SUCCESSORS

        The following is a record of a solitaire game of Avalon Hill's
Successors, in which I played all four factions.  I named the factions
after the appearance of the four sets of faction control counters:
Stars (the blue ones); Snakes, Horses, and Lions.  This game ended a bit
sooner than I expected, and in fact, I played a few rounds beyond what I
should have! I then went back and recounted VPs and discovered that the
Snakes had won by virtue of succeeding to (no pun intended) the Largest
Fleet VPs.  Still, this game record should give a pretty good glimpse at
how the game ebbs and flows.

323_320 BC

        General situation.  Alexander the Great is dead.  The initial
distribution of generals resulted in a most interesting situation, as
described below.  I believe this distribution procedure is fun, because
it results in vastly different games each time, especially in
combination with the random card distribution.

        Snake Faction:  Perdiccas and Ptolemy are allied in the Snake
Faction_clearly the most powerful and legitimate faction in the game.
Between them, they control Babylonia and Egypt, garnering twice as many
victory points as any other faction (10).  Also, because they control
Alexander IV, and because of Perdiccas' seniority, they are also the
most legitimate successors by far (9).  Their strategy will be to
advance toward Asia Minor, with a view to capturing Phoenicia (Largest
Fleet VPs) and the Kingship of Asia (3 VPs), as well as threatening a
move on Pella to bury Alexander.  The course of the initial game will
revolve around how the other factions oppose the Snakes.

        Star Faction.  Antipater and Peithon are the most isolated and
dispersed faction.  Antipater controls Macedonia, and Peithon is on the
other side of the empire with Media.  Survival will be the challenge.
Among the lesser three factions, they are the most legitimate, giving
them a slight tactical advantage.  Their initial strategy will have to
be reactive, although Peithon may prove able to harass Perdiccas' rear.

        Lion Faction.  Lysimachus and Leonnatus are allied and between
them virtually control the Hellespont.  Obviously, their initial
strategy will include the seizure of Nicaea, in order to complete their
control (2 VPs).  Other than that, they will strive to garner control of
Lydia or other parts of Asia and Europe.

        Horse Faction.  Craterus and Antigonus are arguably the weakest
faction, with the least legitimacy and few VPs.  Further, they are the
first in the path of the Snakes.  Their only advantage is their
proximity to each other.  Their initial strategy will be to seize Caria,
in order to possess the Asia Minor fleet.  They may also move against
the islands, in order to provide some naval opposition to the Snakes.

        The Stars determine the order of play, and they choose
themselves to move first, in order to allow all three lesser factions a
first turn before the Snakes get to move.  The Snakes are labeled the
Usurpers.

Round One

        The Stars extend their control to Persia (+2VPs), and  the city
of Larissa.  A massive revolt erupted in Thrace, robbing the Lions of 3
VPs.  The Stars intent was to cause a revolt in Egypt.  Peithon moves
into Persia, with a view to subjugating the Uxii_a prelude to
controlling Susiana, from which he can threaten Perdiccas.  Meanwhile,
Antipater moved to Tricca in Thessaly, in order to capture control of
Thessaly before the Greeks might invade.  Ultimately, Antipater wants to
capture Athens to get the fleet and the VPs for Greece.

        The Lions concentrated on recovering from the Thracian
rebellion.  Traitors delivered Cherronesus and the Odrysi, while
Leonnatus moved to Nicaea with his army and Lysimachus moved to
Apollonia.

        The Horses captured control of Caria (1VP), thus gaining the
Asia Minor Fleet.  They also received the capitulation of Arados and
Sidon, in an attempt to prevent Phoenicia from falling into Ptolemy's
hands. Craterus attempts to move to Salamis, with the intention of
seizing Cyprus, with its fleet, but storms at sea force him to return to
Tarsus.  Meanwhile, Antigonus moved to Xanthus, in order to stage his
invasion of Rhodes.

        The Snakes began their campaign for victory.  They gained
control of Susa, in order to slow Peithon's advance.  Then Ptolemy
gained the Jewish coastal towns of Gaza and Samaria as a prelude to his
advance toward Phoenicia.  He judged that he would be unable to beat
Antigonus to Rhodes (given Ptolemy's poor initiative), so he opted for a
general advance along the coast.  The Snakes also made common cause with
the Autariatae and the Greeks, urging them to attack Antipater.  The
Autariatae marched to Amphipolis and seized the city.  The Greeks stayed
in Greece and in fact fell back to Achaea, with the intent of
counterattacking Antipater after he invaded Greece.  Perdiccas moved to
Thilabus, and Ptolemy to Pelusium. A low movement die roll took its
toll.

Round 2

        Tricca falls to Antipater, and the Stars gain control of
Thessaly (1VP).  Peithon launches a major campaign, marching toward the
Uxii.  Although initially successful, Peithon's army suffered a reverse
during the subjugation attempt, which was not completed.  In the Battle
of Amphipolis, Antipater defeated the Autariatae, gaining prestige, but
losing some of his army.  In general, this round featured military
successes for the Stars, but they suffered some attrition to their
forces.

        The Lion Faction.  Lysimachus subjugated the rebel city of
Apollonia, thus regaining control of Thrace (3 VPs), although the
western portion of the province is still under arms.  Across the strait,
Leonnatus captured Nicaea, thus completing Lion control of the
Hellespont (2VPs).  The Lions then extended their control into Lydia,
securing half the satrapy for themselves.  The two generals moved their
armies into Lydia, garrisoning Sardis and camping near Miletus.

        The Horses catapulted into the lead.  First, Xanthus fell to
Antigonus.  Then, the Horses extended their control to Tyre, winning
Phoenicia (2VPs), and the Phoencian fleet (4VPs for largest fleet).
They also completed their control of Pamphylia and Lycia (2VPs) for a
total of 14 VPs.  Antigonus landed on Rhodes, but was unable to gain any
ground in siege operations.  When Craterus sailed for Salamis, Ptolemy's
Egyptian fleet tried to intercept (losing Champion status) but failed to
find their target.  He invested Salamis.

        Perdiccas captured Thilabus.  The Snakes extended their control
to include half of Mesopotamia, and secured Judea.  They also captured
control of Damascus.  Once again, however, the Snakes' bad initiative
ratings, coupled with a low movement die roll condemned them to
indecisive maneuver.  Perdiccas moved back to Babylon in order to be
within striking range of Peithon as necessary.  Ptolemy, attempting to
move northward, judged that he could not risk a naval movement to Gaza,
because Horse faction ships, basing out of Tyre, could intercept.  He
instead had to march across the Sinai, delaying his progress.
Meanwhile, his rear is threatened by Antigonus' presence in Rhodes.

Round 3

        Antipater recaptured Amphipolis.  Peithon completed the
subjugation of the Uxii, thus opening the route to the rest of Susiana.
Peithon also adapted Persian ways, thus winning Persian support at the
expense of his legitimacy.  He recruited his army back to its original
strength.  The only serious consequence of the Persian connection is
that Antipater's position is weakened in the eyes of the Royal
Macedonian units, which may or may not be consequential later.  Probably
a better move would have been to seize political control of Charax and
Elymae.  That would have resulted in instant VP, immediate control of
Susiana, and the advantage of local troops.  Instead, the Snakes will
likely succeed to control of the satrapy.  Antipater defeated the
Boeotian Greeks.

        Leonnatus captures Miletus and with it control of Lydia (2VPs).
The Lions discard.  In an important reversal of the political alignment,
Leonnatus moves to Celaenae and beseiges it, thus threatening Horses'
control of Phrygia.  His intent is to draw the Horses from the islands
to prevent their navy from becoming too large.  Lysimachus remains in
Sardis to support Leonnatus.  It is interesting how quickly the
centrifugal forces of faction interest can begin to pull a coalition
apart!

        Faced with increasing opposition to their sudden lead, the
Horses must decide whether to proceed against the islands, or to fight
the Lions.  Because they cannot afford to lose the legitimacy, they
decide to press on with the assault on the islands.  They also gain
political control of Syria (2VPs).  Antigonus invests Rhodes and makes
progress, but he begins to despair of success, given Rhodes' impregnable
position. Craterus again advances against Salamis and brings the city to
the edge of surrender, but his Macedonians suffer attrition in the
campaign.  He fails to capture the city, and his casualties are so
severe that he will be unable to attack unless reinforced.  Meanwhile,
Antigonus tries again against Rhodes, but also shows no progress.

        With the conflict between the Horses and Lions, the Snakes'
position is looking up.  Their fortunes improve as they capture control
of Susiana, as Peithon failed to do (1VP).  They also complete their
conquest of Mesopotamia (2VP).  Finally getting a good movement die
roll, Perdiccas races to Elymae and faces Peithon.  Matters are quickly
coming to a head in Susiana.  Ptolemy moves to Tyre and invests the
city, challenging Horse control of Phoenicia (and the fleet).

Round 4

        Antipater attempted to ally with the Cilician pirates, but a
Cretan liar prevented it.  He then captures Boeotia, officially
beginning his Greek campaign.  The Stars gain control of Lesbos and
Zadracarta.  They employ the Ahura Mazda and Ahriman card against the
Horses, stealing their Surprise and Deception card. Antipater moves
decisively against Athens and invests the city efficiently.  Faced by a
superior army, which is reinforced by local troops, Peithon pulls back
into Persia and plans to make a stand there.  In this he has regained
some of the strategic savvy he earlier lost, because Perdiccas is now
under pressure to pursue, or else must face a continued threat to his
rear as he marches for Asia Minor.

        Leonnatus proceeds against Celaenae.  Meanwhile, Lysimachus
marches to Iconian and defeats the Horse garrison there.  The Horses
still control Phrygia, but just barely.  But then Leonnatus suffers a
decisive reverse at the siege of Celaenae.  He loses his mercenary
contingent and suffers so many casualties that he cannot proceed.

        Antigonus decides to leave a mercenary contingent at Rhodes,
trusting in his navy to intercept any enemy attempt to lift the siege.
Meanwhile, he can move to Cyprus to reinforce Craterus' attempt to seize
Salamis.  A contingent of elephants arrived in Halicarnassus.  Antigonus
changed his plan and decided to take on the Lions at Celaenae.
Antipater's navy tried to intercept Antigonus at Halicarnassus (losing
legitimacy) but failed to contact him.  Antigonus continued to Celaenae,
picking up the elephants in Halicarnassus. Lysimachus successfully
intercepted Antigonus outside of the city, setting the stage for a
dramatic battle. Lysimachus took command for the Lions.  Just before
battle joined, Antigonus gazed over the field and his heart almost
failed him.  The Silver Shields had arrived and joined Lysimachus' army.
In the ensuing battle, Lysimachus defeated Antigonus.  Antigonus fled
with a small contingent of Macedonians.  The Lions also benefited by not
losing legitimacy in the eyes of the people.

        Ptolemy builds the Heliopolis at Tyre, which helps him besiege
the city.  He eventually captured the city but did not yet gain complete
control.  However, its loss is enough to cause the Horses to lose
control of Phoenicia (-2VP) and the Largest Fleet bonus (-4VP).  Ptolemy
then advanced on Sidon.  Perdiccas decides to attack Peithon.  The odds
appear to be exactly even, but if the Snakes do not neutralize the
threat to their rear, they will not be able to push on with their plan.
Perdiccas marches to Persepolis.  Rather than risk the loss of local
troops, Peithon accepts battle.  Perdiccas' elephants perform well, and
Peithon is decisively defeated.

Round 5

        On the heels of disaster, Antipater captures Athens, gaining the
Athenian fleet and the points (4VP) for the largest navy.  He then
commences a major campaign, sailing to Cyclades and defeating the
independent garrison there.  He leaves a minor general with a Macedonian
contingent to capture control and sails back to Athens.  He continues to
Corinth, where he defeats the local garrison and prepares to capture the
city.

        Lysimachus continued to besiege Celaenae, while Leonnatus moved
off to Gordium.  Meanwhile, the Lion Faction secured political control
of Iconian and Getae.  Lysimachus was unable to force the city into
capitulation.

        With the loss of Antigonus' army, Craterus had no hope of
swiftly concluding the siege of Salamis. His options were to maintain
his position and await reinforcements, or to raise the siege and pursue
a new strategy.  He chose the former, although a strike against Ptolemy
was tempting.

        The Snake Faction captured Phoenicia, gaining 2 VPs and the
Phoenician fleet, although the Stars still have the largest fleet.
Perdiccas captured Persepolis, neutralizing Star control of Persia.  The
Snakes also extended their influence in Judea and Armenia.  Perdiccas
returned to Babylonia, preparing to escort Alexander's body to burial.
Ptoloemy moved to Damascus and captured Heracles.  In retrospect, it
might have been better for Perdiccas to solve the Peithon problem once
and for all by campaigning against Ecbatana. Because Peithon survived
the Battle of Persepolis, Perdiccas has gained only a brief reprieve.

Round 6

        Antipater captured both Corinth and Cyclades, gaining control of
Greece (5VPs).  He ended the round in Cyclades, poised to move by sea
into Asia.

At the end of the turn, the Star Faction lost control of the Uxii space
due to isolation.

319_316 BC

        At the start of this turn, the Horse faction has no legitimacy
and 10 points (3rd place).  The Snake faction has 6 legitimacy and 17
points (1st place).  The Star faction has no legitimacy and 15 VPs (2nd
place). And the Lion faction has 4 legitimacy and 9 VPs (4th place).
The Lions decide to let the Horse faction go first. The Snake faction is
again declared the Usurpers.

        The Horse faction receive reinforcements (2 mercenary plus the
remains of Antigonus' army) in Halicarnassus.  All of the Snake faction
reinforcements (4 mercenary plus 1 Macedonian) go to Ptolemy in Tyre.
Star reinforcements (2 mercenary plus 1 Macedonian) arrive in Athens
under a minor general.  Peithon, with one Macedonian CU arrives in
Ecbatana and is reinforced with one mercenary, due to Persian support.
The Lions receive two mercenary strength points in Gordium, where they
reinforce Leonnatus.

        At this point, the Snakes seem to be within striking distance of
a win.  It would require snatching about three satrapies without losing
anything to do the job.  The Stars are in second place, but with Peithon
temporarily out of action, their advantage seems limited.  There seems
to be ample room for cooperation against the Usurper.

Round 1

        The Horse faction faced grave problems.  With Ptolemy's latest
reinforcement, the Horses have disaster on their doorstep.  They no
longer enjoy naval superiority, and the Lion faction is still besieging
Celaenae and trying to seize Phrygia.  Furthermore, Antipater is nearby
with naval superiority.  Craterus was reinforced with one elephant CU at
Salamis but promptly lost them in another ineffective assault.
Antigonus marched to Aspendus and then sailed for Salamis to mass forces
with Craterus.  Ptolemy tried to intercept but failed.

        Traitors delivered Thapsacus and Europus to the Snake faction,
giving them control of Syria (2VP). Perdiccas marched to Thilapsus with
Alexander's body in tow.  Ptolemy left a mercenary garrison in Tyre and
marched with the rest of his army to Issus, threatening Horse control of
Cilicia.

        Peithon was reinforced with 2 elephant CUs.  In a stunning
upset, Antipater's huge naval fleet was intercepted off Rhodes by the
Horse fleet and defeated, causing Antipater to return to Cyclades with
losses. This saved the island of Rhodes and the Horse army besieging the
city there.  Could this Battle of Rhodes end up benefiting the Snake
faction, who now has the largest operational fleet in the region?
Meanwhile, Peithon returns to Persia to take up the assault on
Perdiccas' rear again.

        Seleucus allies with Lysimachus.  Leonnatus captures Gordium,
resulting in the loss of Horse control over Phrygia.  Still, Lysimachus
cannot carry the city of Celaenae.  Leonnatus detaches a mercenary
phalanx to besiege the town of Ancyra and then returns to Gordium, from
where he can reinforce Lysimachus.

        As I recalculate victory points, it suddenly dawns on me that
the Snake faction now has the largest fleet, and hence I award them 4
VPs.  This brings their total suddenly to 23, which, at the end of any
round starting with Turn 2, results in automatic victory.  The game is
over!

CLOSING OBSERVATIONS

From my first complete game, I learned the following:

1. The growing irrelevance of legitimacy, once the Royal Macedonian
units start to get attrited out of the game.

2. The importance of a general's initiative rating.  Ptolemy is a very
slow mover, and his poor initiative really shapes how you use him and
others like him.  Conversely, fast movers add a vigor to operational
tempo that can really make a difference.

3. Watch the score board! Pay close attention to the special VP
awards_especially largest fleet!

4. The strength of naval interdiction.  By having a viable fleet and
adequate bases, you can really constrain the enemy's movements.

5. This is a FUN game! Enjoy!

Bob Leonhard

From: "Leonhard, Robert R., LTC" <leonharr@monroe.army.mil>
Subject: More thoughts on Successors

I have continued playing this excellent and fun game, and I need to revise
some of my first-game observations:

1.  Legitimacy remains relevant through turn 4 and the death or coronation
of Alexander IV.  I didn't realize this at first, because my first game
ended on turn 2.  But when first Heracles and then Alex IV come of age, the
controlling player can crown him.  If this happens, the players' scores are
determined by adding VPs to Legitimacy Points.  Hence, legitimacy is a
crucial commodity until the royal heirs are out of the way.

2.  Successors has a great subtlety of play.  It's one of those games that
is easy to learn, but difficult to master, I believe.  A great ebb-and-flow
to the strategy each turn.

3.  Peithon (satrap of Persia), who starts the game in Media is a crucial
balancing factor to the strength of Perdiccas.  Perd has to figure out some
way of dealing with the threat to his rear before he can confidently depart
Babylon.  By the way, in my second game, Perdiccas made it to Pella and
buried Alexander there.  As he approached the capital, Lysimachus (who had
previously captured Pella when Antipater was assassinated) tried to hatch
some last minute schemes to prevent the burial.  First, he tried to
assassinate Perdiccas but failed.  Then, he tried to steal Alexander's body
and also failed.  Finally, he fled before Perdiccas' might, and the funeral
followed a brief siege.

I strongly endorse this game for anyone who likes an intriguing strategy
game.

Bob Leonhard