Standfirst
Christopher Moeller’s Burning Banners is one of the most attractive fantasy wargames in years: six distinct kingdoms, a huge illustrated world, and a campaign structure that makes every battle feel like part of a larger war. It is also a game whose rules presentation falls short of its design. Even so, this is a clear buy for fantasy wargamers, especially with the growing support files available on BoardGameGeek. (Compass Games product page describes the game as a six-kingdom fantasy wargame with 29 scenarios, four hand-drawn boards, and both Basic and Advanced modes; BoardGameGeek’s listing repeats that structure and notes the same 2–6 player scope and 2024 release. )
Verdict box Verdict: Buy
Best for: fantasy wargamers, campaign players, and anyone who enjoys asymmetric factions on a large map.
Why it works: excellent presentation, memorable factions, fast and dramatic combat, and a Basic-to-Advanced structure that lets the game grow with you. The core pitch is exactly that: six kingdoms fighting across four maps, with a tutorial-style Basic Game and a fuller Advanced Game once players are ready.
The catch: the rules and reference structure are weaker than the design itself, so early plays are likely to involve more page-flipping than they should. Board Game Quest praised the factions, maps, and overall experience while also criticising the bloated rulebook and rules overhead.
Burning Banners review: a fantasy wargame that deserves a place on your shelf
Introduction
Some games make their case before the first turn begins. Burning Banners is one of them.
Spread across a huge fantasy map and built around six rival kingdoms, Burning Banners looks like the kind of game that promises stories: coastal raids, desperate defences, monster-haunted marches, and cities changing hands in hard-fought campaigns. Thankfully, that promise is real. According to Compass Games and BoardGameGeek, this is a fantasy wargame for 2 to 6 players, built around six kingdoms, 29 scenarios, four hand-drawn mounted maps, and a ruleset split between a Basic Game and an Advanced Game with heroes, monsters, and magic.
That structure is one of the game’s smartest decisions. The Basic Game teaches the framework, then the Advanced Game adds the full fantasy layer once players are comfortable. It means Burning Banners has ambition without being impossible to approach. That is one reason the game has been so well received. The Players’ Aid praised its production and presentation, while Board Game Quest highlighted the six unique factions, gorgeous maps, and thematic campaign structure even while raising concerns about the rules.
So the short version is simple: Burning Banners is a very good fantasy wargame. The longer version is that it is a very good fantasy wargame let down by rules presentation that is more awkward than it should be.
What kind of game is it?
At heart, Burning Banners is an operational fantasy wargame. It is not just about throwing units into each other. You are juggling movement, recovery, looting, settlement control, income, sieges, seasonal timing, and scenario objectives. BoardGameGeek’s publisher summary describes a system where short campaigns can sit alongside a much bigger 12-year war, and that breadth is a big part of the game’s appeal.
The combat system is one of the reasons the game remains approachable. Board Game Quest describes it as fast and dramatic: both sides roll their unit dice, compare hits, and critical results can push a fight further than expected. That gives the game energy without making every battle a long procedural grind. At the same time, the map and terrain still matter enough to keep it firmly in wargame territory.
The rules structure in the official book also supports that growth in complexity. The rulebook begins with the Basic Game and then adds the Advanced Game later, explicitly introducing Heroes, Monsters, and Magic as later layers rather than front-loading everything at once.
The factions are a major part of the appeal. One of Burning Banners’ biggest strengths is that its factions feel genuinely different.
The rulebook lays out six kingdoms: Fjordland, the Eastern Empire, the Oathborn, the Army of Night, and the two Shashka kingdoms, the Goblins and the Orcs. Campaigns divide these into Invader and Resistance sides, which already gives the game a broader war feel than a simple head-to-head faction system.
That faction identity is critical. Burning Banners does not feel like one system painted six different colours. It feels like six armies with six different approaches to war.
Why Burning Banners is so enjoyable?
The big reason Burning Banners works is that it keeps asking good campaign questions.
Do you take immediate loot or hold territory for longer-term income? Do you commit your best unit now or soften the target first? Do you push a siege, defend a city, or use mobility to threaten somewhere weaker?
Those decisions are what make the game memorable. The official product description leans heavily on the idea of shaping the fate of six kingdoms across a living fantasy world, and that is not just marketing talk. The campaigns and faction pressures do create that sense of a larger war.
There is also the simple fact that the game looks fantastic on the table. The rulebook cover alone sells the atmosphere, with Christopher Moeller’s art immediately signalling that this is a serious fantasy production rather than a generic map exercise.
Board Game Quest was right to highlight the maps and unit presentation. Burning Banners is one of those games where table presence genuinely adds to the experience. The world feels inhabited, and that helps the campaigns feel like stories rather than mere scenarios.
The rules issue is real.
Burning Banners has a rules presentation problem
Not because the design is bad. In many ways, the design is the reason the problem is so frustrating. The underlying game is strong enough that the clunky parts stand out more sharply. Board Game Quest described the rulebook as bloated and said it tries too hard to spell out every instance of the ruleset slowly, while also noting lots of overhead around strikes, ambushes, control, income, movement, defence, and the many states a settlement can occupy.
That feels fair. The game has a lot of interacting systems: welcoming versus hostile settlements, loyalty, control markers, razing, ports, wilderness settlements, fortifications, city rules, faction exceptions, and then all the Advanced Game material on top. Those are good systems. They create real texture. But they are not always surfaced cleanly at the table.
The uploaded player aids and community summaries make this very clear. There are separate reference sheets for unit abilities and traits, settlements, terrain modifiers, turn sequence, collapse rules, and campaign summaries, which tells its own story: players clearly want the game compressed into something easier to use mid-play. The community-made Campaigns at a Glance v4 sheet and the compressed rulebook hosted on BoardGameGeek’s files pages show that support ecosystem is already growing around exactly this need.
That is why the rules problem is not trivial. It does affect enjoyment. It slows the game down and can make early plays feel rougher than the underlying design deserves.
But the rules are not the whole story
This is the important distinction. Burning Banners is not a “do not buy” because the rules are messy game. It is a buy because the game around those rules is good enough to reward the effort.
The factions are strong. The combat is lively. The campaigns have proper sweep. The Basic-versus-Advanced structure is sensible. The production is excellent. Even the critical reviews still talk about the fun they were having. Board Game Quest, for example, criticised the rulebook and downtime but still described the combat as fun, brutal, and strategic, and still gave the game an overall positive assessment.
And the support situation improves the recommendation further. Compass hosts official downloads, including updated rules and clarifications, on the product page. BoardGameGeek also has useful files, including community aids and an officially uploaded compressed rulebook. That does not solve the presentation issue completely, but it absolutely makes the game easier to live with.
Final verdict
Burning Banners is a buy.
It is not a perfect buy, and it is not a frictionless one, but it is still a clear recommendation for fantasy wargamers. It gives you six factions with real personality, a world that looks and feels alive, and campaigns that create memorable battles. The official descriptions and the better reviews all point to the same strengths: scale, asymmetry, presentation, and a campaign structure that gives the game its identity.
The caveat is equally clear. The rules presentation is rougher than the design deserves. That is not a small criticism. It affects flow, especially in early plays.
But it does not sink the game.
With official downloads, clarifications, and the growing number of helpful files on BoardGameGeek, Burning Banners becomes much easier to recommend. This is a very good fantasy wargame that could become an excellent one with better reference support. Even as it stands, it deserves a place on the shelf.
Where to buy Burning Banners by country or regionStock moves around quite a bit with this one, so treat this as a current snapshot rather than a permanent list. The safest fallback is always the publisher’s own store, which currently lists Burning Banners: Rage of the Witch Queen as available.
United States
Buy direct from Compass Games. For US retail, Noble Knight Games currently lists it with limited stock, while Miniature Market currently shows it as out of stock.
Canada
Good options currently include 401 Games and Toys on Fire. At the moment, 401 Games shows it as a pre-order item, while Toys on Fire shows it available to add to cart.
United Kingdom
Two useful places to check are Second Chance Games and Board-Game.co.uk. Right now, Second Chance Games lists the reprint for sale, while Board-Game.co.uk shows it as awaiting launch / notification only.
France
Philibert is the obvious first stop. It currently lists the game as available, with stock warnings suggesting remaining copies may be limited.
Germany
Try FantasyWelt first, and then Spieletastisch. FantasyWelt currently lists the English edition with delivery time shown, while Spieletastisch currently has it as pre-order / supplier-based availability.
Spain
Dungeon Marvels currently lists the reprint in stock, so that is a good European option if you are buying from Spain.
Netherlands / Benelux
SpellenVariant currently lists the game in English and is a sensible Benelux option.
Australia
Try Gameology or Milsims Games first. Gameology currently lists it in stock, and Milsims shows very limited stock. Ozzie Collectables appears to be out of stock at the moment.
Europe generally
If you are shopping from elsewhere in Europe, Philibert, FantasyWelt, Dungeon Marvels, and SpellenVariant are the strongest current retailer hits I found. A price aggregator such as BoardGamePrices can also help track live store availability across countries.
Christopher Moeller’s Burning Banners is one of the most attractive fantasy wargames in years: six distinct kingdoms, a huge illustrated world, and a campaign structure that makes every battle feel like part of a larger war. It is also a game whose rules presentation falls short of its design. Even so, this is a clear buy for fantasy wargamers, especially with the growing support files available on BoardGameGeek. (Compass Games product page describes the game as a six-kingdom fantasy wargame with 29 scenarios, four hand-drawn boards, and both Basic and Advanced modes; BoardGameGeek’s listing repeats that structure and notes the same 2–6 player scope and 2024 release. )
Verdict box Verdict: Buy
Best for: fantasy wargamers, campaign players, and anyone who enjoys asymmetric factions on a large map.
Why it works: excellent presentation, memorable factions, fast and dramatic combat, and a Basic-to-Advanced structure that lets the game grow with you. The core pitch is exactly that: six kingdoms fighting across four maps, with a tutorial-style Basic Game and a fuller Advanced Game once players are ready.
The catch: the rules and reference structure are weaker than the design itself, so early plays are likely to involve more page-flipping than they should. Board Game Quest praised the factions, maps, and overall experience while also criticising the bloated rulebook and rules overhead.
Burning Banners review: a fantasy wargame that deserves a place on your shelf
Introduction
Some games make their case before the first turn begins. Burning Banners is one of them.
Spread across a huge fantasy map and built around six rival kingdoms, Burning Banners looks like the kind of game that promises stories: coastal raids, desperate defences, monster-haunted marches, and cities changing hands in hard-fought campaigns. Thankfully, that promise is real. According to Compass Games and BoardGameGeek, this is a fantasy wargame for 2 to 6 players, built around six kingdoms, 29 scenarios, four hand-drawn mounted maps, and a ruleset split between a Basic Game and an Advanced Game with heroes, monsters, and magic.
That structure is one of the game’s smartest decisions. The Basic Game teaches the framework, then the Advanced Game adds the full fantasy layer once players are comfortable. It means Burning Banners has ambition without being impossible to approach. That is one reason the game has been so well received. The Players’ Aid praised its production and presentation, while Board Game Quest highlighted the six unique factions, gorgeous maps, and thematic campaign structure even while raising concerns about the rules.
So the short version is simple: Burning Banners is a very good fantasy wargame. The longer version is that it is a very good fantasy wargame let down by rules presentation that is more awkward than it should be.
What kind of game is it?
At heart, Burning Banners is an operational fantasy wargame. It is not just about throwing units into each other. You are juggling movement, recovery, looting, settlement control, income, sieges, seasonal timing, and scenario objectives. BoardGameGeek’s publisher summary describes a system where short campaigns can sit alongside a much bigger 12-year war, and that breadth is a big part of the game’s appeal.
The combat system is one of the reasons the game remains approachable. Board Game Quest describes it as fast and dramatic: both sides roll their unit dice, compare hits, and critical results can push a fight further than expected. That gives the game energy without making every battle a long procedural grind. At the same time, the map and terrain still matter enough to keep it firmly in wargame territory.
The rules structure in the official book also supports that growth in complexity. The rulebook begins with the Basic Game and then adds the Advanced Game later, explicitly introducing Heroes, Monsters, and Magic as later layers rather than front-loading everything at once.
The factions are a major part of the appeal. One of Burning Banners’ biggest strengths is that its factions feel genuinely different.
The rulebook lays out six kingdoms: Fjordland, the Eastern Empire, the Oathborn, the Army of Night, and the two Shashka kingdoms, the Goblins and the Orcs. Campaigns divide these into Invader and Resistance sides, which already gives the game a broader war feel than a simple head-to-head faction system.
- The Oathborn are the dwarven-style mountain power: miners, strongholds, and hard terrain. They feel stubborn and deliberate.
- The Fjordland forces bring mobility, sea movement, and forest-friendly fighting, which gives them a raiding and manoeuvre-heavy identity.
- The Eastern Empire is the embattled civilised power, managing both the battlefield and internal collapse pressure.
- The Army of the Night adds a more sinister, supernatural style of war, with covens, dark magic, and a spreading sense of menace.
- The Goblins and Orcs of the Shashka side feel aggressive and expansionist, mechanically pushed to keep conquering rather than settle into a passive defence.
That faction identity is critical. Burning Banners does not feel like one system painted six different colours. It feels like six armies with six different approaches to war.
Why Burning Banners is so enjoyable?
The big reason Burning Banners works is that it keeps asking good campaign questions.
Do you take immediate loot or hold territory for longer-term income? Do you commit your best unit now or soften the target first? Do you push a siege, defend a city, or use mobility to threaten somewhere weaker?
Those decisions are what make the game memorable. The official product description leans heavily on the idea of shaping the fate of six kingdoms across a living fantasy world, and that is not just marketing talk. The campaigns and faction pressures do create that sense of a larger war.
There is also the simple fact that the game looks fantastic on the table. The rulebook cover alone sells the atmosphere, with Christopher Moeller’s art immediately signalling that this is a serious fantasy production rather than a generic map exercise.
Board Game Quest was right to highlight the maps and unit presentation. Burning Banners is one of those games where table presence genuinely adds to the experience. The world feels inhabited, and that helps the campaigns feel like stories rather than mere scenarios.
The rules issue is real.
Burning Banners has a rules presentation problem
Not because the design is bad. In many ways, the design is the reason the problem is so frustrating. The underlying game is strong enough that the clunky parts stand out more sharply. Board Game Quest described the rulebook as bloated and said it tries too hard to spell out every instance of the ruleset slowly, while also noting lots of overhead around strikes, ambushes, control, income, movement, defence, and the many states a settlement can occupy.
That feels fair. The game has a lot of interacting systems: welcoming versus hostile settlements, loyalty, control markers, razing, ports, wilderness settlements, fortifications, city rules, faction exceptions, and then all the Advanced Game material on top. Those are good systems. They create real texture. But they are not always surfaced cleanly at the table.
The uploaded player aids and community summaries make this very clear. There are separate reference sheets for unit abilities and traits, settlements, terrain modifiers, turn sequence, collapse rules, and campaign summaries, which tells its own story: players clearly want the game compressed into something easier to use mid-play. The community-made Campaigns at a Glance v4 sheet and the compressed rulebook hosted on BoardGameGeek’s files pages show that support ecosystem is already growing around exactly this need.
That is why the rules problem is not trivial. It does affect enjoyment. It slows the game down and can make early plays feel rougher than the underlying design deserves.
But the rules are not the whole story
This is the important distinction. Burning Banners is not a “do not buy” because the rules are messy game. It is a buy because the game around those rules is good enough to reward the effort.
The factions are strong. The combat is lively. The campaigns have proper sweep. The Basic-versus-Advanced structure is sensible. The production is excellent. Even the critical reviews still talk about the fun they were having. Board Game Quest, for example, criticised the rulebook and downtime but still described the combat as fun, brutal, and strategic, and still gave the game an overall positive assessment.
And the support situation improves the recommendation further. Compass hosts official downloads, including updated rules and clarifications, on the product page. BoardGameGeek also has useful files, including community aids and an officially uploaded compressed rulebook. That does not solve the presentation issue completely, but it absolutely makes the game easier to live with.
Final verdict
Burning Banners is a buy.
It is not a perfect buy, and it is not a frictionless one, but it is still a clear recommendation for fantasy wargamers. It gives you six factions with real personality, a world that looks and feels alive, and campaigns that create memorable battles. The official descriptions and the better reviews all point to the same strengths: scale, asymmetry, presentation, and a campaign structure that gives the game its identity.
The caveat is equally clear. The rules presentation is rougher than the design deserves. That is not a small criticism. It affects flow, especially in early plays.
But it does not sink the game.
With official downloads, clarifications, and the growing number of helpful files on BoardGameGeek, Burning Banners becomes much easier to recommend. This is a very good fantasy wargame that could become an excellent one with better reference support. Even as it stands, it deserves a place on the shelf.
Where to buy Burning Banners by country or regionStock moves around quite a bit with this one, so treat this as a current snapshot rather than a permanent list. The safest fallback is always the publisher’s own store, which currently lists Burning Banners: Rage of the Witch Queen as available.
United States
Buy direct from Compass Games. For US retail, Noble Knight Games currently lists it with limited stock, while Miniature Market currently shows it as out of stock.
Canada
Good options currently include 401 Games and Toys on Fire. At the moment, 401 Games shows it as a pre-order item, while Toys on Fire shows it available to add to cart.
United Kingdom
Two useful places to check are Second Chance Games and Board-Game.co.uk. Right now, Second Chance Games lists the reprint for sale, while Board-Game.co.uk shows it as awaiting launch / notification only.
France
Philibert is the obvious first stop. It currently lists the game as available, with stock warnings suggesting remaining copies may be limited.
Germany
Try FantasyWelt first, and then Spieletastisch. FantasyWelt currently lists the English edition with delivery time shown, while Spieletastisch currently has it as pre-order / supplier-based availability.
Spain
Dungeon Marvels currently lists the reprint in stock, so that is a good European option if you are buying from Spain.
Netherlands / Benelux
SpellenVariant currently lists the game in English and is a sensible Benelux option.
Australia
Try Gameology or Milsims Games first. Gameology currently lists it in stock, and Milsims shows very limited stock. Ozzie Collectables appears to be out of stock at the moment.
Europe generally
If you are shopping from elsewhere in Europe, Philibert, FantasyWelt, Dungeon Marvels, and SpellenVariant are the strongest current retailer hits I found. A price aggregator such as BoardGamePrices can also help track live store availability across countries.
Burning Banners Unit, Trait, Terrain, and Settlement Reference
Article-ready quick reference focused on unit types, classifications, movement exceptions, combat modifiers, settlement interaction, control, razing, and garrisons.
Editorial note: Compiled from the uploaded Burning Banners rulebook and player aids in this conversation. This reference is designed as a practical article-ready aid. Where community aids and older printings differ, reconcile against your latest official errata before publication.
Scope: This sheet intentionally mixes core unit rules with the terrain, settlement, siege, and faction exceptions that players most often have to cross-reference during play.
1. Unit Types, Classifications, and What They Actually Change
| Category | What it is | Movement | Combat | Settlement / control effects | Other limits / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army (standard) | Normal buildable unit. Printed build cost, combat rating, and movement rating. | Moves using normal terrain costs. Can use roads/bridges and Ship Movement if otherwise legal. | Rolls printed Light and Heavy dice in combat. A hit usually flips it to weakened. | Can occupy welcoming settlements. Can attack hostile settlements, loot, and place control if eligible. | Built at full strength only. If eliminated, returns to playmat for rebuilding. |
| Weakened Army | An Army after taking one hit. | No special movement change. | If hit again, it is eliminated. | Can still occupy and fight normally unless another rule says otherwise. | May Recover by paying recovery cost in a friendly Entry hex or in / adjacent to an un-besieged welcoming settlement. |
| Fragile | Low-cohesion armies such as irregulars or fragile creatures. | No inherent movement change. | A hit eliminates it immediately instead of weakening it. | Can still enter / occupy settlements normally unless another trait changes that. | Cannot Recover. |
| Feral | Wild creatures such as rats, wolves, bats, insects. | May not use Ship Movement. Army of the Night may build / recover Feral armies in wilderness hexes adjacent to Covens. | Uses printed combat rating normally. In the Advanced Game, non-Feral Hero stacking overrides Feral limits. | May enter welcoming settlements. Entering a hostile settlement razes it instead of taking control. In practical reference play, treat Feral as non-administrative: raze rather than govern. | Advanced Game reference: may not loot, does not place control in hostile settlements, and does not collect monster rewards unless stacked with a non-Feral Hero. |
| Huge | Giant creatures. | May not use Ship Movement. | Uses printed combat rating normally. Still obeys all other ability text on the counter. | If a Huge Army occupies a settlement, the settlement is razed. A settlement cannot remove its razed marker while the Huge Army remains there. For article use, treat Huge units as poor governors: they raze rather than hold. | Useful shorthand: Huge threatens settlements even when friendly occupation is temporary, because the settlement cannot function while the creature sits there. |
| Siege Engine | Specialized Army type for attacking fortifications. | Moves as printed; no mountaineer exception unless a special rule says otherwise. | Its combat rating is used only on defense and when attacking un-razed settlements. | Exists to neutralize Fortified / Magically Fortified penalties for friendly and allied attackers adjacent to the target. | One adjacent Siege Engine cancels one -1 fortification penalty. Two adjacent Siege Engines cancel a magical fortification's full -2. May be voluntarily disbanded during the Income Actions Step. |
| Hero (stacked) | Advanced Game support unit stacked with an Army. | Stacks move at the speed of the slowest unit. A ready Hero can be picked up by a moving Army and continue as a stack. | Stack combines Army and Hero combat ratings. Stack benefits from both units' abilities except Flying, which requires both units to have Flying. | A stacked Hero helps the Army command and enhance settlements normally through the Army it is with. | If the stack ends movement with a finished unit, it becomes finished. If the stack advances, it advances together. |
| Hero (lone) | A Hero not stacked with an Army. | Moves normally, but cannot end stacked with an enemy Hero. | May neither attack nor be attacked as a lone Hero. If a settlement containing a lone Hero is attacked, the Hero adds its combat rating and abilities to the settlement's garrison. | Does not take control on its own. If an enemy Army enters the lone Hero's hex, the Hero is eliminated. | Cannot advance after combat. |
| Monster | Advanced Game threat. Not a unit. | Does not move like a unit. Lairs may never be entered by units, including Flying units. | When fought in a Lair, terrain is ignored. One hit defeats a Monster. | Does not change control of settlements because it is not a unit. | Useful to include on the table because many players instinctively treat Monsters like units; they are not. |
| Garrison (town / settlement) | Abstract defense for an unoccupied non-city settlement. | Not a moving unit. | Unoccupied settlement defends with 1 Light die. If the settlement is occupied by an Army, this normal garrison disappears. | If defeated and the hex becomes unoccupied, attacker must advance into a hostile settlement. | Razed settlements have no garrison. Wilderness settlements add terrain defense on top of the garrison. |
| Garrison (city) | Permanent city defense. | Not a moving unit. | A city provides 3 Light dice on defense whether occupied or not. | City status matters for both defense and looting; cities are harder to take and more valuable to sack. | Unlike normal settlements, a city keeps its garrison even when an Army occupies it. |
2. Abilities and Classification Keywords
| Keyword | Movement effect | Combat effect | Settlement / terrain interaction | Practical note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranged | No movement bonus. Enemy Flying units may not move through a hex containing an enemy Army with Ranged. | Wins ties in combat and inflicts 1 hit when only one side has Ranged. Has no effect during Ambush resolution. | Makes certain settlement hexes much harder for Flying attackers to bypass. | Think of Ranged as tie-break plus anti-air screen. |
| Stealth | No movement bonus by itself. | May declare an Ambush if the opposing side does not also have Stealth. Ambush uses opening Strike then Strike Back, rather than normal winner / loser combat. | An attacker with Stealth may not Ambush a Fortified settlement. A defender with Stealth inside a Fortified settlement may Ambush. | Stealth is strongest on elite attackers and defenders that can exploit single-hit elimination. |
| Regenerate | No movement bonus. | May Recover as a Free Action by paying recovery cost. Does not need a nearby settlement. | Cannot be used while the unit is Besieged. Army of the Night Feral units can also Recover adjacent to a friendly Coven in wilderness. | Great for keeping pressure forward without retreating to a settlement. |
| Flying | May enter any terrain except Lairs, ignoring terrain costs. May pass through enemy Armies or hostile settlements unless the hex contains enemy Flying or Ranged. | When attacking across River or Major River hexsides, defender gets no river terrain bonus. May attack across Sea hexsides. | May pass through but not end in a hostile settlement unless legal. Flying does not let a unit enter a Lair. Flying does not itself let you end in a Sea hex. | Flying changes access and bypassing more than raw combat output. |
| Mage | No inherent movement change. | Allows the unit to cast Magic cards where a Mage is required. | No direct settlement effect by itself. | Important mainly in the Advanced Game and for spell access. |
| Ship Movement | Action that grants a second movement using Ship Movement points: 3 normally, 6 if starting in a friendly Port or Entry hex. May move through Sea, Coastal, and Major River spaces as allowed. | No direct combat bonus, but enables operational reach and river / sea crossing. | Must usually end in a Coastal or Major River hex; crossing a River or Major River hexside can end inland immediately. Huge and Feral armies cannot use Ship Movement normally. | Fjordland breaks this rule set in important ways; see faction exceptions below. |
| Besieged | No movement restriction on units inside the settlement; they may still move in and out freely. | No direct combat bonus or penalty by itself. | A besieged settlement may not build or Recover units. Ports require two adjacent enemy Armies to count as besieged. An Army across a prohibited hexside does not besiege. | This is an economic / readiness lock, not a movement lock. |
3. Terrain, Prohibited Spaces, and Occupancy Rules
| Terrain / space | Who can enter | Movement / crossing cost | Combat / defense effect | Occupation limit / special case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Road / bridge hexside | Any legal non-prohibited mover. | Cross for 1 MP regardless of surrounding terrain. A non-Flying unit moving entirely by road / bridge gains +1 MP for the activation. | No combat modifier by itself. | Bridge helps movement only; it does not cancel river combat bonuses. |
| River hexside | Any legal unit that can cross it. | Crossing costs +1 MP. | Defender gains +1 Light die when attacked across a River hexside. | Flying ignores this river defense bonus when attacking across it. |
| Major River hexside | Any legal unit that can cross it. | Crossing costs +2 MP. | Defender gains +2 Light dice when attacked across a Major River hexside. | Ship Movement can cross a River or Major River hexside for 1 Ship MP, but then ends immediately if it enters inland. |
| Sea hex / Sea hexside | Flying units and units using Ship Movement may cross Sea hexsides. Non-Flying units without Ship Movement may not. | Ship Movement pays 1 per crossed hexside. Normal movement cannot cross all-Sea hexsides unless Flying. | No direct defense bonus, but Sea often shapes legal attacks and sieges. | No unit may end its move in a Sea hex unless a specific rule says otherwise; standard rules say do not end there. |
| Coastal hex / Coastal hexside | Any unit can cross a Coastal hexside; Ship Movement may also use it. | Normal movement pays the other terrain cost in the hex. Ship Movement pays 1. | No direct inherent combat modifier beyond the terrain in the hex. | Often the hinge between land play and naval projection. |
| Wilderness hex (forest / mountain / swamp etc.) | Any unit unless prohibited by another rule. | Usually 2 MP to enter under the terrain chart, though faction exceptions reduce some of these costs. | Defender usually gains +1 Light die from defending in wilderness terrain. | Wilderness settlement hexes combine settlement rules with wilderness terrain rules. |
| Hostile settlement hex | Normally must be defeated to enter. Flying may pass through but may not end there unless legal and unless blocked by enemy Flying / Ranged in the hex. | Entering after victory usually costs normal movement into the hex. | Unoccupied hostile settlement defends with its garrison; occupied settlement defends with occupying Army plus any applicable city bonus. | If attacker wins against a hostile settlement, it must advance into the hex. |
| Enemy Army hex | Normally prohibited. Flying may pass through unless the enemy Army has Flying or Ranged. | No normal ending allowed unless combat / advance rules make the hex legal. | Combat occurs by Attack action, not by casually moving in. | Basic game stacking still prevents you from ending with another Army in one hex. |
| Entry hex | Friendly units may build there; any unit may pass through allied / enemy Entry hexes but may not end there. | Beginning Ship Movement in an Entry hex gives 6 Ship MP. | No direct combat modifier. | Entry hexes are never besieged. A unit built in a Sea Entry hex may not end the turn there. |
| Lair | No unit may enter, including Flying units. | Not enterable. | When attacked, Monster combat ignores terrain. | Important exception space: adjacent attacks yes, occupation no. |
4. Settlement Posture, Control, Loot, Razing, and Garrisons
| Settlement state | Who may enter / occupy | Can it be looted? | Can it change control? | Build / Recover? | Important edge cases |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loyal settlement (no marker) | Welcoming to friendly and allied units; hostile to enemies. | Only hostile occupiers loot it after defeating it. Friendly / allied occupiers do not loot it. | Normally controlled by the kingdom shown by the loyalty symbol. | Yes, for the controlling side if un-besieged and welcoming. | If enemy takes it, loyalty matters for income shifts even if no control marker is placed. |
| Neutral settlement (welcoming by campaign posture) | Any legal unit may enter if it is welcoming to that kingdom. | No, not while it remains welcoming. | At end of activation, an occupying Army may place control and increase income by 1 if eligible. | Yes once controlled and un-besieged. | Campaign posture determines whether a neutral starts hostile or welcoming. |
| Hostile settlement | Must be defeated before entry, except Flying can sometimes pass through without ending there. | Yes. Entering a hostile settlement triggers Loot as a Free Action. | Yes, after defeat: remove enemy control if present, then place your control if allowed; Huge / Feral often raze instead. | Not for the attacker until it becomes welcoming / controlled and is not besieged. | Attacker must advance into a defeated hostile settlement. |
| Controlled settlement | Welcoming to its controller and allies; hostile to enemies. | Not if welcoming to the occupier. Enemy conqueror may loot on entry. | Yes. Control marker determines who governs it and who gains income. | Yes, if welcoming and un-besieged. | Control affects income and build network, not just map color. |
| Razed settlement | May be occupied as terrain, but it is no longer functioning as a settlement. | No. | No. A razed settlement is controlled by nobody. | No. It may not build or Recover units. | It has no posture and loses City, Fortified, Port, and Loyalty properties until the razed marker is removed. |
| Wilderness settlement | Occupied like a normal settlement. | Yes, if hostile and captured. | Yes, like a normal settlement unless razed / trait-restricted. | Yes if functioning, welcoming, and un-besieged. | Combines settlement status with wilderness terrain. It gets both settlement garrison and terrain defense. If razed, it reverts to terrain movement cost. |
| Fortified settlement | Occupied normally by legal units. | Yes if hostile and captured. | Yes, if defeated and then governed normally. | Yes if functioning and un-besieged. | Attacker suffers -1 to die rolls. Fortified settlements cannot be targeted by Strikes. Attacking Stealth units may not Ambush them. |
| Magically Fortified settlement | Occupied normally by legal units. | Yes if hostile and captured. | Yes if defeated and then governed normally. | Yes if functioning and un-besieged. | Attacker suffers -2 to die rolls. Light dice cannot normally succeed without Siege Engine help. |
| Port | Occupied normally by legal units. | Yes if hostile and captured. | Yes. | Yes if functioning and un-besieged. | Starting Ship Movement here gives 6 Ship MP. A Port is besieged only if at least two enemy Armies are adjacent. |
| City | Occupied normally by legal units. | Yes, and cities pay double loot. | Yes. | Yes if functioning and un-besieged. | Permanent 3 Light-die garrison whether occupied or not. City status also matters for kingdom collapse checks. |
5. Who Can Actually Place Control, Remove Razing, or Hold Ground
| Situation | Allowed? | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Army ends activation in hostile settlement it does not control | Usually yes | Settlement is looted; enemy control marker is removed if present; then place control if eligible, or place a razed marker if you choose. |
| Huge Army ends / remains in settlement | Control normally no | Treat the settlement as razed while the Huge Army occupies it. Practical shorthand: Huge units devastate rather than administer. |
| Feral Army enters hostile settlement | Control no | It razes the settlement instead of taking control. In article-ready shorthand, Feral units destroy rather than govern. |
| Army in welcoming settlement with razed marker | Yes, if it will be welcoming once the razed marker is removed | May remove the razed marker as a Free Action for 2 gold, then place control if appropriate. |
| Army in hostile settlement with razed marker | No razed-marker removal | You cannot remove a razed marker from a hostile settlement. |
| Allied unit entering allied-controlled settlement | Yes, unless denied by ally | Allied settlements are welcoming, but the allied player may deny entry before the move is completed. |
| Flying unit and hostile settlement | Pass through sometimes | Flying may pass through but not end in a hostile settlement hex if enemy Flying / Ranged in that hex would block the pass-through. |
| Unit in razed settlement | Occupation as terrain only | The hex functions as terrain, not as a settlement. No loot, control, build, recovery, port, fortification, or city benefits apply. |
| Settlement under siege | Hold ground yes, build / recovery no | Units may still move in and out, but the settlement cannot be used to build or Recover while besieged. |
6. Faction Exceptions Worth Calling Out in the Article
| Faction / rule | What changes | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Oathborn Miners | Miner Army in a Mine hex may use its action to Work the Mine for 1 gold. | Makes Mines economically relevant only to Oathborn. |
| Oathborn Mountaineers | Oathborn Armies except the Siege Engine, and Oathborn Heroes, enter Mountain hexes for 1 MP instead of 2. | This is the cleanest mountain-mobility rule in the game. |
| Goblin Mountaineers | Goblin Armies except the Goblin Siege Engine, and Goblin Heroes, enter Mountain hexes for 1 MP instead of 2. | Important exception that often gets forgotten because Orcs do not share it. |
| Fjordland Ranger Woodcraft | Ranger Armies and Heroes stacked with them enter Forest hexes for 1 MP instead of 2. Ranger Army gains +1 Light die while striking into, attacking into, or defending in a Forest hex. | This is both a movement and combat rule, so it belongs in any serious quick-reference table. |
| Fjordland Seafaring | Fjordland Ship Movement is a Free Action once per activation and its Ship Movement rating is 2 higher than normal: 8 from Port / Entry, 5 otherwise. | Turns coastal repositioning into a signature operational advantage. |
| Drakken exception | Drakken does not benefit from Fjordland Seafaring because it is both Feral and Huge. | A classic trap for new players. |
| Army of the Night Covens | Covens sit in hostile settlements, add income, allow adjacent wilderness build / recovery for Feral armies, and give Army of the Night attacks into that settlement +1 Light die. | Covens do not change settlement control, which is exactly why they are easy to misread. |
| Shashka Lay Waste | During the Income Actions Step, a Shashka kingdom may replace its own control marker with a razed marker and loot the settlement. | Explains why Goblin / Orc map control is structurally unstable and destructive. |