Introduction by ACME Game Developer Fred Schachter: The February 2021 GMT Update contained a wonderful new development as the game proceeds towards production readiness… the first increment of professional graphics by the talented Mark Mahaffey!
Below is the eighteenth in a series of articles from Mark McLaughlin showcasing the civilizations in Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East. You can find the first seventeen articles in the series here.
For those interested, here is a cross-post from Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea and Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East Co-Designer Mark McLaughlin’s blog where he shares an audio recording of the account from Pharoh Rameses III describing his victory over the Sea Peoples. In this article, Mark also discusses the Sea Peoples as they appear in both of his ancient world games. You can also read this article on his blog here. Enjoy!
Rostam is the hero of the Persian national epic, Shahnameh (which translates as Epic of Kings), which was written by the poet Abolqasem Ferdowsi around 1000 AD. It is set in a semi-mythical era that loosely resembles the Parthian period (247 BC – 224 AD). The central conflict is between the Persians and the Turanians, invaders from Central Asia whose homelands are situated on the far side of the Oxus River and the eastern shores of the Aral Sea. Rostam is repeatedly called upon to save the kingdom (and its hot-headed, selfish and incompetent king). This scenario is set at the period in the book where the Turanian king, Afrasiyab, sets forth on the first of his many invasions.
Introduction: By Game Developer, Fred Schachter – Players desiring a bit more complexity to their games of ACIS and/or ACME (once published, of course) in exchange for adding development of culture to their respective Civilizations should appreciate this offering by designers Chris and Mark. This responds to some ACIS players lamenting the game’s absence of a “Culture Arc”.
When play-testing these rules; we found the added complexity acceptable. What’s nice is that with exception of military-oriented developments, advancing a Civilization’s culture does not entail direct overt aggression towards another player… a nice touch in my opinion to a game which already has plenty of “take that!” opportunities.
What these rules entail is another path to achieving your Civilization’s victory and a new aspect to the fascinating resource allocation “puzzle” the designers provide. When trying this option with Ancient Civilizations of the Inner Sea, please feel free to tinker with these rules to achieve what your gamer group believes provides the best alternatives. Above all… have fun!
With that, here’s what Chris and Mark offer…
Below is the seventeenth in a series of articles from Mark McLaughlin showcasing the 16 civilizations in Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East. You can find the first sixteen articles in the series here.
Below is the sixteenth in a series of articles from Mark McLaughlin showcasing the 16 civilizations in Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East. You can find the first fifteen articles in the series here.
Below is the fifteenth in a series of articles from Mark McLaughlin showcasing the 16 civilizations in Ancient Civilizations of the Middle East. You can find the first fourteen articles in the series here.
For the first time in my 40+ years of game design I was invited to a convention as an Industry Guest – all expenses paid (they even gave me food and beer). I had never been to TotalCon, even though I live in New England and it is 90 minutes from home. Thanks to podcaster Jonathan Reinhart, who interviewed me last year, however, the invite came and I accepted – and I am so glad I did!
