Assassination Variant, or "Beware the Ides of March"

Introduction

The Republic of Rome assassination rules have the drawback that they are all or nothing, either the assassin gets away with the deed or is caught, rarely is there anything in between. Another difficulty is that the rule whereby the Faction Leader must stand for trial is never used since players simply avoid it by using the Faction Leader as the Assassin. Thus, players may wish to ignore the existing Assassination rules and adopt the following instead.

Rules

A player attempting an assassination rolls one colored and one white die. Both are modified by Evil Omens if any exist. An assassination is successful if the colored dr is 5-6. An assassin is caught if the white dr is 1-3.

Caught assassins are killed. In addition, every senator in the assassin's faction loses 5 Influence and 1 Popularity.

Secret Bodyguard cards subtract 1 from both the colored and white dr's s well as triggering an additional white dr to see whether the assassin is caught.

Assassin cards add 1 to both the colored and white dr's as well as adding 1 to any additional Secret Bodyguard rolls.

There is no special prosecution of the Faction Leader.

Introduction

What would it be like to actually be a Senator? Did you ever wish you could design and play yourself as a statesman?

Rules

Before the start of the game, in particular, before any cards are dealt, secretly record the following:

1. Pick your statesman's Name, Number (1-30) and Epoch.
2. Allocate 6 points any way you like between Military and Oratory.
3. Make a DR to determine Loyalty.
4. Make a dr to determine Influence.
5. Take up to 3 points in special abilities:

   Characteristics:	Points:
   Doubles Popularity gains	2
   Doubles Popularity losses	-1
   Extra Influence	1 per point of Influence
   Extra Loyalty	1 per 3 points of Loyalty
   Extra Military	3 per point of Military
   Extra Oratory	2 per point of Oratory
   Extra Popularity	1 per point of Popularity
   Revenue:
   Doubles all personal income	3
   Extra income when faction leader	1 per point of income
   Good governor. Adds to development roll	1 per point added
   May claim one named concession once	2
   Very corrupt governor. Doubles provincial income	3
   Forum:
   Eunuch. Immune to seduction	0.5
   Honorable. Immune to blackmail	0.5
   Loyalty 00 for named contemporaneous statesman	-1
   Patrician. -5 to knight roll	-1
   Reactionary. -10 to knight roll	-2
   Persuasive. Extra points in persuading	1 per point of plus
   Plus to Knights roll	1 per point of plus
   Pure. Cannot gouge, blackmail, seduce or be corrupt	-1
   Demagogue. When HRAO, may perform Catiline Conspiracy once per game.	3
   Senate:
   Assassinator. Adds 1 to all attempts.	3
   Beady-eyed. Subtracts 3 from appeal roll	-1
   Cross-eyed. Subtracts 6 from appeal roll	-2
   Lucky. Subtracts from 1 from assassination attempts	3
   Mob Orator	2
   One free graft/turn	2
   One free landbill proposal/turn	2
   One free landbill veto/turn	1
   One free mob violence/turn	2
   One free murder of a tribune/turn	2
   One free tribune/turn	3
   War:
   D/S avoidance works when Master of Horse as well	1
   Admiral. Extra Military in naval battles	1 per point of Military
   Avoid D/S result for named group of matching wars	1 per 10 points of war
   Avoid D/S result for named leader	4
   Avoid D/S result for named war	1 per 10 points of war
   Creates 2 veterans in victory	3
   Good lieutenant. Extra Military as Master of Horse	1 per point of Military
   Halves losses in combat	3
   Leads charges. Draw double mortality chits	-1
   Plucky. Adds to Military when in province combat	1 per point of Military
   Poor diplomat. Always suffers "Ally Deserts" in combat	-1
   Totally uninspiring. Never creates veterans.	-1
   Turns D/S combat result into Unprosecuted	2
   Uninspiring. Veterans only loyal on roll of 4-6.	-0.5
   Revolution:
   One free Influence peddling/turn	6
   Transfer hidden red card to another player (not self)	3

6. The designed statesman is always considered to be in your hand until played and immune from Influence Peddling. It may be played following the same rules as any other statesman.

Thanks to Philip Vogt for originally suggesting this idea.