The philosopher game is quite broad. As a philosopher, mechanically you can physician people (and therefore are useful both after an arena fight or on quests.) Quests are dangerous as they are off Atlantis and you can die on them. Some are less dangerous and are more talky, however.

More importantly IMO, as a philosopher you can perform mysteries. These are essentially spells that use money, blood and quintessence (distilled elemental magic - comes in 4 flavours). They come in Lesser, Greater and Paramount forms.

Lesser mysteries can be performed by anyone if they know the name, components and effect of it (so you can IC trade mysteries around just by giving out this info) and there is no skill require to use a mystery other than ability to use the elements required to make it.

Greater Mysteries require wooden foci to perform which are found in various places - in tribute from cities, on quests, or other sources. These have much larger and powerful effects, from letting an entire warband shrug off arrows to summoning comets from the sky to devastate a city.

Paramount Mysteries are shrouded in secrecy. I can't say anything more about them really!

Additionally there is a place called the World Forge, entered by performing a short ritual at a Corrupted Gate of Horn. (Gates of Horn and Ivory are normally used to send people to the home of the gods, the underworld or on quests. The Corrupted Gate is different).

The World Forge is the hub of a large part of the philosophy game. It is physrepped by two large garage tents but IC it is outside normal reality completely: more a place of will than a place of physicality. It is split into two parts: the Agora, and the Forge itself.

The Agora is a room with lots of benches and tables. In it various puzzles can be found.

Riddles left there by someone unidentified which relate to interesting things going on in the world and in the overarching plot in the game, but which must be decoded before they can even be read.

A mysterious puzzle called the Labyrinth, set by King Sarpedon, Philosopher-King of Atlantis and one of the three kings of the Minoan civilization, which is designed for breaking the curse on the ancient Minoans who are cursed by the gods to help run the Annuals (events). It recently came to light, through the breaking of the first of the curses upon the Minoan, that the crime they were cursed for was attempted (and partially successful) murder of their gods.

A series of interesting puzzles relating to alchemy and the creation of new metals from the old: these are new as of this year and are set by the Minoan Master Alchemist.

Often there's a lot of interesting discussion and swapping of gossip and secrets in the Agora also, as well as philosophical discussion about metaphysics, the truths of the world and on the nature of men, Gods, and Titans.

In the Forge itself is the very pivot of the world itself, the 12-sided column (one for each Zodiac sign) on which territories (the same ones for which people battle in the arena) can be found. Philosophers can use simple and complex techniques to manipulate the world itself and align territories into different signs and elements, for personal gain, for the benefit of their nations and to allow the casting of some greater mysteries. Here, recently, players forged a new nation!

And this is just the public stuff about philosophy!

That is (some of) the philosophy game, and I've focused on the parts I do. It doesn't have to involve fighting at all, as you can see :P.

I haven't even talked about the priest game, which I'm less familiar with, but that also doesn't need to involve any fighting at all, and is more about, well, being the direct line between real, physical and capricious gods and the mortals who worship them.