Macedon

Under Alexander the Great, Macedon was, for a short time, the heart of a vast empire. It is no exaggeration to say that Alexander conquered the world, or at least as much of it as he could reach. His early death, however, plunged his empire into turmoil. The Macedonian world was divided into powerful states by his generals during the Wars of the Successors in 322-275 BC. In Macedon a series of generals claimed the regency until Cassander, the son of Antipater, the last disputed general-regent, was able to win a civil war. By then, however, the empire was gone. Now, Cassander’s grandson, Antigonus Gonatas, rules Macedon, a land whose borders are almost exactly what they were before Alexander’s reign.

Although Macedon is ruled by kings, they hold power and govern in the name of the people. They make war in the same way, and follow the pattern developed by Alexander and his father, Philip II. The pike-armed phalanxes and famed Companion cavalry beloved by Alexander are still used by the Macedonians. Likewise their expertise in tactics and siegecraft owes much to their history.

Now the Macedonians have a chance to be great again. Although its borders face threats from Illyrians, Thracians and the Greek city-states, there are opportunities too for cunning diplomacy and bold strategies. Perhaps it is time for a second Macedonian world-empire…