RomanPunks is a retrofuturistic, cyberpunk derivative world-building project inspired by fine art, history and the cryptopunk movement.
A total of 1,000 RomanPunk characters have been frozen in time and minted as Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs) on the Ethereum, WAX, Polygon and Algorand blockchains.
RomanPunk characters are comprised of commoners and famous individuals based on Roman history, art history and pop culture.
The basis for RomanPunk lore and backstories is exhaustively researched by history/sci-fi buff and co-founder, Punktavian.
All images are drawn by hand by woman artist and co-founder, Cleopunktra, without the aid of AI or generative tools.
RomanPunks came into existence through early minting on OpenSea, promoting on Twitter and building a Discord community through giveaways and engagement. The idea of a cyberpunk-derivative ‘RomanPunk’ theme was in our heads for years, but it was the success of the Cryptopunks that became the catalyst for project conception and launch.
After a hard working first 60 days spent networking and attracting new collectors to RomanPunks, our community had begun to flourish and sales increased. We began to offer our collectors an opportunity to battle their NFTs in a tournament bracket powered by dice rolls.
Encouraged by the tight knit community and the carbon-neutral blockchain with lightning fast and low cost transactions, we launched 'romanpunksio' collection on WAX Blockchain as the first step to expand the backstories of our RomanPunk characters and the baseline for future development of a card game.
RomanPunks integrated with Chainlink Labs to utilize VRF (Verified Randomness Function) to host a giveaway raffle for our holders. We developed a smart contract on Ethereum which guarantees true random number selection on chain and can be used for a wide range of functions that require random selection.
After much anticipation in the community, we released our first WAX NFT card 'pack' through the Neftyblocks platform, which sold out in less than a week.
We launched our Twitch channel and begun building an audience by offering numerous giveaways of WAX NFTs from our collection, as well as giving participants a chance to win RomanPunk ETH NFT airdrops for taking top spot at the end of the 'season'.
As firm believers in a metaverse future and land owners in The Sandbox, we undertook to build the RomanPunk Colosseum on 1x1 land and entered our experience "Gladiator Bloodsport" into a GameJam contest. We will continue to build the Colosseum into a PVP arena and social hub once The Sandbox offers creators the ability to do so.
Thanks to the user friendly tools offered by NeftyBlocks, we launched a comprehensive blending system on WAX, allowing our collectors to blend the common NFTs they earn in our Discord RPG up into Legendary famous NFTs through the use of blending 'coins' that can also be earned on the Discord as reward for helping to promote the RomanPunks project.
We launched the VX collection on Polygon. Each owner of an ETH NFT gets their voxel equivalent airdropped to them, and these NFTs can be redeemed for official NFTs on The Sandbox Marketplace once available.
All 1,000 original, unique 1:1 RomanPunk characters hand drawn by Cleopunktra and minted on OpenSea.
The RomanPunk WAX NFT Trading Card Fighter Pack Series II consists of 3 NFTs randomly selected from over 236 characters.
Upcoming plans for RomanPunks include:
Below is a comprehensive and searchable directory of all 1,000 RomanPunk Characters.
Born 1972 AD in Larissa, Teren was a videographer hired to shoot a routine military transport—until his footage captured something the Empire couldn’t allow to exist. Scrubbed from the records and marked for deletion, he fled with the raw files and a camera too old to track. Now he drifts between safehouses, haunted by what he filmed and unsure whether he’s chasing justice or just trying to prove he still exists.
Born 266 AD in Basel to dimension-hopping inventors from the 23rd century, Xylon learned from his mother how to make advanced weapons, and from his father how to use them. Now he travels across space and time in search of his next fight.
Born 120 AD in Londinium, Lyra is a dimension-hopping reveler who spends much of her time in a 1980s AD alternate universe, engaging in anti-imperialist activities and seeking out the greatest parties in that halcyon world of Roman hegemony, blending her love for Bacchanalian revelry with a spirit of resistance.
Born in 274 AD in Trento, Rolfus was part of the mysterious Cthulu Cohort that, according to legend, disappeared in a cave and returned as cybernetic drones believe to be puppeteered by an extradimensional alien force loyal to Emperor Diocletian.
Born 222 BC in Carthage, Addicus, a veteran of the Second Punic War, was enslaved by Scipio’s legionnaires after losing the Battle of Zama. As punishment, he was sent through an interdimensional portal to toil as a public servant in the effete, benighted 22nd century AD kingdom of Neo-Carthage where he now languishes as a bitter, cynical, brooding alcoholic.
Born 1960 AD in Valentia, Noira is a courtesan at Café Cypherpunk, a neon oasis where intergalactic metaverse denizens come to refuel and privately trade whispers of their escapades. A quiet observer by nature, Noira accidentally overhears a conspiracy that could destabilize the space-time continuum. Now, she’s marked by shadowy forces intent on silencing her, forcing her to navigate a world of intrigue far beyond her comprehension. Her only hope of survival lies in the hands of a dimension-hopping protector who may or may not arrive in time.
Born 2145 AD in Luxor-Thebes, Ram is a degenerate carnie who operates the “Daedalus Drop” carnival ride at the midway in the Neo-Carthage souk. This tower—a thrilling descent emulating the mythic fall of Icarus—has become a premier attraction under his management. Unbeknownst to Ram, a conspiracy is unfolding to sabotage his ride; nefarious actors intend to orchestrate a fatal malfunction to assassinate a prominent individual, placing him unwittingly at the heart of a dangerous plot.
Born 1955 AD in Tolosa, Ricki is a hairdresser, gossip, and fan of Italo disco who mixed up her cell phone for an interdimensional portal device and was transferred to the 1st century AD where she continues to cut hair and spread rumours in the public baths.
Born 2423 AD in Atuatuca, Dovina is known for her fierce intelligence and rebellious spirit. In her early twenties, she entered the Miss Metaverse pageant, using the platform to advocate against sexual harassment. Dovina made headlines when she publicly accused a clone of Julius Caesar of groping her during the 2500-year anniversary of his victory in Gaul. This bold move sparked controversy, but her courage inspired a movement for justice and equality.
Born in 99 AD in Spain during they heyday of Emperor Trajan, Augustina was sent to the to the gladiator pits after being falsely accused of murdering her parents. After showing great promise as a fighter, she was recruited by a women’s gladiator league from the 28th century AD.
Born 702 AD in Glasgow, Gwyn Der Fyn, daughter of a tapestry dealer, travels across space and time in search of the hottest shopping malls with the best deals on interstellar jewelry.
Born 2178 AD in Toletum, Velia is a descendant of King Alaric I, though she finds that about as useful in Neo-Carthage as a souvenir from a forgotten war. A wealthy socialite with a penchant for the morbid, Velia moves through the city’s elite circles with detached amusement. While rebellions and smuggling rings swirl around her, she drifts through it all, unintentionally entangling herself in minor scandals—never quite realizing how close she comes to chaos.
Born in 356 BC in Neapolis on the Crimean peninsula, Alkaia is an Amazonian warrior queen who was captured by time traffickers to battle in a futuristic cybercolosseum in the 28th century AD.
Born in 119 BC in Coracesium, Cyd was an infamous pirate king who wreaked havoc on Roman shipping until he was captured by Pompey and sentenced to fight in the gladiator pits of Rome.
Robovid XLV is an advanced cybernetic model created by Vitruvian Systems of the Eternal Dominion that infiltrates human society by masquerading as key individuals across multiple dimensions in order to manipulate the system from within. This particular model is trained in advanced rhetoric and tuned for relentless ambition to be deployed at the highest echelons of society.
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© 2023 RomanPunks NFT
romanpunks@protonmail.ch
Registered in Ontario, Canada
