Morturi: Gladiators

Morturi Te Salutant: Main Page -> Morturi: Gladiators

This page runs through creating Gladiators.

In a Pick Up Game this process is undertaken by the Lanistae purchasing the Gladiators.

In a Campaign Game the Imperator designs the Gladiators, and then presents them at auction.

1. Find a Miniature!

First, you need a miniature to represent your Gladiator.

Morturi Te Salutant assumes a 28mm scale, played on a standard square grid. This doesn't have to be the case, but its sensible to make sure that everyone playing the game is using miniatures of the same scale!

In an ideal world, every gamer will have access to a full collection of Ancient Roman Gladiator miniatures. In practice, any historical or fantasy mini without guns or modern/scifi trappings will satisfy the aesthetic of most players.

Its even possible to play without minis, instead using labelled or numbered counters. This author discourages such terrible shortcuts, of course! If you do use counters, make sure to indicate a "front" on one counter edge, so facing can be determined.

2. Determine Grade, Class and Role

There are three Grades of Gladiator, represnting quality and experience:

• A Novicius (Pick Up Game price: 500 Denarii) is an inexperienced fighter, new to the gladiatorial arena. He doesn't have any special fighting skill, though with time and luck he may survive to become a contender.
• A Palus (Pick Up Game price: 1000 Denarii) is a "ranked" fighter, who has seen at least a bout or two and survived. He has a few tricks up his belt - the product of experience.
• A Primus Palus(Pick Up Game price: 2000 Denarii) is a "first-rank" fighter, who has reached the peak of his potential. He is as good as he is going to get... which is very good indeed.

A Novicius is always a Light Class Gladiator, and always has the Role: Servus.

There are three Classes of Gladiator, representing mobility and equipment. Select Class according to the appearance of the miniature:

• A Light Gladiator is unarmoured or lightly armoured, and uses light weapons such as a dagger or a gladius, sometimes with a small parma shield. Their mobility is their prime asset, weaving around and out of the reach of the heaviest fighters. However they don't tend to hit hard, and are often beaten in straight bouts against medium fighters.
• A Medium Gladiator can be unarmoured, lightly armoured or hevaily armoured, and uses medium weapons such as a spear or a spatha, sometimes with a large scutum shield. They are all round-fighters, and are the core of any Gladiator school. While they risk being crushed by the superior armaments of heavy-fighters, they are excellent at cutting down light gladiators quickly and efficiently.
• A Heavy Gladiator is heavily armoured and heavily armed, typically employing a large double handed weapon. They are damage-dealers and killers par excellence, and while slow they hit with the force of a raging bull. Light fighters will often outpace and out-manoeuvre them, however.

Finally there are multiple Roles available, divided by Class. You can usually determine a character's role by the miniature chosen.

Light Roles include:

• Servus - Literally, just a "slave". These hapless souls represent individuals deemed to be of so little worth and potential to a school that they are given the most meagre of weapons, no armour, and sent into battle. This special role is for Novicius characters only, and is one that is abandoned as soon as the Novicius has survived a single battle.
• Bestiarius - Unarmoured, but armed with a short spear or knife, these beast-fighters specialised in fighting against animals. However, their skills and tricks give them some benefit against human fighters too!
• Laquerius - Fighting with a rope and noose (or for this game, a chain or a whip) these light fighters focus on ensnaring enemies and pulling them about.
• Provocator - The classic versatile light fighter, working with a variety of armaments (for this game, typically a light ranged weapon such as a sling plus a light blade). The Provocator is a Samnite's worse nightmare, running rings around the heavy fighter class!
• Praegenarius - More entertainer than fighter, carrying little in the way of useful weaponry, but skilled at working the crowd.
• Sagitarius - An archer, combining good range with good speed.

Medium Roles include:

• Dimachaerus - The "two-swords" fighter is unshielded and lightly armoured, but is a versatile fighter as he can use his dual-wielding for offensive or defensive benefit.
• Murmillo - With arm guard, stylised fish-helms, a single manica (arm guard) and a classic sword-shield combination, these medium fighters are genuine all rounders, with medium armour and armament and good tactical flexibility.
• Peltast - A spear-thrower, hitting hard at range with deadly accuracy.
• Retarius - With trident, net and dagger, a Retarius is expert at pinning down mobile opponents, then finishing them with lethal attacks.
• Secutor - A sword and shield "pursuer", excellent at harrying mobile foes and closing the gap on ranged warriors.
• Thracian - Armed with sica (curved sword) and shield, another all rounder class but with a greater emphasis on the kill than Murmillo fighters, and slightly lower tactical flexibility.

Heavy Roles include:

• Hoplomachus - The basic "heavy fighter" class, representing a warrior with heavy armour plates and a single double handed weapon.
• Samnite - A version of the Hoplomachus armed with spear and shield, trading defensive power for tactical versatility.
• Andabatus - An exceptionally heavily armoured fighter, that wears a helmet without a visor and fights blindly.

Note that some of these roles don't exactly reflect the historical gladiator type. For example, an andabatus was historically a mounted warrior and only ever matched against other andabatae, and historically a Samnite and Hoplomachus were pretty much identical. A certain degree of artistic license has been taken to both make gameplay more interesting and balanced!

Credits

This page created by Asklepios.