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 122 AD in Augustodunum, Corio was a renowned blacksmith for the Roman legion until he was kidnapped by alien cyborgs and sent through an interdimensional portal to the 28th century AD where he is condemned to fight as a gladiator in a futuristic cybercolosseum.
Born 3783 AD in Londinium, J.R. is a dimension hopping playboy who frequents posh, underground nightclubs to prey on rebellious beautiful women in search of freedom through time.
Born in 349 AD in Ephesus, Dag lived his life plundering cities and towns across Asia, so it was only natural that he continue his reign of terror after falling through a crevasse and portaling to a distant future alternate dimension.
Bruno and his brother Bostar, bastard sons of Hasdrubal Barca, were exiled to fight in the gladiator pits of Parthia. They were saved by brother Hannibal, who traveled through an interdimensional portal to rescue them from eternal servitude.
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 in 404 AD in a herd of nomads, Takuka was forced to marry at 11, murdered her husband at 13 and became a gladiator champion at 16. Now she travels across dimensions thirsting for blood and glory in the ring.
Born in 496 AD in Cuenca in a dimension where the Roman Empire had conquered America, not much else is known about Killa other than they are a bloodthirsty, undefeated gladiator known as the Cyberdemon who hops dimensions to challenge new foes across space and time.
Born 145 BC in Sinope, Zoi and her brother Pythodoris were servants of Pluto, God of the Underworld, who fought for Mithridates the Great, were slain by the Romans and sent to purgatory where they are forced to fight an endless battle against impossible odds.
Born in 132 BC in Cirta, North Africa, Izara came from a tribe of futuristic warrior women who traveled through a dimensional portal in Egypt to change the course of history by tipping the balance against Gaius Marius and his Roman legion in the Jugurthine Wars.
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 in 137 BC in Aventicum, Margaux was the mischievous daughter of an eccentric Helvetian sundial craftsman who discovered a telekinesis device in her father’s possession which she purloined and used to dominate her enemies in the gladiator arena.
Born 217 BC, Arsak is a clone of the Parthian king, Arsaces I, who wished to preserve his legacy; the cloning procedure, however, produced a mindless killer who they banished through an interdimensional portal to an unknown place and time.
Born 67 BC in Pella, Aris is Cicero’s true executioner—though the history books credit the deed to Marc Antony’s lackeys. His mind is controlled by a cabal of cyborg Illuminati engaged in time manipulation. Once it was decided Cicero knew too much and had to be extinguished, the cyborgs bent Aris to their will, using his executioner’s axe as the perfect instrument to silence a threat that could have upended their interdimensional dominion.
Born 2029 AD in Ebusus, Cassian is an interdimensional raver who drifts between realities, constantly chasing the next great EDM show. His path leads him to Elektrosar, a timeless bass-heavy festival that runs sempiternally in the ancient Hanging Gardens of a 25th-century Babylonian utopia. During a Chemical Sisters set, Cassian exchanges kandy with the unattainable PLUR princess Saba Nebunoida, a moment that turns his world upside down and sparks an unhealthy obsession.
Born 103 BC in Dyrrhachium, Jerome was a slave who joined forces with Spartacus during the Third Servile War, but fled through an interdimensional portal to the late 20th century AD to avoid their inevitable capture and crucifixion.
Bookmark the RomanPunks Y.at page for quick access to all our links:
© 2023 RomanPunks NFT
romanpunks@protonmail.ch
Registered in Ontario, Canada
