This Player's Guide introduces you to the BattleLore game system. It not only includes the rules you will need to play the game, but also lays the foundation for many forthcoming expansions. While the size of the book may seem daunting at first, learning the basics of the game is a straightforward, enjoy-able endeavor. If you follow the simple guidelines below, you can be playing your first game the very same night you open this book!
If you have never played this game system’s predecessor, Days of Wonder's Memoir ’44, we recommend that you first read the introductory sections of this book: Key Concepts & Object of the Game; Setting Up the Game; and Game Turn Overview.
Once you have familiarized yourself with these basics, use the opening Medieval Adventure, Agincourt – 1415, to introduce yourself to the fundamentals of the game, progressively working your way through the remaining chapters of Part 1 as you discover the game’s various game turn phases.
Once you have completed your apprenticeship by exploring the Agincourt adventure from both of the opposing camps, you will be ready to delve deeper into the fantasy aspects of our Uchronia, described in Part II of this book – Advanced BattleLore.
In Chapter 6 – Mercenaries, you will learn how to deploy troops of a few now-long forgotten mythical races. From there, it will only be a short journey before you’re ready to confront the monstrous Creatures introduced in Chapter 7 – Creatures.
In Chapter 8 – Lore, you'll discover, and begin to master the power and magic of the Lore system that gives the game its name. Finally, you will be ready to form your own War Council and lead the charge, as explained in Chapter 9 – The War Council.
If you are already familiar with the game’s concepts, having played Memoir ’44 or similar card-driven miniature game systems before, we invite you to jump right in. Set up the game and play Adventures 1 through 10, starting with Agincourt - 1415. Please pay particular heed to the various Summary Tables included in this book, and to the sidebars. They introduce key concepts specific to BattleLore. Along with the Summary cards, they will go a long way toward helping you quickly grasp the game’s essential mechanics.
You may also find the For Veteran Gamers section of the BattleLore Primer a worthy read. It's available online at www.battlelore.com/intro.
A note about multi-player games: This Player's Guide introduces BattleLore primarily as a two-player (or two teams) game, with each side leading one of the two warring camps. While some components (cardholders, and the reverse side of game board for Epic Adventures) are designed to facilitate larger scale play, these additional capabilities are beyond the scope of this book and the core game. For additional details on multi-player play, please visit www.battlelore.com/epic and www.battlelore.com/heroes.
Throughout this rulebook, each time a new concept is introduced for the first time, it will be highlighted in green text, indicating its entry – and description – in the BattleLore Lexicon in Appendix I of this book. When further elaboration is necessary, the concept will also be further explained in a side bar inside the rules text itself, and signaled by this icon.
