SAGA Crescent and Cross: Playing with myself

SAGA: Cross and Crescent - 1st two armies at Siege: 

Spanish vs Muslims

I couldn't make it to the wargames club tonight (like many other Wednesday nights, unfortunately) as I had a meeting on endocrine surgery.

Very interesting stuff that, all about adrenal glands, thyroid glands and parathyroid glands, mammary glands... So I got home after 9, too late for club. I had to be content with playing with myself.

No, you dirty minded gamers, you! I have mostly finished my Muslim and Crusader forces, and contented myself by setting them up as a siege.  All wargamers will admit to playing with themselves at some point. I even took some photos:

Lets call it the Siege of Al Zabells.

El Cid's Spanish Crusaders/Reconquistadors taking on the fortified Moorish desert town of Al Zabells:

The trumpets sound, as the Reconquistadores of El Cid pour over the dunes. 

To arms, to arms!

Next to appear over the dunes are lightly armoured knights on foot and archers.

The Moorish archers take aim.

Heavy spearmen and archers prepare to defend the battlements of the mud-brick and sandstone fortified town of Al Zabells, as more and more Spanish bear down on the town.

Rachid Al' Din and his Berbers respond to the trumpets and call of the Muezzin

Every man to defend the Mosque!

Mighty siege engines roll forward

Mounted light archers pour out of the town gates to harass the advancing Spanish.

While Mutatawwi'a and Moors unite to repel the Infidels

As the Crusader cavalry draw close to the gate the Muslim cavalry come thundering around the corner of the Mosque

Victory will be ours! Who will prevail? 

The slacker returns - Crusade 's - a-coming

SAGA Crescent and Cross

Just before Xmas my SAGA Crescent and Cross Arab/Saracen/Muslim faction and dice arrived.
Been slacking on blogging ( but not painting, converting or modelling)

I had already been converting my long unpainted (read base-coated only)  LOTR figures to represent Crusade age warriors. Humming Chris de Burg's "Crusader" I thus set to work...

"What do I do next?" said the bishop to the priest,

"I have spent my whole life waiting, preparing for the feast,

And now you say Jerusalem has fallen and is lost,

The king of heathen Saracen has seized the holy cross;"

Then the priest said:

"Oh my bishop, we must put them to the sword,

For God in all His mercy will find a just reward,

For the noblemen and sinners, and knights of ready hand,

Who will be the Lord's Crusader, send word through all the land, 

Jerusalem is lost,Jerusalem is lost,Jerusalem is lost ..." 

"Tell me what to do", said the king upon his throne,

"but speak to me in whispers for we are not alone,

They tell me that Jerusalem has fallen to the hand,

Of some bedeviled eastern Heathen who has seized the Holy Land;"

Then the chamberlain said "Lord, we must call upon our foes

In Spain and France and Germany to end our bitter wars,

All Christian men must be as one and gather for the fight,

You will be their leader, begin the battle cry, 

Jerusalem is lost,Jerusalem is lost,Jerusalem is lost"

So therefore: Spain came first. 

(Any resemblance to LOTR characters living or dead; is non-intentional and completely incidental)

The Spanish Forces of El Cid (The Reconquistada)

Command on foot

Mounted (Standard bearer still on the desk top)

Archers. Found it an interesting challenge to paint the amrour as leather rather than metal, and  I am quite happy with the result

Spearmen /Levy, possibly a bit heavy armoured to be levy, but with the numbers they can double for anything on the battlefield

Warriors/Hearth guard

Another command group (or simply more warriors).

Seems to be a bit of a waste of Aragorn though

And a shield wall of warriors

Thundering hooves

I already had the Spanish Cavalry, ready painted, only needed basing and minimal touch-up. Bought these off Jon Bettin. Will be put to good use, thanks Jon!