How to Play Runewars: Banners of War

Game Objective

In Runewars: Banners of War, players seek to reinforce their armies and expand their dominion over Terrinoth. The main objective is to accumulate a sufficient number of dragon runes to win the game. The expansion introduces new units, heroes, quests, and tactics to aid players on this journey, as well as offering variants that modify victory conditions and how the game ends.

Preparation (Setup)

To incorporate the Banners of War expansion into the base game, follow these instructions:

• Shuffle the new heroes, objectives, quests, rewards, seasons, and tactics into their respective base game decks.
• When a player chooses a faction, they receive the corresponding reinforcement sheet, the new plastic units, the Garrison order card, and all necessary components for that faction.
• During step 1 of map setup, the additional quest cards for tiles 10, 11, 12 are shuffled into the quest setup card deck.
• Map Tiles:
  • If map tile #12 is the first tile to be placed, the next tile must be placed so that it touches two different areas of tile 12. Mountain (red) and water (blue) borders cannot be placed touching in parallel, and yellow borders also cannot be placed touching a yellow border.
  • If map tile #12 is not the first tile to be placed, it must be placed so that it touches two different areas that have already been placed. The yellow frame cannot be placed touching the red or blue border. The yellow frame has no effect on the game other than this setup restriction.
• The supplementary influence tokens (value 3) can be used to replace three normal influence tokens, if necessary.
• Optional Rules: Before each game, players must decide whether they want to use the optional rules, such as Development Cards, Battle Commanders, Rise of the Free Cities, and Path to Victory. Setup may vary depending on the chosen options.

Game Flow

Refer to the manual for details on this section.

Actions and How to Play

New Units

Each faction gains two new unit types to add to their forces. The reinforcement sheet lists all information for the new units. Players should place their reinforcement sheet to the right of their faction sheet, with the initiative numbers aligned. Each of the new units can be recruited in place of a base game unit, as indicated on the reinforcement sheet.

• Roc: Used by the Daqan Lords as war mounts.
• Apprentice Assistant: Bound by ancient treaty to serve the Daqan Lords in times of war.
• Leonx Rider: War mount for the elves of Latari. Has the Prowl ability: Until the end of the battle, when an enemy unit retreats from battle, you may rotate a Leonx Rider to destroy the unit.
• Forest Guardian: Units of the elves of Latari.
• Blood Sister: Members of the Blood Pact, use blood magic.
• Obscene: Warriors of the Uthuk, fueled by an obscene hunger.
• Vampire: Allies of the Lords of Bilehall, fly with the bats of Waiqar the Undying.
• Great Wyrm: Dragons that rise again under the command of the great traitor.

Fate Tactic Cards

Some new tactic cards have a dual purpose, identified by the Fate card symbols at the bottom. They can be used in two ways:

• As a normal tactic card: Played from hand to use its ability text.
• As a Fate card in battle/duel: A player may choose to play one or more of these cards during a battle or duel, instead of drawing Fate cards. The player announces they are doing this before drawing a Fate card for the unit in question. They draw one Fate card for each Fate tactic card they chose to play for each of their units. The icons at the bottom of the Fate tactic card are resolved in the same way as a Fate card, and the card is discarded to the tactic card discard pile. When used this way, the card's tactical ability text is ignored. A Fate tactic card cannot be used during the same season it was drawn.

Revealing Runes

When instructed to reveal a rune (e.g., by the "Power Play" tactic card), the player must choose any rune in an area they control (except when specified) and flip it face up, revealing whether it is a dragon rune or a false rune. If the card forces the player to reveal one of their dragon runes, they cannot reveal one of their false runes. Revealed runes remain face up and can only be flipped face down again by resolving a "Fortification" order. Moved runes can be flipped face down before being moved. A player must reveal runes that have not yet been revealed. If all of a player's runes are already revealed, they cannot trigger abilities that require revealing a rune.

Garrison Order Card

Each faction has access to the "Garrison" order card. When played, it provides a bonus during the "add combat strength" phase, when the user is defending in a battle this season. The supremacy bonus allows the player to recruit 2 triangle units of their faction, and can place them in any stronghold they control.

Guildmaster of Merchants (Title Card)

This title card, 'Guildmaster of Merchants', eases the running costs of an empire. The player with this title gains two additional resources of any type each time they use their "Harvest" order card, and can choose a different resource each time. Additionally, this player can ignore any resource loss caused by the primary ability of a Season card.

Desolation Tokens

Some game effects instruct to place a desolation token. When placed in an area, whoever controls the area immediately gains the resources found there. These tokens remain in play until removed by specific effects. While a desolation token is in play, the area is considered to have no resource icons. If a city is present, it no longer offers the printed icons when resolving the "Rally Support" order card, nor the dragon rune (if any). Desolation tokens can never be placed in a homeland area or an area that already contains a desolation token or cryomancy token.

Cryomancy Tokens

Represent extreme temperatures and snowstorms. While a cryomancy token is in play, units can ignore water (blue) border movement restrictions in that area, as if it were winter. The area is considered to have no resource icons and, if a city is present, it no longer offers the printed icons when using a "Rally Support" order card, nor the dragon rune (if any). Cryomancy tokens can never be placed in a homeland or area with a desolation token. More than one cryomancy token can be placed in a single area. A cryomancy token is removed from each area when resolving the secondary ability of a spring card.

Development Cards (Optional Rule)

This expansion provides 8 Development cards for each faction. When a player resolves the Supremacy Bonus of their "Harvest" order card, they can purchase one of their faction's Development cards, including the stronghold development construction effect. The player can choose from any of the eight available cards, paying the resource cost listed on the card. Abilities generated from Development cards are permanent. The card is placed face up next to the player's faction sheet.

• Capital Token: A development card allows replacing a stronghold in your homeland with a capital city. The capital city can have two developments (instead of one) and provides greater resistance when defending (7 while undamaged). If destroyed, it can be rebuilt in the homeland for 2 ore and 1 wood.
• Reanimate Tokens: When the Waiqar player acquires the "Blightlands" Development card, they gain eight reanimate tokens, which are treated as plastic Reanimate figures and recruited as normal units.
• Peasant Token: After purchasing the "People's Support" development card, the Daqan player gains three peasant tokens. When moving all their units out of an area, they can place an unused peasant token in the area, which continues to be considered friendly. Peasant tokens are removed when an activation (even from the Daqan) is placed in the area.

Battle Commander (Optional Rule)

Each player receives two hero cards and one Commander card, choosing one of their heroes to become a commander, placing a commander token under the figure. Commanders are heroes, but not units, and cannot complete quests. They can use abilities, move, duel, train, or heal during the Quest phase. Commanders do not count towards the hero limit (allowing a total of 4 heroes, one being a commander).

• Moving Commanders: They can move as units when resolving "Strategize", "Mobilize", or "Conquer" order cards. They cannot move out of activated areas or while exhausted.
• Acquiring Commanders: When resolving the Supremacy Bonus of the "Rally Support" order card, the player can pay up to three influence to purchase up to three commander deck cards and choose one to replace their current Commander card.
• Choosing a new commander: At the beginning of the Quest phase, a player can choose an allied hero in one of their strongholds to be the new commander. If the commander is defeated, the player can purchase a new commander card at the beginning of the Quest phase.
• Commanders in battle: Provide the ability listed on their Commander card. If the player loses the battle, the commander retreats with the units. Commanders cannot be targeted by special unit abilities and only take damage if the Commander card allows it and the player chooses. If defeated, it is removed from the game and the Commander card is discarded.
• Lieutenant General (Tactic Card): Used only with the Battle Commanders variant. Allows having a second commander in play, totaling five heroes. If one of the commanders is defeated, the dead commander's Commander card and the "Lieutenant General" tactic card are discarded.

Rise of the Free Cities (Optional Rule)

This variant replaces the original base game city tokens with alternative city tokens, which provide more tactic cards, influence, and sometimes dragon runes. Three of these city tokens have dragon runes printed on them, meaning the player who controls the area also controls an additional dragon rune. This dragon rune only counts towards winning the game and cannot be targeted by effects that target rune tokens. When playing with this variant, players need an additional dragon rune to win the game (total of seven, if it is the only variant).

Revised Battle Steps

1. Place the Battle marker.
2. Place the attacking faction's units.
3. Start of battle resolution: Attacker resolves "start of battle" abilities (tactic cards, commander cards), followed by the defender.
4. Combat rounds: Each player chooses a unit type (by initiative) to fight:
   1. Attacker announces all Fate tactic cards.
   2. Defender announces all Fate tactic cards.
   3. Attacker draws additional Fate cards.
   4. Defender draws additional Fate cards.
   5. Resolve Special Abilities.
   6. Resolve Exhaustions.
   7. Resolve damage.
5. Sum Forces: After each unit attacks once:
   1. Fortification Developments: If the defender has a developed fortification or access to a development card, they can use it.
   2. Unit Count: Each player sums the number of standing units.
   3. Add Stronghold Strength: If the defender has a stronghold or capital city, they add its strength.
   4. Stronghold Damage: If enemy standing units are present, the defender flips the stronghold or capital city token to its damaged side.
6. Resolution: The player with the highest total sum of strength wins (defender wins in case of a tie).
   1. Retreats: The losing player retreats all allied units.
   2. Stronghold Destruction / Conquest: If the attacker won against a stronghold or capital city, they remove the opponent's token and can replace it with one of their own stronghold tokens (damaged side up). Cannot replace an enemy capital stronghold with their own.
   3. Healing: Both players remove all damage markers from their units.
   4. Replace Units: The winner places their surviving units in the contested area. Exhausted units remain exhausted. Remove the battle marker.

End of Game and Scoring

Normally, the game ends when a player has a sufficient number of dragon runes (usually six, or seven with the Rise of the Free Cities variant).