Join the race for glory and wage holy war in a game that’s sure to become a fast favorite; Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done.
Crusaders: Thy Will Be Done is a 2-4 player game from designer Seth Jaffee. One of the newer titles from publisher Tasty Minstrel Games aka TMG. The game features a combination of Mancala and Rondel mechanisms. Each player also will have a unique player power depending on which order of knights they choose.
Most powers affect how the rondel functions, but some control specific actions. A typical game will play in around 45-60 minutes depending on player count.
Crusaders, Thy Will Be Done: $41.99
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Lead an order of Knights! Fight enemies, erect buildings, and spread your influence. Will your order be the most influential when King Philip issues arrest orders for the Templars?
Manage and upgrade your personal “action wheel,” and navigate the tech tree inherent in the buildings, in order to earn the most influence points in this elegant, Euro-style strategy game.
Contents:
10 Knight Order Tiles
13 Knight Meeples
64 Building Tokens
24 Action Wedges
20 Troop Tokens
30 Building Bonus Tiles
52 Action Tokens
32 Enemy Tokens
6 Enemy Majority Award Tiles
56 Influence Tokens
4 Player Boards
1 Double-sided Game Board
1 Rulebook
and more!
Ages: 14+
Players: 2-4
Game Length: 45-60 minutes
Wage Holy War With Crusaders, Thy Will Be Done
In Crusaders: Thy Will be Done each player controls a specific order of Templar Knights. By moving across Europe during the Crusades you will fight the various enemies of the church. By performing different actions you will earn Influence which are the victory points for the game. The game will start with a designated amount of influence based on player count.
Once this supply depletes the game will enter the final round with every player having an equal amount of turns. Story-wise, this represents King Philip getting nervous about how strong the Templar orders have become and convinces the Pope to disband the Knights.
Each player has a number of action cylinders dotted across a rondel action board. It looks like a pie chart with each slice granting a different action. These can be selected to perform the action shown or upgraded to flip over to the side showing two different actions. If you perform an action, its power is based on how many cylinders are on it or how many you dedicate to each power of an upgraded side.
For example, if you have four cylinders on a travel action you can move your knights four spaces split amongst your knights if you have unlocked multiple units. Then you take the cylinders and drop one off at a time in clockwise order around the rondel. Some knight orders allow you to distribute them differently but for the most part, you will do it in this fashion.
If instead, you want to upgrade one of the pie pieces you flip any of your choice and then pick any section to distribute cylinders from as if you had selected it for an action. This doesn’t need to be the one you upgraded.
Of the many actions you can take, the most combat-oriented is Crusade. This allows you to fight the enemy tokens across the map. The Prussians and Slavs have a power chart that increases as you defeat them. You earn influence based on their power. For example, if the Slavs are sitting at eight power, you will get eight Influence and increase their strength to nine.
The Saracens are the third enemy you will encounter. They work a little different, they always have a power of six the entire game. They give you a choice on defeating them, either three influence or a free building or troop depending on which is depicted on their token.
The build action lets you build a structure in an empty hex your knight occupies. Each building removed from your player board will reveal either a bonus to your actions or unlock more knights. The final spot of each building type unlocks a end game scoring opportunity.
Muster unlocks more troops which grant you more Crusade strength. This will come in handy as the Slavs and Prussians increase in power.
Influence is probably the most straightforward action you can take. You simply gain influence points based on how strong your action is.
I really enjoyed Crusaders it’s a fantastic game with awesome production value. More so if you manage to get the deluxified version. The recessed player boards are amazing. It also has metal influence tokens and both the wooden and plastic miniatures so you can choose which to use. The gameplay almost seems too short due to the fact that it’s kind of a race for points game. There’s also really very little to no player interaction. Since we are all technically on the same side, it makes sense.
Overall, I definitely would recommend Crusaders for your game night. With the solid components and fun action system utilizing a rondel. It definitely becoming one of my favorite games so far. I look forward to playing again and hope you can check this title out.
