There is Alexander's Empire, but granted one could do something else with the Persian Empire.
This would be a great starting point:
Include both the Persian Empire and the Greek Cities from Greece proper and Southern Italy. Divide the entire thing in about 50-odd satrapies (Persia) and cities (Greece).
Divide it all in a few regions and give each appropriate bonuses.
Add two lines with another 25 city-territories in total, acting like metro lines in city maps (ex: Vancouver): the Royal Road, connecting key cities in the Persian Heartland; and
The Opponents" Path (or something similar) connecting the big Greek victories (Thermopylae, Marathon, Salamis) with the cities of empires and peoples conquered by the Persians (Egypt, Israel, Mesopotamia, Babylon etc)
Whoever controls either one of these two lines wins (Persian win for Royal Road, Greek win for Opponents' path)
You may or may not want to make Sparta (or Athens), Memphis, Babylon, Ecbatana , and Persepolis, Sousa, Niniveh, Pergamum +1 autodeploy and starting neutral.
What fascinates me is that the territory of this first great world empire corresponds pretty accccurately with the critical area covered by the Central Asia: The Fight for Oil map I am working on with pamoa.
- Click image to enlarge.
Alternatively, instead of the opponents' path you can connect the Greek victories with Xenophon's march for the Greek Victory Line. it has the advantage of being more historically accurate than the first idea.
- Click image to enlarge.
Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 3:52 am