Diadochi

firstly... thanks everyone for the encouragement..

i cannot give anyone a release date at this time, as i really don't know... at this particular moment i am focused on creating the campmap.. i have pretty much finished the map itself, but i will now need to go back and do the really hard part.. that is the campmap text and province boundaries.. could take awhile

however.. here is a present update of the campmap as it stands.. the first image will give you an overall idea of the scope of the game.. the rest are in game tga's (note i simply swaped mtw map with my own to get these shots.. it is not set up for diadoch period yet)

http://www.image-dump.com/view.php?m=1&x=16215
http://www.image-dump.com/view.php?m=1&x=16216
http://www.image-dump.com/view.php?m=2&x=16217
http://www.image-dump.com/view.php?m=2&x=16218

again thanks for your interest

Faction List can be found in the middle of this page

Please scroll down to the heading "Faction Overview"

here are some additional shots of updated campmap showing how i will display the territories belonging to both Rhodes and Pyrrhus' Italian allies.

http://www.image-dump.com/view.php?m=1&x=16222
http://www.image-dump.com/view.php?m=1&x=16223

Hi Alogic ~:wave:

I like the idea of everybody starting from scratch but, maybe each faction should have at least one moderately capable troop producing province and, I thought it would also be a good idea for each faction to have a small core of professional troops. They should be large enough that they can turn the tide of a battle and, act as sort of a "Royal Bodyguard" or "Kings Army" but, also small enough that other units would be needed to support early conquests. Perhaps 4-6 units evenly divided between cavalry and infantry would be a good idea.

This would allow a player to have command of some elite units at the beginning but, not enough to build a empire with just them. It would also give these units a special status when an empire is built because, they were there in the beginning stages.

these units do exist in the game.. look under pike in earlier post.. you will see the divisions.. (levy.. regular.. veteran.. agema).. the agema are the royal bodyguards and a mounted agema will also exist.. the higher units will be quite expensive and will take several turns to produce..

as far as special provinces.. these are also included and will be each successors primary home province.. seleucid=babylonia, ptolemy=egypt, Lysimachos=thrace, cassander=macedonia.. antigonis will actually be the exception because he will control a larger territory than the other diadochi.

ImageDump seems to have relocated... so it appears I am going to need to reload my screen shots on their new server..

Will begin to rework units this week so I should have some new screen shots soon..........

What I suggest for this "professional Army" is that the Seleucid Silver Shield Pikemen (whatever the name, using this as a example) can only be build in par say Antioch. That way, several years, this provence is going to be producing 1 agema. You could build a Huge professional army, but it'll take YEARS to do so. Or you could just build some easy units. For specifics, ask experianced modders, or you could try it yourself.

Sounds good.. I'll take that into consideration.... Speaking of silver shields (argyraspids).. one aspect I haven't mentioned will be Antigonus' possesion of the "true argyraspids" at the beginning of the game. (when I say "true" I mean that these are the actual veterans that fought alongside Alexander). Historically speaking, Antigonus "inherited" these units after defeating Eumenes.. or well actually they turned sides against Eumenes when Antigonus captured their baggage.. Antigonus appears to have dispersed them across his kingdom and they were never actually used again.

For game purposes, Antigonus will be in possesion of these guys right off the bat... however, they will have a serious flaw... they will be irreplaceable.. meaning that once they are gone.. They Are Gone.. Antigonus will be unable to produce any type of foot agema.. so the best he can do will be veterans.. This will be done to help balance the game, as well as give it a somewhat historic feel.. Antigonus will start the game as the most powerful of the successors, but as the game continues he will slowly be outclassed by the others..

Historically, Antigonus was the most powerful... and it took the combined arms of the other four successors to end his reign

For anyone who is unfamiliar with this time period, or would just like to know more.. here is the best place on the web to read all about it...
http://www.livius.org/di-dn/diadochi/diadochi.htm
The Third Diadoch War is a rough guideline of where my mod starts.

An additional note is that Seleuces' Agema will be referred to as Argyraspids as well, but will not have the punch of the originals "the true"..

Here is a great place on the web to view diadoch style armies in miniature.. just gives an idea of the look of the troops at this time period for those not familiar... http://www.lochagos.com/gallery/mac/epirote_army.html

Just wondering about the Parthians.

They were a sort of Thorn in the Seleucid side, being rebellious and all.
Also, I was wondering about the African vs. Indian elephant. The Indian was larger, so are you going to add those to the game?

Also, I was wondering If I could be a beta tester? Just a question. Sounds like a great mod.

So will the Selucids be the only faction to start with professional troops? My idea was that everyone should start with a few professionals which cannot be replaced until later in the game due to building requirments.

Also I would love to beta test as well. This mod definately looks like it has the potential to reach the heights of NTW and HTW and, I would love to help in any way I can.

Parthians will play a role in the game.. their armies as stated earlier will be made up almost exclusively of 2 contingents.. Heavy Cavalry (these will be heavily armored) and the famous parthian horse archers.. both of these units will be the best in the game at their respected categories.. Parthian horse archers will also carry a larger supply of ammunition.. thus making them quite effective at what they do.

Elephants will come in 3 main categories

1.regular
2.towered (supporting a manned tower on their back)
3.cataphract (armored)

I will not use a separate bif for african and indian elephants.. if I do include the african it will just appear as a slightly smaller version of the indian.

there may be some other graphical divisions.. but I will save that for later.

As far as beta testing goes.. I cannot give you an answer yet.. as it is still too early...

I'm not sure where the idea came from that the seleucids would have the only professional army.. all successor armies will start out roughly equal to one another, with the exception of Antigonus, who will start with a larger army supplemented with Alexanders veterans (see earlier post).. however his forces will be spread out over a larger area and he will be completely surrounded by potential enemies, thus helping to neutralize his early advantage.

you might be confusing Antigonus (Antigonid faction) with Antiochos(later Seleucid faction)

Sorry about that I did confuse Antigonus with Antiochos.

Have updated descriptions of Cavalry, Elephants, and Scythe Chariots on first page of this thread.. have also cleaned up other descriptions.

Collectively these descriptions will form a general unit guide for the game, I will next focus on the factions themselves.. giving everyone a general idea of what's in store.

I will start off by first introducing everyone to the Major Factions in the game aka The Diadochi

FACTION OVERVIEW

*Check back over the following post regularly as they will be updated from time to time... final list will also include.. Faction Heroes.. Starting Provinces.. Initial Income.. Starting Ruler.. etc

**Many other units may be available to your factions at the "inns", these will be mercenaries.. mercenary troops will always fight less effectively than they would if you were able to produce them yourself (ie Cretan Archers purchased from an inn will have a Morale Penalty assesed, whereas those actually produced in Crete will be of high morale and discipline.

***The mounted version of the Agema for most factions will be strictly used by Faction Rulers and their Heirs

THE DIADOCHI

I. Antigonus

Difficulty:Moderate

The Antigonid faction will start the game, at first glance anyway, as seemingly the most powerful faction. However, though he has in his possesion the largest army and the most territory of all the factions.. he is stretched too thin.. additionally he doesn't control any extraordinary provinces that can produce resources at the scale of say Egypt or Babylon. Because of this, his intial combined income will be the lowest of all the successors.. except Lysimachos. He will also possess a poor naval force which will keep him susceptable to coastal attacks and hinder trade growth. To make matters worse, his territories are completely surrounded by potential enemies.

Initial Strategy:
1.Consolidate your forces (may hae to give up a province or two)
2.Build a naval base and pump out some ships
3.Once your ready (as quickly as you are able) invade and secure the remaining areas making up Asia Minor (eliminating Pontus, Pergamene, & Galatia).... this will be your control base.

Positive:
a.Largest initial army
b.In possession of "True Agyraspids" at start of game
c.Control many provinces meaning you can pump out more troops per turn

Negative
a.Territories not bringing in enough income to support your army
b.Small navy
c.Surrounded by potential enemies
d.Must move quick as your military will be outclassed later in the game.

Army List:

1.Pike (Pk)
a.Red Shields (levy)..... Pantodapoi type
b.White Shields (regulars)
c.Agryspadis (agema)... Alexanders Veterans

2.Spears (Sp)
a.Lykian/Pamphylian (irregulars)
b.Greek Style Foot (regulars)
b.Hypaspist (professionals)

3.Auxillary (Ax)
a.Euzonoi
b.Thracian mercenaries........ must have an inn to attract & purchase

4.Psiloi (Ps)
a.archers,slingers,javelins (irregular to regular)
b.Macedonian Archers (regulars)
c.Akontistai
d.Persian Archers
e.Cretan Archers............. must have inn or control of Crete

5.Heavy Cavalry(HC)
a.Xystophoroi
b.Agema (cataphract)

6.Cavalry (Cv)
a.Satrapal Heavy Cav

7.Light Horse (LH)
a.Satrapal Light Horse
b.Horse Archers
c.Tarantines
d.Generic Light Cav

Elephants (El)
a.Regulars
b.Towered

II. Cassander

Difficulty:Moderate

Cassander starts the game with the enviable position as ruler of Macedonia.. his provinces are initially happy and therefore easier to control. He will also have plenty of titles to hand out, thus ensuring loyalty from his generals.. this is do to his having Alexander's mother (Olympias) on his side. Unfortunately, he is completely surrounded by potential enemies and it will be tough for him to make a move against one.. without exposing himself to another. Eprius is to his immediate West, The Greek Leagues are to his immediate South, Lysimachos to his immediate East, Galatians and Illyrians to the North.

Initial Strategy
First form alliances with Epirus and Lysimachos..then take control of Greece as soon as you are able, this will give you a power base and allow you to tap into their army list.. after which you should reove the other powers surrounding you.. one by one.

Positive
1.Recieves a slight discount when hiring Pike(Pk) units
2.Recieves a slight discount when hiring Spear(Sp) units
3.Initial provinces and generals are easier to control
4.Initial territories are fairly wealthy (2nd only to Ptolemy)

Negative
1.Surrounded by potential enemies
2.Recieves a slight tax when hiring cavalry (especially Heavy Cav)
3.Recieves a tax penalty when hiring Elephants(El) (especially Towered)

Army List

Pike (Pk)
a.Regulars
b.Veterans
c.Agema

Spear (Sp)
a.Regulars
b.Hypaspist
c.Iphikratean............ lightened and carrying 12ft spear/pike

Auxillary (Ax)
a.Euzonoi
b.Illyrian mercenaries...... with control of Illyrian provinces
c.Thracian mercenaries... must have an inn to purchase

Psiloi (Ps)
a.archers, slingers, javelinmen
b.Cretan Archers..... with control of Crete

Heavy Cavalry (HC)
a.Agema
b.Xystophoroi

Cavalry (Cv)
a.Thessalian Cavalry
b.Greek Mercenary Cavalry

Light Horse (LH)
a.generic light cav
b.Greek style light cav

Elephants (El)
a.Regulars
b.Towered

*Cassander may use Greek League Army List if he is able to control Greece
**Can use Epirote army list if he is able to control Epirus

III. Lysimachos

:

Difficulty:Hard

Lysimachos will start the game as the most financially challenged of the five successors, as his provinces are quite sparse in the way of resources. He has adapted to the situation quite well however, by supplementing his army with local Thracians.. thus allowing him to field a much larger & more expendable army at a fraction of the cost. He must take care when formulating a battle plan, to use the terrain to his advantage, seeing that his army should be made up of a large contingent of Auxillary. Battles fought in rough, difficult terrain will favor Lysimachos considerably...

Initial Strategy:

Immediately attempt to form an alliance with Cassander.. this is a major factor for your success. Build up a large army of cheap troops using the overall size of your force to help deter Cassander from considering invading you.. As soon as you are able, begin moving into Asia Minor swallowing up whatever Rebel provinces you can find.. use this as your power base. Wait for other of the Diadochi to come into conflict with one another.. then attack the weaker of the two. (Look for hostilities between Cassander and Epirus/ or Greek Leagues)

Positive
a.Cheap troops.. can be produced quickly and affordably
b.Thracian Thureophoroi are the best Auxillaries in game
c.Affordable cavalry with punch in the Thracian Nobles
d.King of rough terrain combat (as far as the Diadoch are concerned)
e.May avoid invasion initially because your starting provinces are not worth the trouble for the resource dependent Diadochi

Negative
a.Poorest of the Diadochi initially
b.Tax penalty when purchasing Pike(Pk) or Spear(Sp) units
c.Heavy Tax penalty when purchasing Elephants(El)
d.Cannot purchase any Heavy Cavalry (HC), only allotted to your factions leader and heirs.


Army List

1.Pike (Pk)
a.Levy
b.Regulars
c.Veterans
d.Agema

2.Spear (Sp)
a.Thracian Spearmen...... light
b.Greek Mercenary......... regular
c.Hypaspist.................. professional

3.Auxillary (Ax)
a.Thracian Thureophoroi
b.Illyrian
c.Euzonoi

Psiloi (Ps)
a.archers, slingers, javelinmen
b.Thracian light peltast
c.Paionian javelinmen

Heavy Cavalry (HC)
a.Agema

Cavalry (Cv)
a.Thracian Nobles
b.Greek Cavalry

Light Horse (LH)
a.Thracian Light Cav
b.Greek style light cav
c.generic light cav

Elephants (El)
a.Regulars
b.Towered

IV. Ptolemy

Difficulty:Easier

Ptolemy is envy of all the Diadochi, he is relatively safe initially separated from the others by the Meditteranean and the Arabian Desert. His only nearby rival is the Kyrenaican Faction which poses no real initial threat. He also posseses the richest province in the Diadoch world (Aegypt). Ptolemy is the only Diadochi that can afford the luxury of rest... though this will not last long.

Initial Strategy

Garrison your provinces that are accessible from the East to help deter invasion.. then invade Libya and Kyrenaica.. this will be your power base. Increase the size of your already sizeable navy to maintain control of the seas. Use this time to increase the quality of your troops. When you are ready make an alliance with either Seleuces or Antigonus.. then invade the other.

Positive
a.Largest starting income of the Diadochi
b.Largest starting Navy
c.No immediate threats
d.Machimoi pike unit is best levy Pike(Pk) in the game.. meaning affordable Pike based armies.

Negative
a.Very Heavy Tax Penalty on all forms of cavalry
b.Very Heavy Tax Penalty on all forms of Elephants
c.Elephant forces will be slightly weaker do to use of "African" breed
d.Everyone wants to be a Phaeroh, so watch out..

Army List:

1.Pike (Pk)
a.Machimoi......... levy
b.Regulars
c.Veterans
d.Agema

2.Spear (Sp)
a.Thureophoroi....... Levy
a.Greek Style Foot.. Regular
c.Hypaspist............ Professional

3.Auxillary (Ax)
a.Thracian Mercenaries......... must have inn to purchase
b.Libyan Spearmen............... must control Libya

4.Psiloi (Ps)
a.archers, slingers, javelinmen
b.Syrian slingers....................require control of Syria
c.Rhodian slingers..................require control of Rhodes
d.Cilician javelinmen................require control of Cilicia
e.Cretan Archers....................inn or control of Crete
f.Egyptian Archers

5.Heavy Cavalry (HC)
a.Klerouchoi Guard
b.Xystophoroi

6.Cavalry (Cv)
a.Greek style Cav

7.Light Horse (LH)
a.Tarantines
b.generic light cav
c.Libyan light cav.................. with control of Libya

8.Elephantes (El)
a.Regular
b.Towered

9.Blades (Bd)
a.Immitation Legionaires

*may use Kyrenaican Army List if control of their provinces is established

V. Seleucid

Difficulty:Fair

The "Spoiler" as I like to refer to him, had gone from an Admiral in Ptolemy's army to ruler of Babylon and the nemesis of Antigonus... The Seleucids will begin the game fairly well off income wise and geographically speaking. There will be no major threat to be had from the other Diadoch as the game begins, and his territories will be surrounded by rebel (Satrapal) provinces controlled by lesser Satraps.. However, trouble is brewing in the East in the way of Parthia and Bactria.. argueably the two strongest of the Minor Kingdoms. It won't be long before they come knocking on the city gates of Babylon.

Initial Strategy

Spread out on a land grab, hogging up the lesser satrapies, before your rivals do. Make an alliance, if possible, with Antigonus and Ptolemy.. this will keep you relatively safe in the West, and lets you focus your attention on the East. Bypass the Parthians if you can, but set up good defensive forces in case they attack (Parthia is much better at defending than attacking), and head for Bactria. Bactria has the potential to become a major threat and needs to be dealt with early on before its too late.

Positive
a.Relatively safe initially
b.Fairly wealthy and content Provinces
c.Discount on all Cavalry purchases
d.Discount on most Elephant purchases
e.Well rounded army featuring several unique units

Negative
a.Army is initially the smallest of the Diadoch and spread out
b.Tax penalty on most Pike(Pk) and Spear(Sp) units
c.Will need to face two of the more dangerous Minor Factions early on
d.No navy or Mediteranean trade initially
e.Distance from other successors could make alliances time consuming

Army List:

1.Pike (Pk)
a.Pantodapoi...... (Levy)
b.Phalanx........... (Regulars)
c.Veteran
d.Argyraspids..... (Agema)

2.Spear (Sp)
a.Greek Style
b.Hypaspist
c.Thureophoroi
d.Thorakitai

3.Auxillary (Ax)
a.Euzonoi
b.Thracian Mercenaries........ purchased from inn

4.Psiloi (Ps)
a.archers, slingers, and javelinmen
b.Cretan Archers.................. control of Crete or purchased at inn

5.Heavy Cavalry (HC)
a.Katoikoi Guard..... (cataphract)
b.Companions........ (xystophoroi)
c.Lancers

6.Cavalry (Cv)
a.Galatian Cavalry....................... must control Galatian territories

7.Light Horse (LH)
a.generic light cav
b.Tarantines
c.Horse Archers

8.Elephants (El)
a.Regular
b.Towered
c.Cataphract

9.Scythe Chariots (SyC)

10.Blades (Bd)
a.Immitation Legionaires

11.Warbands (Wb)
a.Galatian Warband (Light).............. must control Galatian provinces

The Diadochi are not the only game in town, as there are several Minor Factions ready to rise up and take control of the Hellenic World..

Minor Factions

Epirus

Difficulty:Hard

Description

Initial Strategy

Positive

Negative

Army List

1.Pike (Pk)
a.Conscript Phalanx....... Levy
b.Regulars
c.Chaeonian Guards....... Agema

2.Spear (Sp)
a.Greek Mercenaries
b.Samnite & Italiot Allies

3.Psiloi (Ps)
a.archers, slingers, and javelinmen
b.Rhodian Slingers...................... must have control of Rhodes
c.Cretan Archers........................ must have control of Crete

4.Auxillary (Ax)
a.Samnites
b.Greek Style Peltasts

5.Heavy Cavalry (HC)
a.Agema

6.Cavalry (Cv)
a.Thessalian
b.Greek Mercenary

7.Light Horse (LH)
a.Tarantines
b.generic light horse
c.Ambrakiots

8.Elephants (El)
a.Regular
b.Towered

*may use Greek Army List if control of Greek League is established

The Greek League

Aetolian & Achaean Leagues

Army List

1.Pike (Pk)
a.Pike Phalanx

2.Spear (Sp)
a.Citizen Hoplite
b.Perioikoi Hoplite
c.Spartan Citizen Hoplite
d.Citizen Thureophoroi

3.Psiloi (Ps)
a.archers, slingers, and javelinmen
b.Aetolian javelinmen

4.Cavalry (Cv)
a.Greek Cav

5.Light Horse (LH)
a.Tarantines
b.Aetolian Light Cav

Bactria

Army List

1.Pike (Pk)
a.Bactrian Pike Phalanx...... Veteran

2.Auxillary (Ax)
a.Mountain Indian Archers
b.Subject Tribe Foot
c.Pisidian Colonist

3.Psiloi (Ps)
a.Mountain Indian Archers
b.Foot Archers

4.Bowmen (Bw)
a.Indian Archers

5.Heavy Cavalry (HC)
a.Iranian Lancers............. have option to use bow
b.Cataphracts
c.Greek Bodyguards

8.Cavalry (Cv)
a.Saka Nobles
b.Indian Classical Cavalry

8.Light Horse (LH)
a.Steppe Light Horse
b.Saka Light Cavalry
c.Arachosian Light Cavalry
d.Bactrian Light Cavalry
e.Indian Light Cavalry

9.Elephants
a.Regular
b.Towered

Pergamene

Difficulty:Very Hard

Description:

Initial Strategy

Positive

Negative

Army List

1.Pike (Pk)
a.Diadoch Mercenary.............. only with control of a Diadochi home province

2.Auxillary (Ax)
a.Mercenary Auxillary

3.Psiloi (Ps)
a.Traillian Slingers
b.Mysians
c.Kappadokian Archers............. with control of Kappadokia
d.Cretan Archers.................... with inn or control of Crete

4.Heavy Cavalry (HC)
a.Pergamene Lancers.............. Agema
b.Diadoch Heavy Cav.............. only with control of a Diadochi home province

5.Cavalry (Cv)
a.Thracian Mercenary Cav........... with inn or control of Thracia
b.Galatian Cavalry...................... with inn or control of Galatian territories

6.Light Horse (LH)
a.Pergamene Light Cavalry
b.Kappadokian Light Cav............. with control of Kappadokia

7.Warband (Wb)
a.Galatian Light Warband............ can be produced in Pergamene itself, or
with control of Galatian Territories, or inn

8.Elephants (El)
a.Diadoch Elephants (Reg)....... only with control of a Diadochi home province
b.Diadoch Elephants (Towered). only with control of a Diadochi home province

Pontus

Army List

1.Pike (Pk)
a.Slave Phalanx............ Levy
b.Brazen Shields........... Regulars
c.Sinopean Guard......... Agema

2.Spear (Sp)
a.Thureophoroi

3.Auxillary (Ax)
a.Thracian Mercenaries......... with inn or control of Thrace

4.Psiloi (Ps)
a.archers, slingers, javelinmen
b.Ppntic Archers
c.Pontic Javelinmen

5.Heavy Cavalry (HC)
a.Cataphract
b.Bosphoran, Iazygian, or Rhoxolani Nobles......... with control of territories
c.Armenian Cataphracts................................ with control of Armenia

6.Cavalry (Cv)
a.Agema
b.Pontic Heavy Cavalry

7.Light Horse (LH)
a.Pontic Light Horse
b.Scythian Cavalry
c.Horse Archers

8.Warband (Wb)
a.Galatian Mercenaries................................ with control of Galatia

9.Blades (Bd)
a.Immitation Legionaires

10.Scythe Chariots (SyC)
a.Scythe Chariot (duh)

Galatians (think Gaul-atia)

Army List

1.Warband (Wb)
a.Heavy Infantry
b.Light Infantry
c.Fanatics

2.Psiloi (Ps)
a.Galatian Skirmishers

3.Cavalry (Cv)
a.Galatian Cavalry

4.Scythe Chariot (SyC)
a.Tetrarchs Attatchment
b.Regulars

5.Auxillary (Ax)
a.Painonian Warriors............... from Northern Greek Territories only

6.Light Horse
a.Painonian Light Cav............... from Northern Greek Territories only

7.Blades (Bd)
a.Galatian Immitation Legionaires

*may use portions of Greek Army List if control of Greece established

Jewish State

Difficulty:Very Hard

Description

Initial Strategy

Positive

Negative

Army List

1.Pike (Pk)
a.Foot of the Phalanx......... Regulars (Inferior)

2.Spear (Sp)
a.Rule Infantry (Spear Armed)
b.Levites Guard.................. Agema Type

3.Auxillary (Ax)
a.Guerilla Foot

4.Psiloi (Ps)
a.Guerilla Slingers
b.Guerilla Archers
c.Guerilla Javelins
d.Regulars (Archers)

5.Heavy Cavalry (HC)
a.Cavalry of the High Priest................. Agema
b.Cavalry of the Army

6.Light Cavalry (LH)
a.Cavalry of the Phalanx (Skirmishers)
b.Cavalry of the Phalanx (Horse Archers)

7.Blades (Bd)
a.Rule Infantry (Blade Armed)
b.Levites Guard.................... Agema Type

Parthia

Army List

1.Heavy Cavalry(HC)
a.Parthian Cataphracts
b.Guard Cavalry

2.Cavalry(Cv)
a.Saka Cavalry

3.Light Horse(LH)
a.Parthian Horse Archers
b.Arachosian Light Cav
c.Hill Tribe Light Cav
d.Saka Horse Archers
e.generic horse archers

4.Auxillary(Ax)
a.Guard Theurophoroi
b.Hill Tribe Spearmen
c.Mountain Tribesmen
d.Subject Tribe Foot
e.City Militia

5.Psiloi(Ps)
a.archers, slingers, javelinmen
b.Mountain Tribesmen
c.Saka Foot Archers
d.City dwellers

6.Bowmen(Bw)
a.Parthian Foot Archers

7.Elephants(El)
a.Regulars.............................. with control of Bactria

Sounds good ~:)

Basically the Beta tester is
a person who you sent a early copy of Diodachi out to.
They then play it (revealing very few details to the larger crowd)
And then they give you a "bug" report of things not working correctly, etc.

Also, the Jewish State, a hero person to include is Maccabeus.