Deus lo Vult – The Board Game of Rampage, Betrayal and Agony
Created by Hiatus Games
Competitive board game based on medieval miniature and the strategic games played by the military aristocracy all over the world.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
The Popular Crusade Add-On Army Highlight
about 6 years ago
– Sun, Oct 21, 2018 at 05:55:04 PM
922 years ago, on this very day, October 21, 1096 AD, the Battle of Civetot occurred and brought an end to the People's Crusade, and we believe we won't find a better occasion to remind you its history - an also to present you the Popular Crusade Add-On and its army, definitely the most peculiar and yet most abominable of all! It offers its commander the unique (and very annoying) "locust tactic," employing the countless swarms of ill-equipped, low-cost, ragtag and bobtail units with greatly emphasized looting and carrying abilities.
Marauder Unit (x3 gold carry)
Pope Urban II planned the departure of the First Crusade for 15 August 1096; many unexpected bands of peasants and low-ranking knights organized and set off for Jerusalem on their own. The peasant population had been afflicted by drought, famine, and disease for many years before 1096, and some of them seem to have envisioned the crusade as an escape from these hardships. Spurring them on had been some meteorological occurrences beginning in 1095 that appeared to be a divine blessing for the movement: a meteor shower, aurorae, a lunar eclipse, and a comet, among other events. The response was beyond expectations: while Urban might have expected a few thousand knights, he ended up with a migration numbering up to 100,000 Crusaders of mostly unskilled fighters, including women and children.
Slinger Unit: twice worse than an Archer, but also twice cheaper
A charismatic monk and powerful orator named Peter the Hermit of Amiens was the spiritual leader of the movement. He was known for riding a donkey and dressing in simple clothing. He had vigorously preached the crusade throughout northern France and Flanders. He claimed to have been appointed to preach by Christ himself (and supposedly had a divine letter to prove it). While the majority were unskilled in fighting, some well-trained minor knights were leading them, such as Walter Sans-Avoir (also known as Walter the Penniless), who was experienced in warfare.
While his name literally means "Walter without property", it actually derives from the name of his demesne and, ultimately, the motto of his family, Sans avoir Peur ("Fearless")
Eliezer b. Nathan, a Jewish chronicler at times, wrote of "cruel foreigners, fierce and swift, Frenchmen and Germans…[who] put crosses on their clothing and were more plentiful than locusts on the face of the earth."
Crusade of the Pastoureaux: Jews throw their children from a tower
In the late spring and summer of 1096, Crusaders destroyed most of the Jewish communities along the Rhine in a series of unprecedentedly large pogroms in France and Germany in which thousands of Jews were massacred, driven to suicide, or forced to convert to Christianity.
Pogromist Unit (x2 gold carry)
When they reached the Danube, part of the army decided to continue by boat down the Danube, while the main body continued overland and entered Hungary at Sopron. There it continued through Hungary without incident and rejoined the Danube contingent at Zemun on the Byzantine frontier, where a dispute over the price of a pair of shoes in the market eventually led to a riot, which then turned into an all-out assault on the city by the Crusaders, in which 4,000 Hungarians were killed. The Crusaders then fled across the river Sava to Belgrade and pillaged and burned the city.
Unique Popular Crusade Cavalry Unit (no Charge, x3 gold carry)
Then they marched for seven days, arriving at Niš, where a few Germans got into a dispute with some locals along the road and set fire to a mill, which escalated out of Peter's control until Niš sent out its entire garrison against them. The Crusaders were routed, losing about 10,000 (a quarter of their number), the remainder regrouping further on at Bela Palanka. When they reached Sofia on 12 July, they met their Byzantine escort, which brought them safely the rest of the way to Constantinople by 1 August. Byzantine Emperor Alexius I Comnenus, not knowing what else to do with such an unusual and unexpected "army," quickly ferried all 30,000 across the Bosporus by 6 August.
Axeman Unit (ignores shields)
Even though Alexius had urged Peter to wait for the main army, Peter had lost much of his authority, and the Crusaders spurred each other on, moving more boldly against nearby towns until finally, the French reached the edge of Nicaea, a Seljuk stronghold and provincial capital, where they pillaged the suburbs. The Germans, not to be outdone, marched with 6,000 Crusaders on Xerigordos and captured the fortress to use as a base to raid the countryside.
Back at the main Сrusaders' camp, two Turkish spies had spread rumor that the Germans who had taken Xerigordos had also taken Nicaea, which caused excitement to get there as soon as possible to share in the looting. On the morning of 21 October, the entire army of 20,000 marched out toward Nicaea, leaving women, children, the old and the sick behind at the camp.
Wicker shields of Popular Crusade Pavesiers are no match to wooden ones
Three miles from the camp, where the road entered a narrow, wooded valley near the village of Dracon, the Turkish army was waiting. When approaching the valley, the Crusaders marched noisily and were immediately subjected to a hail of arrows.
Wounded Walter Sans-Avoir Unit (only six arrows, not dead yet!)
Panic set in quickly and within minutes, the army was in full rout back to the camp. Walter Sans-Avoir was killed, allegedly pierced by seven arrows. Most of the Сrusaders were slaughtered; however, women, children, and those who surrendered were spared. Three thousand, including Geoffrey Burel, were able to return to Constantinople, the only survivors of the People's Crusade.
"I used to be an adventurer like you, then I took an arrow in the knee."
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Knights Templar Grand Master Unit Highlight
about 6 years ago
– Wed, Oct 10, 2018 at 03:30:48 PM
Jacques de Molay (c. 1243 – 18 March 1314) was the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar. Though little is known of his actual life and deeds except for his last years as Grand Master, he is one of the best known Templars.
Knights Templar Grand Master Unit Token (work in progress)
King Philip IV of France, deeply in debt to the Templars, had Molay and many other French Templars arrested in 1307 and tortured into making false confessions of heresy, sodomy, and treason. When Molay later retracted his confession, Philip had him burned upon a scaffold on an island in the River Seine in front of Notre Dame de Paris in March 1314.
Arrest of the French Templars
It has been claimed that Jacques de Molay cursed King Philip IV of France and his descendants from his execution pyre. An eyewitness to the execution stated that Molay had shown no sign of fear and had told those present that God would avenge their deaths. He appealed "from this your heinous judgment to the living and true God, who is in Heaven," warning the Pope that, within a year and a day, he and Philip IV would be obliged to answer for their crimes in God's presence.
Jacques de Molay's execution
(In little more than a month, Pope Clement V died in a torment of a loathsome disease thought to be lupus, shedding tears of remorse on his death-bed for three great crimes: the poisoning of Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor, and the ruin of the Templars and Beguines, and in eight months Philip IV of France, at the early age of forty-six, perished by an accident while hunting. Then followed the rapid succession of the last Direct Capetian kings of France between 1314 and 1328, the three sons and a grandson of Philip IV. Within fourteen years of the death of Molay, the 300-year-old House of Capet collapsed. Its male line was extinguished, and the throne had passed to the lineage of his brother, the House of Valois).
Detail of a miniature of the death of Philip the Fair, c. 1479-c.1480
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Knights Templar Chaplain Unit Highlight
about 6 years ago
– Mon, Oct 08, 2018 at 02:41:42 AM
In the Order’s earliest years, the first Templars heard daily prayers in the nearby Church of the Holy Sepulchre or in the Temple of the Lord (the Dome of the Rock) on Temple Mount.
However, as the Order rapidly expanded across Palestine and Europe, it soon needed its own chaplains. In 1139, Pope Innocent II published one of the most important documents in the Order’s history. It was a bull called Omne datum optimum (Every best gift). In Omne datum optimum, Pope Innocent formally recognized and approved the Templars, made them answerable only to him, gave them his protection, and supported their Rule. He also gave the Order a number of specific rights, including permission to build churches, to have chaplains, and to bury the dead. But, unlike a regular clergy, Knights Templar Chaplains were allowed to engage in combat with enemies by the original Temple Rule of 1129 AD from Saint Bernard, (the founding Charter of the Order of the Temple of Solomon):
Rule 56 (known as "Lion" Rule Doctrine of Self-Defence): It is the truth that to you is given especially, as if by debt, that you must give your lives for your Brothers, just as did Jesus Christ, and defend the land from pagan miscreants who are Enemies of the Son of the Virgin Mary. That aforesaid prohibition [against hunting] does not apply to the lion, as it comes circling and searching that it can devour, and its hands are against everyone and hands of all are against it.
Rule 57: This type of new Religion [genus novum religionis] we believe by the Holy Scriptures and by divine providence took its beginnings in the Holy Land of the East. Let it be known that thisis Religion of Knights [religionis miliciam], and thus Armed Religion [sic religio per militiam armata], may advance through chivalry, and smite the enemy without incurring sin [hostem sine culpa feriat].
Chaplain special unit
Chaplains are special units, unique to Knights Templar Army Add-On. Since Chaplains are obliged to follow the Temple Rule, they only can attack the attackers and assault the assailants. Chaplains bear the Holy Cross Sign instead of regular Skull icon on their attacking side. They use this side to perform an attack on an enemy's Skull sides and stay unscathed thanks to Divine Providence.
Chaplain Unit (wounded)
But, for the same reason, it's utterly unacceptable for Chaplain to attack the defenseless opponent. Thus, if Chaplain will carry an attack on a Heart side of Saracen unit, he'll end up wounded as a result. The same will happen if Chaplain steals or plunders (however, he can keep these ill-gained spoils).
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The Two Riders: Knights Templar Unique Unit Highlight
about 6 years ago
– Fri, Sep 28, 2018 at 01:54:24 AM
The Templar Seal is showing two knights on one horse. There are many interpretations of the symbolism of this seal. According to legend, Hugues de Payens (the first Grand-Master of the Templars) and Godfrey de Saint-Omer (one of the founding members) were so poor that between the two of them they had only one horse, and this gave rise to the famous image.
A Knights Templar seal, 1191 AD
At least as early as 1158 it was presented as the seal of the Grand Master of the Temple, Bertrand de Blanchefort. Use of this symbol continued under subsequent Grand Masters for as long as the Order survived, however, the seal went through more than one incarnation.
Of course, it was impossible for us to leave this legend behind. Behold the Knights Templar Army unique Cavalry unit: The Two Riders!
The Two Riders token
It has three attack sides which makes it more multipurpose offensive unit compared to a regular Cavalry. On another hand, an overburdened horse can't develop speed enough to use the Charge skill.
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On the Preorder Store, Surveys and new Meister
about 6 years ago
– Wed, Sep 26, 2018 at 02:28:22 PM
Urbi et Orbi!
Mike is here. I must admit that our silence was a bit too long. Thanks a lot for your waiting and patience, and please forgive me for giving you a way less attention than the Noble Congregation deserves. There were A LOT of events and tasks during this last month, an everything took a somewhat more effort than it was expected, ending with stockpiling and burying me underneath :) All this business stuff is annoying and excruciating, but now I’m back, all yours and with a bunch of good news!
- The smoke test is done, and the results are good (though we still have some silent surveys atm). This means we’re open for business on Backerkit, where you can place your late pre-order and manage your pledge
All the surveys will be sent TOMORROW, SEP 27 starting at 18.00 CET
- As it was already mentioned in the comment section earlier, our Gilded Box (formerly known as Core Box) became a subject to an inevitable price rise from $29 to $45. We had to made this adjustment to apply all the opulent print improvements to all post-Kickstarter game boxes and to cover BackerKit fees. Nonetheless, all backers who bought their Core Boxes and Knight Templar Add-Ons purchased on Kickstarter will keep their original prices. You won’t be charged extra, because your Core Box to Gilded Box upgrade has already been paid with Glory Box Sale funds.
- Late pledges will be accepted until January 2019, then we’ll wrap it up and send it for printing. This means no more Deus Lo Vult orders/pre-orders from that point. It won’t be available via any publishers, retailers or even from our sites. The main reasons are: 1) I’d like to remain a game designer instead of becoming a game merchant 2) We really want you to own not just another mass market fad box, but a real rarity, a museum piece, a legendary treasure to crave and to envy.
- And last but not least: we are proud and happy to announce a new member of Deus Lo Vult family!
The Junior Meister of Deus Lo Vult
Meet Mykhailo Skop - a professional Eastern Orthodox icons painter from the ancient city of Lviv, the capital of the medieval Kingdom of Ruthenia. With his help, our art production capacity has just doubled!
__
By the way, we must confess: we have already shown you his artwork, and no one even noticed that it wasn't from Alex! Old school is cool!
the Osprey ("скопа" in Ukrainian) refers to meister's last name)
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