Im Zeichen des Kreuzes

About this board game

Im Zeichen des Kreuzes is a Crusades board game for 2–5 players, with a playing time of about 90 minutes. Players move their armies through Europe toward Jerusalem, using cards to travel across specific types of terrain.

Movement is only part of the journey. Cities can be plundered to gain gold, and that gold can be spent in other cities to purchase additional troops. Building an army and guiding it across the map are central to the race for the ultimate objective: Jerusalem.

The game’s standout feature is its Combat Tower, a cardboard and plastic tower containing horizontal levels with holes. When armies meet in battle, all the battling armies are dropped into the top of the tower. The armies that emerge from the bottom determine which forces take part in the fight.

Not every army necessarily falls through immediately. Armies that remain inside the tower stay there until they are dislodged by armies from a later battle. This creates a distinctive battle system in which the result depends not only on the forces entering the tower, but also on what may still be waiting inside.

• For 2–5 players
• Approximately 90 minutes of play
• Move armies through Europe using terrain-specific cards
• Plunder cities for gold and purchase troops in other cities
• Use the Combat Tower to resolve battles

In Im Zeichen des Kreuzes, the player who conquers Jerusalem wins. The combination of movement, city plunder, troop purchases, and the unusual Combat Tower gives the Crusades theme a clear focus while making every major clash a memorable event.