War of Honor Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Learning the Game
• Legend of the Five Rings
• Clans in War of Honor
• Game Components
• Game Setup
• The Cards
  • Stronghold
  • Dynasty Card Types
    • Holding
    • Personality
      • Dishonorable status
    • Event
  • Fate Card Types
    • Strategy
    • Ring
• Reading the Cards
  • Attachments
    • Follower
    • Item
    • Spell
  • Units
  • Stats
  • Text Box
    • Keywords
    • Traits
    • Abilities
    • Self Reference
    • Flavor Text
• Starting the Game
  • Going First
  • Starting Holdings
  • Bowing and Straightening
  • Paying Gold Costs
  • Create Provinces
  • Place Tiles
  • Fill Your Hand
• The Turn Sequence
  • Gaining and Losing Honor
  • 1. Straighten Phase
  • 2. Events Phase
  • 3. Action Phase
    • When Can I Take An Action?
    • Traits and Effects
    • Effects Are Independent
    • How Long Do Things Last?
    • Equipping
  • 4. Attack Phase (Optional)
    • A. Declaration Segment
    • B. Maneuvers Segment
• Winning the Game
• Rules Glossary
• Example of Play
  • Straighten & Event Phase
  • Action Phase
  • Attack and Battle
  • Dynasty and End Phase
  • Path to Victory Phase
• Advanced Play
• Card Clarifications and Rules Reminders
• Variant Rules
  • Optional Win Conditions
    • Seeking Your Path
    • Student of All
    • Secret Missions
    • A True Samurai
    • Overall Champion
    • Bushido Brawl
    • Wartime
    • Classic Mode
• Optional Rules
  • Gempukku
  • Strength of Will
• Quick Play Guide

Learning the Game

Many of you have already played Legend of the Five Rings and are familiar with the rules. If you are one of these players, you may wish to skip to Page 40 to see what is new with War of Honor. If you are familiar with the game but want a refresher course, you may wish to skip to the Quick Play Guide on Page 44. For everyone else, the game rules are divided into three parts. First, game setup and the different types of cards are described (Pages 5-13). Then the turn sequence is outlined (Pages 18-30). Finally, a Glossary gives the meaning of the game terms you will find on the cards and Clan Fortresses (Pages 32-33).

Legend of the Five Rings

The War of Honor boxed game uses decks of cards from the Legend of the Five Rings (L5R) Collectible Card Game. It simplifies the card game's rules, and adds rules for multiplayer action. This box contains decks for the following four clans: the Dragon, Lion, Phoenix, and Scorpion.

Two new things make War of Honor different from the collectible card game. First, players control Fortresses which give additional abilities and can be eliminated by attacks. Second, the victory conditions are tracked in a different way. In War of Honor, you win by achieving goals that advance you along the four different Paths to Victory.

Destroying provinces moves you along the Path of Military. Gaining Honor and making others lose Honor will move you along the Paths of Honor and Dishonor respectively. Finally, putting Ring cards into play will move you along the Path of Enlightenment. When you reach the end of a Path to Victory, you win.

Clans in War of Honor

• The Dragon Clan: Mystic warriors from the northern mountains, the Dragon explode in battle with chains of martial arts moves. They have special ways of achieving insight into the elemental Rings, which makes the Path of Enlightenment a natural goal for them.
• The Lion Clan: Proud and honorable, these fierce samurai excel at meticulous strategies, but are also savage attackers. The Lion Clan are masters of warfare. The Path of Military is the victory they can achieve most easily.
• The Phoenix Clan: Elemental magic is the strong point of the Phoenix. Their ranks are filled with Shugenja: magic-wielding priests dedicated to the five elements. These Shugenja use elemental spells in pursuit of victory. While their spells can unleash great destructive forces, the Phoenix prefer peace. They are most likely to win along the Path of Honor.
• The Scorpion Clan: Labeled as villains by the other Clans, the Scorpion are the Clan of Secrets, using underhanded means to advance their cause. The Scorpion player in War of Honor will exploit politics and the law to disgrace other Clans, using courtiers and magistrates to uncover the secret sins and weaknesses of their characters. This leads naturally to victory by the Path of Dishonor.

Game Components

• 1 Paths to Victory Score Board
• 144 Clan Markers with Clan Mon
• 50 Hexagonal tiles
  • 27 Clan Fortress tiles, with Clan Mon on the back
  • 18 Plains tiles
  • 1 Toshi Ranbo tile, the starting tile
  • 4 Quick Rules tiles
• 4 Clan card sets, each consisting of:
  • 1 Clan stronghold card
  • 1 40 card Dynasty deck
  • 1 40 card Fate deck
• 16 Honor/Dishonor tracking Markers

Game Setup

1. Punch out the tiles from their frames. Separate them according to their back patterns. There should be 3 Fortress tiles for each Clan, plus 2 Plains tiles without Clan Mon.
2. Unwrap the cards. Each separately wrapped card set should be kept together. Find the Stronghold in each card set and turn it face-up, keeping it with the other cards in the set. Put the corresponding Clan tiles by each card set.
3. Choose which Clan each player will take for the game. Normally, you should shuffle the Strongholds and deal one out to each player at random. But if all players agree on who gets to play which Stronghold, then go with that agreement. Once Clans are chosen, give each player their respective cards, Fortress tiles, one of each ability designator (Battle, Limited, Open), 2 Plains tiles, and Clan Markers. The numbers on the Markers are used to help differentiate between multiple players of the same Clan. For example, if there are two Phoenix players, one should used the Markers with the number 1, while the other should use the Markers with the number 2. If there are not multiple players of the same Clan, the numbers on the Markers are meaningless.
4. Put any unused Strongholds, cards, Clan Markers, Fortress tiles, and Plains tiles back in the box.
5. Put the Score Board to the side, leaving room in the middle of the table. Each player finds his or her Clan Markers and places one Marker in the starting spaces of each track on the Score Board.
6. Each player sets aside his or her Stronghold card, and the card Border Keep. Then, each player separates his or her cards into Fate (green backs) and Dynasty (black backs), and shuffles each of these two sets of cards separately as individual decks.
7. Players set up their Stronghold and decks as shown in the illustration. The Fate deck goes about where your right hand is, and the Dynasty about where your left hand is. The Stronghold is placed in front of the decks, in the play area, and so is your Border Keep card. Dynasty cards you discard go into their own discard pile to the left of the Dynasty deck, and Fate cards are discarded to the right of the Fate deck. Personalities that are destroyed in play should be kept apart, in the discard pile, from those who are just discarded from Provinces.
8. Put the Toshi Ranbo tile in the middle of the table.
9. On the punchboard with the Toshi Ranbo tile, the markers are double-sided and have an Honor value (the Fan symbol) on one face, and a Dishonor value (the Mask symbol) on the other. These markers are numbered 1, 2, 4 and 8, and are to help you keep track of how much honor you have gained, or how much dishonor you have caused on any one turn. Keep these Markers within easy reach of everyone for use throughout the game.

The Cards

The game uses two separate decks, the Dynasty deck of black-backed cards and the Fate deck of green-backed cards. You draw Fate cards into your hand, but deal Dynasty cards into Provinces on the table. These plus your Stronghold and starting Holdings make up your play deck.

Decks are not reshuffled when they become empty. However, if a deck becomes empty during play, there are no negative effects, other than having no more cards of that type available.

Stronghold

This card represents your starting base of operations, and defines what Clan you are as a player. You start with it in play.

• Card Title: At the top of the Stronghold in a white bar is its title. All L5R cards have a title.
• Clan Icon (Mon): To the left of the title is a symbol that shows you what Clan you are playing.
• Province Strength: The topmost of three symbols at the right of your Stronghold gives your base Province Strength.
• Gold Production: The middle of your Stronghold's three symbols, the coin, is its Gold Production.
• Starting Number: The bottom number on a Stronghold, in the boxed game, is used only to determine who goes first.
• Text Box: Like all other L5R cards, the Stronghold has a text box (see "Reading The Cards," on page 11).

Dynasty Card Types

Holding

These cards represent resources in your lands. Holdings, like many cards, have a Gold Cost -- the number in the round coin -- that you must pay to bring them into play. Holdings enter play bowed (see page 15).

Personality

A Personality card represents one of the notable characters of Rokugan. The title bar of a Personality will have the icon of his Clan alignment.

• Force: A Personality's Force, abbreviated as "F," is found in the lighter colored icon at the top left.
• Chi: Chi, or inner strength, is found in the dark colored icon at the top right, and is abbreviated as "C."
• Honor Requirement: Honor Requirement is the leftmost of the three icons. This stat has no function in the War of Honor boxed game, but is included to make the cards compatible with the Collectible Card Game.
• Gold Cost: Personalities have a Gold Cost, the middle of the three icons, which you must pay before you bring them into play.
• Personal Honor: Personal Honor is found in the fan, the rightmost of the three icons. It stands for inner virtue and honor in the eyes of society. Its abbreviation is "PH."

Dishonorable status

Some things can dishonor a Personality, disgracing him in the eyes of Rokugan. Turn the Personality's card 180 degrees upside down to show this dishonorable state.

A dishonorable Personality's Personal Honor is always zero. After a Personality is destroyed while dishonorable, the player who last controlled him loses Honor equal to the Personality's printed Personal Honor.

When one or more dishonorable Personalities are involved in gaining one or more points of Honor, the Honor gain does not happen and they are rehonored (restored to honorable status). Specifically, rehonoring happens:

• Before a player gains Honor from an action or trait that targeted, came from, or was performed by one or more of his or her dishonorable Personalities.
• Before a player with one or more dishonorable Personalities in his or her army gains Honor from destroying enemy cards in battle resolution. In a tied battle, all dishonorable Personalities in an army are rehonored before being destroyed, and their army's leader gains no Honor.

Event

Events represent important happenings in Rokugan. They appear unpredictably in your provinces.

Fate Card Types

Strategy

Strategy cards are cards you play from your hand and then discard. A Strategy usually has one or more abilities.

Gold Cost: All Strategy cards in War of Honor have a Gold Cost of zero. You don't need to pay Gold to play them.

Focus Value: Like all Fate cards, Strategy cards also have a Focus Value, in the black circle at the bottom of the card. This value is used in some cards' effects.

Ring

The Rings show understanding of the five mystic elements from which Legend of the Five Rings takes its name. You may put Rings into play when you have fulfilled their condition for entering play. You can also discard them from your hand for a one-shot effect.

Reading the Cards

Attachments

Followers, Items, and Spells are all attachment cards. Attachment cards enter play by being attached to a Personality, placing the card under the Personality with the title showing. An Attachment's Gold Cost, shown in the coin icon in the middle of the card, must be paid before it enters play.

Follower

Followers represent troops, creatures, or advisors. They have Force, in the icon at the top left, which helps their unit in battle. The leftmost icon in the middle is Honor Requirement, another stat from the L5R card game that is not used in the War of Honor boxed game.

Item

Items represent special objects and artifacts. Unlike the separate Force of Followers, Items have a Force modifier in the upper left hand icon that directly raises their Personality's Force. Items likewise have a Chi modifier.

If something in the game needs to check an Item's Force or Chi specifically, use the value of its modifier.

Spell

Spells represent magic scrolls used by a Shugenja (a person trained in the magic of Rokugan). Spells have no Force or Chi bonus. They will only attach to a Shugenja.

Units

A Personality and all his attached cards make up a unit. The total Force of a unit is the sum of the Force of the Personality and each Follower in the unit, whether these cards are bowed or unbowed. Items contribute directly to the Personality's Force and are not added separately.

Stats

Force, Chi, Province Strength, and Gold Cost are examples of stats, or number values. Stats may gain bonuses or suffer penalties from effects in the game. A card's current stat is the printed or base stat, together with all bonuses and penalties currently in effect on it. Stats have a minimum value of zero, even if they are calculated to be negative.

Example: Matsu Sakaki has 4 Force. Bayushi Sorii gives him -5F until the end of the turn using his ability. Sakaki is now considered to have 0 Force - he cannot have negative Force. Sakaki then has "Charge" played on him, which gives him +3F (because he is Lion Clan) until the end of the turn. Sakaki's Force is now recalculated. The -5F is still in effect, so his current Force is his base 4 Force, plus 3 from "Charge", minus 5 from Sorii; a total of 2 Force.

Text Box

The text box tells you a card's game effects and limitations. All cards should be read under the first Cardinal Rule of L5R: If the text of any card contradicts the rulebook, follow the card text, not the rulebook.

The text box may contain any, all, or none of the following four parts.

Keywords

A keyword is a phrase of one or more words that usually appears at the top of a text box, above a dividing line. For example, a Personality can be aligned to the Lion Clan and be a Samurai.

Keywords are separated from each other by solid dots (•). If keywords appear on more than one line in a text box, the ones on different lines are separate as well. A keyword may be made up of multiple words, like "Dragon Clan," but it is treated as a single phrase.

Traits

After a card's keywords come its traits: phrases in normal print that describe the card's effects or restrictions.

Abilities

Below any traits, there may be one or more abilities: blocks of text that describe actions you can take at certain points in the game. An ability starts with one or more of the boldface designator terms Limited:, Open:, or Battle:. The designator limits at what time in the game the action can be taken. An ability with two designators such as Battle/Open: can be used at either time, and is treated as both types.

Some abilities have one or more keywords before the designator, such as Political Limited: Some card effects may check for these keywords.

Example: The Ring of Air looks for Kiho actions (actions from cards with the Kiho keyword), as well as Spell actions (actions from a Spell card).

Sometimes, after the designator, there is text followed by a second colon (:). For example:

Open: Bow this card: Gain 1 Honor.

Anything between the designator and the second colon is part of the constraints block, and is required in order to take the action. For more information on these terms, see When Can I Take an Action?, page 20.

After the constraints block, if any, comes the effects block. This describes the effects the action has when it resolves.

Limited: If your Family Honor is 10 or less, discard a card and choose a performing Courtier: Gain 1 Honor.

This ability has a constraints block. In this block, the phrase "if your Family Honor is 10 or less" is a condition, "discard a card" is a cost, and "choose a performing Courtier" lets you know that you must choose one of your Courtiers to perform the action. It also has one effect, "Gain 1 Honor."

Battle: Give all of your Samurai at the current battlefield +1F. Straighten them.

This ability has only one colon, so it has no costs, triggers, or conditions. It involves two effects: giving your Samurai +1F and straightening them.

Self Reference

In traits and abilities, a card may refer directly to its own title; for example, a card named "Togashi Oki" may read "After Oki enters play:" This refers to the card itself, and not to any other copy of the card with the same name.

Flavor Text

At the bottom of the text box, in italic type, comes a card's flavor text: a short quote about the world of Rokugan. Flavor text has no game effect.

Starting the Game

Going First

Players should determine seating position randomly by shuffling and dealing the Strongholds to each seat. The player with the highest Starting Number on his or her Stronghold takes the first turn (see Turn Sequence, page 18). Turn order then proceeds clockwise around the table. If there is a tie (for example, if you are mixing decks from different copies of War of Honor), choose at random which of you goes first.

Starting Holdings

Along with the Stronghold, each player begins the game with one special Holding titled Border Keep in play.

If you are going last, you also start the game with one Holding titled Bamboo Harvesters in play and bowed. In a four (or more) player game, the last two players each start the game with one Bamboo Harvester in play and bowed.

Bowing and Straightening

A bowed card is turned 90 degrees to the right to show that it has spent its efforts. Costs and effects throughout the game may bow an unbowed card, or straighten a bowed card, returning it to the unbowed state.

Paying Gold Costs

Your Stronghold and Holdings can be bowed to produce an amount of Gold that is given by a Stronghold's Gold Production stat or a Holding's traits. Gold produced by a single source must all be spent to pay for one cost. Extra Gold does not carry over to other purchases. Multiple sources of Gold can be added together to pay a cost.

Example: Your unbowed Dragon Clan Stronghold has a Gold Production of 4. You also have a Gold Mine Holding and a Border Keep Holding in play and unbowed. The Gold Mine bows to produce 3 for you and the Border Keep bows to produce 2. If you now wish to buy a card that costs you 8 Gold, you need to bow all three of these cards to produce 9, because the most you can produce from any two of them is 7. The extra 1 Gold is lost, and may not be used to pay for anything else.

Create Provinces

To create your provinces, take the top four cards of your Dynasty deck and lay them face-down, from left to right, between your Dynasty and Fate decks. These cards mark your provinces, or game areas representing your lands, one card to a province. If a province is ever without a card, refill it immediately with a face-down card from the top of your Dynasty deck. You may not normally look at any face-down cards, even ones in your own provinces. Nothing special happens if you run out of Dynasty or Fate cards; provinces remain even if there are no cards to fill them.

Each province has a separate Province Strength stat, whose base value is the Stronghold's Province Strength.

Place Tiles

Starting with the starting player and continuing clockwise, each player places one of his or her five tiles (three Fortresses and two Plains). Tiles are laid down in a hexagonal grid, fully touching edge to edge.

• A new tile must be placed either next to Toshi Ranbo, or in such a way that it touches two or more existing tiles.
• A tile cannot be placed so that four or more tiles are between it and Toshi Ranbo, by shortest route.
• Tiles are placed face-up so that the abilities on the Fortress tiles can be seen. It does not matter which way the tiles are rotated when you place them.

Players continue to take turns clockwise placing their tiles until all of them have been placed.

Over the course of the game, Fortress tiles may be turned face-down. However, a player's last face-up Fortress can never be turned face-down. While face-down, a Fortress acts the same as any other Plains tile.

Fill Your Hand

Draw six cards from the top of your Fate deck and hold them so you can see their faces and your opponents cannot. This is your hand.

Your preparations are now over. You are ready to start the first turn of the game.

The Turn Sequence

The starting player takes the first turn following each of the steps described below in order. Once he or she has completed a turn, the player to his or her left takes a turn, and so on, until the game ends.

Gaining and Losing Honor

In War of Honor, each player keeps track of his or her own Honor losses and Honor gains separately each turn. Honor losses and Honor gains do not count against each other, but are kept track of with separate Honor/Dishonor Markers. Gaining 8 or more Honor in a single turn will let you move your Clan Marker one space forward on the Honor track of the Score Board. Also, making other players lose 8 or more Honor in a single turn from card effects or killing dishonorable Personalities (see "Dishonorable status" on page 8) will also let you move your Clan Marker one space forward, but on the Dishonor track. Honor gains or losses above 8 in a single turn don't need to be tracked. Players do not need to keep a running track of total Honor turn to turn.

1. Straighten Phase

As the player whose turn it is, you straighten all your bowed cards, including your Stronghold. (Note that the Bamboo Harvesters card has text that stops it straightening on the first turn.)

2. Events Phase

Starting with your leftmost province, turn its card face-up. Then:

• If it is a Holding or Personality, nothing happens at this time.
• If it is an Event, take it out of its province. Its effects resolve now, before the province is refilled. Once an Event has resolved, discard it.

Note that events only resolve in the Events Phase. If you reveal an Event at any other time (such as during the Action Phase by using the ability on Border Keep), it does not resolve at that time.

After dealing with your leftmost province, do the same for each of your other provinces, moving from left to right.

3. Action Phase

The player whose turn it is can take Limited and Open actions in this phase. Other players may only take Open actions in the Action Phase if it is not their turn.

As the player whose turn it is, you have the first opportunity in the Action Phase to take a Limited or Open action, or pass. The next player to your left then has a chance to take an Open action or pass. This continues around the table, as many times as needed. The Action Phase ends when all players pass, one right after another. If a player passes, he or she can still take an action later on in the phase.

Taking actions in turn until all players pass one after the other is called an action round.

When Can I Take An Action?

You can normally take actions from abilities on Strategies and Rings in your hand, from abilities on your cards in play, from abilities available to all players (see "Equipping" on page 22) and from abilities on your face-up Clan Fortress tiles.

Limited actions are taken in the Action Phase only by the active player. Open actions are taken in the Action Phase by any player. Battle actions can only be taken during a battle's Combat Segment.

To take an action, go through these steps:

A. Check Conditions. Some required conditions may appear in an ability's constraints block, such as "If you control a Shugenja..."

There are three other limitations:

• Abilities on bowed cards may not be used.
• A card or tile must normally be in play and face-up, or be a Strategy or Ring played from your hand, to use its abilities.
• Each separate card ability and tile ability may only be used once per turn.

B. Announce. To take an action, announce it to your opponent. If it comes from a card in your hand (such as a Strategy or Ring), show it. If it comes from a card with multiple abilities, specify which you are using.

C. Required Performing and Targeting. An action may have a number of performers and targets mentioned in its constraints block, using the word "performing" or "target;" for example, "Bow your performing Samurai with less than 3 Force" or "Target an enemy Personality." In this step, you must identify and choose a card (normally, a card in play) to match each of the performers and targets mentioned in the action, in the order mentioned. If the action allows, a performer and a target may be the same.

Exception: Targeting mentioned in the effects block is not required at this time if it is done by another player or is optional, for example, "you may target a Samurai". These kinds of targeting are done as effects resolve.

D. Pay Costs. In this step, you pay the costs of the action. Anything in the constraints block that tells you to change the game state is a cost of the action; for example, "Bow one of your Samurai:"

To pay a cost, the change must actually, fully happen. For example, if a Personality is already bowed, you can't use him to pay the cost "Bow your Personality." Also, cards out of play can't normally pay your costs.

E. Action Resolution. If all targets and performing requirements are met and costs are paid, the action's effects happen in the order they are mentioned.

F. Tidy Up. Finally, if you took the action from a Strategy card in your hand, discard it.

Traits and Effects

The Elemental Ring cards each begin with a trait that describes a condition you can meet to put it into play (for example, having taken three or more actions from Spells or Kiho cards in a turn, for Ring of Air). On meeting that condition, you may play the Ring from your hand, putting it among your other cards in play.

Gold-producing Holdings may have a trait such as "Bow this card: Produce 2 Gold." This means they can be bowed at any time you need to produce Gold to pay other costs.

A trait such as "Miyahara has +1F for each other Lion Clan Samurai in her army" has a continuous effect that is "always on" while the card is in play.

Effects Are Independent

Once effects start to resolve, they will be applied no matter what happens to the card they came from. Also, some effects may be prevented from happening before they are applied, or while they are ongoing. For example, a Personality might be affected by a card that negates his bowing. If another effect would then bow him the whole action is still legal to take, and the action's other effects still happen, even if the bowing doesn't.

How Long Do Things Last?

Some costs or effects are instantaneous, and marked by physical changes to the game components, such as bowing cards, dishonoring Personalities, or flipping tiles. This kind of change does not wear off by itself.

Other costs or effects involve changes that are not physically marked by the game components -- for example, "Give the Personality +3F". This kind of change normally lasts until the turn ends.

Equipping

There is an action available to all players that lets them play attachments on their Personalities during their Action Phase.

Limited: Any number of times per turn, choose your performing Personality: Attach a target attachment card from your hand to him.

Note that for Phoenix Clan players using the City of Tears Stronghold, this action is a Battle/Open action instead when equipping Spells -- so they can attach Spells during other players' turns as well as in a battle.

4. Attack Phase (Optional)

As the active player, you may now optionally create ("declare") an Attack Phase if you have any units in play. An Attack Phase has several segments in order.

A. Declaration Segment

You are the Attacker. Choose one of the other players to attack; he or she becomes the Defender. You are each the leader of your respective side in the attack.

Looking at the tiles, announce which of your face-up Clan Fortresses you are launching your attack from, and which of the Defender's face-up Clan Fortresses you are attacking. You can attack any other player's face-up Fortress anywhere on the board, but you get a benefit after the attack if you attack an adjacent Fortress (see "Resolution Segment" on page 27).

As the Attacker, you may invite any, all, or none of the remaining players who control a face-up Fortress adjacent to the attacking Fortress to ally with you. A player need not accept or refuse your invitation right away. The Defender then does the same for players who control a face-up Fortress adjacent to the defending Fortress, and may invite players that you invited. You will not know whether your invited allies will help you until they commit to battle!

Next, battlefields come into being, one battlefield in front of each of the Defender's provinces (the areas holding Dynasty cards). Battlefields are invisible areas that hold units. They stand for specific locations in the campaign that's being fought between the two Fortresses. A battlefield has two sides -- attacking and defending. Cards on the attacking side at a battlefield will be placed in front of that battlefield's area, facing in to attack. Cards on the defending side will be placed opposite the attacking cards, facing the opposite way.

B. Maneuvers Segment

In Maneuvers, the Attacker first simultaneously assigns any number of his or her units led by an unbowed Personality from home to the attacking side at battlefields. The Attacker may assign units to one battlefield or different battlefields, and may keep some or all of them home.

After the Attacker assigns his units, the first player the Attacker invited to his left may assign, from his home, any number of his units led by an unbowed Personality to any battlefields, in any arrangement desired. Then each other player the Attacker invited, continuing in turn order, may do the same. Players the Attacker did not invite may not assign to the attacking side during this attack. Once an invited player assigns any units to the attacking side, he or she becomes an attacking ally.

Then the Defender assigns units from home to the defending side at battlefields, in the same way. After this, players the Defender invited, in turn order, may each assign units on the defending side, unless they have already become attacking allies. They cannot assign different units to opposite sides of an attack, even if they are at separate battlefields. This assignment follows the same rules as for attacking allies. Players who assign to the defending side become defending allies.

After the first time each attack an invited ally assigns one or more units, he or she gains 2 Honor. Honor is not gained for moving units during the Combat Segment.

Assigning a unit places it at that battlefield, and is different from "moving" between locations (see "Movement" on page 26). A unit led by a bowed Personality may not be assigned.

C. Fight Battles

The Attacker chooses a battlefield, and a battle is fought there. When that battle is over, the Attacker chooses a new battlefield and another battle is fought there. This repeats until all battlefields have been fought at.

Exactly one battle happens at each battlefield, even ones with no units. There is no further opportunity for a battle at a battlefield that has already been fought at, even if some units find their way there.

Battles

Battles have a Combat Segment, then a Resolution Segment.

Combat Segment

The Combat Segment is an action round of Battle actions focused on the current battlefield, starting with the Defender and continuing clockwise around the table -- even if the next player clockwise is an ally of the Attacker.

When Can I Take A Battle Action?

The Attacker, Defender, and any invited allies may take Battle actions. Battle actions follow these additional rules:

Rule of Presence. To legally take any Battle action, you must control one or more units at the current battlefield. Some actions may let you ignore this rule, being playable "even if you control no units at the current battlefield." However, in that case, you must have been invited as an ally by the Attacker or Defender.

Rules of Location.

• To legally take a Battle action from a card in a unit, the unit must be at the current battlefield.
• To be legally targeted by or perform a Battle Action, any cards in a unit must be at the current battlefield.

Exception: Battle actions that say they move a unit to the current battlefield are legal to take, regardless of Presence and Location, if the rules of Presence and Location would be satisfied with the unit there.

Movement

Some effects will move units to and from battlefields during the Combat Segment. There are two rules that regulate this:

• A Personality who has already been in an attacking army during a battle resolution in the current Attack Phase will not move to a battlefield.
• If a player has been invited by both Attacker and Defender but has not become an ally by assignment, he or she may move a unit into the battle. But he or she must choose which side to move to, and for the rest of the attack, becomes an ally of that side. Once allied, an ally may only move units to the side of the battlefield he or she is aligned with.

Once all players have passed consecutively, the Combat Segment ends.

Resolution Segment

All units on a side, leaders' and allies', make up an army.

The Attacker and Defender total their armies' Force at the battlefield. An army's Force is the total of the Force of all unbowed Personalities and Followers in it; a side with no units has zero Force. The side with the highest Force wins.

If the attacking side wins, destroy all units in the defending army. If the attacking army's Force was greater than the defending army's Force plus the Province Strength of the battlefield's province, the Attacker also destroys the province.

When a province is destroyed, discard any cards in it. Push together the other provinces and the two decks to show the shrinking of their owner's lands. If the Defender has no provinces left, he or she is eliminated from the game.

If the defending side wins, destroy all units in the attacking army.

The leader of the winning side (the Attacker or Defender) gains Honor equal to twice the number of cards in the enemy army that were destroyed by resolution. This Honor gain happens even if the Attacker or Defender did not personally "win" the battle because they had no units present at resolution (see "Win", page 33).

If two armies, each with one or more units, have equal Force, the battle is a tie. The Attacker and Defender each destroy all units in the enemy army, and each gains Honor equal to the number of cards they destroyed. If the battle is tied on zero Force and either or both sides have no units, the battle has no outcome.

When these effects have been applied, the battle's resolution ends. Next, all attacking units, attacking allies' units, and defending allies' units at that battlefield bow, then return home, as effects of resolution. Return after battle is not movement. Defending units stay at that battlefield, and return home only at the end of the Attack Phase. They do not bow.

The battle itself then ends.

Once the last battle has ended, all battlefields cease to exist. Any units still at battlefields bow if they were attacking, and return home.

If the Attacker's Fortress was adjacent to the Defender's Fortress, the Attacker may straighten one of his units that returned home from a battle or from the attack (that is, straighten each card in the unit). If one or more of the Defender's Provinces were destroyed, then unless the Defender's Fortress being attacked is his or her last one, flip the Defender's Fortress face-down.

The Attack Phase now ends.

5. Dynasty Phase

Buy Cards From Provinces

During the Dynasty Phase, in any order you like and as many times as possible, you can bring face-up Holdings and Personalities into play from your provinces.

To bring a Holding into play, pay its Gold Cost. Unlike other card types, Holdings always enter play bowed.

To bring a Personality into play, pay his Gold Cost. When you bring Personalities with your Clan alignment keyword into play they follow two special rules:

• You may bring them into play paying 2 less Gold.
• If you aren't choosing to pay the 2 less Gold and it is your turn, you may choose to gain Honor equal to your Personality's Personal Honor just before you bring him into play, once per turn.

Discard Face-Up Cards

Before your Dynasty Phase ends, once you are done bringing cards into play, you may discard face-up cards from your provinces one by one, refilling the province face-down each time before continuing.

6. End Phase

In the End Phase, you draw a Fate card. Then, if your hand is above the maximum hand size of eight, discard cards down until you are at the maximum hand size.

7. Path to Victory Phase

During the Path to Victory Phase, each player's progress toward victory conditions is recorded, starting with you (the Active Player) and going clockwise. Each player's Markers may move forward along the four Paths to Victory, depending on their accomplishments that turn. You may only advance one step along each separate Path per turn, but may advance during other players' turns as well as your own. You may advance one step along two or more different paths in a turn.

For example, the Lion player destroys two provinces and plays Ring of Earth. During the Path to Victory Phase, he will take one step down the Path of Military and one step down the Path of Enlightenment.

You advance one step on the Path of Military if you were the Attacker, or an attacking ally, and armies containing one or more of your units destroyed one or more of the Defender's provinces this turn.

You advance one step on the Path of Honor if you gained a total of 8 or more points of Honor through any means this turn. Honor losses are not counted against this total.

You advance one step on the Path of Dishonor if you caused other players to lose a total of 8 or more points of Honor this turn. Your card effects causing Honor loss count toward this, as well as your effects that caused Honor loss by destroying dishonorable Personalities (see "Dishonorable status" on page 8). If you were the leader of an army that caused Honor loss by destroying any dishonorable Personalities in battle resolution, this also counts toward the 8 points of Honor loss. Honor gains are not counted against your Dishonor total. Losses caused to different players are totaled together.

You advance one step on the Path of Enlightenment after a turn ends in which you put any Rings into play using their own trait, meeting the condition on the Ring, which you have not previously put into play this game.

A player who takes a step along a Path to Victory may choose to activate the ability found on that space of the Path to Victory. Players advancing along multiple Paths may choose the order in which to activate multiple abilities. All abilities are one-time effects. If a Path ability causes you to have more than the maximum number of cards in your hand, you do not have to discard down to the maximum at this time.

The turn ends when the Path to Victory Phase does. The player to your left now takes his or her turn.

Multiple Personalities?

Some Personality cards appear more than once in the deck. This is intentional, and you can have more than one non-Unique Personality with the same name in play. The different cards are just a way to represent different people with the same general stats and abilities. There is also a Personality card in this set (Isawa Kyoko) who is a more experienced, Unique version of a non-Unique Personality. In the collectible card game there are rules for replacing one version with a more experienced version; in War of Honor, the Experienced Personality is just an individual who has managed to distinguish herself.

Winning the Game

At the end of the Path to Victory Phase, before the Active Player ends their turn, if any player is on the fifth step of any Path to Victory, he or she wins and the game ends. If two or more players reach Victory on the same turn, the tie is then broken by counting the total number of steps each of those tied players has taken along all four Paths.

For example, the Lion and Scorpion player have reached the 5th step of the Paths of Military and Dishonor, respectively, on the same turn. The Lion has taken 5 steps along the Path of Military, 2 steps along the Path of Honor, and 2 steps along the Path of Enlightenment - a total of 9. The Scorpion has taken 5 steps along the Path of Dishonor and 3 steps along the Path of Enlightenment - a total of 8. The Lion wins the game.

If there is still a tie, then: if one of the tied players is the Active Player, he or she wins. Otherwise, the tied player who wins will be the first to go after the Active Player.

For example, the Phoenix and Dragon players both have reached the 5th step of a Path to Victory and have the same total number of steps. It is the end of the Scorpion player's turn. The Lion player is next, followed by Phoenix and then Dragon. The Phoenix player wins, because she would become the Active Player before the Dragon.

Rules Glossary

This section collects rules associated with specific game terms that have not been explained in the main rules.

• Active Player: The player whose turn it is.
• Additional action: Some effects will allow you to take an additional action of a certain type; the additional action begins right after the current action ends. Things that refer to an "additional action" refer only to an action granted by the words "additional action."
• Base: Refers to a stat, keyword, or other game text as printed on the card, without modification.
• Clan Alignment: A keyword ending in "Clan" that refers to one of the major Clans. This set features the Dragon Clan, Lion Clan, Phoenix Clan, and Scorpion Clan.
• Control: You gain control of a card when you bring it into play, and normally keep control of it while it remains in play.
• Dead, Destroy: When an effect destroys a Personality, he enters the discard pile in the dead state. Turn the card 90 degrees to the right, or put the card apart from the others in the discard pile, to show this. Some cards (like Family Library) check to see whether a Personality in the discard pile is dead or discarded, so it is important to keep track of this.
• Discard: To put a card in its Dynasty or Fate discard pile. "Discard" by itself means "discard a Fate card from your hand."
• Discarded: The state of a card that is not dead in a discard pile.
• Dishonor: See "Dishonorable status" on page 8.
• Draw: To put the top card of your Fate deck into your hand.

Example of Play

A few turns have gone by in this four-player game between Allen (Lion), Bob (Dragon), Cindy (Phoenix) and Daria (Scorpion). It is Allen's turn. All cards in his provinces are face-down.

Allen has two Personalities in play: Ikoma Toraji and Matsu Nishijo. He has his Stronghold and two Holdings: Copper Mine and Border Keep. He has used Border Keep's second ability this game, so it can't be taken. His face-up Fortresses have an Open ability giving +2F and a Battle ability that moves a defending unit home.

Straighten & Event Phase

Allen straightens his cards in play and then turns over his province cards left to right. He first reveals an Event, Military Alliance. The event resolves and a new effect is added to the game -- anyone destroying a province will get 3 extra Honor. Even though Military Alliance does not enter play, Allen puts it above his Fate deck as a reminder to all players that its effects are active for the rest of the game. The next two cards are Personalities and a Holding [Akodo Dosei, Ikoma Toraji, Large Farm].

Action Phase

The Action Phase now begins. Allen has the first option to take a Limited or Open action, including attaching cards. He has a Deathseeker Troop follower in his hand, which costs 3 Gold. He attaches it to Ikoma Toraji, bowing his Copper Mine to produce the Gold.

Everyone else going clockwise has a chance to take an Open action. Bob bows his Ring of the Void in play to draw a card, according to its text. Cindy and Daria pass.

Allen now uses an Open action on his Fortress, giving Matsu Nishijo +2 Force. This time around the table, Bob passes but Cindy takes an Open action. Her Stronghold lets her attach Spells as an Open action, and she bows a Silver Mine to produce 3 Gold for the Groves of Stone Spell in her hand, attaching it to her Shugenja Personality Agasha Gifu, who already has a Shielded by Tempest spell attached. Allen then passes and so does everyone else. The Action Phase is over.

Attack and Battle

Allen now decides to declare an attack this turn. He chooses his Fortress to attack from and an adjacent Fortress controlled by Cindy (with the Battle: ability) to attack. Daria, the Scorpion, has a Fortress adjacent to both of these, but Bob only has a Fortress adjacent to Cindy. Allen invites Daria to ally and Cindy invites Daria and Bob.

Allen then assigns his attacking units. He has two: Ikoma Toraji (2F) with a 3F Deathseeker Troop (unit total 5F), and Matsu Nishijo who now has a +2F bonus from the Fortress in addition to her +2F bonus for attacking (unit total 7F). Both attack the province next to Cindy's Fate deck, and their units are moved in front of it.

Daria (but not Bob) then has the opportunity to assign as an attacking ally. She decides to ally with Allen the Attacker instead of Cindy the Defender. She assigns her Bayushi Sorii (3F) to the battlefield where Allen assigned, then her Bayushi Shigeo (4F) to the battlefield next to that. Shigeo has the Ronin Brotherhood (4F) attached, and the unit's total Force is 8. Daria gains 2 Honor for allying. At this point both Cindy's provinces under attack are threatened with destruction by armies whose Force is each greater than the Province Strength of 6.

Cindy has only one unbowed Personality. She assigns Agasha Gifu to defend at the province next to her Fate, against the combined army.

Bob now chooses whether to assign any allying units to Cindy's side. He assigns Togashi Taro (3F) to oppose Shigeo and Togashi Shiori (4F) to oppose the joint army at the other battlefield. He gains 2 Honor for allying.

As the Attacker, Allen chooses to resolve the two empty battlefields first. Nobody wants to use any actions to move units there, so the battles end without incident.

He next resolves the Shigeo vs. Taro battle. The order of play in the Combat Segment starts with the Defender, Cindy, but she has no units there and doesn't want to move any in, so she passes. This means that Daria goes next. She plays the Battle Strategy card Begone, Fool! from her hand. This dishonors Taro, and moves him home. Bob loses 2 Honor.

Allen has no units there and passes, so Bob goes next. He has no units in the battle, and passes. Cindy also passes and so does Daria. The battle then resolves, and Shigeo's unit's 8 Force exceeds the Province Strength of 6, with no defending army to add its Force; the province is destroyed. At this point Daria plays the Ring of Earth in response to destroying the province, and she also gains 3 Honor from Military Alliance. Shigeo goes back home, and he and his Follower bow.

The big battle now begins. Cindy has the first action, and uses Gifu's ability without discarding a card to bow the Deathseeker Troop (which, as a Follower, counts as a "card without attachments"). Daria passes. Allen uses his Venerable Plains of the Ikoma Stronghold ability, discarding the card Courtesy to bow Togashi Shiori. Because Courtesy is a Bushido Virtue he gains 2 Honor. Bob plays the Strategy Spinning Heel Kick, straightening Shiori and getting another action. He uses this to play another Strategy, Cold Hands, Stone Heart, and removes Matsu Nishijo's ability, gaining +2F, drawing a Fate card, and getting yet another action. Bob uses Shiori's own ability to bow Matsu Nishijo.

It is Cindy's turn. She uses the Battle action on her Groves of Stone spell to give the current province +4 strength (now at 10). Daria bides her time and passes, even though she can take an action with Bayushi Sorii at the battlefield. Allen uses the Battle ability on his other Fortress to move Togashi Shiori home. Bob passes.

Returning to Cindy's turn, she still has Gifu at the battlefield, so she plays the Strategy card Unstoppable Power, targeting Ikoma Toraji. There are three different element keywords in her army (Gifu's Earth and Fire, and Shielded by Tempest's Air; the Earth on her other spell is the same keyword as Gifu's Earth so it doesn't count). Toraji takes -3 Force but he only has 2 Force to lose, so he goes down to 0. Cindy gains 2 Honor (not 3, because Toraji only actually lost 2 Force before hitting the minimum of 0). Each player has now gained 2 Honor this turn, except for Daria who gained 5 (2 from allying and 3 from Military Alliance).

Totaling up the Force of each army now, the defending army has Gifu's 4F, while the bowed Deathseeker Follower and Nishijo don't contribute Force, Toraji has zero Force, and Sorii has only 3F. Seeing her side is now going to lose the battle, Daria plays the Strategy Restoring Order from her hand. Bayushi Sorii can perform the action because he is a Magistrate. Daria chooses to target Gifu, sending the Shugenja home and bowing her (but her Spells remain unbowed). Allen passes, out of Battle actions.

Bob grins, and says "It's not over yet!" Even though he has no Personalities at the battlefield, Bob plays a special Battle Strategy card, Settling the Homeless, which says it can be played even with no Personalities there. He sends home Daria's Bayushi Sorii. Daria shrugs, muttering "I did what I could."

Bob then announces that he has taken four Battle actions from different cards in this battle (Spinning Heel Kick, Cold Hands Stone Heart, Togashi Shiori, Settling the Homeless) and plays the Ring of Water from his hand. Everyone passes, and Bob bows the Ring of Water, using its Battle ability to move Togashi Shiori back to the battlefield. Everyone else passes again, and Allen groans. He sees what is coming. Bob passes, and because this comes after everyone else passing in order, resolution begins.

The defending army has 6 Force: Shiori's base 4, plus 2 from the earlier Cold Hands, Stone Heart. The attacking army has 0 Force -- the bowed Follower and bowed Nishijo don't count, and Toraji's Force has been reduced to 0 with a -3F penalty.

The Defending side wins and all attacking cards are destroyed; the Personalities go into the discard pile sideways, showing they are dead and not just discarded, but the Follower is just discarded. Even though Bob's Shiori is the only Personality left at the battlefield, the honor is gained by the Defender, Cindy. She gains 6 Honor, two for each of Allen's cards destroyed. Her total Honor gains for the turn now stand at 8.

The battle is over. Shiori returns home, bowing because he was an ally. At the end of the Attack Phase, Cindy turns her attacked Fortress face-down, because she lost a province in the attack.

Dynasty and End Phase

Allen moves on to his Dynasty Phase. He can pay 3 Gold by bowing his Stronghold and 2 Gold bowing his Border Keep. He bows his Stronghold to bring in a new copy of Ikoma Toraji, paying only 3 Gold because Toraji is in his Clan and gets the -2 Gold discount. The 2 Gold from Border Keep go to bring in a Large Farm, overpaying for its 1 Gold cost; it enters play bowed. In the End Phase, Allen draws a Fate card, and has only 4 cards in hand, so does not have to discard.

Path to Victory Phase

The Path to Victory Phase now happens. Allen achieved none of the Paths; even though the attack destroyed a province, he had no units at that battlefield at resolution. Bob played a Ring, so moves one step along the Path of Enlightenment (to space 2; he carries out the effect on that space and straightens his Ring of Water). Cindy gained 8 Honor this turn and so moves along the Path of Honor to space 1, drawing a Fate card. Finally, Daria also played a Ring and destroyed a province, so she moves along both the Path of Enlightenment and Military, both to space 1; her 5 Honor gained was not enough to move along Honor. She draws a card from the Enlightenment advance, and straightens her Bayushi Shigeo (but not his Follower) from the Military advance.

Bob's turn now begins, and the game continues...

Advanced Play

Many players may already be familiar with the Legend of the Five Rings CCG and want to use their own deck, rather than the decks provided here. If you already know the rules for playing L5R, use all rules for a regular L5R CCG Multiplayer game, modified with the rules below.

• The Fortresses exist, adding an extra step at setup, giving additional abilities, restricting attacks and allying, and giving a benefit for an attacking unit who attacks an adjacent Fortress. (see "Resolution Segment" on page 27)
• You have to control one or more units in order to declare an attack.
• If another player's Fortress's Limited or Open action causes you to lose Honor, you may ignore Honor Requirements on your Personalities for the rest of the game. Note: This only applies if you are not using the pre-constructed decks provided. If you are using the provided decks, ignore Honor Requirements (for Personalities and Followers) at all times.
• Dishonorable Personalities are not rehonored for allying. (see "Dishonorable status" on page 8)
• Victory depends on the Paths to Victory, not the usual victory conditions. (see "Winning The Game" on page 30) Having no provinces left still eliminates you from the game.
• The War of Honor rules on required targeting and Ranged Attacks replace the Celestial Edition rules; all required targeting is found in the constraints block, and Ranged Attack targeting is not required.

Card Clarifications and Rules Reminders

• Military Alliance: The Honor gain is not affected by the presence of dishonorable personalities in the attacking army, and does not rehonor them.
• Border Keep: The two abilities can both be used on the first turn. This card is best used to replace Personalities on the first turn, looking for two Gold-producing Holdings to bring out. The once-per-game ability can be used to have another chance at two Gold Holdings on the first turn, or can be saved for later in the game - usually, to get rid of Holdings and bring out Personalities, which will be more useful then. Events revealed by these abilities do not resolve until your next Events Phase.
• Togashi Nahakara: To be drawn, the shown card must be a Kiho or Tattoo, and must have a Battle ability.
• Matsu Nishijo: You cannot take this action if there are no enemy cards at the battlefield to target.
• Agasha Asai: The Kolat, Ninja, and Shadowlands are sinister groups that are not represented in the War of Honor boxed card set. "You expose him" is color text that has no game effect.
• Asako Meisuru: You can straighten cards belonging to allied players in Meisuru's army.
• Isawa Kyoko (Experienced): "She pacifies the enemy" is color text that has no game effect.
• Ramifications: 0 Personal Honor also includes a dishonorable Personality.
• Isawa Naki: His ability gives him a new keyword on top of any keywords he already has.
• Bayushi Maemi: A Personality cannot have negative Force; so a Personality with 0, 1 or 2 Force affected by Maemi's ability will still become dishonorable.

Variant Rules

Optional Win Conditions

Players may choose (before the game begins) to use one of the following victory conditions instead of the standard victory condition. These are still checked in the Path to Victory Phase.

Seeking Your Path

To win, a player must have at least taken one step along each of three Paths to Victory, as well as reaching the final step on at least one Path.

Student of All

The winner is the first person to have advanced at least two steps along each of the four Paths of Victory.

Secret Missions

All players must write down the names of at least three Paths to Victory in secret at the start, and secretly allocate 9 points between them (at least one point in each). This is his secret mission. When a player's Path to Victory advancement meets or exceeds his mission goals, he reveals his secret mission and wins the game.

For example, the Lion player secretly writes down his goals of 4 Military, 3 Honor, and 2 Enlightenment. After some fighting has occurred, he has 3 Military, 4 Honor, and 1 Enlightenment. The Lion player attacks again and destroys a province and plays the Ring of Earth. He now has 4 Military, 4 Honor, and 2 Enlightenment. In the next Path to Victory Phase, he reveals his secret mission and wins the game.

A True Samurai

To win, a player must reach the fifth step on one Path to Victory and at least the third step on another Path to Victory.

Overall Champion

The game ends when a player reaches the fifth step on any Path to Victory. However, it is the player with the most steps across all Paths at that time who wins the game.

For example, the Lion player destroys a province and during the Path to Victory Phase, reaches the fifth step on the Path of Military. The game now ends and all players total their number of steps. The Lion player has 5 Military, 1 Enlightenment, and 1 Honor for a total of 7. The Dragon player has 3 Enlightenment and 3 Military for a total of 6. The Scorpion player has 4 Dishonor, 2 Enlightenment, and 2 Military, for a total of 8. The Phoenix player has 4 Honor, 2 Military, and 1 Enlightenment for a total of 7. The Scorpion player wins.

Bushido Brawl

The game does not end when a player reaches the fifth step of a Path to Victory. The only way to win is by eliminating all other players' provinces.

Wartime

A player must reach the fifth step on the Path of Military to win.

Classic Mode

Players keep a running total of their Family Honor, beginning at their Stronghold's Starting Number, adding to it with each Honor gain and subtracting from it with each Honor loss. The game does not end when a player reaches the fifth step of a Path to Victory.

Instead a player wins if one of the following happens:

• He begins his turn at 40 or more Honor
• He has put five elemental Rings into play by their own text
• All other players are eliminated from the game

A player is eliminated from the game if one of the following happens:

• He ever ends his turn with -20 or lower Honor
• He has no provinces left

Optional Rules

The following are alternate rules for playing the game.

Gempukku

Players start with one Fortress face-up, and the others are face-down. When a player takes a step along a Path to Victory, he may flip one of his Fortresses face-up. Victory is achieved normally.

Strength of Will

Fortresses may not be flipped face-down by other players. A player may still flip his own Fortress face-down.

Quick Play Guide

First, read the rules on each of the card types.

A turn consists of:

1. Straighten Phase. Straighten all your bowed cards in play.
2. Events Phase: Turn up the cards in your Provinces, going from left to right. If you turn up an Event, do what it says, then refill the Province from the top of your Dynasty deck, face-down.
3. Action Phase: You can take a Limited or Open action from any of your cards or Fortress tiles in play, or from Rings and Strategies in your hand. You can also pay for and equip an attachment to a Personality as a Limited action. Each other player going clockwise may take an Open action, then your chance to take a Limited or Open action comes again. This continues until all players pass one after the other.
4. Attack Phase (optional): If you control at least one unit, you (the Attacker) may declare an attack against another player (the Defender), saying which of your face-up Fortresses you are attacking from and which of the Defender's face-up Fortresses you are attacking.
   • You, then the Defender, may invite any of the other players to ally. An invited player must control a Fortress next to the Attacking or Defending Fortress, according to who invited them.
   • You assign any of your units led by unbowed Personalities to the attacking side at battlefields. There is one battlefield in front of each of the Defender's Provinces. Players you invited may then assign attacking allies in turn order.
   • The Defender, then any players he or she invited who did not assign on your side, may assign units in the same way.
   • You, the Attacker, decide which battlefield to fight at first. Each battle follows this sequence:
     • a. The Defender, then each other player (including you) in turn order, may take Battle actions from cards in play or Rings and Strategies in hand, continuing around until all players pass one after the other. A player must control a unit at the current battlefield to take a Battle action, and any of its performing or targeted cards must also be at that battlefield.
     • b. The battle at that battlefield resolves. Add up the Force of all unbowed Personalities and Followers on each side (Items add Force to the Personality whether bowed or unbowed).

The next player now takes his or her turn.