The Perfect Captain

The Hoplomachia Campaign System

All who are familiar with the Hoplomachia system know that the Captain has striven to capture the distinct character of Hoplite warfare and of the Classical era in general in his tactical rules. He now is attempting to do the same with a strategic campaign game, fully integrated into the Hoplomachia battle rules.

In Stratiotika, you will now be able to make war at the city-state level; you can enrage city dwellers by trampling their crops, organize markets to feed your troops, build counterwalls to blockade rebellious cities, or infiltrate troops within their walls with the help of traitors and take the town on the sly. Not only can you openly call on their assemblies to vote to join your cause, but you can actually debate with your political opponents using historic speeches to sway those who are
“on the fence”. You can lose allies to the harvest, ships to dangerous waters, walls to earthquakes, and cities to a more cunning and silver-tongued foe!

General flow of Play

The heart of the system is the wide array of tasks at a Strategos’ disposal. All Strategoi (generals) generate a number of “Stratiea” points that each turn are accumulated and may be used to purchase task counters, which are placed face down on one’s forces in play. These tasks are then revealed and performed in bounds, starting with the player who has advantage, which is allotted to the player who was more victorious in the previous turn.

That’s pretty much it- simple, no? But don’t think it ends there- each task comes with its own rules, and will produce opportunities that the other side, if he is on the ball, can turn to his advantage. Furthermore, forces which are performing different tasks when brought to battle will generate one of the different types of battles described in Hoplomachia- so don’t expect to fight the same battle when you jump someone ravaging your crops, as when you’re attempting to force a pass, or make an amphibious landing in the face of a foe- each one will have its own character.

Module One: Ho Chalkidikos Polemos

(The Chalkidikian War)

Chalkidiki-424-421 BC- Introduction

The Thracian lands had long been a source of fear and curiousity for the Greeks. While some colonies had been planted for a century and more, many attempts at settling in the midst of the Thracian tribes had met with destruction. As the wealth of the region, particularly in timber (for triremes) and gold became known to the southerners, the impetus to settle and later control the region had become stronger.
<>In the wake of the Persian Wars, Athens established itself as an empire, forcing the one-time members of the Delian League (to which the cities of Chalkidiki were contributors) to pay tribute into their coffers. Most of the tributaries resented the great city, and at times revolted from her. In 432, on the eve of the 2nd Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC), the cities of Chalkidiki were in turmoil; the neighboring king of Macedonia, Perdikkas (a one-time friend of Athens), was urging many of the cities to band together and revolt from Athens. Furthermore, Korinth, second in sea power to Athens, chafed under perceived insults from her larger rival when the same pressured Potidaea, a Korinthian colony to reject ties to their mother city. It was too much, and Korinth sent out a force to free Potidaea, and support any of its willing neighbors in casting off the Athenian yoke. This was one of the contributing factors which would fatefully bring Athens and Sparta to war, a war which would bring ruin and slaughter to many of the inhabitants of distant Chalkidiki.

How 'bout some
links, Cap'n?

Perseus Digital Library
While it's pretty easy to locate most of the Greek Classical Histories in cheap paperback form,
there's only one place that the Captain knows of where you can find all of them with commentaries,
and an instant Greek translation, with each word linked to a lexicon entry as well! Phenomenal site,
a must for the Philhellene!

Xyston 15mm Ancient Miniatures
Simply the finest 15mm Classical range of figures the Captain's ever seen (even outstripping his old, long favoured Battle Honours Greeks) this range continues to grow monthly. If you guys at Xyston are listening, how 'bout some heralds, trophies and a mantis or two?

Eureka Miniatures
They still produce the old Battle Honours City-State Greeks, now under AB miniatures. A little bigger than the average 15mm fig, they make an formidable looking phalanx!

Osprey Publications
What? You don't have all the marvelous editions they have available covering the Classical era? Stop wasting your money on food or rent, and send it to these guys...

The Strategikon- Wargames Club of Athens, Greece (Hellas)
A neat site, particularly sequential diagrams of the battles of Leuktra (371 BC) and Mantinea (362 BC).
Also links to other free games, articles and pics.

Thrace and the Thracians
We never seem to be able to access this site anymore, but it still seems to be there. Christopher Webber's
excellent site on all things Thracian- if you can't access it, go buy his Osprey book instead (heck- go buy it anyways! It's great!)

Everything Spartan, Lakonian and Messenian
Well, not EVERYTHING, but lots of good stuff here anyways.

The Peloponnesian War
Excellent site by Sven Delille- with lots of articles, chronologies, maps and links (too many of them dead, unfortunately)-
makes for interesting reading for those looking for the historical framework of the era. Lots en français, aussi.