End of the Battle

The battle rages on until both sides have played a predetermined number of turns, until one player concedes defeat or until one army is forced to withdraw from the battlefield. Once the game is over, each side works out how many victory points it has scored. The higher your score the better you have done and the player who scores the most is the winner.

Turns complete

Many players like to play to the bitter end, others prefer a strict turn limit. Players can agree to set a turn limit at the start of the game but are not obliged to do so. Players preferring a limit can either agree how many turns to play or roll a dice at the start of the game to determine how long the battle lasts: 1–2 = 6 turns, 3–4 = 7 turns, 5–6 = 8 turns. Once both players have taken this number of turns, night falls and the battle ends. Alternatively players may agree on random end during the battle. Roll a dice at the end of 5th, 6th and 7th turn. On roll 4+ the battle ends. Battle definitively ends at the end of 8th turn.

Player concedes

A player may surrender at any time he wishes. If he surrenders then his army earns no victory points.

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Withdraw

An army is forced to withdraw in two circumstances. It must withdraw if the General is slain or leaves the table for good, and it must withdraw if it suffers so many casualties that it is judged unable to fight on. In either case the game is ended. Both sides calculate victory points. If the withdrawing side scores higher than the enemy the game is a draw.

General Slain. If the General is slain or leaves the table for good, the army must withdraw. Rumours of their leader’s death soon reach the troops who promptly beat a hasty retreat from the battlefield.

Casualties. At the start of the game each player makes a note of how many units are in his army. Generals, Wizards and Heroes are not included, even if they ride a monster or chariot. Once the army has lost half of its total number of units rounded up it must withdraw. This is often referred to as the army’s ‘break point’ – the point at which the army withdraws or ‘breaks’. Note that units reduced from 3 stands to 1 count as half a unit lost.

Once one army withdraws, the game ends immediately. Victory points are calculated to establish the victor.

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Victory points

Victory points are earned as follows:

  1. Each enemy unit destroyed and each slain character earns its full points value as given in the Warmaster Army Lists. In the case of characters, this value includes mounts. In all cases, the value includes magic items.

  2. Each enemy unit reduced from three or more stands to one stand earns half its points value rounding up to the nearest 5 points and including the value of any magic item. Enemy units which start the game at one or two stands must be destroyed to earn victory points.

  3. Some of the battles described later include bonus victory points for achieving specific objectives. A few battles do away with victory points altogether and victory is determined purely by objectives achieved.

You can keep track of victory points as you go along or you can wait until the end of the game and work out the points from the ‘dead heap’. It makes no difference either way.

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