Oppian Wives

This is not yet a complete game. This itch.io site will serve as the development log as well as house the working documents and insights as they develop through playtesting.  Please view the Devlog for more information as this progresses. 

Oppian Wives is named after the Oppian Laws which were designed to curtail the control of finances and conspicuous consumption by women, which traditionalist Roman senators believed was causing societal disharmony.

Oppian Wives is a game about the challenges facing women in the Roman Republic, drawing on the drama of their vulnerability, opportunity, threats, communities, and subtle power. 

The game is a purely political / social roleplaying game - there is no combat. The game uses elements of and influences / principles from Fate, Drama System (Hillfolk and Malandros), and PbtA (among several others) to create a core loop which drives characters to rely on each other for social and emotional validation, which develops our understanding of the roman milieu and in turn empowers them to take actions which are more tangible in outcome. 

Characters are always under scrutiny from the Roman mob - and there is always risk of being seen as a danger to the Republic in one way or another.