Field of Glory II: Medieval - Swords and Scimitars (DLC)

Field of Glory II: Medieval is a turn-based tactical wargame covering the High Middle Ages, roughly 1040 AD to 1270 AD, and Swords and Scimitars is one of its DLC expansions, bolting on additional factions, units, and historical scenarios focused on the clash between Crusader states and Islamic powers of the period. If you know the base game, you know exactly what you are getting: hex-grid combat, cohesion mechanics, melee-versus-missile tradeoffs, and the kind of unit roster depth that makes you want to cross-reference historical sources at midnight. The core design fingerprint of Richard Bodley Scott is all over it, and that lineage traces straight back to tabletop wargaming rather than videogame convention. The expansion brings in factions like the Crusader Kingdoms, Fatimid Egyptians, and various Levantine Muslim forces, each with distinct unit mixes that genuinely change how you build and deploy a battleline. Heavy knights with lance bonus are blunt instruments against loose cavalry screens. Dismounted spearmen hold flanks that mounted units would bleed dry trying to hold. The asymmetry is real, not cosmetic, and that is where Swords and Scimitars earns its keep for anyone who already logs serious hours in the base game. New historical scenarios give the expansion context rather than just dumping new sprites into the existing sandbox. Here is the honest difficulty curve conversation: this is not a game that holds your hand, and the DLC assumes you are already past the tutorial cliff of the base game. For complete newcomers, the correct purchase order is base game first, expansion later. But for someone who has absorbed the core rules, the additional factions here are a genuine lateral expansion of the decision space, not just more of the same. The AI in Field of Glory II is serviceable at applying tactical pressure, though veteran players will find it predictable on open terrain. The multiplayer side through Slitherine's PBEM system is where the real competition lives if you want to stress-test your Crusader Knights deployment. The mixed Steam rating at 77% positive sits in a zone that deserves unpacking. For a wargame DLC, that number often reflects the gap between core fans who wanted more content in a specific region and got it, and casual buyers who expected a standalone experience. The Metacritic score of 75 tells a similar story: competent, niche, not a revelation. The scenarios are historically grounded and the unit data is clearly researched, but the presentation layer is minimal and the UI has not evolved to meet modern expectations. If visual feedback and interface polish matter to you more than order-of-battle authenticity, this genre may not be your corner regardless of which DLC is on the table. For the spreadsheet-minded tactical player who cares about historical accuracy in unit capabilities and wants more High Medieval matchups to dissect, Swords and Scimitars delivers exactly what the label says. Treat it as an expansion that widens the faction pool rather than one that reinvents the system, buy the base game first if you have not, and you will get solid mileage out of it. Diego, Scout Team