Sack Armies
Sack Armies Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- 1.0 The World of Tyrannia
- 2.0 Overview of Play
- 3.0 Components
- 4.0 Recruiting an Army
- 5.0 Winning the Game
- 6.0 Tokens- The Sack, The Hand, The Virtual Battleground and The Casaulties Pile
- 7.0 Playing the Game
- 8.0 Actions
- 9.0 Activating Spells, Maneuvers, or Special Abilities
- 10.0 The Homelands
- 11.0 Questions and Further Contact
- Appendix A – Special Abilities
- Appendix B – Glossary of Terms
1.0 The World of Tyrannia
Sack Armies is set in the world of Tyrannia. Tyrannia supports two major continents known to the commoners as the Cradle and the Tangle. These continents have been separated for over two thousand years, since the Fire Wall rose from the Azure Sea during the Year of the Gloom.
1.1 A Tale of Two Continents- The Cradle and the Tangle.
The Cradle is a well populated, explored, and developed continent that is home to the remaining "advanced" civilizations of Tyrannia. These civilizations are divided by geography and agreement into a series of Homelands. The Homelands are diverse areas that reflect the character and nature of their inhabitants. The Homeland of the Fey Court is marked by vast forests occasionally broken by flowering meadows and rolling hills populated with small towns of humans, elves, gnomes, halflings, and other woodland and faerie creatures. The Scourge Homelands, on the other hand, are made up of foreboding mountains, dank swamps, and dark forests, home to tribes of orcs, goblins, and other fell creatures. The Empire homeland is located in a more temperate region that trails down to desert lowlands and is inhabited primarily by humans who gravitate to key regional city-states.
In contrast to the Cradle, the Tangle is a wild expanse that is rich in resources and relatively unexplored. Scholars and Sages in the Homelands know very little of the exotic and often primitive cultures which inhabit its vast and diverse countryside. Two thousand years of isolation and evolution have only further added to the mystery of the Tangle.
Before the Gloom Time ("B.G." in the common), the Homelands were prosperous and strong. The population of almost every Homeland pressed hard against the limits of its land. Driven to expand, the Homelands of the Cradle began to explore the Tangle and make contact with its primitive and exotic cultures. Great convoys of merchant ships made the long voyage to ports of entry newly established on the Tangle continent. Soon valuable resources began to flow, enriching the Homelands, and vast new areas of land became available for settlers. A Golden Age seemed at hand. But it was not to be. Without warning or explanation, disaster sprang from the earth. Whether natural in cause, the work of great magic, or as many believed, the will of an angry god, from out of the earth and seas a vast Fire Wall emerged to separate the continents of Tyrannia. Spewing ash from a range of giant volcanoes, the Fire Wall plunged the Homelands into an age of darkness and gloom marked by comfortless, frigid summers, savage long winters, and desperate wars for food, space, and survival. During the Gloom Time, whole civilizations perished while many more were crippled for generations. The devastation was not limited to the Cradle. The emergence of the Fire Wall was accompanied by a series of dramatic earthquakes that spawned great tidal waves, engulfing and destroying the newly established ports and coastal colonies in the Tangle along with many coastal cities of the Cradle. All commerce and communication between the Cradle and Tangle ceased as the angry red ire of the Fire Wall's range of volcanic mountains completely cut off the established trade routes connecting the two continents. For generations, no Homeland explorer, no matter how daring or adventurous, was able to find a way through to the Tangle. Until now.
It is now 2000 years after the Gloom ("A.G." in the common). As the Homelands have recovered, their needs have likewise grown. Over the intervening ages since the Gloom, the populations of the Homelands, long decimated, have begun to rebound as light and warmth have returned. Expansion into new areas has become imperative and the Homelands have once again begun to press hard upon each other's borders. Widespread war appeared inevitable until news of a newly discovered gap in the Fire Wall reached the Cradle. The way to the Tangle is open once again.
1.2 The Mission: Explore and Conquer
The leaders of the Homelands were quick to seize upon this opportunity and are, even now, assembling expeditionary forces to accompany their best Generals to reopen and claim the Tangle. No one is so foolish as to believe that the bounty of the Tangle will be easily claimed. Its wild and untamed expanse, while rich in resources, is also home to many fortified areas, small enclaves and townships of independent minded natives and settlers. Many of the Tangle cultures are quite advanced and fully capable of defeating an overconfident General. Additionally, it would be wise for any General to consider the presence of the armies of other Homelands. In some cases, Generals should be wary of armies from their own Homelands as rival Generals vie to be the conquering hero of their realm. Riches and fame await the General who can master these many adversaries and claim the Tangle for their Homeland. Good luck, General.
2.0 Overview of Play
Welcome to the exciting collectible fantasy battle game -- Sack Armies™. With its unique TwoFlip™ Success system and its self-generating Virtual BattleGround™, Sack Armies provides different tactical and strategic challenges in each game.
Sack Armies is a game of military conquest. Players are known as "Generals" and assemble their armies to battle opposing Generals. Sack Armies uses "Tokens" to represent military Units at the General's disposal. Each General must create an army out of the tokens he has collected. Once assembled, the Generals pit their armies against each other using the TwoFlip™ Success System in a fast playing and mobile format.
Sack Armies is played using the included tokens, a sack, and any flat surface (we recommend a clean tabletop). The Generals face off against one another with the armies of tokens they have assembled. Each game begins with an initial Setup Phase in which each General places his preferred "Battlefields" on the table top to create the "Virtual Battleground". After the Virtual Battleground is set in the initial Setup Phase, the Generals will then draw, deploy, move, and attack with their armies in successive "Turns". The Generals continue successive turns until all but one army has been eliminated, the victory condition achieved, or all Generals but one have conceded.
3.0 Components
3.1 The Sack
Each General uses a sack to hold his army of tokens. The sack holds a General's undeployed army during the battle. During the draw phases of the battle, the General will shake the sack and draw his or her tokens. The "Sack" in Sack Armies can be any non-transparent container with sufficient space to allow the tokens to be randomly jumbled and mixed. We recommend a large (5" by 7") dice bag or similar container.
3.2 The Tokens
There are four types of tokens in the basic Sack Armies game: "Units", "Battlefields", "Spells", and "Maneuvers". These represent the options available to the General in building his army. The "Owner" of a token is always the General who played it from his Sack. The "Controller" of the token is the General who currently controls the token in game play.
3.2.1 Battlefield Tokens
Battlefield Tokens are identified by their distinctive directional arrow and are the terrain upon which the Generals engage in battle. Battlefield tokens do not move and are the only tokens that unit tokens may "Stack" upon. A maximum of one unit token may normally stack on top of each battlefield. Any battlefield with a unit token stacked on top of it is considered "Occupied" (see below).
Battlefield tokens affect the battles in Sack Armies in three important ways:
- They determine the shape of a General's battle lines as well as where he or she deploys. Unit tokens may only be deployed adjacent to or on top of battlefields that a General controls (See Figure 1).
- Battlefield tokens can have a terrain effect on combat. See the text of each token for a description of the specific effect of that terrain on combat.
- If a General loses "Control" of all his battlefields, the General loses the game.
A unit which "Occupies" a battlefield at the end of a turn causes that battlefield to become controlled by its General. Control of a battlefield is indicated by the "Control Arrow" on each battlefield token which points to the General whose unit last occupied the battlefield at the end of a turn (See Figure 1). If at the end of any turn, a General is not in control of any of the battlefields he deployed during the game, he is eliminated from the game.
3.2.2 Unit Tokens
Unit Tokens represent the types of soldiers available to a General for inclusion in his army. Each unit has the following attributes (See Figure 2):
Movement ("M"). This is number of spaces that a unit may move. See Movement below.
Damage ("D"). This is a unit's ability to inflict "Damage". For each "Success" in combat, the unit applies its listed damage following any modifications due to spells, battlefields or maneuvers. Certain spells and "Special Abilities" also apply damage. See Combat below.
Armor ("A"). This is a unit's ability to absorb damage. If a unit absorbs damage equal to or greater than its "Armor", it is placed in the "Casualties Pile". Note that if a special ability, battlefield, spell or maneuver effect reduces a unit's armor to zero (or less) that unit is not considered dead until it takes damage. For example, some tokens state that "Unit suffers armor – 1", in which case a unit with an armor rating of one would currently have an armor rating of zero (but this does not constitute damage).
Spells/Maneuvers. A unit's ability to use spells or maneuvers is indicated by the colored band across the name of the unit: blue for spells, red for maneuvers, and green for both spells and maneuvers. A black or gray band indicates that a unit may not use spells or maneuvers. A unit may not attach more than three "Owned" spells or maneuvers in total.
Unit Type Symbol. The symbol located following the name of each token identifies the type of the unit (if any): "Infantry", "Cavalry", "Missile", "Artillery", or "Other" (no symbol).
Rank. The number of black bars running from the right edge of each token indicates a token's "Rank".
Homeland Icon. Units associated with a particular "Homeland" display a symbol for the Homeland to the left of the unit's name.
Special Abilities. Some units have inherent special abilities. These are described with effect text on the face of many tokens. Note that effect text always supercedes the standard rules written in this rule book. Exception: Rules concerning tokens "Removed from Play" as written in this rulebook always take precedence and may never be altered even by special abilities.
Limits: Some units have limits to their abilities or uses. These will be described on the face of token. Units must be revealed in play in order to fulfill the requirements of any limit text on a token.
3.2.3 Spell and Maneuver Tokens
Spell and Maneuver Tokens enhance the effectiveness of units in a General's army. Spell tokens have a blue name band. Maneuver tokens have a red name band. Spells and maneuver tokens are "Attached" to a unit on the battleground (table) during "Deployment" by placing the spell or maneuver token under the unit token. Spells and maneuvers must be placed face down under the unit they are attached to. In order for a spell or maneuver to be attached to a unit, the unit must have a red (maneuver), blue (spell), or green (both) band. Once a spell or maneuver token has been attached to a unit token, it may not be activated by another unit token (unless otherwise explicitly stated in the effect text). Units may not attach more than a total of three "owned" spells or maneuvers.
4.0 Recruiting an Army
4.1 Tokens and Rank
Recruiting a strong, well-coordinated army adapted to the mission at hand is the foundation of every good General's success. In Sack Armies you will recruit and command expeditionary forces designed to travel far from home and conquer new territories in a vast uncharted area of land known as "The Tangle". An army which is too cumbersome would succumb to the logistical challenges of this far-flung campaign long before it even faced its foes in battle. In the words of the Orc Warlord, Gorak Bloodspiller, "Steel is mighty, but Hunger is mightier." Larger armies can be played as part of set piece battles as decided by players, but the limitations set forth in Section 4.2 apply in the standard game.
Each token is assigned a "Rank" used to designate its potency, size, and usefulness. Rank is indicated by the number of black bars running from the right edge of each token. A token with one bar is a rank one token, two bars, rank two, and so on. Battlefield tokens are assigned a rank to reflect the difficulties inherent in scouting and utilizing that particular terrain for an upcoming battle.
4.2 Army Recruiting Constraints
Prior to playing Sack Armies each General must recruit his army by choosing a specific set of tokens from out of the total collection of tokens he possesses. Each army a General recruits must conform to the following constraints:
- An army may not exceed forty (40) total ranks.
- Each army must have at least five battlefield tokens (an initial five battlefield tokens are required during the Setup Phase. A player may place additional battlefield tokens in his sack if he wishes to have more available to draw and deploy during normal game turns.
- No army may have more than two of the same token rated rank three or higher, four of the same token rated rank two, or six of the same token rated rank one.
For longer games, campaign, or scenario play, Generals may adjust these constraints, provided all Generals agree in advance.
Once your army is built, you are ready to face opposing Generals.
5.0 Winning the Game
All battlefield tokens are initially controlled by the General who puts them into play. A General obtains a "Standard Victory" whenever an opposing General is no longer in control of any battlefields which that General deployed. In other words, a General is eliminated from play when he no longer controls any battlefield token which he owns. In a two player game, the game ends immediately. In a multi-player game, the remaining Generals fight on. Eliminated General's battlefields remain as part of the battleground, but their Units, Spells, and Maneuvers are discarded. During play, control of battlefields may shift from one General to another. This occurs whenever a General manages to end a turn with one of his units occupying an opposing General's battlefield. Whenever control of a battlefield changes, the battlefield is revolved so that the arrow on it points at the General who now controls it. Control of this battlefield can (of course) be regained by the original General if he manages to end his turn with one of his own units on that particular battlefield.
Note: A General does not need to control all the battlefields to win, only those that his opponent(s) put into play.
Whenever all of a General's units have been sent to the casualties pile or removed from play (see below) he can take no actions and is therefore eliminated from the game. If all other Generals have been eliminated from the game, the General that remains wins a "Decisive Victory".
6.0 Tokens- The Sack, The Hand, The Virtual Battleground and The Casaulties Pile
Unless removed from play, all tokens in Sack Armies must be in one of four places- the sack, a General's "Hand", the Virtual Battleground, or the casualties pile. The sack is the random pool from which a general draws tokens during the game. It contains all available units, battlefields, spells and maneuvers that may be brought into play during later turns. The "Hand" consists of those tokens that have been drawn from the sack but not yet deployed. The Virtual Battleground represents the actual field of combat. Every token that is on the Virtual Battleground is considered to be in play. The casualties pile is the collection of tokens that have either been killed or spent, and as a result has been placed there. Certain special abilities may allow a General to retrieve tokens from the casualties pile during normal game play. However, any time a rule or effect calls for a token to be "Removed from Play" that token must be set aside. This token is considered "outside the game" and may not re-enter play for any reason. Any time a unit token is sent to the casualties pile or removed from play, all tokens attached to that unit go with it.
7.0 Playing the Game
7.1 Creating the Virtual Battleground
Choose five battlefield tokens from your sack. Leave the rest of your tokens in your sack and mix them up. Your opponent will do the same. Now both you and your opponent(s) must oppose each other in a series of "Flips" to determine Initiative. All the Generals will flip a coin. All Generals who flip "tails" cannot win the "Initiative" (unless no one flips "heads" in which case all Generals who may still win the initiative flip again). Flip until only one General remains.
Sidebar: Alternative Flip Methods: Throughout these rules whenever a coin "Flip" is called for, if all players agree in advance, any alternative method of generating a 50/50 random result can be utilized. For example, players may choose to roll a dice whenever a flip is called for. Score any "Even" number rolled as a "Success" and any "Odd" numbered roll as a "Failure". Or, players can shuffle a standard playing card deck and reveal the top card each time a flip is called for. Count any red card as a "Success" and a black card as a "Failure". Using this method, players could agree in advance to run through the entire deck before re-shuffling. Doing it that way tends to balance luck in the game, as there are equal numbers of red and black cards. On the other hand, players might agree to include jokers in the deck and re-shuffle each time a Joker is flipped. The point of any game is to have fun, so use the flip system that you and your friends enjoy the most!
The remaining General, now referred to as General one, has the "Initiative" and starts the Setup Phase by placing one battlefield token of choice down on the playing surface (a table, floor, or any other clean surface). All battlefield tokens are placed face up to show the faded directional arrow printed on the game piece. The hexagonal game piece should be aligned such that the directional arrow points toward the General who placed it (see Figure 1). Once this is done the General to the right of General one must lay one battlefield token down on the playing surface, and so on to the next General moving counter-clockwise. The FIRST battlefield each General places must always be positioned in such a way that the battlefield is exactly one "Hex Space" away from at least one other General's battlefield. This gap is referred to as the "Neutral Zone". If you wish, a token not being used in the game can be placed with its back facing up (the side displaying the Sack Armies logo) in the neutral zone to designate the required open hex space.
Once all Generals have placed their initial battlefield tokens, General one places his second battlefield token on the playing surface, adjacent to and connected to his first token and at least one space away from any opposing General's token. After the first battlefield token is placed, subsequent battlefield tokens may be placed further than once space away from an opposing General's Battlefield so long as it is adjacent to one of your own. However, the neutral zone must always be maintained, i.e., a General may never place a battlefield adjacent to another general's battlefield. Next, the General to the right of General one must place his second battlefield token in the same manner. The third General (if any) shall then place his token and so on. The Generals take successive turns until each has placed all five of their battlefield tokens on the playing surface.
Note: General's may have more than five battlefield tokens in their sack. These additional battlefields are kept in the sack and drawn and deployed during game turns in the same manner as other tokens with the exception that they must be placed on the battleground in accordance with the rules above.
7.2 Game Turns
Once the Setup Phase is complete and the Virtual Battleground has been created, the game can progress into its normal turn-by-turn mode. General one begins by taking a turn. When he has completed his selected action, the General to his left takes his turn, and so on, moving counter-clockwise. Play continues in this order until one General achieves victory.
8.0 Actions
A General must choose and perform one of the following actions during his turn:
- Draw three tokens.
- Deploy any or all tokens from his hand.
- Move up to two units.
- Attack with a single unit or make a combined attack.
- Activate an action special ability, or a spell or maneuver attached to one of his units.
These actions are explained below. Taking an action is not optional. If a General has no tokens to move, attack or activate, and he cannot legally draw or deploy, he is eliminated from the game.
8.1 Drawing
A General may choose to "Draw" for his turn. Normally this means the General randomly draws three tokens out of his sack. Certain units, however, have the capability to allow a General to draw more than three tokens. If a General has less than three tokens remaining in his sack he may choose to draw all the remaining tokens. A General may not choose to "draw zero" tokens. He must instead choose a different action. Regardless of how many tokens are drawn during the turn, a General is never allowed to hold more than three tokens in his hand at the end of his turn. Any additional tokens must be discarded by returning them to the General's sack. Discarding tokens is only allowed following a "Draw" action. A General is not required to keep any number of tokens in his hand and may discard as many tokens as desired.
Example: At the beginning of his turn, General one has three tokens in his hand. He also has a unit in play that allows him to draw an additional token. General one elects to Draw for his action, drawing four tokens and adding them to the three already in his hand. Since he is only allowed to keep three tokens at the end of his turn he must select at least four of his seven tokens and return them to his sack. He may discard more than four tokens if he wishes.
8.2 Deploying
A General may choose to "Deploy" for his turn. The General has the option of deploying one or more tokens up to the maximum of three tokens allowed in his hand. A General may not choose to "deploy zero" tokens, he must choose another action instead. A General may only deploy a token if it is legal to do so, see the following rules of deployment.
8.2.1 Rules of Deployment
Unit tokens are normally deployed face down unless they are deployed directly adjacent to an opposing General's unit. All units have a normal "Sight Range" of one hex space (i.e. when they are adjacent to an opposing unit, that unit must be revealed face up). Spell and maneuver tokens are always deployed face down. The difference between face-up and face-down tokens is explained under Fog of War.
- A Unit may be deployed on or adjacent to a battlefield token that the deploying General controls (i.e., its arrows points to him). A unit may never be deployed on a battlefield token not controlled by the deploying General—even if such battlefield is adjacent to another battlefield controlled by the deploying General. A unit token may never be deployed into a space that is already occupied by another unit, owned or opposing. Units do not stack under normal circumstances in Sack Armies.
- Battlefield tokens may only be deployed face-up to an unoccupied hex space that is adjacent to a battlefield token that the General controls and has at least one hex space in-between it and a battlefield controlled by an opposing General. The neutral zone must always be maintained.
- Spell tokens, unless otherwise specified, may only be deployed by "Attaching" them (i.e., placing them under units that are capable of using them). The capability to use spells is signified by a colored band on each unit token, across the name of the token. Spell tokens may only be deployed to a unit that has either a green or a blue band around its name.
- Maneuver tokens, unless otherwise specified, may only be attached to units that are capable of using them. Any unit that is capable of using a maneuver token will have a red or a green band across its name.
In summary:
- A blue band indicates that a unit may only use spells.
- A red band indicates that a unit may only use maneuvers.
- A black or gray band indicates that a unit is incapable of using either spells or maneuvers.
- A green band indicates that a unit may use both spells, and maneuvers.
Note: Any unit may be the target of the effect of an Action: Spell or Action: Maneuver. So, for example, the spell "Lightning Strike" can affect units with a black, gray, or red band even though such units cannot themselves use spells.
8.2.2 The Fog of War
Each General only has a limited ability to know what units the other General has deployed. Any unit that is deployed to the Virtual Battleground normally comes into play face-down unless deployed directly adjacent to an opposing unit. A unit that is face-down is considered to be "Unrevealed". Neither unrevealed units nor attached spells or maneuvers can normally be the target of enemy attacks, spells, maneuvers, or special abilities (unless otherwise specifically stated, as with the "Scatter" and "Move and Attack" special abilities). An unrevealed unit must be "Revealed," which means turned face-up, to show its name and abilities, when an opposing unit sights it. In most cases, an opposing unit must be adjacent to a unit in order to sight it. Note: the "Sight" special ability can extend the "Sight Range" for certain units. Once a unit has been revealed, it must remain revealed for the duration of the game.
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Unrevealed Units- An unrevealed unit may move, but may perform no other game action without revealing itself. An unrevealed unit must reveal itself if it wishes to attack, use a spell or maneuver action, use a special ability, or allow one of its own special abilities (such as "Augment") to modify another unit token. Revealing a unit is a "Free Action" that a General may opt to take at any time, provided a flip contest has not just taken place. Specifically, a General may reveal units immediately after announcement of an attack or the use of a special ability, but may not reveal them after or during a "flip" or resolution of the attack or ability. Example, General one has Noble Horse (unrevealed) adjacent to his Elven Spearmen, the Noble Horse's Augment special ability cannot assist the Elven Spearmen unless the General elects to reveal it prior to resolution of the combat.
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Note: spell and maneuver tokens attached to unit tokens are never sighted and are not turned face-up when the unit they are attached to is revealed. Spells and maneuvers are normally only revealed when the General controlling such tokens chooses to reveal them.
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Note: An unrevealed unit may occupy an opposing battlefield without revealing itself unless otherwise sighted by opposing units.
8.3 Movement
A General may spend his turn by performing a "Move" action, moving one or two unit tokens from one legal hex space to another legal hex space on the Virtual Battleground. A General may not move the same unit twice in one turn. All units have a movement rating printed on them (in the left corner of the token). This number represents the number of legal hex spaces that a Token may move in a given turn. A legal "Hex Space" is the space occupied by a battlefield token or any equal sized space adjacent to a battlefield token (see Figure 3). To be in a hex space "Adjacent" to a battlefield, two adjacent corners of a unit's hex shaped token must touch two adjacent corners of one Battlefield. To move a token, simply pick it up and move it, counting each hex space it moves into or through as one movement point, until the unit either reaches the desired hex space or has moved its maximum number of hexes. Units must at all times be in a legal hex space (i.e., either on or adjacent to a battlefield token). Although units are allowed to move through other units controlled by the same General, a unit may normally not move through any hex space occupied by an enemy unit or end its move "stacked" in the same hex space with any other unit.
Certain battlefield tokens and special abilities may modify how movement takes place. Some battlefields, for instance, indicate that movement is to be halted when a unit enters that space. When a unit moves into such a hex it must immediately end its movement, regardless of how many movement points it may have left during the turn. Certain units have "Flight" or "Aquatic" as a special ability. Units with these abilities may move through (but not end their move stacked with) enemy units in certain circumstances.
8.3.1 Effects of Movement
After any Unit completes a move action, any face down opposing units now within sight range of that unit are immediately revealed face up. Likewise, if the moving unit is unrevealed and is now within the sight range of an opposing unit it must be immediately revealed. Unrevealed units which the moving unit "passes" but are not within the sight range of the moving unit at the completion of its move are not revealed.
8.4 Attacking
There are several types of combat in Sack Armies. All types of combat are resolved using the TwoFlip Success System.
8.4.1 Melee Attacks
A General may choose to spend his turn by performing an "Attack Action", choosing one of his units to engage an adjacent opposing unit in melee combat. A unit controlled by the General who declared the attack is the "Attacker", while a unit targeted by an attack is called a "Defender". Any defender targeted by a "Melee Attack" may choose to "Counter-Attack". A defending unit may only counter-attack or use a "Surprise Maneuver" (see below). Unless specifically stated on the token, a defender may not use a spell or special ability. The attacker (and the defender if choosing to counter-attack) flip coins, with "Heads" indicating a "Success", and "Tails" indicating a "Failure". Generals continue to flip, keeping track of their own successes, until one of these flips results in failure. This type of flip is known as a "Progressive Flip".
8.4.2 Calculating Damage
Each unit inflicts a number of damage points to the opposing unit equal to its damage rating (as modified by any spells, maneuvers, or other effects) multiplied by the number of successes its General achieved before failing. A unit is killed and sent to the casualties pile if it sustains a number of damage points equal to or greater than its armor rating. Since damage is neither tracked nor accumulated in Sack Armies, any damage less than a unit's armor rating is ignored ("It's merely a flesh wound!").
8.4.3 Movement After Combat
If an attacking unit manages to both survive combat and kill an adjacent defending unit in melee, it may immediately move into the space the defending unit previously occupied. defending units may never move after combat. Units without Movement or with a Movement of "0" due to some effect may not move after a succesful attack.
Example- General one declares that his Walking Tree is going to melee attack an adjacent opposing Wolf Riders unit. General one flips heads one time before flipping tails, and thus achieves one "success". His Walking Tree inflicts 6 points of Damage (6 Damage times one success) on the Wolf Riders. Since 6 is greater than or equal to the Wolf Riders' armor rating, the Wolf Riders unit is sent to the casualties pile. The defending Wolf Riders counter-attacks and manages to flip two successes before flipping tails. The Wolf Riders inflict 4 points of damage (2 damage times 2 successes) to the Walking Tree. The Walking Tree has an armor rating of 5, however, and therefore survives the four-point attack. General one decides to advance his Walking Tree into the hex that was previously occupied by the Wolf Riders.
8.4.4 Ranged Attacks
Many units in Sack Armies have the capability to make "Ranged Attacks" (i.e., attack non-adjacent opposing units). This capability is expressed on unit tokens as "Range X", where X indicates the maximum distance in hex spaces between the attacking unit and its target. Count any hex space adjacent to the attacking unit as "Range 1," the next further hex space as "Range 2," etc. (see Figure 3). Note: A ranged attack from range 1 may be treated as either a ranged or a melee attack at the attackers option. A General may decide to spend his turn by performing a "Ranged Attack" action, using one of his units to declare a ranged attack against an opposing unit. A ranged attack may only be directed against a face-up opposing unit that is within the attacking unit's range. Ranged attacks may not be declared against unrevealed (face-down) units. To resolve a ranged attack, the attacking General flips a coin. He succeeds on a result of "heads" and fails on a result of "tails". Additional flips for additional damage (progressive flips) are not allowed for ranged attacks.
- Ranged Counter-Attack: Any target of a ranged attack with sufficient ranged attack capability to target its attacker may choose to counter-attack before damage is applied. The defending General flips a single time for success or failure in the same manner as the attacker. Units with no ranged ability may also counter-attack any unit that makes a ranged attack from an adjacent hex (i.e., from range 1). This counter-attack is treated as a melee attack with a progressive flip.
- Applying Damage: Units successful in making a ranged attack or counter-attack inflict on their target a number of damage points equal to their damage ratings. Units are sent to the casualties pile if they sustain a number of damage points equal to or greater than their armor rating. Otherwise the damage is ignored.
- Example- General one declares that his Elf Archers are going to make a ranged attack against an opposing Wisps unit. The distance to the target unit is five hex spaces. This is well within the Elf Archers' range. General one flips heads and scores a success. His Elf Archers unit inflicts its damage rating of two to the Wisps unit. This is enough to kill the Wisp unit, so it is sent to the casualties pile. The Wisps unit may not counter-attack as the Wisps unit only has a ranged attack rating of four.
8.4.5 Coordinated Attacks
Combining attacks from multiple units against a single target is often essential to success in Sack Armies. These are known as "Coordinated Attacks". A General may choose to declare a "Coordinated Attack Action". Prior to performing a coordinated attack a General must first perform a "Coordination Check" as follows:
- Step 1: Declare a single target unit. This unit is the defender.
- Step 2: Declare either ranged or melee attack.
- Step 3: Declare any number of attacking units in accordance with the following restrictions:
- All attacking units must be capable of targeting the defending unit with the type of attack declared in Step 2 above (either melee or ranged attack).
- Under no circumstances may a General declare a coordinated attack utilizing some units using a ranged attack while others units use a melee attack. Note, however, that ranged attack units at Range 1 (i.e., directly adjacent to the defender), may treat their attack as either a ranged or a melee attack.
- All units coordinating in a ranged attack must be adjacent to at least one other unit participating in the ranged attack.
To resolve the coordination check, the attacking General must flip a coin. If he scores a result of 'tails', the coordination check has failed. Failure of a coordination check does not spend a General's action for the turn. However, all units declared in Step 3 above are considered "Employed" for the remainder of the turn and may not participate in any subsequently declared action.. The General may immediately declare any other action (Move, Draw, Deploy, etc.) including a regular melee or ranged attack or even another coordinated attack utilizing units not previously employed in a failed coordination check (of course, the General must then make another Coordination Check). Note: A General who fails a coordination check does not lose the game if there are no other actions for the General to perform.
If he scores a result of 'heads', the coordination check succeeds. The successful General may now spend his action for the turn by performing a "Coordinated Attack Action" utilizing the units declared in Step 3 above.
- Resolving Coordinated Attacks: Add the damage ratings of all units participating in the coordinated attack together (including any bonuses that each individual may have, such as an "Augment"). This is the "Aggregate Damage Rating". The attacking General must now flip a coin to resolve the entire attack just as if it were a single unit attacking. Coordinated melee attacks are resolved using a progressive flip. Damage applied to the defender is the number of successes multiplied by the aggregate damage rating. Coordinated ranged attacks are resolved using a single flip. A successful flip inflicts the aggregate damage rating on the defending unit. A failed flip is a complete miss for all ranged attacking units.
- Defender Counter-Attack: Prior to applying damage (whether or not there is any), the defending unit may choose to counter-attack provided that it is eligible to attack at least one of the attacking units. A counter-attack is normally of the same type, either ranged or melee, as the original coordinated attack. The attacker, not the defender, may specify exactly which of the attacking units the defending unit must target with its counter-attack (this target unit was used to draw fire during the coordinated attack) and all damage is applied to that unit. The counter-attack target so designated by the attacker must be a unit that the defending unit may legally counter-attack. If the designated target is making a ranged attack from range 1, a defender with no ranged attack capability may melee counter-attack using a progressive flip for damage. Counter-attacks are resolved and damage is applied in the same manner as for a normal ranged or melee attack as applicable.
Example- General one declares that he would like three of his Orc Archers units to perform a coordinated ranged attack against an opposing Scourge Ogres unit. All three of the archers are within range of the Scourge Ogres and adjacent to each other, so the attack is valid. General one flips and scores tails resulting in a failed coordination check. All three of the Orc Archers are considered employed and may not participate in any other attack or action this turn. However, General One has not lost his turn, he has only failed his coordination check. General one still has an Orc Infantry Unit and a Goblin Infantry unit adjacent to his opponent's Scourge Ogres unit. He decides to declare a coordinated melee attack using these units. This time he scores a heads result on his coordination check. His efforts to orchestrate the attack are considered successful. Now General one must flip to do damage. He scores two heads before scoring a tails and thus manages to inflict six damage on the Scourge Ogres (2 points for the Orc Infantry, plus 1 point for the Goblin Infantry, times two because he scored two successes). This is enough damage to kill the Ogres, however, they are eligible to counter-attack. General one declares that his Goblin Infantry Token is the target. Two heads are flipped for the Scourge Ogres for two successes before tails is flipped. The ogre inflicts six points of damage to the Goblin Infantry token, which is more than enough to kill it. Both the Scourge Ogres token and the Goblin Infantry token are sent to their General's casualties piles.
9.0 Activating Spells, Maneuvers, or Special Abilities
Sack Armies is set in a world filled with fantastic creatures, heroic combat and awesome magical powers. The epic scope and tremendous variety of Tyrannia is brought to life through the many spells, maneuvers, and special abilities that are an integral part of playing Sack Armies.
9.1 Special Abilities
Many of the tokens available to collect and play in any game of Sack Armies have "Effect Text" written on them. These tokens have special abilities. There are 16 different special abilities in Sack Armies: Expeditionary Force, with more abilities to be added with each new expansion set. For a detailed explanation of how each special ability works in the game, see Appendix "A". Those few abilities not discussed in Appendix "A" are explained by the text on their respective tokens.
Many special abilities require a General to spend an action for the turn to "Activate" the special ability and generate an "Action Effect". Action effects are immediately applied and normally only last for the duration of the General's current turn. Some action effects have a range. These are treated in the same manner as ranged attacks for the purpose of determining distance and the legality of a target (a special ability may not be used as part of a coordinated attack). Other special abilities are considered to be "Free Effects". Free effects do not require an action to activate and are always in effect once revealed. Regardless of which type of ability a unit has ("Action" or "Free"), special abilities only apply when a unit is revealed face-up. Flying units that are face down (unrevealed), for instance, must move as a non-flying unit until such time as they are revealed. The effect type is noted on each Token with text in italics denoting an action effect and normal text denoting a free effect.
Note: A General may choose to reveal one of his units at any point in time during the course of game play, except when coins are being flipped to resolve an attack or action. If revealing a unit prior to resolution of an attack renders the declared attack invalid, the attack is immediately "Cancelled". When an attack is cancelled the attacking units are not normally considered to have been employed (in the case of a coordinated attack) nor is the attacking General considered to have spent his action. He may immediately take another action. Exception: units using the "Move and Attack" special ability which have their attack cancelled after moving are considered employed and their General is considered to have spent his action for the turn.
Example One: General one declares a melee attack with his Scourge Ogres targeting a defending cavalry unit. Adjacent to the defender is an unrevealed Noble Horse unit with the special ability to "Augment" adjacent cavalry units with +1 armor. The defending General may choose to reveal the Noble Horse unit prior to resolution of the attack to gain an immediate +1 armor to the defending unit. However, the defender may not elect to wait until after the attacker flips and then decide to reveal the Noble Horse.
Example Two: General one announces he is using the "Move and Attack" special ability to move a cavalry unit adjacent to an unrevealed defending unit and then perform a melee attack. The cavalry unit moves adjacent to the defender. As the defender is now within sight range it is immediately revealed. The unit revealed proves to have the "Flying" special ability. The attacking cavalry has no ranged attack and no flying ability. As Flying units may only be attacked by other Flying units or with a ranged attack, the cavalry attack is immediately cancelled. The attacking general's turn is now over. Had he not used the Move and Attack special ability, he would be able to choose another action.
9.2 Spells
While special abilities occur as effect text printed on various unit tokens, Spells are represented as their own separate tokens which must be "Deployed" and "Attached" to other tokens in the game prior to being used. As with special abilities, some spells require a General to spend their action for the turn in order to "Activate" the spell and generate an "Action Effect" (designated in italics on the token). Other spells generate "Free Effects" and do not require an action to activate. Free effects must be applied at all times once revealed. Regardless of which type of effect a spell has (Action or Free), it must be attached to a unit and then revealed for the effect to be applied. The use of spell tokens is further described as follows:
- Attachment: Spells may never be played directly from your hand. They must first be deployed and attached to a valid target unit token under your control. Only unit tokens with either a green or blue band around their name are valid targets for attaching spells. When first deployed, a spell is placed face down under the unit to which it is being attached. A maximum of three owned spells may be attached to any particular unit.
- Unrevealed Spells: Once deployed, a General may choose to reveal a spell exactly in accordance with the rules for revealing units with special abilities (i.e., they may be revealed at any time except when coins are being flipped to resolve an attack or action). Spells are never sighted (forced to be revealed) and need not be revealed when the unit they are attached to is revealed. Spells have no effect until revealed. Thus, when a unit with a face down free effect is targeted for an Attack, the General may reveal the free effect prior to the combat flip.
- Revealing a Free Effect: Revealing a free effect spell does not require a General to spend an action. Once revealed, the effect of the spell is always applied so long as the spell token remains in play. When a unit is sent to the casualties pile or removed from play, all tokens attached to that unit (including both revealed and unrevealed spells and maneuvers) are likewise sent to the casualties pile or removed from play. Certain other game effects may also "Dispel" a free effect spell and cause it to be sent to the casualties pile.
- Using an Action Effect: Revealing (i.e., using/activating) an action effect spell requires a General to spend his action for the turn in order to activate the spell. The effect of the spell is immediately applied, following which the spell is sent to the casualties pile (unless otherwise specified). Most action effect spells require that you specify a target and have a maximum range printed in the effect text for the spell. The distance between a spell and its target is calculated in the same manner as distance in calculated for a ranged attack. Many spells have a passage of text that reads "flip to retain". Following activation of spells with this effect text, flip a coin. On a "heads" result, place the spell token back into your sack. On a "tails" result, send the spell token to the casualties pile.
- Permanent Action Spells- As a special case, certain action effect spells can produce a permanent free effect which targets another unit. For instance, the spell "Weaken" is deployed, attached and then activated as an action effect spell using a General's action for the turn. The effect of the Spell, however, is to create a free spell effect that reduces the effectiveness of its target permanently. The operation of this permanent free spell effect is designated by placing the spell token face-up on top of the opposing unit targeted by the Spell. This Spell Token remains in play until it leaves play as per the rules governing all free effect spells. Note: Spells that reduce armor but do not inflict damage do not kill a unit.
9.3 Maneuvers
Just like spells, maneuvers come in two types, "Action Maneuvers" and "Free Maneuvers". Maneuvers are governed by rules identical to those for spells of the same type, with only the following exceptions:
- Maneuvers may only be deployed to units that have either red or green bands around their names.
- Action maneuvers may be also be activated in response to an attack as follows:
Surprise Maneuvers- In addition to the normal method of activating an action maneuver as an action on a General's own turn, action maneuvers may also be activated as a free action in direct response to an enemy's attack. When an enemy attacks a unit with an action maneuver attached to it, the defending General may choose to reveal and immediately activate the maneuver attached to the defending unit, applying its effect before the attack is resolved.
Example- General one initiates an attack with a Gladiator unit against a defending Orc War Priest. The Orc War Priest has an unrevealed Retreat maneuver attached to it. Before General one flips for damage, the defender reveals his retreat maneuver and activates it. The retreat is successful, and the War Priest is able to avoid combat, wasting the attacking General's action for this turn.
In some cases, a surprise maneuver may remove the defender from the space it initially occupied when targeted. In such a case, the attacker is considered to have targeted the hex space. Thus, if the unit is removed from the attacker's target hex space, it will not take damage (even if the defender was placed in range or adjacent to the attacker). However, if a unit replaces the defender in the defender's initial hex space (e.g., with a "Screening Fronts" token) the new unit is considered the defender. If the new target is not legal (such as a flying creature), the attack is considered to have missed and the attacker's action is expended.
Note that the use of special abilities such as "Capture" is not considered an attack. Thus a defender may not respond with a surprise maneuver. (Exception: use of the "Move and Attack" special ability is considered an attack).
As with spells, certain "Permanent Action Maneuvers" may generate a permanent free effect targeting another unit once activated using an action. These effects do not kill units unless they inflict damage.
10.0 The Homelands
Several Homelands have taken the initiative to be the first to explore and attempt the conquest of new lands. These ambitious kingdoms and tribes have each established a substantial presence in the Tangle. Although other Homelands are sure to follow, the five featured below form the vanguard of the Cradle's new link with the Tangle.
The Scourge
The Scourge is the name given to Tyrannia's dire Homeland of inhuman tribes. The Orcs, Goblins, Ogres, and various other tribal creatures of the Scourge are extremely aggressive and violent. The least united of the Homelands, Scourge lands are in a constant state of internecine war and chaos. The craggy mountain peaks, dank black swamps and fractured blood red wastes of the Scourge lands are the foreboding backdrop for a savage and endless tribal rivalry. Only those Generals strong and ruthless enough to master the fierce warriors of the Scourge and win many victories over opposing tribes in their own Homeland have been chosen to lead expeditions into the Tangle. In part due to their natural aggression, the Scourge were among the first to discover ways through the Fire Wall and follow the lure of plunder in the Tangle. Various tribal expeditionary forces have been operating in the Tangle quite successfully for some time and are likely to be encountered anywhere west of the port city of New Tarq.
The Nether Sisters
The Sisters of the Nether are a female dominated religious society that for centuries developed in silence only within the deepest shadows of the Cradle's most ancient forests. Bent on harnessing the darkest elder powers long festering within the heart of the woods, the Nether Sisters perform their demonic rites within secret groves, sacred to their order, death for any outsider to enter. The Sisters first emerged from hiding to take a more prominent role in the affairs of the Cradle when neighboring peoples, crippled and dying in the icy grip of the Gloom were forced to turn to the forest powers for aid and survival. Subverting all such supplicants to the worship of their dark demonic masters, the Nether Sisters in time absorbed an entire human civilization and expanded outside their woodland borders. Today they stand as a powerful matriarchy, constantly looking to expand their influence further still. Due to their constant "missionary" work, the Nether Sisters were among the first of the Homelands to find the openings in the Fire Wall. The rich lands of the Tangle appear well suited for their purposes and the Nether Sisters can already be found in many ancient forests of this new land.
The Shazari Horde
The Shazari Horde is primarily comprised of a race of reptile men, supplemented by a variety of other reptilian allies. Among the oldest cultures in the Cradle, the Shazari are known for their great monoliths and terraced pyramids, which they create as strongholds and offerings to their gods. The Horde favors warmer climates, including both damp and dry conditions depending on the particular sub-race. Their highly organized society has mustered extremely effective and varied armies in a bid for mastery of the Tangle. For the most part aloof from and troubled by the ways of the much younger cultures bordering them, the Shazari Horde seek a new Homeland within the Tangle, readily defensible and far distant from the irksome distraction of other races. Rumors of abundant steamy swampland bordered by dense forest and extensive desert ranges within the Tangle have prompted the Horde to move quickly in pursuit of their aims. Deep in their thoughts and subtle, the wise among the Shazari whisper two sibilant questions from atop their ziggurat temples. These questions rebound in silence, and as yet find no answer. How did the Fire Wall come to be? Why has the way to the Tangle now suddenly been found?
The Empire
The armies of the Empire ("Roma Secunda" as the people of the Empire know themselves in their native tongue) first emerged, as if from nowhere, during the final days of the Gloom Time. Tyrannian scholars have to date been unable to divine the truth behind the Empire's prior history and origins. The first recorded entry concerning the Empire notes that it occupied lands previously held by a quiet farming civilization that died off completely during the extraordinarily cold winters of the Gloom Time. Some scholars theorize that the Empire is not native to Tyrannia but was transported through space and perhaps time from a far distant word. After its emergence in the once fertile valleys of the Homelands, the sophisticated legions of the Empire quickly subdued many of their neighbors and were bent on a program of conquest directed at bringing all of Tyrannia under the Empire's banner. It was only when the Empire's supreme Consul, Scipio Tyrannius was defeated by a coalition of neighboring Homelands at a decisive battler along the Sipe River that the Empire's expansion was finally halted. Counting themselves among the victors was the Fey Court, which continues to strongly patrol and monitor the borders of the Empire to this day. This vigilance has contributed to fact the Empire's borders have remained largely unchanged since that time. Isolated and ringed in by the other Homelands, the Empire views the Tangle as the surest opportunity to resume expanding its influence. A group of Empire explorers were the first to challenge and find passage through the Fire Wall.
The Fey Court
The airy forests and flowering meadows of the Fey Court are home to the pinnacle of nobility which graces the Homelands of the Cradle. Although an assertion oft disputed by the Shazari, the Fey Court's cities of elves lay claim to being the oldest born within the Cradle. The Fey Court extends its just rule across many neighboring Homelands beyond its own borders. This widespread dominion arises in large measure as the product of past centuries in which the elves of the Court were instrumental in facing the many dark challenges of the Gloom Time. It was indeed the Fey Court that led the effort to overcome the chaos that befell all of Tyrannia during those long years of darkness. Yet despite their prominence, the Fey Court remains steeped in a deep and abiding sadness all its own. Before the Gloom, the Fey Court had a strong Tangle presence and had been redeveloping substantial commerce with their estranged cousins in the Tangle. The recovery of contact with the Tangle Elves was thought to be the first step in the reconciliation of the once sundered Elven race. The rise of the Fire Wall destroyed that hope and left the Fey Court struggling to survive. During the Gloom Time all contact with the Tangle Elves was once again lost. The Elves of the Fey Court have never forgotten their cousins. This memory has constantly impelled the Court to challenge the boundaries of the Fire Wall. At last, the Court was able to count itself among the first Homelands to find new passages to the Tangle. A misfortune and a mystery, to date they have found neither sign nor trace of their long lost Elven relatives.
Other Forces
The Tangle is inhabited by its own unique civilizations. Inevitably as the exploration of the Tangle expands, troops of these local cultures increasingly are being drawn into the fray. Tangle born armies are starting to rise in opposition to their would be conquerors. Yet other local forces are being assimilated by conquest into forces chiefly dominated by Homeland troops. Meanwhile, more Homelands are turning their eyes to the Tangle. Rumor has it, the Witch King and the Cairn Dwarves have already begun to marshal their forces... The exotic cultures of the Tangle as well as new Homeland armies and rules for building and raiding settlements will be unveiled in the forthcoming expansion set Sack Armies: Colonization.
Mongrel Armies
Loyalty to Homeland is a sentiment most warriors bear as tightly and they may their shield and spear. Still, the call of riches and glory in the Tangle has diverted more than a few troops of soldiers to march under banners more dedicated to plunder than to the weal of their original Homeland. Deserters, fortune seekers, surviving remnants of once proud armies sundered and smashed by stronger foes, all of these and more have come together to form independent "mongrel" armies comprised of many diverse Homeland and locally recruited troops united under a strong new General. Such armies are seldom known to give quarter in battle, fearing to leave any alive who might carry word of their newfound loyalties back to the Cradle.
General, while the threats and foes you will encounter in the Tangle are endless in their variety, all of them may be answered with one word – victory. May the deeds of your days be illuminated in the bonfires of your enemy's defeat!
11.0 Questions and Further Contact
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Appendix A – Special Abilities
All Abilities listed in this Appendix are classified as either "Action" or "Free" in parentheses next to the name of the ability. Whether they appear in the game as special abilities on units or as spells or maneuvers, treat each ability according to the rules for either "Action" or "Free" effects based on how the ability is classified on the token where it appears. On each token text in italics denotes an action effect and normal text denotes a free effect.
Note that, since action effects can only be activated on a General's own turn by using his action, abilities such as "Counter", "Dispel" and "Dismiss" may never be used in response to actions being taken during an opponent's turn or after you have initiated a prior action on your own turn. Example, General one declares an attack. His opponent reveals a surprise maneuver. Though General one has a unit with the "Counter" special ability in range, he may not use the ability to counter the surprise maneuver revealed by his opponent.
Ambush (Action). Units that possess this ability are especially well suited to plan and execute a surprise attack. Anytime a unit with the ambush ability initiates a melee attack, it may flip to see if it succeeds in ambushing its target. If the result of the flip is a failure (tails), the ambush attempt fails and the attack is resolved normally. If the result of the flip is heads, however, the ambush is successful. When an ambush succeeds, the attacking unit flips normally for its attack, but the defending unit may not counter-attack. The attacker, in short, may attack without any risk of being harmed by the defending unit. The Ambush ability may not be used as part of a coordinated attack.
Augment (Free). Units with the augment special ability inspire greater fighting abilities in certain units that fight alongside them. In game terms, unless otherwise specified, a unit with the Augment ability provides a benefit to adjacent units controlled by the same General. Most units with the Augment ability only augment a specific type of adjacent unit (Orcs, for example). The benefit provided by the Augment special ability is generally a bonus to either armor or damage. The exact benefit is always specified in the effect text. "Augment Elf: damage +1" for instance indicates that all adjacent units with the word "Elf," "Elves" or "Elven" in their name receive a bonus of one to their damage ratings. Augments based on a specific Homeland, augment all units with the particular Homeland symbol in the name band. Units with the Augment ability do not augment themselves. However, if two such units are adjacent they may each augment each other. If, due to something like "Scatter" damage, a unit with Augment takes enough damage to kill it, its augment effect still remains in effect until the end of the current turn.
Aquatic (Free). Units with this special ability are amphibious and normally suffer no ill effects from combat against or movement through tokens with water effects (moors, swamps, river banks). Specifically, units with the Aquatic ability may move through (but not end their move in) water based hexes unhindered by any printed move restrictions or occupying enemy units. Aquatic units may not be melee attacked by non-aquatic units while occupying battlefields with water effects that favor aquatic units. Non-aquatic units may, however, always counter-attack aquatic units. Water based battlefields that effect the movement of non-aquatic units do not effect aquatic units as specified in the effect text for those battlefields.
Capture (Action). The Capture ability allows a unit to temporarily remove another unit from play. This ability may only target an opposing adjacent unit. As the use of special abilities (other than "Move and Attack") is not considered an attack, the defender may not reveal and utilize surprise maneuvers nor may he counter-attack. Once "Capture" is declared as an action, the General who is attempting it must flip. If he flips "tails", the capture attempt fails and his turn is over. If the result is "heads", however, the enemy unit token is considered captured. The captured unit (along with any spell or maneuver tokens attached to it) is placed underneath the capturing unit and is now temporarily out of play. The captured unit remains out of play until the unit that captured it is killed, dismissed, or otherwise removed from play. When a unit with the Capture ability leaves play, all tokens it has captured are immediately returned to their respective Generals' sacks.
Counter (Action). A unit with this ability may take an action to automatically send one deployed maneuver token to the casualties pile. No flip is required to activate this special ability. The target maneuver token may be either revealed or unrevealed. The Counter ability normally has a limited range as designated in the effect text of the unit next to the word "Counter". A unit with the Counter ability may use its ability to counter permanent free maneuvers placed on itself or other friendly units in range.
Defend (Free). Units with the Defend ability have learned to effectively gain defensive benefits from allies fighting nearby. A defender with the Defend ability adds one to its armor rating for each owned unit that is adjacent both to it and to any attacker.
Dismiss (Action). A unit with this ability is able to automatically "Dismiss" any one unit token from the Virtual Battleground to its respective General's sack. Any and all spells or maneuvers that were attached to a unit that is dismissed must be placed in its General's casualties pile. No flip is required to use this special ability. The Dismiss ability normally has a limited range as designated in the effect text of the unit next to the word "Dismiss".
Dispel (Action). A unit with this ability is able to automatically "Dispel" one spell token from the Virtual Battleground to its General's casualties pile. No flip is required to use this special ability. The target spell token may be either revealed or unrevealed. The Dispel ability normally has a limited range as designated in the effect text of the unit next to the word "Dispel".
Draw (Free). The Draw special ability represents the visionary capabilities of a mystic seer or an oracle. A unit with this special ability gives its General portents of the future in order to better allow him to prepare his army. In game terms, each revealed deployed unit with the draw ability allows its General to draw an additional token when he elects to take a "Draw" action. Note: A General may still only keep three tokens maximum in their hand regardless of how many tokens he may draw.
Flying (Free). Units with the Flying ability may move through (but not end their move in) hexes that enemy units occupy. However, enemy units may also move through spaces occupied by Flying units. Flying units may not be melee attacked by non-flying units. Non-flying units may, however, always counter-attack flying units. Some battlefields that affect the movement of non-flying units do not effect flying units as specified in the effect text for those battlefields.
Leadership (Free). A unit with this ability may skillfully lead other adjacent units in a coordinated attack. In game terms, the coordination check normally required prior to resolving a coordinated attack is automatically successful if every attacking unit has the Leadership ability or is adjacent to an attacking unit with the Leadership ability. Units with Leadership need not participate in the attack but must be adjacent to participating units.
Example- General one has a Shazari Infantry unit with the Leadership ability adjacent to a defending unit of Scourge Ogres. General one also has two Spitter units in play. Both of these units are adjacent to the Shazari Infantry, and the Scourge Ogres. General one declares a coordinated melee attack using all three units. This attack proceeds to resolution immediately with no coordination check necessary. Note that although General one is using both ranged and melee units in the coordinated attack, it is a valid melee attack. Since all attacking units are adjacent to the Scourge Ogres, i.e., at range 1, they may all treat their attacks as melee attacks.
Move and Attack (Action). Certain units, particularly cavalry units, have the ability to move and melee attack on the same turn. A General who wishes to use this ability must first declare that his unit is moving and attacking and at the same time declare the target of his attack (whether the target unit is revealed or not). Next the attacker must legally move his unit adjacent to the target unit. Finally, the attacker resolves the attack as a regular melee attack. If the attack is cancelled following movement but prior to resolution of the attack (for example, because an unrevealed defending unit is revealed to be a flying unit and therefore an invalid melee target), the Move and Attack action ends immediately. The attacking general is considered to have completed his action for the turn and may not take another action. Note: A unit which moves before combat, ending its movement in any battlefield that requires it to end its movement, may never move after combat -- even as the result of a successful attack. Move and Attack is a special ability, not a "Move Action". A General cannot "Move and Attack" twice as part of a "Move" action.
Raise Undead/Dead (Action). A unit with this powerful ability may attempt to transfer any other unit from its General's casualties pile directly into play. When this ability is activated as an action, target a unit in your casualties pile and flip a coin. If the result is "tails", the attempt fails and the turn is wasted. If the result is "heads", the target unit is successfully "Raised". The target unit must be immediately deployed to any legal hex adjacent to the unit that activated the Raise Dead ability. If there are no legal hex spaces where the target unit may deploy then the unit is returned to the casualties pile.
Ranged Attack (Action). A unit with ranged attack has the option to attack other units from a distance. The rules for this ability are discussed in the ranged attack section of the rules.
Scatter (Free). The scatter ability represents the wide area of effect for damage that is often wrought by siege engines and other powerful machines of war. Anytime a unit with the scatter ability inflicts damage on its own (not as part of a coordinated attack), either offensively, defensively, in melee, or at range, its damage has a chance of scattering. Flip a coin. If the result is "heads", inflict damage to all units adjacent to the unit targeted by the successful attack as well as to the target itself. The unit targeted takes damage calculated as normal. Adjacent units suffer one point of damage unless otherwise specified on the unit with the scatter ability. Scatter checks are always assumed to be single flips unless the effect text states "Scatter: Progressive Flip X", where X is the amount of scatter damage generated by each successful flip. Scatter effects are ignored for units making a coordinated attack. Unrevealed units may be affected by Scatter, but are not revealed in the process. If unrevealed units avoid death due to a maneuver, spell, or special ability, the unit and effect must be revealed.
Example- General one declares a ranged attack using an Orc Archer to target a defending Catapult unit two hexes distant. Both tokens are in range of one another and the defender chooses to counter-attack, so both Generals flip. Both Generals manage to score heads, and as a result both units are killed. The catapult also flips for "Scatter" and scores a heads. ALL units in hexes adjacent to the Orc Archer take one point of damage. This includes any unit controlled by any General, even the General that controls the catapult. If the catapult had been adjacent to the Orc Archer and survived the Orc Archer's attack, a successful scatter check would result in the unit killing itself with its own scatter damage! This is an example of when a defender might choose not to counter-attack in order to avoid risking damage to itself or other friendly units.
Sight (Free). All units in Sack Armies have an automatic "Sight Range" of 1 hex space. Units with the Sight ability, however, reveal enemy Units at a greater range. The number printed after the word "Sight" on such tokens represents the range, in hexes, of that unit's Sight ability. The Sight ability only takes effect once a unit has ceased moving (thus, a moving unit does not reveal everything in its wake, only the tokens within its sight range once it ends its movement).
Appendix B – Glossary of Terms
Action: Draw, Deploy, Attack, Move, or Activate a Spell or Special Ability. See also "Free Action."
Activation: Using a Special Ability or an Action Effect Spell or Maneuver.
Armor: A Unit's ability to absorb Damage. If a Unit receives Damage equal to or greater than its Armor, the Unit is sent to the Casualties Pile.
Attachment: Deploying a Maneuver or Spell face down underneath an eligible Unit.
Attack: A General declares that one Unit is attacking an opposing General's Unit.
Battlefield: Tokens depicting the terrain upon which the armies battle; each player must have at least five Battlefield Tokens.
Casualties Pile: This is the discard pile where "Killed" Units and "Spent" Spells and Maneuvers are placed.
Control/Controller: The last General to have a Unit Occupy a particular Battlefield has Control of that Battlefield. Control is signified by having the faded control arrow point towards the General in Control of the Battlefield.
Coordinated Attack: A General carrying out an attack on an opposing General's Unit with more than one Unit.
Coordination Check: The Flip required to determine if a General successfully coordinates Units prior to a Coordinated Attack.
Counter-Attack: The ability of a Defender to attempt to inflict Damage on an Attacking unit.
Damage: The amount of Damage applied by a Unit, Spell, Maneuver, or Special Ability. See also "Armor."
Deploy: Playing Tokens from a General's Hand to the Virtual Battleground.
Draw: Removing Tokens from the Sack.
Employed. An Employed Unit may not participate in any Action this turn.
Failure: A Failure occurs when a General gets "tails" on a Flip.
Free Action: Those Actions which do not count as Full Actions such as revealing a Unit. These Actions do not cost the General a turn and may be performed during an opposing General's turn.
Flip: The means by which a General attempts to determine a Success by flipping a coin. A "Heads" denotes "Success". A "Tails" denoted "Failure. A Progressive Flip is a Flip in which a General continues to Flip until he records a Failure and tallies up all his Successes prior to Failure.
Hand: Those Tokens Drawn but not yet Deployed.
Hex Space or Space: Any space the size of a token, either adjacent to or on top of Battlefield.
Homeland: The particular faction or race with which a particular Unit is affiliated.
Maneuver: Any Token with a red band. Maneuvers may only be played on Units with red or green bands across their names.
Move: An Action which allows movement of up to two units in a turn.
Movement: The number of hexagonal spaces a Unit may move in one Action.
Occupy or Occupied: A Battlefield is Occupied when a General has a Unit physically on the Battlefield when it ends its movement for the turn. To Occupy a Battlefield means to move a Unit onto an empty Battlefield.
Ownership/Owner/Owned: The Owner of a Token is the General who played the Token from his Sack. Owned tokens are those played by the same General.
Progressive Flip: This is a flip in which the General flips again if the General's prior flip was a success. This type of flip stops upon a single failure.
Rank: The relative value of a Token indicated by the black bars on the right of the Token face.
Removed From Play: Tokens which are removed from play are placed outside the Casualties Pile and may not re-enter the game under any circumstances.
Revealed: Face-up.
Sack: The pouch or container within which an army is held for deployment.
Special Ability: Text which describe any ability listed on the face of a token..
Spell: Any Token with a blue band. Spells may only be played on Units with blue or green bands across the name of the Token.
Success: A Success occurs when a General gets "heads" on a Flip.
Token: Standard hexagonal playing piece divided into four types- Unit, Maneuver, Spell, and Battlefield
Unit: Any Token reflecting a troop type available to the Generals.
Unrevealed: Face-down.
Virtual Battleground: The layout of Battlefield Tokens by all Generals.