Designers Notes: Gangs Of Rome: Character Evolution part 3
Introducing Sigvatr & Madoc: From Concept to Creation
The Evolution of a Pirate's Crew, by Darren Evans
Two of Rome's most wanted and crew to the Cilician Pirate, Zenobius. Never straying far from each other's side, this pair keep the 'volunteered' crew (and each other) in line, ready for their next scrape.
Sigvtr the Oarbreaker
- Role: First Mate of the Clytemnestra, Zenobius’ ship
- Origin: Rhine, Germania
- Description: A veritable giant, standing a head taller than most men (7') and twice as wide at the chest, built like the mast he leans against.
- Personality: Despite his imposing frame, Sigvatr is philosophical, curious, and oddly gentle, more an Odysseus than an Achilles —until provoked. He’s fiercely loyal to Zenobius, who once saved his life in a brawl gone wrong in a dockside taverna. Sigvatr views his own strength as a curse and speaks in riddles and poetic fragments, often quoting Homer, if perhaps not quite understanding the lines.
I've always seen this character as a Germanic Pirate with a longing to be Greek (think Olivier Richters - Paulie from Reacher for size)
Paul Hicks crafted Sigvtr from scratch rather than a dolly, as he's a much bigger figure.
Born among the tribes of the Rhine, a yearning for the distant ocean called him away from his kinsmen and their forests. Signing aboard a 'Greek merchant' vessel, he’s adopted the grooming and dress of a Hellenic warrior—gold-ringed braids, oiled beard, and a linen cuirass shaped to show off his impossible musculature, when he is not cutting about bare-chested.
His favoured tactic for becalming a foe is to ram the oar line before leading the crew in a boarding action.
Madoc ap treowwyrhta (roughly translates as, Son of the tree-wright/wood-worker)
- Role: Shipwright and Quartermaster
- Origin: Britannia
- Description: Barely five feet tall and permanently sunburnt, Madoc is the fury that keeps Zenobius’ ship, The Clytemnestra, from disintegrating entirely.
- Personality: Madoc believes Romans have no soul and are only capable of copying and mimicking their betters, frequently insulting their engineering. His dream is to build a vessel the likes of which “man could not conceive”, and he treats Zenobius’ current ship as an imperfect draft. His constant yelling masks his genius, and a peculiar fondness for cats, of which he keeps many below deck.
And in my head, he's very much like the character Floki, played by Gustaf Skarsgård in the TV series "Vikings", but Brigantes
His hands are callused, his voice is a guttural bellow! His temper could boil seawater and cow Neptune himself. Wearing a filthy iron-studded apron, barefoot and in his British ‘troos’, he is a terror among shipyards from Massalia to Tyre
In Gangs of Rome
Character stats & Special Traits (Some unofficial Gangs of Rome mechanics to try in your next game, with your opponents' permission, of course)
Sigvtr the Oarbreaker:
- Vitality 7
- Attack 5
- Defence 2
- Agility 7
- Cost N/A
- Equipment: Billhook (counts as spear) and sword
Abilities
- Brawn Like Ajax: Counts as 2 models when blocking an alley or door.
- Restraint: Cannot use lethal force unless an ally is wounded or betrayed.
Madoc ap treowwyrhta:
- Vitality 6
- Attack 3
- Defence 1
- Agility 7
- Cost N/A
- Equipment: Hammer, throwing knife
Abilities
- Explosive Temper: Automatically wins any intimidation roll against commoners or dockhands (Use the Intimidation rule, page 128 of the rulebook).
- Master of Escape: Can sabotage terrain (like ladders, doors, or wagons) as a free action once per game.
- Not the Face!: Can never be targeted by ranged attacks while within 1 Gradus of Sigvatr.
[If you try these rules, please be sure to give us your feedback in our
Official Gangs Of Rome Facebook group]
Join the Crew
As Gangs of Rome continues to explore the shadowy streets of Republican Rome and its surrounds, Zenobius and his crew stand poised to lead players into uncharted territories and rich, unfolding tales. Explore the next scenario for Zenobius' crew... Splinters and Storms
Darren Evans
Discover more as Darren explores the origins of Gangs Of Rome from game to Characters and the future...
Check out the previous articles in the Zenobius series:
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