High School Crusaders 2: First Blood

Day One of our "Warfare in the Levant" simulation saw the armies surge forward and some efforts to gain an advantage through maneuver.  Day Two saw the first units come into contact and the first serious casualties.

Knights race back to secure the Crusader left.  Some stubborn Turkish light cavalry inflict some damage and refuse to give ground, but it seems like only a matter of time before the heavily armored knights rout their foes.  Meanwhile, Frankish bowmen drive back another unit of light cavalry, but the battle for the flank is far from over.

Trevor pushes the Crusader infantry forward in the center.  Is that a TARDIS by his hand? Hm, it seems to make an appearance in most of my 28mm battlefields.

More knights charge forward in the center, engaging a unit of bow-armed Arab skirmishers and some heavy Arab cavalry.  I realized at this point that I had written no rules for automatic retreat after losing a melee, so troops were just going to have to fight it out until someone lost a morale check.  Not that the students noticed or minded. They seem to like lots of bloody action.  Go fig.

Lauren considers sweeping to her right to help the Turks, but decides instead to sweep Christian archers off the hill in front of her.

Oh, noes!  A charge of Crusader knights falls just short of reaching its target.  The Muslim bowmen to each flank now have a juicy target in front of them.

The knights int he foreground have just caused the Arab skirmishers to rout off the board.  will the spearmen and cavalry be able to protect the oasis to their rear?

The pilgrims have been inching forward, and now they have the chance to prove their faith.  They took a lot of hits from the Arab cavalry rushing into them, but they passed their morale check. I guess faith counts for something.

A long view of the battlefield.  Though blood has been spilled, and some units are starting to feel the effects of casualties, it could still go either way. I have one more class period dedicated to this simulation. I guarantee the kids are going to plead for two.  Or more...