Welcome to the series En Ordre de Bataille

History for all!

Each title in this series will feature a legendary medieval leader and two battles
highlighting them.
Saladin, first game in the series, recreates the famous battles of Hattin and Arsuf
where Saladin was opposed by the Crusader hosts of Guy de Lusignan and then those
of Richard the Lionheart.
In Saladin, each player commands one of the armies that were engaged. Order your
horsemen to harass the Crusader ranks or launch a devastating charge with your
heavily armored knights. Saladin is an epic game designed for history and strategy fans.
Will you be able to lead your men to victory?
Saladin is a historical wargame for 2 players. Having chosen one of the two battle
scenarios and set up the game, each player, in turn, will order one of their Banners. The
aim is to disorganise enemy Banners. For this it will be necessary to spend Order tokens,
the number of which will decrease at the beginning of each turn.
The player who manages to preserve the cohesion of their troops by retaining the
precious Order tokens will be declared the winner.

For parents and teachers

This game is designed to act as a fun and highly instructive working model of historical
events.
Engaging with the game will encourage any child to understand why certain important
events occurred, as well as what may have happened if different decisions had been made.
Easy rules and attractive components will help the younger player ease into the educatio-
nal and sociable pastime of historical gaming.
Enjoy the game!

2
 Game contents
•  1 double-sided game board in A3 format.

Hattin side Arsuf side

•  28 Banner cards—14 for the •  4 Leader cards—2 Saladin cards, 1 for

Ayyubids (8 for the Hattin scenario the Hattin scenario, 1 for the Arsuf
and 6 for the Arsuf scenario), 14 for scenario, 1 Richard the Lionheart card,
the Crusaders (8 for Hattin and 6 for 1 Guy de Lusignan card.
Arsuf).

•  115 wooden bars representing Lances — 59 for the Ayyubids , 56 for the Crusaders .
•  26 wooden Order tokens—13 for the Ayyubids , 13 for the Crusaders .
•  1 Shield wall marker for the Crusaders .
•  1 Fire marker for the Ayyubids used in the Hattin scenario.
•  6 Combat dice—3 for the Ayyubids , 3 for the Crusaders .
•  1 rulebook.

3
 Setup
Place the game board beween you
1 then select the scenario you want
to play. One of you takes the role of Ayyubids Banners
the Ayyubids under command of Saladin,
the other one the role of the Crusaders.
Read carefully the Special rules of the
scenario before starting. The Arsuf scena-
rio is the easiest to play for a first game.
2
Available Orders
Ayyubids Available
Orders Pool
3
Spent Orders
Set up the Banner
2 cards of your side Ayyubids Spent
Orders Pool
as specified by the
scenario: they represent
troops with their leader.

Hattin scenario Crusaders

Losses Track
Arsuf scenario

Crusaders Leader.
This is the commander-in-chief of the army .

To win at Saladin, you must be the last player still

3 having Order tokens. These tokens are first available
in your Available Orders Pool. When you use them
during the turn, move them to the Spent Orders Pool. They
will be available again the next turn. You will lose perma-
nently Orders at the beginning of each turn depending on
the Banners you have lost previously. You will also lose
Orders permanently by losing a certain number of Lances.

4
 Setup
Ayyubids Leader

Ayyubids Losses
Track to place
eliminated Lances

Spent Orders
1
Crusaders Spent Orders Pool
Available Orders
3
Crusaders Available
Orders Pool

Crusaders Banners

On the Banners cards are listed

4
Lances represent the troops asso- the Actions that the player can
ciated with the Banners. They perform during the battle. Each
are set up on the game board. Action lists a number of Orders
following the instructions of the to spend in order to perform the
scenario. Action and resolve its effects.

5
 Key Game Terms
To fully understand the fundamentals of the game, it is important to remember the
definitions of the following terms that are used in these rules:

Banner
A Banner represents a set of troops—horsemen, bowmen, pikemen, crossbowmen—
gathered under the same command. A Banner is symbolized by a card and is asso-
ciated with one or more locations on the game board.

Location for the Lances

Name df the Banner on the game board

Coat-of-arms
of the Banner

Action

Coat-of-arms of the Banner

Symbol Ordered
Scenario played Banner

Aslam

A Banner is said to be Deployed

if it is on its front side and Ordered
if it is on its back.

Deployed Ordered

6
 Key Game Terms
Leader Name of
The commander-in-chief of each the Leader
army is represented by a Leader card.

Like a Banner, a Leader card is said

to be Deployed on its front side and
Ordered on its back. Action

Scenario
played

Order
An Order is a token of the color of its side. These tokens represent the command capa-
bility of armies.
An Order is said to be Available An Order is said to be Spent when
when it is situated in the player’s it has been used previously and is
Available Orders Pool. A player uses situated in the player’s Spent Orders
their available Orders to perform Pool. At the beginning of a new turn
an Action with an activated Banner. the Orders in the Spent Orders Pool become
available again and are moved back into
the Available Orders Pool.
An Order can be permanently lost, it is then placed back in the game box and can
never be returned to play. When a player must place an Order in the game box, he must
first remove it from the Available Orders Pool and then from the Spent Orders Pool if the
Available Orders Pool is empty. The first player to place back their last Order in the
game box loses immediately.

7
 Key Game Terms
Lance The Ayyubids player must eliminate
A Lance is represented by a wooden 2 Lances from Aslam Banner.
bar of the color of its camp. These bars
represent the troops associated with
the various Banners on the battlefield.
On the game board the eliminated
Lances are removed from bottom to top
and from left to right. by following
the numbering (1, 2…).

An eliminated Lance is placed on the player’s Losses Track located on the game board.

A player must immediately place back in the box 1 Order when they lose their 6th
Lance. The 6 Lances are then also placed back in the game box and can in no case return
to play. If other Lances are subsequently eliminated they are placed again on the Losses
Track. In the event that a player has to replace 1 eliminated Lance, they must take it
from the Losses Track, never from the game box. If there is no Lance available on the
Losses Track, they cannot replace a Lance.
A Banner that no longer has Lances on the game board is eliminated and the corres-
ponding card is given to their opponent. An eliminated Banner can never come back
into play. During the Chaos phase, a player loses an additional 1 Order for each of their
Banners in possession of their opponent.

8
 Key Game Terms
Status
A Banner can have either Uncommitted or Committed status. The Uncommitted status
indicates that the Banner fights its opponent at a distance—shots from archers, cross-
bowmen—or remains in reserve. The Committed status means that the Banners fight in
melee.
The status of a Banner affects the game in different ways:
• On the game board, a Banner can have two locations to place its Lances depending on
its status. A color code is used to determine the status of the Banner. A Banner can have
only one location on the game board but may be Committed due to an enemy Banner.

Lances location, Lances location,

Banner Uncommitted. Banner Committed.

Sand color White color

• On the cards, some Actions are dependent on the status of the Banner, and can only
be chosen if the Banner is in the corresponding status. A color code allows you to deter-
mine the possible Actions according to the status of the Banner:

Uncommitted Committed

Sand color White color

9
 Key Game Terms
Combat dice
Each player has at their disposal a set of Combat dice. Combat dice are rolled to deter-
mine the outcome of an Action.

Nothing Eliminate Eliminate Spend

2 sides 1 Lance 2 Lances 1 Order
2 sides 1 side 1 side
Action/Reaction
A Banner can perform an Action, or sometimes a specific kind of Action called ­Reaction.
Most of the time, the player has to choose an enemy Banner as the target of the Action
or Reaction. The enemy Banners that a Banner can target are shown on its card. Conver-
sely, the card shows the opposing Banners that can target it.
Ala al Din
Bannier of Ala al Din

Ala al Din can target or TouteAla

charge
al Din can be targeted by or
1 Esquive
Next to each coat of arms a symbol specifies the status needed for the Action to be
0 Fuite
performed or if a Reaction can be carried out.

Reaction Committed Uncommitted

1 Escarmouche

2 Harcèlement
Banner of Richard

0 Fuite

Can target 1 if its

Poussée
status is Can be targeted by in Reaction
Committed or Uncommitted. and by in Reaction or if Committed.
1 Repli
10
 Key Game Terms
Each Banner has a number of different Actions or Reactions available.

Action Means that the Action is also Effect of the Action

available on the back of the card on Ayyubids Banner

Cost
in Orders

Name Effect of the Action Indicates a status change,

on Crusaders Banner here from Uncommitted
to Committed
Each Action lists the following information from left to right:
•  The cost in Order(s),
•  The name of the Action (without effect on the game).
•  If this Action is also available when the Banner is Ordered.
•  The effects of the Action. Results on Red dice are applied to the Ayyubids Banner and
effects on Green dice are applied to the Crusaders Banner. In general, you need to roll
1 or more Combat dice to determine the outcome of an Action.
•  The possible status change of the Banner.

Status change from Uncommitted to Committed

Status change from Committed to Uncommitted

Reaction Condition of use of the Reaction

A Reaction is used to counter an adverse Action. If the condition of use is valid, it

interrupts the Action. Its effects are resolved immediately. The Action of the enemy
Banner is canceled, but the Order(s) expense remains effective, and the enemy Banner
card is turned to its Ordered side if necessary. The Banner that has just carried out
the Reaction remains on its Deployed side.

11
 Sequence of play
A turn is divided into four phases:
•  Chaos
•  Initiative
•  Activation
•  Redeployment
One phase must be completed entirely before moving on to the next.

Chaos
Starting the second turn of the game, each player places back in the box one
Order plus one additional Order per Banner given to their opponent.

Initiative
The player with the fewest Orders in their Available Orders Pool has the initia-
tive. In case of a tie, the scenario specifies which player has the initiative. The
player with the initiative is the one who will choose whether or not to start the
Activation phase. A Leader may have an Action to seize the initiative and use it
during the Initiative phase. In this case, he is turned on its Ordered side.

Chaos and Initiative

Example – Battle of Arsuf
This is the beginning of a new turn, the Crusaders player gave the Banners
of Naplouse and Sablé to their Ayyubids opponent in previous turns.
So they must return 3 Orders to the box.
beginning
Naplouse Sablé of the turn

The Crusaders player has 5 Orders left, and the Ayyubids player has 7. It is
the Crusaders player who has the initiative, unless the Ayyubids player
decides to activate their Leader. This is what the latter does. So it is the
Ayyubids player who wins the initiative for this turn. The Ayyubids
Leader card is turned over on its Ordered side.

12
 Sequence of play
Activation
Starting with the player designated during the Initiative phase, players will alter-
nate activations or pass. A player can pass only if all their Banners and Leader cards are
on their Ordered side. A player who has passed can no longer choose activation; their
opponent, however, can continue to perform activations until they also pass. Upon
activation, the player activates a Banner or their Leader.

Activating a banner
By activating a Banner the player must, in order:
1.  Choose an Action on their selected Banner card.
2.  Spend the necessary Orders.
3.  Choose a valid target for this Action.
4.  Ask if the targeted Banner performs a Reaction, if possible. In this case solve the
effects of the Reaction and proceed to step 7. A Banner that performs a Reaction
remains on its Deployed side.
5.  Simultaneously apply the effects of the Action to the targeted Banner and the acting
Banner by rolling the indicated Combat dice if needed.
6.  Move the Lances on the game board if the Banner moves from Uncommitted to
Committed or vice versa.
7.  Turn the Banner card to its Ordered side if it was on its Deployed side. Leave the card on
its Ordered side if it was already on that side.

Activating a Leader
By activating a Leader the player must, in order:
1.  Choose on their Leader card one of the available Actions.
2.  Apply the effects of the Action.
3.  Turn the Leader card on its Ordered side.

13
 Sequence of play

Banner and Leader activation – They therefore spend 1 Order from

their Available Orders Pool and move it
Battle of Arsuf to their Spent Orders Pool. They throw 1
It is the turn of the Crusaders player to Combat die that eliminates 1 Lance from
perform an activation. They decide to the Ala Afdal Banner. The lost Lance is
activate the Banner of Henry II. They placed on the Ayyubids Losses Track.
choose the Loose Action, targeting the The Crusaders player turns the Banner
Ayyubids Banner of Ala Afdal. of Henry II to its Ordered side.

Henri II It is the turn of the Ayyubids player

Targeted to perform 1 activation. They choose
Banner to activate their Leader and select as
Ala Ajdal Action, recover 1 spent Order. They move
1 spent Order from the Spent Orders Pool
to their Available Orders Pool and then
turn their Leader to their Ordered side.

Reaction example – The Ayyubids player decides to

perform their Reaction, Evade, with
Battle of Arsuf Sulaymân—which is possible because
It’s the Crusaders player’s turn to acti- Sulaymân can target Naplouse in Reac-
vate a Banner. They decide to activate tion, is on its Deployed side and Naplouse
Naplouse and choose the Charge Action. performs a Charge.
They therefore spend 2 Orders and
target Sulaymân, the only Banner that Sulaymân
can be targeted.
Naplouse

Both players roll 1 Combat die and apply

the results. Naplouse becomes Ordered
but Sulaymân remains Deployed. Both
Banners remain Uncommitted as the
Naplouse Action is canceled.

14
 Sequence of play

Special cases and consequences

of activation.
Game example –
•  A Banner on its Ordered side can still Battle of Arsuf
be activated to perform an Action.
The Crusaders player activates Sablé
•  If a player’s Available Orders Pool using the Regroup Action. The player
is empty and one of their Banners spends 2 Orders because of previously
is still on their Ordered side, they lost Lances. There is no dice to roll to
must activate it using the Action resolve this Action. Sablé becomes
with a cost of 0. Important note: Uncommitted. Its Lances are moved
a player always has the option to to the Uncommitted locations on the
choose an Action with a cost of 0 game board. Therefore, the status
even if their Available Orders Pool is of the Banner of Saphadin changes
not empty. from Committed to Uncommitted. In
•  The cost in Orders to activate a Arsuf, the Ayyubids Banners chan-
Banner is increased depending on ging status always remain on the
the Lances lost previously. Accor- same location.
ding to the symbol , …
unveiled on the game board, the
cost of activating the Banner is
increased by 1.2… Exception: there
is no additional costs to an Action
with a cost of 0.
•  A Banner can change its status from
Uncommitted to Committed or vice
versa according to the indications
of the Action performed. In this
case, you must move the Lances of
the Banner concerned to the appro-
priate location on the game board.
This change therefore involves
changing the status of the enemy
Banner.

15
 Sequence of play
•  A Combat result that requires to lose
1 Order has no effect if the target
Game example –
player’s Available Orders Pool is
empty. Battle of Arsuf
•  A Banner that no longer has Banners Saladin
to target because they have lost all
their Lances is removed from the
game and placed back in the game
box. Since this Banner was not given
to their opponent, the player will
not lose an additional Order in the The Banners of Richard and Bourgogne
Chaos phase of the next turn and it have lost all their Lances. The Ayyu-
will no longer be necessary to acti- bids player eliminated them. Saladin’s
vate it. Banner no longer has a target and is
therefore removed from the game.

Redeployment
All cards of Banners and Leaders still in play are returned to their Deployed side.
Orders located in the Spent Orders Pool are moved to the Available Orders Pool and
become available again for the next turn. The turn is over.

Victory Conditions
The game ends immediately when one of the players puts their last Order in the
box. Their opponent is declared the winner. In the event that both players put their
last Order in the game box simultaneously, the winner is the one who had the most
Orders by totaling those of in their Available Orders Pool and Spent Orders Pool just
before the end of the game. In case of a tie, count the remaining Lances on the board
—even those of the Banners that were set aside because they no longer had a target.
The player with the highest number of Lances remaining is declared the winner. In
the event of another tie, the game is a draw.

16
 The Battle of Hattin -1187
In the early summer of 1187, the king of Jerusalem, Guy de Lusignan, was in a delicate
situation. The truce with Saladin was broken, mainly due to raids led by Renaud de
Châtillon. Saladin laid siege to Tiberias hoping to lure the Frankish army to a favorable
battlefield. The Latin Lords, overconfident, fall into the trap. The Franks are surrounded
not far from an elevation called the Horns of Hattin. Saladin’s troops set fire to the brush
thus exacerbating his opponents’ already dire thirst. The Knights of Raymond III charge
to break the encirclement. Ayyubid foot soldiers move aside to let them pass and flee.
Harassed from all sides, Lusignan takes refuge on the heights of the Horns before being
crushed and forced to surrender. The Frankish army is dispersed or destroyed. After this
great victory, Saladin retakes Jerusalem.

Setup

17
 The Battle of Hattin -1187
Special rules
•  Crusaders – pieces and Banner cards 12 available Orders
•  Ayyubids – pieces and Banner cards 12 available Orders
•  Initiative in case of a tie – Ayyubids.
•  S tatuses – The Banners of Ridefort and Husam Lulu can never be Committed. Those of
D’Ibelin, Naplouse, Châtillon, Raymond III and Saladin have two locations differentiated
by a color code on the game board, Uncommitted and Committed. These Banners change
locations on the game board if their status is modified. The Banners of K ­ eukburi,
Saphadin, Manguras and Taqui al Din have only one location on the game board and
their status is the same as the one of the Crusaders Banner that targets them.

D’Ibelin and Keukburi Uncommitted D’Ibelin and Keukburi Committed

The Lusignan Banner has two locations on the game board. On the one it occupies at
the beginning of the scenario, Lusignan is always Uncommitted. If the Banner is moved
to the Horns of Hattin it will have the same status as the Banner of Saladin which is the
only one that can target it.
•  Cards – the Banners of Lusignan, Châtillon, Saladin and Manguras each have two
cards. The cards available at the beginning of the scenario are those that do not have
the symbol (the Horns symbol ).They are replaced when Lusignan moves to the
Horns of Hattin.
Lusignan Banner at the Lusignan Banner after
beginning of the scenario it moved to the Horns

Lusignan Lusignan

Symbol of the cards to use when

Lusignan moves to the Horns

18
 The Battle of Hattin -1187
•  Hasam Lulu – Hasam Lulu’s Banner is not given to the Crusaders player when it
looses its last Lance. It is simply placed back in the box.

Scenario-specific Actions
Once per game, the Crusaders player can acti-
vate their leader Lusignan to move all the Lances
of the Lusignan Banner to the locations of the
Horns of Hattin on the game board. The Crusa-
ders player recovers 1 Order placed back in the
game box and adds it to their Available Orders
Pool. This Action becomes mandatory as soon
as the sum of the Orders in the Available Orders
Pool and the Spent Orders Pool of the Crusaders
Lusignan player is strictly less than 5. In this case, if the
Lusignan Leader card is on its Deployed side, the
Action will have to be the next Crusaders player
Action. If the Lusignan card is on its Ordered side,
the Action will have to be the first one performed
by the Crusaders player during the next turn.
As Lusignan’s Lances are moved to the Horns,
the Banner cards of Lusignan, Châtillon, Saladin
and Manguras are replaced. The new cards are
placed on their front or back side depending on
whether they were Deployed or Ordered before
they were replaced.

Saladin Once per game, if the Lusignan’s Banner has

moved to the Horns of Hattin or is eliminated
and if Châtillon’s Banner is also eliminated,
the Crusaders player must immediately place
1 Order back in the box.

19
The Battle of Hattin -1187
Saladin
The Banner of Saladin or Ridefort places
1 of its Lances on the location of the last
lost Lance of the Banner of Saphadin or
Ridefort Manguras for Saladin and Lusignan for
Ridefort.

Husam Lulu’s Banner places the Fire

Husam Lulu marker on the game board in front
of the locations of Husam Lulu’s Lances.
The Crusaders player must move 1 Order
immediately to their Spent Orders Pool.

To perform this Action, the Fire

marker must be on the game board.
Husam Lulu The Crusaders player must move
1 Order immediately to their Spent Orders
Pool. If at the end of the turn, the Fire
marker is still on the board and Husam
Lulu’s Banner has not performed the Feed
Fire Action, the marker is removed.

In the event of a Charge or Uncontrolled

Taqui al Din Charge by the Banner of Raymond III, the
Banner of Taqui al Din undergoes the
effects of 1 Combat die. The Banner of
Raymond III must remove 2 Lances that
are placed back directly in the game
box, not on the Losses Track.

The Crusaders player places on the

game board the Shield wall marker
Lusignan in front of the locations of Lusignan’s
Lances. All Ayyubids Actions against the
Banner of Lusignan will use 1 less Combat
dice. The marker is removed during the
Redeployment phase of the turn.

20
 Battle of Arsuf -1191
En route to Jerusalem, Richard the Lionheart’s crusader army is attacked by Saladin’s
army near Arsuf. Mastering the impetuosity of his knights in the face of Ayyubids’ haras-
sment, Richard manages to retain control of his troops under a hail of arrows. Crusader
resistance exhausts Saladin’s horsemen. Richard, his hand possibly forced by a Hospital-
ler charge from out his army’s rear guard, launches a powerful charge of his own. Disor-
ganized and surprised, the Ayyubid army fells apart. This great victory deters Saladin
from ever facing Richard again in open battle. Yet the crusaders would fail to liberate
Jerusalem, and the Crusade fails in front of its main goal, the gates of the Holy City.

Special rules
•  Crusaders – pieces and Banner cards 11 available Orders + 1 in Arsuf
•  Ayyubids – pieces and Banner cards 12 available Orders
•  Initiative in case of a tie – Crusaders.
•  Orders – the Crusaders player recovers a twelfth Order as soon as the two Ayyubids
Lances in Arsuf are eliminated. This Order is made available and placed directly in
their Available Orders Pool.
•  Statuses – the Banners of Lusignan, Henry II, Aslam and Saladin can never be
Committed. Those of Sablé, Bourgogne, Richard and Naplouse have two locations on
the game board differentiated by a color code, Uncommitted and Committed. These
Banners change locations on the game board if their status is modified. The Banners
of Saphadin, Ala Afdal, Ala al Din and Soulaymân have only one location on the game
board and their status is the same as that of the Crusaders Banner that targets them.

Richard and Ala Afdal Uncommitted Richard and Ala Afdal Committed

21
 Battle of Arsuf -1191
Setup

22
 Battle of Arsuf -1191
Scenario-specific Actions
Aslam The Banner of Aslam places 1 of its
Lances on the location of the last lost
Lance of the Ala Afdal or Ala al Din
Banners.

Aslam The Banner of Aslam places 1 of its

Lances on the location of the last lost
Lance in Arsuf.

The Crusaders player must place 1

Saladin
Order in the Spent Orders Pool, then Sala-
din’s Banner suffers the adverse effects
of 2 Combat dice.

The Crusaders player places on the

Henri II game board the Shield wall marker
in front of the locations of Henry II’s
Lances. All Ayyubids Actions against the
Banner of Henry II will use 1 less Combat
dice. The marker is removed during the
Redeployment phase of the turn.

The target of this action are the 2

Lusignan Ayyubids Lances located in front of
Arsuf. If these 2 Lances are eliminated,
the Crusaders player recovers 1 Order
which is immediately placed in the
player’s Available Orders Pool.

CREDITS
Saladin is a game by Denis SAUVAGE
Development: Julien BUSSON
Illustrations: Ulric STAHL et Nicolas ROBLIN
Graphic design: Nicolas ROBLIN
Layout: Julia BRÉTÉCHÉ
Proofreading and testing: Thierry BAILLY, René BURGHOLZER, Jean-Yves CALDERON,
Hervé DUVAL, Renaud ESTIENNE, François GIFFONE, Michel GUERIN, Pascale
GUET, Cédric NICOLAS, Arnaud PRIE, Gilles SAVELLI et Jean-Michel TUTU
English version: Julien BUSSON, Paul COMBEN, Myk DEANS et Christian VAN SOMEREN

23
 Symbols used on the game board
Available Orders Pool Spent Orders Pool
Ayyubids/Crusaders Ayyubids/Crusaders

Status of the Banner

Uncommitted Committed

Place the
Cost of the Action Give the Banner 6 Lances
increased by 1 to your opponent and 1 Order
in the box
Symbols used on the cards
Scenario cards
Card used if
Banner on its
Lusignan is
Ordered side
Hattin Arsuf at the Horns

Reaction Committed Uncommitted

Status change from Status change from

Uncommitted to Committed Committed to Uncommitted

1 Cost in Orders
Number of
1 Combat dice to roll
of the action

Specifies if the Action is

available on the back of the card

Spend 1 Crusaders Place 1 Crusaders Place 2 Crusaders

Order Order back in the box Lances back in the box