TEXT:  
  Warlords 
  of  
  ALEXANDER 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Epic Roleplaying Amid the Ruins of Alexander's Empire  
   
  ~ For Chaosium's Basic Roleplaying Game ~ 
  
   
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  ZOZER Game Designs 
   
  Text © Paul Elliott 2004  
  Contributions by Tom Syvertsen (Alexander the Great), Romeo Reyes (Ptolemy I & II), 
  Maximillian Cairduff and Kelley L. Ross (Antigonid History).  
  Illustrations by Jonny Hodgson, Paul Elliott, David Hamilton 2004 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  CONTENTS 
   
   
   
  INTRODUCTION 
   
  PART I 
  ALEXANDER THE GREAT 
  THE SUCCESSOR KINGDOMS 
  DAILY LIFE 
  CALENDAR 
   
  PART II 
  CREATING CHARACTERS 
  GAME SYSTEM 
  GODS, PHILOSOPHERS & MAGIC 
  BUILDING A CAMPAIGN 
   
  APPENDIX i - Names 
  APPENDIX ii - References 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  INTRODUCTION 
   
  “It is my belief that there was in those days no nation, no city, no individual beyond the reach 
  of Alexander’s name; never in all the world was there another like him ...” 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander 
   
   
  Centaur, dryad, griffin, gorgon - creatures like these litter the pages of most fantasy 
  roleplaying games. Creatures from Greek myth. Of course, there are plenty of other 
  entries that would fit nicely into a Greek campaign with a suitable name change: giants, 
  passion spirits and so on. The great pull of roleplaying the ancient Greeks, however, is 
  not the 'fit' of many monsters or races, but the unique and atmospheric society of the 
  day. Nodding horse-hair crests, long-shadowed spears, many-columned temples of 
  marble, triremes surging across turquoise seas guided by painted eyes on the prow, 
  phalanxes of grim hoplites, unconformist philosophers debating science under shady 
  colonnades ... classical Greece.   
   
  WARLORDS OF ALEXANDER is a fantasy setting for Chaosium Inc.'s Basic Roleplaying 
  Game. A gamemaster need only have a copy of Call of Cthulhu, Stormbringer, or Elric! 
  to play. Player characters are tough and rootless mercenaries, or wandering fortune 
  hunters seeking a rich patron or perhaps rumour of a lost treasure hoard. The world they 
  inhabit is dominated by huge and powerful kingdoms, massive fragments of Alexander 
  the Great's short-lived world-spanning empire. His generals spawned a number of 
  dynasties which now make interminable war on one another. All wish to be the next 
  'Alexander' - and the hoplite armies pay for these fruitless ambitions in blood ... 
   
  WARLORDS OF ALEXANDER gives you a way to mix the vividly historical with the 
  monsters and magic of Greek myth. We get both halves of Greece - as long as you enjoy 
  a little 'imaginative interpretation' at the expense of rigorous historical accuracy. The aim 
  of the book is firstly to map out the amendments and rules additions needed to convey 
  the Greek setting. Secondly it is to provide a solid gaming 'hook' taken straight out of 
  classical Greek history that can be used as a foundation for building scenarios and 
  campaigns. The hook I've chosen is the period of the Successor Wars, a violent and 
  bitter struggle in the mid-3rd century BC between the loyal generals of Alexander the 
  Great (and their sons and grandsons) for the remnants of that youthful hero-king's vast 
  empire. It is Classical Greece writ large across the known world, with every mercenary a 
  hoplite, the common language Greek, the Olympian deities worshipped from India to 
  Italy and Greek city comforts (baths, agora, gymnasia, theatres etc.) available in 
  hundreds of cities newly established throughout conquered territories by Alexander 
  himself. This almost universal Greek culture stands in well for the accepted fantasy 
  society that is a prevalent and unwritten standard in many RPGs. In fact the Successor 
  period is ripe for roleplaying in every way, mirroring the standards and assumptions of 
  fantasy games: a common language (in fact the universal dialect of Greek in use at the  
  time was called koine Greek, quite literally 'common'), numerous warring kingdoms, an  
  
   
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  accepted universal culture understood by most civilized folk, a well-known pantheon of 
  gods, a well-known bestiary of monsters and supernatural beings and an international 
  society that tolerates and even promotes heavily armed and armoured adventurers 
  travelling freely in search of fortune and glory.  
   
  Why not leave the field open for GM's to pick any date in Greek history? Well, 
  historically the Greeks were constantly at war with each other. Long term rivalries, feuds, 
  petty bickerings, alleigances, leagues, differing governmental systems and competing 
  interests meant that the Greeks never enjoyed co-operation. There was never a Greek 
  nation in ancient times. There were very occasionally unifying events such as the Persian 
  invasions of 490 and 480 BC, but even these epic battles for Greek survival were marred 
  by infighting. To see just how deep the Greek rivalries could get take a look at the 
  ultimate Greek-on-Greek conflict: the Peloponnesian War (431 - 404 BC). A war that is 
  filled with bone-shuddering atrocities. The freedom to travel (which is cherished by many 
  roleplaying groups) is incredibly restricted in these war-torn circumstances.  
   
  Disclaimer: Basic Roleplaying, Elric! and Call of Cthulhu are all trademarked terms 
  belonging to Chaosium Inc. and no infringement is intended. WARLORDS OF 
  ALEXANDER is an unofficial gaming supplement written by Paul Elliott designed to be 
  used using the Basic Roleplaying Game rules.  
   
  Further Note: Having much overlap in theme and in content, there are certain sections 
  of WARLORDS (specifically much of the information on the nations) which have been 
  lifted with some minimal rewriting from my Roman Fantasy RPG called ZENOBIA. It's 
  best to be honest about these things! 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  PART 1 
                                          
  ALEXANDER THE GREAT 
   
  On 20 July, 356 B.C., Olympias, the wife of King Philip the Second of Macedon, gave 
  birth to a son and named him Alexander. This boy eventually became known as 
  Alexander the Great. This birthdate is still in question. Though 20 July seems to be the 
  most widely accepted date, it may simply have been chosen to align with other 
  important dates in Alexander's life. It is also said that on the day of his birth, the Temple 
  of Artemis burned down, thus indicating it was a good omen for Alexander's future 
  greatness. Macedon at this time was a burgeoning power, considered 'barbarian' by the 
  Greek cities, it now glowered over them from the north. Greek colony cities and local 
  Thracian tribes were falling to Philip's new army every year. Soon the whole of Greece 
  had fallen under Macedon's sway. Even the Persian Empire sent envoys to parley with 
  Philip.  
   
  Often as a child Alexander would get discouraged when the news came home that his 
  father had conquered and taken another territory. This was because he was worried that 
  there would be nothing left for him to conquer in manhood. By the time he was thirteen, 
  he was quite mature. This can be partly credited to the fact that he was probably around 
  his father's army for a good portion of his childhood, most likely, he was running through 
  the groups of soldiers ever since he could walk. Alexander's maturity is demonstrated 
  through a famous story. His father had just bought a 
  beautiful horse named Bucephalus, but, much to 
  Philip's dismay, no one around could ride it. He was 
  about to get rid of it when Alexander decided to 
  make a wager on whether or not he could ride it. 
  He bet thirteen talents, which was the price of the 
  horse. This was a huge sum of money for a thirteen 
  year old to have. Alexander calmly approached the 
  horse to find that the horse was afraid of its own 
  shadow. Facing it toward the sun to keep the 
  shadow behind it, Alexander got on Bucephalus and 
  rode him. Alexander got to keep the horse and later 
  rode the same horse all the way to India. When the 
  horse died there, Alexander founded a city and 
  named it Bucephala after his beloved horse.  
   
  Alexander's parents wanted the best for their son, so they hired some of the finest tutors 
  around to give him a good education. When Alexander was thirteen, he started learning 
  from Aristotle. From him he learned the ways of the Greeks which he incorporated into 
  his life from that point on. He found interest in other countries, philosophy, ethics, 
  politics, plants, animals, and a wide range of other topics. Alexander also acquired a love  
   
  
   
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  for the works of Homer. Alexander read and learned the Iliad, taking Achilles as his role 
  model. Once he had learned enough from Aristotle, his parents thought it was time for 
  him to move onto a different teacher. Leonidas, who was most likely related to Olympia 
  and possibly Alexander's uncle, was his next tutor. Leonidas was a harsh teacher and did 
  not last all that long because Alexander did not particularly care for him. Alexander's final 
  tutor was Lysimachus. From him he learned many cultural aspects of the world around 
  him. He found an appreciation for fine arts such as drama, poetry and music. Lysimachus 
  also taught Alexander how to play the lyre. By this time in Alexander's life, he was a well-
  rounded and very intelligent teenager. 
    
  Alexander rose to power rather quickly, and at an early age. At sixteen, he was already 
  given some important responsibilities. When his father, King Philip, left him in charge 
  while he was away for an extended period of time, one of their conquered cities 
  revolted. Alexander quickly took hold of the situation and marched troops to the area. 
  Also by the age of sixteen he had founded his first colony and named it Alexandropolis.  
  Alexander's ultimate rise to power came in June 336 when he was twenty years old. His 
  father, King Philip was killed at the theater. Many speculate that Alexander may have 
  played a role in his father's death, but most likely Alexander's mother, Olympias, had 
  more to do with it. With his father dead, Alexander became the king of Macedon. He 
  soon showed his power when the large city of Thebes revolted in 335. He stormed the 
  city with overwhelming force, taking 30,000 people as slaves.  
   
  With Greece and the Aegean under Macedonian rule, Alexander had only one direction 
  in which to turn if he wanted to equal his father's accomplishments. And he desperately 
  wanted to outdo his father - Philip the Warlord. Alexander would have to take on Persia, 
  that vast empire (the largest in human history until the Roman) which stretched from 
  Libya to India.  
   
  In 334 BC he leads the Macedonian army into Asia Minor and the territories of the 
  Persian Empire. The western satrap of Persia meets Alexander in battle at the Granicus, 
  and the Macedonian army is victorious. The force moves onward, conquering as it goes. 
  In 333 the battle of Issus is won by Alexander against the forces of King Darius. The 
  Macedonian general then leads his troops south to take parts of the Persian Empire. He 
  takes Phoenicia and the Egypt. It is in Egypt that Alexander takes a column of soldiers out 
  across the parched desert to the Siwa oasis where the oracle of Zeus-Ammon proclaims 
  the general the 'son of Zeus'. He is crowned pharaoh. The final great battle of the 
  invasion of Persia is fought at Gaugamela, near Babylon. The main Persian army is 
  destroyed and Darius flees eastward to the vast 'Further Satrapies'. Alexander takes 
  Babylon 331.  
   
  For the next four years the Macedonian army marches through the eastern satraps, 
  defeating armies, seizing the great Persian capitals, setting up Greek colony cities, 
  installing new satraps (or reinstalling the pervious ones, if loyal) and chasing down 
  contenders to the Persian throne. This campaign through mountains and deserts takes 
  the army high up into the Hindu Kush, and eventually in the summer of 327 BC into the  
  most eastern part of the empire - into India. In the next year his troops have fought the  
  
   
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  Indian armies and conquered yet more teritory - Alexander wants to continue to the 
  edge of the world (which he belies is close). His troops realise the world is bigger than 
  Alexander and his drreams, and mutiny. Grudgingly Alexander takes them back. Some of 
  them at least. There are more savage battles to win through India as the army heads 
  south to the mouth of the Indus. And once there Alexander spares his men nothing and 
  drives them into the Gedrosian Desert, thousands die. In 324 Alexander returns to 
  Persepolis, Susa and Ecbatana, the great Persian capitals. He begins to try to adminsiter 
  his vast conquests, but dies suddenely after a short illness at Babylon in 323.  
   
  Alexander had developed into quite an individual. He was a very generous man who 
  demonstrated extreme loyalty toward his friends, though at the same time he was very 
  cautious and intelligent. Alexander also had an unpredictable and wild side that could 
  occassionally manifest in violent outbursts. His troops, however, loved him. He was 
  fearless, brave, versatile, ingenious and above all indomitable. Nothing could stop 
  Alexander. Nothing on earth.  
   
  The Macedonian King loved drama, music, poetry, and wine. Alexander also liked 
  various exercises such as hunting, ball games and running. He was said to be an 
  Olympic quality runner, but declined to run unless he was matched up against other 
  kings. His pride was so great that it would not allow the possibility that someone might 
  let him win. Though he generally liked to play sports, he disliked athletic competitions.  
  Alexander the Great respected women, and treated them fairly. Aristotle's early 
  teachings may have had something to do with Alexander's attitude toward women. 
  When taking young woman captive after raiding a city, he would protect them from his 
  troops, and treat them as if they were his daughters. Often, when addressing older 
  queens, Alexander would refer to them as 'mother', showing his respect to them as if 
  being a part of his close family. One of Alexander's finest acts was when he took his  
  enemy Darius' mother and other family members when he conquered Persia: thinking 
  that Alexander was going to kill them, Darius was much relieved to find that Alexander 
  treated them royally and with respect as guests of his kingdom.  
   
  Along the span of his lifetime, Alexander the Great conquered many regions in a short 
  period of time. He was a military strategist par excellence and found a way to victory no 
  matter the odds stacked up against him.  
    
  Living through all these battles was another great feat since Alexander always rode in the 
  front line of his army. In the battle against the Mallians, when an arrow pierced 
  Alexander's lung, his troops thought that their leader was killed. They were so enraged 
  that they ran through the city killing all in a bloody massacre. Alexander made it through 
  with a splintered rib and a torn lung. This was not the only time Alexander was struck by 
  an arrow; while invading Samarkand, an arrow split his leg bone making it impossible for 
  him to ride back. The calvary got the honor of carrying Alexander back home, but soon 
  the infantry became jealous of their privilege. Alexander decided to let each unit take 
  turns sharing the honor. Alexander also lived through various other serious, as well as 
  minor, wounds and illnesses along his conquests ranging from a bird dropping a stone 
  on his head to getting a mild case of hypothermia while crossing the mountains.  
   
  
   
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  Along his many journeys, Alexander the Great founded many cities and colonies. Quite 
  possibly the most famous is the Alexandria at the mouth of the Nile. When Alexander 
  reached Egypt, the Egyptians viewed him as their deliverer from Persian rule, and 
  crowned him as their Pharaoh. Egyptian Alexandria, was established as a center of 
  commerce and learning.  
   
  With all these new nations under Alexander's rule, he needed to unite these nations 
  together to keep things running smoothing. He encouraged intermarriages, and set the 
  example by marrying a second wife, Stateira, who was Persian. He also drew soldiers 
  from all different provinces to mix cultures within his army. A uniform currency system 
  was also used in the region under Alexander's rule. Alexander, in a final attempt to unite 
  his nation, chose a common religion, in which he received all worship unto himself.  
   
  Eventually, Alexander the Great started to lose some of his power. A lot of his troops 
  wanted to go home again, but Alexander kept pushing them to conquer more, thus 
  losing their support. In one incident, while drunk, Alexander fought and killed his friend 
  Clitus. At this point, he lost the trust from the already unhappy troops. Not only were 
  some of his soldiers unhappy with him, but a lot of the Macedonians started to dislike 
  him. This was caused by his adoption of Persian ways. Though he was pulling together 
  his vast empire, the Macedonians felt they were losing their leader. Also by accepting his 
  promised deification after his death, he started to feel as though he was a god while he 
  was still living. He started self-worship to help unite his varied territories with a common 
  religion, but he took it too far with prokynesis. Prokynesis is the act of bowing before 
  someone, and Alexander had the people of his empire do so. After all this, Alexander still 
  retained much of his power, but it would soon be taken away from him.  
   
  On 10 June, 323, a little more than a month from his thirty-third birthday, Alexander the 
  Great died. The actual cause of his death remains unknown, but it seems unlikely that a 
  thirty-two year old man of his health would die of natural causes, even for his time in 
  history. One more colorful account tells how Alexander drank a cup of wine, which was 
  poisoned, and he started gasping and choking, and died soon after. Most likely, he died 
  from complications of the flu, or was struck by malaria while in Babylon. At that time, 
  though during his downfall, many soldiers still loved their leader, and they all sat around 
  outside his tent as his condition deteriorated. The day before he died, his soldiers 
  marched past his death bed, honoring their great leader.  
   
  They embalmed him and placed his body in a gold sarcophagus which was taken to 
  Memphis, Egypt. Later it was transported to it's final destination, Alexandria. 
  Unfortunately, the tomb was not left untouched. Many centuries later, in 89 B.C., 
  Ptolemy IX needed money, so he opened the tomb and melted down Alexander's 
  sarcophagus to make gold coins. People were so enraged that Ptolemy would do such a 
  thing to a legend, that Ptolemy was killed soon after.  
   
  With no successor named on his death bed, his empire went out to generals and officers 
  who would then become governors of sections of his empire. Soon after, Alexander the 
  Great's empire split and crumbled.  
  
   
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  After Alexander's untimely death, his half-witted half-brother Philip III was made King, 
  awaiting the birth of Alexander's postumous child by Roxane, the daughter of KIng 
  Darius. This child turned out to be a son, Alexander IV. Brother and son were thus the 
  "Kings" in the custody of the Regents. Philip ended up murdered by Alexander's mother,  
  Olympias, in league with Polyperchon, in 317. She was almost immediately murdered by  
  Cassander. Alexander was murdered, together with Roxane, by Cassander around 310. 
  Alexander IV's "official" reign, and the fiction of a unified empire, was maintained for five 
  more years, until Antigonus, Demetrius, Lysimachus, Seleucus, Ptolemy, and Cassander 
  (the Diadochi or  "Successors") had all proclaimed themselves Kings in their own right.  
   
  What followed was a confusing and very complex battle for power, where Alexander's 
  warlords seized territories that they made their headquarters, and used them as 
  platforms from which to launch attacks against their rivals. All proclaimed themselves the 
  true heirs of the Alexandrian empire. All styled themselves after Alexander himself and 
  none would back down. There were many weapons used in this battle: armies of levy 
  infantry, elephants brought from India, coinage and economic leverage, wandering 
  mercenaries, propaganda, religion and dynastic intermarriage. At times the warlords 
  were overthrown and their lands seized by some other successor king, the king in exile 
  often setting up in some new land with an army and political allies.  
   
  WARLORDS OF ALEXANDER joins the successors a generation later, in the 270's BC. 
  Alexander died in 323 BC, fifty three years ago. In 270 BC, Alexander casts a shadow 
  over the world as much as Hitler did in the late 20th century. And the near-instant break-
  up of his empire was as momentous and chaotic and 'new-world-forming', as the fall of 
  communism in 1989 and early 1990s. The generals who grew up with Alexander in 
  Macedonia and commanded units of his army during the momentous conquest of Persia 
  have been dying, still at loggerheads, over the past twenty or thirty years. Their sons now 
  carry on the ferocious struggle for power - new generation of would-be Alexanders just 
  as belligerent, as intransigent and as vainglorious as their fathers.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  TIMELINE 
  356 BC  Birth of Alexander III of Macedon to Philip II and Olympias 
  336 BC  Alexander ascends to the throne after his father’s death 
  334 BC  Alexander crosses into Asia to continue the campaign begun by his father 
  333 BC  Battle of Issus between Alexander and Darius 
  331 BC  Foundation of Alexandria (in Egypt) 
  330 BC  Death of Darius (the Persian King of Kings) 
  325 BC  Alexander returns to Susa 
  324 BC  Mass marriage ceremony held where 90 Macedonians married wealthy Persian maids 
  323 BC  Alexander dies in Babylon; the Age of the Diadochoi (Successors) begins 
  320 BC Perdiccas murdered; meeting of the remaining Diadochoi at Triparadeisus  
  319 BC Death of Antipater  
  317 BC Philip III Arrhidaeus murdered  
  316 BC Cassander executes Olympias (Alexander the Great's mother)  
  315 BC Death of Eumenes  
  310 BC Alexander IV murdered  
  301 BC Death of Antigonus at the Battle of Ipsus  
  297 BC Death of Cassander  
  288 BC Lysimachus and Pyrrhus partition Macedonia  
  285 BC Demetrius surrenders to Seleucus  
  283 BC Death of Ptolemy I  
  281 BC Death of Lysimachus at Corupedium; Seleucus assassinated 
  279 BC Gauls invade Macedonia and Greece 
  277 BC Antigonus II defeats the Gauls at Lysimacheia and becomes King of Macedonia 
  274 – 271 BC First Syrian War between Ptolemy II and Antiochus I 
  274 BC Pyrrhus invades Macedonia 
  
   
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  THE SUCCESSOR KINGDOMS 
   
   
  “After the battle (of Ipsos) had been decided ... the victorious kings proceeded to carve 
  up the realm which Antigonus and Demetrius had ruled, like the carcass of some great 
  slaughtered beast, each of them taking a limb and adding new provinces to those they 
  already posessed.” 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Plutarch, Life of Demetrius 
   
  The heirs to Alexander’s vast empire were his generals. In most cases, these generals (the 
  ‘successors’) handed on their acquisitions in turn to their successors, thus establishing a 
  number of powerful dynasties. Fifty years later the merits of these successor kingdoms 
  can be assessed. Egypt forms the heart of the Ptolemaic Kingdom, which is by far the 
  richest of the three states. Macedonia and northern Greece have become the Antigonid 
  Kingdom, it is the smallest, but the most militarily powerful - it was after-all the heartland 
  of Alexander the Great’s world-conquering army. By far the largest successor kingdom is 
  the Seleucid Empire, named after Alexander’s general Seleucus. It controls the 
  conquered Persian empire, Syria, and the mountain kingdoms of Asia Minor. These 
  dynastic blocs are called Great Houses, and the direct Koine Greek equivalent is 
  ‘pragmata’  or ‘royal affairs’. 
   
  All of the Greek-established cities have demes and tribes (eg tribe of Laodicea and deme 
  of Olympius - at Seleucia-by-the-Sea), rather than districts or parishes. The king can award 
  ‘royal land’ to a favorite and this land can be ‘attached’ to the territory of a city to 
  become the property of the beneficiary. The city will derive financial advantages from 
  such royal land. A typical donation could be 1,000 or 2,000 plethra of land (1 plethron = 
  c.950 sq.metres). Chariot racing and other Greek sports take place in and around the 
  cities. Greek names are catching on in all strata of society (esp. educated or well-off). 
   
  There are a preponderance of private associations, men’s social/religious clubs, typically 
  with a membership of around 100. Often they are democratic brotherhods either 
  owning or renting their own clubhouse. A typical lease on a suitable property might cost 
  in the area of 200 drachmae per year.  
   
  There are two types of noble House: the House Major (or Great House) and the House 
  Minor. A Minor House has the mandate to rule a particular city or region with a high 
  degree of autonomy (if ruled by a Great House) or even independently (if lucky). A 
  Great House has seized the chance to rule over a kingdom or empire that encompasses 
  many other Minor Houses. There are three Great Houses, powerful dynastic families that 
  dominate vast areas of the ancient world – the powerhouses of the Successor Kingdoms. 
  House Antigonus, House Ptolemy and House Seleucus. They are more than kingdoms, 
  they are international power blocs, competing economic spheres and warring factions. 
  In this dramatic three-way fight lesser kingdoms, tribes and cities as well as the player 
  characters themselves, become mere foot-soldiers, expendable playing pieces in a great 
  game that will last for centuries.  
  
   
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  "They should rule who are able to rule best" 
  Aristotle, Politics 
   
  The building blocks of a Great House are the provinces which provide resources, and 
  the cities which provide manpower, crafts and trade. While most Great Houses have a 
  strangle-hold on their provinces through officials, generals and tax-collectors, the cities 
  have much more autonomy and must be bargained with carefully. Many old  established 
  cities (like Damascus or Babylon) have their own councils of elders or clan chiefs. The 
  new Hellenic cities established by Alexander or his Successors have very Greek 
  assemblies and all of the trappings of a Greek city-state. These city authorities play an 
  important role and are desperately needed, but they can cause headaches for the 
  Successor monarch. Often he deals with them diplomatically, giving important or very 
  friendly cities honours or tax bonuses. Many Hellenized cities, in turn, flex their 
  freedoms, going as far as to send delegations to court or even abroad, and forging trade 
  alliances and such with other cities or Minor Houses.  
   
  There are Minor Houses that exist in the cracks between the Great Houses, or on the 
  fringes of Great House territory as a buffer state. A Minor House, such as Meroe, 
  Bithynia or Pontus has an independant noble lord at its head, an established dynasty of 
  ancestors and a noble family. This Minor House owns cities, villages, land, orchards, 
  oxen and has under its control a vast army of farmers, craftsmen, slaves, warriors, scribes 
  and others. All these individuals are bound up within the House’s royal economy and 
  owe a loyalty to it.  
   
  HOUSE CHARACTERISTICS 
  The Lesser and Greater Houses are rated just like player characters with the very same 
  characteristics: STR, CON, DEX, INT, POW, SIZ and CHA. Obviously these 
  characteristics have a slightly different meaning in this context, but the idea is the same.  
   
  STRENGTH (STR) – A House’s military might represented by phalanxes, cavalry 
  squadrons, light infantry and elephants.  
   
  CONSTITUTION (CON) – The resources a House can draw upon is measured by CON, 
  from silver mines to corn fields, olive oil to buiding stone.  
   
  DEXTERITY (DEX) – Communication links are rated by DEX. Everything from the 
  existence and maintanence of good roads, navigable rivers and coastlines free from 
  piracy.  
   
  INTELLIGENCE (INT) – The quality of a House’s advisors, officials and bureacrats is 
  measured by INT. A low INT rating indicates young, inexperienced or misguided officials, 
  giving a king little incentive to trust his hierarchy. 
   
  
   
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  POWER (POW) – POWER rates the blessings of the gods. A House can cultivate those 
  blessings by honouring the gods with new temples, festivals and good works, as well as 
  establishing new cults.  
   
  SIZE (SIZ) – A simple measure of land under the House’s control.  
   
  CHARISMA (CHA) – What is the public’s view of the House?  How loyal are the king’s 
  subjects? CHA measures this loyalty.  
   
  These characteristics play an important role in the game. If a group of player characters 
  allies itself with a House (always a smart move), then they have a chance to raise or 
  lower one of the values. If the PCs destroyed a lair of pirates who were attacking 
  shipping from the House, then at the scenario’s end the GM might award +1 to the 
  House’s DEX stat. Likewise, if they managed to steal the sacred body of Alexander the 
  Great intact, their own House would benefit from a POW increase of +2 or +3! 
  Obviously being able to have an immediate and obvious impact on a portion of the 
  gameworld brings the background of the game much closer to the fore.  
   
  In addition, the characteristic values of a House have a direct impact on the lives of the 
  player characters. If they are allied with a House then the GM can use a characteristic x 
  5 roll to resolve all kinds of questions. Here are some examples of those x5 rolls: 
   
  STR – Can the House provide some armed back-up if requested? Will the PCs be able to 
  get past the military patrols on the border?  
  CON – Can the outpost support the refugees?  
  DEX – After the Nile flood, is the road still intact? Are there any caravanserais on this 
  route? Will there be any naval patrols around here?  
  INT – Can the House advisors provide any useful information? Will the strategos the PCs 
  talked to pass the message on up the chain of command?  
  POW – The POW of the Great House indicates the basic POW level of the Kingdom 
  when it defends against hostile magic.  
  SIZ – Indicates in plain terms how far the other characteristics extend into the game 
  world. No other obvious game use.  
  CHA – Will the peasants in the town revolt? If the enemy attacks will the local townsfolk 
  hide the player characters, or give them up? Will they be friendly or hostile to agents of 
  the crown? 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  HOUSE SELEUCUS 
   
  Characteristics 
  STR 16, CON 14, POW 10, INT 5, DEX 8, CHA 11, SIZ 21 
   
  Ruler 
  Antiochus Soter, son of Seleucus Nicator 
   
  Patron God 
  Apollo. Seleucus was reputedly Apollo's son and had Apollo's symbol, an anchor, as a 
  birthmark on his thigh.  
   
  House Symbol 
  Upturned Anchor 
   
  Area Under Domination 
  Persia, Chaldea, Syria, Armenia, Cilicia, Cappadocia, Lydia and Caria. 
   
  Royal City 
  Antioch 
   
  The Seleucid Empire is very cosmopolitan. Peoples of many races and cultures mingle 
  freely in the ancient trading cities of the empire, and the new influx of Greek colonists 
  provide yet another level of culture. The Seleucids have added a new feature to the 
  established government of the empire. They have constructed new fortified cities 
  throughout the kingdom, colonised them with Greek settlers, and given each a royal 
  garrison. These towns enjoy a great deal of independance, but each is under the control 
  of a governor. These cities include Antioch and Seleucia-on-the-Tigris, and all are great 
  centres of Greek learning, culture, religion and artistic tastes. Meanwhile agriculture 
  provides much of the empire’s wealth, while trade provides the rest. Many of the 
  empire’s cities are also great centres of trade and commerce, and to promote this aspect 
  of the economy, the Selecucid kings have maintained a network of roads that stretch 
  from India in the east, to the wealthy Syrian ports on the coast of the Mediterranean.  
   
  The Seleucid system of government owes much to the previous Persian organisation, 
  with the retention of the Persian satrapies under Macedonian governors (still called 
  satraps). Hellenic culture was grafted wholesale onto the diverse cultural mix of the 
  empire’s inhabitants. The Greek language was quickly adopted as the administrative, 
  legal and diplomatic language of all the empire’s territories, while the language it 
  replaced, Aramaic, continued in use as a secondary or subsidiary international language. 
  Greek coinage came into widespread use, carried along with Greek language, religion 
  and values, by merchants, artisans and mercenaries who had migrated out into the cities 
  founded by Seleucus and his descendants.    
   
  A local district around a Greek city is governed by an overseer who is responsible to the 
  
   
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   satrap (governor) of the satrapy (province). Every satrap has a chief priest and priestess 
  who are responsible for the administration of all Olympian cults within the province. All 
  settlements, villages, towns and cities have assemblies of their most distinguished 
  citizens, who vote on important matters and enjoy some degree of autonomy. Many of 
  these citizens are aristocratic landowners or wealthy merchants.  
   
  A city can be granted the title of ‘Holy and Inviolate’ by the king which means that he 
  cannot exact reprisals from it during peacetime, it is immune to arbitrary seizure and its 
  private properties will not be used to billet troops (perhaps the very worst calamity that 
  could beset any settlement!). The settlement is literally blessed by the gods. 
   
  Seleucid priesthoods are often up for sale, or rather, one of the main factors in gaining a 
  temple position is money as well as suitability. Slaves can be manumitted (freed) by 
  selling them to the goddess Nanaia at Susa for their purchase price. This is an iIncentive 
  for good behaviour. The slaves often raise this money themselves and it is donated to 
  the cult. 
   
  The main regions of the Seleucid Empire are:  
   
  • The Kingdoms of Asia Minor (Lydia, Caria, Cilicia and Cappadocia) 
  • Armenia 
  • Syria 
  • Assyria and Babylonia (known together as 'Chaldea') 
  • Persia and the many tribes of the interior 
  • Bactria 
   
  “In my view it is beyond dispute that Seleucus was the greatest king of those who 
  succeeded Alexander, of the most royal mind, and ruling over the greatest extent of 
  territory, next to Alexander himself.” 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander 
   
   
  Seleucus - Founder of the Great House 
  With the death of Alexander in 323, the empire quickly fragmented, despite the attempts 
  of Perdiccas. Soon Alexander’s military officers were siezing more territory and coming 
  into conflict with each other. Seleucus had been awarded the Persian satrapy of Babylon 
  in 320. Following an insult received badly by the visiting general Antigonus One-Eye, 
  Seleucus had his money and possessions siezed by the voracious leader. Seleucus was 
  forced to flee and in 316 took shelter in Egypt with Ptolemy. It was Ptolemy who then 
  launched an offensive against the growing might of Antigonus and his young son 
  Demetrius. At the Battle of Gaza (312) Demetrius was soundly defeated and Ptolemy 
  sent Seleucus on to Babylon with a contingent of troops to re-establish  his rule. There he 
  slew Nicanor, the satrap left behind by Antigonus, and was received enthusiastically by 
  the people. Seleucus quickly extended his rule to encompass the cities of Media. For his 
  slaying of Nicanor in hand-to-hand combat, Seleucus was awarded the title ‘Victorious’. 
  Seleucus was a tall, powerfully-built man who had previously commanded Alexander’s  
   
  
   
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  elite foot guards, the Hypaspists. Once, during the sacrifice of a wild bull in the presence 
  of Alexander, the beast broke loose and Seleucus wrestled it to the ground with his bare 
  hands. In honour of this feat statues of Seleucus are often horned. 
   
  Seleucus wasted no time in extending his empire. In 305 he invaded India and fought 
  the Indian king Chandragupta until both sides signed a peace treaty (under which terms 
  Seleucus received some 500 elephants). At this time Seleucus, following the example of 
  Antigonus One-Eye, declared himself king and came into direct conflict with the old war-
  leader. This led to the famous Battle of Kings in 301. At Ipsus in Asia Minor, Seleucus 
  and his allies (Lysimachus, Ptolemy and Cassander) shared out the territories of 
  Antigonus, who fell in the battle aged 80. Now Seleucus ruled Syria, Mesopotamia, 
  Armenia, Cappadocia (and the rest of Asia Minor), Persia, Bactria, Parthia, Areia, Tapuria, 
  Sogdiana, Arachosia, Hyrcania, Gedrosia and assorted tribes s far east as the Indus. The 
  king was by far the most ambitious of Alexander’s successors and came closest to re-
  establishing his mighty (if short-lived) empire. 
   
  Seleucus was a prolific founder of cities, with sixteen named Antioch, after his father, five 
  named Laodicea, after his mother, nine named Seleucia, after himself, and four named 
  after his wives - three Apamea and one called Stratonicea. The most famous of these are 
  Seleucia-on-the-Tigris and Seleucia-by-the-Sea, Antioch at the foot of Mount Lebanon, 
  Apamea in Syria and Laodicea in Phoenicia. Other cities he founded are named after 
  places in Macedonia or Greece, or the achievements made either by Alexander or 
  himself. The foundation of both Seleucia-by-the-Sea and Seleucia-on-the-Tigris were 
  accompanied by great omens. A portent of thunder preceeded the establishment of the 
  former which led to thunder becoming the city’s divinity and emblem, hymns are sung 
  and worship carried out in its name even today. The king is said to have consulted 
  Persian Magi to selected the most propitious day and hour to begin work on Seleucia-
  on-the-Tigris, but they deceived him with a false time. Even so, the army suddenely 
  began work on the foundations, unbidden, at the correctly predicted time, as if 
  compelled by some powerful force. And so the trickery of the Magi was revealed. They 
  were then forced by the events to bless the foundation of this new city.  
   
  Seleucus ruled twenty satrapies, and gave over control of those in the east to his 
  promising son Antiochus (born to Seleucus’ Persian wife Apamea). Meanwhile, his aging 
  friend Ptolemy died peacefully in his bed in Alexandria, to be succeeded by his younger 
  son, Ptolemy II Philadelphus. In 281 Seleucus realised that Lysimachus, the aging ruler of 
  Macedonia and Thrace, had become an unbearable threat and fought his armies at 
  Corupedion in Lydia. The Seleucid army continued on into Europe, for a time it looked 
  as if the king might even re-unite Alexander’s vast empire. But Ptolemy Ceraunos (the 
  Thunderbolt), the elder brother of Ptolemy Philadelphus, stabbed Seleucus to death at 
  Lysimacheia. The Macedonian troops who had followed Lysimachos rallied around 
  Ceraunos, hailing him as king of Macedonia. However, there were rivals and there were 
  invasions of Celtic barabarians. Over the next few years a succession of kings of 
  Macedon were defeated or ousted util the Celtic tribes were defeated in 277 and 
  Antigonus Gonatas emerged as the undisputed ruler of Macedonia.  
   
  
   
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  Seleucus, struck down by a treacherous blade (Ceraunos had sought shelter at the 
  Seleucid court some time before), had carved out for both himself and his heir, a vast 
  empire almost equal in size to that of the Persian Great Kings. After a reign as king of 34 
  years, Seleucus died aged 73 years old, and was immediately succeeded by his son 
  Antiochus I Soter. 
   
  Antiochus - Saviour of the Empire 
  Born in 324, Antiochus became a trusted co-regent 
  alongside his ambitious empire-building father, 
  Seleucus. This came about when the king 
  discovered that his son had fallen in love with 
  Seleucus’ pretty wife Stratonice. On the advice of 
  his learned physician Erasistratus, the king allowed 
  his son to marry his wife. He then granted his son 
  the governance of the eastern half of the Seleucid 
  Empire. Following the death of his father by 
  treachery in 281, Antiochus became king of the 
  entire empire. He relinquished any claim to 
  Macedonia when Phila, the daughter of Seleucus 
  and Stratonice, was married to Antigonus Gonatas of Macedon in a political union. 
  Antiochus deified his father Seleucus after his death, a practice followed by later 
  Seleucid rulers. These cults included a sanctuary, temple, altar and priests, and allowed 
  their followers to display their loyalty and achieve promotion through these priesthoods.  
   
  Upon his accession, Antiochus had to quickly suppress a wave of rebellion touched off 
  by Ptolemaic agents. He later had to wage a full scale war against Ptolemy II 
  Philadelphus for control of the wealthy Phoenician ports during the First Syrian War 
  (274-271). Seleucus and Ptolemy I had never come to blows over control of the region 
  and had left the question unresolved. The king also fought against the Celtic hordes that 
  had swept into Asia Minor in 277, but he was unable to prevent them from settling in 
  the central highlands.  
   
  ARMENIA 
  Armenia is an ancient kingdom that has suffered the attentions of Persia for centuries. 
  Long under the Achaemenid Persian aegis, the kingdom has a very strong cultural flavour 
  of that land. The Armenians have long been open to influence from Persian culture, with 
  Ahura Mazda and Mithras being the chief gods of the nobility and wealthy elite, and 
  Persian costume being adopted universally throughout the kingdom. Soft hill boots with 
  curled toes are very common.  
   
  In centuries past Armenia was known by other, less well known titles, as Urartu or 
  Ararat. Centred on the lakes of Mannai and Nairi and the fertile mountain valleys of the 
  eastern Taurus, Armenia is a strong mountain-orientated kingdom. Mount Ararat sits at 
  the centre of the land. Armenia is rich in metal and a source of strong hill horses. It has a 
  formidable army with a good cavalry arm, giving the kingdom a degree of power. The 
  unruly and wild Scythian tribes occasionally raid Armenian valleys, some stay on to 
  become mercenaries in the pay of either Armenia, Seleucia or Macedon.  
  
   
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  The Armenian kingdom is divided up into small mountain provinces, each governed by a 
  member of the nobility. These governors reside at fortified provincial capitals, complete 
  with store-houses, stables and garrisons, and have at their disposal a contingent of the 
  king’s standing army. This is supplemented by a provincial levy of shepherds, archers and 
  peasant spearmen. Armenian cavalry is composed of tough cataphracts (men of the 
  royal family, other high-born family members running the provinces) and horse archers 
  (lesser nobility running large farms and villages for the governor). The royal capital is 
  Artaxata in the rich valley of the easterly-flowing Arax. Like all Armenian cities it is heavily 
  fortified with stone walls strengthened by buttresses and towers. Cities, palaces, irrigation 
  canals, storehouses and temples are all constructed with great energy. The kingdom’s 
  wealth comes from a combination of iron-working and agriculture (including orchards 
  and vineyards as well as grain). These cities and valleys are connected by high mountain 
  trails and passes. The steep and treacherous mountains of Armenia are covered with 
  thick snow for months in winter; deep ravines, high peaks and impassable ridges make 
  Armenia a formidable environment.  
   
  The Armenian landscape is typified by a complex of plateaux and high peaks, the tangled 
  uplands where the Pontic, Taurus and Zagros Mountains meet and coalesce. This 
  mountain-land is freezing cold in winter and scorching hot in summer. Any journey 
  through Armenia is a slow one, but one with spectacular scenery. Numerous clear blue 
  lakes are nestled between fabulous but barren scrub-covered mountains. Banks of reeds 
  proliferate around the shore-lines, reed-beds teeming with storks, ducks and herons. The 
  lower more fertile slopes of these peaks are littered with pyramids of cow-dung, to be 
  burnt in the winter-time as fuel for peasant fires. Lake Nairi is a vast inland sea that plays 
  host to vast flocks of white storks and pink flamingos. Poppies grow on the slopes 
  around it, and a local breed of wild-cat can sometimes be spotted. These fishing cats can 
  swim and have one blue and one green eye. In the cliffs to the west and overlooking the 
  lake is the Rock of Nairi, a towering pinnacle of rock, full of rock-cut chambers and 
  ancient Urartian tombs.  
   
  CAPPADOCIA 
  This very mountainous and ravine cut land lies north of Cilicia and west of the upper 
  Euphrates river. It is a high plateau, a tableland intersected by lofty mountain chains. The 
  region has had many overlords, from the Medians to the Lydians, the Persians  and now 
  the Seleucids. It is a remote satrapy. Once extending northwards to the shores of the 
  Black Sea, Cappadocia now only encompasses the high interior of Asia Minor, with 
  northern Cappadocia now a separate and independant kingdom called Pontus. It has 
  only four small hill-top cities; Mazaca, near Mount Argaeus, the residence of the 
  Cappadocian ruling house, Tyana, Archelais and Comana. Smaller cities of some note 
  are Melitene and Arabissus.  
   
  Cappadocia is a land of soft-rock cliffs and mountains, eroded over time by wind and 
  water to create a spectacular landscape. In some places cones of soft rock have been 
  hollowed out to create entire villages. A region characterised by steep-sided gorges, all 
  exposing layer after layer of brightly coloured rocks, Cappadocia is also home to fruit 
  and vine cultivation on a massive scale. It is a very fruitful region.  
  
   
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  CHALDEA 
  Introduction: Chaldea encompasses the great cities of the Land Between The Rivers 
  (‘Mesopotamia’). Farming is the greatest industry - the river valleys are farmed intensively 
  using a complex irrigation system of ditches and canals. Where crops aren’t cultivated, 
  palm trees grow or livestock is grazed. This is the source of Chaldea’s incredible wealth. 
  With little timber, stone or metal, the Chaldeans have to trade extensively. Their caravans 
  trek out to Syria and curve south to Phoenicia and Egypt, or east into the Zagros 
  Mountains. Seleucia-on-the-Tigris is the current capital of Chaldea.  
   
  The immense cities of Chaldea are built almost solely without stone, instead baked mud 
  brick is used. From palaces to walls, temples to town houses, evey thing is built in mud 
  brick - since mud and straw are the land’s greatest commodities. Towns, cities and 
  villages have their own assemblies which any citizen of the community can join. Reed 
  huts cover the marshes and are the homes of the local farmers and fishermen. Reed 
  boats are used by locals on the rivers. Larger sail-boats ply great rivers between the trade 
  cities. The people, villages and cities are very well organised by the current Persian 
  overlordship and its efficient administration, and the cities are teeming with Chaldean 
  civil servants, scribes and secretaries. Many work for the vast temples of the gods - the 
  huge stepped-pyramids called ziggurats. Chaldeans know their place - they are ‘owned’ 
  by the gods and are all his servants, rebellion is almost unknown. All goods flow into the 
  temples for redistribution, the rest is used in great trading ventures. The great gods of 
  Chaldea are Marduk, Nabu and Ishtar. 
   
  The Land: Chaldea is called the ‘Land Between The Rivers’. This is because it is a low-
  lying land crossed by three rivers, bordered on the north by the Zagros Mountains, the 
  east by the Persian Sea, the south by the Arabian Desert, and the west by highlands 
  leading into a mountain range known as the Pillars of An. More than any other factor, 
  the three rivers dominate Chaldea. 
   
  The foremost of the rivers is the Euphrates, which runs south-west out of the Pillars of An, 
  and then due east towards Chaldea, and the Persian Sea. This great river is navigable 
  nearly all the way to the Pillars of An. The second river is Tigris, which runs more directly 
   towards Chaldea. The Tigris runs faster and deeper than the Euphrates, but is not  
  
   
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  navigable nearly as far. The third river is called Iltanu. It is the northern most of the rivers, 
  which leaves cities on its shores more exposed to barbarian invasions from the 
  Mountains of Kur.  
   
  The rivers flood once every year, in spring, when the crops are already growing in the 
  fields, so their overflow must be controlled and used. As such, the inhabitants of Chaldea 
  have become experts in the art of creating dikes and irrigation canals. This one fact of 
  life has shaped Chaldea’s society more than any other factor. To maintain this water 
  system, inspectors must monitor all facets of the system, and large work forces must be 
  used to keep the canals in proper working order. 
   
  Climate: Water is the chief concern of the inhabitants of Chaldea, but for all that, they 
  receive very little rainfall. Chaldea’s year begins with summer, when crops are stored, 
  and the flocks taken into the mountains. During summer, it is not unheard of for 
  temperatures to reach 40 degrees in the shade. The winds come in off of the Arabian 
  Desert, bringing not moisture, but a fine, dusty sand. As such, the inhabitants take shelter 
  during mid-day in dark inner-rooms in their houses, or in cellars dug in the ground. At 
  late afternoon they emerge to do what business must be done, and then sleep on their 
  roofs in the comparatively cool night air. 
   
  In autumn the sun ceases to blast the land, the flocks are brought back down out of the 
  mountains, and the crops are planted in preparation for the next spring’s harvests. 
  Winter is a comparatively cool time, when frost appears, in particularly cold years. For 
  several days, the land might experience heavy rains, the only time during the year when 
  this is possible, which can test the condition of the dikes and canals. Spring is a time of 
  work, when the canals must be maintained and protected during the annual floods, and 
  then the harvest is brought in, to be followed by a twelve-day New Year festival. 
   
  Resources and Trade: The soil of Chaldea is rich, allowing abundant harvests of food, but 
  otherwise it is a very poor land. Being an alluvial plain, the land has almost no native 
  sources of rock or minerals. It is for this reason that the people of Chaldea have become 
  experts in building with mud-bricks made from the rich clay that they have in abundance. 
  These bricks are hardened by being baked in the sun, but as might be expected, these 
  bricks do not last very long. As such, buildings in Chaldea must be periodically 
  demolished and rebuilt. 
   
  For more important structures, these mud-bricks are backed in a kiln which renders them 
  much harder and durable. However, with so many clay items being produced in 
  Chaldea, such as pots and important writing tablets, only the more important structures 
  are built with kilned bricks. When the bricks are to be decorative, the bricks are glazed 
  red, green or blue. 
   
  The gold, silver and copper, which the craftsmen of Chaldea are such experts in, are 
  nearly all imported. The one exception to this is along the northern shore of the river 
  Iltanu, where gold has been found. Minerals are imported from Sogdiana, Bactria and 
  India. 
   
  
   
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  Even in terms of trees, the land of Chaldea is not blest. The only tree which thrives in this 
  environment is the date-palm, which has a wood that is unusable for building. This makes 
  wood of surprising value in Chaldea. For example, when a house is rented, the renter is 
  expected to provide his own door! Some merchants ply their trade by making an annual 
  trip up the Euphrates and Tigris rivers with a donkey train of export goods to the 
  mountains. There, they purchase wood and a few other items. The wood is built into 
  barges, which are then floated down to their respective cities, where they are broken-up 
  and the wood put to other uses. 
   
  The exports that Chaldea uses to support the continual importation of minerals and 
  wood are manufactured wares. Textiles are made from wool and flax, and are exported 
  heavily. Also, the objects of iron, bronze, silver and gold that are created by Chaldea's 
  smiths and artisans are in demand in most of the Successor Kingdoms. 
   
  City-States: The basic unit in Chaldea is the city-state. That is, a large city in Chaldea will 
  control as much land as it can around its circumference, for its own enrichment. How 
  much is decided by the Seleucid satrap (governor) of Chaldea. Small cities and towns are 
  pulled into the sphere of influence of one of these large cities, and their inhabitants are 
  considered citizens of the large city. Each city-state is analogous to a religious commune. 
  In this case, there is no substantive separation of the temple and the government of the 
  state. In the Chaldean view of their city-states, one particular god is the owner of the 
  state, in much the same way that an absentee landlord is owner of his manor. All citizens 
  of the city are servants of the owning god, and are equal to each other in that sense. The 
  citizens have n assembly at which all men can attend. The elders of the city are able to 
  control various factions and clans. Clan and family feuds form part of the colourful 
  political life of the Chaldean cities. To a Chaldean his city is his universe. Overlords come 
  and go, but the city, with its clans and guilds remains.  
   
  Due to the view of the city-state as belonging to a god, individual property, though 
  existing, is not paramount. All citizens of the city-state are expected to labour for the city, 
  and as such the god, whenever they are called to by the authorities. For most of the 
  population this labour is in the form of working in the temple fields, and working on the 
  system of dikes and canals that irrigates the land. For skilled craftsmen, some of their 
  work in their craft will be for the temple-state. In payment for these services, the citizenry 
  is paid by the temple-government either in food, usually barley, or in silver. The temple 
  maintains warehouses of grain, which are used for paying for services, and held in case 
  of a drought. 
   
  Buying and Selling: The analogy between Chaldean city-states and a manor has many 
  ramifications in the general economy. In general, the temple owns between one quarter 
  and one half of all of the arable land, with the rest belonging to free citizens.  
  The Seleucid king (through his representatives the tax collectors) will always be the 
  largest land-owner, with the rest owned by various important people, who might are 
  referred to as ‘freemen’. The freemen maintain a large amount of wealth compared to 
  the common people, but not enough for them to constitute a leisure class. That is, they 
  still will work in their own fields, or in their own workshops. The land not actually farmed 
  by the freemen is rented out to tenants, who farm it and pay rent in the form of a 
  
   
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  percent of the food that they raise on that land. Grain raised on the land belonging to 
  the freemen is generally consumed by the people who actually raise it, with the excess 
  being sold to the temple. Other foods may be sold at various gates of the city, which 
  does not maintain a formal ‘market-square.’ Common foods sold this way include 
  onions, cucumbers, dates, figs, pomegranates, sesame oil, and honey. 
   
  The other part of the economy is the workshops, or factories which are maintained by 
  the freemen. These workshops produce iron weapons, bronze items (such as mirrors, 
  shaving razors, and other metallic items), and clothing and textiles of all forms. Items are 
  not generally sold directly from the workshops, but are also sold at the gates. 
   
  The Citizens: The citizens of Chaldea can be viewed as belonging to four classes. The 
  highest class are referred to as the ‘freemen.’ These are the land-owners, the overseers 
  and the priests. This class owns all of the land, and all of the tools of production in the 
  city-state. This does not grant then a tyranny over the entire populous, however. This 
  seeming hegemony is balance by the overwhelming number of the tenants, the power of 
  the governor, and the dictates of the gods. 
   
  The second class is the tenants. These are the people who work the land of the temple, 
  the Persian king and the land of many freemen. They also create the items manufactured 
  in the workshops. Their lot is often hard, but the mixed nature of the Chaldea economy 
  does allow them to build up wealth and perhaps move into the freeman class. 
   
  The third class is comparatively quite small, and they are the slaves. The slaves of 
  Chaldea are most often enemies captured in battle, or commoners who went too deeply 
  into debt, and voluntarily accepted slavery in payment of those debts. Slavery in Chaldea 
  is not overly harsh, and slaves can work extra hard, and earn enough to purchase their 
  freedom. This is not to say that slaves are tenants under a different name. Slaves are 
  bound to whoever owns them, and the owner determines where a slave will work, and 
  runaways are often branded on the face, or lose an ear as punishment. Slaves are easy to 
  spot, due to the distinctive hair-style they are required to wear. 
   
  Finally, there is a fourth class who are referred to as ‘clients.’ These are people who are 
  not citizens of the city-state where they reside, and are not part of the commune 
  structure. These people work for a wage, either for the temple or for a patrician, and pay 
  taxes against this wage. There is no real way for a client to become a citizen, but if they 
  marry a citizen and have children by that citizen, then the children will automatically be 
  considered citizens. 
   
  Literacy and Education: The only source of formal education in Chaldea is the scribe 
  schools maintain by the temple. At these schools (edubba), a master scribe (ummia) 
  teaches young men and women the art of being a Chaldea scribe. This process takes 
  years, and cost a great deal of money. As such, only members of the free class send their 
  children to school. However, after the education is complete, the literate individual can 
  either become a scribe in the pay of the temple, a priest, a merchant, or perhaps an 
  officer in the army. Therefore, education acts as the gate-keeper for the Chaldea social 
  
   
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  hierarchy. Only children of freemen can afford to be educated, and only the educated 
  can operate in the freeman class. 
   
  Clothing and Fashion: Chaldea is a land of extreme heat, and as such, the natives have 
  had to adapt their clothing to the environment. Coolness is the chief aim of Chaldea 
  clothing, and linen is the most common material used. Open nudity is not prohibited in 
  Chaldea, and people will often remove all of their garments when performing strenuous 
  labour. In many ways, clothing is used to display the wealth of the wearer. Simple 
  farmers often wear clothing of poor quality and labour naked, while rich patricians will 
  wear fine linen or silk clothing, Persian-style baggy pants, and thigh length kaftans, dyed 
  brilliant greens, yellows or scarlet. Foot-wear, while important, is not required in Chaldea. 
  Those who wear footgear tend to wear soft boots or slippers, while those journeying into 
  other lands will wear harder boots of leather. Chaldeans have shoulder-length hair and 
  often finely curled-beards. Short little hats or simple headbands are common. 
   
  Women wear a long, loose-fitting dress, caught at one shoulder, and hanging down to 
  their feet. Long, dangling earrings and necklaces of stones and shells are the preferred 
  ornaments, with the wealthy wearing lapis lazuli, carnelians and gold. To highlight their 
  eyes, Chaldea women will often blacken their eyes with malachite. Unlike the men, 
  Chaldea women wear their hair parted down the middle, braided, with the braids 
  fastened around the head like a crown. Very young Chaldea children will often go 
  around naked, while older children are dressed like adult members of their sex. 
   
  Seleucia-on-the-Tigris: This once-prestigious city sits on the left bank of the wide river 
  Tigris. The city was specifically planned to act as the terminus for caravans travelling from 
  Khorasan to Ecbatana and Media, and forms a perfect crossing point. A magnificent 
  Royal Canal constructed at great expense at Seleucia connects the river Tigris to the 
  river Euphrates, and by linking these two great rivers has greatly transformed 
  communications and trade in the region. Seleucia is a vast city, with sprawling districts 
  and long straight avenues, in the lee of massively fortified fortifications. The city is very 
  cosmopolitan and a Chaldean ziggurat has been constructed by House Seleucus for the 
  benefit of  worshippers of the native gods. On the southern Silk Route, goods from 
  Ecbatana pass into Syria via the route through Chaldea to Seleucia. 
   
   
  CILICIA 
  A province of the Seleucid Empire in south-east Asia Minor. It is separated from northern 
  Syria by the Amanus Mountains in the east, and from Cappadocia in the north by the 
  lofty Taurus range. The important Iron Gates control the strategic pass within the 
  province that connects the inland plateau to the Cilician plain and northern Syria. The 
  Cilicians are reputed to take their name from Cilix, a son of Agenor who came to the 
  land in search of his sister Europa and, abandoning his search, decided to settle there. 
  During Achaemenid Persian rule, the Cilicians paid a tribute of 360 white horses and 
  500 talents of silver annually. Cilicia is renowned for its fearsome pirates. The coastline is 
  dotted with coves and shelters where the mountains meet the sea, and the pirate fleets 
  rest here during the winter months. Tarsus is the mountain capital of Cilicia, a Hellenised 
  city that can boast a school of philosophy. 
   
  
   
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  There are two main regions of Cilicia - Cilicia Tracheia (Rugged) and Cilicia Pedias 
  (Plain). Pedias to the east is rich grassland, well watered and well farmed. The Cilician 
  plain is one of the most fertile parts of Asia Minor, and is cut by the rivers Pyramus and 
  Cydnus. Flax, vines, olives and corn are grown in abundance. In the small town of Olba 
  there once existed an ancient priestly dynasty that claimed its descent from the heroes 
  Teucer and Ajax. The dynasty ruled for several centuries. Tracheia is a wild and 
  mountainous district, its chief products are woven goods and timber for shipping. This 
  latter resource is chiefly exploited by the bands of pirates that are well established along 
  this rugged coastline. Cilicia Tracheia is formed mainly by the Taurus Mountains as the 
  skirt the coast of the Middle Sea. Villages here cling to the thin coast-line in the shadow 
  of soaring mountains. In the valleys are tiny farming communities, tending orchards and 
  herding goats. Paths wind through attractive gorges with rocks rising steeply on both 
  sides, plunging the surging water-courses into shadow. Shepherd boys swim in the river 
  below and frothing water cascades over rocky outcrops.  
   
  Tarsus: The capital city of Cilicia which can claim as its founder either Triptolemus, 
  Perseus or Heracles. The chief industry of the city is linen production, but Tarsus is a 
  central staging point on the merchant trade routes. The inhabitants have a strong affinity 
  for Heracles and keep up many shrines to their hero.  
   
  Taurus Mountains: The mighty Taurus Mountains form the ‘backbone of Asia’, essentially 
  dividing the world into a cool northern and warm southern region (at least according to 
  Dicaearchus, c.300 BC). The range soars to an average of 2,100 metres and runs from 
  south-western Asia Minor eastwards along the coast of Lycia. On the border of Cilicia 
  the vast range throws off the Antitaurus which march north-east to meet the Pontine 
  Mountains and approach the northerly Caucasus. Meanwhile the Taurus continue ever 
  eastwards, first throwing off a mighty southern range, the Zagros. The Taurus continue 
  on through Armenia to skirt the southern shore of the Caspian Sea as the Elburz and on 
  to the Paropamisus (Hindu Kush) and the mythical Imaus Mountains, finally ending, so it 
  is said, on the shores of the Eastern Ocean at Tamus Headland.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  SYRIA 
  Ten ‘sister’ cities long ago made an alliance to defend one another and participate in a 
  trade agreement. The greatest of these ten cities (or ‘decapolis’) is Antioch and this city 
  dominates the hot land of Syria. Syria has never been a united kingdom, it sits at a cross- 
   
  
   
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  roads and other powers have always dominated the land. Syria is a region of great 
  wealth and agriculture (with rich wheat and barley fields), mineral deposits, springs and 
  rivers. It is a land of warm rains, fertile valleys and mountains chains that is caught 
  between the Middle Sea to the west and the desert to the east. North lies the barrier of 
  the Taurus Mountains, and south the fertile landscape is dominated by impressive sea-
  ports (Phoenicia). The major river of Syria is the Orontes, which flows north through 
  Antioch to meet the sea at Seleucia-by-the-Sea. For millennia powerful caravan cities 
  have flourished in Syria as traders have passed through, sought shelter and paid taxes. 
  The people of this land are canny merchants all, thieves, con-men, sellers, cajolers and 
  smooth-talking tricksters.  
   
  The ten cities of the Decapolis are: Antioch, Emesa, Beroea, Hieropolis, Seleucia-by-the-
  Sea, Laodicea, Cyrrhus, Apamea, Europus, Zeugma. 
   
  Amanus Mountains: A mountain horseshoe separated from the Taurus range by the 
  deep gorge of the Jihun. The Amanus are crossed by two great passes: Amanid Gates 
  (Baghce Pass), Syrian Gates (Beilan Pass). 
   
  Orontes River: The chief river of Syria, 272 km long, set in a very fertile valley which has 
  become the main route followed by both traders and armies. 
   
  Antioch: Antioch lies on the left bank of the river Orontes, 24km from the sea. As an 
  Ionian colony city, it has a grid-plan. Most of the inhabitants are Syrian, but the city also 
  boasts a large Jewish  population. whose privileges go back to the days of Seleucus I. 
  The city’s wealth is derived from its crucial centre as a military and administrative capital, 
  and its favourable position on the road from the deserts of Asia to the Middle Sea. The 
  greatest local industry is wine production, but almost every trade and craft is practised 
  within the city walls. Antioch is a constituent part of what is known as the Decapolis, an 
  alliance of ten proud Syrian cities founded by House Seleucus that operate in concert. 
  They refer to one another as ‘sister-cities’.  Antioch is by far the largest and Seleucia by 
  far the strongest. Antioch is ringed by a huge defensive wall, and consists of four districts, 
  each with its own set of fortifications. Thus the citizens of Antioch are doubly protected. 
  Antioch is the metropolis of Syria and once the royal capital of the Seleucid Empire. In 
  power and size it does not fall far short of Alexandria in Egypt. Seleucus I is reputed to 
  have brought the descendants of Triptolemus to the city and so the Antiochenes honour 
  him greatly like a hero, complete with a festival that is held on Mount Casius close to 
  Seleucia. On Mount Casius the monster Typhon overcame Jupiter in his battle against 
  the gods and cut the sinews of Zeus' hands and feet.  
   
  Down-river from Antioch (about 7km) lies the small town of Daphne with a large shaded 
  grove (diameter 14km) dedicated to sibling gods Apollo and Diana. The Antiochenes 
  hold an annual festival within this grove. The chief-priest of the sanctuary was an 
  appointee of the king himself, such was the responsibility of the post.  
   
  The main road of Antioch is very wide, constructed with large stone slabs and flanked by 
  pavements.  On either side are pillared colonnades under which are all manner of shops, 
  
   
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  stalls and gatherings of people trying to stay out of the heat. Many of the city’s 
  inhabitants are artisans, farmers, merchants and slaves. Trade flourishes and the city plays  
  a central role as a destination for camel caravans from further east. The city deity is 
  Athena Tyche, representing good luck. Statues represent the goddess sitting on a rock, 
  with a head-dress of fortified walls. At her feet the god Orontes emerges from the river. 
  The city stands close to the banks of the river Orontes which rises in Coele Syria and 
  flows through Apamea towards Antioch, reaching the sea near Seleucia-by-the-Sea.  
   
  Seleucia-by-the-Sea: Seleucia-by-the-Sea at the mouth of the river Orontes is the port for 
  the city of Antioch, which lies further up the river. It has become a powerful naval base 
  for the Seleucid naval fleet with garrisons, shipyards, warehouses, training grounds and 
  slip-ways. King Antiochus buried his father, Seleucus I, here and built a temple over the 
  site. Surrounding it is a sanctuary to the cult of the dead king called the Nikatereion 
  (belonging to the Conqueror). 
   
  Seleucia is sometimes known as Seleucia-in-Peria, the name of a neighbouring mountain 
  which adjoins the Amanus. Seleucus had originally identified this city as his capital, but 
  Antiochus, his son, has moved the seat of the empire to Antioch instead. In those days, 
  the city was named Hydatos Potamoi (Water Rivers). Seleucia, as already noted, is a very 
  well fortified city, and is thought to be virtually impregnable. The city is one of the most 
  cosmopolitan after Alexandria. The following cults have sanctuaries in Seleucia: Zeus 
  Olympias, Zeus Coryphaeus (the mountain-peak), Apollo, and the dynastic cults of 
  Seleucus. 
   
  Laodicea: Laodicea, in comparison, is a very beautiful sea-port with a sheltered, well-built 
  harbour. The surrounding land is a great producer of many crops, but the local vineyards 
  are of particular importance, stretching away up the mountain slope inland, almost up to 
  the summit. 
   
  Apamea: Apamea is dominated by the towering mountain rising on its seaward side. The 
  city has a well fortified acropolis. The city in general is well sited for defence, being 
  located on a steep hill that sits in a bend of the river Orontes. The land all about is a flat 
  plain, cut by marshes and water meadows suitable for grazing cattle and horses. Because 
  of its impregnable situation, the city is sometimes known as Chersonesus (peninsula). 
  House Seleucus once house most of their war elephants at Apamea, as well as much of 
  the army and thousands of horses. 
   
  OSROHENE 
  Osrhoene is a client kingdom of great wealth of strategic importance to the SElucid 
  Empire. The kingdom is situated on the fertile plains between the Upper Euphrates and 
  the River Khabur (a tributary). The kingdom’s great wealth is derived almost solely from 
  trade. Fantastic caravan cities are home to wealthy trading houses and merchant princes; 
  goods from across the world pass through the gates of these cities and travel on to their 
  markets. The cities have traditionally been independent (when not occupied by a foreign 
  power) and some have existed for millennia. The Seleucid client kingdom of Osrhoene is  
  governed from the powerful city-state of Edessa.  
   
  
   
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  Carrhae: This city in Osrhoene has a very long history. For centuries it has come under 
  the domination of more powerful forces. It is an important cult centre of the moon god 
  Sin and the god’s temple there is richly endowed, being lavishly rebuilt by the Chaldean 
  king Nabonidus, whose mother was a priestess. The city sits on the prime caravan route 
  of the region, on the Bilichus river, a tributary of the mighty Euphrates.  
   
  Edessa: The current capital of the client kingdom of Osrhoene. It is situated on a 
  limestone ridge, an extension of the ancient Mount Masius in the Taurus mountains of 
  southern Anatolia. Here the east-west highway from Zeugma on the Euphrates to the 
  Tigris meets the north-south route from Samosata to the Euphrates via Carrhae.  
   
  PERSIA  
  The great kingdom of Persia is ruled by the awesomely powerful King of Kings from the 
  Seleucid capital of Antioch. Below him are the princes who govern his vassal states - the 
  satrapies. Some of these princes are Persian nobles, who have recognised the authority 
  of the new Seleucid King of Kings and been allowed to remain in their posts. Others are 
  Macedonian nobles newly installed as Persian-style satraps. These princes ensure that 
  troops are available for war, and lead their own clan armies in battle. On the very edge 
  of the Seleucid empire, the satrapies form defensive frontiers against the nomad 
  barbarians beyond.  
   
  At the bottom of the governmental system are the petty nobles (dihqan) and village 
  headmen, responsible for tax collection and organising the levy. The commoners 
  themselves are no better than livestock, and are bought and sold as part of any estate, 
  along with land and livestock. Their menial status is matched by their legal status - 
  Persian peasants are treated brutally and both torture and trial by ordeal are common.  
   
  The right hand man of the King of Kings is the Grand Vizier - a powerful potentate who 
  controls the Seleucid administration and its diplomatic affairs. Below him are the divans, 
  the government ministries, run by Macedonian nobles who excel in the field that each 
  one covers. The Persian economy is sophisticated and diverse. Banking is well developed 
  as is trade. Commodities from the edges of the known world arrive in Persian bazaars, 
  including silk from Cathay, glass, amber, papyrus, pepper and other spices.  
   
  The estates of the powerful Macedonian and Persian nobility resemble fortified 
  enclosures guarded by elite garrisons against possible peasant revolt. The nobility enjoy 
  feasting, hunting, the women of their harem, the beauty of their cultivated parks 
  (‘paradises’), music, martial training, riding, archery and literature. Their life is good.  
   
  The armies of the King of Kings are led by a Supreme Commander, a post held by a 
  member of the royal family. Lesser posts are held by political favourites from the Grek or 
  Macrdonian elite and include the Commander of the Cavalry and Adjutant-General. The 
  majority of the army is made up of heavily armoured cavalry (‘cataphracts’) provided by 
  the wealthier nobles, and light horse-archers provided the less well-off Persian nobility (as 
  well as nomad mercenaries). The best of the infantry are the well-trained archers and 
  slingers; the peasant levy is untrained and next-to useless - at times even being chained  
   
  
   
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  together to prevent spearmen from fleeing the battle! Fully-armoured elephants usually 
  bring up the rear of a formation - these impressive beasts provide a massive 
  psychological boost and act as mobile firing platforms for javelinmen and archers.   
   
  The better-trained and most hardened of the nobles join the elite Persian cavalry force - 
  the legendary Immortals. Each Immortal rides a superbly trained warhorse, and both 
  rider and mount are clad in scale armour from head to foot. Even the rider’s face is 
  shielded by an iron face-mask. The sight of such a formation, glittering in the sun like 
  martial statues of gleaming silver, row upon row, rank upon rank, is enough to send 
  shivers of fear coursing through an opponent’s army. The Immortals number 10,000 men 
  and they are loyal to the King of Kings. Another unit formed of minor nobles and veteran 
  foot-soldiers is the royal bodyguard, a unit of 6,000 troops called the Shahanshahai.  
   
  Persia is a vast land of many different terrains, many of them rugged and inhospitable. 
  The kingdom is dominated by a central plateau ringed by mountain chains on all sides. 
  To the north running parallel to the southern shore of the Hyrcanian Sea are the Elburz 
  Mountains, containing the incredible Mount Damavand. Hyrcania is a wild and 
  mountainous but fertile district; a country split between grassy plains extending to the 
  shores of the Hyrcanian Sea and the lushly forested northern slopes of the Elburz 
  Mountains behind. The Hyrcanian Gates are the safest way through the mountains. The 
  land is hilly and inhabited by hill-tribes. Zadrakarta is the central city of the kingdom. 
  Alexander the Great campaigned here and set Heracleides with a party of shipwrights to 
  build a fleet of galleys that might explore the Hyrcanian Sea and prove once and for all 
  whether the sea was truly a sea (as his tutor Aristotle had taught) or whether it was in 
  fact a gulf of the Ocean. 
   
  To the west the Zagros Mountains divide the plateau highland from the lazy rivers of flat 
  Chaldea. A high grassy plateau cut by seasonal rivers and fertile gorges is formed by the 
  northern end of the Zagros Mountains and this satrapy is called Media. To the east of 
  the Persian plateau are lesser mountains. There are two deserts in Persia, the harsh salt 
  desert in the centre of the plateau, and the sand and rock desert. Both are uninhabited 
  and desolate. In the springtime and winter, small streams flow into the salt desert, 
  creating little lakes and muddy swamps. At other times the deserts are dry and barren. 
  The region between the sourthern flanks of the Elburz Mountains and the terrible 
  desolation of the salt desert is called Parthia, a wind-blown steppe of wild horses and 
  wild nomads.  
   
  The hot mountains and high salt lakes at the sourthern end of the Zagros chain form the 
  satrap of Persia Proper. Persia Proper is the original home of the Persian royal family, and 
  the seat of the original Achaemenid dynasty. The cities of Persepolis and Pasargadae 
  flourished here in lush, well watered river valleys. The region is still wealthy, rich and 
  fertile - a place for Seleucid nobles to relax and enjoy the fruits of their luxurious 
  lifestyles. Further east along the coastline are the Carmanian Mountains, a low warm hill-
  land with fantastic pasture and easy access down to the fertile coastal plains. This satrap 
  of Carmania is focused on the Straits of Salmus, and the satrapal capital and wealthy port 
  of Salmus.  
   
  
   
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  The Persian plateau drops away to the east to a lower level and the satrap of Zarangia. 
  Sited on the shores of Lake Seistan, Zarangia’s capital is Zaranj (established by the 
  Parthians). This lower land has a number of salt lakes fed by rivers gushing down from 
  the mountains that rise up formidably to the east - the vast and frightening range of the 
  Hindu Kush. Many of Persia’s rivers are seasonal, flowing only during the wettest parts of 
  the winter and spring. There are lakes dotted across the plateau, but they are small, salty 
  and prone to shrinking in the high heat of summer. Persia is so huge that different parts 
  have very different climates. The table-land of the Elburz Mountains is cold and chilly, the 
  southern areas near the Persian Sea are extremely hot, and elsewhere along the plateau 
  the climate is temperate.  
   
  The plateau is generally grassy steppeland used by locals for grazing cattle and sheep. 
  Nearer the arid deserts the landscape turns to thorn and scrubland. The seaward slopes 
  of the Elburz are fertile and lush, as is the Hyrcanian plain on the shore of the Hyrcanian 
  Sea. Deciduous trees stand proud in sprawling forests, and vines are cultivated. The 
  Zagros Mountains are covered with a semi-humid forest cover of oak, pistachio, walnut 
  and elm. Many species of wildlife live on the Persian plateau and the mountains 
  surrounding it, including hyena, jackal, bear, ibex, wolf, leopard, porcupine, pheasants 
  and partridges.  
   
  The Further Satrapies of Persia lay east of the central Persian plateau. From the most 
  northerly, up on the grassy windswept steppes of Sogdiana, southwards to Bactria, Aria, 
  Arachosia and finally Gedrosia, these provinces virtually form separate kingdoms of their 
  own, since they are so far removed from the Persian capital at  Ecbatana. The distances 
  involved are mind-blowing, but these Further Satrapies are part of the mighty Seleucid 
  Kingdom.  
   
  Sogdiana is a frontier satrapy lying north of the 
  mighty river Oxus, and is a region of dune fields, 
  harsh scrub-land and rocky hills. It is unforgivng, 
  cold and bleak. The sole city of note, and the 
  satrap capital, is Maracanda. The eastern territories 
  of Sogdiana rise suddenley to become the western 
  end of the impressive mountain chain called the 
  Celestial Mountains. South of the Oxus and the 
  western tip of the Celestial Mountains lies the 
  satrap of Bactria with its capital at Zariaspa. Bactria 
  is a cool, temperate land of rugged hills and 
  mountains that descend northwards to river valleys 
  that can support many farming communities. But 
  ever southwards the land rises higher and higher 
  until the Bactrian trails lead high into the daunting snow-covered peaks of the Hindu 
  Kush. This formidable mountain chain heads off east through the clouds. It is an extreme 
  barrier to travel and there are only two passes through the entire mountain chain. South 
  of the Hindu Kush a number of high river valleys support comfortable farming towns and 
  these have become the satrap of Arachosia. The cities here are Quetta, Kandahar and 
  Ghazni. Mountain passes eastwards through the Solomon Range lead down into the 
  Satrapal Capitals of Persia 
       
    Arachosia - Kandahar 
    Aria - Artacoana 
    Bactria - Zariaspa 
    Carmania - Salmus 
    Zarangia - Zaranj 
    Gedrosia - Pura 
    Hyrcania - Zadrakarta 
    Media - Ecbatana  
    Parthia -  Hecatompylos 
    Persia - Pasargadae 
    Sogdiana - Marakanda 
  
   
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  fabled river valley of Melhuhha. Otherwise Arachosia turns south and south-westwards 
  into sandy desert interspersed with salt flats and rocky hills. This complex of harsh lands 
  and wasteland (the Arachosian Desert) continues southwards until it reaches the high 
  and hot Makran Mountains. Between the Makran and the sea lies the deadly Gedrosian 
  Desert that caused Alexander the Great and his huge army so much hardship. This 
  barren desert is a wind-scoured, red-rock wilderness. Queen Semiramis and King Cyrus 
  the Great both attempted to cross this wasteland, and only just survived, the queen with 
  twenty survivors, the king with only seven - or so it is said. Nothing grows in the 
  Gedrosian Desert except thorns, tamarisks and the occasional palm tree. The burning grit 
  swallows carts and horses, poisonous snakes terrorise walkers, laurel-like shrubs send 
  animals mad, and a prickly cucumber squirts a blinding juice ...  
   
  To the west the Gedrosian Desert becomes scrubland and is home to the capital of the 
  satrap, Pura. A fishing village called Gwadar exists precariously on the coast, backed by 
  the awful might of the desert. Even further west a traveller will reach Carmania and is on 
  his way back to the Zagros Mountains.  
   
   
  HOUSE PTOLEMY 
  Characteristics 
  STR 13, CON 11, POW 14, INT 13, DEX 16, CHA 5, SIZ 12 
   
  Ruler 
  Ptolemy II, son of Ptolemy I 
   
  Patron God 
  Dionysus 
   
  House Symbol 
  Eagle clutching a thunderbolt 
   
  Area Under Domination 
  Egypt as far south as Elephantine, Kyrene (or Cyrene), coastal Sinai, Palestine and 
  Phoenicia as far north as Byblos; Cyprus, the southern coast of Anatolia, the Aegean 
  island chains of the Cyclades and the Southern Sporades.  
   
  Royal City 
  Alexandria 
   
  The arrival of Alexander the Great into Egypt, without a battle, in the winter of 332 B.C. 
  marks a continuation in pharaonic history, rather than a turning point. Alexander 
  conspired with the Persian satrap Mazaces and achieved a negotiated settlement 
  whereby Mazaces would cede Egypt to Alexander without a struggle in return for his 
  own personal and economical enrichment. Such an arrangement could only have been 
  made with the complicity of other highly placed administrators, many of whom were 
  native Egyptians.                                                                                
  
   
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  Alexander realized that it was important to maintain the continued support of the native 
  bureaucracy for seizing control of the country and its resources. Egypt was a theocracy, 
  the pharaoh serving as both king and chief priest. Alexander's coronation according to 
  pharaonic rites at Memphis and his experience at the shrine of Ammon at the oasis of 
  Siwa were motivated by his desire to demonstrate that he was willing to assume the role 
  of pharaoh for the benefit of those whose services he so desperately required. After the 
  Oracle at Ammon, Alexander decided to found a great city in Egypt, laid out the site and 
  traced the streets skillfully. He ordered the city to be called Alexandria. This city was to 
  be built between the marsh and the sea. After the death of Alexander, and after a series 
  of internal strife, Perdiccas as the regent or guardian of Alexander's domain announced 
  the key commands that had been agreed upon by the council summoned in Babylon. As 
  a result, Ptolemy, son of Lagus, assumed de facto control of Egypt, "appointed by the 
  new Macedonian king, Philip Arrhidaeus". Although appointed by king Philip, seen as a 
  feeble minded half brother of Alexander, the real power was in the hands of the 
  Macedonian chiefs who served under Alexander, especially in that of Perdiccas. 
    
  Ptolemy and his son have raised the quality of Egyptian agriculture by reclaiming 
  cultivatable land through irrigation and introduced crops such as cotton and better wine-
  producing grapes. In addition, they have increased the wealth of their population by 
  increasing foreign trade, making more luxury goods available to the wealthy elite of 
  Greeks and favoured Egyptians. In effect they have turned Egypt into one vast economic 
  powerhouse, a centrally controlled machine for the production of crops, gold, saleable 
  items, minerals and finished goods. Every available Egyptian resource has been tapped 
  and exploited by the over-ambitious Ptolemies. And the workers at the bottom of this 
  economic pyramid (pardon the pun!) live crippling lives of poverty and suffering.  
  Meanwhile, Egypt is enriching the lives of the new rulers as they absorb their adopted 
  culture. Egypt has enchanted the Ptolemies, as it had all its foreign rulers before them. 
  Ptolemy and his descendants have adopted Egyptian royal trappings and added Egypt's 
  religion to their own, worshipping the gods of Ra, Osiris, Isis and the others and building 
  temples to them, and even being mummified and buried in sarcophagi covered with 
  hieroglyphs. 
   
  This adoption of Egyptian culture is the real secret to the rule of the Ptolemies. Alexander 
  came and left, burning with the desire to bring the rest of the world under his influence, 
  but Ptolemy saw a need to become one of the people he intended to rule.  
   
  Ptolemy I  
  Ptolemy, son of Lagus, was satrap of Egypt from 323 to 305 BC. He was one of seven 
  bodyguards who protected Alexander the Great. The former satrap of Egypt, Cleomenes, 
  was demoted to deputy. In the hopes of getting his post back, Cleomenes offered his 
  services to Perdiccas as a secret agent. Ptolemy, aware of this, had a nice excuse (if he 
  needed one) for eliminating the mole in his entourage, thus strengthening his position 
  even more. Upon Alexander's death it was decided that his body should be buried in the 
  temple of his Divine Father in the Oasis of Siwa, a decision made by the Macedonian 
  chiefs in Babylon. Ptolemy saw an opportunity for more prestige if he possessed the  
  
   
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  body of the great Macedonian hero. Knowing that the body would have to go first to 
  Memphis before Siwa, Ptolemy, intercepting the body at Syria with a powerful escort, 
  took control of the cortege and continued on to Memphis. Upon reaching the city, the 
  cortege preceded no farther. The body remained at Memphis until it was transferred to 
  Alexandria by Ptolemy's son forty years later. Through a series of calculated, astute 
  maneuvers, Ptolemy ultimately declared himself King of Egypt in 304 BC. thereby 
  founding the Macedonian Greek dynasty whose members where to rule Egypt into the 
  first century BC. As king, he became known as Ptolemy I Soter ("The Saviour") and during 
  his reign did nothing to undo the precedent Alexander had established.  
   
  As a Greek educated Macedonian, Ptolemy I preferred not to be out of sight of the 
  Mediterranean. Alexandria, rather than Memphis, became his natural center of 
  operations. He determined early on that the city would be a great commercial port. It 
  was, in Ptolemy's eyes, to be the new home and breeding ground for the best in Greek 
  art, science, and scholarship. He estabilshed a new Museum and Library, but Ptolemy 
  had to bring in Greek intellectuals from outside; there was certainly no local 
  philosophical community.  
   
  Ptolemy prepared his son for succession with the instruction of a tutor, Philetas of Cos. 
  Many other tutors followed Philetas. Under Ptolemy I there appeared a new religious 
  cult, that of Serapis, almost designed by the king to form a link between his Greek and 
  Egyptian subjects. Outside the chief centers of the cult, Memphis and Alexandria, Serapis 
  had little appeal to the native Egyptians.  
   
  During the course of the third century BC Ptolemy continued to rely upon the good will 
  of native offficials interacting with the vast illiterate farming population whose continued 
  conformity to the established culture ensured the stability of the realm. Such apparent 
  domestic tranquillity will enable Ptolemy II Philadelphus (deified with his sister/wife as 
  "the Fraternal Gods"), to concentrate his attention and his kingdom's resources on the 
  acquisition of overseas possessions. Ptolemy I died, age eighty-four, in 282 BC. He has 
  been the only one of all the great Alexandrian warlords to die a natural death in his bed. 
   
  Ptolemy II  
  The second Ptolemy, a young man of twenty-five who became sole king of Egypt in 282 
  BC is also known as Ptolemy II Philadelphus. Ptolemy II, quite different from Ptolemy the 
  father, has intellectual and artistic interests that outstrip the warlike. Highly influenced by 
  his tutors, especially Strato, he has an interest in zoology and geography that has been 
  quickened by the scientific studies by Aristotle and his disciples. He is of fair complexion, 
  not very athletic, and of soft fibre compared to his father, the tough old Macedonian 
  warlord. Often during his reign, Egypt has been at war, but the wars have been carried 
  out by Ptolemy II's generals and admirals. Thus, as the character of the ruling class 
  deteriorates, the strength and prosperity of the kingdom begins to slowly decline.  
   
  Ptolemy II's marriage to his own sister, Arsinoe II, has added to his kingdom the domains 
  which she had earlier acquired by her own means. The marriage of a full brother and  
  sister had never before been heard of in the Greek world, although it was quite common 
  amongst the Egyptian natives, and fitted the practice of the Pharaohs. In Alexandria, 
  
   
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  when Ptolemy II brought up the time-honored Egyptian custom of royal incest there was 
  of course a certain amount of shock, but soon people got use to the idea. Arsinoe II has 
  assumed the surname of Philadelphus ("loving-her-brother"). She is mentally strong, wily, 
  domineering and ambitious. It is a well known fact within the Egyptian court that foreign 
  policy is drawn by the firm hand of Arsinoe Philadelphus. It is under her drastic regime 
  that inconvenient members of the royal family have been ruthlessly cleared away. 
  Ptolemy's brother, Argaeus, has been put to death on the charge of conspiring against 
  the king. Another half brother has been put to death, accused of stirring up trouble in 
  Ptolemaic-held Cyprus.  Meanwhile, Egypt is becoming less and less 'for the Egyptians', 
  and, indeed, the city of Alexandria with its surrounding territory, is no longer considered 
  as being within Egypt proper, but a Greek city adjacent to Egypt. 
   
  PHOENICIA 
  Phoenicia once formed the highly prosperous heartland of the Seleucid Empire. Whereas 
  the Persian Empire had its capital cities (and thus its focus) high on the Iranian steppe, 
  the Seleucids focused more on international trade and commerce - and thus on the sea. 
  Now it is controlled by House Ptolemy, that extends its power throughout the world 
  using fleets of warships. Phoenicia is an ancient land delineated by the Middle Sea on 
  one side and the Lebanese mountain range on the other. It is approximately 300 km 
  long and barely 50km wide at its maximum point. It was the rich resource of its two 
  great rivers (the Upper Orontes and the Leontes) which are fed by the snows of the 
  Lebanon, coupled with the energy and drive of the people that turned Phoenicia from a 
  coastal plain to the prosperous and cosmopolitan region it now is. The cedar trees of the 
  mountains (although now found only on the higher peaks) are highly valued for the 
  construction of both buildings and ships. Sandy beaches provide sand for glass 
  production, and the purple sea-snail the murex allow the production of precious ‘purple 
  dye’. On the plains and the lower mountain slops are orchards, gardens and plentiful 
  fields of grain. The inhabitants of the region, the Phoenicians, are able sailors and 
  maritime adventurers, and have sent out many colonies that have grown up and 
  prospered far afield (the most powerful of which was Carthage in the far west). 
   
  Phoenicia is a fertile strip of territory with several good anchorages that is backed by two 
  mountain ranges, one after the other. The Phoenician climate is warm with moist winters 
  and hot dry summers. The mountain ranges are the Lebanon, and across the Bekaa 
  Valley to the east, the Anti-Lebanon. The Bekaa is well-watered and deep, and supports 
  thriving farming communities. The southern end of Phoenicia is a jumble of grassy, 
  wooded basalt hills, cutting the land off from the hills of Upper Galilee. South of 
  Damascus, on the fringe of the Stone Desert and dominated by the snowy peak of 
  Mount Hermon, the Golan Heights overlook the lush plains of Galilee around the Sea 
  there. The powerhouse of Phoenicia is the narrow coastal strip between the Middle Sea 
  and the Lebanon Mountains. Water for irrigation is in ample supply from mountain 
  streams, with the added advantages  of simple canal systems with well-terraced 
  mountain fields.  
   
  Aradus: Aradus is a powerful Phoenician city located on an island some 2km from the 
  shore. Once ruled by its own dynasty of kings, it later became an essential part of the  
   
  
   
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  Seleucid Empire but is currently allowed to rule itself through an assembly, under 
  Ptolemaic guidance.  Aradus has always shown diligence, thrift and foresight, it has 
  prospered through honest trade and it never collaborated with the Cilician pirates. The 
  village of Baetocaece stands in the territory of Aradus and is the site of a holy shrine 
  dedicated by Zeus Baetocaece. Fairs (free from tax) are held in the god’s honour twice a 
  month and the god himself selects his chief priest. 
   
  Damascus: A wealthy oasis town that nestles at the foot of Mount Kassium on the 
  eastern slopes of the Anti-Lebanon range, within a large basin watered by the Barada 
  River. It stands at the centre of a complex of lush oases.  
   
  Stone Desert : To the east of the cities of Phoenicia is the Stone Desert, a bleak basalt 
  plain, with black basalt cliffs. Rain from the west scarcely penetrates and there are few 
  oases. Large sections of this desert are impassable, especially the basalt region south-east 
  of Damascus. To the north-east are forbidding black basalt lava wastes, plains covered 
  with dark limestone and flint flakes, and a tract of sandy desert along the Wadi Sirhan  
  reaching out toward the south-east and the deep desert. The Azraq oasis sits at the  
  meeting place of these three types of hostile environment.  Azraq is a wonderful 
  paradise of birds and is home to lots of steppe wildlife, ostrich, wild donkey and 
  antelope. At the centre of the oasis is a network of pools and seasonal streams. 
   
  A track runs east from Dira across the rich red soils of the Hauran Plain toward the old 
  volcano of Mount Bashan. The Hauran is littered with basalt boulders from the volcanic 
  activity of the mountain. The volcano is not one but many dormant volcanic cones. It is a 
  strange, bare and wild landscape with many sombre black villages perching on the edge 
  of the desert. Their inhabitants farm the slopes of Mount Bashan, but in a land with few 
  trees, most buildings are built of black stone.  The centre of the region is the Nabataean 
  city of Bostra. There are more dead black volcanic cones near Shahba and to the north-
  west is a land called the Ledja, a giant island of solid lava (Safa is a similar site even 
  further east). The Ledja is a horrible black nightmare sea of twisted rock, not frozen but 
  curdled. It is the lonely lair of brigands and runaways.  
   
  Tyrus: Tyre is the oldest and next to Sidon the most important of the Phoenician city-
  states. It consists of an ancient town on the mainland connected by a causeway (built by 
  Alexander the Great during his famous siege) to an island. The island originally only 
  contained the temple to Melkart and a number of warehouses, but the two locations 
  were unified into a single city under King Hiram, a contemporary of King Solomon. Tyre 
  quickly outstripped Sidon, its mother city, as the greatest settlement in Phoenicia. It sent 
  out colonies across the Mediterranean, to Sicily, Sardinia, Spain and North Africa 
  (Carthage). The city paid tribute to first the Assyrians and then the Persians, but it proved 
  impregnable. The Assyrian king Shalmaneser IV besieged Tyre for five years, and 
  Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, once besieged the city for thirteen years! Eventually it 
  was Alexander the Great who finally brought the proud and powerful city to its knees 
  following his infamous nine month siege. 
   
   
  
   
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  Today Tyre is neither as proud nor as prosperous as it once was, but it is still a 
  prosperous and busy place producing metalwork, fine textiles and purple dye. Its 
  merchant princes engage in commerce across the seas. The Ptolemaic Syrian Fleet 
  stations a large portion of its galleys here, and so many thousands of galley slaves are 
  needed every year.  
   
  JUDAEA 
  Judaea is a land with a proud and defiant religious tradition, a tradition that stretches 
  back to the days of the first ruler, King Saul, seven centuries ago. Dominating the lives of 
  the local Jews (and expatriate Jews of whom there are very many in Antioch, Alexandria 
  and elsewhere) is their deity, Jehovah. Jehovah has no image, and recognises the 
  existence of no other god or goddess - not even the divine pharaohs of House Ptolemy. 
  It is a strict authoritarian god that demands obedience and loyalty, that has set the Jews a 
  great number of religious rules and customs to be followed daily. Jehovah is a jealous 
  god that is angered by the worship of other deities. His only ritual object is the menorah, 
  the crescent-shaped, nine-headed candlestick.  
   
  The People 
  The Jewish people had previously been a nomad tribe of shepherds, a tribe that escaped 
  bondage in Egypt and fled into the desert behind the first great leader - Moses. Much 
  later the Jews settled in the land they now occupy. The kingdom of Israel was first 
  established by King Saul. His successor was David, and his successor the wise King 
  Solomon. A succession of warring kings followed splitting Israel into two kingdoms, Israel 
  and Judaea. Israel ceased to exist following the terrible attacks of Assyria. Recently 
  Judaea has been conquered by House Ptolemy and organised as an province paying 
  tribute. The aristocratic priesthood of Jehovah (a wealthy and privileged group called the 
  Sadducees) is in de facto control of the land, under a Ptolemaic strategos. The 
  Sadducees help to govern the land with the help of the Sanhedrin - the wise council of 
  elder priests. The Sadducees, as a group, claim descent from Zadok, the mighty priest of 
  King Solomon. The capital is the ancient city of Jerusalem. It boasts a fabulous Temple to 
  Jehovah on the hill called the Temple Mount. This Temple is the centre of every Jews' 
  universe. The only place that their god visits earth.  
   
  The typical traveller to Judaea (and Jerusalem) will find a whole range of strange customs 
  and rituals to cause confusion, embarrassment and frustration. To avoid such hassle, the 
  player characters are advised to use a guide or meet up with a friend who can guide 
  them through the culture without causing offence. 
   
  The Land 
  The land of Judaea has a fairly distinct geography, bordered on the west by the Middle 
  Sea, the east by the Dead Sea and the River Jordan which flows into it from the north, on 
  the north by the Lebanese Mountains of Phoenicia, and to the south by the harsh and 
  stony Negev Desert. In general Judaea is a fertile land, relying on rainfall to ensure its 
  crops flourish. But the dry wilderness and drought is never far away.  
   
  The land of the southern hills in Judaea, adjacent to the Dead Sea includes the bleak  
   
  
   
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  Judaean Hills west of Jerusalem, that leads up to the Mount of Olives and Mount 
  Scopus, before dropping down again to the desert-like Wilderness of Judaea. It is a 
  region of tough shepherds and poor villages bypassed by all of the major trade routes 
  which have either followed the coast or turned inland to go around the Dead Sea. In the 
  south, along the coastline of the Middle Sea, the sand-dunes have encroached (ancient 
  Philistia); further north the coastline is very fertile and corn, olives and vines are 
  cultivated. Even further north along the coast as far as the headland of Mount Carmel lies 
  the Plain of Sharon, a marshy swamp with reed beds and impenetrable and lush 
  vegetation.  
   
  Running north to south down the middle of the land are the Shephelah, a range of hills 
  that support vines, woods and fruit picking; behind them to the east rises a limestone 
  ridge which rises higher and higher. The Shephelah form the backbone of the land, and 
  are cut by the important east-west Jezreel Valley, giving access from the coast to the 
  interior through these hills. This important valley meets the sea at Mount Carmel and the 
  ancient site of Megiddo. The northern tip of the Shephelah lies between the sea and the 
  Sea of Galilee. The highest point here is Mount Tabor. The region to the north-west of  
   
  the Sea of Galilee is called Galilee and is an area of well cultivated highlands, well 
  forested and fertile. To the north near the Litani gorge Galilee is a high tableland with 
  springs and glades and plenty of rich farmland.  
   
  Places of Interest 
   
  River Jordan: The River Jordan is a fertile barrier, flowing southwards first into tiny Lake 
  Huleh through swamps and reed beds, then through the Sea of Galilee and into the 
  Dead Sea. It has a strong and even current with high banks overgrown with willow and 
  palms. Land is fairly desolate on both sides of the Jordan.  East of this important river 
  rises a steep escarpment up to a plateau that shades away into the deep desert.   
   
  Negev Desert: A huge triangular area of rocky desert cut by wadis. A rough deeply 
  eroded wilderness with cultivation only really possible around the oasis of Beersheba. 
  The desert is criss-crossed by the hardy Nabataeans and their wilderness settlements are 
  dotted here and there. 
   
  CYPRUS 
  The island of Cyprus has two great cities: Salamis (on the east coast) and Paphos (on the 
  west coast). Paphos is the reputed birthplace of Venus, and she has a great temple there. 
  Other cities are Citium in the south-east and Amathus on the south coast, and in the 
  centre of the island stands the old Phoenician mining city of Tamassus. The limestone 
  mountains of the island have always been famous for their copper mines. There is a 
  range across the northern shore and another along the southern, culminating in a Mount 
  Olympus. Between the two lies a fertile plain. The Cypriots have always been of Greek 
  culture, but the island has often been conquered by greater powers, the Phoenicians, the 
  Assyrians, the Ægyptians, the Persians and finally King Ptolemy. Today it is the Ptolemaic 
  province of Cyprus. The island of Cyprus has become a safe haven for pirates of every  
   
  
   
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  kind. Some are Phoenicians ready to strip merchant ships of wealth, some are refugees 
  from Egypt, and many others are Cilicians (keeping up a three-century tradition). Cyprus 
  plays unwilling host to these disparate and anarchic forces. City governments are 
  breaking down.  
   
  KYRENE 
  Kyrene is almost an island of wealth and prosperity amidst the rocky barren-lands and 
  sandy deserts of Libya. This Ptolemaic province sits on a huge promontory in the Middle 
  Sea and its only routes of communication are by sea to Rome, Alexandria and Antioch, 
  and by desert caravan to the western oasis of Sabe on the route to Ghirza in Tripolitania. 
  There is no well used land route between Kyrene and Egypt other than caravan travel in 
  the deep desert and across the Quattara Depression. Once known as the Pentapolis 
  because it could boast five grand trading cities, Kyrene now has a number of prosperous 
  settlements, including Kyrene (the capital), Berenice, Arsinoe, Ptolemais, Olbia, Apollonia 
  and Darnis. The economic life of the province is made possible by the existence of the 
  Gebel el-Akdar, a well-watered coastal ridge. Apollonia is the main port of the province 
  and it is flourishing. The region has recently suffered from a number of damaging 
  earthquakes, and it remains a target for the opportunistic tribes of the desert.  
   
  EGYPT 
  The Land 
  The land of Egypt runs along the life giving river Nile as it sweeps majestically through 
  the desert. Ancient pharaohs built fabulous pyramids and obelisks, constructed immense 
  tombs and carved colossal statues of themselves. Egypt is a land of grand monuments. 
  Egypt is the ‘black land’, the rich fertile farmland running alongside the River Nile to the 
  sea. Beyond is the ‘red land’ - the desert, the nomads and death. Red is a symbol of bad-
  luck and death, black of fertility and life. Large unwalled villages (often wrongly called 
  ‘cities’) dot the river bank. There are only really three major cities in Egypt: Alexandria, 
  Ptolemais and Naucratis. None have the typical town council but are governed by an 
  official for the king.  
   
  Traditionally, the seat of Egypt’s power had been Thebes, but this once grand city is now 
  a collection of dusty villages, clustered around the sand-choked ruins of the semi-buried 
  city (smashed centuries earlier by the Persians). The once fabulous Temple of Amun-Ra 
  amidst the villages is now a billet for Greek mercenary troops who patrol the area on 
  foot or on horseback. Pharaohs are buried in the desert cliffs over the water in the Valley 
  of the Kings. At the mouth of the Nile far away is the delta (‘Lower Egypt’) which is a 
  huge area of rich farmland, rivers, swamp and lakes. Most of Egypt’s food comes from 
  here and much of it goes to Alexandria. There are few trees in the kingdom - much wood 
  comes from the Phoenician cities of Tyrus and Sidon. Papyrus is cut from the swamps 
  and turned into scrolls for writing. Mines are worked in the Sinai mountains and the 
  Eastern Desert - often by slaves and criminals. The borders of Egypt are the deserts, 
  which have kept invasions to a minimum.  
   
  The People 
  The Egyptians are a rich and very ancient people that have enjoyed a life of isolation  
   
  
   
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  from the rest of the world. Almost every harvest is a good one, the local governors (the 
  ‘strategoi’) rule their own provinces for the king. Egyptians believe that the things that are 
  eternal are truly important, not individuals, achievements or wars. Life, death, health, 
  nature and the rhythm of the universe are all worshipped through a vast number of huge 
  and colourful temples - each run as estates by the enigmatic and very pious bald-headed 
  priests. If the strategoi run half of the kingdom, the priests run the other half - and the 
  Pharaoh Ptolemy owns it all. 
   
  Egyptians are a black-haired, dark-skinned people who wear simple white kilts for most 
  occasions. Women wear long dresses and elaborate makeup and jewellery. Wigs are 
  common amongst the nobility. The people are generally complacent, proud and 
  powerful. Egyptians despise all foreigners who they consider always bicker and fight 
  amongst themselves for food and treasure. Egypt is a land of plenty. 
   
  Egyptian cultural history is long (over one-thousand years), rich and sophisticated. 
  Architecture, poetry, myths and literature, the crafting of jewellery and the work of 
  painters and sculptors are exquisite. They practice skills handed down over 60 
  generations. The scribal class is mostly made up of Greeks who settled here under 
  Alexander the Great, and keep everything running smoothly. This middle class of Greek  
   
   
   
  administrators wields great power. The written word is power in Egypt, not the uncouth 
  spear, axe or scimitar. Only barbarians (like Nubians or Aramaeans) have any skill with 
  these nasty tools. Egyptians use brains, not brawn. The unpalatable truth, however, is that 
  the Egyptians are a crushed underclass in their own ancestral land. As more and more  
   
  
   
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  pressure is applied to force out more and more corn from the kingdom to feed the 
  hungry masses in the Alexandria, the Egyptian peasants are becoming desperately poor 
  and suffer terribly.  
   
  The History 
  With the earth, air and sky in place, with the green plants and the abundant animals, the 
  god Ra abandoned his creation for the Netherworld, and set himself up as Judge of the 
  Dead. Each night he sailed through the Netherworld on his Night Barque and emerged 
  with great joy in the east at dawn. There his Day Barque ferried him across the twelve 
  hours of the sky to set once more in the west. To comfort mankind while he journeyed 
  through the Otherworld, Ra set up the moon. 
   
  In Ra’s absence Shu ruled the gods, but his reign was troubled by the destruction caused 
  by Sekhmet and by the evil forces of the demon-serpent Apophis. For centuries Shu 
  ruled, and eventually the god Geb urged Shu to abdicate. After much quarrelling, he 
  agreed. Geb assumed the throne and soon peace descended onto the earth. His reign 
  also ended  peacefully with the crown being passed on to his eldest son, Osiris.  
   
  Osiris ruled well, his was a Golden Age of beauty, tranquillity and happiness. He often 
  descended in person to earth in order to teach mankind all the arts of civilisation. Isis, his 
  loyal sister and wife, took over full responsibility for the government of the universe in 
  his absence. Set, Osiris’ brother was jealous and bitter about his brother’s success, and 
  coveted the throne for himself. He attempted to seize the kingship by ordering a coffin 
  to be made, a splendid painted and richly adorned coffin, that perfectly fitted Osiris’ 
  measurements. At a party for the gods thrown by Set, the evil god have the coffin 
  brought in to gasps of amazement. Set declared that he would give the box to anyone 
  who fit inside it comfortably. When Osiris tried the coffin, Set suddenly slammed shut 
  the lid, sealed it with lead and flung it into the River Nile. The coffin sailed out to sea.  
   
  Loyal Isis heard of the crime and vowed to find her brother. Her search carried her to all 
  the ends of the earth, but eventually she discovered the coffin in Canaan. It have washed 
  ashore at the city of Byblos, the oldest city in the world. There a tamarisk tree have 
  sprouted up below it and trapped the coffin within its trunk. The local carpenters have 
  cut down the tree and fashioned the timber into a pillar for the palace of Malcander, 
  king of Byblos. After entering the palace in the guise of a nurse, Isis revealed her identity 
  to the king and queen of Byblos, and they readily consented to let her take the pillar 
  away with her. As a sorceress of great repute, Isis was able to bring the body of Osiris 
  back to life on the banks of the Nile. There they were happily reunited and conceived a 
  child. Set was furious that his plan have been thwarted and he ambushed Osiris and 
  hacked him to death, disposing of the pieces by throwing them into the twisting marshes 
  of the Nile delta. Again Isis tried desperately to track down the pieces of her husband’s 
  body, eventually gathering them all up and carefully reassembling them.  Through this  
   
  attempt to resurrect her husband, Isis created the sacred art of mummification. Despite 
  her great knowledge and skill, Osiris could not be brought fully back to life a second 
  time, the twice-slain god descended to the Netherworld where he began to rule.  
   
  
   
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  The throne of the gods was now empty, the other gods would not let Set take the 
  crown, perhaps they were stalling for time while Isis, a fugitive from the forces of Set, 
  carried Horus, the son of Osiris, within her. When the god-child was born, Set sent his 
  forces against it in an attempt to end the lineage of Osiris, but to no avail. Horus grew 
  up to avenge his father. He first brought Set to trial before the Great Council of gods, 
  with Ra presiding. The trial dragged on for some considerable time, and in the end the 
  council requested that Ra give the judgement over to Neith the goddess of wisdom. She 
  ruled in favour of Horus.  
   
  The two gods fought a pitched battle against one another for the kingship of the 
  universe. As the fighting raged Set was emasculated by Horus, while he in turn lost one 
  of his eyes. Hathor kindly restored the eye of Horus, and the original became a god, the 
  ‘wadjet’, the Eye of Horus. After the intervention of Osiris to convince the gods to unite 
  in support of Horus, Set was made to swear by powerful oaths to accept the kingship of 
  Horus. Set has taken up the titles of a war god and god of desert storms, but he is not 
  consoled by such gifts. In due course Horus handed over the throne, now called the 
  Horus Throne, to a human successor. Every king of Egypt now became ‘The Horus’, 
  every dead king ‘The Osiris’.  
   
  Horus in turn gave up the throne to a human king - the first of a long line of pharaohs. 
  This ruler was named Menes. Menes unified both Upper and Lower Egypt to create a 
  strong and vibrant land. King Menes established his court at a newly established city of 
  Memphis where Upper and Lower Egypt meet. To create enough land for this building 
  project Menes diverted the flow of the Nile with a vast dam, still in operation today. 
  Menes fought the Nubian tribes to the south of Egypt throughout his long reign of 62 
  years, and he was eventually killed on a hunting trip by a hippopotamus. His body was 
  buried in the sacred necropolis of Abydos - the site of Osiris’ own burial. 
   
  Many native-born pharaohs ruled Egypt in dynasty after dynasty, climaxing with the 
  amazing reign of Pharaoh Ramses II. But soon the priests grew powerful enough to have 
  a dynasty of their own. Egyptian power waned in a period of great rival empires. There 
  were Nubian dynasties, Libyan dynasties and then horror! The Assyrian Empire invaded 
  and wrought devastation on Egypt. Soon after the Persians did the same. Finally all hopes 
  of a return to native Egyptian glory were dashed when the Greek general Alexander 
  defeated Persia and conquered Egypt. His general Ptolemy established his own dynasty 
  and he became pharaoh. His son now rules Egypt with the help of a powerful new class 
  of Greek administrators - a new aristocratic class that pushes Egyptian nobles out of the 
  way. All the best jobs are taken by Greeks. The Greek scribal class continues to organise 
  the kingdom's government as before, the local Egyptians struggle to earn a living or earn 
  any rank of distinction.  
   
  Egyptian scribes have devised a scheme for the recording of the house lineage. It is  
  divided into dynasties, each one forming a distinct blood-line. Although the human 
  blood-lines sometimes stop and re-start as new pharaohs take up the crown, upon the 
  coronation, the usurpers become the god Horus, son of Osiris, and so the link is 
  maintained. By burying their predecessor, the new pharaoh becomes the son Horus  
   
  
   
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  burying his father Osiris. In this way House Osiris can be said to stretch back two 
  thousand years. The Royal House of Osiris has ruled the valley of the river Nile, the 
  kingdom of Egypt,  for thousands of years. 
   
  Places of Interest 
  Alexandria: The city of Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great and greatly 
  improved upon by PtolemyI and II who came after him. It is his greatest legacy, the most 
  fantastic city on earth. It is a vibrant and cosmopolitan centre, and still retains a strong 
  Greek cultural identity. It is a well-laid out city, well-planned and organised. Alexandria is 
  a prosperous clearing house, an impressive trading centre that has become the axis for 
  trade between East and West. Merchantmen carrying cargoes from Meroe, Axum, 
  Sabaea, India and far distant lands of myth and legend leave from the vast harbour 
  complex. The Jews have a large population here with their own political organisation, 
  this often puts them in conflict with the real power-base - the Greeks. The architecture of 
  the city is wonderful, and the city planners established much of Alexandria between Lake 
  Mareotis and the Middle Sea. The island of Pharos off shore, was long ago connected to 
  Alexandria by an ancient causeway and the city has expanded in that direction too. On 
  the island stands the impressive Pharos lighthouse. One the eastern side of the causeway 
  sits the Great Harbour, on the western side a number of lesser anchorages. Within the 
  city proper stand magnificent structures: the Library of Alexandria (the ‘Museum’), a 
  fabulous temple of Serapis, palaces (once occupied by Queen Cleopatra), temples, 
  beautiful colonnades, fountains and public precincts. Greek philosophers have resided at 
  the Library for centuries - it is a centre of learning, experimentation, science and 
  literature. Many famous philosophers were trained at the Library which is run by a high 
  priest of Apollo appointed by the pharaoh-king.  
   
  Canopus & Herakleion: Along the same bar of land that separates the Middle Sea from 
  Lake Mareotis in the Egyptian delta stands the city of Canopus, and two satellite towns - 
  Herakleion  and Menouthis (away from the sea). These three cities stand on a branch of 
  the River Nile called the Canopic Arm. Herakleion is famous for its temple of Hercules, a 
  place of refuge for runaway slaves and reputedly the site of a visit by Paris and Helen on 
  their way to Troy. The city is a tiny port that cannot compare with Alexandria, not too 
  distant. Canopus sits on the salty plains near the sea and the animal-headed jars used to 
  hold the viscera of mummies in the tomb are manufactured here (hence their name - 
  Canopic jars). The city had a thriving market which was lifted wholesale to Alexandria. 
  Canopus does retain an impressive temple to Serapis, constructed by King Ptolemy. It 
  had been dedicated to Osiris, but that god’s image now lives within the temple of 
  Hercules at Herakleion. Once a year an elaborate ceremony takes place Osiris is 
  brought out to be carried by barge to Canopus. Canopus attracts many, many pilgrims 
  and other visitors, and the festivals of Serapis are spectacular events attracting thousands 
  of people. The celebrations are well known for their licentiousness and sexual abandon. 
  Many Alexandrians cram into boats to reach Canopus for the pleasure filled festivities.  
  The temple of Serapis is also known as a place of miracle cures. Canopus is a 
  fashionable resort full of wealthy ladies, tourists and aristocrats enjoying the cool breezes 
  and luxuriant hotels. A temple to Isis dominates the suburb of Menouthis 3km away.  It 
  has a huge reputation and pilgrims come from far and wide to consult Isis of Menouthis.  
   
  
   
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  She too helps the infertile and can cure the sick - and her rites are also accompanied by 
  scandalous behaviour and dancing. The Canopus canal links the Canopic Arm to 
  Alexandria along the bar of land in front of Lake Mareotis. This forms a main route for 
  pilgrims from Alexandria to Menouthis, Canopus and Herakleion. Two other small towns 
  sit on the coast and link to the Canopic canal, Taposiris (near Canopus) and Nicopolis, 
  closer to Alexandria.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  HOUSE ANTIGONUS 
  Characteristics 
  STR 14, CON 9, POW 12, INT 12, DEX 12, CHA 16, SIZ 7 
   
  Ruler 
  Antigonus II 
   
  Patron God 
  Heracles 
   
  House Symbol 
  The eight pointed Macedonian star 
   
  Area Under Domination 
  Macedonia and the north Aegean coastline, Greece is an occupied protectorate.  
   
  Royal City 
  Pella 
   
  In the 4th century, Macedonia, forever considered a barbaric and primitive kingdom of 
  warrior-heroes, steps into the light. It is a vast northern kingdom ranging across mountain 
  ranges, marshy plains and dense forests with no large cities. In addition, most of 
  Macedonia's rivers do not dry up in summer, making the land very different from the rest 
  of Greece. Its inhabitants speak a language closely related to Greek and the Greeks 
  scorn them for it. The government of Macedon is a kingship, King Antignous depends on 
  a strata of warrior-heroes and rival tribes in the old Greek tradition, rather than a state 
  bureaucracy. Gift-giving, blood ties and clan loyalties count for everything. Macedonian 
  society depends on agriculture, stock breeding and hunting for revenue.  
   
  With the removal of "the Kings," Philip III and Alexander IV, to Macedon (321), that 
  Kingdom, replacing Alexander's Babylon, becomes the de jure capital, again, of the 
  Macedonian Empire. However, the Kings are merely figureheads and pawns in the 
  power struggles now developing. With both Kings murdered in turn (317, c.310), 
  Cassander is left maintaining the fiction of Alexander's authority. It lasted rather longer 
  than we might have expected. Antigonus Monophthalmos declares himself and his son 
  Demetrius "Poliorcetes" Kings in 306. Then all the Diadochi, Cassander, Lysimachus, 
  Ptolemy, and Seleucus, followed suit in 305. This reduced Macedon itself to the position 
  of no more than first among equals, if that. It soon becomes the most contested of the 
  Successor Kingdoms. Demetrius displaces the sons of Cassander (294) and then is 
  ejected by Lysimachus and an opportunistic king of Epirus called Pyrrhus (288). They 
  share Macedon until Lysimachus ejects Pyrrhus (283). Then Lysimachus is killed by 
  Seleucus, who is killed by adventurer (and son of Ptolemy I) Ptolemy Ceraunus (281). 
  Ptolemy is killed by invading Celts (279), which puts the Kingdom pretty much up for 
  grabs. It is duly grabbed by Antigonus II Gonatas, son of Demetrius, who defeats the 
  invading Celts (277) and establishes a Macedonian dynasty of note.  
  
   
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  Although Greece is small, its inhabitants make up a very diverse population. Co-
  operation is always very rare and the mountains divide one set of Greeks from another. 
  Naturally these groups have become self-sufficient, competitive and defensive, and 
  typically a prominent city has grown up to dominate the local area. This city-state wields 
  tremendous power, forming a corporate body of citizens who often participate in its 
  running through democracy or through a tribal representative. Other states retain a 
  government by traditional aristocratic families, still others by popular leader. Only the 
  Spartans retain a kingship. The Greek states of note (in general order of power and 
  importance) include: 
   
  ATHENS - The greatest of the Greek city-states, Athens has played a leading role in the 
  affairs and conflicts of Greece for more than two centuries. Its heyday was during the 
  Persian invasions when the Athenians rallied the Greeks and organised resistance. After 
  this they bound many states together in a defensive treaty (the Delian League), but the 
  Persians never returned and Athens grew richer, mightier and more tyrannical as time 
  passed. The Spartans championed the states that were unhappy with Athens, resulting in 
  the Peloponnesian War. Athens has always been a seafaring city and boasts a powerful 
  navy of triremes (with triple-banked oars). The great harbour of the city is called the 
  Piraeus. Much of Athens wealth comes from the Laurion silver mines (in Attica, the  
  district around Athens) and from dwindling overseas dependencies. In religion the  
  citizens revere Athena, but Demeter is also highly thought-of and a great festival occurs 
  each year with a vast procession to neighbouring Eleusis. The Athenians love free speech 
  and the theatre, holding annual competitions for drama and comedy. The government is 
  an assembly of the city's five hundred free men that vote on issues and are elected to 
  office. They are universally suspicious of any form of government that does not conform 
  to democracy.  
   
  SPARTA - The great rival of Athens, Sparta is a very unique Greek city-state. It holds a 
  vast territory in the southern Peloponnese called Laconia and has enslaved many 
  inhabitants of near-by Messenia. The Spartans are the only people to retain a kingship; in 
  fact they have two kings and a council of elders (ephors). Everything in Sparta is 
  traditionalist and primitive. The citizens who have any say at all are of noble blood, 
  hereditary warriors living in permanent state of military readiness in communal messes. 
  Spartans rarely see their families; to do so is a sign of weakness. The early years of a 
  Spartan are one long trial of pain and hardship. By manhood a Spartan is an unflinching 
  warrior, a pursuer of glory in battle and a loyal fighter for Spartan supremacy. So brutally 
  do they treat their slaves (helots) that the Spartans must be ever ready to defend 
  themselves against helot uprisings. Sometimes they massacre helots who show any signs 
  of boldness. Sometimes the paranoid Spartans eject all foreigners from Laconia and are 
  then free to commit atrocities against the helots away from prying eyes. A secret police 
  (krypteia) is crucial in the fight against rebellion.  
   
  THEBES - Thebes is the greatest city state of Boeotia, a wide rural landscape that is 
  stifling hot in summer and chilly in winter. The territory is hemmed in by mountain chains 
  on the north and west, and it has access to the Aegean only indirectly by the narrow 
  Gulf of Euboea. A fertile district, the Boeotians are known as uncivilised farmers. There  
  
   
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  are two major regions of Boeotia; a fertile plain dominated by Thebes, and the slopes of 
  the mountains dominated by the city of Orchomenus. An oligarchy of great landed 
  proprietors rules the state, and like other territories have come together to form a 
  confederacy. There is a common federal currency (bearing the twin-notched Boeotian 
  shield on the reverse - the symbol of the state), a Boeotian army commanded by ten 
  Boeotarchs and a new and vigorous spirit of Boeotian dominance in Greek affairs. With 
  Thebes at the helm, the Boeotian Confederacy continues to go from strength to strength.  
   
  THESSALY - A large, flat and fertile territory in northern 
  Greece. Horse-breeding is popular and powerful 
  aristocratic families have made cavalry the backbone of 
  the military. Some of the most powerful autocratic 
  dynasties include the Aleuadae of Larisa and the 
  Scopadae of Crannon. Democracy has barely had a 
  chance in Thessaly, so powerful are the old aristocratic 
  land-owners. In times of war these families unite into a 
  loose alliance (the Thessalian Confederation) 
  commanded by a nominated official, the tagus. The 
  fortunes of this Thessalian Confederation have been, at 
  best, unhappy. Rarely has it proven to be a threat to the 
  rest of Greece, instead it has been split by infighting. 
  Jason, a tyrant of Pherae, was assassinated, and his 
  successor, Alexander, proved to be just as ambitious 
  and ruthless. The other dynasties called upon the barbaric Macedonians for help against 
  Alexander, but found their presence odious. Instead they  
   
  turned to the Greek city of Thebes for assistance. Thebes has intervened in Thessalian 
  affairs, treating it as a protectorate.  Thessaly contains the mountains Ossa, Pelion and 
  Othrys, and is crossed by the river Peneus that flows through the magical Vale of Tempe.   
   
  CORINTH - Corinth sits on a narrow land-bridge (isthmus) connecting the Peloponnese 
  to northern Greece. Because of its site it became first and foremost a commercial city, 
  shipping goods (and even entire ships) across the isthmus, manufacturing pottery and 
  cultivating olive oil and wine on the adjacent plain. In ancient times successful tyrants 
  ruled Corinth. Its rich merchants are reluctant to engage the city in any wars at all. The 
  city was famed for its temple to Aphrodite and its priestesses were prostitutes, serving 
  the countless visitors, traders and adventurers who passed through the city walls.  
   
  AMPHICTYONIC LEAGUE - The Amphictyonic League was composed of the states and 
  cities surrounding the sacred shrine of Apollo at Delphi. Each participating state had a 
  vote and was represented by two delegates sent to Delphi called pylagorai and 
  hieromnemones. The league council is responsible for religious ceremonies, 
  administration, the regular athletic games and the other communal festivals held at 
  Delphi. The council tried to abstain from inter-state politics, giving the League a good 
  deal of prestige amongst the Greeks.  
   
  
   
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  PHOCIS - Phocis is a state to the north of the Gulf of Corinth, bordered by Locris to the 
  north, Boeotia to the east and Doris and Locris to the west. The Phocians have fought 
  viciously against the Thessalians in the past. When Persia invaded in 480 BC the 
  Phocians were overwhelmed and forced to co-operate, but at the earliest opportunity 
  Phocis revolted and fought to expel the Persian army. Phocis has periodically controlled 
  Delphi (a shrine of international importance within Phocian territory) but always lost that 
  control. Today it dominates Delphi once more - at a cost in human life. The state is 
  mountainous and its highest (and most famous) peak is Mount Parnassus. The cities of 
  Phocis include Lilaea, Hyampolis, Anticyra, Parapotamii, Panopeus, Daulis and Abe.  
   
  DORIS - A small and mountainous state to the north of Mount Parnassus, caught 
  between Phocis, Locris and Aetolia. Its heartland is a fertile valley between Parnassus 
  and Mount Oeta. Considered by most Greeks to be the birthplace of the race.  
   
  AETOLIA - This huge mountain state lies north of the Gulf of Corinth and west of Locris 
  and Phocis. The only city of note is Thermum, the rest of the population being scattered 
  through numerous mountain villages. Thermum is home to a very ancient temple of 
  Apollo. Many Greeks consider the Aetolians uncouth barbarians. They are in fact a brave 
  warrior people that often find employment abroad as barbarian mercenaries.  
   
  LOCRIS - A small state in central Greece, famous in ancient times for its archers (who 
  fought in the Trojan War). The chief towns of Locris are Amphissa and Naupactus. 
  Amphissa sits on the popular approach to Delphi and has found itself in difficulties on 
  several occasions with that town. Locris moved in the circles of more important city-
  states, Thebes in particular.  
   
  ACHAEA - Yet another tiny mountain state, this time on the southern coast of the Gulf of 
  Corinth, just north of Arcadia. There are twelve tiny cities in Achaea and these have 
  united to form the Achaean League, the largest of these cities is Dyme, Patrae, Tritaea 
  and Pharae. The symbol of Achaea is a ligature of the letters 'alpha' and 'chi' (a capital A 
  with the legs extending up past the apex). 
   
  ACARNANIA - A state facing the island of Ithaca. Acarnania was important during the 
  Corinthian War (391 - 387 BC) but otherwise is a poverty-stricken and remote 
  backwater. One of the larger cities is Oenidae. 
   
  ARCADIA - Arcadia is a mountain wilderness in the heart of the Peloponnese, a land 
  inhabited by poor farmers and primitive shepherds. It is an inaccessible region and its 
  people are of an ancient stock, protected from the civilizing influences of Greek culture 
  by the mountains surrounding them. Surrounding city-states have coveted Arcadia as a 
  bridge to other parts of the Peloponnese. Recently, due to the faltering power of Sparta 
  against the armies of Thebes, the Arcadians created an Arcadian League in 370 BC. This 
  caused some friction with neighbouring Elis and a battle was fought at the Olmpic 
  Games of 364, actually in front of the spectators! The symbol of Arcadia is a ligature of 
  the letters 'alpha' and 'rho' (a capital A and an R merging with the right hand leg) 
   
  
   
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  ARGOS - Argos once dominated events in the Peloponnese and has sparred with rivals 
  Sparta many times. It is a very ancient city dominating the coastal plain of Argolis and its 
  lesser cities (Mycenae, Tiryns and others). By the 4th century BC the great days of Argos 
  were over. It still exploits its proximity to the sea as a commercial centre, but greater 
  states have eclipsed once proud Argos. The Argive symbol is the hydra, a water snake 
  (often depicted as just a giant snake). 
   
  ELIS - Elis is a state of little political importance in the western Peloponnese. It is famed 
  for the magnificent temple to Zeus at Olympia. Every four years the Olympic Games are 
  held there and these wonderful events draw in crowds from all across the Greek world. 
  Elis lives in the shadow of the other Peloponnesian states. 
   
  IONIA - Ionia is the region on the coast of Asia Minor facing the Aegean Sea. Greeks 
  settled here in the distant past, and were known as slightly more genteel, slightly more 
  refined than others of their race. The Ionians are, however, clever businessmen and wily 
  thinkers - many philosophers grew up in Ionian cities, spurred by the intellectual climate. 
  The greatest city-state of the Ionians is Miletus (which has sent out dozens of colonies 
  along the shores of the Black Sea).  
   
  MEGARA - Megara was a city-state with an illustrious past, it sent out numerous colonies 
  in previous centuries, but was so close to Athens that it was often eclipsed. Its disputes 
  with Athens contributed to the Peloponnesian War. Once Sparta had defeated Athens 
  Megara retained its prestige because of its great past.  
   
  MAGNA GRAECIA - When the states of Greece sent out colonists over the last few 
  centuries, many settled in southern Italy, in the heel and toe of the peninsula. Naturally 
  these Greeks established city states that quickly resembled those of their homeland. The 
  fertility of the new land and the prospects for trade encouraged even more colonization - 
  soon the city-states had become rivals. In many ways Magna Graecia resembles the 
  feuding city-states of Greece. However, there are more extremes - more land and space, 
  greater possibilities for trade or expansion, fewer entrenched elites, and a more 
  optimistic and free-thinking atmosphere. The greatest cities of Magna Graecia (distant 
  enough from Greece to form a world on their own) include powerful Syracuse on Sicily, 
  Tarentum, Croton, Rhegium, Messene, Metapontum, Locri, Thurii, Heraclea and Hydrus.  
   
   
  DAILY LIFE 
  The Kingdoms of the East are made up of many disparate lands, some of which have 
  been in existence for many hundreds if not thousands of years. The great empires of the 
  past and present have all left their mark on the societies that remain, and this means that 
  many of the different societies share similar  traits. The greatest influences have come 
  from the Greek or Macedonian empire of Alexander.  
   
  For the majority of the poor life is basic. Dressed in just a simple kilt or tunic, the day  
   
  
   
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  starts early for the peasant and involves long hours in the fields under the burning sun, 
  ploughing, sowing, harvesting, threshing, winnowing, digging irrigation ditches and 
  tending cattle or sheep. For others the day is spent sat outside the workshop crafting 
  pots, clothing, iron tools or whatever. Everyone owes a responsibility to the officials and 
  tax collectors who live in luxury within their walled villas or townhouses in the cities. 
  These tax-collectors might send round men twice each year, first to assess the taxes, and 
  then to collect. 
   
  Almost everyone lives in a village, a collection of little white-washed mud-brick houses 
  with flat roofs and steps leading up to them. Several generations will live in only one or 
  two rooms. The family animals will be kept outside, and stores of oil and grain will be 
  kept in large jars within the house. The men gossip every day at the beer-house, the 
  women at the well. Villages rarely have any need of silver denarii - everything is paid for 
  in kind. Law and order is kept by the most senior man of the most respected family - and 
  he will liaise with the tax-collector and his men. 
   
  Government:  The lands of the East are either ruled by a foreign power as a province, by 
  a legitimate king or other overlord, or by a powerful ruling family. The provinces of the 
  Seleucid Empire, for example, are all ruled by provincial governors selected by the king 
  or installed in their father's place. He has command of any troops stationed in his 
  territory. Kings, on the other hand rule Persia, Bithynia, Pontus, Meroe, Axum, Colchis, 
  Armenia, and Palmyra. Depending on their relationship with neighbouring states, they 
  may be entirely free to do as they please. Influential families govern the desert lands of 
  Nabataea and Sabaea, while Judaea is ruled by an elite religious priesthood. The wild 
  Arabian tribes remain ungoverned and ungovernable, and they continue to present an 
  threat to civilisation.  
   
  Slavery: Enslavement of humans is a well established aspect of society. Most slaves are 
  born to other slaves or are captured in wars. A slave learns to be obedient or is whipped, 
  branded, mutilated or killed. Most slaves are house slaves or personal servants (‘body 
  slaves’) but others are forced to work on chain-gangs in the mines, as oarsmen in the 
  galleys. A slave has no rights, and although some are treated very harshly, others are 
  given great freedoms, sometimes wages with which they can be their own freedom. 
  Some slaves are highly educated men such as doctors, accountants or scribes. A freed 
  slave (‘freedman’) generally has fewer rights than a freeman, but his children are born 
  free. Children born to a slave are slaves, and belong to the master.  He may or may not 
  sanction liaisons between his slaves. In the East, noblemen, kings and princes often 
  demand eunuch slaves for reasons of absolute loyalty. Such a slave without prospect of 
  a wife or heirs has no reason to turn against his master. Eunuchs are given positions of 
  great trust. The greatest slave markets are on the island of Delos, at Antioch and at 
  Rhodes.  
   
  Clothing: For the poorest people of the East clothing is simply a linen loincloth or kilt, or 
  a simple dress if female. The clothing of wealthier men and women reflects the dominant 
  culture at the time. Generally, in Greek cities, short-sleeved tunics and cloaks are worn 
  by men. Women wear wrap-around dresses. In many eastern cities and towns traditional 
  eastern dress is still popular. For men this includes knee-length long-sleeved tunics with 
  
   
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  close-fitting trousers, boots and wrap-around turbans or pointed Phrygian caps. Women 
  wear long dresses with long sleeves, and caps or headresses.  
   
  Cities & Towns: Cities and towns 
  founded by Alexander or his Successors 
  are very well planned and strictly laid-
  out. A typical eastern city is a sprawling 
  and very jumbled affair. Houses are 
  made of baked brick or stone and have 
  a flat roof used for cooking and daytime 
  activities. Houses are built back to back, 
  crowded into city districts and cut by 
  narrow, winding streets and alleyways. 
  Markets and stalls crowd into open 
  spaces near street intersections and at 
  gateways. A stout fortified wall 
  surrounds the heart of the city, and is 
  usually pierced by several impressive 
  gateways. Later houses, stables and 
  wooden lean-to’s are often built outside 
  up against this wall. Outside the city are inns, market-stalls, beggars and slums. 
   
  City-dwellers live a more crowded life than farmers but it is still essentially a struggle for 
  survival. Most towns-people engage in a craft rather than farm. They work for the 
  wealthy businessmen or the temples, others may have little shops - town houses with 
  large ground-floor windows opening onto the street. Goods are displayed outside or 
  hang up within.  
   
  Oxen, camels, donkeys and bearers always crowd the narrow streets of any city - along 
  with petty traders and many others trying to make an honest living. Most cities are 
  encircled by brick or stone walls and have two or more gateways through which 
  merchant caravans pass. More houses, shops, temples, warehouses and other buildings 
  cluster outside the walls. On the coast a wide sloping beach will be backed by a long 
  line of warehouses, stone-built jetties, merchant halls and trade agents’ houses. From 
  every city comes the smell of camel, of dung, human sewage and cooking fires. Most 
  cities will have one or more markets held daily at the city gates, places of many sights 
  and smells where established traders sell wares that they purchase from the caravans and 
  where local craftsmen sell their wares. Fresh in from the fields would be farmers and 
  their families selling any surplus vegetables and fruits they might have. 
   
  The city itself is divided into districts defined by trade, a silversmith’s district, a potter’s 
  district, a temple district, a merchant’s district - and so on. The city’s specialist industry 
  always groups itself together like this. The workers are often bound together within 
  guilds to protect themselves and provide mutual aid. The city’s public amenities will vary, 
  but nearly all will include an agora, a public square where the two main streets cross, 
  used for meetings, ceremonies and markets. Here men gather to find work, hear  
   
  
   
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  rumours or stories, campaign for office, find workers to hire, sell or buy wares, or just 
  meet up with friends. An agora has long colonnades (stoa) surrounding it which contain 
  shops and offices, as well as, on one side, a council meeting hall, a theatre, a gymnasium 
  used for athletic training, exercise and also intellectual pursuits such as study and 
  lecturing. And every city has temples, many open to the public and adjacent to or very 
  near to, the forum. Other temples, meanwhile, are restricted to a select membership. 
  Cemeteries are always found outside the walls, usually along a road leading away from 
  the city, although in some cities of Syria and Phoenicia, an ancient practice of interring 
  the dead in underfloor vaults still persists. Out in the streets there is no lighting, and the 
  winding streets are pitch-black and treacherous. Robbers and gangsters are common 
  dangers. The wealthy are carried about in litters by their slaves, and the way is lit by 
  more torch-bearing slaves. 
   
  Houses: The Greek house looks inwards towards an open courtyard. There are few 
  windows facing outward to the street or the fields (and those are small and shuttered). 
  Doors open out from the courtyard into rooms which surround it. The house altar often 
  sits in the courtyard, and some dwellings are lucky enough to have their own well. A 
  balcony above leads to several bedrooms, and provides a cool colonnade for those 
  walking or sitting in the courtyard down below. The stairway up to this second floor is in 
  the courtyard. Servants quarters and bedrooms are upstairs, with the women spending 
  most of their time in these rooms (called the gynaeceum). They often lead separate 
  existences from the men of the household (especially in richer families). There they 
  weave, spin and entertain their friends who travel through the streets in the company of 
  slaves. Downstairs there is a kitchen tended by slaves, with an open fire. The men of the 
  house can eat and entertain in their own dining room (the andron). They recline on 
  couches  while being served by slaves. This is the most decorated room in the house, 
  with mosaics and wall hangings, tapestries made by the women. In cooler seasons 
  charcoal is burnt in portable braziers.  Tall bronze lampstands are often used to provide 
  illumination, and their may be a large, multi-wick clay ‘chandelier’ hanging from the 
  ceiling.  Most of these middle class houses also set aside a quiet family room, with a 
  circular hearth in the centre (ringed by kerb stones). Because of the presence of the 
  hearth, this living room is dedicated to the goddess Hestia. Wooden furniture is 
  commonly used. Beds and couches look similar and are covered with mattresses and 
  pillows. Low tables are pushed under the couches when not in use. Most people sit on 
  stools, and some of these had folding legs. The only chairs in the Greek house are the 
  klismos women’s chair with a back, and the thronos, a large chair with arms used by the 
  master of the house. Houses of this size and status also have a small bathroom 
  containing a terracotta bath, a drain leads outside. A basin on a stand can be used for 
  washing in the morning.  
   
  Social Status: Not everyone is equal. Below the freeman are several groups of people 
  who do not enjoy the same status, rights or wages. Women are always poorly treated, as 
  are foreign settlers. Below them are slaves and other menials (including gladiators, 
  prostitutes and criminals, for example). Above the freeman , working in the fields to 
  cultivate wheat, barley, olives, grapes or flax, and his town-dwelling equal, he craftsman, 
  is an entire strata of educated families able to turn their sons into accountants, scribes 
  doctors, clerks, priests, merchants, farm managers and a hundred other educated 
  
   
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  professions. Above these are the real aristocrats, the city gentry able to sit on the town 
  senate and affect public life through their vote. To qualify these families must have lots of 
  property, land, money and ‘muscle’. Although still obliged to follow the dictates of the 
  king or governor, the senate still has great municipal powers.   
   
  Law and Order: Only civil cases are heard in the law courts, since the governments do 
  not (need) to prosecute people. The courts are managed by the provincial governor or 
  the king. He also selects judges who can do a good job, and (in serious cases) these men 
  hear cases fought over by competing lawyers. If serious, a jury comes to a verdict and 
  the judge announces the verdict and decides the punishment. Prisons exist only to 
  detain criminals for trial.  
   
  The educated and wealthy are always treated with a good deal more respect and favour 
  in law courts than ‘everybody else’. For the wealthy who are found guilty, crimes such as 
  fines and exile are more appropriate. For everyone else there are also confiscations of 
  property, flogging, mutilation, service as a galley or mine slave, or execution (by 
  beheading or stoning). Public order is kept by the local garrison of the army, usually light 
  troops such as cavalry or archers. Sometimes mercenaries are hired by the governor to 
  keep the peace. 
   
  Entertainment: The people of the ancient world are able to relax and amuse themselves 
  in a number of different ways. The wealthy often give dinner parties or elaborate 
  banquets, complete with numerous courses and entertainment in the form of dancers, 
  acrobats, poetry reading, musicians, wrestlers - even courtesans. Public entertainment 
  consists mainly of the theatre, which hosts touring productions of comedies and 
  tragedies (all the actors are male). Athletic competitions including running races, javelin 
  throwing, boxing and other sports are still popular, although chariot racing has far 
  surpassed these in popularity. Every circus (where they exist) is bursting to capacity every 
  race. The final great past-time of the ancients is spending time at the baths. Cities and 
  towns have public baths at the gymnasia where customers can swim, bathe, plunge into 
  hot water or sweat in a steam room, they can gossip with friends, lounge around, 
  gamble, read, write and exercise. The larger gymnasia often incorporate an exercise field, 
  offices, a library and colonnades for strolling or sitting in the shade. Private bath-houses 
  can also be found in very large houses, villas and palaces. 
   
  Farming: Greek farming is often small scale, worked by the owner and his family and a 
  few hired hands as well as slaves. Sometimes owners lived in nearby cities and in this 
  case they hired bailiffs to run the farm. Greek farms grew wheat or barley on the flat 
  plains, bread is of course the main part of every meal. Fruit and vegetables are grown 
  closer to the farm and used to feed the family. Animals are often kept on the farm, sheep 
  and goats are grazed on the hillsides and looked after by a farm-worker or younger 
  member of the family. These beasts provide milk, meat, skins and wool. Cows are kept in 
  fertile areas for their milk, but beef is not a common dish. Castrated bulls (oxen) are used 
  as a common beast of burden to pull ploughs, wagons, turn large grinding mills, pull 
  heavy loads (such as building stones) and trample over harvested husks to thresh them. 
  Horses are not common farm animals, but a animal of luxury and wealth. They are bred 
  by the rich for riding in battle. Pigs and poultry are also kept.  
  
   
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  Two common agricultural crops are grapes and olives. Grapes are picked in September, 
  and although some are eaten, most are pressed to make wine. The juice is left in large 
  amphora to ferment, then it is dated and sealed. Olives are picked by hand or knocked 
  from the trees with sticks. Again, some are eaten, but most are crushed to make olive oil. 
  This essential item is used for cooking, for burning in clay lamps and as a cleaning 
  product in the baths. Olive trees take an entire generation to grow back, they are very 
  well looked after.  
   
  Food: Greeks have been used to simple living and simple food for generations. Only 
  with contact with Persia and the exotic cultures of the East have Greek tastes begun to 
  change. But the simple Greek diet is still a common one. Barley cooked as porridge or 
  baked as bread is the staple meal, and porridge often forms the main meal of the day! 
  Vegetables and bread may be eaten with it. There might be leeks or cabbage, onions, 
  radishes or carrots. A lunchtime meal might consist of bread with goats cheese, with 
  perhaps some olives and figs. Breakfast might only be a lump of bread soaked in wine! 
  There are other foods, too: fish (especially near the coast or on the Greek islands), eggs, 
  fruit, a little deer, boar or hare meat, as well as plentiful lamb and mutton. To add taste, 
  coriander and sesame are known and used. The rich can flavour their foods (and wines) 
  with honey.  
   
  Markets: The market sits at the centre of every Greek city, both physically and socially. It 
  occupies the open space called the agora. Not only are goods bought and sold and  
  coins changed from one standard to another, but people meet their friends, men looking 
  for work gather in certain spots where employers are liely to turn up and pick men for 
  jobs, politicians, demagogues and even religious leaders can address the crowds, and of 
  course there are always entertainers, singers, musicians and acrobats trying to impress 
  the passers-by for a few coins. The local farmers come by donkey and set up stalls in the 
  centre of the agora, typical produce might include fish, cheese, fruit, vegetables, hens 
  and eggs. Those traders selling meat and fish usually display them on a slab of marble to 
  keep them cool. Some of the traders sell drinks and cooked food to shoppers. Craftsmen 
  usually have a workshop in their house in the surrounding streets, from where they take 
  orders from customers and then go straight to work on the item.  
   
  An important aspect of every agora is the stoa. This is a long building down one or more 
  sides of the agora that is filled with shops, shops that have a counter at the front from 
  which are sold cooking pots, lamps and luxury items. The roof of the stoa extends out at 
  the front of the building and is held up by a long row of columns. This forms a covered 
  and shady walkway used as a meeting place by citizens of the city. Other features of the 
  agora include statues of the gods, athletes and politicians as well as a public stone altar 
  on a platform with wide steps leading up to it. Kykloi are more mundane - circular stone 
  platforms upon which certain merchants can display their wares, such as textiles, pots or 
  slaves.  
   
  A common sight in every agora is the moneychanger, or moneychangers, since the 
  business is a thriving one. These entrepreneurs change one city or kingdom's coins for 
   
  
   
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   the local one, and often reap high profits while doing so. In fact they have such large 
  amounts of cash at hand they they often provide the services of a bank, lending out 
  money to those who can offer a guarantee or bond (which of course will be siezed if the 
  loan is not repaid).  
   
  CALENDAR 
   
  Different calendars were used all over Greece. The historian Timaeus (c. 346 - c. 250 BC) 
  devised the system of numbering from the first Olympiad, 776 BC, but this was never 
  generally used. Years were identified by the magistrates of a city who held office in that 
  year. The months were lunar, and of alternately 30 and 29 days, so that periodically 
  another month was inserted. The cycle on which this depends was invented by the 
  astronomer Meton.  
   
  From this it can be seen that we can't give precise correspondences to modern days, but 
  typically the year began in about July. The months were named mainly after festivals that 
  took place in them. In Athens they were:  
   
  Hecatombeion (July-ish), when the hecatombs were offered.  
  Metageitnion, in which people flitted and changed neighbours  
  called Karneios by the Spartans  
  Boedromion, in memory of the conquest of the Amazons by Theseus  
  Pyanepsion (October-ish), from a dish of beans eaten at a festival  
  Maimacterion, from Zeus Maimactes 'the boisterous'  
  Poseideon. This was the repeated month in leap years  
  Gamelion (January-ish), the time of weddings  
  Anthesterion, from the festival of flowers  
  Elaphebolion, 'deer-hunting'. Known as Artemision elsewhere  
  Munychion (April-ish), from the festival of the Munychian Artemis  
  Thargelion, a festival of Apollo and Artemis  
  Scirophorion, 'parasol-bearers', a festival of Athena  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  PART 2 
   
  Creating  Characters 
   
   
  Characters are the eyes and ears of players within 
  the game world. They are also the alter-ego of the 
  players, the vehicle through which the player can 
  interact with the world, make his mark upon it, affect 
  it’s inhabitants and its structure. Normally each 
  player will create and run one character, but there 
  may be times when this basic rule is ignored. 
  Perhaps one of the players cannot make it to the 
  game and someone volunteers to run his character. 
  Perhaps the scenario calls for an extra type of skill 
  specialism ... There are really no hard and fast rules. 
  As long as the players feel comfotable with the 
  characters that they are running, and can see the 
  world through the eyes of their character (or 
  characters). Rarely should a player attempt to handle more than two characters at a time, 
  though. The danger here is that he plays them all the same, or favours one to the 
  detriment of the others.  
   
  WHAT DO WE DO? 
  Player characters are rootless Greek wanderers, mercenaries, fortune seekers - the kinds 
  of people that thrived in the competitive and chaotic world of the Successor Kingdoms. 
  Those with talent and ambition became embroiled in daring schemes, political intrigue 
  and adventure on a grand scale. Every Greek king surrounded himself with royally 
  appointed 'Friends', people from all walks of life that were ambitious and able to further 
  his cause in some way. Many of these 'Friends' were Greeks, speaking the same 
  language and thinking the same way as the kings themselves, but inhabitants of the 
  newly conquered lands were also proving themselves adept at being invaluable. Some of 
  the major races of the Successor Kingdoms are included in the character generation 
  process that follows.  
   
  To summarize, play WARLORDS OF ALEXANDER as a traditional fantasy game. It is an 
  ancient era setting that attempts to mirror many of the tropes of fantasy roleplaying. It 
  gives players the grit of reality alongside the splendor of history.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  CHARACTERISTICS 
  Characters in WARLORDS OF ALEXANDER are described according to the seven 
  essential characteristics of the Basic Roleplaying System: Strength (STR), Constitution 
  (CON), Size (SIZ), Intelligence (INT), Power (POW), Dexterity (DEX), Charisma (CHA). 
  All but Power are fairly self-explanatory. This characteristic measures life force and the 
  character's link with the universe and the gods.  
   
  As with all Basic Roleplaying (BRP) games, the value of these characteristics are 
  generated on 3D6 for STR, CON, POW, DEX and CHA; and on 2D+6 for SIZ and INT. A 
  reasonable method of characteristic determination is to roll 3D6 six times and choose 
  the best five allocating them to STR, CON, DEX, POW and CHA; and 2D+6 three times 
  and choose the best two to allocate to SIZ and INT.  
   
  DERIVED ATTRIBUTES 
  A derived attribute is a value derived from the seven initial characteristics. These 
  attributes are used within the game and are Magic Points, Hit Points and finally the 
  damage modifier.  
                                                                                                                                 
  Magic Points (MP) - A character has a number of MP equal to his POW score. Magic 
  Points are used to cast spells. MP is fully regained within one day.  
   
  Hit Points (HP) - Indicates how much physical damage the character can take without 
  dying. HP equals the average of CON + SIZ (round up).  
   
  Disable - This is equal to one-third of Hit Points (round up). When a character suffers this 
  much damage in one strike, one of his hit locations (parts of his body) is disabled. 
   
  Maim - This is equal to two-thirds of Hit Points (round up). When a character suffers this 
  much damage in one strike, one of his hit locations (parts of the body) is irrevocably 
  damaged by the blow.  
   
  Damage Modifier - This modifier is in the form of an additional die roll to any damage 
  done to an opponent in combat. To find the damage modifier add STR and SIZ and refer 
  to the table below:  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  THE GREEK GYMNASIA 
   
  Travellers, settlers, adventurers, sailors. Greeks are the dominant race in the Successor 
  Kingdoms. Macedonian Greeks in particular have settled throughout the civilized world. 
  Greeks predominate. This is an essential rule. There are Cappadocians, Egyptians, 
  Persians, Phoenicians and so on, but Alexander the Great conquered half of the known 
  world, established a Greek empire which rapidly devolved into a series of competing 
  Greek kingdoms, he established Greek cities from Bactria to Libya, he created an 
  international Greek culture with an accepted coinage and language. The world is a 
  Greek one and Greek characters have much greater opportunities in this world than 
  non-Greeks. Consequently Greek characters gain characteristic modifiers in addition to 
  their Greek culture skill percentages. The Greeks also distanced themselves from other 
  Greeks, and the inhabitants of each state were famous for certain stereotyped attributes. 
  We can use these attributes to create Greek 'races' to further individualize our player 
  characters.  
   
  Players must decide, then, which part of Greece his family originated from. Mountainous 
  and backwards Arcardia? Sophisticated Ionia? He may have been born in Alexandria or 
  Antioch, but he can still trace his origins back to Greece. The choice will impact on his 
  recently rolled characteristic values (if Greek), and on his skill chances (see further 
  below). Greek characters gain a bonus to one of the main characteristics, plus one skill 
  at +30%. All Greek characters also begin the game with Speak Greek (Own Dialect) at  
  30% and Read & Write Greek at 10%.  
   
  Pick a race from the following lists:  
   
  Amphictyonic 
  Unsophisticated, hardy and enduring, surrounded by wilderness. 
  Bonus: +1 STR 
  Dialect of Greek: Western 
  Starting Skill: Track 
   
  Total                
  Damage Modifier 
  01-12          
  -1D4 
  13-24 
  0 
  25-32 
  +1D4 
  33-40 
  +1D6 
  41-56 
  +2D6 
  57+ 
  additional 1D6 damage  
  each additional increment  
  of 16, or fraction thereof 
  
   
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  Arcadian 
  Primitive and uncultured mountain-dwellers, close to nature  
  Bonus: +1 POW 
  Dialect of Greek: Arcadian 
  Starting Skill: Climb 
   
  Argive 
  Believers of 'Nothing in Excess' and able horse-breeders 
  Bonus: +1 POW 
  Dialect of Greek: Doric 
  Starting Skill: Ride 
   
  Athenian 
  Enterprising, cosmopolitan, artistic thinkers 
  Bonus: +1 INT  
  Dialect of Greek: Ionian 
  Starting Skill: Oratory 
   
  Boeotian 
  Rural-people, hard-working, hardy, and athletic 
  Bonus: +1 STR  
  Dialect of Greek: Aetolian 
  Starting Skill: Dodge 
   
  Corinthian 
  Mercantile-minded, enterprising and industrious 
  Bonus: +1 CHA 
  Dialect of Greek: Doric 
  Starting Skill: Evaluate Treasure 
   
  Cretan 
  Untrustworthy and sly  
  Bonus: +1 DEX 
  Dialect of Greek: Doric 
  Starting Skill: Bow 
   
  Ionian 
  Intelligent, thoughtful and lovers of pleasure and relaxation  
  Bonus: +1 INT 
  Dialect of Greek: Ionic 
  Starting Skill: Oratory 
   
  Macedonian 
  Hardy northerners with a sense of spirit and fierce loyalty 
  Bonus: +1 SIZ 
  Dialect of Greek: Koine (‘Common’) 
  Starting Skill: Martial Arts/Pankration 
  
   
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  Spartan 
  Hard, uncivilised, brutal and fierce  
  Bonus: +1 CON 
  Dialect of Greek: Doric 
  Starting Skill: Dagger 
   
  Thessalian 
  Lovers of open spaces and horses 
  Bonus: +1 DEX 
  Dialect of Greek: Aetolian 
  Starting Skill: Ride 
   
  GYMNASIUM SKILLS 
  The gymnasium is the fount of all Greek culture, the school, social club and meeting 
  point for all aspects of Greek civilization. Young men learn to swim and are able to 
  improve their bodies and their mind simultaneously. Students can practice wrestling, 
  throwing, running and other sports, and then retire to the cool colonnaded halls to learn 
  Greek grammer, the text of the Iliad and Odyssey and the dialogues of Socrates and 
  Plato. There are snack bars, refreshments, music playing and the chance to learn how to 
  play – all of Greek culture is here. To be Greek one must have enjoyed an upbringing in 
  a gymnasia. And in adult life the gymnasia continue to draw Greeks in with bathing, 
  education, physical exercise, gossip, relaxation and the enjoyable company of friends. In 
  WARLORDS OF ALEXANDRIA the gymnasia take the place of fantasy taverns as places 
  to hang out between adventures, pick up rumours, spend money and improve oneself.  
   
  To reflect this most ‘Greek’ of Greek institutions, a Greek character begins the game 
  with bonuses in a number of gymnasia-related skills. The player-character gains +20% in 
  three of the skills listed, and +10% in the rest. The skills are: Debate, Dodge, Jump, 
  History, Oratory, Play Instrument (Lyre), Read & Write Greek, Swim, Throw and Wrestle.  
   
  OCCUPATION 
  Every player must select an adventuring career for their character. The focus is on high 
  adventure, on capable and adaptable roles, rather than woodworkers and temple-
  singers. As with all Basic Roleplaying Games the skills picked up through a previous 
  career do not affect what can later be learned. These occupations aren't restrictive 
  classes, they are a description of the character's recent past. The future is an unknown 
  land! 
   
  Select an occupation, and add the listed skills to the character's sheet. Next decide 
  which percentage totals will go where. Finally, add the listed equipment and coins to the 
  character sheet. The player can now proceed to Background.  
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  The Greek occupations are: 
   
  • 
  Hoplite 
  • 
  Hipparchos 
  • 
  Archer 
  • 
  Technitos 
  • 
  Peltast 
  • 
  Rogue 
  • 
  Magician 
  • 
  Olympian 
  • 
  Philosopher 
   
  Hoplite 
  This term is used to describe the heavily armed and armoured warriors of the 
  Alexandrian Age. They are tough, hard men, mercenaries who are willing to fight in wars 
  that do not concern them, for generals they have never met. On the battlefield they are 
  traditionally armed with huge 6m-long pikes, but for other duties (and general 
  adventuring) they carry more traditional long or short spears. The wars of the Greeks are 
  waged and won by hoplites, heavily armoured soldiers marching shield to shield as a 
  mighty phalanx. With their long thrusting spears, shining armour and nodding horse-hair 
  crests, these tough fighters are very distinctive. In days past the citizens made up a part-
  time hoplite army, but in the 3rd century BC most hoplite armies are mercenary forces. 
  The armoured spearmen wander the world looking for employment, and fight faithfully 
  for their employers. Some states (like Sparta) still call their citizens to battle, but many 
  prefer to rely on the hired hoplites. 
   
  Skills: Throw, Spear, Shield Parry, Shortsword, Martial Art/Pankration, Unarmed Strike, 
  Spot Hidden, Sing [Paean, Hyporchema, Prosodion or Epinikia]. 
   
  [2 x 50%, 2 x 40%, 4 x 25%] 
   
  Equipment: Hoplite Spear, Hoplite Shield, Spartan Shortsword, Pylos Helm 
   
  Coins: 3D6 x 100 silver obols 
   
  Hipparchos 
  Hipparchos is the Greek term for an armed and armoured cavalryman, often  a 
  nobleman who owes his position to the king. Hipparchiai are the battlefield’s elite 
  warrior, and a charge of cavalry can end a battle almost before it has begun.   
   
  Skills: Ride, Track, Throw, 1-Handed Spear, Shortsword, Insight, Animal Lore, Spot 
  Hidden.  
   
  [2 x 50%, 2 x 40%, 4 x 25%] 
   
  Equipment: Boeotian Helm, Linen Cotthybos w Linen Pteruges, Machaira, Lance  
   
  Coins: 3D6 x 400 silver obols 
  
   
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  Archer 
  Every army needs archers, and they recruit them from fierce barbarian tribes on the 
  fringes of civilisation. An archer may originate from the piratical island of Crete, the 
  Arabian tribes of the desert, or from the wild mountain tribes of the Cimmerians.   
   
  Skills: Bow, Shortsword, Unarmed Strike, Dodge, Hide, Craft [Bow & Arrow Making], 
  Spot Hidden, Wilderness Lore [specify] 
   
  [2 x 50%, 2 x 40%, 4 x 25%] 
   
  Equipment: Composite Bow, Quiver, 20 Arrows, Dagger 
   
  Coins: 2D6 x 100 silver obols 
   
  Technitos 
  The technitos is a professional actor, an artiste who travels from city to city with his 
  troupe staging theatrical performances such as comedies and tragedies. Some technitai 
  are boorish charlatans, others are eloquent masters of their art who can move kings to 
  tears. Many groups travel on a regular circuit of cities, with a central base to which they 
  will return. Nearly all are organized in guilds centred in Athens, Teos or Corinth. All 
  honour Dionysus, and they specialize in  entertainment at Greek festivals; festivals like 
  the Delphic Pythia and Soteria, the Heracleia at Thebes, the Dionysia at Teos, the 
  Museia at Thespie, the festival of Artemis Leucophryene at Magnesia, and the 
  Ptolemaieia at Alexandria.  Although the technitai are members of a religious guild 
  (devoted to Dionysus) with a high priest at its head, they are viewed with suspicion and 
  many are rowdy troublemakers and scoundrels with great visions of their own place in 
  the scheme of things. At Teos, the guild there is the dominant power! A technitos is a 
  well-travelled and streetwise with a rowdy nature. Travelling from city to city he makes 
  his living by putting on a show for the locals, and he supplements his income with a little 
  theft, gambling and robbery before moving on. The technitos has little taste for a fight. 
   
  Skills: Play Instrument [select lyre, kythera, flute or aulos or 'pan-pipes'], Oratory, Sing 
  [any], Sleight, Sneak, Conceal, Fast Talk, Insight. 
  [2 x 50%, 2 x 40%, 4 x 25%] 
   
  Equipment: Musical instrument, 1D6 character costumes, Knife, Makeup Kit,  
   
  Coins: 2D6 x 200 silver obols 
   
  Peltast 
  While the hoplites, arrayed in their tight formations, form the devastating heart of every 
  Greek army, they are protected on the battlefield by the peltasts. These lightly armed 
  and armoured infantrymen are mercenaries like the hoplite, but they rarely charge the 
  enemy full on. Peltasts engage in reconnaisance and patrolling, and prefer skirmishing 
  and ambushing tactics. Many peltasts originate from primitive hill-tribes, making them 
  perfectly at home in the wilderness. They are light troops, scouts and auxiliaries,  
   
  
   
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  mountain-men, hunters and barbarians who sell their services to Greek city-states. They 
  move freely and quickly, scouting out enemy units, moving along trails, and searching for 
  ambushes. In battle they fling javelins at the enemy in rapid succession. The peltasts have 
  great knowledge of the wilderness. They get their name from the pelta, the small (and 
  easily carried) wicker shield carried by them into battle. The first and still the best peltasts 
  are from Thrace, but any rough hill-country in Greece (such as Aetolia or Acarnarnia) can 
  provide hundreds of peltasts, ex-shepherds and huntsmen. 
   
  Skills: Wilderness Lore [specify], Throw, 1-Handed Spear, Shield Parry, Track, Hide, 
  Sneak, Spot Hidden  
   
  [2 x 50%, 2 x 40%, 4 x 25%] 
   
  Equipment: Mountain Cap, 3 x Javelins, Pelte Shield, Dagger 
   
  Coins: 1D6 x 100 silver obols 
   
  Magician 
  Magicians of many different types abound in the world. Many are connected with the 
  forces of spirits and the dead, and on minor magical curses and cures that can be bought 
  by desperate individuals. Often magicians are solitary figures, living alone in the 
  wilderness or in villages and in cities. The Magician is adept at using magic. Magicians 
  are in great demand in towns and cities, in palaces and temples. They provide a touch of 
  sorcerous power in the world, where the priests can only mediate between gods and 
  their worshippers. The magician has existed amongst ancient societies since time 
  immemorial, he (or just as commonly, she) can commune with the dead. He is a 
  spiritualist, a medium and a necromancer. The spirits of the dead dominate his life, and 
  village communities turn to his expertise to help them with supernatural threats. In 
  addition, some Eastern temples employ magician-priests to speak to the spirits of the 
  departed. 
   
  Skills: Four Magic Spells, Brew Potion, Craft Magic Item, Fast Talk, Sleight 
  [2 x 50%, 2 x 40%, 4 x 25%] 
   
  Equipment: Robes, Dagger, Incense Burner, Chalk Sticks, Brewing Pots, Scrolls with 
  Magical Symbols and Words 
   
  Coins: 2D6 x 100 silver obols 
   
  Rogue 
  The Greeks were fast-talking individuals, entrepreneurs and opportunists - all except the 
  Spartans, at any rate! There were many rogues in Greek society, from the mythical 
  Odysseus, to the Athenian playboy Alkibiades and the traitorous shepherd who led the 
  Persian army around the pass of Thermopylae. Across the civilised world, indeed, 
  thieves, assassins and con-men form an undesirable underclass. In the 3rd century BC 
  every major city-state has its underworld of rogues; a secret society of thieves and con- 
   
  
   
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  men, assassins, spies, black-mailers and burglars. Some are free citizens; some are 
  immigrants (metics) while others might even be slaves. A Rogue character begins with an 
  affiliation to one such secret society, whether it is the Corinthian Pirates, the Red 
  Thebans, the Elean Underworld, the Long Walls Gang of Athens or the Krypteia (Sparta's 
  own anti-helot secret police). These societies work for themselves and often freelance 
  their espionage and assassination services to factions within the city.  
   
  Skills: Conceal, Dagger, Fast Talk, Sneak, Sleight, Evaluate, Throw, Unarmed Strike 
   
  [2 x 50%, 2 x 40%, 4 x 25%] 
   
  Equipment: Dagger, Cloak with hood, Rope, Sack, Light Club, Dice 
   
  Coins: 2D6 x 50 silver obols 
   
  Olympian 
  The Olympians are professional athletes, members of a devoted athletic brotherhood 
  that live to improve their bodies and minds. They are boxers, wrestlers, runners, javelin-
  throwers, practitioners of pankration fighting, and more. The brotherhood recruits every 
  four years at the Olympic Games (at Olympia in Elis). It recruits from winners of the 
  events. Olympians also compete in other contests around the Greek world. They live for 
  excellence and competition, and make a living training those who pay for their time at 
  public baths and by collecting prize money. Every Greek city has its own games 
  organised on some festival, the largest are shared by several states. The most important 
  are the pan Hellenic games, drawing competitors (and Olympians) from across the 
  Greek world and included the Olympic Games (at Olympia), Pythian Games (held at 
  Delphi), Ptolemaian Games (in Alexandria), Nemean Games and the Isthmian Games 
  (held near Corinth). These Games are consecrated respectively to Zeus, Apollo, 
  Dionysus, Zeus (again) and to Poseidon. Lesser games are held every year (the Greater 
  Dionysia at Athens) or every two years. Often the games of a city or group of states are 
  only open to citizens of that city or state. Pan Hellenic games (held every four years) are 
  open to any Greek. 
   
  Skills: Drive, MartialArt/Pankration, Sing [Epinikia or Hyporchema], Jump, Throw, Dodge, 
  Unarmed Strike, Wrestle 
   
  [2 x 50%, 2 x 40%, 4 x 25%] 
   
  Equipment: Light Cestus, Knife, Perfumed Oils,  
   
  Coins: 2D6 x 50 silver obols 
   
  Philosopher  
  A philosopher (‘lover of knowledge’) in the age of the Successors studies the workings 
  of the universe, of light, mathematics, the composition of matter, geometry, astronomy 
  and all of the other sciences. He is an early scientist and may originate in Alexandria, a  
   
  
   
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  centre of learning, education, and scientific experimentation. There are several schools of 
  philosophers in the Greek-speaking world at this time, their main pre-occupation is 
  science, although they overlap somewhat with the more argumentative-based sophists. 
  The main ones are: 
   
  Megarian School: Founded by Euclid the Socratic at Megara after Socrates’ death in 399BC. 
  Eleatic School: Founded by Xenophanes at Elea south of Naples in the mid-6th century BC. 
  Cynics School: Founded after Socrates’ death by Antisthenes in gymnasium of the Cynosarges in 
  Athens. Appealed to virtue and austerity, reputation, honour, wealth are all considered vanities. Patron was 
  Heracles. 
  The Academy: Founded by Plato in 387BC in an open-air gymnasium (the Academy) on the outskirts of 
  Athens.  World’s first university. Plato taught there till his death in 347 BC. Aristotle joined the Academy in 
  367 BC, aged 17. 
   
  Philophers are in great demand by the powers of the day, each can advance the 
  knowledge of a realm immeasurably, they act as councillors and advisors, helping to 
  shape politcal and economic policy of the dynastic house that pays them. Every royal 
  court is filled with philosophers eager to gain funding for experiments, projects and 
  expeditions. It is because of this fact that they are found across the Greek speaking 
  world, travelling in search of knowledge, or a patron - or both. Some are wise and 
  famous, others are ignoble and cunning seekers of dark power.  
   
  Skills:  History, Science, Oratory, Fast Talk, Spot Hidden, Repair/Devise, Read/Write 
  Greek, one Craft (specify) 
   
  [2 x 50%, 2 x 40%, 4 x 25%] 
   
  Equipment: Wax Tablet & Stylus, Rolls of Papyrus and Leather Scroll Case, Lead Plumb 
  Weight and String, Wooden Set Square, Lamp and Oil, Wooden Staff, Donkey with 
  Panniers, 1D6 Sealed Jugs of Chemicals. 
   
  Coins: 3D6 x 300 silver obols 
   
  SKILL LIST 
  Skill points help build a character and give a concrete definition of what that character is 
  and isn't capable of. Each skill is rated on a 1-100 (%) scale, and either begins at 00% (no 
  chance of success without training) or at some pre-set basic chance that is the same for 
  every player character.  
   
  The skill list used in WARLORDS OF ALEXANDER follows below.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  SKILL DEFINITIONS 
  Acting (10) Debating, persuading, lying and seducing 
  is all carried out 'in-person', with the character acting 
  as him or herself. To adopt the role, mannerisms, 
  voice, speech patterns and even costume of another 
  person (or type of person) an Acting roll is needed. Of 
  course the skill has a legitimate use by Technitai who 
  perform the roles of make-believe characters in front 
  of thousands of people at a time. But Acting is also of 
  use in deception ... Note that impersonating a 
  particular individual is harder than impersonating a 
  certain occupation or racial type. Award a bonus for a 
  generalised disguise. When Acting is combined with 
  another skill (Seduction or Debate, for example), the 
  player's percentile roll must be equal to or less than 
  both skill values.  
   
  Administration (00) Every large organisation requires 
  administrators, people who know how to organise, 
  manage and run it. 'It' might be an army unit, a city, a 
  society, guild or business. Most administrators can 
  also read and write, but this is not a requirement, 
  since many also have scribes (often slaves) to do that 
  work for them.  
   
  Animal Lore (05) Knowledge of wild and domestic 
  beasts, from identification to feeding and care, and 
  prediction of behaviour. A major use of Animal Lore is 
  in training riding animals. This requires at least 50% 
  Animal Lore and 25% Riding skill.  Roll Animal Lore 
  each week. A master (50% Riding and Animal Lore) 
  can train a horse for battle as a cavalry steed. It gets a 
  POW versus POW roll to resist the training! After a 
  successful roll it takes animal's POW x 5 hours to fully 
  train a cavalry steed.  
   
  Bargain (10) Obtaining something at an agreeable price. The bargainer must state the 
  price at which he wishes to purchase the item and, for each 2% difference between that 
  price and the asking price, he must subtract 1 percentile from his Bargain skill. The seller 
  will not take a loss, no matter how well he or she Bargains.  
   
  Boat (05) Use of a small rowboat, river boat, fishing boat or skiff on the sea or a river. 
   
  Brew Potion (00) The ability to brew magical potions that can increase the chance of a 
  healing or love spell taking effect. See the magic section later on in the book for details.  
   
  Greek Weapon Skills 
   
  Bow (10) 
  Cudgel (20) 
  Dagger (15) 
  Javelin (Throw) 
  Shortsword (10) 
  Shield Parry (20) 
  Sling (01) 
  1 Handed Spear (10) 
  2 Handed Spear (15) 
  Thrown Dagger (Throw) 
  Thrown Rock (Throw) 
   
   
  Weapon Skills of Other 
  Cultures 
   
  Bow (10) 
  1 Handed Axe (10) 
  2 Handed Axe (05) 
  Cudgel (20) 
  Dagger (15) 
  Javelin (Throw) 
  Lasso, Rope (05) 
  Shortsword (10) 
  Shield Parry 15) 
  Sling (01) 
  1 Handed Spear (10) 
  2 Handed Spear (15) 
  Longsword (10) 
  Thrown Dagger (Throw) 
  Thrown Rock (Throw) 
  
   
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  Climb (40) Using hand and footholds to climb 
  surfaces ranging in difficulty from trees to 
  temple walls.  
   
  Combat Skills [specify] There are numerous 
  weapons available for use in warfare. In 
  WARLORDS OF ALEXANDER skill points are 
  ascribed to a class of weapon, such as Shield 
  Parry, One Handed Spear, Shortsword and so 
  on. The full range of weapon types in the 
  Successor period is listed opposite.  
   
  Conceal (05) Hiding objects out of view. The 
  object might be an assassin’s dagger hidden 
  beneath the folds of a robe, coins hidden from 
  the search of a city watchman, or anything 
  small that needs to be hidden away.  
   
  Craft [specify](10) The crafts are not a 
  prestigious way of life in Greek eyes; they tie a 
  person down and reduce his independence. 
  Many crafts are carried out by metics, Greeks 
  living in foreign city-states. Greece is famous for 
  its elegant and sophisticated pottery, and vase-
  painters are well thought of. The artistic skills 
  required to design shields are also appreciated. 
  Greece is also known for the stunning 
  architecture found in many city-states, the 
  stone-masons really know how to work in 
  marble and limestone. Statues adorn temples 
  and agoras, streets and private gardens. Of 
  course there are also bakers, dyers, tailors, 
  cobblers, ship makers, glass-makers, jewellers, 
  armourers, joiners, basket-weavers, 
  leatherworkers and so on. 
   
  Craft Magic Item (00) THe ability to create 
  magically effective ritual objects. See the 
  section on Magic for more information.  
   
  Debate (05) A crucial skill in Classical Greece, 
  practically an essential skill of the age! Debate 
  is used to win an argument to drive home facts, 
  to persuade a rival that his facts are correct. 
  That rival may not like the facts, but he cannot 
  deny them. Debate is different from Oratory 
  (which appeals to the emotions as Debate 
  Acting (10) 
  Administration (00) 
  Animal Lore (05) 
  Bargain (10) 
  Boat (05) 
  Brew Potion (00) 
  Climb (40) 
  Combat Skills (various) 
  Conceal (05) 
  Craft [specify] (10)  
  Craft Magic Item (00) 
  Debate (05) 
  Divination (00) 
  Dodge (DEX x 2) 
  Drive (10) 
  Evaluate (05) 
  Fast Talk (05) 
  First Aid (10) 
  Gambling (10) 
  Herb Lore (05)  
  Hide (10) 
  History (10) 
  Insight (05)  
  Jump (25) 
  Listen (25) 
  Magic Spells (00) 
  Martial Arts/Pankration (00) 
  Metalworking (00) 
  Myth & Legend (20) 
  Oratory (05) 
  Play Instrument [specify](00) 
  Read/Write Other Language 
  [specify](00) 
  Read/Write Own Language (30) 
  Repair/Devise (20) 
  Ride (20) 
  Science (00) 
  Sing (05) 
  Speak Own Language (30) 
  Speak Other Language[specify](00)  
  Spot Hidden (25) 
  Sleight (05) 
  Sneak (10) 
  Shiphandling (00) 
  Swim (15) 
  Throw (25) 
  Track (05) 
  Unarmed Strike (25)  
  Wilderness Lore [specify](05) 
  Wrestling (25) 
  
   
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  appeals to the intelligence) and also different from Fast Talk. Used with great effect by 
  politicians, courtiers, ambassadors, diplomats, military officers, scientists, lawyers and 
  others.  
   
  Divination [specify](00) There are a number of different divination techniques, and any 
  skill points allocated to Divination can be divided up between as many as the player 
  wishes. Divination is the art of fortune telling, divining the future for a client (or oneself) 
  by observing animal behaviour or natural phenomenon. In WARLORDS OF ALEXANDER, 
  Divination is a very powerful skill that in game terms actually causes providential co-
  incidences on behalf of the client - thus, in the game world, making the prediction come 
  true. See the chapter titled Gods, Philosophers and Magic. 
   
  Dodge (DEX x 2) If the character can see it coming, he or she can try to dodge it. A 
  chariot, a javelin, a boulder, a cavalryman and so on.  
   
  Drive (10) The ability to drive a wagon or chariot at speed (around a sports track or 
  hippodrome) is determined by this skill. It also includes knowledge of preparing a wagon 
  or chariot for use. 
   
  Evaluate (05) The skill of assessing an item’s value. If the character has a relevant Craft 
  skill that is higher (Craft: Goldsmith, for example, when valuing gold jewellry) then use 
  the highest skill level for that particular object.  
   
  Fast Talk (05) Deception, bluff, confusion and silver-tongued trickery. The fast talker can 
  trick a victim into believing something, only later after they get time to think over the 
  incident might they see the flaws in the argument. A popular skill amongst con-men and 
  politicians.  
   
  First Aid (10) Applying aid to a wounded character. This prevents further HP loss. An 
  additional roll will return 1D3 HP and begin the healing process.  
   
  Gambling (15) Dice games or games involving sheep knucklebones are very popular 
  throughtout the Greek-speaking world. Gamblers congregate in the relaxing colonnaded 
  stoas of the gymnasia to dice over a pile of obols, chalkoi or drachmae. The stake is fixed 
  between the players, the coins thrown into the middle, and a combination of dice are 
  rolled, kept, discarded and so on (varying with the specfic dice game being played). To 
  retain simplicity, all participating gamblers roll their Gambling skill with the highest 
  success swiping the pool of coins. If no-one succeeds then the pool is retained and a 
  new round begins with fresh money going in. Everyone rolls again. If the result is 
  'bumped' by a prayer to Dionysus, simply double the rolled result and use it (whether or 
  not it exceeds the character's actual Gambling score!).  
   
  Herb Lore (05) Which plants have uses other than food? Healing herbs, poisons, useful 
  fibres and so on have great use to humans. Herb Lore can be used to locate healing 
  herbs or poisons, and also can be used to create poultices and healing balms.  
   
  
   
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  Hide (10) Taking cover and hiding oneself from pursuers. If someone is in hiding and 
  tries to move, roll once and compare the result to both Hide and to Sneak. Both must be 
  made for a success. 
   
  History (10) The character has an in-depth knowledge of history, covering the Successor 
  period, the conquests of Alexander and the detailed events of his own land going back 
  several centuries. He or she may know of obscure feuds, battles, lost military units, 
  strange occurrences, divine interjections and so on. An Egyptian character with points in 
  the History skill can relate the name of every pharaoh back to the first innundation. A 
  Greek historian knows every archon of Greece down to Theseus as well as the ins-and-
  outs of the heroic age! 
   
  Insight (05) This is human psychology, streetwise and etiquette. 
   
  Jump (25) Leaping up to a character’s height vertically, or up to twice his height 
  horizontally. Halve these distances if no run up is available.  
   
  Listen (25) The skill of hearing faint noises or determining the location of a noise.  
   
  Magic Spells [specify](00) Four spells that must be learned separately. They are: Charm 
  Other, Curse, Restore to Health and Raise the Dead.  
   
  Martial Arts/Pankration (00) The Greek all-in fighting style called Pankration is a martial 
  art. It enables a fighter to double the damage done by natural weapons. This has no 
  effect on damage bonus. Using Martial Arts a player must roll a successful attack with a 
  natural weapon. If the roll is also under his adventurer's Martial Arts percentile, then the 
  adventurer gets the benefit of two listed damage rolls for the natural weapon. Martial 
  Arts also affects an adventurer's Fist parry. A successful parry roll which is also less than 
  the Martial Arts percentage means that the user's fist will block 6 points of damage and 
  will take no damage from the attack, no matter what weapon is used. Damage in excess 
  of 6 points will still reach the defender.  
   
  Metalworking (00) This skill covers general blacksmithing, the fine art of bronze casting, 
  gold and silversmithing. The character can set up a furnace to smelt ore, and a forge with 
  which to heat iron. He knows how to make clay moulds for bronze, silver and gold 
  objects. The skill is different from Craft, which covers all non-metalworking craft skills.  
   
  Myth & Legend (20) Knowledge of the gods, of the demi-gods, heroes, nymphs and 
  monsters. Often these myths have legendary connections with real cities and places. 
  Myth & Legend gives the character knowledge of these connections. In addition the 
  character may be able to detect references to certain deities, heroes or mythical 
  incidents in a song, painting, sculpture and so on.  
   
  Oratory (05) A counterpart skill to Debate, that convinces a rival that your case is sound 
  and rational. It appeals to emotion, not logic. It works on guilt, responsibility, morality 
  and base pleasure. Debate works on law, on logic, on what must be done, on neccessity  
   
  
   
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  and process. Oratory works on the gut feeling, on those feelings that can override law 
  and neccessity to appeal to emotion. Often more useful than Debate in general 
  adventuring situations.  
   
  Play Instrument [specify](00) The Greeks use a number of different musical instruments. 
  The lyre is the most common; it is a harp-like instrument with a sounding box. The 
  kithara is a heavier version of the lyre used by professional musicians. There are bronze 
  horns used by the army and in religious ceremonies, and for dinner parties and banquets 
  the flute and the pan-pipes (aulos). Flute-girls are commonly hired to entertain the men at 
  drinking parties. These instruments can be used to provide 'background' music at feasts 
  and banquets, but also provide powerful assistance during the rendition of a Greek song 
  (see the Sing skill). If accompanying a singer, a musician makes his or her Play Instrument 
  roll. If successful 10% is added to the singer's chance for success. Every additional 
  musician accompanying the singer adds a further 1% to the Sing chance. For example, 
  six mourners are singing a Threnoi (Sing 65%). They are accompanied by four flautists 
  (all Play Flute 34%). Two of the flautists make their rolls, which adds 11% to the 
  mourners' chance of success. Each mourner now has a Sing chance of 76%.  
   
  Read/Write Language [specify](00) Literacy is not universal, indeed it is a rare skill learnt 
  by the well off, or, in Eastern lands such as Egypt or Syria, by a class of scribes.   
   
  Repair/Devise (20) Every adventurer can fix or devise simple equipment, tack, rafts and 
  boats and so forth. This is the skill of temporary repair and improvised attempts. Tools 
  and special materials may be needed. The success chance for Repair/Devise never 
  increases with training or experience, only increases in DEX. If an adventurer has an 
  appropriate craft that is higher than Repair/Devise, use the craft. Repair/Devise also 
  covers any attempt to pick a lock. 
   
  Ride (20) Cavalry was coming into its own during the Successor period and the concept 
  of heavy cavalry is being refined. Horses are bred in certain notable districts and traded 
  far and wide for often very high prices. In most Successor armies the wealthy own and 
  ride horses. Horses are also raced during Games and bred for chariot racing. Those 
  wealthy enough to own a horse will travel on it, but most people walk from one 
  settlement to another, or ride mules. Note that Ride includes familiarity with harnessing, 
  commands and at higher levels, training (especially or war).  
   
  Science (00)  More often referred to in the Classical Age as ‘philosophy’, this skill is a 
  amalgamated and adhoc mish-mash of geometry, mathematics, astronomy and natural 
  history. Science is needed for calculations about the world around the character, from 
  how fast a ship will sink to the next lunar eclipse or the height of a cliff face. 
   
  Shiphandling (00) This allows a character to successfully man a large vessel (with more 
  than four oars or a sail). It involvs ropework, knowledge of tides and currents, setting 
  watches, navigating along coastlines and playing ones part within a tightly knit crew. 
  Those with high levels of skill can hope to earn places as officers on a merchant or war 
  ship. The helmsman and captain both have very high levels of Shiphandling. All of the 
  sailors on-board a trireme will have Shiphandling skill.  
  
   
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  Sing [specify](05). Sing should not be pigeon-holed as a secondary skill without relevant 
  game use. When Greek soldiers march to battle they sing paeans, hymns to summon the 
  favour of the gods. In addition, everyone sings during religious rituals; song is a central 
  way to participate in a ritual, to bring a worshipper in instead of letting them stay outside 
  as observers. Because of this Sing is an essential skill, giving player characters access to 
  the power of the gods. Of course singers also entertain an audience. A successful roll 
  indicates that the performance was a good one and that the song had an actual game 
  mechanic effect on the audience. 
   
  Paean - War hymn. Sung by two or more soldiers together who face a looming armed 
  threat. Each singer makes a Sing roll and spends 1d3 Magic Points, if successful, then 5 
  minutes later that Magic Point becomes 1 AP of invisible armour that lasts for one fight 
  or for 15 minutes (whichever ends first).  
   
  Epinikia - Song of victory. Sung by a victorious warrior who is conscious and can draw 
  breath. He makes a Sing roll and spends 1d3 Magic Points, if successful, then 5 minutes 
  later he is recovered from fatigue and weariness and heals 3 Hit Points.  
   
  Hymnos - Religious hymn. Sung by worshippers to honour their deity during a festival or 
  as a prayer to persuade the god to offer a favour. Each worshipper makes a Sing roll and 
  spends 1d3 Magic Points, if successful, then 5 minutes later he gains a +20% on his Fate 
  roll. 
   
  Dithyramb - A noisy chorus in honour of Dionysus. The singers give voice to the frenetic 
  and joyous unrestrained passions of Dionysus, god of music and revellry. There must be 
  at least six singers in the chorus. All singers spend 1-3 Magic Points, and if successful 
  strip away the civilised airs of the audience, reducing them to wild, frenzied, dancing and 
  screaming orgiastic folk. Everyone affected by the music becomes in-favour with 
  Dionysus and gains 1-4 percentiles in Insight. They also conduct themselves disgracefully 
  for a couple of hours, but will probably not remember any of it! No wonder the Greeks 
  denied women the right to watch theatrical performances! The GM must decide how 
  many successful Sing rolls are needed to affect a certain audience size. Maybe one for 
  10 or 15, three or four for a hundred or so, and perhaps twenty successes to influence 
  several thousand theatre goers.  
   
  Threnoi - Song of Mourning. Sung by professional mourners to honour a recently 
  departed person during a funeral. Each professional mourner makes a Sing roll and 
  spends only 1 Magic Point apiece. Count the successes. If they number more than the 
  total of people who have come to pay their last respects at the funeral, then each of 
  those visitors receives a temporary POW increase roll of +2 for the next five days. If the 
  successes are less than the number of guests, then the guests receive only a +1 
  temporary POW increase lasting the next day only.  
   
  Hyporchema - An up-tempo song with a quick beat. Popular with dancers, and by 
  athletes and warriors prior to engaging in their respective trades. The hyporchema   
   
  
   
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  enfuses a passion and energy which is loud, raucous and compelling. Each singer makes 
  a Sing roll and spends 1d3 Magic Points, if successful, then after 10 minutes of singing 
  he gains +3 to his Strength for one hour.  
   
  Prosodion - Processional song. The singer makes a roll and spends 1-3 Magic Points, if 
  successful the singer himself suffers no fatigue while he carries out a monotonous 
  physical task and sings simultaneously. This lasts a maximum of three hours. He may be 
  rowing a galley, riding a horse across country, marching, building a road and so on. 
   
  Ode - Song of love and pleasure. Sung by a poet for a willing audience, often at a 
  banquet. He makes a Sing roll and spends 1d3 Magic Points, if successful, then during 
  the 10 minute song members of the audience are filled with good wishes and pleasant 
  feelings. Hatreds are forgotten, a feeling of empathy, tenderness and and even love 
  sweeps through the audience. For the rest of the day after the feast, anyone in the 
  audience harbouring feelings of hatred and/or resentment will have to make a POW x 4 
  roll to act on it. The next day, time scatters such sentimentality.  
   
  Elegiac Song - A grave and sententious song, a song of principles, proverbs and morality. 
  Often these proverbs are disguised within fine seemingly inoccuous songs. The singer 
  must direct his song secretly at a single member of the audience (or a single group 
  within the audience), make a Sing roll and then spend 1d3 Magic Points. If successful, 
  then during the 10 minute performance the target has cause to question an intended 
  course of action. The target rolls POW x 2 to shrug off this magical affect. Perhaps he is 
  intending to attack a neighbouring city, sell his unruly slave, steal an artefact that the 
  player characters want for themselves, and so on. It isn't mind-control, but works on 
  some failing or moral transgression that the target is going to commit.  
   
  Iambic Song - A song that is satirical and aggressive. The singer uses an Iambic song to 
  bring out the raw emotion of an audience and to pick up their mood. Many singers can 
  use it to find out potential enemies within the audience. The singer makes a Sing roll and 
  spends 1d3 Magic Points. His song works the crowd, and if the roll was successful he is 
  able to identify anyone in the audience who intends to harm him. The singer may instead 
  designate another member of the audience as the focus of his song, and as a successful 
  song reaches its conclusion, both the singer and the target discover the identity of an 
  enemy who intends to harm that target.  
   
  Rhapsodoi - An epic Greek poem in song. For those who wish to sit in contemplation, a 
  rhapsody makes the perfect request. The singer must direct his song secretly at a single 
  member of the audience (or a single group within the audience), make a Sing roll and 
  then spend 1d3 Magic Points. If successful, then during the one hour performance the 
  target is given to relate current events and problems in his own life with those of the 
  epic Greek heroes. He receives inspiration from the actions of those long dead heroes 
  and may call for an Idea roll pertaining to his current predicament at +20% chance. The 
  GM is encouraged to be generous with his suggestions.  
   
  Sleight (05) The skill of cutting purses, stealing items, and looking innoccuous while carry 
  out thievery and deception.  
  
   
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  Sneak (10) Moving silently to avoid detection. A skill much used by thieves, assassins, 
  sneaky slaves and lovers (a husband had the backing of the law in Athens to kill his wife's 
  lover if he found them together). 
   
  Speak Own Language (30)  A character begins with a decent level of competance in his 
  native language. For Greeks this means their local dialect of Greek (see Speak Greek).   
   
  Speak Other Language [specify](00) The Greeks are insular and not keen to learn other 
  languages. Crude barbarians aspire to learn Greek, not the other way around! But there 
  may have been situations where Greek player characters have had to pick up foreign 
  languages out of neccessity on their travels.  
   
  Aramaic  
  This is the script and language of the eastern kingdoms and it is now used by the people 
  of Assyria and Babylon (together known as Chaldea), Persia and the kingdoms of Asia 
  Minor. Because of its age, Aramaic is the international language of business and 
  diplomacy. Scribes across the ancient world use the script to write letters. In addition, 
  nomads in Egypt’s Eastern Desert, in Sinai, the Negev Desert and the Syrian Desert all 
  speak Aramaic. A speaker understands Punic at one-half his Aramaic ability. 
   
  Armenian  
  This mountain kingdom is now a Persian province and the language is spoken only there. 
  It has its own script. 
   
  Egyptian 
  Spoken in the Nile valley almost exclusively. The language has also spread into Lower 
  Nubia. There are two main scripts: Hieroglyphic, used on monuments and carvings, and 
  Hieratic, used on papyrus scrolls. 
   
  Lydian 
  Although first used only by the people of Lydia in Asia Minor - the language has also 
  become current throughout the neighbouring Seleucid provinces. There is an alphabet 
  script used by the scribes of the region. 
   
  Persian  
  This is the native tongue of the Persians, spoken there by the common-folk, but being 
  supplemented for official use and by the educated elite by Aramaic. A primitive script is 
  used with the language for stone inscriptions. 
   
  Phrygian  
  Used by two of Seleucia’s provinces in Asia Minor, Cappadocia and Cilicia. Phrygian is 
  closely connected to the Thracian language since the first Phrygian invaders came from 
  Thrace. A speaker understands Thracian at one-half his Phrygian ability. 
   
  Punic 
  Spoken all along the Phoenician coast, and in Carthage and the Carthaginian colonies in  
  
   
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  North Africa, this language is derived from the language of the desert Bedouin in the 
  east. It has a very advanced alphabetic script. A speaker understands Aramaic at one-half 
  his Punic ability. 
   
  Thracian 
  The tongue of the Thracian chiefdoms north of Greece. It is related to Phrygian and does 
  not have its own script. A speaker understands Phrygian at one-half his Thracian ability. 
   
  Other Languages 
  None of the following languages have scripts, and all are restricted to use within the 
  barbarian races that use them: Arabian, Scythian, Nubian. Other languages that do use 
  scripts include Latin, Hebrew and Illyrian. 
   
  Speak Greek (30) Most ancient Greeks are very snobbish on the subject of their own 
  Greek dialect. Separated by mountain chains, a number of separate dialects have existed 
  for centuries and these form very distinctive variations of Greek. Recently, the conquests 
  of Macedonia have spread that dialect (called Koine or 'common') across the world. 
  Greek heard in foreign lands will almost certainly be Koine Greek. The Greek dialects 
  are:  
   
  AEOLIC - Lesbos and the Asia Minor coast opposite, Boeotia and Thessaly. 
  ARCADIAN - The oldest dialect spoken in Arcadia, Pamphylia and on Cyprus. 
  KOINE - 'Common' Greek is spoken outside of Greece by colonists, traders and others 
  who have mingled with Greeks from other city states as well as non-Greek Greek-
  speakers. Koine is the Macedonian dialect thay has since become a universal Greek. It is 
  looked down upon by many in Greece as a barbaric version of the language.  
  DORIC - Spoken in Messenia, Laconia, Argos, Corinth, Syracuse (on Sicily), Megara, 
  Crete, Rhodes and the islands of Thera, Melos, the Dodecanese and Cyrene. 
  IONIC - Attica and Athens, Euboea, the Chalcidian Penninsula, Lemnos, the Cyclades 
  and Sporades and Ionia on the Asia Minor coast. 
  WESTERN - Elis and Achaea, Phocis, Locris, Aetolia and Doris. 
   
  Spot Hidden (25) The skill of noticing the unusual, the unexpected, the ambush and the 
  trap. It rates a character’s innate perception.  
   
  Swim (15) A rare skill, even amongst sailors and fishermen, but useful nonetheless.  
   
  Throw (25) Use Throw to determine the success of javelin casts, dagger and stone 
  throwing  as well as the casting of almost any object (subject to a modifier depending on 
  size and shape).  
   
  Track (05) This skill allows a character to track animals or humans across terrain, using 
  tracks, spoor and broken vegetation as a clue.  
   
  Unarmed Strike (25) This skill represents a weapon-less combat strike, probably a punch 
  or kick. Boxing in this age was a well-thought of sport and would be covered by 
  Unarmed Strike.  
  
   
  74 
  74 
   
   
  Wilderness Lore [specify](05) There are two types of Wilderness Lore: Desert Lore and 
  Mountain Lore. Both confer crucial information on how to survive in those  
  environments. The adventurer can travel in safety, navigate across country, recognise 
  potential hazards, find shelter and improvise protective clothing. A character with high 
  levels of skill in Desert or Mountain Lore will easily find employment as a caravan guide 
  or a military scout.  
   
  Wrestle (25) Wrestling is also greatly thought of as a sport (in most societies, not just the 
  Greeks), a test of manhood and a measure of virility. The Greeks have incorporated the 
  sport into the Games. Of course it has combat use, pinning an opponent, throwing him, 
  disabling his spear-arm and so on ... 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  BACKGROUND 
  The character does not begin the game unskilled, inexperienced and immature (although 
  he could easily do so if that is desired). Instead he has the benefit of several years of life 
  experience and begins the game in his late teens or early twenties. He or she will be a 
  competant and relevant participant in the game, but not so old that his destiny is almost 
  upon him. The player has already decided on his character's initial origins and prior 
  occupation. Now he fills in the blanks.  
   
  Name - Characters should choose a suitable name from Appendix i - List of Names. 
   
  Sex of the Character - Starting characters may be male or female. 
   
  Age of the Character - The character begins the game as a young man or woman yet to 
  make their mark in the world. Determine age by adding 2D6 to 15, or select an age 
  within that range.  
   
  
   
  75 
  75 
   
  Looks, Attitude - Look at the adventurer's characteristics. Is he strong? Stupid? Quick and  
  agile? Pretty? Unhealthy? How does he come across to those he meets? Think of a 
  unique trait or two (nervous, dominant, confident, etc.). Now consider his appearance. 
  Has he a broken nose, a limp, a hairy chest, a sneer or an arrogant strut?  
   
  Additional Skills - The character has gained skills from his culture, from the gymnasium 
  and from his occupation - now he will gain a number of skill points to be spent on any 
  skills he desires (including those already raised). These additional skill points represent 
  the adventurer's life experience, personal interests and talents. Add 20% to any three 
  skills of the player's choice, and 10% to any six skills of the players choice. None of these 
  bonuses can be added up and piled onto one skill, they are to be assigned to nine 
  separate skills (including combat skills if desired).  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Character Creation Summary 
   
  1. Create Characteristics 
  2. Determine Derived Attributes 
  3. Note Skill Bonuses for Greek regional origins 
  4. Note Skill Bonuses for Gymnasium training 
  5. Select Occupation - note occupation skill bonuses, equipment and coins 
  6. Create Name, Sex, Age and Looks 
  7. Note Additional Skills 
   
  
   
  76 
  76 
   
  PRICE LIST 
  Prices in the Alexandrian Age are all given in silver coins called drachmae. Within the 
  cities of the Successor Kingdoms, coins are the main way of conducting business, but 
  out in the rural areas, barter and exchange is more often used. The referee can stick to 
  coinage, though, if desired. This will keep player transactions simple. Coins are minted by 
  each Great House and by some Lesser Houses also. Many coins are produced with a 
  topical illustration, of a victory or anniversary, for example. Coins are usually kept in 
  leather or cotton purses tied to a waist belt. 
   
  The talent and mina are measures of weight for large sums of money rather than coins. 1 
  Talent = 60 minae = 6,000 drachmae. The drachma is the denomination upon which 
  Greek currencies are based. Each drachma is divided into six obols. Denominations are 
  struck either as multiples or fractions of the drachma and the obol. The most frequently 
  minted are the drachma, the 2-drachma-piece (didrachma), the four drachma-piece 
  (tetradrachma) and the 10 drachma-piece (decadrachma) which was a jubilee or 
  commemorative issue rather than a normal coin. The obol, meanwhile was divided into 
  8 bronze chalkoi. The kings of Lydia and Greek cities of Thrace and northern Asia Minor 
  minted staters made of electrum (an ally of gold and silver) exchanged at 27 drachmae 
  and used in commercial trade.  
   
  Just because a character has plenty of money, and the item he desires is listed on the 
  price list does not mean that he can always 
  purchase it! The referee should always 
  consider the availability of goods and 
  services. Towns and cities will have many 
  different services and suppliers of goods, but 
  villages often supply only themselves. No 
  village has a shop for the use of passing 
  travellers. If a villager wants something he 
  makes it, or barters with the local carpenter 
  or blacksmith to have it made. Chances are 
  negligible that there will be a sword or helmet 
  for sale there. Someone may own the item 
  that the player character is searching for, but 
  he might not want to sell! If he does, you can 
  be sure he’ll ask over the odds for it.     
   
  Poorer people in the Alexandrian Age will often ask the characters to perform a job for 
  them in return for goods or services. Farmers rarely have any spare coins available. They 
  might have family heirlooms, passed down from previous generations, but how valuable 
  will these be? This can prove interesting. Will the characters go off into the hills to kill the 
  man-killing bear in return for ten sheep? If so they’ll have to herd these beasts to the 
  nearest town for sale, a common sight in the successor kingdoms, and an experience 
  that they will doubtless remember for a very long time.  
   
   
  
   
  77 
  77 
   
  - WEAPONS - 
   
   
   
   
  Arrows (10)  
   
  8 Drachmae 
   
   
   
  Bow, Self 
   
   
  25 Drachmae 
  Bow, Composite 
   
  60 Drachmae 
   
   
   
  Cestus, Heavy 
   
  15 Drachmae 
  Cestus, Light  
   
  15 Drachmae 
   
   
   
  Club, Heavy  
   
  1 Drachma 
  Club, Light 
   
   
  3 Obol 
   
   
   
  Dagger 
   
   
  5 Drachmae 
  Hatchet 
   
   
  4 Drachmae 
  Javelin [longche] 
   
  5 Drachmae 
  Knife  
   
   
  2 Drachmae 
  Lance [xyston]  
   
  10 Drachmae 
   
   
   
  Machaira 
   
   
  20 Drachmae 
   
   
   
  Pike [sarissa]  
   
  11 Drachmae 
  Quiver (holds 20) 
   
  6 Drachmae  
   
   
   
  Shield, Pelte  
   
  8 Drachmae 
   
   
   
  Shield, Aspis  
   
  16 Drachmae 
   
   
   
  Shield, Hoplon 
   
  25 Drachmae 
  Shortsword [zliphos]  
  15 Drachmae  
  Sickle-Knife [xuele]  
  3 Drachmae 
  Spartan Sword 
   
  12 Drachmae  
  Sling  
   
   
  1 Drachma 
  Staff Sling 
   
   
  3 Drachmae 
   
   
   
  Slingshot, Lead (20)  
  7 Drachmae 
   
   
   
  Spear, Short  
   
  3 Drachmae 
   
   
   
  Spear, Hoplite 
   
  5 Drachmae 
   
   
   
  Wooden Staff  
   
  2 Drachmae 
   
   
   
   
   
          
  - ARMOUR - 
   
  Greaves, Hard Leather 
  12 Drachmae 
  Greaves, Cuirboilli   
  30 Drachmae 
  Greaves, Bronze Plate 
  80 Drachmae 
  Mountain Cap 
   
  2 Drachmae 
  Hard Leather Cap 
   
  3 Drachmae 
  Helm, Boeotian 
   
  25 Drachmae 
  Helm, Pylos  
   
  20 Drachmae  
   
  Helm, Chalcidian 
   
  30 Drachmae 
   
   
   
  Helm, Thracian 
   
  40 Drachmae 
  Sheepskin 
   
   
  2 Drachmae 
  Quilted Tunic w Pteruges 
  15 Drachmae 
  Cuirass, Linen  
   
  35 Drachmae 
   
   
   
  Cuirass, Linen w Lamellar 
  55 Drachmae 
   
   
   
  Cuirass, Linen w Scale 
  65 Drachmae 
   
   
   
  Bronze Muscled Cuirass 
  100 Drachmae 
  
   
  78 
  78 
   
   
  - GENERAL GEAR - 
   
   
   
   
  Aulos  
   
   
  5 Drachmae 
   
   
   
  Blanket 
   
   
  3 Obol 
  Cooking Equipment   
  10 Drachmae 
  Flute  
   
   
  2 Drachmae 
   
   
   
  Inn (one night) 
   
  3 Obol 
   
   
   
  Ink, Quills & Papyrus  
  5 Drachmae 
   
   
   
  Kithara  
   
   
  18 Drachmae 
  Knife   
   
   
  2 Drachmae 
  Lamp, Clay 
   
   
  4 Drachmae 
  Lamp Oil  
   
   
  2 Obol 
  Lyre 
   
   
   
  11 Drachmae 
   
   
   
  Meal, Good  
   
  1 Drachma 
  Pack  
   
   
  3 Drachmae 
  Pickaxe 
   
   
  1 Drachma 
  Pouch  
   
   
  1 Drachma 
  Rations, One Week   
  1 Drachma 
  Rope (10 metres) 
   
  3 Drachmae 
  Tent, 4 man  
   
  4 Drachmae 
  Tool 
   
   
   
  1 Drachma 
   
   
  Torch  
   
   
  3 Obol 
   
   
  Waterskin  
   
   
  1 Drachma 
  Wax Tablet & Stylus  
  3 Drachmae 
   
   
   
   
   
  - FASHION - 
   
  Cloak  
   
   
  5 Drachmae 
   
   
   
  Cloak Brooch  
   
  3 - 8 Drachmae 
   
  Hairpin, Bronze 
   
  2 Drachmae 
   
  Military Boots  
   
  6 Drachmae 
  Perfumed Oils  
   
  8 Drachmae 
  Purple-dyed Cloth 
   
  x 20 
  Kilt 
   
   
   
  2 Drachmae 
  Tunic  
   
   
  4 Drachmae 
  Robe  
   
   
  10 Drachmae 
  Dress  
   
   
  7 Drachmae 
  Sandals 
   
   
  2 Drachmae 
   
   
  - TRANSPORT & LABOUR - 
   
   
   
   
  Barge, Large  
   
  1,300 Drachmae 
  Camel  
   
   
  120 Drachmae 
  Chariot  
   
   
  200 Drachmae 
  Donkey 
   
   
  80 Drachmae 
  
   
  79 
  79 
   
  Elephant 
   
   
  820 Drachmae 
  Elephant War Tower  
  120 Drachmae 
  Horse  
   
   
  300 Drachmae 
  Horse Armour 
  Bronze Chamfron 
  125 Drachmae 
  Leather Peytral 
  120 Drachmae 
  Bronze Peytral 
  400 Drachmae 
  Horse Grain, One Week 
  2 Drachmae 
  Merchant Ship 
   
  2,000 Drachmae 
  Panniers, Donkey/Camel 
  15 Drachmae 
  Rowboat 
   
   
  40 Drachmae 
  Saddle & Bridle 
   
  30 Drachmae 
  Slave, Man 
   
   
  500 Drachmae 
  Slave, Woman 
   
  300 Drachmae 
  Slave, Child  
   
  150 Drachmae 
  Trireme 
   
   
  4,100 Drachmae 
   
  Wagon (4-wheel) 
   
  70 Drachmae 
   
   
   
   
  FROM  OTHER  CULTURES 
  The many human cultures that inhabit the known world were completely overrawed by 
  Alexander the Great and his Macedonian army sixty years ago. His conquests have 
  changed the political landscape of the ancient world forever, but everday life continues 
  as normal. Greeks (mostly of Macedonian descent) may sit in the palaces and collect the 
  taxes, but it is the natives that still carry out the work. Many Egyptians, Persians, Syrians 
  and so-forth have severed their ancient roots to explore the wider world established by 
  Alexander.  A character who is not Greek gains 60% in one of the three starting skills 
  based on his culture of origin, and 40% in the remaining two.  He also begins with Speak 
  Own Language at INT x 5% and R&W Own Language at 10% (if available). Finally, he 
  gains a +1 to a culture specific characteristic.  
   
  CULTURES 
   
  Arabian 
  Desert nomads concerned with sheep-herding, camel caravans, trade and survival! 
  Language: Speak Arabic 
  Starting Skills: Bow, Riding, Desert Lore 
  Characteristic Bonus: +1 DEX 
   
  Cappadocian 
  Tough mountain folk with an exotic Persian-influencd culture. 
  Language: Speak Cappadocian, Read & Write Aramaic  
  Starting Skills: Climb, Spot Hidden, Javelin 
  Characteristic Bonus: +1 STR 
   
   
  
   
  80 
  80 
   
  Chaldean 
  Land of Babylon, Ur and Isin – cities of vast temples and towering ziggurats! 
  Language: Speak Aramaic, Read & Write Aramaic 
  Starting Skills: Boating, Craft, One-Handed Spear 
  Characteristic Bonus: +1 CON 
   
  Egyptian 
  Ancient but rich land, bound by magic, superstition and religion. 
  Language: Speak Egyptian, Read & Write Egyptian 
  Starting Skills: First Aid, Boating, Insight 
  Characteristic Bonus: +1 POW 
   
  Persian 
  Proud and magnificent Eastern empire, rich with merchants and nobles.  
  Language: Speak Persian, Read & Write Aramaic 
  Starting Skills: Bow, Ride, Oratory 
  Characteristic Bonus: +1 DEX 
   
  Phoenician 
  Cunning and fast-talking merchant people, sailors and pirates both! 
  Language: Speak Punic, Read & Write Punic 
  Starting Skills: Fast Talk, Evaluate Treasure, Sailing 
  Characteristic Bonus: +1 CHA 
   
  Syrian 
  Sophisticated urban folk, open-minded, free-thinking and cosmopolitan. 
  Language: Speak Aramaic, Read & Write Aramaic 
  Starting Skills: Evaluate Treasure, Desert Travel, Oratory 
  Characteristic Bonus: +1 INT 
   
  Thracian 
  Fierce barbarian tribesmen living a warlike head-hunting existance. 
  Language: Speak Thracian 
  Starting Skills: Rhomphia, Move Quietly, Jump 
  Characteristic Bonus: +1 STR 
   
  In-place of non-human fantasy races, WARLORDS OF ALEXANDER uses human cultures to 
  create diversity amongst player characters. Ancient cultures were stereotyped by the 
  Greeks, mainly due to the fact that members of these foreign cultures really did think, act 
  and live differently. We represent this by modifiying the base chances of a character's 
  skills to represent knowledge picked up via his upbringing.  
   
  SUGGESTED OCCUPATIONS FOR NON-GREEKS 
  Desert Scout, Horse Archer, Pirate/Slaver, Caravan Leader, Chaldean Astrologer, Palace/ 
  Temple Scribe, Merchant, Warrior-Hero, Priest, Bandit. 
   
   
  
   
  81 
  81 
   
   
  GAME SYSTEM 
   
  Gamemasters are advised to use whatever Basic Roleplaying system they have on hand 
  or are most comfortable with. WARLORDS OF ALEXANDRIA can be just as easily played with 
  Call of Cthulhu as with Elric! or Stormbringer. What it does require (that these games do 
  not include) is a hit location system.  
   
  This chapter explains the hit location system, and it explains the most preferred (by the 
  author) method of determining criticals and fumbles. It also looks at movement rates, 
  training, and essential combat rules for this particular setting.  
   
  SUCCESS AND FAILURE 
  There are several result possibilities when a skill or characteristic is rolled.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  The Fumble: A fumble is any failure that is also a doubles result. For example, a 45% skill 
  chance would be a fumble if the dice result was 55, 66, 77, 88, 99 or 00. Typical fumble 
  events include falling, losing or breaking equipment and so on. They are rarely deadly, 
  but often inconvenient and, when occurring in combat, they can be life threatening.  
   
  The Fail: A fail is a roll of over the skill or characteristic chance. If the skill is 78%, a fail 
  would occur on any roll over 78. In many circumstances a failure is inappropriate, 
  perhaps it simply means only a partial success that requires a further roll (and more time 
  and resources). Perhaps it means that some complication has arisen which the player 
  character now has to deal with. Try not to make 'fail' mean simply 'fail'.  
   
  The Success: The counter to failure is success. Rolling equal or under the skill chance 
  gives the result desired by the player character.  
   
  The Special: A special is any success where the percentile dice also end in a 5 or a 0. For 
  example, a 50% skill chance would be a special result if the result was 50, 45, 40, 35, 30, 
  25, 20, 15, 10 or 5. That is a 10% chance of a special result. The special result is well 
  above average, a great success with some unexpected bonus and no complications. 
   
  The Critical: A critical is any success that is also a doubles result. For example, a 50% skill  
   
  Fumble 
   
  Disaster! 
  Fail 
   
   
  Fail, or Partial success with some complication 
  Success 
   
  A reasonable success 
  Special Success 
  Above average success, with some bonus 
  Critical Success 
  Superlative result, the best achievable 
  
   
  82 
  82 
   
  chance would be a critical result if the result was 44, 33, 22 or 11. That is a 4% chance 
  of a critical for a 50% skill chance. For a character with 67% skill chance, a critical result 
  would occur on rolls of 66, 55, 44, 33, 22 and 11. That's a 6% critical chance. A critical 
  is the best success you can get, a superlative result without complications or problems.  
   
   
  COMBAT PROCEDURE 
   
  WHO GOES FIRST? 
  The chance to attack successfully before an opponent strikes, may mean that the fight is 
  won in an instant. Getting this edge is crucial. The speed at which combatants engage in 
  combat is mainly due to the weapons being wielded. In the following order, they are 
  (fastest first): 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  There will be many instances of ties (where two or more warriors both fight with spears, 
  for example). In this case go to DEX scores to see who goes first. As normal, a combat 
  round typically lasts a dozen or so seconds.  
   
  The combat procedure is as follows: 
   
   
  All characters get one attack and one parry per round. One weapon may only be used 
  for an attack OR a parry but not both (unless it is two-handed). This makes shields all the 
  more valuable. A warrior with spear and shield could attack with spear and parry with 
  shield, or parry with both. No-one may attack twice with two different weapons (shield 
  and spear, for example). A Dodge roll may not be substituted for a parry or an attack, 
  but used instead as a way to disengage from a fight.  
   
  If a blow is parried, the damage rolled is compared to the Armour Points of the parrying 
  item. If over then the item is damaged and unuseable. The exception to this is armour 
  and shields. Both of these halt incoming damage by the stated armour points, then let 
  the rest through. Damage usually hits a specific hit location after it passes armour, or, if 
  bypassing a shield, it can hit a random target location.  
   
  1. Spears 
  2. Other hand weapons and natural weapons 
  3. Missile Weapons 
  4. All unarmed moves as well as all non-combat actions 
  1. All participants state their intent (or target) 
  2. In order of weapon type (see above) attack rolls on D100 are made 
  3. Parry rolls can be made in response with a shield or weapon 
  4. If a target is hit, check hit location, take armour into account and administer 
  wound effects.  
  5. Return to 2 until each participant has had an opportunity 
  
   
  83 
  83 
   
  WARLORDS OF ALEXANDER uses a hit location system, where every strike lands on a 
  specific part of the body. This allows player characters to really tailor their body armour 
  to their role in combat much as the ancient Greeks did. When an attack roll succeeds 
  and is not parried, check where it lands by looking at the digit die of the percentile roll.  
  Next take armour into account and then use whatever damage remains to determine the 
  wound level. The damage points are subtracted from the character's Hit Point total, but 
  there will be other effects, depending on the location struck. The two dervived attributes 
  called Disable and Maim come into use here. When a hit location is targeted by a 
  number of points equal to the character's Disable score, it is badly injured and falls 
  useless. When a hit location is targeted by a number of damage points equal to the 
  Maim score, it is irrevocably injured and rendered innoperable. Damage points not 
  reaching the Disable threshold are simply deducted from Hit Points without any 
  additional effect. A location disabled twice is maimed. Any characteristic losses are 
  permanent until restored by training or other means. Refer to the Location table below:  
   
  CRITICAL &  SPECIAL HITS 
  Critical Hit: In combat situations, a critical hit indicates the strike has completely 
  bypassed armour and struck a vulnerable part of the body (or hit location). The strike 
  ignores any armour for that hit location, and does maximum damage for that weapon, 
  with maximum damage bonus.  
  Special Hit (The Impale): A special hit in combat is called an 'impale', only certain 
  weapons are capable of this type of result (daggers, arrows, spears, etc.). An impale 
  strikes deep into the body of a victim and may stick out the other side! It does extra 
  damage (twice rolled damage for that weapon, but normal rolled damage bonus), and 
  may get stuck in the victim. A critical that is also an impale does the maximum possible 
  impaling damage.  
   
  Digit Die 
  Hit Location 
  Disable Effect 
  Maim Effect 
  1-2 
  Left Leg 
  3-4 
  Right Leg 
  Leg gives way, fall to the ground. 
  Can walk (hobble) with support or 
  crawl at one-quarter speed 
  Leg broken and requires 
  amputation, lose 1 HP every half 
  hour, lose 1D3 DEX 
  5-6 
  Chest 
  Fall to the ground with broken rib 
  for 3 rounds, drop all held items, 
  halve STR and movement 
  temporarily 
  Lung punctured, rib perhaps 
  broken, coughing blood - any 
  physical action costs 1 further HP; 
  lose 1 STR and 1D3 CON 
  7 
  Abdomen 
  Caught just where it counts, 
  stunned for 3 rounds, fall to ground 
  conscious but incapable of walking 
  or crawling 
  Guts slashed and bleeding heavily, 
  fall to ground semi-conscious but 
  incapable of speech or action (other 
  than screaming); lose 1 HP every 5 
  minutes; lose 1 DEX, 1 STR and 1 
  CON 
  8 
  Left Arm 
  9 
  Right Arm 
  Arm limp, any held item is dropped 
    
  Fingers, hand or part of arm 
  severed, lose 1 HP every half  hour; 
  lose 1D3 STR 
  0 
  Head 
  Knocked out for 3D6 minutes; lose 
  1 INT permanently 
  Skull splits, brains spill out, killed 
  
   
  84 
  84 
   
  If the weapon is left in, healing cannot occur and the wound may deteriorate - any 
  movement will cause a further half damage to the victim's hit location. An attacker who 
  has a stuck weapon must roll STRx3 to remove his weapon immediately after impaling. 
  He can attempt this each round until successful if he concentrates fully on the task. After 
  5 rounds of struggling the weapon will certainly come free. If the STR roll is fumbled, the 
  weapon will break.  
  A victim wanting to remove a weapon that has impaled him must add STR + CON 
  (minus the ENC of the weapon), and then multiplying the result by 2% for percentage 
  chance of removal. Failure means half damage is done to the injured hit location.  
  Note that an impaled shield will be rendered useless if the stuck weapon is ENC 1 or 
  more! 
  Removing Any Arrow or An Impaling Slingshot: To halt the deterioration of a wound 
  caused by any arrow or an impaling sling shot, that shot or arrow can either be pulled 
  out by the victim (see above) or removed during the First Aid procedure. It takes five 
  minutes to withdraw, and the character withdrawing the arrow gains a +20% if he uses a 
  bronze 'arrow-catcher' - a specialist medical instrument. Repeated attempts can be made, 
  but every failure inflicts 1 point of damage to the victim's HP. A fumble causes 1D3 
  points of damage.  
  HEALTH AND HEALING 
  SUFFERING DAMAGE  
  Every character has a Hit Points score which represents how much physical damage they 
  can take before collapsing and dying. Damage inflicted is subtracted from Hit Points 
  temporarily. When an injury or wound is equal to or more than the victim's Disable or 
  Maim, refer to the Hit Location section for more information (it's grim news I'm afraid!). 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  85 
  85 
   
  Hit Points will continue to fall while damage is suffered.  When the character is reduced 
  one or two Hit Points he falls unconscious and is both immobile and innactive. Roll 
  CONx3 every five minutes. With a success the character recovers enough to stagger 
  away at half speed. With a failure, the character remains immobile and loses 1 Hit Point. 
  Roll again every five minutes.   
   
  At 0 Hit Points the character dies at the end of the following combat round.  
   
  HEALING 
  To halt the deterioration of any wound, a First Aid roll must first be successful, an action 
  which actually takes a full five minutes before the result takes effect. If a special result is 
  rolled then also restore an additional 2 HP, if a critical then restore 4 HP.  
   
  When a character's Hit Points are lowered to 0 or below, he dies, but if Hit Points are 
  restored to +1 or more in that round or the next, then the character is near death but did 
  not die.  
   
  If wounds are not deteriorating, then a week of rest, food, shelter and water will restore 
  1D3 Hit Points to an injured character. Over time he will eventually return to full health. 
  At three or more Hit Points, a character can move without any movement penalty 
  (dependant, of course on any nasty and debilitating Hit Location effects).  
   
  MOVEMENT RATES 
   
  IN COMBAT 
  As in other basic roleplaying games, standard human movement is 8 units (compared to 
  a lion's 10 or a horse's 12). The difference will come into play during chases, with the 
  faster catching up to the slower. In a lengthy pursuit both partcipants make CON rolls 
  (CONx5) with a failed roll causing the character or creature to move more slowly (-1 
  Move per failed CON roll).  
   
  Movement in armour becomes crucial when a character is fleeing combat, or during the 
  Games when one of the foot races is in full armour. When a human runs at maximum 
  Move, he rolls CON every 3 minutes (first CONx5, then CONx4 etc). Subtract the total 
  ENC of body armour, and twice the ENC of a shield (if one is carried) from the CON roll. 
  Each failed roll indicates that Move is reduced by one. Obviously peltasts, or lightly 
  armoured hoplites ekidromoi ('runners out') will be able to catch up and kill slower 
  heavily armoured hoplites. Throwing away the ENC 7 shield (-14% on the CON roll) is a 
  good tactic!  
   
  Move will never be reduced below 3 by this method. Other creatures, such as horses, 
  will not require CON rolls nearly as often.  
   
  TRAVEL TIMES 
  How far can the player characters travel in one day? This depend on their travel state,  
   
  
   
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  the season and of course, the ground across which they are travelling. The GM is free to 
  alter the following travel times as he sees fit to suit particular circumstances. Refer to 
  both the Travel Rate table and the Terrain Table to determine how far one can travel in a 
  day.  
   
  A typical rate of travel in the ancient world is 20km per day on foot, 40km on horseback. 
  There are good roads throughout the Successor Kingdoms and these are utilised by the 
  official post, by the armies and by other travellers - on horseback in wagons and on foot. 
  To calculate how far a character or group have travelled in a day, use the travel rates 
  given, below. A time period or around eight hours is generally assumed for travelling. 
  The referee should not try to be precise when two terrain types merge in one day’s 
  travel, just  average the two speeds and assume the terrain change occurred around mid-
  day. 
   
  Rates of travel can be increased either by a forced march or thrashing the horses to 
  gallop or canter most of the day. There will be one or two rests, but this is hard 
  punishing travel that requires daily CONx5 rolls or lose a hit point, and 1D3 hit points 
  from the horse if one is being ridden. 
   
  Cultivated Land - 20km/day on foot, 40km/day on horseback 
  Marsh - 10km/day on foot or horse, 40km/day by boat 
  Mountain - 10km/day on foot or horse 
  River - 40km/day by boat upstream, 60km/day by boat downstream 
  Sand Sea - 15km/day on foot or horse, 30km/day on camel 
  Steppe - 30km/day on foot, 60km/day on horseback 
  Stony Desert - 20km/day on foot or horse, 30km/day on horseback 
   
  EXPERIENCE 
  AND 
  TRAINING 
  In basic roleplaying games experience and 
  training are the main forms of character 
  advancement, since there are no levels or 
  classes.  
   
  EXPERIENCE 
  When a character successfully completes an 
  action that required a skill, the player puts a 
  tick next to that skill. At the end of the 
  scenario, or when characters are resting for at 
  least a week, or have access to a gymnasium 
  (where all the best resting takes place) for a full 
  week then each ticked skill can be rolled for an 
  experience increase. All of this is with GM 
  approval and GM supervision. To check a skill, 
  roll percentile dice over  the listed skill value. 
  Then erase the tick. Any successful rolls gain a 
  
   
  87 
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  skill increase. How much does the skill increase? If resting in general surroundings, 
  increase the skill by 1D8 percentiles. If the week of rest is spent in the gymnasium every 
  day (thinking, debating, relaxing, swimming, exercising, bathing) then increase the ticked 
  skill by 1D10 percentiles. Only one week of rest is necessary, and any number of skills 
  can be improved through experience in that way.  
   
  TRAINING 
  Training in all of the skills listed earlier in the game is quite possible, as long as the 
  character can find someone to teach him. This inevitably requires a guild, brotherhood, 
  society or mercenary company.  To apply for training, the player character rolls CHAx5. 
  On a success, he is able to learn any of the skills offered by the guild or brotherhood (the 
  GM should decide on the nature of specific brothhoods and guilds). On a failure he 
  must first pay an additional 50 drachmae just to begin his training. A special indicates 
  that the guild halves the price of his first month's training. A critical indicates that the 
  guild teaches him for the first four weeks - for free.  
   
  Once accepted for training, the character begins a four week training regimen. The cost 
  of this training period depends on the character's current skill value. No character can 
  receive training from two different societies simultaneously. Only one skill can be trained 
  at a time.  
   
  Current Skill 
  Training Cost 
  00% 
  50 
  01% - 25% 
  100 
  26& - 50% 
  150 
  51% - 75% 
  300 
   
  After the four week period the student rolls INTx3 on D100. With a success he increases 
  that skill by 1D6%, with a failure he increases the skill by only 1%. No skill can be 
  trained to beyond 75% - any percentiles after that must be gained through experience in 
  the real world.  
   
  COMBAT RULES 
  The level of complexity and detail for spot combat rules will be dictated by the basic 
  roleplaying rules being used by the GM. Elfquest and Call of Cthulhu do not present 
  incredibly detailed combat rules. Elric! or Stormbringer do. Use those rules that most 
  appeal to your level of detail. Elric! covers almost every battlefield eventuallity that you 
  will encounter.   
   
  ARMS AND ARMOUR 
   
   
   
  Hand-to-hand Weapon Table (over) 
   
  
   
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  Weapon  
  Required 
  Skill 
  Dmg 
  STR/
  DEX 
  ENC 
  Base 
  Chance 
  Armour 
   Points 
  Length Price 
  Battle Axe 
  Axe, 1H 
  1D8+2 
  13/9 
  1.0 
  10% 
  15 
  80cm 
  15 
  Hatchet 
  Axe, 1H 
  1D6+1 
  7/9 
  0.5 
  10% 
  12 
  30cm 
  4 
  Sagaris @@ 
  Axe, 1H 
  1D6+2 
  11/9 
  1.0 
  10% 
  15 
  40cm 
  25 
  Battleaxe 
  Axe, 2H 
  1D8+2 
  9/9 
  1.0 
  05% 
  15 
  80cm 
  15 
  Rhomphia 
  Axe, 2H 
  1D10+2 10/11 1.0 
  05% 
  12 
  80cm 
  25 
  Dagger @ 
  Dagger 
  1D4+2 
  -/- 
  0.5 
  15% 
  12 
  20cm 
  5 
  Knife @ 
  Dagger 
  1D3+1 
  -/- 
  0.2 
  15% 
  8 
  20cm 
  2 
  Sickle-Knife 
  [xuele] @ 
  Dagger 
  1D3+2 
  -/- 
  0.2 
  15% 
  8 
  30cm 
  3 
  Cestus, 
  Heavy ~ 
  Unarmed 
  Strike 
  1D3+1 
  11/- 
  1.5 
  15% 
  10 
  - 
  15 
  Cestus, Light 
  ~ 
  Unarmed 
  Strike 
  1D3 
  7/- 
  1.0 
  15% 
  6 
  - 
  15 
  Heavy Club 
  Cudgel 
  1D8 
  9/- 
  1.0 
  20% 
  16 
  70cm 
  1 
  Light Club 
  Cudgel 
  1D4 
  -/- 
  0.5 
  20% 
  8 
  50cm 
  3 obol 
  Wooden 
  Staff 
  Cudgel 
  1D6 
  8/11 
  1.5 
  20% 
  10 
  1.5m 
  2 
  Short- 
  sword 
  [zliphos] @@ 
  Short-sword 
  1D6+1 
  -/- 
  1.0 
  10% 
  20 
  60cm 
  15 
  Machaira  
  Shortsword 
  1D6+2 
  -/11 
  1.0 
  10% 
  16 
  70cm 
  20 
  Spartan 
  Sword @@ 
  Shortsword 
  1D4+3 
  -/- 
  0.5 
  10% 
  20 
  40cm 
  12 
  Pelte 
  Shield 
  1D4 
  -/- 
  1.5 
  20% 
  6 
  60cm 
  8 
  Celtic Shield 
  Shield 
  1D6 
  9/- 
  3.0 
  20% 
  12 
  1.1m 
  10 
  Aspis 
  Shield 
  1D6 
  10/- 
  5.0 
  20% 
  14 
  60cm 
  16 
  Hoplon 
  Shield 
  1D6 
  12/- 
  7.0 
  20% 
  18 
  80cm 
  25 
  Javelin 
  [longche] @ 
  Spear, 1H 
  1D8+1 
  7/7 
  1.5 
  05% 
  10 
  1.2m 
  5 
  Short 
  Spear @   
  Spear, 1H 
  1D8+1 
  7/7 
  2.0 
  05% 
  15 
  1.8m 
  3 
  Lance 
  [xyston] @+ 
  Spear, 1H 
  1D10+1 11/11 1.5 
  05% 
  12 
  3.6m 
  10 
  Hoplite 
  Spear @ 
  Spear, 1H 
  1D10+1 11/7 
  2.0 
  05% 
  15 
  2.5m 
  5 
  Hoplite 
  Spear @ 
  Spear, 2H 
  1D10+1 9/7 
  2.0 
  15% 
  15 
  2.5m 
  5 
  Pike [sarissa] 
  @ 
  Spear, 2H 
  2D6+2 
  12/8 
  3.5 
  15% 
  18 
  5.5m 
  11 
  Short  
  Spear @ 
  Spear, 2H 
  1D8+1 
  -/7 
  2.0 
  15% 
  15 
  1.8m 
  3 
  Celtic Long-
  sword # 
  Long-sword 
  1D8+1 
  9/7 
  1.5 
  05% 
  12 
  1.0cm 
  30 
  
   
  89 
  89 
   
  Notes 
   
  @ 
  Weapon will impale on a Special dice result 
  @@ 
  Weapon may impale on a Special dice result, depending on the preference of the 
  player character before the weapon is used. Shortswords in this period are 
  chopping weapons as well as stabbing weapons, and the sagaris is a pick-like 
  battle axe with a blunt hammer end.  
  ~ 
  The cestus do bodily harm, real damage, as opposed to a basic unarmed strike 
  which does 'stun' damage.  
  + 
  Xyston cannot be used to parry while on horse-back 
  # 
  When the Longsword's Armour Points are exceeded, it bends and is useless until 
  beaten (or stamped!) back into shape (but lower AP permanently by 2!).   
   
   
  Missile Weapons Table 
   
   
   
   
  Notes 
   
  @ 
  Weapon will impale on a Special dice result 
  ~ 
  The lasso does no actual damage but entangles a location on the target's body. 
  Make a STR versus STR resistance roll, and include the STR of any mounts being 
  ridden. 
   
   
   
   
   
  Weapon 
  Dmg 
  STR/DEX ENC Base 
  Chance 
  Armour 
  Points 
  Effective 
  Range 
  Max. 
  Range 
  Price 
  Bow, Self @ 
  1D6+1 7/7 
  0.5 
  (.05) 
  10% 
  8 
  60m 
  100m 
  25 
  Bow,  
  Composite @ 
  1D8+1 13/9 
  0.5 
  (.05) 
  10% 
  10 
  120m 
  200m 
  60 
  Sling @ 
  1D8 
  -/11 
  0.1 
  (0.1) 
  01% 
  - 
  STRx3m STRx5m 
  1 
  Staff Sling 
  1D10 
  9/11 
  0.5 
  (0.1) 
  01% 
  12 
  STRx4m STRx6m 
  3 
  Javelin 
  [longche] @ 
  1D10 
  9/9 
  1.5 
  Throw% 10 
  STR+8m STR+30m 5 
  Thrown 
  Dagger @ 
  1D4 
  -/11 
  0.5 
  Throw% 12 
  STR+8m STR+8 
  5 
  Thrown Rock 
  1D3 
  -/- 
  0.5 
  Throw% - 
  STR 
  STR+8 
  - 
  Rope Lasso ~ 
  none 
  9/13 
  0.5 
  05% 
  - 
  10m 
  10m 
  3 
  
   
  90 
  90 
   
  Armour Table 
   
   
  Notes 
  # 
  Pteruges are hardened fabric strips that are sewn onto the lower edge of a linen 
  cotthybos (of any type) or a quilted tunic. They are groin protectors.  
  @ 
  The thorax is worn over a short tunic, and provides no groin protection. Should 
  some be desired the character may wear a quilted tunic beneath the thorax that 
  has had linen pteruges attached to it.  
  > 
  The quilted tunic is the only armour type capable of being worn beneath another. 
  Otherwise all armours are discrete for the hit location specified.  
  + 
  Listen and Sneak penalties are wholly optional, the GM should decide whether or 
  not he wishes the extra book-keeping! 
  Helms   
  Armour Points 
  Cost 
  ENC 
    Listen Penalty + 
  Mountain Cap 
  1 
  2 
  - 
  - 
  Hard Leather Cap 
  2 
  3 
  0.5 
  - 
  Boeotian Helm 
  4 
  25 
  1.0 
  -5% 
  Pylos Helm 
  5 
  20 
  1.0 
  -5% 
  Chalcidian Helm 
  6 
  30 
  2.0 
  -15% 
  Thracian Helm 
  7 
  40  
  2.0 
  -15% 
  Greaves  
  Armour Points 
  Cost 
  ENC 
  Sneak Penalty + 
  Hard Leather 
  2 
  12 
  2.0 
  - 
  Cuirboilli 
  3 
  30 
  2.0 
  - 
  Bronze Plate 
  8 
  80 
  8.0 
  -15% 
  Body Armour 
  Armour Points 
  Cost 
  Coverage 
  ENC 
  Sneak Penalty + 
  Sheepskin 
  1 
  2 
  Chest 
  0.5 
  - 
  Linen Pteruges # 
  4 
  10 
  Abdomen 
  1.0 
  - 
  Quilted Tunic > 
  2 
  5 
  Chest 
  0.5 
  - 
  Linen [cotthybos] 
  4 
  35 
  Chest 
  2.5 
  - 
  Linen w Lamellar 
  5 
  55 
  Chest 
  3.5 
  -10 
  Linen w Scale  
  6 
  65 
  Chest 
  4.0 
  -15 
  Muscled Cuirass  
  [thorax] @ 
  8 
  100 
  Chest 
  6.0 
  -15 
  Celtic Chainmail 
  7 
  120 
  Chest & 
  Abdomen 
  10.0 
  -20 
  Horse Armour 
  Armour Points Cost 
  Coverage 
  ENC 
  Ride Penalty 
  Bronze chamfron 
  8 
  125 
  Head 
  4.0 
  -10 
  Leather peytral 
  3 
  120 
  Forequarters 4.0 
  -5 
  Bronze peytral 
  8 
  400 
  Forequarters 10.0 
  -10 
  Elephant Armour 
  Armour Points Cost 
  Coverage 
  ENC 
  Ride Penalty 
  Bronze chamfron 
  8 
  420 
  Head 
  4.0 
  -10 
  Leather peytral 
  3 
  200 
  Forequarters 4.0 
  -5 
  Bronze peytral 
  8 
  1000 
  Forequarters 10.0 
  -5 
  Scale trapper 
  6 
  1400 
  Hind & 
  Forequarters 
  10.0 
  -5 
  Leather leg bands 
  3 
  100 
  Legs 
   
  -10 
  
   
  91 
  91 
   
   
  USING ALEXANDRIAN ARMS & ARMOUR 
  So who wears what, with which piece of kit, and why? There are three main types of 
  warrior, the hoplite, the peltast and the cavalryman. Throughout the Greek-speaking 
  world these two troop types have many other titles, and their kit varies from place to 
  place. Essentially they are the horseman, heavy infantry spearman and the lightly armed 
  missile skirmisher cum lightly armoured infantryman. Each does a different job and 
  requires a different set of arms and armour.  
   
  First, lets look at the hoplite. The term means 'a soldier who uses a hoplon', but in the 
  Successor period there are a number of different kinds of heavily-armed spearmen. There 
  are still the hoplites, warriors clad in linen cotthybos (or no body armour at all), with 
  greaves and helm, armed with a hoplite spear and hoplon shield. Mass combat is 
  dominated by the phalangite, a warrior wearing a cotthybos or thorax if an officer or on 
  the front ranks, with helm and greaves, carrying a massive 5-6m pike [sarissa] with two 
  hands, and toting an aspis shield on a strap over the left arm. These guys are the heavy 
  troops used in major confrontations, they are disciplined and tough. Outside of the 
  phalanx, however, the sarissa is of little use and traded for javelins or a hoplite spear. 
  Everyone sports a shortsword, machaira (curved hacking sword) or dagger but this is a 
  weapon of last resort rather than the main killing weapon. The Greek sword is no 
  gladius.  
   
  The light infantry, especially the peltasts, rarely wear body armour, they need to be 
  nimble and fast. Some wear caps, a few wear helms, all are armed with javelins and a 
  pelte, a light wicker shield that can be slung on the back. A sword or knife for self-
  defence is de rigeur. Amongst the skirmishers there are lighter troops still, poorer folk 
  who may have only a sling and a pouch of lead sling shot, or a bow and a quiver full of 
  arrows. Armour is very rare amongst these fellows, they have no use for it, it impedes 
  their retreats and is, of course, pricey! 
   
  Cavalry has come along way since the time of Pericles or the Persian Wars. No longer 
  are the horsemen just javelin-throwing aristocrats, Alexander pounded the Persian 
  Empire into submission using a combination of phalangite inevitability and heavy cavalry 
  shock force. It is common for the well-paid aristocratic heavy cavalry to wear expensive 
  body armour and Boeotian helms which are styled after Greek travelling hats [petasos] 
  that provide a wide brim for good visibility. Weapons used by these heavy cavalrymen is 
  the long xyston, with a sword or machaira for back-up. Light cavalry still exists, the riders 
  being armoured as they can afford with helms, cotthybos or even thorax, a fistful of 
  javelins and commonly in this era, a hoplon shield. The Seleucid heavy cavalry, the 
  cataphracts, wear a thorax with laminated tubular arm and leg defences, helm and 
  bronze facemask. Truly formidable! See the later section on the Seleucid Empire for full 
  details.  
   
  Some other arms and armour of note include the Celtic shield and longsword, used by 
  the Galatians and other Celtic tribes north of Thrace and Greece - a continual menace at  
  this time. The Thracians tribesmen often operate as peltast mercenaries, and on occasion  
  
   
  92 
  92 
   
  wield the wicked two-handed rhomphia, a long bill-type weapon. The staff sling is 
  invented in this period, it is a sling mounted on a short stave that uses that extra leverage 
  for greater range and impact - a skirmish weapon. The Spartan sword is a lethally sharp 
  and stiff shortsword, popular with mercenaries and sword-swallowers! Meanwhile the 
  machaira, or 'kopis', is a common alternative to the Greek shortsword, it curves into the 
  cutting edge and is used as a heavy hacking weapon.  
   
  Finally, a short review of armour types is in order. The muscled cuirass [thorax] is the 
  type of body armour commonly associated with Greek warriors, a bronze breastplate 
  and backplate appropriately muscled and held on with leather straps. A cheaper 
  alternative soon arrived - the cotthybos, made of hardened linen in numerous layers, and 
  tied at the back, with flaps of stiffened linen protecting the shoulders. Coloured bright 
  white, the linen cuirass is cheap and popular. Some are reinforced with bronze scales or 
  lamellar plates around the midriff. All cotthybos include strips of stiffened linen [pteruges] 
  hanging from the lower edge as a groin guard. When a thorax is worn, a quilted tunic 
  with attached pteruges is worn beneath it, since they cannot be attached to the bronze 
  breastplate itself.  
   
  The Boeotian helm has already been described. The Pylos helm is a bronze pot-helm of 
  slightly conical appearance and simple design that leaves the face and neck open to 
  attack. Meanwhile the Chalcidian helm provides a nose guard, flaps for the cheeks and a 
  degree of neck protection, but with cut-outs for the ears - it is an archetypal 'Greek' 
  design. The popular Thracian helm resembles the Chalcidian helmet but has a peak 
  around the front and sides, huge cheek pieces that are often highly decorated, and a 
  distinctive rounded peak that arches forward much like the traditional 'Thracian cap'. The 
  mountain cap is made of felt or sheepskin and worn by shepherds and poor skirmishers, 
  it might also be a fox-fur cap worn by Thracian-style peltasts.  
   
  BATTLE RULES 
  The Successor Kingdoms are wracked by battles. It is the central characteristic of the era 
  that warfare is ubiquitous. There are some great sets of wargame rules on the market 
  that should amply fulfill the desires of GMs to approach Successor warfare in fine detail. 
  Of course such a level of detail goes beyond these rules. However, the GM may still 
  want to use dice to determine the outcome of a military outcome (rather than decide on 
  the basis of plot drama, as most games tend to do). Plus it is more fun for all involved if 
  even the GM doesn't know whether the Seleucid troops will win the day over the 
  assorted mercenaries hired by Ptolemy for a raid on a Seleucid outpost.  
   
  ASSESSING THE ARMIES 
  The GM must assess the two forces in their entirity before battle is joined. As with the 
  characteristic scores for Great Houses, WARLORDS OF ALEXANDER rates armies using the 
  standard character scoring system.  
   
   
   
  
   
  93 
  93 
   
   
   
  Decide on the the following values: 
  • STRENGTH (STR): Attack strength 
  • DEXTERITY (DEX): Defensive ability 
  • CONSTITUTION (CON): Stamina and reserve troops 
  • SIZE (SIZ): Number of units on the field 
  • INTELLIGENCE (INT): Speed and maneuverability 
  • POWER (POW): Morale 
  • CHARISMA (CHA): Leadership of units 
   
  Values can vary wildly based on a host of inter-related factors, and this game cannot 
  specify them all. Instead three armies are portrayed ready for combat, and the reader is 
  urged to use them as a basis for assessing the armies in his own game. When two units 
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  94 
  94 
   
   work together, then reasses the army again as a whole. There is no set formulae for 
  combing units. Play it by ear.  
   
  The Myrmidons 
  A mercenary company of hoplite spearmen wielding pikes or hoplite spears. It numbers 
  2,500 men and is formed of ten syntagema (a standard unit within the Greek phalanx). 
  The Myrmidons are well-travelled and tough, and are loyal and brave. They are led by 
  Cimon the Avenger, a Greek general, exiled from his home city of Miletus. The company 
  also has a force of light cavalry, as well as a screening force of peltasts. The real power of 
  the unit, however, lies in the hoplite troops.  
   
  STR 9, DEX 9, CON 5, SIZ 4, INT 5, POW 14, CHA 14    
   
  Loyal Brothers of Zabbian 
  A mixed force of horse archers and mounted spearmen who hail from Armenia. They 
  have fought for virtually every major power in the last 9 years. They are fast, adaptable 
  and capable of lightning strikes and ambushes. Often used for patrol purposes or to 
  screen heavy infantry. It numbers 800 men and horse. 
   
  STR 6, DEX 10, CON 2, SIZ 3, INT 16, POW 12, CHA 9     
   
  Arrayed Forces at the Battle of Raphia (217 BC) 
  Antiochus launches a stupendous army of 75,000 troops against Ptolemaic Palestine. 
  Ptolemy is able to muster a force to halt the Seleucid advance. He fields an awesome 
  68,000 troops. Both sides have elephants, heavy cavalry, light cavalry, archers, peltasts 
  and of course hoplite troops.  
   
  Antiochus' army:  STR 19, DEX 15, CON 18, SIZ 20, INT 10, POW 12, CHA 18 
   
  Ptolemy's army: STR 21, DEX 14, CON 19, SIZ 21, INT 11, POW 10, CHA 17 
   
   
  Arrayed Forces at the Battle of Gabiene (316 BC) 
   
  The warlord Antigonus force marched to Gabiene near Susa to attack the army of 
  Eumeus in 316 BC. Antigonus had 31,000 troops while Eumeus had 42,000 troops. 
  Antigonus had far more cavalry, however.  
   
  Antigonus' army:  STR 16, DEX 14, CON 12, SIZ 15, INT 10, POW 9, CHA 16  
  Eumeus' army:  STR 18, DEX 12, CON 12, SIZ 16, INT 5, POW 12, CHA 11 
   
  Hammer of Bronze 
  Heavy infantry hoplite unit, without any cavalry, but including a large unit of slingers in 
  support. Contains 7,000 men.  
   
  STR 8, DEX 17, CON 6, SIZ 6, INT 3, POW 11, CHA 8    
   
   
   
  
   
  95 
  95 
   
  Polycrates’ Shooters 
  A Cretan unit of archers, with support from peltasts who are also armed with short 
  spears and can engage in hand-to hand combat. Contains 1,000 men.  
   
  STR 11, DEX 3, CON 5, SIZ 3, INT 14, POW 7, CHA 8    
   
  Byzantion 
  A group of peltast (light troops) from Thrace, with some shock troops of Celtic origin 
  who act as an attacking force. Contains 550 men.  
   
  STR 5, DEX 9, CON 2, SIZ 2, INT 13, POW 14, CHA 12    
   
  Knights of Pella 
  Tough light cavalry troop from Macedonia currently up for hire as a mercenary force. 
  Contains 1,400 men.  
   
  STR 7, DEX 9, CON 3, SIZ 3, INT 15, POW 13, CHA 15    
   
  FIGHTING THE BATTLE 
   
  This is a very abstract combat system - a very abstract system indeed. There are three 
  stages to the battle procedure. 
   
  1) Terrain. Both sides match the INT of their armies against each other on the Resistance 
  Table (see which BRP rulebook you are using). This simulates the initial battle for terrain 
  and deployment of units. The loser gets to divide up 3 bonus points amongst any of his 
  army's values. The winner gets to divide up 6 points.  
   
  2) Battle Plans. Considering the terrain, type of troops and the objectives of each side, 
  both generals get to put in action one of more 'plans' that ight help to gain victory. 
  Examples might include: "spring an ambush using archers", "seize the high ground", "draw 
  off the cavalry with our light fast cavalry" and so on. Each plan adds a +2 bonus to the 
  characteristic most likely to benefit from such a plan. After the first plan, any others will 
  lower CHA by 1D3. No-one may have more than three plans at any one time. GMs must 
  adjudicate plans and can reasonably refuse a plan if it contradicts an already established 
  aspect of the battle.  
   
  3) Clash of Arms! What follows is a mass of die rolling, however, this is a very simple 
  procedure. Simply make resisted rolls for each characteristic, moving sequentially from 
  STR to DEX, to CON and so forth. Keep a note of wins. Specials count as 2 wins, criticals 
  count as 3. When the antagonists get to CHA the battle has reached its climax, this is 
  where the leader's tactics come into full play. Add wins so far to each general's CHA 
  score (essentialy his leadership and overall strategy) and carry out a resisted roll. The 
  winner takes all ...  
   
  In battles like this there are usually huge numbers of survivors who flee to the hills. They 
  may regroup later. Assume losses of perhaps half for the loser and a fifth for the winner.  
   
  
   
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  INVENTIONS 
   
  The Hellenistic Age is one of invention and experimentation. From the early ideas of 
  science and philiosophy have come more concrete procedures and theories governing 
  the workings of the universe. It is in this era that science is truly borne. Hero of 
  Alexandria, coming after our era, produces a model steam engine (yet does not exploit 
  such a revolutionary invention). Other philosophers create equally amazing 
  technological items - vast siege towers that are self-propelled (powered by an inbuilt 
  slave-driven capstan), a lens to magnify the light from the Pharos lighthouse, even a city-
  defense machine to hole and haul ships out of the water.  
   
  Highly skilled philosophers can attempt to build their own inventions and the GM is 
  encouraged to help players plan the construction of these devices. Use the inventions 
  describe further below as a guide.  
   
  INVENTION CATEGORIES 
  A proposed invention has the following categories: 
   
  Craft: What craft skills will be useful in its construction? Craft Wood, Craft Stone? Craft 
  Stone and Wood? Try to retain a measure of flexibility rather than demanding two or 
  more craft skills at a time.  
   
  Difficulty: How difficult is the project? This value is subtracted from a player character 
  skill total and will often be so high as to preclude the involvement of less experienced 
  philosophers.   
   
  Manpower: How many labourers or craftsmen will be needed for this project? If the 
  number is less, then double the build time. If the number is four times or more, then 
  halve the build time.  
   
  Time: What is the shortest amount of time the invention could be successfully 
  constructed?  
   
  Cost: What is the minimum cost of the project?  
   
  Materials: List all of the materials needed in the project.  
   
   
  BUILDING AN INVENTION 
  The game procedure for building an invention is quite straightforward. The philosoper 
  checks the invention categories and the adds together his Science and Repair/Devise  
  skills together with the relevant Craft skill (or the lowest, if two or more are required).  
  
   
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  This is the philosopher's skill total. From skill total subtract the invention's Difficulty. If the 
  end result is positive then the PC can attempt to build the item. If 0 or negative, thenm 
  the project is currently beyond his means and his imagination.  
   
  The skill roll is made and the result checked on the table, below: 
   
  Fumble 
  Disaster! Men andmaterials lost. Project abandoned, or begun again at -
  30% 
  Fail 
   
  Some progress made. Roll again after the initial build time, but at -10% 
  Success 
  Project completed at the end of the build time.  
  Special 
  Project completed in half the build time 
  Critical  
  Project completed in half the build time, at half the cost 
   
  The inventions ingeniously built by these pioneering philosophers are not mass-produced 
  to a well-designed blueprint, they are one of a kind works of art. Each one lowers a 
  philosopher's POW temporarily by 1. When the invention is destroyed, decommissioned 
  or falls into absolute disrepair, the philosopher who designed it gets that POW point 
  back. These inventive genii tend only to create a few crazy inventions and stay close to 
  them while they are in use.  
   
  SAMPLE INVENTIONS 
   
  Windmill 
  Craft: Wood 
  Difficulty: 120 
  Manpower: 10 men 
  Time: 4 weeks 
  Cost: 1000 drachmae 
  Materials: wood, iron, canvas 
   
  Mechanical Wings 
  Craft: Wood or Leather 
  Difficulty: 220 
  Manpower: 2 men 
  Time: 1 week 
  Cost: 200 drachmae 
  Materials: wood, leather, feathers, wax 
   
  Waterclock 
  Craft: Stone or Metallurgy 
  Difficulty: 100 
  Manpower: 2 men 
  Time: 2 weeks 
  Cost: 300 drachmae 
  Materials: stone or bronze 
   
   
  
   
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  Wheeled Siege Tower 
  Craft: Wood or Metallurgy 
  Difficulty: 100 
  Manpower: 20 men 
  Time: 4 weeks 
  Cost: 2000 drachmae 
  Materials: wood, leather, iron 
   
   
  Helepolis Seige Fortress 
  Craft: Wood and Metallurgy 
  Difficulty: 250 
  Manpower: 100 men 
  Time: 4 weeks 
  Cost: 8,000 drachmae 
  Materials: wood, leather, iron, plus 8x Lithoboloi 
   
  Mechanical Galley 
   
  Craft: Wood 
  Difficulty: 100 
  Manpower: 4 men 
  Time: 16 weeks 
  Cost: 6,000 drachmae 
  Materials: timber, leather, rope, iron nails  
   
  Greek Flame Thrower  
  Craft: Wood, Metalurgy 
  Difficulty: 130 
  Manpower: 4 men 
  Time: 3 weeks 
  Cost: 2000 drachmae 
  Materials: chemicals, timber, iron, rope 
   
  Sambuca Covered Siege Ladder  
  Craft: Wood, Leather 
  Difficulty: 130 
  Manpower: 12 men 
  Time: 3 weeks 
  Cost: 2000 drachmae 
  Materials: timber, leather, iron, rope 
   
  Tortoise Battering Ram 
  Craft: Wood, Leather, Metallurgy 
  Difficulty: 170 
  Manpower: 10 men 
  Time: 2 weeks 
  Cost: 900 drachmae 
  Materials: timber, leather, iron, rope 
  
   
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  Lightning Rod  
  Craft: Metallurgy 
  Difficulty: 240 
  Manpower: 2 men 
  Time: 4 weeks 
  Cost: 1000 drachmae 
  Materials: copper 
   
   
  Automata 
   
   
  Craft: Metallurgy 
  Difficulty: 250 
  Manpower: 2 men 
  Time: 4 weeks 
  Cost: 3000 drachmae 
  Materials: bronze 
   
   
  Steam Engine  
  Craft: Metallurgy 
  Difficulty: 220 
  Manpower: 4 men 
  Time: 6 weeks 
  Cost: 4000 drachmae 
  Materials: bronze, iron, wood, lead 
   
  Burning Heat Lens 
   
  Craft: Stone or Glass  
  Difficulty: 200 
  Manpower: 3 men 
  Time: 6 weeks 
  Cost: 700 drachmae 
  Materials: stone, glass 
   
   
  Magnifying Lens 
   
  Craft: Stone or Glass  
  Difficulty: 80 
  Manpower: 1 man 
  Time: 1 week 
  Cost: 60 drachmae 
  Materials: glass 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  Gods, PHILOSOPHERS AND MAGIC 
   
  “Hear us, you gods perfect in power; 
   
   
   
  Hear us, sovereign gods and goddesses, 
   
   
   
  Protectors of our country’s bulwarks: 
   
   
   
  Do not betray our city 
   
   
   
  Thus in the labour of battle 
   
   
   
  To enemies of alien mind.” 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Aeschylus, The Suppliants 
   
   
  THE GODS 
  Life (and death) in the Kingdoms is dominated by the Gods. These divine beings control 
  the destiny of Mankind (so it is said), many were there at the creation of the world, and 
  others were created in human times by their own heroic deeds. Priests and Philosophers 
  debate endlessly the nature of the gods and their number. There were originally only 
  twelve Olympians, but what about the rest of the Greek gods? What about the gods of 
  Egypt - of Chaldea - of Syria? There are innumerable gods and goddesses, and they do 
  not require that Mankind be utterly loyal to one or the other. Men and women worship 
  at whatever temple or shrine they fancy, where-ever they are - for the gods are always 
  grateful for another sacrifice.  
   
  This game doesn’t give an exhaustive list of the deities known and worshipped in the 
  Successor Kingdoms. Instead it looks first at The Olympians, a family of deities 
  worshipped across the world where-ever Greeks have trodden. These gods are 
  recognised by all and often syncretised with local divinities. Most large cities have 
  temples to one or more of the Olympians. Then we briefly survey the other Gods of the 
  Successor Kingdoms. In the following chapter we look at a small number of very popular 
  religions amongst travellers and adventurers in the Successor Kingdoms, and give an in-
  depth description of their 
  customs and peculiarities. These 
  cults allow worshippers to be 
  initiated and get closer to their 
  god. Many offer something 
  better in the afterlife. Characters 
  can join these cults as initiates, 
  maybe progress to the 
  priesthood, or alternatively the 
  referee can use the cults as 
  background for his campaign or 
  for individual scenarios.  
   
   
   
  
   
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  GAIN A FAVOUR FROM THE GODS 
  WARLORDS OF ALEXANDER allows player characters to make appeals to the gods and 
  call for divine aid. The nature of the gods is fickle and this aid is unreliable. If the god 
  grants the request, then the player character will be blessed with amazing ‘good luck’.   
   
  Every character sheet divides up the common skills into groups named after one of the 
  Olympian deities. Poseidon, for example, heads the skills over whom the god presides, 
  namely: Shiphandling, Boat, Swim, Ride and Drive. Next to the name of each deity is a 
  check-box. At the start of the game every box should contain a tick, lightly pencilled in. 
  The character sheet also has a section titled Fate. Fate is equal to POW x5.  
   
  During the game, any character can pray to a god just prior to making a skill roll. The 
  god hearing the appeal must preside over that skill.  To determine whether or not the 
  deity hears the request and grants it, the player rolls Fate or less on percentile dice. If 
  equal or over, then the god is deaf to the character’s prayer and the roll must be 
  attempted without divine aid. If the roll is less than the current Fate score, then the god 
  has heard the prayer and will ‘bump’ the character’s skill success by one level. It will turn 
  a fumble into a critical, a fail into a success, and a success into a critical. Fate, however, 
  is lowered to whatever value was rolled on the percentile dice. Further appeals can be 
  made to other gods but with Fate sinking ever lower each time, the chances of being 
  heard by these gods rapidly diminuishes.  
   
  When a god has been successfully called upon, the pencil tickmark in the adjacent box 
  (which represents being in favour with the god) is erased. Now the player character has 
  a neutral relationship with the god. If the character calls on the god a second time, then 
  mark the box with a cross. The player character is now in disfavour, and cannot call on 
  the god again.  
   
  Note that a character with any points in Science (even 1%) will be effectively ignored by 
  the gods (or the other way around - the two concepts are incompatible in WARLORDS OF 
  ALEXANDER).  
   
  TO BE RID OF DISFAVOUR 
  The character must present himself to a temple of the god (first having searched one out, 
  not every city has temples to all the Olympians) and make an animal sacrifice 
  appropriate to the deity and the situation. The priest oversees the ritual, which changes 
  with the god, the season or festival and the reasons for the sacrifice. And woe betide 
  anyone who makes an error during the sacrifice! Sheep, goats, calves or oxen are 
  sacrificed and burnt as an offering to the god, one third of the cooked flesh is given to 
  the god, one third to the priest and the final thid is eaten by the character as a sacred 
  meal. With the sacrifice complete (it takes about an hour and costs 50 silver coins) the 
  character is now neutral with that god – erase the cross from the god’s check-box. 
   
  TO BE IN FAVOUR 
  The character must make a libation to the god on an altar. A libation is a liquid offering, 
  most commonly of wine, but sometimes milk or cow’s blood, poured onto an altar fire  
   
  
   
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  where it sizzles and burns (or into the sea if to Poseidon). The altar need not be within a 
  temple, but can in fact be hand-made by the character. It need be nothing more 
  elaborate than several slabs of cut-turf and a few flat stones, blessed with a quiet prayer 
  and topped by a small fire of wood kindling. It takes a couple of hours to make a 
  temporary altar, and 10 minutes to conduct the libation. A priest will charge 20 silver 
  coins for the privilege. Mark a tick inside the god’s check-box.  
   
  THE GODS OF OLYMPUS 
  The gods rule the universe from the top of Mount Olympus. There were originally twelve 
  Olympians, feeding off ambrosia and nectar served to them by Ganymede the cup 
  bearer. Each god has a palace and intrigues with the other Olympians for power and 
  influence. Many times has this august assembly been at odds, the Trojan War for one. At 
  one time each god sponsored their favourite heroes in glorious quests and bitter blood 
  feuds on earth, but today their influence is achieved through the priests of their cult. 
  Each god has a host of temples scattered across the Greek-speaking world. These 
  temples are only very loosely affiliated. In many cases each temple is actually dedicated 
  to a different aspect of the god. Worship takes place at an altar outside the front steps of 
  a temple, but still within the sacred precinct [temenos]. 
    
  Zeus 
  The king of the Olympian gods. He is a powerful god of sovereignty, mastery, 
  government and victory in warfare. As a god on high he is associated with storms, rain, 
  tempests and with thunder and lightning. He watches over the affairs of the Greeks from 
  his throne on Olympus. He is supreme judge and his realm is the Heavens (Earth belongs 
  to his brother Poseidon, the Underworld to his other brother Hades).  
   
  Symbol: The eagle and the thunderbolt.  
  Main Temples: He has a shrine at Dodonna in Epirus, but his greatest sanctuary is the 
  magnificent temple of Zeus at Olympia in Elis, home of the Olympic Games. 
  Skill Group:Debate, Climb, Oratory, Throw  
  Worshippers: Nobles, leaders, soldiers 
   
  Hera 
  The matronly wife of Zeus, Hera is associated with the sky and with the moon. God of 
  women and of childbirth and marriage, she is rarely invoked by adventurers. Hera 
  punished many of Zeus' lovers, and could be said to have also embodied jealousy.  
  Symbol: The peacock is her cult animal, her other symbol is the pomegranate. 
  Main Temples: At Argos Hera has five or six temples! The greatest of her temples is on 
  Samos and was built by the Argonauts. 
  Skill Group: Administration, Listen, Speak Languages 
  Worshippers: House-keepers, stewards, defenders, seekers of vengeance 
   
  Ares 
  A brash god of warfare, Ares is popular with adventurers. Ares is invoked also for 
  revenge. He is not a subtle god of grand strategy but an up-front believer in raw combat. 
  Symbol: Blazing torch and the spear. 
  
   
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  Main Temples: He has a temple at Athens, Sparta and Olympia. He has a spring and a 
  shrine at Thebes.  
  Skill Group: Martial Arts/Pankration, Unarmed Strike 
  Worshippers: Mercenaries 
   
   
  Hephaestus 
  The god of fire, smiths and craftsmen in general, Hephaestus is a brawny, lame god. He 
  is also associated with volcanoes. In myth he built many fantastic devices, some of which 
  are hidden about the world in labyrinths and on remote islands. His wife is the 
  adulterous Aphrodite. 
   
  Symbol: Hammer and tongs 
  Main Temples: Lemnos, various sites on Sicily (his forge is within Mt. Etna) 
  Skill Group: Conceal, Craft, Hide, Metalworking, Repair/Devise, Craft Magic Item 
  Worshippers: Blacksmiths, bronzeworkers, armourers, jewellers 
   
  Hermes 
  The winged messenger of the gods, Hermes is also the god of thieves, travellers and 
  merchants. Hermes guides the spirits of the dead to the underworld, and wayside marker 
  stones are dedicated to him. The great cults to Hermes are run by the merchant 
  brotherhoods to which they owe their good fortune.  
   
  Symbol: Hermae, phallic pillars on street corners, cross-roads and gateways, winged 
  sandals, caduceus (winged staff entwined with serpents) 
  Main Temples: Strong in Arcadia, but there are no temples, only statues and images - 
  most temple priests of Hermes are permanent travellers, much like their god. 
  Skill Group: Bargain, Evaluate, Sleight, Sneak 
  Worshippers: Traders, thieves, travellers 
   
  Apollo 
  A god of sunlight, musicians, fortune-tellers and medicine. This bold and potent god is 
  also the protector of herdsmen, but it is his association with the sun that is most strong. 
  His deadly and unerring skill with the bow is symbolic of rays of light. But his typical 
  symbol is the lyre. Many famous seers and soothsayers claim to have been given their 
  powers by Apollo.  
   
  Symbol: His symbols are the bow and lyre. 
  Main Temples: The greatest cult centre is Delphi, home of the oracle. The island of Delos 
  is also sacred to Apollo and houses an extensive sanctuary.  
  Skill Group: Divination, First Aid, Play Instrument, Sing. 
  Worshippers: Shepherds, soothsayers, hunters, physicians 
   
  Demeter 
  This gentle goddess presides over agriculture, fertility and the earth. Her sister  
  
   
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  Persephone spends six months of the year with Hades, symbolising the changing 
  seasons. Her cult is accompanied by orgies, and her temples, often found in forests, are 
  called megara. 
   
  Symbol: The sheaf of corn. 
  Main Temples: Eleusis, where a great mystery festival is held each year for initiates, other 
  centres include Arcadia, Argos and Attica. 
  Skill Group: Animal Lore, Herb Lore, Spot Hidden.  
  Worshippers: Farmers  
   
  Poseidon 
  The brother of Zeus, Poseidon is the god of the oceans and seas, as well as earthquakes 
  and horses. A harsh and unrelenting god, Poseidon shows his anger with floods, storms 
  and earthquakes. Sailors fear him.  
   
  Symbol: The symbol of Poseidon is the trident and horse.  
  Main Temples: Corinth is the site of his greatest cult, but he is also revered at Rhodes 
  and Taenarus.  
  Skill Group: Boat, Drive, Ride, Shiphandling. 
  Worshippers: Sailors, cavalry-men, horse-breeders 
   
  Aphrodite 
  The amorous goddess of love, beauty and sex, married (in the myths) to Hephaestus. 
  She is fickle and passionate, and prone to initiating liaisons and  romances. Young lovers 
  pray to her.  
   
  Symbol: A seashell 
  Main Temples: Her cult centre is on the island of Cythera and Paphos on Cyprus. The 
  Spartans worship her as Aphrodite the Warrior. She is also worshipped fervently at 
  Corinth on the precipitous Acrocorinth.  
  Skill Group: Fast Talk, Insight, Swim. 
  Worshippers: Courtesans, sailors 
   
  Dionysus 
  A god of wine, pleasure and revelry often invoked at bars, banquets and orgies. Since he 
  
   
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  is associated with wine cultivation he represents both the pleasures of wine and its 
  darker side of mad passions and abuse. His favourite method of punishing wrong-doers 
  is through madness. His cult throw wild orgies at which respectable women dance wildly 
  in the countryside to the sound of raucous music.  
   
  Symbol: Pine-cone staff 
  Main Temples: Orchomenus, Athens, Lesbos, Naxos.  
  Skill Group: Acting, Dodge, Gambling, Myth & Legend.   
  Worshippers: Actors, playwrights, entertainers, vintners 
   
  Artemis 
  Artemis is the virgin sister of Apollo, and she is the goddess of hunting and of wildlife. As 
  a fertility goddess she is invoked by mothers as well as more typically hunters. She has a 
  lunar aspect and is well known as a great and deadly archer. She is revered especially in 
  Arcadia. 
   
  Symbol: A burning torch, the she-bear or a faithful hound. 
  Main Temples: Sparta, Delos, Aegina and Caryae in Laconia. Artemis also has a fabulous 
  sanctuary at Ephesus in Ionia. 
  Skill Group: Jump, Track, Wilderness Lore. 
  Worshippers: Hunters, women 
   
  Athena 
  Athena is the goddess of wisdom and inventiveness, of women and the arts and crafts. 
  Other professions looked to her, including doctors, teachers, actors, poets and students. 
  Athena is the armour-clad virgin daughter of Zeus and burst, fully armed from his head. 
  She is a warrior who fights for order, peace and righteous causes. After her birth she 
  dispensed advice to her father.  
   
  Symbol: The owl is her main symbol, but she is also famous for the aegis, a shield 
  emblazoned with the terrifying face of Medusa. 
  Main Temples: Her cult centre is the city of Athens, and she has a splendid temple, the 
  Parthenon, atop the Acropolis there. 
  Skill Group: Craft, Read & Write, History, Wrestle. 
  Worshippers: Soldiers, nobles, defenders, craftsmen. 
   
  Hecate  
  Hecate is an alter ego of Persephone, she is a dark goddess of the night - a witch who 
  grants magicians their sinister powers. Hecate lives in Tartarus, and has power over 
  ghosts and spirits.  
  Symbols: Dogs, crossroads, three-headed statue 
  Main Temples: none, the cult is shunned and uses secret shrines in caves and 
  basements; the Colchians were known to have revered her in ages past.  
  Skill Group: Magical Spells, Brew Potion 
  Worshippers: Witches, Magicians 
   
   
  OTHER GODS 
  
   
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  Hades 
  The grim and dark god of the Underworld who rules with his wife Persephone. He has 
  no temples and no organised cult. Those who wish to call upon him must dig pits to 
  throw down their sacrifices. He is an aspect of death.  
   
  Hestia 
  The goddess of the home and hearth. The family and community are associated with her 
  gentle cult. Bakers also sacrifice to her. Worshippers are usually housewives, magistrates, 
  city officials, stewards. 
   
  Asclepius 
  The son of Apollo, the god of medicine and doctors. Asclepius was in trouble with 
  Hades because he was preventing the new intake of the dead from arriving, as they 
  should have. His symbol is the caduceus, the winged staff with a snake coiled around it, 
  snakes, and his main temple is at Epidauris in the Argolid, a sanctuary incorporating a 
  holy dormitory where the sick can rest overnight and pray that the god welcomes their 
  sacrifice and heals them.  
   
  Dioscurii 
  The Twins of ancient myth, Castor and Pollux, great heroes of Sparta and brothers of 
  Helen of Troy. They are the patrons of sailors and other travellers and are associated 
  with hospitality as well as warfare and the legions. The Dioscurii are associated with an 
  egg-shaped cap crowned with a star, horses and St Elmo's Fire, and their main temple 
  and center of worship is at Sparta 
   
  Hercules 
  This hero from ancient myth became a god long ago and his fabulous feats of daring and 
  strength are known to every living soul, for Hercules travelled far and wide. All know of 
  his Twelve Labours. Today, Hercules embodies endurance, fortitude, courage and 
  stamina. The god is popular amongst mercenaries and other fighters, as well as travellers 
  of many kinds. He is associated with lions, archery, and the club. Many towns and 
  villages in Greece have shrines to this cult, most especially Thebes.  
   
  Orpheus 
  Orpheus was an ancient poet and hero that travelled to the underworld to free his love 
  from the clutches of Hades. He was torn to pieces at his death. Orphics honour Orpheus 
  with lyre-playing, music and poetry and they carry the message of reincarnation with 
  them. They travel constantly and earn their living giving performances and teaching 
  music to those who wish to learn this noble art. The Orphics are priests of Prpheus who 
  are able to use magic. Imagine them as lyre-playing mystics 
   
  The Muses 
  Nine daughters of Zeus, goddesses of music, the arts, science, dance, theatre and 
  history. Apollo leads the Muses. Their cult centre is the Temple of Muses (Museum) at 
  Alexandria.  
   
  
   
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  Nike 
  Specifically a goddess of the armies, an embodiment of victory and conquest.  
   
  The Furies 
  Female demons serving the gods. Daughters of Gaea, they are monstrous hags with 
  canine faces and black wings, serpent-haired and wielding long whips. They hunt down 
  offenders and send them mad. The three Furies are not vindictive, but impartial.  
   
  Morpheus & Somnus 
  Two gods of sleep, often mistaken for one another. Somnus rules sleep in general, and 
  Morpheus is the god of dreams. 
   
  MONTHLY DEVOTIONS 
   
  • The first day of the month is called Noumenia. It is the full moon and is 
  considered unholy. 
   
  • The second day of the month is devoted to Agathos Daemon, the good demon. 
  He is a mythological snake that protects the home. 
   
  • The third day of the month is devoted to Athena. 
   
  • The fourth day of the month is devoted to Hermes, Heracles, Aphrodite, and her 
  son, Eros. 
   
  • The sixth day of the month is devoted to Artemis. 
   
  • The seventh day of the month is devoted to Apollo. 
   
  • The eighth day of the month is devoted to Poseidon, Theseus, and Asklepios. 
   
  • The fifteenth day of the month is Dikhomenia, or the full moon.  
   
  • The sixteenth day of the month is devoted to Artemis and Selene. 
   
  • The last day of the month is devoted to Hecate and the Ancestors. 
   
   
  DIVINATION  
  Divination (fortune-telling) is an important and widely practiced art that is represented in 
  WARLORDS OF ALEXANDER by the Divination skill (00%). Practicioners of this art (called 
  seers or soothsayers) traditionally observe the events and phenomenon around them 
  and interpret these events to predict the future. In this game such prediction of the 
  future is both impractical and a virtual impossibility. Instead Divination (as regards game 
  mechanics) is a skill that can be used by the soothsayer to create a minor observed 
  event which will result in a more important event taking place later on in the game. The 
  
   
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  prediction thus comes true! The observed events are often very minor affairs, consisting 
  of the strange behaviour of animals, astronomical or meteorological  phenomena, or 
  something else entirely.  
   
  In essence this is the magic of co-incidence that binds together similar but unrelated 
  events. The soothsayer might decide, for example, to try to delay a ship's journey by 
  attempting a fortune reading. If successful a minor event is observed by the diviner that 
  is interpreted by him (and any observers) and later on during the game the desired 
  outcome takes place (the ship is delayed by bad weather).   
   
  HOW IS DIVINATION CARRIED OUT? 
  The player states his intended result (to delay the ship), his character performs a 
  divination ritual (often with witnesses present) and he allocates a number of his Magic 
  Points (or even POW points) to increase his skill chance (up to a maximum of 1 point 
  per witness). Every MP adds +5% to his Divination chance, each point of permanently 
  sacrificed POW adds +60% to his Omen Reading chance. The GM rates the intended 
  result either as Minor, Moderate or Major and applies a penalty to the skill roll which he 
  then rolls in secret. Sacrificing POW is intended to allow a seer to predict incredibly 
  important events, wars, murders the fall of cities and so on. It takes a brave soothsayer to 
  invest such an amount of effort - tipping the balance of Fate and Destiny to reveal such 
  important events.  
   
  Note that to effect a Major prediction, a PC will almost certainly have to permanetly 
  sacrifice one or more POW points. Note also that the final effects aren't magic. There are 
  no fireballs, illusions or bizarre and impossible physical effects. There are only co-
  incidences. The final desired outcome must already be possible to some logical extent 
  and believably so. It isn't magic, even to the Greeks who witnessed these predictions 
  coming true before their eyes (or not ...). Events initiated by a diviner cannot create 
  NPCs or situations or wealth or resolve actions or the fights and conflicts of the PCs 
  themselves (that would be too easy, wouldn't it?!). 
   
  As mentioned in the skill description 
  for Divination there are several 
  techniques of fortune-telling, and in 
  WARLORDS OF ALEXANDER each one 
  allows the player to affect a different 
  aspect of the game world. No diviner 
  (in this game) can predict any 
  eventuality, he is restricted to what 
  he can foretell (in game mechanics 
  'effect') by the manner by which a 
  fortune is told.  
   
   
   
   
   
  Astrology 
   
  Health & Disease 
  Cleromancy   
  The City & Buildings 
  Dendromancy  
  Wilderness 
  Haruspication  
  Work 
  Hydromancy   
  Travel 
  Meteoromancy  
  Animals 
  Ornithomancy  
  Encounters 
  Pyromancy   
  Conflict & Competition 
  
   
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  TYPES OF DIVINATION 
  The various divination techniques are: 
   
  Astrology - Divination by charting the motion of the stars, planets, comets and other 
  celestial phenomena in the night sky. After the conquests of Alexander astrology has 
  swept in from Chaldea to assume great importance in religious cults. Affects: Health and 
  Disease 
   
   
   
  Cleromancy - Divination by drawing lots, usually stones or 
  beans from a jar or from a bag, rolling dice or knucklebones 
  or drawing straws. Affects: The City & Buildings 
   
  Dendromancy - Divination by listening to the sounds of leaves in wind-blown trees, or by 
  studying the rings in a freshly snapped branch. Affects: Wilderness 
   
  Haruspication - Divination by examining the entrails (especially the liver) of sacrificed 
  animals. Affects: Work 
   
  Hydromancy - Oil is dripped onto water and the patterns it makes tells the diviner about 
  events in the future. Affects: Travel 
   
  Meteromancy - Divination by watching the weather, cloud formations, the direction of 
  the wind, sun on the clouds etc. Affects: Animals 
   
  Ornithomancy - Divination by observing the behaviour of birds, the different species, 
  their calls and flight patterns. Affects: Encounters 
   
  Pyromancy - Fire-divination, through the smoke of incense burning on a charcoal brazier, 
  or of flour and laurel leaves on a fire. The smoke reveals patterns of future events to the 
  diviner.  
   
  Here are four examples of different techniques of divination in practice (all but one are 
  Moderate events) to give the GM some idea of the types of events they can create.  
   
  • Use of cleromancy to make the wooden gate of a fort rotten. The GM needs 
  three possible outcomes (for a success, special and critial) so chooses a) the door 
  is rotten, b) the door is unlocked, and c) the door is unlocked and currently 
  unguarded.  
   
  • Use of hydromancy to lower a river enough (through co-incidence of a drought in 
  the mountains) so that the PCs can ford it. Possible outcomes: a) forced to wade 
  waist deep, b) forced to walk over wet rocks, c) an easy walk! 
   
  • Use of pyromancy or meteoromancy or even hydromancy to create the 
  possibility of a chariot-racer's axle-pin coming loose during a race, forcing him to 
  
   
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  110 
   
  crash. Possible outcomes might include a) as above, but your favourite racer is 
  hindered and may lose! b) as above, and c) the charioteer crashes into several 
  others resulting in your favourite talking the laurel crown! 
   
  • Use of astrology to try to cause an enemy to have a heart attack or trip and fall to 
  his death downstairs. This is a Major divination. The PC might be able to muster 
  enough witnesses to give him +70% or more. Or he might have to sacrifice a 
  point of POW permanently. How much does he want this guy dead? Possible 
  outcomes might be a) the victim is injured and will recover, b) the victim is badly 
  injured and will never be the same, and c) he is killed.  
   
   
   
   
   
  With divination working just like every other basic roleplaying skill, it is able to be 
  boosted by prayer to the gods (in the case of divination this is Apollo).  
   
   
   
   
   
  CAN DIVINATION BE UNDONE? 
  Can a Divination be undone?  Let's say the party believe a rich merchant is plotting to kill 
  them and so, via soothsayer, foresee his financial ruin; then they learn he was set up by a 
  rival - he is actually an inncocent man.  Can they undo what was prophecied? No. A 
  character who makes a prediction (PC or NPC) cannot attempt to predict a different 
  outcome for the same situation. In the game universe, he did not cast a spell that can be 
  undone, he simple foretold the future'. Another soothsayer who successfully divine's 
  future events will make the same prediction. What about when the PCs hear of an 
  unfavourable prediction made about them, or something they value? Can they change it?  
  That depends on the skill of the seer involved. The GM can make a skill check based on 
  the seer's Divination value (MP and importance of the prediction) and if it fails, the 
  prediction is false, if successful then the GM is duty bound  to force the events to come 
  to pass (no matter how contrived ...).  
   
  DOES ANYTHING HAPPEN ON A FUMBLE? 
  When a fumble occurs during a Divination, something BAD happens. This is the price of 
  such a gift. Fate may not always reveal the expected or the desired. Beware! Either the 
  diviner foresees the opposite of what they had hoped for (the gate is particularly secure, 
  the enemy will win the battle) or possibly they simply foresee something dire of the 
  GM's choice.  This allows the scene where having foreseen the future the seer goes pale 
  and refuses to answer when his companions ask what he saw.  It also stops PCs from 
  foreseeing everything that comes up in game, as there is a potential backfire affect. 
   
   
  Intended Result 
  % Penalty 
  Examples 
  Minor                           - 
  Trivial events (plotwise), predicting a happy 
  marriage, predicting good weather, predicting a 
  healthy birth, etc.  
  Moderate                 - 20% 
  Events of import to the PCs. A door left open, a rival 
  delayed, something catching fire, finding a lost key, 
  bumping into a fortuitous stranger, and so on.  
  Major                       - 80% 
  Predicting a catastrophe, serious injury or death, a                         
  fight won or lost, etc.  
  
   
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  PHILOSOPHY 
  "It is owing to their wonder that men both now begin and at the first began to 
  philosophize." 
  Aristotle, Metaphysics 
   
   
  "All men naturally desire knowledge." 
  Aristotle, Metaphysics 
   
  There are some who reject the idea of the gods and who have embraced an atheistic 
  viewpoint. To them life is human morality, human decision and human ingenuity - in a 
  mechanistic world of essential elements. Various philosophical schools have grown up to 
  disseminate these beliefs, shools such as the Cynics, the Academy and the Megaraians.  
   
  The Greeks have a natural liking for things of the mind. They are inclined to dwell upon 
  what they see in the world about them and to think out causes and reasons. Among the 
  Greeks, far more than among any other people, philosophy has been steadily cultivated. 
  It reached a state of rounded development in the golden age of Socrates, Plato, and 
  Aristotle (only decades ago). The earliest Greek philosophers attacked the cosmological 
  question; they sought the explanation of the bodily world. Other questions of philosophy 
  were only incidental to their studies. In essence, then, they were early scientists.  
   
  The skill called Science is the knowledge of these alternative ways of thinking and in 
  Greek terminology (along with a large degree of additional study) is called 'philosophy'. 
  Gaining just one point of Science forever negates the character's belief in the gods and 
  he can never call upon them for divine aid (whether or not they truly existed in the first 
  place). The skill has lots of uses as a scientific tool for those who wish to pusue the 
  investigation of natural phenomenon.  
   
  SPENDING MAGIC POINTS 
  Someone with 1% of more of Science has the ability to use their willpower to affect their 
  actions. Magic Points are derived from POW and are here defined as 'willpower' points, 
  the philosopher character can decide before he makes a skill or characteristic roll to  
  spend some of those Magic Points (the task must not be a combat action, such as a 
  weapon attack). Every point temporarily 'spent' adds +10% to the skill or characteristic 
  chance. All lost Magic Points are regained by the philosopher by spending two hours in 
  uninterrupted meditation and contemplation in a quiet and secluded location.   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  MAGIC 
  Magic is a skill, like any other. As with some other skills, any skill points allocated to it are 
  divided up between the four magic spells which form the main magical techniques. 
  Magical skills begin at 00%. Many of the witches and magicians know all of these spells 
  (to varying degrees). They are: 
   
  • Magic Spell: Charm Others 
  • Magic Spell: Curse 
  • Magic Spell: Raise the Dead 
  • Magic Spell: Restore to Health 
   
  Knowledge of the spell itself is not enough, however. One must also possess Magic 
  Points in abundance in order to overcome the Magic Points of a target, or to influence 
  the outcome of the spell.  
   
  There are two other magical skills which (if known) greatly enhance the character's 
  chance of successfully casting a spell. These two additional skills are Craft Magical Item 
  (00%), and Brew Potion (00%).  
   
  The standard procedure for spell-casting is as follows : 
   
  • The caster declares his intention to cast a spell, as well as the identity of the 
  victim (if any). 
   
  • The player rolls percentage dice and checks against the skill. The actual result 
  depends on the dice result - fail, success, special success or critical.  
   
  • If the target does not want to be the subject of a magical spell, then the caster 
  must overcome the Magic Points of that target with his own (see the Resistance 
  Table in your rulebook). Additional MP can be gained from a magical item or 
  from a potion (see those descriptions for details).  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  SPELLS 
   
  Charm Other : People fear magicians because they can bring innocent victims under 
  their sway. By using some item that has been in close contact with the victim (blood, 
  hair, spit, clothing, etc.) the magician can enact a 3 hour ritual which could give him a 
  hold over that victim. How strong that hold is depends on the success roll, typically a  
  victim of the opposite sex will fall in love with the magician, while someone of the same 
  sex is loyal and obedient. A ritual can be undertaken anywhere within 3km of the victim.  
   
  Once cast, and the percentile dice have been rolled, conduct a Magic Point resistance 
  roll to overcome the victim's innate resistance to being charmed. If successful check the 
  following table: 
   
  Fumble 
  The spell is reversed, so that either the target feels the opposite emotion or 
  much more entertainingly the magician feels the emotion for the target he 
  wanted the target to feel for him.  This stops charming becoming some-
  thing done at the drop of a hat, it is unwise to try to charm everyone in the 
  game. 
  Fail 
  No effect. Another 'correspondance' taken directly from the victim is 
  required for a second attempt to be made. Each additional attempt is less 
  likely to succeed, first by -10%, then by -20% and so on.  
  Success 
  Victim 'likes' the caster and is well disposed toward him; the victim is 
  friendly and finds it hard to dislike or argue with the magician. Another 
  later attempt can be made to continue or repeat a Charm Other at o 
  penalty.  
  Special  
  If of the opposite sex, the victim is in love and becomes smitten by the 
  magician; if of the same sex, the victim begins a loyal friendship which 
  may be hard to break. 
  Critical 
  Love becomes obsessive, almost verging on suicidal; a same sex charm 
  will indulge in fantastic hero worship.  
   
  If the caster wants the victim to fall in love with, or become loyal to, somebody else, 
  then that person must (of their own free will) supply close contact items (blood, hair, 
  clothes, jewellry etc.) for the ritual. The two individuals are them bound together through 
  the ritual. Many magicians gain silver coins in this way, making someone fall in love with 
  an ardent admirer without their knowledge.  Potions (love philtres) are an even better 
  method of charming a victim.  
   
  A Charm spell can be broken only by the caster, or by another magician who must use 
  'correspondencies' from both involved parties, he must then achieve an equal or higher 
  result than the original caster.  
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  Curse: Even more feared than the power to control a person, is the magician's alleged 
  power to cripple or even kill someone. This is a good cash earner, and nearly every 
  magician has some knowledge of this black spell. Just as with Charm Other, some item 
  that has been in close contact with the victim is utilised in a 3 hour ritual which might 
  cripple the victim. How badly he or she is crippled depends on the success roll. A ritual 
  can be undertaken anywhere within 3km of the victim.  
   
  Once cast, and the percentile dice have been rolled, conduct a Magic Point resistance 
  roll to overcome the victim's innate resistance to being cursed. If successful check the 
  following table: 
   
  Fumble 
  The curse rebounds so that the magician suffers the effect of his own 
  curse.  This makes characters a little more careful when throwing curses 
  about.   
  Fail 
   
  No effect.  
  Success 
  Lower either the victim's STR, DEX, INT or CHA by 1D3 points when the 
  victim wakes the next day (or during some dramatic moment the same 
  day). Two points are restored the next day, and each day after until the 
  victim is fully restored.  
  Special 
  As above, but lower the stat by 2D6 points.  
  Critical  
  As above but lower the stat by 3D6 points 
   
  The stat to be lowered is chosen by the magician. Note that if a stat is lowered to 0 or 
  below, then he is in a coma and his stat will not begin to recover of its own accord. The 
  victim is magically afflicted and needs help! The curse must be reversed by a magician 
  casting this very same spell. He pits his Magic Points against those of the original 
  magician and if successful breaks the curse and restores the afflicted stat to a score of 
  1D3, it recovers as described above. If unsuccessful the victim wakes, and his stat begins 
  to recover, but only to a maximum of 1D6+2. He is, effectively, permanently crippled. A 
  special or critical result may well inflict a curse upon the offending magician! 
   
  Raise the Dead : Many Greeks turn to a magician for information. Magicians who can 
  raise the dead do so not for some temporal or supernatural power, but for information. 
  "Aunt Apollonia wishes to know if her dear departed husband Anaximander is faring well 
  and is happy with the new grandson just born", or "Euylichus of Megalopolis wishes to 
  ask his great grandfather if the lost tomb of Agamemmnon is south of ruined Mycenae, 
  or east of that ancient citadel". The dead cannot tell the future, nor can thay dispense 
  information about which they can have no knowledge (such as attitudes, thoughts, 
  feelings or intentions). Through converse with other spirits, a ghost can give information 
  on almost any subject, however! 
   
  Typically, a magician carries out a 3 hour ritual under the stars. He digs a shallow trench 
  and fills it with pig's blood (food for the hungry ghost). Incense is burned in a brazier and 
  songs sung. The magician calls a spirit by name and then enters a frenzied trance, the 
  ghost possessing his body and speaking with his voice.  At least one witness is required 
  to put the question to the ghost and to interpret the answer.  
   
  
   
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  The magician enters a trance during the ritual and then rolls percentile dice. A trance 
  inflicts 1-3 points of damage on the magician, or 2D6 if a Fumble. Check against the 
  spell chance for the result.  Also, for every witness present, the magician can (if he 
  wishes) spend 1 Magic Point to gain a +5% on his casting chance.  
   
  Fumble 
  The caster loses 2D6 Hit Points instead of 1D3. The ghost appears, feasts 
  on the blood, but then goes crazy and attacks the summoner, inflicting a 
  loss of all his Magic Points, and (if he fails a POW x 5 roll) suffers an 
  additional -1D6 Hit Points. He is physically ill from the shock and fear of 
  the supernatural attack. It then attacks a random person present at the 
  ritual! Someone suffers a loss of all their Magic Points and 1D6 Hit Points. 
  Everyone else rolls POW x 5 or suffer 1D3 points of damage. 
  Fail 
  The spirit seems to appear and answers one question, but it is the wrong 
  spirit, or a disturbed spirit or an angry spirit and tells a lie or deception. 
  The fact that so many poorly trained magicians call this 'rogue' spirits is the 
  reason that courst cannot accept otherworldly evidence. It is simply too 
  unreliable - there is no way to tell the difference between a true spirit and 
  a hateful rogue spirit.  
  Success 
  The spirit is willing to answer one question with a yes or no response.  
  Special 
  The spirit is willing to answer one question with a one word response.  
  Critical  
  The spirit is willing to answer one question with complex and involved 
  phrases.  
   
  Once the ghost has arrived the magician can wrestle more information out of it if he 
  wishes. Begin at CHA x5 for the second question. If successful make a CHA x 4 roll to 
  pforce a third question, and so on. Stop after CHA x1, and realize that after a failed roll 
  the ghost departs.  
   
  Restore to Health : Few patients are averse to having wounds or illnesses healed and so 
  a Magic Point check is not required. Simply roll the percentile dice and check the skill 
  result. Restore to Health is a spell which works only face to face, hand to hand with 
  touch. It is a method of 'healing hands'.  
   
  Fumble 
  Restore no HPs 
  Fail 
   
  Restore 1 HP to the patient.  
  Success 
  Restore 3 HPs to the patient. 
  Special 
  Restore 6 HPs to the patient. 
  Critical  
  Restore 9 HPs to the patient.  
   
  After the spell has been cast, any Hit Points that have been healed during the one hour 
  ritual must be paid for in Magic Points. Deduct them from the magician's current total. If 
  the spell is used to treat disease or illness, the GM must decide on the severity of the 
  illness and demand a certain result level to cure it. Illness levels might be (Debilitating - 
  Requires a Success, Incapacitating - Requires a Special, and Terminal - Requires a 
  Critical). Repeat attempts on the same patient for the same illness suffer a -10% then a -
  20% and so, on.  
   
  
   
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  OTHER MAGICAL SKILLS 
   
  Craft Magical Item: This skill allows a magician to create an item that can be used to 
  enhance a magical ritual. Mundane items can be used, but artefacts created this way 
  increase the chance of a spell working. These items have no magical powers of their 
  own, there are no flying carpets, boots of striding or anything else. A magically crafted 
  item can be used to enhance the rituals of the Charm Other, Curse, Restore to Health 
  and Raise the Dead spells. It takes several weeks of part-time activity to successfully craft 
  a tool to be used in magical rituals. Roll the skill chance after one week. If unsuccessful, 
  lower the chance by 10% and try again after two weeks. If unsuccessful lower the 
  chance by another 10% and try again after another four weeks. No more attempts are 
  possible after that until the skill has been raised through training or experience.  
   
  If successful an item is crafted with magical powers. Reduce the caster's POW 
  permanently by 1 when the artefact is created. The item can now store Magic Points 
  (which must be consciously 'put into' the item when required), Magic Points which can 
  be used to overcome a victim's MP, or to convert into skill points to increase the chance 
  of a spell working. For this latter use, one MP can be spent to convert into +5% on the 
  spell chance. MPs spent like this need to be 'restored' by the magician from his natural 
  MP score. Exactly how many Magic Points an item can store at one time is determined 
  by the skill result: 
   
  Fumble 
  The item will store 3 Magic Points, but requires 6 MP from the magician to 
  recharge it. It is cursed. If touched by anyone other than the caster, the 
  item will replenish it's own MP by sapping HP from the victim.  
  Success 
  Item can store 3 MP 
  Special 
  Item can store 5 MP 
  Critical  
  Item can store 6 MP 
   
  Possible ritual artefacts include a sacrificial dagger, medalion, brazier, altar stone, 
  beeswax (for creating figurines), wand or staff.  
   
  Brew Potion: A potion can be used to increase the chance of charming a victim or 
  healing a patient. The potion allows a PC to invest Magic Points into the mixture over 
  time as it brews - up to the maximum stated for the skill result (see below). Magic Points 
  invested into the brew will be used to overcome the drinker's MP on the Resistance 
  Table.  
   
  Fumble 
  No MP are added, the brew is impotent 
  Fail 
   
  +1 MP 
  Success 
  +3 MP 
  Special 
  +6 MP 
  Critical  
  +9 MP 
   
  If the potion is a healing draft, then any Magic Points put into the mixture will be turned 
  directly into restored Hit Points once drunk by the patient.  
   
  
   
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  BUILDING A CAMPAIGN 
   
   
  It is quite remarkable how much the world of WARLORDS resembles a traditional 
  fantasy setting. There are warring kingdoms, there are sorcerers and evil priests, there are 
  cults and ancient civilizations, there are tombs, treasuries, labyrinths and forgotten cities. 
  Because of this many of the standard roleplaying scenarios will work here. Of course 
  one thing has been removed, and that is the role of the ‘monster’. This is as much as 
  possible a historical setting, and those scenarios featuring dungeons filled with monsters 
  and monster hunts will not work.  
   
  SEEKING ADVENTURE ! 
  The problems faced by PCs will be either physical or social. In this age adventurers 
  actually existed, and they moved in wide circles, sailing on pirate ships, sleeping in cheap 
  hotels by the harbour, meeting members of a royal court, going on campaign with the 
  army, visiting shrines, and so on. There is much freedom in this Greek world, freedom to 
  travel, to rise in social status, to earn wealth and to gain knowledge. There are many 
  historical examples of men (and women) of humble origins rising to positions of great 
  power and prestige, gaining titles, land and the favour of the king. Every dynasty tries to 
  surround itself with men of action and ideas, the royal courts are filled with mercenary 
  captains, entertainers, philosophers, soothsayers, priests, advisors, explorers, merchants 
  and so on. All of these people are candidates for player characters. This is an age where 
  royal patronage reaches fantastic heights. If Demetrios the trader can con his way into 
  the king’s circle of friends and convince him to loan Demetrios a ship, he might become 
  a royal merchant. With a couple more successes the king might well give him a fleet and 
  tell him to explore the Indian Ocean looking for new trade routes with which to out-
  trade his Successor rivals.  
   
  To build a campaign the GM needs to first establish what kind of group the PCs will 
  form. There is potential for a rag-tag bunch of adventurers seeking to earn their fortune, 
  but something with a little more grounding will work well – especially to start with.  
   
  Here are some ideas: 
   
  Polis – The PCs are all from the same city, either a bustling metropolis or a tiny colony 
  city in the wilds of some huge kingdom. The polis faces a threat and this motivates the 
  PCs to act (or get out, or earn a reward for solving the problem, etc).  
   
  Army – An army has finished its campaign and is paying off its troops. Any one of the 
  character occupations could have ben members, not just the hoplite, peltast and 
  hipparchos. Mercenary companies will hire raw recruits with talent as spearmen, scouts, 
  agents and so on. All armies are made up of huge numbers of untrained levies. The 
  campaign begins when the PCs are demobilized together in some remote (and 
  unfriendly!) place and must stick together to get to where they want to go.  
  
   
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  118 
   
   
  Treasure Hunters – The classic dungeon crawl, this idea sees the PCs as fortune hunters, 
  tracing lost cities, ancient tombs, rumours of gold and buried fortunes. There are many 
  forgotten civilizations buried beneath the Successor Kingdoms. The PCs will have to 
  conduct research, travel across country, face hazards amongst hostile native societies (or 
  the prying eyes of the Successor Kingdoms themselves) and then negotiate the ruins 
  themselves.  
   
   
  TRAPEZUS - CAMPAIGN CITY 
  Used as the basis for a campaign, the city of Trapezus will be able to provide a number 
  of scenario ideas, back stories and sub-plots to turn a run-of-the-mill game into a richer 
  and more satisfying experience. Use it as a starting location for your WARLORDS game.  
   
  Trapezus is a seaport on the Black Sea ('Pontus'). It is pituresquely situated on a tableland 
  between two deep ravines and is a centre of transit trade between Armenia, Persia and 
  Greece. Trapezus is a dependency of the Greek colony of Sinope, and two-hundred 
  years ago was a stopping-off point for the Ten Thousand Greeks led by Xenophon. In the 
  distant past a number of Arcadian Greeks abandoned their home of Trapezus to travel to 
  the Pontic city of the same name. This they did to avoid joining the new Arcadian city of 
  Megalopolis. Most Greeks in Trapezus are therefore of Arcadian descent.  
   
  The neighbouring people are the barbarian Colchians. Further inland are the head-
  hunting Chalbyes, and to the west the Mossynoici. South of Trapezus are several 
  mountain kingdoms all independant, all previously provinces of the Persian Empire. 
  South of those is the vast Seleucid Empire, ruled by King Antiochus.  This empire is the 
  remnant of the original Persian behemoth. Other Greek colonies dot the Pontic coastline 
  and are all backed by barbarian mountain tribes.  
   
  The people of Trapezus pay a regular tribute to Sinope and are ruled by a governor 
  ('strategoi') sent from Sinope, further along the coast. The landowners form the heavy 
  cavalry, the citizens form a militia levy of hoplites, backed up by mercenaries which are 
  led by Agrius, and paid for by the Sinope governor. There is no other permanent military 
  garrison.  
   
  SINOPE 
  A seaport on the Pontus with an excellent harbour. The city is situated on a penninsula. 
  It was colonized by Greeks from Miletus in the 8th century BC and quickly became an 
  important Greek commercial and colonizing centre. One of its chief exports is cinnabar 
  (which takes its name from Sinope). According to myth Sinope was named after the 
  daughter of the river-god Asopus. Othercolonies are Cerasus and Cotyora.  
   
  ECONOMY 
  Fishing; trade that passes along from Pontus to Armenia to Persia; farming on the plain 
  below the mountain. The honey bee is highly regarded in the Trapezus area, and there  
   
  
   
  119 
  119 
   
  are many bee hives in the surrounding countryside. Honey is an important food and 
  export - an export used in the Greek speciality of honey cakes. This tradition began 
  when honeycakes were needed as offerings for the local temple of Apollo. The Persian 
  king, at the time, demanded a dozen boys from Trapezus be castrated and sent as 
  eunuchs for his palace as a tribute. The Trapezians resisted and sheltered the twelve 
  boys in the temple of Apollo where they were fed exclusively on honey-cakes (normall 
  the food of the god). The Persian evoy and his soldiers had to withdraw.  
   
  SECRET 
  There is a secret to Trapezus - a group of exiles from King Antiochus organize an escape 
  network through Trapezus by merchant ship along the Pontus and to Macedonia or the 
  Greek cities in western Asia Minor (controlled by KIng Ptolemy II). EXiles are moved in 
  ones and twos through Pontus and Cappadocia to Trapezus. The group's safe house is 
  the house with lemon trees outside behind the theatre.  
   
  IMPORTANT NPCS IN TRAPEZUS 
  Strategoi (governor) - Marmax, an ambitious manipulator for the common good.  
  Master of the Harbour - Idmon, a broken man who has been disgraced. 
  Chief Priestess of Athena - Cleodice, liar thief and traitor.  
  Chief Priest of Apollo - Daunus, a sadistic brute and a skilled soothsayer.  
  Merchant Prince - Nicander, a wise man with good judgement and a level-head.  
  Mercenary Captain - Agrius, ambitious for his men, and a skilled diplomat. He 
  commands a small unit of hoplites with a section of Scythian archers - together the 
  company is called the Black Spears.  
  Philosopher-in-hiding - Thestor, from Miletus, a troubled world-weary thinker.  
  Colchian Lieutenant - Chalax, the Black Spears' second-in-command  and its recruiter, 
  scrupulously honest, his word is his bond.  
   
  RELIGION 
  There are two main temples in Trapezus, to Apollo and to Athena. There is also a secret 
  temple of Hecate and a tiny temple of Mithras (an eastern deity) in a converted cellar 
  under a warehouse at the docks. The local god amongst the Colchians and Chalbyians is 
  the god of mountains, storms a fertility, the horned god Teshub, who weilds an axe and a 
  lightning bolt. He is symbolised by the bull.  
   
  Apollo 
  Symbol: His symbols are the bow and lyre. 
  Skill Group: Divination, First Aid, Play Instrument, Sing. 
  Worshippers: Shepherds, soothsayers, hunters, physicians 
   
  Athena 
  Symbol: The owl is her main symbol, but she is also famous for the aegis, a shield 
  emblazoned with the terrifying face of Medusa. 
  Skill Group: Craft, Read & Write, History, Wrestle. 
  Worshippers: Soldiers, nobles, defenders, craftsmen. 
   
   
  
   
  120 
  120 
   
  Hecate 
  Symbols: Dogs, crossroads, three-headed statue 
  Skill Group: Magical Spells, Brew Potion 
  Worshippers: Witches, Magicians 
   
  Mithras 
  Symbols: Torches, bulls, astrology 
  Skill Group: Truthsense (POWx1%), Bargain, Sneak, Divination/Astrology 
  Worshippers: Travellers, traders, mercenaries, Persian-folk. 
   
  Teshub 
  Symbols: Lightning bolts, bulls, horned caps.  
  Skill Group: Climb, Throw, Wilderness Lore, Fast Talk 
  Worshippers: Colchians & Chalbyians 
   
   
  BEASTS 
  The following animals can be lifted directly out of any edition of Call of Cthulhu: 
   
  Bear - Use the stats for the Black Bear -  
  Bull/Oxen - Use the stats for Cape Buffalo, but with a -1 reduction on STR and SIZ.  
  Camels - The dromedary camel is a common sight in Syria, Iran and Egypt. Use the 
  following stats: 
   
  characteristics  
  rolls 
   
  averages 
  STR 
   
   
  3D6+12 
  22-23 
  CON  
   
  2D6+6  
  13 
  SIZ 
   
   
  4D6+16 
  30 
   
  POW  
   
  3D6 
   
  10-11 
  DEX 
   
   
  2D6+2  
  9 
  Move 12 
   
   
   
  HP 21 
  Av. Damage Bonus: +2D6 
  Weapon: Bite 15%, damage 1D10 
  Kick 05%, damage 1D8+db 
  Rear/Plunge 05%, damage 2D8+db 
  Armour: 1 point hide 
  Skills: Spit 60%, Dodge 30% 
   
  Crocodile  
  Eagle - Use the stats for the Condor 
  Elephant - Native to North Africa and used by House Ptolemy in warfare, but imported 
  from India by House Seleucus. The Indian species are larger than the North African 
  species. Reduce STR and SIZ by 5 if Seleucid, but by 10 if Ptolemaic.  
  Horses - Not all ancient horse breeds are created equal! Use these “breeds”. 
   
   
  
   
  121 
  121 
   
   
  Persian -  A legendary breed, from Ferghana in Iran, called the 'Heavenly 
  Horses of Ferghana', solid, swift, tough. Stats as Call of Cthulhu, but with: SIZ 4D6+12, 
  STR 3D6+20, Move 12 (40 km/day)  Cost  400 
  Thessalian - A light but fast horse from the northern plains of Greece, but also 
  typical of good horse-breeding country (such as Mesopotamia). Stats as Call of 
  Cthulhu, but with: SIZ 4D6+10, STR 3D6+16, Move 13 (45 km/day)  Cost 250 
  Attic -  A good all-round breed, typical of many stud farms in the Successor 
  Kingdoms. This breed is from around Athens. Stats as Call of Cthulhu, but with: SIZ 
  4D6+12, STR 3D6+16, Move 12 (40 km/day) Cost 300 
  Donkey - A tough breed of donkey from a farming land that is used to hard 
  work, a solid breed. Stats as Call of Cthulhu Horse , but with: SIZ 3D6+12, STR 
  3D6+14, Move 10 (30 km/day)  Cost 80 
   
  Leopard - Use the stats for the Mountain Lion - Leopards were quite common 
  predators in the Middle East before the 20th century, and were found in North Africa, 
  Arabia, Syria and Iran.  
  Lions  
  Rat Packs 
  Wild Dogs - These may be jackals in North Africa, use Indian Wild Dog stats.  
  Wolves 
   
  Other animals in the region include gazelles, antelope, ibex and even (in the dry 
  steppland, ostriches! 
   
   
  APPENDIX i ~ NAMES                     
  Greek/ Female                                                                                                        
  Aithra, Alcmene, Antiope, Antonia, Apamea, Arsinoe, Atalanta, Axiothea, Briseis, 
  Callisto, Cassandra, Calypso, Chryse, Clytemnestra, Deianara, Dione, Europa, Eurydike, 
  Glauke, Harmonia, Hebe, Helike, Hippolyta, Helen, Helena, Iphigenia, Iris, Laodicea, 
  Leda, Medea, Megara, Melantho, Olympias, Orithyia, Panope, Penelope, Phaedra, 
  Sappho.                   
   
  Greek/Male                                                                                                              
  Abas, Acastus, Achilles, Agathocles, Antigonus, Ajax, Alexander, Amphitryon, 
  Anaximander, Antenor, Antiphos, Apollonius, Ariston, Arridaios, Antiochus, Cadmus, 
  Clytus, Cleander, Cleomenes, Creon, Dymnos, Elpenor, Demetrius, Demeratus, 
  Demetrius, Diomedes, Eurymedon, Glaucon, Iolaus, Jason, Lycaon, Lycastus, 
  Megisthus, Menestheus, Orestes, Pelasgon, Periander, Pericles, Perseus, Polites, 
  Nicander, Phillip, Phaido, Philotas, Polydeuces, Polyphemus, Proteus, Ptolemy, 
  Seleucus, Solon, Sthenelus, Telamon, Theodotus, Theophrastus, Xenophon, Xenon, 
  Xerxes, Zeno 
   
  
   
  122 
  122 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  APPENDIX II ~ References 
   
  REFERENCES 
   
  The Greek texts are full of incident, character and authentic situations. Dipping into 
  any of these will reward the GM who wants to stop pretending what it was like, and 
  instead actually go there and speak to someone who lived in the 3rd century BC. 
  Modern translations are lucid, easy to read and filled with modern energy. There are 
  lots of texts available in translation. I offer here only those I found most useful in 
  conjuring up the style of WARLORDS.  
   
  Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander 
  Arrian, a Roman historian, wrote the best and fullest account of Alexander's life. It is 
  of course an epic story and Arrian's concentration on detail really gives you the 
  feeling that you march alongside the army. The siege of Tyre is a wonder! You have 
  to stop reading now and then to remember "this actually happened, this isn't a story". 
  Find out about life, about Persia, about the Greek military and the mindset of the 
  ancients. And read about my favourite character from ancient history - Alexander, 
  part-man, part-god, part-lunatic. 
   
  Homer, The Iliad 
  OK, we're out by 1,000 years but Homer was the 'Bible of the Greeks', recited at 
  feasts and banquets, quoted by playwrights and politicians. To be Greek one had to 
  know the language and speak some Homer. This is the great account of the Achilles 
  and his tantrum at the Siege of Troy. There are gods fighting hand to hand, chariots, 
  blood and gore, magic, epic battle scenes, death and blood and more gore, 
  discussions on Olympus and more. Forget those cheesy Harryhausen movies - this 
  book is the only Greek epic you need! Easy to read and absolutely wonderfully 
  written with colour and poetry.  
   
  "Agamemmnon said no more, and his driver whipped his long-maned horses and 
  started them towards the hollow-ships. The pair flew off with a will, and their breasts 
  were flecked with foam, their bellies grey with dust, as they carried off the wounded 
  King from the battlefield." 
   
  Herodotus, The Histories 
  Contemporary with Thucydides, Herodotus instead looked back. Back to the Persian 
  Wars and to the Persian Empire. Less a historical account, The Histories read like the 
  long fire-side tales of a veteran Greek traveller full of fairy tales and strange customs, 
  barbarians and cults from faraway places. Actually The Histories are jam-packed full 
  of accurate detail on Egypt, Scythia, Persia and elsewhere. Although you can find 
  better accounts of these cultures in modern books, The Histories give you wonderful 
  tales, places and events. It shows the ancient world (outside of Greece) to be a 
  wonderful, colourful and vibrant place full of people. An easy read but long. 
  
   
  123 
  123 
   
  Plutarch, The Age of Alexander 
  A very easy book, this. Plutarch was a Roman historian who specialised in short 
  biographies. Here are a number of Greek personalities from the 4th century. Because 
  the book looks at different people in different places The Age of Alexander is easy to 
  read, and you don't get bored. The focus of Plutarch's work are great warriors and 
  statesmen, there's plenty of action either on or off the battlefield. Alexander is included 
  here, but my favourite is Pyrrhus, a mercenary general par excellence who fought for 
  Magna Graecia. The story of his death, during bitter street fighting inside the walls of 
  Argos is amazing. A general who was supposed to have cleaved an enemy in half with 
  one stroke - killed by a roof-tile thrown by an Argive woman! Fantastic stuff! 
   
  Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War 
  This book is the definitive account of Greece at war. It was written by an Athenian who 
  experienced it from both sides and is a clean, crisp and concise account of the politics, 
  strategy and the battlefield tactics. Nothing is missed and the down-to-earth situations 
  are never forgotten. It is a very human account, but like the war itself is long, complex 
  and on occasion difficult to follow. But still, it is my most treasured translation. Greece 
  at war: how, why, where - here. 
   
  Xenophon, The Persian Expedition  
  The account of a Greek mercenary general who took an army of 10,000 hoplites to 
  fight in a Persian civil war. When his side lost, Xenophon had to fight and march and 
  fight his way back to Greece. A harrowing, epic, brutal and breathtaking true story. An 
  easy read and a rewarding one. 
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Warlords of Alexander/Warlords of Alexander Corebook.pdf