This On-Going, set-piece classical battle experience will immerse the players in the course of the Ionian Revolt culminating in the immediate deliberations prior to the battle of Marathon where they will use their role playing skills to convince the polemarch to cast the deciding vote to meet the Persians on the plains of Marathon. As one of ten Athenian strategos (generals) the players will use their critical thinking and problem solving skills to devise a battle plan against the more numerous Persian invaders. Then once the plan is decided upon, the players will take command of their respective units in the Athenian battle line and march to meet the armies of Darius who have invaded their homeland. The players will engage the Persian in combat on the plains of Marathon, the cleverness of their plans will determine the outcome. (Class will extent to special missions beyond Marathon to possibly include Thermopylae, Salamis, and Plataea)

In this D&D Immersion class (Mass Combat module), students will start out being 1st level Human characters and may be Fighters, Paladins, Rangers, Clerics, Rogues - sorry....no "squishy" magic users in the hoplite phalanx. You will automatically gain TWO feats which we will discuss during our "Session Zero". We will use ROLL20 (a free Virtual Table Top) for battle simulation and game play. 

Below is a rough schedule of D&D Immersion (Mass Combat) classes. While "Session Zero" and Session One are fixed dates the other classes may not finish neatly in one class period due to the nature of this D&D Immersion class, whereby we do not rush our experience with the Three Pillars of Adventure (exploration, role play, and combat), thus students will take their time exploring the Ancient Greek world with no time limit on their creativity and imagination. 

(3 December) "Session Zero" - character creation (please do not pre-roll your character), discussion of D&D Immersion (Mass Combat) rules, introduction to this unique historical game concept. 
(10 December) Session One - Border Incursion
Session Two - Ionian Revolt
Session Three - Attack on Sardis
Session Four - Withdrawal from Ionia, return to Athens
Session Five - The Persian Incursion - Eretria besieged!
Session Six - Planning and Preparation for Invasion
Session Seven - On the plains of Marathon
Session Eight - The Battle of Marathon
Session Nine - The Aftermath of the Battle
Session Ten - Special Operations - Reconnaissance Missions
Session Eleven - Extended Missions

Students will adopt a Greek name for their player character (PC) and develop a background story in keeping with both D&D character creation AND the historical context of 5th century Athens. The class begins with the students under the command of non-playing character (NPC) strategoi (commanders) so that they may learn the nuances of hoplite combat, tactics and strategy; then, they will rise in the ranks through the experience of the Ionian Revolt (499-493 BCE) whereupon they will take command of a hoplite contingent from their demos. During this period students will learn a great deal about Athens and the Aegean World through exploration, role play and small scale warfare. Throughout the class students will follow the basic historical narrative, BUT will have an impact upon events as they transpire. 
They will play an important role in one of the most decisive battles of Ancient Military History through the "world's greatest role playing game" - D&D 5e! 

This unique D&D Immersion class will also use the Olympian Piety system for the "flavor" of a fantasy role playing game. This requires the student to choose a patron deity from the Olympian pantheon (i.e., Zeus, Athena, etc.) - as a "hero" of the deity the player character and upon demonstration of arete (skill, courage, integrity) they will gain Piety Points which enable special bestowed powers from the gods. (Pretty cool and very important as students "level up").