In the Thirty-Six Stratagems, an ancient Chinese essay illustrating stratagems used in politics, war, and civil service, the 32nd is the Empty Fort Strategy. This was employed several times throughout Chinese history but today we will focus on the general Zhuge Liang and his use of the stratagem during the Three Kingdoms period.
Welcome to a special Friday edition of History Hooks. Today we will be bridging last month’s improv topic to this month’s psychological warfare with a look at Confederate General John Bankhead Magruder, a.k.a. Prince John, and his bit of theatre during the Peninsular Campaign of the American Civil War.
This week on History Hooks, I am up to my neck in thesis work so the Gauls will once again be gracing us with their presence since I have nothing else on the brain. But, while we focused on the conquest of Gaul by Julius Caesar in the years 58-50 BCE last time, today we will be fast forwarding over a century to the year 69 CE and a man named Mariccus who thought himself a god.
Today on Hisory Hooks we are going to look at one of my favourite individuals from antiquity: Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II of Egypt and his rather complicated family history. He was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt, which began after Alexander the Great’s death in 323 BCE and lasted until Cleopatra VII committed suicide in 30 BCE. Lets look and see what a GM can gleam from this troubled Pharaoh.
Here on History Hooks I will be examining some aspect of history that can be brought into your games. Everything from historical figures as NPCs to an entire setting from a time and place in the past will be on the table. Usually this will mean focusing on only one element, such as a particular individual or event, but today as an introduction to this series, we will be taking a more expansive look at the topic of my current thesis: Gaul.