In Xenophon, if the Rebel conducts all his operations before the Empire, the Empire 
can really be overwhelmed if the Rebel gets some "Forced March" stratagems. It is 
actually what happened the first time I played it: we stopped after the first Rebel 
player turn, because the Empire had suffered a massive blow without being given the 
opportunity to react.
 
The solution I have found (which I also use in games like Charlemagne and Hundred 
Years War), and which I find much more realistic, fun and "interactive" is that 
operations are conducted randomly (i.e. the die is rolled to determine which player 
conducts each operation). The only exception is that the first operation is sometimes 
automatically attributed to a player when he is historically considered to have the 
initiative, like for example Cyrus on the first turn.
 
Maybe my explanation is not clear, but I will give you an example because the idea 
is very simple indeed. Say that we are in Turn 2 of Xenophon. For the first operation, 
the die is rolled. The players can have decided for example that even results are 
attributed to the Rebel player and odd results are attributed to the Empire player. 
If a 2 is rolled, then the Rebel side can conduct ONE operation. After his operation 
is over, a die is rolled. It the result is 5, then the Empire conducts ONE operation, 
then the die is rolled for the next operation, etc... until all forces have moved or 
both players have passed their turn.

To know which forces have already moved, the trick is to put the counters side down 
when they have moved, and to put them side up again at the end of the operations 
phase.

What is especially fun with this system is that it produces a whirlwind of actions 
and counter-actions, and that players are sometimes very anxious to get the next 
operation to exploit an opportunity that has arisen. It also puts the emphasis on 
being able to manage reserve forces.

In the Xenophon system, I have so suppressed the notions of "First player turn" 
and "Second player turn". As explained above, I have designed a single operations 
phase for both players. During the other phases (from "Random Events" to 
"Provisioning"), the player who was designated as the first player in the scenario 
performs the necessary steps first, then his opponent does the same. I.e., the 
first player rolls the dice for his random event and then his opponent does the 
same, then the first player picks his stratagems and the second player subsequently 
does the same, etc....
 
It is a good idea to have put a limit on the number of Stratagems a player can have 
in Xenophon, because in Charlemagne the Empire player was often able to monopolize 
them (so obviously, this limit can be applied in Charlemagne).
 
In Xenophon, I personally think the "Forced March" stratagem is too powerful and 
should be removed (moreover, it lengthens the game).

As every turn represents a full year, I also think that a force should be allowed 
to pick up units while moving, but this is only my personal opinion.

I think that when a leader finds himself alone in a hex because of the sudden 
desertion of his force, he should be allowed to flee to the nearest force (this is 
most important when my system of "interactive operations " is used...).

In the Engagement combat table, I have replaced AZ by AD as I found that an inferior 
attacker was at too big a disadvantage.
 
 
Emeric Mignotte, Paris, France
ex.plor@wanadoo.fr