Game Guide

Download the Game!

This Game Guide applies to v. 3.0 and earlier.  New guide forthcoming.

How to Play the Game:

1) What are the goals of the game?

You get to choose what your goal is. You can select your crew based on this goal!  You will provided with the minimum crew necessary for Jason’s quest, but you can select the rest of your crew based on your preferences. You have two main options.

  • Follow the quest of Jason to get the Golden Fleece and return his crew home!  Hire warriors to fend of pirates, and sailors to manage the ship!

    The Quest Begins

    The Quest Begins!

  • Make a fortune in ancient Greek sea trade capitalizing on ancient social networks and building your clout!  Consider the home city of each crewman to access their social networks!

    Graph ranked by Grade, on top of a Google Earth map

    Samothracian Network Graph ranked by Grade, on top of a Google Earth map

  • You will select your beginning crew on the opening screen in the right panel.  Ten men are preselected, required for the game. You can choose ten more, paid for by King Pelias!  Choose them based on their jobs, which help you sail and fight, or their social networks, to help you with trade.

    Crew Selection

    The core crew for the Argonautica quest are required, and already selected for you. Choose 10 men crewmen based on their jobs and network connections to meet your goals!

  • You will have the option to hire more men and fire those you have according to your changing goals when you dock in a new port.  You can have up to 30 crewmen total, but King Pelias only pays for the first 20!

    Hiring more crew at Pagasae!

2) How do I navigate the ocean?

You will have to navigate around the ancient Mediterranean to accomplish either primary goal!  Use the tips below to get around.

  • Use your mouse to move the ship towards your goal destination.howto1

  • buttonfurl Furl your sails with this button to avoid the effects of wind.

  • buttonunfurl Unfurl with this button to catch the winds.

    howto2

  • buttondrop You can stop in your path if your ship is being blown away by dropping your anchor with this button.  Then you can resume sailing on a new course.

  • If you cannot find your way at night, click Rest, and time will pass for you faster with your crew using less food and water.

  • Click the docking button to dock with a city.  When you dock with a port, you will notice a number of hours pass while you are there.

    buttondock

  • Use your arrow keys to look up, down, around, and behind you. ← ↑ → ↓

    howto3

    The sky above is visible. Follow the stars at night, or sun during the day.

    howto4

    Get the view from the city, as well!

     

  • Watch out for storms, pirates, and other random events around the Mediterranean!

    Poseidon's Luck

    Hopefully you will be fortunate!

  • Click the “?” to see the Help screen with game information and instructions.

3) How do I navigate the menu once I am docked with a city?  What can I do here?

  • To dock at a port, you must pay port taxes unless a member of crew belongs to the city’s social network.  Port taxes can be high or low depending on your cargo.  Read a little about the history and culture of the city you have reached on this port screen, too!

    Since no member of the crew belongs to a social network with Tisaia, I would have pay them 917 drachma or leave! And remember, you have to pay port taxes when you leave out-of-network cities, too!

  • Once in port, you get directions and steps in the route of Jason’s quest.  Check the Captain’s log for directions.  Other events that take place on your ship are also recorded there.

    The quest begins!

    The quest begins!

     

  • From the docking menu you can buy goods at low prices and sell at high prices.  You get information on the status of your ship and crew.howto5

  • Hire navigators to other cities, hire crew, and fire crew who are not helping!  The different listed jobs of each crewman affect your ship in different ways.  Hire warriors to combat pirates and sailors for speed. howto6 howto7

  • Use the “Ask About a City” button to find out about the status of trade in other places. Where should you be selling? Where do you avoid?

    Get tips on which cities want trade goods.

    Get tips on which cities want trade goods.

     

  • Keep an eye on your clout.  The higher your status, the easier it is for you to get good trade deals.  The lower your renown, the more danger and debt you face.

     

4) What if I get completely lost?

If you get lost, stop at a nearby city, and you can hire a navigator back to a city you knew.

5) What happens after I play?

Please give us feedback through the form on the Play the Game page!  And PLEASE click “Save Data” when you finish your game!  This will save completely anonymous data about your game route (which ports Jason entered) to help us further the project. E-mail samothracian [dot] networks [at] gmail [dot] com with any questions.