Any ideas what to run for the ides of March

[Shades of Eternity]

My gaming group meets on the day this year so looking for any and all ideas.

 

[John Dallman]

Set up something that looks like a plot against a ruler by one of his friends? For a twist, it's actually a bluff, to see if anyone is disloyal enough to join in the plot.

For a double twist, there's a real plot that's trying to exploit the bluff to get someone else blamed for a murder.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

Yeah, in the same vein as the last post: a high level adventure where the PCs are hired to defend the King. But this isn’t a thinker. Just a one-shot. A full out-battle where they get a chance to lay defences and fight.

It can be wave after wave of enemies. Have one of the guards be a doppelgänger who they have to stop who last second betrays the King. At the end, they find out the King is actually the one who should be killed and he’s the final boss because, with each creature they killed, he’s absorbed their power.

 

[Shades of Eternity]

okay here is a rough draft of what I want to do.

I'm not terribly familiar with Fiasco, so it will probably need some processing.

Fiasco Playset: The Ides of March

A game of backstabbing, bad omens, and worse decisions in Ancient Rome

Relationships

(Each pair of players shares one relationship)

1. Senate Shenanigans

Senator & Their Overly Ambitious Heir
Senator & Their Backstabber (Literal or Political)
Senator & The Bribe-Happy Merchant
Senator & The "Totally Loyal" Bodyguard
Senator & The Cunning Courtesan
Senator & The Soothsayer Who Gave a Vague Prophecy

2. Crime & Corruption

Legionnaire & Their Smuggler Contact
Gladiator & Their Fixer
Pickpocket & Clueless Patrician
Blackmailer & Their Unwilling Client
Two Rivals Both Trying to Bribe the Same Official
Two Fugitives on the Run for Different Reasons

3. Family & Betrayal

Long-Lost Twins (One a Patrician, One a Gladiator)
Estranged Siblings Fighting Over an Inheritance
Uncle & Nephew Who Have Opposite Political Views
Mother & Son (One Wants to Rule Rome, the Other Wants to Open a Tavern)
Disguised Woman Pretending to Be a Man to Hold Office & The Only Person Who Knows the Truth
Overbearing Parent & Disappointing Child

4. The Supernatural & The Stupid

Soothsayer & Their One Skeptical Client
One Person Who Believes in Omens & One Person Who Makes Fake Ones for Money
Cult Leader & Their Most Annoying Follower
Ghost of Julius Caesar & The Only Person Who Can See Him
Gladiator & Their Unhelpful "Spirit Animal" (Possibly a Chicken)
Two Drunks Who Think They're Receiving Divine Visions

5. The Military Mess

Retired General & Their Unruly Grandkids
Legionnaire Who Knows Too Much & Their Paranoid Friend
Two Conscripted Soldiers Who Just Want to Desert & Open a Bakery
Legionnaire & The Armorer Who Sells "Discount" Gear
Two Soldiers From Opposing Factions Secretly Working Together
Centurion & Their New Recruit Who Has No Idea What's Going On

Needs

(Each pair picks one need)

1. To Seize Power

By orchestrating the perfect assassination
By convincing the people that your rival is a traitor
By winning an election—by any means necessary
By replacing the current ruler with a puppet
By gaining divine favor (or faking it)
By leading a mob to storm the Senate

2. To Get Out Alive

Before the Senate finds out you've been embezzling
Before the Ides of March prophecy comes true
Before your debts catch up with you
Before your disguise is discovered
Before your crime boss decides you're a liability
Before your "harmless prank" is mistaken for treason

3. To Solve a Mystery

Who really killed Julius Caesar?
What happened to the missing tribute money?
Why does the new senator look exactly like the old one?
Who's been forging the omens?
Where did all the wine go?
What's in the locked vault beneath the Forum?

4. To Prove Yourself

By winning a totally rigged gladiator fight
By exposing the biggest scandal in Rome
By catching a famous criminal—who may or may not exist
By leading a legion to victory despite no military experience
By pulling off an elaborate heist at the Senate treasury
By becoming Rome's most famous poet (despite being illiterate)

Locations

(One location per group)


1. The Senate District

The Senate Hall, where everything goes wrong
The Forum, where bad rumors spread fast
The Bathhouse, where many conspiracies are whispered
The Law Courts, where justice is questionable
The Palace of the Ruler—whoever that happens to be today
A Senator's very fancy latrine

2. The Streets of Rome

A sketchy back alley with one too many informants
A bustling marketplace full of pickpockets
A temple where someone is definitely hiding
The docks, where bribes and bodies change hands
A popular taberna with questionable food
A tenement rooftop with a great view—and no railing

3. The Underground & Secret Spots

The Catacombs, where secrets and skeletons are buried
The Hidden Tunnel Beneath the Senate
A secret meeting spot for revolutionaries
A locked storeroom full of "confiscated" goods
An illegal gambling den disguised as a school
A wealthy senator's wine cellar, recently broken into

Objects

(One object per group)


1. Weapons & Mayhem

A knife definitely used in an assassination
A broken gladius with a suspicious history
A helmet with a secret compartment
A completely impractical golden sword
A toga soaked in someone else's blood
A bag of poison-laced figs

2. Stupidly Important Documents

A fake will that names you as heir
A forged prophecy that "proves" you should rule
A tax ledger showing serious fraud
A love letter meant for someone else
A badly written death threat
A list of conspirators—containing some very incorrect names

3. Bizarre & Ridiculous Items

A chicken that supposedly predicts the future
A "magic" laurel crown (totally fake)
A toga that keeps changing hands
A bag of coins that just won't stay hidden
A signet ring from a very dead senator
A cursed statue that keeps moving on its own

Final Notes:

The game should feel like a mix of Rinse the Blood Off My Toga, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and every ridiculous conspiracy theory about Ancient Rome.
Encourage over-the-top dramatic acting, terrible Latin puns, and schemes that are way too complicated for their own good.
Expect backstabbing, mistaken identities, and at least one person accidentally confessing to a crime they didn't commit.

*****************
How's that?

 

[aco175]

I'm a D&D guy, so I would make something dealing with saving the local ruler from a group of assassins led by one of the other council members. Maybe a side-quest or one-shot. Might be cooler if the PCs need to save a monster tribe leader to try and make peace with the town. There could be factions from both sides wanting peace and some trying to make war.

Now it sounds a bit like the Star Trek movie, #3 maybe.

 

[Bohandas]

Why are all of these suggestions pro-Caesar?

Just do an adventure where you play a bunch of assassins.

 

[Bohandas]

Two adventures, in sequence

1.) A dangerous charismatic man is gathering power to overthrow the Republic and make himself emperor. He must be stopped or the world will be plunged into 1800 years of darkness

2.) The tyrant is dead but the work is not done. In order to save the republic the tyrant's heir, Octavian, must be eliminated

 

[aco175]

Why are all of these suggestions pro-Caesar?

Just do an adventure where you play a bunch of assassins.

Have them travel back in time to kill baby Caesar. That makes for some great roleplay.

 

[Alzrius]

No idea what you should run, but make sure to order Little Caesar's for your group.