Links
Wargame Clubs Wargamers Humour Campaign Resources Figure Manufacturers and Retailers Historical Resources	Wargame Clubs (This is not an exhaustive list...) North Shore Wargame Club ~ the club I attend on an irregular basis. British Historical Games Society New Zealand Wargame Clubs Nunawading Wargames Association ~ invaluable guide to DBM with great picture galleries. Society of Ancients Strategikon ~ Club site from Athens. Includes material on the Trapezuntine Byzantines. Wargamers Craig Davey- UK ~ excellent painting guide Peter Dunn - NZ ~ eye-candy site with lots of delicious high quality photos of figures Firefall - NZ ~ the best collection of battle-reports on the web (IMHO). Nik Gaukroger- UK ~ useful DBM-dedicated site. Matt Haywood UK ~ a site dedicated to warfare in Eastern Europe. David Kuijt- USA ~ a very useful figure-review page. Peter Page- NZ ~ nice Kiwi site Alan Patrick - UK ~the invaluable slacker's guide to painting, how to design armies and how to use lots and lots of knights. Mark Plant- ex NZ ~ Pygmy Wars- Wargaming the Russian Civil War Tim Porter UK ~ humorous site with some good accompanying pictures. Miniaturewargaming ~ excellent general wargaming blog by John Retzer. Francis Small USA ~ a site dedicated to the Medieval French. Luke Ueda-Sarson - NZ/Japan ~ a site specialising in Hellenistic warfare but with plenty of other goodies. David Young- AUS ~ Australian DBM Rankings Jeff Zorn - USA ~ includes some stuff on Crusades and how to take photos of miniatures. Humour - wargaming cartoon Order of the Stick- role-playing cartoon Sex Life of Dice Get Fuzzy- A cartoon I'm fond of (nothing to do with wargaming). Campaign Resources Online Map Creation - for generating maps. Quick Hex - for making hexmap gifs. By making the background transparent these hexmaps can be superimposed on other maps. Figure Manufacturers and Retailers Urban Warfare- NZ based retailer of figures, rules and accessories. Keen supporter of local wargaming. The companies below produce figures and equipment for wargaming in this period. In most cases I recommend getting samples before committing to large purchases- and doing some of your own research first. This is especially true for the case of Ghulam or Mamluk cavalry. It is not always prudent to presume that manufacturers have thoroughly researched all their ranges. David Kuijt maintains a very useful figure review page. Outpost produce the most accurate ghulams (I commissioned them). They plan on expanding their range to cover the whole Crusading Era. This means that finally, accurate Byzantines may come available. Essex- true 15mm figures and probably the widest range around. The figures are well cast with good detail but sometimes lack a dynamic stance. Some Asiatic cavalry have bowcases placed backwards and horses may be generic rather than Turco-Iranian. Essex also stocks a wide range of buildings, terrain, rules and paint. Gladiator- a good but older Outremer range of Franks, Saracens and Byzantines. One of the few manufacturers to produce Saracen cavalry with plenty of maces and swords. The figures tend to have outsize hands and cuffs. They are also larger than true 15mm. Their Feudal range is quite accurate for Western troops and closer to true 15mm. Museum- Museum has two basic sizes for their figures. Their Norman and Islamic Persian ranges are relatively large and are hard to mix with other manufacturers. Their Arab and Mongol ranges are closer to 15mm. Their Normans and Crusaders are generally accurate. Their Asiatic cavalry can have serious lapses in historical accuracy. Donnington- A large range of Outremer figures. Figures vary in their casting and sculpting quality. Some are excellent and some are very basic. The figures tend to be sculpted in a simple style with little extraneous equipment such as belts, bags etc. Hands tend to be typically smaller than the other ranges. They are close to true 15mm, hence smaller than the large Museum or Gladiator figures. Generally compatible with Essex figures, but more accurate for ghulams. Irregular- Produces a large range of 15mm figures. I have never purchased from this range so can not comment on their quality. In Australasia, Eureka Miniatures can supply the Hallmark, Museum Miniatures and Irregular Miniatures ranges. Veni Vidi Vici shield decals, handy for those of us who find painting crosses to be an arduous exercise in practical geometry. A more complete range of manufacturers can be found at The Miniatures Page Historical Resources Medieval Source Book- Sources in Translation Medieval Texts- Normans in Sicily, some Crusades from Leeds University. Extracts from Matthew Paris De Re Militaria Arab Historical Maps Les Croisades- Sources and Images Asian Carpets, textiles and artifacts Armenian Miniatures Medieval Art and Architecture- lots of geographic areas covered. Heraldry European Heraldry Armoiries des Salles des Croisades Early Roll of Arms 12th-13th C Early Blazon Website 12-13th C Serbian Arms: Serbian Nobility, Royal Coat of Arms, Eagle

Wargamers
Craig Davey- UK ~ excellent painting guide
Peter Dunn - NZ ~ eye-candy site with lots of delicious high quality photos of figures
Firefall - NZ ~ the best collection of battle-reports on the web (IMHO).
Nik Gaukroger- UK ~ useful DBM-dedicated site.
Matt Haywood UK ~ a site dedicated to warfare in Eastern Europe.
David Kuijt- USA ~ a very useful figure-review page.
Peter Page- NZ ~ nice Kiwi site
Alan Patrick - UK ~the invaluable slacker's guide to painting, how to design armies and how to use lots and lots of knights.
Mark Plant- ex NZ ~ Pygmy Wars- Wargaming the Russian Civil War
Tim Porter UK ~ humorous site with some good accompanying pictures.
Miniaturewargaming ~ excellent general wargaming blog by John Retzer.
Francis Small USA ~ a site dedicated to the Medieval French.
Luke Ueda-Sarson - NZ/Japan ~ a site specialising in Hellenistic warfare but with plenty of other goodies.
David Young- AUS ~ Australian DBM Rankings
Jeff Zorn - USA ~ includes some stuff on Crusades and how to take photos of miniatures.

Humour
- wargaming cartoon
Order of the Stick- role-playing cartoon
Sex Life of Dice
Get Fuzzy- A cartoon I'm fond of (nothing to do with wargaming).

Campaign Resources
Online Map Creation - for generating maps.
Quick Hex - for making hexmap gifs. By making the background transparent these hexmaps can be superimposed on other maps.

Figure Manufacturers and Retailers

Urban Warfare- NZ based retailer of figures, rules and accessories. Keen supporter of local wargaming.

The companies below produce figures and equipment for wargaming in this period. In most cases I recommend getting samples before committing to large purchases- and doing some of your own research first. This is especially true for the case of Ghulam or Mamluk cavalry. It is not always prudent to presume that manufacturers have thoroughly researched all their ranges. David Kuijt maintains a very useful figure review page.

Outpost produce the most accurate ghulams (I commissioned them). They plan on expanding their range to cover the whole Crusading Era. This means that finally, accurate Byzantines may come available.

Essex- true 15mm figures and probably the widest range around. The figures are well cast with good detail but sometimes lack a dynamic stance. Some Asiatic cavalry have bowcases placed backwards and horses may be generic rather than Turco-Iranian. Essex also stocks a wide range of buildings, terrain, rules and paint.

Gladiator- a good but older Outremer range of Franks, Saracens and Byzantines. One of the few manufacturers to produce Saracen cavalry with plenty of maces and swords. The figures tend to have outsize hands and cuffs. They are also larger than true 15mm. Their Feudal range is quite accurate for Western troops and closer to true 15mm.

Museum- Museum has two basic sizes for their figures. Their Norman and Islamic Persian ranges are relatively large and are hard to mix with other manufacturers. Their Arab and Mongol ranges are closer to 15mm. Their Normans and Crusaders are generally accurate. Their Asiatic cavalry can have serious lapses in historical accuracy.

Donnington- A large range of Outremer figures. Figures vary in their casting and sculpting quality. Some are excellent and some are very basic. The figures tend to be sculpted in a simple style with little extraneous equipment such as belts, bags etc. Hands tend to be typically smaller than the other ranges. They are close to true 15mm, hence smaller than the large Museum or Gladiator figures. Generally compatible with Essex figures, but more accurate for ghulams.

Irregular- Produces a large range of 15mm figures. I have never purchased from this range so can not comment on their quality.

In Australasia, Eureka Miniatures can supply the Hallmark, Museum Miniatures and Irregular Miniatures ranges.

Veni Vidi Vici shield decals, handy for those of us who find painting crosses to be an arduous exercise in practical geometry.

A more complete range of manufacturers can be found at The Miniatures Page

Historical Resources

Medieval Source Book- Sources in Translation

Medieval Texts- Normans in Sicily, some Crusades from Leeds University.

Extracts from Matthew Paris

De Re Militaria

Arab Historical Maps

Les Croisades- Sources and Images

Asian Carpets, textiles and artifacts