Most of you have already discovered that GMT’s Commands & Colors is an expandable game system. Like its older sister, Commands & Colors Ancients and brother Commands & Colors Napoleonics, Commands & Colors Medieval is going to be, much, much, much, more than what was originally presented in GMT’s Medieval core game. As such, Crusades Mid-Eastern Battles I is just the first expansion for Commands & Colors Medieval.
Although the original plan was to have the Medieval expansions follow a somewhat historical timeline, but to keep in tune with player requests and feedback, GMT choose to jump ahead in time some 500 plus years to the Crusades. Actually reflecting on the decision, this jump makes a lot of sense, since there are marked similarities with many Byzantine battles as featured in the Medieval game and the battles fought during the Crusades, game play wise, rule wise and transitional thinking wise.
Yes, there are plenty of knights in shining armor in this expansion, but there are no damsels in distress, or dragons to be slain. The Crusades Mid-Eastern Battles I expansion will instead focus on some of the major engagements of earlier Crusader history. In this expansion, we show case 20 Crusader scenarios and all the additional unit blocks and unit markers you will need to fight out these battles. New units include: Auxilia Bow infantry, Crossbow Infantry, Foot Knight Infantry, Turcopole Light Bow Cavalry, Heavy Knight Cavalry and Military Order Heavy Knight Cavalry.
The Crusade expansion introduces many new game concepts as well; Relics. Retreat & Panic rules, Crusader Impetuous Pursuit, Crusader Cavalry Interpenetrate, Feigned light, Light Cavalry Swarm and Shower Shooting, all of which add historical depth and flavor. Still many game mechanics from your Medieval game remain constant, like the deck of Medieval Command cards that drive movement while creating a “fog of war” and the battle dice that will resolve combat quickly and efficiently. There are also new and updated Inspired Actions for the Crusader army and three different Mid-Eastern armies, Turk, Fatimid and Ayyubid.
The stylized battlefield scenario maps still emphasize the important terrain features and highlight the historical deployment of forces in scale with the game system. Like the Medieval core game, the scale of the Crusades expansion is flexible and can vary from battle to battle. Yet to gain victory, and I have stated this many times before, the tactics you need to execute conform remarkably well to the advantages and limitations inherent to the various Crusader and Mid-Eastern army units, their weapons, terrain and the history.
Still, we realize, that this later Medieval period of history, is way too large of a subject to hopefully cover it all in detail in this single expansion, so believe me, there is more, plenty more to come.
Welcome Again & Enjoy!
Richard Borg
IMPORTANT: In order to play the scenarios in this Crusades expansion, you will need a copy of the Commands & Colors Medieval game.