Rules Queries

[Caratacus]

Hello all SPQR players!

I’ve been reading the SPQR rulebook, discussions on this forum and the August FAQ prior to my first games, and have noticed a couple of oddities that haven’t yet been covered in the FAQ as far as I can see:

1. Vercingetorix’s “Uniting the Tribes” ability says if Gallic mercenaries are taken when Vercingetorix is in the army, their denarii cost is halved. This sounds all well and good, but the main problem I can see is that Gallic armies can’t take other Gauls as mercenaries in the way that British armies can take other British as mercenaries – only Germania and Dacia appear in Gaul’s mercenary listing. Therefore, from what I can see, this ability is only useful if Vercingetorix is taken as a mercenary himself by any faction that can take Gallic mercenaries, i.e. Britons, Romans, Germans and Iberians. Was it intended that Gauls should not be able to take other Gauls as mercenaries, or was Gaul omitted by mistake from Gaul’s mercenary listing?

2. King Decebalus of Dacia seems awfully cheap at 75 denarii for a Level 7 hero close to Caratacus and Vercingetorix in melee ability and that has a good chance of taking an action whenever an enemy hero nearby makes one. Boudicca, for example, is 95 denarii and yet she’s a good deal weaker in profile than Decebalus. Is it the case that Decebalus was originally intended to cost 175 denarii (in which case he would be much closer in price to Caratacus and Vercingetorix and thus be of a more reasonable price for a hero of his power level) and that the 1 was omitted by mistake? I imagine this is the case but just wanted to check.

I’d be most grateful if someone could help with these. I’m going to be using Ancient Briton and Imperial Roman warbands myself, but I just wanted to know if there were answers to these queries in case I come up against either a Gaul or Dacian player in my SPQR adventures (or both).

• This topic was modified 5 years, 1 month ago by Caratacus.

[Tim]

Caratacus, I agree.
To answer your questions with my understanding of the rules for special characters I submit the following:

1) I believe the absence of Gauls from the Gaul mercenary list to be accidental, because the rule book states that special characters are chosen like mercenaries (ie for an individual battle). This would not allow a Gallic player to choose their own characters.

2) I agree that the cost for King Decebalus should be 175.

That’s how I see it. Hope it helps.

[Caratacus]

Thanks for your answer Tim! Glad you agree with my assumptions.

My only concern is with the idea of special characters being taken like Mercenaries – it makes sense when your own faction is in your faction’s Mercenary list like Britons, but what happens in the case of Romans, for example, who can only take mercenaries from Gaul, Britain, Iberia and some from units the Mercenary units list?

[Tim]

Again I think it is an accidental omission in the rules. It doesn’t make much sense for some factions to be unable to choose their own units as mercenaries while the rest can.
I will assume this is the case until Warlord clarifies.

[Author]

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