Wartime: The Battle of Valyance Vale Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Object of the Game
• Component List
• Component Details
  • Game Board
  • Terrain Tiles
  • Terrain Table
• Timers
  • Active / Available Timers
• Unit Stands
• Units
  • Unit Tokens
  • Unit Types
  • Active / Available Units
  • Eliminated Units
• Terrain Features
  • Terrain Features (continued)
• Items
• Action Cards
  • Standard Action Cards
  • Heroic Action Cards
  • Spell Cards
• Set Up
  • Set Up (continued)
• Playing the Game
  • Actions
  • Basic Actions
    • Move
    • Movement Restrictions
    • Attack
    • Types of Attacks
    • Determining Range to a Target
    • Line-of-Sight
    • Damage
  • Card Actions
    • Standard Card Action
    • Heroic Card Action
• Timing Disputes
• Game End
• Optional Rules
  • Set Up
  • Action Cards

Object of the Game

Each scenario lists victory conditions specific to that scenario. Potential victory conditions include: destroying some or all of your opponent's units, reaching certain destinations on the board, or simply surviving until a certain amount of time has passed.

Component List

• 1 Game Board
• 40 Terrain Tiles
• 4 30-Second Timers
• 4 60-Second Timers
• 2 90-Second Timers
• 1 2-Minute Timer
• 1 10-Minute Timer
• 20 Unit Stands
• 175 Unit Tokens
• 12 Standard Action Cards
• 9 Heroic Action Cards
• 23 Spell Cards
• 1 Battle Book
• 1 Quick-Start Guide

Component Details

What follows is a description of the different components used in WarTime.

Game Board

The game board is a hex map with 113 hexes. Each hex represents 1 basic Plains space. There are also 6 Time spaces located on 2 sides of the game board. These spaces are only used in certain scenarios.

Terrain Tiles

Each hex on the game board contains a single terrain type. The 5 basic terrain types in WarTime are Plains, Hills, Woods, Thickets, and Rivers. The 40 Terrain Tiles represent the various types of terrain that can be found among the WarTime scenarios.

If a Terrain Tile is on a space, that space is considered to be the terrain type shown on the tile and is subject to the restrictions for that terrain type. If there is not a Terrain Tile on a space, it is considered to be a Plains space and has no restrictions.

In addition, all other Terrain Tiles (e.g. castle walls, huts, etc.) are considered to be separate terrain types and have their own restrictions.

Terrain affects movement and combat in three ways:

1. First, movement into some spaces with a Terrain Tile costs an extra Movement Point (MP), while some Terrain Tiles cannot be moved into at all.
2. Second, most terrain types block "line of sight," (LOS) and thus when counting range to a target, you may not count any space containing such terrain, unless it is the space containing the target.
3. Third, some terrain types have an effect on combat. These effects are detailed in the following table. It is important to note that a unit within a space with a Terrain Tile suffers no damage penalty when attacking out of that space.

Movement and combat effects will be shown on each Terrain Tile. (Terrain Tile layout: the terrain effect on combat is shown at the top, a "LOS" symbol with a red circle marks line of sight blocked, and the terrain effect on movement is shown as a number in a green hexagon.)

Terrain Table

Symbols: Melee attack = white circle; Distance attack = white diamond; Mounted = horse-rider icon; Siege = siege-engine icon.

Terrain Type	Terrain Effects	MP To Enter	Blocks LOS?
Plains	None	1	No
Hills	Units may attack into a Hills space. Units cannot shoot through a Hills space. Melee attacks from all units deal -1 damage to a unit in a Hills space.	2	Yes
Woods	Units may attack into a Woods space. Units cannot shoot through a Woods space. Distance attacks from all units and Melee attacks from Mounted units deal -1 damage to a unit in a Woods space.	2	Yes
Thicket	Units cannot move into a Thicket space. Units cannot shoot through a Thicket space.	N/A	Yes
River	Units cannot move into a River space. Units may shoot through a River space.	N/A	No
Bridge

* Any unit that is in a Castle Wall space may perform a Melee attack as normal if the defending unit is in either: 1) a contiguous Castle Wall space, or 2) an adjacent non-Castle Wall space. Melee attacks from all units deal -1 damage to a unit in a Castle Wall space (provided the attacks are not across a solid black line).

** Units cannot move into or from a Castle Wall space across a solid black line. Units may enter Castle Wall spaces from any hex side that does not have a solid black line at a MP cost of 2. Units that are already in a Castle Wall space may move to a contiguous Castle Wall space at a MP cost of 1. Units that are already in a Castle Wall space may move to an adjacent non-Castle Wall space across any hex side that does not have a solid black line as normal.

Timers

Each player has a set of sand timers with colored end caps that match the color of their army.

The numbers printed on the colored end caps of the timers indicate how long each one runs. In a typical game, each player will use (1) 30-second timer, (2) 60-second timers, (1) 90-second timer in their color and (1) 30-second timer in blue.

The timers with the end caps matching their player color may be used for any units in a player's army. The blue 30-second timers are "Spell Timers" and may only be used with Spell Cards.

The 2 minute and 10 minute timers with the black end-caps are neutral and not owned by either player. These timers are used to manage other aspects of the game.

Active / Available Timers

A timer is "available" if its sand has completely drained into its bottom cavity. An available timer is no longer assigned to any unit or spell and may be used again.

A timer is "active" if it is assigned to a unit and is currently draining. An active timer cannot be used again or moved from the unit it is assigned to until it becomes available. A Spell Card can similarly have an active timer assigned to it, i.e. placed directly on the card.

If the unit to which an active timer is assigned is eliminated, the active timer is moved off the board to finish draining.

Unit Stands

There are 20 unit stands included in the game. All of a player's Unit Tokens (see below) are placed on these stands and the stack is moved around the board as a single unit.

Units

A Unit is represented in the game as a stack of Unit Tokens of the same type that are placed on a Unit Stand.

Unit Tokens

The color on the edge of the tokens indicates which army owns the unit. Each token in a stack represents one point of health and will have unit stats and abilities printed on both sides of the token. In the case where a token has 2 different unit types on either side of the same token, the side that is face up indicates which unit type is in the stack.

A Unit Stack can only have one type of unit in it at any given time.

Each unit has values for the following statistics. The stats for the unit are shown on the face of each token:

• SPEED: Each unit has a Speed value, indicating the maximum number of movement points it can spend to enter spaces when performing a Move Action. The speed value is shown in the green hexagon that is attached to the green flag icon to the right of the center hole.
• DAMAGE: Each unit has 1 to 4 values indicating the damage it can deal at specific ranges. An attacking unit may deal different amounts of damage at different ranges. If there is no number present for a given range, the unit cannot attack at that range. The damage values are shown in the 4 white or gray circles and diamonds on the lower half of each token.
• HEALTH: Each unit has a Health value. This is the number of Unit Tokens of that type which are stacked on the Unit Stand to form that unit. The Health value is located at the very bottom of the Unit Token.
• SPECIAL ABILITY: Some units have special abilities, such as "Charge." If a unit has a special ability, it will be shown on the token, to the left of the center hole.

Token diagram labels: army name, unit name, unit type icon, special ability (left of the center hole), speed (green hexagon), damage at Range 1 (circle, lower left), Range 2 and Range 3 (diamonds, bottom), Range 4 (diamond, lower right), and health (very bottom). Example Valyance Man-at-Arms token: special ability 1, speed 2, damage 4 at Range 1, "-" at Ranges 2-4, health 5. Example Firebrand Goblin token: speed 3, damage 2 at Range 1, 2 at Range 2, 1 at Range 3, "-" at Range 4, health 2.

Unit Types

Several different types of units are available in the game.

There are keywords to describe the types of units such as: Infantry, Mounted, Ranged, Magic, Siege, etc. The keywords have no direct effect on the unit, but they may interact with other units, terrain, and/or Action cards.

For example, Mounted units deal -1 damage to a unit in a Woods space.

Most keywords also have a corresponding icon: Infantry, Ranged, Mounted, Magic, Siege, Hero*, Charge.

* Each hero has a Hero Icon as well as an Infantry, Ranged, Mounted, Magic, or Siege Icon.

Active / Available Units

A unit is considered "available" if it does not have an active timer assigned to it. When a timer is assigned to a unit, the unit changes from "available" to "active."

A unit is considered "active" if it has an active timer assigned to it. When its timer is completely drained, the unit changes from "active" to "available."

Eliminated Units

At any time, if a unit has no more tokens in its stack, the unit is considered eliminated or destroyed. The empty unit stand is removed from the board and the unit cannot initiate any further actions. An active timer associated with an eliminated unit should be removed from the board as well, and must be allowed to drain completely before it can be used again.

Terrain Features

Some Unit Tokens have a terrain type printed on one side of the token instead of unit stats, i.e. a Battlement, an Altar, etc. If the side with the terrain type is face up, the stack is considered a Terrain Feature. A Terrain Feature can only have one terrain type in it at any given time.

Terrain Features function as normal Terrain Tiles with the following exceptions.

All Terrain Features:

1. Block line-of-sight
2. Cannot be moved into
3. May be attacked, damaged and removed from the board

Terrain Features (continued)

Units may attack Terrain Features as if they were units and damage is dealt to them by removing the appropriate number of tokens from the target Terrain Feature's stack. The number of Terrain Feature Tokens per stack will be listed in each scenario that uses Terrain Features.

At any time, if a Terrain Feature has no more tokens in its stack, the Terrain Feature is destroyed. The empty unit stand is removed from the board and the space is now considered to be a Plains space.

Terrain Type	Terrain Effects	MP To Enter	Blocks LOS?
Altar	Units cannot move into an Altar Terrain Feature. Units cannot shoot through an Altar Terrain Feature.	N/A	Yes
Battlement	Units cannot move into a Battlement Terrain Feature. Units cannot shoot through a Battlement Terrain Feature.	N/A	Yes
Flames	Units cannot move into a Flames Terrain Feature. Units cannot shoot through a Flames Terrain Feature.	N/A	Yes

Items

Some Unit Tokens have an item printed on one side of the token instead of unit stats, i.e. Rune Stone. If the side with the item is face up, the token is considered an item.

All items will have a name and a white border and the rules for how each particular item is used will be described in the Battle Book.

Action Cards

These cards are either Standard Actions or Heroic Actions that players may use during the game. Standard Action cards represent the extra effort that units can accomplish. Heroic Action cards represent the mighty feats that heroes can achieve when circumstances demand it. These cards typically allow a unit to take an action on the board that is an enhanced version of a basic action. Each Action card may only be used once per game.

Each scenario lists a total number of Action cards (Standard and/or Heroic) that each player will be able to choose from for that scenario. If a player is allowed to choose Heroic Action cards, this simply increases the amount of cards the player may choose from, but the total number of Action cards allowed for the scenario remains the same.

For example, the Firebrand player is allowed to have 3 Action cards. The Abomination Hero unit is in the Firebrand army, so the player may choose their 3 cards from the Standard Action cards and/or the Heroic Action cards. The player chooses to use the "CRITICAL HIT" and "FOOT CHARGE" Standard Actions and the "QUAKE" Heroic Action for this scenario.

Standard Action Cards

These cards represent the Standard Card Actions that any of a player's units may use. There are 6 Standard Action Cards: ADVANCE, BOMBARD, CRITICAL HIT, DOUBLE TIME, FOOT CHARGE, and MOUNTED CHARGE. Both players receive one of each of these cards from which to choose during Set Up.

Heroic Action Cards

These cards represent the Heroic Card Actions that a player's hero may use. If a scenario calls for a Hero unit to be part of a player's army, that player may choose from these cards in addition to the Standard Action cards during Set Up.

Spell Cards

These cards are the Spell Card Actions that players may use during the game. Spell cards represent the magical powers that can be summoned by a Magic unit. If a scenario calls for a Magic unit to be part of a player's army, that player may choose from these cards.

Spell cards have a variety of uses. Some Spell cards allow a unit to take an action on the board that is an enhanced version of a basic action, while others allow the player to affect their opponent's units or timers or even bring a dead unit back into the game! Each Spell card may only be used once per game.

Each scenario lists a total number of Spell cards that each player will be able to choose from for that scenario. The number of Spell cards that a player may use is in addition to the Action cards the player is allowed for the scenario.

For example, the same Firebrand player has a Shaman in their army and is allowed to have 3 Spell cards in addition to their 3 Action cards, so the player chooses the "CONTROL," "FIREBALL," and "SHADOW STRIKE" Spell cards in addition to the "CRITICAL HIT" and "FOOT CHARGE" Standard Actions and the "QUAKE" Heroic Action that they chose for this scenario.

Set Up

At the start of the game, the players agree on a scenario to play and then place the board directly in the center of the table, so that it is easily within reach of both players. Each scenario will list:

1. The units that each player will receive
2. The timers each player will use
3. The Action and/or Spell cards that will be available and how many each player may choose
4. The Terrain Tiles that will be used to create the scenario

(Set-up diagram: each player has their timers beside their side of the board, and their Action and Spell cards in front of them; units and Terrain Tiles are placed on the board.)

Set Up (continued)

• The players gather all of the Units and Terrain Tiles for that scenario and place them on the board according to the scenario's diagram (see Battle Book).
• The players then gather their timers and place them beside the board.
• The players then choose their Action and/or Spell Cards from among the list of cards available to them for the scenario and place them face down beside the board.

Once the board and the armies are set up, the players should agree on a signal to start play (typically a handshake). Once the signal is given, the game begins immediately.

Playing the Game

In WarTime, there are no turns and players must play simultaneously. A player may, at any time, "command" one of his units to take a legal action, subject to the rules described here. Because this is a real-time game, there are some special considerations for how actions actually work.

Actions

There are three types of actions: Basic Actions, Card Actions, and Special Actions. All actions in WarTime share a fundamental structure and players must obey these rules unless otherwise specified:

• A player may only begin one action at a time and must completely finish resolving that action before initiating another action.

• The unit that will perform the action must be available, i.e. have no active timer assigned to it. An available unit can only be given a single action at a time.

• Only 1 timer may be assigned to a unit at any given time, i.e. a unit cannot have more than 1 active timer assigned to it.

• Some Special Actions and Card Actions may string together multiple steps, e.g. the "Charge" Special Action and the "Foot Charge" Card Action. All of those steps together constitute a single action, and the player must complete the processing of this action (in order) once it has begun.

• The player must verbally announce the action being taken.

  For example, "Move 2 spaces," or "Attack at Range 3 for 1 damage," or "Charge 2 spaces for 1 damage".

• To complete each action, a player must assign an available timer (i.e. one that has no sand draining) to the unit performing the action.

• The player may only use the timers from that unit's army. A unit can be assigned any timer (30-, 60-, or 90-second) for any action, except for the blue-capped 30-second timers. These timers may only be assigned to Spell Card Actions.

• Timers are always placed right next to the unit that took the action so as to be immediately obvious to all players which timer is assigned to which unit, with the exception of the blue-capped 30-second timers which are placed directly on top of the Spell Card. Timers are never placed on top of the unit's stack of tokens.

It is important to note that the timer is placed after the action has been completed. This may feel counter-intuitive to players who are used to paying up front for an ability. In WarTime, a player may not begin any other action until they have completely resolved the current action. Therefore, the timer is activated only after the resolution to encourage the player to resolve their action as quickly as possible.

Basic Actions

There are two basic actions that are available to all units: Move and Attack.

Move

A player may move an available unit at any time, provided the player has an available timer to assign to the unit. To perform a Move Action, a player must follow these steps in order:

1. Announce which of their units is moving and the number of spaces it will move.

   For example, "Archer moves 3 spaces."

2. Lift the moving unit off the board and promptly place it on the board in its new position. The unit is considered "active" at this point.

3. Place an available timer on the board next to the moving unit and activate it by flipping it to start its sand draining. The timer is considered "active" at this point.

Movement Restrictions

• A unit may use a number of Movement Points (MP) up to its Speed value. Most spaces require 1 MP to enter the space. Some spaces with certain Terrain Tiles require 2 MP to enter, while others simply cannot be entered.
• No more than one unit may occupy a space at any time.
• A unit cannot move through a space occupied by any other unit.
• Once a unit is picked up to move, the player must assign a timer to the unit, even if the unit is put back in its original space without actually "moving" it.

Attack

A player may attack with an available unit at any time, provided the player has an available timer to assign to the unit. To perform an Attack Action, a player must follow these steps in order:

1. Determine the range to the target.

2. Determine the amount of damage the attacking unit deals at that range.

3. Announce which of their units is attacking, which enemy unit will be targeted and the amount of damage that will be dealt to the defending unit.

   For example, "Man-at-Arms attacks Orc for 4 damage."

4. Remove the appropriate amount of damage for that range from the targeted unit. The attacking unit is considered "active" at this point.

5. Place an available timer on the board next to the attacking unit and activate it by flipping it to start its sand draining. The timer is considered "active" at this point.

Types of Attacks

There are 2 different types of attacks that can be made: Melee and Distance.

MELEE attacks are represented by a number inside of a circle. The number inside the circle is the amount of damage the unit deals at that range.

DISTANCE attacks are represented by a number inside of a diamond. The number inside the diamond is the amount of damage the unit deals at that range.

If there is a dash (-) inside a gray circle or a gray diamond, that means that the unit cannot attack at that Range.

It is possible for a single unit to have the capability of making both types of attacks.

For example, the Giant may attack at Range 1 with a melee attack, or at Range 3 with a distance attack.

It is also important to note that not all attacks made by a Ranged unit are Distance attacks. All attacks made by every unit at Range 1 are Melee attacks.

Determining Range to a Target

When determining the range to the target, a player must count the number of "clear" spaces between the attacking and defending units, including the space that the defending unit is physically in, but not the space that the attacking unit is in. It is important to note that the defending unit does not need to be in a clear space to be attacked. Only the spaces between the attacking and defending units need to be clear.

A "clear" space is a space that does not contain a unit, a Terrain Feature, or a Terrain Tile that blocks line-of-sight. Units cannot make any attacks through other units, Terrain Features, or Terrain Tiles that block line-of-sight.

Line-of-Sight

The common notion of "line-of-sight" that exists in other war games does not appear in WarTime. Players always count along the shortest possible legal path, even if it's not in a straight line. Any path through clear spaces would be considered a legal path, even if you have to count around an obstacle, i.e. a Terrain Tile, a unit, etc.

If you can count the range to your target through clear spaces, then you can attack it. By counting around terrain and other units, the range to the target will increase. Since most units deal less damage at longer range, this mechanic accounts for the difficulty of "shooting through" obstacles while keeping the rule simple and quick: "always count range through clear spaces."

You may not count any spaces with terrain that block line-of-sight when counting in this way except for the Terrain Tile containing your target. Also, you cannot count spaces occupied by another unit, whether friend or foe, unless the space contains your target.

It is very important to note that players cannot purposefully "increase" the range by counting extra spaces that are not along the shortest path.

Damage

After you have determined the range to the target, you must determine how much damage the unit deals at that range. The damage is a number of tokens equal to the number in the attacking unit's white circle or diamond for that range, minus any penalties for Terrain Effects. An attacking unit may deal different amounts of damage at different ranges. If there is no number present for a given range, the unit cannot attack at that range.

After declaring the attack, the unit deals damage to the target by removing the appropriate number of tokens from the target unit's stack.

For example, the player announced, "Man-at-Arms attacks Orc for 4 damage." The player then removes 4 tokens from the Orc's stack, leaving only 2 tokens left in the stack.

(Range example diagram: In this example, the Goblin decides which enemy unit to attack and counts the range to all 3. The Man-at-Arms and the Knight are both 3 spaces away, and the Archer is 2 spaces away. In this case, the Woods space between the Goblin and the Man-at-Arms is not clear and must be counted around, but the River space does not block Line-of-Sight to the Knight, so it IS counted. The Woods space that the Archer is in is also counted, because a unit may be attacked if it is in a Woods space.)

Card Actions

There are 3 types of Card Actions that are available in WarTime: Standard Card Actions, Heroic Card Actions and Spell Card Actions. It is important to note that if the text on any Action or Spell card differs with a specific rule of the game, the text on the card takes precedence over the rule.

Each scenario will list the number (and potentially the selection) of action cards a player may use in that scenario.

Standard Card Action

A player may use a Standard Card Action with an available unit at any time, provided the player has an available timer to assign to the unit. Standard Action cards typically allow a unit to make a modified version of a basic action (move or attack). Follow the specific rules for the indicated action as modified by the card.

Some cards specify that only certain types of units are eligible to perform the Standard Action indicated on the card. The restrictions can either specify a unit type (such as Pikeman or Crossbowman) or a keyword (such as Infantry or Ranged). Only units with the specified traits can use the action of the card.

You may only play one Standard Action card at a time. You must fully resolve the text of the card before you can take any other actions.

Each Standard Action card may only be used once per game and must be discarded after use.

To perform a Standard Card Action, a player must follow these steps in order:

1. Announce the name of the card and which of their units will take the action.

2. Resolve the action listed on the card. If the action augments an attack or a move, follow the appropriate Attack or Move Action rules above with the changes listed on the Standard Action card. The unit that is taking the action is considered "active" at this point.

   For example: A Man-at-Arms moves into a Plains space after passing through 2 Woods spaces using an "Advance" Standard Action card. The "Advance" card allows the Man-at-Arms to move at speed 3, instead of his normal 2, and allows him to ignore the terrain penalty and move into the Woods spaces at a MP cost of 1 each (the same MP cost to enter the Plains space), instead of the normal 2 MP it costs to enter a Woods space.

3. Place an available timer on the board next to the unit that took the Card Action and activate it by flipping it to start its sand draining. The timer is considered "active" at this point.

4. Discard the used Standard Action card.

Heroic Card Action

A Heroic Card Action follows the same rules as a Standard Card Action with the following exception: only a Hero Unit may use the corresponding Heroic Actions.

Spell Card Action

A player may use a Spell Card Action with an available Magic Unit at any time, provided the player has an available Spell timer (i.e. a blue 30-second timer) to assign to the Spell card. Unlike other actions, a Spell Card Action only requires that the available Spell timer is assigned to the Spell card. No timer is assigned to the Magic unit or the target unit(s), unless otherwise stated on the Spell card.

Spell Card Actions typically allow a unit to make a modified version of a basic action (move or attack). Follow the specific rules for the indicated action as modified by the Spell card.

Spell Card Action (continued)

Some Spell cards specify that only certain types of units are eligible targets of the Spell Action indicated on the card. The restrictions can either specify a unit type (such as Pikeman or Crossbowman) or a keyword (such as Infantry or Ranged). Only units with the specified traits can be targeted by the card.

A player may only use one Spell Card Action at a time. The player must fully resolve the text on the card before taking any other actions. Since each player has only 1 spell timer, a player cannot initiate another Spell Card Action until their spell timer becomes available.

Each Spell card may only be used once per game and must be discarded after use. A used Spell card is discarded once the timer that was assigned to it runs out.

To perform a Spell Card Action, a player must follow these steps in order:

1. Announce the name of the card and declare any targeted units, then follow the instructions on the card. A spell must have legal targets in order to be played.

2. Resolve the action listed on the card. If the action augments an attack or a move, follow the appropriate Attack or Move Action rules above with the changes listed on the Spell card.

3. If applicable, place an available timer on the board next to the targeted unit and activate it by flipping it to start its sand draining. This is only done if specified on the Spell card. The timer is considered "active" at this point.

   For example: A Shaman uses a "Control" Spell Action to move his opponent's Man-at-Arms 2 spaces. Unlike a basic Move Action, no timer is set for the unit that was moved.

4. Place the Spell card face up beside the board and place an available Spell timer on the Spell card on the circle in the lower right-hand corner of the card and activate it by flipping it to start its sand draining. The spell timer is considered "active" at this point.

Special Actions

Some units have a special ability called Charge which is a Move, followed immediately by an Attack at Range 1, together as one action (normally, Attack and Move are separate actions). The Charge special ability is shown on the Unit Token with a number in a tan circle that is attached to a tan Charge icon to the left of the center hole.

Charge

A player may Charge with an available unit that has the Charge Special Ability at any time, provided the player has an available timer to assign to the charging unit. When performing a Charge Action, a player must follow these steps in order:

1. Announce which of their units is charging, which enemy unit will be targeted by the Charge attack and the amount of damage that will be dealt to the defending unit.

   For example, "Orc charges Pikeman for 2 damage."

2. Lift the charging unit off the board and promptly place it on the board in its new position adjacent to the defending unit. The charging unit is considered "active" at this point.

3. Remove the appropriate amount of damage for the charge from the targeted unit. The damage done by this attack is the value listed in the tan circle on the Unit Token and not the damage listed for the melee attack.

4. Place an available timer on the board next to the charging unit and activate it by flipping it to start its sand draining. The timer is considered "active" at this point.

(Token diagram: a Valyance Man-at-Arms and a Firebrand Orc each show the Charge special ability in a tan circle; a Death Lords Necromancer token shows no Charge ability.)

(Charge examples, shown as Move and Attack diagrams: In the first, the Man-at-Arms uses the Charge Special Action properly to move 1 space and then attack the Goblin for 1 damage. In the second, the Man-at-Arms cannot use the Charge Special Action because the Man-at-Arms began the action adjacent to the Goblin.)

Charge Restrictions

• The charging unit uses its normal speed for the movement part of the Charge Special Action and follows the same movement restrictions as a basic Move Action.
• A unit must move at least 1 space in order to use the Charge special ability.
• A unit cannot use the "Charge" special ability against an enemy unit that is adjacent to it at the start of the action, i.e. the charging unit must begin the charge from at least 2 spaces away from the defending unit.

Timing Disputes

Each action has a specific physical trigger that indicates when the action begins. If there is a dispute between the timing of 2 actions, the action whose physical trigger occurred first is the action that takes precedence over the other action. In some cases, this might prevent a second action from starting.

A "move" is considered to happen at the moment the controlling player moves the unit out of its space or lifts the unit off the board in order to move it.

An "attack" is considered to happen at the moment the controlling player removes Unit Tokens from the enemy unit as damage.

Therefore, if an attack is declared, but the defending unit begins its move before the attacking player removes the damage tokens, no damage is dealt to the defending unit for that attack. The attacking unit will not have a timer assigned to it, because the attack did not begin.

For example: A Man-at-Arms wants to attack a Goblin, but the Goblin wants to move away. The Goblin's player picked up the Goblin before the Man-at-Arms' player was able to remove any damage tokens, so no damage was dealt to the Goblin. Only the Goblin would need to be assigned a timer as normal, because the Man-at-Arms never actually began the attack.

Conversely, if a move is declared, but the attacking player begins their attack (i.e. removes damage tokens from the moving unit) prior to the unit being moved (or lifted off the board), the moving unit must wait until the damage from the attack is removed before it may begin its move (if possible) and assign its timer.

For example: A Man-at-Arms wants to attack a Goblin, but the Goblin wants to move away. The Man-at-Arms' player was able to remove the damage tokens before the Goblin's player picked up the Goblin, thus killing it. The Man-at-Arms is assigned a timer as normal at the end of this encounter, but no timer would be activated for the Goblin as the move action never actually began.

Since the Charge Action has two distinct steps that must be resolved in sequence (move then attack), it is possible for the intended target of the Charge Action to move out of range as the charging unit is resolving the movement part of the Charge Action.

In this case, the Charge damage is only dealt if the defending unit is adjacent to the attacking unit at the end of the movement part AND if the attacking player can remove the damage tokens from the defending unit's stack before the defending unit begins its move. If the defending unit begins its move before the attacking player removes any damage tokens, it can move away without taking the charge damage. The charging unit would still have a timer assigned to it if it completed the movement part of the Charge Action, but did not deal any damage.

For Card Actions, follow the timing rules for the most closely related Basic or Special Action as above. If the Card Action is not an attack or a move, it is considered to begin when either damage tokens are removed OR a unit, card or timer is moved or picked up.

Game End

Once one of the victory conditions for the scenario is met, the game ends immediately.

Optional Rules

Set Up

At the start of the game, after the players agree on a scenario to play, they set up the game board as normal except that their unit stacks are not placed on the board as shown in the scenario. The unit stacks are set to the side of the board. The action cards from which the players may choose are similarly gathered and set next to the board.

When both players are ready, one player flips the 2 minute timer, and both players have 2 minutes to put their units on the game board along the back edge of the board, and also to make their selection of Action cards.

Any units not on the board by the end of that time may not take part in the battle.

Any Action Cards not selected by the end of that time may not be used in the battle.

During that time, players are free to adjust the starting locations of their units according to how they see their opponent deploying their forces. At the end of the 2 minutes, however, all units will be locked in place until the game itself actually begins.

Once the board and the armies are set up, the players should agree on a signal to start play (typically a handshake). Once the signal is given, the game begins immediately.

Action Cards

In a typical scenario, both players get an identical set of Standard Action cards before the game begins and then, during the two-minute setup period, they secretly select three cards to use during the game. In casual games, it can be fun to deal five cards at random and choose three to use.