Crusaders of the Amber Coast

[RosenMcStern]

Okay, we have hijacked the "Third party license" thread a little bit by talking about the Northern Crusades. If someone wishes to talk about the subject, let us do this here and not there.

Here is the official announcement: Crusaders of the Amber Coast. Another beautiful piece of artwork by Tiziano Baracchi.

[GianniVacca]

"the Mongol raiders of Gengis Khan's Golden Horde" Oooooh! I can already imagine a Crusaders/Tian Xia crossover!

[Puck]

Wow! Very cool looking! I must say everything you release seems to step it up one more notch. :thumb:

[rust]

I must say everything you release seems to step it up one more notch. :thumb:

Indeed. Congratulations, and I really hope that it will have the success that

it doubtless deserves. :thumb:

[RosenMcStern]

In fact, Alexandre Nevski is not about a Crusade (It should not be because told from the russian POV), but the teutonic knights where present in Prussia and Baltic states because of the Baltic Crusades , that lead to the creation of a monastic state of the teutonic knights. The Peipus lake battle (described in the movie), is between teutonic and Livonian (ie Balt) knights coming from this state and a russian army.

Hmmmm, not exact. The Livonian Knights were not from Livonia, but from Germany, like the Teutons. Balts took part in the battle, but as auxiliaries. There is much more in that battle than the movie tells.

And watching Eisenstein's movie (as well as Tarkovskij's Andrei Roublev) is highly recommended, indeed!

[rust]

Hmmmm, not exact. The Livonian Knights were not from Livonia, but from Germany, like the Teutons.

As always when Germans were involved, it is even more complicated.

The Livonian Knights had both German and Danish members. When their order

suffered a devastating defeat in 1236 against the Lithuanians, the remnants

of the order became a part of the Teutonic Order by Papal order in 1237, but

both branches of the Teutonic Order continued their different traditions after

the unification.

[RosenMcStern]

As always when Germans were involved, it is even more complicated.

The Livonian Knights had both German and Danish members. When their order

suffered a devastating defeat in 1236 against the Lithuanians, the remnants

of the order became a part of the Teutonic Order by Papal order in 1237, but

both branches of the Teutonic Order continued their different traditions after

the unification.

Exactly. As you can see, the knight on the cover has the peculiar coat of arms of the Livonian Order (red cross over a red sword). Even after the incorporation, the Livonian Branch of the Teutonic Knights continued to wear the red insignia.

Needless to say, the game includes all of the above details as playable scenarios.

[Jarulf]

There is a stone relief in one of the churches on Gotland (Lye?) featuring Herod's slaughter of the innocents (the killing of all boys under the age of 2). The knights portrayed have been interpreted as modelled on Teutonic Knights.

As an example of how people sometimes may have felt about the Teutonic Knights at the time, who held the island for a time until Denmark bought it back.

[RosenMcStern]

You assume that the knights are the heroes in the game. This is not necessarily true (and it is certainly not true in the Baltic epic that inspired the game). When I make a historical setting, I usually choose one where Good and Evil are equally distributed on both sides of the conflict.

[rust]

The knights of the Teutonic Order ruled doubtless quite heavy handed in the

Baltic, as almost always when a smaller group attempts to subjugate a much

bigger local population.

However, their Crusade was more or less an invasion, occupation and finally

conquest, it did not really have the genocidal streak of crusades against

Christian heretics, as for example the often incredibly brutal Albigensian Cru-

sade.

I have no doubt that there were a number of rather "evil" and only very few

"saintly" knights of the Teutonic Order, and far more land-hungry adventu-

rers than knights with a truly religious motivation, but I think that all in all

they behaved just like any other conquering military force of their time.

[Jarulf]

You assume that the knights are the heroes in the game.

I do? :confused:

I only commented on something I found a bit amusing, that's all. As I have not read the book I couldn't comment on it one way or another.

[RosenMcStern]

I failed my Mind Read roll

[Jarulf]

It happens

The book does look very interesting though.

[Pilous]

Well, I had the privilege of reading the «Crusader's» campaign. It is a very good, deep and strong narrative, with lot of combat and role-play opportunities and some «magic» at the right points. It appeal to the newcomer as to the grognard and it assure many evening of play. And you have not to read for obscure, abstruse history texts to play it. The GM section give you all you need to know about the adventures.

Yes, I am part of it. Yes I say the true :innocent:

Dario

PS. Itanglish words: _Assure_ _Abstruse_