Lionheart Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object
• Equipment
  • Your Basic Army
  • Your Extra Forces
• Assembly
  • Flags and Pennants
  • Horses
  • Combat Dice Labels
• Basic Game Setup
• Basic Gameplay
  • To Move...
  • To Turn...
  • To Attack...
  • Attacking with Kings and Knights
  • Attacking with Infantry
  • Attacking with Archers
  • PANIC—Hey, it happens!
  • Response to an Attack: Removing Defeated Warriors
• The Next Level: A New Kind of War!
• Customized Setup
• Customized Gameplay
  • How Your New Troops Move, Turn and Attack...
    • Heavy Infantry... They're slow, but dangerous!
    • Peasants... They're deadly, unpredictable—and they PANIC often!
    • Mercenaries... They cause PANIC, and they can be bribed!
• Optional "Massive Infantry" Rule
• Winning
• Gameplay Reference Table

Object

To eliminate your opponent's King OR eliminate every other warrior in his army and leave your rival's King standing alone on the field of battle!

Equipment

LIONHEART gameboard • 2 Armies totalling 92 battle figures • 20 Bases • 4 Pennant poles • 4 Combat dice • Label sheet

There are two armies—one gold, one silver. For your first game, we strongly suggest you use two "basic" armies, each consisting of 33 warriors (King, Knights, Archers and Infantry) and 5 horses, plus 10 bases apiece. Note: Carefully break these pieces off their runners.

Your Basic Army

• King (1)
• Knight (4)
• Archer (8)
• Infantry (20)

When you've played one complete game and learned the gameplay basics, you may "customize" your armies by adding these "extra forces" (Heavy Infantry, Peasants and Mercenaries). For now, put them back in the box.

Your Extra Forces

• Heavy Infantry (2)
• Peasant (4)
• Mercenary (2)

Assembly

Flags and Pennants

• Be careful: These labels stick only once!
• Put the red, white and gold rectangular flag on the gold King's lance.
• Put the blue, white and silver flag on the silver King's lance.
• Locate the 2 gold and 2 silver Pennant poles and put an appropriate color pennant label on each. Put them back in the box; you will use them later, when you customize your army with Mercenaries.

Horses

• Snap horse halves together. Push your King or Knight down on the horse's back.

Combat Dice Labels

• Peel and apply the 24 labels to the 4 Combat dice.
• Be careful that you put the correct labels on each die! Each gets 2 Arrows, one PANIC and 3 Battle-axes.

Basic Game Setup

1. Decide who will lead the gold army, and who will lead the silver army.
2. Take 10 bases apiece. Divide the basic armies of 66 warriors into the gold and silver armies, and take 5 horses apiece.
3. Create your fighting units: Press your troops into the grooves in the bases as described below. A unit consists of just one type of figure on a base.
   • King—1 base: Press your mounted King into a base.
   • Knights—2 bases: Press 2 mounted Knights into a base; repeat with your other 2 Knights.
   • Infantry—5 bases: Press 4 into a base; repeat with the other 16.
   • Archers—2 bases: Press 4 into a base; repeat with the other 4.
4. Sit at the end of the battlefield behind the LIONHEART logo with your army's color in the royal shield in the middle of the back row.
5. Send your troops onto the battlefield!
   • Place your King in the center of your back row, on the matching color royal shield.
   • Place a unit of Knights on either side of the King.
   • Place a unit of Archers on either side of the Knights.
   • Place your 5 Infantry units directly in front of your King, Knights and Archers.

Starting layout (as shown in the diagram; the board has 9 columns, the army occupies the middle 5):

Front row	Infantry (4)	Infantry (4)	Infantry (4)	Infantry (4)	Infantry (4)
Back row	Archers (4)	Knights (2)	King (1)	Knights (2)	Archers (4)

Basic Gameplay

This is the "basic" game. Later, when you customize your armies, you will learn exceptions to these rules. During the game, you may refer to the Gameplay Reference Table on page 8.

To start the game: Each player rolls all 4 Combat dice. The player who rolls the most Battle-axes will go first. Players take turns.

On your turn, you may perform any 2 actions—Move, Turn, Attack—or you may perform the same action twice. You may Move and Turn the same unit, or divide those actions between two units. You may not Attack twice with the same unit on the same turn.

To Move...

• You do not use the dice to move. They are for combat!
• Each Move counts as one action. A unit may only move in the direction its warriors are facing.
• Infantry and Archers are on foot, so they move 1 square per action in the direction they are facing.
• Kings and Knights are on horseback, so they move as far as they want in the direction they are facing. They stop if blocked by a friendly or enemy unit.
• Movement through another unit is not permitted.
• Note: Play on all squares, including the corners with battle scenes.

To Turn...

• A Turn in any direction (including an about-face) counts as one action. Do this to change the direction of movement or to prepare to attack.

To Attack...

• Each Attack counts as one action.
• An individual unit may not attack more than once per turn, but two different units may each make an Attack during the same turn.
• Here's how to attack:
  1. You must be next to and facing the unit you are attacking. You may attack from the side or rear! (The Archers attack differently; see page 5.)
  2. Announce to your rival which of your units is attacking which of his.
  3. The Attacker rolls the Combat dice. The number of dice you roll depends on the type of unit and how many figures are on it.
  4. "Hits": Your opponent reacts according to what you rolled. See Response to an Attack: Removing Defeated Warriors, page 5.
  5. Details of how specific units attack follow...

Attacking with Kings and Knights

• Use 2 dice for each figure on the base. Example: With 2 Knights on the base, roll all 4 dice.
• Each Battle-ax you roll counts as a hit, and your opponent removes the appropriate number of figures.

Attacking with Infantry

• Use 1 die for each figure on the base. Note: If you have only one Infantry man left on the base and you are attacking a Knight or King (which each require two hits to be eliminated), roll one Combat die and, if you rolled a Battle-ax, roll that die again. If you roll a second Battle-ax, your Attack is successful! If you roll a PANIC either time, you PANIC! (See below.)
• Each Battle-ax you roll counts as a hit.

Attacking with Archers

• Use 1 die for each figure on the base. Note: If you have only one Archer left on the base, follow the Infantry Note instructions above and try to roll two Arrows. (Watch out for PANICs!)
• Archers attack units within the block of 9 squares directly in front of them.
• Archers may fire over the heads of units in front of them and attack any single enemy unit within the 9 squares.
• Each Arrow you roll counts as a hit.

PANIC—Hey, it happens!

• Kings disregard all PANIC rolls. A King never panics.
• If an Attacker rolls and every die says PANIC, the entire unit does an about-face and retreats 1 square in the opposite direction. If it's not a total panic, disregard the PANICs you rolled.
• If you turn and run into one of your own army units, that unit also panics, doing an about-face and retreating 1 square. Remember, a King never panics!
• A retreat could push a unit off the board—and thus eliminate it completely.
• Watch out for chain reactions!
• If you turn and run into the enemy, or your own King, your retreating unit is eliminated.

Response to an Attack: Removing Defeated Warriors

• If you were attacked by an Infantry, Knight or King, remove 1 figure from the attacked unit for every Battle-ax the Attacker rolled.
• If you were attacked by an Archer, remove 1 figure for every Arrow rolled.
• Important: A Knight or King must be hit twice in the same Attack to be eliminated (2 Battle-axes or 2 Arrows, depending on the Attacker), due to their heavy armor.
• Remove the base from the game when the last figure on it has been hit.

The Next Level: A New Kind of War!

Customized Setup

• You may customize your army at the start of the game.
• Both players start with 10 bases on the board.
• Decide how you will customize your units. Use any or all three special fighters:
  • Heavy Infantry—1 or 2 bases: Put 1 or 2 on a base.
  • Peasants—up to 4 bases: Put up to 4 on a base.
  • Mercenaries and Flags—1 base: Put 2 on a base. Add the Pennant pole with your color pennant.
• Your Secret Battle Plans: Place the empty game box upright between you and your opponent to form a screen. Now, in secret, set up your warriors. Your King must start on the royal emblem in the back row, and you may place your other figures on that row and the row in front of it. Other than that, use your strategy: Will you bunch your units in the middle, or start your Knights along the outside to flank your opponent? You're in command!

Customized Gameplay

How Your New Troops Move, Turn and Attack...

Heavy Infantry... They're slow, but dangerous!

• Each Move or Turn counts as 2 actions. Each Attack counts as one, as usual.
• They Move 1 square at a time.
• To Attack: Use 2 dice per man on the base.
• They may attack any adjacent square—forwards, sideways, diagonally or to the back (by swinging their Battle-axes around their heads).
• They are the only unit that does not have to face its enemy in order to attack.
• They score hits with Battle-axes.
• They each require 2 hits to be eliminated.

Peasants... They're deadly, unpredictable—and they PANIC often!

• They Move 1 square at a time.
• To Attack: They cause hits with Battle-axes or Arrows. Use 1 die for each figure on the base, and count whichever you rolled the most of—Battle-axes or Arrows (or PANICs). Example: You roll 4 dice and they come up 2 Battle-axes, 1 Arrow and 1 PANIC. You choose the Battle-axes (= 2 hits) and you observe the PANIC.
• Important: After your opponent removes eliminated figures, the attacking Peasant unit must turn and retreat 1 square for each die that came up PANIC. All PANIC rules apply!

Mercenaries... They cause PANIC, and they can be bribed!

• They move 1 square at a time.
• To attack: Use 2 dice per man on the base.
• They cause hits with Battle-axes.
• They can be eliminated by just 1 hit.
• These Mercenaries are scary: After the Attacked unit removes its figures, if there's anyone left on it, the Attacked unit must retreat 1 square for every PANIC the Mercenary rolled! The only exceptions are the enemy King and enemy Mercenaries—who never panic!
• Mercenaries do not PANIC! If a panicking unit (friend or enemy) runs into them, the panicking unit is eliminated.
• King vs. Mercenary: If your King moves into Attack position facing your enemy's Mercenary unit, your King's next action (if he has one left) is to bribe the Mercenary so he changes sides. You do not need to roll the Combat dice: Instead, remove the Pennant pole on the Mercenary's base and replace it with your own Pennant. The Mercenary unit is now on your side!
• Exception: A Mercenary cannot be bribed if he is adjacent to and being faced by his own King—because the King is watching him!

Optional "Massive Infantry" Rule

Setup: If both players agree, you may use all the Infantry that come with the game—20 per side. The standard limit of 4 Infantry per base is increased to 10 per base! Set up the rest of the bases and units according to the Basic or Your Secret Battle Plan rules.

Gameplay: Massive Infantry Move, Turn and Attack according to the standard rules, but never roll more than 4 dice. They roll fewer if the number of men on the base falls below 4 (i.e., with only 2 men, roll 2).

Winning

You win if you eliminate your opponent's King OR if you eliminate every other warrior in the opposing army and leave your rival's King standing alone on the field of battle!

Gameplay Reference Table

Name	# per player	# per base	# dice rolled per figure on base	"Hits" made with...	# of Hits needed to eliminate each figure	Panic?	Comments
Basic Army
King on Horseback	1	1	2	Battle-axe	2	Never!	Moves as far as he can until blocked
Knight on Horseback	4	2	2	Battle-axe