This time I was the Muslims and Richard the Christians in the excellent but frustrating game.
1187 AD
The Christians strengthen their castles in the knowledge of what's to come.
Saladin goes to Damascus and promptly falls ill. Al-Afdal takes over but doesn't have the command power to move the army that Saladin had assembled.
Cyprus declares for the Muslims.
Al-Afdal feels he must do something and takes what force he can to besiege Tripoli (RF4).
Raymond moves to Acre.
The wells at Tripoli run dry (RF-3).
Raymond moves to Tripoli. Al-Afdal fails to avoid battle, and his force is wiped out, but he escapes to Damascus.
However, even with the lost battle and breaking the siege, Diplomatic Advantage has gone to the Muslims.
1188 AD
The Christians try to influence Cyprus to leave the Muslim embrace but fail.
The Muslim forces gather in Damascus, where Saladin joins them. He then marches on Tiberia and demands it surrender. But al-Afdal, who should have accompanied him, is aggrieved that he's no longer in command and stays put, keeping three units with him, units Saladin needs. Tiberia does not surrender as it has a friendly army nearby that matches the reduced force Saladin now has.
Saladin starts a siege, but his supplies run low, so he gives up and goes back to Damascus to collect more troops before heading to Acre, the Christian garrison of which has been weakened by a raid by corsairs.
The siege of Acre. RF starts at 6. Sappers and miners reduce it by 3. Then catapults reduce it by a further 1. Saladin tries fortunes of war, but to no avail. He assaults. He has 29 factors with a +1. He rolls a 1 and inflicts 1 casualty. The 5 defending factors have a +2. They roll a 5 and inflict 2 casualties. The assault fails. The RF increases by 1. Saladin decides to maintain the siege over winter.
1189 AD
Acre's RF stands at 3. Saladin's message for more sappers and miners is intercepted. Annoyed he flings severed heads over the battlements, but this only stiffens the defender's resolve. RF is now 4.
Saladin's supplies run low and the RF of Acre increases to 5. Acre must be captured to avoid a sudden Crusader victory at the end of this turn.
Siege towers are built reducing the RF to 3. The place is blockaded, RF now 2. More siege towers are built, and the RF is reduced to 0. Acre falls to an assault.
Saladin uses a vassal move to gather reinforcements before moving to Jerusalem and asking it to surrender (a 5 or 6 needed), but it says no. He blockades it and settles in for a siege.
Raymond moves to besiege Acre and attempts to undo all Saladin's hard work by implementing a siege.
Saladin sits down to starve the Christians out of Jerusalem.
A unit of Muslim cavalry go to Acre to try and break siege, but it comes to nothing (battle fought, but no casualties). The garrison of Acre gets hungry. The Muslim cavalry try again, but fail, giving the Christian a major Victory (although the forces involved were miniscule - need to check rules?).
With winter the sieges of Jerusalem and Acre are called off and diplomatic advantage goes to the Christians. Having avoided an early Christian victory, the game continues...
1190 AD
... with the arrival of Richard I and Phillip II and Barbarossa and 18 Crusader units.
The Muslims concentrate their forces in Damascus.
Richard lands at Acre (RF=6).
Philip lands in Tyre.
Saladin goes to Damascus ready to strike before the Christians can combine their forces.
The Christians call a truce.
The Muslims try diplomacy with Antioch (fail) and Armenia (success).
Richard builds a fortified camp.
Saladin goes to Tyre and attacks Philip. Richard goes to his rescue. The Christians are impetuous giving the Saladin an advantage. His force numbers 24 factors to Richard's 30. He has a +1 and they have a +2. He throws a 4 and they throw a 6. The Muslims suffer 13 losses and inflict 6. A major victory to the Christians and Saladin is gravely wounded and his army wiped out.
Richard follows up his victory by going to Damascus.
1191 AD
Damascus is blockaded and under siege, but an epidemic breaks out in the Christian camps and Richard falls ill.
The wells run dry in Damascus and the RF drops to 2.
Philip moves to Damascus.
Muslim cavalry attempting to block off the Christians are overrun after they fail to avoid Reynald who also heads to Damascus.
The Christians fill in the moat at Damascus and launch an assault capturing the city. The local commander, al-Afdal dies.
Just to make things worse, Cyprus abandons the Muslims and goes neutral.
1192 AD
An Italian engineer arrives at Acre which is still besieged.
Corsairs raid the Crusaders at Acre again.
Richard returns from his sick bed and goes to Acre, unfortunately bringing the plague with him. He deploys catapults (RF drops to 4), but his supplies run low (RF raises to 5). Siege towers are constructed (fancy Italian ones) and RF plummets to 2).
Saldin returns and moves to Baalbek.
Richard calls on the Fortunes of War, but there is nothing.
Saladin moves to Acre. It is an even fight, but Saladin forgets about Richards fortified camp. Still, he inflicts 5 casualties but receives 6 and retreats.
Richard calls on Philip for help and gets much need reinforcements.
Next, he calls on Fortunes of War and his Italian engineer builds him some really good catapults. RF drops to 1. He assaults the city and captures it.
The Muslims try some diplomacy on Cyprus, but without effect.
The Third Crusade ends in a Christain victory, 22 VPs to 12.
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