Battleground: Fantasy Warfare is a point-based miniatures game – but without the miniatures. Battleground uses cards rather than painted models to represent your forces. This means a much lower price as well as easier transportation and setup, but don’t be fooled – this is not a “light” war game or a CCG. Battleground is a serious war game that will challenge you at every step, from army design and deployment to tactical maneuvers and command decisions until battle’s end.

Each Battleground army comes in two different decks. Army Starters contain eighteen unit cards, a thirty-card Command Deck and two quickstart reference cards, plus the basic rules. This gives you all the cards you need to get started – in play terms, each unit card is the equivalent of a boxed set of miniatures. Army Reinforcement decks each contain fifty unit cards – enough for almost any army you can imagine – and the advanced rules. Reinforcement decks also include two unit types not available in that army’s Starter.

All you need in addition is a flat surface, an opponent, some dice and a couple of dry-erase markers.

Men of Hawkshold
The noble soldiers of Hawkshold bring their superior training and courage to battle as they defend their lands. Your Hawk armies include a broad range of infantry, ranging from the cheap (but fragile) Peasant Mob to Great Swordsmen in heavy plate. Your Longbow men are the most powerful archers in the game, with superior skill, power and range, forcing your enemies to advance into your ranks or die at a distance. Finally, a broad range of cavalry options means that any break in the enemy line can quickly turn into a slaughter.

As the commander of the Hawks, you can inspire your troops with Bravery, ensuring that your line holds against the most fearsome charge. Spending one command action will increase a unit’s courage by three, until such time as it rolls above its base courage during a rout check.

Orcs
Battle-hardened Orcs are among the game’s most powerful infantry units. Goblin Bowmen and the powerful but unreliable Goblin Bomb Chucker provide you with missile fire, and Goblin Wolf Riders are among the fastest cavalry units in the game. You can also bring huge Trolls with you into battle – and just when your opponent realizes how hard it is to damage them, they regenerate!

As the Orc general you can Lash your troops into battle frenzy. By spending one Command action you increase the movement of one of your units for the turn and gain an extra attack die. As battle lines break into the chaos of melee, your special ability will allow you to make the most of any opportunities to flank an enemy unit or destroy a routing enemy.

Undead
As a powerful Necromancer you recruit your armies from the enemy dead. Mindless Zombies, weapon-wielding Skeletons and hulking Abominations form the core of your undead army, but you also command Swarms of Rats and incredibly powerful Death Knights.

Most Undead units are mindless automatons that automatically pass Rout checks, making it much easier for you to plan your strategy. To make things worse for your opponent, you can Reanimate damaged units, spending command actions to heal damage.

Elves of Ravenwood
Our first expansion army is a faction of wood elves from the vast forest of Ravenwood . The elves are skilled warriors, wielding traditional weapons as well as hunting nets with which to ensnare their foes. In addition, the forces of Ravenwood include powerful allies; treants, centaurs, wolves and bears fight alongside the Elves.

As the leader of the Elves of Ravenwood, you are able to give your units spirit guidance to make their attacks strike true.

Dwarves of Runegard
Dwarves. They hit hard, they can take a lot of punishment and they move slowly but inexorably towards their goal. The Dwarves of Runegard combine powerful infantry with rune-based magic handed down over countless generations.

As the general of the Dwarves of Runegard, you can spend command actions to infuse your units with the rune of Uruz, granting them an additional attack die that lasts until the unit is routed or destroyed.