what was your goal for designing an AGON's Island when you should reach some kind of Mediterranean flavor?
did you put effort in the theme?
in the appearance?
in the mood?
in the thematic
What a great question!
To me, this can be explored from different points of view, but it always comes back to the idea of a sense of continuity with the original myth.
As a person born and educated in the Italian school system, the classics crossed my path many times since I was a little child, not only in their original form, but also through their many retellings.
I think it is a constant leitmotif in our literature trying to find new ways to extract modern reflections from ancient stories.
For this reason- I always tried to start from these ancient stories, or at least their tropes, to tackle themes that, in a very Italian way, talks to our modern readers.
In my perception, Ancient Greece especially means Philosophy and -nowadays -the most tangible expression of philosophy is -of course- Ethics.
So, to me, an island to be Mediterranean in a modern but authentic way, has to be rooted in ethical enquiry.
On the other hand, landscapes are a crucial way to frame a Mediterranean place. Even deciding to describe an unusual scenario, I tried to research a bit about endemic species, typical rock structures and prevalent colors, so that every island I depicted is somehow derived from the description of a real island, and then twisted a bit.
Yes, it's very similar for me as well - also in terms of having being exposed to classic mythology at a very young age :)
I share the same view: the main element is keeping the story broadly in line with the original myths, in terms of themes, tropes, and narrative approach. At the same time, I want the players to have different options available, and to be required to make a "moral" choice of some kind - I want them to be able to take either side in the conflict they are presented with, and ideally to also have "third" and "fourth" options to solve it creatively.
And I agree about landscapes, references to local trees, plants, agricultural practices, etc. really help creating the right Mediterranean atmosphere. Greek and especially Southern Italian landscapes are my main inspiration from this point of view.