Putting the Sin back in Cinema?

Somehow I don't think the religious right is going to take to this new approach to evangelism.

"Directed by Wain and written by Wain and Marino, THE TEN presents a series of interconnected comic sketches designed to reinterpret – and reinvent – the Ten Commandments, making them “meaningful” (and funny) to a young, hip, audience of contemporary sinners. With each story told in a different style, but containing overlapping characters and themes, the film is a grand burlesque boasting an all-star cast that puts the sin back in cinema."

Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms Coming Soon!

Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms will feature 4 brand new campaigns, including an opportunity to more fully explore The New World that was unlocked toward the end of Medieval II.

In the Americas campaign, players will be able to retrace the steps of Hernán Cortés in 1519, as he seeks to explore and conquer The New World.

Players can earn the support of Spain and explore the mystery and riches of the New World, or take control of the Aztec or Native American factions and call on the Gods and the bravery of vast armies to see off this new threat.

Three other campaigns will offer more detailed “magnifying glass” campaigns within Great Britain, Northern Europe and the Holy Land, with many more regions than were originally shown in Medieval II.

13 new playable factions and over 150 new units, Kingdoms will allow players to control thousands of men on a single battlefield and lead them into conflict with new hero characters such as Richard The Lionheart and Saladin, each armed with new, powerful battlefield abilities.

In addition, players will use moated forts to garrison vast armies or seize control of key strategic points and explore new technology trees, governed by religion and prestige.

Players can experience a bloody clash between pagans and Christians in the Northern European Teutonic Wars, or take control of one of 5 factions in the Britannia campaign when England faces war on 4 fronts as once conquered lands rise up against them.

Kingdoms will also include a new expanded Crusades campaign, where players renew their fight for control of the Holy Lands, with new factions, devastating new units such as the terrifying Greek Flame Thrower, legendary heroes and powerful holy relics.

Features
More than 75 hours of epic new gameplay.

Four huge new campaigns: Britannia, The Crusades, The Teutonic Wars and The Americas.

13 new playable factions, including Aztec and Native American factions.

Over 150 new units, including the devastating Greek Flamethrower.

Follow in the steps of Hernán Cortés and explore a vastly expanded New World map.

Open up a wide array of new regions in the Americas, plus four brand new factions and a cast of new agent characters.

Experience unprecedented detail, including 30 regions of Britain and a region map of Teutonic Europe.

Control multiple armies in battle - command reinforcement armies.

New hero characters feature powerful battlefield abilities. Encounter a huge roster of new historical characters and events.

Build permanent forts to garrison troops or seize control of key strategic points.

Release Date: Aug 29, 2007

History Channel and maker of "Legion" team up for "Great Battles of Rome"

"With a name like The History Channel: Great Battles of Rome, it's not too difficult to figure out what this game is about. Developed by Slitherine Software, Great Battles of Rome is a tactical battle simulator that lets you control Roman legions in battle against their many foes. Like Slitherine's previous games, Great Battles of Rome focuses just on battles. There's no strategic layer that presents you with a map of the Roman world, so you don't have to worry about moving armies around the map or managing cities. All you have to worry about is managing your army, both in and between battles.

There will be more than 100 battles in the game, divided among 14 Roman campaigns. They're all linear, too, so you must win a battle in order to progress to the next one. Most battles will be won and lost in the planning phase, before the fighting even begins. During the planning phase, you deploy your troops onto the battlefield, taking into account terrain and tactics. You'll then give them initial orders and formations for when the battle starts. For instance, you might want infantry to hold in place, and cavalry to move forward and charge. Your opening moves and stances will be critical, because once the battle begins you won't be able to micromanage it. Instead, you'll have only a limited number of points, which you can use to issue orders. That's to model the difficulty of generals to manage a battle once it has begun.

Should you win the battle, you'll move on to the army management screen, which lets you recruit and customize squads. You can control up to 20 different squads, consisting of more than 20 troop types. There are infantry, cavalry, archers, and whatever else you'd expect from this era in history, such as elephants. You earn gold for winning battles, and you can use it to purchase new squads, replace losses in existing squads, pay for specialized training for squads, or buy better weapons and equipment for your troops. The amount of customization and training is extensive, so you can really make your squads feel like your own. Once everything is set up the way you want, you'll launch into the next battle.

The battles are historically based, so you may battle Germanic barbarians in the North or campaign in much warmer climes. Each battle presents a different tactical challenge thanks to the terrain. Rough terrain might make things difficult for mounted units and ideal for infantry, while open terrain reverses the situation. Woods or hills might create obstacles that can be used to your advantage. You'll also need to study the composition of the enemy force and its deployments. If you see a weakness in their lines, figure a way to exploit it. You don't need to kill everyone in order to win a battle. That rarely happens in history. Instead, you just need to kill enough of them to make the survivors panic and flee."

Days of Wonder offer intriguing board games

I was researching a link to information about the Persian salt mummies and noticed a link to an interesting board game about ancient Egypt.

The pyramids are crumbling, the temples are in ruins and even the nose of the Great Sphinx looks like it might fall off any day now. Cleopatra is one unhappy queen. Now she has called on the members of the Society of Architects to build her a magnificent new palace in Alexandria - with a Pharaohs ransom to the design that pleases her most. Cleopatra & the Society of Architects is the newest big-box board game from Days of Wonder. This fun and engaging family game includes a true, three-dimensional palace that players compete to build. Players strive to become the wealthiest of Cleopatras architects by constructing the most magnificent and valuable parts of her palace. The twist however is that players will be tempted to deal with shady characters and trade in materials of dubious origins in order to help them build faster. While these corrupt practices might allow an architect to stay a step ahead of the rest, they come with a high price ? cursed Corruption Amulets honoring Sobek, the Crocodile-god. When Cleopatra finally strolls into her new palace, at the end of the game, the most corrupt architect (the one with the most amulets) will be seized and offered as a sacrifice to her sacred crocodile. Only then will the wealthiest architect, from among those still alive, be selected and declared the winner of the game. The component design in Cleopatra is one of the most innovative that Days of Wonder has undertaken to date with dozens of 3D pieces, Column walls, Doorframes, Obelisks, Sphinxes, and a Palace Throne ? that create the sense youre truly constructing a royal palace. Players- 3-5 Ages 10 and up Playing Time- 60 minutes

When I checked the company for other games I found this one about ancient Rome:

In Colosseum you are a Roman impresario - producing great spectacles in your arena in the hope of attracting the most spectators to your events. You'll earn wealth and glory for each event you run, using it to build ever more ambitious events. Attract the most spectators to one of your events and you'll be granted the title of Grand Impresario, with tales of your extraordinary spectacles acclaimed throughout the empire! 3-5 Players Age 10+ 60-90 minutes Content1 Rules Booklet 1 Game Board 10 Arena pieces & Expansions 5 Emperor's Loges 10 Season Tickets 1 Emperor, 2 Consul and 3 Senator miniatures 80 Roman Coins 4 Podiums 152 Event Asset Tokens and Storage Bag 7 Star Performer Awards 30 Event Programs 18 Emperor Medals 6 Help Sheets Days of Wonder Online Access Number.

I like the idea that these games can be played in 1 hr to 90 minutes. I love the beautiful graphics of computer games but most of them consume hours that I really can't spare at the moment.

Ankh: Heart of Osiris

After a wild party at Pharaoh's pyramid, young Assil accidentally dumps holy urns and gets himself a death curse - there he also discovers the precious amulet Ankh.

Only Pharaoh can save Assil - however not only is it impossible to get an audition, but Assil also has another problem: Osiris, God of the Underworld, is after the Ankh.

Features
At last a new humorous Point&Click-Adventure in state of the art 3D-graphics with attention to detail.

A funny and romatic story in a mystical and inspiring setting.

Numerous original localtions and characters create an immerging atmosphere that will amaze you.

The puzzles are always integrated to the gameplay - forget frustrating logical puzzles that have nothing to do with the game.

Self-explaining, uncomplicated interface, fair difficulty-level and above all: black humour in abundance!

Ancient Wars: Sparta filled with beautifully detailed images

I see that "Ancient Wars: Sparta" has been released and is presently being offered on GoGamer during one of their 48-hour specials for only $27.90. I checked the game review on Gamespot and noticed it received a "fair" rating from the pros but a "good" rating from the regular gamers posting reviews. I browsed through the 111 screen shots and loved the detail of the imagery, particularly the sea battle scenes so I decided it was worth the $27.90 just for the pleasure of looking at the scenery alone! If the game itself is interesting, and it sounds like it would be from the overall description of the game play including the ability to individually select weapons for your troops, that will be icing on the cake.

I am also interested in the possibility of creating online history vignettes using text from original sources accompanied by images like those in this game. It would be even better if I could capture short action clips to use in the presentation.

Playmobil's version of the Roman Empire displayed in Belgium

Playmobil does its best to introduce little ones to the Roman Empire at a young age:

"If you haven't heard of Playmobil then take me to your leader so that I can persuade him not to destroy this helpless planet of ours. Space exploration is one of the only aspects of human existence not covered by the Playmobil Expo in Verviers. Displayed on three floors of the former Wool Factory, dramas have been re-enacted behind Perspex, case after case lit with colour and character(s).

A small boy ran around the Roman Empire exhibit incongruously uttering modern sounds of war while other children followed a quiz set by the organisers; one little girl was clearly tired of quizzing her little brother on the characters' occupations – "No, he's obviously a plumber!"

Dutifully, I visited each and every display, stepping with ease from the Arctic to the Sahara, travelling from ancient Egyptian to the Viking era, leaping from a pirate galleon to a 747. But I stopped dead in my tracks – as did every male of every height – at the panorama that was the Wild West."

Playlogic releases Ancient Wars: Sparta Demo

I see that Playlogic International based in the Netherlands has released an online demo of their title "Ancient Wars: Sparta" that is due to be released this month:

"Sparta is based on the history of the ancient ages and their main nations. Spartans, Persians and Egyptians are fighting for influence around Little Asia, Europe and North Africa. Historical correct timeline is 500-450 BC and the action takes place with different campaigns for all three races. Sparta represents 3D strategy in real time with the new developed “Ancient Wars Engine” (AWE), where the player will have to use each nation’s powers to be superior over other competitors and build up a driving and ruling faction.

The main emphasis is on large-scaled battles and complex tactical manoeuvres. Additional to this, a new method of army equipment is represented. Warriors can be equipped with weapons and shields, can be put on horses or on chariots and be given special abilities. The player can collect abandoned weapons after battles or import powerful weapons from other cultures to build more powerful and different special units. Additionally the forces of nature are very important, because fire, find etc. will affect the whole environment. Cities can be upgraded (e.g. turned to fortresses), workers gather resources to ensure the economic part. Sparta offers every aspect RTS gamers like."

Features

• Haunting storyline based on proven history 500-450 BC
• Play three different tribes to conquer the known ancient world with 27 missions to play through
• Huge choice of weapons, kit and armory
• Usage of a self developed physics engine in RTS game play
• Unique weapon equipping & trading system
• Specific flora and fauna for different climate zones
• Heroes with different role system effects
• More than 15 different buildings for each tribe
• Beautifully detailed full 3D environments
• Breathtaking visuals with lovely details on every unit
• Experienced team supported by the German “The Settlers” veteran Torsten Hess

Rich Persian history portrayed in new animated film

Nader Yaghma'ian, the director of Jamshid and the Sun, says his animated film, which took three years to make, is a portrayal of the "glorious realities" and "rich civilization" of ancient Persia.

He suggested Iran should make more programs like Jamshid and the Sun to depict the reality of its history and to replace what he described as "imaginary heroes" fabricated by Hollywood.

"The Tablet of Human Rights by Cyrus the Great and a famous poem by Iran's Sa'di at the United Nations is evidence of the peaceful way of life which Iranians have always searched for," Yaghma'ian said during the forum.

Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising slated for Summer 07 completion

Recently the folks at Gamespot had a chance to try out the developing combat system driving the upcoming game "Gods and Heroes: Rome Rising".

"Sony Online Entertainment and Perpetual Entertainment want you to start thinking about the upcoming Gods & Heroes not as a massively multiplayer role-playing game but as an action adventure massively multiplayer role-playing game. That's because the style of gameplay in Gods & Heroes is inspired by fighting such games as Mortal Kombat. When you attack something in Gods & Heroes, it looks like you're actually attacking it, and that translates into a much more intense feel to the combat." - Game spot

What I thought was particularly interesting is the inclusion of a character builder:

Characters can only be human, but you can choose a gender and a class, including gladiator, soldier, priest, and healer. The class that you select will determine which two Roman gods you can choose from to worship, and that will play a significant role throughout the game. After that, you can customize the appearance of your character, from various facial features using sliders (such as the size of eyes, the separation distance between them, and their color), to hairstyle, body build, skin tone, and more. In no time flat, we made a sleek female Roman soldier, as well as an albino male gladiator. - Gamespot

"300" places graphic splendor over inspiring story

I dutifully took the afternoon off and took my husband and another couple of friends to see the highly anticipated film "300". I had read an article by the producers of the film in which they stated their movie is more about the legend and not the actual event so I wasn't expecting much in the way of historical accuracy.

I might be getting older, but as I am not dead yet, I have to admit to enjoying the Spartan "eye candy". However, I would have preferred a more realistic depiction of the Persians. Everytime I saw Xerxes I would think of the villains of Stargate and of course, like many people, I thought Ephialtes was a thinly disguised Gollam character. I saw no reason to portray the Ephors as leprous trolls either. The men in the audience could have still enjoyed the writhing prophetess (I actually found that scene at least somewhat artistic) without deforming the Spartan elders.

I think overall, though, the film suffered from a lack of exploration of human emotions. We weren't provided with enough interpersonal relationships in the film to develop much empathy for any of the characters. I think this is a major oversight in a film whose purpose was to inspire and sadly, a common flaw in many of the films Hollywood now produces.

Of course it is accompanied by the release of a Playstation Portable game based on the film where players are invited to "Decapitate, dismember, and disembowel your enemies in bloodthirsty sword-and-spear combat."

Real World Places in Second Life: Ancient Rome

This sounds like great fun! I also like the learning potential of such a simulation. I had written to the producers of the Caesar III PC game and suggested they incorporate some of the features Mr. Golding has incorporated into his sim like being able to attend a play once you have built a theater in your virtual city, being able to attend a chariot race if you have added a hippodrome, or being able to watch a gladiator match. Mr. Golding has all of these activities included in his sim as well as the ability to drive a chariot or be a gladiator!


The Click Heard Round The World: "Torin Golding's outstanding sim called simply 'Roma' is a feast for the senses and a powerful demonstration of the potential for virtual environments to immerse you in historic places.

Upon arrival at the Roma "customs house", you are presented with a number of orientation materials as well as a free toga to help you fit in better, and get into the spirit of the locale.

Roma is a no-fly zone, so bring your walking sandals and a good map or be prepared to get lost. There are handy "magic fountains" everywhere, which when touched rez fancy litters that transport you to various spots on the sim. You can also wear a free HUD map of the city, that helped me in my meanderings.

The sim is dominated by a giant legion fortress and official structures that rise high atop the Palatine Hill. There's also a wharf area, marketplace, museum, and lush gardens.

Lots of nice accents add to the immersiveness and context of what you are experiencing. Clicking on the red markers on various sites brings up notecards that give you historical background on the structures around you. Legionaires, Roman citizens and gladiators walking around greet you with a hearty "Ave!" as you pass by. I learned more than I thought I would at the museum on Palatine Hill, which features an exhibition on sexual mores in Roman times.

You can do things you only imagined doing in the real life Rome, like climbing Trajan's column! There's a free "play" you can watch in the amphitheater, which is quite cleverly done using text, images and sound. There's action afoot in the chariot races. You can also enter the gladiator pit and duke it out with other would-be warriors. Or sit in the stands and render judgement with a thumbs up or down."

Heart of Empire: Rome release cancelled!

This is a real bummer!

"Paradox Interactive confirmed today the official cancellation of "Heart of Empire: Rome". The strategy title was to be published in Q1 2007 in North America by Paradox Interactive.

"Rome is a very popular era and there is still much ground that can be covered for this time period as far as computer games are concerned, said Fredrik Wester, Executive Vice President for Paradox Interactive. "It's unfortunate that this title will not be released, but we look forward to reveal new projects and new releases for 2007 and 2008".

"300" not just a retelling of Thermopylae

I see excitement is building for the "300" due out next month. Although I had certainly planned to see this latest ancient epic when it opens, I was a little dubious when I saw the trailer and it contained "ork-looking" humans and mounted rhinocerous. But this review points out that there has been a lot of care taken with the development of the characters in the film so I'm becoming more optimistic about the film's potential.

"A feared and revered military king of the Greek city-state of Sparta, Leonidas rules with the guidance and support of his queen, Gorgo. "Gorgo is, by all accounts, brilliant," says Miller. "She and Leonidas watch each other's backs and she is a great contributor to his strategic thinking. There is a great depth of emotion and intellectual partnership between them. Spartan women are Spartan warriors just like the men. They send the men out first, but you'll see in the movie that the women can play pretty tough, too."

Born in the rugged north of England, Lena Headey possessed an innate strength and grace that proved essential to the role of Gorgo. "Lena is so tough and down to earth and strong. And she's beautiful, with such wisdom in her eyes," says Butler. "Lena brought incredible charisma, intelligence and fire to Gorgo."

Calling the film "a story of honor, fearlessness, passion, blood and faith," Headey was ready to portray the Spartan Queen. Gorgo is not a prominent figure in Miller's tale, so Headey had freedom in crafting the character, guided by her conversations with Snyder. "She's a really strong character in the movie, just because of everything she goes through and is prepared to sacrifice," Headey remarks. "She has already lost her husband, but to admit that would be too much, so she fights, with her heart, in the political arena. I see Gorgo as the heart and instinct of Sparta, and instinct usually guides us through to the right decision."

The Mummy: One more time!!!

It looks like we're in for another helping of "The Mummy" as details start to surface about the 3rd installment scheduled for a summer 2008 release.

Jeff Giles writes: "Once, twice, three times a "Mummy": ComingSoon.net reports that screenwriter Al Gough, who is co-writing the third installment in the "Mummy" series with Miles Millar, recently divulged a few storyline details to Sci Fi Wire. Turns out that Alex, the young son of the explorers played by Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz in the first two films, is all grown up and ready to battle the undead himself.

I wonder who will be "The Mummy" this time out since Imhotep fell to his everlasting punishment in the flames of undead hades last time around. Maybe there will be a volcanic eruption that spews him back into the world of the living.

Bookworm Adventures

This is not the typical game I usually include in this column but, being an educator at heart, I couldn't help being intrigued by its concept. What a great example of a game that people would find immersive but with a twist that you have a better chance for success if you build your vocabulary! What would be even better would be if teachers could use the game engine but supply the words that result in the highest hit level to overcome the game's villains that are attempting to destroy the Great Library. The game could also serve as a foundation for versions about particular historical periods or topics with accompanying reading assignments. The most powerful words would be those from the reading assignment.

Indystar E Technology Marc Saltzman:

In case you've never played "Bookworm," the core game play in "Bookworm Adventures Deluxe" involves a 4-by-4 grid of randomly placed letters and it's your job to create words out of them. Unlike PopCap's "Bonnie's Bookstore," the letters you click to make a word do not need to be adjacent to one another. The longer the word or the higher the letter value (think "Scrabble"), the more points you'll earn.

Our hapless hero is a tiny green worm named Lex (short for Lexicon, perhaps?), and in the main Adventure mode he is magically zapped into books to confront a threat to the Great Library. The tale spans 30 chapters in all, each with a different theme as our little bookworm traverses a huge map to confront enemies of all shapes and sizes.

Confused about how a word game mixes in fighting bad guys? Here's how it works:

While you create words with letters from the middle of the screen, Lex faces off against foes at the top, be they ancient Roman soldiers, mystical Sirens or sea serpents onboard a ship or even angry ewes.

Depending on the word you create, Lex charges his enemy and inflicts damage. The enemy then takes a turn and retaliates. If your word is just so-so, such as P-E-A-R-S, then you may only take away one heart (symbolizing health level) from above the enemy's head. But if it's a good one, such as Q-U-A-I-N-T or U-N-A-L-T-E-R-E-D, then expect to finish the monster off by taking away two-and-a-half or three hearts of a total of five. This game offers more than 150 different enemies, each with a unique look, fighting style and short description.

Technorati tags: game words puzzle library

Apocalypto provides visceral insight into early American cultures

Like many history buffs, I went to see Mel Gibson's latest offering, Apocalypto, this weekend. I had read a mixed lot of reviews and, although there seemed to be no consenus, I thought it worthwhile to see a film depicting a civilization rarely if ever the centerpiece of a Hollywood production.

I found the film quite visually interesting. The costumes and makeup reflected the unique designs I have seen in museum exhibits of central American art at the de Young Museum in San Francisco, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the University of Utah Museum of Fine Art in Salt Lake City. I found the set detail in the scenes of the Mayan city with its smoking pyramids and streets seething with people utterly fascinating. It really brought the civilization to life just as the gritty scenes of Roman streets and temples did in the HBO miniseries, "Rome".

My primary regret was that the plot for the film was a basic chase and the villains in the film were rather two-dimensional. Every civilization has its good aspects as well as its bad and to allow the practice of human sacrifice to overshadow some of the Maya's phenomenal accomplishments in mathematics, astronomy, and engineering was a disservice to their culture and to history. As for the violence, I found it graphic but no more so than the arena violence in "Gladiator" or the battle scenes in "Troy". The ancient world was a violent place. I think the outcry about the film's violence is just posturing by the politically correct who must find fault with the film not because of its actual cinematic shortcomings but because of the publicly acclaimed "dark nature" of its director.

From a historical perspective, Mr. Gibson chose to interject European intervention several centuries too early. I don't know if this was the result of trying to find some dramatic way to end the chase or to draw a social parallel but it did not accomplish either of these goals.

I think the film would have had far more impact if it had depicted the decline of the Maya from a catastophic drought, as historical evidence indicates, and used their desperation as the reason for their frenzy of human sacrifice. It would have provided the opportunity to introduce at least some empathy for their own situation as well as illustrated the futility of their extreme actions.

Great Invasions The Dark Ages

Great Invasions The Dark Ages 350-1066 AD

Great Invasions is based on pure historical facts designed in collaboration with historians and includes 150 historical events and over 3700 key figures of this period. Manage the finances, diplomatic, religious and military needs of a nation.

Apart from managing the conflicts between borders, you must control population migrations, heresies and confront the fall of kingdoms and empires facing barbarian attacks. Manage up to 10 populations simultaneously, selecting them via a bidding system with over 80 difference nations.

Multiplayer mode supporting up to 4 players via LAN or Internet.

Features
Live the greatest moments of the times! This historically accurate recreation allows you to encounter over 150 nations / tribes.

More than 30 religions and heresies, as well as thousands of historical characters drawn from the pages of world's richest historical sources.

Great Invasions is an extremely elaborate real-time strategy game covering over 700 years of history.

Put your leadership and visionary skills to the test and drive your population to the dawn of the Middle Ages!

Great Invasions puts you in command of one or more of Europe's nations between 375 and 1066.

You decide their path? and their fate!

Scheduled for January 2007 release.

Love and Virtue

Movie News: "Cast Set for Charlegmagne Epic

Director Raoul Ruiz has found a cast for his period epic Love and Virtue, about the battles fought within King Charlemagne's empire. John Malkovich, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, Peter O'Toole, Damian Lewis, Saffron Burrows, Virginie Ledoyen and Stephen Dillane are all set to star. British actor Lewis will play a knight in Charlemagne's court who falls in love with Ledoyen's character. Malkovich and Madsen will play barbarian marauders, and Dillane will be the king, who was the first ruler in a united Western Europe since the end of the Roman Empire many centuries before. Mia Sperber and Stefano Pratesi wrote the script, which is adapted from epic poems The Song of Roland and Orlando Innamorato.
Source: Variety "

Ignite to offer Myrmillo and other Gladiator 12" figures

I was checking the Ignite site for new releases and noticed that they will be offering a series of gladiator figures including a Myrmillo and Retiarius. Although Ignite figures are quite a bit more expensive ($75 and up) then 12" figures offered by Dragon and Sideshow, their figures include real metal accessories.

Recently I took advantage of a 30% off sale of Ignite figures at Michigan Toy Soldiers and managed to get the new Julius Caesar figure and a Roman Vexillarius, the standard bearer for the legion. The Vexillarius is wonderfully detailed. I only wish his wolf skin headdress was made of faux fur instead of soft vinyl.

The Julius Caesar figure's costume was puzzling - a white cuirass and caligae with a conical helmet sporting wings??? I have never read about this attire anywhere so am a bit skeptical although Ignite prides itself on its figures' historical accuracy. I think I prefer to email them and see if I can get a standard Roman officer's helmet for him.