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BattleLore (board game)
Encyclopedia
BattleLore is a strategy
board wargame
for two players, created by Richard Borg
and initially published by Days of Wonder
(and later by Fantasy Flight Games
). The game is based on the same mechanics as Battle Cry
, Memoir '44
and Commands & Colors: Ancients
, but has a fantasy
and medieval theme.
BattleLore debuted at the 2006 Spiel
game fair in Essen, Germany and was released worldwide on November 30th of that year.
Typical setup for a game is 10-15 minutes. Beginning players can expect a 45-60 minute duration game, but experienced players can usually finish a game in about 30-45 minutes. Each player has a set of quick reference cards to help him keep rules in mind. Experienced players will rarely have to pull out the rulebook for clarification. The scenario book that comes with the basic box is organised as a tutorial sequence that introduces concepts one adventure at a time, making the game very easy to learn.
Each adventure in Battlelore is pre-constructed, leaving the work of creating armies to the scenario author. Although with the Call to Arms Expansion (released May 2007) the players have (limited) control on deploying units to any given scenario. The Battlelore website offers an online scenario builder that helps fans create their own adventures.
In September 2008 Fantasy Flight Games
and Days of Wonder announced that the game would be moving to Fantasy Flight Games, along with all remaining stock.
The object of the game is to be the first to destroy a set number of enemy units (usually 4 to 6, depending on the selected battle scenario’s victory conditions). In some scenarios, additional banners may be gained from the board map itself, for capturing and holding certain terrain hexes or battlefield objectives.
ed the game and at gaming events and conventions
, and the Earth Elemental that was available for a limited time, for free, for anyone who purchased the game.
The first expansion - Battlelore Epic - contains rules for large-scale battles and for multiplayer games of up to 6 people. Epic Battlelore is played on two boards adjacent to each other forming one double-sided battlefield. It was first published as a set of rules available for download but in June 2007 it was published and sold with an extra board and tokens. The second expansion,Call to Arms, contains rules to draft customized armies.
Four additional expansions were released in 2007; Dwarven Battalion, Scottish Wars, Goblin Skirmishers, Goblin Marauders and The Hundred Years' War - Crossbows & Polearms. Labelled as specialist-packs, they included new miniatures with unique rules and scenarios. Days of Wonder had planned for the Heroes of Battlelore expansion, to be released in 2008 but the expansion was delayed when the game was sold to Fantasy Flight Games. Fantasy Flight Games released the long-delayed Heroes expansion in October of 2009. It introduced an element of role-play to the game, whereby Heroes gradually grow in power by participating in (and surviving) a series of adventures. Heroes eventually "retire" to become an addition to the player's Battle Council.
Heroes was soon followed by Dragons (Wood Wyvern, Ice Drake, and Fire Dragon) in January of 2010 and Creatures (Wood Giant, Hydra, and Rock Elemental) in February. The Horrific Horde Goblin army pack was released in June of 2010.
Upcoming expansions announced so far are the Bearded Brave Dwarven army pack and the Code of Chivalry Human army pack.
Strategy game
A strategy game or strategic game is a game in which the players' uncoerced, and often autonomous decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome...
board wargame
Board wargame
A board wargame is a wargame with a set playing surface or board, as opposed to being played on a computer, or in a more free-form playing area as in miniatures games. The hobby around this type of game got its start in 1954 with the publication of Tactics, and saw its greatest popularity in the...
for two players, created by Richard Borg
Richard Borg
Richard Borg is a game designer.Games Richard has designed or co-designed include:*2000 Battle Cry *2001 Wyatt Earp...
and initially published by Days of Wonder
Days of Wonder
Days of Wonder is a board game publisher based in the United States and France. Founded in 2002, Days of Wonder distributes its games to 25 countries. It specialises in German-style board games and have branched out to include some online games. Days of Wonder has published games in English,...
(and later by Fantasy Flight Games
Fantasy Flight Games
Fantasy Flight Games is a Roseville, Minnesota-based game company that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games. Fantasy Flight Publishing was founded in 1995 by its CEO, Christian T. Petersen. Since the release of its first game product in 1997, the company has been doing...
). The game is based on the same mechanics as Battle Cry
Battle Cry (game)
Battle Cry is a board wargame based on the American Civil War, designed by Richard Borg and published by Avalon Hill in 2000.While superficially similar to conventional board wargames, it borrows from miniatures wargaming with its use of plastic figures and its simplified rules.The map is initially...
, Memoir '44
Memoir '44
Memoir '44 is a light wargame, or war-themed strategy board game, created by Richard Borg, for two players. The game can also be played with up to six players if played in teams and up to eight players in the "Overlord" scenarios that require two copies of the game...
and Commands & Colors: Ancients
Commands & Colors: Ancients
Commands & Colors: Ancients is a board wargame designed by Richard Borg, Pat Kurivial, and Roy Grider, and published by GMT Games in 2006. It is based on Borg's Command & Colors system using some elements similar to his other games such as Memoir '44 and Battle Cry designed to simulate the "fog of...
, but has a fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
and medieval theme.
BattleLore debuted at the 2006 Spiel
Spiel
Internationale Spieltage SPIEL, often called Essen after the city where it is held, is an annual four-day game trade fair held in October at the Messe Essen exhibition centre in Essen...
game fair in Essen, Germany and was released worldwide on November 30th of that year.
Typical setup for a game is 10-15 minutes. Beginning players can expect a 45-60 minute duration game, but experienced players can usually finish a game in about 30-45 minutes. Each player has a set of quick reference cards to help him keep rules in mind. Experienced players will rarely have to pull out the rulebook for clarification. The scenario book that comes with the basic box is organised as a tutorial sequence that introduces concepts one adventure at a time, making the game very easy to learn.
Each adventure in Battlelore is pre-constructed, leaving the work of creating armies to the scenario author. Although with the Call to Arms Expansion (released May 2007) the players have (limited) control on deploying units to any given scenario. The Battlelore website offers an online scenario builder that helps fans create their own adventures.
In September 2008 Fantasy Flight Games
Fantasy Flight Games
Fantasy Flight Games is a Roseville, Minnesota-based game company that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games. Fantasy Flight Publishing was founded in 1995 by its CEO, Christian T. Petersen. Since the release of its first game product in 1997, the company has been doing...
and Days of Wonder announced that the game would be moving to Fantasy Flight Games, along with all remaining stock.
Gameplay Summary
You start the game by choosing a scenario. Scenarios are available from the manual, the Internet, or you can design your own. The terrain and starting positions are laid out according to the scenario. The battlefield is divided into three sections by two red dotted lines, giving each player a left flank, a center and a right flank section. You command your troops by playing a command card. Command cards are used to order your troops to move, battle and/or execute a special command. There are two types of command cards: Section cards and Tactic cards. Section cards are used to order a move and/or battle in a specific section. These cards indicate in which section(s) of the battlefield you may order units and how many units you may order. Tactic cards allow you to make special moves, battle in a specific way or take special actions, as explained on the card.The object of the game is to be the first to destroy a set number of enemy units (usually 4 to 6, depending on the selected battle scenario’s victory conditions). In some scenarios, additional banners may be gained from the board map itself, for capturing and holding certain terrain hexes or battlefield objectives.
Expansions and Promotional Figures
Days of Wonder first planned to release a large expansion every six months and 1 or 2 small expansions every month. The first two additions were the Hill Giant, that was available to those who pre-orderPre-order
A pre-order is an order placed for an item which has not yet been released. The idea for pre-orders came when people found it hard to get popular items in stores due to their popularity. Companies were then given the idea to allow people to reserve their own personal copy, before the release, ...
ed the game and at gaming events and conventions
Gaming convention
A gaming convention is a gathering that centered on role-playing games, collectible card games, miniatures wargames, board games, video games, or other types of games. These conventions are typically two or three days long, and often held at either a university or in a convention center hotel...
, and the Earth Elemental that was available for a limited time, for free, for anyone who purchased the game.
The first expansion - Battlelore Epic - contains rules for large-scale battles and for multiplayer games of up to 6 people. Epic Battlelore is played on two boards adjacent to each other forming one double-sided battlefield. It was first published as a set of rules available for download but in June 2007 it was published and sold with an extra board and tokens. The second expansion,Call to Arms, contains rules to draft customized armies.
Four additional expansions were released in 2007; Dwarven Battalion, Scottish Wars, Goblin Skirmishers, Goblin Marauders and The Hundred Years' War - Crossbows & Polearms. Labelled as specialist-packs, they included new miniatures with unique rules and scenarios. Days of Wonder had planned for the Heroes of Battlelore expansion, to be released in 2008 but the expansion was delayed when the game was sold to Fantasy Flight Games. Fantasy Flight Games released the long-delayed Heroes expansion in October of 2009. It introduced an element of role-play to the game, whereby Heroes gradually grow in power by participating in (and surviving) a series of adventures. Heroes eventually "retire" to become an addition to the player's Battle Council.
Heroes was soon followed by Dragons (Wood Wyvern, Ice Drake, and Fire Dragon) in January of 2010 and Creatures (Wood Giant, Hydra, and Rock Elemental) in February. The Horrific Horde Goblin army pack was released in June of 2010.
Upcoming expansions announced so far are the Bearded Brave Dwarven army pack and the Code of Chivalry Human army pack.