Dev Diary: Internal Politics, Part 1

Dev Diary – Internal Politics, Part 1

Let's talk internal politics of Rome! This diary presents Motions, focusing on two types: triumphs and trials. These were two mechanisms through which the internal politics of Rome rewarded and punished its representatives.

I will talk about the Stages that a Motion can go through, perhaps first being approved in the Senate before it can be ratified in an Assembly. Then the Clashes that happened, and the ultimate outcome of a motion. I’ve also included a couple of notes on my design philosophy, and what you can expect from future diaries.

Hope you enjoy. Thanks!

— Lucas

“Gaius Verres appears to stand his trial before you: a man already condemned, in the world's opinion, by his life and deeds; already acquitted, according to his own confident assertions, by his vast fortune.”

— Cicero, in the speech In Verrem (Against Verres)

(Gaius Verres, former governor of Sicily, would later exile himself in Massilia to avoid condemnation — a common practice. Cicero, at this time a little-known young former Quaestor, would go on to become Aedile, and eventually Consul. Later yet, both men would be killed by the proscriptions of the Second Triumvirate).

The full Motions screen, where internal politics happen.

Motions

A Motion can be many things: awarding a Triumph to a general; prosecuting a governor for corruption; establishing a new law, etc. In this diary, I will focus on the first two: triumphs and trials.

Let’s first look at the roles in which the player (and all other characters) can appear in a Motion:

1. You can start a Motion and be its promulgator;

2. You can be the Target or Beneficiary of a Motion;

3. You can participate in a Motion either supporting or opposing it;

This means that you can be in many positions, such as:

- You’re the prosecutor trying to exile a corrupt governor. - You’re the victorious general trying to get approval to celebrate a Triumph. - You’re trying to enact a law, or perhaps you’re trying to stop it from being enacted. - You’re a corrupt governor defending yourself! - You’re defending a corrupt governor, perhaps because they’re your friend or family, or perhaps they aren’t corrupt at all — they were unjustly accused.

As you can see, there are many possible roles to play in Motions. Ultimately, a Motion either passes or it fails. But there is a lot that goes on inbetween, and how that happens.

A list of Motions.

Issues

Issues in Historia Realis are “things that a Motion can be about”. They occur naturally as the game progresses. The governor of Sicily was corrupt? An issue is created. Gaius bribed voters to get elected Praetor? New issue. Lucius won a great victory in Gaul? That’s an issue too. He’ll want a Triumph, and his enemies in the Senate might not want him to gain that glory. Issues are just a big list of things that can be acted upon through Motions.

Issues generally do nothing, just sit there waiting for a Motion to “pick them up”. But not always, and I’ll have more on that in a future diary.

Note On Game Design: Don’t Be Annoying

One of my design goals with Historia Realis is to create an annoyance-free experience, or as close to it as possible. Here are a few traps that I tried avoiding with this system:

ːsteamthumbsdownː Too much micro-management: There is some interaction which