The

✝️ Unit Cards - Crusader States William of Beaujeu and his Templar patrol. Knights, crossbowmen, cavalry, and scouts.

☪️ Unit Cards - Mamluk Sultanate Sultan Baybars and the Bahriyya vanguard. Veterans of Ain Jalut who broke the Mongol horde.

🐉 Monster Cards - Optional The Manticore. The Bound Djinn. Both drawn from 13th century primary sources.

🎯 Tokens & Markers Blood Markers, Divine Favor, Tribute, Objective Markers, Status Tokens, Force Morale tracks.

📜 Chronicle Sheets Mandatory narrative moments fire during the game, not after.

⚔️ Full Rules & Quick Reference No rulebook required. Everything is in the packet.

2 FACTIONS

700+

Free

YEARS OF HISTORY

ONE CROSSROADS

PNP AVAILABLE NOW

6–10 STORIES PER GAME

What makes it different

In most wargames a commander's death ends the game. In The Unholy Land it begins the collapse, 1 to 2 turns of dramatic unraveling before the army breaks. The history books don't remember the battles that ended cleanly.

Mandatory Chronicle moments fire during play, a routing unit's last word, a Hero's final sentence, a Boast revealed at the end. The dice generate narrative, not just outcomes. Every game produces something worth remembering.

Both sides believed in them. The Manticore is in the Physiologus. The Djinn is in al-Qazwini. These creatures were as real to a Crusader knight as the sword at his hip, and they fight the same way on your table.

The Furusiyya bonus exists because Mamluk cavalry doctrine was real. The Templar charge restriction exists because the Rule of the Temple was real. Every ability traces to a documented historical source. You are not playing a game about this period. You are playing inside it.

History built into the rules

The monsters have citations

Commander death is the beginning

1260 AD

THE BATTLES ARE REAL

Three Phases of War

HOW IT PLAYS

PHASE I

The Council

Before a model is placed, both players make strategic decisions that shape the entire battle. Split your force secretly across three deployment waves. Commit to a victory path. Build your fortifications.

• Secret phase split across Phase A, B, and C

• Declare Military or Supernatural Victory path

• Pre-place fortifications and siege equipment

PHASE II

The bATTLEFIELD

6–9 turns of alternating activations, siege mechanics, and supernatural intervention. Walls breach. Heroes duel. Monsters arrive from the historical record. Every turn produces a moment worth remembering.

• D6 pool combat - read highest, minimum 1D always

• Combined arms bonuses reward historical doctrine

• Force Morale bleeds until one side breaks

PHASE III

The Chronicle

Five minutes after the battle. Record what happened. Name the breach. Write one sentence from your Hero's perspective. Survivors gain experience. The Chronicle of your campaign accumulates into something worth reading aloud.

• Heroes develop across linked campaign games

• Mandatory narrative moments built into the rules

• After 5 games you have a genuine historical chronicle

CAMPAIGN RULES - coming soon

FIELD RULES

THE MOMENT‑TO‑MOMENT BATTLE EXPERIENCE

Every activation is a decision that shapes the story of the battle. Lines advance. Heroes clash. Morale wavers. Chronicle events twist the field in ways no one expects.

Field Rules is the core engine of The Unholy Land - fast, lethal, and deeply positional. It’s where every duel, every charge, and every collapse plays out.

A TURN IN THE UNHOLY LAND

Your Templar Knights surge forward. A relic glints in the dust - close enough to trigger Holy Charge, giving them an extra die as they crash into the enemy line.

The Bahri Cavalry sweep wide and hit your flank. Your opponent forces a Morale Check. The line buckles. A Chronicle trigger fires:

Write one word.

From the unit's perspective.

Before it's removed.

Suddenly the battle has a story.

And it's yours.

This is what Field Rules delivers: tight decisions, cinematic moments, and battles that write their own history.

JOIN THE COMMUNITY Shape the game before it ships.

FR-A is the beginning. The full game with Campaign Rules, complete faction rosters, legendary monsters, is in development now. Join the Discord to ask rules questions, share your Chronicle, and give feedback that directly influences what gets built next.

Early players shape early games. This is that moment.

Join the Siege

Get Kickstarter alerts before the gates fall

The Unholy Land is coming to Kickstarter. Two complete factions. Five scenarios. A campaign system that turns every battle into a story worth reading. Monsters drawn from 13th century Islamic and Christian bestiaries. A Chronicle that outlasts the game.