Live action role play didn’t go down so well (below) , so we thought we’d give  “Gangs of Rome”,the miniatures game a go!

Welcome Dominus to Ancient Rome.

In a cruel and deadly city, it takes a cruel and deadly soul to survive and prosper. As the head of a rich house with ambitions on the senate, you have chosen to do more than survive, more than prosper. You have chosen to recruit, dominate and to ascend.

Senator Cais Norbanus Flaccus has not only commissioned a temple to the god Apollo, but has also provided a beautiful, not to mention expensive  statue of the god to watch over the temples construction.

You and another rival for Faccus’ position on the senate have both dispatched small gangs of fighters to sack the temple and steal the statue, the disappearance of which will cause embarrassment to the Senator. However, Flaccus is not quite as naive as these two Domimi would believe, and he has invested in a little insurance for his temple and the statue therein: the imposing  and obstinate  Gaul, Talavus..

This is the introduction to Blood on the Aventine, the first of many free scenarios that are downloadable from Providing the gamer and collector with only the best 28mm miniatures . The first of these was also the basis of the first starter set issued by them, as well as the figures, rules and many accessories needed to play the game, this set also included a Sarissa Miniatures building kit of a temple under construction. Starter sets from Footsore Miniatures do provide excellent value, the latest being called Bread and Circuses. So what is the the Game Gangs of Rome all about?

Set in Ancient Rome (or any other city) in the late Republic, wealthy merchants and members of the Patrician order are striving to gain seats and prestige by being appointed to the Senate. Just like Mafia Dons today they cannot be seen to use force to subjugate their opponents openly, they can and do however, employ and recruit gangs of thugs, both male and female from the streets to enforce their wishes. You, the player , take the part of one of those manipulating the life on the streets (the Dominus or Dominatrix) for personal power.

The rules provide for three classes of figures that interact within the game in various ways:

Gang members: each of these have various characteristics assigned to them. When bought separately gang members come with a card that details their characteristics randomly so that even if you buy multiple copies each character should be different. (figures in starter packs or named groups are not random so that if you purchase 2 you will have duplicates) . Each fighter comes with a base that has two locations on it, the first for the players number within a team (each team has a separate colour) and secondly a marker from 7 down to 1 indicating the flesh of the player, this can be regarded as the life force or energy available and is reduced as injuries are obtained, this value also indicates how far a fighter can move, so as injuries are accumulated movement will decrease. A player is retired when this value becomes 0. By following one character these abilities are in turn made up of:

The characters name, in this case AEMILLIA (a female) and a breakdown of her card reveals that she is a Senator’s child in forced exile who has superb acrobatic skills. Aemillias’ movement is governed by her flesh points which are 7 (she can move 7 gradus or inches); Her attack value is 6 (no of dice thrown when attacking) and her defence value is 3 (the number of dice thrown when defending). The final value on the card is agility, in this case 6, the number of dice thrown to see if she has been successful in climbing or descending an obstacle. This adds up to 22 which is the points cost for using this fighter in a points related game. With all dice throws in this game a throw of IV, V or VI will indicate a success with all else a failure. So if you are not to sure of your Roman numerals a V showing is what you are looking for to succeed.

Fighters are activated by drawing a token of the correct colour (Bolt Action style) and then have a number of options open to them, these are:

Charge move + Combat

Move + Blend

Move + Move

Combat + Move

Move + Bind (bind will heal one wound)

Bind + Move

Move

Combat (could be the use of a remote weapon such as a bow or sling)

Blend

Bind

Passive Action (do nothing)

A round or turn consists of three phases, a Tactics phase where any tokens are removed from a payer and returned to the pot, Denarii are changed or refreshed. Next the mob and any denizen movements are rolled for and the final phase is for the fighters and their actions. This sequence is repeated until the game ends.

The Mob: The citizens of the city going about their normal business, although these are in effect randomly distributed for game purposes and control they are mounted in groups of 5 on a circular base. There are several ways they can help or hinder the fighters once violence erupts, Should there be an attack on a fighter within a short distance a D6 throw will determine if they ignore it, stampede away from it or attack the nearest fighter. If attacked by a fighter they will stampede immediately away from that attack. These stampedes can be both of use to you or cause you injury as any fighter caught up in a stampede is run over and suffers an injury. This is a bit like playing snooker as if you cannot get directly at you opponent you can use the mob to do your work for you. The mobs also come in handy to hide, one of your move options would be to enter the nearest mob (blend), this becomes the last place you were seen in the city, you are then able to pop out on your next move from any of the mobs on the table. (Handy). They move randomly between turns on the table in what is called the tactics phase, by throwing a Roman numeral d6 for each mob. On a IV, V or VI they will move in the direction the V is pointing. Fighters moved over in this way are not affected and on any other result the mobs stays where they are.

The Denizens: these are characters that can help or hinder your cause when interacting with the fighters and move randomly in the same way as mobs. Talavus we met earlier while tasked with protecting the statue in the temple. He cannot be attacked by any of the fighters but, any fighter starting or ending their move within a short distance of him can expect to have missiles in the form of roof tiles thrown at them. Another citizen of the city should he be on the table is THESSALUS the healer, he offers a service to those within 2 Gradus (inches) as a free action, but remember, this is a period when the tools of his trade are never cleaned between use. A roll of the dice will determine if he accidentally kills you or manages to heal a number of your wounds. The are many of these Denizens to choose from, some are included in scenarios, but they are all available should you wish to design your own.

Denarii: Each fighter in its blister pack with its base normally has a Roman Dice, a selection of Flesh markers. In addition to this there will be 4 Cards and 4 Denarii coins, The card describes the use of the denarii coin along with its cost in points. These Denarii are extra weapons or tools that can be assigned to a fighter, and describe how they modify the attack or defence value while in use. Varying in cost from 1 to 3 points they are again available in games where points are used to determine the forces in play.

All that is needed now having chosen a scenario is to populate your chosen town or district with some scenery and obstacles for our fighters to use. 

Well that is a very quick summary of a game that is excellent for passing a real fun hour or two or even a small campaign, I have not covered every nuance in this description but I hope I have given you enough to try your hand against another disreputable foe. I have set it up games as one to one and even as a multiplayer game where treachery can come into play, especially if there is only one winner. I know of a new rule which is currently being tried by the envoys to allow a fighter to stab another in the back without having to receive a return blow, if it makes it into the optional rules this will give another dimension to treachery.) The opportunity to make buildings for your city is almost endless with Sarissa Miniatures and Warbases making suitable kits. A visit to IronGateScenery.co.uk will introduce you to all sorts of resin accessories from market stalls to the furniture for a Roman toilet where your citizens can observe their devotions to the god Crepitus.

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Uncle Ken.