Imperial Rome Campaigns

[jason taylor]

Where is the Seres Ambassador?

It is a not recorded that there has been any official diplomatic contact between the Roman and the Chinese Empires despite the wishes of both. Of course one could plausibly hand-wave that lack of records by saying records were destroyed by barbarians(many were)or that the lack of contact is The Official Story. The trip was long and dangerous and it was as much in the interest of the Persians to prevent contact as it was for Rome and China to make contact. Thus the campaign.

The Emperor has summoned the PCs. He has heard from one of his "friends" in Central Asia, that an envoy from the Emperor of the "Seres"(as they were called) is making a diplomatic tour of the area. It would be a great benefit to the Empire for if he can be found and brought to see the Emperor. Of course as the PCs are duly informed, the Persians(and possibly others) are well aware that it would be of great benefit to the Empire.

This can be in any period of Roman History from just after the Punic Wars(when Rome was first large enough to care what was on the other side of the world) to just before the First Crusade(after which the Byzantine Empire was again to small to care).

PS In real life one Chinese Emissary did make it to the Red Sea but was diverted back by the simple expedient of convincing the lubberly Ambassador to overestimate the distance to be sailed.

[jason taylor]

Scipio Arrives:

One of the mysteries of Ancient history was the storming of Cartagena by Scipio. Cartagena is a strong city in the isthmus between a lake and the harbor(connected by a canal), which arrangement gives it effectively a natural moat. According to record Scipio found from local assets that the water in the bay would be shallow enough to ford at a critical time. As a result he first lured the Carthaginans into making a sally and followed it to the wall on the landward side, begining a long attack. Meanwhile an assault team waded through the water on the other side, captured the gate and swarmed in to sack the city.
Historian Adrian Goldsworthy has wondered about the nature of the phenomenon for which there is apparently no information(presumably he talked to locals too). Possibly it is a tidal feature or the effect of air currents.
So much is history. Now the Campaign:

The Carthaginans are rampaging around Italy and Rome has no commander yet to meet Hannibal. As an expedient, the Senate has tried to pick at the Cartheginian holdings. One of these "sideshows" is Spain which has suffered a reverse of late. Scipio, one of the least senior commanders is given the command because no one else will take it. The PCs are aides with Scipio as he has arrived in Spain. They are assigned to find out as much as they can about the city of Cartagena including how cross the bay. At the end they will of course lead the assault team. The Rome is in it's dire need but if Hannibal's base in Spain is cut off, he will wither on the vine. Your mission may be the one that saves the Republic from it's greatest peril and starts it on the path to it's fabled greatness.

This campaign can continue on from there. The Spanish theater is quite campaignable with local tribal diplomacy interacting with the affairs of Rome and Carthage. The PCs will be asked to negotiate with chieftains, hire mercenaries, handle intelligence, and carry dangerous messages.

[Captain-Captain]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

PS In real life one Chinese Emissary did make it to the Red Sea but was diverted back by the simple expedient of convincing the lubberly Ambassador to overestimate the distance to be sailed.

This is mentioned in GURPS Imperial Rome btw.

As a side note, it's been posited that the declines of both China and Rome shortly after this was that germs from each place were being carried to the toerh in significant quantities even if official contact didn't occur.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Captain-Captain

This is mentioned in GURPS Imperial Rome btw.

As a side note, it's been posited that the declines of both China and Rome shortly after this was that germs from each place were being carried to the toerh in significant quantities even if official contact didn't occur.

A similar campaign is mentioned in canon. In the book it is proposed to simply seek out the land of the Seres, whereas I am proposing a variant in which the PCs actually have to find an Ambassador from the Emperor of the Seres that is on a goodwill tour.