The Battle for Argolis - Megagaming in Leeds (Part Three)

Autolycus reached into his knapsack and drew out the jar of ointment he had been given by Medea. Blood pumped hotly from the spear wound in his side and the bright colours worn by the defenders of Argolis seemed to swim slowly all around him. There was a label on the jar that he'd never thought to read before and now seemed the appropriate moment:

"Apply to thy skin at dawn and ye shall be invulnerable 'til nightfall."

Broken and burned, Autolycus still could not help but laugh.
"Sir?" The men that followed him into battle stared at their leader in wide-eyed horror.
"I just wish I'd read this label last night!" A split second later the sky was rent by a final thunderbolt, the laughter of Autolycus rose briefly into a roar of pain, and nothing remained of him but ash on the breeze.

Now, you might be thinking, by Hades! When did Argolis become relevant? And, you'd be right to, because this is going to take some back-story. It is worth taking the time to understand the role of Argolis in this tale, however, as it was the site of Autolycus's most honourable and most foolish hour as well as, if I may be so bold, the greatest mistake made by Artemis. The city-state of Argolis stands on the eastern peninsula of Peloponnesus, east of Arkadia (where I wanted to take the Golden Fleece) and north-east of Lakonis (where Ares demanded that I take it). Either way, my return journey from Colchis took me through the lands of Argolis and I found it to be an affluent and flourishing region.

Let's hear what one of the rulers of Argolis had to say at this point in the day.

For many years, the city had fostered good relations with the hero, Bellerophon. He slew beasts for them, led their armies and took Quests in their name. They had also built an enormous temple to Artemis who favoured them in return. This was very much a city-state that believed in keeping all their eggs in a single basket.

The Proud Nobility of Argolis and Faithful Bellerophon.

I knew by this point that I would disobey Ares, but I had no idea how the games of divinity are played and I thought it best to seek the advice of Artemis. So, entering the temple and kneeling before the oracle, I recounted the events that had taken place and requested guidance. The Voice of Artemis promised me that I would be protected and I should dedicate the Quest for the Golden Fleece to the goddess as I had planned. I agreed, but inquired where I should take the Fleece as it was a tremendously prestigious item for any city-state to possess. Here, I feel, the goddess misstepped. Wherever the Fleece was deposited was bound to attract a great deal of unwelcome attention but, underestimating her rivals, the oracle told me simply to present it to the Wanax of Argolis with the warning that it must be protected. I did as the goddess bid me, even though I could almost see the Hand of Ares standing beside me saying "WHAT THE F...?!!"

I had barely finished relaying the words of Artemis to the Wanax of Argolis, when a fully armoured soldier made of solid bronze strode into the court, marble slabs cracking under his mighty footfalls. Ares had manifest once more and was demanding that the Fleece be surrendered unto him. Suddenly, a terrible roar shook the building. An enormous tiger with silver fur that shimmered like moonlight, bounded into the space between Ares and the Fleece, baring its teeth and lashing its tail from side to side. Apparently, the gods were willing to duel for ownership of this iconic trophy, and Argolis would be the unhappy hosts of their conflict.

"Of course," Autolycus mused aloud, "if another goddess were to support Artemis..."

I'd like to say that, at this point, I left Argolis to battle monsters in distant lands or set out upon another Quest, for that is the work of heroes and, if I intended to maintain my position as Most Glorious Hero, I had a good deal more to do. However, in spite of the fact that I could never hope to influence the outcome of a contest between deities I stood (alongside almost every other player in the room) and watched in dumbstruck awe as the battle played out.

"It's one of those classic megagame 'everybody crowds round one table' moments!" - Bruce Walton

First, Ares struck with his enormous spear, but the tiger-form of Artemis was quick and lithe. She dodged the blow and the first round was a draw. Then, Artemis drew on her divine grace and delivered a strike to Ares that, though invisible and utterly incomprehensible, was felt by all those present. Finally, Ares fell back on his cunning. Feigning defeat, he waited until the tiger drew close, then he rose in a flurry and buried a dagger in the great beast's chest. Artemis vanished, Ares claimed the Fleece and then he stalked from the hall. No one could fail to appreciate the gravity of the situation; Autolycus was a dead man walking, but worse, he would likely take the city-state of Argolis with him.

As I stumbled away from the table, head reeling, still failing to engage in the tasks that would keep me from losing the lead over my rival heroes, I was approached by representatives of two city-states. Apparently, it was known throughout Hellas that Argolis and Artemis had been delivered a crippling blow. Therefore, a mighty host was marching from several neighbouring city-states, with the blessings (and potentially corporeal manifestations) of Ares, Aphrodite and Athena, to exploit the vulnerability of Argolis and raze their city to the ground. I ran to the temples of Apollo and Artemis with warnings and appealing for aid, then I made the long walk back to the Argolis table. A wiser man might have stayed away. Ares would be occupied by the battle and likely wouldn't catch up with me for some time if I went abroad on a Quest. A more unscrupulous man might have joined the invading army. The god of war was unlikely to strike down a general in the armies that marched in his name. But I'd decided long ago that Autolycus was far less wise than he was honourable, so I took my position on a hillside overlooking Argolis and awaited my fate.

If Artemis can be said to have misjudged anything, it would be the danger posed by a god with nothing to lose. Unbeknownst to mere mortals, the resolution of the Quest for the Golden Fleece had left Ares in an unsalvageable position with no way to seek greater satisfaction than petty vengeance. If Artemis can be said to have been at all unwise, it would be in the loyalty she showed to her servant. The armour Autolycus wore sparkled with myriad stars, his sword arm moved with a grace and alacrity that could only be divinely inspired. The goddess had sunk the remainder of her strength into this man. Did she believe he was not doomed? If so, she was the only one. Perhaps her greatest weakness was that she was willing to back me all the way, and I was damned if I was going to let her regret that.

The Battle for Argolis draws the attention of all but the most competitive (and those who cannot leave their tables).

"MORTAL!" Predictably enough, Ares had taken physical form once more and had interrupted the resolution of the actual invasion to pick a personal beef with me. There are those who say that mortal veins are spiked with just a drop of Titans' blood. I don't know how true that is, but in that moment I could certainly believe it.

"What do you want, Ares?" A few players looked to Game Control in shock. Surely, I couldn't be permitted to talk to a god that way? Game Control waved them back, my fate was sealed - may as well let me enjoy it. The god of war accused me of acting with dishonour and foolishness when I disobeyed his will. "All I ever did was refuse to be pushed around by you, you whining bully!" That, believe it or not, was all the god was willing to take from me. He hurled his spear in my direction. Fortunately, at the last second, one of my companions (a legendary archer) loosed an arrow into his eyes, turning his aim slightly so that the blow dealt was not fatal. I spent all the divine favour, puissance and lucky re-rolls that I had amassed through the game to weave across the battlefield with superhuman agility. Ares followed up the assault with a shower of lightning bolts, however, which proved more than enough to destroy my fragile mortal body.

After that, I think I shut down altogether. The hunger and fatigue that I'd been holding at bay overwhelmed my senses. I'm pretty sure Argolis took a beating. In a particularly memorable moment, the city's favoured hero, Bellerophon, lead an army of enemy forces into the main square and set the Temple of Artemis ablaze - uncool, Bellerophon, but a fascinating plot twist. In the next turn, Hero Control would announce my death to the whole room and I would be given a round of applause. He would issue me with a new hero, carrying over all of my glory and achievements (see how much I should have kept questing?). And I would play out the final turn of the day as Eurytus, successfully slaying a giant bear and a giant, erm... guy, before ending the day in third or fourth place. In all honesty, I don't remember. Dying rather took the wind from my sails and the last hour or two of the day passed in something of a blur.

I wish I could tell you that I took the defeat of Autolycus with good grace. In truth, though, I ran around desperately trying to locate the card for the Ointment of Medea which, at the time, I believed would cure any wound. When a fellow hero piped up that he had the card, I discovered to my horror that it should have been declared before dice were rolled. Game Control comforted me by saying that it was never intended to thwart the gods and that, had it come up at the table, he would have simply made Ares spend twice as much divine power to destroy me. Imagine my heartbreak when, in the hotel bar after the game, the Hand of Ares told me that it had cost nearly all the divine power he had to take me down. I said I was fine with it, but for hours I was tortured by the thought that I could have survived. Finally though, I realised how lucky I had been. The way events turned out had given me the one thing I wanted from my experience more than anything else: a fantastic story. Autolycus was a joy to play and got the spectacular finish he deserved. In addition, I got to meet a host of wonderful people who I sincerely hope I'll be gaming with again in the near future.

This picture was taken at the end of the day... I'm still grinning!

Would I recommend Megagaming?
I'll let you guess the answer to that one. :-)

Images courtesy of Alexander Porter, Andrew Hadley (Megagame Makers) and Leeds Sword