The Games
Ironbow II
Publisher: The Perfect Captain
Type: Miniatures,
Wargame
Status: Free
BGG entry:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/18071
Available at:
http://perfectcaptain.50megs.com/ironbow.html
A new and innovative concept in miniatures gaming.
Complete with Counters for Byzantine, Turkish, Crusader, Syrian and Armenian armies.
The revision of one of our earliest games is upon us! We’ve been promising this one since we first released the original Ironbow back in 2000; now, after 5 years of feedback, and nearly a year of steady work, the revision is ready! The game is now expanded to cover all the states and expeditions in the entire eastern Mediterranean, and the regions around the Holy Land, from the battle of Manzikert in 1071, through to the fall of Crusader Acre in 1291, and even up to the advent of the Grand Catalan Company in Greece. Just about any army which trudged about looking for mayhem, from Italy and Sicily all the way to Georgia and the borders of Persia can now be generated for Ironbow. Furthermore, all the rules have been modernized, and all sorts of new elements have been added. There are three times the unit cards that appeared in the original set, and at least 35 individual army lists, with historical commentary included.
Ironbow looks at a battle not merely based who has the best weapons and armor, or even on who has the best troops; army morale, and the exploitation of its ebb and flow will determine the victor. A Commander’s psychological and cultural characteristics, the doctrine and composition of the army, even the social status of subordinates require a new kind of skill, of knowing your army, its strengths and weaknesses, and using them correctly and historically. An additive and subtractive system for determining an army’s morale status, if used cleverly by an opportunistic Commander, can shatter the resolve of an opponent; now the many instances of small yet dedicated forces defeating mighty hosts, so characteristic of the Crusades era, can now be simulated in a convincing and comprehensive manner.
The entire system, including orders and order interpretation, a unit’s fighting characteristics and reaction to different battle events or circumstances are all included on easy-to-use and graphically beautiful cards and play aids.