Roman Empire Alternative Timeline

troduction
I’m fascinated by the Roman Empire. Over the last few weeks I have been pondering how cool it would be to play an FPS game where the Roman Empire survived to the present day. Here I present some ideas to discuss.

Background

Instead of the Roman Empire collapsing around 500AD it continued to flourish. Every country on Earth was assimilated and each was allowed to worship whichever god or deity they chose. As long as allegiance to the Emperor was given, there was no problem.
Poverty and war were almost eliminated and science and culture expanded very quickly. Slaves were still used and gladiators became more hi-tech.
Soldiers and soldiering became even more professional and disciplined. However, with few wars and uprising to quench the soldiers desires, it became clear that an enemy was needed. Not only to ensure that the army didn’t turn against itself but also to bring the peoples of the Empire together.
Fortunately, space travel was invented around 1100AD and the slow expansion of the solar system began. The army naturally took possession of controlling the movement and colonization of the moon etc.
However, it wasn’t too long before the old problems of self-destruction reared its ugly head. Again a new enemy was needed and this time it was serious.
1500AD saw an event that would change humankind�s future. The Empire’s scientists have been working on a new technology similar to warp drive. This version used the gravity of suns to simply transport ships from one solar system to another. Transportation was almost instantaneous but there was one drawback. To make the technology work brain cells were need to keep the craft in the correct universe. Slaves had their brains removed and they became part of the “enigine”.
New solar systems were explored and many new species were found and also assimilated into the empire.
The year is 1964, another “jump” is planned for the Empire’s expedition force. This mission was to a sun designated Excelsior KX431. Things are about to change for you and the Empire.

The Player’s Story

You play a Ccenturion in the Empire’s Space Legions. You are posted aboard the Imperium Romanum XXI whose mission is the exploration of Excelsior KX431. The “jump” goes perfectly and initial scans of the system reveal 2 habitable planets and plenty of minerals and gases worth mining and exploiting.
The ship begins its detailed survey when it is confronted with a spacecraft many times its size. In the past the Empire has encountered many species but none that were even close to its technical level. It appears this time that a rival species has been discovered. Plans had already been put in place for such an occurrence and the ship’s systems were immediately wiped clean and the brains destroyed to ensure that an enemy couldn’t discover the location of Earth.
Attempts were made to communicate and negotiate with the new craft but they appeared to be uninterested. A half-hearted attempt to destroy the Imperium Romanum XXI resulted in it fleeing sunward.
Due to the type of technology used to travel between the stars the shielding on the ship was incredible. It was almost possible to enter the corona of most stars. Thus the ship was safe for the time being.
After a suitable period the ship left the sun’s orbit and did its best to investigate further. It soon discovered an armada of huge warships. The Empire was about to be at war and it is your job to warn them.

Game On

The game starts with an attempt by the “Aliens” to board the vessel. It is successfully repelled and the ship manages to “jump” to an interim location specifically used for these types of situations. However, because the brains were destroyed soliders from the army were slected at random and the “jump” is very risky when this happens. In fact one in ten soldiers are required and the process is called a Decimated Jump.
Eventually you reach Earth and war preparations begin.
You are sent to various worlds and space station to fight against the “aliens”.

Clichéd!

Yes, I know its very clichéd but I’m not too interested in that part, in fact you can probably tell I wrote whatever came into my head, with no planning or preparation! Much more importantly, for me anyway, is how the alternative timeline developed.
The concept art could be so cool, trying to merge known Roman history with scientific developments of today and beyond.
I added the part about brain cells needed on the ship because I imagined are of the engine room where slaves were seated in rows and columns, in a similar way to a Roman ship had rowers.
I’ll add to this post via the comments system any other ideas I have about the merge. It’s just for a bit of fun, so please feel free to join in and make your own suggestions.
I’m particularly interested in what sort of weapons they would develop. Would they feel WMD to easy and want the solider to have more close-in combat?
What about the designs of the ships etc, the armor, think nanosuit etc with breastplates and feathery hats!

Published

28th October 2007