The Crusades (game)

During the century following the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad in 632, Muslim forces captured Jerusalem. By the 11th century, European ties to the Holy Land had deteriorated. Christians returning from pilgrimages reported difficulties with Arabic authorities and the oppression of Christians. The result was the First Crusade, where four main armies left Europe around August 1096, and succeeded in capturing Jerusalem. A century later, after Jerusalem was captured by Saladin in 1187, more European armies converged during the Third Crusade.^[1]

The Crusades is a board wargame with two scenarios; the "First Crusade" scenario is a multi-player game, and the "Third Crusade" is a 2-player game.^[2]

Both scenarios use a set of common rules.^[2] This includes:

• A 22" x 32" hex grid map of the Middle East
• Combat only occurs when opposing units occupy the same hex
• Simultaneous movement via written orders
• All armies suffer losses as they move through countryside, based on speed of movement and terrain, to simulate difficulties in foraging.^[3]
• During combat, leaders determine tactics; the two sides cross-reference tactics to determine combat results.
• Sieges play a major role in the game, with the besiegers usually attempting to starve out the defenders.

Up to seven players can play this scenario (four Christian players, three Muslim players). Although the forces on each side are nominally cooperating with each other, each leader has a different set of objectives and victory conditions.^[2]

This is a 2-player game in which one player controls the Christian forces of Richard I of England, Philip II of France, and Guy of Lusignan, King of Jerusalem, while the other player controls the Muslim forces of Saladin. Various random events can happen during the game, including the decision of Philip II to withdraw French forces back to Europe.^[3]

The Crusades was designed by Richard Berg, and was published as a free pull-out game in Issue 70 of Strategy & Tactics with graphic design by Redmond A. Simonsen. It was also published as a boxed set.