Download Pax Romana - Endgame

Pax Romana - Endgame
Scenario — Upheavals of the Late Republic, 146-50 BC
By Dan Fournie
Please Note: This is a two-part Pax Romana
scenario article — in this issue, Endgame:
Upheavals of the Late Republic, 146-50 BC, and
in the next issue Spartacus and the Foes of Rome,
88-55 BC. These two scenarios allow two, three
or fourgarners to play out the many struggles of
the late Roman Republic.
The History (by Game-Turn):
Turn VII (146-125 BC) In 146 BC Rome
completed the destruction of two of her greatest foes. After a brutal siege, Scipio Aemilianus sacked Carthage, razed the city, salted
its fields and cursed the site. Meanwhile,
in Greece, Lucius Mummius was sacking
Corinth, the last Greek city resisting Roman
rule. Rome's former rivals in the East, the
Seleucid and Ptolemaic Empires, had decayed
to the point impotence. Nonetheless, all these
victories did not lead to peace and stability —
just the opposite. Rome continued fighting
barbarian tribes, especially in Hispania (155133 BC),Thrace (135 BC) and Dalmatia (129
BC). More ominously, the city-state republican government of Rome began to sputter
and strain under the demands of managing an
empire. Amongst the proconsuls governing far
flung provinces, corruption and oppression
became the norm. Another byproduct of
Rome's many victorious wars was a massive
influx of slaves. The first of the great slave
revolts, or Servile Wars, engulfed Sicily (135132 BC). The killing of the reformer Tiberias
Gracchus by a mob in the forum (133 BC)
was the precursor to the civil wars that would
follow. When Attalus III of Pergamum died
(133 BC), he bequeathed his kingdom to
Rome to avoid civil war. However, as the
Romans moved into Ionia, a major rebellion
erupted under Aristonicus. Once the
Pergamene and slave uprisings were
suppressed, a brief calm prevailed, but it
was only the lull before the next storm.
Turn VIII (125-100 BC) A series of
campaigns against the Gallic tribes were
fought (125-121 BC), leading to the formation of the province of Narbonensis. Gaius
Gracchus, the brother of Tiberias, was killed
along with 3,000 of his supporters during
more factional strife (121 BC). Another series
of campaigns were fought against the Dacians,
Scordisi and Maedi along the Dalmatian and
Macedonian frontiers (118-107 BC). Against
this backdrop of external threat and internal
unrest, the greatest crisis since the Punic wars
erupted. Furst, two large German tribes, the
Cimbri and Teutones, began a migration to
the south. The tribes collided with Roman
frontier forces in Illyria (113 BC),
crushing a Roman army before heading
west to Gaul
rebellion broke out all across Italy. This was
the gravest threat to Rome since Hannibal
crossed the Alps. Marius, Pompeius Strabo
(father of Pompey the Great) and Lucius
and Hispania. The Germans defeated a string
of Roman commanders along the way. At
about the same time, war broke out with a
former ally, Jugurtha of Numidia (112-105).
Quintus Caecilius Metellus took command
in Africa after a series of setbacks. With
Cornelius Sulla all held key commands in the
`Social War' but Sulla emerged as the most
successful. Brutal fighting raged across much
of Italy for the next four years, and the Italian
rebels only ceased resistance when Rome
finally granted them the coveted citizenship. As war raged in Italy, Mithradates VI
him went an ambitious officer named Gaius
Marius. When the war against Jugurtha could
not be quickly won, Marius returned to Rome
and won his first consulship, taking over the
command from his mentor. When the Cimbri
again turned against the Romans in Gaul,
the legions proved inadequate. At the Battle
of Arausio on the Rhone River, the Cimbri
and Teutones annihilated two Roman armies,
slaying 80,000 men (105 BC). It was Rome's
greatest defeat since Cannae. The road into
Italy was open. The senate turned to Gaius
Marius, just back from defeating Jugurtha,
to face the Germans. Manpower shortages
forced Rome to call on her allied client kings
for troops. Nicomedes, the King of Bythinia,
complained that he could not furnish soldiers
because the rapacious Roman tax farmers
had enslaved too many of his subjects. In
response, the senate issued a decree that all
enslaved subjects of allied kingdoms should be
emancipated. The governor of Sicily began to
implement this directive and freed 800 slaves
before the local land owners pressured him to
cease. However, the unfulfilled expectation of
manumission led to a second great slave revolt
in Sicily (104-100 BC). Meanwhile, Marius
reformed the Roman army and re-instilled
discipline in its ranks. His new `marian'
legions finally crushed the Teutones
invaders at Aqua Sextae (102 BC) and
annihilated the Cimbri at Vercellae (101 BC).
Marius served five straight consulships and
emerged as the leading strongman,
overshadowing all other Romans.
Turn IX (100-75 BC) Rome enjoyed a
brief respite before the next series of catastrophes brought the Republic to the brink
of destruction. Campaigns continued in
Asia Minor, the Danube region, Gaul and
Hispania, gradually expanding Roman territory. Then disaster struck close to home. The
reformer Livius Drusus moved to enact laws
granting citizenship to many of Rome Italian allies. These long suffering communities
provided much of the manpower for Rome's
armies, yet were denied full political equality. When Drusus was assassinated (91 BC),
of Pontus seized the opportunity to strike at
the Roman province of Asia (Ionia) in Asia
Minor (88 BC), defeating the local commanders and slaughtering 80,000 Romans and
Roman sympathizers. Mithradates had spent
the last couple decades forging an empire
around the Black (Euxine) Sea. The local
populace, suffering from Roman oppression
and voracious tax collectors, rose up in support
of the invader. Next, Mithradates sent his top
lieutenant, Archelaus, across the Aegean into
Greece. Archelaus was able to seize Athens,
where the citizenry supported him against
the Roman garrison. A second force, with the
bulk of the Pontic fleet was dispatched against
Rhodes. Back in Rome, Sulla exploited the
popularity he won during the Social War to
gain the consulship, and the command against
Mithradates (88 BC). While he was preparing his army to cross over to Greece, Marius,
leading the faction known as the `populares,'
forced the senate to grant him the command
against Pontus, and to order Sulla stripped
of his army. This began the first Roman civil
war, as Sulla, now the head of the `optimates'
faction, marched with six legions against
Rome (88 BC). Legions were not allowed
within Rome's city limits, so Marius had only
an armed mob backed by gladiators. He was
quickly driven from the city in exile to Africa.
Sulla purged the populares, enacted legislation to protect optimates' interests, and then
resumed his campaign against Mithradates.
Meanwhile the Dacians and their Dardani,
Maedi and Scordisi allies overran Macedonia
and Thrace and sacked Delphi (87-84 BC).
Sulla struck at Athens, which endured a long
siege (87-86 BC) before it fell. Archelaus was
able to withdraw most of his forces by sea, but
Sulla defeated him at Chaeronea (86 BC) and
Orchomenos (85 BC). Sulla drove the Pontic
forces from Greece, and reclaimed the province of Asia (Ionia). However, Sulla could not
finish Mithradates off, as the populares under
Marius, Cinna and Sertorius had seized Rome
soon after he departed (87 BC).The populares
PaxRomanaScenario — Upheavals of the Late Republic, 146-50 BC
condemned and executed many of Sulla's supporters and overturned his legislation. Marius,
soon after winning his unprecedented seventh
consulship, fell ill and died. Cinna raised a
new army, and headed for Greece to face
Sulla. But Cinna's legions mutinied, refusing
to fight fellow Romans, and stoned Cinna.
Sulla swept back into Italy and took Rome a
second time, winning a decisive battle at the
Conine Gate (82 BC). His chief lieutenants
were Gnaeus Pompey and Marcus Licinus
Crassus. A Second Mithradatic War was
fought by local Roman forces in Asia Minor
(83-81 BC). Tigranes 'the Great' of Armenia,
an ally of Pontus, defeated the Parthians and
overran Seleucid Syria, establishing an empire
from the Caspian to the Mediterranean (83
BC). In the west, the populares were down but
not out, as Sertorius established an 'alternate
Rome' at Huesca (near Ilerda) in Hispania
(82-72 BC) and Lepidus led an abortive
attack on Rome (77 BC). Sulla sent Pompey
to deal with Sertorius, retired from public life
and died peacefully (78 BC).
Turn X (75-50 BC) Another crisis (or
a continuation of the last one) was building as Turn X begins. The Third Mithradatic
War erupted in Asia Minor, pitting Lucullus
against Mithradates and his ally Tigranes of
Armenia (75 BC). Sertorius created a senate
in exile in Hispania, and brilliantly fended off
the attacks of Pompey Then Spartacus escaped
from a gladiator school outside Capua and
ignited the Third Servile War (73-71 BC).
After defeating the local Roman commanders,
his slave army swelled to over 70,000 fighters.
Burebista of Dacia, aided by his high-priest/
advisor Dicineus, took advantage of Greek
dissatisfaction with Roman rule to conquer
the Black Sea coast from Apollonia to Olbia,
while raiding Macedonia and Dalmatia (74-72
BC). It seemed Rome lacked the power and
cohesiveness to simultaneously defeat Mithradates, Sertorius, Burebista and Spartacus. Then
fortune smiled on the Republic. Unexpectedly,
Sertorius was assassinated by one of his captains, allowing Pompey to crush the separatist
populares state in Hispania. Meanwhile, Crassus took the command against Spartacus, and
after hard fighting penned him in Bruttium.
Lucullus defeated Mithradates and Tigranes,
but could not finish the war as his opponents
withdrew into the wilds of the Caucasus.
Pompey returned to Italy just in time to steal
some of the glory from Crassus for finally
crushing Spartacus (71 BC). Pompey next
received an extraordinary command to suppress pirates throughout the Mediterranean
(67-66 BC), and then took over the command
against Mithradates. Pompey finally finished
that war as Mithradates committed suicide
(65 BC). Pompey went on to reorganize The
East, ending Seleucid rule and establish-
ing Syria as a Roman province (64-63 BC).
Pompey 'the Great' was now recognized as
Rome's greatest commander. He joined in
the unofficial 'First Triumvirate' with Crassus
(the richest man in Rome) and Julius Caesar
(a popular up-and-coming politician). The
Triumvirate brought a decade of stability
and expansion for Rome. Caesar established
his own reputation as a great commander by
conquering Gaul (59-50 BC). Crassus, jealous
of his colleagues, obtained the command to
invade Parthia. He met his end at Carrhae (53
BC) as the Parthian horse archers annihilated
six Roman legions. As this game ends, the
populares cause was revitalized under Caesar.
Pompey and Caesar were becoming estranged
and maneuvering for advantage in the Great
Civil War that was about to begin (49 BC).
Pontus never recovered as a great power. Dada
under Burebista, on the other hand continued
to expand and threaten Rome's northeast
frontier. Ultimately, Burebista was
assassinated in 44 BC (the same year as
Caesar) and his kingdom disintegrated. The
Roman Republic was no more, but the
imperial Pax Romana would last for centuries.
Scenario C3i — IV
(Standard or Advanced Game)
ENDGAME: Upheavals of
the Late Republic, 146-50 BC
Players: There are two players:
1) Rome
2) 'Foes' of Rome — one player controlling two
groups of powers and various other forces:
 The East: includes Pontus, Armenia and
the Seleucids
 The West: includes Numidia (use Carthage
counters) and Dacia (use Greek counters)
 The Foes player also controls Pergamum,
Slave Armies, Barbarians (Lusitanians and
Germans), a Soldier of Fortune (Sertorius),
Pirates and Ptolemaic Egypt (if activated)
,,Three player version —
Design Note: Although this scenario is
designed for two players, a three player version
is possible. Be advised that the Roman player
will have nearly twice as many actions as the
two Foes Players.
,
1) Rome
2) The East: includes Pontus, Armenia
and the Seleucids
 The East Player also controls Pergamum,
Slave Armies and Pirates
3) The West: includes Numidia (use Carthage
counters) and Dacia (use Greek counters)
 The West player also controls the Barbarians
(Lusitanians and Germans), the Soldier of
Fortune (Sertorius) and Ptolemaic Egypt (if
activated)
In the Three-Player version The East and The
West Players are a Team. They win, or lose,
together, using the same Victory Criteria as
the Two-Player version.
Start and End: The scenario begins with
the Operations Segment (Phase E3) of
Turn VII (146-125 BC) and lasts for four
turns, through the Victory Phase of Turn X
(75-50 BC).
Activation Markers: The Table below lists
the number and type of AMs that are played/
placed in the pool each turn.
How to Win:
 A player may win an Automatic or a
Standard Victory. Victory Points VPs are
awarded to Rome for control of the following Territories according to the Table
below.
 Automatic Victory: A player wins
an automatic victory at the end of any
Turn as follows:
 The Foes player(s) must control at least
fifteen (15) provinces AND the city (space)
of Rome.
 The Roman player must control his Home
Territory AND a total of 50 or more VPs.
Standard Victory Levels are determined during the Victory Phase of Turn X, based on
the number of Victory Points awarded Rome.
 Legendary Roman Victory: 50 or more VPs
 Historic Roman Victory: 40-49 VPs
 Historic Foes Victory: 30-39 VPs
 Legendary Foes Victory: 29 or less VPs
Events (Standard and Advanced Games):
Instead of regular events, there will be a Slave
Revolt AM and one Event Marker in the
AM pool (all directed against Rome) as
per the Table below.
Event Cards: Events cards are used, but not
according to Rule 17.1. Instead each player
receives the 10-cards listed below at the
beginning of the Game. He may play up to
two (2) cards per Turn during each Activation
Phase (not all cards will be used). The effects
of the cards are the same as listed in Rule
17.2 and on the card, unless noted otherwise.
Certain cards may not be played during Turn
X, as indicated.
 Foes: Ambush, Archimedes Effect,Cunctator
Local Insurrection (may not be used during
Turn X), Mercenaries (x2), Pirates (x2),
Tribal Resurgence (x2) (may not be used
during Turn X)
In a 3-player game, The East and West
players may play only one card per turn each.
 The East player receives:
Archimedes, Local Insurrection,
Mercenaries (x1) and Pirates (x2);
 The West player receives:
UpheavalsoftheLateRepublic,146-50BC—PaxRomanaScenario
PaxRomanaScenario — Upheavals of the Late Republic, 146-50 BC
Upheavals of the Late Republic, 146-50 BC — PaxRomana Scenario