Expeditions: Rome - the final Expeditions game from Logic Artists

[fantadomat]

To all people who state the Roman setting is not "fresh" enough and was "overused" in the past I have a question: where and when?

Perhaps in the strategy genre, true. But in RPGs? How many role-playing games set in historical, late Republican/early Imperial Rome can you count?

I bet the same people who call this overused are happily lapping up the next generic orcs-and-elves fantasy RPG.

I must admit,i do like high fantasy rpgs . That said,i do like weird original rpgs ,like vagrus the riven realms but strangely i don't see many codexers in that thread. It feels like most codexers are just all talk and no substance in the end.

That away,rome is overused as a setting,in all of culture. And most of it is pretty generic while neglecting interesting wars and political situations. There is more than enough games about rome lol,but i am yet to see a game about Byzantium. There is plenty of more interesting setting than rome,we won't see them because most devs lack actual imagination and knowledge. They just go with some generic popular shit like conquistadors,vikings and rome. Those games were refreshing and fun,but lets not pretend that the setting was original or anything like that.

 

[Beowulf]

I agree, that Imperial Rome is quite popular setting in the visual medium, but leading a team of Conquistadors was a novel idea, that brought me to the game.

 

[Parsimonious cook]

Didn't they let you go with all male party as historically correct option in Conquistador, or am I misremembering things?

In Conquistador you certainly could select an all male party, you could even make a largely racist or hippie party etc (due to the traits of available characters).

 

[Larianshill]

but i am yet to see a game about Byzantium.

Greeks don't deserve video games about them.

 

[Brancaleone]

That away,rome is overused as a setting,in all of culture. And most of it is pretty generic while neglecting interesting wars and political situations. There is more than enough games about rome lol,but i am yet to see a game about Byzantium. There is plenty of more interesting setting than rome,we won't see them because most devs lack actual imagination and knowledge. They just go with some generic popular shit like conquistadors,vikings and rome. Those games were refreshing and fun,but lets not pretend that the setting was original or anything like that.

Rome is overused as a setting in the sense that is usually served as a frankesteinian mish-mash of Trajan-era legionaries, the role of the senate from the middle-republic, Caligula or Heliogabalus atmosphere of decadence and corruption, Flavian monuments, and the 3rd century AD problems with provinces and borders. This is the way it goes with the historical fantasy approach, and it invariably ends up feeling quite generic. If they focused on a specific segment of the 1200 years of Roman history (I know, 2200 with the Eastern Empire), it would not taste stale at all.

I mean, just from an aesthetic viewpoint (and to abuse once again Osprey illustrations), who wouldn't like a setting from the early republic?

 

[Larianshill]

2200 with the Eastern Empire

Byzantine Empire is not roman, and has nothing to do with Rome. They were greek larpers.

 

[Brancaleone]

2200 with the Eastern Empire

Byzantine Empire is not roman, and has nothing to do with Rome. They were greek larpers.

Do you have any idea of what post-schismatic propaganda was?

 

[Heroic Liberator]

2200 with the Eastern Empire

Byzantine Empire is not roman, and has nothing to do with Rome. They were greek larpers.

Then pray tell, when did this political discontinuity between the Roman Empire and the so-called 'Byzantine' Empire occur?

 

[Dodo1610]

Description on Steam page says that the game only has 5 companions when Vikings had 8, 4 of those were women btw.

Honestly, anyone who needs historical accuracy in historical fantasy games their should simply ignore this game and studio.

 

[Nm6k]

Description on Steam page says that the game only has 5 companions when Vikings had 8, 4 of those were women btw.
.

Only five companions this time I wonder why. Maybe they will have more of a impact on the story

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

Description on Steam page says that the game only has 5 companions when Vikings had 8, 4 of those were women btw.
.

Only five companions this time I wonder why. Maybe they will have more of a impact on the story full voice acting

 

[Zann]

Byzantine Empire is not roman, and has nothing to do with Rome. They were greek larpers.

Most successful LARP in history then, given that the western kingdoms referred to them as Romans for nigh on thousand years.

 

[cvv]

Byzantine Empire is not roman, and has nothing to do with Rome. They were greek larpers.

Most successful LARP in history then, given that the western kingdoms referred to them as Romans for nigh on thousand years.

Last time Greeks were Greeks was 2.5k years ago. Since then they've been Macedonian, Roman, Turks and Beggars.

 

[Shadowfang]

With a heavy heart i will pass on this one.
I loved Conquistador and expected a sequel worthy of its name, something that built upon what they offered but Vikings felt like a completely different game, but not in a bad way.
I ended up never going too far on Vikings, not because of it being different from Conquistador but because it didn't pull me as hard. I still have a plan to do at least one playthrough.
What i fear is that i end up leaving this game for another, and i can't afford wasting money in games i don't play.

Still wish all the best for Logic Arts and hope they allow us a full believable party without being forced to play with Lara the Archer and Ubunga the Subsahara Warrior.

 

[Heroic Liberator]

Byzantine Empire is not roman, and has nothing to do with Rome. They were greek larpers.

Most successful LARP in history then, given that the western kingdoms referred to them as Romans for nigh on thousand years.

Just Catholic mental gymnastics meant to legitimize the HRE's imperial status. So if anyone's the LARPer, it was the Franks who wanted to LARP as the (W)RE.

Unless you consider Emperor Theodosius I as the last Roman Emperor, you can't have your cake and eat it too by claiming that the Western Roman Empire post-partition was legitimately Roman while likewise upholding the notion that its eastern counterpart wasn't. As for the retarded notion of the ERE being illegitimate due to not having Rome as its capital, Constantinople had already been elevated to the rank of Roman capital pre-split in the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great.

 

[Agesilaus]

2200 with the Eastern Empire

Byzantine Empire is not roman, and has nothing to do with Rome. They were greek larpers.

Then pray tell, when did this political discontinuity between the Roman Empire and the so-called 'Byzantine' Empire occur?

It occurred in the break between Imperator: Rome and Crusader Kings.

 

[Zann]

Byzantine Empire is not roman, and has nothing to do with Rome. They were greek larpers.

Most successful LARP in history then, given that the western kingdoms referred to them as Romans for nigh on thousand years.

Just Catholic mental gymnastics meant to legitimize the HRE's imperial status. So if anyone's the LARPer, it was the Franks who wanted to LARP as the (W)RE.

Unless you consider Emperor Theodosius I as the last Roman Emperor, you can't have your cake and eat it too by claiming that the Western Roman Empire post-partition was legitimately Roman while likewise upholding the notion that its eastern counterpart wasn't. As for the retarded notion of the ERE being illegitimate due to not having Rome as its capital, Constantinople had already been elevated to the rank of Roman capital pre-split in the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great.

The Merovingians did envision themselves as Imperial heirs, Clovis was even recognized as Consul by the Eastern Emperor IIRC. But it indeed rapidly declined into symbolic claim with a radically different power structure.
Anyway, all this conversation goes to show is that there are not enough historical RPGs and that developers should as of now be forbidden to play videogames & read contemporary fantasy, and forced to study history (or at the very least read the Darklands manual).

 

[Bruma Hobo]

Sometimes I belive that developers avoid historical settings and favor generic fantasy RPGs because they know well how people will use each and every historical inaccuracy and deviation to justify boicotting the whole product.

 

[Zann]

Sometimes I belive that developers avoid historical settings and prefer to make generic fantasy RPGs only because they know well how people will use each and every historical inaccuracy and deviation to justify boicotting the whole product.

I can only assume that by "each and every historical inaccuracy and deviation" you mean "not catering to contemporary societal whims" when it comes to boycott.
In case of an earnest effort on the developer side, history nerds will buy & tear the game apart, it's part of the fun. & probably buy the next one.
Political militants will whine & threaten to boycott because evocatii aren't non-binary with purple hair and SA don't come with a buttfuck skill.

 

[Ibn Sina]

Byzantine Empire is not roman, and has nothing to do with Rome. They were greek larpers.

Most successful LARP in history then, given that the western kingdoms referred to them as Romans for nigh on thousand years.

Just Catholic mental gymnastics meant to legitimize the HRE's imperial status. So if anyone's the LARPer, it was the Franks who wanted to LARP as the (W)RE.

Unless you consider Emperor Theodosius I as the last Roman Emperor, you can't have your cake and eat it too by claiming that the Western Roman Empire post-partition was legitimately Roman while likewise upholding the notion that its eastern counterpart wasn't. As for the retarded notion of the ERE being illegitimate due to not having Rome as its capital, Constantinople had already been elevated to the rank of Roman capital pre-split in the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great.

The last Roman emperor was caliph Abdulmejid II.

 

[NJClaw]

Description on Steam page says that the game only has 5 companions when Vikings had 8, 4 of those were women btw.

Except for the long-faced one, female companions in Viking are good. Roskva is a cutie, backstabbing Aife at the feast for the victory against Northumbria feels great, and the old grandma who cooks and cleans the camp for you, well, cooks and cleans the camp for you when nobody wants to do it.

 

[Sensuki]

I just hope we will be able to do some mini phalanx formations.

Testudo!

 

[Parsimonious cook]

Yeah bro, phalanx is a strictly Greek thingy. People should not use it in Roman context.

Except for the long-faced one, female companions in Viking are good. Roskva is a cutie, backstabbing Aife at the feast for the victory against Northumbria feels great, and the old grandma who cooks and cleans the camp for you, well, cooks and cleans the camp for you when nobody wants to do it.

This - I wasnt too bothered with female companions in Viking as they didnt really look that much out of place. Having the "Amazon princess" in Conquistador also wasnt that terrible, since Cortez himself had this local girl who he fucked (in fact their children were apparently the first mestizos) and used as translator and negotiator when dealing with various tribes that he wanted to unite against Aztecs. Even that girl who LARPs as a soldier on the first island (Isabela?) wasnt too bad, the game gives you an option to kiss her hand instead of saluting her when you first meet and generally treat her in a realistic way ("Yeah girl sure, you are a real fighter haha") if you want to.

 

[Larianshill]

My favourite part of Viking was the start of the game, with Asleifr challenging you to a fight over the leadership of the clan. And the moment you beat him, you can cut his head off, despite him being a major character, a companion and a romance. You can later meet his ghost in Hel, where he can be heard regretting challenging you. A lesser RPG wouldn't have that.

 

[cvv]

This - I wasnt too bothered with female companions in Viking as they didnt really look that much out of place. Having the "Amazon princess" in Conquistador also wasnt that terrible, since Cortez himself had this local girl who he fucked (in fact their children were apparently the first mestizos) and used as translator and negotiator when dealing with various tribes that he wanted to unite against Aztecs. Even that girl who LARPs as a soldier on the first island (Isabela?) wasnt too bad, the game gives you an option to kiss her hand instead of saluting her when you first meet and generally treat her in a realistic way ("Yeah girl sure, you are a real fighter haha") if you want to.