Saladins Cave or a Day at the Office

 

As Assassins and Templars is approaching its publication date it is time to add the final touches, take a few last pics and create some publicity videos. With this in mind I arrived at WI Tower to meet with editor Dan Faulconbridge and historian Professor Steve Tibble.

 It’s always a pleasure to visit the home of the Premier Wargaming Magazine, the team are very welcoming and always make me feel at home…they even keep a box of my favourite tea bags for my visits!

Steve , Dan and myself in a still from the promotional video

Wi is a treasure trove of wargaming essentials! Every wall has shelves groaning under the weight of porticoes and palaces, hovels and haciendas, castles and cottages…

  There are boxes and boxes of figures from every possible theatre and racks of modular terrain

 Every time I go there I find something new…

There are dozens of boxes of scatter terrain …

...you could represent the world’s biggest market…

...and transport it!

Dan Faulconbridge is the man responsible for all this madness although he tends to shrug the blame off onto his predecessor Duncan McFarlane. Dan and I have been working on Assassins and Templars for several months now and have developed an excellent working relationship. We both like to play with toys and it is a pleasure to watch Dan set a table for a photo shoot as he readily transforms into a ten year old version of himself as he gleefuly places his favourite bits and pieces

Dan is the production engine but the inspiration for this game comes from this man…the Prof… Dr Steve Tibble.

    Steve is another friend that I have made through this hobby, he has a growing reputation as the Crusades Historian and, particularly, for his knowledge of these maniacal Orders of fanatical Warrior Monks.

  It was his initial idea that the conflict between these two ideologically opposed but surprisingly similar groups would make an excellent subject for a wargame, he spoke to Dan and Dan recruited me… and the rest... well…

 

 I first became aware of Steves’ work when I listened to Templars "the knights who made Britain" as an audiobook and subsequently bought Crusader Armies,  an excellent book, in which Steve writes with an easy style and a descriptive flair that feels more like story than history and provides a vivid insight into the real reasons for these constant and seemingly interminable wars.

 Steve is a wargamer as well as an historian and this shows in the details of his writing, he brings battles to life and demonstrates a thorough understanding of the strategic and tactical aspects of war. The book is well illustrated with some excellent maps and is a must have for all those gamers who have an interest in the Crusades.

The book that started it all! This book too is superb! Steve very kindly forwarded me a pdf of this book before it was printed so that I was able to gen up on these strange sects and gain an understanding of how they operated.

  Steve’s almost lyrical style is engrossing, and this particular book is a real page turner, you just have to know what happens next. Steve adds extraordinary detail to a little known history and brings these warriors to life.

Thrilling stories abound and provide a whole catalogue of potential scenarios, it is another excellent read and it's top quality production values mean that this is a book you will pick up often, riffle throught its creamy white pages and sniff!

We had a full schedule and a busy day that Dan had sketched out for us with several interviews and the filming of some game sequences, but there was also time for friendly banter, informal chats and all round fun. I feel that we all got to know each other a little better and now we are ready for the sequel!

Assassins and Templars! Some of the toys on the table. Post production adjustments from the clever Wi-zards will make this scene really pop!

Assassins on the attack…

…and the Templars respond

Assassins and Templars, the book, published by Yale University Press and available from all good booksellers

Assassins and Templars, the game, published by Wargames Illustrated on November 1^st, and available from your local stockist or https://www.wargamesillustrated.net/