ESSENCE OF WAR

CREDITS
Like Alchemists distilling the essence of matter, or Necromancers aiming for the soul of the living, the
scribes of the Academy of Aschau offer you a Compendium of the art of war. We’d also like to thank all
the community members and other staff who contributed with their suggestions, feedback and support.

PRODUCTION TEAM

Relentless Fighters Underground Support

Arturiki, Garaz Zaki, piteglio, Eru, Henrypmiller, Mad’At,
Remy77077, Trakritch theunwantedbeing
Freshly Summoned Eternal Gratitude
Idum, Lich King, Vulgarsty The previous Quickstarter teams

ARTISTS

Cover p. 24-25 Ornaments

Thomas Karlsson Michele Bertilorenzi to be determined

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 10 MELEE PHASE 20
Contents 10.1 ROUND SEQUENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
10.2 ROLL ATTACKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
10.3 COMBAT RESULT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
1 REQUIRED MATERIALS 4
10.4 BREAK TEST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
1.1 DICE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
10.5 FLEE AND PURSUIT . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
10.6 COMBAT PIVOT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
2 ARMIES 5
2.1 MODELS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 11 DAEMON LEGIONS 24
2.2 UNITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.3 CHARACTERISTICS . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 12 DAEMON LEGIONS 24

3 LOGISTICS 7 13 OGRE KHANS 25

3.1 MEASURING DISTANCES . . . . . . . . . 7
3.2 LINE OF SIGHT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 14 OGRE KHANS 25
3.3 TERRAIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
15 SYLVAN ELVES 26
4 GENERAL PRINCIPLES 9
4.1 CHARACTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 16 SYLVAN ELVES 26
4.2 ATTACKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
17 UNDYING DYNASTIES 27
4.3 PANIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
4.4 FLEE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 18 UNDYING DYNASTIES 27
5 PLAYING A GAME 12 19 WARRIORS OF THE DARK GODS 28
5.1 BATTLEFIELD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
5.2 DEPLOYMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 20 WARRIORS OF THE DARK GODS 28
5.3 TURNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
5.4 VICTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 21 BUILDING AN ARMY 29
21.1 ARMY RESTRICTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . 29
6 CHARGE PHASE 13
6.1 DECLARING CHARGES . . . . . . . . . . . 13 22 VICTORY CONDITIONS 30

7 MOVEMENT PHASE 16 23 MODEL RULES 31

7.1 RALLY FLEEING UNITS . . . . . . . . . . 16
24 CHARACTERS 33
7.2 MOVING UNITS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
24.1 MOVEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
8 MAGIC PHASE 17 24.2 MOUNTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
8.1 FLUX CARDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 24.3 SPECIAL ITEMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
8.2 SPELLCASTING SEQUENCE . . . . . . . . 17
25 THE BESTIARY 34
8.3 Casting Attempt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
8.4 Dispelling Attempt . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 26 THE GRIMOIRE 35
8.5 Miscast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
27 ÅSKLANDERS 36
9 SHOOTING PHASE 18
9.1 AIM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 28 ÅSKLANDERS 37

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I have travelled this world, from East to West and back again. I have seen every beast and being the five continents have
to offer, and fought with most. If you would command armies, heed my words well.

Prepare your armies. Deploy them well, be mindful of the terrain. Observe and know your enemy, exploit his strengths
and guard against your weaknesses. Be decisive, yet patient. Hold your ground, but recognise a lost cause. And know
that in spite of all, the Fates may mock all your plans and talents, casting your forces into disarray. In that moment,
there is but one course. Spit in the eye of the Fates. Take everything they throw at you, and smile back a bloody grin.
Then carve your own destiny into the hides of your foes. Only the will to triumph and the wisdom to make it happen will
see you rise.

Now, venture forth and earn your name, earn your place in the history of the Ages, and perhaps you will determine the
nature of the next Age.
— Advice from a General to his student before battle

WHAT IS THE 9TH AGE?

The 9th Age, often shortened to T9A, is a community driven project dedicated to making various tabletop action and
wargames in the fantasy setting of the 9th Age World. It also provides the associated hobby community a central
hub for interaction, where they can present their own work and ideas or improve their skills by learning from other
players.

The 9th Age: Quick Starter is a tabletop wargame in which two forces clash in an exciting struggle for glory or
survival. Each force is composed of various foot soldiers, skilled archers, mounted knights or inspiring heroes. The
game takes place on a 3 by 4 foot battlefield (90x120 centimetres) and use six-sided dice to resolve different actions
such as striking a foe in combat, protecting your own from harm or fleeing from a lost cause. The 9th Age: Quick
Starter is a ruleset designed to introduce people to wargaming in the World of the 9th Age using simple rules and
small armies, as an introduction and a stepping stone towards our other more complex games.

STRUCTURE OF THIS BOOK

The book is organised in two parts: Rules and Armies. Each part is further divided in two sections: Basic and
Advanced. If you are a new player, read the Basic Rules and use two Basic Armies to play your first games. The Basic
Rules are divided into a first collection of chapters that cover the core mechanisms of the game (Required Materials,
Armies, Logistics, General Principles, Playing a Game), followed by a second collection of chapters that contain rules
for each phase of a turn (Charge, Movement, Magic, Shooting, Melee).

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 REQUIRED MATERIALS
I know they say to expect the unexpected, but expect all the normal stuff too!
Before you and your opponent sit down to actually play
a Quick Starter game, there are preparations new gener-
als must first make. You need to choose your army and
gather the equipment needed to play a game. Prepara-
tion for the game is definitely a key part of the fun, as this
is also when you choose your army! Be warned though,
choosing an army might spark a deep and zealous love
for a specific faction, as you’ll find that each faction has
its own unique traditions, units and available miniature
models. Have fun discovering this passion!
To play a game of The 9th Age: Quick Starter, you need
a good attitude, an opponent and a few tools:
• An army made from tokens, cut-outs or miniature
models
• A large gaming table or other flat surface (kitchen or
dining room tables work great!)
• Terrain pieces — wargaming or homemade terrain
is ideal, but feel free to use books or paper cut outs
for your first games
• A ruler, in inches
• Six-sided dice, preferably at least 10
• Additional tokens or coins to keep track of in game
effects, such as units that are fleeing or models that
are wounded.
4
— General di Lorenzo
DICE
Sometimes unexpected events can turn the tide of battle.
A unit of archers might defy the odds and fend off a su-
perior unit of hardened warriors. To represent this, in
game actions are decided by the combination of skill and
chance. In a game of 9th Age, many dice will be rolled!
The type of dice used is the six-sided dice, commonly
referred to as a ”D6”, with a range from 1 to 6. The
effects of a dice roll often depend on whether the rolled
value is equal to or higher than a set value. For exam-
ple, as a dice roll that is successful if the dice rolls ’3’ or
higher. This is often referred to as a ”3+” (or 2+, 4+, 6+,
etc.).
The game sometimes requires the roll of a D3. This is
performed by rolling a D6 and then halving the result,
rounding up, so that the result can only be 1, 2, or 3.
Sometimes, the rules instruct you to roll more than one
of these dice at the same time. This is represented by
a number before the type of dice rolled, such as ”3D6”,
which means to roll 3 six-sided dice and add the results
together. On other occasions, a dice roll may be modi-
fied by adding or subtracting a number, such as D6+1.
In such cases, simply add the relevant number to or
subtract it from the result of the roll.
Some effects in the game call for re-rolling certain dice,
such as ”failed to-wound rolls”, or ”Armour Save results
of ’1’”. When you encounter such situations, reroll the
relevant dice. Dice can only ever be re-rolled once. The
second result is final, no matter the cause/source or
result.
 ARMIES
Drop after harmless drop, the Orcs became a green tide, and submerged our allies’ Holds
— Ninvael, emissary of the Pearl Throne

As the general, it is your duty to command your army

on the battlefield, but first you will have to pick one of
the different armies available to you. If you are about
to play your first game, we recommend that you play
at least one game with a Premade Quick Starter Army
List, that you can find from page XX. The Premade Army
Lists contain the following information:

Figure 1: An example of Unit Entry from a Preset

Troops & Units Armylist.

Each Premade Army List has several entries that de-

scribe the types of forces available within that army.
These are your warriors on the battlefield, and are rep-
resented by several models acting as a single element
called a Unit.
The Unit Entry
Each unit has a unique entry as detailed on the Pre-
made Army List, which details how the unit behaves in
the game. All unit entries share the same components:
• Name, icon, formation and base size: Each unit is
identified by its name, its icon, and the number of
models it is composed of, listed as files (width) x
ranks (length). The skull icon is used to represent
unique personalities known as Characters. The unit
entry also notes the base size that is used by all the
models in the unit.
• Characteristics Profile: Every unit has a charac-
teristic profile that details the strengths and weak-
nesses of the soldiers. All models in the unit share
this profile, described in the Characteristics section
below.
• Model Rules: Describes additional rules that apply
to the unit. Not all units have Model Rules. Addition-
ally, some units have special abilities that set them
apart from the rest, such as the commanding ability
of a general or the magical ability of a wizard. These
abilities will be listed below the Characteristics Pro-
file, and the special rules contain all the information
necessary to use them. Finally, shooting units, such
as archers or crossbowmen, will have their shooting
attacks described here as well. All the models in the
unit share the same shooting attack rules. How they
work will be addressed in full detail in the Shooting
Phase section.
• Spells: Most armies have access to powerful wield-
ers of magic. These wizards and mages can cast the
spells known to their army, which are noted with
their unit entry. The full rules for magic and casting
spells can be found in the Magic Phase Section.
MODELS
The world of the The 9th Age is home to many factions,
and all have their own unique troops: like armoured
swordsmen, savage orcs, brutal ogres, monstrous crea-
tures, nimble archers and arcane wizards. In a Quick
Starter game, all these troops are commonly represented
by miniature models.
Models are placed on bases of a size and shape given in
the unit’s entry. All in-game measurements are made
from this base, not from the model itself. Base sizes
are given as two measurements in millimetres: front
(width) x side (length).
Two models are in base contact with each other if their
bases are touching one another, including corner to
corner contact.
UNITS
While large monsters fight alone, most models find
strength in numbers and join together to fight in battle.
Acting as a single unit, shooting, defending, and attack-
ing at the same time. As a unit, many small humanoids
might stand a chance fighting a dragon or a similar
fearsome opponent!
All models are part of a unit. A unit is either a single
model operating on its own, or a group of models de-
ployed in a formation consisting of ranks along the
length of the unit, and files along the width of the unit,
or a single model operating on its own. Whenever a
rule, ability, spell, etc. affects a unit, all models in the
unit are affected. When forming a unit, all models in
the unit must have their bases aligned in base contact
with each other and face the same direction. Units
cannot be broken apart into smaller units. All ranks
must always have the same width, except for the last
rank which may be shorter than the other ranks due to
Removing Casualties (see page XX).

5
The width and formation a unit is deployed in is given
in each unit’s entry. For example: ”6x3 models” means
that the unit has 6 files and 3 ranks. A Unit Boundary is
an imaginary rectangle drawn around the outer edges
of the unit. The Centre of a unit is the centre of its Unit
Boundary. Two units are considered in base contact
with each other if their Unit Boundaries are touching
one another, including corner to corner contact. A
unit can only move in base contact with an enemy unit
through a successful Charge. In any other circumstance,
all units must end their movement at least 1″ away
from Impassable Terrain and from both friendly and
enemy units.
A unit has 4 arcs: front, rear, and two flanks. Each arc
is determined by extending a straight line from the
corners of the unit’s bases, in a 135 degrees angle from
the unit’s front (for the front arc), rear (for the rear
arc) or flanks (for the flank arcs), see figure 2.
Figure 2: This unit has 3 ranks and 5 files. The Centre
of the unit is the centre of the rectangle drawn around
its outer edges (= Unit Boundary).
CHARACTERISTICS
Fast units get to pick their fights, nimble units strike be-
fore their enemy realises they’re being attacked, strong
units cleave through tough hide and armour, resilient
units withstand blows which would fell lesser beings,
while disciplined units stand and fight when others run.
Most units excel in a specific task related to a character-
istic while some are elite and excel at everything.
6
Each unit entry contains the following Characteristics:
Adv Advance Rate: The distance the model can Ad-
vance Move in inches per turn
Mar March Rate: The distance the model can March
Move in inches per turn
Dis Discipline: The model’s ability to stand and fight
HP Health Points: When the model loses this many
Health Points, it is removed as a casualty
Def Defensive Skill: How well the model avoids be-
ing hit in melee
Res Resilience: How easily the model withstands
blows
Arm Armour: The Armour of the model
Att Attacks: The number of times the model can
strike in melee
Off Offensive Skill: How good the model is at scor-
ing hits in melee
Str Strength: How easily the model can wound en-
emy models in melee
AP Armour Penetration: How well the model can
penetrate the Armour of enemy models in melee
Agi Agility: Models with higher Agility strike first in
melee
Performing a Discipline Test
To perform a Discipline Test the player nominates a
model to use their Discipline to hold the unit together,
this is typically the model with the highest Discipline
value in the unit, such as when a Character joins a unit.
The Player now rolls 2D6 and compares the result with
the Discipline Characteristic of the model. If the roll
result is equal or less than the Discipline value, the test
is passed. Otherwise, the test is failed.
There are many different game mechanics that may
call for a Discipline Test, such as performing a Panic
Test or a Break Test. All such game mechanics are Dis-
cipline Tests, regardless of any additional rules and
modifications described in their relevant sections of
the rulebook.
 LOGISTICS
The result of any battle is all but assured by the time the armies take the field. All that’s left are formalities
— Queen Mother Siglinde, known as ”The Great Cynic of Aschau”

The Battlefield is the stage of grand clashes between MEASURING DISTANCES

armies. It might be an open plain upon which two hon-
ourable generals choose to fight their battle. It might be All successful generals share one unique talent: the abil-
a cold and barren wasteland, where an expeditionary ity to interpret the layout of a battlefield with great
force seeks out an unknown evil, or it might be the ruins precision. This is what enables them to order their cav-
of a destroyed village, the site of a vicious ambush. In The alry to charge at the right moment and to order the
9th Age: Quick Starter, you and your opponent decide missile troops to fire on the vulnerable foe.
how the battlefield looks and what terrain features it
contains.
The measuring unit in The 9th Age: Quick Starter, is the
inch, shortened to: ”. An inch corresponds to 2.54cm.
To play a game of The 9th Age: Quick Starter, you need To determine the distance between two points on the
a flat surface of approximately 36” wide and 48” deep Battlefield (or two units, or any other elements), you
(approximately 90x120cm). This will be the battlefield must always measure from the closest points, even
for your game. if this line goes through any kind of intervening or
obstructing element. Ignore such obstructions for the
purposes of measurement.
It is possible to use a regular table, but gamers often
create a battlefield by painting and decorating a sheet Players are always allowed to measure any distance at
of wood specifically for their games. There are many any time.
great materials available for the creation of your battle
field and because you are free to decide how it will look,
your options are endless, so feel free to be creative!
Another relatively popular option to create a battlefield
is to purchase a gaming mat. This is a flexible, high
quality mat, with a pre-printed design, that can be
rolled out onto a table, creating a battlefield in less
than a minute.

A game of The 9th Age: Quick Starter may include

any terrain pieces you and your opponent like, such
as hills, forests, swamps, ruins, boulders, buildings,
and cliffs. Terrain can be represented by simple pa-
per cut-outs, homemade constructions or any other
available miniature terrain. The recommended terrain
size is from 3x4” to 6x8” (approximately 70x100mm
to 140x200mm), but feel free to experiment!
LINE OF SIGHT
The Board Edge represents the boundaries of the game. Some archers have perfected the skill of using terrain
Models cannot move outside the Board except when to their advantage. They learned to not rely on their
fleeing or pursuing off the table. friendly knights to save them during battle. “If a dragon
cannot see you, it can not eat you!”

A model can trace a Line of Sight to its target (usually

a point on the battlefield or another model) if you can
extend a straight line from the front of the model’s base
directly to its target, without going outside of its unit’s
front arc, and without being interrupted by either Im-
passable Terrain or models from other units. A unit is
considered to have a Line of Sight to a target if one or
more models in the unit have Line of Sight.

7
 TERRAIN
A traditional army might feel at ease fighting battles on
open plains. Its units need space to move around and
get into position. They might get stuck or blocked if they
have to manoeuvre around ruins, large rocks, or pits.
Because a general cannot always choose the battlefield,
he learns how to fight in all types of terrain.
A Terrain Feature is an area of the Battlefield that grants
specific rules and effects to units or models. All parts
of the battlefield are divided into one of the following
categories:
Open Terrain
Some commanders agree to meet each other in the open
field, so they can display their skills of war without ex-
ternal interference.
Open Terrain has no effect upon Line of Sight or Move-
ment. All parts of the board that are not covered by
any other kind of Terrain are considered to be Open
Terrain.
Elevated Terrain
The elevated position of a hill or ziqqurat gives a natural
advantage to anyone atop it.
• Line of Sight: Can be drawn onto and down from
Elevated Terrain, but not through it.
• Elevated position: When determining Cover to or
from models on Elevated Terrain, ignore all inter-
vening models which are not on Elevated Terrain
themselves. Note that Line of Sight is still blocked by
intervening Impassable Terrain.
8
Hindering Terrain
The rules for Hindering Terrain can be used to represent
all forms of terrain impeding movement, such as dense
forests, old ruins and treacherous marshlands.
• Line of Sight: Can be drawn through Hindering Ter-
rain.
• Cover: Units with more than half of their Target Fac-
ing inside and/or behind Hindering Terrain benefit
from Cover.
• Movement: The movement of models with bases of
20x20mm or 25x25mm is unaffected by Hindering
Terrain. Models with bases larger than 25x25mm
that march, charge, flee, pursue or overrun into, out
of or through a piece of Hindering Terrain have to
roll a D6 for each model. If a ’1’ is rolled, the model
suffers a hit that wounds automatically and has Ar-
mour Penetration 10. These wounds do not cause
Panic (see page 11).
• Broken Ranks: Units with the majority of its bases’
area inside Hindering Terrain can never be Steadfast
(see page 21).
Impassable Terrain
Impassable Terrain represents terrain that cannot be
moved through, such as closed off buildings, steep cliffs
or huge boulders.
• Line of Sight: Cannot be drawn through Impassable
Terrain.
• Movement: Models cannot move into or through Im-
passable Terrain, and remain at least 1” away such
terrain. If a Flee movement ends with the Unit Bound-
ary on an Impassable Terrain, extend the Flee move
accordingly (see page 11).
 GENERAL PRINCIPLES
In principle, I generally find that the most principled generals
have the poorest understanding of general principles.
CHARACTERS
Characters are represented in the army list by a skull
icon. All Characters can operate individually. In this
case, follow the normal rules for units composed of
a single model i.e. it has no ranks, and can make any
number of Pivots during Advance and March Moves.
However, Characters can also operate as part of other
units, by joining them and creating a Combined Unit. A
Character can only join a unit by deploying the Charac-
ter in the unit during Deploying Units in the Pre-Game
Phase. A Character can only deploy in a unit like this if
it has the exact same base size as the unit’s models.
Units with 1 rank in their army list description can be
joined by a maximum of 1 Character. Units with 2 or
more ranks in their army list description can be joined
by a maximum of 2 Characters. Each Character joining
such a unit replaces a regular unit model in the first
rank. You should remove those regular unit models
from the game to maintain a consistent unit boundary
footprint.
Figure 3: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur
sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor in-
vidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed
diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo
dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea
takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.
9
— Duke D’Auberge, in writing
Once joined to a unit, the Character is considered as
part of the Combined Unit for all rules purposes, and
they cannot leave the unit. Note that Characters do not
gain any model rules (such as Shooting Weapons) that
the regular unit models have when in a Combined Unit.
Swap places
If a Combined Unit is not Engaged in combat, Charac-
ters can swap places with another model in the first
rank in the unit during the Movement Phase.
If a Combined Unit is Engaged in combat, Characters
from the Active Player may swap places at the begin-
ning of the Melee phase, but must always be placed in
base-to-base contact with an enemy model if they do
so.
Distributing hits
When an Attack hits a Combined Unit that does not al-
low specific models to be targeted, such as most Spells
or Shooting Attacks, the hits are all resolved against
R&F models. The only way in which a Character in a
Combined Unit can be attacked is either by first elim-
inating all the R&F models, or by allocating attacks
specifically onto the Character.
If a Combined Unit has all its R&F models killed, leaving
one or two Characters behind, the remaining Charac-
ter(s) keep forming a unit, which is still considered
to be the same unit for ongoing effects (such as Lasts
one Turn spells) and Panic (no unit is considered de-
stroyed).
 ATTACKS Armour Saves and Modifiers

Whenever an attack hits a model, use the following If one or more wounds are inflicted, the player whose
sequence. Complete each step for all the attacks that unit is being wounded now has a chance to save the
are happening simultaneously (such as all Shooting At- wound(s) if it has any Armour. To make an Armour
tacks from a single unit or all Close Combat Attacks at Save Roll, roll a D6 for each wound and consult the
the same given Agility step) before moving on to the table below.
next step. A natural roll of ’1’ will always fail. If the Armour Save
is passed the wound is disregarded. For example, if a
1 Attacker rolls to wound; if successful, pro- Knight with Armour 5 is wounded by an attack with AP
ceed. 2, the defender will have to roll at least a (7-5+2 =) 4 to
2 Defender rolls Saving Throws; if failed, pro- do a successful Armour Save. With a result of ’1’, ’2’ or
ceed. ’3’, the wound is not saved. The following table shows
the different possible results of the formula:
3 Defender removes Health Points or casual-
ties. Target’s Arm Required
4 Defender checks for Panic. minus Attack’s AP to Save
0 or less No save possible
1 6+
2 5+
3 4+
4 3+
5 or more 2+

Losing Health Points

For each unsaved wound, the unit being attacked loses
a Health Point.
• Rank and File models: Non-Character models in
To-Wound Rolls the same unit share a common Health Pool.If the
attack was against non-Character models, their com-
If an attack has a Strength value, it must successfully bined Health Pool loses 1 Health Point. Models are re-
wound the target to have a chance to harm it. An moved as casualties when they reach 0 Health Points.
attack with Strength 0 cannot wound. Compare the If the models have 1 Health Point each, remove one
Strength of the attack to the Resilience Characteristic model for each lost Health Point. If the models have
of the target by subtracting the Resilience value from more than 1 Health Point each, remove whole mod-
the Strength value of the attack and consulting the chart els whenever possible. Keep track of Health Points
below. lost that are not enough to kill an entire model (e.g.
by placing markers next to wounded models or by
The player that inflicted the hit makes a to-wound roll
using a dice). These lost Health Points are taken into
for each attack that hit the target. An unmodified roll
account for future attacks.
of ’6’ will always succeed and an unmodified roll of ’1’
For example, a unit of 10 Trolls (3 Health Points each)
will always fail. If the attack does not have a Strength
loses 7 Health Points. Remove two whole models (6
value, follow the rules given for that particular attack.
Health Points), leaving 1 Health Point leftover which
Roll a D6 for each hit. To find out what score is needed
is kept track of with a dice or token. Later, this unit
to successfully wound the target, see the table below.
loses 2 Health Points, which is enough to kill a single
Troll since 1 Health Point was lost from the previous
Attack’s Str Required
attack. If the unit is wiped out, any excess lost Health
minus Target’s Res to Wound Points are ignored.
• Character models: Character models can only lose
2 or more 2+
Health Points when they are specifically targeted by
1 3+ an attack (for example, by allocating Close Combat at-
tacks towards them). If so, the attacked model loses
0 4+
1 Health Point for each unsaved wound, and is re-
-1 5+ moved as casualty when reaching 0 Health Points. If
the model is killed, any excess inflicted Health Points
-2 or less 6+
are ignored.

10
Removing Casualties
Casualties are removed from anywhere on the rear
most rank. If the unit has a single rank, remove models
as equally as possible from both sides of the unit. If
the unit is engaged, remove the models in a way that
the number of units (highest priority) and number of
models (lowest priority) in base contact is maximised.
Note that the requirement to remove casualties equally
from both sides of a single rank unit only applies to
each batch of simultaneous attacks.
If a Character is standing in a position that would nor-
mally be removed as a casualty, remove the next eligi-
ble R&F model and move the non-Character(s) inwards.
Character casualties are removed from their positions
within the unit directly. Other models are then moved
to fill in empty spots. When doing this, the models fol-
low the same guidelines as for casualty removal stated
above.
PANIC
Panic Tests are Discipline Tests taken immediately after
any of the following situations arise:
• A friendly unit is destroyed within 6″, including flee-
ing off the board, in any Phase. Measure from the
destroyed unit’s Unit Boundary as it was at the start
of the Phase in which the unit was destroyed, or the
unit’s position when it touched the Board Edge.
• A friendly unit Breaks from combat within 6″. Mea-
sure from the breaking unit’s Unit Boundary before
the unit makes its Flee Move.
• A friendly unit Flees through the unit’s Unit Bound-
ary. Test once the Fleeing unit has completed its
move.
• The unit suffers, in a single Magic or Shooting Phase,
Health Point losses equal to or greater than 25% of
the number of Health Points that it had at the start
of the Phase. Units that started the game as a single
model (as specified on the Army List), do not take
Panic Tests from this.
11
Units do not take Panic Tests if they are Engaged in
Combat, if they are already Fleeing or if they already
passed a Panic Test earlier during that Phase.
Units which fail a Panic Test due to a friendly unit being
destroyed or Breaking from combat flee directly away
from the closest enemy unit.
Units which fail a Panic Test in the Magic or Shooting
phase due to Health Point losses flee directly away from
the unit that inflicted the most Health Point losses.
Determine the direction by drawing a line from the
Centre of the enemy unit being fled from through the
Centre of the panicking unit and Pivot the panicking
unit around its Centre, so that the middle point of its
Rear Facing is along this line (for more details on Piv-
ots, see page 16). Then immediately make a Flee Move
with that unit using the rules below.
FLEE
To perform a Flee Move, roll 2D6 to determine the Flee
Distance. Move the fleeing unit this distance straight
forward.
If this move should make the fleeing unit end its move
in contact with another unit or Impassable Terrain,
extend the Flee Distance with the minimum distance
needed for the unit to get 1″ away from such obstruc-
tions. Remember that units take Panic Tests if a friendly
unit flees through their Unit Boundary.
If the Flee Move takes the fleeing unit into contact with
or beyond the Board Edge, the unit is destroyed. Re-
move the unit as a casualty as soon as it touches the
Board Edge.
When a unit is fleeing, it cannot perform any action,
including: Declare Charges, Move (other than Flee),
Shoot or Cast Spells. The Active Player can attempt to
Rally Fleeing Units in the Movement Phase (see page
16).
 PLAYING A GAME
Only a defeated army declares a great victory. The real winner survives to see the state of the battlefield, and knows no
victory can rightly be called great
BATTLEFIELD
The recommended size of the gaming board for The
9th Age: Quick Play is 36″ wide and 48″ deep. While
some battles may take place on a completely flat board,
a Battlefield typically has Terrain Features placed upon
it. You and your opponent can freely agree on the size,
type, and number of Terrain Features to be placed,
as well as their positions. If an agreement cannot be
reached, roll D3 to choose one of the maps depicted on
page XX.
When setting up the battlefield, put a marker such as a
flag, a coin, or something similar on the table to mark
the centre of the Battlefield. This will be used to help
determine the winner of the game (see Victory).
DEPLOYMENT
Both players roll a D6. The player that rolls higher
picks a side of the table, deploys first, and has the first
turn. If a tie is rolled, roll again.
The Table is divided into halves by the straight line
through the centre of the board, parallel to the table’s
short edges. Deployment Zones are areas more than
12″ away from this line (see figure 4). The player that
goes first chooses which Deployment Zone belongs to
which player.
Figure 4: Deployment zones are 12″ away from the
straight line going through the centre of the board and
parallel to the table’s short edges.
12
— Frau Janz, in Behemoth
Starting with the player that goes first, each player
deploys all units in their army, fully inside their own
Deployment Zone. Once the entire army of the first
player has been deployed, the other player now de-
ploys. Once both players have deployed all their units,
you are ready to play the first turn. The player that
deployed first has the first turn.
TURNS
The 9th Age: Quick Play is a turn based game. A stan-
dard game lasts for 4 Game Turns which are made up
of Player Turns. One player has the first turn Player
Turn, in which they use their units to move and attack.
After this, the other player has their first Player Turn.
When this comes to an end, Game Turn 1 is completed.
In Game Turn 2, the first player now has their second
Player Turn, and so on, until both players have com-
pleted 4 Player Turns, which marks the end of the game.
Each Player Turn is divided into five Phases, performed
in the following order:
1 Charge Phase
2 Movement Phase
3 Magic Phase
4 Shooting Phase
5 Melee Phase
In the 9th Age: Quick Play, we use these terms through-
out the book to help clarify which player is performing
a particular action:
• The Active Player is the player whose turn currently
is.
• The Reactive Player is the player whose turn cur-
rently is not.
VICTORY
After both players have played 4 Player Turns, remove
from the battlefield all Fleeing units and all units listed
as a single model on the Army List, including Characters.
The player with most units within 66″ of the center of
the table is the winner. If there is a tie, or no player has
any unit within 6″ from the centre, the game is a draw.
If one player manages to completely destroy the oppos-
ing army and it has at least one unit within 6″ of the
centre of the table, the game is considered a massacre.
 CHARGE PHASE
It’s not the quickest hound in the kennel, but once it gets going, there’s no escaping in steady advance.
In this phase, you set the stage for the battle to come. Are
you holding back to see what your enemy does, and keep-
ing your rear covered? Or will you send quick flankers
down the sides, and advance your core through the mid-
dle? How will your enemy react?
DECLARING CHARGES
If you want any of your units to engage an enemy unit
in Combat, you must declare which units will attempt
to charge, and which enemy unit is the target, one at a
time. Each time the Active Player declares a charge, the
Reactive Player must declare the charged unit’s Charge
Reaction before moving to the next Charging Unit. You
can use tokens to keep track of units’ Charge Declara-
tions and Reactions.
Units that are Fleeing or that are Engaged in Combat
cannot declare charges. Charges can only be declared
at targets that are in the charging unit’s Line of Sight
and that the charging unit has a chance of completing
the charge against. This means that the target unit
must be within the charger’s potential Charge Range
and there must be enough room to move the charger
into base contact with its target. Friendly and enemy
units cannot be moved into or through whilst Charging.
When considering if a charge is possible, do not take
any potential Flee Charge Reactions into account, but
do take already declared charges into account, since
other charging units might have a chance to move out
of the way.
Charge Reactions
Each time the Active Player declares a charge, the Reac-
tive Player must declare the charged unit’s Charge Re-
action before any further charges are declared. There
are two different Charge Reactions: ”Hold” and ”Flee”.
• Hold: A Hold reaction means that the unit prepares
for impact. A unit Engaged in Combat can only
choose a Hold reaction.
• Flee: The charged unit flees directly away from the
charging enemy. Determine the direction by drawing
a line from the Centre of the charging unit through
the Centre of the charged unit and Pivot the fleeing
unit so that the middle point of its Rear Facing is
along this line. Then immediately make a Flee Move,
by advancing 2D6 (see page 11). An already fleeing
unit that is charged must always choose to flee and
will make an additional Flee Move.
Redirecting a charge
When a unit chooses the Flee Charge Reaction, the
charger may try to Redirect the Charge by passing a
13
— Alexander Rasche, Imperial Steam Tank Engineer
Discipline Test. If failed, the unit will try to complete
the charge towards the unit that Fled. If passed, the
unit can immediately declare a new charge towards
another viable target unit, which chooses their Charge
Reaction as normal. If more than one unit Declared a
Charge against the Fleeing unit, each may try to Redi-
rect its Charge in any order chosen by the Active Player.
A unit can only Redirect a Charge once per turn. If the
situation arises that a unit Redirects a Charge and the
second target also Flees, the charging unit may opt to
charge either target, but must declare which one before
rolling the Charge Range.
Move Chargers
Once all charges and Charge Reactions have been de-
clared and all Flee Moves completed, Charging Units
will try to move into combat. Choose a unit that has de-
clared a charge in this phase, roll its Charge Range and
move the Charging Unit according to the rules below.
Repeat this with all units that have Declared a Charge
this phase.
Charge Range
A unit’s Charge Range is 2D6 plus the unit’s Advance
Rate. If this is equal to or higher than the distance be-
tween the charger and its intended target, the charger
can proceed to make a Successful Charge Move. If the
Charge Range is less than the distance or there is no
space to complete the charge, the charge has failed and
the charger performs a Failed Charge Move. Measure
the distance in a straight line from the closest point
between the units. The front of the charging unit must
contact the enemy unit in the Facing determined during
Charge Reactions.
Successful Charge Move
A Successful Charge Move is resolved as follows:
• The unit may move forward an unlimited distance.
• A single Wheel may be performed, by rotating the
unit around either of its front corners up to 90 de-
grees (see page 16 and figure 5).
• The front of the charging unit must contact the enemy
unit in the Facing where the majority of the charging
unit’s frontage was when the charge was declared
(see figure 6). If the frontage of the charging unit
is equally split in two, randomize which of the two
Facings the unit is in before declaring any Charges.
• The charging unit may only move into base con-
tact with an enemy unit which it declared a charge
against.
Figure 5: a) Unit A (dark) declares a charge at Unit B (light) within its Line of Sight & potential Charge Range. Unit B
then declares Charge Reaction: Hold. Unit A now rolls Charge Range (2D6+Adv), and needs at least 8 to reach its
target as the distance from the closest points between the two units is 8″.
b) If Unit A (dark) rolled enough for its Charge Range, it now performs a Successful Charge Move. It wheels (once,
less than 90 degrees) and moves forward until it reaches Unit B (light). Once in contact, use Aligning Units to rotate
Unit A into full contact with Unit B. Note that Unit A can make this move in any way that maximizes the number of
fighting models on both sides, see Maximizing Contact .

Aligning Units

If the Charging Unit moves into base contact, the units

must now be aligned so that the contacting facings
are parallel and in contact. To accomplish this, the Ac-
tive Player rotates the Charging Unit around the point
where it contacted the enemy. If this wouldn’t bring
the two units into full contact, for example due to in-
terfering Terrain or other units, the unit charge cannot
be completed, and the unit instead performs a Failed
Charge Move.

Figure 6: a) The majority of the frontage of the charg- Maximising Contact

ing Unit B (light) is in the front arc of enemy Unit A
(dark), so the charging unit must contact the front fac-
ing.
b) Unit B (light) moves forward and/or wheels into
base contact following the Successful Charge Move
rules. The Aligning Units move is then performed by
rotating the charging Unit B (light) around the point of
contact.
Charge moves must be made so the following condi-
tions are satisfied as best as possible:
• 1st priority: The total number of units in the Com-
bat are maximized. Note that this is only applicable
when multiple units charge the same unit.
• 2nd priority: The number of models (on both sides)
in base contact with at least one enemy model is max-
imised, including models Fighting Over Gaps (see
page 20).

As long as all above conditions are satisfied as best

as possible, charging units are free to manoeuvre into
position as they please while obeying the rules for
Move Chargers.

14
Multiple Charges
If more than one unit has declared a charge against
a single enemy unit, chargers are moved in a slightly
different manner. Roll the Charge Range for all the
units charging that same target unit before moving
any of them. Once it has been established which units
will reach their target, the Active Player can move the
charging units and/or the Failed Chargers in any order.
Charging a Fleeing Unit
When doing a Charge Move towards a Fleeing unit, fol-
low the same rules as a normal Charge Move, except
that the charging unit can move into contact with any
Facing of its target, no aligning is made and no maximis-
ing of base to base contact is taken into consideration.
15
Once the charger reaches base contact with the fleeing
target, the entire fleeing unit is removed as a casualty.
The charging unit may then perform a Pivot manoeuvre
immediately afterwards by rotating the unit around its
Centre (see page 16).
Impossible Charge
When moving Charging Units, sometimes a situation oc-
curs where units cannot reach combat. Units block each
other from reaching combat, or there is not enough
space to fit all chargers, etc. When this happens, the
units that can no longer make it into combat make a
Failed Charge Move.
Failed Charge Move
If a unit does not roll a sufficient Charge Range, or is
unable to complete the Charge for other reasons, it per-
forms a Failed Charge Move instead. The highest D62
rolled when rolling Charge Range is the move distance.
Wheel the Charging unit until it faces the centre of the
Charged Unit. Then, move the Charging unit forward
by the remaining amount of movement, if any is left.
 MOVEMENT PHASE
Speed is the essence of war
RALLY FLEEING UNITS
Rally Tests
At the start of your Movement Phase you must attempt
to Rally your fleeing units, or else they will keep Fleeing
from the battle. Each fleeing friendly unit must take a
Discipline Test, in an order chosen by the Active Player.
Any unit that passes its test is no longer considered flee-
ing and may immediately perform a Pivot, as described
on the next page. A unit that has rallied cannot move
any further in this movement phase and cannot shoot
in the following Shooting Phase, but rallied Wizards
may cast spells in the Magic Phase.
If the test is failed, the unit immediately performs a
Flee Move by moving 2D6 straight forward (see page
11).
Fleeing Units
When a unit is fleeing, it cannot perform any action,
including: Declare Charges, Move (other than Flee),
Shoot or Cast Spells.
MOVING UNITS
After all Flee moves are completed, units that haven’t
moved in this Player Turn yet will get a chance to do
so. Choose a unit that is not Engaged in Combat and
has not declared a Charge in the Charge Phase. Then
declare which type of move it will perform: Advance,
March or Pivot. Repeat this until all units that wish
to move have done so. Units already engaged in com-
bat cannot move in this phase. Friendly Units, Enemy
Units, the Board Edge and Impassable Terrain cannot
be moved into or through whilst moving.
Advance Move
When performing an Advance Move, a unit can move
forward, backwards or to either side (sidestep). How-
ever, it cannot move in more than one of these direc-
tions during an Advance Move.
• Forward: The unit moves forward a distance up to
its Advance Rate. During a forward Advance Move, a
unit may perform any number of Wheel Manoeuvres.
• Backwards: The unit moves directly backwards a
distance up to half its Advance Rate, without round-
ing any fractions.
• Sidestep: The unit moves directly to either side a dis-
tance up to half its Advance Rate, without rounding
any fractions.
16
— Soon Chu, Tsuandanese sage
March Move
When performing a March Move, a unit can only move
forward, a distance up to its March Rate. During a
March Move, a unit may perform any number of Wheel
Manoeuvres. A unit that has Marched cannot shoot in
the Shooting Phase, but Wizards that marched may cast
spells in the Magic Phase.
Pivots
When a unit Pivots, mark the centre of the unit. Re-
move the unit from the Battlefield, and then place it
back on the Battlefield again facing any direction, with
its centre in the same place as before provided there
is sufficient space to place the unit in its new facing.
A unit that has performed a Pivot manoeuvre cannot
shoot in the Shooting Phase.
Units consisting of a single model (usually Characters)
can always perform any number of Pivots during an Ad-
vance Move or March Move. Single models can shoot in
the Shooting Phase, even when doing Pivots during an
Advance Move, but they still count as Moving. Wizards
can cast spells in the Magic Phase, even when having
performed a Pivot.
Wheels
During an Advance or March Move, a unit may perform
any number of Wheel Manoeuvres. When performing
a Wheel, rotate the unit forwards up to 90 degrees,
around either of its front corners. The distance moved
by the unit is equal to the distance the outer front cor-
ner of the outermost model in the first rank has moved
from its starting to its ending position (not the actual
distance it moved along the arc of a circle), see figure
7. All models in the unit are considered to have moved
this distance.
Figure 7: The unit moves forward 2″, wheels 3″ (mea-
sured from the outer corner starting to ending posi-
tion), and then moves another 4″. The unit has moved
2 + 3 + 4 = 9″.
 MAGIC PHASE
Dangerous, impractical, liable to explode at the wrong moment. My mother-in-law always hated magic.
— Famously said by Prince Antoine to the High Priestess of the Lady

In the Magic Phase, your non-fleeing Wizards can cast
spells and your opponent can try to dispel those Spells.
A Wizard is any model or unit with one or more spells
on its profile.
Spells are cast and dispelled using Magic Dice. The num-
ber of Magic Dice available to the Wizard are decided
by the number of dice indicated on Flux Cards.
SPELLCASTING SEQUENCE
Each of the Active Player’s non-Fleeing Wizards may
attempt to cast each known spell once per Magic Phase.
Casting Attempt
First, the Active Player declares which non-Fleeing Wiz-
ard is casting, what spell they are using, and who their
target is. The Active Player then decides how many
Magic Dice to use from their pool of Magic Dice for that
particular spell. The maximum number of Magic Dice
to be rolled for a single spell is five. The Active Player
rolls the dice and adds the results of the rolled dice to
get the total casting roll. If the Casting Roll is equal to
or higher than the Casting Value of the spell, the casting
attempt is successful.

FLUX CARDS Dispelling Attempt

The number of Magic Dice each player receives in each
If the casting attempt is successful, the Reactive Player
Magic Phase is determined by Flux Cards. Each player
may make a Dispel Attempt by rolling any number of
has a deck composed of the 6 Flux Cards given below.
Magic Dice from the Reactive Player’s Magic Dice pool.
At the start of each Magic Phase, the Active Player ran-
Add the results of the rolled dice to get the total dispel
domly draws one of the Flux Cards from their deck.
roll. The Dispel Attempt is successful if the total dis
Alternatively, you can roll a D6 to indicate which Flux
pel roll is equal to or higher than the Casting Roll —
Card is to be used for that Magic Phase.
the spell is dispelled and the Casting Attempt fails. If
This card determines how many starting Magic Dice the Dispel Attempt is not successful or there was no
both players get in this Magic Phase. Once a Flux Card attempt at all, the spell is successfully cast. Apply the
has been drawn, it is discarded from the deck and thus spell’s effects.
cannot be used again in later Magic Phases.
At the end of the magic phase, both players discard any Miscast
unused Magic Dice remaining in their pools. When making a Casting Roll and three or more Magic
Dice roll the same value, then the Casting Attempt is a
Flux Amount of Magic Dice Miscast. If the spell is not dispelled, the Active Player
rolls 1D6 after resolving the spell effect.
Card Active Reactive
• On a roll of 1–3, the Caster cannot cast the Miscast
Number Player Player spell anymore in this game.
1 3 2 • On a roll of 4–6, the Caster suffers 2 hits that wound
on 4+ with AP 10.
2 4 2
3 5 2
4 5 4
5 6 4
6 7 4

17
 SHOOTING PHASE
My personal preference is for fighting Johnny Ogre while he’s still very far away.
In your Shooting Phase, each of your units with Shoot-
ing Weapons can attempt to shoot once. The shoot-
ing weapons state the Range, Aim, number of shots,
Strength, and AP of the attack, as well as any poten-
tial additional rules. Units that are Fleeing, Engaged in
Combat, or that have Marched, Pivoted (unless a sin-
gle model unit), Rallied, or Declared a Charge in their
previous Movement Phase cannot shoot.
When a unit shoots, first nominate a target unit within
the shooting unit’s Line of Sight (see page 7). Units that
are Engaged in Combat cannot be chosen as targets. All
models in the same unit must shoot at the same target.
Only models in the first and second rank of a unit may
shoot. Check Line of Sight and Range for each individ-
ual model. A model can only shoot if the target is within
its Line of Sight and within the Range of its weapon.
Once this has been established, these models shoot as
many times as indicated in their weapon’s profile.
For each shot, roll to hit for each model and each shot,
as described below. If one or more hits are scored,
follow the procedure described under Attacks on page
10.
AIM
All Shooting Weapons have an Aim written in brackets
after the weapon’s name. The Aim tells you what the
model needs to roll on a D6 to successfully hit its target.
This roll is called a to-hit roll.
Note that the Aim is not bound to the weapon, instead
each unit has its own Aim for a given Shooting Weapon
available to it. For example, an elven archer might have
a Longbow (3+) while a human archer only has a Long-
bow (4+). The elf would hit its target if it rolls 3 or
higher on a D6, while the human would need to roll a 4
or higher.
Aim Modifiers
Shooting Attacks may suffer one or more Aim Modifiers
to their to-hit rolls. For each Modifier applicable, add
+1 to the Aim of the weapon, and thus reducing the
chances of success. For example, an elven archer with
18
— Captain Samantha Keller of the Imperial Artillery
a Longbow (3+) shooting at Long Range (+1 Aim) will
hit its target with a roll of 4+. If the to-hit roll would
be modified to 7+ or worse, then the model cannot hit
the target. An unmodified roll of ’1’ always counts as
failed.
Long Range +1
Moving and Shooting +1
Cover +1
Long Range (+1 to Aim)
All Shooting Weapons have a Range written in the
weapon’s profile. If the target is further away than half
of the weapon’s Range, the shooting model receives a
+1 Aim Modifier. Remember that you measure Range
for each shooting model individually, to the closest
point regardless of Line of Sight.
Moving and Shooting (+1 to Aim)
If the unit has moved during this Player Turn, all models
in the unit receive a +1 Aim Modifier.
Cover (+1 to Aim)
Cover is determined individually for each shooting
model. Determine if the target benefits from Cover
as follows:
• Determine which Arc of the target the shooting
model is located in. The corresponding Facing is
referred to as Target Facing.
• Choose any point on the shooting model’s Front Fac-
ing.
• From the chosen point, check how large the fraction
of the Target Facing is that is obscured.
Apply Cover if at least 50% of the target’s Facing is in
one or more of the following situations:
• obscured by other enemy and/or friendly models.
• obscured by Impassable Terrain and/or Elevated Ter-
rain.
• inside and/or behind Hindering Terrain.
Models always ignore their own unit and the Terrain
Feature they are inside. For example, a model shooting
from the second rank of a unit within Hindering Ter-
rain does not suffer an Aim modifier due to Cover for
shooting through that Hindering Terrain.
Figure 8: Example of Cover inside Hindering Terrain.
a) The left model in the shooting Unit A (dark) is Lo-
cated in the Flank Arc of unit B (light), so Unit B’s Flank
Facing is the Target Facing. More than half of the Target
Facing is obscured inside the Hindering Terrain, so Unit
B benefits from Cover against the left model.
b) The right model in Unit A (dark) is Located in the Figure 9: Example of Cover from blocked Line of Sight.
Front Arc of Unit B (light), so Unit B’s Front Facing is Unit A (dark) is shooting at Unit C (light). More than
the Target Facing. Less than half of the Target Facing is half of the Target Facing of Unit C is obscured by other
obscured inside the Hindering Terrain, so Unit B does units and terrain that blocks Line of Sight. In this case
not benefit from Cover against the right model. the target counts as benefiting from Cover. Note that
it’s the Unit Boundary of Unit B (light) that is relevant
to check the Line of Sight.

19
 MELEE PHASE
Nerves are the greatest resource available to a general.
The army that can keep theirs the longest is nine tenths of the way to victory.
— Comandante Scoza

During each Melee Phase, all the ongoing Combats fight
a Round of combat. The Active Player decides the or-
der of the Combats. A Combat is defined as a group of
opposing units, which are all connected through base
contact. Normally, this would be two units fighting
against one another, but it could also be several units
against a single enemy unit or a long chain of units from
both sides.
Units are considered Engaged in Combat if one or more
models in the unit are in base contact with an enemy
unit. If a unit is Engaged in Combat, all models in the
unit also count as being Engaged in Combat. Units that
are Engaged in Combat cannot move unless specifically
stated otherwise, such as when breaking from combat
or performing Combat Pivots.
ROUND SEQUENCE
Before moving on to the next combat, complete all ac-
tions in the Round of combat Sequence of all units in-
volved in the current combat. Each Round is divided
into the following steps:
Supporting Attacks
Models in the second rank can perform one single at-
tack across models in the first rank. This is called a
Supporting Attack. Supporting Attacks can only be
made against enemies in the front facing. A model can
only ever make a single supporting attack, regardless
of their Attacks characteristics.
Fighting over gaps
Sometimes, there are gaps in a Close Combat. If two
units are in base contact and at least one of them has
a front facing towards the engaged enemy, models in
these units are allowed to attack over empty gaps, but
not across other units or Impassable Terrain. These
models are considered to be in base contact with each
other.

1 Roll Attacks
2 Calculate Combat Result
3 If the Loser fails the Break Test:
– Roll Panic Tests
– Winner decides whether to Pursue
– Roll Flee (and Pursuit) distances
– Move Fleeing (and Pursuing) units
4 Perform Combat Pivots
5 Proceed to the next Round

ROLL ATTACKS
In the Melee Phase, the players’ units Engaged in Com-
bat can and must attack. Models from both sides attack
in each player’s Melee Phase. Models in base contact
with an enemy or able to make Supporting Attacks will
attack in Agility order, starting with Agility 10 and then
working down from the highest to the lowest Agility. At
each Agility step, all attacks that have the same Agility
strike simultaneously, so complete the attacks for both
sides before removing any casualties.
Figure 10: Unit A (light): the unit is not Engaged in its
front, so the models cannot make Supporting Attack to
their side or rear.
Unit B (dark): models with a bold frame can attack.
Models with a black bold frame count as being in base
contact with an enemy (models are considered to be in
base contact across the empty gap). The models with
the bold white frame can only perform Supporting At-
tacks. Models with a thin frame cannot attack at all.

20
Allocating Attacks
At each Agility step, before any attacks are rolled, at-
tacks must first be allocated against enemy models. If
a model is in base contact with more than one model,
it can choose which model to attack. For example, a
model in base contact with regular models and Char-
acters can choose to strike one or the other, or split
attacks between the two groups.
The number of attacks that a model can make is equal
to its Attack Value. Model rules, spells and other effects
can further change this number. If a model has more
than one attack, it can allocate them at will to different
targets in base contact. If a model is making Supporting
Attacks, it can allocate its single attack as if it was in the
front of its unit in the same file. If a model could either
strike at models in base contact or make Supporting
Attacks, it must allocate its attacks against models in
base contact. Players must allocate all attacks at a given
Agility step before rolling any to-hit rolls.
Rolling to Hit
To make Hit rolls, subtract the Defensive Skill of the tar-
get from the Offensive Skill of the attacking model and
roll a D6. Consult the chart below to see what result is
required based on this difference.
Attacker’s Off Required
minus Target’s Def to Hit
4 or more 2+
1 to 3 3+
0 to -3 4+
-4 to -7 5+
-8 or less 6+
If one or more hits are scored, follow the procedure
described under Attacks (page 10).
Dropping out of Combat
Removing casualties may cause units to drop out of
base contact with their foe, for example in the case
of rear or flank charges. When this happens, units are
nudged back into combat the way a warrior would close
the gap a fallen comrade leaves behind. At the end of
each Agility step, starting with the unit that suffered
the least casualties, move the unit the minimum dis-
tance needed to keep base contact between the En-
gaged Units. Units that are Engaged in Combat with
more than an enemy unit are never nudged in this way.
If it is not possible to keep base contact between the
units, the unit drops out of Close Combat. Any units
that are no longer Engaged in Combat follow the rules
given under No More Foes on page 22.
21
COMBAT RESULT
Once all Agility steps have passed and all models have
had a chance to attack, the winner of this Round of
Combat is determined. This is done by calculating each
side’s Combat Score. To calculate Combat Scores, add
up all Combat Score bonuses from the list below. The
side with the higher Combat Score wins the combat,
the side with the lower Combat Score loses the combat.
If there is a tie, both sides are treated as winners.
• Lost Health Points on enemy units: +1 for each
Health Point. Each player adds up the number of
Health Points their opponents lost during this Round
of Combat. This includes units that were Engaged
in the Combat but dropped out or were completely
wiped out during this Round of Combat. Only include
units engaged in the same combat.
• Rank Bonus: +1 for each rank (max. +3). Each
side adds +1 to their Combat Score for each rank af-
ter the first in a single unit, up to a maximum of +3.
Only count this for a single unit per side. Use the unit
that gives the highest Rank Bonus. Only count ranks
with at least one model remaining after removing
casualties.
• Charge Bonus: +1. During the first Round of Com-
bat after a unit charged, the charger side receives +1
to their Combat Score. Each side can only count the
Charge bonus from one unit in the same combat.
• Flank or Rear Bonus: +2. Each side adds +2 to their
Combat Score if they have one or more units fighting
an enemy in the enemy’s flank or rear.
BREAK TEST
Units that lost the Round of Combat must take a Break
Test in an order chosen by the losing player. A Break
Test is a Discipline Test with a negative modifier to their
Discipline equal to the Combat Score difference. For
example, a unit with Discipline 7 scores 1 Combat point
and the enemy scores 3 Combat points. The unit on
the losing side takes Break Tests with a –2 modifier
to its Discipline, thus with a Discipline 5. If the test is
failed, the unit Breaks and Flees, and friendly units take
Panic Tests (see page 11). If the test is passed, the unit
remains Engaged in the Combat. Their resolve holds
and they can continue fighting!
Steadfast
Any units that have more ranks than each of the enemy
units Engaged in the same Combat ignore Discipline
modifiers from the Combat Score difference. A unit
cannot use the Steadfast rule if it is affected by Broken
Ranks (see Hindering Terrain, page ??), or if its flank or
rear is Engaged in Combat with an enemy unit with at
least 2 ranks.
No More Foes
Sometimes a unit kills all enemy units in base contact
and finds itself no longer Engaged in Combat. These
units always count as winning the combat, and can per-
form either a Pivot Pivot (see page 16) or an Overrun if
they just Charged (see page 22).
When this happens in combats involving multiple units,
the Health Points loss caused to and by the unit are
counted towards the Combat Score, but all other Com-
bat Score bonuses are ignored. Note, that the unit itself
does not need to take a Break Test – it always counts
as being on the winning side.
FLEE AND PURSUIT
Before moving broken units, enemy units that are in
base contact with any broken units may declare a Pur-
suit of a single broken unit. To be able to pursue a
broken unit, the pursuing unit cannot be Engaged with
any non-broken enemy units and must be in base con-
tact with the broken unit. Units can elect not to pursue.
In this case, they may either perform a Combat Pivot
manoeuvre (see page 23) or remain stationary.
Figure 11: a) The single model Unit A (dark) Breaks
from combat. It Pivots to face away from the enemy
Unit B (light) that won the combat, and then moves the
Flee Distance rolled: forward 6″.
b) The winning Unit B (light) Pursues. It Pivots to
face the same direction as the Fleeing Unit A, and then
moves the Pursuit Distance rolled: forward 3″.
Roll for Flee and Pursuit Distance
Every broken unit now rolls 2D6 to determine their
Flee Distance, and each unit that has declared a Pursuit
now rolls 2D6 to determine its Pursuit distance. If any
pursuing unit rolls an equal or higher Pursuit Distance
than the Flee Distance of the unit it is pursuing, the
fleeing unit is destroyed on the spot and removed from
the game.
22
Flee Distance and Fleeing Units
Each broken unit not captured and destroyed will now
flee directly away from an enemy unit in base contact
chosen by the player that won that Combat Round.
Once it has been established which unit the Flee Move
will be away from, Pivot the fleeing unit so that its Rear
Facing is in contact with the enemy unit it is fleeing
from. Move the fleeing unit forward a number of inches
equal to the flee distance rolled earlier. Use the rules
for fleeing moves on page 11. If several units are flee-
ing from the same combat, the player controlling the
fleeing units chooses which order they roll the flee dis-
tance, and the units will move in the same order.
Pursuit Distance and Pursuing Units
Each Pursuing unit now pivots so that it is facing the
same direction as the Fleeing unit they are pursuing. If
the Fleeing unit has been destroyed, Pivot in the direc-
tion the Fleeing unit would have had, had it not been de-
stroyed. The Pursuing unit moves its pursuit distance
directly forward. If a Pursuing unit reaches the Board
Edge, it immediately stops the Pursuit movement.
If this Pursuit movement would bring the unit into con-
tact with an enemy unit that did not break from the
same combat, it automatically declares a Charge against
this unit, using its pursuit distance as its Charge dis-
tance. This Charge follows all the rules for Charges
except that it is not possible to declare a “Flee” Charge
Reaction. If this creates a new Combat, it will be re
solved in the next Player Turn. However, if the charging
unit joins an ongoing combat that has not been fought
this Melee Phase yet, it will have a chance to fight (and
possibly pursue) again this turn.
If multiple units are pursuing, they can be moved in
any order chosen by the player who controls them.
Pursuing units must always be pivoted to face the cor-
rect direction, but if they cannot reach their correct
final destination due to Impassable Terrain or another
friendly unit obstructing them, backtrack the distance
they move to their last legal position.
Overrun
A unit that charged into combat and has no enemy units
left in base contact after the Combat Round, whether
from combat or any other effect, can choose to make a
special Pursuit Move called Overrun instead of a Pivot
(see No more Foes, page 22). Overruns follow the rules
for moving pursuing units, except that the direction of
the Pursuit Move is always straight-forward.
 COMBAT PIVOT
After Fleeing and Pursuing units have moved, each unit
still Engaged in Combat can perform a Combat Pivot.
This manoeuvre can be used to bring more models into
melee, or to reform and face the enemy after having
endured a flank charge.
• Units Engaged in more than one Facing (e.g. in both
Front and a Flank) can never perform any Combat
Pivots.
• Units on the losing side of the combat have to pass a
Discipline Test in order to do so.
• After all Combat Pivot Discipline tests have been
taken, the Active Player decides which player per-
forms their Combat Pivot first. This player must
complete all Combat Pivots with their units, one at a
time, in any order. Then the other player can perform
Combat Pivots for their units.
• Each player may choose not to Combat Pivot one or
more of their units.
23
When performing a Combat Pivot, remove a unit from
the Battlefield and place it back, following the following
restrictions:
• The unit cannot move into base contact with enemy
units that it was not in base contact with before the
Combat Pivot.
• The unit must be placed in base contact with the
same enemy units as it was before the Combat Pivot,
and in contact with the same Facing of the enemy
units.
• Characters that were in base contact with an enemy
must still be after the Combat Pivot. This applies
to both enemy and friendly Characters. A Character
may end up in base contact with differ ent enemy
models than it was before the Combat Pivot.
• After each Combat Pivot, there must be at least as
many models of the Combat Pivoting unit in base con-
tact with enemy models as there were before. These
don’t have to be the same models. Furthermore, af-
ter a player has completed all their Combat Pivots,
exactly the same enemy models that were in base
contact with opposing models before the Combat
Pivot must still be in base contact after the Combat
Pivot (but they may be Engaged with different mod-
els or even units).
 DAEMON
LEGIONS
Harbinger 25×25mm

Adv Mar Dis

5″ 10″ 8
HP Def Res Arm

3 5 4 0

single model Att Off Str AP Agi

3 5 5 2 5
General, Daemonic,
Danse Macabre, Wrath of God d

Imps 25×25mm

Adv Mar Dis

5″ 10″ 6
HP Def Res Arm

1 2 3 0
Att Off Str AP Agi
4×2 models
1 2 2 0 3

Energy Bolts (4+), Daemonic

d

Myrmidons 25×25mm

Adv Mar Dis

5″ 10″ 7
HP Def Res Arm Daemonic
A unit with this special rule automatically passes all
1 4 3 0 Panic Tests and Break Tests, and the only Charge Reac-
Att Off Str AP Agi tion a Daemonic unit can choose is Hold.
5×3 models
When a Daemonic unit loses a combat, it suffers a
1 5 5 1 4
Wound (without any saves allowed) for each point of
Daemonic Combat Score by which it lost the combat.
Daemonic units have a 5+ Special Save. This is done af-d
ter any Armour Saves and follows the same rules with
Hellhounds 25×50mm
the exception that they are not affected by Armour
Adv Mar Dis Modifiers.
9″ 18″ 7
Energy Bolts
HP Def Res Arm 1 Shot, Range 24”, Str 5, AP 0
1 3 4 0
Danse Macabre
Att Off Str AP Agi Casting value : 5+
5×1 models
3 5 3 0 4 Choose a friendly unit within 12″ of the caster. The
chosen unit may instantly perform a 8″ Advance Move.
Daemonic d

Wrath of God
Casting value : 9+
Choose a point on the battlefield within 24″ and within
General Line of Sight of the caster. Each (enemy and friendly)
All friendly units within 12” of a non�fleeing General unit within 2D3″ of the chosen point suffers D3+1 hits
may use its Discipline. with Strength 5 and AP 2.

24
 OGRE KHANS
Shaman 40×40mm

Adv Mar Dis

6″ 12″ 8
HP Def Res Arm

4 5 5 2

single model Att Off Str AP Agi

4 4 4 1 2
General, Stomp,
Awaken the Beast, Hand of Heaven d

Tribesmen 40×40mm

Adv Mar Dis

6″ 12″ 7
HP Def Res Arm

3 4 4 2
Att Off Str AP Agi
3×1 models
4 3 4 1 2

Stomp
d

Scraplings 20×20mm

Adv Mar Dis

Hand Cannon
4″ 8″ 6 Range 24”, Shots D3, Str 4, AP 2, no To-hit-Modifier for
Moving and Shooting.
HP Def Res Arm

1 3 3 1 Stomp
Att Off Str AP Agi A model with this rule must make a special attack in
5×4 models each Round of Combat at Agility 0, against a single
1 2 3 0 3 enemy unit in base contact provided that models in the
Insignificant unit have either 20x20 or 25x25mm bases. This attack
deals 1 automatic hit with the model’s own Str and AP. d

Bombardiers 40×40mm Insignificant

Adv Mar Dis The unit only causes Panic Tests on friendly units with
Insignificant.
6″ 12″ 7
HP Def Res Arm Awaken the Beast
Casting value : 5+
3 3 4 1
Choose a friendly unit within 18″ of the caster. The
3×1 models Att Off Str AP Agi chosen unit gains +1 Strength and +1 AP. The effects
3 3 4 1 2 last until the start of your next Magic Phase.

Stomp, Hand Cannon (4+) Hand of Heaven d

Casting value : 9+
Choose an enemy unit within 24″ and within Line of
General Sight of the caster. Neither the caster nor the target may
All friendly units within 12” of a non�fleeing General be engaged in Close Combat. The chosen unit suffers
may use its Discipline. D6 hits with Strength D6 and AP 2.

25
 SYLVAN ELVES
Druid 20×20mm

Adv Mar Dis

5″ 10″ 8
HP Def Res Arm

3 4 3 0

single model Att Off Str AP Agi

1 4 3 0 5
General, Sylvan Longbow (3+),
Truth of Time, Healing Waters d

Sylvan Archers 20×20mm

Adv Mar Dis

5″ 10″ 8
HP Def Res Arm

1 4 3 0
Att Off Str AP Agi
5×2 models
1 4 3 0 5

Sylvan Longbow (3+)

d

Dryads 20×20mm

Adv Mar Dis

5″ 10″ 8
HP Def Res Arm
Sylvan Longbow
1 4 4 0 1 Shot, Range 30“, Str 3, AP1, no To-hit-Modifier for
Att Off Str AP Agi Moving and Shooting.
4×2 models
2 4 4 1 5
Aegis
Aegis (5+) This is a Special Save that follows the same rules of
Armour Saves, but is not affected by Armour modifiers.d
Wild Huntsmen 25×50mm

Adv Mar Dis Truth of Time

Casting value : 5+
9″ 18″ 9
Choose a friendly unit within 24″ of the caster. Rolls
HP Def Res Arm for Charge Range, Flee Distance, Pursuit Distance and
1 3 3 3 Overrun Distance of the chosen unit are done with two
additional D6 while discarding the two lowest D6 rolled.
Att Off Str AP Agi The effects last until the start of your next Magic Phase.
5×1 models
2 5 4 2 6
Healing Waters
Devastating Charge (+1 Att, +1 Str, +1 AP) Casting value : 6+ d

Choose a friendly unit within 12″ of the caster. The

chosen unit gains Aegis (5+). This is a Special Save that
General follows the same rules of Armour Saves, but is not af-
All friendly units within 12” of a non�fleeing General fected by AP. The effects last until the start of your next
may use its Discipline. Magic Phase.

26
 UNDYING
DYNASTIES
Death Cult Hierarch 20×20mm

Adv Mar Dis Rsr

4″ 8″ 7 1
HP Def Res Arm

3 3 3 0

single model Att Off Str AP Agi

1 3 3 0 2
General, Undead, Death is Only the Beginning,
Fate’s Judgement, Danse Macabre d

Skeleton Archers 20×20mm

Adv Mar Dis Rsr

Aspen Bow
4″ 8″ 4 3
Always hits on 5+, 1 Shot, Range 24“, Str 3, AP0.
HP Def Res Arm

1 2 3 1 Impact Hits (X)

In the first round of a combat after the model has
Att Off Str AP Agi charged, it performs a special close combat attacks
5×2 models
1 2 3 0 2 against a unit in base contact. This is resolved at Agility
10 and causes X automatic hits with the Strength and
Aspen Bow (5+), Undead Armour Penetration given in parentheses. d

Skeleton Chariots 50×100mm Undead

A unit with this special rule automatically passes all
Adv Mar Dis Rsr
Panic Tests and Break Tests, and the only Charge Reac-
8″ 10″ 7 1 tion an Undead unit can choose is Hold.
HP Def Res Arm
Undead units cannot March, unless they start their
move within 12“ of the Friendly General.
3 3 4 3 When an Undead unit loses a combat, it suffers a Wound
Att Off Str AP Agi (without any saves allowed) for each point of Combat
2×1 models
Score by which it lost the combat.
2 3 4 1 2
Aspen Bow (5+), Impact Hits (D3), Fate’s Judgement
Undead Casting value : 5+ d

Choose an enemy unit within 18″ and within Line of

Shabtis 40×40mm Sight of the caster. Neither the caster nor the target may
Adv Mar Dis Rsr be engaged in Close Combat. The chosen unit suffers
D3 hits that wound automatically with AP 0.
6″ 12″ 8 1
HP Def Res Arm Danse Macabre
3 4 4 3 Casting value : 5+
Choose a friendly unit within 12″ of the caster. The
Att Off Str AP Agi chosen unit may instantly perform a 8″ Advance Move.
3×1 models
3 4 5 2 3
Death is Only the Beginning
Undead Casting value : 8+ d
Choose a friendly unit within 12″ of the caster. If the tar-
get unit has one or more joined characters, then choose
General if the unit or one of the characters is affected. The tar-
All friendly units within 12” of a non�fleeing General get recovers a number of Health Points previously lost
may use its Discipline. equal to its Resurrected Value.

27
 WARRIORS OF
THE DARK GODS
Sorcerer 25×25mm

Adv Mar Dis

4″ 8″ 8
HP Def Res Arm

3 4 4 3

single model Att Off Str AP Agi

3 5 3 0 3
General,
Molten Copper, The Rot Within d

Warriors 25×25mm

Adv Mar Dis

4″ 8″ 8
HP Def Res Arm

1 5 4 3
Att Off Str AP Agi
4×2 models
2 5 2 2 4

Fallen 25×25mm

Adv Mar Dis

6″ 12″ 8
HP Def Res Arm

1 2 4 3
Att Off Str AP Agi
4×1 models
3 5 4 1 4

Path of the Exiled Path of the Exiled

The unit must reroll failed Break test. If the test isd
failed, each model can perform its attacks again; then
Warrior Knights 25×50mm
remove the unit.
Adv Mar Dis
The Rot Within
8″ 14″ 8
Casting value : 6+
HP Def Res Arm Choose an enemy unit within 18″ of the caster. The
1 5 4 5 chosen unit suffers −2 Offensive Skill and −2 Defensive
Skill. The effects last until the start of your next Magic
Att Off Str AP Agi Phase.
3×1 models
2 5 6 3 0
Molten Copper
Casting value : 7+ d
Choose an enemy unit within 24″ and within Line of
Sight of the caster. Neither the caster nor the target
General may be engaged in Close Combat. The chosen unit suf-
All friendly units within 12” of a non�fleeing General fers D3+1 hits with Strength X+1 and AP 4, where X is
may use its Discipline. equal to the chosen unit’s Armour.

28
 BUILDING AN ARMY
There’s nothing better for morale than a good mutiny followed by an even better quashing.
The Advanced Rules give you the possibility of con-
structing your own army. Each faction has its own
Regular Armylist, composed of 8 Unit Entries.
Each entry contains an icon that identifies the unit
as belonging to one of the four following Categories:
• Characters: Single-model units that represent
the most powerful leaders and spellcasters in the
army.
• Core: Ranked units that represent the most com-
mon beings in the army.
• Special: Ranked units that represent veteran,
elite and specialised troops.
• Support: Single-model units that represent rare
warmachines or exotic monsters.
The first step to building an army is to pick one of the
19 factions. Then, decide with your opponent the size
of the battle, expressed in Army Points. A common
choice is 1600 points, but feel free to choose anything
from 800 to 2500 Army Points.
Write down your selection of units from the chosen
army and their Point Costs on a document called the
“Roster”. To ensure a balanced match, follow the re-
strictions listed below.
29
— Count Buchheim
ARMY RESTRICTIONS
All armies are subject to the following composition
rules:
• Army Points: The combined points value of ev-
ery unit in the army must not exceed the total
Army Points cost you and your opponent have
agreed on.
• Duplication Limits: Each individual unit entry
can only be taken a limited number of times in
the army, listed in the Unit Entry as (0-X).
• Core: At least 25% of Army Points must be spent
on Core units.
• General: The Roster must indicate which Char-
acter is the General of the army. Therefore, every
army must include at least one Character. If your
army includes more than one Character, you are
free to choose which one is the General.
The General
All friendly units within 12” of a non-fleeing General
may use the Discipline of the General instead of their
own Discipline, if they wish to do so. Effects modifying
the Discipline of the General are applied before borrow-
ing the General’s Discipline. This borrowed Discipline
can then be further modified (for example by the Com-
bat Score difference).
 VICTORY CONDITIONS
My gods. That’s so crazy it might just w–
— Final words of Field Marshal Blanco, as he was struck by an elven arrow

In the Advanced Rules, victory is achieved by destroy-
ing the enemy troops, by keeping your own troops
alive, and by completing specific missions.
At the beginning of the game, roll 1D6 to determine
which map to use among the ones in Figure 12. Alter-
natively, decorate the battlefield with your opponent
using 3D3 terrain pieces. Then roll 1D6 to determine
the Mission for this match:
• 1-3 Occupation: Dominate the battlefield. Your mis-
sion is to have more units within 6″ of the centre of
the battlefield than your opponent.
• 4 Infiltration: Penetrate enemy territory. Your mis-
sion is to have at least one unit in your opponent’s
deployment zone.
• 5 Assassination: Remove the leader. The mission is
complete if the enemy General has been killed or has
fled the battlefield.
• 6 Patrolling: Defend strategic positions. Immedi-
ately after deploying the army, each player places a
marker in the opposite half of the battlefield, outside
of the opponent’s deployment zone and at least 6″
away from the centre of the battlefield. Your mission
is to have more units within 3” of either marker than
your opponent.
When counting units for the purposes of the Occupa-
tion, Infiltration and Patrolling missions, ignore Char-
acters, Support units and Fleeing units.
After 5 game turns, each player calculates Victory
points by adding the point value of the enemy units that
have either died or fled the battlefield. If the assigned
Mission is successfully completed, a player further re-
ceives Victory points equivalent to 25% of the size of
the battle. Calculate the Victory points difference and
compare the result to the size of the battle:
• less than 25%: Draw
• between 25 and 75%: Victory
• more than 75%: Massacre
For example, at the end of a 1600 points battle, Player
A has destroyed a 250 points unit and a 325 points
unit, has driven a 175 points unit out of the battlefield,
and has completed the assigned Mission, thus totalling
250 + 325 + 175 + 400 = 1150 points. Player B has
destroyed a 125 points unit, has driven a 225 points
unit out of the battlefield, and has not completed the
assigned Mission, thus totalling 350 points. The differ-
ence is 1150 - 350 = 800 points in favour of Player A.
This corresponds to 50% of the size of the battle (100
* 800 / 1600 = 50). The match ends with a Victory for
Player A.

Figure 12: Use the map corresponding to the result of the dice roll (1-2 left, 3-4 centre, 5-6 right). Shaded areas
indicate the deployment zones and the area within 6” from the centre of the battlefield. The horizontal line divides
the battlefield in two halves, and is used for scenario 6 (Patrolling). The maps include indications of the number,
type, position, size and orientation of terrain features.

30
 MODEL RULES
An army is much more than a mere collection of soldiers and weapons.
Aegis (X+)
I’ve killed most things, with maul or pistol. But
sometimes, no matter how good I thought I was, it
wouldn’t die. Bounced off something I didn’t see, or a
skull splitter turned into a graze as they moved. Might
be the gods, might be the thing is made of magic. It’s a
bloody nuisance, but it does work up an appetite.
— Conversation with an Ogre Mercenary
Aegis are special saves, taken after failed Armour Saves.
The defender rolls a D6 for each wound. If the result
is equal or higher than the value indicated in brackets,
the wound is discarded.
Area Attack
When an attack with Area Attack hits a unit, it is multi-
plied into several hits: Choose up to 4 different ranks
of this unit. For each rank selected, the unit suffers 4
hits, to a maximum equal to the number of models in
this rank. For example, a unit with 3 ranks of 5 mod-
els suffer 3 * 4 (=12) hits. A single model unit (which
has one rank with one model) only suffers 1 hit. A sin-
gle one of these hits has Strength 7, AP 4 and Multiple
Wounds (2). All other hits have Strength 3, AP 0 and
no special rules.
Devastating Charge (X)
To the sound of the drums, the ground shakes and
thrums, we come, we come. Crushed underfoot, under
wheel and hoof, your doom, your doom.
— Battle chant of the Flayed Man tribe of Warriors
In the first round of a combat after a model with Dev-
astating Charge has successfully charged, it gains the
bonus(es) indicated in brackets.
Fear
Units in contact with a model causing Fear suffer −1
Discipline. Units with Fear are immune to the effects
of Fear.
Fearless
If half or more of a unit’s models are Fearless, the unit
automatically passes Panic Tests and cannot declare a
Flee reaction (unless already fleeing), and is immune
to the effects of Fear.
31
— Lugo Borgo, ”Warfare in the ninth Age”
Fight in Extra Rank
Models with Fight in Extra Rank can make Supporting
Attacks from an additional Rank. Normally, this means
that models with Fight in Extra Rank will be able to
make Supporting Attacks from the third rank.
Fly (X″, Y″)
A unit composed entirely of models with Fly ignores
all Terrain Features and units whilst moving. It cannot
end its movement inside Impassable Terrain or units,
and is normally affected by the effects of the Terrain
Feature from which it starts or end its movement.
Grind (X)
Grind are special Close Combatattacks which are re-
solved at Agility 0 and inflict a number of hits equal to
the value stated within brackets to a single enemy unit
in base contact. Grind hits automatically hit and have
Strength and AP indicated within brackets.
Impact Hits (X)
Impact Hits are special Close Combat attacks which can
(and must) only be made in the first Round of Combat
after a model with this rule successfully charged into
combat. Impact Hits are resolved at Agility 10 and in-
flict a number of hits equal to the value stated within
brackets (X) to a single enemy unit in base contact with
the Front Facing of the charging unit. Impact Hits au-
tomatically hit and have Strength and AP equal to the
model’s own values and which cannot be modified by
Devastating Charge.
Light Troops
Units with Light Troops are treated as single model
units. They are allowed to make any number of Piv-
ots when performing an Advance or March move, they
are allowed to shoot even if they Marched, and always
count as having 0 ranks. Characters gain Light Troops
while joined to a unit with Light Troops.
Lightning Reflexes
Models with Lightning Reflexes rule have +1 to hit with
their Close Combat Attacks.
Monstrous Support
Models with Monstrous Support may make up to 3 Sup-
porting Attacks instead of 1.
 Multiple Wounds (X)
Unsaved Wounds caused by attacks with Multiple
Wounds are multiplied into the value given in brackets
(X). The amount of Wounds that the attack is multiplied
into can never be higher than the Hit Points Characteris-
tic of the Target (ignoring Wounds suffered previously
in the battle). For example, if a Multiple Wounds (3) at-
tack wounds a model with 2 Hit Points, this is reduced
to 2 Wounds.
Poison Attacks
If the attack successfully hits with a natural Hit roll of
’6’, it automatically wounds with no Wound roll needed.
All other hits must roll to wound as normal.
Stomp (X)
A model with Stomp must make a special Close Combat
attack in each Round of Combat at Agility 0 against a
single enemy unit in base contact, provided that it has
20x20 or 25x25mm bases. This attack deals a num-
ber of hits equal to the value stated within brackets
(X), which automatically hit and have a Strength and
AP equal to the model’s own values, which cannot be
modified by Devastating Charge.
Swiftstride
When a unit composed entirely of models with Swift-
stride rolls Charge Range, Flee Distance, Pursuit Dis-
tance or Overrun Distance, it rolls 3D6 and discards
the lowest D6 instead of the normal 2D6.
Towering
The model can never be joined to or join a unit. When
drawing Line of Sight to and from models with Tower-
ing Presence, ignore all intervening models without
Towering Presence.
Undead
Undead units cannot March unless they start their
move within 12″ of the Friendly General.
32
Unstable
The dead fight without concern for life or limb. Yet the
force which animates them is only as strong as the body.
And we are the strongest there is. Against our might,
bones crumble and spectres evaporate. They are
fearless, we are unstoppable!
— Dread Elf Prince Anghad before the Battle of the
Valley of Ghouls
Units with Unstable automatically pass all Break Tests.
When an Unstable unit loses a combat, it suffers a
Wound (without any saves allowed) for each point of
Combat Score by which it lost the combat.
Vanguard
After Deployment, units with Vanguard may perform
a 6″ move. The move is performed as a combination
of Advance Move and/or Pivots, as in the Movement
Phase, including any actions and restrictions the unit
would normally have (such as Wheeling, joining units,
leaving units, and so on).
If both players have units with Vanguard, alternate mov-
ing units one at a time, starting with the player that
finished deploying last.
Units that have moved in this way may not Declare
Charges in the first Player Turn if their side has the
first turn.
War Machine
War Machines cannot March, Pursue, Declare Charges
or Declare any Charge Reaction other than Hold. They
can only shoot if they did not move in the Movement
Phase. When a War Machine fails a Panic Test, instead
of Fleeing it may not shoot in its next Shooting Phase.
War Machines have round bases, which means they
have no facings or arcs (front, flanks, rear) and can
draw Line of Sight from any point on their bases, in any
direction.
When a unit charges a War Machine, follow the same
rules as for normal Charge Moves, except that the charg-
ing unit can move into base contact anywhere. Ignore
the War Machine’s facing and ignore maximizing num-
ber of models in base contact, but you must still contact
the War Machine with the charging unit’s Front Facing.
When fighting a War Machine in combat, all models
that can draw an uninterrupted line straight forward
from their base to the War Machines base can attack it.
Models in the second rank can make supporting attacks
as normal. War Machines that Break from combat are
automatically destroyed.
 CHARACTERS
He prefers the term ’eccentric’.
In Advanced games, Characters can buy upgrades such
as Mounts (see page 34) and/or Special Items (see page
??).
Moreover, whereas in Basic games Characters are
bound to either operate individually or as part of a
unit, based on their deployment, in Advanced games
Characters enjoy more freedom, and can leave or join
units during the course of a game (see below).
MOVEMENT
Joining a unit
Besides being deployed together with a unit at the start
of the game, a Character can also join a unit by mov-
ing the Character into contact with the unit during the
Movement phase. Characters cannot join units that are
Engaged in Combat or Fleeing.
If a Character joins a unit, the resulting Combined Unit
cannot move any further in that same Movement phase.
In the subsequent Shooting phase, the Character will
suffer a Moving and Shooting penalty, but the unit will
only suffer it if it has also previously moved in the pre-
vious Movement phase.
When a Character joins a unit, make sure to preserve
its Unit Boundary. Therefore, when a Character joins
a single rank unit or a unit which has suffered no casu-
alties, a regular Rank-and-File model must be removed
from the game, to make room for the Character (see
Basic rules, page ??). This is not necessary if the Charac-
ter can be added without changing the Unit Boundary,
as in the case of units which have at least two ranks
and have already suffered casualties. In this case, move
a Rank-and-File model from the front rank to the last
rank, and place the Character in the newly created gap
in the front rank (see figure 13).
33
— Aide de Camp to Mad Lord Ueberroth
Figure 13: The Marshal (A) joins a single-rank unit,
thus one knight must be removed from the game. The
Wizard (B) joins an infantry unit that had already suf-
fered 2 casualties, thus one handgunner is moved to
the second rank.
Leaving a unit
A Character can leave a Combined Unit in the Move-
ment phase. This is only possible if the Character is
able to move (e.g. it is not Engaged in Combat, it has
not already moved, it is not Fleeing). If necessary, fill in
the gap left empty by the Character with a model from
the last rank. Regular Rank-and-File models that were
removed from the game to make room for Characters
that joined a unit are never returned to the game.
MOUNTS
Most Characters can purchase a single Mount upgrade
by choosing one of the options listed in the Armylist.
In this case, consult the Bestiary (see page 34) and ap-
propriately replace the Base Size, Advance Rate, March
Rate, Health Points, Resilience and Armour of the Char-
acter with the values listed in the Mount Entry. The
Character further acquires the Model Rules listed in
the Mount Entry. Some mounts are unique, and can
only be included once in your roster. In these cases
you will find an asterisk after the mount’s name (for
example: Unicorn*).
SPECIAL ITEMS
Each Character can be upgraded with Special Items
from the Vault . These represent enchanted Weapons,
magically crafted Armours, and other Artefacts imbued
with otherworldly power. A Character can carry up to 2
Special Items, provided that their combined point value
does not exceed 100 points, and that the two items do
not belong to the same Item Category (Weapon, Ar-
mour or Artefact). Each Special Item is unique, and can
only be included once in your roster.
 THE BESTIARY
Enchanted axe? Overrated. Mercenary pyromancer? Unreliable. A Great Elk? Wisest choice.
— Hunter-merchant at the Steppe Fair

Characters can have access to one or two Mount options. You cannot pick both. Mounts can only be taken by a
single Character if their name is followed by an asterisk. If you pick a Mount for one or more of your Characters,
consult the Mount Entry below, and replace the Character’s base size and characteristics with the values listed in red.
Furthermore, the Character gains the rules listed in black in the Mount Entry.

Feel free to print or copy this page and cut out the Mount Entries you need for your games.

Raptor 25x50 Pegasus* 40x40 Shield Bearers 40x20

Adv Mar HP Res Arm Adv Mar HP Res Arm Adv Mar HP Res Arm
7″ 14″ +2 8″ 16″ +2 4 +2
Grind (1 Hit, Str 3, AP 0) Grind (1 Hit, Str 4, AP 1) Grind (1 Hit, Str 4, AP 1)
Swiftstride Swiftstride, Fly Platform

Warhorse 25x50 Great Elk* 50x50 War Dais 50x50

Adv Mar HP Res Arm Adv Mar HP Res Arm Adv Mar HP Res Arm
8″ 16″ +2 8″ 16″ 5 +1 4 +2
Grind (1 Hit, Str 4, AP 1) Grind (2 Hits, Str 4, AP 1)
Swiftstride Swiftstride Platform

Flyer* 50x50
Steed 25x50 Half-Beast* 50x75
Adv Mar HP Res Arm
Adv Mar HP Res Arm Adv Mar HP Res Arm 8″ 16″ 4 5
9″ 18″ +1 7″ 14″ +1 Grind (2 Hits, Str 5, AP 2)
Grind (1 Hit, Str 5, AP 2)
Swiftstride, Fear
Swiftstride Swiftstride, Fear Fearless, Fly
Towering

Winged Bull* 50x50

Unicorn* 25x50 Chariot 50x100 Adv Mar HP Res Arm
Adv Mar HP Res Arm Adv Mar HP Res Arm 6″ 12″ 4 5
10″ 20″ 4 +1 8″ 10″ +1 Grind (2 Hits, Str 5, AP 2)
Grind (1 Hit, Str 4, AP 1) Impact (D3 Hits, Str 4, AP 1) Swiftstride, Fear
Swiftstride Swiftstride Fearless, Fly
Towering

Hulk* 40x40 Beast Chariot* 50x100 Monster* 50x100

Adv Mar HP Res Arm Adv Mar HP Res Arm Adv Mar HP Res Arm
6″ 12″ 4 5 +1 7″ 7″ 4 5 +2 7″ 14″ 4 5
Grind (2 Hits, Str 5, AP 2) Impact (D3 Hits, Str 4, AP 1) Grind (3 Hits, Str 5, AP 2)
Swiftstride Swiftstride, Fear
Fearless, Towering

34
 THE GRIMOIRE
I know it’s tempting, but I cannot emphasise it enough: do not try this at home!
— Archduke Karl Ferdinand, at his lecture on The Principles of Very Special Magic
Arise!
Casting value : 8+
Targets all friendly units within 6″ of the caster. If a tar-
get unit has one or more joined characters, then choose
if the unit or one of the characters is affected. The tar-
gets recover a number of Health Points previously lost
equal to their Resurrected Value.
Awaken the Beast
Casting value : 5+
Choose a friendly unit within 18″ of the caster. The
chosen unit gains +1 Strength and +1 AP. The effects
last until the start of your next Magic Phase.
Bewitching Glare
Casting value : 9+
Choose an enemy unit within 24″ of the caster. The
chosen unit must reroll all to-hit and to-wound rolls of
’6’ of Close Combat Attacks. The effects last until the
start of your next Magic Phase.
Corruption of Tin
Casting value : 5+
Choose an enemy unit within 36″ of the caster. The
chosen unit suffers −1 Armour. The effects last until
the start of your next Magic Phase.
Danse Macabre
Casting value : 5+
Choose a friendly unit within 12″ of the caster. The
chosen unit may instantly perform a 8″ Advance Move.
Death is Only the Beginning
Casting value : 8+
Choose a friendly unit within 12″ of the caster. If the tar-
get unit has one or more joined characters, then choose
if the unit or one of the characters is affected. The tar-
get recovers a number of Health Points previously lost
equal to its Resurrected Value.
Evil Eye
Casting value : 5+
Choose an enemy unit within 24″ of the caster. The
chosen unit suffers −2 Advance Rate (to a minimum of
3) and −4 March Rate (to a minimum of 6). The effects
last until the start of your next Magic Phase.
35
Fate’s Judgement
Casting value : 5+
Choose an enemy unit within 18″ and within Line of
Sight of the caster. Neither the caster nor the target may
be engaged in Close Combat. The chosen unit suffers
D3 hits that wound automatically with AP 0.
Fireball
Casting value : 4+
Choose an enemy unit within 24″ and within Line of
Sight of the caster. Neither the caster nor the target may
be engaged in Close Combat. The chosen unit suffers
D3+1 hits with Strength 4 and AP 0.
Hand of Heaven
Casting value : 9+
Choose an enemy unit within 24″ and within Line of
Sight of the caster. Neither the caster nor the target may
be engaged in Close Combat. The chosen unit suffers
D6 hits with Strength D6 and AP 2.
Hasten the Hour
Casting value : 7+
Choose a unit within 18″ and within Line of Sight of
the caster. Neither the caster nor the target may be
engaged in Close Combat. One model (which can be a
character joined to the unit) suffers 1 hit that wounds
automatically with AP 10.
Healing Waters
Casting value : 6+
Choose a friendly unit within 12″ of the caster. The
chosen unit gains Aegis (5+). This is a Special Save that
follows the same rules of Armour Saves, but is not af-
fected by AP. The effects last until the start of your next
Magic Phase.
Know Thine Enemy
Casting value : 7+
Choose a friendly unit within 18″ of the caster. The
chosen unit gains +2 Offensive Skill, +2 Defensive Skill,
and +2 Agility. The effects last until the start of your
next Magic Phase.
 Molten Copper
Casting value : 7+
Choose an enemy unit within 24″ and within Line of
Sight of the caster. Neither the caster nor the target
may be engaged in Close Combat. The chosen unit suf-
fers D3+1 hits with Strength X+1 and AP 4, where X is
equal to the chosen unit’s Armour.
Perception of Strength
Casting value : 6+
Choose an enemy unit within 24″ of the caster. The
chosen unit suffers −1 Strength and −1 AP. The effects
last until the start of your next Magic Phase.
Scorching Salvo
Casting value : 8+
Targets all enemy units within 18″ of the caster which
are not engaged in Close Combat.The target units suffer
D3+1 hits with Strength 4 and AP 0.
Spear of Infinity
Casting value : 3+
Choose an enemy unit within 24″ and within Line of
Sight of one of the models of the Casting unit. Neither
the Casting unit nor the target may be engaged in Close
Combat. The chosen unit suffers 1 hit with Strength 5
and AP 1.
Stone Skin
Casting value : 8+
Choose a friendly unit within 12″ of the caster. The
chosen unit gains +2 Resilience. The effects last until
the start of your next Magic Phase.
36
Swarm of Insects
Casting value : 5+
Choose an enemy unit within 12″ and within Line of
Sight of the caster. Neither the caster nor the target may
be engaged in Close Combat. The chosen unit suffers
4D6 hits with Strength 1 and AP 0.
The Rot Within
Casting value : 6+
Choose an enemy unit within 18″ of the caster. The
chosen unit suffers −2 Offensive Skill and −2 Defensive
Skill. The effects last until the start of your next Magic
Phase.
Truth of Time
Casting value : 5+
Choose a friendly unit within 24″ of the caster. Rolls
for Charge Range, Flee Distance, Pursuit Distance and
Overrun Distance of the chosen unit are done with two
additional D6 while discarding the two lowest D6 rolled.
The effects last until the start of your next Magic Phase.
Wrath of God
Casting value : 9+
Choose a point on the battlefield within 24″ and within
Line of Sight of the caster. Each (enemy and friendly)
unit within 2D3″ of the chosen point suffers D3+1 hits
with Strength 5 and AP 2.
 Åsklander Chief (0 - 2) 25×25mm

Adv Mar Dis

ÅSKLANDERS single model
4″ 8″ 9
125 pts HP Def Res Arm
War Dais 3 6 4 3
Throwing Weapons 175 pts
2 Shots, Range 8”, Str as User, AP as User, no Monster Att Off Str AP Agi
To-hit-Modifier for Long Range, no To-hit-Modifier for 300 pts 3 5 5 1 5
Moving and Shooting.
Throwing Weapons(4+)
Insignificant
The unit only causes Panic Tests on friendly units with Seidhkennar (0 - 1) 25×25mm
Insignificant.
Adv Mar Dis

4″ 8″ 8
single model
200 pts HP Def Res Arm
Chariot 3 3 4 0
250 pts
Att Off Str AP Agi

1 3 3 0 3

Evil Eye, Hand of Heaven

Åsklanders (0 - 4) 25×25mm Huskarls (0 - 3) 25×25mm

Adv Mar Dis Adv Mar Dis

4″ 8″ 8 4″ 8″ 8
5×3 models 5×2 models
150 pts HP Def Res Arm 150 pts HP Def Res Arm
5×4 1 3 3 1 5×3 1 5 3 3
200 pts 250 pts
7×3 Att Off Str AP Agi 7×3 Att Off Str AP Agi
200 pts 2 5 4 0 3 350 pts 1 4 4 2 4

Fight in Extra Rank, Throwing Weapons (4+)

d

Warhounds (0 - 3) 25×50mm Wargs (0 - 1) 50×50mm

Adv Mar Dis Adv Mar Dis

8″ 16″ 5 9″ 18″ 6
5×1 models 2×1 models
75 pts HP Def Res Arm 150 pts HP Def Res Arm
3×2 1 3 3 0 3×1 4 4 4 1
100 pts 200 pts
4×2 Att Off Str AP Agi 2×2 Att Off Str AP Agi
125 pts 1 3 3 0 4 250 pts 4 4 5 2 4

Insignificant, Swiftstride Monstrous Support, Stomp, Swiftstride

d

Trolls (0 - 2) 40×40mm Kraken (0 - 2) 50×100mm

Adv Mar Dis Adv Mar Dis

6″ 12″ 4 6″ 12″ 8
2×1 models
100 pts HP Def Res Arm single model HP Def Res Arm
2×2 3 3 4 0 300 pts 5 5 5 3
200 pts
3×2 Att Off Str AP Agi Att Off Str AP Agi
275 pts 3 3 5 2 1 4 5 7 4 3
Aegis (5+), Fearless, Monstrous Support, Stomp, Stomp (D3), Swiftstride, Multiple Wounds (D3),
Swiftstride Towering, Poison d

37
38
 ESSENCE OF WAR

The world of the 9th Age can be perilous for the unprepared.
It’s dangerous to venture out alone and too far. Take this tome
to guide you on the path of survival, legendary battles and
never-ending glory. Use it to learn how to muster your troops,
wield powerful magic, command monsters and ally with mighty
heroes — so that you can test yourself against the generals of
this world.

The 9th Age : Quick Play is a community made miniatures wargame.

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