What if the Crusades had gone differently?

Western knights march east for two centuries, and come back with a taste for eastern goods.

If it had gone differently: Western Europe stays inward-looking; the appetite for spices and silk that will send ships around Africa never develops.

The real history on Wikipedia ↗

Later turning points that leaned on the Crusades. Change it in the game and the ripples reach all of these.

1. 1300Venice's trade empire. Without it, Europe's window on Asian goods stays narrow and dear; the hunger that funds the Atlantic voyages is muted.
2. 1400The Italian Renaissance. Without it, Europe never rediscovers the classical world on its own terms; the break with the medieval mind comes later and shallower.