My Crusades stuff for TtS - Edit: TtS amendments for the Crusades

[olicana]

I've just finished reorganising (with some rebasing) my forces for the early Crusader period - First Crusade to Second Crusade (at a pinch) - ostensibly for playing To the Strongest games.

I thought I'd do a "Roll Call!" post on my blog to share their fruity goodness with you.

http://olicanalad.blogspot.com/2020/10/reorganising-and-rebasing-my-crusades.html

The Islamic and Christian forces are pictured here, close ups of the units, full OOB, numbers, etc., are available at the blog link above. I hope you enjoy looking at them.

[Ray Rivers]

That is one hell'va project! 

Definitely worth taking a look at the units up close on your blog.

Thanks!

[Atheling]

That is one hell'va project! 

Definitely worth taking a look at the units up close on your blog.

Thanks!

I remember well that beautiful looking game you put on at Vappa about ten years back James (next to the Gripping Beast stand?)

I'm sure there were other stunning games but yours remains the one game from that show that really sticks in my mind 

[olicana]

Kind words, indeed

The game was Harran 1104 AD. I ran the same game at Fiasco in 2011, so Vappa must have been 2009 or, more likely, 2013. I don't have any pics of that game. However, the set up for Fiasco looked like this:



Harran is a belting scenario. Both sides hang out bait, both sides have half their force lying in ambush position. The scenario was made easier by the fact we were playing Piquet / Field of Battle derivative rules called Ager Sanguinis (published in Miniature Wargames as a 12 page advert free centrefold pull out, including a cover page!) that I penned way back when - so predetermined things happened initially, on the turn of cards. Field of Battle (FoB) Ager Sanguinis - see what I did there?



MW January 2009 No. 309 (Rules) MW March 2009 No. 311 (Christian Army Lists)MW November 2009 No. 319 (Muslim Army Lists)

[Atheling]

Possibly 2013 then? I just checked my blog but when I combined my other blogs into Just Add Water I just have missed it  I had some great photo's of the game as well

MW January 2009 No. 309 (Rules) MW March 2009 No. 311 (Christian Army Lists)MW November 2009 No. 319 (Muslim Army Lists)

I've still got a copy of Ager Sanguinis tucked away. I've never played Piquet though, not by design, it has just never cropped up as a rule set that anyone I know has played.

Field of Battle (FoB) Ager Sanguinis - see what I did there?

I did. Sort of like Senlac Hill (Sanguelac), if indeed it is really a pun.

[olicana]

For some reason I didn't take photos of my early demo games. It never occurred to me to. Now I take a full sized tripod to take pics, which always looks rather odd with a pocket sized digital compact camera perched on top (I certainly get some funny looks, but perhaps it's me that looks odd). Having said that, every photo I've ever had published was taken with one - even the ones for Osprey's Honours of War.

Not quite, on the "see what I did there". The cover page of the rules has the answer.

[OB]

I always had a great game using your Ager Sanguinis rules  Anyone FoB inclined should give them a go.

The Adath City militia in your pics look very good the shield colours pull them together nicely.

[Atheling]

For some reason I didn't take photos of my early demo games. It never occurred to me to. Now I take a full sized tripod to take pics, which always looks rather odd with a pocket sized digital compact camera perched on top (I certainly get some funny looks, but perhaps it's me that looks odd). Having said that, every photo I've ever had published was taken with one - even the ones for Osprey's Honours of War.

Not quite, on the "see what I did there". The cover page of the rules has the answer.

Perhaps I missed your pun? Senlac means "Lake of Sand", supposedly bastardised to to Sanguelac meaning "Lake of Blood". I was just equating it with Ager Sanguinis

[olicana]

Close enough.

Ager Sanguinis was the name of the battle fought in 1119. Roger of Salerno, Regent of Antioch was ambushed by Ilghazi of Mardin in the pass of Sarmada. The Antiochenes were slaughtered - of 700 knights that fought there, only 2 survived.

Because of the massacre, the battle was not called the Battle of Samada. It went down as the Battle of The Field of Blood or, more simply, Ager Sanguinis. The Latin is a bit odd because an "Ager" is more akin to a farmers field - my Latin is almost non-existent but, ager is the root of the English word agriculture, kinda. Really, "Ager" might have been better substituted by "Campus" (Campus is the word used for field in relation to Field of Mars, etc.). Your Latin is probably much better than mine but, that's the nub of it.

Field of Battle - FoB
Field of Blood - FoB

[Atheling]

Your Latin is probably much better than mine but, that's the nub of it.

I can guarantee that your Latin is better then mine  . I never had a chance to study it at school. It just wasn't available.

Field of Battle - FoB
Field of Blood - FoB

Got you 

[olicana]

TtS rule amendments:

Here in Olicanaland we love the Crusades and we love To the Strongest, so please don't think I have a problem with the rules for the Crusades as they are written.

All I've done is tinker with the rules around the edges to bring out specific differences in technology (Eastern Vs Western) and make the rules a little more period specific for extra flavour.

Probably, the biggest change I've made is to remove ammunition chit mechanism, mostly as a table tidy exercise, and replaced it with something else.

The changes are in my army list and quick reference sheets. They are posted here:

http://olicanalad.blogspot.com/2020/10/my-house-army-lists-and-rule-changes.html

I hope they might be of use to someone, or provoke thought, or start a conversation.

James

[Atheling]

Excellent work! 

Have you had much by way of feedback from Simon yet? (apologies if I overlooked this as I have not had time to read the whole article)

[olicana]

Apparently, regarding missilery, he's working on something similar but keeping the details under his hat for the moment.

[Atheling]

Apparently, regarding missilery, he's working on something similar but keeping the details under his hat for the moment.

I look forward to eventually comparing and contrasting