Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War
No gods intervene in these pages. Only men, plagues, and power — rigorously attested.
Every stat is a checkable fact about the actual book, not a designer's mood. Bars are drawn against the highest value any book reaches.
By levelling up. A book that develops keeps what it knew and learns the rest on its new schedule.
| Lv | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr | Acc | PP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Possession for All Time | History | Argument | 60 | 100% | 15 |
| 5 | Question the Premise | Rationality | Type shift | — | — | 10 |
| 8 | Steelman | Rationality | Type shift | — | — | 10 |
| 50 | Speak Greek | History | Status | — | 100% | 5 |
How to read these. In Scholar’s Dream, books argue with each other. Each thing a book can do in a debate is a move, and most moves carry a real quotation — the words the book puts on the table when it uses that move.
Strong against lists the opposing books and arguments a move was written to answer. Used against one of them, it hits much harder than usual: ×2 means twice the normal force, ×4 four times. It is the game’s way of saying: this is the sentence that answers that argument. Open an entry to read why.
“I have written my work, not as an essay which is to win the applause of the moment, but as a possession for all time.”
Thucydides, Peloponnesian War 1.22 (trans. Crawley, 1874, public domain).public domain
In the gameStrict evidence, no romance. It holds up.
“He who pleads his cause first seems right; until another comes and questions him.”
Proverbs 18:17 (WEB).
In the gameChallenge the foundation of an argument before it can be pressed. Lowers the foe’s Contend.
“Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.”
James 1:19 (WEB).
In the gameRestate the foe’s position in its strongest form — exposing its true weak point. Lowers the foe’s Defend. Always fair; never a bad move to use.