost literally) and called on Leonidas for a tier two vs tier two slugfest to salvage their campaign year. The editor was ecstatic having two top tier fighter facing off and was already counting the bribes he’d be receiving after being elected to the magistracy he was in the process of contesting. The crowd too were delighted to have a high level unconventional match up laid on for them and were vocal in their support for their favoured fighters.
The match stared well with both fighters deploying their signature moves from a distance and a fair bit of arena ground being covered as each manoeuvred for advantage. Leonidas found his mojo first and began regularly piercing holes his lighter-armoured opponent affecting his ability to manoeuvrer. Getafix muffed his net cast and just could not compete in a toe-to-toe jabfest. The end came quickly with a Leonidas reading the desperation on the uncovered face of his foe and delivering a critical strike to the unprotected legs and it was delivered with such force that the spearhead came out the other side as the crowd went berserk. Getafix was dead the moment the spear struck. Huge win for Craigus and four Fame (
Remember, remember, remember, remember, remember) came his way. More importantly, all Getafix’s accrued Fame (
I’m gonna live forever) evaporated and the course of the campaign was upended. Famewise, FC jumped to 31 while DS dropped to 20. A huge turn around. Retrospectively, perhaps Dubius should not have fielded the retiarius but he’s there to fight and he considered the risks low as he should have had every chance at missio if it all went wrong. The loss of nearly half the Ludus’ Fame (
Baby, remember my name) in one match was a huge turnaround.
Above: The death of GetafixSaturnalia, everyone’s favourite time of year, saw the last match. The weather was a lot hotter than usual and the large crowd was pretty uncomfortable in the hot conditions and seemed surly. The editor, reading his people, declared that the fight will be to first blood which should be enough for people to remember the show as a delight rather than a torment.
Sensing the nature of the crowd, Dubius status pushed out his tiro Thracian, Togidumnus the Briton who retained his tribal name in the arena. The thinking here was that Togi could leverage his relentless trait to get the first blood and come away with the win. Learning from the much-lamented Getafix, Feathercroft’s team of trainers kept Leonidas under wraps for this bout (keeping him in reserve for the final item on the program in which he was obliged to fight) and pushed out their tiro Murmillo. This kept it pretty low stakes where even a big win would not overly matter to the big picture.
The big Briton justified Dubius’ faith in him and the indulgence over the retention of his name. Proving that the crowd is always fickle they soon began chanting ‘Togi. Togi, Togi’ as he demonstrated his skills. His big-shielded opponent was never in the race as the Briton’s Elusive Strike repeatedly got past his opponent’s guard. The Murmillo responded with astoundingly imaginative bad language but Togi’s Relentless nature let him shrug most of it off. Togi wilted under the heat first but his opponent could not capitalise on it soon after also struggling with the conditions. Soon the Thracian sica bit deep and the match ended with Togi collecting adulation for his efforts and a bit of Saturnalia cheer on top just for fun. Five Fame (
Remember, remember, remember, remember, remember) to two for a gap-narrowing overall tally of 32-25.
Above: First blood to TogidumnusIn the last match of the year Leonidas stepped out onto the hot sands, this was his third fight for the year and he was starting to wonder if his patron Gods would remain at his side. The editor had a bit of a surprise in stored in that he’d allowed Dubius to source an experienced (tier one) Crupellarius from another stable and deploy it in this fight. Leonidas was a bit taken aback but his opinions were not a consideration when planning this end-of-season extravaganza. The sight of the heavily armoured bucket-helmed man entering the arena perked up the crowd and the bookmakers did brisk business as many sestertii were wagered on one result or the other. All the more so as the man in the segementa was well known as a local boy who’d forsaken a promising career in petty crime and malnutrition to pledge himself to the ludus and take his chances in the arena.
Above: Saturnalia face-offThe fight started much as expected with Leonidas using his superior manoeuvrability to jab and withdraw, jab and withdraw while Lucius the local lad bided his time and spent his energy wisely to keep his breathing regular, manage fatigue and close the gap and try to make whatever attack he could deliver count. He got a few nicks in but was more successful in methodically managing the arena and boxed his opponent into one end with his rope-a-dope strategy. This was just starting to pay dividends and the spectators by the wall were treated to a skilled exchange of blows they would not soon forget. Leonidas felt the walls close in on him figuratively and literally and put his all into on last thrust. Lucius, calculating where he’d look to land his next stab, lost his footing on some loose sand and somehow missed his parry and fell forward onto the speartip which penetrated his eyehole and caused his lifeblood to flow out from under his impassive helmet as he slumped forwards on the sand. Leonidas had another win and the medicius examining Lucius proclaimed he’d live but the head would be tender for months to come. Leonidas garnered the corona and champion status, we didn’t roll, but for the purpose of the campaign I’ll work on him not receiving the rudis.
Above: The crowd go berserk as the Crupellarius forces Leonidas back to the arena wall
Above: Leonidas drags victory from the jaws of defeatWith this result Feathercroft gained another four Fame (R
emember, remember, remember, remember, remember) but Lucius delivered three which is a pretty good effort, but not good enough to sway the campaign result. Feathercroft took the honours 37-28.
There we go, a full campaign year played out with plenty of ups and downs. Dubius Status won five fights to three but in losing his tier two fighter he lost the campaign by a pretty wide margin.
Observations:
1. The game is pretty much ready to go. No huge rules changes required and the recent fine tuning of action dice abilities is excellent. The fighters are different enough to make each a unique proposition.
2. Signature moves for tier two fighters are huge. Makes them super dangerous but also, paradoxically, a bit of a risk to take out onto the sands every time as in losing them loses you a huge edge.
3. The campaign system is a lot of fun and very successful in adding interest and context to each match. The loss of all Fame for a killed (or retired) gladiator is a real killer (hahahaha. Yes, I do write my own stuff, why do you ask?) I’d suggest some sort of residual Fame (Remember, remember, remember, remember, remember) where the ludus retains, say, half for any slain gladiator.
4. The Crupellarius (experimental class used here for playtesting) is a bit of fun. The loadout and very low fatigue tolerance work well. His ‘Overbear’ special attack is a potential game changer but didn’t bear fruit here, especially as it was a ‘first blood’ match. Like the Provocator, I am not sure how much fun a ‘big armoured man vs big armoured man’ match would be. Would it be possible to expand the range of matched opponents perhaps to Thracian (those guys will fight anyone) or another light class?
5. As with so much in gaming, a bad roll can really ruin an otherwise well-conducted match. Fortuna is a fickle mistress.
6. The token for one-use-per-match work well as memory aids. I’d suggest adding one for the tenacious trait.
I’ll collect my thoughts and provide more granular observations/suggestions to Frank directly.
So, there we go. Honour to Craigus but the real winner was sport. Thanks to Frank for providing the latest rules and the experimental gladiator classes.
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April 30, 2024, 04:51:59 PM
September 10, 2009, 01:35:47 AM
