Hostile Realms

Hostile Realms Fantasy Mass Battle rules

 

Hostile Realms Scenario Book

(with Gavin Shanks and Barry Frandsen); six scenarios for Hostile Realms.  Both Published in 2009.

(Deluxe Sequence Decks, not required for play)

(Deluxe Relic Decks, not required for play)

Hostile Realms is the Fantasy battle rules that recently joined the Piquet family of wargames rules. Hostile Realms uses the key Piquet/Field of Battle (FoB) mechanisms – Impetus, Sequence decks, Morale chips, and opposed polyhedral die rolls for combat, morale, leadership, and magic. Note that none of the accessories are required to play the game, although they will likely enhance your enjoyment of it namely the full color Sequence and Relic decks, or the scenario book. The Master rules are not used or needed in any way to play HR, nor is Field of Battle. It is a stand alone set.

The scenario book is not required, but is helpful, especially for players new to setting up a battle with FoB/ Piquet concepts. There are also Deluxe Sequence and Relic decks; the rules themselves come with utilitarian cardstock sheets to cut out for decks, so there is no need to invest in these unless you decide you like the rules enough to want the bling!  All of the Hostile Realms products are available direct from Piquet, Inc. Thanks to Piquet, Inc. for their permission to include many excepts form the rules on this page.

The rules are not tied to any particular scale, figure line or mythos, but will accommodate most commonly used Fantasy types. There are many army lists, characters, and beasts contained in the rules, including many quite unusual or innovative unit types as well. With all those examples to work from, with a modest amount of work the rules can pretty easily be adapted to handle just about any kind of fantasy army or unit one could imagine.

Added September 2012:

Dave M has some great battle reports, etc., on his blog using Hostile Realms:

Battle of Grave Crossing (Undead vs Middle Kingdom)

Adapting Theater of War to Hostile Realms (for campaigns) - card decks

Developing Campaign Musters for Hostile Realms Campaigns

Selecting the Units for a Battle (for campaigns)

Battle of Bone Pass (Undead vs The Realm). Note the gorgeous cards Dave made using Artscow!

He and "Undead Jed" have also worked out a recommended approach to handling skeletal warriors:

1. They never take morale tests, challenges, etc.
2. They cause fear and they never fear anything.
3. They never rout.
4. They never pursue. Sorry, Jed!
5. They do get disordered, out of command, and unformed. Perhaps this reflects strain on the magical controls that keep them bound to their necromantic masters.
6. If they lose a melee, they go disordered, but do they retreat? We didn't have them retreat. Instead they just grimly fought on.
7. They probably don't rout from double disorder either. Basically, you'll never see a mob of skeletons fleeing in rout.

Turn Sequence: Impetus and Sequence Decks

Hostile Realms uses the "Balanced Impetus" method of Field of Battle (FoB), which is to say that both sides will get the same number of impetus points per roll, with the high roller going first or second according to their choice, AND that one impetus turns one card, AND allows all actions on that card, unlike the Master rules where one must expend an impetus per unit or command that acts on the card. The MOVE cards also allow 0,1,2, or rarely 3 segments of movement similar to but not exactly like FoB.

Melee, Missilery, and Morale

The Melee, Morale, and Fire resolution systems are much more like the Master Rules than FoB – there was just way too much variety of weapons, armor, and more for the FoB system to have enough "flavor" and gradations to it. See the example of play near the end of this section for a better idea how this works. Most units and Beasts take four "wounds" to kill; it takes from two (skirmishers) to five (Dwarvish Heavy Infantry – tough customers) "hits" (pip differential on opposed polyhedral die rolls) to score a wound. Poisoned weapons, though, will wound even on fractional hits, disease (and regeneration) take effect when certain cards are turned, etc., etc. Wounds decrease the effectiveness of most units, BUT certain very large Beasts (like Dragons, for example) fight at full effect until killed outright, suffering NO decrement for the wounds they have suffered. Nasty!

Characters

Characters (Heroes and Champions)take one or two wounds respectively to kill. Characters lead the Command Groups of the Army. They also fight in their own right, modify the combat abilities of friendly units they are attached to, and, if also Wizards, may cast spells. Magic is important, but not dominating. Spells require energy ("Mana") which is "recharged" on Mana cards much like the Piquet "Reload" or FoB "Firepower" cards. Spells are many (50, divided into four levels) and varied including direct damage, modifying the abilities of friendly or enemy units, healing wounds, summoning creatures, and others. Spells are not automatic, and are harder to cast successfully the more difficult the spell, the further away the target, etc. Oh, and do NOT roll a "1" when casting a spell, especially a level FOUR spell!


Here's an except from the rules regarding the generation of Characters:

Heroes and Champions are collectively referred to as Characters. All Characters will have a Leadership rating, and some or all of them will be Commanders, commanding the Army or a Command Group. If a Character is rated as a Wizard (i.e., a Wizard Hero or Wizard Champion), then they may also use magic. The use of Relics (Acquired by the army set up process or assigned by the scenario designer) may modify the abilities of Characters. Heroes always take 1 wound to kill, while Champions take 2 wounds to kill. The number of hits required to inflict a wound depend upon the character’s Constitution (see below).

Rating Characters:  Roll a D20 for Ability Points (AP):

Die Roll    Rating                 Ability Points: Hero      Ability Points: Champion
1, 2            Lackluster                      4                                      6
3 -5           Mundane                        6                                      8
6 – 16       Competent                      8                                    12
17, 18        Impressive                    10                                    15
19, 20       Spectacular                    12                                    18

Use the Character’s Ability Points (AP) to purchase abilities in each of the 5 categories: Strength, Dexterity,
Charisma, Constitution, and Renown, plus Magical Talent for Wizards only. Select one level from each category.  “UP 1”, etc., to BDV refers to adjustments to the character’s personal BDV for that area, while a “Bonus” refers to the effect the Character has in that area upon any attached unit. AP Costs for the ability ratings are as follows:

Each Ability with Impaired Rating: Gain 2 AP to spend elsewhere!
Each Ability with Basic Rating: Costs 1 AP.
Each Ability with Advanced Rating: Costs 3 AP
Each Ability with Expert Rating: Costs 6 AP

Charisma:
Impaired: No change to Morale.
Basic: Up 1 to Morale DV, Morale Bonus: None
Advanced: Up 2 to Morale DV, Morale Bonus: Up 1 to any attached unit
Expert: Up 3 to Morale DV, Morale Bonus: Up 2 to attached unit
Constitution:
Impaired: Character takes only 2 hits to Wound. Magic Resistance is unchanged.
Basic: Character takes 3 hits to Wound. Magic Resistance of Character is Up 1 from that of his army/race.
Advanced: Character takes 3 hits to Wound. Magic Resistance of Character is Up 2 from that of his army/race.
Expert: Character takes 4 hits to Wound. Magic Resistance of Character is Up 2 from that of his army/race.
Dexterity:
Impaired: No changes to Missile combat, Casting Wizards on the Magical Attack Table: Down 1.
Basic: Up 1 to Missile DV, Missile Bonus: None, Casting Wizards on the Magical Attack Table: No change.
Advanced: Up 2 to Missile DV, Missile Bonus: Up 1 to attached unit, Casting Wizards on the Magical Attack Table: Up 1.
Expert: Up 3 to Missile DV, Missile Bonus: Up 2 to attached unit, Casting Wizards on the Magical Attack Table: Up 2.
Strength:
Impaired: No changes to Melee combat
Basic: Up 1 to Melee DV, Melee Bonus: None.
Advanced: Up 2 to Melee DV, Melee Bonus: Up 1 to attached unit
Expert: Up 3 to Melee DV, Melee Bonus: Up 2 to attached unit
Renown:
Impaired: No special effects.
Basic: Character and any attached unit are considered Fearsome.
Advanced: Character and any attached unit are considered Fearsome. May issue Morale Challenges using a
D4. This includes attached Characters
Expert: Character and any attached unit are considered Fearsome. May issue Morale Challenges using a D6.
This includes attached Characters.
Magical Talent (for Wizards only)
Impaired: Down 1 die type to Spell Casting die. Wizard can not use Level 3 or 4 spells.
Basic: No Change. Wizard can not use Level 4 spells.
Advanced: No Change. Access to all spells.
Expert: Up 1 die type to Spell Casting die
Note: Characters that are Wizards will also roll separately to determine their Spell Casting die (see section 15:
Magic). Some races may not be able to select Wizards higher than a certain level, as specified in their army list.

Example 1: Ghaven the Barbarian is a Champion. He rolls for his Ability Points with the plus 3 modifier for
Barbarians (from the Barbarian Army List). He rolls a “14” on a D20, adding the +3 gives a final score of 17,
giving Ghaven a rating of “Impressive”. He has 15 Ability points to spend. Being an “in your face” kind of guy,
Ghaven takes an Impaired rating for Dexterity, so he has no special effects for missile combat – in fact, Ghaven disdains to even use a missile weapon! That raises his ability points (AP) available to 17. He chooses Expert Renown (11 AP left), Expert Strength (5 AP left), Advanced Charisma (2 AP left) and Basic Constitution (l AP left unused is wasted).
Ghaven will have no effect or ability to use Missile combat, but his DV for Melee will be Up 3 and he’ll give an UP 2 in Melee bonus to any attached units. He will take 3 hits to Wound and will take 2 Wounds to kill. Any spells cast at him will be at an additional Down 1. He and any attached unit will be considered Fearsome, and he may issue Morale Challenges using a D6! His personal morale DV will be Up 2 and he’ll give an Up 1 Morale Bonus to any attached unit. Impressive indeed!

Relics

Units may also be assigned magic items ("Relics") at the start of the game. These modify the combat of the unit and/or give it special abilities. Some races (i.e, elves, dwarves) get more relics, some less (i.e., Orcs), but aside from special scenarios, they are determined randomly by drawing from the relic deck). The relic card(s) are played faced DOWN next to the unit, so your opponent "senses Magic" associated with the relic, but doesn't know what the relic is until it is first used by the player. There is also a small chance the relic will backfire with the opposite of it's usual effect ("cursed") – that won't be known until the first attempt is made to use it. Oops! Dwarven relics, for example, are less likely to be cursed than usual.

Here's an example of the "shields" category of relics:

Magic Shield: Bearer counts an additional Down 1modifier for armor when a target of missile fire or melee
combat. This includes fire from gunpowder weapons. Cursed: Bearer counts an additional Up 1 modifier when a target of missile fire or Melee Combat.

Shield of Might: Bearer counts an additional Down 2 modifier for armor when a target of missile fire or melee combat. This includes fire from gunpowder weapons. Cursed: Bearer counts an additional Up 2 modifier when a target of missile fire or Melee Combat.

Vortex Shield: Bearer is immune to all ordinary missile fire, including fire from gunpowder weapons. Cursed:
Bearer is Up 3 as a target of all missile fire.

Shield of Invulnerability: Hits needed to wound the bearer are increased by 1 (so a typical infantry unit would take 4 hits to wound instead of the usual 3, a skirmish unit would take 3 hits to wound instead of the usual 2, and so on). Cursed: Hits needed to wound the bearer are decreased by 1 (so a typical infantry unit would take 2 hits to wound instead of the usual 3, a skirmish unit would take 1 hit to wound instead of the usual 2, and so on).

Magic:
There are over 40 spells in four levels of difficulty included in Hostile Realms. Some strengthen your troops, some weaken your does, Some inflict direct damage on their target(s), and others summon creatures under the control of the caster. Still others have a variety of unique effects upon the battlefield itself! Any given Wizard can only learn a small portion of the available spells for a given battle, so choose wisely!  Spells do not succeed automatically; the harder the spell, the less competent the Wizard, the farther away the target is, and the tougher the target is are all factors that influence whether a spell succeeds or not. Those who like their magic more powerful can choose to declare that all spells succeed automatically, or limit casting success checks to just the very powerful (and dangerous) Level 4 spells. 

The Bestiary:

Beasts covered in Hostile Realms are Bears, Boars, Carrion, Demons, Dragons, Elementals (4 kinds), Giant Animals (Bats, Eagles, Rats, Snakes, Spiders, and Wolves), Giants, Harpies, Hydras, Medusae, Minotaurs, Nagas, Ogers, Swarms (summoned by spells), Treemen (3 types), Trolls, Undead Dragons, War Hounds, and Wyverns. Many beasts, and some Characters and even a few units can Fly. Several Beasts and a few units can also use Multiple Attacks, allowing them to re-roll their dice in melee one or more times.

The rules include an introductory scenario with a "walk through" of the first turn of a game using the scenario to illustrate play, which should be a big help to players, especially those new to Piquet and/or FoB. There is a quite detailed points system. You could create some awesome Monsters, units, and characters… BUT, get carried away and they're gonna cost you so much there won't be much else to go with them. Contrast that with an army of low level, uninspired grunts like Orcs; individually they're nothing special, but there are so *many* of them – hard to kill them all fast enough!

Here's an example of a Beast from the rules:

Wyvern
Unit Type = Large Creature
Move Allowance: 8"
Models per stand /Stands per Unit: 1/1
Points: 168
% Army Composition: 1 unit per Army Max.
Special Attributes: Fear, Fly, Mighty 
Special Attacks: Multiple(2), Poison* 
Hits: 12 (3)
Armor Quality:  Medium 
Fire: N/A
Melee: D12
Morale: D10

* Poison only applies to the first Melee Die roll (the tail!); if the Wyvern re-rolls its Melee Die, the second attack (claws) does not count as poisonous.

Unit and Base Sizes 

Base sizes are truly immaterial as long as both armies are based reasonably similarly. As my historical armies are based to the old WRG standards, I personally use 60mm frontage stands (for 28mm figures). Units usually have 4 stands except artillery/engine units have 2 bases; characters and many Beasts are single stands. The number of models per base does not affect the play of the game in any way,and one could easily use 2 stands per unit for infantry and cavalry and one stand per unit for engines if one so desired. . Still, one suggested basing scheme is:

3/4 models per stand for dense shock infantry – examples include most pikemen, heavily armored well trained spearmen, and dwarves fighting in close order.

2/3 models per stand for most other medium/heavy infantry, medium and heavier cavalry/fliers.

1/2 models per stand for light infantry and Light Cavalry (skirmishers).

3-4 crew and an engine for artillery.

One model per stand for elephants and similar, ditto chariots. To save funds, half of those bases may be replaced with Light Infantry "runner" type bases.

Army Size depends upon how big or small a force you want to play with. We've typically used 15 – 25 units per army, but as few as a dozen units will work quite well. That would work out to about 50 stands and less than 150 figures per army at that size (12 units). The variable Base Die type is NOT used in HR (included as an option), all units start with a D6 that is then modified for all the usual factors like weapons, training, race, etc. The Relics, magic and the effects of Heroes is some ways take the place of the variable base die type. This makes using a pre-made army roster MUCH easier, at least IMHO.

If you like FoB and Fantasy, I think you'll like HR. It plays a little slower than FoB, due to the more "traditional" Piquet format (the concept of rolling "even" being good is NOT used in HR, for example).

Still, most of our games have fought to a result in 3 – 4 hours with one time through the sequence decks (if no shuffle), and we've never gone through the deck all the way twice!

Army Lists Included (18):

Empire of the Steppes with the fierce horsemen of the Khan and the Baked Clay Soldiers.

Northern Barbarian Confederation who can turn Beserk and sweep the battlefield clear.

The Realm who rely on steady troops and expert bowmen, supplemented by powerful magic.

The Middle Kingdom whose strength lies chiefly in the thundering charge of its famed Knights.

Followers of the Light whose Zealots turn the suffering of Martyrs into magical attacks!

Amazons who can have strange effect upon men who dare to invade their territory.

Sultanate of Harran and their great Mastodons topped by towering howdahs of warriors.

Kingdom of Gonfor and their famed elite fortress guards.

High Elves expert in magic and steady in combat.

Wood Elves proud and expert marksmen and woodsmen.

Dark Elves twisted members of an ancient race specializing in poison and evil magic.

Orcs short on brains but long on brawn, whose sheer numbers can overwhelm an opponent.

Goblins with less brawn but more cunning.

Dwarves who have harnessed the secrets of gunpowder and technology to serve them.

Mountain Dwarves who follow the old ways, glorying in their toughness and skill in combat.

Undead composed of foul creatures from the crypts and their malevolent human minions.

Lizard Men the survivors of an eldritch race, who may call upon many reptilian allies.

Ratmen skittering masses of rodent-like creatures that bring disease as an ally.

Here's a sample Army list from the rules:

 (sorry about the formating limitations of the blog to import tables like this)

Empire of the Steppes

This list represents the army of the Great Khan, conqueror of half the known world and ruler of the great Eastern Empire and the Southern Kingdoms. There are traces of historical Huns and Mongols here. The historical reports of both call to mind terror, piles of skulls and devastation. Little exaggeration is needed to justify fearsome status for a large part of the army. The list is only a guide. Your ideas of what the army should be may differ from mine.

Empire of the steppes
Army Characteristics		Difficulty Dice		Magic Characteristics
Relic Divisor	4	Move in Class III/IV	D10	Wizard Aptitude Modifier	NC
		Engineering	D8	Maximum Wizard Level	III
Leadership Roll	NC	Other	D6	Magic Resistance	Low

Sequence Deck Cards for Empire of the steppes
Basic Deck Cards		Recommended Optional cards
Army Morale	2	Berserker Action	0
Courage!	2	Crushing Missilery	1
Engines of War Reload	1*	Engineering Phase	0
Favor of the Gods	2	Heroic Challenge	0
Fliers and Light Cavalry Move	1	Ineffective Missilery	0
Heroic Moment	2	Levy Apprehensive	0
Leadership Check	2	Look to the King	1
Lull	1	Naval Phase	0
Manna Recharge	2	Pillage & Loot!	1
Maneuver	1	Rally Back	1
Melee	3	Stratagem	0
Move	3	Sneaky Critters	0-1
Move 1 Command Group	2	Superstitions and Omens!	1
Missile Reload	3	Uncontrolled Charge!	1
		Undisciplined Advance	1
		Undisciplined Missilery	1
Basic Deck Total	28

*Substitute a Lull for the Engines of War Reload card if there are no war engines in the army.

Required Optional Cards: Add a Pillage and Loot card. Add the Look to the King Card if the Great Khan is commanding the Army

Obligatory Optional Cards: Add Brilliant Commander or Command Indecision Card as determined by Army C-in-C quality. Add Sneaky Critters card, etc. if opposing army mandates this.

Variable Optional Cards: Take all of the Recommended Optional Cards and randomly draw up to 3 cards depending upon the number of Obligatory and Required Optional cards used. Add the 3 cards to the Basic Deck, making a total of 31.

Army Rating table for Empire of the Steppes
Unit	Training Level [Unit Type]	Formations & [Deployments]		Points		% Army Composition
Khan’s Guard	Guard [Heavy Cavalry]	BL, BO		135 Fearsome		0 - 1 unit
Assault Cavalry	Elite [Heavy Cavalry]	BL, BO		98 Fearsome		0 – 15%
Attack Cavalry	Natives [Medium Cavalry]	BL, BO		36 Fearsome		10 – 25%
Steppe Swarm	Militia [Light Cavalry]	SK, WM		21		40 – 90%
Dismounted Swarm	Militia [Infantry]	SK		18		0 – 20%
Dismtd Attack Cav.	Natives [Infantry]	BL, BO		33
Wagon Lager	Wagons	BL, SQ		30		0 – 2 units
Eastern Empire (EE) Levy Halberdiers	Levy [Infantry]	BL, BO		18		0 – 15%
EE Levy Crossbows	Levy [Infantry]	BL, BO		16		0 – 10%
EE Baked Clay Soldiers	Regular [Dense Shock Infantry]	BL, BO		50 Fearsome		0 – 3 units1
EE Sorcerers	Civilians [Infantry]	BL		6		0 – 2 units1
EE Levy Artillery	Light Guns	BL		22		0 – 2 units2
	Rockets	BL		22
Southern Kingdom (SK) Levy Warriors	Levy [Infantry]	BL, BO		16		0 – 15%
SK Levy Skirmishers	Levy [infantry]	SK		10		0 – 10%
Great Khan	Champion [Heavy Cavalry]	BL		180
Khan	Champion/Hero [Heavy Cav]	BL		180/120
Shaman	Wizard (III) Hero [Light Cav]	BL		80
Unit	Weapons	Hits	AQ	Fire	Melee		Morale
Khan’s Guard	Advanced bows; Spears	3	Heavy	D8	D12+2		D10
Assault Cavalry	Advanced bows; Spears	2	Heavy	D8	D12+1		D8
Attack Cavalry	Advanced bows; Spears	2	Medium	D4	D12		D4
Steppe Swarm	Advanced bows; Irreg weapons	2	Light	D6	D4		D6
Dismounted Swarm	As Steppe Swarm	2	Light	D8	D4		D6
Dismtd Attack Cav.	As Attack Cav.	3	Medium	D6	D10		D4
Wagon Laager	See Special Rules below.
Eastern Empire (EE) Levy Halberdiers	Polearm	3	Light	NA	D6		D4
EE Levy Crossbows	Repeating Crossbow	3	Light	D10	D4		D4
EE Baked Clay Soldiers	See Special Rules below.
EE Sorcerers	Irregular.	2	None	NA	D4		D4
EE Levy Artillery	Light Guns; Ireg weapons.		None	D8	D4		D4
	Rockets; Ireg weapons.		None	D4	D4		D4
Southern Kingdom Levy Warriors	Advanced bow; Spears.	3	Light	D6	D6		D4
SK Levy Skirmishers	Advanced bows.	2	None	D6	D4		D4
Great Khan	Advanced bows; Spears.	3*	Heavy	D8	D12		D6
Khan	Advanced bows; Spears.	3*	Heavy	D8	D12		D6
Shaman	Irregular.	3*	None	NA	D4		D6

1. Must not exceed other Eastern Empire levy units (Sorcerer units do not count). Only available if an Eastern Empire Sorcerer Unit is present. Costed as at average strength.
2. Must be outnumbered by other Eastern Empire levy units. Baked Clay Soldiers and Eastern Empire Sorcerer units do not count.
3. Fire, Melee, and Morale die types for Characters will be further modified by the results of the Character Generation process (section 7.4).

* = hits vary, see Character rules. Points are calculated as 3 hits to wound (average).

Fire, Melee, and Morale die types for Characters will be further modified by the results of the Character Generation process (section 7.4).

Special Rules:

Baked Clay Soldiers are clay golems originally created by court sorcerers to guard Emperors of the Eastern Empire in their tombs and in the next life. On conquering the Eastern Empire the Great Khan realized their potential for the battlefield and incorporated them into his army. They must be controlled to function. Uncontrolled Baked Clay Soldiers neither move nor fight and become simple clay statutes. To be controlled, they must be within range of, and visible to, at least one stand of an Eastern Empire Sorcerer unit that is not engaged, in rout or in melee. One Sorcerer unit can control more than 1 unit of Baked Clay Soldiers. Control is established upon winning the initiative. The Sorcerer unit generates the magical energy that mobilizes the Clay Soldiers. The number of Sorcerer stands controlling a particular unit of Baked Clay Soldiers must be specified upon winning the initiative. A stand can only be allocated to control one unit but different stands in the same unit of Sorcerers can be allocated to control different units of Baked Clay Soldiers. The number of controlling stands determines the range at which control can be exercised (from contact if 1 stand; 4” if 2 stands; 8” if 3 stands to 12” if 4 stands) and is the key to activating and using the Soldiers as follows:

Movement: 3” per stand of controlling sorcerers. Terrain penalties apply. Controlled Baked Clay Soldiers can, in any case, deploy or maneuver on the appropriate cards as infantry.

Melee: No BDV roll is made nor is any adjustment made for weaponry, etc. Instead, 1 stand of controlling sorcerers = d10; 2 stands = d12; 3 stands = d12 + 1; 4 stands = d12 + 1 and the ability to make heavy blow attacks. Factors on the Melee Table apply. They are assumed to be armed with polearms for the Melee Table.

Armor Class: 1 stand of controlling sorcerers = light; 2 stands = medium; 3 stands = heavy; 4 stands = extra-heavy.

Magic Resistance: 1 stand of controlling sorcerers = low; 2 stands = medium; 3 stands = high; 4 stands = extreme.

Number of Wounds per Stand: 1 stand of controlling sorcerers = 2 wounds; 2 stands = 3 wounds; 3 stands = 4 wounds; 4 stands = 4 wounds and the ability to regenerate (reform broken shards).

Morale: Baked Clay Soldiers need never take Morale checks of any kind.

A Wagon Laager is normally defended by a mix of dependents (women, children, etc) and dismounted warriors. Defenders can be separately represented or considered to be integral to the Laager and so not be separately depicted. Where defenders are not separately represented, a Laager is represented by 4 Asiatic style wagons with a few appropriate infantry on the same base or 2 wagons and 2 stands of defenders behind abatis. Where defenders are represented, it can be depicted on the march by 4 wagons, and deployed by 4 wagons + 4 stands of defenders behind and fully in contact.

Wagon	Wagon	Wagon	Wagon
Defenders	Defenders	Defenders	Defenders

It has the BDV of its defenders; represented by Militia with advanced bow and spear. It is a Class III terrain feature for melee, fire cover, magical attacks and spell casting. Casualties and routs affect the defenders who suffer from melee and fire. Routing defenders abandon the wagons in place. Wagons can be destroyed and removed under 11.9. A Laager counts as superior position in melee.

Rockets are very inaccurate. Players firing rockets measure the range to the target and gather as many dice, in any combination of die sizes (D4 through D20), as they feel necessary to hit the range they measured. Designate the desired direction of fire and roll all the range dice. Note the total of the die rolls. This total is the range at which the rockets hit. Once this point is indicated, the attacker rolls a D10 vs. the defender's D10. If the attacker rolls higher, the impact point is the difference in the die rolls in inches to the attacker's right of the previously marked impact point. If the defender rolls higher, the impact point is the difference in the die rolls in inches to the attacker's left of the previously marked impact point. If the D10 rolls are equal, the rockets hit at the indicated impact point. If any part of a friendly or enemy unit(s) is within 3" of the impact point, then a missile fire attack is resolved against any and all such units with an unmodified D8 attack die.

The Army’s Reputation for spreading devastation precedes it and may have a demoralizing effect on its opponents. Add an extra Courage! card to the enemy sequence deck!

Leader Types:

Great Khan: The Champion who through prowess, terror and skill has conquered over half of the known world and is now giving more than a passing glance to the other half. Armies led by the Great Khan may call upon Eastern Empire Augurs and Astrologers, and Wizards of the former imperial court. The Augurs and Astrologers predict the future before a battle and for some strange reason these predictions usually favor the Great Khan’s army. If present in the army, before game starts, roll a D8 vs. opponent’s D4. A positive result is the number of additional morale chips that are available to the Great Khan’s army from game start. Any other result has no effect on morale chips. On any positive or drawn result, all non-character Steppe troops (not conquered troops) are up 1 morale dice. Most Eastern Empire Magic Users are disaffected and not sufficiently trusted to appear on the battlefield. However, when the Great Khan commands they may be required to be present and, if so, kept under guard in the camp. If present, they are used to create enchanted items for the army. In addition to the relics that would be obtained from the Relic Divisor, make two additional throws on the Relic Table. The two extra relics so obtained should be noted, as those relics (only) will be cursed on a roll of “1” on a D6 instead of the usual D12.

Khans: Champions or Heroes who may lead the army if the Great Khan is absent. Usually Tribal Leaders or those who by reputation have gathered personal retinues, they may be sub-commanders.

Shaman and Wizards: Steppe magic users of great natural talent and those few trusted trained magic users from the Eastern Empire. Both are rated as Wizard Heroes. One Shaman per army may be deemed as especially talented (Wizard Champion, Level IV – 110 pts).

Here is the introductory scenario from the rules to give you an idea how the game works:

Introduction:
When there are Orcs scouring your territory, you don’t just get rumors; not at all. You get streams of refugees bearing evidence of hideous torture or mutilation, and clouds of acrid smoke darkening the horizon. Faced with that kind of irrefutable evidence that the hated Orcs were once again befouling the High Elvish enclave of Eingeladen, Lord Puremoon organized a band of Elvish warriors to staunch the flow of blood from his lands before matters got even more out of hand. Confident of a swift victory over the foul foe, he heads in the direction of the smoke. At the end of a long days’ march, the Elves set up camp. When the mist clears the following morning, the Elves are surprised to see a vast Orcish host drawn up in order of battle opposite to them.

“For Honor and Glory!” Lord Puremoon exhorts his men.
“Pretty, pretty elves. Ugh! I hates elves, boys. Let’s kill them all… now!” grunts the Orc warleader, Big Krunch, expounding his subtle plan of battle.

Set Up for High Elves:
The Elves are set up as shown in the photo.

Set Up for Orcs:
The Orcs are set up as shown on the photo.

Terrain:
Being an introductory scenario, the entire table is Open (Class I) terrain except for a low hill to the left front of the Orcish deployment area, and two small woods in front of the right flank of the Orcish deployment area.

The Battle of the Black Valley

    An Elven army under command of Lord Puremoon has been chasing Orc raiders for several months. Time and time again they have slipped away, still raiding and plundering the land and evading a pitched battle. Two days ago, the infamous Orc war leader, Big Krunch, finally decided that it was time to crush the Elves once and for all. He had managed to rally most of his allies and Orc warriors and was now standing face to face with the Elves in what would become known as the battle of the Black Valley. The time is slightly after dawn and both armies are lined up for the big fight.

    Puremoon’s army is mainly made up of a strong infantry force of approximately 5000 elves, of which about 1800 are famous Elven archers. There is a small force of warders who have hidden inside the Ravenwood forest. One large regiment of silver guard cavalry and the finest charioteers in the Elven kingdom make up the Elvish right flank force. Aid for the elves has also arrived in the form of the great kings of the skies; these eagles will protect the left flank of the Elven force.

    Another close ally to Puremoon is the great sorcerer Elandar Silverstone, one of the greatest sorcerers ever to have lived. He alone could tip the balance of this battle and would easily kill any weak Orc shaman who stood in his way. Silverstone wears the Ring of Power.

    Big Krunch’s war host is composed mainly of large numbers of brutal but weak minded Orc warriors, nearly 9000 warriors. 1500 of these are the dreaded blood drinkers. Some small forces of Raiders and Scavengers are also thrown into the mix. But the most dangerous part of the army is Big Krunch’s own personal guard, some 800 boar riders (his personal horde is armed with shield of might, magical swords and the belt of ethereal grace) and a large host of fearsome Trolls who wears magically enhanced armor (magic shields).

Battlefield

The Ravenwood forest is a class III forest and the Grey Stone Hills a class II hill.

Elven setup

    The Elven centre is made up of Puremoon and his personal guard (equipped with magical swords and shields of might), Puremoon himself wears the helm of leadership. His personal guard archers are equipped with magical arrows.

    The first command is lead by the great Ranger Loriel of Cirithal. She commands two regiments of spearmen and two regiments of archers. This will form a solid wall of spears and bows anchored against the great forest of Ravenwood.

    The left wing is guarded by the great eagles and by the warders in the forest, all lead by the great sorcerer Silverstone. The famous knight and horse lord Carolavond will lead the right wing and is tasked of holding of the far right wing against the Orc commander himself.

Orc Setup

    The centre is made up of line after line of fierce Orc warriors divided into two commands. The first command is led by a strong Orc named Gnasher, he also command the fearsome blood drinker hordes. Trickster is in command of the third command and is in charge of the left part of the centre line; he is commanding all of the Orc archers.

The left flank is commanded by Big Krunch himself, his aim being to crush the Elven right wing and then swing back and smash the Elven center to pieces. The right flank is held by Smasher, a rather incompetent (leadership D6) but strong leader. His task is to simply hold the ground on the far side of the forest and keep the mage busy while Big Krunch takes all the glory.

Phase #1

Initiative roll: Orc (D10)8, Elves (D12)4 – Orcs decide to let the Elves to go first.

Magic: Silverstone tries to bless the Great Eagles, he discovers that the “Ring of Power” is cursed (a roll of “1” on a D12), CDV D12, UP1 spell level 1, UP1 caster level 3, UP1 range, DOWN 1 cursed ring. This results in D12+2 vs. D6, the roll is 8 vs. 2 and the spell is successful.

Elves draw: Army morale – Do nothing.

Elves draw: Light Cavalry and Fliers Move – Moving the Great Eagles.

Elves draw: Heroic Moment – Do nothing.

Elves draw: Lull – Elves (D12)9, Orcs (D10)3 – Nothing happens.

Magic: Trickster tries to throw a bless spell on one of the Orc Warrior units, he has a CDV of D8 and is UP1 for spell level, UP1 for range. This result in D12 vs. D6, the roll is 7 vs. 5 and the spell is successful.

Orcs draw: Courage!

The Orc Scavengers must pass a courage test against the Great Eagles, their morale is D6 and they are DOWN 1 for formation, UP 1 for full strength. This results in D6 vs. D10 (Elven other die), the roll is 5 vs. 4 so they pass the test.

Orcs draw: Favor of the Gods – They keep the card for later use.

Orcs draw: Melee! – Do nothing.

Orcs draw: Move!

Command C-in-C (Big Krunch) roll D10 vs. D6; result in a 1 segment move.

Command #1 (Gnasher) roll D10 vs. D6; result in 2 segment move.

Command #2 (Smasher) roll D6 vs. D6; result in no move, he rolls a “1”.

Command #3 (Trickster) roll D8 vs. D6; result in a 2 segment move.

Missile: The raiders fire their bows at the Elven archers; they have a D6 and are DOWN 1 for skirmish formation, DOWN 1 for Elven heavy armor. This results in a D4 vs. D6, the roll is 2 vs. 4 and no damage is inflicted.

Elven Morale: 13

Orc Morale: 23

Phase #2

Initiative roll: Orc (D10)6, Elves (D12)3 – Orcs decide to let the Elves to go first.

Elves draw: Leadership – Move Silverstone forward some distance.

Elves draw: Move 1 Command

Elves decide to move Command #3 (Silverstone), he rolls D10 vs. D6 and it results in a 2 segment move.

Missile: The warders fire their longbows at the flanks of the first blood drinker unit; they have a missile value of D10 and are UP 2 for flank, DOWN 1 for skirmish, UP 1 for fire at unit in Battle Order, UP 1 for enemy light armor. This results in D12+2 vs. D6. The roll is 9 vs. 2, so the Blood Drinkers would ordinarily suffer two wounds. However, this is skirmishing fire so the 2 wound loss is converted into a “Disordered” result instead.

Elves draw: Melee! – Nothing happens.

Orcs draw: Fliers and Light Cavalry Move – Do Nothing

Orcs draw: Lull – Orcs (D10)5, Elves (D12)7 – Elves win and draw a card.

Elves draw: Courage! – Nothing happens.

Orcs draw: Uncontrolled Advance.

Command C-in-C (Big Krunch) roll D10 vs. D6 and passes the test.

Command #1 (Gnasher) roll D10 vs. D6 and passes the test.

Command #2 (Smasher) roll D6 vs. D6 and fail the test, is forced to advance one move segment forward.

Command #3 (Trickster) roll D8 vs. D6 and fail the test, is forced to advance one move segment forward.

Elven Morale: 13

Orc Morale: 23

Phase #3

Initiative roll: Orc (D10)3, Elves (D12)9 – Elves decide to go first.

Elves draw: Melee! – Do Nothing.

Elves draw: Mana Recharge.

Magic: Silverstone conjures up a firewall right in front of the lightly armored blood drinker Orcs. After this he uses the card and is once again charged with Mana.

Elves draw: Move!

Command C-in-C (Puremoon) gets two move segments but only advances at a slow pace forward to keep in line with Loriel’s command.

Command #1 (Loriel) gets one move segment and advances the whole battle line forward and forces the Orc raiders to retire through the Firewall. The raiders take one stand loss from the firewall.

Command #2 (Carolavond) gets two move segments and orders his chariots to position themselves for an outflanking maneuver.

Command #3 (Silverstone) gets one move segment. The eagles soar forward and Silverstone changes position.

Elves draw: Missile Reload.

Missile: The charioteers fire at the Boar Riders and cause one stand loss.

Missile: The guard archers fire at close range upon the Orc archers and inflict one wound upon them.

Missile: The right archer regiment in command #1 fires at the Orc Warriors led by Gnasher and inflicts two wounds.

Missile: The archers led by Loriel fire at the disordered blood drinkers who suffer a loss of two wounds.

Reload: All Elven missile units then use the card to reload.

Elves draw: Crushing Missilery – D6 roll reveals that three units may fire UP1 until end of this phase; these are the charioteers and both archer units in command #1.

Elves draw: Army Morale – Nothing happens.

Orcs draw: Melee! – One unit is engaged, but the Orcs choose not to Melee with archers against Elvish infantry led by the C-in-C.

Orcs draw: Maneuver – The Orcs maneuver command #2 to enter into the Ravenwood forest, the Boar riders on the far left flank maneuver to face the charioteers.

Orcs draw: Missile Reload.

Missile: The first archer unit fires on the Elven archers but inflict no significant losses.

Missile: The second archer unit fire at the Elven infantry at point blank range and inflict a one wound; the Orcs pay a Morale chip to challenge them on a tactical morale check. The Elves have morale of D8, UP1 for being in battle order, DOWN 1 for losses this turn, UP 1 for initial strength, DOWN 1 in contact with enemy. This results in D8 vs. D6 (1 Wound), the roll is 7 vs. 3 and the elves pass the test.

Reload: All Orc missile units use the card to reload.

Orcs draw: Move!

Command C-in-C (Big Krunch) gets two move segments. Big Krunch charges forward into contact with the Elven heavy cavalry for a decisive blow. The Trolls march forward and wheel to face the Elven right flank in the centre. The other Boar Riders horde charge the charioteers who opportunity fire on the charging Orcs. The Elven charioteers are Elite and fire at point blank range with crushing missilery and cause one wound. They pay a morale chip to challenge the poor Orcs for a tactical morale check. The Orcs low morale is felt and they retreat two inches and are in disorder.

Command #1 (Gnasher) gets one move segment. He orders all his Orcs to engage the enemy as fast as they can. One of the Blood Drinker hordes has to pass through the firewall to get to the Elven archers and takes a wound in the process; after they emerge from the fire the elves opportunity fire at them with crushing missilery and do a further two more wounds dammage. The Elves then pay another morale chip and challenge the Blood Drinkers to a tactical morale check which they promptly fail by three causing Disorder and forcing them to retreat once again 3” back through the firewall inflicting another wound and thus completely destroying the unit. The second Blood Drinker unit is harassed by massive bow fire from the Warders but they only manage to inflict a one wound loss; since the Warder unit is skirmish missile fire the result is only Unformed. Since the Blood Drinkers are already disordered, they are unaffected by this attack.

Command #2 (Smasher) gets one move segment. Smasher orders all his Orcs to head for the Ravenwood forest and chase the pointy ears out of it.

Command #3 (Trickster) gets one move segment. He orders both of his archer units to back up and his Orc Warriors to march forward. However, he decides not to engage the Elven general’s infantry but does issue orders to engage the Elven archers on the far left of the Elven line. All units in his command are Unformed due to interpenetration.

Orcs draw: Lull – Orcs win the roll (D10 vs. D12) and nothing happens

Orcs draw: Melee!

Melee: Big Krunch charges his boar riders into the Elven heavy cavalry, their base Melee die value is D12+1, UP 1 for initiating Melee, UP 1 because they are in Battle Order, UP 2 for attached character, DOWN 1 for enemy heavy armor, UP 1 for Magic Swords. The Elves base Melee die value is D12, UP 1 because they are in Battle Order, UP 2 for attached character, UP 1 for superior weapon (lance vs. spear), DOWN 2 for enemy Shield of Might. This result in D12+5 vs. D12+2, the roll is 12 vs. 8 and the Elven cavalry takes a wound, retreats four inches and is in Disorder; they are not Out of Command because their leader is attached.

Carolavond rolls a survival roll on a D20 (he would be wounded on a roll of 4 or less) and rolls an 8 and thus survives this melee. The victorious Orcs are Unformed after Melee; once again, their leader being attached, the boar riders retain command.

Melee: The Orc warriors engaged with the Elven archers resolve melee. The Orc Warriors have a base D10 Melee die value, UP 1 for initiating melee, UP 1 because they are in Battle Order, DOWN 1 due to being Unformed, DOWN 1 for enemy heavy armor, UP 1 for superior weapons (spear against sword). The Elven archers have a base Melee die value of D6 with no modifiers. The results are D12 vs. D6 and the roll is 9 vs. 5 and the Elves take one wound and retire four inches and are in Disorder and OOC (Out of Command). Note that if the Elves’ roll had been doubled, i.e., a 10 or more, they would Rout instead! The Orcs are Unformed and Out of Command as a result of winning the combat.

Melee: Two Orc hordes engage the Elven general’s spearmen; this allows both of the Orc units to count the Superior Numbers modifier (UP 1) in the melee. The first Orc horde loses its combat roll by one and so becomes Disordered, the second horde wins its roll by one and the Elven spearmen in turn become Disordered. This combat is now undecided and all three units remain locked in melee and must resolve another round of combat when any player draws a Melee card.

Melee: Gnasher and the horde he is attached to engage the Elven archers together with a second horde. Even though his horde is seriously wounded he manages to overwhelm the Elves and win the combat by four and the elves are forced back four inches, take a wound, are in Disorder and OOC.

Melee: After Loriel’s archers finish off one of the Blood Drinker units with intensive bow fire, the second one crashes into the line of archers. The Orcs are severely depleted and Disordered. The Elves draw swords and manage to win the combat roll by one. As the Orcs were already Disordered, this second Disordered result causes the Orcs break off in a mad Rout! The Elves must now test to restrain themselves from pursuit. Elven Morale is D8, UP 1 for an attached commander. The result is D10 vs. D6 and the roll is 7 vs. 5. The Elves stand their ground as the Orcs attempt to flee the field. The Elves are Unformed after their splendid victory.

Elven Morale: 6

Orc Morale: 10

Phase #4

Initiative roll: Orc (D10)4, Elves (D12)7 – Elves decides to go first.

Elves draw: Leadership.

Command C-in-C (Puremoon) – The general tries to rally his spearmen using his leadership of D10, UP 1 for his helm of leadership, DOWN 1 since the unit is disordered. The result is D10 vs. D6 and the roll is 6 vs. 4; thus the spearmen remove the disorder marker. Puremoon then attempts to rally the archers; the roll the result are the same as before - D10 vs. D6, the roll is 8 vs. 2 and the archers is brought back in order again. He finally tries to get the archers back in command with a D12 vs. D6 and the roll is 4 vs. 4 so he fails to do so.

Command #1 (Loriel) – She needs to rally her archers who were beaten in combat from their Disorder and decides to attach herself to that unit. She has a leadership of D10, DOWN 1 for archers being disordered, UP 2 for distance to enemy unit (there is a friendly unit between them and the enemy), UP 1 for attached leader. The results are D12+1 vs. D6 and the roll is 7 vs. 3 and the archers are successfully rallied. The successful Rally also automatically restores the Archers to “In Command” status.

Command #2 (Carolavond) – He first needs to rally his own knights to be able to face the Boar riders again. He has a leadership of D12, DOWN 1 for Disordered, UP 1 for attached commander. The result is D12 vs. D6 and the roll is 5 vs. 3 and the disorder marker is removed, and the charioteers are also back in command.

Command #3 (Silverstone) – He wants to bring the Eagles back into command but they are outside his 8” command range and he does not want to move further into the forest and lose line of sight to the enemy. He needs to be able to see the enemy to use his potent magic, and thus he decides to leave the Eagles to fend for themselves a little while longer.

Elves draw: Missile Reload – All Elven missile units reload.

Elves draw: Move!

Command CnC (Puremoon) – Puremoon gains two move segments. He moves his swordsmen forward and engages the Orc Warriors. While Orcish Infantry in Battle Order can use a segment of a two or three segment MOVE to resolve melee, Elves cannot (see the army lists). His archers back up a few inches to get out of range from the Trolls that otherwise threaten the flank of the archers.

Command #1 (Loriel) – Loriel gains two move segments. Her first archer unit moves forward to make way for the spearmen behind to maneuver into position, and the spearmen behind wheel and charge the Orc warriors in the flank (If a unit is contacted in the flank it is immediately Disordered and may thus be meleed).In the ensuing melee the warriors suffer two wounds and are destroyed. Although Gnasher survives and is unharmed in the battle he is now vulnerable and exposed. The first archer unit uses the last segment to recover from its Unformed status.

Command #2 (Carolavond) – Carolavond gains two move segments. He spurs his knights to do a final charge against the Orc general and once for all show that no Elf would ever succumb to the evil of the Orcs. He uses the last segment to enter into melee directly. The Elven cavalry has D12 in Melee, UP 1 for initiating melee, DOWN 1 for having one wound, UP 1 for being in battle order, UP 1 for having superior weapons, UP 2 for attached character, DOWN 2 for enemy “Shield of Might”. Big Krunch’s Boar Riders have a Melee of D12+1, UP 1 for being in Battle Order, DOWN 1 for being unformed, UP 2 for attached character, DOWN 1 for enemy heavy armor, UP 1 for Magical Swords. This results in D12+3 vs. D12+3 and the roll is 12 vs. 5 and the Orcs re-roll (boar riders can re-roll a melee result once) and get an 8. The Orcs take two wounds and are forced to retreat four inches in Disorder. The tables have turned!

The charioteers rumble forward, their accurate bows still raining death upon the poor Orc Boar Riders.

Command #3 (Silverstone) – Silverstone gains one move segment. The eagles fly forward, the rest of the Command stays put.

Orcs draw: Army Morale – nothing happens.

Orcs draw: Heroic Movement – Big Krunch uses this unique moment to rally his tarnished super riders to perhaps face off with the Elven cavalry one more time. He successfully passes the leadership test and the disorder marker is removed.

Orcs draw: Courage! – Both units facing Puremoon’s spearmen retire in disorder, all other Orc units pass this Courage check.

Elven Morale: 6

Orc Morale: 6

Phase #5

Initiative roll: Orc (D10)3, Elves (D12)3 – As the rolls are tied, this turn is over. Approximately three hours of the battle has passed. All cards are reshuffled and a new turn will begin. In this case the Orcs had 15 unused cards and the Elves had 14 unused cards left. Overall, things don’t look good for the green skinned hordes of Big Krunch. Fortune, however, is a fickle mistress indeed, and the tide of battle could yet turn back his way.

Designer’s Notes

Hostile Realms was developed to allow those who enjoy wargames with a fantasy theme to play a fast-moving, exciting game that emphasizes managing the uncertainty of combat. Hostile Realms is not primarily a game of attrition; events tend to be decisive, and changes of fortune can be dramatic. While very little is guaranteed, on average the player who formulates a sound plan of battle and is bold in its execution will prevail more often than not.

Switching to an initiative system derived from that used in Brent Oman’s Field of Battle still allows for asymmetry of actions without making the players subject to the potential for long impetus droughts inherent in standard Piquet supplements. In play testing, depending upon the scenario, we have generally found that the rules to play very quickly; often a game is decided by the end of the first turn! Turns in Hostile Realm contain much more activity than that found in conventional wargames. This should be kept in mind when adapting scenarios from other sources. Piquet veterans will note that the variable Base Die Types used in most Piquet derived rules are optional in Hostile Realms. Set up for a game, especially the first time the player uses a given army, was already quite complex, and it was felt that a standard starting BDV of D6 would simplify
the army lists and game set up process. The rules for Relics use a fantasy flavored technique to reintroduce some of the uncertainty about the capabilities of a given unit usually found in Piquet (wait until the first time one of your Relics turns out to be cursed!). Perceptive players will recognize that the Relic process is also somewhat analogous to parts of the Army Characterization process in standard Piquet.

Heroes play an important role in Hostile Realms. Their leadership abilities, ability to bolster the combat capabilities of units that they are attached to, and the opportunity for attached units to act on a Heroic Moment all mean that careful positioning and usage of heroes is vital to effective play. Finally, many heroes have impressive combat capabilities in their own right, especially when fighting tough creatures from the Bestiary.

Magic is intended to be important but seldom decisive. Rarely will Magic alone win a battle for you, but it can hardly be ignored, either. Over reaching the capabilities of your wizards is likely to lead to altogether too many rolls on the dreaded Spell Casting Catastrophe and Wizard Death tables!

Akin to other games in the Piquet family, Hostile Realms is intended to be a toolbox for you to use in creating your own epic battles and hotly contested skirmishes. Feel free to experiment with new or altered rules as you see fit. The only caveat is that it is best to try out changes one at a time, in order to best asses their effects. Development or usage of alternative Army lists is not only encouraged, but actually expected. This is
fantasy after all; feel free to adjust the capabilities of various units to meet your preferences, and to develop new unit types, monsters, and artifacts from your reading and/or imagination. All of us who worked on Hostile Realms hope that it will provide you with many hours of fun and excitement!

Acknowledgments

When Bob Jones first developed the Master Rules for Piquet, he envisaged supplements covering many different eras of combat, including Fantasy. For various reasons, although almost all of the original supplements planned were developed, many indeed now in revised and expanded 2nd
editions, the Fantasy rules never materialized. Serious work on the precursor to HOSTILE Realms was initiated by the upstate New York crew, including Jeff Valent, Charles Sarnoski, Rob Chelis, and Jim Mauro. The original plan was to combine their ideas with the Master rules and most of the period specific rules from the Medieval/Renaissance supplement, my own Band of Brothers 2nd edition. This was done in due time, and then the Character rules were developed and added, and the rules for Magic expanded and refined. Army lists and the Bestiary were developed, and it looked as though the project might be completed quite swiftly. Then along came Brent Oman’s Piquet inspired rules, Field of Battle, and it was decided to overhaul the rules and use an initiative system more like these new concepts than that of standard Piquet. That entailed extensive
revisions, and finally play testing and feedback by a diverse group of gamers from all over the world.
Many others have contributed to developing this unique rules set. Doubtless I have missed at least some of those who contributed ideas and/or worked on army lists. My apologies and thanks to anyone whom I’ve overlooked. I would like to single out several individuals for special thanks. First Jeff Valent and his local gaming group who got the rules started and set the format for many of the key concepts. Second, my local opponent for play testing Hostile Realms, Barry Frandsen, without whose enthusiasm and participation these rules would still be incomplete. Third, Jörgen Andreasson, who provided much valuable input from the standpoint of a player new to the concepts of Piquet and Field of Battle, valuable play testing, the walk through for the introductory scenario, and overall encouragement. Finally, I wish to convey my most sincere thanks to my “faithful sidekick”, Gavin Shanks. His hard work on innumerable drafts of the rules for Magic, town combat, and bombardment allowed for completion of what would have otherwise been an impossible task. Most valuable of all has been his long distance support and friendship, which greatly lightened the
long and complex road traveled to bring Hostile Realms to fruition. 

Good gaming!

Peter Anderson