Games set in the Ancient Period

Afternoon all,

My main wargames interest is in the ancient period and too date Agema has apart from Ancient battles run two games set in this period:

1) Assyria End which I personally did not like - my feeling was that as a game it suffered from horridly slow movement which ment nothing much happened for really long periods resulting in bored players dropping out.

2) Crusade - a game I enjoyed and could have worked if only we had found some Crusaders willing to say sod the supplies and just march. In the event I dont think they even made it too the 2nd map and the "crusade" fall to bits taking game with it.

My own view is the success on Glory du Roi compared to these games is not down to the period but due to a wide selection of positions allowing players to set their own objectives and I would really like to play in a Glory du Roi style game starting some time just after the Battle of Ipsos in 301. Starting around 300BC would mean

A) The Empire of Alexander is now broken down into seperate Kingdoms.......but the Successors still dont like or trust each other. Are you the Seleucid, Macedonian, Ptolemaic or Lysimachid ruler to restore the Empire? and tidy up unfinished business in the west? Or do you believe this power crazy mad man needs to be stopped?

B) Rome is starting its rise but is still only one of the many aggressive powers trying to dominate Italy in Sicily inc Carthage, The Samite
League, Epeiros etc, etc.

Plus fall selection of Merchants, Pirates, Greeks, Hairy Gauls and Spanish tribes out for Wine, Women and heads, and even more hairy horsemen and Hill Tribes some of whom may wish to remove Greek influence from the east and restore Persia.

I was wondering if anyone else would be interested in Glory du Roi style game set in this period and if enough people wanted it would Agema consider putting on another ancient period game?

Probably not, though I could see the appeal.

For me, The wealth of information about the glory of kings game period is an important part of enjoying the game. Plus I think that as society is more advanced, there are more options for advancing your nation.

In the ancient period, to be reasonably historical, you'd have very limited economic development possibilities, no scientific ones, so it would be mostly a gm moderated war game.

It's not a period I'm interested in-though I am more an early medievalist so a 10th Century game would be more me

Though I do agree with Deacon, for me part of the appeal of Glory is the chance for scientific developments and trade and those would be more limited in the earlier time periods. Perhaps a mid 16th Century game might work? Quite late I know but perhaps the earliest that allows for a reason range of technological developments as well as trade opportunities?

I would be interested in a game Based on the Roman Empire, maybe the fall of Roman Empire, when you have much more powerful outside influences, trying to bring the Empire down.

I currently play in this :

http://romanimperium.proboards.com/index.cgi

A roman game pe Empire though

All I can say is in one period provides the great age of Greek Scientific thought,
The library of Alexandria, Huge Trade Empires, Elephants, Pike Phalanx, Iconic Generals and Hero's not to mention the Court Life of the Ptolomies.

The other gives you the first Great Plague, Hairy Germans and Attila the Hun.

Only someone who has spent much too long in German forests could think the 4/5 Century makes a better background for a ancient period game.

Stuart "The last of the Hallanic" Bailey

Too much time in a German forest? how is that even possible?

Spend some time on the Sennelager Training Area, lots of Forest, wild Pigs Rain & Mud. Then you can get an idea about German Forests, Oh, I nearly forgot the friendly natives.

J Flower wrote:Spend some time on the Sennelager Training Area, lots of Forest, wild Pigs Rain & Mud. Then you can get an idea about German Forests, Oh, I nearly forgot the friendly natives.

been there done that for 22 years

Both periods would have a lot of military/social/religous/political/trade developments. I did try the Assyrias End game but I think a Glory of Kings game set after Alexander or at the fall of Rome or after would work.

I dont see how a "Glory of Kings" style game set in the 480's would work since most positions would be basically a bunch of tribal types looking for pay and something to eat .......and thats the Romans.

In contrast if you start a game in say 280 BC the year Pyrrhos landed in Italy
you still have a large number of geograhic states with standing armies, proper systems of tax and revenue, trade routes, siege engines, naval power plus art, philosophy and science.

Also as importantly you still have the big themes which dominated history for the next hundred's of years esp:

1) Alexander is dec'd and his mighty Empire has split up..........can anyone
re-unite it and keep the Barbarians at bay?

2) What Phillip & Alexander did in Greece offers a plan for various ambitious rulers and tribes since in terms of Military Manpower and other resources Greece is actually inferior to Italy and probably Spain and Gaul as well.

Pyrrhos is clearly a man with a plan but its a plan also shared by Generals of Carthage in Sicily & Spain, The Samnite League, and the Senate and People of Rome (both factions) etc.

While others just wish to frustrate would be Empire Builders.

3) Meanwhile in the East............The Macadonian Victory is starting to fall to bits..........Can it be saved from the Parthian & other Persian & Indian Rebels who just dont understand that paying tax to support Greek Art & Philosophy is good for them.

Hi Stuart
The Hellenistic period would be great but the end of the western Roman Empire would be good too. You still have the eastern Roman Empire which could be broken up into different positions, the Sassanids in the east, the remains of Roman positions based in Britain/Gaul. The Ostro Goths and others were trying to retain a sense of Roman Imperium, then there are all the heresies and church sects who hate each other, rebels, and new trade and economic positions being established.
Also some of our colleagues would enjoy being hairy barbarians, huns, vandals, visi goths, saxons, suebi, franks, lombards, proto vikings etc. Then there are incredibly rich Roman aristocrats trying to hold onto their estates, positions in the church such as Bishops starting to challenge secular authority.
480's and 280BC seem good to me

To even start to understand the doctrinal differences between 5th century Christains sects which seem so vital to the period you probably need something like a PHD in theology!

Guess having the RKL playing the Pope in Rome while Deacon stands up for the Arian position would be educational but I am not sure it would be a good game.

Hating Romans or standing up for Greek liberty against some Meglomanic from Macidonia seems a lot more understandable.

I have just seen this thread! I did run a game called Bronze Fist which was set at the end of Alexander's life and players played satraps, preparing for the inevitable conflict that comes with an uncertain Dynastic succession, needless to say is that when Alexander died it went absolutely crazy with spears flying everywhere!

I have to say it worked for me, I am also putting together something that is set in 277 BC.

MarkTurner26 wrote:I have just seen this thread! I did run a game called Bronze Fist which was set at the end of Alexander's life and players played satraps, preparing for the inevitable conflict that comes with an uncertain Dynastic succession, needless to say is that when Alexander died it went absolutely crazy with spears flying everywhere!

I have to say it worked for me, I am also putting together something that is set in 277 BC.

Any particular reason why 277 BC?

Or do you just like to start in the middle of a War(s)

I tried to pick a time where Macedon wasn't complicated ha ha ha

MarkTurner26 wrote:I tried to pick a time where Macedon wasn't complicated ha ha ha

No.........its very simple starting position for the new King of Macedon all he has to do is deal with the Galatian war bands who have just killed the last King of Macedon and a large chunk of the Macedonian Army.

While keeping an eye on historic Greek and Thracian foe's while hoping Pyrrhos, Ptolemaic's and Seleucid's are all too busy to push their claims to the throne of Macedonia.

I like the ancient time period, it's a great period of upheaval and good background to work with, you have a burgeoning rome, which as yet isn't the steam rolling superpower that it becomes. Its a period that allows for a great deal of expansion, I feel at any rate.

MarkTurner26 wrote:I like the ancient time period, it's a great period of upheaval and good background to work with, you have a burgeoning rome, which as yet isn't the steam rolling superpower that it becomes. Its a period that allows for a great deal of expansion, I feel at any rate.

Expansion for Macadonia in 277BC   

I would think trying to avoid having his head turned into a Celtic drinking cup is the immediate problem.

But at least if the Macadonian Player can borrow enough gold the Galatian types may willing to go away.

Playing Pyrrhos and the Southern Italian Greeks, The Samnite League, the last of the Etruscans etc is probably one for people who like playing Sweden in 1700.