"Victrix Release Rude Roman Graffiti Limited-Edition Shield Transfers" Topic

What an excellent idea!

John T

This is a must have!

This is a brilliant idea. I almost want to start a new army just to use these…

Why?

I thought wargaming was trying to attract a new generation of younger wargamers. How would many parents react to their kids being introduced to wargaming by playing with an army with knobs stenciled all over them?

Not everybody is trying to recruit younger gamers; and some people prefer relatively uncensored historicity.

Very Nice!

Inspired.
I feel another Roman legion project coming up!
Guess I will have to leave my WWII project for a while and open my second box of Republican Romans :-)

Cheers

SP

I tend to agree with IanKHemm. However, if they "rude" shields are spread among a large group, that will lessen the effect.

Next, do tank slogans in Russian for WW2….

Sheer genius.

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

WW II Imaginations with everybody expressing themselves.

IanKHemm, are crude penis drawings worse than rolling a dice to see who lives and who dies? It's wargaming, not Disney. Personally, I think graffiti adds a certain amount of humanizing to the game, instead of making them endless carbon copies.

I think they'd be fairly hard to see if you weren't looking for them.

Is there a transfer that says "Romani ite domum"?

Is there any evidence that the Romans wrote rude messages anywhere other that their latrines?

Considering what kids see on TV, Social media, graffiti in public, I think the exposure of a few transfers on a shields is very minor. Personally I think they are fantastic.

Unless anyone can adduce evidence to the contrary, I would imagine it highly unlikely that the centurions of such a highly disciplined army would allow their men to deface the fronts of their shields with such slogans. Perhaps legionaries might write a prayer to the gods, or some morale-boosting words on the insides of their shields where only they could see them?

Anachronistic, and only mildly amusing, IMHO.

Archaeological finds seem to show the Romans had a far more relaxed attitude to those things than us so I personally find the graffities plausible and certainly not anachronistic.
Same as prayers at the back of the shield.

However, suum quique!

Cheers

SP

More likely for Spartacus' slave army on captured Roman shields I would have thought

Suetonius Paullinus +1

Also, Rebelyell2006 +1

It is fun that maked bodies and erotic symbols can look more dangerous than the fact you are playing war/death with these miniatures. I wonder if people with such "sensibilities" will even blink at the concept of throwing units as cannon fodder to bog down/wear away an enemy…

Anyways, these transfers are an splendid idea!

Political slogans on shields are certainly plausible, and we know that the Romans had all sorts of obscene messages on their lead slingshots so I think these are great! Now I need some transfers for my Caesarian Romans…

If they ever do penal legions, that would be perfect for them (no horrible pun intended)

LOL zoltar.

As an overprotective father of two, I find the outrage over these tiny decals pretty amusing.

"Romani ite domum"

If so, bought. :-)

Having resorted to Google, I for one, am shocked.

And amused.

And, having slaved for a year with Latin, long ago, am certain most scholars would be THRILLED if they actually generated any interest in 'dead' languages.

Doug

' … and we know that the Romans had all sorts of obscene messages on their lead slingshots so I think these are great!…'

I have seen pictures of insulting graffiti written on WWII bombs, so messages on lead shot does not surprise me.

Shields? Who knows, but no one can say it did not happen.

"Unless anyone can adduce evidence to the contrary, I would imagine it highly unlikely that the centurions of such a highly disciplined army would allow their men to deface the fronts of their shields with such slogans"

A diorama / stand of a centurion making these guys scrub their shields would be funny, and a nice 'out of action' marker.

That's a glorious idea actually! :-)

Cheers

SP

As a Classics scholar, this does indeed seem entirely plausible and fun!

Fits perfectly in the Roman mind and culture. If they had actually done this, no archaeological evidence would be likely to remain as proof. So here we have a decent hypothesis with no contrary evidence to falsify it. Good job ^,^

Shields? Who knows, but no one can say it did not happen.

I could see it as plausible, to mark their shields in order to insult their enemies since that is what most enemy warriors will see.

Of course, the enemies might not be able to read Latin…

Like most I find the idea amusing and when you look at it, there is a wealth of naked miniatures out there. Also I am pretty sure the Greeks, celts and early Germans fought in their Birthday suits (naked). So a few naughty words on shields should be very acceptable. Well except for the die hard historical gamers maybe.

For me, bring me on!

We do have Classical Period illustrations of a phallus as the main blazon on Greek shields.

Sordibus non mireris

An excellent idea!!!

Can't read latin though….. :>(

Can someone translate for me?

Darrell.

Just Add Water Blog:
link
Gewalthaufen (Late 15th /Early 16th Century) Blog:
gewalthaufen.blogspot.co.uk
La Journee (Early 15th Century Blog):
link
Shooting Leave (Late Victorian Blog):
allthebrave.blogspot.co.uk

Classy….

I wonder what the literacy rate amongst Legionaries was ….

I am sure they would have enjoyed the "illustrations", although I remember the ones at school being a bit more graphic.

Perhaps the boys from Carthage will respond in kind

This is all academic for me as my armies are 10mm, but perhaps I should rethink my shield decals …

John

Anyone try to translate any of those sayings
on their shields yet? lol