Defenders of the Realm: Battlefields Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Setup
• Game Play
• Cards and Their Symbols
  • Hero and Minion Cards
  • Chameleon Cards and Special Cards
• Battlefields
  • Example Battlefield
• Player Turn in Detail
  • 1. Performing Actions
  • 2. Resolving Battles
  • 3. Drawing Cards
• Winning a Battle
• Winning the Game

Setup

1. Seat the players. In a 2-player game, players sit facing each other. In a 4-player game, players sit around the table alternating (minion player, hero player, minion player, hero player). In a 3-player game, the solo player sits on one side of the table and his opponents sit opposite him.
2. Determine the game mode (players agree on the game length).
   • Skirmish: 3 battlefields, or 2 of the same colour (not purple).
   • Standard: 4 battlefields, or 3 of the same colour.
   • Heroic: 5 battlefields, or 3 of the same colour.
3. Gather the troops! Each player (or team) takes one of the card decks (heroes or minions), shuffles it thoroughly, and draws a hand as follows:
   • 2 players: each player takes 7 cards.
   • 3 players: the players of the paired team take 4 cards each, the solo player takes 8 cards.
   • 4 players (team game): each player takes 5 cards.
4. Choose objectives! The minion player(s) choose one primary battlefield colour (not purple) and place that tile face up in the centre of the table, then the hero player(s) do the same. Randomly choose 1 additional battlefield and place it with the others in the centre of the table. Set the remaining battlefields aside within reach, as they will replace battlefields that have been won.
5. Choose generals! Each side chooses 2 generals (Skirmish), 3 generals (Standard game), or all 4 generals (Heroic mode).
6. Place the battle dice within reach of all players.

NOW YOU ARE READY TO PLAY!

Game Play

The game always begins with the invaders' turn. The game is divided into turns, in each of which the active player performs steps 1-3. Each of these steps is described in more detail in the section "Player Turn in Detail" below.

In a 3-player game the solo player takes his turn between his opponents' turns. Example: Player A plays alone against players B and C. Player A takes a turn, then player B, then player A again, and finally player C.

1. Perform ONLY ONE of the following actions:
   • Attack: there are two variants: 1) play a suitable card face up on one of the battlefields, OR 2) discard a card matching (same number and picture) a card already played on a battlefield in order to "restore" it, or make another attack with that card if it is not "stunned".
   • Support: place a General card on top of any battlefield and place the number of tokens shown on it. This General can now use any number of the actions listed on his card, as long as you have tokens! Tokens are limited, so how and when to use them is up to you. Use them wisely!
   • Gather troops: discard 1 to 3 cards. This discard has no effect on the battlefields, but at the end of your turn lets you draw as many new cards as you discarded.
2. Resolve all combat or attack effects of the cards played on the battlefield. (See "2. Resolving Battles" below.)
3. Draw cards up to your hand limit (some attacks may reduce hand size). In most cases this is drawing one card (if you did not discard).

Cards and Their Symbols

Most cards are numbered 1 to 10 and come in 4 colours: red, black, blue or green. There are also four chameleon cards and eight special cards in each deck.

Hero and Minion Cards

• Special attack symbol: means the attack is automatically successful, i.e. no die roll is needed. Each side has one such character.
• Number: represents strength in battle. In most battles, cards are played in descending order (for example, a 9 is followed by an 8 or lower).
• Sword symbol: represents attack strength, i.e. how many dice are rolled when the character attacks (one die per sword symbol).
• Colour: there are four suits (determined by colour). In some battles certain colours may not be used.
• Name: the name / title of the hero / minion.
• Attack: the attack determines which card(s) can or must be attacked when this card is brought into play or activated.
• Abilities: every hero or minion has at least one special ability. Some have special attack/defence skills, and some can even make the opponent lose a card that cannot be drawn again until one side wins. Some cards have several abilities. Most attack abilities are valid only when the card is activated (either by playing the card on a battlefield, or by activating a card already on the battlefield by discarding its matching card). However, some abilities remain active as long as the card itself is active and not stunned.

Chameleon Cards and Special Cards

Chameleon cards, or jokers: these cards can be assigned any colour. They have no numeric value, but they count, for example, toward winning battlefields that require X cards for victory, or ones that require 2 or 3 cards of the same colour, since they can pair with a card of any colour. Each joker also has attack properties and special abilities.

Special cards: these cards can be played at any time, even on the opponent's turn! Most of them, when played, offer the player a choice of effects, of which he must choose only one. Special cards always go to the discard pile and do not stay on the battlefield.

Battlefields

The game has 14 battlefield tiles: 3 of each colour (red, black, blue and green), plus the Capital and the Griffon Inn (purple). Each battlefield has a hero side and a minion side where players place their cards when they enter the battle, and shows the requirements for victory there.

Example Battlefield

• Reward for victory: the winner of this battlefield takes the indicated number of battlefield tiles and chooses one of them to replace the departing one; the rest are returned to the pile, which is shuffled.
• Side marks: determine on which side players place their cards for the battle.
• Battle indicator: these marks explain the conditions for victory on this battlefield. The white number is the number of cards that must be activated for victory, and the arrows indicate that cards played on this battlefield must be laid in descending numeric order from the first card played (see also Looping below).
• Name: each battlefield bears the name of a place in the Realm.
• Reward: what the winner may (but does not always have to) perform. In some cases the reward may hinder both the winner and the loser, so the winner may choose not to activate the reward (only if the text contains the word "may"). Note: the battlefield "The Curse at the Withered Hills" must always be activated.

Descending order: the battle-indicator arrow requires all cards to be played in descending order, starting from any number on the first card played. For example, if a player played a card with value 9, the next card he plays in this battle must be 8 or lower. If the next card played was 6, the player will next have to play cards of 5 or lower.

Looping: when playing battle cards, a player may if he wishes (and sometimes must) play a card with a value higher than the last card played. This is permitted only if that card's value is higher than the very first card played. Thus a player can "loop" and play a card of value 10 (or less), except for the original number with which the battle began. A player can never repeat, or lay a card with a value lower than, the starting card in the battle when "looping". For example, if the first card played on a battlefield has value 7, then at some point the player may, by the rule above, play a card of value 10, 9 or 8.

Arrow colour: determines the permitted colours of cards that may be played on this battlefield.

Even/Odd: if the word Even or Odd appears next to the arrows, only cards meeting that condition may be played on the battlefield.

Set: a mark with 2 or 3 cards requires that 2 or 3 identical cards be played on the battlefield. This is the only case in which more than 1 identical card (for example, several 8s) may be on the same battlefield (see Player Turn in Detail for more information).

No chameleon cards: this icon forbids the use of wild cards on this battlefield.

Final total: the appearance of this icon on a battlefield means the battle is won when the total of all of one opponent's played cards on this battlefield equals or exceeds the number on the shield. In this case the order of played cards is not taken into account; players do not have to play cards in descending order. Points are counted only on active (not stunned) cards.

Main characters: some battles require the participation of a specific hero or minion. He must not be stunned in order to win the battle. These specific cards must be played as one of the set, or in the required descending order (arrow), in order to win the battle.

Dice combinations:

• 1 single hit: the enemy is stunned (turn the card 90 degrees). Some characters have abilities that can prevent them from being stunned (Armor, Scales or Flying).
• 2 single hits: the enemy is stunned. This also applies to enemies with Armor, Scales or the ability to Fly.
• 1 double hit: the enemy is stunned. Some characters are removed by their enemy after a double hit is rolled.

You cannot attack a stunned hero/minion unless you have no other targets. When attacking a stunned hero/minion, rolling 2 single hits or 1 double hit is enough to remove the stunned character from the battle.

Important: only when the battlefield has a set mark (2 or 3) may you place multiple identical cards on the battlefield. At the same time, the same hero or minion may be in play on several battlefields, but only once on a battlefield with a set mark.

1. Even when cards are played on a battlefield with a set mark, they are laid one per turn.
2. When cards played on a battlefield with a set mark attack the opponent, they still attack only 1 card, even if there are several cards of the same character in play.

Example: the Hero player has 2 Dwarf cards and 1 Healer card in play on 3-set and 2-set battlefields. The Minion player has 2 Hemlocks and 2 Dark Wizard cards in play. The Hero player activates and places another Healer on a battlefield. The newly placed Healer attacks Hemlock (the highest-ranking minion on the battlefield) and, if successful, can stun only one of the Hemlock cards.

Player Turn in Detail

1. Performing Actions

On his turn the player performs one of the following actions:

• A) Add 1 new hero/minion to a battlefield (attack): playing a new hero or minion card on a battlefield must meet its conditions (that is, the player must take into account colour, even/odd and descending order if there is a battle indicator). Once played, the card becomes part of that battle. When a new card is played on a battlefield, the player may use that card to attack immediately, or use its special ability. Unless the card says otherwise, an attack can be made only on the battlefield on which the card was played.
• B) Remove 1 hero/minion (restoration): if an identical card (meaning matching number and name) is active on one or several battlefields, a second such card cannot be added in the battle (unless required by a set symbol). Instead, you may discard such a card to activate the identical card that is currently stunned, or to activate the corresponding character to attack and/or use abilities as if it had just been played on the battlefield.
• C) Discard up to 3 cards (gather troops): this action has no effect on the battlefields, but at the end of your turn lets you draw new cards equal in number to those discarded.
• D) Play one General card (support): a player may send 1 General to a battlefield. Generals do not count as cards on the battlefield, have no numeric values, and cannot be attacked. Place 5 tokens (black or blue crystals) on this General. You may spend these crystals at any time (even on the opponent's turn). You cannot move or remove the General after assigning him, and once the battle is won/lost, the General is removed from the game.

NOTE: special cards can also be played at any time (even on the opponent's turn) and in any number. If you played a special card, place it in the discard pile and perform one of the actions listed on the card. You can never draw cards until the end of your own turn.

2. Resolving Battles

After a player has placed a card on a battlefield, and if that hero or minion can attack, the player chooses a target, matching his choice to the character's attack text, and rolls the battle dice (their number is determined by the number of swords in the card's upper left corner: each sword equals 1 battle die). A hit is scored if one or more sword faces come up on the dice. Some targets require several hits to be stunned, but in most cases one hit is enough. If a character is stunned by a hit, turn it 90 degrees to show this.

Stunning a battle participant: while a card is stunned it has a value of zero, but keeps its position in the descending chain, i.e. cards played after it must take its number into account. In addition, a stunned card cannot be designated as an attack target.

Restoring a stunned participant: there are several ways to restore a stunned fighter. As noted earlier, if you discard a card of the identical hero/minion onto the stunned fighter, you can return it to an upright position, and it again takes an active part in the battle. A stunned fighter can also be restored by a special ability on a newly played character card on the battlefield, or by playing a special card that allows the player to heal a stunned fighter.

When a fighter is restored, turn it upright again and roll 1 die. If a sword face comes up, the restored hero/minion may immediately attack or use its non-combat abilities. If a blank face comes up, it is restored but cannot attack or use its special abilities.

Special combat skills: some heroes have the ability to make the opponent discard one or more cards on a successful attack. When this happens, the player who discarded cards must play with an incomplete hand until one side wins a battle. After one side wins, each player with an incomplete hand draws cards up to their maximum hand size.

Example: the Minion player places Undead on a battlefield and attacks, rolling one die (his card has only one sword symbol). A hit is rolled. The target is stunned and, on the successful hit, his skill (Undead Fear) is activated, which allows the Minion player to draw 1 card at random from his opponent's hand and send it to the discard pile. Now his opponent will have to play with an incomplete hand until one of the players wins on one of the battlefields. At that moment the Hero player may draw cards up to a full hand.

3. Drawing Cards

At the end of each turn, the player draws 1 card if he played 1 card, thereby restoring a full hand. If he discarded 1-3 cards, he draws the same number of cards that he discarded. If he played Special cards, he may also restore his hand size. If a player is playing with an incomplete hand, he does not draw until one side wins a battle, and only then can he restore his hand to the required size. If the deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile and draw.

Winning a Battle

If a card played on a battlefield fulfils that battlefield's victory condition, the player wins that battle and takes the battlefield tile. All cards (including generals) played on the battlefield on both sides go to the discard pile. The winning player reads the reward text, and if it affects the game, the player may use it or not, but must decide immediately. Unless the battlefield tile says otherwise, the player cannot use rewards later.

If the game victory conditions (see below) have not been met, a new battlefield is brought into play (subject to the "Reward for victory" rule, page 3) [rest of this sentence is garbled in the Russian source: "the number of cards on it, using the common one, and the winner choosing one" - unclear], and the battles continue with the next player's turn.

Winning the Game

The game ends with a victory as soon as one of the players has fulfilled the victory conditions depending on the game mode, as follows:

• Heroic level: to win the war, 5 battlefield victories are needed (note: the Capital counts as 2) or 3 victories on battlefields of the same colour (for example, all 3 green battlefields).
• Standard level: to win the war, 4 battlefield victories are needed or 3 victories on battlefields of the same colour.
• Skirmish: to win the war, 3 battlefield victories are needed or 2 victories on battlefields of the same colour.

Important note: the Capital (purple) counts as 2 battlefields, but not as 2 of the same colour (they must be 2 red, black, green or blue).