Classical Greek-Roman Campaign

[CoreBrute]

Hey, my group is planning on making a clasical RP game, using fantasy elements from the time. What I'm asking is:

 

Are there any Hero System resources to help such a game, Digital hero or websites etc?

 

Suggestions on power levels etc?

 

Nothing is set in ground and it's very vague only that we want it set with the Roman Empire in power, and supernatural creatures and Gods exist.

 

Any ideas or suggestions would be welcome.

[kahuna's bro]

Re: Classical Greek-Roman Campaign

 

see the old HERCULES MOVIES with lou ferigno for ideas

[薔薇語]

Re: Classical Greek-Roman Campaign

 

Well, there is always Wiki. .

 

Have you given any thought to moving it back a could hundred years? That way you could have Carthage as a main player? That would give you two / three big Central Mediterranean powers: Rome, Carthage, and Greece. It also gives the PC's another outlet besides the Roman Empire.

 

Too bad you didn't ask this a year ago or I could have just asked my friend who has his degree in Classical Studies about resources to use in it. Heck I've been fiddling with the idea of taking a Pre-Empire Europe / North Africa / Middle East setting and adapting it to a High-Fantasy game. I.e., what if DnD was placed in a mish mash of Hellenistic Greece, Republican Rome, Revivalist Egypt and Carthage?

 

La Rose.

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Classical Greek-Roman Campaign

 

We have the start of one here: Realm of Classica, but no one has taken it on yet and its pretty thin.

[SSgt Baloo]

Re: Classical Greek-Roman Campaign

 

Didn't Iron Crown do a classical/heroic Greece supplement many years ago? I used to have it but can't recall the title.

[Ternaugh]

Re: Classical Greek-Roman Campaign

 

There's a couple of Hero 3rd Edition books, Mythic Greece (ICE 1020) by Aaron Allston, and Mythic Egypt (ICE 1050) by Earl Wajenburg. I've used bits out of the second one, though I've never used either in their entirety. As would be expected from an Allston title, the background information is very thorough in the Mythic Greece book.

 

JoeG

[Curufea]

Re: Classical Greek-Roman Campaign

 

A few of the superhero write-ups are inspired by mythological characters from that era, and may be worth adapting.

[Shadowsoul]

Re: Classical Greek-Roman Campaign

 

The Malazan Marine Training Martial Art on this currently dormant thread of mine could be adapted into Roman Gladius and Scutum fighting very easily, just file the serial numbers off.

[Panpiper]

Re: Classical Greek-Roman Campaign

 

There's a couple of Hero 3rd Edition books' date=' [i']Mythic Greece[/i] (ICE 1020) by Aaron Allston...

That was a useful book. I read it and much enjoyed it, way back when. The advice in that book was to makes it a fairly high powered game with stat maximums in the 30-40 range. Actually I think he had a mechanism where players could define one or two stats as being above the standard max and the rest were normal. In any case, the idea was that the game had to be structured to allow for the likes of Achilies and Heracles. Demigods and superhumans were a staple of the mythology.

 

With regard to having Rome around, there is no reason you cannot define an alternate history in which Greece and Sparta, and Carthage for that matter, never declined. Indeed, keep much of the ancient world intact at their peak. India is an empire, Egypt is planning even greater pyramids, China is united and filled with early Wuxia, the Druids who built Stonehenge weild awesome power. Rome flexes their legions' might, Persia with a million man army marches on Greece, and three hundred Spartans, bolstered by a half dozen other heroes, stand ready to hold a pass against them.

[Matt Holck]

Re: Classical Greek-Roman Campaign

 

Deities and Demigods (AD&D) covers many mythos

[Yansuf]

Re: Classical Greek-Roman Campaign

 

Well, there is always Wiki. .

Have you given any thought to moving it back a could hundred years? That way you could have Carthage as a main player? That would give you two / three big Central Mediterranean powers: Rome, Carthage, and Greece. It also gives the PC's another outlet besides the Roman Empire.

 

"Classic Greek" civilization predates the Roman Empire. "Mythic Greece" predates it by quite a bit. Troy is a contemporary of mythic Greece.

But considering "Hercules" movies are suggested as a data source, real historical accuracy does not seeem required. So you can easily make classical Greece, Rome, and Carthage contemporaries.

[kahuna's bro]

Re: Classical Greek-Roman Campaign

 

or use the same idea as hercules the legendary journeys

[CoreBrute]

Re: Classical Greek-Roman Campaign

 

Thanks, this is great stuff.

 

One thing though I need to know is the Classical Heroes code. In Mythology, heroes were brutal and vindictive in war etc, and were more concerned with how they were remembered. Code Vs Killing isn't in the right genre.

 

What kind of Psy Limitations do you guys think would be appropriate for a Classical Hero and/or villain (Both are helpful, so NPCs need work)? And what would you say would be major points of the Greek/Roman Code of the Hero?

 

I am aware Rome and Greece had different ideas of heroic (Rome hated Odysseus for his Cunning but the Greeks admired intelligence) so if you could put both if you know them that would also be very helpful.

[薔薇語]

Re: Classical Greek-Roman Campaign

 

It strikes me that the only really consistent code of conduct among Greek / Roman Heroes is a sense of loyalty. Be it to one's family, king, god, or simply to one's oath, they seem to be largely concerned with it.

 

La Rose.

[Matt Holck]

Re: Classical Greek-Roman Campaign

 

Like any civilized player, I'm loyal to my comrades

[Beast]

Re: Classical Greek-Roman Campaign

 

for Hero 4th ed

The Olympians

by Kurt Dershem

product # 414

printed 1990

 

write ups on Zues

Hera

Aphrodite

Apollo

Aries

Artemis

Athena

Demeter

Dionysus

Hephaestus

Hermes

Poseidon

Hades

Charon

 

Circe

Atalatnta

Heracles

Theseus

Cerberus

Cyclopes

the Furies

Nereids

lesser write ups of

Aeolus

Amphitrite

Eros

Hecate

Nemesis

Pan

 

plus lots of short entries on other in that mythos

[LordGhee]

Re: Classical Greek-Roman Campaign

 

I can not recommend Mythic Greece enough. I ran a game in 92-93 that was a Mythic greece game.

 

will post more on my beloved game.

 

Lord Ghee

Must do Musketeer stuff first.

[LordGhee]

Re: Classical Greek-Roman Campaign

 

http://www.amazon.com/Mythic-Greece-Heroes-Rolemaster-Fantasy/dp/1558060022/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259409932&sr=1-1

 

here is a link to pick up a copy.

 

Lord ghee

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Classical Greek-Roman Campaign

 

Regarding Aaron Allston's excellent Mythic Greece sourcebook, note that it was written for Fantasy HERO before Fourth Edition integrated the distinct genre-specific rules for each game genre into a single system. Thus the mechanics included in the book are different in many ways from what players of later editions are used to. However, Aaron Allston generously posted free updates to Mythic Greece (to Fourth Edition HERO), as well as errata for the book, to the old Red October BBS and his personal website. Although those sources are no longer available, I see no reason not to Attach that file here:

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Classical Greek-Roman Campaign

 

You might also be interested in Digital Hero #31, which includes detailed Fifth Edition character sheets for the mythic heroes Hercules and Achilles, at both "low end" (suitable for most fantasy games) and "high end" (superhero) power levels. Here is a free sample from the article originally posted to the Hero Games website, of the "high end" Achilles.

 

If you can get your hands on Hero Games's hardcopy predecessor to DH, Adventurers Club, issue #18 includes a nice little Fourth Edition adventure by Aaron Allston for the Mythic Greece setting, "Palomon: The Cursed King."

[Matt Holck]

Re: Classical Greek-Roman Campaign

 

oi

doesn't look like a hit to the heel would kill him

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Classical Greek-Roman Campaign

 

Well, admittedly it would have to be a pretty substantial hit. But since his "Dipped in the River Styx" invulnerability explicitly doesn't cover that spot, it's possible for a very skilled hero to take him down with a lucky strike there. And that's even more true for the low-end version of Achilles from the article.

[Peregrine]

Re: Classical Greek-Roman Campaign

 

With regard to having Rome around' date=' there is no reason you cannot define an alternate history in which Greece and Sparta, and Carthage for that matter, never declined. Indeed, keep much of the ancient world intact at their peak. India is an empire, Egypt is planning even greater pyramids, China is united and filled with early Wuxia, the Druids who built Stonehenge weild awesome power. Rome flexes their legions' might, Persia with a million man army marches on Greece, and three hundred Spartans, bolstered by a half dozen other heroes, stand ready to hold a pass against them.[/quote']

 

That sounds a lot like my last game of CivIV...

[Shadowsoul]

Re: Classical Greek-Roman Campaign

 

Thanks, this is great stuff.

 

One thing though I need to know is the Classical Heroes code. In Mythology, heroes were brutal and vindictive in war etc, and were more concerned with how they were remembered. Code Vs Killing isn't in the right genre.

 

What kind of Psy Limitations do you guys think would be appropriate for a Classical Hero and/or villain (Both are helpful, so NPCs need work)? And what would you say would be major points of the Greek/Roman Code of the Hero?

 

I am aware Rome and Greece had different ideas of heroic (Rome hated Odysseus for his Cunning but the Greeks admired intelligence) so if you could put both if you know them that would also be very helpful.

 

I'd say the following codes of behaviour would be accepted by Greek heroes. If only to stave off divine retribution. Note that most classical heroes failed these codes and suffered for it.

 

Look after your family and never shed the blood of your near kin.

 

Be loyal to your king/city. Romans would agree with this, to the point of killing Romans whom they deemed a threat to the city.

 

Keep your promises.

 

Do not offend the Gods. (E.g. by despoiling their shrines, sleeping with their priestesses within their temples, stealing their sacrifices, failing to make the appropriate sacrifices, being the bastard child of their spouse, killing their own bastard children, claiming to be better than them at anything, refusing to give them a golden apple, refusing to accept them as legitimate gods or looking at them funny). Romans would accept this but would add that the emperor should also be worshipped and would perhaps be more casual about loyalty to any particular group of gods.

 

Respect the laws of hospitality. (This means being a good host and not murdering your guests in their beds. But it also cuts the other way, guests should not murder you or presume too much on your hospitality as Penelope's suitors do in the Odyssey).

 

Avenge the deaths of your kin and friends. The Romans would agree with this.

 

Treat followers and subordinates well and do not take more than your fair share of loot. (Agamemnon allegedly failed to do this and so fell out with the mighty Achilles). Important in Roman politics.

 

Gain as much glory as possible and always strive to be the best at everything. (The Olympic games weren't always about just taking part, they were about winning! When Ajax was told that Odysseus had been named 'the best of the Greeks' instead of him he hanged himself out of shame). The Romans would agree wholeheartedly with this one, but would substitute military conquest for personal feats of arms.

 

Good Psy Lims for Classical Heroes are - Glory Hound, Vengeful, Lusty, Loyal Citizen of ..., Sworn Oath to ... , Upholds Hospitality, Superiority Complex, Greedy, Protective of Family and Adventurous.

[Lucius]

Re: Classical Greek-Roman Campaign

 

Thanks, this is great stuff.

 

One thing though I need to know is the Classical Heroes code. In Mythology, heroes were brutal and vindictive in war etc, and were more concerned with how they were remembered. Code Vs Killing isn't in the right genre.

 

What kind of Psy Limitations do you guys think would be appropriate for a Classical Hero and/or villain (Both are helpful, so NPCs need work)? And what would you say would be major points of the Greek/Roman Code of the Hero?

 

I am aware Rome and Greece had different ideas of heroic (Rome hated Odysseus for his Cunning but the Greeks admired intelligence) so if you could put both if you know them that would also be very helpful.

 

I don't think it was quite that simple. For one thing, when we say "Greeks" we are talking about a plethora of city-states that were united by a common language and, in general, a common pantheon, but sometimes had significant differences in cult and culture. Ulysses was more popular with Athens than with Sparta, for example, and even those who admired his cunning might say that he was wrong when he tried to get out of going on the expedition to Troy.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

All Greek to the palindromedary