Crossbows and Catapults

About this board game

Crossbows and Catapults is a two-player game with an approximately 30-minute playing time, released in 1983. Players build a wall from plastic bricks to protect their fort before taking turns trying to bring the opposing walls down.

On each turn, choose between two distinctive ways to launch plastic discs. Use the ballistae—described as “crossbows”—to shoot directly at the walls, or use the catapult to lob discs over them.

The game centers on building and attacking the forts, with players alternating turns as they attempt to break through the opposing player’s defenses. Its brick-built walls and launching mechanisms make the action easy to see as the match develops.

• Build a protective wall from plastic bricks.
• Fire plastic discs with ballistae, or launch them over the wall with the catapult.
• Play using various scenarios and customizable victory conditions.

Crossbows and Catapults also allows players to create different scenarios and victory conditions. This gives the game a flexible structure, letting the objective vary while keeping its central contest of forts, walls, and launched discs.

For anyone looking for a two-player game built around direct attacks and physical fort construction, Crossbows and Catapults offers a straightforward contest: build a wall, protect your fort, and take aim at your opponent’s defenses.