Lion Rampant Takes On The Crusader States In New Book
January 24, 2020 by avernos
Daniel Mersey's Lion Rampant has been a beloved Medieval rule set since it's release six years ago, (6 seriously?! My god you guys are old, I'm still young though).
While the rules themselves are very good at replicating a myriad of conflicts throughout the period they are generic, and as such the University of Edinburgh's School of History, Classics, and Archaeology decided they could tighten them up and focus in on a specific period. The brainchild of Dr Gianluca, to use wargames to teach history, has given birth to Lion Rampant The Crusader States.
Written in conjunction with Daniel Mersey and published with support from the University of Edinburgh, the Crusader States will include 12 scenarios, that are playable individually, or you can link them together for a campaign. There are also army lists with special characteristics for each "faction', and new upgrades. The rules will be available in both digital and real formats and they are hoping to have them ready in time for Salute.
Speaking of which I'm incredibly excited to see this coming to fruition, last year I was lucky enough to meet Dr Gianluca and talk to him at Salute, the Uni had a game being run in the Crusades featuring a castle built by Supreme Littleness Designs. The idea behind the formation of their group was to take historical research and turn it into games and scenarios.
This, in turn, could be taken to schools or conventions and involve people in a historical game who otherwise may not look at them, also teaching them history by subterfuge. If you want to see that interview check out the Vlog here and if you want to find out more about bringing the sweet sweet world of history to your gaming tables then definitely join Gianluca's group on facepage Gaming the Crusades
Will you be dusting off textbooks to create your next game?
"I'm incredibly excited to see this coming to fruition, last year I was lucky enough to meet Dr Gianluca and talk to him at Salute,"
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I would dust off any by Thomas Asbridge to be honest
Are the rules the same as the original?
core rules should be the same, it’s the lists and characters with the scenarios that I believe is going to set it apart
Thumbs up on Asbridge, lucky enough to meet him as an undergrad.
Nice one as I own Lion and Dragon Rampant on Kindle and just seen this one as well.
Outremer: Faith and Blood: Skirmish Wargames in the Crusades by Osprey (April 2018)
nice.
Gimme gimme gimme!! Gimme now! Wants it!
I’m still not sold on it as a ruleset
Lion Rampant, Pikeman’s Lament, they’re basic rule sets – definitely much better systems out there but I like the ability to have a quick game with a system that can be learnt in minutes. Struggling for time more and more lately so I don’t mind losing depth for speed.
All good points in favor of these rules! ??
This is an interesting counterpoint to yesterday’s Pointless Views episode.
Is this going to be sold by Osprey, or do you have to buy it through the university bookstore? @avernos How many crusader armies do you have stored away? I hope Warren is going to break out his great crusade soon. I still want to know more about that castle. Thinking I should import the desert to the northern Rockies before the February whiteout.
Not osprey so not sure yet but by salute in mid April we should know more
I only have 4 armies 2 15mm and 2 28mm versions currently
Could be interesting. The original will do a great job of gaming the Crusades but the scenarios add some value to this release.
One thing I really like about Lion Rampant and its kin is the simplicity and, yes generic nature of the rules. I hope there aren’t too many special rules added.
SO whats the difference between this and the Outremer book.
This is based on Daniel Mersey’s Lion Rampant ruleset. Outremer is a different ruleset, by Jamie Gordon, uses playing cards for random activation, an array of dice, and contains more RPG type elements & campaign-focused progression. I find the Rampant series a little “cleaner” but the flip side is that Outremer can guide you through a narrative arc that can ultimately be more memorable. Really depends on if you’re looking for a quick skirmish, or a multi-game character-driven experience.
Any news on release for this?
Looks really great!