Latest update: 10/8/2025

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W.A.R. Warlords and Realms

Core Rules

The Turn

A game lasts for 5 turns.

Each turn of the game lasts until all units on the board have been activated.

Players rolls at the start of the turn to ascertain who will activate a unit first. All rolls in this game use 12-sided dice. The player who rolls the higher number activates a unit first. If the roll is a tie, then each player re-rolls the dice

A unit is activated by the player who won the turn roll. A unit is then activated by the player going second. The players continue to rotate until all the units have been activated. If one player still has several units to activate once the other player has finished, they continue until all the units acted.

A unit can activate using the following order of events.

1.      Move or charge.

2.      Shoot (if not in an adjacent hex to an unfriendly unit)

3.      Fight (if in an adjacent hex to an unfriendly unit)

Units

Each playing piece on the board denotes a unit. Units can be groups of troops or individuals (leaders, tanks, monsters etc), depending on the setting you are playing in.

Each unit has 2 profiles, which are shown on the unit card. This shows the statistics that are used to play that unit on the battlefield. The first set of statistics are for the unit at full strength. The unit always operates at full strength unless it loses half of its total strength from an attacking unit. Should it do so then it will then operate as a battered unit. This will significantly reduce the capability of that unit. If it then takes more than its remaining strength in one turn (as denoted on the unit card under battered), it is removed from play immediately.

A unit cannot be completely destroyed in one turn by a single unfriendly unit.

Line of sight

Unit can draw line of sight, to anything on the board, that is in the front arc (3 sides) of their hex, in the direction they are facing.

However, terrain or other units may block line of sight. See the terrain rules for which of these block line of sight. In such cases, if you can draw a straight line from any part of the front arc of the unit any part of a hex, then it can be seen. Other units block line of sight in the same way. However, if a unit is in an adjacent hex to another unit, it can see through it.

Units must be able to draw line of sight to an unfriendly unit in order to shoot at it or charge it.

Rolling dice and modifiers

When you roll dice in this game you are usually trying to match or exceed a value, which can be found on a unit's card. For example, a fight value to hit may be 7. This means that you must match or exceed this value in order to succeed. Often this will involve multiple dice which all need to successful. So, a unit might have 6 attacks, each one needing to match or exceed 7 in the example above.

Sometimes there are modifiers to a roll, perhaps if a unit is affected by terrain. So, should the targeted unit be defending some ruins, the hit roll is affected by -1 to hit. This means that our rolls need to be an 8 or more in our example above.

More detail on how to shoot and fight are detailed below.

Move

Leadership skills

Follow the instructions on the unit card. Leadership skills that must be activated are done so during the move phase of that unit unless otherwise stated.

Basic move

No unit must use all of its movement points, when it is activated.

Each unit has a number of points that it can expend during the move phase. Units can turn one hex to the left or the right, expending a point each time they do so. These turns can happen at any point during the move phase. A unit can also move one space in the direction they are facing, expending a point each time they do so.

An infantry unit has 4 movement points, but it can only ever move 3 hexes forward during its turn.

A light cavalry unit has 6 movement points.

A heavy cavalry unit has 5 movement points.

Artillery has 1 movement point but cannot shoot should it use it.

Large creatures follow the same movement rules as heavy cavalry.

Flying units follow the same rules as light cavalry. However, they can move over other units and terrain. They do not have stop when they move into an adjacent hex to an unfriendly unit, but can fly over it should they have the movement points available.

Charge

Units that have moved into an adjacent hex to an unfriendly unit are deemed to have charged. Once a unit moves into a position that is adjacent to an enemy unit, it cannot move further.

Shoot

Check if the target unit is in range. Measure from the any of the front 3 hexes which your unit occupies to, and inclusive of, the hex that the target unit occupies, using the shortest route. If that is within the range of the weapon’s profile, then they are fair game.

Roll the number of ranged attacks on unit card to hit using the unit shoot value, adding or subtracting any modifiers.

The targeted unit rolls the number of saves equal to the successful hits using their save value.

Receiving unit takes damage equal to the value of each shot on the attacking unit’s card.

Add damage to the unit, if it exceeds the wounds value the unit is removed from play. The unit will keep this damage moving forward through the game.

Units cannot shoot if they are engaged in combat unless a special rule negates this.

Units engaged in combat can be shot, but the hits are shared equally between all units in the combat. In the case of leftover shots, the odd number is allocated to the unfriendly unit.

A shooting unit cannot shoot through a friendly unit, with the exception of artillery which can shoot over them.

Artillery can shoot over other units but at –2 to their hit roll (if they are on a hill there is no penalty if the unit being shot over is immediately adjacent to the hill). If artillery is charged it is immediately destroyed.

Fight

Unfriendly units in adjacent hexes are deemed to be in combat.

To resolve the combat, follow the same process as the Shoot phase, excepting that the attacking unit use their fighting weapons.

Defend the boss! Leaders who are adjacent to friendly non-leader units increase their save roll by +1 for each friendly unit that is also in the same combat.

Magic

In some settings, magic can be wielded by those so gifted. Magic spells can be attempted at any time during a user’s activation.

Magic spells are prepared in advance and can go wrong or fizzle out. Roll a D12 to see if the spell goes off. On a roll of 1 to 3 the spell does not work. Additionally, on the roll of a 1 the caster takes a wound as part of the spell backfires.

Each magic spell from any lore can only be attempted once per game.

Power spell

A power spell is what the name implies, a spell of immense power. A spellcaster who casts a power spell immediately becomes exhausted. In the next turn of the game, they are unable to activate at all. Additionally, if they are charged by an enemy unit in the turn they are exhausted, they cannot defend themselves. Therefore, they are removed as a casualty with no saves allowed.

Terrain

Certain types of terrain affect units as in the table below:

Woods: A unit can only move into or out of woods in a turn. Units in woods add 1 to their save roll. Units in a wood can be seen, but woods cannot be seen through.

Hills: A unit can only move onto a hill in a turn, they can move off the hill without penalty. Hills cannot be seen through. A unit on a hill can shoot over any unit immediately adjacent to the hill. Flying units can move over hills at no penalty. Units occupying hills have the high ground, they apply +2 to their save roll against a unit attacking them from below.

Rivers: Rivers cannot be crossed by infantry or artillery unless there is a bridge or ford. A unit of cavalry can only move into or out of a river, unless there is a bridge or a ford, in a turn. Flying units can move across rivers with no penalty, but cannot land in the river.

Villages, farms or ruins: A unit occupying villages, farms or ruins add 1 to their save roll as they are able to use the defensive position to their advantage.

Walled settlements: A unit occupying a walled settlement adds 2 to their save roll. 1s always fail to save.

Fortification or castle: A unit occupying a fortification or castle is very hard to dislodge. Add 4 to their save roll. 1s always fail to save.

Broken or difficult ground: Examples of this could be marshes and ruins. Units can only move into or out of broken or difficult ground in a turn. This does not affect flying units.