Ludi Romani
Dear Smeagol-
This entry is a few days late but I thought I'd tell you about the Ludi Romani game! First of all its this game based on Rome and is set in the time frame just after Julius Caesars death. So to start basically a bunch of the latin students all get together and plot... scheme... and eventually betray. Friday I went with Amy, Nancy, and Joanna up USU's skyroom where the event would take place. We re-arranged the tables, put up cool looking signs, and even got ourselves dressed up to match our characters.
Each player takes on the role of some general, senator, king/queen, or other minor lord to be played in the ensuing 3 hours of bloody battles, secret assassinations, and bribery(or in my case just "asking" the gods to do my willing...bwahahaha).
So I was assigned to be a senator, Quintus Fufius Calenus, a pretty powerful senator vote wise, and not to bad on the cash either. Unfortunately it wasn't my 'fate' to stay as a senator long, because one of my allied faction members "mistook" me for an enemy and had the senate kill me... Ok Smeagol, that pissed me off! I mean come on, who the heck convinces the senate to kill me!?! So that is where the game became interesting, they had freed me from my mortal and very limited powers as just a senator, what I was given from my good ole' pal the God of Death Persephone was to become a Ghost! yes a formless, almost limitless being that just screws people up... Especially those people who KILL them.
Antonius the senator "friend" who convinced the senate that I didn't need to live was about to see the full wrath of one not so friendly casper. But let me back track a bit so everything will make sense in the future. While living I had been placed in "asia" as my starting location, before I could start my trek to Rome and the Senate, I had to pass through a few outlying colonies. In the which I made another wonderful friend! this one although slightly eccentric was worth all the candy bars that I dished out, and all the "m' ladies" that I could muster. The beautiful and did I already mention crazy Mercury (btw she's freaking nuts! maybe thats why I liked her so much).
So with two gods in my hand as my trump cards, I set out to see Antonius die a very horrible way, not that pansy death that the senate gave me, oh no! there would be no "voting" here, just plain and simple, possibly painful DEATH.
Ok so to try my first attempt at killing Antonius, (yes it took multiple attempts its just so hard to find good god's these days...) I arranged to have the queen of Egypt, Ms. Cleopatra herself make Antonius do a disappearing act. Unfortunately Mercury was too busy prancing around the room making other random people wriggle like a worm on the floor for her... and my patience ran out. I wanted her dead dang it, and I wanted it THEN! Not an hour later... but all in all Mercury still played her part, even though it came an hour and a half later. So I resorted to speaking with Minerva another lovely god who is easy... I mean ;) easily persuaded by ... chocolate... So with a small amount of only 3 "hundred grands" Minerva swept Antonius clean out of the senate and dropped her into Egypt. PERFECT!
Alright I had seated myself a few cities(tables) away so that I could watch the death with pure and utter enjoyment, but to my dismay my... queen... didn't even raise a finger toward that blasted should be dead senator! By this time I'm not wondering anymore why Rome fell in the first place... Is it so hard to just kill a dang senator?!? Foiled again I resorted to extreme measures, if 1 god cant kill a senator... maybe 2 can! I went to Mars the god of war.
Pulling Mars aside...
Me : "Mars you like killing people right?"
Mars : (looking a little curious) "Yes of course!"
Me : (grinning) " I have a wonderful proposition for you, it involves some sweet revenge, lots of screaming, and bloodshed..."
Mars : (interrupting me slightly giggling) " I'M IN!!! "
Me : (almost taken aback by how easy mars was to persuade) "... ok ... I want you to pick up a senator and drop her in Egypt where she will be killed, can you do that?"
Mars : (murderously laughing) "Oh man, I can do so much better than that, I'll even make her scream!"
Me : (intrigued) "Alright, just kill Antonius, the girl in the white(whispering while pointing to her) "
Mars : (almost yelling, points to the girl) " YOU MEAN THAT ONE ? "
(ALL HEADS AT SENATE TURN TO LOOK AT ME AND MARS)
Me : (smacks forehead, whispering) "Yes that one! (turns mars to fake looking at a general)
Mars : "I'll get right on it" (leaves laughing)
About 10 minutes later my good friend Mars had convinced Juno to place that dirty wretched little Antonius in some province out in the boonies. As soon as Juno places her in her seat, Mars sits down in front of her and with the honestly best toothy smile i've ever seen leans in close challenged Antonius to a duel. Antonius face was great, all that cocky senatorial smoothness was out the freaking door, reduced to a jumble of confusion and shock she whined to Mars that she didn't have any armies. Mars leaned back to announce that she could either ... become basically a slave to her or she could die. Antonius actually screamed! it was more a whine scream but I was enough for me.
Death to Antonius.
So with my goal completed and my newfound allies with the gods I had to see how much more damage I could possibly do. It was my first game and I really just wanted to impress Nancy, Joanna, and Amy as much as I could. So to make somewhat of a long night short ... I placed my own spy in the senate(he was of our faction but not known), I gained the trust of random faction members who seemed to like to spill their guts to me, stole money, transfered armies, and screwed up the king of persia in his battles against our faction. I'm sure your not understanding any of this but its all non important stuff, but at the same time made a bit of a difference. Then to finish I had planned the grand finale ... I was going to kill our factions leader. BWAHAHA Scott is his name, and plotting was his game, and he needed to be taken out so the true faction could live.
It was perfect! Back in Asia with all the seats but 1 being occupied by faction members with lots of armies... The king of persia (holding no hard feelings) was persuaded to participate in the "removal" of Scott by being there to crush him with his armies. (Oh btw I wanted the king of persia there because he was loaded with money and armies, PLUS he was made immortal by the gods so he couldn't die anyways, just ensure the death of Scott.)
The final piece, I once again went my partner in crime. Ms. Mars.
Me : (grinning) " I have another favor to ask M' Lady Mars (bows head)
Mars : (openly laughing) "I'll do it! what is it?"
Me : (head bowed) "I'd love to get the factions all riled up a bit..."
Mars : (eager) "what do you want me to do...!?!?!"
Me : "I want you to take Scott the faction leader, to Asia... where he will be treated (slyly) oh so nicely"
Mars : (laughing again) "I'll get right on it." (RUNS to speak with Juno and Jupiter)
The best part was, seeing her go to the head god Jupiter, and after whispering to him for about 30 seconds all the while the grin on his face literally blooming. Yes smeagol this was going to be good, so very good. But alas I got eager, I wanted things done too quickly, I mean time was running out. The king of Persia still wasn't in position in Asia and time was too far past for him to reach it in time, I needed another one of my friends of the god's to help me.. and fast. I went to Minerva again... I told her my plans, why had I been so stupid. I told her of the plan to kill Scott and how I had Mars already on that, that I needed her to bring the king of persia to me in Asia, I offered her more than enough in chocolate. She refused to bring the king, but said she had no problem if he can under his own will... he had already agreed. I should have seen that equally evil gleam in her eye, that twitch she got in her eyes as I told her of Scott. I should have known she couldn't be trusted... maybe I could have had her killed...
The plan unfolded perfectly, Jupiter all but strutting his mighty "powerful" self over to the senate announces that Scott wont be for afternoon tea, laughing in his very cool maniacal way he all but picked Scott out of his chair and dropped him in Asia. Scott stunned, like a little bunny caught in the headlights of the oncoming '64 Shelby about to turn him into nothing but fur on the wind and "luck" on the windshield. The faction members already had dice in hand ready to start dishing out pain, then... that little chocolate monger comes along... Minerva rescues Scott and delivers him safely back to the senate, foiling my plan... I'm going to have to plan for next year to make sure Minerva wings are "clipped" for that little hat trick.
Anyways another long story short, Scott lived. Factions disintegrated, Scott joins the winning team. And upon winning all the ghosts were Deified, and the Jojo's where built a temple in Rome.
And that Smeagol was my fun at the Ludi Romani games! I think I'll have to play again next year.
Justin
This entry is a few days late but I thought I'd tell you about the Ludi Romani game! First of all its this game based on Rome and is set in the time frame just after Julius Caesars death. So to start basically a bunch of the latin students all get together and plot... scheme... and eventually betray. Friday I went with Amy, Nancy, and Joanna up USU's skyroom where the event would take place. We re-arranged the tables, put up cool looking signs, and even got ourselves dressed up to match our characters.
Each player takes on the role of some general, senator, king/queen, or other minor lord to be played in the ensuing 3 hours of bloody battles, secret assassinations, and bribery(or in my case just "asking" the gods to do my willing...bwahahaha).
So I was assigned to be a senator, Quintus Fufius Calenus, a pretty powerful senator vote wise, and not to bad on the cash either. Unfortunately it wasn't my 'fate' to stay as a senator long, because one of my allied faction members "mistook" me for an enemy and had the senate kill me... Ok Smeagol, that pissed me off! I mean come on, who the heck convinces the senate to kill me!?! So that is where the game became interesting, they had freed me from my mortal and very limited powers as just a senator, what I was given from my good ole' pal the God of Death Persephone was to become a Ghost! yes a formless, almost limitless being that just screws people up... Especially those people who KILL them.
Antonius the senator "friend" who convinced the senate that I didn't need to live was about to see the full wrath of one not so friendly casper. But let me back track a bit so everything will make sense in the future. While living I had been placed in "asia" as my starting location, before I could start my trek to Rome and the Senate, I had to pass through a few outlying colonies. In the which I made another wonderful friend! this one although slightly eccentric was worth all the candy bars that I dished out, and all the "m' ladies" that I could muster. The beautiful and did I already mention crazy Mercury (btw she's freaking nuts! maybe thats why I liked her so much).
So with two gods in my hand as my trump cards, I set out to see Antonius die a very horrible way, not that pansy death that the senate gave me, oh no! there would be no "voting" here, just plain and simple, possibly painful DEATH.
Ok so to try my first attempt at killing Antonius, (yes it took multiple attempts its just so hard to find good god's these days...) I arranged to have the queen of Egypt, Ms. Cleopatra herself make Antonius do a disappearing act. Unfortunately Mercury was too busy prancing around the room making other random people wriggle like a worm on the floor for her... and my patience ran out. I wanted her dead dang it, and I wanted it THEN! Not an hour later... but all in all Mercury still played her part, even though it came an hour and a half later. So I resorted to speaking with Minerva another lovely god who is easy... I mean ;) easily persuaded by ... chocolate... So with a small amount of only 3 "hundred grands" Minerva swept Antonius clean out of the senate and dropped her into Egypt. PERFECT!
Alright I had seated myself a few cities(tables) away so that I could watch the death with pure and utter enjoyment, but to my dismay my... queen... didn't even raise a finger toward that blasted should be dead senator! By this time I'm not wondering anymore why Rome fell in the first place... Is it so hard to just kill a dang senator?!? Foiled again I resorted to extreme measures, if 1 god cant kill a senator... maybe 2 can! I went to Mars the god of war.
Pulling Mars aside...
Me : "Mars you like killing people right?"
Mars : (looking a little curious) "Yes of course!"
Me : (grinning) " I have a wonderful proposition for you, it involves some sweet revenge, lots of screaming, and bloodshed..."
Mars : (interrupting me slightly giggling) " I'M IN!!! "
Me : (almost taken aback by how easy mars was to persuade) "... ok ... I want you to pick up a senator and drop her in Egypt where she will be killed, can you do that?"
Mars : (murderously laughing) "Oh man, I can do so much better than that, I'll even make her scream!"
Me : (intrigued) "Alright, just kill Antonius, the girl in the white(whispering while pointing to her) "
Mars : (almost yelling, points to the girl) " YOU MEAN THAT ONE ? "
(ALL HEADS AT SENATE TURN TO LOOK AT ME AND MARS)
Me : (smacks forehead, whispering) "Yes that one! (turns mars to fake looking at a general)
Mars : "I'll get right on it" (leaves laughing)
About 10 minutes later my good friend Mars had convinced Juno to place that dirty wretched little Antonius in some province out in the boonies. As soon as Juno places her in her seat, Mars sits down in front of her and with the honestly best toothy smile i've ever seen leans in close challenged Antonius to a duel. Antonius face was great, all that cocky senatorial smoothness was out the freaking door, reduced to a jumble of confusion and shock she whined to Mars that she didn't have any armies. Mars leaned back to announce that she could either ... become basically a slave to her or she could die. Antonius actually screamed! it was more a whine scream but I was enough for me.
Death to Antonius.
So with my goal completed and my newfound allies with the gods I had to see how much more damage I could possibly do. It was my first game and I really just wanted to impress Nancy, Joanna, and Amy as much as I could. So to make somewhat of a long night short ... I placed my own spy in the senate(he was of our faction but not known), I gained the trust of random faction members who seemed to like to spill their guts to me, stole money, transfered armies, and screwed up the king of persia in his battles against our faction. I'm sure your not understanding any of this but its all non important stuff, but at the same time made a bit of a difference. Then to finish I had planned the grand finale ... I was going to kill our factions leader. BWAHAHA Scott is his name, and plotting was his game, and he needed to be taken out so the true faction could live.
It was perfect! Back in Asia with all the seats but 1 being occupied by faction members with lots of armies... The king of persia (holding no hard feelings) was persuaded to participate in the "removal" of Scott by being there to crush him with his armies. (Oh btw I wanted the king of persia there because he was loaded with money and armies, PLUS he was made immortal by the gods so he couldn't die anyways, just ensure the death of Scott.)
The final piece, I once again went my partner in crime. Ms. Mars.
Me : (grinning) " I have another favor to ask M' Lady Mars (bows head)
Mars : (openly laughing) "I'll do it! what is it?"
Me : (head bowed) "I'd love to get the factions all riled up a bit..."
Mars : (eager) "what do you want me to do...!?!?!"
Me : "I want you to take Scott the faction leader, to Asia... where he will be treated (slyly) oh so nicely"
Mars : (laughing again) "I'll get right on it." (RUNS to speak with Juno and Jupiter)
The best part was, seeing her go to the head god Jupiter, and after whispering to him for about 30 seconds all the while the grin on his face literally blooming. Yes smeagol this was going to be good, so very good. But alas I got eager, I wanted things done too quickly, I mean time was running out. The king of Persia still wasn't in position in Asia and time was too far past for him to reach it in time, I needed another one of my friends of the god's to help me.. and fast. I went to Minerva again... I told her my plans, why had I been so stupid. I told her of the plan to kill Scott and how I had Mars already on that, that I needed her to bring the king of persia to me in Asia, I offered her more than enough in chocolate. She refused to bring the king, but said she had no problem if he can under his own will... he had already agreed. I should have seen that equally evil gleam in her eye, that twitch she got in her eyes as I told her of Scott. I should have known she couldn't be trusted... maybe I could have had her killed...
The plan unfolded perfectly, Jupiter all but strutting his mighty "powerful" self over to the senate announces that Scott wont be for afternoon tea, laughing in his very cool maniacal way he all but picked Scott out of his chair and dropped him in Asia. Scott stunned, like a little bunny caught in the headlights of the oncoming '64 Shelby about to turn him into nothing but fur on the wind and "luck" on the windshield. The faction members already had dice in hand ready to start dishing out pain, then... that little chocolate monger comes along... Minerva rescues Scott and delivers him safely back to the senate, foiling my plan... I'm going to have to plan for next year to make sure Minerva wings are "clipped" for that little hat trick.
Anyways another long story short, Scott lived. Factions disintegrated, Scott joins the winning team. And upon winning all the ghosts were Deified, and the Jojo's where built a temple in Rome.
And that Smeagol was my fun at the Ludi Romani games! I think I'll have to play again next year.
Justin