New Reality Seeds

[Astromancer]

We know that the Romans had trading posts in India. This idea is basically a talented Roman Merchant explores the trade routes to the Silk Lands. He writes down his knowledge of the route to Sirenica (China) in a letter to his family. This letter gets to a philosopher who is a friend of Emperor Claudius.

Either Claudius or someone in his entourage gets the idea to get silk and paper from China. This idea can lead two basic ways. A) The PCs play Romans sent to get Silk (the means to produce it) and Paper (how to manufacture it) from China. Bringing home the seeds of useful plants like pepper or bananas would be a good thing too. B) Play a game in a Rome where Silk cultivation and paper manufacture means that Rome is more economically stable. Picture a Rome where the third century was as stable and prosperous as the second. Just add in a wider trade with Asia and greater literacy throughout society because of paper.