Consulship

[Patricus Caesar]

So I was looking at the Leadership preview. I didn't see anything about Consuls or Praetors. The closest was Propraetor. Am I missing something?

[Calvin]

When I first designed the Roman leadership, consuls were in it. The difficulty I had was limiting them to two but not having them be permanent traits. Also, the fact that when Roman became an Empire the Consul position became pretty obsolete and propraetors / legates etc became more important. Since RS 2.0 goes way into Imperial Rome I thought it would make more sense not to have the Consul position in. It also makes the career ladder more structured.

As for Praetors, they're still in.

[Patricus Caesar]

So what then are the top positions? And I'm confused how the military plebian career will work. Could you maybe explain that a little more thoroughly. I'm just confused why you need specified centurions when there are centurions for each cohort. Will each first cohort then have a named centurion?

[Calvin]

Legatus Legionis is the highest patrician military position. Legatus Propraetor is the highest patrician civil position. 'New Man' is the highest plebian position - it basically means you are now a senator having worked your way up through the army winning accolade etc. It takes 25 years of continuous military service as a 'Low Born' soldier to get to this. I have found from my own games that there are never that many around. The whole centurion thing is to show that sometimes plebians COULD reach the heights of senatorial status. Obviously you can't have a named character for every cohort - in fact the named character isn't even in a cohort he is in a mounted generals unit since he is a character. However, out of all the numerous centurions, how many made it to the top? Not many. He will carry the 'Low Born' trait even if he makes it to the senate. His children will not - they have the chance to follow the patrician path.

[Patricus Caesar]

Another question, shouldn't the Praetor be under civil service and Propraetor Legionus be a military career?

[Calvin]

Praetors actually fulfilled two roles in Roman Government - one as a magistrate and the more common one as commander of a legion. Praetors were expected to be in the field before legions were even mustered to organise it and then lead it into combat. So yes, it could have been a civil trait but it makes much more sense to be a military one.

As for the two legate positions:

The men who filled the office of Legate were drawn from among the senatorial class of Rome. There were two main positions; the legatus legionis was an ex-praetor given command of one of Rome's elite legions[1], while the legatus propraetor was an ex-consul, who was given the governorship of a Roman province with the magisterial powers of a praetor, which in some cases gave him command of four or more legions.

Obviously since I withdrew the Consul the civil pathway to Propraetor skips a position, but they are also used as governors AFTER the republic became an Empire and the consul requirement was withdrawn, so for much of the game it will be accurate.

Another note - it says 'elite legions'. This is why the Legatus Legionis' will get named legion ancillaries. Probably my favourite specific feature of this system Once the imperial reforms have happened, my position is that Praetors should only command auxilia legions except in dire need.

[Patricus Caesar]

I knew Praetors served as magistrates, but I thought the Propraetor was the field commander since they were the province governors. I was under the impression that the legates served under the propraetor as his legion commanders, with the propraetor having overall command. Also, what will be the faction leader and heir? Princeps senatus and future princeps? Dictator and Master of the Horse? .

[Calvin]

Propraetors only had jurisdiction in their own province. Praetors could command a legion anywhere at any time. Legates were field commanders much more often than propraetors. Propraetors could order their legions to go off somewhere but if it was outside his province, he generally gave command of it to a Legate.