A Dynasty of Frontiersmen
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The year is 130 AD. The Romans have pulled back their border due to increasing hostility from the barbaric Franci tribes. Your frontier post has been cut off from the heart of civilization, and it won't be long until the barbarians realize that you only have thirty men. Will you separate yourself from a floundering empire and create your own dynasty to last for ages to come, or fall to a barbaric axe?
You are Spurius Larcius Varro, commander of a small frontier outpost far east of Colonia (Cologne). Your messenger has told you the news. You are being abandoned. All frontier outposts are to resist and serve as a sacrificial bulwark against the tides of Germans.
You are alone and unsupplied, but the forest around you is full of game and thick with hardy trees, and you have thirty strong men at your disposal. You figure you have two weeks before the Germans make a move against you, what do you do?
>Write in, be creative!
>>177792
explore the forest for resourses
>>177800
This and also build a trench around the outpost
>>177810
Seconded
>>177810
yeah these
>>177806
Roman forts already have trenches with spikes in them
Also this thread is made for me
I second the hunting party. But let's get chopping wood. We need to resources also the woods can hide the German barbarians
1: That picture and this premise made me feel almost like orgasming because colonial stuff in the middle of europe after Rome abandoning their weaker colonies is prime history porn.
2: send a diplomat to the nearest tribe and inform them that we are seeking an alliance of mutual gain.
3: when applicable, we make our own culture that is a mix of roman and gallic. This IS gall right?
>>177876
Gaul*
Fuck no we stay Roman. We can be the western empire that never fell
>>177876
We stay Roman.
Also Gallic is Scottish/Irish I believe.
>>177885
Gallic comes from Gaul Aka France
I think we can ally with neighboring tribes. They received benefits under romes rule
>>177885
Isn't that Celtic
>>177876
>we make our own culture that is a mix of roman and gallic
that would be a bit counter productive as we're surrounded by germanic tribes of the rhine
>This IS gall right?
We're on the frontier of Germania Superior
>Also Gallic is Scottish/Irish I believe.
You're thinking Gaelic, bud
>>177885
Stay Roman sure, I should imagine there are precious few roman women around tho.
At the least making some manner of treaty with a local tribe would be a good idea
>>177885
From Wikipedia:
' Gaul (Latin: Gallia) was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age that was inhabited by Celtic tribes, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg, Belgium, most of Switzerland, Northern Italy and parts of Central Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine. '
>>177903
oh shit, I got muddled up and thought we were in the Brest/Lugdunesis region or something.
Germania Superior has a fuckton of natural resources right?
We should send a dude to look for mines, soon anyway.
>>177910
most of europe culture is a nice blend of some roman influences and the actually quite advanced native tribes.
Okay so fellow legionaries
1. Hunt in the forest
2. Send diplomats to local Gaulish tribes they will be conquered by gothic savages unless we ally
3. Cut wood
4. Scout for minerals
Sound good
>>177920
I support this.
>>177920
Fine with this
>>177920
Sounds good to me
>>177792
You and ten of your men begin to clear out the forests around of the fort, up to thirty feet away from the walls. Fifteen of the remaining twenty start piling up earth with stakes driven into them around the wall as extra defence. The other five start stockpiling food and gathering what they can from the woods you're clearcutting.
Two days of hard work later and you now have 15 fresh logs, bundles and bundles of sticks and twigs, assorted nuts, roots, and some game the soldiers caught. Thirty feet around the fort in a rough circle, tree stumps are selectively impaled with a Roman standard.
You stand on the ramparts of your fort, staring out into the forest, listening to the sounds of nature. You have a rough estimate at the surrounding tribes, and scrawl their guessed locations on a large sheet of hide which is pinned up in your commanders post.
>To the direct north, Chief Bodo reigns over a relatively cooperative band of pagan warriors, so you feel relatively fine in that aspect.
>All around the southwest, brutally repressed tribes breathe in the new freedom a dying empire is giving them. You take a wild stab and assume the southern chiefdoms have about 300 capable tribesmen.
>To the West is the ever receding border of the Empire, moving farther and farther every day. You take another wild guess and forsee that in two weeks, the border will be so far away, safe travel would be impossible without a sizable escort.
>>177920
Your Roman heritage teaches you that barbarians cannot be cooperated with, unless in war. You send your most charming advisor with a local guide to negotiate with the remnants of a Germanic chiefdom that was smashed by Eastern curs. Hopefully some savages want a taste of your civilization.
>Status
>Food: Plenty, three months of rations
>Weapons: Fine quality, no need for repairs
>Morale: Could be better, but not bad
>Building Resources: Lack of stone, but plenty of wood and leaves
>Commander: Spurius Larcius Varro (32 yrs)
>Relations: Tense but peacefuland suddenly the voices come back, telling you what to do... what do they say?
>>178000
>teaches you that barbarians cannot be cooperated with, unless in war.
We are at war, Larcius.
A war of SURVIVAL
>>178000
But the Romans allied with the Gauls often. They used the Gaulish cavalry all the time.
>>178028
The game will be much more fun if we don't pick at The QM over historical inaccuracies.
>>178000
I'd suggest further fortifying the southwestern and southern parts of the fort to defend against attacks from the tribes that would attack from that area.
>>178039
This
>>178000
I suggest we must offer safety and weapons to these savages if they agree to relocate to the fortification with us. We can declare The Curs as our enemies to better gain their trust.
We cannot stand on fences, Larcius.
We must be on one side of the wall.
>>178039
This, we use our logs to reinforce the wall and make archer boxes as well as start building a proper smithy
Reminder that the local tribes are not savages. they were growing in technological development, just not in the same areas.
It's fine to treat them with respect.
>>178000
build a watchtower that has space for half a dozen archers.
>>178068
We only have 30 men.
How are we going to spare 12 archers at any given moment?
>>178092
I said SPACE for half a dozen archers, not that we needed to have it fully manned.
>>178098
DON'T YOU GET SASSY WITH ME
WE ONLY HAVE 15 LOGS TO SPEAK OF
>>178068
As an interested anon, what were the Gauls advancing in technologically at the time of the fall of the Western Roman Empire?
Alright calm down oliveniggas
1. Build archer boxes at the 4 edges of fort
2. Use remaining logs to strengthen western and southern walls
3. Scout for minerals
>>178125
yes.
3 is most important.
>>178000
roman trips
yay
A thought crossed your mind, only for a second. You don't have enough wood for even a single archer tower, but you do end up laying down the foundations for a smithy and use the remaining wood to create a thin wooden gate. Your men still sleep in tents, but the weather has been reasonably warm. Your advisor comes back from his diplomatic mission, which is a success. Chief Bodo agrees to supply you and your men with basic supplies like furs and weapons, as long as we treat them as equals and respect them as if they were Romans.
You send a scouting party to look for nearby deposits of stone and iron so you can finish the smithy. You draw up plans to fortify the walls even more by eventually creating a gatehouse with real thick wooden gates. There's not much to do yet, but a band of Germanic tribesmen have been seen in the trees surrounding your fort, eyeing it.
First off, roll for the success of the ore scouting mission, and second, decide what to do about the potentially hostile scouting parties.
>Status
>Food: Still fine on that aspect
>Weapons: Minor wear and tear from use
>Morale: Could be better, but not bad
>Building Resources: Lack of stone, decent stockpile of wood
>Fort: Wooden palisade fortified by dirt mounds
>Commander: Spurius Larcius Varro (32 yrs)
>Relations: Trading, still tense
Rolled 58 (1d100)
>>178217
Ask Chief Bodo for any information he has regarding Germanic tribes in this area.
Rolled 36 (1d100)
>>178217
ore-right
>>178217
On what dice do we roll?
Rolled 10 (1d100)
>>178217
Monitor the scouting parties. Be ready for any possible attack.
Rolled 9 (1d100)
>>178217
I would like to send two men to scout our nearest Roman outpost to the north
Rolled 31 (1d100)
>>178253
This. If it hasn't been sacked yet we should speak to their commander about marshaling our forces.
>>178217
Can we send emissaries to other forts that may be trying to stick it out? Where is the nearest Roman outpost?
If we band together now, we stand a much better chance.
>>178253
Voting for this too
>>178217
OP here, i'm gonna be gone for a few hours,
fyi those are shit rolls
Rolled 97 (1d100)
dice+1d100
>>178486
sorry
dice 1d100
>>178497
it goes in the options field.
Rolled 42 (1d100)
>>178497
>>178217
I think the roll is for chance to find good ore or stone, and then we decide what our next course of action is.
I say we look for other Roman outposts that have been abandoned, and try to get them to join us, or us join then. Band together instead of being broken down into manageable groups to be isolated and eliminated piece meal.
>>178845
That's what I suggested
Alright then
1. Send two men north to northern Roman fort
2. Send two men south to southern Roman fort
3. Chop down trees to the west
4. Start digging a well
>>178887
Comfirm
>>178887
Sounds good.
Hi this looks like fun heres what i suggest
1. Committed units for tasks so woodcutters, hunters and builders but keep them doing military drill.
2. contact and get the other Roman forts to join us or establish communication.
3. build shelters/barracks and a smith, continue fortification.
4.Get all the local Roman colonists to relocate to the fort.
5.recruit Germans(from weaker tribes) have the more veteran troops train them and Romanize them.
6.Contact the local german tribes and build up an understanding and relations.
7. send recruiters to the Roman towns looking for vagrants and tradesmen.
8. Hold the Line.
>>178887
Maybe send them 4 at once to the same destination instead of splitting them up, it maybe be slower, but it would probably be safer.
>>179017
>While they are doing that they should also get and local Roman citizens to relocate to the fort.
Legion veterans were often given land on the fringe of the empire and they could be useful.
>>178973
considering we have access to stone, I'd like to set up a very basic stone blockhouse/tower. It'll take a while, but it would be great for defense. We can eventually expand the walls using stone, as our settlement grows. Housing for our men should also be built, even if they're just basic log barracks. We could integrate the houses into the palisade, so that they require less wood to make, while providing a walkway for our men to patrol the wall.
>>179377
Good medium term plan for when we have more manpower
>>179413
first thing we do, some Czech hedgehogs would probably be useful for any archers or if we need to fight a horde. We could also build a false courtyard at the front of the gate, walled in so that anyone that passes into it gets trapped. Add in some traps and the hedgehogs, and we'd have a very effective bottleneck, which would be best with our low number of men
>>179506
quick OPdate
i'll be back tomorrah at like 4-5 pm EST. so yeah
keep bumping with ideas and guesses on what might happen
>>179805
if youre still here, what does our fort look like? We could come up with better strategies if we know about the terrain and defenses
>>179849
*AHEM*
Your fort sits on one of the few high hills in the rolling plains of Gaul. You have a pretty good view all over, except it's obstructed by thick woods, save for the thirty feet you clearcut.
goooood niiight
>>179906
night OP, thanks for runningis it a square fort?
one of the children of the settlement draws up a map of the surrounding territory, totally not the work of a seasoned Roman legionary tasked with commanding an entire fort
>>180023
Where are the other Roman forts and are their Roman settlers nearby? Where is the nearest Roman road? Where is the stone? Can i make a map of how i want the fort to look once we get to work on it?
>>180023
Oh and I know you aren't op just wanted to know if i could try my hand.
>>180045
check the ID bro, I have no more info than you. If OP posts a more detailed description tomorrow, I'll draw up a better map.
Might work on a fort plan tonight and post it later, with a couple stages on it for the order that we build it
>>180050
id say wait until we get more info, but defense plans are always a good idea
okay, made a plan for a long time from now, each new thing we build should provide a lot of extra security for us.
>1
Wooden palisade, I assume that's what we have at the moment. Later on, we can replace it with stone or cover it in something to make it nonflammable.
>2
A wooden tower to serve as our home and final defense, should be tall enough so we can see over the walls. Again, can be replaced with stone later on.
>3
Fortified gates, heavy duty logs with iron to reinforce them.
>4
An outer courtyard, to serve as a checkpoint, and death trap should barbarians breech the first gate. We can place Czech hedgehogs in it in the event of a raid, and meet the horde in a well defended chokepoint.
>5
Corner towers for archers, pretty self explanatory
>6
Houses, barracks, workshops, ect. Everything we'll need to be self sufficient
>7
Two independent towers, shorter than our keep. Their only entrances will be on the sides not facing the gate, so that a solid wall is presented to invaders. Possible addition of a bridge between them, so we can pour boiling oil and sand on them as they pass under it
This isn't in the order we should build them, obviously the first concern is housing for our men. After that, the tower can be constructed.
>>180257
Considering we're on a hill we could probably work at a motte and baily
If the Goths are coming in 2 weeks we should consider burning the forest down. Theres not a huge amount of time to put the wood to use for us and our position offers no benefit if the Goths are hiding in the trees.
>>180877
We need a large supply of lumber, preferably old growth. We already cut down all the trees that are right near the fort, burning the rest would be pretty pointless
>>181031
They are trees. They will grow back. We're in Germany after all.
>>181024
It may not be crucial now, but remember our legionnaires are much less effective in rough terrain. Also we're COMPLETELY surrounded by trees so much so that we can't see anything even on top of the hills.
Maybe we don't need to burn all of it down. But we at least need to clear out about 100 meters around us so they can't sit in the woods and shoot into our fort with arrows.
>>180023
Tried to improve it a bit
>>181056
As a carpenter, I'd advise against burning the old growth. The trees that grow back will be much worse for lumber, than the ones that grew in a contested forest. Old growth trees will be extremely useful for building our tower or palisades, as they have denser growth rings that will increase the strength of the walls
>>181239
! Truth! Only barbarians burn stuff down for short term gains.
Where dat OP
>>181614
The Gauls kidnapped him.
>>181665
R.I.P. OP
>>181828
reread former post
>goooood niiight
so, not dead
Should someone else take over?
>>181949
How about YOU
>>182074
I have my own group i DM for i don't want anymore DM stuff on my plate.
>>182080
The Imperium needs YOU, brother.
If op doesn't respond by next monday at 4pm EST, I will pick this up, and run it instead. Be warned it will be a little bare bones and maybe harder than what op had in mind.
>>182236
fucking mutiny
>>180045
The search for stone building materials is only partially successful. Some nearby appear suitable for mining for minor ores like iron and copper. Roman Forts dot the landscape to the north and south, about 10 miles between you and them. The nearest Roman Road has fallen into disrepair. You may now draw up plans for a supah fort.
>>182594
Mine iron, Begin making supah fort
>>182637
as much as I love the supah fort, we should focus more on quick solutions. A good iron mine will take months or years to set up. We should make cheval de fries, to make chokepoints and to deter cavalry. They are easy to produce with our resources, as they require only wood and rope. Even better, we could use entire trees if we want. Sharpen up the branches, and we'd have an incredibly cheap and effective defense.
>>182742
Seconding this
I don´t know much about Roman warfare but I think this guy is right
This, and we should send people to as many of those forts as possible to search for other romans. Also since we're on a hill, we should use the brush we clear to make wicker balls we can coat in animal fat and set on fire and roll down the hill at our enemies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8ghhDbtUpY
>>182997
Depending on the local trees, we might not even need animal fat. We could extract the sap from pine trees and use that with ballista or onagers. Plus, we can use it for lamps and torches
Do we have any smoke houses set up in the village? I know that was a popular way to store meat over long periods of time, and I don't think we have easy access to salt. And we'll need a way to make sure we have a minor surplus of all foods at any given time in the case of inclement weather, the hunters being busy with other tasks, etc.
Food storage and defenses should be our primary concern clearly.
While it's still safe to do so we should send a few of our men to the nearest Roman town to see about drumming up support/more men/supplies/et cetera.
Is OP coming back?
>>191117
If he doesn't, I'm seriously considering running this. Would remake the OP to provide more detail regarding you, your situation and your men.
>>191148
I would say take over if you can.
>It would be cool to keep it here but if it would be easier make a new thread.
>we need to bump off some of the dead threads.
>>191148
Sorry goys, OP here. I have barely any time do to some weird ass life shit. If you want to take over, you can. I'm not gonna be on after this post. sorry my dudes. The original plan was to have you become King of the fort and surrounding areas, founding your own "dynasty".
