Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• A Note from the Designer
• Components & Setup
  • Player Area Setup
  • Game Board Setup
• Turn Sequence
  • A. Resolve an Action
  • B. Upgrade a Wedge
  • Optional: Skip Turn & Distribute
• The Actions in Detail
  • Travel
  • Muster
  • Crusade
  • Influence
  • Build
    • Building Costs & Bonuses
• End of Game
• Scoring
• Variants
  • Learning Game Variant
  • First Standard Game Variant
  • Unpredictable Variant
  • Knight's Tournament Variant
• Knight Orders
  • The Order of Alcántara
  • The Order of Aviz
  • The Knights of Calatrava
  • The Knights of the Holy Sepulchre
  • The Knights Hospitaller
  • The Order of Montesa
  • The Order of Santiago
  • The Knights of St. Lazarus
  • The Knights Templar
  • The Knights Teutonic
• Design Notes
  • On the main mechanism...
  • On the theme...
  • On the upgrade mechanism...
• Credits

A Note from the Designer

The Crusades were a dark time in human history. Many people died in holy wars, in the name of one religion or another. Although Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done is set upon the backdrop of the Crusades, it is not a history lesson. This strategy game is not based on the Crusades themselves, but rather on the rising influence of crusading orders, such as the Knights Templar, as they managed a large economic infrastructure, developed an early form of banking, and built fortifications across Europe, until they became so influential that King Philip, in debt to the Templars and afraid of their power, had them disbanded (and worse).

That is, more or less, the story of the Knights Templar. Artistic license has been taken to include other militaristic orders as well, only some of which were active at the same time as the Templars, and most of which did not share their fate. Of course, the geography and random locations of the enemies of the orders are not historically accurate either.

If you want to learn more about the Crusades themselves, a good starting point might be Professor Thomas Madden's The New Concise History of the Crusades. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy moving your knights around Europe, erecting buildings, defeating enemies, and spreading the influence of your order!

- Seth Jaffee

Components & Setup

Each player should follow the player area setup instructions below individually, then the game board setup on the following page.

Deluxified™ Bits: The images in this rulebook show wooden pieces for the knights and buildings in the game. As a proud owner of the Deluxified™ edition of Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done, your box also contains sculpted plastic miniatures. Feel free to use whichever set of pieces you prefer!

Player Area Setup

Each player chooses a player color and takes the following:

1. 1 player board (4 total) - Place this directly in front of you.
2. 6 action wedge tiles (24 total) - First, one player randomly arranges their action wedges (starting side up) on their player board to make up their action wheel. Next, all other players match that arrangement so all players have the same action wheel.
3. 3 knight tokens (12 total) - Place 2 knight tokens of your player color in their corresponding slots in the castle row of your player board. Set the remaining knight aside, to be placed on the game board later.
4. 16 building tokens (64 total) - Place 4 castles, 4 churches, 4 farms, and 4 banks of your player color in their corresponding slots of your player board.
5. 12 action tokens (48 total) - Place 2 action tokens on each wedge of your action wheel. This amount may be altered by your knight order tile (see below).
6. 5 troop tokens (20 total) - Place the 5 troop tokens of your color in the slots along the top right of your player board with their yellow banner side up. Arrange them in order, left to right: I, II, III, IV, V.
7. 2 random knight order tiles (10 total) - Choose 1 and place it above your player board as shown. The knight order you choose may affect your individual player setup. Return all unchosen tiles to the box.

Game Board Setup

1. Double-sided game board - Place the game board in the center of the table with the appropriate side up (3-4 players on the front, 2 players on the back).
2. 32 Enemy tokens - Place 1 Prussian token and 1 Slav token on the top spaces of their corresponding strength tracks, then shuffle all the remaining enemy tokens together and randomly distribute them onto the spaces indicated by the flag icons. Saracen tokens should be placed so that the building or troop icon on the token is face up. Not all of the enemy tokens will be used; return all remaining tokens to the box.
3. 30 Building bonus tiles - Shuffle the building bonus tiles face down, then randomly distribute them face up to the empty spaces on the game board that matches their shape (all tiles will be used).
4. Knights - Choose a start player at random. In reverse turn order, each player places their remaining knight token onto one of the starting regions (indicated with a knight icon). You may not choose a starting region another player has already chosen.
5. 6 Enemy majority award tiles - Stack the enemy award tiles into 3 separate piles so that the 1st place award tile for each enemy type is on top of the 2nd place award tile.
6. 61 Influence tokens - Place 20 Influence worth of tokens plus 60 more per player in a supply pile near the board (see the table below). Set the rest aside; you may use them at the end of the game.

2 Players	3 Players	4 Players
140 Influence	200 Influence	260 Influence

You are now ready to begin!

Turn Sequence

Beginning with the start player and proceeding clockwise, players alternate taking turns. On your turn, choose between these options:

• A. Resolve an Action
• B. Upgrade a Wedge

After you have completed your turn, the player to your left then follows the same process.

A. Resolve an Action

The left half of your player board contains the action wheel, which consists of six action wedges. Each action wedge begins the game displaying one of the five actions: Travel, Muster, Crusade, Influence, Build.

Each of the actions has a different effect, but all resolve in the same way (the actions are described in full in "The Actions in Detail"):

1. Count the number of action tokens on the wedge you are resolving. This number, the action value (X), is applied to the action. In general, the higher the value of X, the more powerful the action will be. Other elements of your player board, such as troops and erected buildings, may add to the value of X, depending on the action you have chosen (see Example A-1).
2. Throughout the game, your action wedges may become upgraded. Upgraded action wedges allow you to split the action tokens in the bin as you choose between two different actions. You may assign all of the tokens in the wedge to only one of the actions, but in order to resolve an action at all, you must assign at least 1 token to that action (see Example A-2). You may resolve the two actions in any order, but you must completely resolve one before starting the other.
3. After resolving the action, collect all the action tokens from the corresponding wedge and distribute them, one at a time, clockwise around your action wheel starting with the wedge directly following the one you are resolving (see Example A-3).

Example A-1: If Paula chooses to resolve her Travel action wedge, her total value for Travel is 4, because of the 4 action tokens present.

Example A-2: Greg has upgraded the highlighted action wedge, so when he resolves it, he may split the action tokens however he sees fit between the Muster and Influence actions. He may:

• Muster for 3
• Muster for 2, Influence for 1
• Muster for 1, Influence for 2
• Influence for 3

Example A-3: After Paula resolves her Travel action, she collects all 4 action tokens from the wedge and distributes them among the next 4 wedges in her action wheel.

B. Upgrade a Wedge

Every action wedge on your player board has a secondary action icon printed at the bottom. This icon tells you which of the five actions is added to the wedge when it is upgraded. (For example: a Build action is added to the action wedge above the icon when it is upgraded.)

Instead of resolving an action on your turn, you may choose to upgrade one of your action wedges. To do so:

1. Temporarily set aside any action tokens that are currently on the wedge you intend to upgrade (see Example B-1).
2. Flip the wedge to its upgraded side (see Example B-2).
3. Return any set-aside action tokens to their original wedge (see Example B-3).
4. Lastly, you may choose to distribute the action tokens of any action wedge as normal. It does not have to be the same wedge you upgraded, and you may choose not to distribute any action tokens (see Example B-4).

Example B-1: Omar wishes to upgrade his Crusade action wedge, so he sets aside the 2 action tokens present on it.

Example B-2: Omar then flips the wedge to its upgraded side.

Example B-3: He then returns his action tokens to the wedge.

Example B-4: After upgrading his Crusade wedge, Omar decides to distribute the action tokens from his Muster wedge.

Optional: Skip Turn & Distribute

In the extremely rare case that all of your action wedges have been upgraded, but you don't have useful actions, you may choose to skip your turn and distribute the action tokens from any wedge as normal. Again, this is a very rare situation, one that most players will never encounter in normal play.

The Actions in Detail

Travel

Move your knights across the map.

Your action wheel begins with two different Travel spaces. The Travel action provides movement points that allow you to move your knights on the game board. To resolve a Travel action:

1. Distribute X movement points (plus any Travel bonuses from your castles and churches) between your knight tokens (see Example C-1).
2. Your knights can occupy any region (hex) on the board that has a building space. You may spend movement points to move your knights to adjacent regions. Leaving any region costs 1 movement point. Leaving a region occupied by an enemy token costs 1 additional movement point, 2 total (see Example C-2).

Example C-1: Greg wants to resolve a Travel action and has 2 action tokens on his Travel wedge. His level II castle grants him a +1 bonus to Travel actions, therefore he has 3 movement points to divide between his two knights.

Example C-2: Greg's top knight uses 1 movement point to leave an unoccupied region. His bottom knight is leaving a region occupied by an enemy, so it uses his remaining 2 movement points.

Muster

Recruit new troops to assist your knights.

The Muster action allows you to flip the troop tokens that line the top right of your player board. Mustered troops make your Crusade actions more powerful and gain you Influence.

Each troop token shows its level (I-V) and its cost on the unmustered (front) side, and the Crusade bonus it grants on the mustered (back) side.

To resolve a Muster action:

1. Check the cost of the lowest-level face down troop token above your player board. That cost must be less than or equal to X plus any Muster bonuses from your farms in order to successfully Muster the troop (see Example D-1).
2. Collect Influence tokens equal to the troop's level (see Example D-2).
3. Flip the troop token to its mustered side (see Example D-3).

Example D-1: Beth wants to Muster her second troop. She has 2 action tokens on her Muster wedge, and her two erected farms give her +2 total to Muster actions. Her Muster total is therefore equal to her level II troop's cost of 4.

Example D-2: Beth collects 2 Influence tokens from the supply.

Example D-3: Beth flips her second troop to its mustered side.

Crusade

Eliminate your enemies to clear regions.

The Crusade action allows your knights to battle enemies. Doing so will gain you Influence and allow you to Build buildings. To resolve a Crusade action:

1. Choose 1 region containing one of your knight figures and an enemy token. Determine the enemy's strength by checking the enemy strength track for the appropriate enemy type. The strength of Saracen enemies is always 6 (see Example E-1).
2. The enemy strength must be less than or equal to X plus any Crusade bonuses from your troops or castles to successfully complete the Crusade (see Example E-2).
3. When you complete a Crusade against Prussians or Slavs, collect Influence tokens equal to their strength, then advance the marker on the corresponding enemy strength track once. Keep the defeated enemy token in your play area for end game majority points (see Example E-3).
4. Saracens do not have a strength track. The strength of Saracen enemies is always 6. When you complete a Crusade against a Saracen enemy, note the building (or troop) pictured on the Saracen token (see below). You may place your next building of that type onto the board in the region where the Saracen token was, or flip your next troop tile as appropriate. If you do, collect Influence based on the level of the building or troop. Otherwise, simply collect 3 Influence. Keep the defeated enemy token in your play area for end game majority bonus.

The icons on Saracen tokens are: Build a castle, Build a church, Build a farm, Build a bank, Muster a troop.

Example E-1: Paula wants to Crusade against the Prussian enemy in the region shown. She checks the Prussian strength track and sees that their strength is 5.

Example E-2: Paula has 4 action tokens on her Crusade wedge and her first mustered troop grants her a +1 Crusade bonus. Her total of 5 is enough to complete the crusade against the Prussian enemy.

Example E-3: Paula takes the defeated enemy token from her knight's region and 5 Influence tokens (the same number as the enemy's strength). Afterward, she raises the Prussian strength by 1 to a total of 6.

Influence

Spread the word of your order across the land.

The Influence action is the easiest and most straightforward way of gaining Influence tokens. To resolve an Influence action, simply collect Influence tokens from the supply equal to X plus any Influence bonuses from your churches, farms, or banks (see Example F-1).

Example F-1: Omar wants to resolve an Influence action and has 3 action tokens on his Influence wedge. His level I church grants him a +1 bonus to Influence actions, so his total is 4. He collects 4 Influence tokens from the supply.

Build

Erect structures to expand your capabilities.

The Build action allows you to erect buildings that confer Influence and benefits when resolving the various actions in the game. A building cannot be erected in a region with an enemy token present. Additionally, each region may only contain 1 building. To resolve a Build action:

1. Choose a type of building: castle, church, farm, or bank, and check the cost of the lowest-level building of that type on your player board. That cost must be less than or equal to X plus any Build bonuses from your banks in order to successfully erect the building. Some regions and building bonus tiles on the board also depict a discount (-1 or -2) that subtracts from the cost of specific types of buildings in that region (see Example G-1).
2. Place the building on the central square of a region on the board that is occupied by one of your knights (see Example G-2).
3. Collect Influence tokens equal to the level of the building you erected. Some building bonus tiles grant additional Influence tokens for erecting specific types of buildings in that region (see Example G-3).

Building Costs & Bonuses

	Level I	Level II	Level III	Level IV
Castles	Cost 3 - Unlock 2nd Knight	Cost 4 - +1 Travel	Cost 5 - Unlock 3rd Knight, +1 Crusade	Cost 6 - +4 VP per Enemy Set
Churches	Cost 3 - +1 Influence	Cost 4 - +1 Influence	Cost 5 - +1 Influence, +1 Travel	Cost 6 - +6 VP
Farms	Cost 3 - +1 Muster	Cost 4 - +1 Muster	Cost 5 - +1 Influence, +1 Muster	Cost 6 - +1 VP per Knight & Troop
Banks	Cost 3 - +1 Build	Cost 5 - +1 Build	Cost 7 - +1 Influence, +1 Build	Cost 9 - +4 VP per IV Building

Action Bonuses: The uncovered action bonuses on your player board are cumulative. For example, if you have built the first three levels of farms, all your subsequent Muster actions will be granted a +3 bonus.

Unlocked Knights: Unlocked knights are placed from your player board onto the same region as the castle that unlocked them.

Example G-1: Beth wants to erect her first church in the region shown above. She only has 1 action token on her Build wedge, but her level I bank grants her a +1 bonus to Build actions, and the building bonus tile in her region depicts a -1 discount if a church is built there. Her total of 2 is equal to the church's discounted cost of 2.

Example G-2: Beth places her newly-erected church on the central square of the region. No other buildings may be built in that region for the rest of the game.

Example G-3: Beth now collects Influence tokens equal to her newly-erected church's level. The building bonus tile in that region grants an additional Influence if a church is built there, so she collects a total of 2 Influence tokens.

End of Game

When the last Influence token is taken from the supply, finish the round so that each player has had the same number of turns, and then the game is over. Players may still collect Influence tokens after the supply runs out - keep track of this Influence using the extra Influence tokens that were set aside during setup, or with some other token if need be.

At this point, the Order of the Temple and other similar orders have become so powerful and influential that King Philip has them disbanded!

Scoring

For each enemy type (Saracen, Prussian, and Slav), award the 5-Influence enemy majority tile to the player with the most enemy tokens of that type in their play area. Also award the 2-Influence enemy majority tile to the player with the 2nd most enemy tokens of each of those types. You must have at least 1 enemy token of a type to be eligible for any bonus for that type (see Example H-1).

In case of a tie, split the points between tied players according to the back side of the corresponding majority tile (see Example H-2). In case of a tie for 1st place, 2nd place is not awarded (see Example H-3).

Finally, count the end game Influence awarded by level IV buildings.

Level IV Castle: Earn 4 Influence for each set of 3 different enemy tokens (Saracen, Prussian, and Slav) in your play area.

Level IV Church: Earn 6 Influence.

Level IV Farm: Earn 1 Influence for each of your knights on the game board and each mustered troop above your player board.

Level IV Bank: Earn 4 Influence for each of your level IV buildings on the game board, including this one.

The player with the most Influence points is the winner.

Example H-1: Paula has 3 Saracen tokens, Beth has 2, and Greg and Omar each have 1. Paula receives 5 Influence for 1st place. Beth receives 2 Influence for 2nd. (1st place: Paula; 2nd place: Beth)

Example H-2: Greg has 4 Prussian tokens, Omar and Beth have 2, and Paula has 1. Greg receives 5 Influence for 1st place. Omar and Beth tie for 2nd, receiving 1 Influence each. (1st place: Paula; 2nd place: Omar & Beth)

Example H-3: Paula, Omar, and Beth each have 2 Slav tokens. Greg has 1. Paula, Omar, and Beth receive 3 Influence each for 1st place. Greg receives nothing, since 2nd place is not awarded in this case. (1st place: Paula, Omar & Beth; 2nd place: not awarded)

Variants

Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done can be played with optional variants to tailor the game to your gaming group, or to add replayability.

Learning Game Variant

If playing with younger players, or players who are less familiar with modern board games, you may wish to use this variant. During setup, instead of randomizing the order of the action wedges, ensure that all players arrange the wedges of their action wheels to match the Learning Game Setup Diagram.

During gameplay, ignore the Upgrade a Wedge option. This variant can be played with or without knight order tiles.

Learning Game Setup Diagram: In clockwise order from the top: Travel + Build, Crusade, Influence, Travel + Crusade, Build, Muster. Note that both of the Travel action wedges begin the game upgraded.

First Standard Game Variant

This variant gives a nice, even distribution of actions for a first game. During setup, instead of randomizing the order of the action wedges, ensure that all players arrange the wedges of their action wheels to match the First Standard Game Setup Diagram.

Unlike the Learning Game Variant above, players may use the Upgrade a Wedge option. This variant can be played with or without knight order tiles.

First Standard Game Setup Diagram: In clockwise order from the top: Travel (Build), Crusade, Influence, Travel (Crusade), Build, Muster.

Unpredictable Variant

After playing Crusaders several times, if players wish for their gameplay to be completely unique from one another, this variant assures everyone plays with a unique action wedge order. During setup, each player randomizes the order of their own action wheel.

Be forewarned that this variant could result in slight inbalances in difficulty from player to player and therefore is not recommended for players who care about a fair game. This variant can be played with or without knight order tiles.

Knight's Tournament Variant

This variant allows players to plan a strategy before beginning the game. Prior to setup, each player selects the knight order of their choice, as well as the order of the action wedges in their action wheel. For this variant, multiple players can use the same knight order tile.

Knight Orders

Below are full descriptions of all knight order tiles for your reference during setup and gameplay. We've also included a brief summary of each of their histories.

The Order of Alcántara

During setup, place your 13th action token onto the wedge of your choice. Additionally, upgrade 1 action wedge of your choice.

The Order of Alcántara, also known as the Knights of St. Julian, was originally a special branch of another order, the Knights of Calatrava, in the Iberian Peninsula in the 12th century. Under their new name, the order took many estates and castles, and amassed great wealth through war and donations. But as they grew in power, discord developed within the order. The schism between Pedro of Castile and Henry the Bastard, which divided half of Europe, also divided the Order of Alcántara into two warring factions.

The Order of Aviz

During setup, place your 13th action token onto the wedge of your choice. During gameplay, when distributing action tokens, you may begin with the original wedge, rather than the next wedge clockwise.

The Military Order of Aviz, sometimes regarded as a Portuguese branch of the Knights of Calatrava, was founded in 1146. Emulating such military orders as the Knights Templar, these knights formed a monastic order, and they followed the precepts of St. Benedict. After driving Muslim influence from their lands, the Order of Aviz found new purpose across the sea in African crusades, taking part in the conquest of Cueta in 1415, and attacks on Tangier in 1437.

The Knights of Calatrava

During setup, take only 6 action tokens. Place 1 token on each action wedge. During gameplay, add a +1 bonus when resolving any type of action.

DESIGNER'S NOTE: The Knights of Calatrava are powerful, but tricky to use. I strongly recommend against using this order in your first few plays -- wait until you are experienced with the game.

The Order of Calatrava was the first military order founded in Castille, and was confirmed by Pope Alexander the III in the year 1164. The order was founded to defend Calatrava, a castle located on the southern most border of Castille - one that was easy to take, but hard to keep. Over time, the Order of Calatrava developed abundant resources, with lands and castles scattered along the borders of Castile. It exercised feudal lordship over thousands of peasants and vassals, and spawned other orders including the Alcántara in the Kingdom of León and Avis in Portugal.

The Knights of the Holy Sepulchre

During setup, place 1 additional action token in each of your Travel wedges. During gameplay, the value of your Travel actions is reduced by 1.

The Order of the Holy Sepulchre was founded in the year 1099 and confirmed by Pope Paschal II on 1113 and Pope Calistus II in 1122. It was created by Frankish Duke Godfrey of Bouillon, one of the leaders of the First Crusade who became the first ruler of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Considered among the oldest of the chivalric orders, The Order of the Holy Sepulchre continues to exist in the present day, with over 30,000 members. It is protected by the Catholic jurisdiction known as the Holy See.

The Knights Hospitaller

During setup, use only 11 action tokens. During gameplay, you may skip 1 action wedge when distributing action tokens each turn.

The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, also known as the Order of Hospitallers, were formed after the conquest of Jerusalem and charged with protection of the holy land. After being driven out by Islamic forces, they based themselves in Rhodes, and then Malta, where they stayed for over 250 years. They have the distinction of being the smallest group ever to colonize part of the Americas, as they held 4 Caribbean islands for a brief time in the mid 17th century.

The Order of Montesa

During setup, in addition to your first knight, place the black knight figure in your starting space. During gameplay, add a +1 bonus when resolving Travel actions.

The Order of Montesa, founded in 1128, drew initial recruits from the Order of Calatrava and remained dependant on them. Montesa took its name from the castle that was its principal stronghold and was limited to the territories of the Crown of Aragon. After the trial of the Templars, the order was reformed and dedicated to Holy Mary, and was approved in the year 1317 by Pope John XXII.

The Order of Santiago

During setup, upgrade 1 action wedge of your choice. During gameplay, when distributing action tokens, you may begin with the original wedge, rather than the next wedge clockwise.

The Order of Santiago, named after the national patron of Galicia and Spain, was founded in the 12th century to protect pilgrims on St. James' Way, and defeat the Moors on the Iberian Peninsula. In 1493, Catholic Monarchs incorporated the order into the Spanish crown. The office of Grandmaster of Santiago was forever united to the crown by order of Pope Adrian VI in 1523. The order of Santiago still exists today as a civil association with 35 knights in its service as of 2014.

The Knights of St. Lazarus

During setup, use only 11 action tokens. Additionally, upgrade 3 action wedges of your choice.

The Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem was founded around 1119 in a leper hospital in Jerusalem called Kingdom of Jerusalem, whose care was its original purpose. After the fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the order divided into two factions - one of which merged with the Order of St. Maurice in 1572 to form Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus. This combined order still exists in Italy and is widely recognized as a dynastic successor. The other faction was based in France, reduced in power, and was largely suppressed during the French Revolution in 1791.

The Knights Templar

During setup, use only 10 action tokens. Choose 2 action wedges to begin with only 1 action token (the rest will have 2 each). During gameplay, once per turn, you may place 2 action tokens onto the same action wedge while distributing action tokens.

The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, also known as the Knights Templar, was a Catholic Military Order founded in 1119 and recognize by papal bull in 1139. It quickly became one of the most wealthy and powerful orders of knights, as well as the most skilled fighting units of the Crusades. Non-combatant members of the order managed a large economic infrastructure throughout Christendom, developing innovative financial techniques that were an early form of banking, and building fortifications across Europe and the Holy Land. As the Crusades faltered, so did support for the order. At the beginning of the 14th century, King Philip IV, deeply in debt to the Templars from his war with the English, began pressuring the church to take action against the order. After being charged with numerous offenses, persecuted, and a large number put to death for heresy, the order was formally disbanded by Pope Clement in 1312.

The Knights Teutonic

During gameplay, you may choose to distribute action tokens either clockwise or counterclockwise each turn. The entire distribution must follow the chosen direction.

The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, more commonly known as the Teutonic Order, was founded in 1190 in the city of Acre, in northern Israel. The order was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to the Holy Land and to establish hospitals, and they had an important role in controlling the ports. After Christian forces were defeated in the Middle East, the Teutonic Knights moved to Transylvania to help defend Hungary from the Turks. Eventually settling in Germany, the order became purely religious in 1929, and still confers honorary knighthoods and pursues charitable aims in Central Europe to this day.

Design Notes

On the main mechanism...

The history of the Crusades is long and storied. The history of Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done is less long, and less storied, but I still think it's pretty interesting:

Back in 2012, I read some teaser information for a then upcoming Stefan Feld game that was described simply as "Mancala plus rondel." Curious what that might mean, I took a guess... I figured it must mean that you would have your own player board with a number of bins on it corresponding to different actions in the game, with some tokens in each bin. On your turn, you would choose a bin and perform the action associated with that bin (the more tokens in it, the better), and then you would distribute those tokens clockwise around your rondel board, one at a time, like Mancala.

When that game came out and I played it, I found I had guessed wrong! My guess was exactly the opposite of how that mechanism actually worked. But I thought my incorrect assumption sounded like it could work as well, and as you can see, I ended up designing Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done around it.

On the theme...

Since that time, several games based on the Knights Templar have come out. But at the time, I was surprised more Euro-style board games weren't capitalizing on that rich, historical theme. Early in the life of Crusaders: They Will Be Done, all players were intended to be members of the same order, and the story of the game was based more directly on the story of the Order of the Templars. However as the game is competitive, it didn't make a lot of sense for the players to all be on the same team, so in the end I took some artistic license and added different factions of knights. This made it natural to add asymmetric powers to the game, something that I feel players appreciate.

On the upgrade mechanism...

In the early days of Crusaders, before the action wheel was upgradeable, there was a thing that happened in the game that wasn't ideal. Due to how the Mancala mechanism works, you would occasionally end up with your action tokens in the wrong places on your board, and once in a while you would have to waste a turn to fix the situation so you could keep making progress toward your goals. This felt bad, but it happened to everyone, so at least it was fair. However, I prefer if my players don't have to have any bad turns in the game, even if it's kind of fair...

So, instead of having to waste a turn to fix your board, now you can take an upgrade action. You may not make progress toward your goal that turn, but you get to fix your action token distribution, and you get to power up one of your action wedges, making a more powerful option available for later!

Credits

Game Design & Development: Seth Jaffee

Art & Graphic Design: Adam P. McIver

Playtesters: Many people playtested Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done here and there, and all of their feedback was welcome and helpful. A few stalwart players suffered through several iterations of the game, some versions better than others, and for that I would like to thank: Michelle Jaffee, John Heder, David Irving, Sean Greenwell, Russell Knox, Mandy Proctor, John Lonacker, Dan Keltner, Eisen Montalvo, Steve Carleson, Chris Hostetter, Joe Sterphone, Danni Loe-Sterphone, Luke Laurie, and other members of the League of Gamemakers, as well as Andy Van Zandt and the rest of the TMG team.

© Copyright 2017 Tasty Minstrel Games, LLC, Mountain Green, Utah — www.playTMG.com