Rules at a Glance From setting up to the end of the Round
A quick reference for how a game of First Blood flows. See the relevant chapter for the full rules.
Before the Battle
- Muster your Warband — choose Warlords, Heroes, Regiments and Monsters within the points limit, then buy Upgrades and Command Models. Each entry has its own Command Card.
- Generate the Scenario — set the Mission, Territory and Encounter. Missions and Encounters award Victory Points; the Territory sets deployment and terrain.
- Set up the Battlefield — Territory and Mission Maps are set up from the First Player's perspective. Critical Sites are always Placed beneath any Terrain Features.
- Deploy — Place your Warriors in the Deployment Zones the Scenario sets.
Round Sequence
A Battle lasts 6 Rounds, and each Round runs through these four Phases in order.
| Phase | What happens |
|---|---|
| i. Supremacy Phase | Both Players Roll a Die; the lower result is the Supremacy Player and acts first. On a draw the Player with fewer Victory Points chooses; if still tied, Re-Roll. |
| ii. Command Phase | The Supremacy Player performs one Command Ability with each of their [Character]s, then the other Player does the same. Effects last until the end of the Round. |
| iii. Action Phase | Players take turns choosing a Command Card that has not Activated this Round and Activating its Warriors, until every Command Card has been Activated. |
| iv. Victory Phase | Remove Command Cards whose Warriors have all been Slain, then calculate the Victory Points set by the Scenario. |
One Activation
- Choose a Command Card that has not Activated this Round and still has Warriors on the Battlefield.
- Select one Warrior from that card.
- Choose whether to perform that Warrior's Draw Events (any number, before any Actions).
- Perform 2 Actions with that Warrior.
- Repeat one Warrior at a time until every Warrior of the card has Activated.
When a Regiment Activates, all its Warriors Activate, but each performs their own Draw Events and Actions. Finish one Warrior completely before moving to the next.
Choosing Actions
A Warrior Engaged with an Enemy may only perform Combat Actions; an Unengaged Warrior may only perform Out-of-Combat Actions. Apart from March, a Warrior cannot perform the same Action twice in one Activation.
| Out-of-Combat Actions | Combat Actions |
|---|---|
| March · Take Aim · Volley | Reposition · Inspire · Clash |
The Attack Sequence (Clash and Volley)
- Roll Attacks — Roll Attacks (A) for a Clash Action or Barrage (X) for a Volley Action.
- Assign Hits — take the lowest results up to Clash (C) or Volley (V) as Hits. A '6' is always a failure and is discarded.
- Roll Blocks — the Defender Rolls Defense (D) or Evasion (E), whichever is higher. Each Block negates one Hit of the same number or higher.
- Wounds — each Hit not Blocked inflicts a Wound.
- Resolve Test — when Wound Markers reach the Wounds Characteristic, Test Resolve immediately. On a pass the Warrior survives and ignores the Wound but becomes Broken!
Outnumbered
Assisting Warriors needed to Outnumber an Enemy, by the Target's Battlefield Role:
| Target | Assisting Warriors |
|---|---|
| [Infantry] | 1 |
| [Brute] · [Cavalry] | 2 |
| [Monster] | 3 |
When does the Battle end?
The Battle ends after 6 Rounds; the Player with more Victory Points wins.
The Battle does not end when a Warband is wiped out. The survivors keep scoring Objectives until Round 6, and a Player whose whole Warband was Slain still wins with more Victory Points.
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