@ChimeraLord: Thanks, I’m glad you gave it a try! You can play as male or female, and also with any sort of romantic preference–but there are a few differences in how the world reacts to you 
Hi, all. If everything goes well, I’ll update the game to open up the scribe/scholar path this afternoon–I’m planning to put some sort of update online at 3pm Eastern. It’ll be a little skeletal, but there should be enough of it to show what the story will be like.
So, you can wait a few days until it’s more solid if you’d rather not see it in draft stage, but if anyone wants to make early comments on the general plot lines, it’d be great to hear feedback.
Now I’m going to go burrow into ChoiceScript for about six hours.
Is your slave always the same gender as the MC?
@ChimeraLord: Yes. It some cases that makes it easier for you both to be in the same place without anyone questioning it. In some cases it’s a small nod to what would be considered proper (a nice young lady shouldn’t be sharing a room alone with a male slave, etc.).
I keep getting a message sayng I have to refresh page after I choose overseer?? Why is that?
@ChimeraLord: I’m not familiar with that as an error in ChoiceScript. I’ll try to duplicate the error and will let you know what I find out. Does it happen when you accept a job offer from Scaurus for the first time (at the party or at the brothel?), or does it happen when you try to replay the game at the end?
ETA: Found it. It was a Dropbox problem–it wasn’t synching the updated files. I uploaded them manually, so that should be fixed. I’ll have to figure out how to get Dropbox to start synching again.
@Scrivener: Well…thank me when you actually see it. After fighting with Dropbox I got distracted, but I’m back to work on that skeleton-scribe path now
Good, good… this portends great things for the moment… I can’t stop using the dots… heeeelp me… lol
@Scrivener: There’s only a small snippet of the scribe/scholar path up down…with only the most hasty testing behind it. But it will give a taste of where the bulk of the story takes place (two locations) and a hint of some of the people you’ll meet (Burrus, Philaenis, Safronius, Charinus…I know, these are just random names right now…). This does mean that a fuller version might make my midnight update…
The dots are our friends…
Hi, all.
My methodical (ha ha) alpha-releasing process has gotten a bit wonky, so here’s a summary of what’s coming next with this WIP:
scribe/scholar path: check again around midnight tonight (Eastern time) for a more substantial version, special delivery (but kinda late) for @Scrivener
poet path: the orgy–I mean, the regular old party, nothing to see here: check after midnight. The servants are setting up the buffet and tossing pillows around even as I type.
poet path: adding Amaryllis as a romantic option, the big fight scene: mid-week
slavedealer path: some extra scenes with Scaurus and his relative, a scene at the end if the MC tries to escape: mid-week
tutor path: a few paragraphs are needed at the end to tie it up: mid-week. I just have to find the words so that Quintus/Pia doesn’t sound too lunatic.
courtesan path - the rest of the Aquillius/Aquillia branch: next weekend. Some of the bad guys keep insisting they’re good guys and refusing to act their roles the way I want them to. Grrr, imaginary people can be so difficult.
courtesan path - the Harpax branch: mid-March. This was an unexpected addition 
It joins in with:
gymnasium/lanista path: mid-March
And…
the big to-do that all of this leads to: mid-March. Save the Emperor, if you dare. Or don’t. Really, you’re just an ordinary person, what are you supposed to do about it? Raise an army or something? Bribe a senator? Sneak into his secret hideaway in the middle of the afternoon…?
^:)^ lots to look forward to, cannot wait
First of all, this is currently my favorite WIP. :)) So many choices-and meaningful ones, at that-lots of romance options, wonderful writing style. I think I’ll be replaying over and over again ^^ .
One question, though: once, following the tutor path, I managed to have my character love Quintus, tell that to his father and then keep Quintus interested in pursuing the affair. Then, after playing a couple more times, I only managed to get the path where Quintus sees no point in continuing the affair without his father’s approval. How do I get Quintus to love my Cynthia? 
Oh, and does he always try to blackmail the MC by threatening to reveal their relationship? Or does he not do that if he remains in love with him/her?
Ths game moves pretty fast, and it’b be cool to be able to be a gladiator, but base your sucess on stats, and aquire status like that
@Rebelmaiden: Thank you so much!
Poor Quintus is having a little freak out; he’ll calm down by the end of the mid-week update. Actually, if he’s sufficiently in love with Cynthia (or other MC ), he won’t threaten to reveal the relationship. As long as you don’t cheat on him, don’t turn him down if he declares undying devotion, get the gods on your side (if your MC believes such things will help), and/or if he decides to be mature about it, he should stay firmly in love. But I’m going to test a few things this evening and make sure it isn’t too impossible
I always seem to have favor of the god of love~ does that help me at all?
*godess
@ChimeraLord: There’ll be a chance to work for a gladiator trainer in the next version, but not to play through the game as a gladiator having fights, etc. Being a gladiator is such an extraordinary life, and for this game I’m keeping it to “ordinary” lives
But I’d really like to see a separate game that’s only about being a gladiator. I think there’s even already a WIP on that if you check back through the forum topics.
Venus (goddess of love): The higher you are on this end of the scale, the more persuasive you are, the more easily you can romance people, that sort of thing.
Vesta: She’s an all-or-nothing goddess, but there are rewards eventually for sticking it out with her. It’s just way more interesting (in my opinion) if you throw your lot in with Venus.
I’ve found being very athletic and having the favor of venus gets me whatever I want XD
Line 236: Invalid option; conflicts with option ‘Mercury, god of commerce. Your parents kept a small shrine to him in your home.’ on line 234