A Personal Crusade

Using a modern definition of Medieval - starting with the Late Roman/Early Byzantine wars against the Sassanid Persians

The back of the box for the base game.

For as far back as I can remember I have been interested in the period of the Crusades. In terms of the Medieval period I would go so far as to say that it is probably the only Medieval period I have ever really seriously considered, alongside the Mongol conquests and perhaps the fall of Granada. Despite my best intentions The Hundred Years War or the War of the Roses has never really done to for me so I had resigned myself to parking those areas that are of interest very much on the back burner.

A few years back I picked up a copy of Command and Colours: Medieval, mainly because the scheduled first expansion was going to be devoted to the Crusades. In truth I only purchased the base game with this expansion in mind although the original version and a charm all of its own, featuring as it did Late Roman/Early Byzantine, Sassanids Persians and various tribal types. 

The Crusades expansion was a long time coming - long, as in years - and I was quite close to giving up on it but, at long last, it has arrived!

Slightly different from the original box design when first mooted by GMT

The back of the box - call me old fashioned but this feels more ‘Medieval’ than the original base game

The scenarios. The expansion is now marketed as the Crusades part 1 so we will have to wait for Richard the Lionheart

I am in two minds about this - on the one hand I am delighted that this has finally been released but on the other I would have preferred it to have been a one off expansion rather than the two. As to when this will be available - who knows?

I will have a lot of label sticking to do to get the game table ready but that will not be a problem once I can  get to it - possibly over the Christmas break.

On a Seperate Note(s)….

My copy of Battle Cry is now table ready - the counters and terrain tiles have been punched, the flags have been added to the figures and the command cards have been sleeved. I am hoping to get a game in over the weekend.

The final piece of news is that I have been able to pick up two intact copies of a game that featured in my youth and they will form the basis of my next post.