Factions: Battlegrounds

Factions: Battlegrounds Rulebook

Table of Contents

Game Components

Components as printed on the rulebook's component page. The printed list gives "96 Expansion" and "120 Master General version" beside the unit-card count without saying which cards each figure covers; they are transcribed as printed.

1 Game Box
1 Two Player Battleground Board
1 Rulebook
1 Six-sided die
72 Faction Unit Cards
96 Expansion (as printed)
120 Master General version (as printed)
9 Faction Overview Sheets
9 Elite Unit Descriptor Cards (Master General version only)
4 Quick Reference Round Cards
4 Resource & Score Tracker Sheets
45 Terrain Tiles (9 Factions, each with their own 5 Terrain Tiles)
4 Resource Center Cards
6 Resource Center Tokens
20 Score-Tracking Cubes
20 Unit Activation Tokens
10 Aerial Tokens
10 Captain Command Tokens
10 Exhaust Tokens
6 Health Boost Tokens
6 Weakness Tokens
40 Damage Tokens

Note on component counts: the component page and the Board Setup page give different counts for some tokens (Resource Center Tokens: 6 on the component page, 4 on the setup page; Unit Activation Tokens: 20 on the component page, 15 on the setup page; Damage Tokens: 40 on the component page, 20 on the setup page; Battleground Tokens: 20 on the setup page, not listed on the component page). Both are transcribed as printed. The setup counts are the ones used for the 2-player board setup below.

2 Player Game Setup

Each player starts with:

15 Unit Cards from your chosen Faction (set aside 3 Unit Cards of your choice to be removed from the game)
5 Terrain Tiles from your chosen Faction
2 Faction Overview Cards (one for your chosen Faction, one for your opponent's chosen Faction)
1 Resource & Score Tracker (3 score-tracking cubes each)

Board setup:

4 Resource Center Tokens (2 Gold Mines, 2 Mana Pools)
4 Resource Center Cards
15 Activation Tokens
20 Battleground Tokens (5 Flying, 5 Command, 5 Ability, 5 Health/Weaken)
20 Damage Tokens (10 1-damage, 5 2-damage, 5 3-damage)
1 Six-sided die

3 and 4 Player Game Setup

For 3 and 4 player games, there is no Rank or Terrain Tile advantage. For Rank Ties, if players have the same amount of Units and Captains, players roll a six-sided die. The highest numbered roll wins the tiebreaker.

3 player game setup

Players begin the game by rolling a six-sided die (roll until a higher number for ties). The player with the highest roll can choose to place a tile first.
All 3 players place 4 Terrain Tiles.
Place Resource Centers following the tile setup (resources go in the same spaces as a 2 player setup), or choose to recruit Units last during the Reinforcement Phase.
The player with the next highest roll chooses between the remaining two advantages. Players place tiles and recruit Units in a clockwise order.
The Base Camp splits the Terrain Tiles only during 3 player games.
First player to 30 points wins.

4 player game setup

The player that has the highest roll places a Terrain Tile first and places the Resource Centers, but recruits Units last. Players recruit Units in a clockwise order.
Each player places 4 Terrain Tiles.
First player to 40 points wins.

Printed diagrams of the 3 and 4 player Battleground layouts are not reproduced here.

Starting a New Game

Set up the Battleground and score 25 Points (2 player game) to claim victory.

1. You are the General. Choose your Faction. Choose your Faction, your Battleground, and your strategy.

Once you have selected your chosen Faction, take the corresponding Faction Overview Sheet, your Resource & Score Tracker, and the 5 Terrain Tiles unique to your Faction. These are identified by the Faction symbol in the middle of each Terrain Tile. Each Faction has unique spells and abilities, all explained on each Faction Overview Sheet. Make sure you refer to them as you play the game.

You can refer to your opponent's Faction Overview Sheet at any time to see what their Units do on the Battleground.

In each Faction, you choose 12 of 15 Units you can recruit from to begin the game.

Each Faction has 5 unique Terrain Tiles. There are a combination of three types of Terrain: two types of terrain, water and land. Not all of these types of Terrain will appear on your Faction's Terrain Tiles. The combination of both Faction's Terrain Tiles will build the landscape of your Battleground.

WATER SPACE: Units can move into water spaces, but their activation ends immediately. Aerial Units can fly over the water without ending their activation.
ISLAND SPACE
PLAINS SPACE

2. Roll for advantage. The winner gets to select their advantage. The choices are: TERRAIN TILE ADVANTAGE or RESOURCE ADVANTAGE.

TERRAIN TILE ADVANTAGE: This allows you to place the first Terrain Tile onto the Battleground. You will place all 5 Terrain Tiles, whereas your opponent will only be able to place 4 out of their 5 Terrain Tiles. This will help you set up and move across the Battleground effectively.
RESOURCE ADVANTAGE: This allows you to place Resource Centers on the Battleground, once all the Terrain Tiles have been placed. You can choose which Resource Centers are closest to you. This will help you generate resources to pay for spells and Units. This advantage also allows you to choose Units after your opponent and allows you to react to their choice of Units.

3. Configure your Battleground. For 3 and 4 player configurations, refer to the 3 and 4 Player Game Setup section below.

The player that chose the Terrain Tile Advantage places one of their Faction's Terrain Tiles first. This player will now be referred to as Player 1.

Each player now takes it in turns, alternating to place each of their Faction's Terrain Tiles onto any of the 9 eligible spots on the Battleground. Players alternate placing Terrain Tiles until all 9 spots are filled. Once you have placed one of your Terrain Tiles, you cannot reposition it during this set up of the Battleground.

The eligible spots are numbered 1 to 9 in the printed diagram.

BASE CAMPS are where Units enter the Battleground. Therefore, in these 2 spots you cannot place any space that has a water space on it. Terrain Tiles can be rotated 180 degrees.

Tips for placing your Terrain Tiles: Placing your Terrain Tiles closer to you can help your Units generate resources. Placing water spaces near your opponents can slow down their movement.

Printed diagrams of legal and illegal Terrain Tile placements, and an example of a completed Battleground, are not reproduced here.

4. Choose your Resource Centers: place Gold Mines and Mana Pools.

MANA POOLS: Generate mana so you can pay for spells.
GOLD MINES: Generate gold so you can pay for the Units that you control on the Battleground.

NOW PLAYER 2 GETS TO PLACE THE RESOURCE CENTERS. The player with the Resource Advantage places the Resource Centers.

Player 2 chooses where to place the Resource Centers starting on the middle Terrain Tile. Player 2 can choose to place either gold or mana closer to themselves. The first Resource Centers must be placed on the center Terrain Tile. Player 2 places 1 Gold Mine and 1 Mana Pool in the center Terrain Tile on a diagonal. Any combination works as long as they are on a diagonal.

Place a further 1 Gold Mine and 1 Mana Pool Resource Center on the center Terrain Tile of the other two rows of the Battleground. There are 4 total Resource Centers on the Battleground.

The remaining 2 Resource Centers are placed on the edge of each row of Terrain Tiles. You must place a Resource Center of the opposing type in the same row. These Resource Centers must be placed with 2 spaces between each other.

The printed text of this step gives "4 total Resource Centers" and also describes two further edge Resource Centers. The rulebook does not reconcile these two counts in the text; they are transcribed as printed, and the printed diagrams should be followed for the final layout.

Resource Center Dos & Don'ts

You must have a different Resource Center in the same row, as in the printed example.
Legal combinations (printed diagram): "Any combination works as long as they are on a diagonal."
Illegal combinations (printed diagram): "Same row" and "Too much space."

Claimed Resource Centers are represented by cards. There are two different types of cards for each type of Resource Center: center and corner. This will be used to help identify which player has claimed a particular Resource Center. These cards may move back and forth between both players during the course of the game.

5. Choose your Vanguard. Each Faction has 15 Units. Prior to selecting a Vanguard, players must set aside 3 Units of their choice. Those 3 Units are removed from the game. The remaining 12 Units will make up the Warband.

Both players will select their Vanguard (Units you start the game with) from that 12-Unit Warband.

Both players start the game with 10 GOLD and 10 MANA each.

Players select any number of their 12 Units, as long as they can pay for them.
You must spend at least 5 gold when selecting your Vanguard. You do not have to spend all of your gold. You keep any unspent gold.
PLAYER 1 must select all of their Units first, and then PLAYER 2 gets to react to PLAYER 1's choices. PLAYER 2 selects their Units after seeing what PLAYER 1 has selected.

Example: PLAYER 1 spends 10 gold and has 0 left over to start the game. PLAYER 2 spends 8 gold and has 2 left over to start the game.

It is best to recruit multiple Units to form your Vanguard at the start of the game. You can always replenish gold quickly via gold mines and the gold that your Units can generate at the start of your turn. It helps to recruit at least 1 Unit that generates gold at the start of the game.

You don't need to spend all of your gold right away; you can always keep your gold for later rounds to recruit bigger Units.

The Base Camp

Both players place their recruited Units in their Base Camp to begin the game.

There is no limit to how many Units you put in your Base Camp, but there are only 2 spots to enter onto the Battleground directly in front of the Base Camp.

Your Units cannot be attacked or targeted while they are in your Base Camp.

Units must enter the Battleground the same round they were recruited, unless other Units are blocking the 2 spaces they can enter. If the spaces are blocked by enemy Units, Units entering from the Base Camp can move them to an adjacent space as though they had Bullrush (see Helpful Terms).

Units cannot move back into the Base Camp after they enter the Battleground.

Now the real game begins.

Good luck as you navigate the Battleground on the road to victory!

Steps for a Round in Factions

There are five steps that will be completed each round:

Activate Units in Rank Order
Commanding Captains Activate in Rank Order
Recruiting New Units and Reinforcement Phase
Counting Earned Resources
Remove Tokens

Players repeat Steps 1–5 until one Faction reaches 25 Victory Points. That player is the winner.

Step 1: Activate Units in Rank Order

Activation: An ACTIVATION consists of either attacking, making a ranged attack, using an ability, casting spells, moving, or doing nothing.

Units can move first and then either attack, make a ranged attack, use an ability or cast a spell, or do nothing, but cannot do any of those actions first and then move.

Units that have activated are marked with an End of Activation token.

Players will alternate activating their Units in Rank Order until all Units have been activated, based upon Rank and Captains.

The order of activation: First all Units with a Rank of 5, then all Units with a Rank of 4, then all Units with a Rank of 3, and so on. Units with the highest Rank number activate first. Each player alternates activating their Units until all of their Units have been activated.

End of Activation tokens: Once you have finished activating one of your Units, place an End of Activation token onto the Unit. This will signify which Units have already been activated this round.

Rank Ties

There are three ways to decide Rank Ties. Tiebreakers only determine which Unit activates first. Units then alternate.

Who has more Captains? The player with the most Captains on the Battleground (including their Base Camp) wins the tiebreaker and starts the Rank Order. If both players have the same number of Captains, go to tiebreaker #2.
Who has more Units? The player with the most total Units on the Battleground (including their Base Camp) wins the tiebreaker and starts the Rank Order. If both players have the same number of Units, go to tiebreaker #3.
Who has the Resource Advantage? The player with fewer Terrain Tiles wins the tiebreaker and starts the Rank Order.

Printed example: Player 1 has the Elite Gladiator Unit with a Rank of 4, and Player 2 has the Storm Conjuror Unit with a Rank of 4. Because of the Rank Tie, the player with the most Captains gets to activate first. This is Player 1.

Player 1's Captain breaks the Rank Tie in every part of the Rank Order. This is why Captains are important.

Step 2: Commanding Captains Activate in Rank Order

If a player has a Captain on the Battleground, they can choose to Command another Unit of equal or lower Rank to activate and move.

The Commanded Unit would activate and move in place of the Captain's Rank Order. The Captain would then activate once all other Units have been activated.

Command tokens: Once your Captain has Commanded another Unit equal or lower in Rank Order, place a Command token on the Unit.

Captains will activate in Rank Order. After the Captains have activated, place an End of Activation token on them. If two Captain Units are tied in Rank, see Rank Ties.

Once all Captains that have commanded have had an End of Activation token placed on them, players can move onto the next step.

Movement

When a Unit moves into an adjacent space, that will count as 1 Movement.

Your Units can move both adjacent on each side and diagonally on and onto adjacent Home Terrain Tiles.

Whereas, your Units can only move adjacently onto your opponent's Terrain Tiles.

Printed Legal and Illegal Movement diagrams are not reproduced here.

Can Units move less than their Movement number? Yes. Elite Gladiator can move 1 space, even though its Movement number is 2.
Do Units have to move? No. Units may stay put and end their activation.
Can Units occupy the same space? No. A Unit must end the round in an open space.
Can Units move through each other? No. Units must move around to the side or diagonally; they may not move through each other.
Does going Aerial or landing take up a Movement point? No. It does not take up a Movement point for a Unit to land or go Aerial.

Step 3: Recruiting New Units and Reinforcement Phase

1. Before activating Units: You may recruit a Unit before you activate one of your Units on the Battleground.

When you recruit new Units they do not activate right away. The recruited Units will enter the Battleground in line with the Rank Order of all other unactivated Units in your Vanguard.

Example: If you recruited a Unit with a Rank of 4, even if the Units with a Rank of 2 were going in the Rank Order, the Units with a Rank of 4 would activate first.

2. After all Units, including Captains that commanded, have activated, the Reinforcement Phase begins.

Players can recruit new Units during the Reinforcement Phase. The player with the Terrain Tile advantage recruits first. All players must recruit all of their chosen Units before they activate. Recruited Units then activate in their Rank Order. Recruited Units are placed into their Base Camp.

Step 4: Counting Earned Resources

Following the activation of any Units recruited in the Reinforcement Phase, players count up earned resources. Units can't be recruited during this step.

All Units have a specific Resource Bonus, shown in the unit type line on the Unit card:

WIZARD — GENERATES (mana)
SOLDIER — GENERATES (gold)

All Units generate one gold or one mana if they begin the round on their Home Terrain Tile.

Both players will take turns adding up their resources. The player with the Terrain Tile advantage adds up their resources first.

Both players automatically earn +1 gold when resources are counted, since they are the General of their Vanguards.

Example (printed): Player 1 would add up resources first. Player 1 generates 2 gold because both the Royal Swordsman and the Elite Gladiator are on their Home Terrain Tiles. Player 1 also earns +1 gold as the General. Player 1 earned a total of 3 gold.

Player 2 would add up resources next. Player 2 generates 2 mana because both the Storm Conjuror and the Manawing Parrot are on their Home Terrain Tiles. Player 2 does not earn a resource bonus for the Dwarf Warrior because it is on an enemy Terrain Tile. Player 2 also earns +1 gold as the General. Player 2 earned a total of 3 gold.

Both players add these totals onto their Resource Tracker. These resources may be spent when Units activate next round (Step 1).

Claiming Resource Centers: Gold Mines and Mana Pools

Players can claim the Resource Centers that are on the Battleground to help them generate extra resources. Each Resource Center generates either 2 gold or 2 mana.

Claiming these resources will help players generate resources faster, which can give them an advantage when paying for Units and casting spells.

How and when do you claim the Resource Centers?

Your Unit must move on top of the Resource Center to claim it. You then take the corresponding Resource Center Card.
Your Unit may move onto a Resource Center, claim it, and continue its movement to another space. You will have still claimed that Resource Center and can take the corresponding Resource Center Card.
You will now own that specific Resource Center. That specific Resource Center will generate +2 gold or mana at the end of every round when you count your resources.

When you count your resources at the end of each round, you will add the additional number of resources that your claimed Resource Centers generate.

Printed example: Player 2 (Zermano) earns 2 mana and 1 gold. Player 1 (Zyan) earns 5 gold because of the Gold Mine.

Reminder: All players earn +1 gold when resources are counted.

Can you capture claimed Resource Centers? Yes. Your opponent can move onto the Resource Center and claim it for themselves. They receive +2 gold or mana instantly.

Once your Resource Center has been claimed by your opponent, you must hand the corresponding Resource Center Card to your opponent. Your opponent will now earn +2 gold or mana at the end of each round until you reclaim the Resource Center.

Step 5: Remove Tokens

Players will remove all End of Activation tokens to reset all Units on the Battleground.

Players will also remove any effect tokens that last only one round, then determine any beginning-of-round effects.

Players repeat Steps 1–5 until one Faction reaches 25 Victory Points. That player is the winner.

Melee, Range, Spell, and Aerial Attacks

Melee (basic attacks on adjacent spaces), range, spell, and aerial attacks all use these 5 rules:

All melee, spell, and range attacks follow the same rules as Movement.
Your Unit can attack adjacent on each side or diagonally on their Home Terrain Tile.
Your Unit can only attack adjacent on each side, including in front or behind, on enemy Terrain Tiles.
A Unit may move and then attack. A Unit may not attack and then move.
Attacking ends the Unit's activation.

Melee Attacks

Your Unit must be adjacent to one of your opponent's Units to perform a melee attack. Depending on whether you are on your Home Terrain Tile or an enemy Terrain Tile will dictate how you can attack. See the legal and illegal examples in the printed diagrams, which are not reproduced here.

Damage

Damage is the amount done, by a melee, range, or spell attack, to your Unit.

If your Unit experiences more damage than it can withstand, your Unit is eliminated.

If your Unit experiences less damage than its Health number, it is wounded and stays on the Battleground. The Damage token corresponding to the amount of damage done is placed onto your Unit.

If your Unit becomes eliminated, your Unit is removed from the Battleground and cannot be re-recruited.

If you defeat one of your opponent's Units, increase your Victory Point score on your Score Tracker. The number of Victory Points you claim is the gold cost of that Unit.

Damage tokens: If a Unit is wounded, but not eliminated, place the Damage token corresponding to the amount of damage done to the Unit. Change the Damage token when necessary.

Range Attacks

Ranged Units can use their attack attribute to make melee attacks, or ranged attacks from a distance, but they cannot do both in the same round.

A range Unit does damage equal to its attack attribute on non-adjacent spaces. The number next to the Range icon shows the number of spaces your Unit can shoot from at one of your opponent's Units. The printed example is "Your bowman can shoot two spaces" and "2 spaces away = 1 damage."

Ranged attacks follow the same Terrain Tile ruling as melee attacks do. Ranged Units can shoot across water spaces.

Printed ruling on the shooting diagrams: Option 1 is ILLEGAL because you shoot diagonally over your opponent's Terrain Tile, which is illegal. Option 2 is LEGAL: you shoot horizontally over your opponent's Terrain Tile first, and then diagonally over your Home Terrain Tile.

Spells

Spells can be used in place of regular melee attacks, but they have a cost and cannot be used freely. You must spend mana for a spell to cause an effect on the Battleground.

Your Unit can only cast 1 spell per round. By casting a spell you will end your Unit's activation.
All spell definitions are on your Faction Overview Sheet.
Units can only cast spells if you spend mana equal to the required mana on the spell.
Example (printed): to cast this spell, you must spend 5 mana to activate the spell's effect, indicated at the bottom of the card.
Non-Aerial Units cannot target Aerial Units with spells or abilities unless stated otherwise in your Faction Overview Sheet.
Spells can only be cast by the active Unit.

Printed example: "Lightening Bolt" (as spelled in the rulebook text) has a range of 3 and can do 3 damage. This would eliminate the Royal Swordsman. Then, the effect takes place.

Abilities

Some Units have special abilities, which are indicated on the card.

Some offensive abilities can be used in place of regular melee attacks.

The use of some abilities is indicated by tokens, and all abilities have definitions. Both are on your Faction Overview Sheet.

Ability Damage cannot target Flying Units unless indicated on your Faction Overview Sheet.

Aerial (Flying) Units

Aerial Units enter the Battleground in Aerial Mode (in the air).

Aerial Units must land to claim a Resource Center or attack a non-flying Unit. They must remain landed until they activate again. This leaves them open to melee, range, and spell attacks.

Aerial Units in combat

When flying, aerial Units may not cast spells or use ranged attacks on non-flying Units.
While flying, aerial Units can only attack and be attacked by other aerial Units. Ranged Units can still attack Aerial Units.
Ranged Units must roll a six-sided die and roll a 4–6 to land the attack (Evade 3, see Helpful Terms).
Aerial Units are not considered adjacent to Units on the ground, even if they are in the adjacent space, unless they are landed.
Swiftwing Valkyrie can fly 4 spaces, even over water.

Flying tokens: You will place a Flying token on a Unit in Aerial Mode to indicate that the Unit is in the air. Your Units remain in the air every round unless you choose to land your Unit. You must remove the Flying token when your Unit lands, and then add the Flying token again when your Aerial Unit is back in Aerial Mode.

Scoring Victory Points

Points are scored by eliminating opposing Units. The point value is equal to the Unit's gold recruitment cost.

There is a risk and reward for playing more expensive Units. More expensive Units can be better fighters, but they can also give your opponents more points.

Printed example: 5 = 5 points (a Unit that costs 5 gold, when eliminated, scores 5 Victory Points).

The first player to reach 25 Victory Points wins. (The 3 and 4 player setups use 30 and 40 Victory Points; see those sections above.)

Faction Unit Card

The printed rulebook explains each icon on the Faction Unit Card. The icons themselves are not reproduced; each is named below.

GOLD COST: The gold cost to recruit the Unit.
RANK: This icon represents when Units activate (move and/or use an ability, cast a spell, or attack) during the Rank Order step. Units with the highest Rank number activate first. Each player alternates activating their Units until all of their Units have been activated. The order of activation: first all Units with a Rank of 5, then all Units with a Rank of 4, then all Units with a Rank of 3, and so on.
CAPTAIN: This icon represents the Captain attribute. Captains break all Rank Ties. Captains can Command Units with equal or lower Rank. Example (printed): if you and your opponent both have a Unit with a Rank of 4, your Unit would activate first.
COMMAND: Your Captain skips their activation and allows a Unit with an equal or lower ranked number to move in their place. Your Captain can then activate once the rest of your Units have been activated.
MOVEMENT: This icon represents how many spaces your Unit can move. Your Unit may move diagonally onto your Home Terrain Tile.
ATTACK: This icon represents how much damage your Unit does with a melee (adjacent) or range (non-adjacent) attack. Your Unit may attack diagonally onto your Home Terrain Tile.
HEALTH: This icon represents how much damage your Unit can withstand before being eliminated from the Battleground. Health does not regenerate at the end of each round.
PROWESS: Attack plus Health (Armored Cavalry has a Prowess of 4). See Helpful Terms.
AERIAL: This icon represents the flying attribute. Aerial Units, when flying, may move over water. Aerial Units cannot be targeted by spells from non-aerial Units. Aerial Units can only be attacked by other flying aerial Units, or by ranged Units. Ranged Units must roll a six-sided die and roll a 4 or higher to land the attack (Evade 3, see Helpful Terms). LANDING: Aerial Units must land to attack non-flying Units or claim a Resource Center. They must remain landed until they are activated again.

Helpful Terms

ALLY: Other Units within your Faction that you control.
BATTLEGROUND: The area composed of Terrain Tiles and spaces on which the Units move and attack.
BULLRUSH: When moving, this Unit can move through spaces occupied by other Units. Units that are Bullrushed are placed on an adjacent open space.
EVADE: Your opponent must roll a six-sided die when this Unit is targeted by any non-melee attack. If the roll is less than or equal to the Evade number, the attack or spell has no effect. Aerial Units have an automatic Evade 3 against ranged attacks.
EXHAUST: Some abilities have a limited number of uses. Once the ability is used the maximum amount of times, it is exhausted.
FRIENDLY FIRE: There is no "friendly fire" in Factions. If a spell or ability that affects a tile, row, or the whole Battleground would do damage to allied Units, ignore that damage.
PROWESS: A Unit's Prowess number is their Attack attribute added to their Health attribute. It is based off the current Health and Attack, not the original Health and Attack when recruited.
ROUND: The cycle of all Units on the Battleground and Base Camp completing one activation.
ROW/COLUMN: A vertical or horizontal straight line of spaces (not diagonal). Rows contain all spaces in a straight line.
SPACE: The spaces on the Battleground. The Movement attribute indicates how many spaces a Unit can move. Each Terrain Tile has four spaces in a two by two configuration.

Faction Game Tokens

GOLD: Generate gold so you can pay for the Units that you control on the Battleground.
MANA: Generate mana so you can pay for spells.
VICTORY POINTS: This icon represents the points you earn when you do enough damage to eliminate a Unit. The points are equal to the Unit's gold cost.
DAMAGE: Place onto your Unit when it takes damage. Remove it when the Unit is eliminated or healed.
COMMAND: Place onto your Unit when it commands a lower ranked Unit to move. Remove it after all Units have activated.
END ACTIVATION: Place onto your Unit after it finishes activating. Remove it to signify the end of the round.
EXHAUST: Place onto your Unit after it has used a "1 use" ability. The ability cannot be used again during the battle.
AERIAL: Place onto your Unit when it is flying in the air. Remove it when it lands on the ground.
BOOST/BROKEN SWORD: Place on your Unit when a spell or ability gives it a stat boost. The HEART token gives +1 to the Health attribute and the SWORD gives +1 to Attack. Remove when the boost stops or when a Unit takes Damage.

FAQs

How many Units can I have in my Base Camp? As many as you wish to recruit, but Units can only enter the Battleground on the 2 spaces in front of your Base Camp.

Can Units move back into your Base Camp once they have entered the Battleground? No. Units cannot re-enter your Base Camp once they have moved onto the Battleground. Units must also move onto the Battleground the same round they were recruited, unless the two eligible spaces are blocked by allied Units. If the spaces are blocked by enemy Units, Units entering from the Base Camp can move them to an adjacent space as though they had been Bullrushed (see Helpful Terms).

Do I lose if I have no Units on the Battleground? No. If you are unable to get Units on the Battleground for 2 consecutive Reinforcement Phases, you would then lose.

Can you cast a spell when your Unit is not activated? No. Spells can only be cast by the active Unit.

Can damage from abilities target Flying Units? Ability Damage cannot target Flying Units unless indicated in your Faction Overview Sheet.

Does going Aerial or landing take up a Movement point? No. It does not take up a Movement point for a Unit to land or go Aerial.

Who recruits Units first during the Reinforcement Phase? The player with the Terrain Tile advantage always recruits Units first during the Reinforcement Phase. In 3 and 4 player games, the player who placed a Terrain Tile first recruits Units first, then the player seated clockwise, and so on. Each player has a chance to recruit Units (all recruited Units start in the Base Camp), and then those newly recruited Units activate in Rank Order.

All spells and abilities can be found on the Faction Overview Sheets. Make sure you have yours and your opponents' nearby so that you can see what their Units do.

Faction Pronunciation Guide

BAAZARIA: ASANBOSAM: ah-SAHN-bo-SAHM; KICHWAVORE: KEETCH-wa-VOR; OBAYIFO: oh-bay-EE-fo
DOOM SAND: UKHOZI: OOH-koh-zee
MOONSHADOW: AHOOL: Ah-whoo-l; HANTU: hon-TOO; WINJARU: WIN-ja-ROO
PARADA: ELOKO: El-OH-koh; JITU: JEE-too; UMUTHI: ooh-MOO-tee; YUMBOE: yum-BOH
PRIMUS: COATL: KOH-aht-l; YACUMAMA: yak-OO-mah-mah
ZERMANO: INKANYAMBA: IN-con-yam-bah; ISANGOMA: EE-sahn-goh-mah
IHALABAN and KRAGG (the printed guide sets these two Factions side by side; the column each name sits under is not recoverable from the text layer, so the names are listed together): BAKUNAWA: bah-koo-NAH-wah; BERBALANG: bur-BAH-long; CAMAZOTZ: cah-mah-SOTS; MAMELEU: mah-may-LOO; MINOKAWA: MEE-noh-kah-wah; SALAMANGKERO: sah-lah-mon-KE-roh; TIKBALANG: tick-BAH-long; KOBEKUMPO: ko-BEE-kum-PO; KONGAMATO: kon-gah-MO-toh

Quick Reference

Steps of a Round (detailed descriptions in the sections above)

Rank Activation: Step 1
Rank Tiebreaker Guide: Rank Ties
Movement: Movement
Reinforcement Phase: Step 3
Resource Counting Phase: Step 4
Combat and Damage: Melee, Range, Spell, and Aerial Attacks
Scoring: Scoring Victory Points

Faction Unit Card: see the Faction Unit Card section for the icons. Reference your Faction Overview Sheet throughout the game for information on your Faction's spells and abilities.

Setup: see the 2 Player Game Setup and 3 and 4 Player Game Setup sections.

Transcription Notes

The printed legal/illegal diagrams, Battleground examples, and Faction Unit card artwork are not reproduced; the rules they illustrate are described in the text where the rulebook prints them.
Component counts differ between the component page and the setup page (see Game Components). Both are transcribed as printed.
The Resource Center step text gives "4 total Resource Centers" and also describes two further edge Resource Centers. The printed text does not reconcile these; transcribed as printed.
Typos corrected silently in the rule prose are listed here: "of ever round" (printed) is rendered as "every round"; the Faction blurb's "gaurgantuan" (printed) is rendered as "gargantuan" in the Doom Sand description.
The printed rule prose spells the spell "Lightening Bolt"; the spell card is printed in capitals as LIGHTNING BOLT.
The rulebook prints the Master General version (120 cards, 9 Elite Unit Descriptor Cards, and Faction Terrain Tiles) only in the component list; no rules text for that version appears in this rulebook.
Icon glyphs in the printed rulebook (for example the Weakness icon and the Resource icons on unit type lines) are not extractable as text; each is described by its printed function.