Over time, we've been refining the proposed scenario for an Outremer skirmish game using the Byblos castle prototype. In our last post, we talked about an early playtest in Cambridge. This revealed that the system was working well for us, but suggested that we might want to vary the force composition and deployment in the... Continue Reading →
Our search for the perfect system to use for fighting inside the keep led us to Outremer, a medieval skirmish wargame from Osprey Games. In order to learn the rules, we gave the game a try at our local bookstore's game night. We didn't have the keep model itself, but we threw together a board using... Continue Reading →
In the last post, we mentioned in passing one of the limitations of making accurate models of historical buildings: space. Most 28mm scale wargames buildings are much smaller than the notional scale would suggest; this is simply because if a game's ground scale and figure scale were the same, battlefields would be so large that... Continue Reading →
In a previous post, we talked about the reconstruction of the mezzanine on the ground floor of Byblos castle. In this one, we're going to look at a similar feature on the upper floor and the very different interpretation we think it supports -- and in the process, raise some points about designing interiors for... Continue Reading →
As we develop the gaming side of this project, it's important for us to bear in mind the role of the castle. One of the challenges of creating a castle model for a miniature wargame is how to use it effectively on the battlefield. Ultimately, even a game with relatively small units like Lion Rampant... Continue Reading →
In addition to all the interesting characters who attacked, defended, or lived in it in the middle ages, Byblos Castle also plays a role, if a small one, in the story of a fascinating figure from the 20th century: T. E. Lawrence, later to become famous as "Lawrence of Arabia." In 1909, Lawrence, than an... Continue Reading →
Wargaming in the crusades seems to be in the air at the moment! We mentioned the recent release of Osprey's Outremer: Faith and Blood, as well as the wide variety of other Crusading games out there. There's also a series of articles currently running in Wargames Illustrated that should be of interest to our readers. Steve Tibble is... Continue Reading →
In a previous post, we went over the decisions that went into the design of the keep's lower floor. The upper floor is a little simpler in terms of its interpretation, but poses equal challenges for the model builder.The upper floor of Byblos Castle was a residential space for the family that inhabited the keep.... Continue Reading →
We're back from Claymore, where we ran our first participation game. Although we might be biased, we think it went really well! This was our first chance to actually play a game with the spectacular keep model from Supreme Littleness Designs. We got a great response -- the game was completely full both times we... Continue Reading →
At the centre of the Gaming a Crusader Castle project is the new crusader keep model from Supreme Littleness Designs. The creation of this model provides an interesting look at the challenges of turning historical and archaeological evidence into a model usable for gaming. People often talk about the tension between historical accuracy and ease... Continue Reading →
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