[x-posted at story-games.com]

I got sucked back into Adult Swim's delightful game Viva Caligula, and an idea struck me.

- Your character is a resident of ancient Rome. You're either powerful, or connected to powerful people, and tasked with serving such interests by any means available.
- Your default option is to solve problems through violence, intimidation, or "street action": assembling mobs, political graffiti, and unflattering street theater (you know, the kind where masked actors mock the Emperor, etc.)
- If you don't want to directly confront some adversary in this manner, you can carouse with them instead. But, since Romans used leaden cups, your indulgence will make you more prone to aggression, anger, and antisocial behavior. This earns you points of Lead, which make you better at using violence.
- Eventually, you'll have enough Lead points that you die, or go insane. Maybe you could slowly flush them out of your system - maybe deliberately being rebuffed or defeated could speed the process along?

That's what I got. Whatchall think? Bonus points for players who manage to use roofing tiles or chamber pots as weapons.

I could easily see this going very dark and dramatic, or very light and comedic (almost slapstick)...certainly not taking a middle path. Not having seen Viva Caligula, I don't know which angle your source material derives from.

Which way do you think you'd take it? (I'd guess the latter if you're awarding bonuses for using those particular improvised weapons).

Ah, I meant to write "thread posters" instead of players. Meaning, anybody who suggested such things would endear themselves to me. But yes, I do think it'd be good to reward particularly creative killers and saboteurs who use especially brutish means of accomplishing their goals.

A quick, simple idea for combat resolution (not sure what else it's for, yet):
- when two groups are going to have a scuffle, or any sort of physical confrontation where violence is acceptable...
- each participant states their intentions, assuming nobody interferes.
- each participant rolls initiative on a d10, and performs their action in that manner.
- if you attack someone, it preempts their action for this round.
- if you're a non-combatant (unarmed and untrained), you can't choose to attack.

- if you're attacking, roll a d10. 7-10 means your target is out of the fight. Your target stops doing whatever they're doing and attacks you too, though.
- if you're a non-combatant, you can do something like manipulate an object, grab something, etc.
- if you're using a ranged weapon, you can pick a target and they don't automatically get to hit you back.

- if you knock someone out of the fight, but don't want to kill or seriously harm them, you have to guard them until the fight is over, or someone else might kill them.
- if you want to protect a non-combatant, they have to cooperate with you; if they roll better than you on initiative and don't want you to guard them, they could get away.

I'm thinking Lead could factor into things by providing a moderate edge in combat, and making it a lot easier to provoke a fight. Of course, it eventually kills you...
I think the tone I want to set ranges from bestial to earthy - dick joke graffiti, lots of blood and infections, sex and nudity, but the plebs involved are just trying to get by, not like these fuckin' nobs with their perversions and their fratricide. Yes, come to think of it, I definitely want to bring Roman class politics into this. Not sure how yet, but I do. Slaves, plebs, nobles, senators (effectively a subset of "nobles"), non-citizens, actual barbarians... it's rich.

The setting and ideas, as I understand them, seem pretty cool.

Thanks, Magnus!
What jumps out at you in particular?

I think if you do a lot of research and ether go vary dark mobster style of justice.
Or go super funny it would make for an interesting game.  The more info on the
street scape and factions in the city would enhance it.  Followed by a good map with
a key of factions, guilds, guard posts it could make for a good game.

I'm not quite sure what I want to do with this idea, yet - but that may be due to playtesting another project right around now.
I have some research to do, and then I'll see where to go with this next.

Sorry for the late reply.

Well I just think the setting is interesting and the idea to be a sort of, bad man, even more.

Poisoning, corruption, political intrigues and the occasional "barbarie" all seem pretty fun in a game.