BATTLES OF WESTEROS

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF BATTLES OF WESTEROS

Look at those flags flying high! They belong to the Great Houses of Westeros. So much is at stake in this realm of the Seven Kingdoms. Each House has its own clever tactics to take control and secure their family’s future.

Some join forces through marriage, others scheme with cunning politics, and a few resort to lies and betrayal. But nothing compares to the power and lasting impact of triumph on the battlefield.

In the incredible game Battles of Westeros, you and a friend can engage in the epic wars from George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series. Grab your armies and bring to life the battles between the Starks and the Lannisters, or create your very own thrilling conflicts!

When it comes to the game of Battles of Westeros, there are many exciting elements to consider. From the intricate map layout to the varied army compositions, and not to mention the inclusion of famous commanders with special orders and abilities, each of the 10 scenarios offered by the game promises a unique and thrilling battle experience.

Now, I want to make it clear that this article can’t cover all the rules of Battles of Westeros in their entirety. It would simply be too long! Instead, what I aim to do is provide you with a detailed overview of how the game works, so that you can get a good grasp of the overall game experience.

Before we dive in, let’s take a look at what you’ll find in the core game box. Just keep in mind that the plastic box for tokens is not included and needs to be purchased separately.

GAME SETUP

First things first: let’s talk about the battle and the houses involved.

When you’re playing the game, you get to pick a House – either Stark or Lannister. After that, it’s time to choose a battle from the Westeros Battle Plans book. Each battle has its own troops, commanders, and victory conditions for each House.

Okay, now we’ve got the House and the battle. Next, we need to set up the battlefield. Look at the Battle Plan to see which side of the game board we’re using – side A or side B. Take the terrain tiles and place them on the correct side. Then, grab the Morale track and the Round track and put them next to the battlefield. These tracks have markers that keep track of important things in the game. The Morale track has three parts. The middle part is neutral, but the two ends are specific to each House. The Battle Plan will tell you which side to use. There’s either Rout or 11 Morale on the last space depending on the House.

Once we have chosen our Battle Plans, we each need to select our Commanders. To do this, we pick the Commander figures specified in the Battle Plans and place their colored Commander cards face up in front of us. Along with the Commander cards, we also take the 5 Leadership cards of each Commander.

Next, we need to get our Command tokens ready. The Battle Plan will tell us how many Command tokens we need, and we place them on our Command board.

All the other tokens in the game are sorted by type and placed next to the game board for easy access.

Now, let’s talk about the Leadership Decks. Each player shuffles their 10 base Leadership cards with the Leadership cards of the Commanders involved in the battle.

According to the Battle Plan, we need to assemble our units on the game board. This involves placing the figures, banner poles, and banner tokens on the appropriate spaces. The Commanders come with their own units, indicated on their Commander cards, but they will replace one of the figures in the unit.

And there you have it! We’ve set up our Commanders, Command tokens, Leadership Decks, and units according to the Battle Plan. We’re ready to dive into the game and lead our forces to victory!

Who gets the Momentum token is determined by the Battle Plan.

THE BATTLE

A battle has a maximum number of rounds set in the Battle Plan. Each round is divided into four phases:

1. Rally Phase: gain an advantage and rally your troops
2. Marshaling Phase: roll combat dice and draw Leadership cards
3. Command Phase: give orders to your units
4. Regroup Phase: resolve status conditions, earn Victory Points, and check victory conditions

Rally Phase

A. Determine Advantage

I am the first player if I have kept the most Command tokens on my Command board. If there’s a tie, I go first if I have the momentum.

B. Refresh Commanders

I move all my command tokens from my Commander cards back to my Command board.

When you look at each unit, you’ll notice that it has a banner with two sides – one black and one white. The banner is used to indicate whether a unit has been ordered and is active or not. So, when you order a unit, you flip its banner to the opposite side, showing that it is now inactive.

The spaces on the Round track also have alternate colors – black or white. This is done to make it easier to keep track of which units have been ordered. During the Rally phase, it’s your turn to turn the banners of your active units so that they show the color matching the current round on the game track. If you ordered all your units in the previous round, you don’t have to do anything during this step. Pretty simple, right?

Marshaling Phase

Now, let’s talk about the first step of the Marshaling phase – rolling combat dice to determine the colors of order tokens. This step is important because it sets the stage for the rest of the phase.

In the game, each of us rolls a certain number of combat dice based on the Battle Plan. We then receive Order tokens based on the results. These tokens go into our Order pool.

Next, we draw a specific number of Leadership cards based on the Battle Plan. These cards are added to our hand.

Now comes the most important part: the Command Phase.

This is where the real action happens. We take turns giving orders to our units until we have used all of our order options or we choose to pass.

When giving an order, we have two options:

Option A: We can play a single Order token or a matching pair. This allows us to take certain actions with our units.

When it comes to playing A Game of Thrones: The Board Game (Second Edition), there are two main options available to you:

A. Issue Orders to Units

I’ll explain how to issue orders to your units based on the different shield colors:

1. Green Shield: Order the unit (only if it’s green).
2. Blue Shield: Order the unit (only if it’s blue).
3. Red Shield: Order the unit (only if it’s red).
4. Flag: Either rally the unit (turn its banner to the side matching the current round’s color, but decrease your House’s morale by one) or increase your House’s morale by one.
5. Fist (Valor): Order the unit regardless of its color.

B. Play a single Leadership Card

If you want to play a Leadership card, follow these steps and conditions:

1. Choose a commander (either active or inactive) that hasn’t reached his limit of Command tokens (as specified on his Commander card).
2. Discard the Leadership card to play.
3. Move a Command token from your Command board to the Commander’s card.

During the Command Phase in a game, you have a crucial opportunity to issue orders to your units and make use of your Leadership cards. Let’s delve deeper into this phase and understand how it works.

To start, you need to designate the specific units you want to give orders to. Look at the description on the Leadership card and choose units that are within a certain range of the Commander. This range is usually measured in hexes. Once you’ve selected the units, you can proceed to the next step.

Now, it’s time to apply the effect described on the Leadership card. Each card has a unique effect that can boost your units or hinder your opponent. Use this effect strategically to gain an advantage on the battlefield.

It’s important to note that some Leadership cards have multiple Orders. In these cases, you’ll need to spend as many Command tokens as indicated on the card. Additionally, some cards have a Tactics text box, which allows you to activate an additional beneficial effect if certain conditions are met.

If you prefer to save your Order tokens and Leadership cards for the next turn, you can choose to pass during this phase. This will also allow you to keep Command tokens for winning initiative in the next turn. However, if you have already used all your Command tokens and Order tokens, or if you’re unable to use any of them, you must pass.

Once the Command Phase is complete, we move on to the Regroup Phase. In this phase, we resolve any status conditions affecting the units on the battlefield. It’s important to address these conditions to ensure your units are in optimal condition for the next round of battle.

By understanding and carefully navigating the Command and Regroup Phases, you’ll be able to effectively command your units and gain an advantage over your opponents. So, take your time, strategize, and make the most of these crucial phases in the game.

When I play a game, there are many things that can happen that create different effects. For example, there’s something called the Fire condition that can happen to buildings or units.

Now, let’s talk about Victory Points. These are points that you earn in different ways, depending on the Battle Plan for that scenario. Sometimes, you earn Victory Points every turn, but other times you can only earn them during the last round of the game. Most of the time, you get Victory Points by getting rid of the enemy’s units and by making their morale low on the Morale track.

Next, we have the Victory Conditions. These are the rules that determine when you win the game. The Battle Plan will tell you what the Victory conditions are, whether it’s an Instant Victory or a Victory in the last round.

Finally, we have to discard some things. We need to get rid of all our extra Order tokens, except for one. We also have to do the same for any Leadership cards that we still have in our hand.

Welcome! Let’s talk about some important strategies for boosting morale in a game.

First, let’s discuss recovering morale. To do this, you can move your morale marker up to the highest morale space of the same color. Just be aware that if your morale marker is on a morale break space, indicated by an arrow, you won’t be able to move it.

Next, let’s cover advancing the round marker. This is done by moving the round marker to the next space on the Round track. This will progress the game and keep things moving forward.



A Closer Look at Unit Colors

Let’s delve into the different ranks that units can have based on the color of their banner:

• Green: These are rookie units that have some advantages. They can move faster, but they roll only two attack dice. In combat, they are hit if a green shield appears on a combat die.
• Blue: Standard units fall under this category. They have average stats, moving normally and rolling three attack dice. On a combat die, they are hit if a blue shield is rolled.
• Red: Veteran units are known for their experience. They move slowly, but they make up for it with four attack dice in combat. To hit them, a red shield must appear on a combat die.

In combat, there are three green shield faces, two blue shield faces, one red shield face, one Valor (fist) face, and one Morale (flag) face on the combat dice. This means that green units are easier to hit, while red units prove to be more challenging targets.

When given an order, a unit can move according to its rank as indicated on its unit card. To illustrate, let’s take a look at an example:

• A green cavalry unit always has the ability to move 4 spaces and engage in an attack.
• When playing with the blue cavalry unit, I have the option to either move 4 spaces or move 3 spaces and attack.
• However, if I’m playing with the red cavalry unit, I can only move 3 spaces and attack – moving 4 spaces is not allowed.

Once I give the order, my unit can launch an attack if it is next to an enemy unit, regardless of any previous movement. However, I must adhere to the limitations specified on the unit card for moving and attacking. Here’s how the attack is carried out:

• I declare which unit will be the attacker.
• I declare which unit will be the target.
• I check the range and line of sight. For ranged attacks, my attacker must have a clear line of sight to the target, which spans half a hex space. If the attacker is positioned on a Hill hex, other units won’t block the line of sight between them and the target.
• I place an engagement token on the edge between the two units, but only if it’s a melee attack.

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How to Attack an Enemy Unit in a Game

Hey there! Today, I want to talk to you about the exciting world of attacking enemy units in games. It can be a bit confusing at first, but don’t worry—I’m here to break it down for you!

So, when you’re attacking an enemy unit, there are a few things you need to remember:

Step 1: Taking Your Attack Dice

First things first, you need to take the attack dice. The number of dice you get depends on the unit’s rank and unit card. Sometimes, the terrain or other game elements can modify the number of dice you get. It’s important to keep that in mind!

Step 2: Rolling Your Attack Dice

Now comes the fun part—rolling the attack dice! Here are the rules:

• If you roll a result that matches the color of the target unit, it’s a hit!
• If you roll a Valor result, it’s also a hit, unless the attack was ranged and the attacker unit is infantry and the target unit is cavalry.
• If you roll a Morale result, the target unit has to move one hex towards the edge of the game board, as specified on the Battle Plan. If the move is blocked by terrain or other units, it counts as another hit.

Now, let’s talk about some advanced moves you can use:

Engagement Tokens, Parting Blows, and Flanking

If you’re attacking a unit that is already engaged, you have a special ability—you can reroll any number of attack dice of one color. This gives you another chance to score some hits!

When I’m in a fight, I can only attack the opponent right in front of me, unless I decide to back away:

• If I decide to back away, I might get hit by a parting blow from my opponent. They’ll roll their attack dice to see if they can hurt me.
• If I don’t get hurt by the parting blow, I can remove the engagement token and decide if I want to keep fighting or if I want to attack someone else nearby.

But here’s something interesting: If I have the Stalwart keyword, I can fight back when I get attacked. Some units have this keyword automatically, but what’s even cooler is that any unit can get it if they have at least two friendly units next to them. When I counterattack, I roll my normal number of attack dice.

When I have a Commander unit and it gets attacked, the first thing that happens is the regular soldiers in the unit get removed. Then, if the Commander is the only one left, it can be captured. To do that, I just need to deal enough hits in one attack to match the Capture Rating on the Commander’s card.

The morale track is like a way to see who’s winning the battle. It’s like a scale that tips in one direction or the other. When my side’s morale goes up, the marker moves towards my opponent. Here are the rules for how morale increases:

• I get +1 point for each green unit I eliminate.
• I get +2 points for each blue unit I eliminate.
• I get +3 points for each red unit I eliminate.
• I get +1 point for each Morale order token I spend to increase morale.
• I lose 1 point for each Morale order token I spend to rally a unit.

You know, sometimes things can get pretty intense on the battlefield. One thing that adds even more pressure is the Morale track. Now, this track has a special space at the end of each side called the Rout space. Let me tell you, if the Morale marker reaches that space, it’s game over for the army on that side. Yep, they lose the battle right then and there.



Mastering Special Abilities

Hey there! Let’s talk about some cool abilities in this game that can give you an advantage on the battlefield.

The first ability we’ll cover is called “Advance.” It’s pretty handy because when you eliminate an enemy unit or force it to retreat, you can then move your unit into the space the enemy used to occupy. You’re basically claiming their spot for yourself.

Next up, we have “Cover X / Toughness X.” This ability is all about defense. When your unit is under attack, it can ignore the first X hits. It’s like having a shield that protects you from harm.

Now, let’s talk about “Dogs of War.” This ability is all about using your trusty canine companions to attack enemy units. If you have a Stark Kennelmaster unit, you can send your dogs to attack an enemy unit that’s within 2 or 3 spaces from you. When you make this special attack, you roll a dice and look at the result to see what happens:

• If you roll a green shield, you’ll attack as if you were a green unit.
• If you roll a blue shield, you’ll attack as if you were a blue unit.
• If you roll a red shield, you’ll attack as if you were a red unit.
• If you roll a morale symbol, the enemy unit has to retreat one space.
• If you roll a valor symbol, the enemy unit takes one hit.

It’s important to remember that your friendly units won’t block your line of sight when you’re using Dogs of War attacks. This means you have a clear shot at your target!

When it comes to different types of armor in battle, I want to tell you about “Heavy Armor.” This armor is so powerful that when the unit wearing it is attacked, it is considered to be one rank higher in strength! This means it is harder to defeat. But here’s an interesting twist – if the unit is red, it doesn’t just get stronger, it actually ignores any hits caused by the Valor results. That’s pretty impressive!

Now, let me tell you about another type of ability called “Off-balance.” When a unit has this ability, it can both move and attack in battle. However, if the unit moves before attacking, it loses one of its attack dice. So, it’s a bit of a trade-off. You can move around the battlefield more easily, but your attacks won’t be quite as strong.

Have you ever heard of the term “Pursue X”? It’s a really cool ability. When a unit with this ability attacks another unit and destroys it or forces it to retreat, the unit can choose to move on up to X hexes. It starts from the hex where its first target was standing. If the unit ends its movement next to an enemy unit, it can even attack again! But remember, this ability can only be used once per round by the unit.

Now, let’s talk about an ability that can really change the game – “Scorch the Earth.” Instead of attacking, a unit with this ability can choose to set an unoccupied hex adjacent to it on fire. This can be a strategic move, as it can create obstacles or blockade enemy units from advancing.

Lastly, I want to tell you about an ability called “Stalwart.” This ability gives a unit some special advantages. First, when a unit with Stalwart is attacked, it ignores the first result of morale, which can help it stay strong and keep fighting. Additionally, it can counterattack, so it can strike back at its enemies. And here’s an interesting twist – if there are two or more friendly units adjacent to a unit with Stalwart, those other units automatically gain the Stalwart keyword as well. Teamwork makes them all stronger!

A Taste of Victory

Once we reach the Regroup phase, it’s time to determine the winner. The game concludes when one of the players achieves the Victory conditions outlined in the Battle Plan.

A World of Options

In addition to the main battles, the core game also offers a selection of ten distinct encounters. If you’re looking for a shorter game, there’s also a skirmish mode which allows for random, more compact battles.

To further enrich your gaming experience, Battles of Westeros provides expansions that introduce new units and Battle Plans. These expansions include content for the Stark and Lannister Houses, as well as additional units for House Baratheon.