Moran, Matt Swords of God

Wargaming the Battles of the Crusades

This is a war game set in the Crusades (11001400). Rather than attempting to directly simulate the physical aspects of warfare, the rules are inspired by chansons de geste and other romantic literature of the period, aiming to create fast-flowing, abstract combatthe kind still worthy of song. The game is designed so that battles with around 20,000 to 30,000 men per side can take place on a 6 × 4 table. However, any table can be used as long as your unit bases are smaller than the Impetus standard of 120 mm × 40 mm or as numerous as the sand on the seashore! The system focuses on the command and control structures of each army's key figures and allows battles of any size with a user-friendly scoring system. A quick reference guide helps you determine the appropriate table size for your game. Inspired by historical studies of the Crusades such as Avner Falk's Franks and Saracens and Vincent Baker's Apocalypse World rulebook, the game's deep yet simple mechanics encourage meaningful tactical decisions while ensuring that the action always moves forward. Features include: A unified mechanic based on rolling three six-sided dice; grid-based movement to speed up play, with each side of the grid representing half the width of a unit base; scenario creation incorporating the terrain on the battlefield; more than half a dozen special rules that reflect the commander's relationship with the divine. In an age marked by personal oaths and charismatic authority, these rules apply to the entire army. The army lists for campaigns in Iberia, the Baltic, Languedoc, Bohemia, and the Levant contain a carefully selected range of generic unit types. The faith trees available to generals of each religion offer unique special rules based on their emotional connection to the divine and the religious war in which they are embroiled. Each faith tree gives an army a distinctive flavour, ensuring high replayability even within the same campaign.