Shireling
A Servant of King and Country
So, I was writing a paper on ancient rhetoric the other day and this reminded me of the dramatic death of Socrates.
For those who are unfamiliar, popular theory states that the Greek philosopher Socrates was condemned to death by the Athenian authorities and was forced to drink hemlock. He committed suicide stoically rather than attempt to evade the Athenian police, because he wanted to demonstrate that he had broken no laws and thus died a philosopher's death.
After Socrates's death, Plato, who surely revered Socrates as a mentor and father-figure, wrote his magnum opus, the Republic in which he outlines the means of just governance. Many believe that the personal purpose of the work for Plato was to construct a state where a just man like Socrates would not be put to death.
I thought this was a thoroughly intriguing starting point for a fictional plot arc. I had the idea of the player characters being members of Socrates's school during his assassination and while Plato assumes headmastership. They would have to contend with government spies seeking to prove treason in their philosophy, angry mobs, and the onmarching carnage of the Peloponessian War as enemy forces threaten Athens. Ultimately, the story should end at a climactic turning point in which the philosophers seize power in Athens and turn the tide of the war by defeating the Peloponessian League at the naval battle of Aegospotami (in the historic battle, the Athenians were badly defeated).
Although the characters are philosophers, philosophic dialogue is not the focal point of the story. Rather, their actions as vigilantes and ultimately as rulers are the centerpoint. There will be combat in small groups, thus I may look into a dice system. The majority of the story will take the form of "missions" given by prominent characters, to use video game mechanics, that link into an overarching campaign. Most of the story will center around Athens, so knowledge of Athenian culture is probably key. Just Wikipedia that shit. Also note that we're being generous with history as Socrates wasn't killed until after the Pelopennesian War.
So, what I'm looking for thus far are ideas on some specific plot elements, interesting historical events or themes I can incorporate, perhaps some weapons expertise for the time period, and I need both a EXP system and a dice-combat system that is simple and intuitive, perhaps based on a comparison of attack versus defense scores or die rolls. The EXP system especially because the characters will start out as the Ancient Greek equivalent of a college brat.
For those who are unfamiliar, popular theory states that the Greek philosopher Socrates was condemned to death by the Athenian authorities and was forced to drink hemlock. He committed suicide stoically rather than attempt to evade the Athenian police, because he wanted to demonstrate that he had broken no laws and thus died a philosopher's death.
After Socrates's death, Plato, who surely revered Socrates as a mentor and father-figure, wrote his magnum opus, the Republic in which he outlines the means of just governance. Many believe that the personal purpose of the work for Plato was to construct a state where a just man like Socrates would not be put to death.
I thought this was a thoroughly intriguing starting point for a fictional plot arc. I had the idea of the player characters being members of Socrates's school during his assassination and while Plato assumes headmastership. They would have to contend with government spies seeking to prove treason in their philosophy, angry mobs, and the onmarching carnage of the Peloponessian War as enemy forces threaten Athens. Ultimately, the story should end at a climactic turning point in which the philosophers seize power in Athens and turn the tide of the war by defeating the Peloponessian League at the naval battle of Aegospotami (in the historic battle, the Athenians were badly defeated).
Although the characters are philosophers, philosophic dialogue is not the focal point of the story. Rather, their actions as vigilantes and ultimately as rulers are the centerpoint. There will be combat in small groups, thus I may look into a dice system. The majority of the story will take the form of "missions" given by prominent characters, to use video game mechanics, that link into an overarching campaign. Most of the story will center around Athens, so knowledge of Athenian culture is probably key. Just Wikipedia that shit. Also note that we're being generous with history as Socrates wasn't killed until after the Pelopennesian War.
So, what I'm looking for thus far are ideas on some specific plot elements, interesting historical events or themes I can incorporate, perhaps some weapons expertise for the time period, and I need both a EXP system and a dice-combat system that is simple and intuitive, perhaps based on a comparison of attack versus defense scores or die rolls. The EXP system especially because the characters will start out as the Ancient Greek equivalent of a college brat.
