Slitherine

In 1277, at the height of the decades long conflict between Ilkhanid Mongols and Mamluks, Sultan Baybars, a hero of Ayn Jalut and destroyer of the Crusader presence in Syria, led the combined Egyptian and Syrian armies, up to 30,000 strong, into south-eastern Anatolia, domain of the decayed Seljuk Sultanate of Rum. 10,000 Mongols along with 3,000 Georgian allies and unknown numbers of Turkic vassals converged to intercept them. Tudawun and Toqa, the Mongol commanders, unsure of the loyalty of the Seljuk contingent they had brought along, decided then to march into battle without it. On the plain of Abulustayn, on 15 April, they rashly attacked the much larger Mamluk army.

Designer's notes:

I'm on a roll. Too much free time lately!

The Mongols' initial assault caught the Mamluks unprepared. Both flanks buckled before the sheer weight of Baybars' army swamped the Mongols who retreated to the foothills and dismounted for a last stand.

The design is such that the Mongol player needs to maximize his Pearl Harbour on the first turn to stand a good chance to win. Then he needs to preserve his best units for the final stand on the foothills. The Mamluks will have to watch his casualties level carefully as he surges after the retreating Mongols.

The design introduces a new element: the turn counter that forces the Mamluk player to hurry. the Mongol player should not forget to move it every turn!

Source: Reuven Amitai-Press: "Mongols and Mamluks:The Mamluk-Ilkhanid War, 1260-1281", Cambridge University Press, 1995.

85 mobile units, 13 turns

Fogman

Hi, thank you very interesting battle and great job.

Thanks.