More on Battlefields

So with War for Edath you can fight over single Terrain Cards or a single row of Terrain Cards. With War Unleashed you can now battle over large battlefields which are the equivalent of multiple rows of Terrain Cards. Each battlefield - or Terrain Map as we've called them - is made up of many Terrain Positions. Each Terrain Position is the  equivalent of a Terrain Card or a combined Terrain Card.

Take a look a the image on the left - that's a single Terrain Position. All the stats and symbols found on a Terrain Card are noted on the Terrain Position so you can immediately see how that Terrain Position will affect the game. And when you stick multiple Terrain Positions together you get a Terrain Map.

The above illustrated Terrain Map has a lot going on with woods, hills and marsh all on the same map. Some combined terrain - i.e. woody marsh - as well.

So what size is it? Three rows of Terrain Positions make up a single page of A4. So you download and print out 2 pages of A4 and you've got yourself a regular sized Terrain Map. If you want a bigger battlefield you just keep adding Terrain Maps.

How does this change the game? Movement and positioning on the battlefield becomes key. Obviously some Terrain Positions are going to increase your chances of success. Also, if you can get 2 or more of your Units attacking a single enemy Unit then you have a big advantage. Get a Unit behind the enemy and you're on the way to victory. Strategy in deployment and manoeuvering becomes key.

So you've got your Terrain Map and you've built your army with your cards. How do you represent your Units on the battlefield? Well, we're working on official Unit Counters but using dice works very well. You lay your Units out in a row in front of you and the number of pips showing on the top of each die reveals which Unit it represents.

There's going to be a library of Terrain Maps available free to download from www.warriorelite.com which we will be adding to regularly. If you've got ideas for Terrain Maps then do post them to our forum - warriorelite's forum. We're also going to be producing scenarios that will contain pre-made armies and objectives - these will also be available free to download. Again, do create your own scenarios and post them to the forum.

Oh and as we have so many ideas for Stratagem and Conflict Cards we're going to be including some of these in the downloads. Print them out, stick them in a plastic card sleeve and you've got more tactics and strategy to play with.

N

p.s. For a bit more info on Terrain Maps check the following post on our forum -

Hills on Battlefields - aka. Terrain Maps

The Art of War

So with War for Edath you can win a battle - but can you win a war?

Campaigns. Battle campaigns to be specific. The Art of War enables you to string several battles together in a series of encounters that escalates over time in a war for a region of Edath.

The mechanics to The Art of War are actually very simple. Each player picks a warring faction but doesn't have to build a campaign army before starting. All you'll need to do is build a single Unit as the first encounter starts out small - a Unit vs. Unit game. After that first skirmish, battles will get progressively larger with more troops on each side. The focus turns to the Battlefield games and the campaign culminates in a large Battlefield Battle.

You'll also be able to play specific scenarios, such as attempting to destroy enemy supplies, which if you win will increase your chances of winning the campaign. Many of these scenarios will be made available free to download from our website.

As you progress you can level up your Troop Cards, Combat Masters, Battle Masters and Units. The skills introduced in The Art of the Master can also be levelled up. But if a levelled up Troop or Master is Discarded or Instant Discarded in a game they may well be dead and will play no further part in the campaign.

The region of Edath you'll compete over is easily created using the Terrain Cards you have. The region is then split into 9 Areas that you'll compete for dominance over. Win battles and you'll get Terrain Points. Get enough Terrain Points and you'll Control an Area. Control enough Areas and you win the campaign.

Finally, you'll play a Duration of a Campaign Conflict Resolution before each battle with Campaign Mastery Points and Campaign Damage. This represents the scouting, spying and diplomacy that goes on between battles and your level of Campaign MP and Campaign Dmg will carry forward through the campaign.

Win rounds of the Campaign Conflict Resolution and you can influence the layout of the battlefield, the armies involved in the battle and the strategies that will be employed. Lose Troops and Masters in a battle and you'll acquire Campaign Damage. And true to Conflict Resolution if your Campaign Mastery Points drop below your Campaign Damage then you lose the campaign - your remaining forces will have lost all faith in your leadership and will disperse.

Hopefully you'll see that The Art of War can really enhance the War for Edath experience.

And the question at the beginning of the post stands. You may be able to win a battle, but can you win a war?

N