Fabius will try to attract a knight. No bribe.
The knights are too scared by the squid …thing to be interested without bribery.
First extra initiative, @Knightsaber to bid first.
Have I mentioned that the Pontifex Maximus optional rule sucks?
Didn’t really cost you anthing here. I’m inclined to drop it though for a future game. I’m not sure it adds much if people aren’t using the priesthoods for horse trading.
Umm, -5 influence and special major prosecution opportunity isn’t nothing. Against that risk you get some revenue, revenue you basically can’t use and which doesn’t pay for the fines in the end anyway. I like the idea of it but the rule implementation is not very good. Either it needs more revenue, or less down side, or some other benefit.
Edit: Though guess the influence loss is a wash, since it’s just the loss of the gain you got from being PM anyway.
Assidui will let the Shepherds have this one: Pass
True the special major prosecution isn’t nothing in general, but I doubt we’ll see it being followed up in the current climate.
The expected revenue is surprisingly well balanced with the expected chance of evil omens showing up in the early republic. From the middle republic on, evil omens become slightly less frequent. So the pontifex maximus can either defend against evil omens and gain nothing on average or use the revenue and risk it showing up. Public agreements might well be used to decrease the risk of either of those positions.
But overall it feels as if it hasn’t done much in either of our games. Increasing the revenue (1d6+2?) would definitely make it more sought after as a sinecure. Of course it’s something the senate can just hand out and retrieve at will, so perhaps that’s a bit powerful if a voting bloc forms. I think I’d just drop it entirely.
I’m a fan of dropping it.
I haven’t run the numbers, but we’ve had two EO events for -40T, and I don’t think we’ve gotten 40T in revenue from it. It was the same the last game, I think, though that’s the extent of my experience of it.
Edit: Wait, we’ve had 3 EO events I think, for 60T. Plus fines.
The Illyrians and Macedonians were pretty sore about last year’s debacle. Many imprecations were thrown about with reference to Epirus, which continues to deny everything.
Philip V is said to be simmering with rage even now, but he knows well that Macedon can’t support another war right now. He has offered support to the Illyrians though, who have sworn revenge on Rome. They aren’t foolish enough to declare war but have sent boats to raid Roman trading ships in the Adriatic. Several large food shipments have been lost and Rome is starting to eat into the grain stored in its granaries.
Will the senate punish them for this temerity?
1st Illyrian War
The first Illyrian war requires 3 fleets in support and has a land strength of 5. It starts inactive but creates drought conditions even when inactive (+1 unrest per year, plus some minor effects).
If you leave it alone, it will never activate by itself as all the matching cards are gone. (Technically I think there’s an event that might be able to activate it.)
The war provides 10 spoils when defeated and (as you’ve already defeated the other Illyrian war) the province of Illyricum.
@Knightsaber: your initiative.
17.1% chance of an event being Evil Omens in the early republic, 12.5% thereafter. An average of 1 event per year, so an expected loss of 20 x 0.171 = 3.42 talents per year. That doesn’t account for fines, but none of you have had the money on hand to pay any fines anyway.
Average income from the pontificacy is 3.5 talents per year (except when Evil Omens happened the previous year, I guess).
Yeah, I think you’ve been a bit unlucky with the events this game.
3 Evil Omens in the first 6 turns…
A bit…
The motions can’t help due to the squid.
Final initiative, @antlers is first in the bidding sequence with any money.