REPUBLIC OF ROME Pbem Rules

(Adapted from _The General_, 27, #4, pp 16-17)

DEFAULT MOVES:  Rather than slow the game for a missing or incorrect move,
the GM will exercise  series of "Default Moves" as the general guideline
for resolving any such problems. Remember, these are only guidelines, and
the GM is free to slidestep them in the interests of the game as a whole. 
The GM, of course, is always considered to be impartial and acting in the
best interests of the game.

SET UP:  The Game Master (GM) handles all card draws.  Players are advised
of the initial Senator compositions of all factions and the identity of the
Temporary Rome Consul.   Individual red card hands are e-mailed separately
to each player.  Each then player each mails to the GM his initial card
plays and Faction Leader choice.  Obviously, that which can be seen by all
players in a normal game is posted once by the GM and sent to all players.

MORTALITY/REVENUE PHASE:  The GM resolves the Mortality Phase, announces
the result, and awards the Faction income.  Players respond secretly to the
GM with their desired income distributions as well as any Contributions. In
addition, the inform the GM of their plans for the coming initiative.
Unlike the live game, Personal Treasury totals are kept secret
throughout.The GM must report amounts paid for actions and received (as
bribes) in the various treasuries, but no one knows exactly how much the
other faction's Senators have in their respective war-chests until a
Persuasion Attempt is resolved and the results are announced. The Default
Move places all income in the Faction Treasury with no contributions.  Any
talents in personal treasuries from preceding turns remain there. 
Governors will take graft rather than attemt to improve the province. 
Default should not be announced to all players, but needs to be confirmed
individually with the offending player(s).

FORUM PHASE: The GM announces revenue status of State Treasury. Unlike the
regular game, Personal and Faction Treasury contents remain secret.  The GM
resolves and announces resolution of simultaneous initiative for each
player. The Default Move, barring receipt of standing orders to the
contrary from each player is:
     1)  No Persuasions attempted except versus unaligned
         Senators in the Forum with no money outlay.  Such
         attempts are automatic and unopposed.
     2)  Knight attraction attempt with no money spent for
         modifications.
     3)  No Faction leader change or Games sponsorship.  If the
         Faction is currently without a faction leader, the
         Senator with the most influence will be so named.
Players may place standing orders to alter their personal Default Moves.
For example, a player could always attempt a Persuasion with no money
outlay against the weakest opposing Senator whenever no unaligned Senator
is available in the Forum.  Or a player could specify that he will always
spend sufficient money from his most persuasive Senator (if he has it) to
bring the Persuasion Number to "9" for any Unopposed Persuasion attempt
versus unaligned Senators.

OPPOSED PERSUASION ATTEMPT:  If a persuasion Attempt is made against an
aligned Senator, the GM must decide whether the attempt is frivolous or
whether it has a genuine chance of success.  Generally speaking, an attempt
is considered frivolous unless the Persuader specifies that he will back
his attempt with an expenditure of money or the target Senator is unable to
spend enough money from his Faction Treasury to reduce the base Persuasion
Number to "1".  If the GM considers the attempt frivolous, he announces the
attempt and the necessary transfer of funds to defeat it.  However, if he
judges the attempt to be non-frivolous, he makes a call to all players for
any bribes and counter-bribes they wish to send from their Faction
Treasuries to the target Senator.  Such expenditures cannot be conditional;
they must specify a given amount.  The Persuasion Attempt is then resolved
after one round with no knowledge of what other players spent.  Players may
try to communicate with one another to coordinate their efforts, but if
their response is not returned to the GM in time, it is a default.  If
there is more than one opposed Persuasion Attempt (by different players),
they are announced and resolved simultaneously.  Should one attempt have an
effect upon another, they are resolved in clockwise order starting with the
player to the left of the HRAO.  However, all bribes and counterbribes for
all attempts must be submitted simultaneously.  (The Default bid for a
Persuasion defense is no money spent; the Default bid for a Persuasion
attack is all money in the Persuading Senator's Personal Treasury.) 
     At this time the players also respond with their simultaneous bids
for the sixth initiative.  These bids can be conditional on the outcome of
the preceding Persuasion attempt(s), but they cannot be based on opposing
bids (such as "I bid one more than anyone else").  The bids should also
include any special instructions pwrtaining to the resolution of that
initiative if won.  Tie bids are awarded to the HRAO, or to the player
closest to him in clockwise order.

SIXTH INITIATIVE RESOLUTION:  The GM announces the amounts bid by each
Faction (but not the individual Senator doing the bidding), and the
subsequent resolution of the sixth initiative and calls for simultaneous
defense of any Persuasion Attempt associatesd with it.  If none, combine
with the next phase.  The Default bid is "0".

POPULATION PHASE:  The GM announces Faction vote totals, Leader 
Age/Senator Revival, and Population Phase results and calls for the HRAO's
nomination for Consuls.  The HRAO resaponds directly to all players with
his nomination.  All players send their votes to the GM simultaneously. 
The Default Move allows the GM to make nominations.



VOTING:  All voting is considered simultaneous -- except that the Presiding
Magistrate is given the ability to make conditional votes based on his
ability to vote last.  Players may communicate with each other to try to
determine how the others will vote, but there is no guarantee that they
will be told the truth.  Only the Presiding Magistrate may make conditional
votes such as:  "I'll spend as many Talents as necessary to secure passage
of this proposal up to a maximum of X Talents."  All others wishing to buy
additional votes must do so with a statement of a specific number of
Talents spent.
     There are two exceptions to this rule.  During Consul For Life
votes,the Presiding Magistrate is not allowed to make conditional votes for
the passage of his own candidate, but must pick a value just like everybody
else. However, if the Consul For Life candidate belongs to another Faction,
the Presiding Magistrate may make conditional votes to defeat him.  Second,
the Presiding Magistrate may publicly announce at the time of his proposal
or nomination that he is giving the right to make Conditional Votes to
another player -- usually one of his nominees.  That player alone has the
right to make Conditional votes during that proposal.
     Alternatively, among experienced players, the GM may allow the
Presiding Magistrate to announce, prior to the vote, an order for voting.
Although all votes are still cast simultaneously, all the players may make
conditional votes based solely on the outcome of the votes cast prior to
their turn. 
     The Presiding Magistrate also has the ability to specify the order in
which votes are cast.  Although voting is simultaneous, the order in which
it is resolved can be important should two or more players wish to veto the
same proposal.  Should the Presiding Magistrate fail to specify a sequence
for voting, the GM will resolve the vote in clockwise order starting with
the player to the left of the HRAO.  Defaulters abstain, except in the case
of Land Bills which they vote for without expending any additional money to
buy votes. 

CONSULAR ELECTIONS:  When voting on the HRAO's nominations, the nominees
also forward their preferences for Rome/Field Consul as well as their
nominee for Censor.  The outgoing HRAO also forwards his second choices for
Consuls in case his first pair fails to gain passage.  The GM announces the
vote by Faction.  If the nominees are elected, he specifies the office
attained by each as well as their new Influence totals.  This phase ends
with the announcement of the new Censor nominee and a call for votes.  A
default by the HRAO allows the GM to make the next nomination. 

CENSOR ELECTIONS:  The Censor nominee, when responding with his votes,also
indicates to the GM, what, if any, Prosecutions he will pursue in the next
Phase.  He also indicates his choice for Prosecutor.  The HRAO when voting
will indicate his next choice for Censor should the first be defeated, as
well as his first proposal in case the Censor declines prosecution.  The
GM will again announce the outcome of the election.  If it fails, he will
announce the next nomination.  If it succeeds, he will announce the
Censor's prosecutions, if any, and call for a vote.  If the newly elected
Censor declines prosecution, the GM announces the next proposal before the
Senate and call for a vote. 
     In all cases, the GM has the authority to make his own nominations and
proposals if the Presiding Magistrate has failed to supply him with
areasonable proposal of his own by the stated deadline.  The HRAO may make
conditional proposals based on the outcome of elections, or even based on
who voted for whom during the election.  The GM will act in the best
interests of
Rome -- not necessarily in the best interest of the Presiding Magistrate --
when making substitute proposals.
     Note that deals made by e-mail between players are not considered
"Open Trade" and are unenforceable -- even if the GM was sent a carbon copy
of the agreement.  To be considered a valid Open Trade, an agreement must
be made and agreed to before all players in the game.  When trades are
made, the GM informs all the players of the transfer of the card(s)
involved between
factions -- but does not identify those cards.

PROSECUTIONS:  Unlike the live game, the Prosecuting Senator does not have
to agree to the prosecution to be named Prosecutor.  However, if his
Faction votes that the accused is innocent, the accused is automatically
set free without use of Tribunes or Appeals.  By voting that the accused is
guilty, the prosecuting senator accepts his role.  The accused
automatically votes first in any prosecution, so he cannot make conditional
votes or appeals.  If he is going to play a Tribune, Appeal to the People,
buy votes, seek exile, or just vote with his faction's normal bloc of
votes, he must do so regardless of how others vote.  However, he is still
within his rights to Appeal to the People and then play a Tribune if the
results of the appeal are not to his likely (provided, of course, that he
is not killed by the
mob).
     Obviously, it is the HRAO's best interest to send as many conditional
proposals to the GM as he wants acted upon -- otherwise he risks losing the
right to make his own proposal.  During all this, the other players can be
sending e-mail to each other (either individually or in groups) in attempts
to influence the HRAO or the "body politic" to the wisdom of a particular
course of action.  However, the HRAO drives the Senate meeting and puts his
proposals to a vote one after another.  There is no time out for diplomacy
(which is expected to be ongoing throughout the game).  The GM can always
alter the HRAO's proposals if he feels they are illegal or frivolous.
     Should two players play a Tribune in the same phase to force a
proposal to a vote, the GM will use the one closest to the HRAO in
clockwise order.

COMBAT PHASE:  The GM resolves and announces War results and calls for
players to e-mail their orders for entrance of new statesmen, Concessions,
and return of forces or revolt orders.  Orders for revolts can be
conditional based on the outcome of legion alliance rolls.  However, any
money spent to test allegiance must be reported to all players.  The
Default Move is to
have no red cards played, and all forces returned to Rome.

REVOLUTION PHASE:  The GM announces any red cards played and revolts
declared, as well as the result of the next Mortality Phase.  Commence the
next turn.

RULE 7.3321  TIME DELAY:  Whenever a War or Revolt card is drawn from the
deck that would match a face-up War or Revolt card already located in the
Forum, the drawn card is placed face-down in the Inactive War slot for the
remainder of the current turn.  If the face-up card is located in the
Inactive War slot, it is immediately moved to an Active War slot; otherwise
face-up cards are not affected in any way.  At the beginning of each new
turn, before any other action is taken, all cards in the Inactive War slot
are turned face-up and one card for each War or Revolt is moved to an
Active War slot on the Forum.  Wars should be selected for activation in
chronological order (e.g., 1st Macedonian before 2nd Macedonian)whenever
possible.  An Inactive War and its Leader are instantly matched and
activated; there is no delay.  If a Leader is drawn that matches an Active
War, the Leader is immediately played on the Active War card -- but no
additional War cards are activated.
     EXAMPLE:  First Punic War begins the game face-up in an Inactive War
slot.  Second Punic is drawn; it is placed face-down in an Inactive slot
and the First Punic War is moved to an Active War slot.  Third Punic War is
drawn in the same turn; it is placed face-down in an Inactive War slot. 
The Hannibal Leader card is drawn and is immediately placed with the active
First Punic War.  At the start of the Turn 2, Second Punic War is moved to
an Active War slot but Third Punic War remains inactive until the start of
Turn 3.  If the Hamilcar Leader card is drawn during either turn, it would
be placed with an active Punic War card.  Third Punic War would remain
inactive.

                             Julian Barker

                There is a coherent plan in the universe,
                though I don't know what it is a plan for.
                                             - Fred Hoyle


