Battles of Westeros: Lords of the River
Battles of Westeros: Lords of the River Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- This Rules and Battle Plans Book
- 32 Plastic Figures, consisting of:
- 9 Tully River Riders (tan)
- 12 Tully Longbowmen (tan)
- 8 Warriors of Wayfarer's Rest (tan)
- 3 Unique Tully Commanders (dark grey)
- 32 Green Figure Bases, consisting of:
- 22 Square Bases
- 10 Rectangular Bases
- 12 Plastic Banner Poles
- 2 Stickered Flag Sheets
- 30 Cards, consisting of:
- 3 Commander Cards
- 15 Leadership Cards
- 3 Unit Reference Cards
- 1 Skirmish Summary Card
- 6 Skirmish Setup Cards
- 2 Gambit Cards
- 12 Map Overlay Pieces
- 3 Commander Discs
- 7 Merchant Wagon Tokens
- 3 Outpost Position Tokens
- 3 Hidden Ford Tokens
Your figures should fit into the included bases as shown below. It is recommended that players use a plastic glue when assembling their figures. This is to prevent figures coming apart during gameplay.
Using This Expansion
Battle plans dictate when the elements included in this expansion must be used. These elements function like their counterparts from the BOW core set. The exception is the Gambit cards that can be optionally used with any battle or skirmish.
Ally Armies
The term ally is given to any commander or unit that has a House symbol on its reference card that is not represented by a player's Command Board. Inside this box are ally forces from House Tully and its bannermen.
Ally armies allow players to augment their primary House with other Houses. A primary House is identified by the House symbol found on a player's Command Board. Allied units can be recognized by their tan color while commanders (dark grey) can be identified by the House symbol on their Commander cards.
Ally units utilize the banners showing their own House's symbol. If a player is using any allied forces, his opponent may not use units of the same ally.
Additionally, any given commander can only be fielded by one side in each battle or skirmish, regardless of their House affiliation.
In other respects, ally units and commanders function like their primary House counterparts.
Ally Leadership Cards
When building the Leadership Deck, follow all rules from the core set. The end result is a Leadership Deck in which some cards have different backs. After shuffling, a player using ally forces must have his opponent cut his deck.
Ally Skirmish Cards
Like the commander-specific Leadership cards, ally Skirmish cards have backs matching the ally House they represent.
After selecting a Skirmish Setup card, each player may select one set of ally Skirmish cards to play with in addition to their House's Skirmish cards. The player with momentum selects their ally Skirmish cards first.
When asked to select commanders, a player may select from all commanders belonging to his primary and/or ally House. Next, all Skirmish Setup cards (from both his primary and ally House) that were not chosen as commanders must be shuffled together to form one deck that will be used to select units and terrain. Cards are then drawn from the bottom of that deck when selecting units and terrain.
Skirmish Substitution Rule
When assembling your forces for a skirmish, a card may dictate that a player receives more troops of a particular type than are available. If this is the case, the player may use a unit of the same class from his primary House.
New Commanders
In order to give players more tactical options, this expansion includes three new Tully commanders that can be used with any House.
Each of these commanders has a new Commander card included in this box. There are also five commander-specific Leadership cards included for each commander that are used when that commander takes part in a battle (as per the BOW core game's "Rules of Play").
It is important to note that an ally army's commander-specific Leadership cards have different backs than a player's primary House. After shuffling Leadership cards, players using ally commanders should have their opponent cut their deck.
Edmure Tully
Edmure Tully holds court in Riverrun, the principal seat of the riverlands. Commanding the host of Riverrun, Edmure can be a valued ally when waging battles south of the swampy chokepoint known as the Neck.
Unit Ability: Tully loyalists unquestioningly follow the commands of Edmure, Lord of Riverrun. When ordered, Edmure can forego utilizing the order with his own unit and instead order an adjacent Tully unit (whether active or not) to move or attack. The ordered unit and Edmure's unit are both activated when this ability is used.
Commit Ability: Edmure also has the ability to call in a hail of arrows from Tully ranged units. Flip this card to target an enemy unit in Edmure's line of sight. Tully ranged units (whether active or not) within range of the target may make a single attack at one less attack die ignoring line of sight. Attacks are evaluated individually.
Brynden Tully
Brynden Tully, known as "The Blackfish," is a capable commander who utilizes his familiarity with his surroundings to his advantage. However, his command capability is slightly hampered since he is estranged from House Tully for his refusal to honor an order to marry.
Unit Ability: As a cavalry commander, Brynden can quickly maneuver his unit regardless of its previous formation. During the Command Phase, Brynden's unit may bypass normal movement rules and move through any friendly units, as long as his unit stops in an empty hex.
Commit Ability: Brynden is adept at using his own units to conceal his movement. Flip this card before moving. Brynden's unit gains an additional attack die for each friendly unit he has moved through this turn.
Marq Piper
Marq Piper, impetuous lord from Pinkmaiden Castle, has made a name for himself as a commander adept at hit-and-run tactics. But his brash nature and youthful arrogance keep him from being taken seriously by many troops, limiting his command effectiveness.
Unit Ability: Riverborn.
Commit Ability: Allies forged from a youth spent on the banks of the Trident and its tributaries allow Marq to move at speed along river hexes by commandeering river transport. Flip this card after Marq ends his movement adjacent to a river hex. Move his unit to any other empty hex adjacent to the same contiguous river.
New Units
House Tully special units can be used to surprise foes with new strengths and abilities.
Each unit comes with a Unit Reference card detailing the unit's abilities. These cards function like the Unit Reference cards in the BOW core set.
Tully River Riders
House Tully's river rider cavalry are primarily scouts who have grown up in the wetlands that make up the riverlands. As such, these Riverborn cavalry always have a chance to find hidden river crossings. However, once exposed, enemy forces can also exploit the passage.
Tully Longbowmen
Due to their extensive training and superior bows, longbowmen represent some of the most skilled and deadly ranged units in Westeros. Longbowmen from House Tully are especially adept at communicating with other units in the field. This allows them to have other units spot targets, enabling the longbowmen to fire at targets via Indirect fire. They also attack in concert with neighboring ranged units by way of a devastating Volley.
Warriors of Wayfarer's Rest
House Vance soldiers from their seat at Wayfarer's Rest have also become masters of hit-and-run tactics. While House Vance is not large enough to field an army on its own, they are sworn swords of the Tullys of Riverrun.
These warriors are Raiders that can mobilize at a moment's notice. This allows them to move swiftly and deal a quick blow, potentially stealing enemy resources.
New Keywords
Indirect Fire – Units with the indirect fire keyword can trace their line of sight from an adjacent friendly unit when attacking. However, range must still be counted from the attacking unit.
Raider – Units with the raider keyword may attempt to steal an opponent's order token. To do so, the raider unit's controller rolls a die after eliminating an enemy unit. If the result matches an order token his opponent has in his Order Pool, he may take the token from his opponent and place it in his own Order Pool.
Riverborn – During setup, if a player has at least one riverborn unit, he takes the "hidden ford" tokens and places them into his play area.
As part of their regular movement, units with the riverborn keyword are allowed to move into any river hex. When entering a river hex, the unit must immediately forfeit all remaining movement and place a hidden ford token on that specific river hex. Once all three hidden ford tokens have been placed, riverborn units may no longer enter river hexes. Riverborn units also always ignore the combat restrictions and movement restrictions of ford hexes (including hidden ford hexes).
Volley – Units with the volley keyword add +X dice when making a ranged attack where X equals the number of friendly ranged units (whether active or not) contiguously adjacent to the unit with the volley keyword.
New Terrain
Lords of the River includes the following four new types of terrain: marshes (first introduced in Wardens of the North), lakes, hidden fords, and outposts.
Marsh
Blocking Terrain: No
Movement: Units entering a marsh hex must stop. Units in a marsh hex may only move one hex or attack instead of having their normal order options.
Combat: Units in marsh hexes lose Stalwart. Ranged attacks targeting units in a marsh hex have their attack dice increased by one.
Burn: None
Special Rules: None
Lake
Blocking Terrain: No
Movement: Impassable
Combat: No combat restrictions
Burn: None
Special Rules: Cards that affect river hexes affect lake hexes as well.
Hidden Ford
This token is treated as a normal ford except that it can only be placed using the Riverborn keyword. They are differentiated by the unique Tully symbol located on their backs. No other House besides Tully can place hidden fords token, but once placed all units on the board from either side may cross the ford.
Outpost
The outpost marks the first type of terrain that a unit must choose how to use. Enclosed in the game are outpost position tokens. On one side of each token is the tower icon and on the other side is the barracks icon. (Both are described further below.)
When one of his units enters an outpost hex, the player takes an outpost position token and places it on the side that corresponds to the aspect of the terrain he wants his unit to utilize. In this case, a unit may take up a position in the tower itself or choose to take cover in the buildings surrounding the tower, the barracks.
If a unit leaves an outpost hex for any reason, the outpost position token is removed.
It is important to note that the statistics regarding blocking terrain, movement, and the Burn Limit remain unchanged no matter which side is chosen. Otherwise, a player should refer to the section that corresponds to the side of the outpost position token chosen.
Blocking Terrain: Yes - Elevated
Movement: Units entering an outpost hex must stop.
Burn: 4. After four fire levels, the outpost is destroyed. Place a devastation token on the outpost.
Special Rules: Outpost hexes with devastation tokens are treated as plains hexes.
Barracks Icon
Combat: Units in the outpost with the barracks icon faceup have Cover 1 unless they are engaged in combat and the engagement token shows their primary House's symbol.
Ranged attackers in an outpost hex with the barracks icon faceup roll a maximum of two combat dice.
Tower Icon
Combat: Units in the outpost with the tower icon faceup cannot attack with or be attacked by melee attacks.
Ranged attackers in an outpost hex with the tower icon faceup add one to their maximum range.
Targets in an outpost hex with the tower icon faceup cause the maximum range of attackers to be reduced by one.
A Ranged unit in an outpost hex with the tower icon faceup does not have its LOS blocked by blocking terrain (except Elevated) or other units.
A unit cannot retreat from an outpost hex with the tower icon faceup and takes one hit for each morale result rolled against it.
Cavalry units cannot use the tower icon side of the outpost position token.
Gambit Cards
Gambit cards provide an ability that the player with momentum can trigger by willingly turning momentum over to his opponent.
Prior to a battle or skirmish, each player secretly chooses a Gambit card matching his primary House or chosen allies to use during the game. Each player places the Gambit card facedown. When momentum is determined, the player with momentum turns his Gambit card faceup instead of taking the momentum token. The momentum token is not used and is left in the box.
If there is a tie for advantage, the player with the faceup Gambit card wins the tie.
During the game, the player with the faceup Gambit card may use the ability on the card. If he does so, he immediately turns his Gambit card facedown (as stated on the card's text). His opponent then turns his own Gambit card faceup. Momentum has changed hands, and now the other player has momentum and all the benefits associated with it (wins ties for advantage and may use his gambit ability).
The two House Tully Gambit cards found in this box function the same way as their counterparts except one can only be chosen if you are fielding at least one House Tully unit or commander.
A player with more than one House's Gambit cards to choose from still only selects one Gambit card.
Tully Gambit Cards (optional)
Gambit cards are optional cards that can be used instead of the momentum token from the BOW core set. Both players must agree to use this optional rule at the start of the game. Either both players use Gambit cards or neither of them do.
This expansion only provides Gambit cards for House Tully and each ally House may only be used by one player in each battle. Thus, additional Gambit cards (found in other BOW expansions) are required to use this option.
Battle Plan Numbers
Each battle plan has a unique number for ease of reference. This number precedes the title of the battle plan and marks the order of the battle plan's release in relation to battle plans for other products.
This product contains battle plans numbered 17 to 19.