Centurion of the Wall AD 122
AD 122, northern Britannia. The emperor Hadrian has come to the island and ordered a wall of stone from sea to sea. You are a centurion of the legion stationed at Eboracum. Beyond the wall live the tribes of Caledonia.
Historical background
Hadrian succeeded Trajan in 117 and chose to stop conquering and secure the frontiers instead. Visiting Britannia in 122, he ordered a wall 80 Roman miles (about 117 km) long, from the mouth of the Tyne in the east to the Solway Firth in the west. Three legions did the building — II Augusta, VI Victrix and XX Valeria Victrix — under the governor Aulus Platorius Nepos. Around this time the Sixth Legion took up its base at Eboracum, today's York.
A small fort stood at every Roman mile with turrets between them, and partway through the work the plan changed to add large forts on the line of the wall. Villages of traders and soldiers' families grew up outside the forts, and the wooden writing tablets found at Vindolanda still preserve the everyday life of this frontier. To the south lay the land of the Brigantes; to the north were tribes such as the Selgovae and, further off, the Caledonians. Twenty years later Antoninus Pius would order a new wall further north.
Who you are
You begin as a 30-year-old centurion at York (Eboracum), commanding around a hundred men. You hold no land, but you have troops, a little gold and Might hardened in the legion. Beside you is your optio Lucius, who keeps the granary ledgers; in time a Brigantian woman from the market outside the fort and a chieftain of the Selgovae from beyond the wall will enter your life.
The current of history: Hadrian's Wall
Right after you start, an invitation called "From sea to sea" arrives. Which side you take during the years the wall goes up really changes where you live, whom you serve and your disposition, and the choice stays with your descendants as part of the house's memory.
Sides you can take
- Building the Wall Haul stone and raise forts with the legion — the straight path up the Roman army ladder.
- Market outside the fort Throw in your lot with the frontier village that trades with the soldiers. A way to gain money and people.
- Beyond the Wall Join the tribes north of the wall. Treason in Roman eyes, but you might come to lead a tribal confederation.
Tips
Questions and answers
How close is this scenario to real history?
AD 122 is the year Hadrian visited Britannia and ordered the wall built, and the governor Platorius Nepos, the legion at Eboracum and tribes such as the Brigantes and Selgovae are all historical. The starting map, realms, real historical figures and the major events of the current of history follow actual history. You and the companions, rivals and loves around you are fictional people who could have lived then, and once you start, history may diverge according to your choices and those of the AI rulers.
What station do I start in?
You start as a 30-year-old man, a centurion (knightly class) of a Roman legion, at York (Eboracum) with 40 troops and plenty of Might. You hold no land and begin as a soldier of the Roman Empire.
Is it free? Can I play right away?
Yes. Crown & Plough is a free browser game with no account and nothing to install. The "Start in this scene" button on this page opens the scenario's intro screen directly, and progress is saved automatically in your browser. It works on phones too.