I'm thinking about making a campaign set in ancient Judea.

>By now the whole story was known. Herod's curse seemed to rest on all Jews alike: they were utterly unmanned. The Greeks were elated beyond measure. The regiments re-armed by Helcias at Herod's orders behaved in the most shameless and revolting way. They attacked the palace and seized Cypros and her daughters, intending to lead them in mockery through the streets of Caesarea. Cypros snatched a sword from a soldier and killed herself, but her daughters were forced to put on their embroidered dresses and accompany their captors, and even to join in the hymns of thanksgiving sung for their father's death. When the procession ended they were taken to the regimental brothels and subjected there, on the roof-tops, to the grossest outrages and indecencies. And not only in Caesarea but in the Greek city of Samaria too, public banquets were spread in the squares and the Greeks, with garlands on their heads, and sweet-smelling ointments, ate and drank to their hearts' content, toasting each other and pouring libations to the Ferryman. The Jews did not raise a hand or voice in protest. 'Whom God has cursed, is it lawful to succour?' For God's curse was held to descend to a man's children. These princesses were aged only six and ten years when they were so mistreated.

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Grad school theology student with minors in Greek and Aramaic here. Just have them sail the Mediterranean and visit various cities in the Byzantine Empire, man. It's way more interesting if you want to do some hard history, trust me.

>>49911530
It was a pretty wild time to be alive.

>>49911463
Herod was almost certainly secretly marshaling against Roman power. Researching the politics of the time should be more than enough to get your game underway.

>>49911463
dont forget to add several religious weirdos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmyuE0NpNgE

>>49911463
have you watched Ben Hur?

What appears to have kicked off the Zealot movement is the Census that Augustus ordered ten years after Herod died. This was about Rome assessing the country in order to start directly taxing them. At that time, a bloke called Judas the Galilean and a geezer known only as "Saddok" founded what Josephus calls the "Fourth Philosophy", a new "philosophy which our people were previously unacquianted with" (Antiquities 18.10).

This philosophy was Messianic, Apocalyptic and "Zealous For The Law". This is the kind of stuff which is in the Dead Sea Scrolls, which date from this period from about 100BC until 70AD when the Zealots "went mad because of" the Messiah Prophecy and Revolted against Rome (War 6.312-14).

>>49911463
So a fantasy campaign?
Have shitload of preachers around, many whom would find their end at the cross, people would eventually make them one person.

>>49911463
>I'd love to hear plot suggestions.
It's an era of some of the most fascinating, eclectic religion and philosophies of all time. So... gnosis. Gnosis up the arse.

Why not let the players play Judean nobles?

>>49917901
No one Jew should have all that power.

>>49918017
Apart from... the ones that did?