What did you guys think of "Rome" the Tv series?

It was on for two years on HBO and was a co-production the BBC and an Italian production company.

As I said up in the RPG section, a friend lewnt me her DVDs of the first season and it accidentally synched up with me about to run "Johnson's Rome" in their mini-campaign.

I love the fact that they tried to be as historically accurate as they possibly could. Its also the first time I've seen a producer show just how alien parts of Roman societry is compared to the way that we do things today. Other movie & TV versions of Rome I think focused too much on what's similiar or the same to how we do things in the present.

Also , there were several bits of business in the course of the show's plot that are pretty easy to borrow for an RPG campaign or scenario.

EDIT: I meant to include this bit - Just as I'm on the verge of giving most of the DVDs back to my friend I find the whole first season of it at HALF-PRICE books for about 29 bucks. That seemed like a deal so I bought it. Packaging is different but the discs are otherwise the same.


- Ed C.

I watched the entire series. I believe the first season is infinitely superior to the second one, but I like them both. It's a bit over the top at times in terms of drama, and they sometimes take (wild) liberties with -actual- historical records, but the overall ambiance of it all is top notch, to me at least. It mildly suffers from an excess in grittiness ("the more gritty it looks, the more historically accurate it appears", which is a fallacy. People have to be obsessed with sex, soldiers have to look like they haven't bathed for days, etc) that makes it less believable at times, but I nitpick.

Overall great series.

Yeah, it's an amazing show. Pullo is one of the greatest antiheroes ever as far as I'm concerned.

Otherwise, basically what Benoist said.

Quote from: Insufficient Metal;389205Yeah, it's an amazing show. Pullo is one of the greatest antiheroes ever as far as I'm concerned.

Otherwise, basically what Benoist said.

Is he an ' antihero' ?

 Or just a very flawed Hero-type ?

In some ways the writers went for the archetype of the 'soldier who has trouble adjusting to civilian life' with him.

I do like the bits where he becomes friends with young Octavian (Who grows up to be Brian Blessed/Augustus - sort of) There was sort of an older brotyher /younger brother aspect to that relationship.

I have not yet seen the Second season yet - so please refriain on doing spoilers on that. mildly spoiled it for myself by reading ahead on wikipedia with the descriptions of each episode.
My friend is loaning me her copy of the 2nd season when she goes on vacation in July.


- Ed C.

I don't really think Rome has heroes in the conventional sense of the word. Vorenus can be incredibly noble, but he's also kind of a fucker when it suits him. Pullo is tenacious and charismatic in his way, but a dyed-in-the-wool killer.

None of which diminishes the appeal of the characters for me, mind.