Crusader Kingdoms: The War for the Holy Land*

After the miraculous success of the First Crusade in 1097, three Christian kingdoms are established in Outremer: the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Principality of Antioch, and the County of Edessa. However, in 1144, the fall of Edessa to Zengi leads to the first setback for the crusaders, provoking the Second Crusade.

Crusader Kingdoms is a hand management game for up to four players, who control key Christian or Muslim kingdoms from this era. Players receive a variable number of cards representing troops, events, or reactions each round and take turns using them to expand their realms, with victory going to the player controlling the most territories at the end of the game. The game also includes a solo engine and a cooperative variant for two players, playable in about one hour.