• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.

Imperator1993

Southern Byzantophile
73 Badges
Dec 5, 2010
1.125
61
  • Hearts of Iron II: Armageddon
  • Rome: Vae Victis
  • Victoria 2: Heart of Darkness
  • Victoria 2: A House Divided
  • Sengoku
  • Semper Fi
  • Rome Gold
  • Europa Universalis: Rome
  • Iron Cross
  • Heir to the Throne
  • Hearts of Iron III
  • For the Motherland
  • Divine Wind
  • Europa Universalis III Complete
  • Crusader Kings II: Sword of Islam
  • Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods
  • Crusader Kings II: Rajas of India
  • Crusader Kings II: The Republic
  • Crusader Kings II: Legacy of Rome
  • Crusader Kings II: Sons of Abraham
  • Crusader Kings II: Charlemagne
  • Crusader Kings II: Sunset Invasion
  • Darkest Hour
  • Crusader Kings II
  • Arsenal of Democracy
  • Deus Vult
  • Pride of Nations
  • Europa Universalis IV: Common Sense
  • Crusader Kings II: Way of Life
  • Rise of Prussia
  • Europa Universalis IV: Rights of Man
  • Crusader Kings II: Horse Lords
  • Europa Universalis IV: Cossacks
  • Crusader Kings II: Conclave
  • Achtung Panzer
  • Tyranny: Archon Edition
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Cadet
  • Crusader Kings II: Reapers Due
  • Europa Universalis IV: Mandate of Heaven
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Expansion Pass
  • Europa Universalis IV: El Dorado
  • 500k Club
  • Victoria 2
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Together for Victory
  • Europa Universalis III Complete
  • Europa Universalis III Complete
  • Hearts of Iron 4: Arms Against Tyranny
  • Crusader Kings II: Monks and Mystics
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Death or Dishonor
  • Europa Universalis IV: Cradle of Civilization
The Heirs of Sasan
240px-Kavani_Logo.svg.png

Presented by Imperator1993

Welcome all to another of my attempts at an SPT style forum game, this time the setting is Sassanid Persia in the year 309 when the newborn Shapur II was crowned Shahanshah, King of Kings. The players will create a character and attempt to navigate through the world of Sassanid Empire, will you lead the Empire's armies to glory, became rich off of Eastern trade, serve the prophet Zoroaster, or attempt to become King of kings yourself? Only you can make those faithful decisions.

Short History of the Sassanid Empire

The Sassanid dynasty was founded by a man named Sasan. His grandson, Ardashir I overthrew the crumbling Parthian Empire and restored Persian rule to Persia for the first time since the Achaemenid Empire. Ardashir's successor, Shapur I, won a great victory over the greatest rival of the Sassanids, the Roman Empire, capturing and killing the Emperor Valerian. Shapur's victory over Rome was finished when Emperor Philip signed a treaty, giving the Sassanids a great tribute. Another great event that happened during Shapur's reign was the rise Mani and his faith of Manichaeism, which greatly influenced Shapur and one his subsequent successors, Bahram I. Bahram I however was forced to kill Mani under pressure from the powerful Magi (the Zoroastrian priesthood). Bahram II succeeding his father, was friendly to the interests of the priesthood and continued persecuting the followers of Mani. During his reign the Roman's sacked the Imperial capital amd the empire lost Armenia. Bahram III's reign was short was he succeeded by Narseh, who suffered defeat at the hands of Rome. His successor Hormizd II faced many obstacles to his rule but crushed all the rebellions before dying at the hands of Bedouin tribesmen while hunting. His was succeeded by his son Adhur Narseh who was a tyrant and was deposed and killed. Now the infant Shapur II is the Shahanshah.

Sassanid Society

Sassanid society and civilization were among the most flourishing of their time, rivaled in their region only by the Roman civilization. The amount of scientific and intellectual exchange between the two empires bears witness to the competition and cooperation of these cradles of civilization.

In contrast to Parthian society, the Sassanids renewed emphasis on charismatic and centralized government. In Sassanid theory, the ideal society could maintain stability and justice, and the necessary instrument for this was a strong monarch.

Sassanid society was immensely complex, with separate systems of social organization governing numerous different groups within the empire. Historians believe society comprised four social classes:

Priests (Persian: Asravan‎)
Warriors (Persian: Arteshtaran‎)
Secretaries (Persian: Dabiran‎)
Commoners (Persian: Vastryoshan‎)

At the center of the Sassanid caste system the Shahanshah ruled over all the nobles. The royal princes, petty rulers, great landlords and priests, together constituted a privileged stratum, and were identified as Wuzurgan, or nobles. This social system appears to have been fairly rigid.

The Sassanid caste system outlived the empire, continuing in the early Islamic period.

Sassanid government

The Sassanid empire was highly centralized, with the Shahnashah having absolute control of the Empire. On a smaller scale, territory might also be ruled by a number of petty rulers from the Sassanid royal family, known as Shahrdar, overseen directly by Shahanshah. Sassanid rule was characterized by considerable centralization, ambitious urban planning, agricultural development, and technological improvements.Below the king, a powerful bureaucracy carried out much of the affairs of government; the head of the bureaucracy and vice-chancellor, was the "Wuzurg framadār". Within this bureaucracy the Zoroastrian priesthood was immensely powerful. The head of the Magi priestly class, the Mobadan, along with the commander-in-chief, the Eran Spahbed, the head of traders and merchants syndicate "Ho Tokhshan Bod" and minister of agriculture "Vastrioshansalar", who was also head of farmers, were, below the emperor, the most powerful men of the Sassanid state.

Joining the Game


The game can be joined at any time.

All players must join the game as either a bureaucrat, noble, priest, or a soldier.

To join, simply make a post in the following format:

Name:

Birth Year:

Religion: (Zoroastrian, Christian, Jewish, or Manichean)

Field: (Must be bureaucrat, noble, priest,or soldier)

Biography: (Short background story for your character)


Stats


In The Heirs of Sasan, the Characters have three Stats: Income, Wealth, and Influence. Wealth is measured in Drachm and represents a character's material's worth. Income is measured in Drachm per year, and represents the net tithes or income a character has. Influence is measured in clout, and is representative of the sway, friends, piety and favors a character accumulates over time.

So how are they useful? Well, each turn your income generates more wealth from you. And then wealth can be used on different orders, like buying more land and estates, or mercenaries etc. Influence is gained by having position, winning battles, courting favor among, and so on, and will make your orders, actions, and plots generally go smoother.

Orders


Orders cost wealth to carry out, and plots use influence to increase their chance of success. If you are low on wealth, you can spend Influence on orders, but not vice-versa. If you plan to do this, note it in your orders.

Every character gets one personal order per turn. This can be anything, though you may want to make it useful. For instance, if you are short on wealth, getting favor from an official would be smart so you are granted more land. If you are looking to carry out a plot, visiting noble families and currying their favor would be a good idea. This should be limited to a single action, and should take up no more than four lines in the message box.

In addition to their personal order, all players get an an administrative order. This is used to carry out their duties for the Empire, such as handling administration, or drilling troops, etc. The Shahnashah and the Regents have one of these, and he is to use it for administering the Realm (i.e. if he wants to improve the army, build specific buildings, etc.) The administrative order can have multiple actions in it so long as they are related, and should take up no more than six lines in the message box.

Note that the personal order is for actions that help your character, and the administrative order is for doing the duties that a character is tasked with doing by the Realm or other organizations.

You can use an administrative order to help yourself, but you must make it reasonable.

Finally, the Shahnashah and the Regents get an additional Realm order on top of their administrative and personal orders. This is used to do Realm actions such as granting titles, promoting (or demoting) characters, etc. The Realm order can have as many appropriate actions as the Shahnashah/Regent wishes in it, and it will have no limit for length.

Orders should have a subject of “Heirs of Sasan - Your Character’s Name, Current Year”. So, for example:

To: Imperator1993

Subject: Caliphate on the Edge - Cyrus, 309

Message text:

Personal Order:

Lots of fun stuff.

Administrative Order:

Even more fun stuff.

Realm Order:

The most fun stuff.

War Order:

Lots of fun war stuff (only to be used when attacking/raiding/etc. For recruitment/training, use other orders)


Plots


Plots are group covert efforts, for example assassinations. These will be treated as a special kind of order. Players are free to secretly plot, gather influence, etc. without GM approval. When the plot leader feels he is prepared to act, he must send the GM a PM detailing the plot goal, its plan, and those who back it. Any requests for NPC support (such as the Roman Emperor, Arab/Nomadic tribes, etc.) can be directed to me. Once I confirm the people that back the plot, it will be considered an order. A plot serves as the player’s personal order for the turn he decides to launch it, as well as for all those backing the plot. The greater the combined influence a plot has, the more likely it is to succeed.

Note that any assassination of a higher ranking Realm member, or the ruler himself, will need a VERY powerful plot backing to succeed.

Updates, Events, and War


There are two types of updates. These will contain the results of orders, events, and other important happenings. The first type of update is a Main Update. It will cover a year in-game, and will contain the results of all the orders sent in, among other events that happen that year. The second type of update is a Mini Update. It will highlight or cover a specific event during the year.

Events are significant happenings (such as a war, a new ruler in another land, a natural disaster, or an unexpected benefit) that will usually cause a headache for the Shahnashah and Regents, though sometimes will bring them or other characters joy. The majority of Heirs of Sasan will be player-driven, but the events will provide the substance for you as a player to create this content.

Once an army goes to war, its commander will send me the general war plan. The war plan must include the commanders (either players or NPCs) for the right and left flanks, as well as the composition of forces for the center and the flanks. The army's commander will command the center, and guide the strategy and overall tactics of the army. The flank commanders will detail in their orders the individual tactics of their flank during a battle.

I will write up mini updates for major battles, and perhaps if you are a soldier or an officer commanding a flank, you will be noted in such a mini for commendable service to the Shahnashah and your faith.

Well, that is it! If you still have any questions regarding the rules, or if some part of them is unclear or badly written, not the best at stetting things up, contact on Forums. Have fun with The Heirs of Sassan!


IRC Channel


I don't know how to set one up, if someone is willing to share theirs I will be grateful.
 
Last edited:
240px-Derafsh_Kaviani.png


Ērānshahr


Shahnashah of the Sassanid Empire: Shapur II (NPC)

Banebshenan-Banebshen/Regent: Ifra Hormizd (Clophiroth)

Wuzurg framadār: Cyrush Arizteri (NPC)

Moabadan-Moabad: Sarosh Ishtakri (Riccardo93)

Eran Spahbed: Vandad Karen (sealy300)

Ho Tokhshan Bod:

Vastrioshansalar: Bahram Yarzdid (NPC)

Imperial Treasury: 2,000,000 Drachm

Imperial Net Income: 94,000 Drachm


The Empire and its Provinces
s7Od9HF.png
 
Last edited:
Characters

Psattiq Sohrah
Player: videonfan
Religion: Manichean
Field: Priest
Wealth: 2000 Drachm
Income: 1,300 Drachm
Influence: 105 Clout

Mehrdad Varshasb
Player: KaiserBeer
Religion: Zoroastrian
Field: Soldier
Wealth: 4000 Drachm
Income: 1,500 Drachm
Influence: 105 Clout

Hormazdad Spandiyadh
Player: XVG
Religion: Zoroastrian
Field: Noble
Wealth: 9500 Drachm
Income: 2,500 Drachm
Influence: 125 Clout

Kajik Saatjian
Player: naxhi24
Religion: Christian
Field: Soldier
Wealth: 6500 Drachm
Income: 1,500 Drachm
Influence: 90 Clout

Sharan Telika
Player: Zex
Religion: Zoroastrian
Field: Noble
Wealth: 14,500 Drachm
Income: 2,000 Drachm
Influence: 100 Clout

Vandad Karen
Player: sealy300
Religion: Zoroastrian
Field: Soldier
Wealth: 16,500 Drachm
Income: 4,000 Drachm
Influence: 175 Clout

Sarosh Ishtakri
Player: Riccardo93
Religion: Zoroastrian
Field: Priest
Wealth: 12,500 Drachm
Income: 4,000 Drachm
Influence: 170 Clout

Ifra Hormiz
Player: Clophiroth
Religion: Jewish
Field: Noble
Wealth: 23,500 Drachm
Income: 7,500 Drachm
Influence: 200 Clout
 
Last edited:
((Oh yes, glorious Eran, land of Aryans and firetemples! Looking forward to this.

I would be glad to host the IRC discussions on my #ta channel. Though, I must say that I am a bit sceptical of the map, which looks like maximum expansion of the Sassanid empire. Shows far too much Roman territory and vassal kingdoms as Sassanid territory. They never went across Indus apart for vassals, for example. I could maybe try to find/draw a better one for you later today. Also dibs on Marzoban of Western frontier :p (will post a character bio once home) ))
 
Name: Psattiq Sohrah

Birth Year: 261

Religion: Manichean

Field: Priest

Biography: Psattiq was born in 261 in Esfahan from Manichean parents. During his life, he witnessed the prosercution of the Manichean movement due to the assassination of apostole Sisin and the defeat of the Persian Empire at the hands of the Romans, as well as the persecutions of Manicheans by the wicked hand of Diocletian. However, all hope is not lost, for Psattiq has vowed to spread the teachings of Mani all over the Persian Empire, and maybe the World, bringing as such the people closer to the light of the spiritual world, away from the darkness of the material one. The greatness of Zurwan would be felt far and wide, and the darkness would be wiped out.
 
Name: Mehrdad Varshasb

Birth Year: 279

Religion: Zoroastrian

Field: Soldier

Biography: Born in 279, Mehrdad Varshasb was the first and only son coming from a minor noble family with extensive military history. His father and grandfather both served in the imperial army in the past wars and expeditions sponsored by the empire. Since his early childhood he had been trained in swordsmanship by his father, in order to continue the family legacy of faithful service to the empire. Mehrdad is not a man without ambition, however, thinking high of his skills, polished in about ten years of military service, he plans to raise in the military ranks in order to try to drive the empire to further glory and to enhance his own career and legacy.
 
k7bXX8Z.jpg

Name: Hormazdad Spandiyadh, Marzobān of Upper Asuristan (around Nineveh, the area is also known as Nodshlragan)
Birth Year: 257 (age 52)
Religion: Zoroastrian
Field: Wuzurgan (noble)
Biography: Belonging to the ancient and noble Spandiyadh clan of Semnan, Hormazdad was sent early by his father to serve in the army, because as a third son he had no hope of inheriting his father’s domain. Before leaving to West, he received education in the Great School. After moving to Adiabene in Assyria he also studied the Aramaic, Syriac and Greek languages, as they would become crucial for his career.

By late 270s he served as a cavalry officer in the army on the Western frontier, quickly rising in ranks. He took part in the defense of Assyria against Roman Emperor Carus in 983. After this he settled nearby the ruins of ancient Nineveh on an estate on the bank of the Arvand Rud (Tigris). Later in 291 he married Irandokht, a noblewoman from another noble house. She bore him many sons and daughters in the following decades.

During the Invasion of Armenia he took part in defeating the Romans at Carrhae, but was wounded near the end of the battle and had to stay at Ctesiphon. Thus he, luckily, didn’t take part in the great defeat at Satala, after which all of Upper Mesopotamia, Nisibis, Singara and all influence in Armenia were lost to the Romans. After recovering from the wounds, he was appointed to be the Guardian of the Assyrian part of the Western border.

He quickly reorganized the armies and defenses of what was left, and with determination drilled them and constructed roads and fortifications to prevent any new Roman incursion. He also swore to avenge and reclaim all what was lost, and march to the Sea with his troops, once the King of kings gives the order. He was one of the nobles who supported the plot which ended in the downfall of Hormizd II and his other sons, and supports Shapur II’s position as the rightful ruler.

While in Adiabene and upper Asuristan, Hormazdad developed a large interest for the local Assyrian customs, as he spoke the regional language. He held sympathy for the mostly Christian locals, who he helped escape from persecution in Roman Syria. Now it remains to be seen if Roman Emperor Constantine’s alignment with Christians will threaten the stability of Christian areas of Eran. Following traditional Persian noble custom of polygamy, Hormazdad has recently taken a local Assyrian Christian woman, Tabitha, as his second wife, hoping that this would end up in him being looked upon more favorably by the locals.

Family:
First Wife: Irandokht (Zoroastrian noblewoman) (b. 275)
Second Wife: Tabitha (Assyrian Christian) (b. 283)
Son: Zadhormazd (b. 292)
Daughter: Soraya (b. 294)
Son: Farzad (b. 300)

((Hope this is fine :p))
 
n7FWbGF.jpg

Name: Kajik Saatjian

Birth Year: 284 (25 Years Old)

Religion: Christian

Field: Soldier

Bio: War with Rome during the reign of Bahram II caused the Sassanid Empire to loose Armenia. Kajik Saatjian's family, was not in the territory given away to Rome. Kajik, and many other Christian Armenians still live in the northern provinces of the Sassanid Empire. Many of these Armenians Yearn to be reunited with their brethren in the Roman Empire, where Christendom is become more and more tolerated by the Romans. Kajik became a Cataphract in his young adulthood. He rode into battle against Romans, the Bedouin Raiders, and many other enemies. He even managed to gain leadership over many other Armenian Cataphracts due to his superb leadership. Though he is still young, he shows great experience as a warrior and a leader.
 
Name: Sharan Telika

Birth Year:285 (26)

Religion: Zoroastrian

Field: Noble

Biography: Sharan is the leader of the Telika clan of Carmania. During the sucession crisis of Sasan, his family were known supporters of the royal family and tried the best to defend the crown. But alas they had not done a very good job of doing so as Sharans father, Shara Telika focused on being more passive by sending their troops to defend the cities instead of helping out the ruler on the battlefield. Shara died of a heart attack later on and Sharan was placed as heir, now Sharan leads the Telika in Carmania and will hopefully bring his family into power before its to late.
 
Sassanian%20Persian%203%20Moons%20&%20Sun%20Disk%20Standard%20Bearer%20Cavalryman.jpg

Name: Vandad Karen ((Get it?))

Birth Year: 289 (30)

Religion: Zoroastrian

Field: General (Solder)

Rank: Eran Spahbed ((Is this ok?))

Biography: Born into a family of notable warriors, his family comes from the area of Northern Dihistan, which has a mixture of both Mountains and plains, making him adapted to fight in both environments. As a young boy he was taught how to ride a horse from a very early age and his tactics use mostly steppe tactics, with horse archers swarming the field, although the cavalry men of the empire are not used to such a tactic. He feels at home with the tribes people of Arabia, and would seek to have them come a part of it by peace , however, Like Gilgamesh, he has been taken in by civilisation and is now a city dweller, and sees the empire as the only thing that can unite Arabia and bring peace. He is a strong Believe in his faith, however is not Zealous in the way of saying all other religions are wrong, and accepts the Abrahamic and Polytheistic faiths alike.
 
Last edited:
Name: Sarosh Ishtakri
Birth Year: 273 (36)
Religion: Zoroastrian
Rank: (Mobed) Priest
Biography: Sarosh, the third son of a notable bureaucrat, and a descendent of a war hero who was slain defending the Shahanshah at Resaena some six decades ago, was largely expected to enter into the faith, which he did at a rather young age; he rose through the hierarchy steadily and by the ascension of Shapur II, he had become an affluent member of the court.
 
(OOC: All right we are almost ready to begin, we just need someone to play as the regent/Shapur's mom. XVG is working on a more accurate map for us. If anyone has some suggestions to improve the game please PM me and I'll be happy to hear it :).)
 
(I would be interested to play as Ifra Hormiz, Shapur´s mother and Regent. If no one has any problem with it, of course)

Name: Ifra Hormiz of Sistan
Birth year: 275 (34 years old)
Religion: Jewish (At least, according to the wikipedia article in Hormizd the II)
Rank: Banebshenan-Banebshen
Biography: Ifra of Sistan, was the daughter of a long stablished Jewish family in the Sistan region, wealthy merchant clan which included some notable scholars. Precisely, Ifra was the daughter of one of them, Adoram, a reputed lawyer, which, at the end of a long, fruitful career, ended as the secretary of the Wuzurg framadār himself. That brought Ifra and her family to the court of the Sassanid Empire, where she was just a minor member of the court, until Adoram dealt her marriage with Shah Narseh, where she would become Hormizd second wife. After Hormizd death in 309, and Adhur Narseh killing, she made her unborn child, which would later be Shapur the II, crowned.
 
Last edited:
(I would be interested to play as Ifra Hormiz, Shapur´s mother and Regent. If no one has any problem with it, of course)

Name: Ifra Hormiz of Sistan
Birth year: 275 (34 years old)
Religion: Zoroastrian
Rank:(Well... Need GM/someone help. I don´t think she fits in any of the four ranks)
Biography: (Has been trying to find info of her life for a bit, to no avail. Will try to edit later with a proper bio once I have the info, if not, I will write the few things I can find and spice it a bit)

(OOC: I can't find much info about her either, so your free to be somewhat creative :D. I guess her field would be a noble just because she is the Shahnashah's mom.)
 
Dome until I can edit and improve. Change, in Ifra´s stats, her religion. According to Hormizd II article in wiki, she was Jewish, I just supposed she would be Zoroastrian before looking it up
 
A New King and an Old Problem

The Sassanid Empire enters a new era with the coronation of the newborn Shahnashah,Shapur II. While he is still a child it will be up to his mother and the council of government to run the Empire. It will be difficult, it will take years for the new King to grow and reach maturity and if a member of the scheming nobility doesn't try to take the throne for himself. Only time will tell if the Empire will survive.

71cd23a811bdb652bc77e5c7d2a573bd.jpg

A fanciful interpretation of the regent surrounded by her court

However old problems continue to plague the empire, mostly the always troublesome Arab raiders. They have crossed from Bahrain and have raided the area around Fars. Unless they are stopped the Empire's economy may suffer from the continued raided and pillaging. Some members of the military say its time to take drastic measures to ensure the Arab problem is stopped once and for all, but is the empire ready for a possibly long and costly campaign in the desert.

iranjihad1.jpg

Arab raiders causing trouble

Also there is the matter of a another son of Hormizd II also named Hormizd. Following Adhur Narseh's overthrow, Prince Hormizd fled to the Roman Empire. It is unsure of this Prince plans to try and take the throne with Roman support or if he will simply stay put and cause no issues.

20120505_MAP004_0.jpg

The exiled Prince, what are his intentions?

(OOC: And so we begin, I'll put the deadline for the first orders on Wednesday at 12:00 AM EST, have fun everyone :))
 
Last edited: