"Getting started in Crusades - scenery suggestions" Topic

As the topic suggests, I am starting to start gaming the Crusades using the rules Outremer: Faith and Blood in 28mm.

What I don't have is a very good idea of the type of scenery I can make/buy to really make the table top look great.

I know I can simply plop down a sandy base and add a few hills, maybe a middle eastern building or two and so on, but I am looking for suggestions to really make the playing area come to life with a lot of detail.

Types of trees and bushes, or scatter terrain is also part of what I have in mind.

An olive grove or a lone mustard tree would be appropriate, some parts of Israel even have pines. As far as hills, I would recommend having something resembling the Horns of Hattin, that infamous site. Some hasty fortifications would look good, during the third Crusade Ascalon had its walls demolished more than once, and Richard tried to have the route to Jerusalem secured. Large walls are an absolute must, countless sorties in sieges would be great for Faith and Blood. Perhaps some Byzantine style ruins for a part of Dorylaeum, but 1097 is a little early for those rules as far as I know. Also, it would be an absurdly large space, but maybe some indoor games would be fun for that scale of game. A huge mosque with a massive minbar as Nur Ed Din made, a mysterious Templar chapter house with medieval furnishings.

As far as exotic locales go, some Egyptian style terrain would be good to have as well, it was a popular target, real or planned from the Fifth Crusade forward. If you're feeling brave, some shallow hulled boats for a section of the landing at Damietta during St. Louis's first Crusade or the monstrosity cog/castle device employed to storm the chain tower during the 5th Crusade. Sections of Constantinople for the abject failure that was the Fourth Crusade as well as some Coastal Balkans stuff for the colonial action the Venetians borrowed the Franks for, and Rhodes and Cypress could be represented as well. So for Christian architecture you could try and incorporate some Orthodox looking stuff along with the Catholic. Since you're doing skirmish stuff, an Assassin citadel could make for a cool set piece. Don't put Southern Italian terrain out of the count either, those Sicilian Saracens won't fight themselves (well, maybe, but…).

thanks! Plenty of suggestions to look up in your reply :-)

greatly appreciated

I forgot to ask/add.

A lot of companies are selling MDF middle eastern buildings.

Would a these fit in with the setting, or are they too modern?

Many middle eastern houses are suitable for many eras of history. I would look at pictures before ordering any, but I am sure many would work for the Crusades era.

Don't forget that Israel had a lot more wooded areas in this period along the coastal strip. They were destroyed at the end of the crusading period by Sultan Baibars.