Overview
Gladiators were the sport celebrities of the Roman world, political pawns used by ambitious statesmen, and the theatrical embodiment of Roman dominance. Ludi Gladiatorii is a gladiator roleplaying game that strives to accurately recreate their world. It incorporates the newest information historians and archaeologists have discovered about how gladiators lived, fought, and died. Experience the notorious Roman bloodsport firsthand. Do you have what it takes to survive the arena?
Player Experience
As a gladiator themed game, Ludi Gladiatorii focuses on combat. Combat in the game is based around a single core principle: force your opponent to fight on your terms. To win fights, players must utilize the strengths of their gladiator class. This tug-o-war style combat, where each combatant struggles to gain the upper hand, ensures that combat is tactical and dynamic. The system also features a "volley" mechanic in which combatants exchange a flurry of attacks and abilities, giving combat a "cinematic" flow.
Design Challenges
Building a realistic rule system for gladiatorial combat poses a unique challenge. Gladiatorial combat is different from battlefield combat. It is a designed competition more closely related to mixed martial arts (MMA) and boxing: fights intended for spectators. Gladiatorial combat is crafted to draw out the fight and entertain the crowd. Unlike MMA fighters and boxers, however, gladiators are equipped asymmetrically and fight with weapons that can easily end a fight in seconds.
At its core, gladiatorial combat is a balanced asymmetric competition. Historically, gladiators were divided into highly specialized fighting "classes." The Romans pitted classes with opposing fighting styles against each other. They expected fair fights that contrasted the traits of the fighters, both physically and symbolically. The challenge was to capture this contrast in a game system.
In Ludi Gladiatorii, the asymmetric nature of gladiatorial combat was reconstructed from historical accounts. The accounts were used to understand each class's unique approach to combat and informed the design of their abilities. These abilities were playtested and adjusted to ensure that they accurately reflected the class’s highly specialized combat training. In combat, the interplay between two equal but diametrically opposed classes accentuates the strengths and weaknesses of each. The result is a combat system that highlights the unique aspects of gladiator combat.
At its core, gladiatorial combat is a balanced asymmetric competition. Historically, gladiators were divided into highly specialized fighting "classes." The Romans pitted classes with opposing fighting styles against each other. They expected fair fights that contrasted the traits of the fighters, both physically and symbolically. The challenge was to capture this contrast in a game system.
In Ludi Gladiatorii, the asymmetric nature of gladiatorial combat was reconstructed from historical accounts. The accounts were used to understand each class's unique approach to combat and informed the design of their abilities. These abilities were playtested and adjusted to ensure that they accurately reflected the class’s highly specialized combat training. In combat, the interplay between two equal but diametrically opposed classes accentuates the strengths and weaknesses of each. The result is a combat system that highlights the unique aspects of gladiator combat.
Production Details
Genre: Historical Pen & Paper RPG
Role: Sole Developer
Production Cycle: 9 Weeks
Released: May, 2013
Role: Sole Developer
Production Cycle: 9 Weeks
Released: May, 2013
The Rule Set & Production Documents
| ludi_gladiatorii_final.pdf |
| ludi_gladiatorii_testing_report_first_iteration.docx |
| ludi_gladiatorrii_test_report_second_iteration.docx |
