Warlords of Erehwon: Rulebook (Hardcover)

Manufacturer: Warlord Games

Warlords of Erehwon transports us to the multifarious fantasy realms of fiction, folklore, and myth, placing us at the head of a fighting force of our choosing. Model warbands clash across fantastical tabletops as humans and monsters, living and dead, war over the spoils of victory in a universe of heroes, sorcerers, and supernatural.

This game has been designed with a single objective in mind - to allow you to play fast-paced and exciting miniature battles upon a modestly-sized table between rival forces called warbands. A warband represents your own band of warriors - courageous humans, blood-thirsty monsters, perhaps even minions that you have raised from beyond the grave to do you bidding.

Your force might typically comprise a few dozen models organized into loose groups of fighters, commonly five to ten strong each, or a single model in the case of chariots, giant monsters, and warmachines. This gives you the "warband" style game, large enough to provide scope for scenario building, with plenty of opportunities to reward tactical play, but at the same time keeping things manageable in terms of the size of the forces and space required.

Warlords of Erehwon uses ten-sided dice, providing for a game with mechanical depth and considerable adaptability. An intuitive universal dice test system means that play proceeds at a good pace once players are familiar with the core mechanics. A host of unique and entertaining attributes ensure that different creatures fight and behave after their own fashion, bringing a mix of strengths and weaknesses to the fight.

The sequence of game play is determined by a dice-bag draw, and units are activated one at a time in a way that engages and challenges both players. A draw for your warband is an opportunity to launch your attack, or perhaps to set an ambush, maybe to seize a tactically important part of the battlefield or to cast a spell and turn the tide of battle in your favor. Beware though, for whatever you do there is no guarantee that the next draw might not favor your foe. A Warlord of Erehwon must be prepared for all situations.

Force selector lists are included to represent the following warbands:

• Barbarians - Ax-wielding Northmen, heroic chariot-riding Fianna, mounted hordes from the Steppe and even Mammoth-riding Neanderthals.

• Beastmen - Bestial furry masses in half-animal form, braying, snorting, and grunting with wild mutant might.

• Dwarfs - Who do you think you're calling short? Study axe-wielding maniacs with a heavy dose of dour and tempers even shorter than they are.

• Elves - Touched by magic and faster than a flying arrow, the Sidge of ancient legend and races of popular fiction - all reside within.

• Gnolls - Creatures of canine descent and dogged determination - fearsome fighters of monstrous appearance and an insatiable taste for flesh.

• Goblins - Undersized and mean-spirited critters dangerous in numbers. Just don't turn your back. Not for a minute.

• Halflings - Pint-sized humanoid creatures in the tradition of "the wee folk." Remarkably accurate with any missile and deceptively innocent in appearance.

• Knights - A retinue of medieval style romance and popular fiction complete with armored knights, brave yeomen, courtly wizards, and sturdy peasants.

• Olympians - The heroes and warriors of Greek legend together with their rivals and associates from myth and popular culture.

• Orcs - Thuggish over-sized monsters, blessed with simple-minded brutality, keen on large unwieldly weapons; not too bright.

• Undead - The walking dead, skeleton warriors, zombies, and malevolent spirits led by Necromancers, Liches, and Wraiths.

• Monsters - Our selector list provides for all the giants, dragons, and other traditional fantasy monster than can also be included as part of any warband.