Men of Iron Battles Tri-Pack: Men of Iron, Infidel, Blood & Roses

The first three games in the Series: Men of Iron (GMT): Men of Iron, Infidel: The Supremacy of Cavalry in the Crusader Era – 11th-12th Century, and Blood & Roses, plus the Battle of Agincourt from C3i #22.

The game that started it all, Men of Iron, covers the re-emergence of infantry in the early 14th century, along with a more perceptive understanding of the value of combined-arms warfare and the effective use of defensive terrain. The scenarios highlight the key elements that made these battles so fascinating: the defensive power of the longbow, especially when used in coordination with dismounted, or even mounted, men-at-arms. Agincourt covers Henry V’s famous victory during the Hundred Years War.

The second volume in the Men of Iron series, Infidel: The Supremacy of Cavalry in the Crusader Era – 11th-12th Century, focuses on the major battles of the early Crusades era between Christians and the Muslims. This is a period that saw cavalry reign supreme and pitted the European mounted, armored men-at-arms - which relied on furious and direct charges with sword and lance - against the Eastern European/Turkish light cavalry tactics - focusing on the efficiency of its mounted archers.

Blood & Roses focuses on the battles of the Wars of the Roses in England, between 1455 and 1487. This was warfare in which most men were truly "of iron", heavily and totally armored to such a point that their mobility was suspect. It also featured the introduction of gunpowder – mostly field artillery – in noticeable numbers. And while many English men-at-arms were mounted, they did so almost entirely for transport. Most fighting was on foot … and it was quite vicious.