Warchon

Warchon Rulebook

Table of Contents

The Battlefield

Each spread is a ground for potential battle. Each of these locations also possesses its own characteristics that will influence combat and strategy. A spread has the following parts:

Spread Number: Indicates this spread's number. Visibly displayed on all four corners of the spread (abbreviated "Sp. #"), so you can thumb to any one spread with minimal disturbance to all units. Erdon Pass is Sp. 1.
Location Name: Each spread represents a location, and this is the location's name. This particular place is called Erdon Pass.
Terrain: Denotes the geography of this location, along with traits (if any). Sometimes a location has multiple terrains, and the playmarks might possess traits and abilities affected by certain terrains, either beneficially or harmfully. Erdon Pass is a valley.
Special Rules: All unique rules and conditional modifiers for this location are explained here. These apply to only playmarks in this location while they remain here. Once they leave, the rules and modifiers no longer affect them. Combat in Erdon Pass is rough since it's only wide enough for one unit to retreat per turn.
RNG, or Random Number Generation Table: Paper General's portability dictates a need for generating random numbers independent of dice. The RNG is here for that.
Combat Table: This determines the battle result for this location.
Path: Normally a unit can only move through spreads in sequential order, e.g., from Sp. 3 to Sp. 4 to Sp. 5 (and vice versa), but some spreads permit a "shortcut" to another spread not immediately next to them. A path is not necessarily a "road," but rather represents a link of some sort between the spreads (magic portals, tunnels, etc). This indicates if there's such a connection, to where it leads, and the destination's Spread Number. From Erdon Pass a unit may move to Irondale (Sp. 2), or via a path to Akibatu (Sp. 4).
Capacity: This regulates the maximum playmarks per side allowed in a spread. All units have a "Size," and each army may have as many units whose Size adding up to, but never exceeding, the Capacity for that location. Capacity applies to aerial and non-aerial units separately. Erdon Pass's Capacity is 4, meaning any army may position up to Size 4 in aerial units, plus the same for non-aerial units, in this location simultaneously.

The Combatants

Your featured combatants are the playmarks, or "units," a term applying to any playmark with the following appearance:

Placeline: This serves as a reference point for lining up a playmark alongside the edge of the book, without revealing any information other than that unit's presence.
Activation Line: The space under the placeline marked "Activated." Pulled upward or downward it shows that a unit has performed certain actions.
Unit Name: What this unit is called, often reflective of its origin, profession, and/or abilities. This unit is the Celestine Paladins.
Descriptors: Tells you the exact race or class of a playmark. Flavor aside, this is important because there are factors (terrain, spells, special abilities, etc.) that will alter a unit's effectiveness based on its descriptors. Descriptors are self-explanatory except "Distinct," which is reserved for one-of-a-kind units. Normally, you may have as many playmarks of the same unit as you can fit them under a scenario's point limit, but you may have only one copy of any one "Distinct" unit in an army. Celestine Paladins are human warriors.
Point Value: This is the unit's point value, a general rating for the unit's usefulness. The better the unit, the more costly it is to have in any scenarios that required you to build your army from a pool of points. The Paladins cost 3 points each to include in your army.
Traits: These describe a unit's natural talents and combat aptitudes, such as flight and projectile attack, anything that can affect play from army construction to strategy. Celestine Paladins have the Purity trait because of their righteousness.
Size (S): Number in a ruler icon. The bigger a unit is, the higher its Size. Size and a location's Capacity determine how many units you can have in a spread at one time. At 2, Celestine Paladins are an average-sized unit.
Movement (M): Number in a foot icon. The maximum spreads a playmark can move through in a turn. For instance, a unit starting on spread 12 with a "3" Movement can make it to spread 15 one way or to spread 9 the other in one turn. It can stop short of its full movement if you decide to. It takes one Movement to go to a new spread through a path just as if the playmark were moving into the next spread; there's no extra movement cost to use a path. The Paladins can move up to 2 spreads a turn.

Units in the Demo

The demo includes the following playmarks. Stats are printed on each playmark. For a multi-Hit unit, the second line gives the stats of the face showing after one Hit is taken.

Unit	Descriptors	Pts	Size	Mov	AS	DS	Hits	Traits	Special Abilities
Baphite Swarm (2 playmarks)	Demon	2	2	3	2	2	1	Nether	Special: -1 CS in Frigid locations.
Deathknoll Ogres	Ogre, Brutes	4	3	2	4	4	2	Nether	None printed. After 1 Hit: S3, M2, AS3, DS3, H1.

The Mount Tzask events table refers to Brimstone Dragons, and the Dracosroar events table refers to an "Aquatic" Ramping Water Elemental; no playmark for either is printed in this demo.

Preparation

Each player selects one of the two sets of colored playmarks (blue or red). This is your army. Normally you build an army on a mutually agreed upon total of points, but for demo purpose, use every playmark included here. The objective is to simply destroy your opponent till he has no units left in his army.

Setup

First, the Azuthkan player will insert his playmarks secretly between spreads 5 to 7, following these rules:

Each playmark has its highest number in the Hits icon, if it has more than one, on the top end, faced up.
Line up the playmark's top-end placeline with the top edge of the spread, so when the book is closed, about an inch of blank space above the placeline is visible.

After the Azuthka player finishes his placement, the Celestine player will position all his blue playmarks from spreads 1 to 3 and follow the same rules as above, except that he will line up his playmarks with the bottom edge of the book. You're then ready to start.

Movement Round

The game begins with the Azuthkan player's Movement Round, in which he moves his units.

Every time a unit finishes moving, you must move it downward so its bottom-end placeline aligns with the bottom edge of the book, and vice versa (i.e., upward) if it had begun the turn with its bottom end showing out of the book. This is called "shifting," something to remind you that a unit has been moved and cannot move any more this turn. Done correctly, all your playmarks should finish with their placelines protruding out of the same end of the book after your turn. Even when you choose not to move a unit, still shift it to show that you're done with it.

Stop moving a unit the instant it comes into a spread containing at least one enemy unit, even if it still has Movement left unused. It will engage them in combat right after you finish moving the rest of your army. You can still move yet-unmoved units in to improve your odds if you like, again providing that their total Size does not go over the spread's Capacity.

Once you have shifted all your playmarks, battle then happens on those spreads shared by you and your opponent, resolving in numerical order of the spread. If there's no combat or when all battles have been fought, your turn is over. It is now your opponent's turn, starting with Movement Round.

Activation and Capacity

Activation: Several traits and abilities will require you to "activate" a unit by showing the "Activated" part on the playmark. However, it is not used in this demo.

Capacity: If one or more of your units are forced into a spread at any time and exceed the Capacity, you must voluntarily destroy enough units immediately until you bring the Size down to or under it. You may choose which unit(s) to destroy, including units that were there first.

Traits

Traits are special characteristics found on a playmark. All traits used in this demo game are innate abilities, meaning they are always in effect.

Aerial: This unit can fly. An Aerial unit is not required to move through spreads individually as a normal unit would. Rather, it moves to its destination directly, even via paths, and bypasses all spreads in between. For example, Celestine War Angels can move from spread 1 straight to 4 without having to "enter" spreads 2 and 3, thereby ignoring all units or effects in those locations.
Berserk: This unit may, as an action during the Strategy Round, "go berserk." The good news: its current CS is doubled. The bad news: it is automatically destroyed after this battle. However, it is legal to assign Hits to a Berserker unit since damage occurs before this post-combat effect! While Berserk doubles the unit's CS at the time it's declared, all prior modifications by you or your opponent are still in effect, and any alteration thereafter affects its Berserker CS, not the original score.
Frigid: This unit is unhindered by icy weather and extreme cold temperature, conditions that will surely befall less hardy troops.
Magical: Denotes a supernatural entity, but still unable to cast spells without "Spellcaster" trait.
Nether: Indicates a unit corrupted by taints of evil, or one subscribing to a nocturnal lifestyle. It is the opposite of the Purity trait. No unit will start off with both Nether and Purity.
Purity: The opposite of Nether, meaning this unit has a saintly, angelic disposition. It has a clean spirit and is ready to fight for a just cause.

Combat

Glossary

Before we go into combat, these are terms you need to be familiar with:

Army: Refers to all units under a player's control.
Attacker/Attacking Army: The player whose turn it is, is always the Attacker, and uses the units' Attack Strength (AS) in combat. His army would be the Attacking Army.
Battle Army: Refers to all units in a spread belonging to the same army. The target(s) of a Battle Army ability must be in the same spread as the targeting unit.
Combat Strength (CS): Collective term for Attack Strength and Defense Strength. Modifiers to CS affect both the target unit or Battle Army's AS and DS.
Defender/Defending Army: If it's not your turn when a battle occurs, you're the Defender. Your units will use their Defense Strength (DS) in battle.

Let's Fight!

This is when we settle combat, using at least two tables on the spread. First, tally the total AS and subtract the opposing DS in this battle. Then, find the result on the appropriate numerical range, and that is the column you'll use. Use "+5" or "-5" columns for gaps greater than 5 in the result. Assuming the Azuthka player amasses a 9 AS to the Celestine player's 7 DS in a battle, you go to the "+2, +3" column.

Next, generate a number from the RNG table. Go to the Events Table if needed. Otherwise, cross-index the number and the column from the above step on the Combat Results Table. A battle at Erdon Pass from the example above that generates a 3 on the "+2, +3" column will produce an "A1D1" result.

This is how you interpret the results:

"AxDx" is the most common, where "x" is the number of Hits in damage to the preceding army. "A" is Attacker, "D" is Defender. If it mentions just one side, the opposing units suffer no damage. For example, a "D1" means a loss of one Hit to the defending army, but none for the attackers. That "A1D1" we got for the battle above means the attacking army will take 1 Hit and the defending army also 1 Hit in the exchange.
"AE" is Attacker Eliminated. All attacking units in this battle are destroyed immediately.
"DE" is Defender Eliminated. All defending units in this battle are destroyed immediately.
"Eg" stands for Engaged. All units involved in this battle cannot move from this spread and must remain to duke it out again next turn. No damage is inflicted. Reinforcements may be moved in, but no units currently here may leave as they're locked in a heated skirmish.
"So" is Standoff. It is a draw and there are no casualties this turn. Whoever goes next turn is free to move any units in or out of this spread about as normal.

Random Number Generator (RNG)

The RNG matrix produces a number from 1 to 5. If it's your turn, you go by the top horizontal row, while the other player will use the leftmost vertical column. On a prearranged signal, both players simultaneously reveal how many fingers they are holding up on one hand. They then cross-reference the table for a number. If you hold up five fingers and your opponent two, in Erdon Pass that will generate a 3.

Random Events

If you generate a number followed by the letter "E," go to the Event Table immediately. Then generate another number and use it to determine which entry on the Events Table happens. Only one Random Event can happen in a location per turn, so ignore all following Events there if one occurred this turn already. In Erdon Pass, the number 5 gives you a Random Event. So whenever a 5 comes up for the first time in a turn during a battle, go to the Random Events Table.

If the result does not end combat or a turn, resume the battle by recalculating CS and generating a new number for combat result, ignoring all subsequent chances for random events this turn.

All entries refer to units in that spread only. For example, a result reading "All units with DS of 2 or less are destroyed" applies to units fitting that description at the event's location.

Damage Assignment

After a combat result is obtained, both players assign the damage to their own units, in any combination adding up to the Hit suffered, though no unit may take more Hits than it currently has. A unit is destroyed (the playmark removed from play) when it's at zero Hits. For those with or down to one Hits, they are destroyed when any damage is assigned to them.

For multiple-Hits playmarks, damage is tracked by turning the unit upside down (after taking one Hit), backside up (after two Hits), backside upside-down (after three Hits), then it's destroyed (fourth and final Hit). Simply put, always turn the playmark so its current Hit(s) is on the top end, and it is face-up on the right half of the spread. Use the traits and stats above the playmark's present stats, although it retains all special abilities unless noted otherwise.

From our battle above, the Celestine force must distribute one Hits among the Battle Army. The player chooses to give one to a healthy War Angels, leaving them with one Hit left. The unit is turned upside down with new stats showing. Had he assigned the Hit to the Celestine Crusaders, it would have killed them and removed them from play. The Azuthkan army also takes one Hit in the battle for their trouble, and the player decides to let the Baphite Swarm bite the dust.

Now What?

Unless there's another battle to resolve, this turn is over. Make sure all playmarks are shifted and it's your opponent's turn. Keep going until one of you've completely destroyed the other's army, then you'll have fought your very first WARCHON campaign!

Spreads

The demo contains seven spreads. Each entry gives the spread's terrain, Capacity, special rules, paths, Random Number Generator table, Combat Results Table and, where printed, Events Table. Column headings in the combat tables are the battle differential (Attacking AS minus Defending DS), read left to right from -5 to +5.

Sp. 1: Erdon Pass

Terrain: Valley
Capacity: 4
Special Rules: Only one unit per army may move out of battle at this location each turn.
Path: Akibatu (Sp. 4)

Random Number Generator

D/A	1	2	3	4	5
1	3	4	5E	1	2
2	4	5E	1	2	3
3	5E	1	2	3	4
4	1	2	3	4	5E
5	2

Erdon Pass Combat Results Table

A-D	-5	-4	-3/-2	-1/0/+1	+2/+3	+4	+5
1	AE	A3	A2	A1	D2	D3	DE
2	A3	A2	A1	So	D1	D2	D3
3	A2	A2D1	A1D1	Eg	A1D1	A1D2	D2

Erdon Pass Events Table

Inspired Charge. All units in an attacking army with at least one "Tactics" unit gain +2 AS this turn.
Fortified Defense. All units in the defending army gain +2 DS this turn.
Deadly Confrontation. Both armies assign 1 Hit to one of their units in this battle immediately.
Surprise Reserve. The Controlling army may move one additional unit into the battle instantly from another location within that unit's Movement, even if that unit had already moved this turn. Its Size does not affect Capacity this turn, but must retreat one spread when this turn is over.
Torrential Rain. End combat immediately.

Sp. 2: Irondale

Terrain: Fortress
Capacity: 6
Special Rules: All "Construct" units gain +1 CS.
Path: Mount Tzask (Sp. 5)

Random Number Generator

D/A	1	2	3	4	5
1	4	5	1	2	3
2	5	1	2	3	4
3	1	2	3	4	5
4	2	3	4	5	1
5	3

Irondale Combat Results Table

A-D	-5	-4	-3/-2	-1/0/+1	+2/+3	+4	+5
1	AE	AE	A2	A1	D2	DE	DE
2	AE	A4	A1	So	D1	D4	DE
3	A4	A3	A1D1	A1D1	A1D1	D3	D4

Sp. 3: Dracosroar, the Raging River

Terrain: Aquatic River
Capacity: 7
Special Rules: None printed.
Path: Xetti Bishum (Sp. 6)

Random Number Generator

D/A	1	2	3	4	5
1	3	4	5	1	2E
2	4	5	1	2E	3
3	5	1	2E	3	4
4	1	2E	3	4	5
5	2E

Dracosroar Combat Results Table

A-D	-5	-4	-3/-2	-1/0/+1	+2/+3	+4	+5
1	AE	AE	A2	A1	D2	DE	DE
2	AE	A4	A1	So	D1	D4	DE
3	A4	A3	A1D1	A1D1	A1D1	D3	D4

Dracosroar Events Table

Ramping Water Elemental. Generate a number. On a 1 or 2, it joins the Attacking army this turn; 3 or 4, the Defending army. Treat it as a 4 CS, 2 Hits, "Aquatic" unit in either case. On a 5, all armies are at halved CS this turn.
Accidental Fall. Each army picks one opposing unit without "Aerial" or "Aquatic." The selected units are destroyed.
Magic Bridge. All units in the Attacking army may attack as normal this turn (ignore location's attack restriction).
Magic Bridge. As Event #3, except the Attacking army chooses which units will attack now, then generate a number. On a 1 or 2, the bridge is an illusion, and those committed units without "Aerial" or "Aquatic" are destroyed immediately.
River's Fury. Each player selects a unit from the opposing Battle Army randomly. That unit takes 1 Hit immediately.

Sp. 4: Akibatu, "The Killing Ground"

Terrain: Wasteland
Capacity: 10
Special Rules: Units in battle always remain Engaged. Units with "Berserk" triple their CS instead of doubling, when berserking.
Paths: Erdon Pass (Sp. 1); Kier-Zhadd (Sp. 7)

Random Number Generator

D/A	1	2	3	4	5
1	5	1	2	3	4
2	1	2	3	4	5
3	2	3	4	5	1
4	3	4	5	1	2
5	4

Akibatu Combat Results Table

A-D	-5	-4	-3/-2	-1/0/+1	+2/+3	+4	+5
1	AE	A3	A3D1	A2	A1D3	D3	DE
2	A3	A3D1	A2	D1	D2	A1D3	D3
3	A3D1	A2	A2D1	A2D2	A1D2	D2	A1D3

Sp. 5: Mount Tzask

Terrain: Mountain, Volcano
Capacity: 8
Special Rules: None printed.
Path: Irondale (Sp. 2)

Random Number Generator

D/A	1	2	3	4	5
1	1	2E	3	4E	5
2	2E	3	4E	5	1
3	3	4E	5	1	2E
4	4E	5	1	2E	3
5	5

Mount Tzask Combat Results Table

A-D	-5	-4	-3/-2	-1/0/+1	+2/+3	+4	+5
1	AE	A4	A2	A1	D2	D4	DE
2	A4	A3	A2D1	A1D1	A1D2	D3	D4
3	A3	A2	A1	So	D1	D2	D3

Mount Tzask Events Table

Volcanic Eruption. All units except Brimstone Dragons are destroyed immediately. End combat.
Magma Flow. All units with Movement of 2 or less are destroyed immediately. All other units must retreat one spread immediately. End combat.
Earthquake. All units without "Aerial" take 1 Hit and have their CS reduced to 1.
Lava Burst. All units with "Aerial" take 1 Hit and have their CS reduced to 1.
None. Use the original number for combat result.

Sp. 6: Xetti Bishum

Terrain: City, Wasteland
Capacity: 7
Special Rules: Goblin Assassins gain +1 CS while in this location.
Path: Dracosroar (Sp. 3)

Random Number Generator

D/A	1	2	3	4	5
1	4E	5	1	2	3
2	5	1	2	3	4E
3	1	2	3	4E	5
4	2	3	4E	5	1
5	3

Xetti Bishum Combat Results Table

A-D	-5	-4	-3/-2	-1/0/+1	+2/+3	+4	+5
1	AE	A4	A2	A1	D2	D4	DE
2	A4	A3	A2D1	A1D1	A1D2	D3	D4
3	A3	A2	A1	So	D1	D2	D3

Xetti Bishum Events Table

Assassination. Generate a number. On 1 or 2, the Attacking army loses one unit of choice to contracted assassins; on 3 or 4, the Defending army loses one unit of choice. On 5, no effect.
Swarming Mob. The unit with the largest Size in this battle has its CS reduced to 0 this turn. In a tie, all such units have their CS reduced.
Cull the Weak. The unit with the least DS in this battle is destroyed, whether attacking or defending. In a tie, all such units are removed.
Bribery. The Controlling army selects one opposing unit in this battle. It fights for the Controlling army for this turn only, its Size is temporarily 0 for Capacity purpose.
Shell Game. As #4, except it's the non-Controlling army that gets one opposing unit.

Sp. 7: Kier-Zhadd

Terrain: Mountain
Capacity: 8
Special Rules: Units with Size of 3 or higher gain +1 CS.
Path: None printed on this spread.

Random Number Generator

D/A	1	2	3	4	5
1	1	2	3	4	5
2	2	3	4	5	1
3	3	4	5	1	2
4	4	5	1	2	3
5	5

Kier-Zhadd Combat Results Table

A-D	-5	-4	-3/-2	-1/0/+1	+2/+3	+4	+5
1	AE	AE	A2	A1	D2	DE	DE
2	AE	A4	A1	So	D1	D4	DE
3	A4	A3	A1D1	A1D1	A1D1	D3	D4