IMPERIUM ROMANUM
The Crossroads

Stand where they stood

Each decision is taken from its chapter: the moment, the people in the room, what they could know. Weigh the courses in your own voice, decide, then learn what was done and how sure we can be of it.

Book I The Republic in Italy

  1. Chapter 1 · 390 BC (traditional date; 387 or 386 BC by Polybian chronology)The Demand of the SenonesHow shall the Senate answer the Senone embassy demanding the surrender of the three Fabii?
  2. Chapter 2 · 338 BCThe Settlement of LatiumHow should the Roman Senate organize and treat the defeated Latin cities, their Campanian allies, and the rebellious Volscians?
  3. Chapter 3 · Spring 321 BCThe Trap at the Caudine ForksHow will you dispose of the trapped Roman army?
  4. Chapter 4 · 295 BCThe Left Wing at SentinumHow will you arrest the collapse of your legions and prevent the destruction of the Roman army?
  5. Chapter 5 · 280 BCThe Embattled Curia: Cineas at the GatesHow should the Senate resolve the terms of peace offered by Pyrrhus through Cineas?
  6. Chapter 6 · 264 BCThe Threshold of the StraitHow should the Roman popular assembly vote on the Mamertine appeal?

Book II The Mediterranean Wars

  1. Chapter 1 · Winter of 261–260 BCThe Decision to Build a FleetHow should the Roman Republic break the strategic deadlock in Sicily?
  2. Chapter 2 · Autumn 256 BCThe Division at AspisWhat instructions should the Senate send to the consuls in Africa for the coming winter?
  3. Chapter 3 · 238 BCThe Seizure of SardiniaHow should the Roman Senate respond to the appeal of the Sardinian mutineers?
  4. Chapter 4 · Spring 218 BCThe Strategy of Descent: Hannibal at Carthago NovaHow will you deploy the Barcid forces to prosecute the war against Rome and secure the survival of Carthage?
  5. Chapter 5 · Late December 218 BCThe Frost at the TrebiaHow do you respond to Hannibal's dawn provocation along the freezing waters of the Trebia?
  6. Chapter 6 · August 216 BCThe Gates of Rome: Hannibal's Choice at CannaeDo you heed Maharbal's counsel to launch an immediate march on Rome, or do you rest your army and turn to dismantle the Roman alliance system across southern Italy?

Book III The Long War

  1. Chapter 1 · Autumn 216 BCThe Captives of CannaeHow will you cast your vote on the ransom of the captured soldiers and Hannibal's overture to treat?
  2. Chapter 2 · Late spring 213 BCThe Walls of SyracuseHow will you prosecute the war against Syracuse now that direct assault has been shattered by Archimedes' defenses?
  3. Chapter 3 · Early spring, 209 BCThe Scipio Gamble at TarracoHow will you direct Rome's peninsular army in the upcoming campaign?
  4. Chapter 4 · Mid-July 207 BCNero at the CrossroadsHow do you act upon the intercepted Carthaginian dispatches?
  5. Chapter 5 · Spring 206 BC, before dawnThe Inverted Line at IlipaHow will you deploy and commit your army for the decisive engagement against Hasdrubal son of Gisgo and Mago Barca?
  6. Chapter 6 · Autumn 205 BCThe African CommandHow should the Senate assign consular command and allocate the republic's military forces for the coming year?
  7. Chapter 7 · October 202 BCThe Parley at NaraggaraDo you accept Hannibal's proposed peace, or do you reject his terms and commit Rome's legions to decisive battle on the plain tomorrow?

Book IV The Wars of Mediterranean Hegemony

  1. Chapter 1 · Spring 196 BCThe Declaration at the IsthmusWhat political settlement will you proclaim before the assembled Greek world at Corinth?
  2. Chapter 2 · Autumn 192 BCThe King's CrossingHow should you respond to the Aetolian invitation and commit your empire's forces against Rome?
  3. Chapter 3 · 22 June 168 BCThe Fractured Phalanx at PydnaHow will you commit your legions before your retreating front line collapses entirely?
  4. Chapter 4 · 136 BCThe Mancinian CapitulationHow should the Senate resolve the dishonor of the Mancinian treaty and determine the fate of the commander who signed it?
  5. Chapter 5 · 149 BCThe Third Demand at CarthageWill the Carthaginian Senate accept the forced relocation and the destruction of the city, or refuse the consuls and fight without arms?
  6. Chapter 6 · Early 146 BCThe Choice at the Achaean AssemblyHow should the federal assembly respond to the Roman senatorial directives?

Book V The Crisis of the Republic

  1. Chapter 1 · 133 BCDeposing Marcus OctaviusHow will you respond to your colleague's veto to save the agrarian law?
  2. Chapter 2 · 107 BCThe Consul's LevyHow will you raise the supplementary troops required for the Numidian campaign?
  3. Chapter 3 · Late 100 BCThe Consul's Dilemma: Marius and the Crisis of 100 BCHow do you respond to the Senate's decree commanding you to put down Saturninus and Glaucia?
  4. Chapter 4 · 88 BCThe March on RomeHow will you respond to the assembly's revocation of your command?
  5. Chapter 5 · 85 BCDardanus: The King or the CityWhat terms will you grant King Mithridates at Dardanus?
  6. Chapter 6 · December 62 BCThe Disarming at BrundisiumWhat will you do with your six victorious legions now that you have landed on Italian soil?
  7. Chapter 7 · 52 BCThe Lines at AlesiaHow will you reduce Alesia and break the Gallic coalition before your army is starved or overwhelmed?
  8. Chapter 8 · The night of January 10, 49 BCThe Crossing of the RubiconDo you lead the Thirteenth Legion across the boundary stream into Italy, or submit to the decree of the Senate?

Book VI The Wars of the Early Principate

  1. Chapter 1 · 16 BCThe Rhine Start-LineHow will you answer the defeat of Marcus Lollius and secure the frontier across the Rhine?
  2. Chapter 2 · September, AD 9The Denunciation at the WeserDo you heed Segestes and arrest Arminius at dinner, march directly for the Rhine while refusing the detour, or trust Arminius and turn your column aside to put down the reported rising?
  3. Chapter 3 · Autumn, AD 16The Recall of GermanicusWill you permit Germanicus another season of offensive war across the Rhine, or bring the northern campaigns to an end?
  4. Chapter 4 · AD 60The Abandonment of LondiniumDo you commit your vanguard to defend the unwalled settlement of Londinium, or abandon its population to unite your legions?
  5. Chapter 5 · AD 63The Peace of the DiademOn what terms will you resolve the Armenian war and address the humiliation of Rome's arms?
  6. Chapter 6 · Summer of 66The Daily SacrificeDo you halt the daily sacrifice offered for Rome and Caesar, or maintain the altar's liturgy and greet the Roman cohorts?
  7. Chapter 7 · April 69The Strategic Council on the PoWill you delay along the Po to await the Danubian legions, or order an immediate offensive toward Cremona?
  8. Chapter 8 · AD 89The Dacian CompromiseHow will you resolve the war with Dacia to secure the Danube front?

Book VII The High Empire and the Long Crisis

  1. Chapter 1 · Winter 101–102The Winter CounterstrokeHow do you respond to the enemy invasion across the frozen Danube into Moesia?
  2. Chapter 2 · 116The Crown at CtesiphonHow will you secure Ctesiphon and the southern rivers while attempting to suppress the revolts across your rear?
  3. Chapter 3 · 117The Renunciation of the EastHow will you resolve the eastern conquests and set the strategic posture of the empire?
  4. Chapter 4 · c. 142The Advance to the Forth-ClydeShould you order Lollius Urbicus to advance the British frontier to the Forth-Clyde isthmus and build a new wall, or hold the line Hadrian established?
  5. Chapter 5 · 170The Emergency at the AdriaticHow will you raise the forces and funds needed to break the siege of Aquileia and secure the northern frontier?
  6. Chapter 6 · 197The Severan ReconstructionHow will you reconstruct the imperial state to secure your dynasty and stabilize Rome?
  7. Chapter 7 · 244The Price of Peace at ZaithaWill you pay Shapur five hundred thousand denarii and accept Persian tributary terms to save the army, or will you refuse and continue fighting in Mesopotamia?
  8. Chapter 8 · 271The Strategic Honesty at the DanubeHow will you resolve the unsustainable defense of Dacia before turning your armies against the eastern and western secessions?

Book VIII The Last Age of the West

  1. Chapter 1 · 312The Choice at the Milvian BridgeWill you hold the Aurelian walls against Constantine, or march out across the Tiber to give battle at the Milvian Bridge?
  2. Chapter 2 · Late May 363The Fleet at CtesiphonDo you lay siege to Ctesiphon, withdraw back along the river with the fleet, or burn the ships and strike inland to link with Procopius?
  3. Chapter 3 · 9 August 378The Road to the Wagon-LaagerDo you hold your positions to unite with Gratian's incoming Western legions, or march immediately to destroy the Gothic wagon-laager under your own command?
  4. Chapter 4 · 22 August 408Sanctuary at RavennaDo you summon your loyal regiments to fight the court or step out to face the emperor's warrant?
  5. Chapter 5 · 451The Wagon-Laager on the Catalaunian PlainsDo you storm the wagon-laager to destroy Attila, or allow the ring to open and preserve the Huns as a counterweight against your barbarian allies?
  6. Chapter 6 · August 476The Partition of ItalyDo you grant the federate army a third of the land in Italy, or refuse their demand?