Fantasy Rules

• Introduction
• Mass Combat Rules
  • In Print
  • Out of Print
  • Vote for Best Rules
• Skirmish Rules
• Alternative History
• Naval
• Miscellaneous

What is a "Mass Combat" Fantasy Game?

We define a mass-combat game as one in which large bodies of combatants - entire armies, sometimes - meet in battle. Although the game may involve individual heroes, leaders, or monsters, the game also includes regiments of infantry and squadrons of cavalry. These games are also called epic-scale games, or battle-scale games.

Unlike their historical counterparts, designers of fantasy rulesets seldom specify how much time a turn represents, how far an inch on the tabletop is "in reality," or how many men each figure stands for. Therefore, even though there's a world of difference between a mass-combat game and a skirmish game, knowing which game falls into which category isn't always obvious.

Our Rule of Thumb is pretty basic - if figures move about the tabletop in formation, or if there are multiple figures per stand, then it's probably a mass-combat game.