Ode to Mare Nostrum: Conflicts of Western Europe 1212-1250 2024

On July 16th, 1212, the Coalition of Iberian Monarchs gained a decisive victory against the Almohad Caliphate in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. This marked a shift of tide in the Spanish Reconquista and the Iberian Crusades. These were changing times, and the Iberian Christians finally saw a chance to make full use of the Peninsula's vast potential. During this era, Western Europe saw no lack of ability in rulers. Aragon's Peter would soon be succeeded by his son, James I of Aragon, the Conqueror; North of the Pyrenees the Capetians of France was ruled by Philipe Augustus, first King of France, with his sons Louis VIII "the Lion" and Louis IX "the Saint" close in the line of inheritance; over the Alps the Holy See was governed by Pope Innocentius III, arguably one of the most powerful and ambitious Popes whom only Julius II could potentially match his perspectives; Towards the South of Rome, young Frederick Hohenstaufen of Sicily was seen by the Pope as a tame apprentice and a competent puppet, yet little did he know this pup would soon become the powerful wolf that would reshape Medieval Europe known as Frederick II of the Holy Roman Empire, “greatest of the princes of the earth”. The conflicts and cooperations between these magnificent men would shape order in the region for many years to come, until the next age of Sages almost 300 years later. With nothing but respect and homage paid to the masterpiece history simulation games by Ed Beach, Here I Stand, Virgin Queen and Tanto Monta, Ode to Mare Nostrum seeks to build upon those sturdy foundations to formulate another distinct experience. A card-driven, panoramic multiplayer wargame set in 13th-century Western Europe, Ode to Mare Nostrum seeks for players to enact this period's major political, military, diplomatic, and economic events. 5 players will control major powers in Western Europe at the time: the Almohad Caliphate, the Iberian Nations, the Kingdom of France, the Hohenstaufen Family(or Frederick the Great himself) and the Holy See. Each power has its own path towards winning paved by unique mechanisms and interactions. In order to achieve victory, one must form diplomatic alliances, fight against each other, recruit troops, deploy your army, and overwhelm opponents with strength and strategy.