Fields of War Core Rulebook

FIELDS OF WAR Core Rulebook

Written by: Aaron Basham

Game design: Aaron Basham

Assistance from: Nikola Dabić

WAR MATERIALSIn order to play a game of Fields of War you need to have several things:

1. Paper and pencil

2. Several six sided dice (D6)

3. A surface to play on

4. Models for your army

5. A tape measure (in inches)

6. Pieces of terrain

7. This rulebook

MODEL TYPES AND SIZESIn fields of war you will be confronted by models on a large number of differentbases and sizes. to make things easier for you we have included a section here,detailing what the size of each base is and what each model has rule wise:

InfantryInfantry is your standard unit for every army and they are usually the weakest andmost numerous models on the board. There base size is 3/4” by 3/4” or 20mm. Arank is 5+ models.

MountedMounted models are your cavalry and they are usually very fast models. Their unitsize will almost always be smaller than Infantry. Their base size is 3/4” by 1 1/2”or 40mm. A rank is 5+ models.

MonstersMonsters are some of the largest and strongest models in the game as well as theleast numerous. Their base size is 1 1/2” by 1 1/2” or 80mm. A rank is 3+ models.

War machinesWar machines are the most advanced weapons of war that any army can field andthey can decimate whole units of infantry with just a single shoot. The warmachine has a base of 1 1/2” by 1 1/2” or 80mm. No ranks.

ChariotsAlthough few armies use chariots anymore they are still a very fast and deadlymodel often able to survive punishment undreamt of for almost every other unit.Their base size is 2” by 3” or 50mm by 75mm. No ranks.

ShipsShips are the no all end all of an army and every army has at least one kind of shipat their disposal. Their base size is 3 1/2” by 7” or 88.9mm by 177.8mm. Noranks.

BASIC STATSOn every model there is a stat line which details how fast, how strong, how tough,or how skilled a model is in a certain area. With the exception of lives, movementand field allowance, no stat may be reduced below 1. This section will list eachstat and give a brief description of what it does:

Movement (M)Movement is how far in inches a model can move in a single turn.

Combat Skill (CS)Combat skill is how good (or bad) your model is when fighting in melee.

Shooting Skill (SS)Shooting skill is how good (or bad) your model is at shooting at range.

Power (P)Power is how powerful your model is when he is in close combat and itoccasionally determines how strong a shot is.

Armor (Ar)Armor is how well your model can take a hit. Armor can be improved by wearingor equipping armor.

Lives (L)Lives determines how many hits your model can take and still be able to fight. If amodel runs our of lives remove it from the table as it is dead.

Speed (Sp)Speed is how fast your model is. Speed determines close combat order and, if youthe model is a ship, if an attack hits.

Attack(At)Attack determines how many hits a model may launch in close combat.

Courage (Co)Courage determines how brave (or cowardly) a given model is.

Points (Pts)Points determine how much a given unit or upgrade will cost.

Field Allowance (N)Field allowance is the number of models in a unit. War machines, ships andchariots will have 2 numbers, one for how many crew there are and one for thewar machine itself.

Example Stats:Name: M CS SS P AR L Sp At Co

Human 4” 4plus 4plus 3 2 1 3 1 2

Elf 5” 4plus 3plus 3 2 1 3 1 3

Gnome 4” 4plus 3plus 3 1 1 4 1 4

Dwarf 3” 3plus 3plus 3 3 1 2 1 4

Ratkin 5” 5plus 4plus 2 2 1 4 1 1

Goblin 4” 5plus 4plus 2 1 1 3 1 1

Troll 4” 4plus 5plus 3 3 1 2 2 2

Stygian 5” 3plus 5plus 3 2 1 2 1 3

Satyr 6” 5plus 4plus 2 1 1 4 1 1

Centaur 8” 4plus 4plus 3 3 1 3 1 2

Scarecrow 6” 3plus 4plus 3 3 1 2 2 4

Zombie 3” 5plus 5plus 3 2 1 1 2 4

COMMANDSFields of War uses a command system for determining what a unit can do. Eachunit has, at least 1 command point to spend per turn. Each unit can only be givenany given command once per turn. Ships have 1 command point base plus 1 per 2crew members. If a unit doesn't use all its command points it may give them toanother unit within 6”. Next is a list of the basic command and is followed bywhat each one does:

Name: # of command points:

Regroup 0 (1)

Move 1

Pivot 1 (0)

Shoot 1

March 2

VolleyFire

2

Charge 2

Give Fire 1

1st Spell 1

2nd Spell 2

Ram 3

Regroup-Regroup may only be used if a unit is fleeing. When regrouping you take a Cocheck. If passed then the unit may return to combat. If failed the unit marchestowards the nearest board edge. You may spend a command point to automaticallyregroup, but it must come from a friendly unit.

Move-A model can move forward up to its full movement value.

Pivoting-When pivoting, hold one corner of the unit in place. Then measure the distancefrom the other corner. It can pivot up to a maximum of its movement. You canpivot for free if the model marches or moves.

Marching-When marching, a unit may move up to twice its given movement.

Charging-You may only charge if the unit hasn't moved, marched, of shot this turn. Theunit moves it's normal movement +D6” forward. If it contacts an enemy unit roll aD6 and add +1 for every unspent inch above it's normal movement:

D6Roll:

Effect:

1 Enemy unit gets to fight with all models

2 to 5 Fight combat as normal

6plus Charging unit gets to fight with all models

SHOOTING-Shooting may only be done by a unit with ranged weapons that hasn't marched,charged, or rallied this turn. In order to shoot first declare which of your units isshooting at which of your opponent's units. Then roll a D6 for every model in theunit's first rank and compare the result to the model's shooting skill. If the roll isequal to or higher then the model's shooting skill then it hits and wounds asdescribed in close combat. If the roll was lower then the model's shooting skillthen it does nothing. Please note that a roll of a 1 is always a miss.

*Modifiers-there are several modifiers that apply to if a shoot hits. It is detailed on this chart:

Shot Type: Modifier to D6 Roll:

Shooting over half range(if range ismore then 6”.

Minus 1

Shooting at flying Minus 1

Shooting at loner or cohort Minus 1

Shooting within 2” Plus 1

Shooting at/from a ship minus 1

Volley fire minus 1

Shooting after moving Minus 1

*Shooting at or from the sea-When shooting at or from a model that is on the sea, reduce the range of theweapon by a quarter of its original value.

*Shooting at or from a Flyer-When shooting at or from a model that has the Flyer special rule, reduce therange of the weapon by half.

*Cohort-when shooting from a cohort, all models within range of that weapon may shoot.

*Firing at War Machines-If you score a hit when firing at a war machine, then you must roll on the tablebelow to determine whether you hit the crew or the actual war machine. Inaddition, when being shot at, the crew has the protection (6) spc. rule due to thefact that they can hide behind the war machine. However, if the war machinedoesn't have the cohort spc. rule then the crew is inside the machine (i.e. chariotsand ships) and they get the protection (5+) spc. rule instead.

D6 Roll: Hit:

1,2 War machine

3,4,5,6 Crew member

Volley Fire-A unit may that can volley fire may shoot all of its shots in a single volley. Whenfiring a volley, all of the models within range may shoot that turn. The onlymodifiers that apply are range and the volley itself. The unit loses 1 commandpoint next turn and may not shoot as they are too busy reloading. War machines(with the exception of ships) and units with the cohort rule MAY NOT volley fire.

Give Fire-If a unit with ranged weapons is charged and they did not shoot yet, then theymay fire a single volley into the oncoming unit with the within 2” bonus applied.However the ranged unit has its CS reduced by 1 for that combat. War machinesand units that have fired already MAY NOT give fire.

Magic- Magic can only be used by a model with the Caster special rule. How to castspells and the spells themselves are detailed later on.

Ramming-Ramming may only be done by ships to other ships. The Ship moves it's fullmovement plus D6” forward. If it touches another ship along the way roll a D6and subtract (if there's is higher) or add (if yours is higher) the difference in theship's speeds. If the roll is equal to or greater then the ship's Combat Skill, thecharged ship is damaged as detailed in close combat. If it is lower, then the othership moves forward enough until it is 1” away from where the other ship wouldhave hit it. After dealing damage roll a D6 and add one for each wound inflicted:

D6Roll:

Effect:

1 Neither ship can move until the other one is destroyed.

2 to 5 The ships move 2” away from each other.

6plus The rammed ship sinks. Remove the model and crew.

CLOSE COMBAT-Close combat is when 2 units that are in base contact fight each other. Closecombat is fought out differently depending on which models are fighting.

*Infantry-Infantry fight with the first 2 ranks. They fight as standard close combat rules.A rank is 5 models.

*Cavalry-Cavalry fight with the first rank. They fight as standard close combat rules.A rank is 5 models.

*Monsters-Monsters may only fight with the first rank. When they charge, a monsterinstantly inflicts D3 hits on the enemy unit using the Power (P) of the model. Afterthat, monsters fight as standard close combat rules. A rank is 3 models.

*Chariots-Chariots are fickle when it comes to close combat. When they charge in closecombat, roll a D6 and subtract one for each wound it has suffered:

D6Roll:

Effect:

1 Breaks down (remove model after inflicting hits).

2 to 5 Gains plus D3 attacks and power.

6 Breaks through (works like swipe on fliers).

*Cohort-Cohorts must line up as if they were a normal unit of their type. Cohorts mayfight only with the first rank. Cohorts never get a rank bonus.

*Flying-Flying units fight by the rules indicated for their type. Alternatively they maymake a single sweep over the unit which inflicts D6 hits on the enemy modelswith the Power (P) of the model. However, the enemy model gets to retaliate withD6 models. A unit that has a weapon with the Reach spc. rule may retaliate with2D6 models instead.

*Fighting Close Combat-When fighting a close combat, you determine who goes first by having bothplayers roll a D6 and add the results to the most common speed in the player'sunit. The person who rolled the highest gets to attack first. If the result is a tie thenthey hit simultaneously. To determine if an attack hits the attacking playersdesignate which models are attacking and roll one D6 for every attack they have.If the roll is higher then their CS then it hits, if it is lower then it misses. After youdetermine if an attack hits you must also determine if it just glances off theenemy's armor. You must also roll D6 for every hit on the wounding table on thenext page. If a hit wounds, then remove one life from that model. If it doesn'twound then it counts as a miss.

*Aftermath-After a battle has been fought you must determine who the winner of the combatis. Add up the number of models you killed as well as the number of full ranksyou have, then compare your number to your opponent's. Whoever had the highernumber is the winner and the loser has to take a Courage check and subtract thedifference from the number rolled. If passed they stay in combat. If failed roll D6

D6 Roll: Effect:

1 Count as passed.

2 to 5 Reduce Unit's Co by 1 and add 1 to next roll on this chart.

6 Unit runs away 2D6” near nearest board edge and suffers anotherD3 times D6 hits. They then move their full movement every turnuntil they either rally or go off the board edge and count asdestroyed.

The To Wound Table (Attacker on side, Defender on top)

Wounding 1Ar 2Ar 3Ar 4Ar 5Ar 6Ar 7Ar 8Ar

1P 4plus 4plus 5plus 5plus 6 7 8 9

2P 4plus 4plus 4plus 5plus 5plus 6 7 8

3P 3plus 4plus 4plus 4plus 5plus 5plus 6 7

4P 3plus 3plus 4plus 4plus 4plus 5plus 5plus 6

5P 2plus 3plus 3plus 4plus 4plus 4plus 5plus 5plus




WEAPONSWeapons are the all essential part of the game. A unit with the right weapons atthe time are just as helpful as a unit with the wrong weapons at the right time.There are 2 different kinds of weapons. A model may only have up to 3 weapons.

*Close Combat Weapons-As the name implies, these are the weapons that can only be used during closecombat. Below is a chart of different kinds of weapons and what theirrequirements are. All weapons that have a range may NOT be used in closecombat unless otherwise stated in their rules.

Weapon Name: Rules:

Club, Claws, Daggers If model has another weapon +1At

Sword, Hammer None

Axe, Mace +1P

Shield +1Ar

Great Axe/Club/Hammer/Sword +2P, 2 handed, -2Sp

Spear Reach, 2 handed

Lance +1P on the charge, Reach

Halberd Reach, 2 handed, +1P

*Ranged-As their name suggests, ranged weapons are used for engaging the enemy at a“safe” distance. Included below are the range weapons most commonly used byseveral armies and their stats. Unless otherwise stated, a range weapon may notmove and shoot in the same turn.

Name: Range: Power: Rules:

Handgun 18” 3 None

Pistol 9” 3 Move and shoot, club

Crossbow 24” 3 None

Short bow 12” 2 Move and shoot

Long bow 24” 2 Move and shoot

Throwing Axe 6” user's plus 1 Move and shoot, Axe

Throwing Knife 12” user's -1 Move and shoot, D3 shoots

Javelin 12” user's Move and shoot

Cannon 36” 8 D3 wounds

Catapult 36” 3 Radius (2”)

Ballista 36” 5 D6 wounds

*Other-Other equipment is, as the name implies, an assortment of random equipment.Included in this section is armor, as it really doesn't fit anywhere else. Please notethat a model may only have one set of armor.

Title: Effect:

Light armor +1Ar

Heavy armor +2Ar, -1Sp

War horn +1 Co

War banner Unit has Rally spc. rule, 2 handed

Army banner +1 co to all friendly units within 12”, one per army, 2 handed,unique

Horse Increase M to 8”, +1Ar, +1 At, change type to mounted

Dragon Fly, Increase M to 8”, +2Ar, +2 At, +1Co, change type tomonster.

Champion Unit gains 1 Command point.

MAGIC

Magic is an interesting part of the game. It is by no means mandatory, however itcan change the course of the battle for (or even against) your army. Below is a listof some magic spells and what they do. In order to cast a spell, roll a D6 andcompare the results to the roll needed to cast column. If the roll is higher then orequal to the number shown then it goes off. If the roll is lower then nothinghappens. A model/unit that uses magic can only move that turn. A spell may onlybe cast once per turn per caster.

SpellName:

Range: Effect: Roll needed tocast:

Fireball 24” Target unit suffers d6 p4 hits 3plus

Blast 18” Target unit suffers 1 p4 hit 2plus

Zap 12” Target unit suffers 2d6 p 3 hits 4plus

Heal 6” Target unit regains d6 lives. This maynot bring it over its starting lives.

5plus

March 6” Target unit may force march withoutany penalties this turn.

4plus

Fear 12” Target unit has to take a co checkimmediately. If failed then they sufferd6 p2 hits

4plus

Drain 12” Target unit loses d6 lives 6

MagicShield

12” Target unit has protection(5+) for theremainder of the turn.

6

*Rolling a 1-When casting a spell, a caster may accidental draw on more power then wasintended. If your roll a 1 when trying to cast a spell then the model attempting tocast it suffers D6 PD6 hits. In addition no more spells may be cast that turn.

Special (Spc.) RulesSpecial rules are rules that only effect one unit or item and they represent anumber of certain things a unit can do. Below is a list of common Spc. Rules:

Rule Name: Effect:

Not 1 step While in close combat the unit never has to take a courage test.

Caster () This unit may cast magic. They may only cast the spells listedin the parentheses.

Fly The unit may move over all terrain without suffering a penalty.

Cohort All models in the unit may be placed up to 2” away from eachother.

Aquatic The unit does not suffer any movement penalties when in freshwater and treats salt water as fresh water.

Protection() The unit may ignore 1 wound on a roll higher then or equal tothe number indicated in the parentheses. Roll for each woundindividually. You may only roll once for every wound.

Rally The unit may re roll failed courage tests.

Automatons The unit is never has to take courage tests. However, if theylose a close combat they instead lose d6 lives.

Multiple shots The model may fire multiple shots. The number of shots theunit may fire is indicated in place of the multiple part(Ex. D6shots)

Multiple wounds A single shot(or hit) from this model inflicts multiple wounds.The number of wounds a shoot inflicts is indicated in place ofthe multiple part(Ex. D6 wounds.)

War machine The model must be crewed by at least one other model or itmay not be used. In addition it may never force march.

Fear Any enemy units engaged in close combat have to pass acourage test or else they will go last.

Terror Any enemy units engaged in close combat have to pass acourage test or else they will only hit on 6's.

Horror Any enemy units engaged in close combat have to pass acourage test or else they will instantly lose by 2.

Accurate The unit may re roll failed hits with ranged weapons.

2 handed May not be used with any other equipment.

Reach The unit fights with an extra rank in close combat.

Poisoned () A unit with this rule instantly wounds the opponent on a rollgreater then or equal to the number in parentheses.

Use every otherturn.

May only used their ranged weapons every other turn.

One use May only ever be used once in a game.

Radius() You must select an individual model(it can be in a unit) whenshooting. If a shot hits then all models within the distanceshown in the parentheses are hit(ex. Radius(6”)). Pleaseremember to count each individual model and to measure withthe selected model at the center.

Transport May hold one unit of infantry. It may sacrifice its movementphase to let them on/off. Units getting on/off must be within2”. May not transport chariest, mounted, war machines, ships,or units with the fly spc. rule.

Ship Treats all types of water as open terrain and all other types asImpossible.

Loner The model is its own unit.

Unique You may only have one of these in your army.

Inspiring Any friendly unit within 12” may use this unit's courage

PLAYING A GAME-In order to play a game of Fields of War you must first agree on what type ofmission you are going to play, you may roll on the table below or just choose one:

D6Roll:

Mission: Description_

1 Destroy The person with the most points left at the end of thegame is the winner. If the difference in points is less then10% then it is a draw.

2 Capture Place down d6+2 objectives. The person with the mostobjectives at the end of the game is the winner. If bothsides have the same number of objectives then it is adraw. You claim an objective by placing any of yourunits over it.

3 Hold theLine

Select one player as the defender and then give themsome sort of base. If the attacker has more then 50% oftheir total units in the fort at the end of the game, or havekilled more then 50% of the defender's initial force, thenthe attacker is the winner. If the attacker has any units inthe fort at the end of the game, or if both armies werereduced below 50% of their initial size, it is a draw. Ifthe attacker have no units in the fort at the end of thegame, or lost more then 50% of their initial force thenthe defender is the winner.

4 Pillage Same as with hold the line except you may not take anywar machines and you have to place down d6+2objectives. Each objective adds an additional 100 pts. tothe final point count of the game.

5 Catch if youcan...

One army has a hostage marker that must be attached toa unit. If the unit the hostage is in is destroyed or fleesthen it goes to the attacking unit. The winner is the armythat can safely get the hostage off the board edgeopposite the one you started with.

6 Capture andDestroy

Place down d6+2 objectives. Each objective adds anadditional 100 pts. to the final point count of the game.The person with the most points left at the end of thegame is the winner.

Then you must determine how many points you are going to play with. After thatyou must select a table that is appropriately sized for the number of points youhave, we suggest playing a game on a table about 6' by 4', and you must also placedown and determine what type of terrain everything on the board is. After that youmust determine what type of mission you are going to play, you may roll on thetable below or just agree on one. After that you must roll to see who sets up theirunits first and who gets to go first. Each player rolls a D6 and the person with thehighest score sets up first, but, they have to go last. If the results are a tie then reroll the die as many times as it takes for you to get the order of setting up and theorder of play. You set up the game by deploying your units within 12” of one ofthe long board edges with a 24” neutral zone in between them. Finally, you areready to play a game. You may play for as long as you want but we recommendplaying a game no longer or shorter then six turns.

-InfrastructureInfrastructure is how your points are distributed before a game. While this mayvary from mission to mission, the basic infrastructure is seen below:Leaders (need at least 1)no more then 30% of the army's total cost.Infantry (1st page infantry section) at least 30% of the army's total cost.Elite Core (2nd page infantry section, fliers (infantry, mounted)) no more then60% of the army's total cost.Warmachines (ships, chariots, fliers (warmachine, chariot, ship), warmachines)no more then 20% of the army's total cost.

OTHERThis section details stuff which doesn't really fit into any other section.

Courage (Co) Test-A courage test (or check) represents when a unit has to make the most primaldecision, fight or flight. In order to take a Co check roll 2d6 and add the numbershown to the units highest co. If the number is equal to or greater then 10 then theunit has passed. If it is lower then 10 then the unit has failed and will suffer theappropriate consequences.

Terrain-Terrain is the layout of the battlefield. There is a multitude of different types ofterrain and below is a chart that is below:

type rules

open none

buildings Transport, protection(5+) against shooting, models inside gaincohort for as long as they are inside

forests -D3”M (roll each turn), protection (6) against shooting, modelsinside gain cohort for as long as they are inside

difficult -D6”M (roll each turn)

Fresh water -D6”M (roll each turn), chariots and war machines may not enter. Ifthe movement is reduced to 0 the unit loses D3 lives.

Saltwater Units may not enter. If they do somehow enter then every turn roll aD6. If the result is lower then the unit's Ar value then remove onemodel.

Impossible Units may not enter

Ships and Terrain-When a ship comes into contact with any terrain other then water at any point intheir movement it suffers D6 power D3 hits. If it accidentally rams another terrainthen it suffers 2D6 power D6 hits instead.

Chariots and Terrain-If a Chariot comes into contact with forests, fresh water, or difficult terrain itsuffers D3 power D6 hits. If it comes into contact with building, impossible, orsalt water it suffers D6 power D6 plus 1 hits.

D3 Dice Rolls-some models or units require a D3. When rolling a D3 roll a D6 on this chart:

D6 Roll: ActualRoll:

1,2 1

3,4 2

5,6 3

Flanks and line of sight-Flanks are the edges of units. These determine where they can see and how manymodels they can bring to battle. The units flanks are divided into 4 90 degreeflanks each coming out of a corner of the unit. A unit's front flank is the flankwhere the unit can “see” and the most models are facing. Unless said otherwise aunit may only shoot or charge enemy units in the front rank. When measuringdistances for the unit you measure form the front. Cohorts and loners don't haveflanks so they may measure from any model that is in their unit with theappropriate equipment.

Death of crew/war machine-If either all of the crew of a war machine is all killed, or if the war machine itselfis destroyed, the the unit counts as dead. Remove any remaining models in theunit.

The Golden Rule:Although playing miniature tabletop wargames is supposed to be a competitiveand challenging hobby, one must not forget that Fields of War is just a game,nothing more and nothing less. The point is for people to enjoy themselves andhave fun with their fellow gamers. So just remember that whenever you prepare toplay a game on the table or any other appropriate surface, to have a great time.

END...

Documents

Fields of War Core Rulebook