Cardhammer

Fantasy Battles
Playtest Rules v1.0 July 1st, 2021
Christina Stone-Bush
 Introduction
Cardhammer Fantasy Battles is my attempt to create a wargame
that is accessible in regards to space, time, and cost, while still
providing an enjoyable tactical experience. Miniature wargames
are a lot of fun, but not everyone has the space to play or store
armies of miniatures, the time to assemble and paint those
miniatures, or the disposable income to purchase said miniatures
and other supplies.

The Olivia Hill Rule

If you're a fascist, you're not welcome to play this game. It's against
the rules. If you're reading this and thinking, "You just call everyone
you disagree with a fascist," then you're probably a fascist, or
incapable of drawing inferences from context and acknowledging a
dangerous political climate that causes the oppressed to be
hyperbolic. Don't play this game. Heal yourself. Grow. Learn.
Watch some Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood or something.

Materials Needed
• These rules;
• The provided unit, terrain, and measuring cards;
• Twenty to thirty six-sided dice;
• A handful of counters (coins, glass beads, etc.);
• A space to play - a 2’ square (25 card lengths) is recommended.

Printing & Assembling Cards

1. Print the provided pages of cards.
2. Cut the printed cards along the indicated lines; a metal
straightedge and craft knife are best for this.
a. For sturdier cards, glue the printed pages to some
construction paper before cutting them out.
3. If possible, slip the cut cards into a plastic card sleeve along
with another TCG card or playing card for backing.

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 General Principles
Dice
The game uses standard six-sided dice. Each player will need a
minimum of one die per unit in their army for command dice, plus
at least five or six additional dice shared between them for attacks
and armor rolls. Having dice in several different colors or sizes to
differentiate each player’s command dice from other dice is
helpful, but not necessary.

Measurements
All measurements, apart from marking out the battlefield at the
beginning of the game, are made in card lengths. A card length is
the distance between the top and bottom edges of a unit card when
held vertically — about 2.5”. To measure multiple card lengths, use
the ruler cards or lay several spare cards end to end down on the
table. Players may measure distances at any time, for any reason.

Open Information
There is no hidden information in the game. Players are allowed to
know the positions, facings, distances, special rules, etc. of all units
both on and off the battlefield at all times. Players are also expected
to share any and all information about their units and the state of
the battlefield when asked by other players.

Generosity
You are expected to be generous when playing the game, especially
with regards to measurements. Using cards to measure distances
will not be exact, especially if players are using card sleeves. If a
measurement is off my a few millimeters, that’s fine.

Number of players
The game is currently designed for two players. They should work
with three, or even four players, but they have not been tested yet.

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 Game Concepts
Cards
There are three types of cards: unit, terrain, and ruler cards.

Unit Cards
Unit cards are the smallest card in the game – 2.5” by 1.75”. Each
unit card represents a single group of identical soldiers, creatures,
or war machines in a player’s army. The number of individuals
making up a group varies across units and factions, and does not
actually matter; the unit's stats are what matters mechanically.
There are two types of units: infantry and cavalry.
• Infantry units are generally groups of foot troops, and are
oriented horizontally.
• Cavalry units are generally groups of mounted troops, and are
oriented vertically.
A unit card is composed of the following elements:
• Name - the unit’s name
• Faction - an icon indicating which faction the unit belongs to
• Keywords - special rules that modify how the unit interacts
with the game’s rules
• Stat Bar - a bar showing the unit’s game values, including:
• Melee Combat Score - how powerful the unit is in melee
combat
• Ranged Combat Score - how powerful the unit is in
ranged combat
• Armor Score - how much armor the unit has
• Health Score - how much damage the unit can sustain
before being destroyed
• Cost - the number of points it costs to include the unit in
an army
• Facing Arcs - four spaces along the outer edge of the card
showing the unit’s front, flank, and rear facing arcs. The front
arc is above the unit’s name, the rear arc is below the unit’s stat
bar, and the flank arc is on the left and right sides.
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Terrain Cards
Terrain cards are standard playing card size – 3.5” by 2.5”. Each
terrain card represents a type of terrain feature armies may
encounter on the battlefield. A terrain card is composed of the
following elements:
• Name - The terrain feature’s name
• Special Rules - Special rules that indicate how units interact
with the terrain feature.
Terrain cards may be placed singly on the battlefield to represent a
small terrain feature, or may be placed in contact with several
other terrain cards to represent a larger terrain feature.
• Cards representing linear terrain features, such as walls,
hedges, and rivers, are placed end-to-end, forming a chain of
cards.
• Cards representing areas of terrain, such as woods, ruins, and
bodies of water, are placed in a rough circle, with the corners
of each card overlapping those next to it.
There are currently three types of terrain cards, rivers, hills, and
woods, all of which are detailed below. Additional types of terrain
cards are in development, and will be available in the future.

Rivers
Rivers are linear flows of water, and should be placed onto the
battlefield in chains of any length of cards. Rivers can be either
shallow or deep, and have the following effects:
• Rivers do not block line of sight.
• Units may enter or cross shallow rivers at any point.
• Units may not enter or cross deep rivers, except at a bridge or
ford.
• Infantry units on the bank of a river are hit on dice scores of
5+, rather than the usual 4+, from melee attacks coming from
the opposite side of a river.
• A unit is considered to be on the bank of a river if it is
touching or overlapping the terrain card.

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Hills
Hills are areas of raised ground, and should be placed onto the
battlefield in rough circles of between 5 to 10 cards. The exterior of
the circle of cards is lower ground, the cards themselves are the
slope of the hill, and the interior edge of the card is the crest of the
hill. Hills have the following effect:
• Hills block line of sight when the unit and its target are both on
lower ground.
• A unit on a hill may draw line of sight to any target also on a
hill, or any target on lower ground.
• Intervening units on lower ground, both friendly and
enemy, do not block line of sight to units on hills.
• A unit on lower ground may only draw line of sight to a target
on a hill if the target is on the crest of the hill.
• A unit is considered to be on the crest of a hill if it is
touching or overlapping the terrain card.
• Infantry units on the crest of a hill are hit on dice scores of 5+,
rather than the usual 4+, from attacks coming from lower ground.

Woods
Woods are areas of dense vegetation, and should be placed onto
the battlefield in rough circles of between 5 to 10 cards. The
exterior of the circle of cards is open ground, the cards themselves
are the edge of the wood, and the interior of the circle is the center
of the wood. Woods have the following effect:
• Woods block line of sight, unless the unit and its target are
both within the same wood.
• A unit within a wood may draw line of sight to a target outside
of a wood, and vise-versa, as long as the unit is on the edge of
the wood.
• A unit is considered to be on the edge of a wood if it is
touching or overlapping the terrain card.
• Units within or on the edge of a wood are hit on dice scores of
5+, rather than the usual 4+.
• Cavalry units may not enter or cross woods.
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Ruler Cards
Ruler cards are the largest card in the game – 5.5” by 3.5”. Ruler
cards are used to measure distances, such as when moving units or
checking if a target is within range of a shooting attack. A ruler
card is composed of the following elements:
• Measurement - A measurement of two card lengths
• Rules Reference - An abbreviated section of game rules for
easy reference during play.
Ruler cards are used to measure multiple card lengths quickly. To
measure more than two card lengths, use two or three ruler cards,
making sure to overlap the cards so that the header is not visible.

Line of sight
Line of sight is determined by drawing an imaginary straight line
from any point along a unit's front edge directly to its intended
target. If that line passes through something noted as blocking line
of sight, the target is not visible to the unit.
• All units, both friendly and enemy, block line of sight.
• Certain types of terrain, such as woods and buildings, block
line of sight.
• A unit cannot draw line of sight to a target behind its front
edge.

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 before the game
Setup
1. Each player builds an army by selecting a number of units that:
a. Are all from the same faction, and
b. Have a combined value of no more than fifty points.
2. Mark out a 2’ by 2’ square area that represents the battlefield.
a. A tape measure or ruler is ideal for this purpose.
b. A 2’ by 2’ square of cloth or paper can also be used.
3. Players place terrain cards onto the battlefield in any mutually
agreeable manner.
4. The player with the fewest units chooses which edge of the
battlefield to deploy their army from. Their opponent deploys
their army from the opposite edge of the battlefield.

Deployment
1. Beginning with the player with the most units, players take
turns placing one unit onto the battlefield at a time. Units must
be placed:
a. Within three card lengths of their player’s edge of the
battlefield;
b. In the open or in terrain they could enter;
c. So they do not overlap any other unit.
2. If one player has no more units to place, the other player places
the remainder of their units onto the battlefield, one at a time.
3. After both players have placed all of their units onto the
battlefield, the game begins.

Note: There are currently only two factions in the playtest

packet, the Imperials and the Ruinous Powers. Both are
prebuilt 50 point armies, meaning players do not have a choice
about which units to include in their armies; simply use all the
supplied unit cards for each faction. Additional factions and
units are in development, and will be available in the future.

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 The Game Turn
The game proceeds in turns, with each turn being split into four
phases:
1. Command Phase - players roll command dice
2. Order Phase - players assign command dice to their units to
give them orders
3. Engagement Phase - units in contact with enemies fight in
melee
4. Cleanup Phase - players remove wound counters and
command dice from units
After the Cleanup Phase ends, the current turn is over. If the game
continues, a new turn begins with the Command Phase.

command Phase
1. Both players roll a number of six-sided dice equal to the
number of units they have on the battlefield. This is the
command roll and these dice are command dice.
2. Each player adds the value of their command dice together; the
player with the highest total becomes the active player for the
turn.
a. If both players have the same total value of command dice,
the player with the most 6s becomes the active player. If
both players have the same number of 6s, the player with
the most 5s becomes the active player, and so on. If both
players have identical command rolls, both should roll an
additional die; the player with the highest score becomes
the active player. Reroll any ties until an active player is
determined.
3. Each player should set their command dice aside for use in the
Order Phase.
4. Once both players have rolled and totaled their command dice,
and the active player has been determined, the Command
Phase ends. The active turn progresses to the Order Phase.

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Order Phase
1. Beginning with the active player, players alternate giving
orders to their armies one unit at a time.
2. When it is their turn to give orders, a player may choose any
one of their units that:
a. Has not already been given orders this turn,
b. Has not been forced to fall back this turn, and
c. Is not currently in contact with any enemy units.
3. After choosing a unit to give orders to, the player gives that
unit an order by assigning any command die from their
command roll to the unit.
a. Players should announce the chosen unit and the order
they are giving that unit.
4. After resolving its first order, the player may attempt to give the
unit a second order. Roll the command die assigned to the
unit; if the new score is higher than the previous score, the unit
performs the second order.
5. After resolving its second order, the player may attempt to give
the unit a third order by following the same process.
a. Units may not be given more than three orders in a turn.
b. Place the assigned commend die onto the unit to help keep
track of which units have been given orders this turn.
6. Once a player has finished giving orders to a unit, it is the
opponent’s turn to give orders to one of their units.
a. Once a player decides to stop giving orders to a unit, they
may not give orders to that unit again this turn.
7. If a player has no more units to give orders to, or chooses not
to give orders to any more of their units, their opponent may
continue to give orders to their units, one unit at a time.
8. Once both players have no more units they can give orders to,
or both choose not to give orders to any more of their units, the
order phase ends. Move on to the Engagement Phase.
Command dice the player chooses not to use for assigning
orders do not carry over to the next turn.

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Types of Orders
There are two basic types of orders: march orders and shoot
orders. March orders may be given to any unit. This allows them
to move, turn, or be repositioned on the battlefield. They also allow
a unit to move into contact with an enemy, engaging it in melee
combat. Shoot orders may only be given to units with a ranged
attack score, and it allows them to attack an enemy they are not in
contact with. Some units may be able to perform other types of
orders; these are detailed on the unit’s card.

March Orders
1. After being given a march order, a unit may move up to a
certain distance determined by its type:
a. Infantry units may move up to two card lengths;
b. Cavalry units may move up to three card lengths.
2. To move a unit a card length, place a ruler card so that one of its
back corners aligns with one of the unit’s front corners, then move
the unit up to, but no farther than, the ruler card’s front edge.
a. If the unit is moving backwards, place the ruler card so that
one of its front corners aligns with one of the unit’s back
corners, then move the unit up to, but no farther than, the
ruler card’s back edge.
b. If the unit is turning, place the ruler card so that its front or
back corner aligns with the outer corner of the unit.
i. Eg.: If the unit is turning to the right, align the ruler card
with the unit’s left corner.
3. While moving, a unit may not overlap another unit, friendly or
enemy, or any terrain that the unit could not enter or cross.
4. Units do not have to move a full card length; there is no
minimum distance units must move when given a march order.
5. Instead of moving one card length, a unit may rotate up to 90
degrees to the left or right as part of a march order.
a. When rotating a unit, try to keep its center point in the
same location.

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Charges
1. A unit that intentionally moves into contact with an enemy
during its march order has charged that enemy.
2. A unit may only charge an enemy that is:
a. within its line of sight, and
b. in its front-facing arc when given the march order.
i. Eg.: A unit with an enemy behind it would need to be
given two march orders to charge that enemy – one
march order to turn around, and a second march order
to charge the enemy now in its front arc.
3. A charging unit must contact the enemy along the edge its
front arc was facing when the march order was given.
a. If an enemy has two edges within a charging unit’s front
arc, the charging unit must contact whichever edge it is
closest to.
b. If both edges of an enemy are equally distant from the
charging unit’s front arc, the player of the charging unit
may decide which edge of the enemy to contact.
i. Eg.: A unit given a march order with its front arc facing
the right flank of an enemy must charge so that it
contacts the enemy’s right flank. To charge the enemy’s
rear arc, the unit would need to be given at least two
march orders - one, to position itself so its front arc was
facing the enemy’s rear arc, then an additional march
order to charge.
4. Provided it can move far enough, a charging unit must move
so that the center of its front edge aligns with the center of
whichever edge of the enemy it charges.
a. If a charging unit cannot align its front edge center to
center with the enemy’s edge, it must move so that as much
of its front edge contacts the enemy’s edge as possible.
b. If a charging unit cannot align any of its front edge with the
enemy due to engaged friendly units completely blocking
the enemy’s edge, the charging unit may contact the next
closest edge of the enemy.
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5. If a charging unit does not have enough movement to align its
front edge with an edge of the enemy (such as only contacting
the enemy with its corner), treat the order as normal
movement. The unit must either be given an additional march
order, in which case it is aligned with the enemy unit as
normal, or moved back a bit so the units are no longer
contacting.
6. Units in contact with an enemy will fight in the Engagement Phase.

Shoot Orders
1. Players may only give a shoot order to units with a ranged
attack score.
2. Units given a shoot order must target the closest enemy that is:
a. within line of sight,
b. within range, and
c. not in contact with any friendly units.
3. If two or more visible enemy units are equally distant from the
shooting unit, the player issuing the shoot order may choose
which enemy it targets.
4. Shooting units have a range of three card lengths, and the
entirety of the shooting unit must be in range of the target to
be given a shoot order.
a. Measure ranges from the front corner of the shooting unit
that is farthest from the enemy.
b. If the target is not within range; the player may change the
order to a march order.
5. If the target is within range, the owner of the shooting unit
rolls dice equal to the shooting unit’s ranged attack score; each
die scoring a 4+ is a hit on the target.
6. The owner of the target makes an armor roll; they roll dice
equal to the number of hits inflicted on the target; each die
scoring equal to or higher than the target’s armor score negates
one hit.
7. Any remaining hits on the target become wounds; place a
number of counters on the target equal to the wounds inflicted.
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 a. If a unit ever has a number of wound counters on it equal
to, or in excess of its health score, it is eliminated. Remove
it from the battlefield as a casualty.
i. Eg.: A shooting unit scores two hits on the target unit.
The owner of the target unit rolls two dice, getting a 2
and a 5. The target unit has an armor score of 5, so one
hit is negated. The remaining hit becomes one wound on
the target unit.
8. A unit that suffers one or more wounds as a result of a shoot
order may be forced to fall back (see Fall Back).
a. Check to see if a unit falls back after a shooting unit
completes its shoot order.
b. The same unit may be forced to check for fall back
multiple times during a turn if it suffers wounds from
multiple shoot orders.

Charging Units with Ranged Combat Scores

1. If an enemy charges a unit with a ranged combat score, that
unit may shoot at the charging enemy as it closes.
a. Units may only shoot at a charging enemy if it is within
line of sight at any point during the charge.
2. Treat the unit being charged as if it had just been given a shoot
order; roll dice equal to its ranged attack score to inflict hits on
the charging enemy, and make an armor roll for any hits
inflicted on the enemy as normal.
3. Charging enemies never check to see if they fall back as a result
of suffering wounds from a shooting attack; move the charging
enemy into contact with the unit regardless of the number of
wounds it suffered.
4. Wounds inflicted by a unit on a charging enemy count for
combat resolution; add those wounds to the number of
wounds inflicted by the unit in the upcoming engagement
phase.

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Engagement Phase
1. Beginning with the active player, players alternate choosing an
engagement to resolve, one engagement at a time.
a. An engagement includes all the units that are contacting
each other.
2. Each player adds together the melee attack scores of all their
units involved in the engagement, and applies the following
modifiers:
a. +1 for each unit that charged or pursued;
b. +1 for each cavalry unit that charged or pursued;
c. -1 for each unit with an enemy contacting its flanks or rear-
facing arcs.
i. Eg.: A cavalry unit with a melee attack score of 3 charges
the flank of an infantry unit with a melee attack score of
3. The cavalry unit’s total melee attack value is 5 (a base
score of 3, plus 1 for charging, plus an additional 1 for
being a cavalry unit that charged) to the infantry unit’s
total melee attack score of 2 (a base score of 3, minus 1
for having an enemy contacting its flank).
3. Each player rolls dice equal to the total melee attack score of all their
units involved in the engagement; each die scoring a 4+ is a hit.
a. In situations where a unit is engaged with multiple enemies
and some of those enemies are affected by rules modifying
the die score needed to score a hit while others are not,
players must divide the unit’s attacks between the different
groups of enemies as evenly as possible. The player of the
attacking unit decides which enemies any remaining
attacks are directed against.
b. In situations where a unit with one or more special abilities
modifying its dice rolls to hit enemies in melee or its
target’s armor roll is part of an engagement with friendly
units without those special abilities, the owning player
must roll dice from the unit with special abilities
separately. This is so players can clearly see which dice have
their scores modified by special abilities.
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 i. Eg.: A unit with a melee attack value of 5 is engaged with
two enemies, one in the open, the other in a wood. The
enemy in the open is hit on a 4+, while the enemy in the
wood is hit on a 5+. The player must divide the unit’s
attacks so that two go against the enemy in the open, and
two go against the enemy in the wood. They assign the
unit's remaining attack to the enemy in the open.
ii. Eg.: A unit with the Accurate (Melee) special ability and
a unit with the Deadly (Melee) special ability are part of
an engagement along with friendly units that do not
have any special abilities. The owning player must roll
three separate groups of dice for the attack – one for the
unit with the Accurate (Melee) ability, one for the unit
with the Deadly (Melee) ability, and one for the units
without either of these abilities.
4. Each player divides the number of hits inflicted upon their side
among their units as evenly as possible. If there are hits
remaining, the player suffering the hits may choose which of
their units to assign them to.
i. Eg.: A side with three engaged units has five hits against
it. That player must assign one hit to each of their units,
and then has to decide which two units suffer a second hit.
5. Each player makes an armor roll for each of their units that had
hits assigned to it. Roll dice equal to the number of hits
inflicted on the unit; each die scoring equal to or higher than
the unit’s armor score negates one hit.
a. In situations where one side has units with different armor
scores, make armor rolls for units one at a time.
6. Any remaining hits on units become wounds; place a number
of wound counters on each unit equal to the wounds inflicted.
7. Players compare the total number of wounds suffered on each
side to determine the winner of the engagement (see
Determining the Winner of an Engagement).
a. If a unit suffered wounds from charging an enemy with a
ranged combat score, add those wounds to the total number.
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8. After determining the winner of the engagement and moving
any pursuing and disengaging units, any units still in contact
with an enemy fight a second round of engagements.
a. In situations where an engagement breaks into multiple
smaller engagements as a result of pursuit, the active player
chooses which secondary engagement to resolve first.
b. Resolve all the secondary engagements resulting from the
breakup of a larger engagement before resolving other
engagements.
c. If a pursuing unit contacts an enemy that is involved in an
engagement that has not been resolved yet, the pursuing
unit becomes part of this new engagement. It will fight
again when this engagement is resolved later in the phase.
d. If a pursuing unit contacts an enemy that is involved in an
engagement that has already been resolved, the pursuing
unit becomes part of this new engagement. It will fight
when this engagement is resolved next turn.
9. Determine the winner for the second round of engagements as
normal, with the following changes:
a. If both sides suffer an equal number of wounds, they
disengage as normal. The engagement is over.
b. If both sides suffer a different number of wounds, units
may fall back, pursue, and stand as normal. However, there
is no third engagement round. Any units still in contact
with an enemy after the second round of engagements are
locked in combat. They will fight again on the next turn.
10. After resolving the second round of engagements, the
engagement is finished. Move onto another engagement.
11. Once all engagements have been resolved, the engagement
phase is over. Move on to the Cleanup phase.

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Determining the Winner of an
Engagement
1. If both sides of an engagement suffer the same number of
wounds, both sides must disengage (See Disengage).
2. Units may not pursue when both sides suffer the same number
of wounds. After finishing disengagement moves, the
engagement is over.
3. The side suffering the greater number of wounds is the loser of
the engagement; the side suffering the fewer number of
wounds is the winner.
4. Both players, beginning with the loser, remove any of their
units that have a number of wound tokens equal to or in excess
of their health scores.
5. After removing units as casualties, the player of the losing side
checks to see if any of their remaining units are forced to fall
back (see Fall Back).
a. When checking to see which units fall back, the player
checks for each of their units one at a time, beginning with
any unit they wish.
6. After the player of the losing side finishes their fall back moves,
the player of the winning side decides what to do with their
units. Each unit on the winning side may pursue, stand, or
disengage as the player wishes.

Pursue
A unit that pursues moves up to its full move to contact an enemy.
Pursuing units and any enemies they contact will fight in a second
engagement this turn.
• Units can not pursue if they are still in contact with an enemy.
• Infantry units can not pursue cavalry units.
• A pursuing unit must be able to move into contact with an
enemy in order to pursue. If it is not able to move into contact
with an enemy, it must stand or disengage instead.

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Stand
A unit that stands remains where it is. If it is contacting any
enemies, they will fight in a second engagement this turn.

Disengage
A unit that disengages moves up to its full move away from any
enemies.
• Units that disengage may move in any direction provided they
end their movement farther away from any enemies than
where it began.
• Units that disengage may end their movement facing any
direction.

Cleanup Phase
1. Both players total up the value of their units that have been
removed from the battlefield as casualties.
2. If a player has more than 25 points worth of casualties, they
lose. Their opponent is the winner, and the game ends.
3. If both players have fewer than 25 points worth of casualties,
the game continues.
4. Both players remove all command dice from their units, and
remove all wound counters from all of their units that are not
in contact with an enemy.
5. The current turn ends. Begin a new turn starting with the
Command Phase.

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Fall Back
When a unit suffers one or more wounds from a shooting attack,
or when its side loses an engagement, there is a chance it may fall
back. The owning player rolls dice equal to the current number of
wound counters on the unit. If any dice score a 4+, the unit must
fall back.
When a unit falls back, its owner moves it directly away from the
enemy in as straight a line as possible.
• If a unit is falling back from multiple enemies, it falls back from
the enemy with the highest melee attack score.
• If a unit is falling back from multiple enemies with identical
melee combat scores, the owning player may choose which
enemy it falls back from.
The unit falling back may move up to its full move, but must move
at least one card length away from its current position. It may end
the fall back movement facing any direction.
• If the path of a unit falling back is blocked by friendly units
that are not in contact with an enemy, those friendly units may
make way; move any blocking units to the side (to their left or
right flanks) or back (to their rear) the minimum distance for
the unit falling back to complete its movement.
• If the path of a unit falling back is blocked by friendly units
that do not make way, friendly units that are in contact with an
enemy, enemy units, or terrain that it cannot enter, move the
unit around these obstacles by the shortest possible path. The
unit falling back must end its movement farther away from the
shooting unit than where it began.
• If the path of a unit falling back is blocked so that it cannot end
its movement farther away from the shooting unit than where
it began, such as being surrounded by enemies or impassable
terrain, the unit is eliminated. Remove it from the battlefield as
a casualty.

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