To War!
To War! Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
In the Box
- 17 Northern army cards
- 17 Eastern army cards
- 17 Western army cards
- 17 Southern army cards
- Rules of the Game
Aim of the Game
To have the largest force on the field by the end of the game or break through to the enemy camp.
Preparing for Play
Sit facing each other, choose an army (a deck), shuffle it and put it in front of you – this will be your Reserve, each player has his own.
Unit Characteristics
The unit card shows the following:
- Strength of Attack – the number in the upper right corner of the unit.
- Strength of Counter-attack – the number in the upper left corner of the unit.
- Elite Unit symbol – the symbol at the bottom left of the unit.
- Possible directions of movement – the arrows at the bottom right of the unit.
Possible Directions of Movement
- Only forward movement and attack. Can only move one step during its turn.
- Can move or attack in any of three directions. Can only move one step during its turn.
- Two-step movement. The line under the arrows indicates that the unit can move two steps if the first move ends on an empty cell. The movement can involve two steps in one direction, a step in one direction and then another, or no second move at all.
Army Deployment
The players prepare for battle by playing cards in turn and forming the battlefield.
The first player puts the top card from his or her deck onto the table.
The second player puts his or her card opposite the first card.
Keep playing the cards one by one.
Creating the Battlefield
(Untitled in source, page 5 callout "Creating the battlefield".) The players play their cards taking turns, and fill up the empty spaces in their half of the field around their first cards.
Each player chooses the position of his or her card.
By the end of the deployment, a 3x4 field of cards is ready for battle.
Gameplay
The first player makes a move. He reveals the top card of his Reserve and puts it in place of one of 3 cards that are closest to him or her.
When a new card arrives on the battlefield, there is no free space for it. The new unit displaces the card that previously occupied this space.
The displaced unit then moves in one of the directions it is allowed to move (forward or sideways – as noted on the card). By moving it displaces another unit. And so on.
The units keep moving until a player's unit moves into the space where an enemy unit is stationed. This constitutes an attack.
Exception: If a unit stops its movement on an empty area, there is no attack and the turn passes on to the other player. However, units with a line under (↑) and (↔↑) their movement arrows can take another step and attack.
Example diagram (page 8, untitled in source): In this case a Bedouin (1) is trying to enter a place where a Sarbaz (2) is stationed.
The Sarbaz (2) shifts the Siqlab (3).
Example diagram (page 9, untitled in source): The Siqlab (1) moves and attacks the Archer (2).
Combat
(Untitled in source, page 10.) To find out whether an attack is successful and who the survivor is, compare the Attack strength of the Attacker to the Counter-Attack strength of the Defender.
Possible outcomes:
- The Attack strength is larger, then Counter-Attack. The Defender (Blue) loses: the card is taken off the field into the discard pile, while the Attacker (Yellow) takes its place.
- The Attack and Counter-Attack strengths are equal. Both units retreat: both cards are removed from the battle field and are put into the discard pile, leaving two empty spaces.
- The Counter-Attack strength is more, then Attack. The Attacker (yellow) loses: the card is removed from the battlefield into the discard pile.
Example diagram (page 11, untitled in source): In this example the Attack strength is larger than the Counter-Attack strength, so the blue unit loses and the yellow unit takes its position on the field.
After the fighting is done, it is the other player's turn to move. He or she plays a card from his Reserve and follows the same rules (see page 6). The players take turns and make their moves until one of them breaks through to the enemy's camp or the there are no more Reserve cards left.
Important Points
- A unit that attacks to the side (not forward) gets a +2 bonus to its Attack strength.
Example diagram (page 12, untitled in source): The Bedouin attacks the Berserker from the side and wins because of the +2 bonus to his Attack strength.
Units and the Camp
(Untitled in source, page 13.)
- Units should move without leaving the 3x4 battlefield.
- If the movement of a unit takes it across the boundary of the battlefield on the enemy side (breaks through to the enemy's camp), then the player controlling that unit wins the game immediately.
End of the Game
-
If neither player manages to break through to the enemy camp, and all of the cards from the Reserves have been played, then it is time to see which army has the advantage. Each player counts up the units he or she still has on the battlefield. The player with the most units wins.
-
If neither player has managed to break through and there is an equal number of units on the field, then the player with the most Elite units wins. If the number of Elite units is also equal then it is a draw.
-
If one of the players breaks through to the other player's camp, that ends the game immediately with the attacking player winning.
More Strategy
If you are ready for some advanced tactical decisions, then after the Army Deployment stage, draw 3 cards from your Reserve and choose your card to play from among them. Draw a card from the Reserve after finishing every turn.
Army Cards
Each army is a deck of 17 cards. The unit name is printed on each card. The number of cards of each unit in an army is listed in the Army Composition table below. Elite units are marked with a crown.
West Army
| Unit | Attack strength | Counter-Attack strength | Elite | Possible directions of movement | Two-step line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knight | 5 | 5 | Yes | Forward only | Yes |
| Sergeant | 4 | 4 | Yes | Three directions | Yes |
| Squire | 2 | 2 | No | Three directions | Yes |
| Footman | 3 | 3 | No | Three directions | No |
Nord Army
| Unit | Attack strength | Counter-Attack strength | Elite | Possible directions of movement | Two-step line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berserker | 5 | 5 | Yes | Forward only | No |
| Konung | 4 | 4 | Yes | Three directions | No |
| Rider | 3 | 3 | No | Three directions | Yes |
| Tinger | 3 | 3 | No | Three directions | No |
East Army
| Unit | Attack strength | Counter-Attack strength | Elite | Possible directions of movement | Two-step line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hatamoto | 5 | 4 | Yes | Three directions | Yes |
| Gokenin | 4 | 4 | Yes | Three directions | No |
| Ashigaru | 3 | 3 | No | Three directions | No |
| Ashigaru-archer | 5 | 1 | No | Forward only | No |
South Army
| Unit | Attack strength | Counter-Attack strength | Elite | Possible directions of movement | Two-step line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mamluk | 5 | 4 | Yes | Three directions | Yes |
| Bedoin | 4 | 2 | See note | Three directions | Yes |
| Siqlab | 3 | 3 | No | Forward only | No |
| Sarbaz | 4 | 1 | No | Forward only | No |
Note on the source: the Army Composition table lists the Bedoin as Elite (crown), but the Bedoin card itself shows no crown. Both are transcribed as printed; the card and the table disagree.
Army Composition
| Army | Unit | Number of cards |
|---|---|---|
| West | Knight (Elite) | 3 |
| West | Sergeant (Elite) | 3 |
| West | Squire | 3 |
| West | Footman | 4 |
| West | Crossbow man | 4 |
| Nord | Berserker (Elite) | 3 |
| Nord | Konung (Elite) | 3 |
| Nord | Rider | 3 |
| Nord | Tinger |