DRAKO ISLAND Scenario for WARLORDS II Deluxe

by Paul Fields

DISCLAIMER. This scenario is a work of fiction. All
characters (heroes, monsters, or otherwise) depicted in this
scenario are purely fictional or used fictitiously. Any
resemblance to any person, living or deceased, is purely
coincidental.

Place: Southeastern Europe
Period: Circa 1,100 A.D.
Scale: The map represents approximately 600,000 square
kilometers.

INTRODUCTION and SITUATION

Around 1100-900 B.C., nomadic tribes moving south and
following large herds of bison and deer, found a lush,
fertile area in Southeastern Europe. Some nomads settled
and established permanent encampments. These camps evolved
into villages, the villages into towns. By the end of Rome's
domination of most of Europe, a thriving, advanced
civilization had taken roots in the region.

The strongest nation to evolve grew along a peninsula in the
northeast area of the region. It was peaceful and had,
usually, enjoyed decade upon decade of economic growth,
prosperity and calm. Occasionally, it annexed a small city
state or duchy on its borders but was never an aggressive
nation. It chose, instead, to employ diplomacy and promises
of a better life for the citizenry of its new possessions.
Thus, even though it held no lands off the peninsula, it
called itself an empire and was governed by an aristocracy
headed by an emperor and various members of his immediate
and extended family. In this manner, the Benefic Empire had
existed for hundreds of years.

To the south and slightly west of the empire, Drako Island,
almost large enough to be an island continent, rises up from
the sea. A map of Drako Island shows it is shaped like a
dragon standing and breathing fire, thus its name.

Drako, like its neighbor to the north, has enjoyed peaceful
times for centuries. It is populated by six clans who trace
their cultural and linguistic heritage back to a common
ancestry. Geography and topography have kept the clans
fairly isolated. The occasional dispute between tribes, as
they call themselves, has usually been settled through
diplomacy or pitched battles with lots of rancor, shoving,
and the like, but virtually no casualties have occurred.

About 1,200 years earlier, the island was home to a nation
of Eurasian peoples called the J'z (pronounced JAZZ). When
the island was devastated by a plague, the survivors
migrated to a land about 60 miles (100 kilometers) to the
west. Now, however, holy men in J'z have convinced the king
and his generals of the need to reclaim the sacred relics,
holy places and burial sites of important ancestors left
behind. To this end, the J'z have encamped south of Drako
and are amassing an army to retake their homeland.

Emperors of the Benefic Empire have never maintained routine
relations with the J'z, although they have occasionally sent
and received J'z emissaries. They have never trusted the
J'z, for numerous reasons. Now, they stand ready to defend
their humble neighbors to the south. They reason that
should the J'z conquer and occupy Drako, they may just
decide to take on Benefica. The J'z must be stopped.

The peaceful environment of the region is about to be rent
asunder. This, though, is not bad news to all involved.
While the cultural norms dictate diplomacy and peaceful
coexistence, there have always been minor chieftains who
would have given anything to lead an army to take over other
tribes. The coming war will give these men the opportunity
to strive for glory and, perhaps, rule Drako. Similar men
hold offices in Benefica, as well. Of course, they are
dreaming of adding Drako to their empire or, perhaps,
becoming emperor of Drako as a separate nation from
Benefica.

GAME DESIGN NOTES

The army set is pretty much a clone of Erythea as regards
values. The icons, on the other hand, bear only a slight
similarity. Special units include:

Ghost Riders - flying units you can purchase on the cheap.

All "J'z" warriors can only be produced in J'z camps or
nearby cities - they cannot be purchased.

All units with a strength of one are considered indigenous
forces in their locales - cannot be purchased.
Certain royal units may only be produced in Benefic cities.

PLACEMENT OF CITIES, TOWNS, VILLAGES. At the first of the
game you will see real estate "gobbled" up fairly fast.
Remember, each tribe is pretty much in control of all
villages in their locale and we would not expect much
resistance to bringing villages into the fray.

HERO NAMES. To add local flavor to the scenario, ethnic
naming conventions were used in the depiction of hero
characters. Since the islanders all sprang from a common
ancestry their names are similar. You'll notice dialectical
differences here and in the city names. Benefica heroes,
being descended from Roman citizens, have mostly Latin-based
names.

You'll find playing any of the sides stimulating and
challenging. The least challenges will be experienced with
either the Empire or the J'z since they are wealthiest. The
north and south tribes seem to provide less of a challenge
than their four neighbors. The toughest are the eastern and
mariner tribes.

THE LAST WORD

This is the first fantasy scenario I have designed. It was
a lot of fun and almost as much work as designing a
realistic/historical scenario. Thanks for downloading this
scenario. Please send any comments and/or suggestions via E-
mail at bedbug@inlink.com ...or... visit our web page
at: http://www.inlink.com/~bedbug/warlord/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paul's interest in wargaming goes back to the early 1960s. A
career as a military officer for over 20 years afforded many
opportunities to travel and visit many of history's most
notable battlefields.

Now he's self-employed and works as a consultant to small
businesses and municipalities on a variety of issues from
applying new technology to human resource management.
Lately, when he's not working to make a living, he's working
hard to research and try new ideas for Warlords II Deluxe
scenarios.

His first, "Rain War", has been downloaded by numerous AOL
and CompuServe members and was published on the Warlords II
Deluxe CD ROM. Other original scenarios are available on his
web page.

THIS IS THE FINAL VERSION OF "DRAKO".
PLEASE ERASE ANY VERSION WITH A FILE DATE PRIOR TO 12/16/95.
MY EMAIL ADDRESS: bedbug@inlink.com
MY WEB PAGE: http://www.inlink.com/~bedbug/warlords/

Thank You!
Paul Fields