"..you cannot escape from the terror of our armies. Where can you flee? What road will you use to escape us? Our horses are swift, our arrows sharp, our swords like thunderbolts, our hearts as hard as the mountains, our soldiers as numerous as the sand. Fortresses will not detain us, nor arms stop us."
-Hulagu Khan to the Mamluk Sultanate
Welcome friend, to the page that asks, "Emperor, Sultan, King...Ilkhan...Chieftan.."?
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Contact us
The Perfect Captain
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Paper Miniatures
Get'em here
Miniatures rules for Warfare in the age of the Crusades
with army lists and full scenario generator, and full compatibility with the
Princes of the East Campaign Game.
This is Ironbow II
The revision of one of our earliest games is upon us! We’ve been promising this one since we first released the original Ironbow back in 2000; now, after 5 years of feedback, and nearly a year of steady work, the revision is ready!
The game is now expanded to cover all the states and expeditions in the entire eastern Mediterranean, and the regions around the Holy Land, from the battle of Manzikert in 1071, through to the fall of Crusader Acre in 1291, and even up to the advent of the Grand Catalan Company in Greece. Just about any army which trudged about looking for mayhem, from Italy and Sicily all the way to Georgia and the borders of Persia can now be generated for Ironbow. Furthermore, all the rules have been modernized, and all sorts of new elements have been added. There are three times the unit cards that appeared in the original set, and at least 35 individual army lists, with historical commentary included.
What's special?
Ironbow looks at a battle not merely based who has the best weapons and armor, or even on who has the best troops; army morale, and the exploitation of its ebb and flow will determine the victor. A Commander’s psychological and cultural characteristics, the doctrine and composition of the army, even the social status of subordinates require a new kind of skill, of knowing your army, its strengths and weaknesses, and using them correctly and historically. An additive and subtractive system for determining an army’s morale status, if used cleverly by an opportunistic Commander, can shatter the resolve of an opponent; now the many instances of small yet dedicated forces defeating mighty hosts, so characteristic of the Crusades era, can now be simulated in a convincing and comprehensive manner.
And now, a large WARNING!
Ironbow II has many full colour components that can be printed up; however, you don’t need most of these to play a game, so only print what you need!! We have tried to minimize wastage by arranging elements so the least amount of items may be printed to create a game in any given part of the Crusades era or theater of conflict. A few cards which are often used by two opposing armies have doubles in the set in carefully chosen locations, so hopefully you won’t have to reprint a whole sheet to get one card. And army lists don’t even have to be printed at all, if your computer is in the same place as your gaming area is. Be prudent! The Captain does not wish to see his esteemed colleagues impoverished by ruinous printing costs!
The feedback on this game has been immense. Ironbow users are among our most loyal supporters. One gaming group in Italy has translated them into their native language! (Unfortunately, they’ll have to do it again.)
On the whole this has been one of our most successful projects, and we feel we captured the feel of the period, which was our most important goal. And now, the whole panoply of armies are now within your grasp….all the glory, tragedy, and folly of the Crusades lies at your very fingertips, waiting for you to merely set up your leaden dopplegangers, and once again refight the great battles of nearly a millennia past…
The entire system, including orders and order interpretation, a unit’s fighting characteristics and reaction to different battle events or circumstances are all included on easy-to-use and graphically beautiful cards and play aids.
How about some army lists?
Folks love'em, so here's a sample:
How 'bout some
links, Cap'n?
Overview of Rulers from the Period
Top-notch intro to the period. Page after page of good stuff
Frankokratia (Frankish Control of Greece)
A bit wordy at the beginning, but it is a good overview
Michael I of Epirus
History of the early Epirote Empire under one of it's most cunning leaders
The Effect of the Fourth Crusade
Although it is supposed to be an ecclesiastical history (which is fascinating), the lion's
share is a detailed explanation of the Latin Conquest.
Balkan Military History, Medieval Period
Lots of useful information, although most of it for the northern Balkans
Venetian History, 12th & 13th Century
A good section on the Fourth Crusade
Fall of Constantinople
A Diplomacy variant (with it's own map and pieces) for the Balkans in 1355. Cool!
Late Byzantine DBA Variant Lists
For those DBA fans out there
Essex 15mm Miniatures
No, I don't work for Essex miniatures. I just like 'em
