Kings of War, A free, downloadable set of Fantasy rules from Mantic Games. WFB is now £45.00. www.manticgames.com/Home.html
On first read, you can see the similarity between it, and Warhammer Fantasy Battles, but read again and you will see slight subtleties that WFB lacks or over envasises. KoW are quick to learn fun and easy to play, but just like WFB 8th you need loads of troops, but, the troops from Mantic are cheaper than GW, £25.00 for a box of forty Skeletons, as opposed to £62.00 for the same amount from GW .
The rules are twelve pages short, and includes all the special rules that each army has. Three pages of introducing the rules and explaining what the stats do, 7 pages of the playing rules and two pages of the special rules, game set-up and winning/ losing the game.
The game is alternate moves, you do everything, move, shoot/Magic, melee, then your opponent. Pre- measuring is allowed in KoW.
The game is played with a pointed army system from a troop (10 figs), to a regiment (20 figs) to a horde (40 + figs). The difference between each unit is Attacks and Nerve, the more troops the more dice you roll and the more nerve they have (safety in numbers).
Example of stat line for a regt:
Sp Me Ra De At Ne
Elf Bowman Regt 6 4+ 4+ 4+ 10 6
Sp = Speed (your movement) , Me= Melee(your melee), Ra= Range (bows,etc), De=Defence (your Defence), At=Attack Dice(used for shooting and melee), Ne=Nerve (your morale)
MOVE- These rules allow you to double move if you go straight ahead, including charging, but any turns, then normal movement only.
SHOOT/MAGIC – You can move and shoot at a penalty, but there are a few exceptions that have to remain stationary to fire. Magic (Zap) is done in this phase but the caster normally has no penalty for moving. You use your attack dice to hit (equal or higher than your Ra). All hits are then re-rolled and you require equal or higher than opponents De to cause damaged to the unit. For each unit that receives damage, the shooter rolls for damaged units nerve.
MELEE – As above but you use your Me stat. After the melee phase, you move your unit that charged back 1” and prepare to receive the opponents charge.
NERVE – After each of the Shoot and melee phases, the units that have taken damage are tested for nerve (morale) buy the player that caused the damage. As casualties accumulate the chances of passing the nerve test fall as to test, you roll 2 D6 add that to total casualties inflicted, plus/minus any modifiers (Banners/musicians) and subtract the unit Ne rating, giving a number that will show if the unit will stand. There are inspiring characters within the army which make you re-roll, if a unit routs.
7 or less – The unit remains steady
8 to 9 - The unit is wavering (disordered)
10 or more- The unit routs and is removed from the game.
To set up the game you both roll a dice and whoever rolls highest can choose to place the first unit or elect that the opponent places first. Once all units are placed in the deployment zones (over 12” from centre of the table), you both roll another dice, winner chooses to go first or second. The game lasts about two hours or twelve turns (six each), and to find who won simply add the points of the opponents units that routed off, whoever scores the highest, wins. SIMPLES.
ARMIES- There are about fourteen army list on the mantic site, and I am generating an Ogre list at the moment.
This rule set is a great fun set for anyone new to fantasy wargaming or anyone who cannot be bothered (or afford)with the GW WFB army books, as you need to know all the sneaky bits of your opponents armies to play WFB.
