Ancient Rome RPG

Veneta — The Blue Faction. One of the most traditional and powerful, known for its skilled charioteers and the support of aristocratic families.
Prasina — Green Faction. Extremely popular among the people and famous for its passionate fans and its aggressive and daring charioteers.
Russata — Red Faction. Known for its discipline, resilience, and for producing extremely determined competitors.
Albata — The White Faction. Traditional and respected, famous for its technique, strategy, and the meticulous training of its charioteers.

Archeonian Civilization

Name: Archeon
Type: Great monarchy of Antiquity
Capital: Astyra
Population: ~6 million
Government: Centralized monarchy, supported by a Council of Nobles.
Symbol: Golden eagle
Official color: Red
Motto: RPA — Rex, Populusque Arqueon — “The Archeon King and People.”

Society: Royal Family, aristocracy, magistrates, priests, merchants, artisans, peasants, and slaves.

Economy: Agriculture, trade, mining, crafts, and taxes. The official currency is the Valcor, divided into three denominations: Gold Valcor — large transactions and wealth; Silver Valcor — everyday trade and important payments; Bronze Valcor — small purchases and wages.

Culture: An urban and organized civilization, with large cities, roads, ports, temples, markets, written laws, and state administration.

Army

Main force: Professional heavy infantry. Highly trained and disciplined soldiers, equipped with sword, large shield, armor, helmet, greaves, and short spear as a secondary weapon.

Military doctrine prioritizes discipline, endurance, hand-to-hand combat, and flexibility. Infantry can fight both in formation and individually.

Other troops: Light and heavy cavalry, archers, light infantry, military engineers, siege troops, and Cohors Imperialis.

Cohors Imperialis: An elite troop directly linked to the Crown. Composed of the kingdom's best warriors, it protects the king, the royal family, the capital, and strategic locations, as well as acting as an elite force in campaigns.

Military characteristic: The Archeon infantry is one of the most dangerous ground forces in the known world. Archeon does not rely on hordes or rigid spear formations; its professional soldiers are capable of maintaining discipline, enduring long campaigns, and adapting to different enemies.

Location: Archeon occupies a strategic region between the Mediterranean, Anatolia, and the East, serving as a bridge between Europe and Asia.

Maximum power → beginning of career

• Dictator (absolute power, emergency, up to 6 months)

• Consul (2 per year, Head of State/Army, maximum regular)

• Censor (2, elected every 5 years, controls census, Senate and morals)

Praetor (justice, substitute for consul, military commander)

Tribune of the Plebs (10, right of veto, defends the people)

• Curule Aedile / Plebeian Aedile (public works, markets, games)

• Cuestor (finance, treasury, official start of career)

• Vigintisexviro (26 minor positions, courts, roads, currency)

Livia, Marcia, Flavia, Tullia, Claudia, Cornelia, Aelia, Antonia, Julia, Valeria, Octavia, Domitia, Fabia, Licinia, Vibia, Aurelia, Cassia, Servilia, Caecilia, Plautia, Terentia, Hortensia, Sulpicia, Verginia, Calpurnia

🩸 The Pit
The Pit is not an official place, nor is it recognized by Roman law or honor. It exists on the fringes of the civilized world—hidden underground, far from the eyes of power and distant from the glory of arenas like the Colosseum.
It's an abyss carved in the darkness... where men cease to be men.
⚔️ Nature of the Pit
The moat can take many forms, but it always shares the same essence:
Deep cavities in the ground or abandoned mines
Forgotten basements beneath bustling cities
Ancient ruins outside the city walls
Underground structures similar to the hypogeum of large arenas.
There is no noble architecture — only raw stone, rotten wood, and rusty iron.
🗡️ The Fights
In the Pit, there are no rules. There are no referees, no mercy.
Fights to the death are common.
Any weapon is allowed — or none.
There is no honor, only survival.
The fight only ends when one body stops moving.
Here, fighting is not a spectacle. It's a necessity.
🧍‍♂️ The Fighters
Those who descend into the Pit rarely do so by choice:
Runaway slaves trying to buy another day of life.
Rejected or dishonored gladiators
Criminals left to their own devices.
Free men consumed by despair
Every fight is a trial without a judge — only pain and consequence.
💰 The Spectators
The audience at the Pit isn't looking for beauty. They're looking for intensity.
Wealthy gamblers thirsty for forbidden thrills
Decadent nobles hiding under cloaks and shadows.
Merchants, smugglers and criminals
Organizers who profit from bloodshed.
Gold changes hands while lives are wasted.
🕯️ Atmosphere
The Pit is a place that suffocates the senses.
Flickering torches illuminate damp walls.
The metallic smell of blood fills the air.
Screams echo like eternal laments.
Chains creak, cages open, bodies are dragged away.
In the center... a circle of mottled earth.
That's where it all ends.
☠️ Meaning
Unlike the official arenas, where there is fame and recognition, the Moat represents the other side of Rome:
What is hidden
What is denied

9. Salaries / wealth benchmark

One denarius is already "real" money.
100 denarii is already a significant expense.
1,000 denarii is already serious wealth.
10,000+ denarii is already an aristocratic level.
aurei = elite money

8. Land, houses and properties
   Here, prices vary widely, so the ideal approach is to use narrative price ranges.
   Property
   Suggested price
   Modest urban house
   2,000–10,000 denarii
   Nice house in Rome
   10,000–50,000 denarii
   Small villa in the countryside
   20,000–80,000 denarii
   Grand aristocratic villa
   100,000+ denarii
   Elite estate with land and servants
   250,000+ denarii

7. Luxury, jewels and nobility
   This part is more like Valeria.
   Item
   Suggested price
   Fine gold jewelry
   50–500 denarii
   Necklace / elegant piece
   300–2,000 denarii
   Refined aristocratic attire
   100–800 denarii
   Rare fabrics / elite embroidery
   500–5,000+ denarii
   Imported perfumes
   20–200 denarii

6. Gladiators of Ludus
   Item
   Suggested price
   Buy 1 raw/poorly trained gladiator
   1,500–4,000 denarii
   Gladiator already trained
   4,000–10,000 denarii
   Arena Champion
   15,000–50,000+ denarii
   Monthly training/maintenance of 1 gladiator
   30–120 denarii
   Quality arena equipment
   80–300 denarii
   Doctor, food, oil, repairs (monthly)
   20–80 denarii

5. Slaves
   This is one of the most useful parts of your universe.
   Type
   Suggested price
   Common labor slave
   400–1,000 denarii
   Slave / domestic servant
   800–2,000 denarii
   Trained slave (scribe, useful servant)
   2,000–6,000 denarii
   Greek tutor / accountant / highly educated
   5,000–20,000+ denarii
   Promising gladiator
   2,000–10,000+ denarii
   Champion gladiator / very rare
   15,000+ denarii

4. Horses, animals and transport
   Item
   Suggested price
   Common riding horse
   300–1,000 denarii
   Good military horse
   1,000–3,000 denarii
   Elite/racing/status horse
   5,000+ denarii
   Mule / pack animal
   150–600 denarii
   Simple cart
   100–300 denarii

3. Military equipment / arena
   Here I recommend not using super precise "piece-by-piece" prices, because that's much less documented than food and wages. It's best to work with plausible ranges.
   Item
   Suggested price
   Gladius
   20–60 denarii
   Pugio
   8–20 denarii
   Scutum
   20–50 denarii
   Galea
   20–60 denarii
   Lorica Segmentata / good armor
   100–300 denarii
   Respectable complete military kit
   200–500 denarii

2. Things a free man/citizen with some money would do.
   Item
   Suggested price
   Good tunic
   10–25 denarii
   Decent cloak
   15–40 denarii
   Elegant sandals
   5–15 denarii
   Simple silver ring
   10–40 denarii
   Writing / documents / scribe
   5–30 denarii
   Small monthly urban rent
   15–60 denarii

1. Food and common expenses
   Item
   Suggested price
   Plain bread
   1–2 aces
   Typical meal in a tavern
   2–6 asses
   Regular wine (small jug)
   1–4 aces
   Public bath
   1 quadrans a 1 as
   Small olive oil
   2–8 aces
   Simple sandals
   1–3 denarii
   Common tunic
   5–15 denarii

Small things:
simple food
common wine
small favors
→ asses / sesterces
Respectable things:
men's payment
decent gifts
smaller agreements
→ denarii
Elite things:
jewelry
lands
expensive political favors
buying silence
luxury at Casa Severus
→ aurei

Quick table
Coin
Metal
Value
Aureus
Gold
25 denarii
Denarius
Silver
4 sesterces / 16 asses
Sestertius
Bronze/brass
1/4 of a denarius = 4 asses
To the
Bronze/copper
smaller base

Memory: Ancient Rome

Rome, the Eternal City, pulsates with life and power in every stone of its streets. At once glorious and cruel, its squares, temples, and markets are stages of politics, commerce, faith, and violence. Senators plot in the porticos, patricians flaunt their wealth and influence, while plebeians seek only survival.

The Colosseum echoes with the roar of the crowds, where gladiators fight for blood and glory. In the temples, priests and vestals keep watch over the gods, and the Tiber carries goods and secrets from distant provinces.

Between wealth and poverty, honor and betrayal, Rome is a heart that beats with ambition, danger, and grandeur. Everything here can be conquered—or lost—and every step in the city holds stories of glory and conspiracy.