Kingdoms Of Blood
Rule Book

Game Setup

Assign a faction to each player. If a single player plays multiple factions, that player must keep each factions resources separate.

Place the game board in the center of the table. Each player should sit nearest to the faction capital of the faction they are playing.

Distribute the pieces from each faction to the assigned player. Each player will place one of their territory tokens on the first gem of the victory chart. Each player will place a territory token on the number 15 of the crown chart and one territory token on the number 3 of the supply chart. All players will take part in ensuring the tokens are on the correct number of the supply, victory gem and crown chart throughout the game.

Separate the crowns by denomination (1, 5 and 10). Choose one player to be the banker and give all crowns to that player to control.

Each player begins the game with 15 crowns. If one player is playing as multiple factions, they must keep each factions crowns separate for the entire game. A player’s crowns cannot be given or loaned to any other player.

Each player starts off with their capital printed on the map, along with 7 additional territories already owned. The capital operates under the same defense stats as the common unit castle that can be purchased. The printed capital cannot be destroyed by anyone

Order Of Play

Kingdoms Of Blood is played in rounds. Each round consists of each faction taking a turn. If you control more than one faction, keep those factions’ crowns and units separate. Each faction’s player sequence must be executed separately from the other faction they are playing.

Player Sequence

Each faction’s player sequence consists of 6 phases. These phases must be taken place in sequential order. All phases are optional except for the final phase. After the faction finishes the final phase, the next player begins their turn.

Player Sequence Order

Purchase Units
Combative Moves
Conduct Combat
Noncombative Moves
Place Purchased Units
Collect Crowns

At the end of each players turn, check for victories. If no victory has been achieved, the next player will begin their turn.

Phase 1

Phase 1: Purchase Units

In this phase, you may spend crowns to be used in future turns. All the units of your faction are available for purchase. A unit’s cost in crowns is listed in the cost column of the unit chart printed at the top of the board.

Each castle can only produce as many new units as the value indicated on the territory in which it is located. For example, the printed capital of each faction can produce up to 8 units per turn.

Purchase Units Sequence

Order units
Pay for units
Place units aside until phase 5

Step 1: Order Units

Select all the units you wish to buy. You may buy as many units as you can afford, regardless of which units you started the game with. If a unit type is not available (because those units are all in play), you will have to wait until those units become available. There is a finite number of units for each faction, use them wisely.

Step 2: Purchase units

When purchasing units, the player must pay crowns to the bank equal to the total cost of the purchased units. A unit’s cost in crowns is listed in the cost column of the unit chart printed at the top of the board.

Step 3: Place units aside until phase 5

Place the purchased units to the side. You cannot use these units right away, but you will be able to place them later in the turn sequence

Phase 2

Phase 2: Combat Moves

Move as many of your units into as many hostile territories and hostile sea zones as you wish. Movement into a hostile territory counts as combat movement, whether that territory is occupied or not. Movement into a neutral territory counts as a combat movement. You can move into a single hostile space from different multiple territories, as long as each moving unit can reach that space with a legal move.

If you move all your units out of a space you control, you still retain control of that space until an enemy move into and controls it. When leaving a territory unoccupied, that player must place a territory token in that space, representing the faction that currently controls it.

All combat movement is considered to take place at the same time: Meaning, you cannot move a unit, then conduct combat, then move that unit again during this phase. You cannot move additional units into an embattled space once an attack has begun.

A land, air or sea unit may move a number of spaces up to its move value. A unit’s movement value is listed in the movement column of the unit chart printed at the top of the board. All units must stop when they enter a hostile space. Thus, a unit with a move value of 2 could move into a friendly space and then a hostile space, or just into a hostile space.

Sea Units

Sea units can not be placed in hostile sea zones when placing purchased units. When a sea unit is carrying land units, the land units will participate in sea combat. All the units on the ship, along with the ship, will roll for attack or defend with their normal attack and defend values. Air units can not land or be transported on ships.

Air Units

An air unit that moves in this phase must reserve part of its move value for the Noncombat Move phase, at which point it must return to a territory owned by its own faction. Air units cannot attack a territory and land in that territory of combat, even if the result is victory.

Fog Of War

All unit pieces across the board must remain face down. When one faction has units in a territory adjacent to a territory with enemy units, both factions must turn their pieces upright for everyone to see. If your units are adjacent to an enemy territory that has no units, you are not required to turn your units face up. Territories connected by a bridge will operate as adjacent territories.

Phase 3

Phase 3: Conduct Combat

In this phase you resolve combat in each space that contains your units and enemy units.

Combat is resolved by rolling dice according to a standard sequence. Combat in each space takes place at the same time, but each affected territory or sea zone is resolved separately and completely before resolving combat in the next contested space. The attacker decides the order of spaces in which each combat occurs. No new units may enter as reinforcements once combat has begun. Mercenary cards may be used for combat, but each mercenary card can only be used for a single attack or defense of a territory. Mercenary cards cannot benefit multiple territories simultaneously.

When using a mercenary card, it must be announced before the combat sequence has begun. You cannot use a mercenary card after the first strike.

Attacking and defending units in each space are considered to strike at the same time, but for ease of play you roll dice in sequence: attacker first, then defender.

Combat Sequence

Announcing if a mercenary card will be played
Attacking units’ strike
Defending units’ strike
Remove casualties from play
Continue attack or retreat
Resolve Combat

Step 1: Announcing if a mercenary card will be used

If an attacking or defending player wishes to use a mercenary card, they will announce it now, before any combat begins.

Step 2: attacking units’ strike

Roll one die for each attacking unit with an attack value. A units attack or defend value can be found printed at the top of the game board in the Unit Chart. Roll for units with the same attack value at the same time. For example, roll all units with an attack value of “1” at the same time and then roll for all units with the attack value of “3” at the same time.

An attacking unit scores a hit if you roll its attack value or less.

After the attacking player has rolled for all attacking units, the defender chooses one unit for each hit scored and sets it aside as this unit will have the opportunity to strike back in the defending round

Step 3: Defending Units’ Strike or Retreat

If a defender decides to retreat, he may do so now. In doing so, the defender surrenders the contested territory to the attacker and the attacker gets an attack of opportunity. An attack of opportunity consists of rolling one die per unit, the same as a general attack. Any hits scored will count toward one loss of the retreating units. The defender will not be able to strike back if retreating.

If the defender opts to stand and fight, all the units on the defender’s side roll one die for each unit with a defense value (including units that have been hit from the attacking strike). Roll for units with the same defense value at the same time.

A defending units’ score a hit if you roll its defense value or less.

After the defender has rolled for each defending unit, the attacker chooses one unit for each hit scored and removes it from play.

Step 4: Remove Casualties from Play

Both attacker and defender will now remove all casualties from the board and return all the units off board to their available units for purchase piles.

Step 5: Continue Attack or Retreat

Combat rounds (steps 1–4) continue unless one of the following two conditions occurs (in this order):

Condition A—Attacker and/or Defender Loses All Units

Once all units with combat values on one or both sides have been destroyed, the combat ends. If a player has combat units remaining on the battle board, that player wins the combat. Players that have units remaining on the battle board return those units to the contested space on the game board.

Condition B—Attacker Retreats

The attacker can retreat during this step. Move all attacking land and sea units in that combat on the battle board to an adjacent friendly space from which at least one of the attacking units moved. In the case of sea units, that space must have been friendly at the start of the turn. All units can retreat to any adjacent friendly space.

Step 6: Resolve Combat

If you win a combat as the attacker in a territory and you have one or more surviving land units there, you take control of that territory. Otherwise, it remains in the defender’s control. (If all units on both sides were destroyed, the territory remains in the defender’s control.) Sea units cannot take control of a territory; they must stay at sea.

Air units cannot capture a territory. If your attack force has only air units remaining, you cannot occupy the territory you attacked, even if there are no enemy units remaining. Air units must return to a friendly territory. They do so during the Noncombat Move phase. Until then, they stay at the space where they fought.

A port or castle in the captured territory remains there but now belongs to your side. If you capture a port or castle, you cannot place new units there until your next turn

Phase 4

Phase 4: Noncombative Moves

In this phase, you can move any of your units that did not move in the Combat Move phase or participate in combat during your turn. This is a good time to gather your units, either to strengthen vulnerable territories or to reinforce units in contested territories. You will also land all your aircraft that participated in and survived the Conduct Combat phase.

Phase 5

Phase 5: Place Purchased Units

In this phase, you can place the newly purchased units to eligible spaces you have controlled since the start of your turn, with the following exceptions (below). You cannot yet use castles that you captured in this turn.

For each castle, you can place only as many units as the printed value of the territory containing the castle. This limit includes units mobilized in sea zones adjacent to the castle.

You cannot place newly purchased land units on ships. The must be placed on land.

If you do not place some of your units the turn you purchase them, they are not lost. You can place them on one of your future turns during your Place Purchased Units phase.

Phase 6

Phase 6: Collect Crowns

In this phase, you earn crowns to finance future units for attacks and strategies. Your crown income is based off the number of territories you control and their value. The total crowns you earn will be labeled by your territory token on the correct number in the Crowns chart printed on the board.

When collecting your crowns, you will subtract the supply cost from your income for the true amount of crowns profited and collected from that round

Winning

Winning The Game

In a 4-player game without teams, victory is achieved by controlling 7 territories with victory gems for an entire round.

In a 4-player game with teams, victory is achieved by one team controlling 9 territories with victory gems combined.

In a 3-player game, one player will play 2 factions as a single team. Victory is achieved by one team controlling 9 territories with victory gems combined.

In a 2-player game, each player will play 2 factions as a single team. Victory is achieved by one team controlling 9 territories with victory gems combined.

Units

Unit Information

This section provides detailed information for each unit in the game. Each entry has a short description, then lists the unit’s cost in crowns and its attack, defense, and move values. The following profiles do not take into account any special abilities attributed by mercenary cards.

Land Units

Infantry and Cavalry can attack and/or defend in land territories as well as on a ship in sea combat. Only infantry and cavalry can capture hostile territories. Land units can be transported by ships. Castles are located only on land territories but cannot move or attack. Castles can defend the territories they are placed on.

Sea Units

Sea units can attack enemy sea units and transport land troops. Sea units cannot transport air units. Sea units cannot participate in land combat.

Air Units

Air Units can participate in land and sea combat, but air units cannot capture enemy territories. Air units cannot be transported by ships. Air units

Unit Stats

Infantry

Description: Basic Land Unit, strong in defense

Cost: 4 Crowns

Attack: 1

Defense: 2

Movement: 1

Cavalry

Description: Strong attack, Strong Defense

Cost: 8 Crowns

Attack: 3

Defense: 3

Movement: 1

Griffan

Description: Strong Attack, Stronger Defense

Cost: 12 Crowns

Attack: 3

Defense: 4

Movement: 3

Dragon

Description: Stronger attack, long range

Cost: 14 Crowns

Attack: 4

Defense: 3

Movement: 4

Ship

Description: Moves land units,

Cost: 8 Crowns

Attack: 2

Defense: 2

Movement: 2

Castle

Description: Spawns new units, Strong defense

Cost: 25 Crowns

Attack: 0

Defense: 4

Movement: 0

Port

Description: Spawns Sea units, weak defense

Cost: 15 Crowns

Attack: 0

Defense: 1

Movement: 0

Game Components

Game Board

The game board is a map of this region of the realm. It is divided into spaces by border lines. Land spaces are “territories” and sea spaces are “sea zones.”

Territories

Each faction starts the game in their own respective region of the map. In each region, there is a territory with a value of “8” and a castle on it. This will be the starting territory for each player. Dwarves start in the mountains on the bottom right portion of the map. The undead begins in the burnt lands on the bottom left portion of the map. The Elves begin in the forest on the top left portion of the map. The Humans begin in the snowy lands on the top right portion of the map.

Most territories have an income value ranging from 1 to 8. This value represents the income the controlling player collects from that territory each round, as well as how many units can be spawned from that territory if the player builds a keep on it (the territory).

Sea Zones

Each sea zone is one hexagon space. Sea zones are either friendly or hostile. Friendly sea zones contain no enemy ships. Hostile sea zones contain enemy ships. Different factions cannot share a single sea zone without combat. You cannot pass through a sea zone occupied by another faction without combat.

Movement

Units can move between adjacent spaces that share a border. Territories separated by a bridge operate the same as territories that share a border. Land units cannot travel over sea zones without a ship.

Victory Gems

There are 15 Victory Gems located throughout the map. When the territory with the victory gem is conquered, the controlling faction will adjust the position of their victory token at the top of the map to the correct number of victory gems controlled by that player. When a player loses control of a territory with a victory gem, the losing and winning player will adjust their victory tokens at the top of the map accordingly.

Territory Tokens

Territory tokens indicate the controlling faction of each territory in the game. They mark conquered territories and record other information regarding the crowns received each round by each faction. Territories without a territory token are considered neutral territories until conquered by a player during a combative phase.

Crowns

Crowns represent the currency of this game. Each territory provides the controlling faction with crowns based on the number associated with each territory. Each faction will adjust the position of their crown token on the left of the map to the correct number of crowns that they receive at the end of each round. When a player loses control of a territory, the losing player will deduct the value of that territory from their crowns received each round and adjust their crown token to the new receiving value on the left of the map. The winning player will make the same adjustments but will gain the value rather than loose it.

Production/Supply Charts

Each faction must balance their supply costs and crowns produced from each territory. Each unit (except for castles and ports) cost one supply. The supply chart is on the right side of the map. Each faction must place a territory token on the charts value equal to their units and crown income. The supply value is subtracted from that faction’s crown income at the end of each turn. If the supply costs more than that players income, that player must instantly remove enough units to bring the income to zero. A player cannot remove units once purchased unless the units die in combat or die from lack of supply.

Mercenary Cards

Mercenary Cards are in a pile face down off to the side the game board. Each mercenary card costs 15 crown to purchase and must be purchased in the purchasing units phase of each players turn. Mercenary cards provide players with various boosts and benefits. Each mercenary card will increase that factions supply costs by 5 on the supply chart per mercenary card held. Once the mercenary card is played, that player deducts the 5 from their supply chart costs. Mercenary cards cannot be given up or given away. The card must be played to be able to discard.

When a player purchases a mercenary card, another player must shuffle the deck and fan the cards out for the purchasing player to pull a card at random. When a mercenary card is used, it is then returned to the deck. Each card describes its value and benefits. Each card will also tell you if it must be played instantly or not.

Dice

There are 5 dice that comes with the game. The dice are to be used by an attacking and defending player. Each dice represents a single unit in combat. If there are more units than dice by a single player in combat, that player must roll the 5 dice and then roll again with 1 dice per unit that hasn’t been rolled for.

Common Units

Common units are castles and ports. These units can be purchased by any player and placed on a territory. These pieces are not color coded as they can be transferred to any player. If a player attacks an enemy territory that has a castle and/or port and the attacking player wins and conquers that territory, the castle and/or port is then owned by the attacking player. Common units can be destroyed by the player that owns the territory they are on, but they must be voluntarily destroyed before any combat has ensued. If the player that owns the territory is attacked before they can be destroyed and looses that territory, the winning player then owns those common units. Each territory can only hold one castle and/or port. Players can spawn purchased units on any castle they own but only in the quantity of the value printed on that territory.

Kingdoms Of Blood Rule Book