ARISTEIA

The goal

Athena sets fire around Diomedes’ helm and lifts the mortal mist from his eyes. Break through eight Trojan lines, wound Ares where she reveals an opening, reclaim your kleos, and return to the ships.

Most foes fall in one strike. Your resolve permits few mistakes.

New to the field? Enter the practice yard for six short drills in movement, spear, shield, and javelin.

Mouse & touch

• Mouse: hover a tile to preview your move (gold outline; red ✕ on kills). Click to commit.
• Touch: tap once to preview, tap the same tile again to commit.
• Gold-tinted tiles show walks; blue-tinted tiles show Athena's leap.
• Hover a foe to see its attack range. Hover the map, statue, or fire for labels.

Movement is combat

• Walk to one adjacent space.
• Athena's leap — jump up to 2 hexes (3 with Hermes' Sandals). Costs 50 menos.
• Moving past a foe cuts it (pass-cut). Moving straight at one thrusts.
• One cut per move — a step never fells more than one foe.
• With the spear grounded, your first bloodletting strike sweeps a wide arc ahead.
• With the spear levelled, cuts and thrusts trigger automatically from geometry.

Actions

• Ground S — plant the spear; staggers all adjacent foes for a turn. Doubles menos regen while grounded.
• Raise Aspis D — guard until your next turn; reflects arrows and beams along their clear line. Requires your javelin in hand.
• Throw Javelin T — strike a foe 2 spaces away (3 with Long Cast). Recover it before crossing to the next line.
• Bash B — shield-shove an adjacent foe or pitch-jar 1 hex (30 menos). Push into planks on fire or hazards to kill. Another living body blocks the shove (no crush).
• Libation O — pour for an adjacent ford guard; he answers and loses footing (staggered).
• Seek Blessing R — beside Athena’s image, once per line. Some cost one measure of kleos and 1 max resolve. Stepping away preserves the offer.
• Wait W — only if you have Odyssean Patience.

Resolve & menos

• Resolve (◆) is your life. Start with 3. Zero and Hades keeps you.
• Menos is battle-fury for leap and bash. Refills each rank. Gain more near foes and on kills; more while the spear is grounded.

Terrain

• Planks on Fire — instant death if you enter or are pushed in. Bash foes into them.
• Fire (smoldering deck) — walkable but costs 1 resolve.
• Scamander shallows — impassable to you; ford guards swim; marksman volleys can freeze bridges.
• Stelai — block movement and shots. Pitch-jars can break them.
• Way forward — advance through the Trojan lines, then return toward the ships once you bear your kleos.
• Athena’s image — seek a blessing beside it.

Foes

• Trojan Spearman — melee; enrages if bashed and survives (moves faster).
• Trojan Archer — shoots along hex axes, range 2–5.
• Silver Marksman — silver volley; freezes water into ice.
• Pitch-Bearer — lobs pitch-jars that explode next turn.
• Trojan Skirmisher — leaps when charged.
• Scamander Guard — swims water; slow on land; answers a libation.
• Pursuing Spearman — appears only on the return to the ships.
• Ares — at the eighth line; strike only the opening lit by Athena.

Turn order

You act → pitch-jars explode → foes attack → foes move. A foe that attacks does not also move that turn.