The Reading Time
over 4 years ago – Tue, Sep 10, 2019 at 11:13:51 PM

Hello Everyone,

Today, as promised, we would like to show you the beta version rulebook for the SUCCESSORS. Please note that these rules are still a work in progress, as you’ve managed to unlock loads of additional in-game content during the campaign, and we must update the text with all these new variants and components. This will take some time, but now you can read the core rules, to have a nice overview of the game.

In the future campaign updates (after the campaign ends) we will show you the Scenario Book, as well as the player aid charts and all other printed game components.

Despite the above reading, we have also prepared for you another historical capsule, written by Eric G. L. PINZELLI. Enjoy!

THE REGENTS FACTION

In the new edition of Successors, the Regents faction is represented by Antipatros, Krateros and Leonnatos. The three men were highly respected Macedonian officers who naturally commanded the veterans’ allegiance. Antipatros was by far the oldest among them.

Leonnatos, Antipatros and Krateros were allied during the “Lamian War” which started right after news of Alexander’s death had reached the Greek city-states.

Leonnatos was the first to leave his satrapy of Hellespontine Phrygia in the spring of 322, to come to the rescue of Antipatros besieged by the Hellenic League at the citadel of Lamia. Once in Macedonia, Leonnatos enlisted more men, and quickly marched south to Thessaly, but was killed in battle in the first encounter. The next day, Antipatros reunited the remnants of both armies and had now full control of all Macedonian troops in Europe.

A few weeks later, Krateros himself crossed the Aegean from Cilicia with his navy and brought more men to serve under Antipatros’ united command. Throughout this crisis, both men proved to have a solid working relationship. Antipatros and Krateros finally defeated the Greek rebellion at Krannon, forcing Athens to yield once again to Macedonian rule, but giving up on the fight against the Aetolians who had retired in their mountains: Perdikkas’ schemes represented a much greater and immediate threat to them.

Antipatros gave the hand of his eldest daughter Phila to Krateros to cement their friendship and alliance. However, during the First War of the Diadochi that initiated immediately afterwards, Krateros fell at the battle of the Hellespont (May 321) against Eumenes. A large part of his army decided to join Antipatros who was the only one of the three to have survived so far. With Perdikkas eliminated, old Antipatros (who was c. 80 at the time) became regent of the Empire.

ANTIPATROS, REGENT OF MACEDON UNDER PHILIP II AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT

Was the kingmaker involved in Alexander's death?

After the elimination of the Perdikkas, old Antipatros was chosen to take his place at the Settlement of Triparadisus (321 BC) which replaced the previous Babylon Partition made only 2 years before. At the time, Antipatros was probably the most senior Macedonian statesman/general still alive.

Antipatros had been a prominent member of the Macedonian kingdom since Perdikkas III of Macedon c. 360 BC and thus served 3 generations of rulers. He must have been a trusted adviser to King Philip II since he was appointed regent of Macedon while the king was in campaign against the Thracians. After Philip II's assassination, Antipatros and Parmenion acted as kingmakers, backing Alexander's claims to the throne, helping in the elimination of his rivals.

While the young king campaigned in the East during 11 years, Antipatros was left in charge of Macedonia and Greece to deal with the Persian navy in the Aegean and the anti-Macedonian coalition led by Agis III of Sparta. With time, tensions grew between Olympias and himself, and even with the distant king who had offended many of his fellow Macedonians by adopting the dress code and customs of the vanquished Persians. Alexander's pretension of divine status was also an insult to the memory of Philip, their former monarch.

When Alexander died at age 32, many believed he had been poisoned, and it's a theory that cannot be dismissed. Antipatros, who had the most to gain from the king’s murder, was on the suspects list: while he had consolidated a powerful position as regent of Macedonia during Alexander’s long absence, he feared for his own safety given the scores of officials who had lost their heads. Following Olympias' long list of accusations, not only had he been summoned to Babylon, but also Krateros had been sent with an army to take his place in Macedonia.

With Alexander's death, Antipatros was spared disgrace and probably his own life. The old veteran remained at Aigai, securing Macedonia and Greece at the Partition of Babylon (323 BC). To prevent war between the successors, Antipatros gave the hand of his daughter Nicaea to Perdikkas, who first accepted, before changing his mind and gambling everything on Cleopatra, Alexander's sister.

Against the first regent of the Empire, Antipatros cemented an alliance by giving his three daughters to Ptolemaios, Krateros and Lysimachos, governor of Thrace. A few months after the Partition of Triparadisus, Antipatros retired and chose Polyperchon, an old conservative Macedonian general, in place of his own son Kassandros as heir to the regency and commander of the Empire. Antipatros died soon after, in the autumn of 319 BC, aged 80. An outraged Kassandros rejected his father's decision and prepared for a war of revenge against Polyperchon.

KRATEROS, THE TOUGHEST OF ALEXANDER'S SUCCESSORS?

Krateros was also a Macedonian nobleman from Orestis, like Perdikkas. We know he was a commander of the Phalanx at the Granicus, and of all the left wing of the Macedonian infantry at the battle of Issus (333 BC). At the decisive battle of Gaugamela (331 BC), Alexander once again gave him the overall command of the entire Phalanx heavy infantry of the left wing.

During the following campaigns, Alexander trusted Krateros enough to give him command of independent armies and to lead one of the 3 corps that finally retreated back to Mesopotamia through Carmania (southern Iran) in 325 BC.

During the mass wedding held in typical Persian fashion at Susa in 324 BC, Amestris, a niece of Darius III, was given to Krateros who was the only Macedonian general to marry a member of the former royal dynasty, along with Alexander himself and Hephaestion. At the time, Krateros' position at the court was second only to Hephaestion.

Krateros was in Cilicia on his way to Macedonia to relieve Antipatros when news reached him that Alexander had died. With the Partition of Babylon, he was given shared authority over Macedonia and Illyria alongside Antipatros. In 322 with his navy and his veterans, Krateros crossed the Aegean to fight the Hellenic coalition in the Lamian War. The Athenians and their allies were finally forced back into submission after their defeat at the Battle of Krannonas (central Thessaly).

In the early spring of 321 when Ptolemaios, Antigonos and Antipatros united against the regent Perdikkas, Krateros joined them. Krateros was immensely popular and respected among the Macedonian troops. To strengthen the alliance between them, Krateros married Phila, Antipatros' daughter. While Perdikkas marched against Ptolemaios in Egypt, Eumenes was left to hold Kappadocia, but no one expected the Court Secretary to stand his ground and resist once Krateros would show up.

When Krateros and Neoptolemos met Eumenes at the Battle of the Hellespont in May, although on paper both experienced generals should have easily overcome the former court secretary, Eumenes had devised an astute plan to kill Krateros using his trusted local cavalry as soon as he would appear on the battlefield. Alexander's undefeated general was thrown from his horse and trampled to death in the first collision of forces with Paphlagonians. On the right flank, Eumenes challenged Neoptolemos and killed him a single combat. Amazingly, an inexperienced “secretary” had eliminated both battle-hardened veterans in a single blow! No one had seen that coming.

LEONNATOS, THE FIRST TO FALL

Leonnatos came from a noble family of Lyncestis, west of Pella, and was one of Alexander’s childhood companions. From 331 BC, he served as one of his seven royal bodyguards. During the eastern campaigns, he was one of the commanders of the fleet (a trierarch), and we know that he saved Alexander from a fatal injury while fighting the Malli (Mâlava) of Punjab, by protecting him with the sacred Trojan shield of Athena (325 BC).

After Alexander’s death at Babylon in June 323 BC, Leonnatos was named satrap of Hellespontine Phrygia (capital Dascylium) in northwest Asia Minor. Most of the Greek city states, learning about the king’s demise, immediately seized the opportunity to revolt against Macedonian rule in what became known as the Lamian War. Led by Leosthenes of Athens, a large army made up of disbanded mercenaries and contingents from this new Hellenic League marched north, first defeated the Beotians at Plataea, and soon after Antipatros’ smaller forces on the plain north of Thermopylae. The regent of Macedon had to retreat to the city of Lamia where he was blockaded by the army of the Hellenic coalition. During the winter however, a sally from Lamia’s defenders was met with Leosthenes who was killed in action. He was replaced by the Athenian Antiphilos and Memnon of Pharsalos.

Meanwhile, Cleopatra, sister of Alexander, had contacted Leonnatos telling him that if he would come to Pella, she would marry him. Cleopatra knew Leonnatos had the aspiration and ability to overthrow the mentally unfit king Philip III. In the Spring of 322, Leonnatos set out from his satrapy in haste to relieve Antipatros. News of his arrival in Thessaly ended the siege of Lamia: the Greeks left their entrenchments and marched north to meet Leonnatos south of Pharsalos before he could unite with Antipatros. In the cavalry clash that followed, Leonnatos was mortally wounded and died soon after. His army was defeated but rallied Antipatros who arrived at the end of the day. Antipatros greatly benefited from this surprising twist of destiny. With more soldiers and freed from Leonnatos’ ambitions that could have threatened his own position in Macedon, he could retake the initiative.

To the strongest!

Michal & PHALANX Team

The Final Week
over 4 years ago – Mon, Sep 09, 2019 at 08:39:34 PM

Hello Everyone,

The final week of the SUCCESSORS campaign begins today. Let us then thank you for crossing the 250k mark, a great achievement of the last week. You have funded 5 stretch goals, bringing loads of new cards to the game. New TYCHE cards will increase the replayability and new Province cards will be helpful in managing the gameplay. 

And what is it that we have planned for you for these last days? Here we go:

There is a great set of new stretch goals that will place the Fourth Edition of SUCCESSORS far beyond the previous editions. New Generals will add some ‘fresh blood’ to the late game scenarios, offering absolutely new gaming experience (and also allow us to publish shorter, yet historically accurate scenarios). So, please consider upgrading your pledges, as this will fund a better game for all of you.

In order to help the community to achieve these goals, we have decided to prolong the availability of the free Kickstarter exclusive bonus - Helepolis siege engine miniature - for all backers up to the #5000 backer number. It is thus still available for the new backers! We hope this may help to make this campaign the best deal possible if you are serious about getting the game. So please do not hesitate to back now - you won’t find a better deal later.

Last but not least, we are going to show you the rulebook - this should happen tomorrow or on Wednesday (we are still doing some lay-out tweaks). And we are going to introduce a new add-on - pre-washed miniatures - for all of you who want to have their minis painted but don’t have the time or skill to do it yourselves. So, stay tuned!

And now let’s get back to the history of the Diadochi era. Today Eric G. L. PINZELLI writes about the most successful Successor and his allies!

THE PTOLEMAIC FACTION

In the game, the Ptolemaic faction is represented by Ptolemaîos I and Lysimachos. Since their respective power bases were initially far apart, a direct confrontation between these two successors was always avoided. Ptolemaîos I firmly ruled over Egypt since 321 BC after eliminating Perdikkas' threat and expanding his dominions by conquest, pushing north in Syria and the Aegean, while Lysimachos had his hands full trying to pacify unruly Thracians and Scythians ever since this province was attributed to him in the Partition of Babylon (323 BC).

Against Antigonos, Ptolemaîos acted as the leader of a new great alliance that included Kassandros, Seleucos and Lysimachos during the Third War of the Diadochi (315 – 311 BC). It was in Egypt that Seleucos had sought refuge after losing Babylon from Antigonos, and Ptolemaîos' diplomatic ability and respected leadership paid off in this bitter conflict.

Ptolemaîos and Lysimachos were natural allies since they had common enemies. After Antigonos had fallen at Ipsos (301 BC), their former ally Seleucos now threatened Coele-Syria while Demetrius Poliorcetes' fleet was a threat to both. Their renewed alliance was sealed with Lysimachos' marriage to Arsinoe II, daughter of Ptolemaîos and Bereniki I. Lysimachos was killed in battle against Seleucos in 281 BC, his former childhood friend Ptolemaîos had died peacefully the previous year. At that moment, Seleucos was the last contemporary of Alexander still standing.

PTOLEMAIOS, THE BUILDER OF HELLENISTIC EGYPT

Was he the greatest of the Diadochi?

Ptolemaîos I Soter (the “Savior”) (366 – 282 BC) was the son of Lagos and Arsinoe, from Macedonian nobility. He was a childhood friend of the young Alexander and one of his most loyal and trusted Companions, serving with him throughout the eastern campaigns.

According to Diodorus of Sicily, it was Thais, Ptolemaîos ' lover, who advised Alexander to set fire to the royal palace of Persepolis while the Conqueror and his men were feasting and probably very drunk.

In December 330, after the Philotas affair, Ptolemaîos was appointed as somatophylax, one of the seven bodyguards-adjutants (along with Hephaestion, Perdikkas, Lysimachos, Peithon, Leonnatos...) who served as Alexander's deputies, entrusted for special missions.

In the mad Babylonian scramble following Alexander's unexpected demise, Ptolemaîos was originally in favor of a kind of collective Macedonian leadership: He proposed to replace the Macedonian monarchy by an aristocracy of the most prominent military leaders. Perdikkas was eventually chosen to be a regent without real authority upon his fellow companions in arms, while the most powerful Macedonian officers received important satrapies. This is how Ptolemaîos became governor of Egypt, his ideal land, rich beyond dreams.

Once in the land of the Pharaohs, his first objective was to hold his position in Egypt securely, and secondly to increase his domain. He turned his satrapy into his own personal kingdom in a couple of years only.

In the late spring of 321 BC, Alexander's funeral procession, organized by Arrhidaeus, departed from Babylon to take the royal remains back to Aegae in Macedon for burial in the dynastic tomb. The magnificent funeral cart described by Diodorus of Sicily was designed to resemble a great temple. The chariot, which was drawn by sixty-four mules, was followed by the royal guards, all in arms. Ptolemaîos acted swiftly and sent an army to intercept the cortege in Syria. He diverted the cart to Egypt in order to use the body to legitimize his rule over his brand new kingdom.

He sent the Soma to Memphis and years later to Alexandria where the golden sarcophagus was displayed in the center of the city. According to Aelian, Aristander who was Alexander's favorite seer, had foretold that the land where Alexander would be laid to rest "would be happy and unvanquishable forever!". Ptolemy instigated a cult of Alexander as founder of Alexandria.

Wars would be fought over the Soma and Alexander's mythical heritage. The first to fall was Perdikkas, the first regent, who tried his best to retrieve the sacred remains from Ptolemaîos but failed to cross the Nile next to Memphis and ended up assassinated by his own officers.

Ptolemaîos was a builder: The new kingdom that he created made good use of the tremendous wealth of Egypt to become the most successful and lasting of the successor states. He resisted several attempts at conquest by other Hellenistic kingdoms. Within a few years, he had also gained control of Libya, Coele-Syria and Cyprus.

Ptolemaîos was the founder of the Great Library of Alexandria that expanded during his son's reign. The Great Library, hoisting as many as 700,000 scrolls, functioned almost like a University Campus, where all the knowledge of the Ancient World was kept and scholars would meet and debate.

For legitimacy's sake, Ptolemaîos spread the rumour that he was an illegitimate son of Philip II, and thus Alexander's half brother, his rightful heir in Egypt. In 305 BC, he declared himself Ptolemaîos Sōter "Saviour". Alexander's old friend had managed to establish a dynasty that lasted for almost three centuries, until the time of Cleopatra VII and Octavian.

LYSIMACHOS, THE POWERFUL DYNAST OF THRACE

Son of a Thessalian named Agathokles, Lysimachos (born c. 361 BC) and his three brothers grew up among the Macedonian nobility at Pella and received the same education as Alexander and his close entourage. He must have been held in the highest regard since he was one of the seven members of King Philip II’s elite guard. Lysimachos kept this prominent position when Alexander the Great ascended the throne in 336 BC and throughout the Eastern campaigns until the young king’s demise at Babylon.

At the Partition of Babylon, Lysimachos was awarded with the province of Thrace that would become his core territory until the end of his life. Thrace was a large satrapy situated between Macedonia and Asia Minor, along the Black Sea home to (according to Herodotus) a large unruly population made up of various powerful groups and tribes hostile to Macedonian rule.

Busy trying to “pacify” the locals (who defeated his armies a number of times during the next four decades) and strengthening his power base, Lysimachos was not involved in the 1st War of the Diadochi, however by 319 BC he found himself in a coalition against Polyperchon and Eumenes. As soon as Antigonos emerged as the main victor of the 2nd War of the Diadochi (315 BC), his former allies turned against the master of Asia who stirred up and supported rebellions in Black Sea coastal settlements against Lysimachos’ authority.

In 305 BC, Lysimachos assumed the kingship of Thrace after Antigonos' precedent. During the 4th War of the Diadochi, Lysimachos invaded Asia Minor (302 BC), and with the timely arrival of Seleukos’ army from the Eastern satrapies, decisively defeated Antigonos at Ipsos (301 BC). This landslide victory gave Lysimachos possession of the entire western Asia Minor.

Lysimachos, now the most powerful dynast of the West, first tried to expand his territories north of the Danube but failed (292 BC), and later allied himself with Pyrrhos of Epirus to oust Demetrios Poliorketes from Macedonia (288 BC). For a few years, Lysimachos held all the vast spaces from mainland Greece and the banks of the Danube to the Asia Minor heartland. Lysimachos had outlived all but one of Alexander’s other successor generals during a time of great turmoil. However, due to nasty palace intrigues, he soon lost it all.

At the behest of Arsinoe II his second wife, he had Agathokles, his eldest son and successor, framed and executed for treason (282 BC)! This caused a huge uproar and rebellions throughout his territories, as prince Agathokles was particularly popular and respected among the troops. Lysandra, Agathokles’ widow (a daughter of Ptolemaîos I) and her children fled to Seleukos’ court at Antioch. Seleukos seized the opportunity he had probably longed for all his life to finally conquer the West, which was in turmoil, and rule over his Macedonian homeland.

The former allies clashed at the Battle of Corupedion where old Lysimachos was killed (he was 80 at the time). Seleukos then eagerly crossed the Hellespont to add all of his defunct adversary's European realms to his own empire, only to be assassinated soon after by Ptolemaîos Keraunos. There was to be no Lysimachid dynasty, Lysimachos’ kingdom and possessions fell into disarray.

Saigon 75

Our friends from Nuts! Publishing are finishing their first Kickstarter campaign. Please check this out, if you like Vietnam War themed wargames:

Saigon 75 is a swift strategic game for 1-2 players in French & English, simulating the fratricidal struggle between North and South Vietnam from Summer of 1973 to Spring of 1975. Everything is contained within a few pages of rules and 1 hour of fun, with pressure at every moment! The game portrays the differences between North Vietnamese divisions and the Rangers/Marines/Paratroopers and other units of the South Vietnamese. Air power and desertion are also featured, with the experience being completed by event cards that give the game great replayability. An ingenious mix that keeps the players on tenterhooks right up to the last turn!

To the strongest!

Michal & PHALANX Team

Reading for the Weekend (and a lot of pics)
over 4 years ago – Fri, Sep 06, 2019 at 06:45:49 PM

Hello Everyone,

Let us show you some pics of the game components. Please note that these are hand-made preview pieces.

So, as you see, we have wasted no time in order to get this game as beautiful as it can possibly get. Now it's your turn so if you haven't yet backed Successors - that's the time to do it!

And now we will leave you some longer reading for the weekend - Imperialist Faction description written by Eric G. L. PINZELLI. Enjoy!

THE IMPERIALIST FACTION

In Successors, the Imperialist faction is represented by Perdikkas and his lieutenant Eumenes (or Eumenis) of Cardia. This faction had the kings, all the resources of the royal treasuries of Asia, and maybe even more importantly, the body of Alexander the Great, still kept at Babylon at the time, embalmed in a golden coffin. Whoever possessed Alexander's remains and buried the dead king made himself the legitimate successor. Alexander was already revered as a God.

Perdikkas and Eumenes struggled to keep the empire together. Perdikkas ruled officially in the name of the kings, possibly with the hope of becoming sole ruler himself. Both had continuous support from Cleopatra, Alexander's sister. Until 316 BC, they managed to retain the fickle loyalty of the Macedonian hoplites, especially the Silver Shields. As a Greek, Eumenes had a limited claim on the loyalty of his Macedonia troops. In an attempt to preserve their allegiance, Eumenes encouraged a cult of Alexander, holding councils in the presence of Alexander’s regalia.

During the first War of the Successors, Eumenes loyally backed Perdikkas and his central authority against a coalition of other leading generals including Krateros, Antipatros, Antigonos Monophthalmos, Lysimachos and Ptolemaîos, and won several striking (and very unexpected for a “secretary” with lack of proper military experience) victories in Asia Minor. Defeating and eliminating Krateros and Neoptolemos at the battle of the Hellespont (321 BC), Eumenes, the “underdog” actually showed a considerable military aptitude from then on until his anti-climatic downfall.

Both Perdikkas and Eumenes, defenders of the royalist cause, fervently believed in a united Empire and one that was headed by a member of the Argead Dynasty of Macedonia.

PERDIKKAS, THE FIRST REGENT

Could he have maintained the integrity of the Empire?

Perdikkas was first mentioned in 335 BC when he fought among Alexander the Great’s army in Illyricum. According to Arrian of Nicomedia, he descended from a princely house in Orestis (next to modern Kastoria). About the same age as Alexander, Perdikkas was one of the killers of Philip II’s assassin, Pausanias, that also came from Orestis.

In 334, Perdikkas’s phalanx seemed to have been the first to break into Thebes (the city where Philip II had be raised). Alexander had Thebes plundered and burned.

During Alexander’s campaign against Persia, Perdikkas led his heavy phalanx infantry at every battle: at the Granicus (May 334 BC), during the siege of Miletos, at the battle of Issus, and he was left with overall command of a part of the Macedonian army while Alexander was struggling to take Tyre. At Gaugamela (October 331 BC), Perdikkas suffered an almost fatal injury.

The future arch enemies Perdikkas and Ptolemaîos were later mentioned as one of Alexander’s seven bodyguards. During the invasion of Gandara (327 BC), Perdikkas and Hephaestion captured an important city called Peucelaotis. In the Indian campaign, Perdikkas served as cavalry commander, including at the battle of Hydaspes.

At the royal weddings of Susa (March 324) Perdikkas was married to the daughter of Atropates, satrap of Media, and after Hephaestion’s death he was appointed chiliarch (the king’s majordomo) and commander of the Companion Cavalry, a demonstration of Alexander’s growing trust during the last months of his life.

When Alexander died at Babylon in June 323, on his deathbed, he handed his ring to Perdikkas, a way to designate him his rightful successor among all his former friends and companions. During the tumultuous partition that followed immediately afterwards, the cavalry and infantry leaders were divided but Perdikkas was eventually named regent of the joint kings Philip Arrhidaeus (Alexander’s half-brother) and Alexander IV, Roxana of Bactria’s yet to be born son. Perdikkas was to rule only as figurehead, with no real power.

Perdikkas attempted to marry Alexander’ sister Cleopatra, to strengthen his connection with the Argead dynasty and possibly claim the throne. Legitimacy was everything! But he made enemies of Antipatatros, Antigonos and Krateros, the most experienced and respected of all the Macedonian generals. Perdikkas’ authority was dangerously challenged, his only trusted ally was Eumenis, Philip and Alexander’s former court secretary, to whom he entrusted Kappadokia, a key province between Macedonia and Babylon.

After a short but severe regency, military failure in Egypt against Ptolemaîos who had stolen the Soma (Alexander’s remains), and mutiny in the army, Perdikkas was assassinated by his senior officers Peithon, Antigenis, and Séleukos in June 320 BC. At the Partition of Triparadisus, Antipatros, the satrap of Macedonia, was made the new regent but the Pandora’s box of bitter rivalry and all-out war between Alexander’s successors had been opened.

EUMENES OF CARDIA'S TRAGIC DESTINY

Eumenes was the son of Hieronymus of Cardia, a wagoner from Thracian Khersonesos (Gallipoli Peninsula). When he was about 20 of age (341 BC), he was detected by King Philip of Macedon who was passing by his city and brought to the court. Under Philip and Alexander, he rose to the rank of Chief Secretary and was one of Alexander’s most trusted advisers. According to Arrian and Plutarch, during the expedition to Eastern Punjab he also led an army, and eventually received overall command of the cavalry shortly before the king’s death, when Perdikkas was made chiliarch.

At the Susa weddings, Alexander gave him the hand of Artonis, one of the Persian satrap Artabazus’ two daughters, the other one (Artakama) being married to Ptolemaios. Still, Eumenes was neither Macedonian, nor had he led men into battle. Thus he always had to find ways to keep the allegiance of the core of the Macedonian army composed of the veterans who were mostly faithful to the ruling dynasty and to themselves. Eumenes used the cult of Alexander to keep their support as best as he could.

At the Partition of Babylon in 323 BC, Eumenes was made satrap of both Kappadokia and Paphlagonia, both regions not yet under Macedonian rule. During the First War of the Diadochi (321 AD), Eumenes was finally able to demonstrate his full military abilities: Faced with an army led by the mighty Krateros and Neoptolemos, he had both generals eliminated at the battle of the Hellespont to everyone’s astonishment, even killing the hated Neoptolemos in single combat. Yet, even after the Silver Shields from Krateros’ army had accepted to come to his side, most of them deserted him immediately after to join Antipatros instead: Eumenes was despised as a Greek and because he was responsible for the death of Krateros’ who had been the most respected of Alexander’s generals.

Immediately after his unexpected triumph at the battle of the Hellespont, everything fell apart: Perdikkas’ assassination ten days later changed the entire situation. Antipatros became the new regent and the One-Eyed Antigonos made supreme commander of the Macedonian forces in Asia. His main task was to defeat and eliminate Eumenes. The later retreated and was besieged with a handful of men in the fortress of Nora from which he managed to escape and raise a new army. He also managed to regain Antigenes’ Silver Shields allegiance and during 3 years skillfully battled Antigonos in Syria and Mesopotamia.

The last two massive battles of Paraitakene and Gabiene were indecisive although during both encounter the Silver Shields in Eumene’s ranks demonstrated their overwhelming superiority. At Gabiene (316 BC), although Eumenes had won the battle, Antigonos had stormed his adversary’s camp with his cavalry while the Phalanx was busy fighting and was unaware of what was going on in their rear. With their wives, baggage and loot all in in the hands of Antigonos, the Silver Shields entered in negotiations with him and betrayed Eumenes who was captured and brought to his arch enemy. After some hesitation, Eumenes was eventually strangled by his keeper, his body later devolved to his friends for a proper burial.

For their ignominious treachery, the Silver Shields who had declared about Eumenes that “this pest from the Khersonesos should come to grief for having harassed Macedonians with infinite wars”, were broken as a unit by Antigonos, dispatched far in the East, where they finally vanished from history.

Thank you for the second week of SUCCESSORS campaign. We won’t post updates during the weekend, to let you spend more time on gaming. ;) We will be back on Monday, for the final week of our campaign!

To the strongest!

Michal & PHALANX Team

The New Generation
over 4 years ago – Thu, Sep 05, 2019 at 05:42:01 PM

Hello Everyone,

Thank you for taking the 220k stretch goal. The first deck of Province Cards will be added to the game, helping you to keep track of the controlled provinces. And since some of you have been asking for more stretch goals - here they come!

Today we will show you the final large addendum to the SUCCESSORS campaign. This will be the biggest upgrade in terms of gameplay compared to the Third Edition of the game. We hope that you will enjoy this as much as we do!

When playtesting the 'late Diadochi wars' scenarios - a new feature, available only in this edition of the game - we have found that the current number of commanders isn't enough to guarantee the proper flow of the gameplay, especially for larger number of players (4-5). That is why we have decided to introduce some new generals, with their miniatures, standees and commander cards! This new generation of Successors will emerge in the final two scenarios, describing the Third and Fourth War of Diadochi, where many of their predecessors were historically not longer playing the game.

There are four new Successors.

ASANDROS

He will be used in the 3rd Diadochi War Scenario. His special ability refers to the fact that he managed to operate successfully from Kappadokia, and only Antigonos himself was able to defeat him.

Asandros, son of Philotas, was a Macedonian officer who was appointed satrap of Lydia (capital Sardis) by Alexander the Great c. 334 BC, but later recalled and replaced by Menander (331 BC). He arrived at Alexander’s camp with 4,000 infantry and 500 cavalry (328 BC). At the Partition of Babylon (323 BC), Asandros was given Caria (capital Aphrodisias). During the First War of the Diadochi, he was defeated by Alketas, Perdikkas’ brother (321 BC). During the Third War of the Diadochi, Kassandros and Ptolemaîos supported Asandros against Antigonos who ruled the neighboring provinces of Lycia, Lydia and Greater Phrygia. Asandros was eventually defeated by Antigonos, his satrapy taken away (312 BC). After that, his fate remained unknown.

There is a controversy, whether he is Parmenion’s brother or not. Parmenion (and his father Philotas) were close to Alexander the Great, but have been executed for treason.

The thing is, everything seems to show that Asandros WASN'T Parmenion's brother.

When Asandros arrived at Alexander's camp in the upper satrapies with his small army from Lydia (in 329 or 328 BC), after Philotas and Parmenion had been executed, the ancient sources do not show any reaction either from Alexander, Asandros, or anyone else in the army. Measures had been taken against everyone whose name appeared in the Dimnos affair.

We can only assume he was the son of another Philotas, the patronymic was common in Macedon at the time.

POLYARCHOS

He will be used in the 4th Diadochi War scenario. His special ability refers to the successful holding of citadel of Babylon against Antigonos forces.

Polyarchos was an officer in command of a district in Babylonia under Antigonos' satrap Peithon, son of Agenor, ca. 315-311, as we learn from his occupation of that post in April 311 when Seleukos not only boldly reconquered his former satrapy, but also claimed to be the strategos of all Asia. Since Polyarchos, with his roughly 1,000 soldiers, promptly betrayed Antigonos' cause and went over to Seleukos, it could be that he had already been stationed in Babylonia under Seleukos and was a long time ally.

MENELAOS

He will be used in the 4th Diadochi War Scenario. His special ability allows easier conquest of islands, as Ptolemaic faction historically did.

Menelaos, son of Lagos, was Ptolemaîos I’s brother and is first mentioned in 315 BC, when he conquered the island of Cyprus for the Ptolemaic state and ruled as governor thereafter. In 306 BC, Demetrios I landed in Cyprus and defeated Menelaos in battle outside the walls of Salamis which he started to besiege. With Ptolemaîos’ subsequent rout during the naval battle off that city, Menelaos was cut off from any possible reinforcements. Following his defeat, Ptolemaîos retreated to Egypt, and Menelaos was forced to surrender Salamis and its garrison. Demetrios I was Cyprus' new master. Since Menelaos was among the captives who were set free after the island fell, he returned to Egypt. After that, a papyrus fragment indicates that he became a priest of the eponymous cult to Alexander the Great, which Ptolemy had instituted in Alexandria (284 BC). There are no further mention of Menelaos.

PLEISTARCHOS

He is used in 3rd and 4th Diadochi War scenario. His special ability refers to his rather defensive nature.

Pleistarchos was Antipatros’ third son (Antipatros had six sons overall), and Kassandros’ younger brother, acting as his deputy commander in important theaters of war, as Kassandros enjoyed good relations with his siblings. Pleistarchos was first mentioned in Diodorus Siculus in 312 BC, when he was appointed governor of the Macedonian garrison of Chalkis by Kassandros, but lost the city to Ptolemaîos, Antigonos’ nephew.

A few years later, during the Four Years’ War (307-303 BC), he led an unsuccessful military expeditions against Athens (also attested by the famous Dypilon Gate curse written on a lead tablet) and Demetrios I in the Peloponnese with the loss of the Acrocorinth, Sikyon and Argos to the Besieger (early summer of 303 BC). In 302 BC, he attempted to lead 12,500 soldiers to support Lysimachos in Asia Minor, but he lost most of his troops and ships attempting to cross the Hellespont from Odessos (Varna) where he had probably tried to recruit Thracians. He was himself shipwrecked, barely escaping with his life. Again, Demetrios I had the upper hand, with a little help from a storm.

The following year, Pleistarchos participated in the battle of Ipsos, and in the aftermath, with Antigonos’ territories carved up between the victors, he received the province of Cilicia just across the waters of Cyprus, and parts of Caria (301 BC). However his arch-enemy Demetrios I raided and eventually conquered the region three years later, with the approval of Seleukos which enraged Pleistarchos!

Pleistarchos probably followed the fate of the Antipatrid dynasty that did not survive long Kassandros death (297 BC) and the suicidal dynastic struggle between his last two surviving sons Antipatros II and Alexander IV (294 BC). There are no further mentions of Pleistarchos, while Eupolemos, his lieutenant, took over in Caria.

The new scenarios (each one starting with a new game round) are very important upgrade to the Third Edition of the game which contained only one, full-game scenario. The new generals will add a lot of variety to the gameplay, as each of them has his own individual trait. Please note that these miniature sculpts aren't final, and will be updated in the final product. 

Kickstarter Exclusive Bonus Extended

As you can see, we really want to bring this new content to the game. That is why, to help you reach these goals, we will reward all backers with their backer number 2801-5000 with the Helepolis Siege Engine Kickstarter Exclusive miniature, similarly to the backers with their backer number of 2800 and below. Hopefully this will convince the undecided to support this campaign now, to unlock for everyone the great new goals that lie ahead!

All notes about the new commanders were written by Eric G. L. PINZELLI. Today he has also prepared for you a capsule about the most important heroine of our ancient tragedy.

OLYMPIAS, THE STRONGEST WOMAN OF HER ERA

Polyxena was born at Dodona, Epirus, c. 371 BC. She was the daughter of Neoptolemos, king of the Molossians, who claimed to be a descendant of Achilles and died when she was very young. Polyxena, brought up by her uncle Arrybas, was literate and versed into every aspect of statesmanship. While still very young, she traveled with Arrybas to the island of Samothrace where they met a delegation of Macedonians and with young prince Philip attending the sacred grounds to be initiated to the mysteries in the temple of Great Gods led by the Great Mother. It was on this occasion that Polyxena was betrothed to Philip to bind the two kingdoms in a military alliance against the Illyrians. After the secret rituals and her initiation, her name was changed to Myrtale. Later on, she would also become initiated to other esoteric worships, including, apparently, the Orphic rites and the Dionysian mysteries involving trance, intoxicants and snakes!

Philip II ascended the throne in 359 BC, and two years later Myrtale became his fourth wife. The birth of a healthy male child in 356 BC, the presumptive heir, considerably enhanced her status. Philip was in campaign against Potidaea when he learned simultaneously of Alexander’s birth, of Parmenion victory over the Illyrians, and of his chariots’ victory in the Olympic Games. Consequently, he renamed Myrtale “Olympias”. Later, she would also be known as Stratonike: “Victorious in Battle”. With time, they grew more distant, according to Plutarch in part because of Olympias’ ambitions and meddling in the king’s prerogatives, but also because of her passion for esoteric rites that startled him.

Olympias personally supervised young Alexander as frequently as she could. She demonstrated her love for Alexander (which he reciprocated), and worked to drive an emotional wedge between him and his father. When Philip II was assassinated during Kleopatra’s wedding with her uncle Alexander I of the Molossians, Olympias was suspected to have taken part in the plot. To clear the way for her son, Olympias had Kleopatra-Eurydike (Attalos’ niece), Philip’s seventh wife, immediately eliminated along with her two young children, Europa and Karanos (according to Justin, she forced Kleopatra-Eurydike to hang herself). Then, as Alexander the Great left for Asia to campaign against the gigantic Persian Empire, she went back to Epirus while Antipatros, whom she loathed, was entrusted with the regency over Macedon. Olympias and Antipatros clashed more and more frequently until Alexander the Great finally gave in to his mother and recalled the regent who was to be disgraced. Olympias certainly blamed Antipatros and his son Kassandros for Alexander’s subsequent death that may have been a consequence of Olympias and Antipatros’ intense rivalry.

Thus, as soon as Olympias learned about her son’s demise during the fall of 323 BC, she attempted to finally get rid of Antipatros and offered Kleopatra’s hand to Perdikkas, but the first regent was soon assassinated in Egypt (321 BC). During the war between Polyperchon and Kassandros, Olympias chose to support Polyperchon and her grandson Alexander IV against her stepson Philip III governed by his teenage wife Eurydike.

Olympias, now regarded as the mother of “God”, was by then revered by the Macedonian troops. While Polyperchon and Kassandros were campaigning in the Peloponnese, Eurydike issued a declaration elevating Kassandros to the regency. Olympias then made her move with the Epirote troops of her cousin king Aeakides and marched on Pella. Showing herself on the battlefield at the head of the Epirote army, the Macedonians deserted Philip III and rallied Alexander’s mother. Consequently, she had her stepson assassinated and forced Eurydike to commit suicide. These actions horrified most of her followers but then Olympias went even further: on a personal vendetta against Antipatros’ house, she had Nikanor killed, and Iollas’ tomb opened and desecrated. Both were Kassandros’ brothers. Finally, according to Diodorus, she ordered the slaughter of one hundred friends and supporters of Kassandros that had been captured by her troops. Olympias‘ savage rampage cost her to lose local public support.

When Kassandros returned in haste to Macedon with a large army, Olympias and her followers were forced to take refuge in the fortress of Pydna on the west coast of the Thermaic Gulf, and withstand a siege with no allies in the vicinity to relieve them. Soon the situation became hopeless, as Aeakides of Epirus was toppled by a rebellion and Epirus, changing sides, became an ally of Kassandros. Faced by starvation, the Pydna garrison surrendered in the spring 316 BC. Since the soldiers would not harm Alexander’s mother, Kassandros put her on a trial. Olympias was condemned in absentia, and executed by the relatives of those Macedonians whom she herself had so recently put to death. A dignified Olympias faced her demise without uttering a word. After Olympias’ execution, Kassandros, according to Diodorus and Porphyry, refused her body proper burial. However, we know thanks to epigraphical evidence, that some members of the Aeacidae gained control of her remains, and an appropriate, now lost tomb, was constructed near Pydna, which apparently drew visitors for hundreds of years.

To the strongest!

Michal & PHALANX Team

PHALANX Ancestors of Successors
over 4 years ago – Wed, Sep 04, 2019 at 11:10:03 PM

Hello Everyone,

In today’s update we would like to show you the status of our previously funded Kickstarter projects that still aren’t delivered - these are Freedom!, Europe Divided and Nanty Narking. All our other projects are fulfilled already (Germania Magna, HANNIBAL & HAMILCAR, U-BOOT).

Freedom! and Europe Divided were funded this year and are currently in production. Manufacturing of Freedom! is easier, as we are publishing only the English edition, and the files are in the printworks now. The wooden pieces for the game are already manufactured, waiting in our warehouse. Europe Divided is a more complicated production, as the game comes in 4 language editions. EN and SP files are ready in the printworks and DE and PL files are in lay out now. Production of both projects is advanced enough that we are sure that we will deliver them on time (by the end of this year).

Nanty Narking is a different topic, as the game was funded in September 2018. It is already produced, with EN, DE, FR and PL copies being in our warehouse now (SP edition is now in transit to Spain). This was a huge project, containing tons of unique artworks and more than 90 miniatures. But still, we are going to deliver the game to our backers on time, no later than October 2019. Hopefully, most of the games will be shipped this month.

You can check the quality of this production here:

We are writing this to assure you that PHALANX is a reliable publisher, capable of completing ambitious projects of great quality on time. Crowdfunding campaigns like this one enable us to publish such interesting projects, and we are very grateful for your support!

Please note that you can pre-order the games listed above as add-ons to this campaign. It is highly recommended, as the money you spend on add-ons count towards the funding total of this campaign which in turn unlocks more stretch goals for the SUCCESSORS game. :)

We have talked about the present so now we can go back to the past. Eric G. L. PINZELLI will tell you the story of Alexander’s sister, whose name has been immortalized...

THESSALONIKE, ALEXANDER’S HALF SISTER

Thessalonike was Philip II and Nikesipolis of Thessaly’s daughter. Thus, she was one of Alexander the Great’s half sisters. After the fall of Pydna in 316 BC, she was captured by Kassandros who married her by force as he was trying to establish his own claim to the Macedonian throne.

According to some ancient sources, the young princess was born on the day of the bloody Battle of the Crocus Field (353 or 352 BC, some say 345 BC) that took place in Thessaly, during the Third Sacred War. Philip II and his Macedonians won the encounter as Apollo’s champions over the Phocians’ mercenaries, and thus the newborn was baptized “Victory in Thessaly”: Thessaly-Nike. Since her mother had died 20 days after giving birth, Thessalonike was brought up by Olympias, by then the chief wife as mother of royal heir Alexander III and Kleopatra. She was still very young when her brother Alexander ascended the throne and left for his legendary campaigns against Persia.

After that, there is no mention of Thessalonike again until the war between 3rd regent Polyperchon and Kassandros. In 316 BC, she was one of the Argeads captured by Kassandros when the citadel of Pydna fell. As her step-mother Olympias was executed, Roxana and Alexander IV kept in custody at Amphipolis for the rest of their miserable existence, Kassandros decided to use Alexander the Great’s half sister to legitimize his own authority. Thus Thessalonike became queen of Macedon and gave three sons of half-royal ancestry to the Butcher of Alexander’s relatives: Philip IV, Antipatros II and Alexander V. Kassandros refounded the ancient Corinthian colony of Therma into Thessalonica, naming the new city after his wife, which was a political act and a royal prerogative (c. 315 BC).

When Kassandros died of natural causes in 297 BC, he was briefly succeeded by his eldest son Philip IV who also passed away after only a few months. Antipatros was the eldest of the two surviving teens but Thessalonike, who seemed to have favored the younger Alexander IV, arranged a division of the kingdom between her sons. Enraged by his mother’s involvement in state politics, Antipatros II had Thessalonike assassinated and his younger brother ousted from Macedonia. Young Alexander IV and his supporters turned to Pyrrhos of Epirus and Demetrios for military assistance which sealed their fate as the Besieger had them both killed (294 BC). Thus was the Antipatrid dynasty eradicated, and with them, anyone related to the Argeads who had ruled over the kingdom of Macedon for more than 300 years.

To the strongest!

Michal & PHALANX Team