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 321 AD in Sirmium, Gisel was a lover of a young Constantius II who refused to publicly acknowledge her existence. In a jealous rage, she learned the art of war, joining the forces of Magnentius. After losing in the Battle of Mursa, Gisel was enslaved as a gladiator in the emperor’s stable.
Born 219 BC in Larissa, Zoe is the rebellious daughter of a wealthy lord who cast her lot with the invading Romans before the Battle of Cynoscephalae. She ended up wedding a soldier, Viggo, with whom she ran away by funding a voyage to an alternate steampunk dimension that has been ravaged by the undead.
Born in 114 AD in Augusta Vindelicorum, Vin is a battled hardened P.O.W. forced to fight as a gladiator in Rome who, after earning his freedom after multiple victories, opted to keep fighting for the love of killing.
Born 200 BC in Xanthos, Matilda was chief librarian of the legendary Library of Lycia until cyborg and alien invaders annexed her homeland during the heyday of the Roman Republic. To escape enslavement, she conjured an interdimensional portal from ancient Sumerian texts, leaving to establish a rare used book store in 1980s AD Manhattan.
Born 25 BC in Tavium, Nyssa is a skilled seamstress and reveled in creating elaborate costumes for herself and others to wear at masked soirees. She was known for her ethereal beauty and her ability to transform into any character – past, present or future.
Born 311 AD in Gordion, Alce volunteered to battle as an interdimensional gladiator in place of his half-witted brother, Alberic, who was caught stealing silverware. Now he fights in a shopping mall arena in a Romanesque 20th century AD.
Born 2175 AD in Alexandria, Aker is a clerical assistant at the Library of Alexandria Innovation Hub where researchers have developed the “Giza Glasses”, a groundbreaking AR technology that enables wearers to temporarily inhabit bodies across dimensions. Night after night, Aker sneaks into the library’s vault to use the glasses, immersing himself in the lives of ancient pharaohs to experience firsthand the splendor and challenges of divine rule.
Born in 182 AD in Rome, Herta is the cold blooded guard captain for Emperor Caracalla who plotted his assassination by sowing discontent amongst the troops and turning a blind eye while a soldier stabbed him to death as he was urinating.
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 150 BC in Pella, Myrta, daughter of the last independent king of Macedon, boldly claims lineage from the mother of Alexander the Great. Emulating her tyrannical father, the pretender known as ‘Pseudo-Philip’, Myrta leads a mysterious cult with interdimensional powers, summoning extraterrestrial beings to aid her quest of terror and repression to reclaim her ‘ancestral’ Macedonian throne.
Born 129 BC in Sinope, Laodice is the sister of Mithridates the Great. To avoid being forced to marry her brother, she fled to an alternate dimension where she conspired with the Roman general Pompey to defeat and exact revenge on Mithridates.
Born 211 BC in Pergamon, Artox was a harpastum player who later became a champion of the cyber x-games after being transported to the 33rd century AD by an unknown entity.
Born 2125 AD in Leptis Magna, Octimius is the North African legate to Rome, using his diplomatic status to smuggle rare artifacts, interdimensional tech, and military-grade cybernetics to the Empire’s extraterrestrial elite. A trusted ally of Neo-Carthage’s governor and the cyborg Emperor Caligula, Falco leverages bribes, blackmail, and insider deals to maintain his untouchable position. His operations fuel the dark underbelly of Roman society, making him indispensable—and untouchable—in the empire’s most dangerous circles.
Born 39 AD in Volubilius, Chaka is a direct descendant of Cleopatra VII. She was raised in secrecy by a Roman equestrian family after the execution of her father, Ptolemy of Mauretania. Blessed with unsurpassed singing talent, she tours interdimensionally to entertain galactic civilizations.
Born 2185 AD in Corduba, Xylo is an interdimensional RTS gaming prodigy and former techno-slave who hacked his way to freedom. Cocky and self-absorbed, Xylo lived only for the thrill of the game until a rebellion led by a cloned Hannibal Barca tried to recruit him in the fight against the cyborg Emperor Caligula. Not wanting to jeopardize his lucrative career, he refused, until a scandal contrived by a corrupt governor shattered his reputation. Now, with nothing left to lose, Xylo reluctantly joins the fight, piloting a Xena-class mech in the battle for Neo-Carthage. Xylo plays by his own rules, driven less by loyalty than by the thrill of proving that the system is his to control—and burn.
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romanpunks@protonmail.ch
Registered in Ontario, Canada
