HORDES OF THE THINGS:
Rules Clarifications

If you have rules questions, please email them to us and we'll try to come up with an answer for you.

Q: Why do both Dwarven and Elven armies take twice as many pips to move as normal? Is it because Dwarves are short, and so are Elves?

A: You've misread the rules (pg. 11) -- the extra PIP cost is only for a tactical move in which both Elves and Dwarves move. (Since the two races don't get along, it takes more command effort to make them cooperate.)

Q: Pg. 6, "Sneakers" -- The rule refers to these elements infiltrating and deceiving the enemy, but I didn't find any rules for this.

Q: As the rules are written, Sneakers simply aren't worth 3AP. In general, they are fast-moving blades that can't kill the enemy (except generals), but can be attacked and killed, especially by mounted.

A: Some players prefer a house rule that Sneakers cost 1AP. But remember that Sneakers can also assault Strongholds.

Q: Is there a difference between overlapping and flanking?

A: Yes. Note the illustrations on pg. 40, which show overlapping elements. Overlapping units do not count when determining "the most dangerous result" in combat (see pg. 14, first paragraph). Flanking elements -- those in contact with the enemy's side or rear -- do count.

Q: Pg. 10, Step 2 of the Bound -- Do both players declare their attacks simultaneously, or does one player declare first?

A: Nobody 'declares' attacks. If you read step 2 and 3 you notice the phrase ".. in an order decided by the side whose bound it is," at the end of each step. Here are two popular interpretations of this rule:

1. Some say that the actual Phil Barker way of playing it is that the phasing player decides which of his elements are shooting in the order he chooses. Then if the non-phasing player still has any artillery or shooters eligible to fire, he informs the phasing player, and he then resolves their attacks. (The non-phasing player's elements might not be eligible to fire, since they might have been forced to 'shoot back' if fired upon -- see pg. 12 of the rulebook.)
2. Alternately, the player whose bound it is picks any eligible element (of any player's). If it is his element, he immediately resolves the attack. If the element belongs to another player, that player must either attack now, or forfeit the right to attack with that element in the current phase. After the attack is resolved, the plasing player again picks an element, until no more eligible elements remain.

Q: Can a Shooter element which shot during its own Bound, also shoot during the next (enemy) Bound?

A: Yes.

Q: If an Artillery fires on a Shooter at greater than the Shooter's range,

1. does the Shooter have to "shoot back", wasting its attack since it is out of range? or
2. does the Shooter not have to return fire, since being out of range means it can't shoot back?

A: The Shooter does not have to return fire.

Q: Can Magicians attack during the enemy Bound?

A: No. Unused PIPs are lost at the end of the Bound, so the player can't have any PIPs left to pay for the attack.

Q: Is there a PIP cost when Magicians defend themselves against a bespelling attack?

A: No.

Q: When a Magician defends himself against a bespelling attack, does the defender count any 1's thrown in the defensive bound toward the self-ensorcellment count (as per Ensorcelment, pg. 15)?

A: No.

Q: Pg. 12, "Distant Shooting," last paragraph, it says that 2nd or 3rd elements "aid" the shooting. Does this mean that their combat factor is added to the dieroll of the original attacker, or does this mean that both attackers roll dice, take a total, and then add their combat factors?

A: None of the above. See the example on pg. 40 of the rulebook, and examine the next to last modifier on pg. 13. For each aiding element up to two, a -1 penalty is applied to the target's dieroll.

Q: I want to pivot an Artillery element so that it can fire at a new target. When during the turn can I do this?

A: During the Movement phase, and it'll cost you PIPs for a tactical movement.

Q: Strongholds seem too powerful, given their combat factor of +6.

A: At least Strongholds cannot make attacks on their own...

Q: On pg. 14, second paragraph, does this mean that Elements which attack a Stronghold are immune to unfavourable results?

A: We think you're reading the rule incorrectly. Elements aiding an attack on a Stronghold ignore unfavourable results; the primary attacker is not immune.

Q: Pg. 9, "Strongholds," second paragraph: Gives a maximum size for strongholds, in terms of square paces. Why wouldn't a defender opt for the smallest possible size? For instance, if I had a Dwarf army, wouldn't I want to make my stronghold a solitary door in a hillside?

A: Well, a larger stronghold would give you more flexibility in placing replacement Hordes, and remember that Magicians receive a bonus when near their strongholds. Also, large strongholds are the friends of whose who turn them into mini-dioramas (beautiful even if tactically unsound). If small strongholds are a problem in your playing group, consider adopting a house rule mandating a set stronghold size -- we know one group which uses a size of 20 cm wide by 16 cm deep.