Dragon Rampant

Dragon Rampant is written with playability in mind; the rules try to keep things as simple as possible while maintaining the feel of a fantasy battle. A few general rules are worth noting here, as they apply throughout the rules:

•For combat results, dice are scored individually, but for orders and courage tests, roll two dice and add the total.

•Expect high scoring dice to favour you and low scoring dice to count against you.

•Each model is supposed to represent one warrior, although if you decide on a different model ratio it won't affect game play.

•All measurements are given in inches ("), although you may wish to change this to centimetres if playing Dragon Rampant with 15mm or smaller models.

•Distances between units are measured between the closest model of each unit. The distance between these two models counts when deciding if units are 'within range' in the rules.

•There is no 'unit facing'. All models can see, move, and shoot in all directions: in Dragon Rampant, units move in loose formations and can turn towards threats quickly.

•Use your good sense! The rules for Dragon Rampant will not cover every conceivable situation that arises in miniature wargaming; when something happens that is ungoverned by the rules, or if you have a situation that sits uneasily alongside the written rules, discuss the most sensible way forward with your opponent (or poke the fool in the eye and insist that you are correct). In-keeping with the rest of the rules, keep your solution simple.

When measuring, use the distance between the closest models from each unit. Elf archers by Vendel, Elf wizard by EM4, and Reaper Bones ghosts/pin-cushions. (Henry Hyde)

If you're playing with a warband mounted on communal bases, arrange each unit as shown here (for 4, 3, or 2 base units). The Single Model Unit dragon is based by itself. There are no flanks or rear for any of these units. Demonworld Elves and Reaper Bones Dragon painted by the author. (Daniel Mersey)

Individual models move independently but at the end of their move must conform to unit cohesion. Choose one model from the unit, and at the end of the unit's movement, all models must be within 3" of that model. Some players decide to model a standard bearer or musician model to use as the cohesion model every turn, but you may instead choose a different model in different turns if you prefer.

Models in a unit should not be manoeuvred around the table in rough clumps (base-to-base contact is only important for units using the Wall of Spears special rule); if you're playing with units comprising several communal bases, move them around as blocks of bases as wide as they are deep (or as close to this as you can manage with an odd number of bases), with no more than a few millimetres between the unit's individual bases.

Keep at least 3" between units unless they are fighting; this makes it clear which unit is which and acts as a zone of control for each unit, applying equally to friends and enemies. The only time that units may be in contact with another is during the Attack sequence, and models may never move within 3" of another unit at any other time.

As no unit may move within 3" of another unit, friendly units may not move through one another.

Before beginning your game, agree with your opponent how each type of terrain is going to affect the battle, using the guidelines shown here and in later sections of the rules. There are no hard and fast rules governing how much terrain you should place; scenarios may specify exact requirements but I would usually suggest aiming for at least one piece of terrain on each quarter of your tabletop.

Dragon Rampant keeps terrain as simple as possible: I've played too many games in the past where I've been too terrified to move into a wood because of the extra pages of rules I'd have to brush up on.

•Rough terrain: such as marshland, wide streams or rivers, deep snow, villages, very steep hills for units moving up them, and woods. This is area terrain that slows down movement within it and is harder for most units to attack in.

•Obstacles: such as ditches, fences, and walls. This is usually linear terrain that temporarily holds up units as they attempt to cross it.

•Obscuring terrain: Hills, woods, villages and other terrain that prevents units seeing what lies beyond.

•Cover: such as walls, fences, villages and woods. These reduce casualties to units benefitting from this terrain category.

•Impassable: such as deep rivers, ravines and cliffs. Models can't move over these, and casualties are caused if a unit blunders into impassable terrain.

A unit counts as in cover or rough terrain if the majority of models in the unit are in the terrain, or are shielded from the majority of the shooting/attacking unit. A unit that is not in rough terrain itself still counts as such when Attacking a unit that is.

If the Goblins Attack, the Skeletons will count as uphill (and in cover, increasing their Armour by 1); if the Goblins Shoot, being uphill counts for nothing. Photo by Kevin Dallimore, models by Artizan Designs and Wargames Factory. (North Star Military Figures)

When Moving, the models in a unit move individually so some (outside of the terrain feature) may move at full speed while those on a terrain feature move more slowly. Many types of terrain count fall into more than one category, for example:

•Hills are cover when defending an Attack and higher than your enemy… and obscuring terrain from the 'other' side… and very steep hills are rough terrain when moving up them.

Agree with your opponent how you will define each piece of terrain before you begin each game; also agree how the effect of combined terrain types will be handled (for example, whether areas of scrubland should just count as rough terrain or also count as cover). Rules for applying these guidelines can be found in the relevant sections on movement, shooting, and attacking.

You may agree with your opponent to count some cover as better than the norm; examples could include the solid walls of a castle or other sturdy buildings. Superb cover increases the target unit's Armour by 2 points against Shooting rather than the usual 1 point. I strongly recommend using this classification sparingly and perhaps reducing any Warband starting the game behind such cover by a few points.

Here's a quick summary of what your Leader does the same or differently to other models:

•Leaders give +1 to your total for all Courage tests for units within 12" of the Leader model.

•Leader rules are only applied if the Leader is in play on the tabletop and his unit is not Battered.

Design note: Unlike Lion Rampant, there are no duels between individual Leaders in Dragon Rampant, although two single-model Leader units may fight a normal melee that looks like a duel. Similarly, there are no lucky blows in this fantasy world: your larger-than-life characters lead relatively charmed lives in comparison to their historical counterparts.

A game consists of a number of turns, played through a cycle of phases that allow all players to activate their units. Turns are fairly fluid in Dragon Rampant: you cannot be sure that all of your units will be guaranteed to act in any given turn, and most games last for an uncertain number of turns. This adds a degree of confusion that seems suitable for the clashes presented in the game.

A turn doesn't represent a set amount of time, but in real life, the battles fought probably last for no more than a handful of minutes: maybe a half hour at most.

•Attacker's activation phase: Player carries out actions until an ordered activation test is failed.

•Additional activation phases: In multi-player games, carry out an activation phase for each additional player in the game.

•End of the turn: Begin the next turn of the game unless the game has ended, in which case all players total their Glory to see who wins.

Some scenarios end when one side has been wiped out or has moved off the battlefield, and others end when one of the players has achieved the goals they've been set.

Design note: In multiplayer games, I recommend playing clockwise around the table for simplicity. However, many players like to introduce initiative cards (you take your activation phase when you card is turned), or team-based activations (all players on the same team are activated at once).

In Dragon Rampant, as in real battles, some units will do what you want them to do, others may decide to charge off without orders from you (regardless of whether you wish them to or not), and others will remain stationary and of no use to you until you've inspired them back to bravery or poked them with a sharp stick.

When your activation phase begins in each turn, you play through a sequence that allows you to rally Battered units, make Wild Charges, and give out orders to Attack, Shoot, or Move.

During each of these you test to see how a unit responds by rolling dice. When Rallying units, success recovers their ability to act as a fighting force; when testing for Wild Charges, success sees your units charge at their enemies; and when testing for ordered activations, success allows you to act with that unit (usually moving, shooting, or attacking). Regardless of the type of action occurring, you must immediately carry out and conclude it before choosing another unit to activate; so for example, if your unit is Attacking, resolve that combat (including the removal of casualties and any resulting courage tests) before moving on to another unit's action.

When your activation phase begins, play through it using the following three-step sequence every time:

A unit may be activated only once in your activation phase, so a unit that has tried to Rally may not then make a Wild Charge or receive an ordered activation in this turn. A unit that has tested for a Wild Charge may not then test for an ordered activation.

Some of your opponent's units might be able to take immediate action as a result of your own unit's activations; a unit may attempt to carry out only one of these actions for each Attack it is targeted by.

Design note: You won't always get to activate all of your units, every turn so work out your priorities before doing anything! If there is something you wish to achieve this activation phase, try to do that at the first opportunity, and use a unit that is well-suited to the task.

Units become Battered as a result of poor morale, which may be caused by casualties and a variety of other factors. The later section on Battered units goes into more detail on how this affects the unit, but I can tell you now that they're neither happy nor useful.

If you have any Battered units, you must try to rally them at this point in your activation phase. A Battered unit will rally (remove its Battered marker) if it successfully passes a Courage test:

•If the test is successful, remove the unit's Battered marker, but remember that you cannot activate it again during your activation phase. Unless the unit is Battered again before your next activation phase begins, it can be activated as normal at that time.

•If the test is unsuccessful, the unit retains its Battered marker, loses one additional Strength Point, retreats, and takes no further action during your activation phase. It will be at a disadvantage if attacked while Battered. Failed Rally tests do not end your activation phase.

If more than one of your units must test for Rallying, you may choose the order in which you test; however, all Battered units must be tested: you can't choose to miss a Rally test. Finally, a unit may only test to Rally if it is Battered!

See the section on Courage for how to make a Courage test and how to retreat; all of the modifiers and rules shown in the Courage section also apply to Rally tests.

Some units have Wild Charge listed as a special rule. If any of your units with this rule have not taken a Rally test and begin this part of your activation phase within contactable distance of a visible enemy unit, you must test to activate a charge; this is the only action the unit can be given to this unit during your activation phase if it did not Rally. Wild Charges are tested for even if the target unit is in rough terrain or behind cover, so long as contact may be made.

All Wild Charges must be tested before moving on to any other orders, and each unit's charge should be resolved before moving on to test for other Wild Charges:

•If successful, the unit immediately carries out an Attack activation against an enemy unit of your choice within range.

•If unsuccessful, the unit remains stationary and takes no further action. A failed Wild Charge does not end a player's activation phase.

If more than one of your units must test for a Wild Charge, you may choose the order in which you test: remember that the outcome of one Wild Charge may change which other units must make the test.

Any of your units that have not yet tested for a Wild Charge or Rallying may be ordered into action in this part of your activation phase. You may choose whether these units move, shoot, attack, or carry out any other activation they're entitled to. You may also choose the order in which you activate your units into action.

When you choose a unit to activate, you need to point out a unit and state out loud which of these actions the unit is being ordered to carry out:

These additional rules are shown under the relevant troop types' entries in the section 'Building Your Warband' or 'Fantastical Rules'.

When you've announced the action your unit intends to make, carry out an activation test by rolling two dice (see the following section):

•If your test is successful, carry out this action in its entirety before selecting another unit to activate.

Different types of units have different values for each action; some units are better at certain actions than others.

If you do not wish to order a unit to take any action, carry out any other ordered activations first and then declare that you're ending your activation phase without ordering any more units.

You may wish to place a small marker or gaming gem next to units once they have tested for activation, so that you don't forget which has acted and which has not.

When you test for Wild Charges or ordered activation, roll two dice and add the total:

•If the total is equal to or higher than the score needed, the unit succeeds and carries out that action. When this is completed, you may choose another unit to activate.

•If the total is lower than the score needed, the unit fails. It remains stationary, taking no action at all, and if this was an ordered activation your activation phase ends.

•You have tested all Battered units and Wild Charges, and have decided not to activate any or all of your other units.

Remember that a failed test for Battered units or units subject to Wild Charge does not end your activation phase; also remember that each of your units may only be tested for activation once during your phase.

When your activation phase ends, the next player begins his activation phase or the turn ends if everyone has now taken their go.

Design note: As not every unit will necessarily move every activation phase, some players will why. It could be that the unit is scared, has received a confusing order, is busy reloading or helping injured warriors, is catching its breath or eating its prey, or cannot see the same dangers as you see with your god-like view over the battlefield. Behind every failed dice roll is a story waiting to be told.

A unit may be ordered to Move during your activation phase. A Move may not be used to contact with an enemy (only Attack activations allow that) or to move within 3" of an enemy unit. Models may not move within 3" of an enemy if not Attacking it.

Movement is kept simple and as free as possible: you may move each model up to the maximum shown on its profile with no restrictions other than terrain and unit proximity. Each model moves individually in any way it wishes, but by the end of the movement, each model must abide by the unit cohesion rule (3" of a central model). Models may move sideways, backwards, or at any angle during the move.

If unit cohesion is broken for any reason, the unit must correct this next time it Moves, Retreats, or Attacks.

Design note: I recommend not getting too caught up in exact measurements: move a few of your models by measuring the correct distance and move the rest of the unit using these models as approximate distance markers. If you wish to play more precisely, let you opponent know before the game begins… and be prepared for a slower game. If you're using movement trays or bases with multiple models on them, be prepared to be generously flexible with measurements, determining cover, and so on.

Rough terrain halves all movement inside it (if moving into rough terrain with 4" of move left, the unit may only move 2" into the terrain), unless the unit is Fleet Footed. Work out how much of your unit's movement has not been used at the point it reaches the rough terrain, and halve what is left when moving into the terrain.

Movement in rough terrain is applied to individual models rather than whole units: some models in a unit may suffer reduced movement because they are in rough terrain, while others move their full distance because they are not in rough terrain. Remember to maintain unit cohesion at the end of a unit's movement.

Obstacles are moved up to, halted at, and then moved over with no delay during your unit's next movement.

A unit may be ordered to Shoot only if armed with missile weapons. There must be a target unit within sight and range for a unit to be given this order. As long as one model from each unit is within range and line of sight, Shooting takes place and casualties may occur to any models in the target unit.

The target unit never shoots back, even if missile armed: it's too busy finding cover and shielding itself.

Borderlands Forest Troll Shaman and Goblin Moss-troopers. Photo by Kevin Dallimore, models by Artizan Designs. (North Star Military Figures)

Different missiles are effective up to different distances. Maximum missile ranges in Dragon Rampant are:

So long as one model from your Shooting unit is within maximum range of one model of the target unit, your unit may Shoot.

An important rule to remember is that up to 12" range all models in your unit roll to hit using their Shoot Value; beyond this distance, they subtract 1 from each dice rolled.

•Line of sight is all around: there are no firing arcs and it does not matter which direction a model is facing.

•Although you may choose your own target, an enemy unit able to contact the Shooting unit during its next activation must be chosen as a target in preference to a unit unable to contact the Shooting unit during its next activation phase.

•Units cannot split shooting between target units: all shots are directed at one unit.

•Units in cover may be targeted, but units may not shoot at targets completely hidden behind trees/buildings or other obscuring terrain. Models in your Shooting unit do not block line of sight, but other units can.

Design note: Shooting ranges may look quite limited, but remember that this is just the shortest distance between the two units.

Once you've chosen your target, add up the number of dice your Shooting unit will target them with:

•12 dice if your unit is above half its starting Strength Points (7 or 4 Strength Points depending on the troop type).

•6 dice if your unit is at half its starting Strength Points or below (fewer than shown above). Roll that number of dice and apply the following modifier to the scores if applicable:

Any result equalling or bettering your unit's Shoot Value is a hit. If the target is in cover, the terrain improves their Armour rather than reducing the Shooting unit's ability to hit.

A depleted unit of Halfling Light Missiles: despite their brace of casualties, they still fight with a full compliment of dice (until reduced to 6 or fewer Strength Points). Grenadier models painted by Arjun Choong. (Arjun Choong)

Once the shooting unit has rolled its dice, compare the final number of hits against the Armour of the target unit. For every number of hits equalling the target's Armour, remove one Strength Point from the target unit:

•Units with Armour 3 remove one Strength Point for every three hits inflicted.

For example, 5 hits inflicted on a unit with Armour 3 will cause only one lost Strength Point; the remaining two hits bounce off shields and armour with no effect.

If you're removing models from play, start with models within the Shooting unit's missile range. If all models that were within missile range have been removed and there are still outstanding casualties to remove, take them from other models within the unit. When removing models, remember to maintain unit cohesion.

A unit that has lost any Strength Points must immediately make a Courage test (see the section on Courage for how to do this).

Skellie Light Missiles hit on 5+ so score 7 hits. The Elite Riders' Armour of 4 means that they lose only 1 Strength Point (if their Armour was 3, they'd lose 2 points). Range is measured between the closest models from each unit. Reaper Bones Skeletons painted by the author confronting Fireforge Knights painted by Matt Slade. (Henry Hyde)

Once you have determined and removed losses from the target unit, that unit will need to take a Courage test if it lost any Strength Points. When the Courage test has been resolved, your Shooting unit's activation ends and you may move on to activate another unit from your Warband.

Cover increases Armour by 1 (so a unit with Armour 2 becomes Armour 3 when in cover); obscuring terrain blocks line of sight – but units can see through woods and smoke up to 3", although the target unit still counts as in cover.

A target unit counts as in cover if the majority of models in the unit benefit from the terrain against the majority of the Shooting unit. Area terrain should be pretty simple to judge; obstacles as cover are a little tougher – as a general rule for Shooting, models benefit from obstacles if within 3" of it (and on the other side to the shooting unit, obviously!). If there is any doubt, allow the unit to count as in cover – real soldiers find it easier to find a hole than model soldiers do.

A unit entirely hidden from the Shooting unit by obscuring terrain cannot be targeted as there is no line of sight; if some models are within line of sight, the target unit counts as being in cover but can be shot at.

A unit may only be ordered to Attack if there is an enemy unit within movement distance of it, using this order to contact an enemy unit. When models in the unit have been moved into contact, they will immediately fight; that's what Attacks are all about!

Attack move distances are the same as Move distances: the only difference is that Attacks end in contact with the enemy (and many units have different activation scores for Moving and Attacking). Some units must attempt to Attack enemies within range because they are subject to Wild Charges.

•Fight! The Attacking unit uses its Attack Value, and the unit being attacked uses its Defence Value.

Models in a unit may see all around: there are no charge arcs or facings in Dragon Rampant. Line of sight may prevent a unit from Attacking, as it may only Attack a unit that at least one of its models can see at the start of its activation. Models in your own unit do not block line of sight, but other units may do so.

If you're playing with warbands mounted on communal bases, don't worry about the angle they contact each other at: so long as at least part of a base from each unit is in combat, everyone fights. Both units here roll up their sleeves and get stuck in. Northlanders by Copplestone Castings, Wood Elves by Demonworld, all painted by the author. (Daniel Mersey)

If more than one enemy unit is within sight and range, the Attacking player may decide which to target (remembering that a unit may not move within 3" of another unit unless charging it). Only one unit may be contacted in an Attack move. If the target unit is directly behind an obstacle, the Attacking unit contacts it by moving up to the obstacle and halting against it.

Use these guidelines when moving an Attacking unit into contact with its target unit:

All models in both units fight, whether they're in base-to-base contact or not. The Dwarf Elite Foot Attack on 3+, so score 8 hits; the Skeleton Light Foot Defend on 4+, so score 3 hits (rolling 6 dice as they're under half strength). With their Armour of 2, the Light Foot take 4 casualties; unfortunately they don't score enough hits to damage the Dwarves at all. Oh dear! Grenadier Dwarves and Reaper Bones Skeletons from the author's collection. (Henry Hyde)

•Move each model in the Attacking unit up to its maximum Move distance, moving the Attacking unit into contact by the most direct path.

•Move as many models as possible into contact with a model in the target unit.

•Regardless of which models are in contact with an enemy, all models in both units will fight.

Some units may make a counter-charge or evade move when Attacked. When you declare the target of your attack, your opponent may tell you that his unit intends to try one of these special moves.

The target unit tests for activation and, if successful, carries out the reaction according to the rules shown under troop types. The Attacking unit then moves as ordered. If the target unit fails its activation, it does not move and the Attack continues.

Units may only attempt to counter-charge or evade if this skill is allowed to that troop type (listed under the unit's 'Special rules').

Once you've moved your Attacking unit into contact with the target unit, add up the number of dice both units will fight with:

•12 dice if your unit is above half its starting Strength Points (7 or 4 Strength Points depending on the troop type).

•6 dice if your unit is at half its starting Strength Points or below (fewer than shown above).

•Units in rough terrain fight with Attack and Defence of 5+ and Armour of 2 unless they have the Ranger special rule.

Any result equalling or bettering your unit's Attack Value (if Attacking) or Defence Value (if Defending) is a hit.

Once both units have rolled their dice, compare the final number of hits against the Armour for both units. For every number of hits equalling the target's Armour, remove one Strength Point from the target unit:

•Units with Armour 3 remove one Strength Point for every three hits inflicted.

For example, 3 hits inflicted on a unit with Armour 2 will cause only one lost Strength Point; the remaining hit is deflected by armour and parried by swords with no effect.

If you're removing models from play, start with models in contact with the enemy. If all models that were in contact have been removed and there are still outstanding casualties to remove, take them from other models within the unit. When removing models, remember to maintain unit cohesion.

A unit taking casualties must make a Courage test as noted in the section 'Ending Attacks', regardless of whether it is the Attacking or target unit. See the section on Courage for how to carry out this test.

Once you have determined and removed casualties from both units, either unit must take a Courage test if it suffered any casualties.

If both units are still in contact after any Courage tests have been taken (or if no tests were required):

•The unit that lost the most Strength Points during this Attack must retreat (see the later section on 'Retreats' for distances). If at the end of this retreat some models still remain within 3" of the enemy that the unit was fighting, continue to move those models until they are 3" away. The retreat must be directly away from the unit it fought.

•If both units suffered equal (or no) lost Strength Points, the Attacking unit retreats as described above.

•No units will remain in contact or within 3" of any other by the end of an Attack.

•If a unit cannot fall back the required distance due to terrain or other units blocking its path, it tests for casualties as shown in the later section on 'Retreats'.

When Courage tests and any additional movement have been concluded, your Attacking unit's activation ends and you may move on to activate another unit from your Warband.

Rough terrain changes most units' Attack and Defence Values to 5+ and their Armour becomes 2 regardless of their usual profile. And if one unit counts as in rough terrain, both units involved in the combat do: it's never a case that only one of the units fighting is affected by the terrain. Units with the Ranger special rule are not affected by rough terrain, and Scouts and Ravenous Hordes actually fight better in rough terrain than in the open.

Cover increases the Defending unit's Armour by 1 (so a unit with Armour 3 becomes Armour 4 when in cover); cover in rough terrain makes most units' Armour 3.

Hills count as cover if defending an Attack and uphill of the Attacking unit, but have no effect on Shooting (other than blocking line of sight).

The woodland guardians on the left fight as though they are in rough terrain because the unit they're Attacking is. Stagman and boarman painted by Darrell Hindley, Dire Boar painted by Spencer Williams, Marsh Troll painted by Paul Baldwin, other models painted by the author. (Daniel Mersey)

Obscuring terrain blocks line of sight for Attacks – but units can see through woods and smoke up to 3".

A unit counts as in cover or rough terrain if the majority of models in the unit benefit from the terrain against the majority of the Attacking unit. Area terrain should be pretty simple to judge; obstacles count as cover to a unit being attacked only if the unit counts as 'in cover' (majority rule as above). If there is any doubt, allow a unit to count as in cover – real soldiers find it easier to find a hole than model soldiers do.

Design note: Rough terrain is a great leveller of fighting ability in Dragon Rampant as it prevents the momentum of charges, provides hiding places for light troops, stops the better troops from strutting their stuff, and helps weaker troops to battle against their better quality enemies (also known as 'The Willow Paradox').

•Warband has had half or more army points of units removed from play (12 or more points in a 24 army point game)

The first three situations affect only the individual unit but the final two affect all units remaining in your Warband.

Make a test immediately and only when it is triggered; for example, don't continue to test each and every turn after your Leader has been killed, only at the point he is killed. As indicated above, some tests affect only one unit but others affect your entire Warband.

If two or more factors from the list occur at once, only take one Courage test per unit rather than a test for each applicable factor. And the loss of Strength Points from a Courage test does not trigger a further Courage test for that unit!

•From this total subtract 1 for each Strength Point the unit has lost in the game so far (so if you've lost 4 Strength Points, subtract four from your total).

•Subtract an extra 1 from this total if your Warband has had half or more points of units removed from play (12 or more points in a 24 army point game).

•Add 1 to your total if your Leader's model is within 12" of the unit taking the test.

•If you have equalled or bettered the Courage score, there's no effect unless you're attempting to remove a Battered marker as a Rally activation, in which case you must now remove it. If your score is lower than your Courage score, you have failed the test.

If your unit fails a Courage test, the outcome depends on how badly they failed. The unit might just retreat from immediate danger and spend some time licking its collective wounds, or it might decide that enough is enough and rout from the battlefield. Resolve the outcome shown below immediately:

•If you've failed a Courage test but your final score is greater than 0, your unit must retreat (see the next section). Your unit also becomes Battered after retreating.

Design note: Describing the way retreats should be handled is tricky, as so many circumstances may affect it; the general concept is that a retreating unit must attempt to stay as far from danger as possible, and should not end in a more advantageous position than it was in at the start of the retreat.

•If you've failed a Courage test and your final score is 0 or a negative number, your unit loses heart completely and flees the table in rout. Remove it immediately.

•A Battered unit which receives another Battered result loses an additional Strength Point in addition to retreating.

When a unit retreats, it must move directly away from the unit that caused the retreat and must not go within 3" of any other unit at any time during the retreat:

•A retreating unit moves half of its normal movement distance, affected as usual by terrain.

If at the end of this move some of your models remain within 3" of the enemy unit that caused this retreat, continue to move those models until they are 3" away. You are not penalized for individual models having too short a movement distance to complete the retreat: in this instance they're happy to run a bit faster.

Being unable to move the full distance required due to impassable terrain or other units blocking the path is more dangerous, as shown below. Remember that you may not move within 3" of any unit, and that even friends can block the path of your retreat in this way.

A retreat must always try to move the full distance required, although a couple of unusual situations may arise:

•Units unable to retreat the full distance required: If a unit cannot retreat its full move (for example, if unable to pass by units without moving within 3" of them or being trapped against impassable terrain) it moves as far as possible and then rolls one dice, comparing the result to its Courage. If the dice roll is lower than the unit's Courage, it must lose additional Strength Points equal to the dice result. This is the only situation where a unit may remain within 3" of another unit.

•Units retreating off the table: If any model from a unit moves off the table as the result of a retreat, remove the entire unit and count it as routed. It may not re-enter the battlefield during the game.

Terrain affects the distance moved during a retreat in the same way as for any other movement.

The defeated High Elves must retreat along the most sensible, safest route away from their prickly War Hedgehog enemies (whom they were fighting), and the other enemy units; they must try not to move closer to any enemy unit. EM4 Elves, Minotaur, Troll, and Ogre, Standard Games Hedgehogs, Reaper Wolves and Dire Boar (painted by Spencer Williams) from the author's collection. (Henry Hyde)

When a unit becomes Battered, place a marker or casualty model with it to remind all players that the unit is Battered. A Battered unit:

•Must test to remove its Battered marker (Rally) at the beginning of the owning player's next activation phase.

The only way a Battered unit may remove its marker is by Rallying; success in any other Courage test does not remove the marker.

Receiving another Battered result from a Courage test when already Battered means that the unit must lose another Strength Point and retreat. A Battered unit may not Wild Charge, counter-charge or evade an attacking enemy and nor may it Shoot. If your Leader's unit is Battered, you may not use any Leader special rules.

In Dragon Rampant, battles are rarely fought for a set number of turns, as game play is so fluid. Because of this, scenarios should have defined end points to prevent games grinding on with the last two units dragging themselves across the tabletop when the players would prefer to go home.

Victory in a game of Dragon Rampant is decided by the amount of Glory (victory points) a Warband amasses at the end of the game. See the section on Scenarios for more on Glory.

If you are playing without a scenario, keep playing until a turn begins with 4 or fewer units remaining in the game. When this happens, roll a dice at start of every turn… if the score is higher than number of units left on table, this is the final turn so it's time to grab that Glory!

"Stop running away!" A Battered unit, indicated by the red gaming gem. Unhappy 1970s Minifigs Forest Orcs painted by the author. (Henry Hyde)