My Next Project, Outremer!

Outremer, it has an evocative ring to it, romantic even. Although not so much of the latter once you acknowledge the destruction and slaughter. 

Runciman’s three volume History of The Crusades is still the best place to start if you want to know about the Crusades.  I read it when I was a teenager and was immediately hooked. I have returned to it many times since, superb books will have that effect. 

If you want something written specifically for gamers Duncan Head’s two books A Wargamers Guide to The Crusades and Armies and Enemies of the Crusades are a great investment. 

I also have copies of Smail, The Alexiad, The Crusades Through Arab Eyes and a load of other scholarly stuff. I even have two very fine sets of Crusading Warfare rules in the form of James Roach's Ager Sanguinis  and Brendan Moyles Shattered Lances.  I have the armies too.  Despite that I’d be surprised if I’ve played more than a dozen Crusades games in my time .  

I was thinking maybe Lion Rampant could rectify that deficit. Most of the troop types fit neatly within the Lion Rampant categories.  Two don't: the Bedouins,who were un-armoured charging lancers and the Turcomen horse archers. The latter were otherwise excellent skirmishing horsemen who had an alarming tendency to charge home on occasion, regardless of the cost.  I've a vague idea of an archery casualty figure that acts as a trigger for a Turcomen charge. A throw of eight sixes out of 12 dice perhaps.

As you have now guessed  my next project is the Crusades a la Lion Rampant.  I'm more or less going for the time of Nur ed Din-Saladin's patron. The Military Orders are in place and the Franks of Outremer have developed their own identity. 

I already have some of the figures although I’ll need to order more.  I might also do a bit of conversion work on the Frankish Knights to get that special Outremer look.  Newly arrived Crusaders were utterly appalled by the Franks of Outremer who returned the sentiment with interest.

My model is the Retinue of Baldwin of Edessa.  That means a core of Frankish Knights and Crossbows and Armenians for the rest. It should be colourful.  I'll have to do with the Franks only for the moment, but Donnington are promising Byzantines for this year so that'll be the Armenians.  

Baldwin was colourful too, and would poll highly in any informed plebiscite for the title of The Bandits Bandit.  He ended up as King of Jerusalem and was a very effective if utterly ruthless monarch. 

There will be Templars and Hospitalers too because they are different on the table-top and look splendid.  

While we are on the Military Orders there are things that come to mind:

Firstly, they really disliked each other-rivalry does not do justice to how the Hospital felt about the Temple and vice versa.  The Templars would sometimes refuse to join campaigns supported by the Hospital and both liked whenever possible to oppose the other in Council.  They normally chose opposing sides in the civil wars that beset the Frankish colonies.  Importantly, for us, they did frequently manage to fight on the same side.

Secondly, the Templars came to a very sticky end and this has generated all sorts of myths and legends with no real basis in the historical record.  My own view is that they were done over for their massive resources and large amounts of available cash rather than because they practiced heresy. It did not help that the arrogance of Templars was proverbial.

But, the Templars did sponsor the settlement of diverse non orthodox Islamic communities in areas they controlled.  Relations between them were very cordial and I have no doubt a significant number of Templars learned of the Peacock Angel and knew exactly who he was.  

It must have made for a heady mix.  There they were, the military elite of Christendom, often living in the literal foot steps of Christ.  Obeying absolutely their Grand Master and answerable only to the Pope.   They found themselves as over lords of well disposed people who had their own stories of biblical times.  Whether the Templars absorbed that knowledge into their own belief system is an intriguing question.  Alas, it cannot be answered and I'm not tempted to write a book.

For the home team I’ll do the Syrians and also the Seljuks. They can also fight each other as they did at the time.  Obviously there will be the ubiquitous Turcomen galore, of both sexes. 

I want the maximum arrow storm on the table.   I will also get some Bedouin. It’s easily possible that I’ll add to the basic collection to enable bigger encounters. 

The addition of a few infantry units would allow for fielding a Fatimid Retinue and that’s a temptation.  If I succumb to it I’ll go for one of spear and two of archers.  Sudanese, I think.

It’s often thought that Fatimid infantry were doomed in the face of a charge by Frankish chivalry but that isn't the whole picture.  As King Baldwin found out first hand sometimes they managed to shoot the knights down before the charge could close.

The figures will nearly all be from Donnington New Era and Black Hat Feudal both happily compatible size-wise.  The odd suitable Essex and Outpost figure might be judiciously applied.  I nearly went for Legio Heroica, lovely figures, but in the numbers I require my ultimate choice made more sense.

Surprisingly, no one, barring Legio Heroica-which are biggies, makes 15mm early Templars in a simple surcoat.    

So I converted these Black Hat Feudal knights by the talented Joseph Ochman by adding surcoats of Green Stuff. I think they look the part.

The Hospitallers were provided by Donnington New Era which means drilling and gluing.  That said you do get a very nice end product.

So that's a start made then.  More soon.

Deus Volt