On June 3rd, 1098, following an 8-month siege led by Raymond IV of Toulouse, modern-day Turkey’s Seljuk-held city of Antioch fell to the crusaders during the First Crusade. The city fell due to treachery from one of the guard captains.

While a full campaign with 10 battles to capture and Siege Antioch and defend it would be ideal, I think a simple wargame scenario depicting stealth would be more appropriate for this blog.

The guards’ goal is to catch the attackers, while the crusaders must successfully reach the gates and open them for the waiting forces.

Wargame

Ruleset Custom

Number of Players 1
Number of Models 25
Play Area 4×4
Scenery Castle Walls and Towers, many small buildings within. The streets should feel crowded and cramped with many turns.

The four crusaders must navigate to the gate without being seen. The defenders should be set up in four patrols of five soldiers in various areas of the setup. I recommend doing a grid and setting up the patrols at random. The soldiers should be governed by a deck of cards; each time a card is drawn, it indicates something.

Red FaceCard Movement directly forward as much as possible
Red Odd Card Turn Right next chance forward
Red Even Card Turn Left next chance forward

Black Facecard Movement moves directly backward as much as possible
Black Odd Card Turn right next chance backward
Red Even Card turn left next chance backward

Thus, the patrol moves randomly through the area. In the event of an encounter with the opposing troops, each group moves towards the combat until they come in contact with the crusaders or the fighting ends.

If a patrol spots the crusaders (6″range) a card is flipped. A red card, the defenders’ attack, a black card, they flee towards the bell.

Combat is resolved simply. Two combatants each roll a D6; the crusaders get +2. The loser is eliminated. The engagement range is adjacent to the models. The crusaders can take crossbows. Lethal hits on 5s. The crusaders should be slightly faster than the defenders.