
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,631
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Tiny Epic Game of Thrones
- 1–4 players
- 45–60 min
- Complexity 3.4/5
- 2025

2020
Rules assistance for Crusader Kingdoms: The War for the Holy Land
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Crusader Kingdoms: The War for the Holy Land is a board game released in 2020 for 1–4 players, 20–90 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Jesús Peralta García and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Dice Rolling, and Area Majority / Influence.
After the miraculous success of the 1st Crusade in 1097, three Christian kingdoms are established in Outremer; the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Principality of Antioch and the County of Edessa. But in 1144 the Crusaders suffer their first setback with the fall of Edessa at the hands of Zengi (the ruler of Mosul and Aleppo), which provokes the 2nd Crusade. Crusader Kingdoms is a hand management game set in this era, in which players control the main Christian or Muslim kingdoms of Outremer. Each turn players receive a variable number of cards that can be troops, events or response cards, and playing in alternate rounds they use them to try to expand their realm. The winner is the player controlling more areas at the end of the game. There are four different games between the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Crusades. The game allows cooperative, competitive, and solitaire game play.
Crusader Kingdoms: The War for the Holy Land supports 1–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Crusader Kingdoms: The War for the Holy Land is 20–90 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Crusader Kingdoms: The War for the Holy Land for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Crusader Kingdoms: The War for the Holy Land has a complexity rating of 1.5 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Crusader Kingdoms: The War for the Holy Land belongs to these categories: Wargame, Print & Play, and Medieval. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Dice Rolling, and Area Majority / Influence. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Crusader Kingdoms: The War for the Holy Land are: Jesús Peralta García. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Crusader Kingdoms: The War for the Holy Land as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.