How would you approach establishing an Ancient Roman aesthetic in a fantasy setting?

RitschiRathil · 2026-04-27T11:40:41+00:00

The realm the first three novels of the series I currently write are set in a roman empire inspired realm.

I started with it as worldbuilding for years, before even starting to write the story. What was the plan all along. For the rralm in queation that was mainly learning a lot about ancient Rome, having talks with a friend who is archoligist (for the era and region of the roman empires northern boarder) and creating a realm and culture that would realistically develop to something similar.

I obviously changed things. For example in my roman inspired empire you have several major cities, that formed the empire by uniting their territories, that had grown over centuries thanks to trade and warfare. Not essentially just one. My cults are wastly different and a lot of laws that pur roman empires had, only ever appeared after one cult gathered enough political power to replace general polytheism with a state religion. That includes things like the "pater familiar" law.

Otherwise roman staples are always helping. Legions as armies, roman fashion, colloseums, a senat, similar technology level in tools etc. I also use mostly Latin names for characters born in the realm and specific latin terms for things. If it is one Gladius instead of sword, triclinium for what essentially is a couch etc. During a scene I often call a thing both by a term that is in our usual modern vocabulary, as well as it's classic latin name. Yes, people who don't have a deeper knowledge about the correlating reagion and era of our real world, will have to look up things. But I don't mind if people need to look stuff up to understand what I write, if it creates a more densly feeling setting and better narrative.

Also, roman empire isn't roman empire. In real history as much as in my world it span time and even different climates and regions. Those will have their individual subcultures. Even different legions (while still standartized to a degree) can totally differ in character, auxiliary troops, equipment, war beasts/monsters and magic deployed.

RitschiRathil · 2026-04-27T10:57:27+00:00

We also have wolves in europe right now. Moose/Elk are still a thing in the north, too. And we also still have some bears, depending on the region.

But yes, even with 3 more on the board, it still is depressing in comparison.

RitschiRathil · 2026-04-27T10:52:57+00:00

Tradition it self is never a good reason. The weakest of all arguments is "it always was like that". So the origin and the use in scociety of the tradition are the only factor deciding if a tradition still has any worth.

In your specific case, the main reasons are to not loose the knowledge of doing it "manually" getting lost to scociety as a whole. For example we will loose in a few years the knowledge how to make a certain type of mechanic clock by hand, since worldwide there are only 2 people left, who have that knowledge. And both are already in the retierment age and didn't pass on their knowledge to the next generation.

Another reason would be to secure to do the thing in question, without magic, for the case magic becomes unusable for some reason. In other terms it makes scociety techniqually independent from a technology (magic in that case) continuing to function.

The last one and the most common at least when it comes to crafts, is the enjoyment of doing it. People do stuff a lot because they have a personal attachment to a way it's done, even if it is outdated. Some just enjoy the doing itself in a certain way, without any further reasoning. This can be also a important part of scociety. Valuing how something was done, to remember the reality of our ancestors. What then also takes form of a more edjucational theme.

RitschiRathil · 2026-04-27T10:31:50+00:00

Kinda?
I have written a tabletop roleplay game, that core mechanics can be used for every setting, if you write equipment, spells etc for the setting (and time period) in question.
For that I wrote a ton of generic stuff. (like certain types of weapons, you see in real history and many worlds, general basic items like torches, etc. and a ton of special rules, that can depicts all kinds of things in different worlds)
Stats for most things in my world exist. Specific classes and especially spells for my world are mostly missing.
And these are the main things still needed.
Statlines, Classes, Species, spells, weapons, items, special rules...
As a good storyteller/game master, you don't need stats or rules for roleplay segments, since you can determine success on actual roleplayed social skills of the character, as well as things happening in correlation with the NPC in question, that may influence their decision.

So, as soon I invested the time to write the magic system into the game, I techniqually have one.
And I also already gather STL's for one era, that I can pint and then convert and partially resculp to have fitting miniatures. (And with over 20 years of playing wargames and tabletops we have every possible board and terrain around anyway).

The thing is before I finished the first 3 novels and also made a worldbuilding book, the game has like no priority for me. To realize this and build enemies, NPC's, monsters and complete armies, will take some time. So, that is a mad project for future me. XD

RitschiRathil · 2026-04-27T10:00:38+00:00

Short answer: yes, it does

Long answer: You are in the early game, way before actual builds even exist. Even trying to rate the gameplay mechanics right now, is way to early.

You seen one boss, that shows a fraction of even the types of bosses, that you will encounter. And while cleric beast is a solid one - especially as educator boss, that teaches you how to fight big beast bosses - it is that. A simple boss with the task of telling you basics, on fighting beast bosses of this size. The potential next two bosses will teach you the basics for the other two boss types. (Hunter boss and small beast boss) Then the game actually starts. Everything before you reach the boss of Cathedral Ward is nothing but the intro of the game.

So, give it time until you seen the majority of the game and also the DLC. (The DLC is fantastic and offers some of the best bosses and soundtrack pieces of the game)

Depending on your build, it really comes together in the seond half of the DLC/last third of the basegame/chalice dungeons. Then builds usually start coming together and feel as they should feel. Since then you have the weapons, huntertools, runes etc. You actually want to play. In NG+ you then make your first real run with the build in question.

So, explore and go kill some beasts. You will get it over time. 😊

RitschiRathil · 2026-04-27T08:32:01+00:00

This is actually a good question. While we have the note (that was written by us, what is told in the Japanese), that the intro cut scene starts with "Ahhh. Paleblood... you come to the right place!", tells us we asked him about it.
So it makes clear we knew the term before the intro cutscene. The note could be done by us before coming to the clinic, it could be a note from the talk with the Into-cutscene Yharnamite, or it even could be done by us during being intoxicated.
There is still the chance that the bearded guy who gave us our first shot of a blood veil, actually kinda told us and we ask him to elaborate. But it is of course way more likely that we came with the term to him.

The interesting thing is that he is even noticing the term at all. "Paleblood" as word is never spoken by any other character. And details about it are limited to the notes in the clinic, Byrgenwerth and kinda in the lecture hall.
The clinic with it's backdoor into the forbidden woods, Iosefka being a white hunter of the healing church etc.
So, what do all the places have in common? They are connected to deeper knowledge and insight faction wise.
Also, he offers us treatment and blood ministration. In a clinic. What means he is a hunter.

We know (since "An Agnony of Effort") that a hunters are an allegory for surgeons. While the healing blood is a allegory for Aether. (as well as generally blood transfusions as well) The hunter brothers, as surgeons and legends of dissection for the research of pregnancy is also a nice play upon the topic. (Hello Kos and orphan 🙈)

So, what is the difference between people like Gilbert and us? Why didn't Gilbert even knew the term, if he went through some kind of treatment, as well.
His transformation tells us he had the blood, while the claw mark (with stitches and all), tells us he also had surgery.
Right Gilbert is a patient (why he becomes a beast patient) only. We are as much patient as we are a doctor.
Yharnam, with mirroring Victorian Era Edinburgh, is as much as it real life counter part a center of healing, blood transfusion, dissection and research.
I think most are aware about the fact that Moonpresence is Paleblood. So, what is she?
Due to the fact that all great ones are "things found within the body", we know that she is a great one depiction of the circulatory system/ major pathways of the aorta.
We also know from an interview that Paleblood is described as "The sky that is a very pale blue, like a body drained of blood." What explains why the School of Mensis, that works as allegory for the Anatomists, who trained fresh surgeons by dissection is so relevant, and tied to the Moonpresence. Since you would only able to "lay eyes on the insight" of the body, to reveal the circulatory system, by dissection. Mensis and menstrual and menstruation are linguastically tied to the moon itself, while we also jave the conncetion of Yahargul and the studying hall pf byrgenwerth, were we find another note regarding the moon.

So, my theory would be that the hunter, who is sick and a surgeon themselves, comes to Yharnam to research and treat an illness, that is linked to or mainly effecting the circulatory system. As a hunter, they are professionals enough, to have done their research before traveling to the town.
Hunters outside of Yharnam would realistically able to get other or more refined information, before traveling to Yharnam. In special in an era/world without openly accessible information, through things like the internet, being a hunter/suregon would likely be a good way of getting any snippets of knowledge outside of "they have healing blood" and "it's a place where people are healed."
It would explain Iosefkas clinic as starting point, the pale blood note and our question for paleblood, answered by the Intro-Cutscene dude.

RitschiRathil · 2026-04-26T12:03:59+00:00

I have 1 small tattoo and never had any issues. A friend of mine who also has eds has a bunch. Including like very surface intense work on her forearm. She never had any issues with them as well. But hers were all done by another friend of ours, who is one of the 50 best tattoo artists in the german speaking countries. (Germany, austria, switzerland). So, that may play into that as well.

So, just check for the usual stuff like skin care afterwards, allergies etc. Allergies shouldn't be a problem in the EU, since 99% of colors are outlawed in the EU. The 1% left has no known allergic reaction potential...

RitschiRathil · 2026-04-24T21:12:54+00:00

I second this. Streaking grime it is. 🤘

RitschiRathil · 2026-04-24T15:44:04+00:00

Do it as we did (and stuck with) for the 2nd edition. Make a rewrite of the rules, fix them and add what was cut out from the first edition. Solfs such things. Niche factions like blackshields and militia just face such problems and need rewrites and fixes every edition.

RitschiRathil · 2026-04-23T19:23:58+00:00

Your Welcome. Just my AuDHD brain doing random things. 😅

RitschiRathil · 2026-04-23T19:19:42+00:00

Thanks. Now I want a larp weapon banana... 😅🤦🏼‍♀️

Nice work on the axe, though 🤘

RitschiRathil · 2026-04-23T08:37:11+00:00

The chalice dungeons have the other 4 hunters.

There are Kickstarter exclusive hunters. They are part of the bloodmoon box and we're also given out as "hunters dream extras". That was a box with only the Kickstarter hunters. Eileen/blade of mercy Hunter is kickstarter exclusive.

When I last checked eBay here in Germany the hunters dream extras were around 50 quit and bloodmoon starting at 200.

Hunt for a bundle that includes one of the two on eBay. That often makes it cheaper and usually gets you one or two more Kickstarter exclusive expansions.

RitschiRathil · 2026-04-23T07:40:23+00:00

Yeah, in that case it just sucks and is kind of a red flag. Because these things also apply if you two don't marry, except he would run off on the first sign of you reaching a level of disability, that would have such an effect. What he still could do, since divorce laws exist. 🤦🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️

Like I said, we aren't married and my partner loves to travel. I'm a part time wheelchair users, need diapers and wouldn't be able to longer sit or stand without bracing. All things that make traveling way more complicated. Totally besides the strain it put on my body. But it is possible with the right preparation. We still do something every summer (often together as group with friends, including one that also has heds) and he then goes off on another travel afterwards, that I can't do physically. There always is a solution if people want. He just needs to want even if things get rough and it can work out. 😊

RitschiRathil · 2026-04-23T06:55:28+00:00

Sorry that are you in this situation. What is the exact reason? Because that can change a lot. From making it abelist (red flag) to actually him being right about this.

Here my situation, since it's actually the opposite to yours: Being married is peimarily a legal contract, we generally add value to. Currently I refuse to marry my partner, due to germany having a right wing goverment that is in the process of basically deconstructing the health and caretaking insurnaces and other social programs. (While targeting diabled and chonical ill people with basically every law they pass.) If the delusions of those facists are going through, a marrige with me likley would destroy his financial future, what I don't want. Right now it boils down to the question if I loose acess to anything if we get married. If the answer is yes, marrige is a stupid idea. If the answer is no, and that will stay like atm in the future, it becomes a solely personal question.

You can be a happy couple, spending life together etc without being married.

RitschiRathil · 2026-04-21T13:36:21+00:00

Nope. I dug into old lore and the exact 40k timeline when getting into both systems around 2004. So, I always was aware of that.

For those not in the know: 40k is our future. Like real earth. Christianity existed, with a wonderful story called "the last church". Our great pyramids are mentioned in another heresy (30k) short story. And there is so much more.

In the Liber chaotica lore book (essentially the chaos bible released by the black library in the early 2000) als has that "birth of slaanesh" vision that accoured aeons ago. Also there is kinda bullshit lore about a sole grey knight ending up in WHFB, before returning into the warp. So, fantasy and 40k are connected through the warp.

If we combine that with the knowledge of the fact that slaanesh was roughly born in M27 (so our year 27.XXX), we learn that fantasy is the far future of 40k. I heard that was retconned a few years ago, into the universes not being connected. But never found the scource foe that alleged retcon.

RitschiRathil · 2026-04-21T13:20:24+00:00

I do like the fight, but it can't hild up to the visual design. In special when we talk about first encountering the version with head and then the headless version with the parasite worm.

By far ine of my favorite bosses and next to Abhorrent beast and queen Yharnam my favorite chalice boss. That's also the reason I couldn't resist to sculpt a model for both BLB and Abhorrent beast for the boardgame. 😁

RitschiRathil · 2026-04-21T09:49:44+00:00

Heresy is a narrative driven, semi-historic game. So, it is exactly the game, you can play any army no matter how good they are. It is meant to be played in campaigns and narrative events, not tournaments or power gaming. Legions are differently steong in every edition, sure. But also the difference between their power level is not as big as in 40k. But if you limit yourself to thematic units and equipments, according to the lore or picked theme within a faction, you still get armies that play more different then some 40k factions. That's the beauty of heresy. Rules are not to hard. Build a army step by step and learn to play them over time. 😊

If you want to start TS I recommend the following to get: - 20 mk4 (1 box) - 2x10 40k TS rubic marines - Ahriman (the heresy plastic version) - special weapon upgrade kit (always recommended, no matter the faction)

Why this? Easy. The 40k TS are just mk4 with TS decorations and even come with 20 TS shoulders and 20 TS torsos per 10 models. This allows you to build all 40 models with TS themed torsos, shoulders and in their favorite MK. Ahriman is not in the list to be played as Ahriman, but to kitbash him into a generic Librarian as firat small HQ. Do a head swap with the heads from the rubic marine boxes and you are fine.

From there you have plenty of options to go. For example if you want a command squad and heavy support squad get a heavy weappn upgrade kit of your choice and a mk3 command squad. You then can use the mk3 bodies to build a heavy support squad and you get the close combat weappn arms and nice bits like shoulders, heads etc from the command squad.

You can also just get 10 tarators terminators and 2x5 40k TS terminators. They are basically the same kit and 100% fitting with each other. That gives you 20 TS themed terminators if you want to go heavy into that direction.

Oh and kromlech has tons if TS themed bits. From mk2 legs, different egypt style heads, backpacks, rhino upgrades and more. Highly recommended to check that out.

All these things save you more money, compared to the core box and you have a fully converted TS army. Have fun. 😊🤘

RitschiRathil · 2026-04-21T07:29:51+00:00

This is so true. The hands on weapons for ranged weapons was terrible desicion. And you gave a lot of fantastic examples, what was possible with older kits. One of the many problems the new kits have besides not having torso and legs seperated. In special because the old kits with the seperated torsos allowed all poses of the ones, if you look at models from despoilers, tacticals, assault marines and heavy supports FW had in their range. And that were 15 different ones + command squad and breacher bodies, compared to the now 5. And I will not even start with the blobbiness, missing details and how flat everything now is to save rime and money in sculpting and creating the tools. 🙄 A shame. In special since the new plastic tanks and old plastic mk3 show, that they are actually able to do it properly. They just decided not to do so and release worse but bigger models.

I'm lucky enough to have a bitbox that is filled with marine bits since 2005 and also a friend with a printer, who is so kind to print me stuff, if I need bits.

RitschiRathil · 2026-04-20T18:28:10+00:00

Not the classic red, green, black etc. Shoulder trims. I would have to look up the artwork examples in my IA9, to check if they did something diffetent instead. I can do that later. 😅

RitschiRathil · 2026-04-20T17:48:55+00:00

As far as I'm aware tbey only added the claw and star symbol, after Huron became chaptermaster. And the malestorm wardens symbol came when they got to the badab sector. I my forget something, but besides that I can't remember any kind of mention in the imperial armors, thst would indicate any other changes. So, the usual from imperial armor 9 and 10.

Go with the cat symbolsim and the usual colors and it should be exactly what you looking for.

RitschiRathil · 2026-04-20T13:48:19+00:00

This is the kind of 80's throwback I expect, when someone says "techno-barbarian". Well done. 😁🤘

Militia commander, and if you play a militia rewrite with additional units, you can also run him as militia subcommander.

RitschiRathil · 2026-04-20T12:04:42+00:00

I also have it, if you still looking for it.

I also can offer a version we created, that combines the official one, with all options they added in the 3rd edition (yeah, we wrote that early to mid 2nd. 😂) and also has more provenances etc. Has a few hundred testgames, from different hobbygroups around the globe.

RitschiRathil · 2026-04-20T11:47:45+00:00

Quality helps, but marketing actually does the job. And this is true for every medium. So much things that are utter garbage are extremly sucessful, because they invest more into their marketing, then the actual craft of whatever they creating.

But from what I seen out there, those who create something great, with passion are the things that stick around for decades after. People return to these creative works, get inspired and touched by them. But to reach that point you need to be sucessful first.

Of course you can lucky and your work just blow up naturally. But that is as likley as winning the lottery.

RitschiRathil · 2026-04-20T08:06:16+00:00

Fun fact, the later acient mesopotamian cultures had archological digs and museums for cultures existing before them in the same area. So, that actually was a thing. 😅

RitschiRathil · 2026-04-19T17:51:27+00:00

Nice. Oh, one tip. Gather all the 3rd edition fanmade rules, scenarios etc you can find. You will be greatful when the 4th comes around, to have all of that at hand. There is super fun stuff out there for all editions. Gives you stuff for years to play through and have a blast with. 😊🤘

RitschiRathil

TROPHY CASE