By Matthew Fisher and Megan Fisher

Shortly after the death of Plato, a group of seven great ships set sail from the western-most fringe of the ancient Greek empire. At their head was the philosopher-king Apostolis who was trained directly by Plato himself. The goal of Apostolis’ expedition was to found a beautiful city directly modeled after the teachings of Plato as written in his greatest work, The Republic. Three months later, they landed on a large island and founded Kallipolis, a powerful city that closely follows the template laid out by Plato and, despite numerous hardships, continues to thrive one thousand years later.

To The Faithful Citizens of Kallipolis,

For centuries our great city-state has withstood the natural elements, political intrigue and cultural instabilities. Our small island has weathered the water, human nature and time itself — we have remained pristine, pure, the one beacon of light in an otherwise dying world. We began as an experiment, and in the end, we alone have preserved Plato’s ideals, his philosophies and the very essence of the man himself.

So when I charge you today to select the next leader of this great land, it is not a charge that should be taken lightly. You are the select few who have been chosen to preserve the principles that have allowed us not only to endure, but to prosper. Your choices here today will impact the Republic of Kallipolis for centuries to come. You hold in your hands the power to preserve our nation, or to destroy it.

I have great faith in each of you. I dearly hope that faith has not been misplaced.

— Cleophon, Prime Advisor to Philosopher-Queen Pythias, deceased

(12 players)