Rulebook Redesign v1.

1 (4/8/11)

WELCOME
WHAT IS THIS GAME?

your orders but you cant be everywhere so you have to spend

your resources carefully!

Battleground: Fantasy Warfare is a point-based miniatures

game but without the miniatures. Battleground uses cards
rather than painted models to represent your forces. This means
a much lower price as well as easier transportation and setup,
but dont be fooled this is not a light war game or a CCG.
Battleground is a serious, award-winning wargame that will
challenge you at every step, from army design and deployment
to tactical maneuvers and command decisions until battles end.

GET STARTED NOW

If you want to learn the minimal about of stuff needed to play
the game, there weve got you covered.
Unfortunately, the rules for a quick start scenario havent
shown up yet. Theyre probably still sleeping off lasts nights
partying. Theyll be here shortly, though!

WHAT YOU GET

ONE MORE THING:

GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP

Each Battleground army comes in two different decks:

Army Starters contain eighteen unit cards, a thirty-card
Command Deck and two quick-start reference cards, plus the
basic rules. This gives you all the cards you need to get started.
In play terms, each unit card is the equivalent of a boxed set of
miniatures.

They say that no battle plan survives contact with the enemy. If
your finely-honed plan depends on precise measurement
between two units to determine your entire armys victory or
defeat it may not have been a very good plan to begin with.
So in the name of good sportsmanship, do the best you can to
reasonably keep the game moving along. If you have a question
about a rule, let fate decide and roll a d6. If you have two
measurements that arent easily distinguishable from each other
by human eyes, then treat them as the same thing.

Army Reinforcement decks each contain fifty unit cards

enough for almost any army you can imagine and the
advanced rules. Reinforcement decks also include two unit
types not available in that armys Starter.

In shortdont be that guy. Nobody likes playing with him.

(Or her! We dont discriminate here.)

All you need in addition is a flat surface, an opponent, some

dice and a couple of dry-erase markers.

BASICS OF PLAY
As the general of a fantasy army of Men, Orcs, Elves or
whatever faction you choose, you will muster your forces and
command them in battle. You will have an agreed-upon
number of points to spend on your army, which will determine
the size of the battle. You and your opponent will then take
turns deploying your forces on the battlefield. Finally you will
give them their orders and the battle begins.
During play you will have a limited number of Command
Actions each turn one for every 500 points available for
building your army. These Command Actions represent what
you can do as a general. You can spend them to change a units
orders or take direct control of a unit for a turn, rally routed
units, draw cards that can provide small combat bonuses or to
use your special army ability.
Unlike most tabletop wargames where you have complete
control over every soldiers actions, Battleground puts you in
the role of a true general. Your troops are loyal and will obey

INTRODUCTION
UNIT CARDS

Some units also have a ranged attack. If they do, the maximum
range of that attack will be listed here. Attack stats are usually
modified based on the distance between a ranged attacker and
its target.

Each unit card represents a single unit of troops in your army.

On the front of each unit card is its Stat Bar and an overhead
view of the unit. This side of the card will remain face up
during the game.

Both ranged and melee attacks use the same offensive stats, but
those stats may be modified based on a variety of factors,
including whether the unit is engaged in melee or performing a
ranged attack.
DEFENSE
A units defensive stats represent its Defensive Skill (how
difficult it is to hit) and its Toughness (how difficult it is to
wound with those hits). These stats are also subject to modifiers,
but not as often as offensive stats.

The back of each unit card has a close up view of the unit, the
units point cost, and any special rules that apply to that unit.

MOVEMENT
A units movement is how far it can move during a given turn.
Certain effects, such as terrain, can increase or decrease a units
movement.
COURAGE
Courage is what gives a unit the will to carry on in the face of
adversity. Most often, units will make a courage check after
taking damage or when facing fearsome and terrifying enemies.

FRONT ARC

STAT BAR

In general, your units cant see enemy units clearly if they arent
in front of them. In Battleground, this is called being in their
front arc. To determine this, extend the line of the forward edge
of the unit card in both directions. If any part of an object is
ahead of the line, that object is in the units front arc.

A units stat bar contains all the major information you need
about a units capabilities on the battlefield.

FACING SIDE
For any of your units, the facing side of an enemy unit is the

card edge that is facing your unit. To determine which edge is

the facing side, extend imaginary lines diagonally through the
corners of the enemy unit. The side of the imaginary line that
your units front center point is on is the facing side.

OFFENSE
All units have a set of offense stats which determine how many
dice they roll when attacking, as well as their Offensive Skill
(how easily they hit other units) and Power (how likely they are
to damage units that they hit).

COMMAND CARDS

Command cards represent your tactics, battle tricks, and the

ability to inspire your troops in battle by shouting commands
or encouragement. Each player uses his armys deck of 30
command cards. Two players may play Battleground using the
unit cards from a single Set and drawing from the same deck of
command cards. Players start with no command cards in hand,
but may acquire them during play.

Each players deployment zone for a standard scenario starts at

his table edge and goes in 7.5 (3 card widths). It does not
include the last 5 (2 card widths) on either end of the
battlefield.

Command cards come in three colors: red, blue and green. Red
cards can be played when your units are attacking, blue cards
when they are being attacked, and green cards are played at
other times, but the colors are just a reminder; the card itself
always says exactly what it does and when you can play it. A
few cards have several options, and so have more than one
color in their background.

DEPLOYMENT & STANDING ORDERS

1)

2)
3)

VICTORY CONDITIONS
Play until all of one players units are destroyed or flee the field.
The survivor wins!

4)

SETUP

Starting with the player who has the most units, players
alternate placing units within their deployment zones until
all units are deployed. For ties, see below.
Players who purchased command cards during army
building draw them.
The player who spent the least points building his army
(including command cards) chooses who will take the first
turn.
Starting with the player who has more units, players
alternate issuing standing orders to their units.

Note: Standing orders are covered later in this rulebook. For

beginners, assigning Range to all ranged units and Close to
everyone else should be sufficient.

Battleground can be played on any size surface. A standard

game, described here, is played on a surface 26 wide by 3
long. Before battle, each player shuffles his or her command
card deck and sets aside the units in his or her army.

DEPLOYMENT TIE RESOLUTION

If both players have the same number of units, the player who
spent the least points on his army (including command cards)
chooses which player must place the first unit and issue the first
standing order. In this case, the player that places first will get
to choose which player will take the first turn.

THE BATTLEFIELD
The table, or the part of the table set aside for play, represents
the battlefield. Units cannot normally leave the battlefield
unless they are destroyed.

If both players have the same number of points, roll dice and
the winner of the roll is considered to have spent the least
points.

THE DEPLOYMENT ZONE

TURNS

A game of Battleground is organized into turns. Players do not

take turns for individual units or phases; instead, players
alternate taking complete turns. On a players turn, that player
is called the active player.

PHASES OF THE TURN

Each turn is broken up into four phases. The next three chapters
explain these phases in detail. They are:

Movement and Command

Pre-Combat Courage
Combat
Post-Combat Courage

THE FIRST AND SECOND TURNS

The first and second turns of the game are not full turns.
Instead, the following special rules apply.
On the first players first turn, the game begins in the combat
phase. (Units do not move and the active player gains no
command actions. If the first players army doesnt have
spellcasters or units with extreme range, nothing happens).
On the second players first turn, the turn proceeds as normal,
but the active player gains only half the normal number of
command actions rounded up during his or her movement and
command phase.

STANDING ORDERS
ADVANCE TO SHORT/LONG RANGE
Instead of ordering a unit to advance to within its maximum
range (listed in the units stat bar) you can order it to advance to
within short range (7) or long range (14). This works exactly
like the basic Ranged order, but for the purposes of deciding
when to stop movement, treat the unit as if it had a 7 or 14
maximum range instead of the range on the card.

Standing orders represent the orders that you, as the general,

have provided to the leaders of your units. These orders
determine how your units move and fight without your direct
intervention. You can instruct them to attempt to engage the
enemy in melee or at range, to hold their ground, or any of
several other options. These orders are described below. You
can also modify standing orders to create more detailed ones.
Between standing orders and standing order modifiers, you can
shape how your troops carry out your plan for the coming
battle.

A unit advancing to short or long range still fires if any enemy

unit is within the maximum range printed on the card. It just
continues to move each turn until its within the selected range
of the nearest enemy unit.

To recap: Standing Orders are how units determine what their

objective for the turn is. The Movement chapter covers how
units actually get there.

Units with the Ranged order always advance in the movement

phase if they dont have a legal target to shoot at, so giving a
unit an Advance to Short/Long Range order wont prevent the
advancement of a unit with a 4 range, for example.

ASSIGNING STANDING ORDERS

Using the appropriate initials, use a dry erase marker, wax
pencil, or crayon to write a units standing orders and any
modifiers in its command circle.

CONDITIONAL & VARIABLE RANGED ATTACKS

If a unit has an inconsistent ranged attack (such as the Hill
Giant who can be given a ranged attack at the cost of command
actions) you may still give that unit a Range Attack order. Treat
that units range as the range of the conditional attack. For
example, even if you dont pay for its ability that turn, you can
give the Hill Giant a Range Attack order and it will move as if it
has a 21 range.

H
Each player marks standing orders for their units at the
beginning of the game. After a standing order is marked, it does
not change unless you spend a command action to do so.

Some units, especially spellcasters, have more than one ranged

attack option. For example, the Elementalist has one attack with
17.5 and one with 10.5. If a unit with the Range Attack
standing order has several possible ranges, you choose each
turn which range it will attempt to achieve.

BASIC STANDING ORDERS

CLOSE
If possible, a unit with the Close order will perform a final rush
on the nearest enemy unit. If thats not possible, it will move
towards the nearest enemy unit.

HOLD
The unit does not move unless it is attempting to reach a point
objective, as described in the Standing Order Modifier section.
Units on Hold will shoot at the closest legal target, or fight in
melee if engaged.

RANGED
Units with a range stat that isnt a dash may be given the
Ranged standing order. If the unit is in range and has the
appropriate facing to shoot the nearest enemy unit, it remains in
place. Otherwise, it moves toward the nearest enemy unit. In
either case, it will fire at the closest legal target during the
Combat phase.

FOLLOW
The unit moves to line up its front center point with the nearest
non-front center point of the nearest friendly unit. Units with
their front side contacting a friendly units rear side are subject
to the Back-Up rules detailed in the Courage section.

NEAREST UNIT

7.1Nearest Enemy (Close Order)

Most orders will cause your unit to take some action towards
the nearest unit.

CLEARLY VISIBLE
For all orders, in order to be considered a unit must be clearly
visible to your unit in order to be considered the nearest. It
must be in your units front arc, and you must be able to draw a
line from the front center point of your unit to any part of the
target without passing through any other units or line of sight
blocking terrain.

If there are no clearly visible units in your units front arc, then
units behind it and units behind line-of-sight blocking terrain
can be considered as well.

C>A
B>D
B<C

MEASUREMENTS
Of all clearly visible enemy units, determining the nearest one
is different for units acting under the Close order and units
acting under other orders.

C
Lines C and B are the longest lines between their respective facing
corners. Of those two lines, B is the shortest. The unit on the right
is the closest enemy for your units Close order.

CLOSE ORDER
For each enemy unit:
1)

2)

INDICATING ORDER MODIFIERS

Measure the difference between each corner on the front

side of your unit and the mirror-image of that corner on the
enemys facing side.
The longest of those two measurements is the effective
distance to that enemy.

To indicate an order modifier, write the appropriate modifier to

the right of the letter for the base order in the units command
circle.
You can modify an order in a number of ways but you can give
each unit only one of each type of modifier. For example, you
can give a unit both an objective and a movement cap, but not
two objectives or two movement caps.

The nearest enemy is the enemy unit for which the effective
distance is the shortest. (See Diagram 7.1) If there are multiple
units tied for the nearest enemy, then the player may choose
which unit to designate as the nearest one.

OBJECTIVE MODIFIERS
There are two types of objectives: unit objectives and point
objectives. By giving your unit an objective, you tell it about its
priorities. Unit objectives designate a certain friendly or enemy
unit as the closest to your unit, while point objectives direct
your unit to move to that location. (See Diagram 8.1)

Units that arent currently airborne can ignore units that are
airborne when determining the closest enemy unit for a Close
order.
OTHER ORDERS
For other orders, the nearest unit is the one that has the closest
center point to your units front center point.

Because both unit and point objectives fall under the same
modifier type, you can give a unit one or the othernot both.

ORDER MODIFIERS

UNIT OBJECTIVES
By writing a number after your units standing order and
marking another unit with that number, you designate that unit
as your units objective. In all orders that involve the nearest
unit of a given type (friendly or enemy) the marked unit will
always be considered the nearest unit of that type.

Order modifiers let you instruct your units more precisely than
the basic standing orders described above. Any of the basic
standing orders can be modified to reflect instructions such as
hold the hill or charge the enemy archers.
To issue even more complicated commands, you may want to
take direct control of a unit.

For movement purposes, unit objectives supersede all normal

requirements for designating a unit as the nearest one. For
example, your units objective doesnt need to be clearly visible
in order for your unit to move towards it.

choose to maneuver the on the objective however you like

without spending a command action, as long as the unit never
stops touching the objective. Any further movement will
require a change in standing orders or assuming direct control.

In combat, unengaged ranged units will always fire at their

objective, regardless of their standing order (assuming the
objective is currently a legal target). If the objective isnt a legal
target, then a ranged unit will instead fire at the closest legal
target.

MOVEMENT CAP MODIFIERS

By writing a measurement after your units standing order, you
can set a maximum movement distance for that unit. The unit
carries out its orders as normal, but will not move farther than
the number you assigned. This can be useful if your units have
different movement rates but you want them to advance
together.

If the designated unit is destroyed, erase the units objective

modifier, leaving only the base standing order behind.

The number must appear on the movement category chart and

must be at least 1.25.

POINT OBJECTIVES
By writing a number after your units standing order, and
placing a die, token, or other marker displaying that number
elsewhere on the battlefield, you can choose a specific point as
your units objective. During the movement phase, your unit
moves towards that point, regardless of its base standing order.

A unit with a movement cap will never move more than the
capped distance, but its base Movement Category is unchanged.
Penalties for maneuvers or terrain only reduce a capped units
movement if they would lower it below the cap. (See Diagram
9.1)

Units count as having reached the objective as soon as any part

of the unit touches it. At that point, erase the modifier from the
units command circle. The unit will immediately carry out its
base order with any remaining movement it has for the turn.
When a unit on Hold reaches its objective location, it
immediately stops movement. On your next turn you may

The cap applies both to conventional movement and to unusual

voluntary movement, like flying or final rushing. It does not
apply to involuntary movement, like the movement caused by
the Dark Elf factions Siren Song spell.

Diagram 8.1Objective Modifiers

2
1

Unit A has marked Unit 1 as an objective. Despite there being a closer enemy on the left, Unit A will always choose to fire at Unit 1 until its
order changes or the enemy unit is killed. Unit B has marked Unit 2 as an objective. Unit B is under the Close order. Performing a Final Rush
on the unit between them is the fastest way to get to Unit 2. Unit C has Location 3 as an objective. It will move to that location using the
Fastest Path, despite putting its flank right in the sights of that enemy to its right. Your units lives are in your hands, so make good choices!

AIRBORNE MODIFIERS
A unit with the flying keyword ability printed on the back of its
unit card may be given the special Airborne standing order
modifier by writing an A after its standing order in its
command circle. This modifier indicates that the unit is
currently airborne.
The meaning of this modifier is explained in later sections but it
is included here for completeness. Unless described as a special
rule, adding or removing the Airborne modifier follows the
normal rules for changing standing orders.

Diagram 9.1Movement Cap

Right!
Base MC: 5 (SS)
Terrain Penalty: -1 MC
Effective Base MC: 3.5 (L)
Capped MC: 3.5 (L)
Actual MC: 3.5 (L)

Wrong!
Base MC: 5 (SS)
Capped MC: 3.5 (L)
Effective Base MC: 3.5 (L)
Terrain Penalty: -1 MC
Actual Move: 2.5 (S)

This unit is currently in a forest, with a Movement Cap of 3.5 and a Point Objective. Its base Movement Category is 5. The Movement
Category penalty for forests is 1 MC. The units maximum move distance is reduced to 3.5 for this turn. Since that is within the assigned
movement cap, the unit is able to move the 3.5 towards his objective.

MOVEMENT & COMMAND

In the Movement and Command phase, you must move all of
your units according to their standing orders, and you may
spend your command actions. You can do these things in any
order as well as mix them together. For example, you can spend
one command action, then move two units, then spend another
command action, then move another unit, and so on.

Because you handle the movement and command phase in

whatever order you like, you can change a units standing order
either before or after you move it this turn.

DIRECT CONTROL
You may spend one command action to take direct control of
one of your units for the turn. For the rest of this turn, ignore
the contents of the standing orders in that units command
circle. It can move and/or maneuver however you like. If it has
a ranged attack, you can pick which unit it fires at when you
choose defenders.

COMMAND ACTIONS
As a general, you have the ability to adapt to the flow of battle
by intervening directly with your troops. In some cases this will
be through your personal attention, but in others it will be via
junior officers, signal flags, horns, magic spells, or the like.
Whatever the specific method, the actions taken by you as a
general (and by your command structure) are represented in
Battleground by command actions. Command actions are the
resource you use for both controlling your forces via changing
their standing orders, and commanding them to greater efforts
via drawing command cards or using special faction abilities.

Important: A unit currently under direct control cannot

perform a final rush. (Final rushes will be covered later.)

DRAWING COMMAND CARDS

You may spend one command action to draw a command card
from your deck and put it into your hand of available cards.
You may have any number of cards in your hand at once.

GAINING COMMAND ACTIONS

If you want or need to draw a command card and your deck is

empty, reshuffle your discard pile to replenish it. If your deck
and discard pile are both empty, you cant draw a card.

At the beginning of each of your Movement and Command

phases, you gain one command action per 500 points in your
armys points budget. For example, a starter armys budget is
1500 points, so you would gain 3 command actions per turn.

FACTION ABILITIES
Each faction has one or more special abilities that require
command actions to activate. These abilities are described on
the faction details card included in the factions starter deck.

Note: The first and second turns of the game are special, so you wont
get as many command actions on those turns.
You gain command actions based on the initial size of your
force, not the current size. So even if you spent fewer points
than your budget, or have lost large numbers of units, you still
gain the same number of command actions each turn.

RALLYING
For one command action, you may rally one of your routing
units. (Routing will be covered later in the rules.) This must be
done before the routing unit performs its rout movement. Face
the unit in any direction and give it the Hold order, with no
modifiers. That unit may not move, shoot, cast spells, nor have
its standing order changed this turn.

You gain (and can spend) command actions only on your own
turn. If you are not the active player, you cannot spend
command actions. At the end of your movement and command
phase, any unused command actions are lost.

SOUND THE CHARGE!

You can spend all the command actions you gained this turn to
sound the charge. If you do, you may change the standing
orders of any number of your non-routing units to Close or
Range (with no modifiers). You then rally all of your routing
units.

SPENDING COMMAND ACTIONS

You can spend any number of command actions on any of the
following options, mixing and matching however you like.

CHANGING ORDERS
You can spend one command action to change one of your
units standing orders. Simply erase what is written in the units
command circle and replace it with whatever order and
modifiers you like. You cant change the standing order of an
engaged unit.

SKIRMISHER RECALL
Units with the Skirmisher special rule can be recalled behind
your lines as a special command action use. See the Skirmisher
section in the Special Abilities chapter for more information.

10

MANEUVERS

MOVEMENT

Any movement that isnt straight ahead is considered a

maneuver. With the exception of turns, maneuvers reduce a
units Movement Category by the given amount (which reduces
the total distance it can move for that turn).

Units with standing orders will interact with their objectives as

described in the Standing Orders section. In most cases this
means that they will be moving straight or turning.
Units under direct control or with objectives will more often
deviate from these simple movements. If you want your unit to
behave in a fashion that isnt in line with their orders, you need
to spend a command action to take direct control of that unit.

A unit can perform any number of maneuvers in a turn or

perform a single maneuver any number of times but all
penalties for all maneuvers apply. A unit cant perform a
maneuver if the penalty for that maneuver would decrease its
MC to less than the total distance it has already moved this
turn.

MOVEMENT CATEGORIES & DISTANCE

A units distance stat falls into a movement category (MC), and
is the maximum distance it can move in a turn. Maneuvers,
terrain, and some command cards or army abilities may modify
a units MC.

TURN
Position the ruler against the units outside front corner, parallel
to the units outer-facing side. Rotate the ruler from a straightahead line to the direction the unit will face after the turn,
rotating no farther than the front-facing side of the unit. Line
the units outer-facing side with the ruler, making sure that the
outside front corner doesnt move farther down the ruler than
any remaining distance allowed by that units MC.

Battleground cards measure 3.5 on the long edge (L) and 2.5
on the short edge (S). To make measuring and movement easier,
all distances and ranges in Battleground are divisible by card
lengths. This allows the use of a spare unit card as a convenient
measuring tool.

MOVE BACKWARDS
Without changing a units facing, you may move backwards.
Moving backwards reduces the units MC by 2.

A chart of possible Movement Categories is listed below. When

a units MC changes, simply move the required number of steps
up or down on the chart. For example, if a unit that moves L has
its MC reduced by two, it will now move L.
Inches:

1.25

1.75

Card Sides: N/A S L

2.5

3.5

8.5

SS

LS

LL

LSS

MOVE SIDEWAYS
Without changing a units facing, you may sidestep to the left or
right. Moving sideways reduces the units MC by 1.
ABOUT-FACE
Flip the unit 180 degrees, so its front and rear are swapped. This
reduces the units MC by 1.

For each new Movement Category, turn an S into an L. If there

is no S, turn an L into SS.

REFORM
Keeping the center of the unit in place, rotate the unit to face
any direction. This reduces the units MC by 2.

MOVING STRAIGHT
To move straight, measure from either side of the front of the
unit and move it directly ahead, making sure to not strafe the
unit to the left or right.

Diagram 11.1Maneuvers

C
C
Moving Sideways

C
Moving backwards

Turning

11

OBSTACLES
A unit that comes into contact with a friendly unit stops
moving. If a unit contacts movement-reducing terrain, its
Movement Category is reduced according to the rules in the
Terrain chapter. Impassible terrain is, naturally, impassible.

AVOIDING OVERLAP
You should not move your units in such a way that they ever
overlap other units or impassable obstacles. You can move
multiple units simultaneously in order to avoid situations of
unacceptable overlap.
If this kind of movement is otherwise impossible, you can
overlap friendly units or impassable obstacles during or at the
end of your movement so long as no center point of any unit
overlaps another unit or impassable terrain. You may never
overlap with enemy units.
Note: This is different than the rules for routing into friendly units,
which is covered in the Courage chapter.

MOVEMENT UNDER STANDING ORDERS

Units moving under standing orders will attempt to take the
Direct Path to their objective. However, they may need to do
some pathfinding when obstacles are in the way.

DIRECT PATH
The direct path between a unit and its objective is the one that
reduces the distance between the two by the greatest amount.
FASTEST PATH
The fastest path is the one that would allow a unit to reach its
objective in the fewest number of turns while reducing the
distance between the two by the greatest amount. The unit
assumes that friendly units will stay in place between now and
the time it reaches its objective.
If there are no obstacles between a unit and its objective, this
will be the same as the Direct Path. In the case of a tie between
two equal Fastest Paths, you may choose which path the unit
will follow.
CHOOSING A PATH
On each turn, units will attempt to follow the Direct Path to
their objective. If obstacles are present along the Direct Path,
players are able to decide the path to the objective as follows.
For each obstacle along the Direct Path, starting from the
closest, you may decide if your unit will avoid that obstacle. If
so, calculate the Fastest Path around it. If there are any
obstacles along this new path, then repeat this process and

Diagram 12.1Movement Under Standing Orders

Direct Path

Fastest Path

12

calculate a new Fastest Path to your objective, taking into

consideration all obstacles youve chosen to avoid for this turn.

In the movement phase, all final rushes must be resolved before

any normal movement. However, you can still spend command
actions before any of your units rush or between each units
rush. You may handle your rushes in any order you wish,
including simultaneously if needed.

The path your unit ultimately ends up following for this turn is
considered your units Chosen Path.
Units under the Close Order will perform a final rush on enemy
units along the Chosen Path. Units under all other orders will
treat enemy units as friendly units, which means that they can
decide to go around them or move right up against them
without becoming engaged with them.

Only units acting under the Close order may perform a final
rush. If such a unit has multiple legal final rushes, it rushes the
nearest legal target. Units under direct control may not
perform a final rush.
If your unit has a Close order with an objective modifier, it will
rush an enemy unit only if that unit is the objective or if it lies
along its chosen path.

Impassible Obstacles
If an obstacle is permanently impossible to move through then
units are able to see this coming in advance and will act
accordingly. When choosing a path for the turn, units must
choose the Fastest Path around impassible obstacles.

As described in the Combat Modifiers section in the Combat

chapter, a unit performing a Final Rush will almost always gain
the Charging attack bonus, while units being charged by
Fearsome, Terrifying, Large and/or Colossal units may be
subject to penalties.

Units moving outside of Standing Orders (but not under direct

control) might make movement decisions differently according
to their situation (such as routing or being forced to move by a
spell or other effect). See those sections for details.

CLEARLY VISIBLE
A unit may only rush an enemy unit if that unit is in your units
front arc. In addition, you must be able to draw a line from the
front center point of your unit to any part of the target without
passing through any other units or line of sight blocking terrain.

FINAL RUSH
In the final seconds before engaging the enemy, when the
command CHARGE! echoes through the air, troops forget
about careful lockstep maneuvers and make a final rush toward
the enemy. The Final Rush rule represents this by allowing
units to move more flexibly if they are within range to come to
grips with an enemy.

OPEN SIDE
A unit must be able to fit at least half of its front against a side
of an enemy unit to rush that enemy, and you must final rush
the nearest open side. Most of the time, this will be the facing
side, but other open sides are also legal as long as the unit has
enough movement to reach it.

Diagram 14.1Final Rush

In this example, your unit has three different enemies to consider

as a Final Rush target. (Note that this diagram isnt to scale.)

Enemy A is engaged to its front and left sides, making its right
side the closest open side. However, theres no clear path to that
side because of that forest. If there were an enemy engaged on that
side, then Enemy Unit A would not be clearly visible anymore.

Enemy B is behind a forest, which prevents it from being clearly

visible. If the forest in front of it were a deep lake instead, then
Enemy B would be visible. Its right side would be the nearest open
side, since regular units cant move through deep water.
Enemy C is too far away from your unit to be a legal Final Rush
target.

Enemy D is clearly visible, and there is a clear path to an open side

that is within your units Movement Category. Therefore, Enemy
D is the only legal Final Rush target available to your unit.

13

OPEN PATH
Your unit can only rush if there is an open path to the nearest
open side of the enemy unit.

least half of their front to at least half of the enemys side.

Consequently, you can normally only use this rule if your units
are final rushing a side that is at least L (3.5) in length.

First, you must be able to draw a straight line from the front
center point of your unit to the center point of the open side.
This line may pass through part of your own unit, but may not
pass through any part of any other unit, including the unit
which your unit is final rushing. Second, this straight line must
pass through a lane that is at least 2.5 wide at its narrowest.

Conflicting Final Rushes

Sometimes, more than one of your units will be in position to
rush the same side of an enemy unit but the Twos Company
rule doesnt apply. In that case, move the unit of your choice
first.
If a units final rush ever becomes illegal before you can resolve
it, measure again to see if it has another legal final rush.
(Remember, you must resolve all final rushes before any normal
movement).

DISTANCE
To measure the distance for a final rush, measure from your
units front center point to the center point of the nearest open
side of the enemy unit. If that distance is less than the units
current MC (including terrain modifiers, movement caps, etc.)
then the unit is within legal rushing distance.

Leading a Final Rush with a Flank

In some cases, a unit may not physically be able to engage with
its front, due to impassable terrain, other units, or other
obstacles. It might otherwise have a legal final rush, and might
have enough room to engage with a flank. In this case, you may
choose to have the unit final rush with its flank instead.

Do not calculate any necessary maneuvers in this distance. In

many cases, a final rush will be legal even if the unit wouldnt
be able to otherwise move that distance due to maneuvering
penalties.

Place the units flank against the enemy units open side, lined
up as much as possible, but otherwise treat the final rush
normally. You must be able to engage at least half of your flank
(1.25) with at least half of the enemy units side.

NO TURNING BACK
After determining all eligible rush targets using the above rules,
if your units front center point is within 1.25 of any eligible
enemy units at the start of the turn, then if your unit performs a
final rush on this turn, it must be against one of those units.

It does not cost a command action if you choose to final rush

with your flank, but unlike other cases with a legal final rush,
you are allowed to choose to avoid it.

Note that you can spend a command action to change your

units standing order or to take direct control of it in order to
prevent it from rushing.

The normal combat modifiers for fighting with your flank

apply. Unlike other cases of attacking to your flank, if a unit
final rushes with its flank, it does count as charging that turn.
See the Combat section for combat modifiers.

MOVEMENT DURING A FINAL RUSH

If one of your units is cleared to perform a legal rush, simply
pick the unit up and place it in contact with the enemy unit,
lining up their center points as much as possible. Because a final
rush is less controlled than normal battlefield movement, you
dont need to worry about maneuvering like you would for a
normal move.

Final Rushes and Pinches

Sometimes a units final rush will appear to place it in a pinch.
Because units only become engaged when one of them final
rushes the other, a unit will never become pinched as a result of
its own final rush. If possible, leave a small gap between units
to clarify that they are not engaged. Even if this is impossible,
though, the final rush is still legal and only the units involved in
the final rush become engaged.

UNUSUAL FINAL RUSHES

Sometimes, final rushes arent as smooth as youd like. Below
are some unusual situations.

Twos Company
If two or more units would final rush the same side of an enemy
unit, you may perform those final rushes simultaneously such
that the nearest two units final rush and each engage half of that
side.
As noted in the section on Combat, units must engage with at

14

15

COMBAT
Battleground simulates the simultaneous nature of warfare. In
the Combat Phase, all of the active players able units will make
ranged attacks, and all engaged units from both sides will attack
in melee.

A unit with a legal target must fire; you cant choose to not take
a ranged attack. A unit with no legal target wont fire this turn.
NEAREST ENEMY
For ranged attacks, the nearest enemy unit is the one that has
the closest center point to your units front center point. That
unit must be within your units front arc and its maximum
range.

The combat phase contains four steps:

1) Choosing Defenders
2) Active Players Attacks
3) Non-Active Players Attacks
4) Combat Consequences

LINE OF SIGHT
If you can draw an unblocked line from the front center point
of your unit to any center point of the nearest enemy unit, that
unit is your target. Otherwise, try again with the next closest
enemy unit. These lines can be blocked by different things,
depending on the type or raged attack used. Lines are never
blocked by the firing unit or the target unit themselves.

Even though the active players units attack before the inactive
players, this is for convenience only. For the purposes of the
game, attacks are assumed to be simultaneous. Even if your unit
is damaged or destroyed by an enemy unit, it still makes its
own attack and does so at its initial effectiveness for the phase.

Repeat this two-step process until you have determined your

units target, or until you have determined that all units in
maximum range are illegal targets.

CHOOSING DEFENDERS
Each unit attacks a maximum of one enemy unit each turn,
regardless of how many legal targets it has. For units that are
shooting, targets are usually determined by the units standing
orders. For engaged units, if more than one enemy unit is a
potential target, you get to decide among them. The different
methods of determining targets attacks are explained in the
following sections.

Reminder: Units with an enemy unit assigned as an objective count

that unit as the closest. They still fire at the closest legal target if the
objective unit isnt a legal target.
RANGED ATTACK TYPES
Unless otherwise specified by the unit card, all raged attacks are
considered Indirect Fire attacks by default. Depending on the
type of ranged attack used, different things can obstruct a units
view of its potential targets.

Able units will always attack, regardless of their standing

orders or whether theyre under direct control. For example, an
unengaged unit with a ranged attack will fire on the closest
legal target even if it has the Close standing order. If it were
under direct control, it would still be required to attack, but you
would get to choose its target.

Indirect Fire attacks are not blocked by friendly troops.

Indirect Fire and Line of Sight attacks are not blocked by any
units smaller than the target.

ENGAGED ATTACK DEFENDERS

Engaged units may only attack units they are engaged with;
they cant make ranged attacks. If a unit is engaged with more
than one enemy unit, it attacks one enemy unit of your choice
that it is engaged with.

Low Arc attacks have the same rules for Indirect Fire, except
that they cant fire at engaged units. However, they also ignore
units smaller than their target when determining if their target
is engaged. (This effectively means that a Low Arc unit will
never be subject to the penalty for shooting at an engaged
target.)

RANGED ATTACK DEFENDERS

The active player calculates which in-range enemy unit each of
their non-engaged units with a ranged attack will shoot at.

Examples
Unless a ranged unit is under direct control, it will fire at the
closest legal target. If a ranged unit is under direct control, you
can pick any legal target to shoot at. Except for being the nearest
enemy, a target must meet all additional requirements for a unit
under direct control to fire at it.

A Large sized attacker with a line of sight attack can fire over
friendly units smaller than Large or Colossal size, but a
regularly-sized unit cant fire over friendly units.

16

An Orc Crossbowmen unit (a line of sight attacker) cant fire at

an enemy Hawk Swordsmen unit (a normal sized infantry
unit) if there is a friendly or enemy unit between them. The Orc
Crossbowmen can, however, fire over any regularly-sized units
to attack a Hill Giant (a Large-sized unit).
A Dwarven Ballista (a low-arc weapon) is unable to shoot at a
unit of Orc Axemen (a normal-sized unit) that is engaged with
a unit of Dwarven Shortbeards (also normal-sized). However,
the Ballista can fire at a unit of Trolls (a large-sized unit) thats
also engaged with those Shortbeards, since the Trolls are larger
than the Shortbeards. This means the Dwarven Ballista is also
not subject to the penalty for firing at an engaged target.

ACTIVE PLAYER ATTACKS

When it is your turn to attack in the combat phase you resolve
all your attacks (and actions that count as attacks, like spells).
Resultant damage should be marked immediately so you dont
forget, but any consequences of attacks or attack damage dont
apply this phase; units function at the they level they were at
the start of the phase even if they are damaged or destroyed.

RESOLVING MULTIPLE ATTACKS

When it is your turn to attack, resolve your attacks in any order
you choose. You dont need to resolve shooting attacks before
or after engaged attacks, or even all at once; you can resolve
some shooting, then some engaged attacks, then go back to
shooting if you find that preferable.
If one of your units ends up attacking a unit that has already
taken enough damage to be destroyed, you dont need to roll
that attack if you dont want to. However, once the choosing of
defenders is complete those targets are locked in for this
phase. Even if a target takes enough damage from other units
to be destroyed, you cant switch targets.
Note that because you dont apply any consequences of attacks
until after all attacks have been made, the order you resolve
attacks in rarely matters. Even if an attack damages or destroys
an engaged unit, it still fights at initial strength, counts as being
at that strength for the whole phase, and so on.
Be sure to refer to the Combat Modifiers section to determine
the amount of dice rolled as well as your target numbers.

ROLLING AN ATTACK
An attack consists of rolling two sets of dice. First, you roll to
hit your opponent. Then you roll to see which hits successfully
deal damage.
For both of these rolls, you start with a certain number of dice,
each of which represents a single attack. Every die comes up
equal to or less than its target number succeeds and dice that
are greater than the target number fail. A roll of 1 on a die is

always a success. A roll of 6 on a die is always a failure, but

see the Overkill rule for more information on converting
failures to successes.
To determine the number of dice you roll and their target
numbers, look at the attack stats on your unit card as well as
the defense stats on your opponents unit card, and consult the
sections below.
ROLLING TO HIT
When you roll to hit, roll a number of dice equal to your units
attack dice (the one in parentheses), which is the first of your
units attack stats. The two numbers after that are your
offensive skill and your power, respectively.
A units defensive skill and toughness are the two numbers
next to the shield icon in their stat bar. Subtract your units
offensive skill minus the enemy units defensive skill. Any die
that is equal to or less than that number counts as a hit.
Example: Your Ravenwood Swordsmen ( (5) 5/5) are attacking a
unit of Orc Spearmen ( 2/3). You roll 5 dice, and get 1, 2, 2, 5, and
a 6. 5 minus 2 is 3, so each die that rolls 3 or less is a hit. Youve
scored three hits. For each of these hits, you then roll to see if it deals
damage, described below.

ROLLING TO DAMAGE
When you roll for damage, the number of dice you roll is equal
to the number of hits you just scored. If an effect forces you to
make a damage roll without making a hit roll, it will specify
the number of dice you roll.
Each die hits if it is equal to or less than your units power
minus the enemy units toughness. For each successful hit,
mark off one damage box on the enemy unit.
Example: Continuing the example from the previous section, your
Ravenwood Swordsmen have scored three hits on the opponents Orc
Spearmen. Therefore you roll three dice, and roll 2, 3, and 6. Your
target number was 2 (5-3) so you score one damage. Your opponent
marks off the first damage box on the Orc Spearmen.
OVERKILL
When rolling either to hit or damage, your target number
might be six or higher if one of your attack stats is significantly
higher than one of the opponents defense stats. This is called
Overkill.

17

A roll of 6 on a die is always a failure, but for each number

that your target number exceeds five, you can turn one 6 you
roll on a die into a 5. This applies before command cards that
modify dice.

REMAINING ENGAGED UNITS

At the beginning of your Movement and Command phase, line
up the center point of each of your engaged units with the
center point of the side of the enemy unit they are engaged with
as much as you are able to. Do not change the facing of either
unit and dont move units in this way if doing so would break
an existing engagement.

Example: If your unit has an Offensive Skill of 7 and your opponents

unit has a Defensive Skill of 1, your target number is 6. You roll five
dice and get 2, 3, 3, 5, and 6. Because your Offensive Skill is greater
than your opponents Defensive Skill by 1, you can turn the 6 into a 5
and hit with all five dice. If you had rolled a 2, 3, 3, 6, and 6, you could
only change one 6 into a 5, and would hit with four of your dice.

Other than this movement, if a unit is engaged with one or

more enemy units, it is completely immobile until the
engagement ends. Engaged units cannot move or maneuver,
regardless of standing orders or direct control.

OUTMATCHED
If your unit is outmatched by its opponent, your target number
might be 0 or less. When you roll to hit or damage, a roll of 1
on a die always succeeds. There is no functional difference
between a target number of 1 and a target number below 1.

This rule applies even if the unit was engaged from the rear,
flank, or similar unfavorable position; the unit is locked in the
same position until the engagement ends.

COMMAND CARDS

Note: Command cards change a units stats, not your units target
numbers. For example: your units Offensive Skill of 4 minus your
opponents Defensive Skill of 5 results in a target number of -1 in
order to hit. You then play a command card that gives your unit +2 to
their Offensive Skill. Your target number then becomes 1, not 3.

Most Battleground command cards are played during attacks.

Each card will specify when you can play it, but cards are also
color coded for your convenience. Red cards apply to your
attacks, purple cards apply to your opponents attacks, and
green cards are not used in attacks.

NON-ACTIVE PLAYER ATTACKS

You can play command cards during any attack when

appropriate. Unless the card says otherwise, you dont need to
pay command actions or any other costs to play it. However,
you can only play one card during a given units attack, so if
you play a card to boost your attack roll, you cant play another
card before your damage roll to boost that as well. You can,
though, play further cards on that unit this phase if appropriate.
For example, you can play a defense card when an opposing
unit attacks yours.

After the active player performs all melee and ranged attacks,
the non-active player gets to perform melee attacks with his
engaged units. Ranged attacks are only performed by the active
player during a given turn.
Follow all the above steps, starting with Choosing Defenders,
and resolve all of the inactive players melee attacks before
proceeding. Remember that units fight with the effectiveness
they had when the combat phase started.

The specific rules of a command card or unit override any

general rules in this section or the next, so if for example a unit
says you can play two cards on its attack, that overrides the rule
that says you can only play one.

COMBAT CONSEQUENCES
DAMAGED UNITS
When a unit is knocked into the yellow, or if a unit takes any
damage at all in the red, that unit must make a rout check at the
next available opportunity. Damage that doesnt trigger these
conditions or destroy the unit has no immediate effect.

COMMAND CARD PRIORITY

Before and after each time any dice are rolled, both players can
play a command card, if able. The attacking player gets the first
chance to play a command card, then the defending player. The
defending player can play a card even if the attacking player
decides not to. If the defending player does so, the attacking
player has another chance to play a card, but if both players
pass in a row, plays moves on.

As described in the Psychology section, units take only one rout

check for any given Rout Check step. Because of this, a unit
makes only one rout check if, for example, it is knocked directly
from green to red or takes more than one damage while in the
red during a single combat phase.

DESTROYED UNITS

Apply the effects of command cards immediately, as soon as

they are played. No one can play further cards until the current
card has been applied in full.

Any unit that has no remaining health boxes is destroyed.

Remove it from the battlefield. If a unit is destroyed in another
phase, such as the Courage Phase, remove it from play at the
end of that phase.

18

COMBAT MODIFIERS

Close standing order, was not engaged at the start of the turn,
and is attacking to its front. This is regardless of which unit
performed a Final Rush on that turn. Units will often both
receive the charging bonus against each other on the first round

Many battlefield situations are beneficial or detrimental to a

units ability to fight. In Battleground, these situations are
represented by combat modifiers which give units bonuses or
penalties to the numbers printed on the unit card. These
modifiers are grouped into four categories:

of combat. Charging units get

(+0) +0/+1.

IMPACT HITS
Some units are particularly dangerous on the charge, their large
size or raw determination ensuring that they simply plow into
the enemy, causing some casualties by mass alone. If a unit is
entitled to one or more impact hits, add one die per impact hit
to the damage roll when that unit is charging. You dont need to
roll to hit with these dice; simply add them to the pool of dice
when you roll for damage. You get these dice even if all your
initial attacks missed.

General
Engaged
Ranged
Terrain-based

Engaged and ranged modifiers only apply to those kinds of

attacks, even if the conditions can hold for an attack of a
different kind. For example, only engaged attacks receive a
bonus for attacking the rear of an enemy unit.

All charging cavalry units are granted one free impact hit,
unless the unit card notes otherwise.

Any and all appropriate combat modifiers apply to each attack

or unit, and all the bonuses and penalties are cumulative.

FLANKS
If a unit attacks the left or the right of an enemy unit, that unit is

GENERAL COMBAT MODIFIERS

flanking and gets

General combat modifiers represent conditions that apply to a

unit at all times, regardless of what kind of attack it is
performing, or even if it isnt involved in an attack at all.

(+0) +1/+0.

If a unit attacks an enemy that is engaged with one of its side

points, that unit is attacking to its flank and gets

IN THE YELLOW OR IN THE RED

When a unit has lost all green health boxes, it is in the yellow.
When it has lost all green and all yellow boxes it is in the red.
For example, a unit of Orc Swordsmen has four green health
boxes. It is in the yellow after taking four damage. Units in the
yellow or red get the listed penalty:

REAR ATTACKS
If a unit attacks the rear side of an enemy unit, that unit is rear
attacking and gets

(+0) +1/+1.

If a unit attacks an enemy unit that is engaged with its rear side
point, that unit is attacking to its rear and gets

In the Yellow:

(-0) -1/-0

-1

In the Red:

(-0) -2/-0

-1

(+0) -1/-1.

PINCHES
If your attacking unit is engaged with only one enemy unit, and
that enemy unit is also engaged on a different side, your
attacking unit is pinching the enemy unit. (See Diagram 20.1)

FRIGHTENED
A Frightened unit is afraid enough of the enemy that its attacks
are less effective, but not so afraid that it has turned to run
away. Usually, this occurs as the result of a Fear Check. A
Frightened unit gets

(-1) -0/-0.

Units that are pinching get (+0) +1/+1 for each additional
unit the pinched unit is engaged with. The unit being pinched
must also make a Courage check in the pre-combat Courage
phase. Units that fail this check will rout.

(-1) -1/-1.

A unit that normally passes all Courage checks, passes all Fear
checks or has no Courage stat is immune to the Frightened
penalty, and will never perform a Fear check.

Each pinch provides a bonus, and those bonuses are

cumulative. For example, if an enemy unit is engaged by your
units on three sides, your units each get

ENGAGED COMBAT MODIFIERS

The following combat modifiers apply only to attacks made by
engaged units.

(+0) +2/+2.

OUTREACHED
If your unit charges is charged by a larger unit, your unit is
Outreached and gets (-1)/0/0. This penalty is in addition to
any Frightened penalty that unit may suffer.

CHARGING
When units initially make contact, they will sometimes rush
towards each other, their momentum lending strength to their
initial attacks. In Battleground, a unit is charging if it has the

19

Diagram 20.1Pinching

ENGAGED TARGET
If your unit is shooting at a target which is engaged with

C
The Goblin Wolf Riders are
pinching the Blade Dancers.

another unit, it gets

(-0) -1/-0.

Note: Units cant normally shoot while engaged. But if they can, they
arent subject to this penalty unless another unit is also engaged with
their target. See the Javelin Rule in the Special Ability section.

The Dusk Lances are pinching

the Goblin Bowmen.

FAST MOVING TARGET

If your unit is shooting at a target which would move 7 or
more based on its current standing orders and any other

modifiers, it gets

(-0) -1/-0.

TERRAIN MODIFIERS

Terrain influences the battle in many ways, if present, most of

which are described in the Terrain section. There are, however,
several kinds of combat modifiers that apply to units based on
terrain features, collected below.

Neither the Goblin Bowmen

nor the Blade Dancers are
pinching anyone, since they
are engaged with more than
one enemy unit.

HIGH GROUND
A unit has the High Ground if more than half of the unit is on a
higher elevation than more than half of the enemy unit.
If a shooter is on higher ground than its target then the target
counts as being 2.5 closer, and the shooter gets

RANGED COMBAT MODIFIERS

The following modifiers apply to ranged attacks.

If a shooter is on lower ground than its target then the target

counts as being 2.5 further away.

LONG OR EXTREME RANGE

If a target unit is more than the listed distance away from your
unit, your unit gets the listed penalty:
Long Range (7):

(-0) -1/-0

Extreme Range (14):

(-0) -2/-0

Units on high ground have line of sight to anything on lower

ground not blocked by non-airborne units or LOS blocking
terrain of equal or higher elevation.
Units engaged with a unit on lower ground get

Note: Long Range and Extreme Range are the same for all units,
regardless of maximum range. Some units are unable to fire at long
and/or extreme range due to their shorter maximum range.

(-0) -1/-0.

LARGE OR COLOSSAL TARGET

If your unit is shooting at a target with one of the following
keywords printed on the back of the unit card, it gets the listed
bonus:
Large:

(+0) +1/+0

Colossal:

(+0) +2/+0

(+0) +1/+0.

SOFT OR HARD COVER

A unit has cover against attacks if more than half of the unit is
within a terrain feature that grants it. In the case of covergranting terrain that a unit doesnt stand inside (like a wall or
fence) the unit has the appropriate cover if at least half of the
side facing the attacker is up against the obstacle and the
defending units standing order is Hold.

CAVALRY TARGET
If your unit is shooting at a target with the Cavalry keyword
printed on the back of the unit card, it gets

(+0) +1/+0.

Units attacking an enemy in cover get the listed penalty:

Soft Cover:

(-0) -1/-0

Hard Cover:

(-0) -2/-0

Note: Cover applies to both ranged and engaged attacks, but some
terrain (like forests) may specify that the cover applies only to one or
the other.

MOVE AND SHOOT

If your unit is shooting on a turn in which it moved, it gets
(-0) -1/-0.

20

WEAPON SPECIAL RULES

In Battleground, very few weapons have special rules covered by
the rulebook. Instead, most weapon special rules, for example
spears, bows, and so forth, are described directly on the back of
the units that are equipped with them.

21

COURAGE
Death isnt the only way your troops might fall prey to the
dangers of war. Psychology plays a critical role in the integrity
of your army, and some units are as likely to flee as to fight to
the last. Many circumstances might cause a rout, and they can
arise at any time, but in order to keep things organized, units
always check in the courage phase.

courage check. Otherwise, it fails.

Like the combat phase, the courage phase recognizes that

battles arent really fought in organized turns. Thus, even if it
isnt your turn, you will roll courage checks for each of your
units that are required to do so, rather than waiting for your
own turn to roll those checks. The active player rolls all of her
courage checks for each step, then the inactive player rolls for
those steps before moving on to the next step.

TYPES OF COURAGE CHECKS

COURAGE CHECK MODIFIERS

Courage is modified by the units health. If the unit is in the
yellow its Courage is reduced by 1. If it is in the red its reduced
by 2.

There are two types of courage checks that are inherent to the
game rules: Rout Checks and Fear Checks. In addition, some
spells or unit abilities might force different kinds of courage
checks.
Both rout checks and fear checks are simple courage checks,
without any special modifiers to the units courage beyond
those described above.

PRE-COMBAT AND POST-COMBAT

The Courage Phase occurs twice in each turn, once before
combat and once after. These are called the Pre-Combat and
Post-Combat courage phases. Each phase is otherwise identical
and all rules in this section apply to both phases.

ROUT CHECKS
Rout checks occur when a situation might cause your units
courage to fail entirely, sending it running in a rout. While this
situation is not irreversible, it is bad news, especially if the unit
was engaged when it routed.

COURAGE PHASE STEPS

The courage phase consists of six steps, listed below in the order
that they occur.

Various situations cause rout checks. Situations that normally

cause rout checks include pinching and being knocked into the
yellow or into the red. Any unit that had at least one rout check
forced on it since the last opportunity to perform rout checks
performs a single check in this step.

1) Rout Checks
2) Fear Checks
3) Other Courage Checks
4) Free Attacks
5) Rout Movement
6) Courage Cleanup

FAILED ROUT CHECKS

When a unit fails a rout check, erase its standing order. Until
that unit rallies, its standing order remains blank to indicate
that it is routing. If the unit is unengaged, turn it to face your
board edge. If it is engaged, turn it to face directly away from an
enemy unit of your choice that it is engaged, if able.

Each unit checks only once per step, no matter how many
checks were called for since the last opportunity. Six checks is
the same as one. The remaining checks dont build up or carry
over into future steps or phases.

If a unit that is currently routing fails a new rout check, it is

immediately destroyed.

Example: During your opponents movement and command phase,

your Hawk Swordsmen are pinched by a Skeleton Troll and a Zombie
Troll (both Fearsome) and the opponent plays Wave of Terror (which
causes all of your units to make fear checks in the next courage phase).
Therefore, three fear checks and one rout check (for the pinch) were
called for. The Hawk Swordsmen roll one rout check in step 1, and one
fear check in step 2. All the other pending fear checks are disregarded.

During the free attacks step each non-routing unit will get a free
attack against each routing unit it was engaged with at the
beginning of the phase. Free attacks are covered later.
Sometimes, in the process of turning a routing unit away from
an enemy, it will no longer be touching one or more other
enemy units that it began the phase engaged with. Even if this
happens, all the enemy units that began the phase engaged with
it will get free attacks on it.

PERFORMING A COURAGE CHECK

To check your units courage, find the value on your unit card,
apply any modifiers, and roll three dice. If the sum of the dice is
less than or equal to your units courage, the unit passes the

22

BACK-UP UNITS
A back-up unit represents deeper ranks in your army. When a
unit serves as a back-up unit, it stands ready to replace a
friendly unit should that unit rout or be destroyed.

OTHER COURAGE CHECKS

Some command card or unit abilities might call for courage
checks that are neither rout checks nor fear checks. Take these
checks after all rout and fear checks have been taken, and
follow the instructions on the card for success or failure.

If an unengaged unit is on Close or Follow and any part of its

front is touching any part of the rear of a friendly unit, it is
considered a back-up unit for that friendly unit. (Thus, each
unit can normally be a back-up unit to two friendly units if
desired).

In general, if the consequences of a courage check would be

irrelevant (because, for example, a unit has failed a rout check
and the consequences of a second, different kind of check dont
apply to routing units) you dont need to roll the check.

If a backed-up unit is ever destroyed (either by the above

method or any other way) you may elect to move one of its back
-up units into its place. If a backed-up unit fails a rout check,
you may choose to destroy it instead of having it rout in order
to take advantage of this.

FREE ATTACKS
After both players have rolled all courage checks for the round,
each unit takes their allowed free attacks, starting with the
active players units. These attacks work just like engaged
attacks in the combat phase. A unit can always take these
attacks even if it already attacked in the combat phase, has
already made a free attack against a different unit in this phase,
or attacked in some other way.

Replacing a destroyed unit with a back-up unit does not count

as normal movement. It is assumed that the back-up unit
trickles in gradually, replacing the original unit as it flees or is
destroyed. Therefore, it happens immediately, regardless of the
MC of the backup unit. Neither side is considered charging or
final rushing, and no fear or terror checks occur. Treat the
situation as an ongoing engagement, so nothing that normally
happens at the beginning of an engagement occurs here.

All relevant combat modifiers apply to free attacks as well. In

virtually all cases, for example, at least one unit will get the rear
attacking bonus because of the new facing of a routing unit .
A unit that is in the routed state because of a failed check earlier
in this specific Courage phase doesnt actually disengage and
move until all free attacks are complete. This is important
because some units get bonuses for their free attacks against
units in the routed state. A units card will list if its entitled to
these bonuses.

FEAR CHECKS
When a unit finds itself in an unusually distressing position, the
soldiers in the unit find it difficult to fight at full effect because
of the frightening nature of the situation. This is represented by
a type of courage check called a fear check.

ROUT MOVEMENT

Units perform a Fear Check on the turn that they are charged by
a unit with the fearsome or terrifying keyword. Some
command cards or unit abilities might call for fear checks at
other times. Just like rout checks, each unit will take only one
fear check per Courage phase.

After all free attacks are complete, each still-alive unit that was
routed this phase moves. If, after this movement, the routed
unit is still engaged with one or more enemy units, the routed
unit is destroyed.

If the unit fails the check it gets the Frightened penalty for the
rest of the turn. By the next round, the fear is assumed to have
passed, and the unit fights normally unless it needs to take
another fear check on that turn. If the unit doesnt need to take
the check at all (because it is immune to Fear) it doesnt take the
Frightened penalty.

Whenever you move a routing unit, you dont pay for

maneuvers. Simply measure from the front center point of the
routing unit to the location it is routing to (keeping the effects of
any MC-reducing terrain in mind). Then, pick up and move the
routing unit, keeping the same facing. This movement is similar
to the final rush movement.

A unit that normally passes all Courage checks, passes all Fear
checks or has no Courage stat is immune to the Frightened
penalty, and will never perform a Fear check.

DISENGAGEMENT
On the turn it routs from an engagement, a unit will move to
maximize the space between it and the enemy units with which
it was engaged. This path is called its Disengagement Path..

Since routing units never attack, and the Frightened penalty

only applies to attacks, you dont need to roll fear checks for
units that already failed rout checks this phase. (They wont be
doing much attacking this turn!)

THE MAGIC MILLIMETER

A routed units Disengagement Path might be blocked on one
or more sides by friendly units, preventing the routing unit
from moving at all. The game assumes that there is at least

23

enough room (a magic millimeter) for the routing unit to

cleanly disengage from the units that its running from. A unit
in this situation counts as disengaged, and also counts as
having routed into any friendly units into which its
Disengagement Path would have had it travel.

still only require that type of check to be made once in a given

Courage phase.
While unlikely, repeating the phase may trigger yet more
courage checks. Do not leave the Courage Phase until all
outstanding checks have been resolved.

A unit with its Disengagement Path blocked in this way by

enemy units or impassible terrain is still considered to be
engaged, and is destroyed as previously mentioned.

Note: Each time you perform step 1, 2, or 3, every unit with one
or more outstanding courage checks takes exactly one check,
and disregards any other pending checks for that step.
Therefore, you only repeat the phase if a new check arose after
its given step.

SUBSEQUENT MOVEMENT
On further turns, a routed unit moves towards its owners table
edge at its full MC. You cant invoke the Fastest path rule or
other voluntary movement rules for this move, so your unit will
not avoid difficult terrain or friendly units. You must still
observe rules like the Impossible Path rule. (Your units arent
that scared!)

ROUTING INTO FRIENDLY UNITS

If a routing units path would move it into contact with a
friendly unit, it stops moving for the turn, positioned against
the friendly unit.
If a routing unit begins the turn in contact with a friendly unit
and the path of the rout would take it through that friendly
unit, pick it up and move it to the opposite side of the friendly
unit. The friendly unit cannot move or fire this turn, and must
make a rout check during the pre-combat Courage Phase this
turn.
ROUTING TO THE TABLE EDGE
If a routing unit moves into contact with its owners table edge,
it stops for the turn. If a routing unit begins in contact with its
owners table edge and would move off that edge, it is
destroyed.

ENGAGED WHILE ROUTING

If a routed unit ever becomes engaged with an enemy after its
initial disengagement, it is immediately destroyed.

COURAGE CLEANUP
Normally, after free attacks and rout movement have been
resolved, the courage phase ends. In some cases, however,
additional courage checks might be triggered as a result of
events that happened in the courage phase but after the
appropriate step to take that check. For example, a unit might
rout due to damage and then take enough damage during the
free attacks to require a second rout check.
In the Courage Cleanup step, if any courage checks have been
triggered since the last time checks of that type were made, go
back to step one and repeat the courage phase from the
beginning. Keep in mind that multiple checks of the same type

24

ARMY CREATION
For your first few games of Battleground, we recommend you
keep it simple. Play with a starter army (included with your
faction,) and a basic open battlefield. After you get the hang of
the game, though, youll want to try your own mix of units to
suit your play style and the situation at hand, and you might
want to mix up the battlefield with terrain, unusual objectives,
or adverse conditions. This combination of terrain and special
rules is called a scenario.

elite, some scenarios might place limits on these units or

otherwise talk about them. In these cases, non-core, non-elite
units are called standard units.

This section tells you how to mix it up. From rules for making
your own custom army to ways to incorporate scenarios into
your games, this section tells you what to do before the first unit
card is placed.

MERCENARIES

Note: The first three Battleground armies released predate the

Core and Elite rule, so their unit cards dont specify the status of
the units. Core and elite status for these units is given in the
Errata section.

Battleground features some factions, that can be fielded as

mercenary units in any army. In addition, some scenarios might
allow you to use different factions as mercenaries or you and
your opponent may agree to designate any faction as
mercenary. This section explains how to add mercenary units to
your army.

POINTS BUDGETS
At the beginning of the game, agree with your opponent on a
points budget for your armies. Every unit card (and some army
special abilities) costs army creation points. You can also buy
starting command cards for 25 points each, drawn at random
after units are placed but before orders are issued.

Note: Unsurprisingly, you shouldnt add mercenaries to a

historical army if youre trying to simulate a historical conflict.
PRIMARY FACTION
Each player picks a primary faction when creating his or her
army. Any units that dont belong to the primary faction are
considered mercenary units.

You dont need to spend all of your points budget. Any rule
that depends on army size, like the rule determining how many
command actions you get per turn, depends on the points
budget, not how many points you actually spent or how many
points worth of units remain on the table.

CORE AND ELITE MERCENARIES

Mercenary units, even if they are core, cant fulfill any core unit
requirements for your army. Elite mercenary units can be
included, but they are subject to the overall elite restriction for a
given army.

Standard points budgets are 1500 for a small game, 2000 for a
standard game, or 2500 for a larger game. Higher or lower
points budgets are perfectly acceptable, but might need special
rules. See the entries on Large Games for more information.

MERCENARIES AND COMMAND CARDS

You must use your primary factions command deck.

CORE AND ELITE UNITS

For each faction, some units form the backbone of your forces,
called core units. Some, on the other hand, are rare and unusual,
called elite units. A units status as core or elite, if any, is listed
on the back of the unit card, after the points value.

Each card that is common to all factions (numbered 1-20 in the

command deck) functions normally on all your units, primary
or mercenary. Each faction-specific command card (numbered
21-30) cant be played on or otherwise influence a mercenary
unit.

You must have at least one core unit in your army per 500
points in your point budget.

If you are playing with mercenaries, you can choose to remove

cards 21-30 from your deck after deployment if you wish.

You cant have more than one of each of your elite units in your
army per 1000 points in your point budget.

MERCENARIES AND ARMY ABILITIES

Each unit, primary or mercenary, uses its own army ability or
abilities, not the army ability of the primary faction. Using a
mercenary units army ability costs 1 additional command
action, if applicable.

Example: A 1500 point army must have at least three core units
(of any type). That army can have any number of total elite
units, but no more than one of each type of elite unit.
Note: While there are no limits on units that are neither core nor

You cant use non-unit army abilities (for example, Carthages

25

Foresight ability, or the Dark Elf Premeditation ability) if that

faction isnt your primary faction.

should consider expanding the battlefield and deployment

zones for larger games, so that weak but numerous armies
continue to be able to threaten the flanks of more elite forces.
You might also find that with more command actions and
points, you need to add additional decks of command cards or
even additional reinforcement decks, though this should occur
only in very large games.

Example: If a Dark Elf army is using Monsters & Mercenaries as

a mercenary faction:

The Dark Elves can use Pain Touch and all command cards
as normal, with no penalties.

The Monsters & Mercenaries units cant use Pain Touch or

unique Dark Elf command cards.

The Dark Elf player can still use the Spoils ability on
Monsters & Mercenaries units but it would cost 2 command
actions each instead of 1.

MULTIPLAYER
The easiest way to have more than two players in a game of
Battleground is to fight in teams. The players on each side
divide up their points and command actions appropriately.
Because the team with more players will often have a harder
time making efficient use of their command actions you may
wish to award that team additional building points, or some
other scenario-based advantage.

SCENARIOS
Scenarios are special sets of rules that change the battlefield,
add terrain or add special rules and/or victory conditions.
Scenarios might also change the rules of army creation, or
anything you like. You and your opponent can agree to play a
scenario of your choosing before the battle, and we also provide
several products that contain scenarios that weve balanced for
fun play.

Example: Player A plays 3,000 points against player B, playing

1,100 points, and player C, playing 1,900 points. On player As
turn he has 6 command actions, and on the shared B and C turn,
player B has 2 command actions while player C has 4 command
actions.
Note: Each player may play a different army and or faction.

Unlike some wargames, Battleground gives you the freedom to

tailor your army without the expense of buying more units,
since you get everything in the faction box. Because of this, we
suggest you build your armies after youve seen the terrain and
scenario. A unit you normally dislike might be just the thing to
crack an unusual situation.

Note: Players may only use command actions and play

command cards on their own units.

OFFICIAL SCENARIOS
As of this printing, Your Move Games provides scenarios in
three ways.
The Scenario Book is a booklet of eight pre-made scenarios that
can inspire you to make your own special rules, and introduce
you to factions you dont own.
Kingdoms is a card-based scenario generation system that
makes randomized scenarios by matching cards containing
terrain with cards containing special rules. By dealing out one
of each, you never play the same game twice. Kingdoms also
contains rules for combining multiple games into an ongoing
campaign. One desk is all you need to run a large campaign.
Historical releases (currently the Punic War) contain scenario
booklets with the Expansion set. These scenario booklets
contain suggestions on how to re-enact famous battles of the
age using the Battleground system.

LARGE GAMES
Games with a point budget over 3000 points are considered
large games. You can play a large game normally, but you

26

TERRAIN
While we suggest you play your first few battles without
terrain if you are new to tabletop wargaming, the presence of
even simple terrain features on a battlefield makes the game
feel very different. The following section explains the rules for
different terrain features.

Example: A unit of Hawk Swordsmen ( 3.5) on a road (+1

MC) advances 4 and then reaches the end of the road. The
unit would advance the full 4, but stop before any part of the
card left the road.

TERRAIN AND COMBAT

Terrain can be very interesting, but also highly unbalancing. If

one player has a strong defensive position, it can represent a
large number of effective points if used correctly. Many official
Battleground scenarios contain pre-balanced terrain. You can
also make terrain symmetrical as an easy way to assure that
neither side gets an advantage.

Terrain provides various combat bonuses or penalties to units

within it, noted by keyword in the terrain descriptions and
fully explained in the combat modifiers section. Unless
otherwise stated, half of the unit card must be within the
terrain feature to gain the bonus or suffer the penalty. If the
terrain feature is a fortification (like a wall) that units hide
behind rather than occupy, at least half of the side of the unit
card facing the attacker must be abutted to the terrain feature.

REPRESENTING TERRAIN
Your Move Games makes an official Battleground terrain pack,
which contains fifteen square feet of dry-erasable, cut-out, flat
terrain, on similar stock to the unit cards but laminated. All
official scenarios use terrain from this terrain pack.

TERRAIN AND UNIT ELEVATION

Terrain elevation can help your missile units see over
intervening obstacles, including not only other terrain but also
units. For the purposes of determining if a units ranged attack
is blocked, you can ignore units that are shorter than the height
of a hill or other terrain feature that the shooting unit is
standing on.

You can also represent terrain with any system of your own
devising, from detailed miniatures terrain to construction
paper with a tree drawn on it.

TERRAIN EFFECTS

On the other hand, units standing on terrain features might

block missile attacks if the height of the unit combined with the
height of the feature is more than the attacker can ignore.
When calculating shooting attack defenders, count the height
of the unit plus the height of any relevant terrain when
comparing unit sizes. Like combat modifiers, half of the unit
card must occupy terrain to gain any elevation from that
terrain.

Terrain has three broad effects: movement, combat, and

elevation. Each kind of modifier is described below.
Each terrain modifier is a keyword; the effects of these
keywords are combat modifiers.

TERRAIN AND MOVEMENT

Terrain acts to reduce or (in rare cases) increase the MC of units
in it. A unit moves as slowly as the slowest moving part of that
unit. So, if any part of a unit passes through terrain that
hinders movement, the whole unit is slowed. Conversely, in
order to get a bonus to MC based on terrain, the unit must be
entirely within that terrain feature for the entire move.

For simplicity, we assume units have effective heights based on

whether they have the large or colossal keywords. Normal
units are assumed to be 10 high, large units 20, and colossal
units 30.

Some unit keyword abilities change the bonuses or penalties

that unit gets from terrain. In such cases, units might have
more than one relevant keyword, for example High Elf
Chariots, which are both cavalry and wheeled. If so, apply the
least favorable keyword.

The following terrain types represent a reasonable list of

natural features for a battlefield, including relevant effects. You
might want to use terrain that doesnt clearly fit any of these
types; if so, agree with your opponent in advance on the effects
of the terrain.

If a unit would encounter a hindering terrain feature (or leave a

helpful one) and has already moved farther than the reduced
MC would allow, advance the unit to the point where its MC
would decrease, then stop moving it.

27

TERRAIN TYPES

ROADS
A unit moving along a road gets +1 MC, or +2 MC if it is
wheeled.

FORESTS
STAKES

A unit moving in a forest gets -1 MC, or -3 MC if it is large,

colossal, or wheeled.

Unlike other terrain, stakes are directional: they form a wall of

sharpened sticks with a facing. When you place the terrain
piece, determine the facing. (Official stakes from the terrain
pack have clear facing due to the graphic on the card).

Forest provides soft cover against shooting attacks. More than

2.5 of forest blocks line of sight; forests are 30 high.

LOW BRUSH

Units behind the stakes (on the non-sharp side) get soft cover
from attacks by units they are engaged with on the other side
of the stakes. Units moving out of the stakes get -1 MC if they
are cavalry (no penalty otherwise). Units moving into stakes
get -1 MC, or -3 MC if they are cavalry. Stakes are impassable
(in either direction) for wheeled units.

A unit moving in low brush gets -1 MC, or -3 MC if it is

wheeled.

SHALLOW WATER
A unit moving in shallow water gets -2 MC, or -1 MC if it is
large. Colossal units ignore shallow water.

HEDGES, LOW WALLS OR FENCES

DEEP WATER

Non-large, non-colossal units moving across walls or fences get

-1 MC. Walls and hedges are impassable to wheeled units.

Large units move through deep water at -2 MC, colossal units

at -1 MC. Deep water is impassable to other units. Units in
deep water cant shoot.

Non-large, non-colossal units behind walls or fences get soft

cover from all attacks by non-large, non-colossal units.

VERY DEEP WATER

Colossal units move through very deep water at -2 MC. Very
deep water is impassable to other units. Units in very deep
water cant shoot.

HILLS
Elevation lines are usually used to indicate the height of hills;
each elevation line indicates 10 of elevation. Units moving
uphill (crossing at least one elevation line) get -1 MC. Units on
a hill have the high ground with regards to units on a lower
elevation. Increase the units effective height by the elevation of
the part of the hill it occupies.

RIVER RAPIDS
Large units move through river rapids at -3 MC. Colossal units
move through river rapids at -2 MC. River Rapids are
impassable to other units. Units in River Rapids cant shoot.

FORTIFICATIONS

SWAMP OR BOG

Fortifications represent a building that units can occupy, like a

stone fortress, bunker, etc. Units in a fortification get hard
cover from all attacks by units outside the fortification.
Fortification walls are impassable to all units. (Make sure to
incorporate a door somewhere in the fortification!)

Units moving in a swamp get -2 MC, or -1 MC if the unit is

large. Swamps are impassable to wheeled units. A unit moving
in a swamp has soft cover against missile attacks.
Colossal units get no benefits or penalties from being in a
swamp.

Fortification doors are hard cover for units defending them.

Units can exit and enter them freely if no enemy unit is
defending them. (Units defend a door by being abutted to it).

SHORELINE
Units on a shoreline count as having the high ground when
engaged with units in the water.

WET GROUND OR SAND

A unit moving on wet ground or sand gets -1 MC, or -2 MC if it
is wheeled.

ROUGH GROUND
A unit moving on rough ground gets -1 MC, -2 MC if it is
cavalry, or -3 MC if it is wheeled.

VERY ROUGH GROUND

A unit moving on very rough ground gets -2 MC. Very rough
ground is impassable to cavalry and/or wheeled units.

28

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Most unit special abilities are fully described on the unit cards.
Some units, though, have special abilities written in bold on the
back of the unit card. In some cases, these keywords are
empty and only serve to interact with other rules or unit
abilities. In other cases, they are rules that are wordy, but used
on many cards, which sometimes dont have room for the full
text. The rules for these abilities are described below.

STANDARD KEYWORDS
Some keywords exist to note features of a unit that arent
always relevant, but that combat modifiers, terrain modifiers,
and other units might reference. Some examples are the
cavalry, wheeled and large keywords. These keywords dont
have special rules of their own, but might come into play with
terrain, other units, or combat modifiers. You dont normally
have to pay attention to these rules because theyre noted on
the combat modifier card or the individual description for the
terrain type, so theyre hard to forget about, but they are
collected below for ease of reference.

modifiers, a unit with the flying keyword may be given the

Airborne standing order modifier, indicating that it is currently
airborne.
While airborne a unit is considered to be at the same elevation
as other airborne units and to be on a higher evaluation than all
grounded units and terrain, though it is not considered to be
actually in the terrain that it is above. Thus, a unit that is
airborne has the High Ground bonus against all grounded
units.
While airborne, a unit may not engage or become engaged with
units on the ground. A unit must begin the turn on the ground
in order to final rush.
Airborne units may shoot and be shot at, keeping in mind the
High Ground range modification.
An airborne unit may move straight and turn, but may not
make any other maneuvers. It uses its flying movement stat
including the turns it takes off and lands. It may not take off
and land in the same turn. When it lands it automatically
reforms without an MC penalty.

Other units might have keywords that dont appear to do

anything at all. In these cases, a faction ability or other aspect
of the army will clarify what the keyword means.
Example: Units in the Undead army have the Lesser Undead,
Greater Undead, and Major Undead keywords. These
keywords relate to the Reanimation army ability and dont do
anything on their own.

WHEELED
Wheeled units are vehicles that rely on flat, unobstructed
ground for their mobility and typically have trouble with
rough terrain, but benefit from good roads. Wheeled units get
different movement modifiers from other units in most terrain;
the rules for each type of terrain, found in the Terrain section,
note whether wheeled units have unusual difficulty with that
terrain.

Airborne units may overlap and move over other units

(including other airborne units). They cannot land on top of
other units. Unless directly controlled, an airborne unit with
the Close standing order will land if its move takes it within its
ground final rush distance of the nearest enemy and it will
land as close to that enemy as possible. If possible it must land
on what was at the start of the turn the facing side of that
enemy. If it started partially or fully above the nearest enemy
unit it will land on the far side of that unit if possible.
An airborne unit with a point objective will land when it
reaches that objective. If the objective is occupied it will fly as
close as possible to the objective then land.
During deployment an airborne unit may not be placed over
another unit.

CAVALRY
Cavalry units consist of soldiers riding on large animals,
usually horses, but sometimes drakes or other exotic creatures.
All cavalry units are powerful on the charge and get an impact
hit to reflect this. Cavalry also move in a looser formation than
infantry, giving them some protection from missiles. Some
terrain is unusually problematic or advantageous for cavalry,
as noted in the terrains description in the Terrain section.

Flying units automatically take off when routing and are

considered airborne until they are rallied. When a flying unit is
rallied, give it the Hold order with the airborne standing order
modifier HA.
A player may not attempt to create a draw by refusing to land
airborne units. Once a player has only airborne units left on the
field, he must either seek to engage the enemy at a reasonable

FLYING
In addition to its standing order and any standing order

29

speed or fly his units off the field (if appropriate to the scenario
being played).

LARGE
Large units consist of creatures that are significantly bigger
than usual. This makes them easier to hit with missile fire.
Large units also have more or less difficulty with some terrain
than conventionally sized units, as described in the Terrain
section.

JAVELINS
Some units carry javelins or other ranged weapons that are
launched as the unit charges. The Umenzi Javelineers and
Ravenwood Centaurs use this rule; more recent units
specifically state on the back of their card that they use the
Javelin rule. These units make line of sight ranged attacks as
normal when unengaged but also get an extra ranged attack
during the turn they engage if:

COLOSSAL
A colossal unit comes as two cards, with half of the artwork on
each card. We recommend taping these cards together using
clear tape on the back of the cards. You can then fold along the
taped edge to fit the cards back in your deck box.

They final rush that turn, OR

They were unengaged at the start of the turn and are
engaged on their front by a unit that began the turn out of
their range.

The free attack is made at the start of the combat phase (or
before free attacks if the javelin unit pinched an enemy unit
and it routs) and is treated like a normal ranged attack
(meaning only range attack modifiers are used).

If a rule or modifier applies to large units, that rule also applies

to colossal units unless it states otherwise. For example, if a
unit gets a bonus against large units, it gets the same bonus
against a colossal unit. If the rule mentions both types of units
like in the Terrain section), apply only the colossal unit rules.

If the target is put into the yellow or into the red by the free
ranged attack it will suffer the appropriate penalty during its
own engaged attack.

If a colossal unit moving with the Close order has the option to
invoke the Fastest path rule, and it chooses to stop right at the
edge a non-colossal friendly unit rather than go around, it does
one damage to that friendly unit. This rule doesnt apply if the
colossal units movement is capped or it is otherwise unable or
unwilling to move far enough to be blocked by the friendly
unit.

Units with the javelin rule get no penalty for move and shoot.

PILAS
The pila rule is a special case of the javelin rule. When making
a pila attack, us the offensive profile of (3)X/6 (where X is the
units offensive skill). In all other ways, a pila attack functions
like a javelin attack.

If it fails to do at least one damage during an engaged attack

(before any damage prevention or redirection effects) it does
one damage instead.

Example: If a unit with a pila attack has offensive stats of (5)5/5, its
ranged attack stats would be (3)5/6.

It may final rush into any space that would be big enough for a
normal unit.

A pila attack is not penalized for a unit being in the red or in

the yellow. It is affected normally by all other ranged attack
modifiers (command cards, terrain, etc).

If there is insufficient room to fit both cards of the colossal unit,

slide the front card under the enemy unit. (This represents the
colossal unit standing over small enemies or grappling with
large ones). If more room becomes available later, slide the
card back out.

SKIRMISHERS
Skirmishers are light troops that are generally unsuited to
fighting regular infantry or cavalry units. Skirmishers use the
same standing orders as other units but with slightly different
effects.
A skirmisher on Close will only perform a final rush on a nonskirmisher unit if the final rush is on a side other than the
enemy units front side. It will ignore that restriction if a final
rush results in a pinch of the enemy unit. (Two skirmishers will
choose to final rush simultaneously in order to create a pinch).

It is considered to have three center points on its flank (the

center of each card and the point where the two cards come
together). Enemy units will final rush the nearest of these
center points when final rushing this units flank. In the case of
two units final rushing the same flank, simply place them so
that both cards get the maximum frontage engaged.

If one of the above conditions doesnt apply, then instead of

performing a final rush, move the skirmisher unit normally to
get as close to its nearest enemy as possible without engaging.

It does not take rout checks from being pinched, unless the
pinching unit is also colossal.

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Skirmishers get and give pinching bonuses to attacks as normal

when attacking. However, when determining if a nonskirmisher unit would take a rout check from being pinched,
ignore Skirmishing units that are a part of that pinch.

FEARSOME AND TERRIFYING

A skirmisher with the Ranged order will not move into final
rush range of an enemy non-skirmisher, provided this does not
cause it to miss a ranged attack.

During the courage phase, if a unit was charged by a fearsome

or terrifying unit this turn, it must make a fear check with the
normal consequences for failure.

Example: a unit of Velites is 8 away from an enemy unit of Libyan

Foot. It would move so that it was just out of final rush range of the
Libyan Foot.

Units dont need to make fear checks against units that arent
any more scary than they are. For example, if a fearsome units
is charged by another fearsome unit, it doesnt make a fear
check. Fearsome units do, however, need to make checks when
charged by terrifying units.

If an unengaged skirmisher is rushed by a non-skirmisher it

automatically routs during the next Courage phase with no
check taken. Instead of being subject to free attacks, however,
the skirmisher takes one point of damage for each unit that
engaged it or two points of damage for each unit that engaged
it that has a higher MC than the skirmisher. A skirmisher that
cant leave combat with its rout move is destroyed as normal.

Some units are so massive, weird, horrific, or just have such a

bad reputation that normal troops waver when facing them.
These units have the fearsome or terrifying keywords.

If a unit that is neither fearsome nor terrifying becomes

engaged with a terrifying unit, it takes its fear check at a 2
penalty.

SPELLS
Certain factions have units that cast spells or army abilities that
are considered spells. In most cases these can be understood
easily from the description of the units or army ability in
question; these rules cover how spells from different factions
interact.

Example: A unit of Caetrati is engaged by a unit of Veteran Equites.

It routs, takes two points of damage, and moves directly away from
the Equites.
Routing skirmishers rally automatically during their
controllers Movement & Command phase, provided there are
no enemy units currently eligible to final rush them (i.e.
unengaged and within final rush range).

SPELLCASTING ORDER
Unless otherwise stated, spells occur during the combat step, at
the time the spellcasting units controller is making attacks.
Like attacks, you can choose to cast spells at any point during
that time. Casting a spell counts as making an attack, so a unit
cant make its normal attack and also cast a spell. Unless the
spell description says otherwise, units cant cast spells while
engaged.

SKIRMISHER RECALL
During the active players Movement & Command phase, a
player may spend one command action to have any number of
their skirmishers rout voluntarily. This must be done before
any skirmishers move.
Routing Skirmishers
Skirmishers are trained to retreat through other friendly units.
If a skirmisher is making a rout move and its movement would
cause its front center point to overlap any part of a friendly
unit, move the skirmisher to the far side of that unit (or units, if
necessary), then it automatically rallies. This does not affect the
movement of the other friendly unit. If a skirmishers rout
movement would cause it to move through a friendly unit and
it cant do so (for example if the friendly unit is up against
impassable terrain or the board edge) the routing skirmisher is
destroyed.
If a skirmisher routs through another friendly non-routing
skirmisher, the second skirmisher must take a rout check in the
next available courage phase.

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TARGETING SPELLS
Spells with the attack keyword work like attacks, and are
targeted in the same way as an attack of the appropriate type.
Other spells are special; regardless of standing orders, you can
target any unit with these spells, within the rules (range, types
of targets, etc) for the specific spell.
SPELL RANGE
Spells with the attack keyword calculate range as appropriate
for the type of attack they grant. For other spells, measure from
the front center point of the casting unit to any center point of
the target unit. Non-attack spells dont need line of sight, and
are unaffected by terrain, front arc considerations, or other
obstructions; if the target is in range, the spell can be cast.
A few spells have a range of battlefield; these spells can
target any unit (within the specific rules of the spell) regardless
of distance or any other considerations.

SPELL KEYWORDS
Spells have certain keywords to help determine how they
interact with other spells. For the Umenzi and Undead factions,
these keywords were not initially printed on the cards, and can
be found in section the Errata section. Spells can have any
number of these keywords.
Blessing and Curse
If a spell has the blessing or curse keyword, it gives some kind of
persistent beneficial or detrimental effect to the target unit.
Indicate this by writing on the unit card with your dry erase
marker or placing a token on it. The specific spell rules indicate
what benefits or penalties the unit gets, and what causes the
token to be removed, if anything.
A spells blessing or curse takes effect regardless of whether or
not the spell hits or damages its target. A unit can have one
blessing and one curse at any given time. If a new blessing or
curse is applied, the newer one replaces the older one.
Healing
Spells with the healing keyword typically remove damage from a
unit. A unit can only ever be the subject of one healing spell per
turn. (This limit applies to all spells with the healing keyword,
even if they dont actually heal any damage).
Attack
An attack spell gives the unit an alternate way to make an attack.
The attack profile is listed in the spell description; if a range () is
listed, the spell is a ranged attack, otherwise, it is an attack that is
used while engaged. These spells are treated as if the unit had
the appropriate stats and was making a normal attack of the
appropriate type. Casting an attack spell counts as attacking for
the turn, even if the unit also has a conventional attack it could
legally use. If a unit has more than one attack option, pick which
one to use.
A few spells have the attack keyword, but deal direct damage
instead of listing an attack profile. Casting such a spell counts as
a successful attack that deals the appropriate amount of damage.
Thus, a direct damage spell counts as an attack that deals
damage for the purposes of command cards and abilities, but
doesnt involve stats or die rolls.

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ERRATA
Death Curse
An attack spell.

Some factions were printed before the current rules, and as

such, have had their rules updated or clarified to be in line
with the current rules. These changes are listed below.

An Umenzi unit with the army ability Faith Armor cannot be

the target of any healing spell. Nor can the Giant War
Elephant.

CORE AND ELITE UNITS

The first three factions in the game, the Men of Hawkshold,
Orc Army, and Undead Army, predate the release of the Core
and Elite rules for army creation (5.2). Because of this, their
Core and Elite units arent noted on the backs of the cards.
Instead, they are listed below.

JAVELIN UNITS
Two units, the Umenzi Javelineers (Umenzi Tribesmen) and
Centaurs (Elves of Ravenwood) have the Javelin rule, or a close
variant thereof, but predate this rule. Their rules are updated in
the following two sections.

MEN OF HAWKSHOLD
Core UnitsBowmen, Militia, Peasant Mob, Spearmen,
Swordsmen
Elite UnitsKnights, Longbowmen

UMENZI JAVELINEERS
Umenzi Javelineers use the Javelin Rule exactly as written for
their ranged attack. Use that rule instead of the description on
the card.

UNDEAD ARMY
Core UnitsGhoul Pack, Skeleton Bowmen, Skeleton Horde,
Skeleton Spearmen, Zombies
Elite UnitsDeath Knights, Giant Catapult, Abomination

CENTAURS
Centaurs use a special version of the Javelin Rule. Because of
their great skill, they get their free javelin attack whenever an
enemy unit final rushes their front, even if that unit was
already in range of their javelins. In all other ways, the Centaur
ranged attack uses the javelin rule.

ORC ARMY
Core UnitsGoblin Bowmen, Goblin Raiders, Goblin
Spearmen, Orc Spearmen, Orc Swordsmen
Elite UnitsGoblin Bomb-Chucker, Trolls

LOW ARC UNITS

Two units, the Dwarven Ballista (Dwarves of Runegard) and
High Elf Scorpions (High Elves) have low arc ranged attacks
but predate this rule. The low arc rule applies to these units as
printed in the Combat section instead of the ranged attack
targeting restrictions printed on the back of the card. These
units are still unable to move and shoot, and have the same
penalties while engaged, rules about faction abilities, and so
forth as printed on the back of the card.

OLDER SPELLCASTERS & SPELL ABILITIES

Two factions, the Undead Army and the Umenzi Tribesmen,
have spellcaster units or abilities that function like spells, but
predate the current spellcasting rules (7.8). The updates below
bring these factions in line with the current spellcasting rules.
UNDEAD ARMY
The Undead army ability, Regeneration, is considered a
healing spell. Thus, a unit cannot be Regenerated and healed
by another spell in the same turn.

INDIVIDUAL CARD ERRATA

Some command cards or unit cards have been changed since
their initial printing. You can always find the most up-to-date
versions of your unit and command cards on our web site.

UMENZI TRIBESMEN
Umenzi spells work as follows:
Bless
A blessing. May only be cast on Umenzi units, not allies or
mercenaries.

http://www.yourmovegames.com/pages/battleground_errata

QUESTIONS AND FEEDBACK

A rules and card FAQ can be found on the battleground pages
at www.yourmovegames.com. The Your Move Games team
also monitors and provides regular answers on the
Battleground forum at the site. Feel free to post rules questions
or feedback there.

Hex
A curse.
Heal
A healing spell. May only be cast on Umenzi units, not allies or
mercenaries.

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Credits
Game Concept:
Robert Dougherty
Game Design:
Robert Dougherty, Chad Ellis
Dark Elves Design:
Niko White
Dark Elves Development:
Chad Ellis and Niko White
Dark Elves Playtesters:
Craig Ambler, Todd Bartel, Noah Bartel, William Butler,
James Hovey, Sean McHugh, Mike OBrien, Randall
Shaw, Corey Somavia, Bob Stark, Niko White, Zack
Wieler, Chea Willis, Panayiotis Zinoviadis
Dark Elves Art:
Richard Kitner Jr.
Cover Art:
Richard Kitner Jr.
Graphic Design:
Kaile Dutton

Dave Humpherys is a whiter shade of pale elf.

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Turn Sequence

Orders

I. Movement and Command (in any sequence)

Change Standing Orders (1AP)
Direct Control (1AP)
Rally Routing Unit (1AP)
Use Army Ability (1AP)
Draw Command Card (1AP)
Sound the Charge (All APs)
Maneuver according to Standing Order
II. Pre-Combat Courage sequence
Rout Checks (engaged by 2nd enemy)
Free Attacks
Second Rout Checks (result of Free Attacks)
Rout Movement
Fear Checks (engaged by fearsome enemy)
III. Combat sequence
Choose Attackers & Defenders
Active Player Attacks (ranged & melee)
Non-Active Player Attacks (melee only)
Remove Destroyed Units
IV. Post-Combat Courage sequence
Rout Checks (in the yellow, or any red)
Free Attacks
Second Rout Checks (in the yellow, or any red)
Rout Movement
Effect

Notes

Roads

+1MC

Wheeled: +2MC

Forest

-1MC

Wheeled, Large, Colossal -3MC

Soft Cover vs Ranged
LOS Depth 2.5"

Low Brush

-1MC

Wheeled: -3MC

Shallow Water

-2MC

Large -1MC
Colossal No Effect

Deep Water

Impassable

Large: -2MC
Colossal: -1 MC
May not shoot out of deep water

Very Deep
Water

Impassable

Colossal: -2 MC
May not shoot out of deep water

River Rapids

Impassable

Large: -3MC
Colossal: -2MC
May not shoot out of river rapids

Swamp

-2MC

Shoreline

Large: -1MC
Colossal: -0 MC, no Cover
Wheeled: Impassable
Soft Cover vs Ranged
High Ground vs Water

Wet Ground

-1MC

Wheeled: -2MC

Sand

-1MC

Wheeled: -2MC

Rough Ground

-1MC

Cavalry -2MC
Wheeled -3MC

Very Rough
Ground
Stakes

-2MC

Cavalry & Wheeled: Impassable

-1MC (into)

Hedge,
Fence,
Low Walls

-1MC

Hills (uphill)

-1MC

Fortifications

Impassable

Movement Categories
Inches
0
1.25
1.75
2.5
3.5
5

Large & Colossal: No effect

Wheeled: Impassable
Soft cover vs non-Large/Colossal
Hard Cover

Card Sides
S
L
S
L
SS

Inches
6
7
8.5
9.5
10.5

Card Sides
LS
LL
LSS
LLS
LLL

Special Maneuvers
About Face

-1MC

Backwards

-2MC

Sideways

-1MC

Reform

-2MC

Unit Status
In the Yellow
In the Red
Frightened

(-1)+0/+0
(-2)+0/+0
(+0)-1/-1

Advantages in Engagements
Charging
Impact Hits on Charge
Flank Attack
Rear Attack
Pinching (per unit)

(+0)+0/+1
1 Extra Damage Die/Hit
(+0)+1/+0
(+0)+1/+1
(+0)+1/+1 cumulative

Disadvantages in Engagements
Attacking to your Flank
Attacking to your Rear

(-1)+0/+0
(+0)-1/-1

-1
-2

Ranged Combat Modifiers

Long Range (7.01-14)
Extreme Range (Over 14)
Cavalry Target
Fast-Moving Target (7+)
Move and Shoot
Engaged Target
Large Target
Colossal Target

(+0)-1/+0
(+0)-2/+0
(+0)-1/+0
(+0)-1/+0
(+0)-1/+0
(+0)-1/+0
(+0)+1/+0
(+0)+2/+0

Combat Terrain Modifiers

High Ground (shooting down)
Low Ground (shooting up)
Soft Cover
Hard Cover

Cavalry: -3MC and -1 MC to

move out of
Wheeled: Impassable
Behind: Soft Cover

High Ground

Hold
Close
Advance to Maximum Range
Advance to Long Range (14)
Advance to Short Range (7)
Follow
Airborne
Modifier: Maximum Move
Modifier: Objective

Melee Combat Modifiers

Terrain
Type

H
C
R
L
S
F
(A)
#
#

(+0)+1/+0 2.5 closer to target

2.5 further away from target
(+0)-1/+0
(+0)-2/+0

Battleground: Fantasy Battles

Master Reference Sheet for Rules v3.0
Updated from the original by Aron Clark & Brian Miller (2006)
Updated by the Schenectady Wargamers Association
http://www.swa-gaming.org
Hosts of one of the biggest Battleground tournaments in the USA
Last update: February 15, 2011

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