Osprey Games - The Silver Bayonet: Egypt - Shadow of the Sphinx review If you’re paying attention to this, you’re probably already a fan of The Silver Bayonet, so we’re going to skip over getting into detail on the entirety of the book. You know what to expect from the chapters already, as they follow the same format and order here as in previous releases from the series. Instead, we’re going to take a deeper look at the meat and bones (quite a lot of bones!) of this expansion: the new recruits, the extra monsters, and the new rules. That’s not to say that the new campaign isn’t worth talking about - it’s the kind of pulpy adventure you’d hope for, with tomb raiding through a buried temple or lost city (depending on whether you’re playing the competitive or solo campaign) - but such story-driven gaming is better discovered by the players as they go, and not spoiled here. A new nation Rather than just let the existing nations pepper their Units with hired locals, the author has introduced a new nation - Egypt - that has a host of unique soldiers to choose from. If other Units want to add them, they can use the ‘going outside the list’ rules in The Silver Bayonet’s core rulebook. As well as many of the existing soldier types, the Egyptians can pick from five new soldiers created specifically for them. Top of the pile is the Mameluke, who replaces the Officer and weighs in at a hefty recruitment cost of 30. In return for that expense, you’ll get a skilled rider with marvellous martial skills who is armed to the teeth! At the other end of the quality spectrum, for just 4 recruitment cost, are the Egyptian Conscripts; these badly-armed peasants’ only real skills are to create a distraction, or swamp opponents through strength in numbers. As the controlling player, however, their extremely low cost will allow you to pick out some elites for your Unit, and bulk up the numbers with these reluctant conscripted men and women. Bedouin Raiders are more elite troops who can ride and have a unique attribute - Experience in the Desert - which allows them to ignore the penalties that Extreme Temperatures, Loose Sand, and Thirst can bring (more about them later). Follower of the Old Gods is an Egypt-themed Champion of the Faith, while a Janissary or two will fill out your more standard soldier slots. There’s one extra soldier available to the nations of France, Spain, and Russia - the Knight Hospitaller - who is far from the military glory that the order once exhibited. Serving as more of a medic, this knight is
