Seljuk: Byzantium Besieged, 1068-1071 (English)

Anatolia, 1068. Romanos Diogenes acceded to the imperial throne of the Eastern Roman Empire. Fierce armies of Seljuk Turks are at the gate, ravaging eastern border towns and sending annual raids and campaigns into Roman lands. Beset by political intrigue in Constantinople and taking command of a fragile army, Romanos has little time to assemble the largest Roman army in over a century to repel the forces of Sultan Alp Arslan before the Empire collapses.

Seljuk, volume V of Volko Ruhnke's Levy & Campaign series, immerses players in the challenges of medieval logistics and maneuvering across Asia Minor as Orthodox Christian and Muslim powers clash in the lead-up to the Battle of Manzikert. Players will take on the role of either the Eastern Romans or the Seljuk Turks as they seek to leave their mark on this historic land. Asymmetrical victory objectives and unique new additions to the Levy & Campaign system mean a dynamic game of cat and mouse between these two great powers.

• The Seljuks are on the offensive with large numbers of Turkish horsemen, fast mounted units adept at ranged combat with composite bows. An informal alliance of local vassal states loyal to the sultan's cause and steppe tribes of Central Asia unite under one banner to ravage the Roman state and bring the spoils of wealth back to their homelands.
• The Romans field a much more heavily armored contingent of infantry and mounted Tagmata, but their border garrisons, the Themata, are few in number and not easily replaced. The Romans will have to use these stationary units judiciously to defend against Seljuk ravages or to protect the fortified cities of the Empire against the Turkish siege.

And both sides must face the very real possibility that some of their allied Lords could switch sides...

Can an epic final clash make the Seljuks think twice about conquering Anatolia, or can the Muslim armies of the East achieve one of their greatest victories and capture the Roman emperor on the battlefield?

Components:

• One 25.5" x 22" mounted card
• 169 piece wooden
• 132 playing cards
• Three sheets of colored pawns
• 17 cardboard Lord and Battle mats
• One Lords Sticker Sheet
• Four help sheets for players
• Two screens
• Rulebook
• Information booklet
• Six 6-sided dice

—description from the publisher