Character Creation: What would an RPG IH be without the basic character creation scheme? Please follow the instructions below to a T: All characters will have to be approved by Watercress or Dan. Characters who don’t stick to the formula will not be approved.
Format:Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
There were some pretty stringent conditions in place in order for one to become a member of the Athenian government. One must be a male born of two Athenian parents and must have served two years of military service. Since the average starting age of military service in those days was 20, this means every character must be at least 22 years old. If your character does not meet these characteristics he will not be approved. Characters with religious views outside of Greek paganism will not be accepted either. Write your biographies carefully!
Occupations:
Merchant: You are a merchant by trade, importing exotic goods to Athenian markets and exporting Greek ones throughout the Mediterranean. You are not necessarily wealthy, but you hold your own and it’s a (somewhat) honest living. You’re likely to be a supporter of expanding Athens’ empire to control more foreign markets, leading to greater control of vital trade lanes and more drachmas in your purse.
Rural Aristocrat: You are a wealthy man, owning vast tracts of land outside the city limits worked by more slaves than you care to count. You are also likely to support imperial expansion and total defeat of the Spartans. After all, your fields are the ones who will be burnt and raided if Spartan forces start poking their noses around Athens itself.
Urban Aristocrat: Similar to the rural aristocracy, but preferring city life to the countryside. You will also be likely to support the same political goals.
Philosopher: You are a thinker by nature, whether you are a follower of the new school of Socrates, a Sophist, an Eleatic, a Pythagorean, or anything in between. Knowledge is your currency, not drachma, so you are not a wealthy man by material standards. You are wise, however, and your opinion is very likely to carry some weight among your peers. You are not likely to support expansionism, preferring a nation of scholars to a nation of warriors.
Strategos: You have served as a commanding officer in the Athenian armies…though not necessarily with dignity. Maybe you led Athens’ armies to glorious victory far afield, or maybe you barely staved off the total annihilation of whatever unfortunate force you were given command of. Either way, your military career lends you a certain degree of respect and the mandatory military service required of all members of the Boule. You are almost definitely a supporter of Athenian expansion and the destruction of Sparta at all costs.
Freeman: You are not a slave, but you probably live like one. Eking out a living as a fisherman, farmer, hunter, stonemason, builder, woodcutter, or any combination of the above, you are on one of the lower rungs of society. But the advent of Athenian democracy has given you a new voice, a voice that you and your people have never had before. You are unlikely to support expansionism and perhaps even to support the appeasement of the Spartan army. After all, it will be you and your sons risking their lives on the battlefield, not the aristocrats.
Architect: You were one of the geniuses behind Pericles’ great building projects, be it the Parthenon itself or anything else. You are an intelligent man with an eye for design and your opinion will be invaluable in the creation of new public works and perhaps even siege works later on. You could go either way as far as imperialism and support of the war goes.