Board game battlelore second edition. Board game BattleLore: an excursion into history
"Keep in line!" - the call of the commanders swept over the battlefield and the infantry moved their shields with an iron clang. From behind the forest, Viper arrows soared into the sky, but their spiked tips only rang as they flew off the forged steel armor of the Dakan troops. Breaking through the dark thicket, Blood Collectors armed with crooked scythes ran out onto the field with a roar, but neither their disorganized ranks nor the massive carcasses of the Obrazins frightened the glorious defenders of the citadel. After all, behind the orderly ranks of infantry the yeoman archers were already pulling their bows, and behind the hill the Riverwatch horsemen were waiting in ambush. Another battle of the game "Battlelore" has begun!
Order vs Chaos
"Battlelore" is a board strategy game created in the best traditions of epic fantasy. The events of the game tell about the battles for the lands of the world of Terrinoth, familiar to many players from the game series "". Two mighty armies: the honest fighters of the Dakan lords and the bloodthirsty hordes of Uthuk Yi'Llan clashed in a brutal war, and only the skill of the commanders determines who will become the new ruler of these lands. Luck will help you bring victory closer, but only skillful tactics and bold decisions will reveal the real winner of the game "Battlelore"!
"Battlelore" uses original game mechanics created by famous designer Richard Borg. A unique command card mechanic that takes into account the position of your troops on the battlefield and a dynamic dice combat system make this a truly deep strategy game. In this board strategy game, everything is possible: dynamic attacks, surprise ambush attacks, enemy retreat and troops that, inspired by victories, attack again and again!
The contents of the "Battlelore" box will not disappoint even the most demanding player. Lots of order cards, tactics and magic tricks, landscape elements, a colorful field and more than ninety detailed figures - this wealth will appeal to any fan of war games! The armies of the game are truly diverse: the Guardians of the Citadel and the deadly Devourers, the Viper legions and impenetrable Rune Golems, and, of course, the masters of the battlefield - the terrifying Lord of Chaos and the mighty Roc bird, who with their very presence can change the course of the battle!
War is constantly changing
Today I want to tell you about my first impressions of the second edition of the BattleLore board game (in Western terminology, such games are usually classified as light wargames). If the first edition of battles in the fantasy world from Richard Borg, with all its difficult fate, has already become a cult of its own and has won the recognition of fans around the world (it’s not for nothing that Borg, in an interview several years ago, called it his best game), then the second edition has already been jointly from Robert Kouba and Richard Borg, made as a result of a “merger of brands” in the style of the Runebound world, this is a completely different conversation... Completely different miniatures, a significantly different engine, a different style in graphics... However, let's look at everything in detail..
BattleLore 2nd Edition.
Content overview and first impressions.
"Native" (English) box. Front side.
I have a special relationship with BattleLore. Having heard about Richard Borg's games for many years, at one time I spent a long time choosing which game to start getting acquainted with them with. Three and a half years ago, my choice fell on “BattleLore” (and not the least role in this choice was played by the cute figures and the way “Days of Wonder” traditionally published the game with high quality). But... alas, it didn’t work out: (When I went to Nastolkin on Novoslobodskaya, I found out that the last box had been taken away a month and a half before, and so as not to leave empty-handed, I bought it then
"Battles of Westeros" (after all, it proudly said “A BattleLore TM game”). But as it turned out, this game made by Robert Kouba has a very distant relation to the Borg game - with undoubted “family ties”, this complex system is just a “seventh cousin” of the Borg games, known for the laconic simplicity of the famous master’s solutions. I played this game for a while, not without pleasure, but not being a fan of J. Martin, I abandoned it after I completed all the basic scenarios...Since then I've played a lot"Memoir"44" , which delighted me from the very first script, and which I consider the best Borg game I'm familiar with. I also played a number of games in the "Commands & Colors" version"Battle of the Samurai" from "Zvezda" (but put this game aside until I painted the armies - the figures from Zvezda are worth playing with only in painted form).. But still,.. still always hoped that the "BattleLore" starter set ", will be reissued and I will be able to buy it (catching options at online auctions with purchase for double the price somehow did not appeal to me). Meanwhile, "Fantasy Flight Games" (hereinafter referred to as FFG), having bought the game from "Days of Wonders", seemed to do everything to destroy the game: the starter set was not re-released (which was allegedly motivated by the high cost of the starter), but nevertheless FFG continued to "cut cabbage" "with not at all cheap additions, and fans continued to develop home rules that balanced the far from ideal balance of the first edition of the rules..
And so I “waited”... At the end of 2013, FFG released “BattleLore 2nd Edition” (which I successfully managed to miss), and this summer “Hobby World” promptly released localization in Russian. But it turned out to be a completely different game - and it’s not even about the engine, but about the completely different style of the game world. And although reviews on the Internet gave a rather contradictory picture of the released game, at the last “Igrocon” I could not resist and purchased a box with a localized version (and the 15% Igrocon discount played an important role here)..
And despite the fact that there were already quite a few reviews on the Internet, I still decided to throw in my “five cents,” because I still look at many things differently than the respected board gamers who wrote those reviews.
All contents of the box.
So, first, let's briefly go through the contents... To begin with bad news:
The box is very flimsy. FFG is generally criticized for its boxes, but the box from “Battles of Westeros” has happily lived with me for 3.5 years in quite good shape, although I, of course, rarely dragged it out of the house (I reloaded everything into a plastic box with cells), but, nevertheless.. And then the bottom part of the box tore in two places on the first day! I didn’t have this even with Zvezda’s “Battles of the Samurai” - let alone how everyone criticized them for the box. I don’t know whose jamb this is: FFG or the Russian localizer “Hobby World” (what makes me suspect that this might be a jamb of the localizer is that the box from BattleLore-2 is 1 cm larger than the box from the native “Battles of Westeros” ", although all the contents are a field card, the boards with extruded elements are exactly the same size as for BoW).In the box, of course, there is no organizer for the contents - this is already a bad tradition of FFG, who are probably trying to save on the cost of games (they wouldn’t save money if only more than 30 people were involved in the design of the game, judging by the list at the end of the rules - and what, one wonders, did they design?). In general, this time FFG saved on everything: even there are only 4 cubes included in the starter, which is completely indecent, and indignant users are offered to buy a separate set of 8 cubes, costing 12.5% of the cost of a huge starter box..;)
Terrain hexes, bridges/fords and key point tokens.
Now about the good: cardboard filling is traditional for FFG good quality. Although it seemed to me that the field for BoW was still a little better in quality... Well, this is as usual, because “before, the trees were taller” (c). The field size is geometrically exactly the same as for BoW (i.e. very healthy - as defined by the “box standard”), but because hexes have become much larger (even larger than that of the “Star” in “Samurai Battles”), then in hexes the field is much smaller than in BoW and even slightly smaller than in BattleLore-1 (by half a hex on each edge). There are conspiracy theories on the Internet that changes in the field size compared to BattleLore-1 (the traditional Borg field size) are almost connected with FFG’s conscious desire for the games to be incompatible in scenarios, but, IMHO, it’s more likely that “birthmarks” from joint project of Borg and “Zvezda” - now the width of the hexes and (the size of the zones) the field actually exactly corresponds to the field that was in the Zvezda game, but in depth it has already become 2 rows of hexes (and I once wrote in the review that it would be nice to “cut down” the Zvezda field for the Borg rules - anyway, “far” hexes do not work - units are usually not able to crawl from there in time to the active part of the battle, nor retreat there..). And in general, I am for just such a field - it fits on the table (and when folded, although with difficulty, it fits into my briefcase;)), and the hexes are large, so there are no problems placing chips there - in the same “Samurai Battles” "Even on a large Zvezda hex, 4 horsemen fit tightly, and when a commander was added to them, he had to be inserted sideways into the hex. In BL-2, however, there are only "maximum 3", so there will be no problems with pushing in at all can not...
By the way, the fact that the field is not double-sided (as it was in both BL-1 and BoW), IMHO, is not bad at all. If you tried to connect two fields “lengthwise” to create a large field (as in BL-1) for “epic” battles, you would get a field that would not fit on any standard table (and even such “tactical depth” the field is redundant for the game). That is why the side half-hexes (which cannot be entered) are not shaded dark, as in other Borg games - after all, it is with them that the fields for large cards will be connected (for a 2 on 2 game, for example) and impassable half-hexes will turn into full-fledged hexes..
Each of the two factions is represented in the starter by 5 types of figures.
Well, now about the “most delicious” - miniature chips... There is both bad and good news here..
There are 92 figures in the set - this is not as many as in BattleLore-1, but this is partly justified by the fact that the figures are much larger.. (although in my opinion, the old size was better).. The quality of the figures for the board game in general is - it’s not bad, as usual with FFG (tabletop players for the most part squeal with delight at such miniatures, but we, “true wargamers,” understand that this is generally somewhere at the “lower bar” level when compared with miniatures for wargames from serious manufacturers... but not bad for tabletops)... But, alas, I don’t like the style of the figures, although this is a matter of taste, of course.. FFG decided to “unite the brands” (c) and publish the second edition of BattleLore in the world Runebound. As a result, if the first BL was made in a fairy-tale-cartoon style - good for kids, and gray-haired guys pleasing to the eye with "classic fantasy"... Then the second BL was made in a style that I would call comic-anime - in fact, the men are long-legged, long-armed and “small-headed”... This is not even the “model style of ’72” - these figures have more elongated and pretentious proportions... The height of the walking figures is approximately 25-26 mm “to the eyes” (to the top of the head it will be about 30) - but due to the proportions this is never a 25-28mm scale..
Bad news The fact is that the FFG designers smoked something extremely intoxicating when developing the design of the figures:
- demon archers have the property of “poisoning”, so they made arrows for them with snake heads;) ;) - at first I took it on the figure itself for such a curly cut, and then I looked at the art on the card and in the rules - oh my god , this is the head of a snake! ;) Okay, maybe I’m already finding fault - demons are such demons;)
- people have two features, guards and horsemen - left-handers... everyone on the Internet has already complained about this: “the fight of left-handers against evil” ;). By the way, BoW also suffered from leftism from FFG...
- the poor infantry guards are not only left-handed, but in addition to a large shield on their right hand, they also hold a halberd-halberd of considerable length in their left hand, and it is not at all clear how they deal chopping blows with one hand;)
- on the art they painted the roc bird with a “helmet cap” with closed mesh eye protection - on the real figure, on this helmet cap, for some reason they made a relief like feathers or fluff on a real bird’s head - as a result, I already saw a photo where a person didn’t understand that this “helmet” painted everything like a real bird’s head - it looks wild, with metal rounds instead of eyes;). By the way, the rider on the bird is wearing a very exotic attire - two cloaks on top of each other - a short one on top of a long one;) but this is... fantasy.. “everything is possible here” (c) ;)
Good news The point is that the plastic seems to stick quite well with regular model glue and is processed well. I could not identify exactly what kind of material it is: visually it does not look like classic polystyrene and feels less fragile, there is something in it from polyethylene (according to my feelings), but it is glued with model glue (melted with acetone-containing liquids). Probably something hybrid... The majority of the figures are prefabricated, but for some reason FFG already glued some of the parts together, and on the contrary left some disassembled - what’s the point, it’s not clear... For example, the Demon glued its head to its neck, but its neck to the body (as well as the left arm and tail) - you need to attach it yourself... Factory gluing is often sloppy and you will have to putty it.. By the way, gaps also appear when you try to glue it yourself - the parts fit together far from ideally and not quite obviously , where in a particular case what should be sharpened before gluing.. This is not fatal, of course, and is generally unnoticeable for casuals, but if you want to “lick” and paint your army, you will have to work hard..
In general, despite all the shortcomings mentioned above, IMHO, these figures are still worthy of being scrapped - after all, these are no longer different-sized pieces, as in BoW, but miniatures made on approximately the same scale.. Moreover, Moreover, among them there are also quite nice examples.. I especially liked the “Rippers” :), despite the fact that in general I frankly don’t like “demonic themes”;).
Maneuver cards, 40 pieces.
Now let's talk a little about the rules. So far, having only played a couple of games, it’s difficult for me to talk about them qualifiedly (I’ll go to the tournament on Saturday - now, then I’ll be able to “give out earrings to all my sisters”)..
But something can be identified even now. AND
MHO, in terms of the engine, BattleLore-2 is even more similar not to BattleLore-1, but to Borg’s “Commands & Colors: Samurai Battles” (however, at one time, it was the latter that was called a “cut-down version of BattleLore”). Only a lot of the Japanese confusion that was in Samurai was removed and in the end everything was pretty simplified. Still the same scheme: order cards (they are also “maneuver”, “command” - they were called differently in different rules) and “Dragon cards” (in this case, “wisdom cards” and different for factions, but the meaning is the same : activated by tokens, which must be accumulated and received from dice rolls in the game).. And it’s good that tokens are no longer tied to the retreat of units. Kouba, after all, had a hand in this game (judging by the list of developers) and in some of the game’s nuances, but unlike the “long-graphomaniacal” BoW, which became Kouba’s “calling card,” BL-2 is still in general has a laconic appearance, characteristic of Borg’s games (it’s not for nothing that he is not only considered the “author of the idea”, but also the one who “refined and developed” the game)..
The game as a whole in the basic package is designed for “generating a random scenario” and recruiting armies by points (designed for tournaments, apparently), but nevertheless, both Borg and enthusiasts are actively riveting “standard type” scenarios for it... And this is IMHO good, because personally I love normal, balanced scenarios with a logically written storyline.
And the option of generating a scenario from “two halves” is, of course, interesting and probably not bad for tournaments. But the lack of a plot makes them somehow not very "meaningful" or something... especially considering that getting victory points now mainly comes down to holding banner markers (placed in scenarios without much plot background) and completing " strange tasks“like organizing pairs of your units “on a hill and in a forest” or destroying the enemy “near the water”... This is not very “clear” and is not always tactically interesting in the game..
Scenario cards. In the starter there are 7 of them on each side.
What I liked. It’s a good idea to have small squad cards and “blanks” for “invisible” deployment of squads. Yes, this slows down the setup somewhat, but it gives a good tournament model.
Small "position cards" used to place armies on the field.
I definitely liked the new cubes. Not in the sense of their execution (although it is quite decent), but in the sense of a probabilistic model. If earlier in most "color" gaming models the attack took place on the side of the “right color” (and in hand-to-hand combat also on swords), which gave probabilities of 1/6 and 1/3, respectively, using 4 sides of the cube, now the same 1/6 for shooting and 1/3 for melee battles are obtained through 3 sides: “targets” for shooting and “swords” (two and one) for close combat. At the same time, the use of “one sword” now also involves taking into account the weakening of the squad, which has lost 2 out of 3 pieces.. And the freed side of the cube went to activate the special properties of the squad.. And this is good...
New dice and tokens used in the game.
But “color differentiation of pants” is a thing of the past. Formally, now there are no old “green, blue and red” (and corresponding flags) - theoretically, each squad is unique (especially in terms of “special properties”, which sometimes rule more than the basic characteristics) - and everything is indicated on the squad cards, no need to remember the “color” and its properties (and with this came the rules for ignoring “swords” depending on color). Although the balancing of units undoubtedly grows from the old model, of course - the heavies throw 4 cubes each, but “barely crawl”, the middle peasants go for 2, but hit for 3, the shooters shoot for 2.. But now there are no “or go to 2, but you don’t attack, or go to 1 and you can attack” - as much as is written in the movement - you move as much, you can always attack after that. Everything is simplified to the limit. But it's easy to remember and play...
Squad cards.
But, to be honest, I don’t like the way the terrain is implemented in BattleLore. Actually, already in the first edition, as far as I understand, it was possible for a detachment to enter the forest and, although forced to stop, be able to immediately attack. Unlike the model, for example, C&C, when entering the forest the squad not only stopped, but also could not attack on this turn. Plus, the only restriction on combat in the forest limits, in fact, only “close combat” with two dice - shooting at a unit hidden in the forest is carried out in the same way, and two dice are already a base for shooters (again, unlike C&C and Memoir"44, where there is a penalty for shooting at a squad in the forest). As a result, we have an extremely illogical model that the forest affects melee combat, but for some reason does not affect shooting at all.. :(And hills in BattleLore-2 generally affect only for the opportunity to “shoot over their heads”.. Somehow this is frustrating. :(
This, by the way, is one of the problems of those who play various Borg and pseudo-Borg games from time to time: despite the general similarity of the engines, individual nuances are often reflected differently in them. You start to get confused in which game, what is implemented - what are the rules of retreat, how does the terrain influence... etc. etc.
Maps of possible "ready-made" armies.
In general, from the point of view of the rules, at first glance, a somewhat contradictory picture emerges: on the one hand, there is a lot of success, everything is simple and obvious, the game is easy and exciting. On the other hand, there are moments that cause some vague feeling of “imperfection”.. But, as I already said, I’m not ready to judge the rules qualifiedly yet - I need to play more games.. I hope to still get to the tournament this Saturday in Playing and gaining more experience.. It’s a little scary that the tournament regulations stipulate only one hour per game (+10 spare minutes) and this together with the arrangement - so far in the games I played it turned out to be significantly longer (from 1.5 hours) - even if to make allowances for the fact that I played with Kostya, who never played by any of the Borg rules and did not know these theoretically, and with Dima, who is familiar with Borg games, but likes to “think carefully” at the table, then it’s all the same for now I don’t understand how to compress the game down to 1 hour along with the arrangement..
Expected additions to the sets. Photo from FFG website.
Meanwhile, while I was writing this review, FFG (despite rumors about the game's alleged poor sales) announced upcoming additions to basic set, which are promised to be on sale in the first quarter of 2015. These turned out to be not new factions, which many had been waiting for, but additions to existing ones. Well, gentlemen, it seems to me that FFG has scammed us again, and we’ll take it wherever we go ;) Although the price of these two boxes in total will be the same as a large starter box (with most likely less content).. Total 4 new units for each faction, but... I want, I want.. Although even those figures that were in the starting box were enough for 78 points for each army, despite the fact that you can bring no more than 55 points even if you use “tents”... So you will actually have less than half of all your pieces to play on the table. At the same time, taking into account the features of the engine, or rather command cards and the features of calculating victory points, it can be argued that one-on-one games with armies of more than 50 points do not make much sense - you will not be able to use too many units per game, because every turn , on average 3 units are activated, and victory points accumulate quickly enough to have time to take advantage of the “second or third” echelon..
Figures from upcoming expansions. Photo from FFG website.
However, I believe that those who “fit into the theme” should take the add-ons - firstly, the chips will probably have “super properties” in comparison with most “basic” units, and secondly, it is the add-on that will give all the completeness tactical possibilities in a fantasy world: with magicians, heavy cavalry, etc. But is it the full extent? As if FFG had not yet released an addition to these factions - heroes, for example, clearly beg to be included in this “line of figures” or some “musicians”...
Well, in general, in my opinion, among these figures there are simply nice ones - the magician and the demoness look quite decent, and the spider with the berserker, too... Although the figure designers continue to smoke something psychedelic - that's why they gave such strange crap to the equestrian knight in your hand?? Although... fantasy is such fantasy, in “Vakha” some characters actually ride around on horses with giant hammers.. ;)
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Instead of verbiage.
Somehow it suddenly turned out that I had already written everything I wanted to write about ;). But it would be necessary to summarize at least briefly.
So, the bottom line is that I personally like it: simple dynamic engine, highly intuitive gameplay, quite satisfying with the field and quality of the cardboard. I consider the design of the cardboard and paper filling (with new components) to be satisfactory (it doesn’t cause much delight, but it’s also rejection - but I’m just wondering where the work of as many as 30 people is). I like some of the figures (not all of them).. I like the new cube in terms of mechanics. The game should have high replayability, IMHO.
What I personally don't like it: the style of the figures (a matter of taste, of course), logical mistakes and carelessness in the figures are annoying (left-handedness, two quivers, a pierced halberd in combination with a large shield). I don't like the size of the figures: the "bosses" are simply gigantic. I don’t care that FFG doesn’t put organizers in the boxes - anyway, I always buy the organizer boxes myself, put the figures in there and take them to games. So, I couldn’t find a box where the “Roc bird” would fit without any problems (taking into account its future coloring - so that it wouldn’t have to be “stuffed”) and at the same time this box would accommodate the rest of the units in cells and fit normally in my briefcase..
Overall, if this were a new independent game, I'd say it's great. But the game is announced as the second edition of BattleLore, a game in many ways already a cult one with a considerable number of fans around the world, and the “price” of this “2nd edition” is the actual destruction of the first edition. As they say, feel what abandoned people feel: for years they have been collecting add-ons that cost a lot of money, someone was waiting for a reissue or additional reprints, and one fine day they are told: “no, that’s it - there will be nothing more, no new races, no extensions, buy our new brand instead.". In general, this attempt by FFG to "unite brands" seems to me a very gross mistake: be it a new game, undoubtedly, the traditional FFG Runebound brand would add buyers to it. But by using the BattleLore brand (and essentially killing off the line of figures from the first edition, which in many ways was the “sales engine”), FFG actually alienated the entire segment of players and collectors of the first BattleLore. Fans of the first edition would forgive FFG anything: a cheap box without an organizer, a new field and new rules without “color differentiation of pants”, but only in one case - if they ensured the compatibility and usability of old and new figures in the new edition.. Actually, the new figures could easily be from the world of Runebound, the main thing is that they would be the same size and similar style as in the old edition..
But.. what’s done is done... One of our favorite topics on the forum is “rinsing the Star”, because it regularly buries projects that are commercially unsuccessful.. FFG, which regularly also buries unsuccessful projects, as this shows for example, it buries even games that are very popular among players.. :(
I don’t want to end the article on a minor note, so... Thanks to Hobby World for promptly localizing new games. Thanks to Borg and Kouba for the new game - it's not bad at all. Thanks to FFG, who, although they regularly make mistakes, make the games that we play - without them the world would be more boring.. ;) And I’ll play BattleLore 2nd Edition anyway.. Again, after the golems I wanted all the others to paint the figures - now I sit here in the evenings - cutting and drilling, bringing the miniatures to the desired pre-painted state;)
Judging by the descriptions of board games from the Runebound universe, it may seem that the world of Terrinoth, where the events of this line of games take place, is a real stronghold of the forces of evil, in which normal people cannot be found during the day. No matter what game you take, you always have to clear out the minions of evil on an industrial scale. However, dark forces do not dominate Terrinoth. Or rather, they don’t dominate yet, but they really want to. And the second edition of the BattleLore board game lifts the lid on yet another attempt by the scoundrels to take over Terrinoth.
How BattleLore became what it is
BattleLore is a tactical game for two commanders, whose armies will clash more than once in bloody battles. It is no coincidence that I mentioned the second edition in connection with the events in Terrinoth, since the fates of BattleLore and the Runebound universe were intertwined quite recently.
The original BattleLore was released in 2006 by Days of Wonder. The game was invented by Richard Borg, and is based on the Command and Colors system developed by Borg, which became the basis for an entire line tactical games, the most famous of which in Russia is Memoir ’44.
The first edition of the game is dedicated to an alternative development of the Hundred Years War. The alternativeness of events mainly lies in the fact that various fantasy characters take part in battles along with people. The gaming public received the board warmly, which contributed to the rapid expansion of the universe. BattleLore has received many expansions that add a lot of interesting things to the game, some of which were included in the base version of the second edition.
In September 2008, an event occurred that became a turning point in the fate of the game: the publishers Days of Wonder and Fantasy Flight Games (FFG) announced the transfer of rights to the game and all related additions to FFG. The new publisher continued to develop the tabletop game, releasing several more additions, and in 2013 released the second edition of BattleLore.
The news of the upcoming release excited board gamers. On the one hand, updated editions of board games almost always introduce various improvements and also correct shortcomings that were not identified during the testing stage of the original. On the other hand, the action was transferred to Terrinoth, and the announced changes were so radical that initial game there was almost nothing left.
Fans of the classic version claim that FFG simply used the famous brand, “killing” famous game, but admit that some decisions of the second edition are very successful and it would not hurt to add them to the old BattleLore. And in general, the essence of most complaints does not come down to the fact that the game turned out to be weak. Moreover, this is far from the case.
If FFG had released the board game as an independent product with a different name on the box, then there would have been much fewer complaints. But it would take more effort to promote it. And so the combination of the names BattleLore and Runebound on one box did its job, and the target audience immediately increased due to fans of Terrinoth.
Players who have not encountered the first edition of BattleLore liked the game. These people had nothing to compare, and they got acquainted with the game without the pessimistic mood that tormented fans of the classics. It is characteristic that on the main “desktop” Internet resource BoardGameGeek the second edition has a higher rating, which, given its tender age, is very significant.
What has changed?
Since the second edition of BattleLore has so many differences from the first, we will only consider the most significant changes. Moreover, some of the innovations included in the database were already in old game, but not in basic set, and in additions to it.
First of all, the playing field has increased in size. The game now requires more space, but on a larger field it is more interesting to play - you become more immersed in what is happening. In addition, the figures of the fighters have also grown. Now it is more convenient to move them around the field and examine them. The artistic design of the field elements remains the same, while the miniatures in the game are completely new.
Since I've changed game world, then the armies also changed. Indeed, there’s no point in dragging armies from the Hundred Years’ War, albeit with fantasy elements, into the thoroughly fantasy Terrinoth with its own problems. So the history of the wonderful Runebound universe has been replenished with new chapters.
The people of Terrinoth faced a new threat, as if the old ones weren't enough. Somewhere beyond the northern borders of Dakan, the terrible demonic cult of Uthuk Y'llan arose and grew stronger, whose adherents seek to enslave Terrinoth. The army of evil consists of cultists, in whom there is nothing human left, and nightmarish bloodthirsty monsters.
The evil spirits are opposed by the army of Dakan, through whose borders the monsters are trying to break through. Soldiers fight in the ranks of the Dakan army, assisted by a few magical units.
In the first edition, in order to distinguish between friendly and foreign troops, flags were used, which were installed in special sockets on the stands of the figures. In the second edition, identification was simplified by painting the miniatures in different colors. The Uthuk Y'llan units turned red, and the Dakans turned blue.
The number of fighters in squads is now three, instead of the usual four. Although there are exceptions in both editions. In the second, these are legendary units consisting of one particularly powerful creature, but we will talk more about the available troops next time.
Another one interesting feature the second edition, which added novelty to the game, included battle scenarios generated randomly. Previously, preparation for battle was carried out according to one of the ready-made scenarios. Now each player has special cards, each of which is half of the scenario. Players secretly select one of the cards in their hand and then reveal it at the same time. From these two components a common field is created.
The overall picture of the terrain created in this way looks natural, as if the playing field was originally designed this way. Even rivers that break off in front of the enemy half of the field are closed with special plugs-lakes, which adds aesthetics to the battlefield.
Another great innovation is control points. Winning the game is most often achieved by collecting a certain number of points. Previously, points were given for destroying enemy units, which somewhat constrained the game. After all, when using this principle, it is necessary not only to develop an attack, but also to spend orders on withdrawing weakened units to the rear so that the enemy does not finish them off, thereby earning the rewards that are missing for victory.
The second game is much more interesting in this regard, since here in most cases points are awarded for controlling certain points. Some of them are marked on the field with special markers according to the conditions of the scenario. Others are also formed by the conditions of the scenario, but individually for each player. For example, one of them can receive a victory point for controlling two buildings, and the second - for controlling three types of terrain: plain, hill and forest. There are other conditions.
Thanks to this innovation, the game develops more dynamically. It became unprofitable to sit in an ambush, with the exception of some tactical techniques. Therefore, players strive to develop attacks in order to be the first to occupy treasured points or knock out the enemy from there. At the same time, they can safely choose the “not a step back” tactic, using the full potential of weakened units, the loss of which has now become less critical.
In the first edition, units for battle, as well as the battlefield, were placed according to the conditions of the finished scenario. In the second edition, the player himself gathers his army. You can take any units, but calling each one costs a certain number of collection points, the maximum number of which is limited.
The military advice that gives the player has disappeared from the second game additional features. The players assessed this loss ambiguously. Some believe that it was more interesting to play with the military council, others believe that the council burdened the game, so that's where he goes.
For Russian-speaking players, it is also important that, unlike the first edition, the second BattleLore was published in Russian. In Russia, the game was published by the Hobby World company, which had previously localized such games in the Runebound universe as Runebound itself and with several additions to it.
First acquaintance with the second edition
And now it’s time to look inside the massive box and see what’s there. The first thing we see when we remove the cover are instructions for assembling large miniatures. Smaller assemblies are not required. But we haven’t gotten to the miniatures yet, so we’ll continue the excavations.
Next we find two large brochures. One of them contains the rules of the game. The second is a reference book in which all sorts of small nuances are explained in detail. The authors recommend that you first get acquainted with the basics of the game, and refer to the reference book as additional questions arise.
Beneath the brochures are several cardboard forms containing game components. Among them are tiles with landscape elements, first player tokens, wisdom, victory points, damage, bridges and fords, banner markers and some special properties. The cutting quality is good and the elements are easily separated from the molds.
Then we remove the cards from the box. There are a lot of them here: cards of maneuvers, wisdom, armies, scenarios, positions and reference cards of units. In the following articles I will tell you why this is all needed.
And, of course, miniatures. They take up two large packages, some of which are delivered unassembled. They are assembled by simple connection. The developers recommend gluing them together with glue for reliability, but I did without it.
The figures are beautifully detailed. Most of the fighters are shown in motion, and realistically. On the battlefield they look very atmospheric. In my opinion, the first edition figures have a little more detail, but in terms of this frozen movement of the fighters, the new BattleLore looks more impressive.
The last thing we find in the box are four plastic six-sided dice with different symbols. FFG is clearly being greedy, as the number of dice that have to be rolled is often more than four. Moreover, one of the first additions to the new game was a set of eight additional dice.
In my opinion, this is too much even for FFG, which traditionally makes money not only on full-fledged additions, but also on every minor detail. For example, in the same Descent, enemy lieutenants were represented by cardboard tokens, and their figures were sold separately. But either figures or bones.
That's all for now. Next time I will talk about the capabilities of both armies.
I present to you my review of the board game (Second Edition). It turned out to be cumbersome, I warn you right away.
Battlelore 2.0: Angry Righties vs. Blue Lefties
I’m a simple nerd and don’t know the words of love, so I’ll say it straight away: this is Commands & Colors. Yes exactly. They talk a lot about this game, I myself rush around with it like a chicken and an egg, but don’t be fooled - this is not a new word in the game industry, it’s a format phenomenon, another game in the family. Comrade Borga. It's as if they told you that The National a new cool album has been released. If you somehow love all this hipster music, then it's definitely worth buying. If you’ve never listened to anything like this, but it’s interesting, you can check it out. But if for you The National is just “those boring bearded men”, then you can safely pass by, since your opinion will not change one bit.
Same with Battlelore Second Edition— within the C&C family this is very cool game. For those interested in simple war games with a fantasy theme, this is interesting. But if, for some reason of a religious nature, you cannot digest all this Borg casualism, then feel free to pass by. Battlelore 2.0 will not make you tear out your hair and reconsider your outlook on life. These are the same cards “two on the right, one in the center” and the same bad luck on the dice. Have you decided? OK.
The next postulate that will have to be taken into account is a cool game. Really cool. I wasn't too shy at first great experience acquaintance with Borg board games, I tried to play more games with different opponents, otherwise I might be wrong, but the other day Tom Wasel with his corefan responsibly stated that Battlelore Second Edition- a cool game and flies into their personal top 10. Now I have an indulgence, and I can also calmly say that this is a cool game. And you will agree with this. And if you don’t agree, then I know your name, and in general you have your own website.
So, we have two starting points, and we can begin the story directly about Battlelore 2.0. Yes, for short I'll call her 2.0 , since the full title takes longer to type and read, this time. And secondly, this is not “ new edition", and even a new game altogether. In common with Battlelore 1.0 here - only the Borg engine at the core and a fantasy theme.
Were playing? The same thing, but cooler and with different types of troops. C&C: Ancients were playing? The same, but with normally stated rules. Battlelore 2.0 This is a casual wargame in a good and bad sense with knights and monsters.
Family photo. From left to right: Roman elephant, abomination, river watch rider, flesh eater, Citadel guard and a common American soldier.
Two players place figures of fantastic creatures on a picturesque (as far as this word is applicable to colored pieces of cardboard) field, divided into three parts. One of the players posts game card, which says how many units in which parts of the field can be activated, selects and moves these packs of figures, and then rolls the dice to check the attack and passes the move to the opponent. Everything is quite simple. This is still the same wonderful system that managed to bore you to hell back in "Memoir", and then pleasantly invigorated in the battles of antiquity. The devil and God are in the details here.
Fantasy Flight Games has been experimenting with creating a casual wargame with miniatures for a long time. First there was the interesting Tide of Iron line, which FFG developed and developed, and then, with a heavy sigh, . Then they bought the rights to the brand from Days of Wonder Battlelore and released a game based on the super popular “Game of Thrones”, radically reworking the Borg “engine” - and again got Tide of Iron. Both ToI and BoW were witty, innovative games in many ways, the main problem of which was their in-game bisexuality. They simultaneously tried to flirt with the casual audience, and at the same time wanted to interest hardcore wargamers. As a result, the former's legs gave way at the sight of a fifty-page book of rules, and the latter were discouraged by the simplicity of what was happening. Don't think anything of it, these are good and successful (packs of add-ons speak for themselves) games.
IN Battlelore 2.0 FFG tried once again to reconsider the approach to creating a casual wargame and, as in the famous joke, they decided to work with a file: instead of introducing new mechanics and increasing complexity, they decided to create fine tuning system, without complicating it, but adjusting individual points and shifting emphasis. And this time they seem to have hit the bull's eye. The next few paragraphs are devoted to an analysis of the differences between the newborn game and its older sisters, and if you are not a fan of C&C or are not interested in the peculiarities of the mechanics, you can safely scroll to the next subheading.
To start with Battlelore 2.0 fundamentally changed the system for collecting victory points. In classic Borg games, the main source of VP was the destruction of enemy units: remove the last figure from the hex - get a medal for the frag. I collected 6-8 medals - and here it is, victory. Were additional ways like receiving “rolling” medals, which were added to the player while his squad held certain points (see, for example, the first Memoir "44 scenario), but the main emphasis was always on the destruction of the enemy army. This system was often criticized, but at the same time it was persistently transferred from one game to another.
FFG has been used in Battlelore 2.0 a mechanic more reminiscent of their previous games: at the end of a player's turn, they receive victory points if their units occupy key hexes determined by the scenario. Unlike the same “Memoir”, these points are not temporary and are awarded on an accrual basis, just as medals were previously awarded for the destruction of units. IN Battlelore 2.0 you need to earn 16 points, and you need to have at least a minimal advantage over the other player (this condition is checked every time at the beginning of the first player’s turn, so sudden victories are a thing of the past). Victory points for destroying units have now, on the contrary, become optional and depend on the scenario.
What does this mean for the game? The dynamics have changed significantly: many players were afraid that the result would be a dull defensive play, but in reality Battlelore 2.0 turned out to be even angrier and more aggressive than its predecessors. Every turn the player strives to maximize the “arrival” of winning points, and in addition to his “exclusive” scenario conditions and a couple of key points in his own half, there are always key points in the enemy half of the field, and it is necessary, and even very necessary, to get ahead. A successful foray into enemy territory can not only bring a couple of points of a head start on your turn, but also slow down the enemy’s development, since in addition to dirty attacks on your sources of VP, he will also have to repel his own. In addition, some scenarios indicate that the player will receive points for, for example, destroying enemy units in water hexes and on the shore. Add to this that there is no longer any need to waste valuable orders on the retreat of weakened units, since Battlelore 2.0 they are no longer free frags, and coupled with the aggressive special properties of some types of troops you will get one of the most evil games C&C lines.
Yes, about special properties. This is another “trick” of the game. Now each type of unit has a unique ability that is activated under certain conditions. Moreover, each type of troops is unique - there is no more mirroring in the game. Playing as the Lords of Daqan is very different from playing as the Uthuk I'Llan troops. Dakan Guards are great for capturing points, as they can force the enemy to retreat instead of damaging them; But the Bloody Utuk Reapers in battle can sacrifice themselves to inflict additional damage on the enemy, and naturally become Satanic, receiving +1 attack die for each of their dead. The result is exciting chemistry on the field.
But the most interesting innovation concerned the setup. We have already published a post dedicated to this phase of the game, but, I admit, it was only after playing that I realized what a cool thing they came up with in FFG. IN Battlelore 2.0 Scenario cards are used (their own for each side of the conflict), which determine the conditions for obtaining victory points and the landscape of half the field. Each player chooses a scenario, cards are drawn up and thus the field pattern and the conditions of the game are formed. Instead of a predetermined composition of armies, each of the cards indicates hexes on which the player can position his troops. And the players independently recruit troops for a given number of points, place troop cards and dummy cards on the hexes face down, and then simultaneously reveal them and place the figures. It doesn’t sound like much, but in reality it turns out to be not just the icing on the cake, but a huge watermelon. Firstly, in this way the setup itself turns from a banal arrangement of miniatures into a mini-game when you have to decide who to take and how to place it. A secret setup without any screens. By the way, it takes very little time, and again, this is already a game, you are already making decisions that will affect the design of the battle. Secondly, of course, replayability increases, and now even the same landscape on both sides does not mean at all that the game will be similar to the previous one.
Urban astronauts and Encyclopedia Galactica
Battlelore 2.0 In my opinion, it turned out to be the most successful game based on the Borg system. It's fast and easy to understand, but never stupid. Fantasy Flight Games has struck a good balance between complexity and accessibility. A new version games like the famous “Guide to the Galaxy”: it beats its competitors because it’s better, even in small ways, even just a little bit. Battlelore 2.0 although it loses in theme (a real story for me is always more interesting than fantasy, especially such a banal one), but it is more strategic than Memoir"44 thanks to a balanced set of points and special properties of units. C&C: Ancients blocks are more convenient, but they do not look as impressive. And, of course, the setup - recruiting your army is simple and interesting. Even the greed of FFG, which was criticized by everyone, has benefited the game - fewer figures can simply be placed faster. Oh yes, you also definitely need to compare it with Battlelore 1.0- but here I will be extremely short and concise, and moreover, I will be right, even without playing the original. Battlelore Second Edition better simply because the first edition as an "urban astronaut" from old joke song— cool, but simply doesn’t exist. You can only find it at flea markets and, often, at a completely indecent price.
I am in no way suggesting that Battlelore 2.0 This Best game of all times and peoples. She has enough disadvantages:
- this is still the same ancient Borg struggle with probabilities. A thousand times a logical and thoughtful action can end in complete failure due to bad luck on the dice. At the right moment, when you want to rush into an attack on the right flank, you will have order cards for the center and left flank on your hand. This is not fatal to the perception of the game, fortunately Battlelore 2.0 There are also enough order cards without being tied to parts of the field, and there is a rule that allows you to discard any card to activate any one unit instead of playing it. But damn, it's there. The curse of the entire Commands & Colors family. It may not work out here.
- a classic complaint about FFG: “they have mastered the general view - now you don’t have to skip the details.” They fantastically remain the world's top publishing house with some kind of cynically careless or carelessly cynical approach to packaging their wonderful games. Why was it necessary to make such a cardboard insert? He has no mind or heart. In general, the game box is only suitable for delivery in a parcel to the buyer. Then the inlay flies into the trash, and the miniatures migrate to the tool box. Why, despite all the claims, FFG Over and over again they release games in shoe boxes without an organizer? Why does the set only come with four dice, when the game requires you to roll both five and six dice?
Snake from Wrath of Ashardalon versus Riverwatch rider from Battlelore 2.0
- this is fantasy. No, not a good, captivating epic story, but a banal story about a fight between a beaver and a donkey. Here guys in armor from a Hollywood B-movie fight with Chaos from Warhammer Fantasy Battles. The figures are good, although I would not say that they are of any exceptional quality - those of Wizards of the Coast in their line are at least no worse. There is simply no spark, no invention, no witty details. The blue ones are good (and, for some reason, left-handed), the red ones are bad and look cool, since evil cannot look uncool. This is generic fantasy, and, in fact, nothing prevents us from calling the Utuk Khornites.
- to continue the topic - but the game doesn’t have a back. That is, in general. Apart from the inscription on the lid about the Runebound universe and the background page in the rules stylized as a letter (enemies approach their home with a can of gasoline), nothing in the game tells the story of this conflict. Who are the Utuks? Why is the script called "Corrina's Tears" - who is Corrina and why is she crying? Maybe “my last name is too famous to tell you”? Nope, the Internet is full of information about Terrinoth, and even fans on the forums are looking for fluff text and plot clues. Why couldn’t the game be provided with at least a brief introduction to the universe? I'm not talking about a full-fledged book with scenarios or a campaign. Abydna, yes.
And still, Battlelore Second Edition cool. At least at the level of personal preference: of all the board games of the Commands & Colors family that I have tried so far, it is this one that most consistently delivers fun per unit of time. The ratio of effort expended and gameplay in Battlelore 2.0 closest to optimal. Even though the battles of red monsters with blue knights cannot compare with the real battles of Rome and Carthage, moreover, I am still in search of “mine” war game, devoid of the shortcomings of C&C, but damn, Battlelore 2.0 I came very close to the border, beyond which I will stop and ask the author for my hand and heart and live happily ever after. Damn close.
Approximately under New Year I've added another interesting piece to my collection of board games - BattleLore Second Edition. This is such a relatively simple (relatively speaking, because there are a lot of nuances and plenty of room for thought, but it’s still far from a full-fledged “nerdy” wargame) tactics, designed strictly for two players. The game went on sale at the end of 2013, and last summer Russian localization arrived - quite quickly by desktop standards. In addition, the game publisher, Fantasy Flight Games, decided not to stop at selling physical copies and quickly created a digital version of Battlelore, which was first released on mobile devices, and then migrated to Steam.
The name hints that the game clearly has some kind of backstory - the Second Edition console couldn’t have just come out of thin air? There really was a first edition, and less than ten years have passed since its release, but it differs significantly from the new BattleLore in a number of ways: first of all, in the setting and numerous changes in the rules of varying degrees of importance. Also based on the system of the first BattleLore was Battles of Westeros, a tactic based on the works of George Martin. But all this is not directly related to Second Edition, so let’s not digress from the topic.
If initially BattleLore took place during the Hundred Years War, then in the second edition the action was moved to the fantasy world of Terrinoth - where the action of many other Fantasy Flight Games projects takes place: Descent, DungeonQuest, RuneWars and others. The setting is not bad, more or less developed, but without any special zest - classic medieval fantasy, no better or worse than many other similar worlds.
The large and heavy box with the game contains a folding board, several decks of all sorts of bright cards of different sizes and, most importantly, hundreds of plastic miniatures (from small soldiers to an impressive demon that won’t even fit in your fist)! On the one hand, it seems like a lot, if not to say “to hell!” On the other hand, we have two warring factions, each of which has five types of units: infantry, archers, cavalry, heavy infantry and the “boss” - not to say that there’s just too many. Thirdly, in practice there are still enough types of troops, and the dissimilarity of fighters of the same type on different sides of the conflict, the changing tasks of the opponents from party to party and the ability to influence the course of the battle with any kind of magic makes each battle different from the previous one. Although the victory condition is always the same (be the first to score 16 points), the methods of earning these same points depend on the chosen scenario. In addition, scenarios are also assembled, as in a construction kit: each player selects suitable goals for himself and builds the landscape on his half of the field, so here, too, there is quite a lot of scope for customizing each individual battle.
A special feature of the BattleLore combat system is the order cards. Now you are used to the fact that whoever has a large and strong army is right. But in BattleLore, even a numerically superior player can snatch away from a weak enemy who has wisely distributed his forces across the map. The fact is that you can not move all available units, but only those that you activated this turn. And the units are activated special cards orders that allow you to use either troops on a certain area of the map, or fighters of a specific type. Those. It is not enough to have three cavalry regiments on the left flank - you also need to prudently stock up on an order that will allow them all to be sent on the attack at the right moment. Otherwise, they will stand there for the entire party with nothing to do, or even die ingloriously from the arrows of a couple of frail but arrogant archers standing literally on the next hex and activated by the opponent every turn.
It all plays cheerfully, the quality of the components is excellent, the illustrations are pleasing to the eye, and the cards and figures are pleasing to the fingers. The desktop version has, perhaps, only one significant disadvantage: for a long time preparation. Assembling the field, laying out the cards, distributing the armies, and after the game carefully putting everything back into the box - it takes almost half an hour, while the battle itself lasts from forty minutes to an hour and a half.
But the digital adaptation, BattleLore Command, does not have this disadvantage. Here, almost everything is the same, but without the long rearrangement of cards and the movement of soldiers: a few seconds of loading, many mouse clicks, fifteen minutes flew by - here’s the game! True, there were some changes to the rules: for example, the system for issuing orders was redone, and magic is played somewhat differently. The single-player campaign offers good missions, some of which can even be adopted and recreated in desktop version. True, for now they only give you the opportunity to play for the good knights of Dakan, but perhaps the second campaign, for the tribes of Uthuk Y'illan, will appear later, as a paid DLC (that's something, and Fantasy Flight Games' love for releasing add-ons is quite comparable to EA's similar passion ). A huge minus of the digital version is that it does not have a hotseat! Online multiplayer - as much as you like, please, but they don’t allow you to pass the tablet from hand to hand or sit together at the monitor screen. Not in order! Command is not expensive, but not exactly cheap either - $7 (which, nevertheless, is about 10 times less than the box with the desktop game).
As a result, I can say the following: the tabletop BattleLore is good - colorful, replayable, quite thoughtful and not overcomplicated. And besides, it is also available in Russian: in fact, I just have a box with localization from Hobby World. But perhaps we can recommend digital adaptation only to those who cannot find a real opponent in reality and want to spend everything at their favorite board free time or just wants to see what they came up with in the campaign. I cannot recommend BattleLore Command for beginners who have not played the physical version to form an opinion about the game and decide whether it is worth buying - the aftertaste is completely different.
Firstly, there are no tactile sensations (it’s one thing to personally throw dice on the table, and another thing when a random number generator displays several icons on your screen; essentially the same thing, but for some reason the excitement dies). Secondly (although someone will probably argue with this), “Warcraft-like” animated 3D models are far from cool in comparison to static and not even painted plastic miniatures, majestically frozen on a cardboard battlefield: the feeling of the epicness of what is happening is lost. For some reason, when three figures on the table stand on a hexagon with a house drawn, it is perceived as if a battalion of spearmen had occupied the city; on the computer it looks like three men with sticks going to a tavern for beer.
So I’ll probably play around with Command a little more, but then I’ll delete it and forget about it. But I will devote many more evenings to Second Edition, and even, perhaps, will buy some additions (of which, by the way, 5 pieces have been announced just today, but the likelihood of them appearing in Russian, unfortunately, tends to zero). Although if you don’t compare BattleLore Command with the original, you may well like the game.
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