How One Response to a Reddit Query Became a Big Budget Flick

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

How One Response to a Reddit Query Became a Big Budget Flick

Timmay alt-hist sploogefest of the day: MEU ends up in ancient Rome, about 23BC.  Hilarity ensues.  Excerpt from the Reddit stories for those who don't want to read the article:

DAY 1

The 35th MEU is on the ground at Kabul, preparing to deploy to southern Afghanistan. Suddenly, it vanishes.

The section of Bagram where the 35th was gathered suddenly reappears in a field outside Rome, on the west bank of the Tiber River. Without substantially prepared ground under it, the concrete begins sinking into the marshy ground and cracking. Colonel Miles Nelson orders his men to regroup near the vehicle depot—nearly all of the MEU's vehicles are still stripped for air transport. He orders all helicopters airborne, believing the MEU is trapped in an earthquake.

Nelson's men soon report a complete loss of all communications, including GPS and satellite radio. Nelson now believes something more terrible has occurred—a nuclear war and EMP which has left his unit completely isolated. Only a few men have realized that the rest of Bagram has vanished, but that will soon become apparent as the transport helos begin circling the 35th's location.

Within an hour, the 2,200 Marines have regrouped, stunned. They are not the only moderns transported to Rome. With them are about 150 Air Force maintenance and repair specialists. There are about 60 Afghan Army soldiers, mostly the MEU's interpreters and liaisons. There are also 15 U.S. civilian contractors and one man, Frank Delacroix, who has spoken to no one but Colonel Nelson.

Miraculously, no one was killed during the earthquake but several dozen people were injured, some seriously. All fixed-wing aircraft and the attack helicopters were rendered inoperable by the shifting concrete, although the MEU did not lose a single vehicle or transport helicopter.

As night falls, the MEU has established a perimeter. A few locals have been spotted, but in the chaos no one has yet established contact. Nelson and his men, who are crippled without mapping software and GPS to fix their position, begin attempting to fix their location by observing stars. The night is cloudy. Nelson orders four helicopters back into the air at first light, to travel along the river in hopes of locating a settlement.

In short, dude from Des Moines is getting at least $120k to write a screenplay about this after someone from Madhouse Pictures saw his Reddit posts of these stories and the community reaction.

[Ed Anger]

SM Stirling would have extra rape in it if he wrote it.

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

SM Stirling would have extra rape in it if he wrote it.

Hedley: "Qualifications?"
Outlaw: "Rape.  Murder.  Arson.  Rape."
Hedley: "You said rape twice."
Outlaw: "I like rape."

[Siege]

Please.

[mongers]

So what would happen if a Roman cohort or legion went the other way ? 

It might even be a more interesting a story, assuming we got a insight into the 'real' psychological and cultural character of Romans, rather than whatever our current interpretation  is.

[Ed Anger]

So what would have if a Roman cohort or legion went the other way ? 

Turtledove sorta did that. Except it went to to Byzantium-like fantasy world.

[Razgovory]

So what would happen if a Roman cohort or legion went the other way ? 

It might even be a more interesting a story, assuming we got a insight into the 'real' psychological and cultural character of Romans, rather than whatever our current interpretation  is.

The get sick and die.   Marines probably do as well, but the manage to spread a major plague in Rome before hand.

[Ed Anger]

The Senate gets the HIV.

[Admiral Yi]

So what would happen if a Roman cohort or legion went the other way ? 

It might even be a more interesting a story, assuming we got a insight into the 'real' psychological and cultural character of Romans, rather than whatever our current interpretation  is.

  Why do you think the current interpretation is not the real one?

[Eddie Teach]

And how would a modern-day screenwriter be privy to a more accurate interpretation?

[Jacob]

Spending $120K to have someone write a screenplay is still several steps away from actually making a big budget flick.

[sbr]

I am 99% sure the dude from Des Moines is an old EUOT member named prufrock (or something very similar).  He wrote a war on xmas aar over there.

[Razgovory]

Spending $120K to have someone write a screenplay is still several steps away from actually making a big budget flick.

I'll write a screenplay for half that.

[Razgovory]

So what would happen if a Roman cohort or legion went the other way ? 

It might even be a more interesting a story, assuming we got a insight into the 'real' psychological and cultural character of Romans, rather than whatever our current interpretation  is.

  Why do you think the current interpretation is not the real one?

I dunno.  I'm not sure what the current interpretation is and what the real one is.  Sort of like asking what's the difference between these two unknowns.

[jimmy olsen]

I am 99% sure the dude from Des Moines is an old EUOT member named prufrock (or something very similar).  He wrote a war on xmas aar over there.

It's still pretty awesome to get paid $120k to expound on a random internet post.


This isn't that interesting to write about though. Their technology isn't transmittable to the natives. It's just too advanced.

Better for a Spanish Tercio from the 30 Years War to get sent back to like 150AD. The noble in charge should know Latin, as would the priest and Spanish isn't that far off from Latin. It's definitely something the men could learn. Plus they'd have gunsmiths and blacksmiths who would be able to teach the down timers their techniques.