Warlords of ALEXANDER Epic Roleplaying Amid the Ruins of Alexander's Empire ~ For Chaosium's Basic Roleplaying Game ~ 2 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 2 3 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 3 4 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 4 5 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! 5 6 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 6 7 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.