Could a small neighborhood conquer the Roman empire?

[S485122]

As another poster said : FUEL. Your helicopters and ground vehicles in northern France will stay there because in your conditions you did not include the intendancy. Perhaps the quantity provided of the right amunition in the hands of well trained people could help you, but what will happen once your stock is expanded ?

Jacob

[kriesel]

Originally Posted by LaurV

guns that took 5 minutes to reload after every bullet shot (with a metal rod inserted on top, and a bunch of wool to avoid the bullet falling out of the pipe).

If you're talking of ~1860s muzzleloaders, reload time is ~1 minute. Wad goes between the gunpowder and the bullet. Bullet is typically soft lead, with a bit of antimony or other metal alloyed in to increase strength a little, and the bullets are sized for an ~.002" interference fit in the bore, requiring considerable force to drive in by hand with the ramrod. A bit of lead gets displaced or shaved off in the loading process. It would be disastrously slow in close-quarters combat against edged weapons. That's why cavalry officers carried revolvers with extra cylinders preloaded, to swap quickly, and swords.
In the case of a misfire, to extract the bullet, after a wait of minutes to reduce the odds of a hang-fire (gun firing after considerable delay) harming the user, a screw tip must be attached to the ramrod and threaded into the bullet to pull it out.

[Uncwilly]

A time machine by necessity is a locale transportation device. You can pop in next to the city you desire and dispatch the target. So a single person could do in the emperor before they take power.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by Uncwilly

A time machine by necessity is a locale transportation device.

I quite regularly move in the time (T) dimension. Forward is easy.

Using one's own legs takes only a /little/ more effort to move Atoms in a gravity well. Also known as translation on a large surface.

Lucid dreaming can be kinda cool.

Are we there yet?

[retina]

How far do you move in eight hours if you remain in your bed the entire time?

No one knows the answer, right? The Earth is rotating on its axis, and orbiting the Sun. The Sun is bobbing up and down in the galaxy, and orbiting the centre. The galaxy is moving amongst our close neighbours and they are collectively moving towards the great attractor. And from there we get lost and don't know much more.

Is there a central point we can reference to say where we were eight hours ago? If not then it is impossible to travel back in time to a place you were previously at since such a place has no known position.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by retina

How far do you move in eight hours if you remain in your bed the entire time?

If I may please reframe the question sightly... Entropy is not your friend...

How much entropy can you reduce by getting off your sorry little ass, and getting to work? A first coffee of the day is encouraged.

Acrhibald "Harry" Tuttle. Heating Engineer.

[Dr Sardonicus]

Originally Posted by MooMoo2

Because I'm looking for a good challenge

Going further back (300 BC?) to the early days of the Roman Republic would make things too easy, while going forward and overthrowing an 18th century kingdom would be impossible.

You want a good challenge? OK, here's one: Assuming you were successful in overthrowing Caesar Augustus, explain how you would then run things as well, or better, than he did.

[PhilF]

Originally Posted by Dr Sardonicus

You want a good challenge? OK, here's one: Assuming you were successful in overthrowing Caesar Augustus, explain how you would then run things as well, or better, than he did.

That's probably not possible because we've been too influenced by history. We know too much about what has happened with the evolution of society, and it is impossible to not draw upon that knowledge while running things.

[Dr Sardonicus]

Originally Posted by PhilF

That's probably not possible because we've been too influenced by history. We know too much about what has happened with the evolution of society, and it is impossible to not draw upon that knowledge while running things.

Yes, but with the overthrow of Caesar Augustus, a lot of that history would no longer exist.

And so, presumably, our knowledge of that history also would no longer exist

[MooMoo2]

Originally Posted by xilman

Possibly.

Conquer the Empire? I very much doubt it unless you did so very early in history.

By Julius Caesar's time the empire was vast. The remainder of the empire could well have fought back against the tiny band of usurpers.They would have won against your peasants and slaves after the time travellers had run out of fuel and ammo.

Going back to c.218 BC would probably be the easiest. Form an alliance with Hannibal's soldiers, and the Romans will have to deal with elephants and rifles...

[MooMoo2]

Originally Posted by Dr Sardonicus

You want a good challenge? OK, here's one: Assuming you were successful in overthrowing Caesar Augustus, explain how you would then run things as well, or better, than he did.

I'd keep the social structure mostly the same, but would introduce modern knowledge like germ theory and the steam engine: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...-the-knowledge

With that advantage, I'd have a reasonable shot at conquering a few continents in 30 years or so.