Tortoise formation
32
Contents
Introduction 2
Central tenets of Fantastic Battles 2
Glossary of game terms 2
Unit basing and measuring distances 3
Playing equipment 3
Company profiles 4
Character/Company 4
Resolve 4
Move 4
Melee 4
Shooting 4
Defence 4
Traits 4
Points 4
Building an Army 5
Characters 5
Warlord 5
Magic-user 6
Captain 7
Rogue 7
Unattached and attached characters 8
Character companies 8
Companies 8
Elite company
Formed company
Irregular company
Fantastic beast
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9
9
9
9
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Dragon 9
Ordnance battery 9
Vehicle 9
Company traits and racial tropes 10
Example companies 16
Forming units – companies and groups 17
Optional rules – Strategies and relics 17
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Pre-game procedures 19
Determine attacker and defender 19
Setting up terrain 19
Deployment 22
Optional rules – Objectives 23
Mishaps 24
Optional rules – Flank marches 25
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Turn order 25
Ending the game 25
The shooting phase 26
Modifiers per shooting company 26
Determining eligible targets 26
Shooting ranges 26
Line of sight 26
Resolve loss from shooting 27
Risk to attached characters 27
The Action phase 28
Impetuous actions 29
Optional actions 30
Group formations 32
Line formation 32
Column formation 32
Types of movement 33
Movement by single companies 33
Movement in line formation 33
Movement in column formation 33
Interpenetration 33
Charging 34
Legal melee contacts 35
Illegal melee contacts 35
Charge responses 36
Conforming 36
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Disengaging from melee 37
The Melee phase 38
Modifiers per attacking company 38
Supporting companies 39
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Example melees 40
Resolve loss from melee 40
Risk to attached characters 40
Optional random events 41
Campaigns 42
Campaign maps 42
The campaign year 43
Diplomacy 43
Recruiting armies 43
Moving armies
Subduing regions
Fighting a battle
Post-battle considerations
43
44
44
44
Maintaining armies in the field 44
Relics 45
Revolutions and rising states 45
Completing a campaign 45
Example army lists 46
Empires of Men 46
Free Men 48
Halflings 49
Dwarven Kingdoms 50
Ziggurat Dwarves 51
Righteous Elves 52
Night Elves 53
Wyld Elves 54
Goblin Tribes 55
The Vermintide 56
Saurians 57
The Undead 58
Example historical army lists 60
Homeric Greeks 60
Trojans 61
Classical Greeks 62
Achaemenid Persians 63
Mid-Republican Romans 64
Later Carthaginians 65
Early Byzantine 66
Sassanians 67
Anglo-Normans 68
Hiberno-Norse 69
Conquistadors 70
Mesoamericans 71
 Introduction
Introduction
My first published rule set, Irregular Wars: Conflict
at the World’s End was released in February 2011.
Originally inspired by the Elizabethan wars in
Ireland, the rules were written to be suitable for
all asymmetrical clashes around the fringes of
the European world in the 16th and Early 17th
centuries. A 2nd edition followed in 2014 which
streamlined many of the rules to make the turns
flow more smoothly, and which earned fan-made
supplements to cover ancient, medieval and fantasy
genres. Since then, I have written 10 further rule
sets and expansions, all published through Ganesha
Games.
As the 10th anniversary of Irregular Wars
approached, it felt like the right time to return to
e historical) settings.
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that system. Rather than releasing a 3rd edition of
Conflict at the World’s End – which still serves its
niche – I embarked on a more broadly applicable
set of rules for fantasy mass-battles, Fantastic
Battles. The title is a play on words do you see?
Because the genre is fantasy, and the battles will
be fantastic – as in ‘great’ or ‘enjoyable’, or at least
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a moderately good laugh…. Oh, never mind. By
choosing not to employ certain fantastic traits
(magic and flying for example), the rules can easily
accommodate historical engagements from the
ancient era through to the early-modern period.
In Fantastic Battles, armies consist of a number of
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characters and companies, custom built to suit the
player’s vision of their fantasy faction. For pick-up
games, we recommend 500-1000 points per player
which should allow for somewhere in the region of
12-24 companies. The company forms the building
block of the army. Each company is built using
one of seven base profiles and can be allocated up
to three distinguishing traits. Armies may also be
given an additional blanket trait known as a racial
trope which applies to all companies of the main
race in the army. Each army must be led by a single
Warlord and may also include a number of other
individual characters serving as Captains, Magic-
users and Rogues.

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Central tenets of Fantastic Battles
The following six principles are the central tenets
behind the design of Fantastic Battles:
• Engaging rules. The rules need to keep
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both players engaged at all times with
randomised initiative and play passing
quickly between players.
• Command friction and fog of war. The
rules need to limit the omnipotent control
a warlord has over their army and the
battlefield conditions.
• Setting agnostic. The game must be
applicable to any fantasy (or even pseudo-
• Flexible army building. As a game of
fantasy battles, why accept restrictions
on your fantasy? A flexible army building
system allows players to create armies to
suit their own tastes.
• Scale agnostic using multi-based figures.
All measurements are expressed in base
widths (bw), where 1bw is equal to the
width of one company base. Any size bases
are possible, as long as all companies are
based in the same way.
• No individual figure removal. All units
have a footprint and are represented on the
table as a complete unit. When a unit loses
its resolve to fight, it is removed from the
table in its entirety.
Glossary of game terms
• #d6 – A number of six-sided dice, usually
quantified by a preceding number, e.g.
1d6 (one die), 2d6 (two dice), or 3d6
(three dice) which are always rolled
simultaneously.
• 1d3 – A roll of a normal six-sided die,
treating rolls of 1-2 as a 1, rolls of 3-4 as a
2, and rolls of 5-6 as a 3.
• 1d12 – A twelve-sided die used only to
determine random events and relics. If
players do not have a d12, they may roll
1d6 to establish a base number, followed
by a second 1d6; on a 1-3, use only the
base number, on a 4-6, add 6 to the base

number, e.g. a roll of a 4 and a 3 would
equal 4 (4+0+4), but a roll of a 4 and a 4
would equal 10 (4+6=10).
• Characters – Characters are influential
individuals who form the leadership
of armies. Most have the ability to act
independently or to attach to a unit.
• Company – A company represents a body
of warriors numbering in their hundreds
or thousands, a small number of artillery
pieces, or perhaps a single large monster.
It is the smallest tactical unit in the game
and is represented by one base. Companies
may be deployed singly, or be grouped into
larger units.
• Group – A group represents the brigading
of two, three, or four companies of the
same type into a single larger formation,
regardless of whether that formation
represents a well-drilled regiment or a
heaving horde. Groups are formed during
the Deployment Phase, and once formed
act as a single unit throughout the course
of the battle. e
• Unit – The term ‘unit’ is used throughout
the game to refer to a body of warriors
irrespective of whether it is a single
company or a group.
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Unit basing and measuring distances
The basic unit in Fantastic Battles is the company;
companies may act independently or be grouped
together into larger formations. Each company is
represented on the table by a number of figures
on a single base. Companies are an abstract
representation of a large body of men (or orcs,
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or lizardmen, or elves etc ad nauseum), perhaps
numbering in the hundreds or thousands. There is
no figure removal to represent casualties, the exact
number of figures per company is unimportant
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Ziggurat Dwarves (10mm miniatures from Cibo’s Little Dudes)

Introduction
– players are free to base their units in the way that
suits their budget or the aesthetic of their army.
We recommend square 40mm bases for companies
of 6mm-15mm scale figures, or 60mm for larger
scales. However, the actual base size used is
irrelevant to the game mechanics as long as the
same base widths are used across all companies on
the table. While square bases are recommended,
rectangular bases are feasible with minimal
adjustments to the melee rules as noted below
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(p.35).
Characters may act as individuals or attach to
companies. A character’s base can be any shape and
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size appropriate to the figure, but should be smaller
than a company and easily identifiable.
In the game, all distances are given in generic units
of measurement (bw) based on the width of a single
company. Therefore, in a game using companies on
40mm bases, 2bw would equate to 8cm, while 3bw
would equate to 12cm.
Table size
A standard engagement between two forces
of between 750-1000 points each is 30x20bw
(i.e. 1200x800mm if using 40mm bases, or
1800x1200mm if using 60mm bases). Smaller
games could be played on 20x20bw tables, while
larger games would need to have the table size
adjusted accordingly.
Playing equipment
In addition to a playing surface, miniatures and
battlefield terrain, each player will need a handful
of six-sided dice, counters to indicate a unit’s loss of
resolve, and occasional other markers to indicate if a
unit has to reload or has been cursed, empowered or
entangled by a magic-user.
 Introduction
company profiles
Every company in an army will have a profile which dictates how it behaves on the battlefield. The
example below is for a company of goblin warriors. Guidelines for customising company profiles are
provided below (pp.8-16).
Character/Company Res Mov
Goblin Warriors
3 3
An Irregular company
Character/Company
The ‘Character/company’ column gives the
company an identity. All companies start out as
one of seven generic base profiles (Elite, Formed
or Irregular companies, Fantastic beasts, Dragons,
Ordnance batteries or Vehicles, see p.9) which are
customised using traits.
Resolve (RES)
A unit’s Resolve is perhaps its single most
important factor. It indicates a unit’s willingness to
stand firm in the face of danger. During a battle,
pre-game and in-game events such as being shot e within long range (5bw). Each company of goblin
at, taking damage in melee, or seeing friendly units
flee, degrade a unit’s Resolve, sometimes sending a
cascade of panic through a player’s battle line. The
retention, loss and restoration of a unit’s Resolve
is key and players will find that quick thinking
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or clever Resolve management can often be the
deciding factor in snatching victory from the jaws
of defeat.
A single company of goblin warriors has 3 Resolve.
However, grouping multiple companies together
into a single larger unit stacks their Resolve factors.
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A unit formed from two companies of goblin
warriors would therefore have 6 Resolve, while a
large group made up of four companies would have
12 Resolve.
Move (MOV)
The Move column indicates the maximum distance
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a company may move in a single Action Phase. In
this case, goblin warriors may move up to 3bw in a
single turn.
Melee (MEL)
The Melee factor shows the company’s martial
abilities and indicates how many attack dice are
rolled during the Melee Phase. Each company of
goblin warriors may roll three attack dice under
normal circumstances.
Mel Sht Def Traits Pts
Unreliable
3 2/1 4+ Shooting (mixed) 25
Furious charge
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Shooting (SHT)
The Shooting column represents a company’s
capacity for long range attacks, shown as two
numbers divided by a forward slash. The first
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number represents how many attack dice are
rolled in the Shooting Phase against targets
within short range (2bw) – it may represent close
range shooting, thrown weapons or brave but ill-
disciplined warriors dashing out of formation to
launch individual attacks on enemy units. The
second number represents true long-range shooting
and indicates the attack dice rolled against targets
warriors rolls two attack dice against targets within
short range, or one die against targets within long
range.
Defence (DEF)
A company’s Defence factor abstracts the unit’s
armour, agility, and stubborn resilience to enemy
attack. It gives the target number required by an
opponent’s attack dice to cause the company to
lose Resolve. For example, goblin warriors have a
Defence of 4+, so enemy attack dice against the
goblins would need to roll 4s, 5s, or 6s to reduce
their Resolve. Any rolls of 1, 2, or 3 would be
ignored.
Traits
Traits represent the various features that
differentiate units. Each unit may be customised
with up to three traits, plus a possible fourth trait
representing a racial trope. For this example, we
are saying that all goblins have unreliable as a racial
trope. Generic units of goblin warriors also have
the shooting (mixed) and furious charge traits.
Points (PTS)
The Points column shows the cost to recruit the
company. A more expensive company is usually
more reliable, is better equipped or trained, or has
more Resolve than cheaper companies. Goblin
warriors cost a modest 25 points per company.


Building an army
All armies are custom built to suit the player’s
vision of their fantasy race, nation or faction.
Armies consist of a number of companies and
characters built using the guidelines below. There
are a number of pre-generated army lists at the
end of this volume, but these should be seen as
suggestions rather than canon and players are
encouraged to create armies that suit their own
collections.
Building an Army
For games with multiple players per side, we
recommend limiting each player’s force to a
maximum of 750 points, with each player
controlling their own Warlord, but one player per
side being nominated as the warlord-in-chief who
rolls to determine attacker/defender as part of the
pre-game process.
Characters
Each army must be led by a single Warlord and

For pick-up games, players should agree a nominal
point limit within which to build armies. For
games with one player per side, we recommend
500-1000 points per player.
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may also include a number of other individual
characters as outlined below. The character types
are standardised to reflect the battlefield role of
individual leaders and are not customisable except
for the spell choices of magic users.

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Warlord (1 per army)
Character/Company Res Mov Mel Sht Def Traits Pts
Warlord 2 4 2 -/- 6+ - 60
Mage-lord 2 4
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Every army must be led by a single Warlord or Mage-lord. Warlords have a command range of 3bw and
roll 3d6 when attempting to rally units in the Action Phase. All rules applying to Warlords also apply to
Mage-lords. In addition, Mage-lords may choose up to three spells in the same way as Magic-users (see
pp.6-7 below); they are the only character type who may rally units with the mindless trait (p.13).
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Wyld Elves (10mm miniatures from Excellent Miniatures under licence from Forest Dragon)


 Building an Army
Magic-user (0-1 per 500 points)
Character/Company Res Mov Mel Sht Def Traits Pts
Magic-user 1 4 1 -/- 5+ Three spell choices 40
An army may include one Magic-user for every 500 points of the army budget or part thereof. Magic-users
may command a unit they are attached to. Each Magic-user is assigned spells from the list below for use
throughout the battle. Each spell can be taken as a level 1 spell, counting as one spell choice; a level 2 spell,
counting as two spell choices; or a level 3 spell consuming all spell choice slots. It is therefore possible for a
Magic-user to specialise with a single level 3 spell, or select a variety of less powerful spells.

Spell Affect Difficulty

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Successfully casting bless restores lost Resolve to a single unit within 5bw.
At level 1 the Magic-user rolls 1d6, at level 2 the Magic-user rolls 2d6,
Bless and at level 3 the Magic-user rolls 3d6. For every roll of 3+, the chosen 3+
unit restores 1 Resolve. Bless may be used to restore lost Resolve to

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mindless units.
The blink spell can be used to teleport a single friendly or enemy unit.
Indicate the direction of movement for a target unit within 5bw. If the
spell is cast successfully the unit is teleported 1d3+1bw in the indicated
direction, maintaining its current facing. If �������������������������������
the new location places the
blinked unit partially or fully off the table edge, in impassable terrain
Blink 4+
or on top of another unit, deploy it on the table as close to the location
as possible. Units blinked into combat count as charging. At ���������������
level 1 the
Magic-user rolls 1d6, at level 2 the Magic-user rolls 2d6, and at level 3 the

cast the spell.

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Magic-user rolls 3d6. Only a single roll of 4+ is required to successfully

Successfully casting confusion on a target unit within 5bw forces it to roll

for impetuous actions (with a -1 modifier) immediately - interupting the
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turn if the caster is still able to give orders to one or more of their own
Confusion units. A confused unit may not activate again in the same turn unless they 3+
are the target of a successful haste spell. At level 1 the Magic-user rolls
1d6, at level 2 the Magic-user rolls 2d6, and at level 3 the Magic-user rolls
3d6. Only a single roll of 3+ is required to successfully cast the spell.
Successfully casting curse reduces the fighting capacity of a single unit
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within 5bw. At level 1 the Magic-user rolls 1d6, at level 2 the Magic-user
Curse 4+
rolls 2d6, and at level 3 the Magic-user rolls 3d6. For every roll of 4+,
each company in the target unit suffers a -1 Melee modifier this turn.
The empower spell is used to increase the fighting capacity of a chosen unit
within 5bw. At level 1 the Magic-user rolls 1d6, at level 2 the Magic-user
Empower 3+
rolls 2d6, and at level 3 the Magic-user rolls 3d6. The chosen unit gains
+1 Melee per company for the current turn for each roll of 3+.
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The entangle spell restrains one target unit within 5bw, ensuring that it
cannot move in the current Action Phase. At level 1 the Magic-user rolls
Entangle 4+
1d6, at level 2 the Magic-user rolls 2d6, and at level 3 the Magic-user rolls
3d6. Only a single roll of 4+ is required to successfully cast the spell.
Successfully casting haste allows one unit within 5bw (even impetuous
units) to conduct an additional optional action this turn. At level 1 the
Haste Magic-user rolls 1d6, at level 2 the Magic-user rolls 2d6, and at level 3 the 4+
Magic-user rolls 3d6. Only a single roll of 4+ is required to successfully
cast the spell.
The magic missiles spell gives the Magic-user the capacity to shoot during
the Shooting Phase. At level 1 the character gains a Shooting value of 1/1,
Magic
at level 2 the Shooting value becomes 2/2, and at level 3 the Shooting n/a
missiles
value becomes 3/3. Magic-users who use magic missiles in the Shooting
Phase may not cast a different spell in the Action Phase of the same turn.


 Building an Army

Magic-users with the prophesy spell, roll a number of d6 prophecy dice

after rolling for Mishaps at the beginning of the game. The prophecy dice
should be kept to one side. At any point later in the game the player may
replace any die roll (by either player) with one of their prophecy dice.
Prophesy Each prophecy die may only be used once and may not be further altered. n/a
At level 1 the Magic-user rolls 1 prophesy die, at level 2 the Magic-user
rolls 2 prophecy dice, and at level 3 the Magic-user rolls 3 prophecy dice.
Prophecy dice may not be used if the Magic-user responsible is on a flank
march, has fled the table, or has been killed.

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Successfully casting the summon spell adds 1 summoning point to the
Magic-user’s personal summoning pool. The summoning pool may
accrue over multiple turns. Once enough summoning points have been
generated to pay the cost of an entire unit (1-4 companies), the unit is
placed on the table within 2bw of the Magic-user. A summoned unit

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Summon may not conduct an action in same turn it is summoned. However, if 3+
the freshly summoned unit is placed with its front base edge in contact
with an enemy, the summoned unit counts as charging. At level 1, each
point in the summoning pool is worth 10 points towards the cost of the
summoned unit; at level 2, each summoning point is worth 20 points;
and at level 3, each summoning point is worth 30 points.

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Greek hoplites and slingers (10mm miniatures from Magister Militum)

Captain (0-3 per 500 points)

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Character/Company Res Mov Mel Sht Def Traits Pts

Captain 1 4 1 -/- 5+ - 25
An army may include up to three Captains for every 500 points of the army budget or part thereof.
Captains have a command range of 2bw and roll 1d6 when attempting to rally units in the Action Phase.

Rogue (0-1 per army)

Character/Company Res Mov Mel Sht Def Traits Pts
Rogue 1 4 1 -/- 6+ - 25
Any army may include a single Rogue. Rogues may command a unit they are attached to. Rogues cannot
be shot at if they are within 2bw of any terrain feature or unit. A Rogue fighting against any enemy
character in single combat always rolls three melee dice, choosing their preferred result. When attached
to a company which fights a melee against a unit with an attached Warlord, Captain or Magic-user, the
company gains a +3 modifier to their roll to kill the character.


 Building an Army
Unattached and attached characters
Characters may move freely around the battlefield
as individuals. When moving as individuals,
they are referred to as ‘unattached’. Unattached
characters are treated as very small units with
no flanks or rear who may move and see in all
directions. Unattached characters my pass through
(and be passed through by) unengaged friendly
companies. Unattached characters always ignore
movement and melee modifiers caused by terrain
features and may never be targeted by shooting at
long range.
All characters may choose to attach to a unit
by moving into base contact with a company.
When attached to a company, the character adds
their Resolve and Melee factors to the company,
effectively bolstering the unit’s capacity. An
attached character always moves at the rate of their
unit – if they require a mount to keep up, it is
assumed they commandeer one from one of their
warriors, or ride pillion. A Warlord or Captain’s
command range extends from the edge of any
company to which they are attached, even if that e
company is part of a larger unit.
If a character is attached to a unit, they must either
carry out the same action as the unit, or the unit
remains stationary and waits while the character
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carries out their action. The only exception to this
are characters attached to unengaged units with
the passenger trait who may rally or cast a spell
while their host unit carries out an action of their
own (except when charging or reacting to being
charged).
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A character may choose to leave a unit during
any Action Phase by moving away from it (or
remaining stationary while the unit moves away).
Note that when a character leaves a unit, they
remove their Resolve bonus from the unit which
may result in the unit becoming impetuous or even
scattering.
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It is possible for a character to detach from one
company and attach to another in a single Action
Phase if they have enough movement to do so.
However, as a character may only carry out a single
action, any unit they attach to will not be able to
carry out further actions this turn.

Character-companies
Some players may choose to field armies which
require characters to appear on the battlefield
in the guise of fully customised companies (see
below). Examples of such character-companies
might include a dragon matriarch, giant king,
daemon lord or the avatar of a powerful god. In
these instances, the player should customise an
appropriate company and assign it the Character
trait.
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Character-companies may function as the army’s
Warlord (or Mage-lord), or as Captains or Magic-
users.
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A character-company cannot be a Rogue, nor
should the rules be used to represent human-sized
characters riding monsters or otherwise attached
to companies which could continue to function
independently following the death of the character
- these would be better represented by a regular
character attaching to the company in question
with, or without, the passenger trait.
Character-companies add the usual points cost
of the character to the cost of the company and
increase the company’s Resolve and Melee factors as
though the character was attached (i.e. a character-
company Warlord would add +2 Resolve and +2
Melee to its profile). There is no need to roll to
check whether the character has been killed after
suffering Resolve loss during the Shooting and
Melee Phases, the character-company can only
be killed by reducing its total Resolve to 0. For
command range and action purposes it functions
like a company with an attached character.
Companies
The building block of the army is the company.
Each company is recruited from one of seven
base profiles and can be allocated up to three
distinguishing traits. Armies may also be given an
additional blanket trait known as a racial trope (see
p.10).
Design note
When customising companies, players should
consider the names of companies as guidelines to
their use, but in reality, it is the game mechanisms
that matter more than terminology; i.e. rather than
Elite, Formed, or Irregular companies, they might
well be considered base profiles A, B, or C etc.
 Building an Army
Elite company
Character/Company Res Mov Mel Sht Def Traits Pts
Elite company 5 2 4 -/- 5+ ≤3 + racial trope 36
Elite companies are well trained and/or disciplined and represent the best prepared warriors available to
any Warlord. Depending on their traits, they might represent anything from the armoured knights of a
king’s bodyguard, to doughty hearthguards, or half-orcs bred and trained with only war in mind.

Formed company
Character/Company Res Mov Mel Sht Def Traits Pts
4 2 3 -/- 5+ ≤3 + racial trope 30

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Formed company
Formed companies are intended to epitomise all units of warriors who operated in a solid body, whether
they present in neat ranks or as an unruly mob, mounted or on foot, and irrespective of armament. They
could be used to represent ogre mercenaries, human halberdiers, elven archers, a dwarvern shieldwall or
halfling militia depending on the allocation of traits.

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Irregular company
Character/Company Res Mov Mel Sht Def Traits Pts
Irregular company 3 3 3 1/- 4+ ≤3 + racial trope 22
Irregular companies represent groups of tribal, ill-disciplined or unruly warriors who sacrifice group
cohesion for speed. Their inherent short-range shooting capacity may indicate the use of throwing
weapons, a scattering of other missile weapons, or the willingness of individual warriors to break ranks
and dash forward to attack nearby enemy formations single-handedly. Irregular companies could represent
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anything from scouts, wild beastmen, or goblins, to pirates or highlanders.

Fantastic beast
Character/Company Res Mov Mel Sht Def Traits Pts
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Fantastic beast 5 3 4 -/- 4+ ≤3 + racial trope 31
Covering anything from a gryphon or cockatrice, to a giant or hulking automaton, Fantastic beasts usually
represent a single large creature.

Dragon
Character/Company Res Mov Mel Sht Def Traits Pts
6 4 4 -/- 5+ ≤3 + racial trope 42
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Dragon
Dragons are among the largest creatures found across any land. They have high Resolve and the ability
to move swiftly, while protected by a thick or scaly hide. A Dragon might represent a flying fire-drake,
slithering lindwyrm or poison-belching wyvern.

Ordnance battery
Character/Company Res Mov Mel Sht Def Traits Pts
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Ordnance Battery 3 1 1 -/2 4+ ≤3 + racial trope 21

Ordnance represents one or more unwieldy long-range weapons, intended to be customised with traits
into different pieces of artillery ranging from ballistae and catapults, to cannons or multi-barrelled organ
guns.

Vehicle
Character/Company Res Mov Mel Sht Def Traits Pts
Vehicle 5 4 3 -/- 5+ ≤3 + racial trope 36
Vehicles are the basis for all manner of warlike contraptions from chariots and battle wagons, to steam-
powered tanks or air-ships.


 Building an Army

Company Traits
and Racial Tropes
The army building process is designed to be
as flexible as possible to allow players to create
companies of troops to match any fantasy setting.
Each company may be given up to three unique
traits from the list below; a company may only take
each trait once; you cannot stack the same trait
multiple times on a single unit. Some traits may
not be combined, either because they contradict

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each other (such as reliable and unreliable) or
because they duplicate elements of the same
mechanic (such as expendable and swarm). Where
conflicts exist, these are noted as incompatible

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traits.

An army may also apply a racial trope. The racial

trope is a single trait which applies to all companies
(not characters) of that race in the army; i.e. ‘all
dwarves are doughty’, ‘goblins are notoriously
unreliable’, or ‘all undead are mindless’. The trope’s
point modifier still applies to the company cost,
but the racial trope is applied in addition to the Norse dwarves (28mm miniatures from Macrocosm)
0-3 traits normally permitted to modify a unit. In

companies must belong to the named race.

e
order to use racial tropes, at least 50% of an army’s

For example, if a player with a goblin army decides Design note

pl
that all goblins are unreliable. Any goblin unit in
the army must apply the unreliable trait and may
choose to allocate up to three further traits to
each unit. However, if the army is supported by
companies of a different race – trolls, for example,
could still be given up to three traits but would not
receive the unreliable trait in addition.
m
As with the base company profiles, the names and
descriptions of traits are guidelines on how they
might be modelled. If players find that a profile or
rule mechanism is appropriate for an alternative
situation, they may apply it to their company so
long as they are able to explain their reasoning to
their opponent.

Trait Description Adjustments

Amphibious units are at home in the water. They treat all water
features and watery rough terrain as open terrain for movement,
Sa

Amphibious Pts +2
melee and shooting purposes.
Incompatible traits: none
Units with the artillery trait extend the long range of their shooting
capacity to 10bw. It could be used for heavier weapons like
bombards, ballistae or torsion catapults with a low trajectory, whether
fixed in a static frame or mounted on a more mobile platform.
Artillery Artillery may choose to target any eligible target rather than always Pts +15
shooting the nearest unit. If a unit of artillery becomes impetuous,
they will remain stationary – defaulting to the ‘Let’s not be too
hasty…’ result rather than rolling for impetuous actions.
Incompatible traits: artillery (indirect), shieldwall

10