Chris was using his own rules, currently titled "Lionheart". Originally based on Little Wars TV's mass battle version of Ravenfeast, Chris has worked to make his own product that provides a fun game for mid-to-high medieval battles.
Two units of Knights Templars, arriving late to the battle, momentarily put some pressure on the Ayyubid right flank. However, a trio of absolutely devastating dice rolls resulted in three Crusader infantry units routing in a round of combat. Hopelessly outnumbered, those Crusaders still mounted turned to flee, leaving the infantry to the mercy of the oncoming Ayyubids.
The scenario saw two armies, Crusaders and Ayyubids, clash outside the walls of the besieged city of Jaffa. Richard the Lionheart, King of England led a force of British, French, and Italians against Saladin's force of Turks, Egyptians, Bedouins, Syrians, and others under the Ayyubid Empire's control.
The Crusaders' two commands consisted of heavy spearmen, crossbowmen, mercenaries, and just two units of mounted knights (one apiece). The Ayyubids' three commands had some slightly-less armored lancers, lightly-armored spearmen, and plenty of light cavalry. I was given control of Saladin's command in the center of the Ayyubid lines.
The battle began with an aggressive push on the Ayyubid's left, with a unit of light cavalry making its way through the suburbs of Jaffa to try and capture the Crusaders' headquarters tent (worth a victory point). Richard's knights were attacked on multiple sides by Ayyubid lancers and horse archers.
The main bulk of the Crusader infantry advanced in a line, but the French command on the left was forced to open a gap as the Ayyubid right shifted outwards in a potential flanking maneuver.
In a reversal of historical events, Richard was dragged from his horse and captured early in the game.
Stunned by the lost of their king and commander, the Crusader's right flank was then overrun, the heavily armored infantry swarmed by Ayyubid spearmen and cavalry. The loss of their headquarters was an additional hit against the Crusaders' morale.
On the other side of the battlefield, the lines had broken up into a series of smaller engagements. One-on-one, the odds were in the Crusaders' favor.
The heavy armor and arms of the Crusaders kept the French commander alive as Ayyubid light cavalry launched multiple failed attacks.
Hoping to counter the use of the Ayyubid's reliance on cavalry, the center line of the Crusader infantry deployed stakes. These defenses then had to be abandoned as the situation on the flanks grew more dire and the Crusader infantry advanced to try and come to grips with Saladin's division.
Two units of Knights Templars, arriving late to the battle, momentarily put some pressure on the Ayyubid right flank. However, a trio of absolutely devastating dice rolls resulted in three Crusader infantry units routing in a round of combat. Hopelessly outnumbered, those Crusaders still mounted turned to flee, leaving the infantry to the mercy of the oncoming Ayyubids.
Ouch! A few early losses by the Crusaders put them on the backfoot from the start, and the greater numbers and mobility of the Ayyubids allowed them to pick the most advantageous combats where needed.
I did enjoy Chris' rules and I will get a copy for myself when they're available. His 10mm miniatures were fantastic to look at (especially the tiny cityscape of Jaffa), and very inspiring for a potential Al-Andalus project with these rules.