Well Played!! [Spoiler Alert]

[Evil_Doc]

So I finished the Asia Minor campaign, and the game does a fairly good representation of the all too real scenario of veterans return home to civilian life, after a deployment.

After everything we've been through, now we're just supposed to drop our arms and re-acclimate to life as a civilian? Soldier no more? Now we come home to the slow-paced life of peace and tranquility, where the only danger we have to manage comes from the cut-throat politics.

Now I have to manage an estate, and deal with the fall-out of every decision I made while campaigning.... (This was a nice twist. I had no idea they would bring up this stuff later on. I didn't even remember bribing an enemy guard, but hey, if it brought victory to Rome, then the ends justify the means!)

Anyway, I haven't finished this new "home" chapter I'm on, but I really did feel odd, having to disband my legion and relinquish my armor and weapons, and put on a toga once more. I felt so out of place, attending a party with a bunch of politicians who've probably never even held a sword in their entire lives, yet they question ME?!? I am a LEGATUS! How dare they? Everything I did, was for Rome! If I had to do it over again, I would make the same damn choices every time!

It's so easy for politicians to nitpick decisions, so far removed from war..... but I'd bet if good denarii those very politicians would have wet themselves and begged me to save them, had they found themselves in the middle of a battle.

On the other side of the coin, there is also the all too human cost of war, as well.... and the game reminded me of that when I caught a Centurion delivering a death notification to a legionary's mother. Very sad, and touching moment. This game, truly is amazing!

In contrast to life, I have a better understanding now, what a lot of Veterans go through when transitioning back to civilian life. I'm not surprised there are some who just choose to make it their life and their career. At least in war, you KNOW who you are, and who your enemies are. Back home, not so much.

[Twelvefield]

One of the first, most basic, and unviolable laws of the Roman Empire was that no Legion was allowed to cross the Rubicon River, which forms the boundary for Roman Italy. The only exception was the Praetorian Guard. This was to prevent rogue generals from staging military coups against the Senate - something that echoes today. Any general or legion that violated the law would be branded a rebel and would be hunted down with the most extreme of prejudice.

So, it was traditional, honourable, and completely expected for any Legion approaching Rome to disband. If it was needed (hint, hint) it could be re-formed later. What happens in the game is what would have happened to any Roman senior officer.

Now there was one notable rebel who defied Roman law. Three guesses to name that person. As a hint, he's probably the most famous Roman there ever was. As a second hint, Shakespeare made one of his most popular plays about him. As a third hint, his name rhymes with Shmgaius Shmjulius Shmcaesar. A bonus hint if you are Canadian: they named a cocktail after him.

As his play to control Rome, Julius Caesar carefully built legions fiercely loyal to him in his campaign in Gaul. Knowing that he would get Senatorial support and that he had the manpower to overthrow Rome, he... did what, class? That's right! He crossed the Rubicon with his army and took over Rome. Among many commonplace sayings we have today, "crossing the Rubicon" comes from Caesar's act of highest treason.

The reason you can't do the same is that a) you aren't a traitor, b) you aren't as smart or powerful or well-connected as Caesar - nobody was, back then - , and c) Gaius Julius already appeared in the game as an NPC, whose life you had personally saved.

[Evil_Doc]

Originally posted by Twelvefield:

The reason you can't do the same is that a) you aren't a traitor, b) you aren't as smart or powerful or well-connected as Caesar - nobody was, back then - , and c) Gaius Julius already appeared in the game as an NPC, whose life you had personally saved.

Wait WHAT?!?!? You were able to save Gaius? He died during the ambush in that very 1st mission, for me. It was a cutscene, and there wasn't anything I could do.

I already knew about the rest of the stuff you mentioned, as I've read a lot of history on Rome, and Caesar, and have watched "ROME" and Spartacus, and a lot of other classic antiquity stuff.

However, did YOU know that Caesar had already sent men from his legion into Rome over the Rubicon the day BEFORE he crossed with his entire legion? So, technically he had already violated that sacred tradition, before his crossing. Still, I read that he paused at the Rubicon and reconsidered for a moment, before finally committing and moving in with his entire legion.

Also, there's a series of historical FICTION books (with some truth and actual events depicted) written by James Mace, that I quite enjoyed reading and would like to recommend to you.

It's called: Soldier of Rome: The Artorian Chronicles, and as I said, they're written by James Mace. If you like all things Roman, I HIGHLY recommend this series... it was sooooo good! There are six books in the series. "Journey to Judea" had a VERY interesting take on the crucifixion of Christ.

In HBO's "Rome", there was an interesting take on Caesar's assassination on the IDE of March. Mainly that Lucious Vorenus was too distracted after he found out his "grandson" was actually his illegitimate son from his wife who cheated on him while he was away. Though, to be fair, she was erroneously informed that he had perished in battle, and she was under that assumption at the time of the infidelity. Had he stayed at Caesar's side, those bean-counting politicians wouldn't have had a chance!

[Fasih]

Let me clarify this just in case: No, you cannot save Caesar in the game. He ALWAYS dies.

[Evil_Doc]

Originally posted by Fasih:

Let me clarify this just in case: No, you cannot save Caesar in the game. He ALWAYS dies.

Hi Fasih! Thank for your response, but more than that... Thank you and the rest of your team, for this wonderful game!! I've been "binge-playing " it (if there's such a thing) hee hee.

[Fasih]

Originally posted by Evil_Doc:

Originally posted by Fasih:

Let me clarify this just in case: No, you cannot save Caesar in the game. He ALWAYS dies.

Hi Fasih! Thank for your response, but more than that... Thank you and the rest of your team, for this wonderful game!! I've been "binge-playing " it (if there's such a thing) hee hee.

You're welcome. And thank you for all the praise. You are making us all blush. Hope you'll like the rest of the story too.

[SirChaos77]

My understanding of Caesar crossing the Rubicon with his legions is that, after the conquest of Gaul, he was too rich, too powerful and too popular for the Senate - he would have a trial, probably on trumped-up charges, and/or assassination, because there was no way for the Senate to control him, or keep him from controlling them.

And he probably knew that it would come to that, even before he set out to conquer Gaul. I think the entire reason he set out to conquer Gaul to begin with was to obtain the wealth (via spoils of war) and military power (via legions loyal to him personally rather than to Rome) he needed to make his play for ultimate power in Rome.

And you, the player character, are just not at that point when you´ve finished the Asia Minor campaign. Maybe Lucullus *might* have been able to pull it off, had he wanted to. But probably not. And at this point in time, *you* would not even want to.