Heroes of the Peloponnese Game Thread #2

[Topato]

Telemachus spent the long journey home doing what training and exercise he could in the cramp confines of the ship, whilst staying out from underfoot of the crew. He couldn't help but worry that things back home could have taken a turn for the worse the same way the rest of the world had, and his thoughts strayed back to Mantinea, poorly defended as it was.

[Gulfwulf]

((Sorry for disappearing abruptly, but some new medication I'm on has some side affects and I didn't think I'd be back in time to finish the game. Hopefully by next week I'll be used to it and won't have to leave so suddenly. I'll post after I see Leo's journal to see what all I missed.))

[Lazybones]

To summarize from last time:

You have 1500 drachmae in profits (after operating expenses are paid) from the villa's harvest (you control a small number of olive groves and a vineyard near the city). Ephistor has given you three options for spending the money, though of course you can make other decisions as well:

• You can invest in better furnishings for the villa, which will add to your comfort;
• Commission the local sculptor to create a marble statue of a member of the party, either for the villa or to be placed in the city to enhance your fame;
• Spend it on repairs to the villa's olive press, which is in pretty poor condition. This may increase future profits.

You have also been granted a more substantial estate, as part of the property of the late trainer of gladiators Eumenius. The property covers a little under 4 plethra (about 3 1/2 km squared, or about 950 acres). The lands are not currently being worked but Leonidas's survey suggests that they can easily be made fertile, with numerous olive groves that are still viable. Since you are not considering buying slaves, you will likely need to attract laborers to work the land and a manager to run it on your behalf. You have been offered 15,000 drachmae for the property but have been advised that it is worth considerably more. The estate's main house has been destroyed, but most of the gladiator training facilities remain intact.

[Shadani]

"We have an olive press that could be restored to functionality with some effort. And we have lands that might be made to produce a bountiful harvest of olives with some effort," Eleni mused. "One has to admire the serendipity of it all."

"As much as I would love to see a grand statue of myself - or, ah, any one of us, I suppose - adorning one of the city's squares for all to admire, I cannot help but feel this is not an opportunity to be waved at as it passes. Though we would have to find someone reliable to manage the property for us, of course - and I fear that would be the trickiest part. And we certainly cannot rely on Lamachus for financial advice in this area."

"Agh - but none of us want to spend the whole day talking about financial affairs, I'm sure. I need to practice my evil cackle..."

[Topato]

Heh we're businessmen now! I think we should repair the olive press and start hiring people to work the estate. We could ask around at the arena about starting our own gladiator stables. We'd need dedicated trainers as well, we're not here enough to do all the training.
Might want to ask the local architects and see what it'd cost to repair the main house too. But mostly I reckon it's best to get it all productive first, and worry about comfort later. As for fame? I think we'll earn that through deeds more than statues.

[Mirgalen]

OOC

Sorry about last week IC post. Either I forgot to hit the submit button (unlikely but possible) or the server did not process the post.

IC

As Leonidas was perfecting his new songs, Andreas spent most of the time during the journey back to perfect his skills, running, climbing, jumping, moving barrels on a slippery deck and more.

Eventually the ship found hiw way to the harbour and they all went home after reporting their actions in the Thracian kingdom.
Home was a bit boring, the entire city felt a bit boring. The time was spent eating, drinking, browsing dozens of merchandises...
Perhaps that was to be, a necessary recess before some coming disaster...

[Vanya Mia]

"I'm with you two," Kataramene said, standing and walking across the room to where some food had been laid out for the evening meal. "Ironic it might be, but as long as I don't have to tend the trees or use the press it's fine by me. It might be sensible to hire rather than buy slaves, as there's no immediate outlay involved, but if not then purchasing field workers it will have to be." She selected a nectarine, and took a bite, licking excess juice from her lips.

"We can always let them work for their freedom, that should be a good incentive, hmm? Buying might be the only way to go with the gladiators, though, but we can offer the same incentive." She chewed thoughtfully for a moment or two. "If the Nubian isn't interested, I'm not sure who we'll find to train them. We can't stay ourselves if we're going to resolve these new matters, and it might take some time to track a suitable person down. We might not have that luxury." The woman took another bite and chewed again, thinking. "Perhaps Ephistor can ask around about that too."

"Either way, I don't think we can trust Lamachus to give good advice, not if there's any chance he holds a grudge against us for not selling the estate," Kataramene continued, looking from face to face. "I say we all go back out there, let Eleni have a look around and see if she can tell what magic was used, as it doesn't seem to have protected Eumenius from whatever happened. We've had threats made too and if anyone is to be left out there - be it training to fight, rebuilding the place or just working the fields - we need to be sure they'll be safe."

[Karvon]

I dunno, I'm certainly not interested in managing an estate. I figure we hire a steward to run the place, give him some basic goals, then leave it to his discretion as to how to do that. For example, whether to hire workers or buy slaves; there could be all sorts of complications either way, depending on the labor market and what would be required in terms of payment and bonuses. It might not even be feasible to rely on hired help, leaving slaves as the only realistic option. Even the steward might be a purchased slave, rather than hired hand. In any case, I don't think restarting a gladiator school, is very viable, given the difficulty of staffing such a place and the likely cost of gladiators themselves. I'd suggest we initially focus on getting the orchards and vineyards up and running again, with perhaps some goats to help cut down on weeds and grass growth in and around the orchards. Goats are generally easier to look after than sheep, and probably cheaper.

[smartalec]

"Well. I s'pose we're decided for now?" Polytropos opined. "Olive pressing all round it is. As for the gladiator school, someone around here must have been training them before we turned up and drove off our local cheat. Maybe if it turns out that we could rebuild the place, and if we put the word out, someone'll come to us."

The warrior furrowed his brow in unaccustomed thought. "Maybe they'd pay us for the right to use the place? This landowning stuff is complicated."

[Gulfwulf]

"I feel Leo is correct, though I don't feel that we need slaves. With hired hands, a steward, and a functioning olive press, the new estate should bring in enough revenue to pay for repairs. After it has started bringing in revenue, we can see about restarting the gladiator school." Damian paused. "There is another option: we pay for the necessary improvements to restart the school, hire a trainer, and bring in potential students. Regardless of what we do, I'll pay for the olive press if you all decide to use the estate funds on something else. I'd hate to see the olives whither on the tree because they couldn't be picked and pressed."