Lords & Wizards
Lords & Wizards Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Technical Data for L&W World
- General Course of Play
- The Units
- The Mapsheet
- The Leaders
- 6 Gold Talents
- 7 Movement
- 8 Combat
- 9 Castles
- 10 City Defense
- 11 Legends
- 12 Common Knowledge
- 13 Hiring Units
- 14 Attrition
- 15 Game Turns and Game Length
- 16 How To Win
- 17 Income
- 18 When To Receive GTs
- 19 Diplomacy
- 20 Alignments
- 21 Magical Items
- 22 Monsters
- 23 How To Start the Game
- 24 Summary and Conclusion
- Advanced Game
- Optional Rules
- Designer's Notes
- Charts and Tables
Introduction
Lords and Wizards is probably unlike any other game you have ever bought. It is a game of two to six players, each player being represented by a leader in the game. Players must decide before the game starts whether to be a Lord or Wizard. In addition, a player must also decide whether his leader is to follow Order, Neutrality, or Chaos. These three alignments determine the type of leader, and what that leader can do during the game.
Each leader receives a few army forces, referred to as "units", and these forces are represented by the die-cut playing pieces included in the game. A leader also receives money in the form of "Gold Talents", or GTs, with which he must pay his troops and bargain with cities, monsters, or other leaders. Leaders who are wealthy will find that they have more power in the game, while those who are not must try to ally themselves with those who are powerful. A leader gains money by receiving taxes from cities which he controls. He may attempt to gain more money through the dangerous task of doubling or even tripling taxes, chancing a rebellion.
As the game goes on, players find themselves allying and breaking alliances according to how the game is going. A powerful army may be defeated by two or three lesser ones, or it may dwindle through lack of money. Knowing when to "go it" along (and when not to) is part of the game.
In each city is a "legend", unknown to the players until investigated. In some cases these legends are monsters who help defend the city from attack. In others, these legends are magical items of great value, giving their owners advantages in combat or other situations. Sometimes, a legend will be just that--a legend, with no real substance. Players attempt to gain magical items and conquer cities, eventually becoming so powerful that they may defeat all other leaders to win the game.
Included with this rules section is an explanation of the design of the game and its world--how The World was formed and where the various races came from. It is a fantastic story, based partly on the imagination of the author and partly on the imagination of the reader. Those playing L&W should keep an open mind on the various fantastic aspects of the game; like any other game you have ever played, L&W requires imagination, thought, skill, and a little bit of luck.
A final word on how to read the rules and the three games included: If you have never played a game like this before, we suggest you read the Basic Game rules through once, skimming through the parts that interest you. Then read the rules again carefully, mastering each concept before going on to the next. Don't let the quantity of rules frighten you. When you're pretty sure that you understand the Basic Game, play a game. You've already mastered 4/5ths of L&W when you play your first game. After that, you should go on to the Advanced Game and then to the Optionals Game for the utmost in enjoyment and realism.
Technical Data for L&W World
| Type | Being | Life Expectancy | Habitat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon, Gold | ? | ? | Mountains |
| Dragon, Silver | ? | ? | Woods |
| Dragon, Red | ? | ? | Mountains |
| Dragon, Purple | ? | ? | Deserts |
| Dragon, Black | ? | ? | Swamps |
| Elf | 250 years | Woods | |
| Dwarf |
Unit composition (from the Technical Data):
- Man, Heavy Horse (7-5-6): 1000 men, sword and plate armor; 1000 large warhorses, barding
- Man, Medium Horse (5-4-8): 1000 men, sword and chain armor; 1000 warhorses, partial barding
- Man, Light Horse (3-3-10): 1000 men, lance and leather armor; 1000 horses
- Man, Heavy Infantry (5-4-3): 1000 men, sword and chainmail
- Man, Light Infantry (4-3-3): 1000 men, sword and leather armor
- Man, Bowmen (2-2-4): 1000 men, long bow and leather armor
- Man, Crossbowmen (4-2-4): 1000 men, crossbows and leather armor
- Elf, Light Horse (3-3-10): 750 elves, lance and leather armor; 750 horses
- Elf, Bow (4-2-4): 750 elves, elf bow and leather armor
- Elf, Infantry (4-4-4): 800 elves, sword and leather armor
- Orc, Heavy Infantry (5-5-3): 1000 Orcs, sword and leather
- Orc, Light Infantry (3-3-3): 1000 Orcs, short sword and leather
- Orc, Bow (3-3-3): 1000 Orcs, short bow and leather
- Dwarf, Heavy Infantry (5-6-2): 500 Dwarves, warhammer and chain
- Dwarf, Light Infantry (4-5-2): 500 Dwarves, axe and leather
- Ent (7-8-2): A group of Ents from 2 to 20
- Roc (5-5-16): A flock from 100 to 200
- Narque (3-7-12): A flock from 100 to 200
- Skorre (4-4-16): A flock from 100 to 200
- Giant (7-7-4): 4 to 12. Warhammer, sword, axe, plate armor, bow
- Troll (8-6-4): 30 to 60. Swords
Race stat lines (from the race descriptions): Golden Dragon (15-15-8); Silver Dragon (9-12-8); Red Dragon (12-12-8); Green Dragon (9-12-8); Purple Dragon (9-9-8); Black Dragon (6-9-8); Ent (7-8-2); Roc (5-5-16); Skorre (4-4-16); Narque (3-7-12); Troll (8-6-4); Giant (7-7-4); Dwarf Heavy Infantry (5-6-2) and Light Infantry (4-5-2); Orc Heavy Infantry (5-5-3), Light Infantry (3-3-3), Bow (3-3-3); Elf Bow (4-2-4), Infantry (4-4-4), Horse (3-3-10); Man Infantry (4-3-3), Heavy Infantry (5-4-3), Horse (5-4-8) and (7-5-6), Bowmen (2-2-4), Light Horse (3-3-10), Crossbowmen (4-2-4).
The "First Order" units in the game represent ONE dragon. The Purple/Black units represent 2-4 Dragon teams.
Magic in the World (rules content): Each race except Man has a SwordBane. When the races were created, each race was granted a Sword, which reflected the strengths and weaknesses of the race. Man does not have a SwordBane because he is such a diversified race (the only one to have Order, Neutrality, and Chaos as the race's alignments), and because he lives by the code of the Sword, and thus the effects of one particular sword is lessened. In the game, the Swords of Ordered races are ChaosBanes, and vice versa. No race would permit the capture of its Sword purposely, and therefore would only use a Sword against a race of opposite alignment. Since a Sword is deadliest against the race it represents, these magical weapons became known as the SwordBanes.
General Course of Play
L&W is divided up into years and months. Each year is nine months long, and each month is two turns. A turn is made up of the actions of all the players. In a turn, a player who is said to go first may move all, some, or none of his units, restricted only by the rules limitations. After movement, combat takes place. No other player may move or have combat while a player moves and has combat. When a player states that his turn is done, the next player to move does so. When all players have completed their turns, the "Turn" has ended and the next turn begins. For easy reference, the turns have been divided up into "Phases", such as the movement phase, the combat phase, etc.
The Units
L&W is played with army forces, called "units". Each unit is represented by a die-cut counter playing piece, included in the game. Each unit has printed on it certain information useful to the players. Below is a summary of the unit types which players should know or at least be familiar with:
- Dragon (letter indicates color)
- Light Cavalry
- Medium Cavalry
- Roc, Skorre, or Narque
- Heavy Cavalry
- Orcish or Elvish army-use in place of large stack
- Light Infantry
- Dwarvish
- Heavy Infantry
- City Defense (CD)
- Fleet
- Giant
- Letter next to symbol indicates alignment (control)
- Marker of Magic
- Doubled Tax marker (x2)
- Magic Item marker
- Legend
- Monster "A"
Explanation of Units
Each unit has certain information useful to the players printed on the counter. Below is an explanation for each number, letter, or symbol. The effect of each will be explained in greater detail later on in the rules.
- Type (for example, Heavy Infantry)
- Movement Allowance
- Defense Strength
- Attack Strength
3a.1 Definition of Terms
Attack Strength: The relative attack strength of a unit. A unit with attack strength of "4" can attack with more strength than a unit with an attack strength of "2".
Defense Strength: Concept is similar to attack strength. The defense strength is representative of the ability for a unit to defend itself. Thus, a unit with DS of "3" is better than one with a DS of "2".
Movement Allowance: The total number of Movement Points (MPs) that a unit may expend in one turn. MPs are not transferable, nor may they be "stored" from one turn to another. A unit does not have to move its full movement allowance in a turn, though it has that option. In fact, a unit need not move at all.
3a.11 Abbreviations
Attack Strength Points: Attack strength is measured in Attack Strength Points, hereafter referred to as ASPs. A unit with an attack strength of "3" is said to have 3 ASPs.
Defense Strength Points: Defense Strength is measured in Defense Strength points, hereafter referred to as DSPs. A unit with a defense strength of "6" is said to have 6 DSPs.
3b Non-Combat Units
Included in the counter set are counters which are not army forces. These are various bookkeeping pieces or other things included in the game. For example, castles do not have a movement factor or ASPs/DSPs, but they do play a part in the game. A "x2" counter, for example, refers to taxing and is not used in the Basic Game.
3c Fleet Counters
The "0-4-16" counters included in the game represent fleets of ships. They are used in both the basic and advanced game, though the rules for their use are different. In addition, the advanced game uses the warfleet counters.
*Transport fleets are not really units by themselves; they must be carrying other land units. This will be explained later on in the rules.
3d Air Movement
Some units can move by air. The units capable of air movement are Rocs, Narques, Skorres, and all types of Dragons. They are the only units able to do so, and the rules for air movement will be explained in greater detail.
The Mapsheet
The Mapsheet is the playing area of the game, much like a chessboard for chess. It represents a continent known as "The World", which has varied terrain including Mountains, Rivers, etc. Players attempt to maneuver their forces over this terrain which is regulated into hexagons (hexes). The mapsheet has cities, roads, villages, and other terrain which affect movement of units. The mapsheet is where combat takes place. It is the central point of the game.
4a Terrain
There are varied types of terrain on the mapsheet. Each of these terrains may affect the movement of a unit in one way or another. As explained in the movement rules, terrain may slow down or speed up the movement of a unit. Terrain represents nothing more than the facts that troops move faster on roads than in mountains, or deserts are harder to walk through than fields.
4a.1 The Cities
Throughout the continent of L&W, there are cities with various names. Each city has a wealth status, represented by the number beneath the city's name. In some instances, cities are ports on the coast or on rivers. Occasionally, cities are the adjoining hexes between large islands and the mainland. Note that the names are not important for the Basic Game other than the start rules explained later on in greater detail.
4a.2 The Villages
There are many villages in The World. Each of these villages has a wealth status of 1. None of them have any kind of defensive units or give advantage to defending units.
The Leaders
There are 12 leader counters in all, 6 Lords and 6 Wizards. 2 are of the same color. Before the game begins, all players must decide whether they wish to be a Lord or a Wizard. If there are more than six players in the game, players must themselves determine how to decide which type of leader they are to be. Following is a detailed explanation of the importance of leaders in L&W.
5a The Lords
Lords are men of royalty or high position who have trained and become experts in the art of fighting and leading troops. They are often leaders of their own royal armies, and are rulers of empires. Lords gain experience quickly, and therefore go up levels faster than do Wizards. (See levels).
5a.1 How Lords Go Up Levels
Lords may go up levels by commanding troops and by winning battles. All Lords start out at level 1; players must keep a record of what level their Lord is at. A Lord goes up a level when:
a) an attrition phase or upkeep phase is finished b) he wins a Lord vs. Lord engagement
How both of these are accomplished is explained later.
5a.2 Initial Income of Lords
All Lords start out with the same number of GTs and troops. At the start of the game, each Lord starts out with 120 GTs and 3 Light Infantry Men (4-3-3) of the same alignment (see below).
In addition, all Lords start out in a city with a castle. What city a Lord starts out with is determined by the How To Start rules.
5a.3 Leader Units (Lords)
Lords by themselves are 0-0-10 units. If attacked by enemy units, they are eliminated (In Basic Game only). If a player's leader is eliminated, that player is lost from the game. This does not apply, obviously, to players who own two or more leaders.
5b The Wizards
Wizards are men who are learned in the arts of magic. They are leaders of selected troops who are loyal to that Wizard. They are very powerful in The World, but because of the difficulty of using magic, they progress upwards in levels more slowly than do Lords. A Wizard who refrains from using magic in battles and still wins will gain experience. Wizards often affect the outcome of combat.
5b.1 How Wizards Go Up Levels
Wizards may go up levels by studying magic or by defeating enemy Wizards in magical combat. All Wizards start at level 1; players must keep record of what level their Wizard is at. A Wizard goes up one level when:
a) He spends four consecutive turns in a city or ruins hex. He may neither engage in combat of any kind, nor hire units. If for any reason he does not spend four consecutive turns studying magic, he cannot increase a level. b) He wins a battle in Wizard vs. Wizard magical combat. How this is achieved is explained later in the rules.
5b.2 Initial Income of Wizards
All Wizards start out with the same number of GTs and troops. At the start of the game, each Wizard starts out with 75 GTs and 2 Crossbowmen Man units of the same alignment.
In addition, all Wizards start out in a city with a castle. Which city a Wizard starts out at is determined by the How To Start rules.
5b.3 Leader Units (Wizards)
As stated in 5a.3, the same restrictions also apply to Wizards.
5c Alignment of Leaders
Before play begins, each Lord or Wizard must decide what alignment he is to be. He has a choice between ORDER, NEUTRALITY, or CHAOS. Players should note that there are differences between the three, and that there are restrictions upon each alignment. Once a leader has chosen an alignment, he may not change it for the rest of the game. Note that there are two sets provided for each alignment; hence, in the six player game, there can only be two players of any one alignment.
6 Gold Talents
Gold Talents, abbreviated GTs, are the money unit of the game. Players must keep a record of how many GTs they own by use of the GT track, explained shortly. Players may use GTs for fielding of units and other things not used in the basic game.
6a The GT Track
The GT track is the place where a record of GTs owned is kept. A player will notice that there are three rows marked with spaces 0-9, 00-90, and 000-900. Included in the die-cut counter sets are counters marked GT. Take one of each of the same color, and place them down on the correct matching spaces on the GT track. Let us assume that player "x" has 142 GTs. He places one counter on the space marked 100. He then places a second counter on the space marked 40. He finally puts the third counter on the space marked 2. Altogether, he has 100+40+2=142. In other words, the player must put the counter on the correct numerical space. Note that if a player has no GTs left, he puts all three counters on the 0 slots.
6a.1 Income and Current Wealth
The GT track signifies only the current amount of money possessed by the leader. This is different than income, which is the amount of money a leader receives each turn. Players must keep record of income separately (See Income rules).
6b Expending GTs
Each time a player uses up GTs for various reasons, he must subtract the amount he is spending from the amount he has on the track.
For example: A player with 79 GTs who expends 47 must have his track reset to 32. He takes the "tens" counter from 70 and places it on the 30 space. He takes the "ones" counter from 9 and places it on the 2 space.
6c Gaining GTs
Each time a player gains GTs, he must add the amount gained to the amount he has on the track. For example: A player with 79 GTs who gains 47 must reset to 126. He takes the "ones" counter from 9 and moves it to the 6 space. He takes the "tens" counter from the 70 space and moves it back to the 20 space. He takes the "hundreds" counter from the 000 space and moves it to the 100 space.
7 Movement
Movement is most important in L&W. Players should know this section above all, for without it they cannot play the game. Movement is the act of moving a unit from one hex to another. In the movement phase, a player may move all, some, or none of his units in the game. He may move them in any fashion he desires, so long as he keeps within the limitations of the rules. Movement is never mandatory.
7a How To Move Units
Put simply, a player moves a unit one hex by picking up the counter and moving it to the next hex. This act uses up one Movement Point (MP). The player may continue to move the unit, one hex at a time, but each time it moves a hex, it uses up a MP. A player may not move a unit any more than that unit's movement allowance. Hence, if a movement allowance is four, the player may move that unit up to 4 hexes. The path of movement can be any way desired, and it may criss-cross or double-back. It does not have to be in a straight line. Furthermore, a unit does not have to move all its MPs in one turn, nor does it have to move at all! However, units may not store MPs from one turn to the next, nor can they ever go more hexes than is allowed by their Movement Allowance. This is very important, and players are requested to understand this rule fully before going on to the next rules section.
7a.1 Restrictions of Movement
No unit may ever enter a hex which already contains an enemy unit. An enemy unit is defined as any unit not controlled by the player who is moving. Friendly units (those controlled by the player and of the same color) may pass freely through the hex of other friendly units, and they may stop on the hex of other friendly units.
7a.2 Stacking
An unlimited number of friendly units may be in the same hex at the end of a player's movement phase. A player may not stack his units with those of other players.
7b Terrain Restrictions
In rule 7a, players were told that each hex moved cost 1 MP. In clear terrain this is true. However, there is terrain on the map which costs more than 1 MP to enter. For example, to enter a Woods hex, a unit must use up 2 MPs, which is exactly the same as traveling through 2 Clear hexes. A player may combine movement through varied terrain, but he must always keep in mind how much of his movement allowance remains. For example:
A "3-3-10" Light Horse unit enters two clear terrain hexes, a mountain hex, a desert hex, four road hexes, and a woods hex. The initial allowance is 10 MPs. The first two clear hexes cost 2 MPs, leaving 8 MPs. The mountain hex costs 3 MPs, leaving 5 MPs. The desert hex costs 2 MPs, leaving 3 MPs. The first road hex costs 1 MP (SEE ROADS), so 2 MPs are left. The three road hexes cost 1/2 each, or 1 1/2 total MPs, so the unit has a 1/2 MP left. The woods hex costs 2 MPs, more than the unit can afford to give. Therefore the unit cannot enter the woods hex this turn, and unless it can expend the 1/2 MP left over, its movement has ended for that turn. The TEC, or Terrain Effects Chart, lists all the costs of each terrain on the map. Players should keep this TEC out until they become familiar with the costs of movement through terrain.
7b.1 Roads
The solid black lines are roads. Roads cost 1/2 MP to move through per hex, so that using up 1 MP can move the unit two road hexes. However, in order to use this faster road movement, a unit must enter from an adjoining road hex. In other words, moving on the same road gives the unit road advantage, but entering the road hex from different terrain costs more. If a unit in a mountain hex wants to move to another mountain hex with a road in it, the move will cost him 3 MPs, because this is the normal cost of moving into a mountain hex. In other words, when entering a road for the first time, ignore the road and use up MPs according to the terrain in the hex.
7b.2 Trails
The dotted black lines are trails. Trails cost 1 MP to move on, but this is regardless of terrain! In other words, a mountain hex with a trail in it costs 1 MP to move in. However, like roads (7b.1), the unit using the trail must have come from the adjoining road/trail hex. If this is not the case, then the cost of entering the hex is the usual cost of the terrain in the hex, ignoring the trail. For example:
A "4-4-4" unit is in a woods hex. It enters another woods hex, using up 2 MPs. It has two left. It enters a wood hex and trail, but because it did not come from the trail, it must still expend 2 MPs. It can now use the trail, except that it has 0 MPs! Next turn, it may use the 1 MP trail advantage right away.
7b.3 Rivers
Unlike the other terrains, rivers are not a hex to be entered. Since rivers are on the hexsides, they must be crossed to get from one hex to the next. Crossing rivers takes time, and therefore costs an extra 2 MPs to cross. This is in addition to the cost of the hex entered.
For example: A "5-4-8" unit is in a woods hex. It moves to a woods hex and trail, which uses up 2 MPs. It now has 6 MPs left. It moves into two trail hexes, using up another 2 MPs. It now has 4 left. It enters a clear terrain hex, which costs 1 MP. It now has 3 left. It wants to cross a river and enter a woods hex, but because this would cost 2+2=4, it may not cross and enter this turn. If it cannot or does not want to use up the remaining 3 MPs, its movement has ended. This is always true; if a unit does not have enough MPs to both cross the river and move into a hex, it may not cross the river nor enter the hex. (Exception: 7b.5)
7b.31 Bridges
When a road or trail crosses over a river, there is a bridge. On the TEC, the bridge is said to use up +0 MPs. This means that crossing the river through that particular hexside uses up no extra MPs. If the hex the unit is in is the road going across the river and the hex it enters is the same road after the river, then this is true. For example:
A "3-3-3" unit is in a desert hex. It moves to a road and clear hex, which costs 2 MPs. It has 2 left. It moves through two road hexes, using up another 1 MP. It has 1 MP left. It crosses a river by bridge. It enters the road hex and moves another road hex, using up its remaining MP. It has ended movement for this turn.
7b.4 Coastal Movement
Units may move from coastal hex to coastal hex with no additional movement cost. Units may NOT, however, move from one coastal hex to another IF there is a (black) "squiggly" line between the hex the unit is in and the hex it wishes to enter. Of course, if the coastal borders are connected by roads, cities, or by being in the same hex, movement is permitted. If the units are moving by sea, then these restrictions obviously do not apply (See Sea Movement). Restrictions do not apply to air units, either.
7b.5 Movement in a Turn
A unit which does not have enough MPs to move into a certain hex may not do so unless that is the only movement of its turn. In other words, any unit may always move at least one hex, unless movement into that hex is strictly forbidden by the rules. For example:
A "2-2-4" unit wants to cross a river and move into a mountain hex. Normally, this would cost 2+3=5 MPs, more than the unit can afford. However, since it is the only movement that the unit will do in that particular turn, it is permitted. The unit may not have moved prior to that in the same turn, nor may it move after entry into the mountain hex. It ends all movement for this turn upon entering the mountain hex.
7b.6 Cities and Villages
Cities are considered to be road hexes, and therefore extend 1/2 MP cost to any unit entering the hex. No matter which hex the unit came from to enter the city, it only costs 1/2 MP to enter it. Villages are merely crossroads, however, and normal restrictions apply there.
7b.61 Unconquered Cities
Those cities that still have unconquered legends (See Legends) must be unconquered. No unit may pass through an unconquered city or stop in the hex. If a city does not have a legend, it may be passed through as would a normal city. If there are enemy units in the city, then a unit would not be allowed to pass through or stop in the hex as per rule 7a.1 (Exception: See Castles).
Villages do not have legends and therefore are treated as any normal road hex.
7c Sea Movement
Sea Movement for the Basic Game is merely a way of transporting the units by water. Players that wish to have their units moved by water must pay GTs to do so. The fleet counters (MERCHANT TRANSPORT FLEETS) are used for transportation in this game, and these fleets carry units from port to port, up rivers, etc., as explained in the following rules.
7c.1 The Fleet Counters
There are several fleet counters provided in the die-cut counter sheets. Each fleet is a 0-4-16 counter. When units are said to be transported by fleet, these units should be placed UNDER the fleet counter. Any number of units may be transported by fleets. A fleet has no attack factor, and a defense strength of 4. If eliminated in combat (explained later), all the units a fleet is transporting are eliminated. A fleet has a movement factor of 16 MPs; the player need not use all of them or any of them in one turn.
7c.2 How to Move by Fleet
A coastal hex or open sea hex costs 1 MP. Thus, a fleet may move on the sea or coast 16 hexes before it must end movement for the turn. As explained in the TEC, a river hexside also costs 1 MP. Thus, a hex with three river hexsides costs 3 MPs by water. A fleet may combine movement in all three types of terrain, open sea, coast, and river. To show which hexside a fleet is on, players must position the upper left corner of the counter so that the point is facing the river hexside. In coastal or open sea hexes, the facing is not important and therefore not used.
7c.2:1 Embarking Units
To show that a unit is being picked up by a fleet (referred to as embarking), the player simply places that unit under the fleet counter. For each unit embarked, the player must pay a GT. Thus, if five units are embarked on a fleet, the player must pay 5 GTs.
7c.2:2 Dropping Off Units
To show that a unit is being dropped off by a fleet (referred to as debarking), the player simply removes the fleet counter from the unit. Of course, if some units are being debarked while others remain in the fleet, then the player does not remove the fleet counter, but rather places the units on top of the fleet counter. (This is why it is important to put all units in the fleet under the fleet counter.)
7c.2:3 Ports of Embarkation and Debarkation
According to the rules in 7c.2:1 and 7c.2:2, an additional limitation to fleets is that embarkation and debarkation may only be done in ports. Ports are defined as any city on water; cities on the coast and cities on rivers are ports.
7c.2:4 Sea Movement Phase
Embarking or debarking units from fleets takes all the movement allowances of both the units and the fleet for one turn. Hence, units that wish to embark must be in ports at the beginning of the movement phase, and fleets that want to debark units must be in a port at the beginning of the movement phase. For example:
A fleet carrying two 4-3-3s, a 5-4-3, and a 3-3-10 is five river hexsides away from an island port. In turn 1, it moves to that port. In turn 2, it can debark any units from the ones it was carrying, but neither this fleet counter nor the units debarked may move until turn 3.
7c.2:4:1
Units may not embark and debark in the same turn, nor may fleets embark and debark units in the same turn.
7c.3 River Origin Points
Fleets may not travel past the origin point of a river. The origin point of a river is represented by the little "X" at the edge of a hexside. This represents the fact that at that point, the river is too shallow or narrow for fleets to navigate through.
7c.4 Lakes
Lakes are treated as open sea hexes, for they cost only 1 MP to move on by ship. However, certain lakes on the map are not linked by river to ports; since no ship can ever reach them and these lakes have no ports, they are impassable for all units. Those lakes linked by river to a port or sea are quite passable.
7c.5 Cities as Ports and Bridges
On the map there are two cities, Wasserton and Pelendior, that have a portion of coast on both island and mainland. These cities should be treated as normal coast hexes for movement; they do not cause any delay. However, fleets may not pass through these cities if enemy-controlled. Bridges do NOT interrupt movement along rivers.
7d Air Movement
There are four units that have the ability to use air movement: Rocs, Narques, Skorres, and Dragons. These units must move by air movement when they move; they cannot move on the ground as normal land units. However, terrain restrictions do not apply to them when moving. Hence, movement is simplified to 1 MP expended for each and every hex moved through.
7d.1 Restrictions on Air Movement
Air units must start from a ground hex and end movement in a ground hex. A ground hex is defined as any non-sea or lake hex. Air units may not stop on any enemy unit, but they may pass through the hex of an enemy unit. This is an exception to rule 7a.1.
7d.2 Transport by Air
Units may be transported by Rocs, Narques, or Skorres. The only units that may be transported by Rocs, Narques, or Skorres are Men, Elves, and Orcs, as well as leaders. A Roc, Narque, or Skorre may only transport one unit of its own alignment.
7d.21 How to Transport by Air
A Roc, Narque, or Skorre can carry one unit a maximum range of seven hexes. To do this, simply place the unit under the Roc, Narque, or Skorre piece, and move it along with the Roc, Narque, or Skorre piece until movement has ended. The unit remains with the Roc, Narque, or Skorre unit; both movement allowances are used up. Note that in order to transport a unit, both the unit and the Roc, Narque, or Skorre unit had to start in the same hex that turn as the beginning of the movement phase.
7d.3 Further Restrictions on Transportation
No Roc, Narque, or Skorre may transport another Roc, Narque, or Skorre, nor may they transport a Dragon of any kind. Roc, Narque, and Skorre units may transport leaders; each leader is considered as one unit for transportation purposes only.
7d.4 Special Air Abilities
In the magical items section (explained later), certain items give units transportation or air movement powers. This is legal, but all movement following the air movement rules is the same as regular air movement.
7e Movement As a Result of Combat
In certain situations, units may retreat hexes or opt to advance after combat. This is the ONLY type of movement that may be done AFTER combat. Remember, movement is BEFORE combat.
8 Combat
Combat is the other essential part of L&W. As with movement, combat is done in a phase. Combat is the action of unit(s) vs. unit(s) on the map. In combat, there is always an attacker and a defender. The results of combat are found on the Combat Results Table (CRT). Following is a complete description of how to have combat.
8a Combat Factors
Each unit has an attack strength, measured in ASPs, and a defense strength, measured in DSPs. For example: A LIGHT Infantry unit, 4-3-3, has an attack strength of 4, and a defense strength of 3. In common sense terms, this means that the unit attacks better than it defends.
When a unit in a hex is attacked, it defends with its defense strength. When a unit attacks, it attacks with its attack strength. Hence, an 8-6-4 attacking a 7-8-2 would be the same as 8 attacking 8.
8a.1 Units Defending
When more than one unit is in a hex, and the units are attacked, the defender's strength is one number--the total of all the defending units' DSPs. For example:
A 4-4-4 and a 15-15-8 are attacked in the same hex. The defender's TOTAL strength is 19 (4+15). No matter how many units are in one hex, the defender still adds up all the DSPs and uses one number as his defense strength.
8a.2 Units Attacking
When attacking units are in the same hex, their ASPs are also added together to make one attack strength number. For example:
A 3-3-3, a 5-4-8, and two 2-2-4s are all attacking in the same hex. The attacker's total is 3+5+2+2=12, and uses this TOTAL as THE ASP, or 12.
8a.2.1 Units Attacking From Different Hexes
No matter how many units are attacking, and no matter how many hexes are attacking from, the attack strength is STILL ONE ATTACK STRENGTH. Units in different hexes may attack the same defender. (See 8b for further explanation).
8a.2.2 Units Attacking Different Defenders
ALL the units in a hex that are attacking must attack one particular defending hex. In other words, units in a "stack" may not split their attack several ways--all the units attacking must concentrate the attack.
8b How To Attack
An attacking unit must be next to a defending unit. In other words, a defender in a hex can be attacked from one or more of the SIX adjacent hexes. Since combat always takes place AFTER movement, the only way a unit may attack another unit is by moving next to it in one of the six adjacent hexes around the defending hex. Of course, if an enemy unit was adjacent to the defending unit at the beginning of the movement phase, then it would not have to move at all in order to attack the defending unit.
ATTACK IS NEVER MANDATORY; players can always decide NOT to attack; being positioned adjacent does not cause combat. Units may pass by hexes adjacent to enemy units without stopping or attacking.
8c How To Decide Combat
After all movement, combat takes place. Let us assume that player A is attacking player B. Player A is attacking with 18 ASPs, Player B is defending 13 DSPs. The attack is 18 to 13.
L&W uses the "differential" system of combat. Therefore, the DSPs are ALWAYS subtracted from the ASPs to give a "column". In the above example, the "column" is 18-13=5, or "1 to 7" column. (Since 5 is between 1 and 7). Note that it is quite possible to have a negative column.
8c.1 Losing Units
As explained on the CRT, a player must lose the number of units equal to the number printed as a combat result. The owning player always chooses which units he wants to lose.
8c.2 Multiple Battles
A combat situation is not over until: a) One side's unit(s) retreat(s), or b) One side's unit(s) is/are removed from the map.
8c.2.1 Withdrawal From Combat
If a player wishes to, he may attempt to withdraw during a battle where neither side is eliminated nor retreated. In order to withdraw, a player must be able to roll a 1 or 2 on a single die before the commencement of another battle round. A player may NOT withdraw until one battle round has been fought. He may not roll more than once per round. If BOTH players agree to withdraw after one round, then the battle is ended and both sides retreat, defender always retreating first. A player who withdraws from combat must retreat at least one hex, but not more than three. The "attacker" may not advance into a hex which the defender retreated from. Units in castles, or in cities being attacked by "doughnut attack" may NOT withdraw from combat. RTs or CDs may not withdraw from combat.
8c.3 Elimination of Units
In the case of a result whereby more units should be eliminated than can be, or an entire force is destroyed and ordered to retreat, then the message is read as: All units (on that side) eliminated. For example, if the defender has two units, and the result calls for a -/3r, this means that the two units are eliminated.
8d Sea Combat
In the Basic Game, there is no combat between fleets. However, should a fleet be attacked by adjacent land forces, it uses its defense factor of 4 DSPs. If the fleet is removed from the map because of a combat result, any units it may have been transporting must also be removed. Each fleet counts as one unit; fleets may not receive leader bonus effects (explained later). Fleets at sea or on a lake may not be attacked by land forces; only those fleets on a river or in port may be attacked. A fleet in a port does not receive the terrain bonus (explained later).
8e Effects of Terrain
The terrain effects chart (TEC) not only shows the effect of terrain on movement, but also shows combat as well. Terrain will never help the attacker, but in most cases will help the defender. For example, a woods hex will shift the CRT column one to the left of the present column.
EXAMPLE GIVEN: A 4-3-3 defending on a mountain hex is attacked by a 5-4-3. The CRT column result is +1, shifted one column to the left, or "0".
8e.1 Coastal Restrictions
Units may NOT attack across the black irregular lines drawn between two different coasts that are non-adjoining.
8e.2 Rivers
Unlike other terrain, where units are given bonuses if they are in the hex, rivers give bonuses to defenders if the defending units are behind the river hexside. In other words, if an attacking unit attacks a defending unit which is behind a river hexside (the river is between the two hexes), then the defender receives the one-column shift to the left. Even if the hexside is a river and bridge combination, the defender still receives his bonus.
IF A DEFENDING UNIT IS ATTACKED FROM BOTH A HEX WITH A RIVER BETWEEN ATTACKER AND DEFENDER, AND A HEX WITHOUT AN INTERVENING RIVER, THEN NO BONUS IS GIVEN TO THE DEFENDER. For example:
Two 5-4-8s defend in a woods hex. Two 5-4-3s attack across a river; one 2-2-4 attacks the same hex from a different hex, but there is no river between the 2-2-4 and the two 5-4-8s. The total DSP is 4+4=8. No bonus is given to the defender because of the river, though each unit receives a one-column shift for the woods bonus.
8e.3 Base Terrain
For combat purposes, roads and trails are ignored, and the dominant or "base" terrain is used for combat bonuses. For example: A 4-3-3 defends on a mountain/trail hex. Regardless of where the attacking units are attacking from, the unit still receives the bonus.
8f Lord vs. Lord Engagement
After combat is announced, each player announces the level of his leader, and the two are compared on the LORD vs. LORD table. If there are two or more LORDS present in the attack/defense hexes of combat, the level of the highest level Lord is used. The level of the defender is subtracted from the level of the attacker, and the result is used to determine the "Difference in levels" row. If a Lord attacks units stacked with a Wizard, that Wizard is considered to have a "0" level for Lord vs. Lord combat.
For example: three 4-4-4s stacked with a 3rd level Lord attack two 3-3-3s stacked with a 2nd level Lord and a 5th level Wizard. The highest level for the defenders is 2, and this subtracted from the 3rd level Lord yields a difference of +1.
The attacker rolls a single die and cross-matches the die result with the difference in levels row to receive a result. The result is explained where presented. (NOTE: IF ONLY ONE LEADER IS PRESENT, USE HIS LEVEL AS THE DIFFERENCE IN LEVELS.)
8g Wizard vs. Wizard Engagement
After Lord vs. Lord combat is achieved, players must have Wizard vs. Wizard combat. Very similar to LvL combat, WvW combat first compares the level of the two Wizards, or uses the level of the Wizard if there is only one. The attacker rolls the die, and the results are explained where presented. If a Wizard goes up against a Lord, that Lord is considered to have a level of "0" for the WvW combat table.
8h Gaining Levels
As indicated on both LvL and WvW combat tables, an asterisk means that the leader of that attacking or defending army automatically goes up a level. Of course, if there is no leader for the attacking/defending units to go up a level, then the asterisk is ignored. Once a leader goes up a level, he may never lose that level gained. Players MUST keep record of what levels their leaders have obtained.
NOTE: A Wizard (or Lord) may never go up a level if there is no opposition leader in that combat round.
8i Use of Magical Items in Combat
Magical Items may be used in combat, before all other types of combat. The various effects and possibilities of Magical Items in combat will be explained later in the rules (See section 21).
Sometimes, a Magical Item will allow a leader to "create" a unit or units. This unit is created immediately before any type of combat, and may suffer all losses or results as would a normal unit. At the end of a battle, the unit disappears, although it may be created again and again until the magical item is destroyed.
8j Advancing After Combat
Advancing after combat is ALWAYS optional for the attacker or defender, depending on the case listed. Advance after combat always takes place after the combat result is given. Advance may only be done if the opposing forces withdrew from battle. A unit which advances after combat may only advance one hex, and that hex MUST be one of the hexes from which the attacker/defender retreated from.
First example: In a given battle, 33 ASPs attack 24 DSPs. After a roll of 3, the attacker loses 4 ASPs where the defender loses 9 DSPs. The result column is now 29-15=14, or "8 to 15". This time a 5 is rolled. The defender loses 11 more DSPs, and withdraws two hexes, having rolled a 1 to voluntarily withdraw. The attacking units now have the option to move into the hex from which the defender just retreated. All units may move in, some, one, or none.
Second example: In a given battle 15 ASPs attack 13 DSPs. A roll of "1" lets the attacker retreat. He must withdraw from all hexes he was attacking from. The defender must decide if he wants to advance after combat, and if so, which hex to occupy. If the defender has more than one unit, he may attempt to occupy more than one of the retreated attacker's hexes.
In all cases, no unit may ever advance more than one hex after combat.
8j.1 Free Movement
Players should note that advance after combat should not be considered movement; hence, a unit may move all of its Movement Allowance to get to a battle, and still be able to advance after combat.
9 Castles
Castles are strong fortifications where units receive large bonuses on the defense. However, because of their limited size, units may only number five in a castle. In other words, the maximum number of units in a castle is 5. A unit inside a castle receives a defense bonus of 1 DSP. To show that a unit is inside the castle, and therefore will receive this large bonus, a player must place the unit UNDER the castle piece. Remember, there can be only five units under a castle piece.
9a Extra Units in a Castle
The five units restriction applies only to combat units. Hence, leaders may be placed under a castle piece even if there are already five units there. Magical Items are also "free" pieces, thus they do not count as a combat unit. A fleet counter IS a combat unit, BUT may NOT be placed UNDER a castle piece in ANY case.
9b Units in a Castle Hex
In a city where there are more than five units, at least one unit must be outside of the castle. To show that units are not in the castle but are in the city, place these units ON TOP of the castle piece. A player does not HAVE to place ANY units in a castle if he does not want to. Units that are not in the castle DO receive the normal city bonus according to the TEC.
9c Control of a Castle
A castle is controlled if a player has a combat unit in it. In order to defeat a castle's units, all the defending units in a castle MUST be eliminated.
9d Control of a City
This rule is the exception to rule 7a.1. This rule states that enemy units MAY be in the same city hex as friendly units, provided that all of the enemy units are in either the city or the castle. Hence, Player A's units (not exceeding five) may be in the castle, while Player B's units must be in the city. In this case, Player B controls the city. THE CONTROL OF A CITY IS DETERMINED BY WHO HAS UNITS IN THAT CITY, NOT IN THE CASTLE. Of course, if the only units in a city happen to be those units in the castle, the city is still controlled by the player who owns the units in the castle.
9e Passage Through a City
If a player has units only in a castle, other players' units may pass freely through that hex with no delay. These units may also stop in the city, at their option. However, if even one unit is in the city, while the remaining five are in the castle, then that city is still controlled and players' units may NOT pass through or stop in the city.
9f Attack On/From a Castle
Units in a city may attack units in a castle. In this case, all units in the castle must be attacked, and ALL units receive the +1 DSP bonus. However, not ALL units in the CITY need attack the castle. For example: Player A has units in a city, three 4-3-3s, two 8-6-4s, and a 4-2-4. Player B has five units in a castle, five 4-5-2s. Thus, if attacked, the total DSP of the defending castle units would be 5+5+5+5+5+1+1+1+1+1=30. Player A may attack with all his units, thus totaling 32 ASPs, or he may attack with a few, or even just one. Player A does not have to attack at all, in fact.
Another example: Let us assume that Player B wishes to attack Player A's units. If he does attack, he must attack all units in the city, whose combined total DSP is 29. Hence:
Units in a castle may attack units in a city. In this case, all units in the city must be attacked, and ALL units receive the city DSP bonus. However, not all units in the castle need attack the city.
9g Withdrawal To and From a Castle
Units in a castle may NOT withdraw from combat (what are they going to do, hide in the wine cellars?). Units in a city which attack a castle and then roll a 1 or 2 for withdrawal may withdraw from the attack, but do not have to retreat from the city. However, units which defend in a city from an attack by the castle must withdraw outside of the city hex. Should the defending units withdraw, the units in the castle have the option to advance. To signify the fact that a unit has advanced into the city from the castle, place the advancing unit(s) on top of the castle piece.
If units defending in a city withdraw, they may withdraw into the castle providing that the castle is "friendly" (i.e., not controlled by enemy units), and that the maximum number of units withdrawing into the castle is five.
9h Units in a City and Castle
Units in a city and castle may be attacked from outside of the city. If the defender has units both in the castle and in the city, the attacker has two options:
a) He may attack all units in the city, with DSP bonus of +1, and one column shift to the left. b) He may attack all units in the HEX, with DSP bonus of +1, and two column shift to the left.
NOTE: IN CASE B, IF THE DEFENDER WISHES TO WITHDRAW, HE MAY NOT WITHDRAW INTO THE CASTLE, WHICH IS ALSO UNDER ATTACK.
9i "Doughnut Attack" of a City
If units in a city are attacked by both units in a castle AND units outside of the city in the same combat phase, those units in the city DO NOT receive the +1 DSP bonus but still receive the one column shift to the left. This type of attack is referred to as the "doughnut" attack (by Author's design only).
9j Castles Near Ports
Whether or not the castle of a city is "friendly", the port status of that city is unchanged. Hence, if Player A has units in the city, and Player B has 5 or less units in the castle, Player A may debark or embark units from that port if he wishes to do so. Note that fleets ARE defensive units in case of attack, and therefore should receive the +1 DSP bonus unless they are attacked by "doughnut attack."
9k CRT Castle Effects
Units which attack a castle for any reason must always shift the CRT column result two (2) to the LEFT. This is an additional bonus for being in a castle. For example: Five 4-3-3 units attack three 4-5-2 units in a castle. The total ASPs are 20; the total DSPs are 18. Therefore, the difference is +2. However, the column used for combat is the "-1 to -7" column.
10 City Defense
As at the beginning of the game, there are cities that are not controlled by one player or another. These cities are unconquered, and must still have unexplored legends in them (explained later). A city which still has a legend in it and therefore is unconquered may not be passed through by combat units. The city does not allow any units to stop in the hex. A player may attack the city with combat units; if he does this, the city defense units appear and the legend is revealed (explained later). Once a player states that he will attack the city, he must do so, with ALL available combat units.
10a How To Find City Defense Units
City Defense units, hereafter referred to as "CD" units, are of three types: 4-4-0, 2-2-0, and 1-1-0. In order to find out the number and type of each unit defending a city, the attacking player must roll a die immediately upon stating that he will attack the city. The number of the die multiplied by the printed GT status strength of that city equals the total CD strength.
For example: A city of GT status 5 is attacked. The attacker rolls a 6, indicating that the total CD strength of the city is 30.
10a.1 CD Units
The CD units are what comprises the CD strength total. Units are placed in the city until their strengths equal the CD strength. Example: The CD strength of the city was found to be 30. Since the strength of a 4-4-0 is 4, 7 of these units are to be placed in the city. However, this is only 28 CD strength points. Therefore, a 2-2-0, which has a strength of 2, is also placed in the city, making the required total of 30.
10a.2 Order of CD Unit Strength
Largest units must always be taken when possible. For example, a CD strength of 12 can be made up of many combinations of units, but for the purposes of the game, three 4-4-0s must be taken. Additional examples:
- 15 CD: 4+4+4+2+1
- 25 CD: 4+4+4+4+4+4+1
- 10 CD: 4+4+2
Of course, if players should run out of 4-4-0s, then 2-2-0s are acceptable as replacements. However, players should note that since the CRT is designed for elimination of units, giving the city defense more units than is necessary is unwise. Should insufficient 1-1-0s be available, then that particular city defense strength will be one short.
10b Retreat for CD Units
Like units in castles, CD units may ignore the retreat results in combat. The only way CD units may be removed from the map is through actual combat elimination.
10c Attack for CD Units
CD units may never attack other units alone. The "4" ASP is used only for advanced game rebellious units, though in the case of CD monsters (see 10e), they may attack.
10d Removal of CD Units
When the CRT calls for unit removal, the weakest units of the CD types are removed first. Hence, 1-1-0s are removed before the 2-2-0s, and 2-2-0s are removed before 4-4-0s.
10e Legend-Monsters
If and when a legend is revealed to be a monster unit, it is assumed that the CD units and the monster have made a defense pact, and hence the monster helps defend the city. If a city is attacked, the CD units and the monster are combined to give one total DSP. Also, CD units receive the city defense bonus, though monsters do NOT.
If at any time a monster and CD unit force has an equal or larger ASP total than the friendly attacker's DSP total, the monster and CD unit force will attack the outside force. This is so only if:
a) A player's force has attacked the city and withdrawn from combat (ADVANCED GAME ONLY. BASIC GAME RULES IGNORE CD AND MONSTER ATTACKS). b) A player's force has attacked another enemy while being adjacent to the city in question--hence being next to the city at the end of the combat phase.
10f Legend-Magical Items
If and when a legend is revealed to be a magical item, it does not affect combat or anything else until the attacking player eliminates ALL defending units, at which point the magical item is the property of the leader who attacked, or if no leader attacked, is under control of the units who attacked (see Magical Items).
10g Legend-Legends
If and when a legend is revealed to be a blank, it is removed from the map and has no effect on play after that. CD units are the same as always, and must be attacked at least once by the attacking player.
10h Local Wizards/Lords
Occasionally, monster counters will be revealed to be 0-0-0s. This means that the "monster" is a Lord or Wizard, depending upon the counter identification (see section 22). These leaders are used in all respects as regular player-leaders would be used. Wizards will always use magical combat.
11 Legends
Legends are one of three things: Monsters, Magical Items, or Legends. If a legend is a blank counter, it is a legend. If a legend is a combat unit with numbers, it is a monster. If it is neither monster nor legend, then it is a magical item.
11a Legends At Start
Before the game begins, each city must have one legend, and the two ruins hexes must have legends also. This is done by sorting out all possible Monster counters, magic counters, and legends, and sorting them face-down so that their identity is unknown. Players must separate the three RINGS OF POWER from the rest. Then, according to the scenario (see scenarios), each player is dealt one legend for each city he owns. If a player is dealt a monster or blank, he removes that counter from the game. After all players have been dealt the correct amount of legends, the three RINGS OF POWER magical items are put back into the pot of the remaining legends, and these are then randomly placed on the remaining neutral and unconquered cities, and also the two ruins hexes.
12 Common Knowledge
Once a magical item has been discovered, players must keep them face-up and open for inspection at all times. Thus, once a magical item is discovered, all players know what it is and who has it. Of course, magical items may be bought, sold, given, loaned, or destroyed in any way the players wish. If a magical item is destroyed, it is removed from the map.
13 Hiring Units
At the end of each turn, players may hire units. The unit cost table (UCT) determines how much a unit costs. For example: A 4-3-3, Light Infantry unit, costs 4 GTs. A 7-5-6, Heavy Horse Man, costs 20 GTs. Upkeep and Territory Hiring are not used in the basic game.
13a Cost of Units
Each time a player "buys" a unit, he must subtract the cost of the unit from his current GT status chart. If a player does not have enough GTs to pay for a unit, he may not "buy" that unit. A player may buy any type of combat unit, provided it is of his own color set. Special units such as Ents, Rocs, Skorres, Narques, Trolls, Giants, and Dragons have special restrictions listed later in the rules. Players may buy more than one type of combat unit in a Hiring Phase; a player may buy more than one unit of one type. The only limit to buying units is how much money in GTs a player has.
For example: Player A has 24 GTs. He decides to buy two Heavy Horse units, and an Orcish Light Infantry unit. This will cost 10+10+3=23 GTs, so he is left with 1 GT.
13a.1 Special Units
Ents, Rocs, Skorres, Narques, Trolls, Giants, and Dragons are special combat units. As explained on the UCT, these units are only found in special places and on certain die rolls. IF a special unit has been found, it may be bought, if the player has a sufficient amount of GTs to pay for it. When hiring a special unit, a leader, either Lord or Wizard, must always be present in the "hiring hex". If hired, the unit appears in that "hiring hex". Players may not attempt to hire special units, or regular combat units, that are not of their color type.
13a.1.1 Ents
Ents can be found only in woods hexes on a roll of 1. Unlike other special units, however, Ents do not require upkeep nor do they cost the hiring leader any GTs.
13a.1.2 Rocs
Rocs are found only in mountain hexes on a roll of 1 or 2.
13a.1.3 Giants
Giants are found only in mountain hexes on a roll of 1 or 2.
13a.1.4 Skorres
Skorres are found only in mountain hexes on a roll of 1 or 2.
13a.1.5 Trolls
Trolls are found only in hexes containing a bridge hexside, providing that the bridge hexside is not part of a city or village hex. They are found on a roll of 1 or 2.
13a.1.6 Dragons
There are six types of Dragons in all.
13a.1.6.1 Golden Dragons
Golden Dragons (15-15-8s) may only be found in a mountain hex on a roll of 1 or 2.
13a.1.6.2 Silver Dragons
Silver Dragons may only be found in a woods hex, on a roll of 1 or 2.
13a.1.6.3 Red Dragons
Red Dragons may only be found in a mountain hex on a roll of 1 or 2.
13a.1.6.4 Green Dragons
Green Dragons may only be found in a woods hex on a roll of 1 or 2.
13a.1.6.5 Black Dragons
Black Dragons may only be found in a swamp hex on a roll of 1 or 2.
13a.1.6.6 Purple Dragons
Purple Dragons may only be hired in a desert hex on a roll of 1 or 2.
13a.1.7 Narques
Narques are found only in mountain hexes on a roll of 1 or 2.
13a.2 Hiring Special Units
As mentioned before, a leader must be present in a hex in order to attempt to hire a unit. Hiring special units takes place during the hiring phase. A leader may attempt to hire only one type of unit per hiring phase (special units, that is). If the single die roll is unsuccessful, the leader may not attempt to hire another special type in the same phase, nor may he attempt to hire the same type again in that phase. A leader may have combat units with him when he attempts to hire a special unit.
13a.2.1 Hiring Dragons of Any Type
In order to successfully hire a dragon, assuming of course that the die roll has been made to find one in a hex, a leader must offer the Dragon either a magical item of any type, or 10 times a single die roll in GTs. For example: A Lord attempts to hire a Red Dragon in a mountain hex. He rolls a one--finding a Red Dragon! Unfortunately, this Lord does not have a magical item with him, and therefore rolls the die--a 5. He must pay this Dragon 50 GTs in order to "buy" him during this hiring phase, or the Dragon disappears.
Second example: An Ordered Lord attempts to hire a Silver Dragon in a woods hex--and rolls a one. This Lord has with him a chaotic scroll, which he can't use (explained later). He gives it to the Dragon as payment despite the fact that the Silver Dragon is Ordered. He has "bought" the Dragon, and may now use him as a regular combat unit.
13b Where to Hire Units
Combat units may be hired at any city under a player's control. Hired units may be placed in castles if the controlled city contains a castle, but may not exceed the five-unit limit.
13c Hiring Restrictions
A leader must either be Ordered, Neutral, or Chaotic. While the limitations for hiring units of the same color type are obvious, they are nevertheless stated here for reference:
a) No Ordered leader may ever hire a Chaotic unit. Chaotic units are Orcs, Trolls, Skorres, and Red/Green/Purple/Black Dragons. b) No Chaotic leader may ever hire an Ordered unit. Ordered units are Elves, Ents, Rocs, and Golden/Silver Dragons. c) No Neutral leader may ever hire Ordered or Chaotic units. However, Neutral leaders are the only leaders that may hire Dwarves, Narques, or Giants.
14 Attrition
At the end of every third month (sixth turn), noted by the game-turn chart (explained shortly), attrition takes place. Attrition reduces the number of combat units that each leader owns. Attrition is the loss of a percentage of all troops owned, rounded normally. Thus, if a player owns 16 units, and attrition calls for a 25% loss, that player must lose 4 units. The method of attrition is shown on the Attrition Table (AT); attrition takes place during the "attrition phase", after combat but before any hiring.
14a Units Lost by Attrition
A player who must lose a unit or units by attrition may choose to lose any units he owns as desired. He simply removes them from the mapboard. He does not get back the GTs he spent for them. Players must lose a number of units equal to the number loss shown by the AT.
14a.1 How To Calculate Attrition Loss
At the end of the game-turn, after all player-turns have ceased, the players roll a single die and refer to the AT. The number in parenthesis is the number to multiply by the number of units owned; the result, rounded normally, is the unit loss. For example: A player counts up all his units totaling 43. He rolls the die, and comes up with a 4. The percentage loss is 15%, or 43 x .15. As it figures, 43 x .15 = 6.45, which rounds to 6. He must now lose six units. (The scan prints the multiplier as ".15" on the first line and as "1.5" on the second; ".15" is the value that gives 6.45.)
14a.2 Attrition Immunity
The following units are immune from attrition; they cannot be removed for attrition purposes nor are they counted as a unit for attrition purposes: Special Units, Leaders, Units being transported by fleet, and warfleets.
15 Game Turns and Game Length
The Game starts in the first month of the first year. Hence, players put the YEAR marker on the box marked "1", and the turn marker on the box marked "1". The first month of The World is also called the month of the Bluebird, called simply "Bluebird". There are nine months in a year. Each month consists of two turns. When all phases have been completed by all players, the turn marker is moved once to the right. This places it in the second box, which is labeled "2". After another game-turn, the turn marker will be advanced again. At the end of the 3rd month, turn 6, attrition takes place (Falcon). (The scan prints "Falcon" here; the Elvish month list gives Dove as the third month and Falcon as the sixth.) Attrition also takes place at the end of turn 12, and again at the end of the month Robin (turn 18). At the end of turn 18, the turn marker should be placed back at box 1, and the year marker should be advanced to year 2. The cycle then continues for another year. The game must end by the 18th turn of the third year.
15a A Game-Turn
All players move in a game-turn. Each player must go through all the phases in his specific turn, and when he is done, the next player must go through all the phases, etc. When all players in the game have finished their separate turns, a game-turn is considered to have been completed, and the counter should be moved on the Game-Turn Track. Players must decide before the game starts who shall move first, and in what order the players shall take their individual turns.
15b Phase Reference Sheet
The PRS is a play-aid to the players not yet familiar with the system of phases in the game. The PRS has all steps listed, and a player who is not familiar with the order of phases in his turn should check the sheet. The phase reference sheet is printed on the back cover of these rules.
16 How To Win
At the end of the 9th month of the 3rd year, the game must end. The game may end before that time, if one of the following conditions has been met:
a) There is only one leader left on the mapsheet. b) There are two or more leaders on the board, but they all belong to one player. c) Players vote unanimously to end the game.
However, should none of the above conditions be met by the ninth month of the third year, the following set of victory conditions apply:
- Player with most levels wins
- Player with greatest GT Income wins
- Player with most Magical items of the same alignment wins.
- Player with the most current GTs wins.
Each victory condition is numbered in order of importance; if #1 is a tie, then #2 becomes the victory condition, etc. For example: In an 8 player game after 54 game turns 5 out of the original 8 players survive. Players a, b, and d have all achieved the seventh level. Players a and d discover that they have the same GT income of 26 GTs. Player a has 3 magical items, two ordered and one neutral. Player a, incidentally, is ordered. Player b has 4 magical items, 2 ordered, 1 neutral, 1 chaotic. Player b is chaotic. Therefore, player a wins the game, according to victory condition "c".
NOTE: In the unlikely coincidence that all four victory conditions are tied, the game is declared a "shared victory" between the two tied players.
16a Players With More than One Leader
In the two, three, and four player games, each player commands more than one leader (see rule 23). Therefore, for condition #1, players should ADD the levels of ALL their leaders to find their total levels, and use THAT number as the number of levels of their "team".
17 Income
Income means how much money a player receives per month. Each city on the board, and the villages, have a GT status number. For example, Osgarth has 6 GT status. Each month, Osgarth gives 6 GTs to whomever owns it. Players who own more than one city combine all their GT status and receive a number of GTs equal to that number of the combined GT statuses. Hence, a player that owns cities with GT statuses of 4, 4, 5 and 1 receives 14 GTs per month. If a player loses a city, he does not receive GTs for it. Units in castles DO NOT control cities, if the city is occupied by enemy troops. Income MUST be kept record of separately.
17a More Than One Leader Per Player
If a player controls more than one leader, he does NOT have different GT incomes, but rather combines them all into one income number.
17b Income at Start
The income of a player at the start of the game is 0. However, the player receives a certain number of GTs for the initial city he owned at the start AT THE END OF EACH MONTH. For example: Player B starts out at Pelendior. At the end of the first month, the Bluebird, he receives 6 GTs from Pelendior, plus whatever else he may have conquered on turn 1.
18 When To Receive GTs
After the attrition phase, players receive their GTs from the cities/villages they own. They may use these GTs to pay for hired units, or they may simply store them in their current GT status chart, or a combination of the two.
NOTE: ON THE FIRST GAME-TURN, PLAYERS MAY HIRE UNITS BEFORE MOVEMENT. THIS IS CONSIDERED TO BE A "BUILD-UP" OF THE PRECEDING MONTHS, WHERE, DEPENDING UPON WHETHER THE LEADER IS A LORD OR WIZARD, THE LEADER CAN PAY FOR UNITS FROM A "WARCHEST" OF GTS, EITHER 120 OR 75. THIS IS THE ONLY TIME THAT UNITS MAY EVER BE HIRED OR GTS EXPENDED BEFORE MOVEMENT IN A TURN.
19 Diplomacy
Players may ally with each other, even if they are of different or opposite alignments. It would be wise to allow 5 minutes before each turn begins to allow players to take and discuss strategy. Diplomacy in L&W is important and there are no bounds as to what the players may say or do. Any pacts made may be broken. There is no binding rule to anything a player says or does. Players may attempt to overhear the conversation of others.
20 Alignments
In The World, there are three types of alignments: Order, Neutrality, and Chaos. A player may not change his alignment once he has decided which to be. Each alignment has two differently colored sets of units; hence, there may not be more than four leaders of one alignment on the map, since each set contains two leader counters. The counters of Order are Green and Pale Green. The counters of Neutrality are Blue and Pale Blue. The counters of Chaos are Red and Pale Red.
20a Alignment Restrictions
Leaders of one particular alignment may not use magical items of a different alignment (see magical items). A leader which finds a magical item that is not "useful" to him, or in other words of a different alignment, may keep that item in the hopes of giving it to a hired dragon, or selling it to another player. Of course, if the leader so wishes, he may remove the "non-useful" item from the map. The sole exception to this is the 3 MAGIC magical items--they may be used by any Wizard of any alignment.
20b Hiring Limitations for Alignment
As mentioned in the hiring rules, certain units may only be hired by a leader if that leader is of the correct alignment. Units are color coded to fit the counter set by alignment.
21 Magical Items
Magical items are a real key to victory in L&W. With them, players can turn what looks like certain defeat into victory. Magical items give the wielder power in movement, units, combat, or other things sometimes not used in the Basic Game. When a player finds a magical item, he will find it to be one of seven categories:
- SWORDS & WEAPONS (TITLE: SWORD)
- HORNS & DRUMS (TITLE: HORN)
- RINGS & JEWELRY (TITLE: RING)
- ROBES (TITLE: ROBES)
- SCROLLS & BOOKS (TITLE: SCROLL)
- MAGIC (TITLE: MAGIC)
- RINGS OF POWER (TITLE: RING OF POWER)
On the magical item counter will be printed a O, N, or C if it is of categories 1 through 5 and 7. These stand for the alignment of the particular item: Order, Neutrality, or Chaos.
The leader who finds the item refers to the Magical Item Table (MIT), where he will find several listings of categories. He looks under the proper category first, then looks for the proper alignment column. He then rolls a die to find out exactly what the item is; the result printed is a shorthand code which is explained on the back of the MIT. The magical items are explained in much greater detail in the HISTORY OF THE WORLD section included in the game.
21a Control of Items
A leader is said to have control of an item when it is placed directly under the leader piece. A leader may control more than one item at a time. Note that leaders may control items, but not be able to use them due to alignment differences.
21a.1 Transfer of Items
Non-leader types may also "control" items. To show that a unit controls an item, simply place the magical item under the combat unit. A combat unit may control more than one item, but not if a friendly leader is in the same hex. If a friendly leader IS in the same hex, then all items are under his control. The point of this rule is to allow the transport of magical items over great distances, by land, sea, or air. If by air, a magical item is counted as a unit if alone, or as a "freebie" if controlled by a leader. In other words, a Roc/Skorre/Narque may transport a Leader and Magical item together.
A transfer does not cost any MPs; a leader may deposit an item to a unit in the hex, that unit may transfer the item to another unit after moving the full movement allowance, and so on. Transfer is simply taking the item from under one piece and placing it under the "to be transferred to" piece, be that unit or leader.
21a.1.1 Capture of Items
If a leader or unit which is controlling a magical item is eliminated, that magical item is now under the control of the player who eliminated the previous owner. In the case of leader vs. leader, the victorious leader may immediately take control of a magical item. In the case of combat units alone vs. combat unit alone, the victorious unit(s) will control the magical item.
21b Uniqueness of Items
Players must keep record of what each magical item has been rolled. It would be wise also to keep handy a note as to the particular capabilities of that magical item.
21b.1 Uniqueness of Magic
Magic, unlike other items, does not have alignment. Hence, players must keep strict attention to the fact that "no two magic items may be alike". Hence, once a "6" is rolled, it may not be rolled again for a different magic item. There are three of them in the set.
21c Items of Combat
There are several types of items for combat. The most common are those items which add ASPs or DSPs; this bonus is in addition to everything else and all other bonuses ever mentioned. A leader may only use one magical item per combat round.
Other items may raise powers of Leaders; a robe may raise a Lord to increased fighting ability, or may make a Wizard more powerful. Generally, items will shift the CRT result columns to the left or right or whatever.
The items such as Horns and Scrolls may affect the battle outcome directly. Items which eliminate portions of enemy forces do so immediately, before any combat is resolved. An item may even stop a battle, in which case, obviously, the battle is stopped. In case a result or effect of an item is not clear, the HISTORY of MAGIC should be consulted. The MIT should handle all problems.
21d Items of Movement and Control
In some cases, magical items will increase the movement speed of a leader or unit(s). The movement allowance is affected, but the rules of movement are not. In case of a "Fly" type item, the leader may use air transportation rules or air movement rules.
The Control Scrolls are used before all combat. Basically, a Control Scroll of ___ will allow the owning player to "grab away" a unit of ___ type from the enemy. For example:
Player A has a defending force of five 4-3-3s. Player B has an attacking force of three 4-4-4s, and a 7-8-2. Player A has a Control Ent Scroll, and uses it to convert the 7-8-2 unit to his own forces. Hence, the 7-8-2 unit is now stacked with the five 4-3-3s, and Player B finds himself in a poor attack situation.
In a case where the only unit defending a leader was controlled by an attacking enemy, then that leader is eliminated.
A Control Scroll may only be used once per unit. Hence, in the above example, after all combat has been resolved, the Ent unit is removed from the map. The Control Scroll is also removed.
NO CONTROLLED UNIT MAY EVER EXIST AFTER ALL COMBAT HAS BEEN RESOLVED: AFTER COMBAT, ALL CONTROLLED UNITS ARE REMOVED FROM THE MAP.
21e Magical Items History
In the HISTORY OF THE WORLD section, included in L&W, there is a short explanation on the probable origin and use of the magical items included in the game, as well as their effect on play.
22 Monsters
When a player discovers a Monster counter, he will notice combat/movement strengths and a letter of identification as well. The MONSTER IDENTIFICATION TABLE lists all the names and possible effects of that particular monster. In addition, each monster has a short explanation in the HISTORY section. For the Basic Game, the attack factor of any and all monsters is/are ignored.
23 How To Start the Game
For the two to six player game, each player should receive a Lord and a Wizard. For seven or more player games, each player must choose whether he wishes to be a Lord or a Wizard. Furthermore, each player must choose which alignment he wants to be.
23a Two, Three, Four, and Five Player Games
When playing with less than six players, players roll a die, and refer to the following "empires", which are groups of cities. The player who rolls a number receives the listed cities and villages, and no other player may thereafter roll that number.
- Lavidian, Hell, Gleken, Tenmor, villages A and B.
- Delvor, Neurg, Westend, Rosenburg, villages C, D, and F.
- Pelendior, Fordenburg, Zestrad, Welkton, Illbridge.
- Wasserton, Kessington, Brok, Adenburg, Redheim, villages E and G.
- Asgarth, Egmar, Mukten, Zanavill, and village H.
- Osgarth, Telven, Gesmarth, Prosto, and village J.
Free cities: Staberstar, Xlemek. Free village: Village I.
Obviously, one empire is neutral in the five player game, two in the four, etc. Note that the player's castle appears in the capital (underlined) city. A player may build units in any of the cities he controls.
23b Six Player Game
The 6 player game is as above, except that instead of receiving an empire, a player receives only the capital city. All other cities are neutral. He still receives both a Lord and Wizard, and a castle in the capital city.
23c Seven to Twelve Player Game
In the 7 to 12 player games, each player receives either a Lord or a Wizard. In addition, when all capital cities (as listed above) are taken, the following six cities may be used for capital cities:
- Gelken 2. Westend 3. Telven 4. Kessington 5. Egmar 6. Gesmarth
23d Choosing Alignments
A player may choose one alignment for both his leaders, or just one for his lone leader. Therefore, in the seven to twelve player game, two players must use the same colored set. Players must be careful not to confuse their units and other players' units of the same alignment.
23e Order of Play
Each player should roll a die to see who chooses his city/empire first. In case of a tie, the tied players roll to see who gets the highest roll between them. The order of play having been established, play starts. Play then continues as before, with each player hiring as many units as per rules section 18c. Note that a player may build units in any city of the empire he controls.
23f Legends at Start
Players are dealt legends equal to the number of cities they control. For example, if Player A controls empire #3, with the capital city at Pelendior, he would then receive 5 legends. If a player receives a legend or monster, that counter is removed from the map and is ignored. If a player is dealt a magical item, he may keep it. A player cannot be dealt a Ring of Power.
In the Six to Twelve player games, each player is dealt one legend, which is removed if it is a legend or monster. All other cities are to receive legends including (possibly) Rings of Power, which of course are face down in the hexes.
23g Leader Advancing Levels
In addition to victories over other leaders, all leaders can gain levels by experience.
23h Lords Going Up Levels
Lords automatically go up a level at the end of each six turns (3 months) due to experience.
23i Wizards Going Up Levels
Wizards gain one level each time they spend four consecutive turns in study in a city or ruins hex. They may not have combat while in study and the four turns must be consecutive with no other activity.
24 Summary and Conclusion
There are a great many rules to be learned here, but if players will take the time, patience, and imagination to follow each through to its proper conclusion, these rules will be no problem at all. The only way to truly learn the game is by playing it, so when you play L&W, even if you don't understand it all, or even if you do, keep the rules booklet handy. As you keep playing, try to refer to the rules less and less. Within only a few games, you'll know how to play the Basic Game perfectly--and from here, it's smooth sailing. If you are unclear or don't remember something about a specific rule, go back and reread the section. We hope you will enjoy the Basic Game, and that you will go on to the Advanced and Optionals game. Thank you and good gaming!
(The designer's closing note and mailing address are omitted.)
Advanced Game
The Advanced Game is an addition to the Basic Game, and thus all Basic Game rules are in effect unless specified otherwise by the Advanced Game rules additions. Players should not play the Advanced Game until they have played the Basic Game first, though this is a matter of personal opinion.
1. Taxing
A player may attempt to receive more GTs from his cities than are printed on each city's GT status. This process is known as taxing. Although a player need not double or triple taxes, he must state if he intends to double or triple taxes. This phase, called the taxing phase, takes place after attrition but before hiring. When a player decides to tax a city, he must roll on the die to see how much money he actually gets, in addition to seeing whether the city has rebelled or not.
1a How To Tax
When a player states that he will double or triple tax a city, he rolls a single die and refers to the TAX TABLE (TT). If he stated that he would double the tax of the city, he rolls under the "x2" column; if he stated that he would triple tax the city, he rolls under the "x3" column. An asterisk refers to the fact that the city has rebelled, which is explained later. A "x2" result means that the player gets TWICE the amount of GTs printed on the city's GT status; a "x3" result means that the player gets THREE times the amount stated. A "x1" result, always accompanied by an asterisk, means that the player gets the normal amount of GTs before the rebellion breaks out. A "x0" means that rebellion has broken out before the player could get any GTs, and therefore the player gets NO GTs from that city for that month.
1a.1 Restrictions of Taxing
There are no limits to the number of cities a player may overtax, as long as they are his own. A player may not tax a city more than once per month. After receiving his GTs from all cities, be they doubled, tripled, or normal, a player may not tax again for that month.
1a.2 Signifying Tax
Each time a player is successful in doubling a city's taxes, he must place a "x2" counter on the city hex. This is a reminder for the Income portion of a player's turn. In case a triple tax case succeeds, place a "x3" counter in the city which was taxed. At the end of his turn, a player removes all x2 or x3 counters from the map. NEXT month, all cities start out at BASIC GT STRENGTH. HENCE, A CITY WHICH IS DOUBLED ONE MONTH RETURNS TO NORMAL THE NEXT MONTH. PLAYERS MAY NOT DOUBLE A CITY ONE MONTH, THEN DOUBLE IT AGAIN TO GET FOUR TIMES THE NORMAL TAXES!
1a.3 GT Control
Once a player successfully taxes, the GTs are his, regardless of whether or not the city rebels. For example: Player A triple-taxes a city with a GT status of 5. He rolls a 2, successfully triple taxing. He places a "x3" counter in that city, and then rolls for rebellious forces. He therefore gets 15 GTs from this city for this month.
1a.4 Villages and Taxing
A village may not be double or triple taxed. To signify control of a village, place a "control" marker of the appropriate color on the village hex.
2. Rebellion
In most cases, a double or triple tax will result in a rebellion. This is indicated by the asterisk after the result on the TT chart. The taxing player must roll a single die, multiplying the die roll times the GT status printed in the city hex. This number is equal to the number of rebellious troops that arise. Rebellious troop counters are the same as CD units; they are the same set. As explained in the rules section 10a.2, largest units must be taken out first, and smallest units must be lost first. For example:
Player A, having tripled the taxes as stated in the last example, now rolls a single die--he rolls a 1. The rebellious units are a 4-4-0 and a 1-1-0.
2a Where To Place Rebellious Troops
Rebellious Troops (RTs) appear in the city hex. This is an exception to rule 7a. If the only enemy combat units in the hex are in the castle, then the RTs are placed on top of the castle piece. If troops are in the city and the castle, or just the city, a battle takes place (explained shortly). If no units are in the hex at all, then the RTs are placed in the city, and take CONTROL of the city. No combat units may pass through or stop in a city which is under the control of RTs. ONCE REBELLIOUS TROOPS HAVE CONTROL OF A CITY, THE PLAYER DOES NOT RECEIVE ANY GTs FOR THAT CITY UNTIL HE RETAKES THAT CITY.
2a.1 RTs in Castles
If a city has a castle and no units, and it rebels, then the strongest RT unit is placed under the castle piece, and all others remain outside the castle (on top of it). In case of two strongest units, only one is used. If there is only one RT, then that RT stays in the city.
2b Combat Between RTs and Garrisons
For simplicity's sake, any combat units in a city at the time of a rebellion are referred to as "Garrison" units. When the RTs appear, garrison units may flee inside the castle, if there is one, up to a maximum of five. Not all garrison units need enter the castle, nor do any of them have to. In the case where at least 1 garrison unit is in the city hex, and not in the castle if there is one, combat occurs.
2b.1 How to Calculate Battle
The player must compare the differences of each possible battle, that is: Garrison vs. RTs, or RTs vs. Garrison. Whichever has the larger combat difference attacks the weaker. If there is a tie, the garrison must attack the rebellious units. For example:
Player A has garrison units 5-4-3 and 4-3-3. The RTs are a 4-4-0 and a 1-1-0. The RTs vs. the garrison would be 5-7=-2, but the garrison vs. the RTs would be 9-5=+4. Hence, the garrison must attack the RTs on the "1 to 7" column.
Second example: Garrison units two 4-4-4s must attack RTs two 4-4-0s, since combat difference is 0.
2b.2 Battle Uniqueness of RTs
RTs cannot withdraw from combat. Garrison troops cannot withdraw if they are in a castle as per the castle rules. As stated above, garrison units may retreat into a castle up to a maximum of five units. Terrain is ignored for city advantages. However, garrison units inside a castle DO receive the +1 DSP bonus, and 2 column shift to the left which must be taken into account when calculating differences. If ALL units are in the castle, then the RTs DO receive the city bonus.
It is possible, then, to have a situation arise where neither the RTs nor the garrison force can attack! In this case, the option is ALWAYS open to the player whose garrison troops currently occupy the city or castle whether or not to attack at negative difference. Note that RTs can be attacked via the "doughnut" method described in the Basic Game rules. Obviously, if a city does not contain a castle, then garrison units may not withdraw to a castle, and must vacate the hex if they withdraw.
2c Successful Rebellions
When a rebellion succeeds, the RTs are said to have retreated or eliminated all garrison units. The RTs remain in the city, but they may be attacked at any time. If a player attacks a rebellious city from the outside, he does not roll for CD units, but merely attacks the RTs as though they were normal enemy troops. Magical items that may have been controlled by the garrison units that were eliminated remain in the city, and thus may be recaptured. RTs may be bargained with as per the bargaining rules following.
3 Bargaining
In the Basic Game, players were forced to attack cities in order to conquer them. However, in the Advanced Game, players need not attack a city in order to receive GTs from it. Note that bargaining is always optional, and players never have to bargain if they don't want to. Note also that cities with monsters may NEVER be bargained with.
3a How To Bargain
In order to bargain, a leader must be adjacent to a city. He may have combat units accompany him. A leader must announce that he will bargain with a city, and roll a single die. This takes place after movement, but before combat--during the investigation of legends phase. He finds the row of the die, and cross-matches it with the correct LEVEL of that leader. For example:
A 4th level Lord bargains with a city. He rolls a 1, indicating that the city has joined him (explained later). Note that a player must roll for the CD units FIRST--he does not attack them, but simply knows their strength.
3a.1 City Joins Player
If a "j" is the result of bargaining, the following things happen:
- The player enters the city and controls it, placing a CONTROL marker on the city hex.
- The CD units DO NOT disappear, but remain in the city and are controlled by the player.
Note that if the city joined the player in a hiring month, the player receives the GTs from that city. The player may tax it as if it were a normal city. He may even use the CD units as garrisons against possible RTs! He may use the CD units for attrition purposes; however, CD units may not be purchased (hired). These CD units are his in all respects.
3a.2 Player Pays City
If a number was the result of bargaining, the following things happen:
- The leader loses GTs equal to the number of CD ASPs (or DSPs) times the number of the result.
- The player enters the city and controls it, and the CD units disappear.
For example: A 3rd level Wizard bargains with a city with 24 CD ASPs, or in other words six 4-4-0s. He obtains a result of "1 1/2", indicating that he must pay 24 x 1 1/2 = 36 GTs. He does so, and enters the city.
3a.3 NO DEAL Factions
If the bargaining player rolls a six, the city is immediately considered to be a NO DEAL faction. This means that nothing happens, and that no pay offs or anything else may happen for that turn. A player may never bargain with a NO DEAL faction again.
3b Restrictions on Bargaining
A leader may only bargain once per turn. If a leader decides to bargain with a city, he may not attack that city in the same turn. He may not bargain with it next turn, though he may attack it.
If two or more leaders are bargaining with the same city, the highest level leader bargains with the city only. If two players attempt to bargain with the same city in the same turn, one player may bargain with a city even if it has already turned into a NO DEAL faction for the other player.
4 Hiring in Territories
In the Basic Game, any unit except for special units could be hired anywhere. In the Advanced Game, the three races of Orcs, Elves, and Dwarves may only be hired in special areas, with cities used as staging depots. These units are not available anywhere else. Men units are available anywhere. Listed are the following cities:
| Row | Orcs | Elves | Dwarves |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zestrad | Gesmarth | Welkton |
| 2 | Mukten | Staberstar | Adenburg |
| 3 | Bork | Tenmor | Illbridge |
| 4 | Xlemek | Asgarth | Egmar |
5 Scouts
In the Basic Game, a city did not divulge its secrets until attacked. In the Advanced Game, any unit may learn the substance of both the city's CD units and magical item by being adjacent to the city at the end of its movement phase, and rolling a "1" on a single die. If a unit rolls anything else, it does not discover anything about that city. Of course, if a player attacks the city as per the Basic Game rules, then the city reveals strength and legend. Note that if a scouting unit discovers a monster as the legend, the monster does not attack the scout. A city may be scouted only once per turn: a player may not scout and attack a city in the same turn.
5a Secrecy
A player whose scout rolls a "1" places the CD units in the city, but is not obliged to reveal the true identity of the legend in the city until he captures it himself. He may peek under the counter to see what it is. This is known as "spying".
6 Sea Movement
Sea Movement Rules for the Advanced Game are exactly like those of the Basic Game, with the exceptions noted in this section. In some cases, these rules are added onto the Basic Game Sea Movement rules. This section supersedes 7c in case of conflict.
6a Debarkation Areas
Units do not have to debark in ports, only embark in ports. Units may debark in uncontrolled cities or hexes containing enemy units. Units MAY DEBARK IN CITY HEXES CONTAINING ENEMY UNITS ONLY IN CASTLES.
6b Battle Fleets
Transportation fleets were used up once they finished the job of transportation. Battle fleets, however, remain on the mapsheet until destroyed. They cost 20 GTs to build, and may NOT be removed by attrition nor do they count for attrition. Battle fleets may not serve as ferries. Battle fleets may not attack ground or air units. They may be attacked by ground or air units if on a coast or river, and defend with a DSP of 4. They do not receive terrain defensive bonuses.
6c Sea Combat
Combat between fleets takes place within the hex. More than one battle fleet may be in a hex. During the combat portion of a player's turn, the player may have his battle fleets attack enemy transports or enemy battle fleets. Transport fleets may not attack any other types of fleets. When a battle fleet attacks transports alone, the player rolls one die to determine how many transported units are lost. When a battle fleet attacks a battle fleet, the attacking fleet must roll a "1" on a die to eliminate the enemy fleet. For example: Player A is transporting 7 units by sea, thusly represented by putting them under a transport fleet counter. Player B moves two battle fleets into this hex, and rolls a 4 and 2. Player A must lose 6 out of his 7 transported units. Player A decides which units he will lose. Units lost are removed from the map.
6c.1 How to Attack
In order to attack other fleets, a Battle Fleet (BF) must be in the same hex or river hexside as the enemy fleet(s). There are two sides to a river hexside, but both are considered the same for combat. A BF may not attack transports if there is an enemy BF in the same hex or hexside; in other words, enemy BFs must always be attacked before transports may ever be attacked. Transports in the same hex as a BF may not be attacked by enemy BFs. For example: A transport fleet of 4 units is protected by a BF. Two enemy BFs enter the hex, and combat takes place. The first BF rolls a 3, and the second rolls a 5. Thus, the enemy BF is NOT destroyed, and the transports may not be attacked. NOTE: Had the first BF rolled a 1, the enemy BF would have been destroyed, and the second BF could have attacked the now unprotected transports.
6c.1.1 Simultaneous Attack
If there are BFs in a hex attacked by other BFs, the attacker, or the player moving, rolls his BFs first. However, the effects are simultaneous because the "defender" also has the option to attack the "attacker". For example: Player A has 2 BFs and 5 transported units. Player B has 2 BFs attacking. Player B rolls a 6 and a 1, thus destroying 1 BF of player A. Player A may roll twice, since he started off with 2 BFs. He rolls a 1 and a 3. Thus, both players lose 1 BF.
6c.1.2 Restrictions on Attack
A BF may not attack more than once per turn.
6c.2 Units in a Hex at Sea
Fleets may be in the same hex, whether they are enemy or friendly. However, note that combat must take place if a fleet of one player enters the hex or hexside of a fleet of another player. Of course, transports cannot attack and are exempt from this rule. Note that if a transport enters the hex of an enemy BF, the transport fleet may be attacked.
6c.3 Transports
If a transport is eliminated, the unit or units it was carrying are also eliminated. Obviously, if a transport fleet transports less units than the elimination roll from an enemy BF, then all units are destroyed and the transport fleet counter is removed.
6d Ferries
Only transport fleet counters may act as ferries. Ferries are created as are transport fleets, costing 1 GT for EACH UNIT ferried. At the end of a turn, a ferry is removed from the map. Ferries may be used as retreat routes for units retreating from combat. The ferry then acts as a bridge: a unit crossing that particular hexside does NOT pay the +2 MP cost for crossing the river--it does not cost anything.
Units may NOT attack across a river hexside with a ferry and consider it as a non-river hexside; units may attack across river hexsides with ferries, but the defender still receives his DSP bonus.
Ferries may also transport units across black "squiggly" lines at the cost of 1 GT per unit, and 1 MP per unit. All rules apply for the black lines as above.
Ferries may be built on any river hexside or coastal hex that can be traced back to the sea. In other words, ferries cannot ferry units on impassable lakes or river hexsides beyond river origin points. Ferries may be built anytime during the player's turn.
7 Missile Units
In the Basic Game, missile units are not special. However, in the Advanced Game, missile units assume additional importance. How missile units are used, and what their effects are, are explained in the following rules section.
7a Designation of Missile Units
Before a battle, each player must designate whether his missile units are to be missile units or melee (combat) units. The defender must always declare first whether his missile units will act as missile or not. Any combination of missile and melee units is possible; a player is not bound to use one type as melee and the other as missile.
7a.1 Redesignation
If a battle continues into a second round, and neither side has withdrawn from combat, a player may re-designate his missile units as either "missile" or "melee". He may convert them into one or the other, or may change none, some, or a few, or all.
7b Effect of Missile Units
Missile combat occurs before melee combat. In other words, the COMBAT portion is now broken up into two segments--the missile first, then melee. Missile combat is simultaneous, but the attacker should roll first as a matter of convention. Note that even if missile units are lost in the defender's hex from offensive missile fire, those defending missile units get to fire back before being removed from the mapsheet. To simplify, both players may roll at once.
7b.1 How to Find Missile Strength
On the Missile Chart (MC) is a list of the MISSILE strengths of each missile unit, reprinted here:
- Orc, BowMen: 1
- BowElf: 1 1/2
- CrossbowMan: 2
- Giants: 2 1/2
When a player has more than one unit firing, he merely adds up all the missile strengths to make up one combined total. For example: Player A has 3 Orc BW, 2 Men BW, 1 Men CB, and 1 Giant as missile units. 3+2+2+2 1/2=9 1/2. Player A now rolls a single die--a 3. He refers to the correct column, rounding down. Thus, he looks under the "9" column, and the result printed is a "2". 2 enemy units are eliminated.
The Missile Chart itself is reproduced in the Charts section at the end of this rulebook.
7b.2 Results of Missile Fire
The player whose units are being fired upon has the choice of which units to remove, should the missile fire result call for elimination of enemy units. The player may remove missile units if he wishes, but these units still may fire if they have not done so in that round before being removed. See 8b.
7c Vulnerability of Missile Units
Missile units which fired in a round may NOT participate in attack or defense melee in that same round. If all the combat units or missile units acting as melee units are eliminated in the hex, the missile units in that hex are also eliminated! Missile units which were used as missile units in a round may not be attacked by enemy melee units. If one surviving melee unit existed at the end of the round, then the player who owns that unit may redesignate his missile units to be melee, or a combination as explained earlier. IF ALL MELEE UNITS IN A HEX ARE ELIMINATED, THEN THOSE MISSILE UNITS USED AS MISSILE UNITS IN THAT HEX ARE ALSO ELIMINATED.
7d Maximum Missile Strength
If a player has total missile strength of 16 or more, the 16+ column is still used.
7e Defensive Bonus Against Missile Fire
If defending units are in a city, woods, or mountains, the missile strength column is shifted one to the left. If defending units are in a castle, the column is shifted two to the left. Note that "attacking" units also receive the bonus if fired upon by defending missile units, as long as they are in defensive terrain.
7f Restrictions on Missile Units
Missile units acting as garrisons may not be used as missile units. They must be used as melee units.
Optional Rules
These optionals are used in addition to the Advanced Game. Players must decide before the game starts whether to use one, some, or all of the optionals, and which ones.
1 Desertion
Trolls and Giants may desert before a battle begins. Before combat, the owning player must roll a die for each Troll or Giant unit owned. If the player rolls a 1 or 2, the unit deserts.
1a How To Desert
When a Giant or Troll unit deserts, the owning player simply removes the unit from the mapsheet. He does not get back the GTs spent in hiring the unit. If a leader is defended only by units which desert him, he is captured. (See Capture.)
2 Upkeep
Upkeep takes place instead of attrition; attrition is no longer used if the players use upkeep instead. Upkeep is the payment of units already hired. Upkeep occurs at the end of every third month, as does attrition.
2a How To Upkeep
Each unit a player owns demands upkeep. Upkeep, which is printed on the UCT, is 1/2 of the original cost of the unit, rounded up. If a unit is not paid upkeep, it is immediately removed from the mapsheet. For example: Player A owns four 4-3-3s, two 5-4-3s, three 4-2-4s, and a 7-8-2. This will cost him 8+6+9+0=23 GTs. He must immediately lose 23 GTs.
2a.1 Loss of Unpaid Units
If a player cannot immediately pay upkeep cost, the unit is removed from the map. The player does NOT receive the GTs he paid for that unit, and if he wishes to hire that type again, he must pay FULL price for each unit bought.
3 Treachery
Before combat, even magical combat, a player may attempt to bribe the enemy's units via treachery. For each "bribe", a player must pay 5 GTs. A unit may only be bribed once per turn, but each unit bribed must be paid 5 GTs. After losing the correct amount of GTs, the player rolls once for each unit to determine the effect of the bribe. The result is found on the TREACHERY table, and results are explained shortly. A player may pay additional bribes to each unit, but each additional bribe costs 5 GTs. For each additional bribe, the player adds one to the die roll for that particular unit's bribe. For example:
Player A pays 25 GTs to bribe 4 neutral 5-4-3s, paying one bribe for the first three, and two bribes for the fourth. He rolls the die 4 times: 1, 6, 4, and 5. The first unit remains loyal, the second withholds, the third remains loyal, and the fourth withholds.
3a Effects of Treachery
If a "-" is the result, this means that the bribe had no effect, and the unit remains loyal.
If a "W" is the result, this means that the bribe was partially successful, and the unit does not participate in combat for that turn.
If a "J" is the result, this means that the bribe is completely successful, and the bribed unit becomes the property of the briber! However, units which switch forces are removed at the end of that turn, though they may be used during that combat portion of the turn by the new owner. Chaotic units will never join forces with Ordered units; in this case, the Ordered leader immediately removes them from the map, and vice versa.
3b Withholding
When a unit withholds from combat, it may not be used in any round of the battle. Bribes may be done only in the very first round of combat, and last only for that full turn. Units which withheld are removed from the mapsheet at the end of the combat portion of the turn. If a leader is defended only by units that withhold, that leader is captured. Controlled units may not be bribed.
3c Bribe Restrictions
CD units, RT units, fleets, and Ents may not be bribed.
3d CounterBribes
If a leader pays a unit 5 GTs before combat, he automatically ensures that the unit will not be bribed. Bribes are always announced in this particular order: a) Attacking leader's bribes; b) Defending leader's counterbribes; c) Defending leader's bribes; d) Attacking leader's counterbribes.
4 Capture
If a leader is captured, he may be sold back to a player for any ransom fee, or may be given back to the captured leader's player if so desired. If a capturer so desires, he may execute captured leaders, thus removing them from the mapsheet. To indicate capture, invert the captured leader piece and place it under the control of the units/leaders who control him. Captured leaders should be treated as magical items. If a unit or leader is eliminated while controlling a leader, that leader may be returned to the original player, or else captured again by the new unit/leader. It is conceivable that a leader may capture another leader, only to get captured by a third! Note: If a leader captures all other leaders, he is declared the winner. Captured leaders which are ransomed or given back may reappear in any city controlled by the returned leader's player.
NOTE: If a leader is eliminated, that player gets a new leader of the same type the next turn at level one at his capital. A Lord may not go up a level via the normal means (on turns 6, 12, and 18) until it has spent at least 6 turns on the map.
5 Siege
In order to besiege a unit or units, one of the following conditions must be met:
a) The besieged hex is completely surrounded by besieging units, so that all six hexes adjacent to the besieged hex are controlled by enemy units. b) The besieged units are in a castle and the besieger controls the city in the same hex. c) The besieged units are completely surrounded by a combination of enemy units and sea hexes (or lakes) with no ferry or transport available to the besieged units at the time of the siege.
If one or more of these conditions are met, then a siege may be declared. When a siege is declared, the defender's hex is marked with a siege counter. Note: A besieged unit or units may not build ferries and thus alleviate the condition of number 3(c).
A siege is declared before combat, but after the Investigation of Legends phase. When a siege is declared, the following rules sections are in use.
5a Procedure of Siege
The besieger writes down secretly how many GTs he is willing to spend on the siege. The defender announces how many GTs he will spend. Both sides then expend their stated or written amounts, and the siege takes place. Siege always takes place during the combat phase. There may NOT be more than one siege per hex per turn. The defender's total GTs is subtracted from the attacker's GT total to reveal a SIEGE RESULT. Note that there are two rows which yield column results: one is for sieges in cities, the other is for sieges in ports. A siege not held in a port is considered to be a "city" siege; however, a castle is always considered to be a "port" siege. The besieger then rolls the die, and the result is explained shortly. For example: Player A besieges Player B in a clear terrain hex. Player A spends 15 GTs on the siege; Player B spends 11. Net SIEGE RESULT is 4, found on the 3 to 4 column on the "city" row. The die roll is 6, and the siege is unsuccessful.
5a.1 Results of Siege
An "U" result means that the siege is unsuccessful, and all besieging units must retreat one hex. An "R" result means that the siege continues next turn. An "S" result means that the siege is successful, and all besieged units are eliminated. If unsuccessful, the besieging player always retreats his own units, as long as he does not retreat them to hexes adjacent to enemy units. If he cannot retreat besieging units to a hex which is not adjacent to an enemy unit, the besieging units are eliminated. Leaders which fall to a successful siege may be captured instead.
A result of "R" with a number means that next turn, the siege is recalibrated (explained below), but that the final total SIEGE RESULT is shifted the number of columns to the right equal to the number that was printed as a result after the R. For example: A "R2" result means that the next turn, which has a SIEGE RESULT of 5-6, has a siege which shall be rolled on the 9-12 column instead.
An asterisk refers to a roll for disease. At the end of each siege turn, a roll is made for disease for both attacker and defender if the chart calls for it. The rolls are separate, and the effects are explained where presented on the SIEGE DISEASE chart.
5a.2 Recalibration
If an "R" or "R#" was the result of a siege, the siege continues onto the next turn, with no units on either side able to move from their present positions. The attacker must write down the number of GTs he is willing to spend, the defender announces his amount, both sides expend their GTs, and the siege is done as it was in the first turn. Note that both players may change the amount of GTs spent from the first turn. Note also that a player NEED NOT EVER SPEND ANY GTs ON A SIEGE. HOWEVER, IF THE GTs EXPENDED BY THE DEFENDER IS MORE THAN THE ATTACKER SPENT, THE SIEGE IS UNSUCCESSFUL WITH NO ROLL FOR DISEASE. In recalibration, the SIEGE RESULT may be different. Often, the SIEGE RESULT is shifted due to the effect of the last turn of siege. If a siege is successful, the attacking units may move into the city or hex.
5b Ports and Blockades
For siege purposes only, only ports on the sea coast are to be considered as "ports"; all other cities are "city" sieges. IF THE BESIEGER HAS BATTLE FLEETS IN ALL ADJACENT SEA OR COAST HEXES TO A PORT, THAT PORT IS TO BE CONSIDERED A CITY, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE BESIEGED PLAYER HAS BATTLE FLEETS IN THE SEA OR COAST HEXES AS WELL.
5c Other Restrictions on Sieges
If any of the six adjacent hexes of a besieged hex as in case a or adjacent hexes as in case c are cleared of besieging units due to combat or other effects, the siege is lifted and all besieging units must retreat one hex. If a hex is cleared of battle fleets next to a sea port, it reverts back to its port status.
6 Plague
At the beginning of every turn players must roll for plague. A roll of one on a die means that plague strikes. If plague strikes, two dice are rolled once, to determine the affected cities. This dice roll is indexed with the following list of cities struck by the plague:
- 2: Neurg, Pelendior, Redheim
- 3: Welkton, Westend, Gesmarth
- 4: Asgarth, Adenburg, Xlmek
- 5: Fordenburg, Kessington, Lavidian
- 6: Zestrad, Bork, Delvor, Illbridge
- 7: No plague
- 8: Mukten, Osgarth, Staberstar
- 9: Telven, Tenmor, Zanavill
- 10: Hell, Egmar, Gelken
- 11: Wasseton, Prosto, Rosenburg
- 12: Redheim, Gesmarth, Adenburg
Plague eliminates 1/2 of all combat units in or passing through the cities listed. If a leader is in or passes through a city with plague, a roll of 1 on a six-sided die means that the leader is killed. Plague lasts for only one turn. Plague may stay in the same cities, or may change to other ones. Note that plague is rolled for before upkeep or attrition, since it is rolled for at the beginning of the turn.
7 Weather
At the beginning of each turn, players must roll for weather. Refer to the correct column, and roll the die. The results have effects as listed in the following rules sections.
7a Clear Weather
"c", or Clear Weather, means that there are no penalties involved for movement or combat. All functions are perfectly normal.
7b Rainy Weather
"R", or Rain, delays movement to a small extent. All units must subtract 1 MP from their movement allowance. Each fleet moves with a movement factor of 12.
7c Snowy Weather
"S", or Snow, delays movement. All units must subtract 2 MPs from their movement allowance, though they may move at least one hex per turn. No AIR movement is allowed. Sea movement is allowed at 8 MPs per turn. Swamps freeze over and act as clear terrain in all respects. Cavalry units which are in swamp hexes during snow months are eliminated if the weather turns to rain or clear. ALL UNITS IN CITIES HAVE THEIR DEFENSE FACTORS DOUBLED DURING SNOW TURNS. For example: A 2-2-4 unit is in a city. It defends with a DSP of 2, doubled is 4, plus the standard city defense bonus.
8 Special Units
Players using this rule are to make the following rules additions:
a) Ents cannot be removed as a result of missile fire. b) Dragons cannot be removed as a result of magical combat. c) Elves move normally with 4 or 10 MPs regardless of the weather.
9 Chaotic Reprisals
When Chaotic units attack RT units, the final column is shifted one column to the right.
10 Castles Built
Players may construct castles during the course of the game. When a player wishes to build a castle, he must announce in what hex, and expend 60 GTs immediately. SIX TURNS LATER (or three months) the castle is finished, and the player may put a castle piece of correct color on that hex. This castle is normal in all respects.
If a castle is built in a non-city hex, all rules apply except that units in a castle hex do not receive the +1 DSP bonus if attacked from enemy units in a castle, though they may get other defensive terrain bonuses.
11 Magical Effectiveness
Whenever a leader uses a magical item either in magical unit creation or magical combat, he must roll a die to see whether the magical item actually works. A 1, 2, or 3 means that the item functions normally. A 4 or 5 means that the item does not function at all. A 6 means that the item functions abnormally, and in effect the enemy receives the full benefit of the item as though it had worked for him instead.
12 Magical Item Creation
This is the most powerful optional rule of all, as it permits leaders to create new magical items along with the old ones. Only Wizards may create magical items, and only Wizards of 4th level or higher. Note that players must provide counters for all magical items created during the game. How to create magical items is explained in the following rules sections.
12a Where To Create Magical Items
A Wizard may only create a magical item in a city or a ruins hex. A Wizard must spend TWO FULL MONTHS, or four turns, creating a magical item. If captured, attacked, or eliminated, the Wizard may not create the magical item in question. When "attacked", it means that the Wizard took control of the forces in the hex. If the Wizard refuses all combat, he does not break "creation" continuity, and may continue to work on his magical item. If the city/ruin hex is taken, and the Wizard is forced to retreat, then continuity is broken, and the Wizard may not make the magical item. Note that 4 turns spent building a magical item is not time spent in study so will not advance the Wizard a level.
12a.1 Magical Item Creation
If a Wizard has spent four consecutive turns creating a magical item, it appears under him and his control. Note that if he spends but 3 turns, and on the fourth is disrupted by one means or another, he must start all over again.
A Wizard may create an item that is of an equal or lower level than he. The levels of possible magical items are listed on the MAGICAL UNIT & ITEM CREATION LIST.
13 Your Own Rules
Players should not limit themselves to the rules contained in L&W, though the number of rules here would sate the appetite of most. Players may make up any rule they wish, or add new units if they so desire. L&W is limited only by the players' imaginations. Good luck!
Creation of Magic Items
In order to create a Magical Item, a Wizard must be of fourth level or higher, and must stay in a city or ruins hex for four consecutive turns, unless possessing a Ring or Robe of Knowledge. A created Magical Item may not be of higher level than the Wizard creating it.
4th Level
- Scroll of X Control: Creator chooses unit to be controlled by scroll; may only be used once, after which scroll is removed.
- Potion of Speed: Increases movement allowance of leader to 20 MPs; may only be used once, after which it is removed from the map.
- Horn of Fear: Reduces enemy units by 1 DSP.
5th Level
- Wand of Missiles: Doubles ASP factor of any three units in an attack.
- Magic Sword: Adds 1 ASP/DSP to each friendly unit stacked with leader.
- Potion of Flight: Allows leader to fly 16 MPs; after use, it is removed.
- Ring of Intelligence: Adds 1 to MCRT level of Wizard.
6th Level
- Alchemist's Staff: Creates 10 GTs per turn for owner.
- Robe of Iron: Reduces all enemy units by 2 DSPs.
- Potion of Power: Treat as RING OF POWER; after use, it is removed.
- Space Door: Leader may transport to any hex at any time; after use, it is removed from the map.
- Scroll of Mind-Blanker: Treat as STAFF OF STRIKING; after use, it is removed from the map.
7th Level +
- Ring of Will: Adds 2 levels to current level of owner.
- Scroll of Cloudkill: Will eliminate any enemy unit on a roll of one; each enemy unit must be rolled for--after use, it is removed from the map.
- Scroll of Castlebuilding: See Scroll of Castlebuilding.
- Demon Summoner: Personal guard unit of 15 ASPs/DSPs, treated as one unit with leader (i.e., Leader is now 15-15-10).
- Lute of Storms: See Lute of Storms.
- Robe of Confidence: No unit will be bribed when stacked with a leader owning this Robe.
Players may add to the list of possible magical items to be created; these are only a few suggestions. However, caution must be taken to make sure a magical item is not too powerful. Players may add higher levels if they so desire.
Designer's Notes
(The designer's essay, playtester credits and closing note are omitted.)
Charts and Tables
Magical Items Table (MIT)
Roll one die on the column for the item's category and alignment. Magic has no alignment.
Swords
| Roll | Order | Neutrality | Chaos |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SWI | SWH | SWF |
| 2 | REB | ELB | BLAB |
| 3 | GRB | OB | GOB |
| 4 | TB | DB | SIB |
| 5 | SKB | GIB | ROB |
| 6 | PB | NB | ENB |
Horns
| Roll | Order | Neutrality | Chaos |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HI | HD | HP |
| 2 | HBR | DD | HF |
| 3 | HST | HSU | HBL |
| 4 | LS | DSTU | HK |
| 5 | DSTR | FS | DSU |
| 6 | HH | K | DE |
Robes
| Roll | Order | Neutrality | Chaos |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SL | RD | SZ |
| 2 | RIC | HM | RF |
| 3 | CS | RW | RST |
| 4 | RSH | RIN | RG |
| 5 | REA | SS | RH |
| 6 | RK | REY | BE |
Scrolls
| Roll | Order | Neutrality | Chaos |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SKC | DC | ROC |
| 2 | TC | GIC | ENC |
| 3 | REC | ELC | GOC |
| 4 | GRC | OC | SIC |
| 5 | SUS | PC | SUS |
| 6 | NC | SCB | BLAC |
Rings
| Roll | Order | Neutrality | Chaos |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NF | CR | NNE |
| 2 | AR | RWA | BN |
| 3 | NNO | RWE | AS |
| 4 | RWIS | RK | RD |
| 5 | RC | BR | RI |
| 6 | RWIN | WR | RS |
Magic
| Roll | Item |
|---|---|
| 1 | WOF |
| 2 | JOE |
| 3 | CB |
| 4 | POP |
| 5 | DMS |
| 6 | SOS |
Ring of Power: For Lords: Adds 4 levels to the current level of the Lord for Regular Combat purposes. Optionally, the Lord may consider himself to be a 3rd level Wizard for Magical Combat. For Wizards: Adds 4 levels to the current level of the Wizard for Magical Combat purposes. Optionally, the Wizard may consider himself a 3rd level Lord for Regular Combat purposes. If he chooses the latter option, he may not use the MCRT for that combat segment.
Monsters
| Letter | Monster | Letter | Monster |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | One Red Dragon | L | Giant Spiders |
| B | Two Red Dragons | M | A Leader* |
| C | A Leader* | N | A Leader* |
| D | A Leader* | P | One Purple Dragon |
| E | Two Troll Units | Q | Skeletal Swek |
| F | A Balrog | R | Wraiths of Zene |
| G |
* Roll a single die twice. The first roll is to determine type of leader; a roll of 1, 2, or 3 indicates it is a Lord, and 4, 5, or 6 indicates a Wizard. The second roll is the number of the level of that particular leader. The leader is treated as a normal leader, except it may not move out of the city.
No Monster Unit may ever be removed by magic or missile fire. Monsters F, K, L, Q, R, S, U, and V cannot be summoned or controlled; those units such as One or Two Dragons, Two Troll Units, etc. CAN be controlled by the proper magic. See the rules booklet for additional explanation of magic and monsters.
MIT Code Explanations
Swords
- SWI: Sword of Ice: Reduces all enemy units by 2 ASPs/DSPs in combat.
- REB: Red Dragon Bane: See explanation of Bane below.
- GRB: Green Dragon Bane.
- TB: Troll Bane.
- SKB: Skorre Bane.
- PB: Purple Dragon Bane.
- SWH: Sword of Heroes: Reduces all enemy units by 4 ASPs/DSPs in combat.
- ELB: Elf Bane.
- OB: Orc Bane.
- DB: Dwarf Bane.
- GIB: Giant Bane.
- NB: Narque Bane.
- SWF: Sword of Fire: Reduces all enemy units by 2 ASPs/DSPs in combat.
- BLAB: Black Dragon Bane.
- GOB: Golden Dragon Bane.
- SIB: Silver Dragon Bane.
- ROB: Roc Bane.
- ENB: Ent Bane.
- Bane: This sword affects only those units of that particular type. It affects all of that type in the enemy stack, unless the item perverts on the owner. It affects units thusly: All units of that type are reduced to an ASP/DSP value of 1.
Horns and Drums
- HI: Horn of Inspiration: This item negates a HORN OF PANIC. If the HP is not used by the enemy leader, it is treated as a Horn of Bravery*.
- HBR: Horn of Bravery: Adds 2 ASPs to each unit stacked with leader*.
- HST: Horn of Stun: Enemy units are eliminated on a roll of one (1)*.
- LS: Lute of Storms: Stops a battle immediately; no further combat takes place. If used initially, no combat may be started in that turn for that particular attack. No combat whatsoever is allowed (not magical combat either).
- DSTR: Drum of Strength: Adds 2 ASPs/DSPs to friendly units*.
- HH: Harp of Heaven: Leader may fly 10 MPs per turn. (Used instead of regular movement; leader has option to use movement instead of flight.)
- HD: Horn of Deafen: Enemy units are eliminated on a roll of one or two (1, 2)*.
- DD: Drum of Deafen: See HORN OF DEAFEN.
- HSU: Horn of Summoning: Leader may summon one Man unit of same alignment and any type.
- DSTU: Drum of Stun: See HORN OF STUN.
- FS: Flute of Speed: Leader may move 20 MPs per turn instead of 10 MPs.
- K: Katare: Leader may summon one unit of same alignment of any type.
- HP: Horn of Panic: Enemy units must retreat 1 to 3 hexes at defender's option on a roll of 1.
- HF: Horn of Fear: Defending units reduced 2 DSPs (enemy units)*.
- HBL: Horn of Blind: Enemy units are eliminated on a roll of one to three (1-3)*.
- HK: Horn of Kill: Enemy units are eliminated on a roll of one to four (1-4)*.
- DSU: Drum of Summoning: See HORN OF SUMMONING.
- DE: Drum of Earthquake: Units eliminated on a roll of one to three (1-3)**.
- * Each enemy unit must be rolled for separately. Leader using item rolls for enemy units.
Robes
- SL: Scarf of Lageps: Increases the magical combat level of a Wizard by 2.
- RIC: Robe of Ice: Reduces all enemy units by 2 ASPs.
- CS: Cloak of Sinthea: Shifts CRT column two to the left or right, in favor of the leader owning the item.
- RSH: Robe of Ships: Acts as a FREE transport of all units stacked with leader; moves as a normal transport does; may NOT be eliminated in Sea Combat.
- REA: Robe of Eagles: Leader may fly 16 MPs per turn and receives a ROC guard unit; hence, the leader is treated for all purposes as a 5-5-16. (Optionally, player may add ROC unit to the leader, but such a unit does not need upkeep, nor may it be removed for attrition; it may not be counted for attrition.)
- RK: Robe of Knowledge: See RING OF KNOWLEDGE.
- RD: Robe of Delber: Treat as any type of Dragon Bane Sword (see Swords).
- HM: Hat of MagicBane: Will completely negate effects of any enemy magical item; will not, however, negate effects of magical combat.
- RW: Robe of Wisdom: Adds 2 levels to a LORD's current level for combat or other purposes.
- RIN: Robe of Intelligence: Adds 3 levels to a WIZARD's current level.
- SS: Sandals of Speed: Increases movement of a leader to 20 MPs per turn.
- REY: Robe of Eyes: See below.
- SZ: Sash of Ztruk: Increases the magical combat level of a Wizard by 2.
- RF: Robe of Flame: Reduces all enemy units by 2 DSPs.
- RST: Robe of Strength: Shifts CRT column one to the left or right, in favor of the leader owning the item.
- RG: Robe of Guile: Adds 7 levels to current leader's Bargaining Ability.
- RH: Robe of Hawks: Same as ROBE OF EAGLES, except leader receives a 4-4-16 unit.
- BE: Boots of Emyaj: Leader may use item either as SANDALS OF SPEED, or fly 10 MPs per turn.
Scrolls
- SKC: Scroll of Skorre Control: See the magical items section for an explanation of CONTROL scrolls.
- TC: Scroll of Troll Control.
- REC: Scroll of Red Dragon Control.
- GRC: Scroll of Green Dragon Control.
- SUS: Scroll of Summoning: Leader may summon 2 units of any type.
- NC: Scroll of Narque Control.
- DC: Scroll of Dwarf Control.
- GIC: Scroll of Giant Control.
- ELC: Scroll of Elf Control.
- OC: Scroll of Orc Control.
- PC: Scroll of Purple Dragon Control.
- SCB: Scroll of Castle Building: Leader may build one castle anywhere on land; leader must be in the hex in order to build a castle in that hex.
- ROC: Scroll of Roc Control.
- ENC: Scroll of Ent Control.
- GOC: Scroll of Golden Dragon Control.
- SIC: Scroll of Silver Dragon Control.
- BLAC: Scroll of Black Dragon Control.
After the leader uses a scroll, he must remove it from the map. Hence, each scroll may only be read once.
Rings
- NF: Necklace of Fonasak: Acts as a Chaotic Dragon Bane (see Swords).
- AR: Amulet of Renhcit: Acts as an Orc/Skorre Bane (see Swords).
- NNO: Necklace of Nospmis: Mind-Blanker. See STAFF OF STRIKING (see Magic).
- RWIS: Ring of Wisdom: Adds 3 levels to the current level of the LORD for combat and other purposes.
- RC: Ring of Charisma: Raises Bargaining Ability of leader 7 levels.
- RWIN: Ring of Winds: Allows Leader to fly 12 MPs per turn.
- CR: Crown of Razib: Adds 1 level to either LORD's or WIZARD's present level.
- RWA: Ring of Waves: Allows Leader to travel 16 MPs by sea*.
- RWE: Ring of Wealth: Owner receives an additional 10 GTs per turn.
- RK: Ring of Knowledge: Enables Wizard to create a Magical Item as per the normal rules in 2 turns instead of 4 turns.
- BR: Bridgebuilder's Ring: Defending units do NOT receive the benefit of a river DSP bonus when attacked by units stacked with a leader who owns this magical item.
- WR: Wallmaker's Ring: Has the effect of a temporary castle; 5 units of the player's choice receive the bonus. However, in no other case should this special effect be treated as a castle.
- NNE: Necklace of Nesredep: Acts as an Ordered Dragon Bane (see Swords).
- BN: Bracelet of Namdlog: Acts as an Elf/Roc Bane (see Swords).
- AS: Amulet of Seivad: Disruptor. See WAND OF FIREBALLS (see Magic).
- RD: Ring of Djinn: Owner may summon two (2) units of any type.
- RI: Ring of Intelligence: Adds 2 levels to the current level of a Wizard.
- RS: Ring of Speed: Allows Leader to move 20 MPs per turn instead of 10 MPs.
- * The Leader must start from a Port, Sea, Lake, Coast, or River hex. (A River hex is defined as any hex containing a river hexside.)
Magic
- WOF: Wand of Fireballs: Enemy units are eliminated on a roll of one to three (1-3). Each enemy unit must be rolled for separately.
- JOE: Jug of Elementals: This item should be treated as a 10-14 unit; it may not be eliminated in combat and hence the leader may never be eliminated or captured. However, it may be eliminated in Magical Combat if the player so desires; if eliminated, the item is removed from the map.
- CB: Crystal Ball: Shifts MCRT two columns in owner's favor.
- POP: Potion of Power: Acts as a RING OF POWER, but is removed after usage. Note that should the item pervert on a roll of six, it does NOT give the enemy leader the powers of a RING OF POWER, but instead acts as a Mind-Blanker (see below) automatically on the leader who used it initially.
- DMS: Dancing Morning Star: Acts as a SWORD OF HEROES (see Swords).
- SOS: Staff of Striking: Mind-Blanker. On a roll of one, the enemy leader is reduced to 1st level immediately.
Magical Item Effectiveness Chart
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 1, 2, 3 | Item works perfectly |
| 4, 5 | Item does nothing |
| 6 | Item perverts against user: Effect is as though opposite leader were to have used the item against the initial user and it must work perfectly for the opposite leader. If there is no opposite leader, item still acts against the initial owner or user. |
Phase Reference Sheet (PRS)
I. Movement
- a) Land unit movement.
- b) Sea movement.
- c) Air movement.
II. Investigation of Legends
- a) Discovering legends.
- b) Discovering CD strength.
III. Combat
- Magical unit creation
- Wizard vs. Wizard
- Lord vs. Lord
- Regular combat
- Withdrawal
- Advancing after combat
IV. Hiring
- Income.
- Hiring units.
- a) Hire and pay for regular combat units.
- b) Roll, hire and pay for special units.
V. Placement of hired units.
VI. Attrition (turns 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48)
If a player has finished all steps in his turn, the next player starts his turn. If the last player to have his turn finishes it, then the game-turn is finished. Note the difference between hiring and income; hiring may be done at any time during a hiring phase, while income is received at the end of each month (two-turn interval).
Wizard vs. Wizard Combat Table
Read the Difference in Levels row against the die roll column. Attacker's level minus defender's level; a Lord counts as level 0 here, and a leader's level is used as the difference when only one side has a Wizard.
| Difference in levels | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| +7 | R4* | R3 | R2 | R1 | -/3 | -/2 |
| +6 | R3* | R2 | R1 | -/3 | -/2 | -/2 |
| +5 | R2* | R2 | R1 | -/3 | -/2 | -/2* |
| +4 | R2* | R1 | R1 |
Lord vs. Lord Combat Table
| Difference in levels | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| +7 | 1/3 | -/3 | -/4 | -/4 | -/5 | -*/6 |
| +6 | 1/2 | 1/3 | -/3 | -/3 | -/4 | -*/5 |
| +5 | 1/2* | 1/2 | 1/3 | -/3 | -/3 | -*/4 |
| +4 | 1/2* | 1/2 |
Explanation of results for both tables: The number on the left of the slash is the number of units the attacker must lose, at the attacker's option; the number on the right is the number the defender must lose, at the defender's option. The attacker always states which units he removes first. "-" means no units need be lost for that side. In the Lord vs. Lord table, an asterisk means the Lord on that side immediately goes up a level (if no Lord participates on that side, the asterisk is ignored). In the Wizard vs. Wizard table, an asterisk means the Wizard on that side goes up a level; an "R" result shifts the regular CRT column that many columns to the right, and an "L" result shifts it that many columns to the left (the attacking Wizard gains a level on "R*", the defending Wizard on "L*").
Phase order of combat: Lord vs. Lord combat; Wizard vs. Wizard combat; Missile combat; Regular combat; Withdrawal phase.
Wizards who use their magical combat ability against no leader or Lords use their level as the "level difference"; i.e., Level 1 = +1, Level 2 = +2, etc. Lords who use their fighting ability against no leader or Wizards use their level in exactly the same manner. Wizards who use magical combat in a combat phase cannot gain a level, even if so indicated on the appropriate chart.
Missile Chart
Find the column for the total missile strength (rounded down; 16 or more uses the 16+ column) and roll the die for the row. The result is the number of enemy units eliminated; the owner chooses which units to eliminate.
| Die roll \ Strength | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
Missile strengths of units (Missile Chart reprint): BowMan (Orc) 1; BowElf 1 1/2; CrossbowMan 2; Giants 2 1/2.
Combat Results Table (CRT)
| Die roll | -25 or less | -24 to -16 | -15 to -8 | -7 to -1 | 0 | 1 to 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6/- | 5/- | 4/- | 3/- | 2/- | 1/1 |
| 2 | 5/- | 4/- | 3/- | 2/- | 2/1 | 1/1 |
| 3 | 4/- | 3/- | 3/- | 2/1 | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| 4 | 3/- | 3/1 |
| Die roll | 8 to 15 | 16 to 24 | 25 to 33 | 34 to 42 | 43 or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/3 | 1/4 |
| 2 | 1/2 | 1/2 | -/2 | -/3 | -/5 |
| 3 | 1/3 | 1/3 | -/3 | -/4 | -/6 |
| 4 | -/3 | -/3 | -/4 | -/5 | -/8 |
| 5 |
Explanation of results: The number on the left of the slash mark refers to the number of units the attacker must lose, at the attacker's option. The number on the right refers to the number of units the defender must lose, at the defender's option. The attacker always states which units he removes first. "-" indicates that no units need be lost for that side.
After one round of combat has been fought, the players have the option to withdraw from battle. The attacker states first whether he will withdraw or not. If he wishes to withdraw, he may do so only on a roll of one or two on a six-sided die (1, 2). If he does not, the defender may withdraw on the same roll if so desired. If both do not wish to withdraw after one round, then neither may roll. If both desire to withdraw after one round, then both withdraw, with the attacker withdrawing first.
Units may withdraw from one to three hexes away from their present hex.
Bargaining Table (Advanced)
| Die roll | Level 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | j | j | j | j | j | j | j | j | j | j | j | j |
| 2 | 2 | 1 1/2 | 1 1/2 | 1 1/2 | 1 1/2 |
See section 3a for the "j" (city joins player) result and section 3a.2 for payments.
Treachery Table (Optional)
| Die roll | Order | Neutral | Chaos |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | - | - |
| 2 | - | - | W |
| 3 | - | - | W |
| 4 | - | W | W |
| 5 | W | W | J |
| 6 | W | W | J |
| 7 | W | J |
Siege Table (Optional)
Find the siege result in the PORT row (for a port siege) or the CITY row (for a city siege), then read down to the die roll (DR).
| Col 1 | Col 2 | Col 3 | Col 4 | Col 5 | Col 6 | Col 7 | Col 8 | Col 9 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PORT | 0 | 1-3 | 4-8 | 9-12 | 13-16 | 17-20 | 21-24 | 25-28 | 29+ |
| CITY | 0 | 1,2 | 3,4 | 5-6 | 7-8 | 9-12 | 13-17 | 18-22 | 23+ |
* = Roll for disease: In camp (besieged): 1 = 1/2De, 2 = 1/4De, 3-6 = no effect. In ring (besieged): 1 = 1/2Ae, 2-6 = no effect.
Attrition Table (AT)
| DR | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | 30% (.3) |
| 2 | 25% (.25) |
| 3 | 20% (.2) |
| 4 | 15% (.15) |
| 5 | 10% (.1) |
| 6 | 5% (.05) |
Tax / Rebellion Chart
| DR | x1 | x2 | x3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x1 | x2 | x3 |
| 2 | x1 | x2 | x3* |
| 3 | x1 | x2* | x1* |
| 4 | x1 | x1* | x1* |
| 5 | x1 | x1* | x1* |
| 6 | x1 | x1* | x0* |
* = Rebellion breaks out. See rules for Rebellious Troops. x1/x2/x3 = GTs collected as per taxing rules. x0 = NO GTs collected.
Unit Cost Table (UCT)
| Type of unit | Cost (GTs) | Upkeep (Optionals) |
|---|---|---|
| Light Infantry (4-3-3) | 4 | 2 |
| Heavy Infantry (5-4-3) | 5 | 3 |
| Bowmen (2-2-4) | 4 | 2 |
| Crossbowmen (4-2-4) | 5 | 3 |
| Light Horse (3-3-10) | 6 | 3 |
| Medium Horse (5-4-8) | 8 | 4 |
| Heavy Horse (7-5-6) | 10 | 5 |
| Elvish Infantry (4-4-4) | 5 | 3 |
| Elvish BowElf (4-2-4) |
* Ents require neither initial cost nor upkeep. However, as in accord with the special units rules, they must still be found to be hired.
** Dragons may be paid either in GTs or in a magical item, as per the special hiring rules concerning Dragons. However, should they be paid by GTs, the initial cost is 10 times the roll of a single die, and the upkeep cost is always 1/2 of the initial paid amount.
Where each special unit is found:
- Green Dragons, Silver Dragons are found on a roll of 1 or 2 in WOODS.
- Rocs, Skorres, and Narques are found on a roll of 1 or 2 in MOUNTAINS.
- Golden Dragons and Red Dragons are found on a roll of 1 or 2 in the MOUNTAINS.
- Trolls are found in non-city/village bridge hexes on a roll of 1 or 2.
- Black Dragons are found on a roll of 1 or 2 in SWAMPS.
- Purple Dragons are found on a roll of 1 or 2 in DESERTS.
- Ents are found on a roll of 1 in WOODS.
- Giants are found on a roll of 1 or 2 in MOUNTAINS.
Note: the rules text in section 13 gives a 7-5-6 Heavy Horse a cost of 20 GTs, while the Unit Cost Table above and the worked example in section 13a list 10 GTs; the table figures are reproduced as printed.
Territorial Hiring (Advanced Game)
| Orcs | Elves | Dwarves |
|---|---|---|
| Zestrad | Gesmarth | Welkton |
| Mukten | Staberstar | Adenburg |
| Bork | Tenmor | Illbridge |
| Xlmek | Asgarth | Egmar |
Weather Chart (Optional)
Find the game turn, then the column for the die roll. c = Clear Weather; r = Rainy Weather; s = Snowy Weather.
| Turn | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | c | c | c | c | c | c |
| 2 | c | c | c | c | c | c |
| 3 | c | c | c | c | c | c |
| 4 | c | c | c |
- R = Subtract 1 MP from all units.
- s = Subtract 2 MPs from all units. Fleets move at 8 MPs/turn. Swamps treated as clear terrain. Trails ignored for all purposes. Units in cities DOUBLED for combat purposes.
Terrain Effects Chart (TEC)
| Type of terrain | Movement cost (MPs) | Combat bonus (+DSPs) |
|---|---|---|
| Roads | 1/2 | Base terrain |
| Trails | 1 | Base terrain |
| Cities | 1/2 | +1 and one column to the left |
| Clear | 1 | None |
| Woods | 2 | One column to the left |
| Desert | 2 | None |
| River | +2 | +3 (see Rule 7b.3) |
| Mountain | 3 | One column to the left |
| Swamp |
* No units are allowed on Sea/Lake hexes unless by transport or ferry.
All combat bonuses for shifting columns apply to the missile chart also.