Fantastic Battles
Fantastic Battles (2020-22) is a fast-play, mass-battle, wargaming system for any fantasy setting. The rules emphasise the tactical concerns of command friction and the fog of war through randomised initiative, tabletop mishap rolls and the impetuous decisions of unsupervised unit commanders.
An all-in-one volume, this book contains the rules for stand-alone pitched battles as well as campaigns. Twenty-four example army lists are provided; however, army building is designed to be flexible. A toolkit of base profiles and unit traits allow players to build customised armies to suit their own vision of their fantasy faction.
Scale agnostic, with multi-based figures and no individual figure removal, the game can be played using any fantasy figures, or historical armies from the ancient to the early modern period.
Originally released in November 2020, the rules were updated to version 1.2 in December 2022. A free digital update clarified a small number of rules, and added additional relics, unit traits, several scenarios for asymetrical play, and siege rules. The updated content was integrated with the original rules for all future releases.
The rules are available as a softcover book through Amazon, or as a pdf from Wargame Vault.
A number of free downloadable game aids may be accessed through the links below:
- Army builder (MS Excel spreadsheet)
- Quick Reference Sheets (with page references to v.1.2)
- Free version 1.2 update to the original rules (for players with the original rules in hardcopy)
- Version 1.2 example army lists
A small selection of videos relating to Fantastic Battles can be found here.
Sample pages are shown below. You can find all previous blog posts relating to Fantastic Battles here.
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