The Levantine Struggle: A Crusades Hotseat AAR

[Nightbringer]

I have certainly been enjoying watching it, although that is kind of weird since I am in the game. If you would rather put your time elsewhere that is fine by me though.

[Cecil XIX]

I find it useful, so yes. Sorry that I haven't been commentating.

[phonicsmonkey]

Sorry guys I'm finding I just don't have the time to keep up with this. It's taking and uploading all the screenshots that takes up the time.

It's fun! But I can't continue....unless you guys want to send me your shots and then I can put them together for you into a narrative.

[Myth]

How far off is this game from finishing? Are you interested in a second Crusades game? This is the last of the big three in Kingdoms I haven't played, but the Western factions seem very nice.

[Nightbringer]

The western ones have a lot of nice custom units with some really beautiful skins, although with AR you don't get to see those. Of course, most of them also have twice the stats of the Middle Eastern ones so it is still nice.

I can't say the units for Egypt or the Turks are great, they are pretty weak and use the vanilla skins for everything.

[Thanatos Eclipse]

Burning Seas
Admiral Loys stood on the deck of his flag ship, surveying his fleet. Burning husks littered the sea, as men scurried about desperately trying to douse the fires of any ship that still floated. Admiral Loys grabbed his cracked ribs and groaned, ‘Nicosia was safe for now, but at what cost. Those Greek fire ships spat out flames like the dragons of old, tearing through Latin ships like they where made of parchment. It was only through overwhelming numbers that we were even barely able to push them back. What am I going to do when they return, and even more important, what am I going to tell Grandmaster Reynolds? ...Maybe it’d be better if I just throw myself in the fire…could it be much worse then reporting such losses?’ Loys groans as he turns to look at the aft of his own ship, where smoke still curled up from below deck, ‘Maybe I’ll just go warm up by the fire while the men put it out…’

The Forsaken Lands
Pouring sand out of his shoe for the tenth time this day, Guy sighed and sat down. He who had sacked the great city of Baghdad was now set on the run in this God-forsaken desert that the Saracens called home. 'No wonder these people had gone savage, any lesser man would in the Devils own lands,' but Guy was no lesser man and he did not lead lesser men, they would push on. 'At least now we're heading in the direction of the coast, only a few more years…’ Guy frowned at this thought, then forced a smile, ‘Got to hold on to the victories, at least our fort has held and detoured the Sultans forces, he won’t be catching us anytime soon. And word is that the Eastern Crusading Hordes are swarming down to wipe out the Turkish resistance. Now all we have to do is live long enough to reach the coast, and take care of that Turkish force that’s in our way…” Guy frowned again, took a sip of water, then got back to his feet to continue their long arduous march towards the coast, ‘Towards home’ Guy thought, ‘…well, our new home; the new god forsaken hell-hole of a home, that holy-men called the holy lands.’ And they march on…

[Thanatos Eclipse]

Standing alone in the desert under the warm morning sun...

"God forgive me, for I know not what to do," Grandmaster Reynolds falls to his knees in the hot desert sand. "Why Lord do you try me so. Have I not proven myself to you and done as you asked? The heathen kings of Egypt have fallen, the nomad armies of the Saracens are on the run, your holy cities returned to Christian hands, and the great state of Jerusalem resurrected from the ashes; but still you try me. With the hunt for the Saracens still fresh, your stray sheep of Greece have fallen in with wolves and the Devils black hand caresses the hearts of the Jerusalem people; and you allowed it? Even now you come to me asking more, but I know not if I can deliver. Please God give me a sign..." Reynolds falls backwards into the warm sand and lies there staring up into the rising sun.

After a few minutes a mighty silhouette blocks out the sun. "God?" Reynolds questions.

"Sir, are you alright?" the stranger tries to offer Reynolds his water, but Reynolds pushes it away.

"What do you want?" Reynolds responds harshly realizing it was not God that had disturbed him.

"Um, I come from Antioch with great news. A mighty force has assembled outside of the city, my Lord. Many are claiming they felt a calling to that spot; from stable boy to the mighty Cannons, they gather, awaiting your orders. The priest are calling this God's will. They say that Jerusalem was corrupted by the Egyptian's occupation and when the Jerusalem King returned, he was not strong enough to break its hold..."

At this point Reynolds was no longer listening to the messenger, even though his theories on Jerusalem's many governmental swings being linked to the Devils corruption where quite interesting; Reynolds's determination had returned.

"Thank you Lord," Reynolds jumps to his feet and shouts to the sky, "for you have not abandoned me even when I had all but given up." Turning to the messenger who was still talking about the crazy Jerusalem politics, Reynolds orders, "Send message to our armies in Anatolia, they are to return to Antioch immediately. God calls us to Crusade once more, but not against Jerusalem, no they are still yet our brothers, it is the dark curruption that must be stripped from these lands once and for all."