[RS AAR]The fall of Democracy. The Rise of an Empire. A Rome AAR.
Ok, here is my first attempt at an AAR, and I hope you will be understanding. I am playing as Rome, since this is probably the most popular and easiest theme to follow. This is the first small chapter, a prologue of sorts. It is here to show you what are the conditions of the nation at the moment. The story will unfold only with certain milestone events in my campaign, and unlike the popular now Dialogue styled AAR writing, this will unfold as a story told to you by... well read on!
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My name is Regulus, and I am a senator of the Great Roman Republic. No, it is better to say that I was one. There is no more Senate. There is no more Republic.
I am now writing this, because I know that it is only a matter of time before they come and take me away. It is inevitable. The Roman Empire always needs slaves. I will waste my time no more, for I have much to write.
This is when it all started. The Great Roman Republic has reached the peak of its glory.
With the Grand Punic War won, and Carthage eliminated, it is a time to rejoice and bask in the spoils of war. And the spoils are plenty, make no mistake. The Carthaginians left us enough wine, women and slaves to last us years and years more. Yet, a shadow loomed over the mighty Roman nation.
Rome's armies were going through their first reorganization period. Principes and Hastati were combined and put into a single maniple, or as they called it, a 'cohort'. Triarii were rumored to be disbanded soon too. This reform stirred up some trouble with the veterans. Principes found it hard to fight in the same battle line with the newcomers. All these reforms hit the treasury hard. Almost half of the loot from the War went to retrain the legions and to rebuild the damaged structures. Another half of the budget, in turn, went into erecting new defenses all around Italy. With Epirus gathering in might, there could be no better time to do it too... Even in times of peace, Rome must be prepared for war.
Apart from the budget problems, there was the trouble of keeping the order in cities all around the Republic. People demanded more and more, each passing year, and even the good news of victory did not sate their appetite for long. They demanded hippodromes, arenas, temples, more land, more victories... Of course the Senate did not sanction aggression towards Rome's neighbors simply because the masses demand it... So the only way to avert riots and mass revolts was to build more entertainment for the citizens. Another blow to the treasury.
In the capitol, things were not going well either. Vibius Maxentius, the Pontifex Maximus of the Great Roman Republic left the Eternal City, called over to the West, where a border strife with the rebels kept him from returning the capitol. In his absence, a few of his trusted senators were left in charge of the city. Aulus, Julius and Marcus divided the city between themselves. They were posting their own rules in their controlled territories, they sanctioned their own city patrols, and put up enormous tax ratings in the capitol. While the other senators frowned upon these happenings, they could do little to change the order of things, out of fear of questioning the actions of the 'governors' of Rome.
The halls of the Grand Palace that were once full with activity, are now empty. An order was issued by the three 'governors' stating that the Grand Palace is now closed off to anyone, including senators, unless a meeting is called by one of the 'governors'. Since then, the number of Senate meetings decreased rapidly, most of the decisions were made by Aulus, Marcus and Julius. Needless to say, the senators were getting more and more worried by the developments in Rome. Some of them started meeting in secret. I was once called to one of their meetings, and it was only my luck (or the hand of the gods?) that I refused. They were found, and all of them were sent into slavery. You may ask, why did the masses not see what was going on in the capitol? I can tell you. The three 'governors' were doing all that they possibly could to keep them happy. The Eternal City was flourishing. With Games and Races held every day, the citizens did not even think of what is behind all of this.
It was a time, when it was very hard to remain loyal to the ideals of The Republic. Nobody in the Senate felt that the nation was under their control, talks began about how Rome needs somebody to come, and make things right... many longed for the return of the Pontifex Maximus, some hoped that he would be thrown down for his irresponsible ruling of the nation. I remember how Gnaeus, one of my few friends in the Senate, came up to Prefect Julius (as the 'governors' of the capitol called themselves) during one of the Senate meetings with a knife hidden in his sleeve. He was killed by Julius' Guards before he could even fully take it out.
The power of The Great Roman Republic always was the power of democracy, equality and trust. It was the foundation of everything. If we are to determine Rome's power, judging by those characteristics - we can say that Rome was completely powerless. An example of an old tree: strong, tall... and rotten from the inside. Hard times were ahead...
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Although, in the capitol, these armed patrols became a little too frequent, I must say...
Originally Posted by Antonius
