Quest for the DragonLords Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Overview
• Game Setup
  • Game Contents
• About the Game Board
  • Kingdom Territories
  • Gold Territories
  • Islands
  • Teleportals
  • Sea Zones
  • Wastelands
  • Terrain Restrictions
• Player Setup and Placement of Game Pieces
  • Placement of Units
• The Action Sequence
  • Purchase Units
  • Naval Movement
  • Quest Activity
    • Wastelands Spaces
  • Treasures
  • Tools
• Quest Combat
  • To Charm a Dragon
• Combat
  • General Combat Rules
  • Naval Combat Rules
  • Men vs. Men Combat Example
  • Ship vs. Ship Combat Example
  • Elf Sneak Attack
    • Elf Sneak Attack Combat Example
  • DragonLord Fire Attack
• Spell Casters
  • Kings
  • Wizards
  • DragonLords
  • Spells
• Scroll Cards
  • Summon Elemental
  • Reflect Spell
  • Berserk Spell
  • Infernal Spell / Tempest Spell
  • Ship Spell
  • Legion Spell
  • Charm Spell
  • Spell of Clairvoyance
• Retreating
• Forced March
  • Wizard vs. Men Combat Example
• Transfer Phase
• Collect Income Phase
• Place Reinforcements Phase
• Ending the Game
  • Victory Conditions
  • Epic Battle Combat Example
• Strategy and Hints
• Optional Rules of Play
  • More Optional Rules of Play
• Frequently Asked Questions
  • More Frequently Asked Questions

Game Overview

Your goal as King of the realm is to send forth a Quest for the DragonLords to the Wastelands. The Wastelands contain many perils and adventures, but that is where your quest party can find treasures and powerful spells. If the Gods bless your quest, they may grant you a DragonLord that will make your armies and fleets invincible! The object of the game is to conquer the other player's Kings. If you lose your King, you are out of the game! You must strike when the opportunity presents itself.

Game Setup

Game Contents

You should have the following pieces:

Qty	Game Piece	Details
1	Game board
4	Reference cards	Barbarian units: Barbarian ships may move up to 10 sea zones. Orc units: May purchase 4 Orc units for 10 gold. Elf units: Elf sneak attack (See Combat). Dwarf units: Dwarf units gain 10 gold for gold territories with mines. (See About the Gameboard)
4	DragonLords
8	Ships	Each ship may transport up to 8 units up to 6 sea zones.
	Sails	Insert the appropriately colored sail into a ship to signify which unit type controls the ship.
12	Quest cards	There are 12 Quest cards with 3 different adventures on each one. You determine the outcome of your quest when you roll the Crystal die to determine if your quest has been Blessed, Cursed or Ignored by the Gods.
24	Scroll cards

About the Game Board

Kingdom Territories

The board is divided into six differently colored realms, with a kingdom at the heart of each. The Kingdom territory is worth five gold during the collect income phase of your turn. Each player's gold must be kept inside a friendly kingdom. Your gold may be divided and placed in more than one kingdom. If you conquer an opposing player's kingdom, you gain all of the gold inside the kingdom. The kingdom is a good place to defend your King, as it subtracts one from the attacking enemy forces Total Attack Strength (T.A.S.). If a player doesn't have a kingdom, the player may not collect income as a result of any territories he owns. A player may only reinforce the realms of the kingdom(s) he or she occupies.

Gold Territories

The gold territories have treasure symbols on them, have yellow borders and are worth 5 gold during the collect income phase of your turn. There are two gold territories with a mine symbol on them. Dwarves gain 10 gold during the collect income phase if they occupy these territories. The Dwarf player adds 1 to the dwarf units' TAS (Total Attack Strength) when attacking or defending a mine.

Islands

The four island territories are treated as gold territories with one exception, you may voluntarily leave an island unoccupied.

Teleportals

There are three teleportals and they are worth one gold during the collect income phase of your turn. Teleportals allow a player to move all of his or her units from a territory with a teleportal to another territory with a teleportal as though these territories were adjacent to each other. To use a teleportal, you must have a spell caster in the territory you are teleporting from. If you teleport units to an enemy occupied territory with a teleportal, these units must fight to the bitter end as you may not retreat back through the teleportal or to any adjacent territory even if it is friendly. A friendly territory is a territory that is occupied by your units.

Sea Zones

The blue hexagon-shaped spaces are called sea zones. You may only move onto a sea zone if your unit(s) is in a ship. Some territories have harbors, which are represented with anchor symbols. Ships may be used to pick up or drop off units on these territories during the naval movement phase. A sea zone occupied by a ship(s) with a unit(s) aboard is referred to as a naval blockade. A ship(s) in a harbor, with no units aboard is under the protection of that territory with the harbor and does not occupy the sea zone. An enemy ship(s) may pass through this sea zone and even drop units off at the same harbor.

Wastelands

The Wastelands are the paths at the top and bottom of the game board. There are five different spaces in the Wastelands that contain powerful treasures and gold for those bold enough to face the perils that await. (See Quest Activity)

Terrain Restrictions

You may only move units over borders with dotted lines. Some territories have boundaries such as mountain ranges or rivers, which are impassable, so you may not move units through them. These barriers may be crossed by a bridge or a pass (dotted line). Anything that connects territories and spaces together are considered a bridge such as animal, rainbow or insect bridges. Territories/spaces are considered adjacent when connected by bridges or passes.

Player Setup and Placement of Game Pieces

To start the game:

1. Take the Reference Card depicting your unit type.
2. Count out 30 units for a 3 or 4 player game. For a game with 2 players use 35 units. (See Options)
3. Count out 30 gold. (5 large and 5 small nuggets)
4. Each player takes a King, Wizard and a blank counter, a pickaxe and a torch silver counter and a ship. Insert the appropriate colored sail into the ship to signify which unit type controls it.
5. Place a peg in spell number 1 and 2 in the spell box of your Reference Card.
6. Shuffle and deal three scroll cards to each player.
7. Each player rolls the Crystal die, starting with the oldest player. The first player blessed (Yellow) is the chosen one and goes first.

Placement of Units

The chosen player places 2 units from his or her pile in the Kingdom of his or her choice. Play passes to the left until all players have 2 units in a Kingdom. There are six kingdoms to be claimed, so with a two or three-player game, everyone gets an equal number of kingdoms to start. However, with a four-player game, the first two players will have the opportunity to have more kingdoms than the remaining players. To nullify this advantage, after all players have claimed a kingdom territory, place five white discs to represent five units into the unclaimed kingdom territories. The white discs will be considered vanquished units and must be defeated to gain the kingdom territory. These units represented by the white discs will have a 3 Attack / 6 Defense.

The chosen player then places a unit on any unoccupied territory and placement continues to the left until all the territories are taken. You may not place units in the Wastelands, sea zones or any of the islands. (Hint: Try to occupy gold territories first, territories with access to the Wastelands second and a territory with a harbor for your ship third.) Once all territories have been claimed, place one additional unit onto any territory he or she already occupies. (Hint: Make sure that you have extra units on the territory adjacent to the Wastelands.) Continue until all players run out of armies. Place your counters (King, Wizard, and blank one) face down under a unit to make these spell casters. The blank counter is useless, but is used so your opposing players aren't sure where your spell casters are. Now all players place the ship in a friendly harbor and the gold on his or her Kingdom. If you do not own a harbor after all the territories have been claimed, you lose your ship, as you may not place a ship on an enemy occupied territory. Now that you are set up, the chosen player goes first. Follow the Action Sequence on your Reference card.

The Action Sequence

Each player must complete all seven phases of the action sequence in order before the next player may take a turn. After the phasing player places reinforcements, play passes to the left.

The seven phases of a player's turn are:

1. Purchase Units
2. Naval Movement
3. Quest Activity
4. Combat
5. Transfer
6. Collect Income
7. Place Reinforcements

Purchase Units

You start by purchasing units. The purchased units are placed on the game board at the end of your turn during the place reinforcement phase of your turn. You may purchase units and ships with the gold you earned the previous turn. On your first turn, use the 30 gold that you placed in your Kingdom. Ships cost 10 gold. Barbarians cost 4 gold. Elves, Dwarves and Orcs cost 3 gold. (Hint: Save some gold because all tools that you may need on your quest must be purchased in the Wastelands during the quest activity phase.)

Naval Movement

The naval movement phase allows you to move your ship(s) with up to eight units on board up to six sea zones. DragonLords and Wizards with the Teleport spell may move during the naval movement phase.

Ship movement

A ship must have at least one unit on board to move. Ships may move up to six sea zones and transport up to eight units. Barbarians may move up to ten sea zones. Anchor symbols are harbors and these are the only spaces where units may be picked up or dropped off. A ship may pick up units from more than one territory. A ship is considered docked and is under the protection of the units occupying the territory with the harbor, if the ship has no units on board. If another player captures the territory, the ships go to the victor!

Spell Caster Movement

Spell casters with Teleport Spell may move during this phase. Wizards with a Teleport spell may move up to five units to any territory, including enemy occupied territories where combat will ensue during the combat phase of your turn. They may also teleport to a Wasteland space occupied by a friendly unit(s). Only six units may occupy any Wasteland space.

DragonLord Movement

DragonLords may teleport up to ten units to any territory, including an enemy occupied territory. However, DragonLords may not enter the Wastelands. A DragonLord may move to a ship(s) in a sea zone, but it must move back to a friendly territory during the transfer phase of your turn. DragonLords may not take part in any land combat for that turn, if they teleport to a sea zone. Only the units a DragonLord teleports may occupy a ship.

Naval Blockades

A naval blockade is simply a ship in a sea zone with units aboard. You may not move your ship through an enemy blockade. If there is an enemy blockade in any sea zone you pass through or wish to occupy, you must stop and combat the enemy blockade. After naval combat takes place, you may not continue to combat an adjacent enemy blockade or an enemy occupied territory even if you are victorious. However, you may transfer units off your ship to a friendly territory with a harbor in the same sea zone during the transfer phase of your turn. If a ship is in a harbor with no units aboard, it does not control the sea zone or harbor. Thus, an opposing ship may pass through or even occupy this sea zone creating a naval blockade. (See Naval Combat) You may also drop off units in a harbor of a territory occupied by enemy units even if there is an enemy ship docked there.

Quest Activity

The quest activity phase allows you to gain spells, scroll cards, treasures, Wizards and DragonLords. When you wish to send units on the Quest for the DragonLords and venture into the Wastelands, you must state how many units you intend to send. Stack these units by replacing units with white discs, along with the torch and pickaxe silver counters to make up your quest party. Your quest party must come from a territory connected to the Wastelands by a bridge, a pass or by a ship in the harbour located in the village space. (Hint: Leave at least one unit on board the ship to return it to safety.) Roll a six-sided die and move your quest party that many spaces starting from the village space if you are entering from a bridge or a ship and the Dragon Lair if entering from a pass. You may not move a quest party back and forth between two adjoining spaces. You may only move one quest party in each of the Wastelands. A quest party may pass over a space with an unfriendly quest party in it, but you may not occupy the same space unless you intend to attack. (See Quest Combat) If the die roll permits, you may exit the Wastelands and place the units on the adjacent territory where combat will take place as normal land combat if occupied by an unfriendly unit(s).

Wastelands Spaces

There are five different spaces in the Wastelands.

Village

The village is a good place to reinforce your quest party.

May purchase:

• Pick-axe: 1 gold
• Torch: 1 gold
• Unit: See Reference card

Witches' Den

The Witches' Den is a good place to gain spells (Wizards) or purchase Potion, Elixir and DragonOrb.

May purchase:

• Potion: 1 gold
• Elixir: 2 gold
• Dragon Orb: 5 gold

If your quest party already has a DragonOrb, you gain a spell. Roll a six-sided die to determine what spell you gain. Place a Wizard counter under a unit, if you do not have a Wizard in your quest party.

Shrine

The Shrine is a sanctuary respected by all, so no combat may take place on this space. It is a good place to gain a scroll card.

May purchase:

• Talisman: 3 gold

If your quest party already has a Talisman, gain a scroll card. No combat is permitted in the Shrine.

Dragon Lair

There are plenty of bones about from those who failed in their Quest for a DragonLord. If you have a DragonOrb, consult the Gods and spin the Crystal of Power.

• Blessed: Gain 1 DragonLord, Lose 1 unit and a DragonOrb.
• Ignored: The Red Dragon rests. Roll the Crystal die again.
• Cursed: You have disturbed her rest. Lose 1 unit.

If your quest party doesn't have a DragonOrb, you may take one from the remains of the fallen and end your quest. If the treasure inside is your quest, and you enter the Dragon Lair, you will be attacked by a Red Dragon. (See Quest Combat)

RED DRAGON ATTACKS!

6 ATTACK, 12 DEFENCE. Dragon Fire.

If you are successful and hit the Dragon, she will vanish and you gain a treasure. (See Treasures and Tools)

Draw Quest Card

When your quest party lands on the 'Draw Quest Card' space, the player to your right draws a quest card and reads the introduction. Some quests require that you have a torch to enter, if you don't have a torch, the card is discarded. Quest cards have three outcomes. Roll the Crystal die to determine the outcome of your quest. You have been blessed by the Gods if you roll yellow, ignored if you roll blue and cursed if you roll red. The player reads the appropriate column. If you face an obstacle such as a monster, you must defeat it or have the appropriate tool to gain the treasure below the line. (See Quest Combat.)

Treasures

Find treasure to make your armies and fleet invincible in the Wastelands, where the DragonLords clashed in the first age. If a player gains a treasure, turn all of the treasures (gold discs) face down and choose one. You can place it face down with a unit in the quest party or place it under a unit in your kingdom. The treasure is now assigned to that unit. You may not transfer gold counters or treasures from one unit to the next. A player may force march a unit with a treasure to the front during the combat phase or transferred to an adjacent territory during the transfer phase. If a unit possessing a treasure is lost, the treasure goes to the victor!

• The Ring of Power: Add 1 to the T.A.S. of all friendly units in the same space, naval blockade or territory and subtract 1 from the T.A.S. of all enemy units in the same space, naval blockade, or territory.
• The Ring of Hope: Add 1 to the T.A.S. of all friendly units in the same space, naval blockade, or territory.
• The Ring of Peril: Subtract 1 from the T.A.S. of all enemy units in the same space, naval blockade, or territory.
• The Ring of Fire: Allows the bearer a second attack of Fireballs (See Spells) and protects all units in the same space, naval blockade, or territory from enemy Fireballs or Dragon fire.
• Black Battle-Axe: Subtract 1 from the T.A.S. of all enemy units in the same space, naval blockade, or territory.
• Invincible Shield: The bearer of this shield protects all friendly units in the same space, naval blockade, or territory from the effects of scroll cards. (See Reflect spell in Scroll Cards)
• Dragon Shield: Protects all units in the same space, naval blockade, or territory from Dragon fire or Fireballs.
• Holy Grail: Allows all units in the same space, naval blockade, or territory to roll a six-sided die if lost. A roll of 1 or 2 saves the life of the unit.
• Trident: Allows the bearer a second attack of Lightning Bolts (See Spells) and protects all units in the same space, naval blockade, or territory from enemy Lightning bolts.
• Golden Fleece: Add 1 to the T.A.S. of all units in the same naval blockade. Ships may move to any sea zone.

Tools

Some quests require a tool to complete. Tools are the silver counters that may be purchased or gained in the Wastelands. Any tools gained remain with your quest party and may not be used outside of the Wastelands. Elixir and potion are the only tools that may only be used once. If you charm a Dragon with your DragonOrb to become a DragonLord, you lose the DragonOrb. If your quest party is lost to a monster, you lose the tools in their possession as well. If a quest party possessing tools are defeated by another quest party, the tools go to the victor! If your quest party moves out of the Wastelands, store their tools in your kingdom, so the tools may be used again.

• Pickaxe: You may need it to dig for treasure.
• Torch: You may need it to light up your quest.
• Potion: Potion may be used to heal poisoned quest party units during the remove casualties step of the combat sequence.
• Elixir: Allows a unit to become invincible. The one who drinks this may absorb all the hits the quest party may get for one round of combat.
• Talisman: Gain a Scroll card at the Shrine space. Protects your quest from vampires.
• DragonOrb: Gain a spell at the Witch's Den. Allows the bearer a chance for a DragonLord at the Dragon Lair. You may also attempt to charm a Dragon you may meet during a quest. Roll the Crystal die instead of counter-attacking. If you are blessed, gain a DragonLord and lose a unit and Dragon-Orb. If you are ignored, roll the Crystal die again. If you are cursed, the Dragon will attack again.

Quest Combat

The Shrine is the only space that can be occupied by more than one quest party. The Shrine is a sanctuary respected by all, so no combat may take place on this space. You may pass over an enemy quest party if the die roll permits or you may stop and attack the enemy. Combat continues until only one unit type remains to occupy that space. Your quest activity ends after the battle, even if you are victorious. You may not encounter the space your quest party now occupies. If you find your quest party facing a monster after drawing a quest card (i.e. Giant Spider 5 Attack and 10 Defense), the combat action sequence takes place in the same manner as regular land combat, except for the type of die you use. The reason you use a six-sided die during combat with enemy units is that they have a defense number of 6. This giant spider, for example, has a defense number of 10, so in order for a Dwarf (3 T.A.S.) to hit the giant spider, the Dwarf player would have to roll a 3 or less on a ten-sided die (10s). The giant spider has an attack number of 5, so the player reading the Quest Card must roll 5 or less on a six-sided die (6s) to hit a unit. If a unit is poisoned, it may not counter-attack. The poisoned unit is removed, if the quest party has no potion or a Wizard with a Heal spell. If your quest party defeats the monster, you receive the treasure below the line. The treasure gained either stays with your quest party or goes directly to a kingdom. Any gold gained goes directly to your Kingdom and may be spent at the beginning of your next turn during the Purchase Units phase.

To Charm a Dragon

If your quest party has a DragonOrb, you may attempt to charm any dragon you encounter during quest activity. Consult the Gods by rolling the Crystal die. If you are blessed (yellow) by the Gods, remove a unit and the DragonOrb and replace it with a DragonLord unit. If you are ignored, you may roll the Crystal die again. If you are cursed, the DragonOrb has had no effect and the dragon will attack. If any unit survives the dragon's attack, you may attempt to charm it again. DragonLords are not permitted in the Wastelands, so a newly acquired DragonLord must leave the Wastelands during the transfer phase and teleport to a friendly territory.

Combat

General Combat Rules

All land and naval combat takes place during the combat phase of the action sequence except quest combat, which takes place during the quest activity phase. All three combat situations take place in the same manner. The combat sequence is divided into 5 steps:

1. Move attacking units into the enemy territory
2. Each player calculates his Total Attack Strength
3. Attacking player rolls (removes spell victims)
4. Defending player rolls
5. Remove casualties

Step 1: Move attacking units into an adjacent enemy territory you wish to acquire. An adjacent territory is a territory separated by a dotted line. (See Terrain Restrictions) The attacking unit(s) may come from more than one adjacent territory. You may not voluntarily leave a territory unoccupied, so you must leave at least one unit behind. If your army defeats the enemy army, you may continue to the next vacant or enemy occupied territory. Unoccupied territories may also occur due to mutual losses in battle. An army may move through and claim an unoccupied territory during the combat phase.

Step 2: Each player calculates his Total Attack Strength or T.A.S. by using the formula:

T.A.S. = Unit's attack number + adjustments due to spells + adjustments due to the treasures.

The minimum T.A.S. of a unit is 1 and the maximum T.A.S. is 6.

Adjustments due to spells: Spell casters can affect the T.A.S. of units in the same space, naval blockade, or territory with spells. The Hope spell adds 1 to the T.A.S. of every friendly unit. The Panic spell subtracts 1 from the T.A.S. of all enemy units. Hope and Panic spells are NOT accumulative. For example, an army with 2 DragonLords would only subtract 1 from the T.A.S. of all enemy units in the same naval blockade, or territory, not 2.

Adjustments due to the treasures: Unlike spells, treasures are accumulative and may be used in conjunction with other treasures or spells. For example, if a King (Hope and Heal spell) had the treasure 'Excalibur Sword', all friendly units in the same territory would add 2 to their T.A.S. (1 for the sword + 1 for the Hope spell). The treasure called the 'Ring of Power' affects all units in the same space, naval blockade, or territory, including the enemy units. It subtracts 1 from the T.A.S. of all enemy units and adds 1 to the T.A.S. of all friendly units.

Step 3: The attacking player must roll less than or equal to his or her T.A.S. to hit the defending units. The opponent's defense number determines what type of dice to use. All units in the basic game have a defense number of 6. Roll a six-sided die (6s) for each unit in the attacking force. If the attacking player has any spell casters in the attacking force with Fireballs, Lightning Bolt Spells or Dragon fire, remove these casualties from the enemy army BEFORE his or her counter-attack.

Step 4: The defending player must roll less than or equal to his or her T.A.S. for each remaining unit to hit the attacking units and removes spell victims. If the defending player has a spell caster with a Teleport spell he may move it to any friendly territory. The spell caster may not teleport any other units when retreating. This unit may not counter-attack and may only teleport if the number of hits suffered does not exceed the number of units left in the space, naval blockade, or territory.

Step 5: Remove casualties. Each player decides which of his or her units are to be removed from play. This ensures that the spell casters are the last to be removed. If any units have a treasure such as the Holy Grail, you may save them at this time. This is the end of a round of combat. At this point, the attacking player may retreat back to one friendly territory or he can continue to attack by repeating steps 2 to 5 until only one unit type remains to occupy the territory. A Wizard with a Teleport spell and a DragonLord may also vacate a territory even if it is the last unit on that territory.

Naval Combat Rules

If you moved your ship or a spell caster with a Teleport spell into a sea zone occupied by an enemy blockade during the naval movement phase, you must combat until only one unit type remains. You may not retreat during naval combat. Only the units a DragonLord teleports may combat or occupy a ship(s). A spell caster may not use Dragon fire, Lightning Bolts or Fireballs during naval combat. DragonLords must teleport to a friendly territory during the transfer phase, as DragonLords may not occupy a sea zone or ship.

The difference between the naval combat sequence and the land combat sequence is in the movement. You move your ship(s) during the naval movement phase and carry out the attack during the combat phase of your turn. Unlike land combat, you may not continue to attack another naval blockade, even if the enemy blockade is adjacent to the sea zone you now occupy. You must wait for your next turn and move during the Naval Movement phase.

The Naval Combat sequence:

1. Each player calculates his Total Attack Strength
2. Attacking player rolls
3. Defending player rolls
4. Remove Casualties

Step 1: Each player calculates his Total Attack Strength, by using the formula:

T.A.S. = Unit's Attack number + Adjustments due to spells + Adjustments due to treasures.

If there is more than one ship in your fleet, combine all the units aboard your ships as though they were on the same territory. You fight fleet against fleet, not ship-to-ship. Adjustments to the T.A.S. of all units are the same as land combat.

Step 2: The attacking player must roll less than or equal to his or her T.A.S. to hit the defending units. A ship(s) is considered a unit, but you do not roll a die for it. Wizards may not use Lightning Bolts or Fireball Spells during naval combat, as the spells would set the whole fleet aflame. DragonLords on the other hand, may use Dragon fire to destroy an enemy fleet. If Dragon fire is used, a victorious DragonLord would not be able to claim the ship(s).

Step 3: The defending player must roll less than or equal to his or her T.A.S. to hit the attacking units. A Wizard may still retreat to any friendly territory, space, or another naval blockade, if it has a Teleport spell. This unit may not counter-attack and may only teleport if the number of hits suffered does not exceed the number of units left in the blockade.

Step 4: Remove casualties. Each player decides which units are removed from play. This ensures that spell casters are the last to be removed. If any unit has a treasure such as the Holy Grail, you may save your units at this time. You may not remove a ship as a casualty instead of a unit. This is the end of a round of combat. You must repeat steps 1 to 4 until only one unit type remains in the sea zone. The victor of the battle may claim the enemy ship(s) if he has enough units left to do so. You must have at least one unit(s) to board an enemy ship(s), so any ship(s) remaining without a unit(s) on board is sunk and removed from play. For example, if there are four ships involved in naval combat, and only three units survived the battle, the fourth would be removed from play. However, if the battle occurred off of a friendly coastal territory with a harbor, you may claim the unoccupied enemy ships by placing them in the friendly harbor.

Men vs. Men Combat Example

Orcs vs. Barbarians

• Caption under Photo 1: Orc army attacks Barbarians. Note: One Orc must remain back in its own territory.
• Caption under Photo 2: Orc T.A.S.: 3. Barbarian T.A.S.: 4. Round 1 dice rolls: Orc roll: 5, 5, 6, 3. Barbarian roll: 3, 4. Casualties: 1 Barbarian, 2 Orcs.
• Caption under Photo 3: Round 2 dice rolls: Orc roll: 2, 1. Barbarian roll: 2. Casualties: 1 Barbarian, 1 Orc.
• Caption under Photo 4: Victory! Orcs have conquered the territory!

Ship vs. Ship Combat Example

Naval blockade combat: Elves vs. Dwarves

• Caption under Photo 1: Elf ship attacks Dwarf naval blockade by moving their ship into the Dwarf naval blockade during the naval movement phase.
• Caption under Photo 2: Elf T.A.S.: 3. Dwarf T.A.S.: 3. Round 1 dice rolls: Elf roll: 6, 2, 3. Dwarf roll: 3, 6, 5. Casualties: 2 Dwarves, 1 Elf.
• Caption under Photo 3: Round 2 dice rolls: Elf roll: 1, 3. Dwarf roll: 4. Casualties: 1 Dwarf.
• Caption under Photo 4: Elf unit boards empty ship. Victory! Elves have conquered the sea zone!

Elf Sneak Attack

Only Elves may use this form of attack. During the combat phase, the Elf player may sneak attack an enemy controlled territory that is within the Elf player's realm. The combat sequence of a sneak attack is the same as land combat, except the enemy units may not counter-attack.

In order for the Elf units to sneak attack, the following conditions must be met:

• The enemy unit(s) must be within the realm of the Elf kingdom. In other words, territories that have the same colored borders as the kingdom territory the Elf player occupies or has under his or her control.
• The attacking Elf unit(s) must be adjacent to the enemy unit(s) to be sneak attacked at the start of the Elf player's turn. You may not move unit(s) into the enemy occupied territory by naval movement or forced march and then sneak attack.
• The attacking units must not have engaged in any combat, prior to the sneak attack. Each Elf unit may only sneak attack for one round of combat per turn, once per turn.

Elf units may move into an enemy controlled territory from more than one friendly territory. If the sneak attack is successful and all enemy units are defeated, the Elf units gain control of the territory. These units may not sneak attack another adjacent enemy controlled territory, but may continue to attack using the regular land combat sequence. If the sneak attack is unsuccessful and enemy units remain, the Elf units must retreat back to a friendly territory. These units may not continue to attack using the regular land combat sequence. Elf units may not leave a territory unoccupied to sneak attack.

Elf Sneak Attack Combat Example

• Caption under Photo 1: Elf army sneak attacks Orcs. Note: 1 unit must remain back in own territory. Elf sneak attack can only occur on adjacent territories to the Elf realm.
• Caption under Photo 2: Elf T.A.S.: 3. Elf dice rolls: 3, 4, 2, 6. Casualties: 2 Orcs.
• Caption under Photo 3: Since the Elves were unable to defeat all the Orcs during the sneak attack, they must retreat back to their own territory.
• Caption under Photo 4: These units may not engage in any more combat this turn.

DragonLord Fire Attack

Only DragonLords may use this form of attack. A DragonLord may destroy a naval blockade and all units aboard by setting the ships afire with Dragon fire! The enemy units may not counter-attack the DragonLord during this form of attack and the ship(s) is lost along with the units on board. If the DragonLord attacked a naval blockade located off of a friendly coastal territory, the ship(s) is lost but the units on board are placed in the friendly territory. You may not use this form of attack on a ship in a harbor (no units aboard) under the protection of a territory.

Spell Casters

A Spell caster is a unit that may cast spells or scroll cards and are the only units that may cast spells or scrolls. Spell casters may cast spells and scrolls at any time during their turn and again if they are being attacked on another player's turn. If a Spell caster is lost, any spells it knew do not go to the victor but are also lost. There are 3 types of Spell casters and they are Kings, Wizards and DragonLords. A Spell caster may also attack as a regular unit.

Kings

You are the King of your Realm, so if you lose the King unit, you are out of the game! The King uses a Hope spell during combat, so it adds one to the T.A.S number of every unit in the same territory. A King also has the power to heal any unit, himself included, with a Heal spell, so the Berserk spell scroll card would have no affect on an army with a King in the same territory. If you eliminate another player's King, you gain all of that player's scroll cards and that player is out of the game. Kings may not go to the Wastelands.

Wizards

Each player starts with one Wizard. A Wizard is simply a unit with a spell. It may fight as a regular unit, but it may also cast spells or scroll cards. A Wizard is the only spell caster that may go to the Wastelands on a quest. Your first Wizard starts with the Heal spell and Fireball spell. If your Wizard gains a spell, roll a six-sided die and place a peg on the corresponding number in the spell box on your reference card. If the Wizard has that spell already, you may roll again until he gains a spell that he doesn't know. If the quest party gains a spell at the Witch's Den space for example, and your Wizard isn't in the quest party, place a Wizard 2 disc under a unit and roll a six-sided die (6s) to determine which spell they have gained. Place a peg in your Reference card on the appropriate numbered spell in the Wizard 2 row. You may have up to three Wizards. If you gain a Wizard on a quest, such as 'Merlin the Magician', and you already have three Wizards under your control, he will not join your Quest for the DragonLords.

DragonLords

You have to send units on a quest in the Wastelands to get a DragonLord. They are very powerful units. DragonLords use Dragon Fire, Panic spell and Teleport spell. (See Spells and Scrolls). If a unit becomes a DragonLord during your quest activity phase, replace a unit with a DragonLord unit. If your Wizard becomes a DragonLord, replace a unit with the DragonLord unit and place the Wizard counter under the DragonLord unit. The Wizard retains all of the spells that it had when it becomes a DragonLord. DragonLords may move as a regular unit during the combat phase, but the Teleport spell allows a DragonLord and up to ten units to move once to any sea zone or territory during the naval movement phase. The units being teleported must come from the same territory as the DragonLord. The DragonLord may teleport again to a friendly territory during the transfer phase.

During combat a DragonLord has two attacks. The first attack would be Dragon Fire, which is similar to the Fireball spell. With the second attack, you must use the strength of the unit type. (E.g. Orc DragonLord would be 3 attack); thus, if the DragonLord were originally a Wizard, it would continue to use the Wizard's spells, as its second means of attack. DragonLords have a defense number of 6, so the attacking player would still use a six-sided die (6s) during combat. DragonLords have the same effect on enemy units as the Panic spell. The Panic spell reduces the Total Attack Strength (T.A.S.) of enemy units in the same territory or sea zone by one.

The DragonLord may not use Dragon Fire, Lightning Bolts, or the Fireball spells during naval combat. However, a DragonLord may use Dragon Fire to set an enemy naval blockade on fire. (See DragonLord Fire Attack) After naval combat, the DragonLord must teleport to a friendly territory during the transfer phase, as DragonLords may not occupy a ship or a sea zone.

You may not place a King counter under the DragonLord unit to make the King a DragonLord, but you may teleport a King.

Spells

Spells must be cast in the same space, territory, or naval blockade as the spell caster. Spells can be gained on the Witches' Den space in the Wastelands. If your Wizard gains a spell, roll a six-sided die (6s) to determine the type of spell. Place a pin in the corresponding numbered hole in your spells box on your reference card. If you already have that spell, you may roll again. If you gain a spell without a Wizard in your quest party, roll a die (6s) and place a peg in the corresponding number of the Wizard 2 row. Place a Wizard 2 gold counter under a unit to make it a Wizard. You may have up to three Wizards.

There are six different spells:

• Heal Spell: This spell allows the spell caster to heal all units in the same space, naval blockade, or territory of poison and other ailments such as going berserk.
• Fireball Spell: This spell allows the spell caster to hurl a fireball at an enemy unit in the same space or territory. The enemy unit is removed immediately and may not counter-attack. The Fireball spell is useful in the Wastelands as it may be used on monsters, but it has no effect on Dragons.
• Teleport Spell: This spell allows the spell caster and up to five units to move to any space, territory, or naval blockade during the naval movement phase and once again during the transfer phase. DragonLords may move up to ten units. If a spell caster teleports to a friendly territory, it may move and attack with the friendly army. However, if the spell caster teleports to an enemy occupied territory or naval blockade, it may not retreat and must fight to the finish. A Wizard may teleport to a space in the Wastelands, if friendly units occupy it. During the transfer phase, a spell caster may only transfer to a friendly space, territory, or naval blockade. If a spell caster with the Teleport spell is under attack, during another player's turn, it may retreat to any friendly space, territory, or naval blockade if the number of hits suffered doesn't exceed the number of units left. The spell caster may not counter-attack or teleport any other units.
• Hope Spell: This spell adds one to the T.A.S. (Total Attack Strength) of all friendly units in the same space, territory or naval blockade.
• Lightning Bolt: This spell allows the spell caster to hurl a lightning bolt at an enemy unit in the same space or territory. The enemy unit is removed immediately and may not counter-attack. The Lightning Bolt spell is powerful in the Wastelands as it may be used on all monsters, including Dragons.
• Panic Spell: This spell subtracts one from the T.A.S. (Total Attack Strength) of all enemy units in the same space, territory or naval blockade. The Hope spell and the Panic spell are not accumulative. For example, if you had two DragonLords attacking the same territory, you would only reduce the enemy unit's T.A.S. by one.

Scroll Cards

A scroll card is a powerful spell that may only be used once or cast and then it is discarded. Only spell casters may use a scroll card. Scroll cards must be cast on your turn, unless a spell caster of yours is being attacked. In which case, you may respond by using a scroll card. Scroll cards must be cast in the same territory, space or naval blockade as the spell caster, except the 'Summon Elemental' scroll cards, which can be directed anywhere on the board except the Wasteland spaces. There is no restriction to the number of scroll cards a player may have. If you successfully defeat another player's King, you gain all that player's Scroll cards.

Summon Elemental

These scroll cards are very powerful, so be cautious when casting 'Summon Elemental' scroll cards. There are four 'Summon Elemental' scroll cards (Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire) and your King is the only spell caster that may use them. If a player summons an elemental to attack you, you must roll a 12-sided die (12s) to determine how many units you have lost.

Reflect Spell

The 'Reflect Spell' scroll cards may be used to reflect or turn the effects of a scroll card. For example, if your King summons an elemental to attack a territory that is occupied by a spell caster and that player has a Reflect scroll card, the elemental will turn and attack your King. The Reflect spell is a defensive weapon; it may not be used to reverse scroll cards such as the Ship spell or Legion spell.

Berserk Spell

This scroll card is a powerful spell that must be cast in the same space, territory, or naval blockade as the spell caster. The affected player must roll a six-sided die for each unit. If you roll less than the unit's

spell caster. The affected player must roll a six-sided die for each unit. If you roll less than the unit's attack number (not the T.A.S.), remove a unit from play. For example, if you cast the Berserk spell on 12 Barbarian units, that player would have to roll a six-sided die 12 times. A Barbarian unit has a 4 Attack number. If he rolled four or less seven times, he would have to remove seven units of his choice. This spell has no effect on units led by a King or a spell caster with the Heal spell.

Infernal Spell / Tempest Spell

Roll an eight-sided die (8s) to determine how many units are lost. The Infernal spell is fireballs and the Tempest spell is lightning bolts. So an Infernal spell would have no effect on an army that had a unit with the Dragon Shield or Ring of Fire treasure.

Ship Spell

This spell must be cast by a spell caster on a territory with a harbor or the village space to gain a ship.

Legion Spell

Place up to five units on the same space, naval blockade, or territory as the spell caster. The number of units may not exceed Wasteland space or ship restrictions. You may have up to 6 units on any Wasteland space or up to 8 units per ship on a naval blockade.

Charm Spell

If your Wizard encounters a Dragon in the Wastelands during a quest or the Dragon Lair space, your Wizard becomes a DragonLord.

Spell of Clairvoyance

This spell allows you to take a look at another player's scroll cards.

Retreating

Attacking land forces may retreat to one adjacent territory after the defender has finished his counter-attack and removed casualties. Ships may never retreat from battle in a sea zone. Quest parties may not retreat from one space to another. Units attacking an enemy occupied territory from the Wastelands may not retreat and must fight to the finish. Units that have used a Teleport spell or a teleportal to move to an enemy occupied territory must combat until only one unit type remains to occupy the territory. Defending units may never retreat. However, a defending spell caster with a Teleportal spell may retreat to any friendly territory, space or naval blockade instead of counter-attacking during combat and only if the number of hits suffered does not exceed the number of units left. The spell caster may not counter-attack and then teleport away. For example, an Orc army attacks 6 Elves including a Wizard with a Teleportal Spell and hits the Elves 6 times. The Elf Wizard would be lost and would not be permitted to retreat by teleporting. If the Orc army only hit the Elf army 5 times, the Wizard could retreat by teleporting instead of counter-attacking.

Forced March

You may move units up to four adjacent territories during the combat phase of your turn. These units may not engage in any combat during your turn. You may not leave any territories you crossed vacant and all the territories must be adjacent to each other. You may not cross over territories occupied by enemy units and the units must end their forced march on a friendly territory.

Wizard vs. Men Combat Example

Effects of spells and treasures: Barbarians vs. Elves

• Caption beside Photo 1: Barbarian army attacks Elves. Note: One Barbarian must remain back in its own territory.
• Caption beside Photo 2: Barbarian army has 1 Wizard with Heal, Hope, and Fireball spells. Elves have a Wizard with Heal and Teleport spells. Barbarian T.A.S.: 4 + 1 Hope spell = 5. Elf T.A.S.: 3.
• Caption beside Photo 3: Elves use their Scroll Card: Legion spell. 5 Elf units are placed in the territory.
• Caption beside Photo 4: Barbarian Wizard casts Fireball spell. Casualties: 1 Elf.
• Caption beside Photo 5: Round 1 dice rolls: Barbarian roll: 5, 3. Elf roll: 4, 6, 5, 4, 6, 6. Casualties: 2 Elves.
• Caption beside Photo 6: Barbarian Wizard casts Fireball spell. Casualties: 1 Elf.
• Caption beside Photo 7: Round 2 dice rolls: Barbarian roll: 2, 3. Elf roll: 6, 2, 4. Casualties: 2 Elves, 1 Barbarian.
• Caption beside Photo 8: Elf Wizard casts Teleport spell and teleports to safe location. Victory! Barbarians have conquered the territory!

Transfer Phase

During this phase, every unit may transfer to an adjacent territory. You may claim a territory left unoccupied due to mutual losses, if you have more than one unit in an adjacent territory. You may not voluntarily leave a territory unoccupied unless the unit is a spell caster with a Teleport Spell. A DragonLord must teleport to a friendly territory. A DragonLord may not transfer to a Wasteland space or a naval blockade. However, a Wizard with a Teleport spell may teleport to any friendly naval blockade or territory, including a Wasteland space occupied by friendly units. You may transfer units to a ship in a harbor, making the sea zone a naval blockade. You may also transfer units from a naval blockade to a territory with a harbor in that sea zone.

Collect Income Phase

Receive 5 gold for every kingdom and gold territory you occupy and receive 1 gold for each territory you occupy. Dwarves receive 10 gold instead of 5 for every gold territory with a mine symbol they occupy. You do not collect income from Wasteland spaces or sea zones. Place your gold in a friendly kingdom. You may place your gold in more than one kingdom, if you occupy more than one. You may not collect income if you do not occupy a kingdom!

Place Reinforcements Phase

Place all the units purchased at the beginning of your turn on friendly territories that are in the same realm as the Kingdom(s) you occupy. There are six realms, and realms are territories that have the same colored borders. You may not reinforce ships, gold territories and islands, teleportal territories, or any spaces in the Wastelands.

Ending the Game

Victory Conditions

To be the sole ruler of the known world!

When a player loses his or her King, all scroll cards he or she possessed go to the victor. Any units remaining of a fallen King are not removed from play, but are considered vanquished. Vanquished units may not move or attack. These units must be defeated to gain control of any spaces, territories or sea zones they occupy. The game is over when a player has conquered all the other player's Kings or occupies all six kingdoms.

Epic Battle Combat Example

Barbarians vs. Elves

• Caption beside Photo 1: During the naval movement phase, the Barbarian DragonLord teleports a Wizard and 3 units into the Elf kingdom.
• Caption beside Photo 2: Barbarian army attacks the Elf kingdom during the combat phase.
• Caption beside Photo 3: Barbarian DragonLord possesses Dragon Fire Attack and Panic spell. Elf King possesses the 'Ring of Hope' treasure. Barbarian T.A.S.: 4 - 1 (attacking a kingdom) = 3. Elf T.A.S.: 3 - 1 (Barbarian Panic spell) + 1 (King) + 1 (Ring of Hope) = 4.
• Caption beside Photo 4: Barbarian DragonLord attacks with Dragon Fire. Casualties: 1 Elf.
• Caption beside Photo 5: Round 1 dice rolls: Barbarian roll: 5, 5, 6, 2, 3. Elf roll: 3, 2, 3, 5. Casualties: 2 Elves, 3 Barbarians.
• Caption beside Photo 6: Barbarian DragonLord attacks with Dragon Fire. Casualties: 1 Elf.
• Caption beside Photo 7: Round 2 dice rolls: Barbarian roll: 6, 3. Elf roll: 2. Casualties: 1 Elf, 1 Barbarian.
• Caption beside Photo 8: Victory! Barbarian army has conquered the Elf kingdom and takes all the gold in the kingdom, scroll cards and the Elves' Ring of Hope. The Elf King has also been dispatched. The Elves have been eliminated.

Strategy and Hints

1. You should not reveal the location of your King at the beginning of the game, by using it in battle. Keep it safe, with as large an army as you can afford. A player with a 'Summon Elemental' scroll card could be waiting to strike.
2. Protect your Kingdom. You may not purchase any units if you do not have a kingdom.
3. Send forth a well-equipped quest party into the Wastelands, with a torch and a pickaxe and as many units as you can afford. (6 max.) The Wastelands are dangerous and chances are grim, but this is where you can get DragonLords, Wizards, gold, scrolls, spells and treasure. So it is vital that you occupy a territory with a bridge or pass connected to the Wastelands. Try to get a quest party in both Wasteland areas to double your chances of success. Save a few nuggets of gold for your quest party to spend in the Wastelands.
4. Try to gain control of as many kingdoms as you can because you can only reinforce the realms of the kingdoms you occupy.
5. Gain control of the gold territories and islands to gain extra income.
6. Do not be overly concerned with protecting your borders, as DragonLords, Elementals, and marauding ships may attack from anywhere.

Optional Rules of Play

2 Player game: Each player may take two unit types. Play continues as if there were four players. The two unit types are considered allies but each territory may only be occupied by one unit type.

Short Game Play: Determine at the beginning of the game how many kingdoms a player has to occupy before the game is over. Consider the gold territories, the two realms and the kingdoms on the right side of the board as being tundra that is uninhabitable.

More Optional Rules of Play

If this is the first time playing the game, we recommend that you ignore the following rule options and proceed directly to the Frequently Asked Questions. Each of these rules can be added separately or together, as the players see fit.

1. DragonLord Power Reduction: Reduce the amount of units that a DragonLord may teleport to just five units. The DragonLord may no longer use the DragonLord fire attack against enemy naval blockades. The DragonLord may not teleport directly to a kingdom territory.
2. Reduced Scroll Card Effect: Remove any scroll cards from the deck that the ruler of the house deems too powerful, such as the Summon Elemental scroll cards.
3. Player Elimination: If a player loses his king or queen, he or she may continue to play. If a player loses their kingdom, and has no income as a result, he or she may gain three units and place them on a friendly territory anywhere on the board during the place reinforcements phase of his or her turn. Any gold acquired during the quest activity phase may also be converted to units during the place reinforcements phase.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do I have to have a DragonOrb to get a DragonLord? No, you can earn a DragonLord in a "Draw Quest Card" space. If you have a DragonOrb, you can charm a dragon in the Dragon Lair space or during a quest to become a DragonLord.
2. Can I leave a territory empty? No, you may never voluntarily leave a territory unoccupied. However, vacant territories may result due to mutual losses in battle.
3. What happens when you have mutual losses resulting in an unoccupied territory? Nothing, that territory may be left unoccupied but you can transfer or force-march a unit to claim the unoccupied territory.
4. Can you move from one edge of the game board to the other? No, this world is considered flat.
5. Can you move more than one quest party into the Wastelands? Yes, you may move a quest party in each of the Wastelands (top and bottom). You may also have more than one quest party in a Wasteland, but you may only move one of them.
6. Does the kingdom have any effect in battle? Yes, if another player is attacking your Kingdom, his or her T.A.S. (Total Attack Strength) will decrease by one.
7. What happens when a unit gets entangled from a spider in the quest activity? When a unit gets poisoned and entangled, it may not counter-attack the spider. This unit is removed from play if it is not healed with a potion or Heal spell.
8. Do you have to buy the units at the start of the game to place on the territories? No, you are granted 30 men with four players at the start of the game. Take turns placing the units until all the territories are claimed.
9. Can you place your men on an island at the beginning? No, the only way you may place a unit on an island is if you use your ship during the naval movement phase to transport the unit to the island territory.

More Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I have to place the pickaxe and torch? Each player starts the game with a pickaxe and a torch, which are stored in his kingdom. During the quest activity phase, he declares which units adjacent to the Wastelands are going on a quest. Simply place the torch and pickaxe with these units, roll the six-sided die and move the corresponding number of Wasteland spaces. The village space counts as one, if entering from a bridge or a ship docked in the village space and the Dragon Lair counts as one if entering from a pass.

Can I buy items from the village before I go on a quest? No, you must roll a six-sided die and move the corresponding number of spaces. If you rolled a one, then you would be able to buy items from the village. A quest party doesn't start at the village, you move through the village if you roll greater than one.

Who owns a ship docked at the village harbor? No one owns the ship if there are no units aboard. You should drop some units off in the harbor, but leave at least one unit in the ship to bring the ship to safety. This can be done during the naval movement. The units dropped off may then roll a six-sided die during the quest activity phase and move to the corresponding Wasteland space.

What happens to dropped/lost items, do they vanish? Yes, if a monster for example defeats a quest party during a quest, all items in the party's possession are removed as well.

Can a Wizard teleport on Wasteland spaces? Yes, it may transfer to a space occupied by friendly units. A Wizard may also teleport itself and five units from a Wasteland space to a friendly territory or naval blockade during the transfer stage.

What happens to a player's units if his king is eliminated? All that player's units become vanquished or neutral. The units remain on the board, but may not move or attack. The vanquished units must be conquered to gain control of any territories, sea zones or Wasteland spaces as per the combat sequence. If all players agree, you may use the "Player Elimination" optional rule. (See Optional Rules of Play)

Can a unit move more than one ship? No, there must be one unit per ship to move during the naval movement phase. However, there is no restriction on how many ships a single unit may guard if the ships are docked.

Does each player complete all seven phases in the action sequence before the next player starts his or her turn, or do all players complete phase one before going to phase two? A player must complete all seven phases of the action sequence before the next player's turn. In order to speed up the time between turns, the following player may prepare for his or her turn by spending his or her gold ahead of time.

Can I transfer or force-march a treasure from unit to the next? No, you may not transfer gold counters or treasures from one unit to the next. If you gain a treasure in the Wastelands, you can give it to a unit in the quest party or place it under a unit in the kingdom. The treasure is now assigned to that unit and may be forced marched to the front during the combat phase or transferred to an adjacent territory during the transfer phase. If a player was able to transfer a gold counter from unit to the next, a player could move a King counter out of harm's way.

When can I teleport from a teleportal territory? If you have a spell caster in the teleportal territory, you may move your army through the teleportal to another teleportal territory during the combat phase or transfer phase. Think of the teleportal territories as a gateway or tunnel connecting the continents. The teleportal territories are not to be confused with casting a teleportal spell, which must be used during the naval movement phase or the transfer phase.

When can I use the Teleport spell? A spell caster may only use the Teleport spell during the naval movement phase or the transfer phase of the attacking player's turn. However, if a spell caster with the Teleport spell is under attack during another player's turn, it may use the Teleport spell to retreat to a friendly territory, naval blockade, or Wasteland space (occupied by a friendly quest party), during the 'remove casualties' step of the combat sequence. The retreating spell caster may not counter-attack or teleport any other units.

How does the Hope spell affect units that have gone berserk? If units have gone berserk, any modifications to their T.A.S. (Total Attack Strength) by spells or treasures are ignored. The inflicted player must roll a six-sided die for each unit in the same territory, naval blockade or Wasteland space. If the player rolls equal to or less than the unit's Attack number that unit is removed from play. A spell caster with a Heal spell or a King in the same territory, naval blockade or Wasteland space nullifies the effects of the Berserk spell scroll card.