Fantasy Flight Games

The Digital Side of Board Gaming

Published 26 August 2016 | Mansions of Madness

The Digital Side of Board Gaming

Keith Hurley on Apps and Board Games

Tabletop games and video games have long held special places in the hearts of gamers, but for most of their lifespans, these two formats were inherently separate. In recent years, however, Fantasy Flight Games has led the tabletop industry in bridging the divide between tabletop and video, creating app versions of tabletop games and app-enhanced board games.

To get a closer look at this new style of gaming, we sat down with Keith Hurley, Fantasy Flight Games’s VP of Media and Interactive, to talk about the electronic side of board gaming.

FFG: How did Fantasy Flight Games first start making apps?

Keith Hurley: Christian Petersen, our CEO, first approached me about apps when Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3rd Edition was in development. This was in 2009, so FFG didn’t have an in-house software development team yet. Chris had put together a design document for a dice rolling utility, specifically for use with the WFRP 3rd Edition system. It called for a 3D mobile dice roller that could provide quick results with large pools of dice.

We knew a little bit about the Unity game engine, which is the platform we now use to develop all of our apps, but no one had any real working experience with Unity at the time. All we knew for sure was that it was an increasingly popular development engine that had a lot of cross-platform flexibility.

Eventually Chris got in contact with a software developer, Francesco Moggia, who was living and working in Italy. Francesco had an extensive programming background and was familiar with Unity, so he began development remotely while I worked internally with our designers to put the project together. We ultimately launched the app in 2010 and followed that with the Arkham Horror Toolkit, Hey, That’s My Fish!, Elder Sign: Omens, Star Wars™: Dice, XCOM: The Board Game, BattleLore: Command, and now our Road to Legend and Mansions of Madness companion apps.

FFG: What’s the best part about creating an app?

KH: My favorite part of app development is probably Sprint Review, where we show the work that we’ve accomplished over a given period of time. This usually involves showing our working app up on a big screen in front of the whole team of developers and designers. It’s often a great high-five moment for everyone, where we get to see how a concept has gone from inception to a fully interactive product.

Anything that needs additional work is critiqued and planned for the next review, so it’s a continuing cycle of feedback and improvement until we get it to a point where everyone is satisfied. It’s really rewarding to see how all of the different elements of app development evolve into a finished product.

FFG: On a similar note, what’s the hardest part about creating an app?

KH: Testing! Testing multi-platform apps gets harder every year as more devices and more operating systems come and go. We have a pretty small team of developers and external testers and it’s incredibly difficult for us to test every possible combination of device and operating system. The fragmentation in the Android market alone is a significant challenge—last I checked there were over 24,000 unique Android devices!—so we focus our efforts on the ones that have the largest market share.

Also, as our apps grow more complex, as with Road to Legend and Mansions of Madness, the volume of narrative content that needs to be tested becomes an increasingly large ocean of variables that need review. This testing is not only for game balance and fun, but technical testing as well to ensure that events and activations are firing correctly. Road to Legend, as an example, has about forty-five products in its Collection Manager, all with unique digital content, and they each need to be tested alone and in conjunction with each other.

FFG: What are some of the advantages of using an app to enhance a board game?

KH: One great advantage is that a companion app gives us the opportunity to use all kinds of audio and visual content to support our narratives. In both Mansions of Madness and Road to Legend, for example, all the music, sound effects, narrations, and cutscenes work to develop an atmosphere for the players. When you launch a scenario in either app, we try hard to set the stage, whether you’re investigating a rash of disappearances in a sleepy coastal town or tracking down a mage in the depths of some long-forgotten dungeon.

Additionally, apps allow our content developers to rapidly produce more content using the tools that we’ve developed. When we have a vision for a new scenario, a physical component is no longer a requirement for expansion material. In Road to Legend, for example, we can easily push out new side quests with a simple app update.

FFG: How is designing an app version of an existing game, like BattleLore, different from designing an app that works with a board game, such as Mansions of Madness?

KH: BattleLore: Command was a unique challenge in that we had to take an already established game and re-envision it for mobile devices. This meant having to take a dice system and reinterpret ways it could work during combat, in addition to coming up with alternatives for lore powers or unit abilities that didn’t easily fit in a digital format. The tabletop version of BattleLore has a lot of opportunities for players to interrupt each other during gameplay, and we really wanted to streamline the combat for our mobile version. This meant changing a lot of the abilities and some core mechanics in the digital version of the game.

A game like Mansions of Madness, on the other hand, had no interpretation work because everything was designed with an app in mind from day one.

FFG: How do you decide what to draw from the original game when creating an app version, such as Elder Sign: Omens or BattleLore: Command?

KH: A lot of it really just has to do with ease of implementation. Elder Sign had two major challenges for us when we were designing the digital version: 1) how to use the Ally Deck, and 2) how to resolve the Ancient One battle. Ultimately we made the decision to cut those elements from the digital game as our prototype was already very fun and challenging without those elements.

BattleLore: Command had many challenges with the combat system, in that the original game is a two-player, head-to-head combat game where each player can interrupt the other player’s turn at many points during gameplay. That element alone was something we knew we wanted to streamline for the digital version, and that decision ultimately had a domino effect on many other elements. Things like lore powers, unit abilities, and even the combat system needed to change in order to streamline the experience.

FFG: Can we expect to see more app versions of games and games that harness apps in the future?

KH: Yes! We have several exciting plans for future apps that we’re eager to develop. That said, companion app gaming is really just one tool in FFG’s toolbox. We’ll never completely replace traditional tabletop gaming, nor do we want to. It is however, a really exciting time for software developers, and our ability to create powerful, thematic content through apps is something where we’ve only begun to scratch the surface.

Thanks, Keith!

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Battles and Azathoth and Penguins, Oh My!

Published 25 November 2015 | BattleLore: Command

Battles and Azathoth and Penguins, Oh My!

Holiday Discounts for Three Digital Games

The holiday season is here, the days are almost at their shortest and, of course, winter is coming. To celebrate the holidays (and make sure you have enough entertainment while cooped up inside), we’re putting our three digital games on sale. From now until December 1st, you can get iOS, Android, and Steam builds of BattleLore: Command, Elder Sign: Omens and Hey, That’s My Fish! at a discount.

Muster Your Troops

In BattleLore: Command, you lead squadrons of charging cavalry, fearless warriors, and vicious demons into fierce, tactical combat. Set in the same universe as Runebound, the game features both a single-player campaign mode and an online multiplayer mode in which you can choose your army, choose your scenario, and wage war against a friend. The game is currently available on iOS, Android, and Steam for $3.99. With an in-app purchase you can also unlock the Locust expansion, which features new units, new multiplayer scenarios, and a challenging single-player mini-campaign.

Solve Arcane Mysteries

Elder Sign: Omens immerses you in Lovecraftian horror. Put together your team of investigators and enter the haunted Arkham Museum in the dark of night. In the museum’s walls you’ll find uncanny artifacts, arcane tomes, and ravenous monsters — along with the mystical Elder Signs needed to stop Ancient Ones including Yig and Azathoth from awakening and destroying the world. Pass-and-play enables you to collaborate on solving the mysteries with your friends. You can get the core game of Elder Sign: Omens for iOS and Android for $0.99, with additional content available for in-app purchase. On Steam, you can now purchase the game with all the content unlocked for $9.99.

Go Fish

Hey, That’s My Fish! is a family-friendly strategy game in which penguins fight over their favorite food. Your goal is to grab the most fish first, but you’ll have to manoeuvre the other penguins who are just as hungry and determined as you are. The digital version offers solo gaming and pass-and-play for up to four players. It is available now for iOS and Android at a price of only $0.99.

Happy Holidays!

Don’t let cabin fever, airport delays, or long car rides get you down this holiday season. Download BattleLore: Command, Elder Sign: Omens, and Hey, That’s My Fish! today!

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The copyrightable portions of BattleLore: Command are © 2014 Fantasy Flight Publishing, Inc. BattleLore is a trademark of Fantasy Flight Publishing, Inc. Google Play is a trademark of Google, Inc. Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.

Charge into Battle!

Published 17 June 2015 | BattleLore

Charge into Battle!

BattleLore: Command for iOS and Android Is On Sale!

Muster your armies, stake out your position, and charge into the fray! BattleLore: Command for iOS and Android is now on sale at the price of $3.99!

Based on the hit board game BattleLore Second Edition, BattleLore: Command offers you the chance to lead fantastical armies in intense tactical combat scenarios. The single-player campaign places you in charge of the noble Daqan army as they defend their homeland against the invasion of the ravaging, bloodthirsty hordes of the Uthuk Y’llan. In multiplayer, you can command an army of either Daqan or Uthuk Y’llan units and wage war against opponents from anywhere in the world. Both the iOS and Android versions feature intuitive touch-screen controls, cross-platform online multiplayer, and a 360º zoom view that allows you to see the battlefield from almost any perspective.

Fearless Warriors and Ferocious Invaders

The land of Terrinoth has long flourished in peace, its people making a living from farming, herding, and hunting. Now, the Uthuk Y’llan, a vicious, demon-blooded people from the desert wastelands, have sent their savage forces to invade, occupy, and lay waste to Terrinoth. The single-player campaign of BattleLore: Command puts you in charge of fighting against this terrible Uthuk Y’llan invasion. You’ll have to keep them from burning villages, stealing powerful magics, and conquering important fortresses if you want to win. As you prove your skills as a commander, more forces will come to fight under your banner, until you can field an army of not just infantry, archers, and cavalry, but even enchanted stone Rune Golems and giant, soaring raptors.

Multiplayer mode lets you undertake vicious tactical duels against an online opponent from anywhere in the world. For every battle you’ll select a challenging scenario, determine how much you and your opponent can spend to muster your forces, and choose a faction. When you advance in the campaign, you can also unlock powerful new units for your multiplayer battles, such as the formidable and swashbuckling Baron of Kell or the brutal demon, Ravos the Ever-Hungry.

You can add even more new units to your armies with the Locust expansion, now available for in-app purchase. The Locust expansion introduces select units from Hernfar Guardians and Warband of Scorn to the game, opens up five new maps for your player vs. player battles and gives you command of the Uthuk Y'llan in a savage mini-campaign to undermine the Daqan war effort.

Join In the Action

BattleLore: Command isn’t just a digital strategy game; It also provides an excellent gateway into the tabletop action. With the new forces of Hernfar Guardians and Warband of Scorn having just taken the field, ferocious reinforcements like the Razorwings and Mountain Giant coming soon, and the Undead faction on the way, there has never been a better time to get into BattleLore Second Edition. No matter what your level of strategic skill or your favorite tactics may be, whether you prefer tabletop, desktop or mobile gaming, you’ll find a vast and engaging and combat experience in BattleLore.

Download BattleLore: Command from iTunes or Google Play today!

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Time to Attack!

Published 11 June 2015 | BattleLore

Time to Attack!

BattleLore: Command for Steam Is On Sale

As part of the annual Steam summer sale, the Steam edition of our BattleLore: Command is currently on sale for $3.99! Don't miss this opportunity!

Prepare to experience intense tactical battles between fantastical armies! BattleLore: Command, based on the hit board game BattleLore Second Edition, puts you in command of either the noble Daqan Lords or the demon-blooded, savage Uthuk Y’llan. In the single-player campaign, you can lead the Daqan army on challenging missions in defense of their homeland. In the multiplayer mode, you can command forces from either faction and wage war against opponents from anywhere in the world. The game also features intuitive controls and a 360º zoom view.

A Barbarous Invasion and Brutal Duels

For centuries the Uthuk Y’llan have gathered strength in the desert wastelands near Terrinoth, using dark magic and drinking demon blood in order to become something more than human. Now they have amassed an army and are invading Terrinoth, seeking to conquer and ravage that peaceful realm. In the campaign of BattleLore: Command, you lead the Daqan army into the war to keep out the Uthuk Y’llan invasion. Its twenty missions take place throughout Terrinoth’s landscape, in island villages and at an ancient tomb, in thick forests and parched deserts. Each mission offers a different challenge, from rescuing captured innocents to defending the gate of an important stronghold. Over the course of the war your army will become stronger and gain new forces, growing from a few infantry and archers to a massive force with swift cavalry, giant soaring raptors, and fearsome stone Rune Golems.

Multiplayer mode enables you to wage vicious battles against a friend or simply fight the CPU. For every battle you’ll select a map, determine how much you and your opponent can spend to muster your forces, and choose a faction. As you advance through the campaign, you’ll also unlock new units for your multiplayer battles, so you can surprise your opponents by deploying the formidable swordsman, Baron Frederic, or the cruel and powerful blood sister Malaana.

You can even add fearsome new units to your armies with the Locust Expansion. Not only does the Locust expansion introduce select units from Hernfar Guardians and Warband of Scorn to the game, it also opens up five new maps for your player vs. player battles and places you in charge of the Uthuk Y'llan in a savage mini-campaign to undermine the Daqan war effort.

Go to War

There has never been a better time to muster your armies and show off your tactical acumen. New forces for the Daqan and Uthuk Y’llan have just entered the fight in the BattleLore Second Edition board game, and ferocious reinforcements like the Razorwings and Mountain Giant are on the way. BattleLore: Command provides an excellent gateway into the tabletop action.

Whether you prefer the valiant Daqan warriors and their runic magic or the mutated and diabolical Uthuk Y’llan, you'll find enthralling and challenging combat experiences BattleLore: Command.

Download BattleLore: Command for Steam today!

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War Comes to Your Desktop

Published 31 March 2015 | BattleLore: Command

War Comes to Your Desktop

BattleLore: Command Is Now Available on Steam

The wait is over. BattleLore: Command is now available for PC and Mac OSX via Steam!

You can now experience the game’s vicious battles and epic campaign on your desktop. Command the noble warriors of the Daqan as they defend their homeland, or lead the savage hordes of the Uthuk Y’llan in a bloody and destructive invasion. Cross-platform online multiplayer allows you to battle opponents throughout the world. The Steam build also features intuitive controls, a 360º zoom view, and a frame rate of over 100 frames per second.

Valor and Vengeance

The single-player campaign mode of BattleLore: Command puts you in charge of the Daqan army as they fight to keep the Uthuk Y’llan from devastating peaceful Terrinoth. Its twenty missions take place throughout Terrinoth’s landscape, in island villages and at an ancient tomb, in thick forests and parched deserts. Each mission offers a different challenge, from rescuing captured innocents and retrieving stolen artifacts to defending the gate of Kellar Keep. As the war intensifies, your army will grow from a few infantry and ranged units to a large and diverse force that includes swift cavalry, soaring raptors, and massive Rune Golems.

Multiplayer mode enables you wage vicious battles against a friend using online multiplayer or via the same wireless network. You can also play single skirmishes against the computer. For every battle you’ll select one of five maps, determine how much gold you and your opponent can spend in mustering your forces, choose a faction. Since you can choose whichever faction you want, you might pit the Daqan troops against each other in a brutal civil war, or send the Uthuk Y’llan demons to hunt down their kin. As you advance through the campaign, you’ll also unlock new units for your multiplayer battles, so you can surprise your opponents by deploying the formidable Baron of Kell, or the fearsome, scorpion-riding blood sister Malaana.

Doom and Destruction

The Locust Expansion, available as downloadable content, brings more forces to the fray and adds five more maps to the multiplayer mode. Named for the Uthuk Y’llan (which means “blood of the locust”), this expansion also features a three-mission, single-player mini-campaign, in which you command the Uthuk Y’llan as they fight to gather dark magical energies, destroy an important Daqan foundry, and defeat Baron Frederic in battle.

Joining the Uthuk Y’llan army are the mutated, powerful Grotesque, who can shoot forth piercing bone spurs, and the insectlike Doombringers, who tunnel beneath battlefield obstacles and devour unsuspecting soldiers. The Daqan also gain two new units with this expansion. The Greyhaven Battlemages are ranged troops who fire orbs of deadly energy at the enemy and magically shield nearby friendly units; the Ironbound are armored automatons capable of holding out against even the fiercest attacks.

Take the Field

Fight head-to-head death matches against opponents anywhere in the world, or embark on the single-player campaign to save the Daqan homeland. Lead the valiant Citadel Guards and flying Roc Warriors of the Daqan army or the monstrous, towering Chaos Lords and fearless Blood Harvesters of the Uthuk Y’llan. BattleLore: Command offers stunning landscapes, fierce battles, and intense strategic challenges for any commander.

Download BattleLore: Command from Steam today!

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Civil War

Published 25 March 2015 | BattleLore: Command

Civil War

Online Multiplayer for BattleLore: Command is Now Available

Command custom armies against friends and foes anywhere in the world in BattleLore: Command! A just-released free update makes cross-platform online multiplayer through itunes and Google Play.

If you haven't yet played BattleLore: Command, now’s your chance to experience epic fantasy battles and intense strategic challenges. The game’s campaign puts you in charge of the Daqan army as they fight to drive off the vicious, demon-blooded Uthuk Y’llan from their homeland. The multiplayer mode, the focus of today’s preview, offers you the chance to take on a friend or the CPU on a range of different battlefields, commanding a Daqan or Uthuk Y’llan army composed of the units you like best.

Choose Your Battlefield

When you enter the online multiplayer lobby, you can join one of the listed games or create your own. Whether you prefer to defend, destroy, or ruthlessly annihilate your opponent, whether you want to fight in thick forests or open fields, you’ll find a map suited to your style of command. At the village of the Grey Gate, you’ll have ten rounds to completely eliminate your opponent. Or, invade the settlement at the Spire of Glamis and put its buildings to the torch. At the legendary Tomb of Pelius, you can compete with the opposing army to harness powerful energies, or you can attempt to cross the Morshan River and fight your way into enemy territory. The Ruins of Lothold forces you to fight on two fronts: you must defend your stronghold at the same time as invading the enemy’s fortress on the opposite side of the battlefield.

The Locust expansion, now available for in-app purchase, adds five more maps to the multiplayer mode, from new demolition and deathmatch options to the Gatecrasher map, where one army must force their way through the gate of the Baron’s fortified keep. You may send several units to their death attempting to break through the defensive lines, but you only need warrior to make it through in order to achieve victory.

Muster Your Forces

At the moment you create a game, you’ll determine how much gold you and your opponent can spend in mustering your armies. Less gold means undertaking a hard-fought skirmish between a few units. With fifty gold you can create an expansive and powerful army with a full compliment of infantry, cavalry, and legendary units such as flying Roc Warriors and terrifying Chaos Lords.

Multiplayer allows you to choose whichever faction you want and pit Daqan units against Daqan, Uthuk against Uthuk in deadly civil war. You can see how many bloodthirsty Flesh Ripper Brutes it takes to kill a Chaos Lord, or deploy several Rune Golems to stand up against an attacking force of swift Riverwatch Riders. New units of both factions are unlocked for multiplayer mode as you progress through the game’s campaign. Surprise your opponent by sending two types of Daqan cavalry into battle, or dominate the battlefield with the scorpion-riding, magic-wielding blood sister Malaana. In the Locust expansion you’ll find four additional units. The burrowing Doom Bringer and mutated Grotesque join the Uthuk Y’llan, while the Daqan army gains the support of the armored Ironbound automatons. Greyhaven Battlemages, who can shield nearby friendly units and fling deadly energy at their targets.

Fight to the Death

You can also play against a friend using the same wireless network or, even using the same device with the pass-and-play option. Wherever in the world your opponents are, whatever battlefield tactics you find most lethal, the multiplayer mode of BattleLore: Command enables you to experience heated and vicious head-to-head combat in a fully-realized, fantastical world.

Download BattleLore: Command 1.2 from iTunes and Google Play today!

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The Invasion of the Locust

Published 25 March 2015 | BattleLore: Command

The Invasion of the Locust

Download the Major New Update for BattleLore: Command

The soulless, metal warriors of the Daqan, their Ironbound, have slain many of our Uthuk brothers and sisters. But powerful, inhuman blood rushes through our veins. We are the Locust, and our fury cannot be quenched! Our rage will never die! We will demolish the foundry where they make their metal warriors. We will summon the Doom Bringers and they will devour these men. Our weapons will pierce their bones and our strong claws will lacerate their flesh. It is time to dye the earth red with Daqan blood!

You can now wage brutal fantasy battles against opponents anywhere in the world and grow the might of your armies with new units. A new update for BattleLore: Command brings free online multiplayer to the game and offers the first expansion for in-app purchase!

This free update for iOS and Android, available on iTunes and Google Play, introduces cross-platform online multiplayer with online social gaming support through Apple’s Game Center and Google Play Services. It also incorporates several optimizations and game play improvements. The Locust expansion, available for in-app purchase, features four new units and five new multiplayer battlefields, along with a single-player mini-campaign in which you lead the bloodthirsty and demonic forces of the Uthuk Y’llan.

Doom and Destruction

In the first mission of the Locust expansion you’ll take command of the Uthuk Y’llan as they raid dark energy from the Deeping Wound in the wastelands of the Ru Steppes. Joining your forces are the Grotesque, a new melee unit of mutated humans possessing powerful claws that can lacerate enemy troops and drench the battlefield with their blood. The Grotesque can also shoot forth sharp bone spurs as a ranged weapon, making them one of the most versatile units on the field and a fitting opponent for the magic-wielding Greyhaven Battlemages who have come to fight for the Daqan lords. You’ll also face another new battlefield threat– the mighty, armored Ironbound automatons.

Once you’ve amassed the necessary orbs of evil energy, you can summon the Doombringer, a massive, creeping, insectlike creature that can burrow beneath obstacles and devour nearby enemy troops. You’ll need the Doombringer in your assault upon the foundry where the Daqan manufacture the Ironbound. Trenches filled with flowing lava encircle the foundry, and only the Doombringer can navigtate these trenches easily.

Your greatest challenge as commander of the Uthuk Y’llan will be overcoming Baron Frederic, who possesses a health of ten, a combat value of four, and who cannot be counter-attacked. The Kellarian cavalry defending him are formidable as well, as deadly as the Flesh Ripper Brutes and greater movement than any other cavalry. If you defeat the Baron, not only will the Uthuk Y’llan be able to ravage his barony, but you will be able deploy him within your multiplayer Daqan armies.

Demolish or Defend

As the new online multiplayer feature connects you with countless new opponents, the Locust expansion introduces five new skirmish maps where your battles can take place. Use the Doombringer’s agility and the might of the Grotesque to demolish the town of Zeiholt before your opponent can defend it. You can also fight bloody deathmatches in the dark, thick forests of Hart’s Grove or among the boulders surrounding the mountaintop fortress of the Rookery.

If you prefer the valor and innovation of the Daqan army, deploy the Greyhaven Battlemages, armed with deadly orbs of magic energy, and alongside them units of Ironbound. These automatons can also move without being commanded, so as your Battlemages advance, the Ironbound will naturally follow. Greyhaven Battlemages also have the power to shield adjacent units using runic magic that deflects a point of damage. The new Kellar’s Keep skirmish is an excellent test for these units, challenging one player to defend the Keep’s gate, and the other to break through it. Together, the Battlemages and the Ironbound are as well suited to assaulting the keep’s gate as they are defending it.

You Are in Command

Take up arms against new foes through the cross-platform online multiplayer, harness the power of the Locust expansion’s new units, and lead the Uthuk Y’llan in their quest to dominate Terrinoth. Whichever faction you prefer, whether you enjoy most the single-player campaign or heated online duels, you’ll find that this BattleLore: Command update takes the game to a whole new level.

Download BattleLore: Command v. 1.2 from itunes and Google Play today! A Steam version for PC and Mac is coming soon.

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Let Mac & PC Enter the Fray

Published 2 January 2015 | BattleLore: Command

Let Mac & PC Enter the Fray

Vote for BattleLore: Command on Steam Greenlight

Currently available for iOS and Android, BattleLore: Command puts you in charge of a formidable, fantastical army fighting epic fantasy battles. The game’s single-player mode places you in command of the brave Daqan forces as they wage war against the bloodthirsty invading Uthuk Y’llan. In the skirmish mode, you can lead either the Daqan or the Uthuk Y’llan army into battle against either the computer or against a friend. Each skirmish mission tests your strategic skills with a unique objective and allows you to muster a specific set of units suited to the battle at hand. Using the 3D view with a zoom lens, you can see the action from anywhere on the field, taking in the entire battle at once or experiencing a single fight up close.

The PC and Mac versions will feature online multiplayer capability for the skirmish mode. An update will also soon bring online multiplayer to iOS and Android, so that you can go head-to-head against another commander based anywhere in the world.

Praise for BattleLore: Command

The iOS and Android versions of BattleLore: Command are already earning acclaim for intense strategic gameplay and stunning graphics. Dave Neumann of Pocket Tactics praises the “wonderfully deep strategic experience” of playing BattleLore: Command. He writes that it “can take its place in the pantheon of must-have games for iOS or Android. It has the feel of a wargame or miniatures game, but is far more accessible and easy to learn.” Matt Thrower of Pocket Gamer calls it “a sharp, effective strategy game… wrapped up in an attractive envelope of graphics and sound” with a “peerless single player mode.” Finally, in his review for Board Game Geek, Bradley Cummings says the game is “downright gorgeous” and “cannot be missed,” naming it “one of the best of the year.”

Take Command

You can already download BattleLore: Command from Google Play and the iTunes App Store. With your support on Steam Greenlight, it will soon become available for Mac OSX and PC.

Visit the BattleLore: Command Greenlight page and vote today!

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The War Begins

Published 25 November 2014 | BattleLore: Command

The War Begins

BattleLore: Command Is Now Available

Call your troops to arms and prepare for war! BattleLore: Command is now available on the iTunes App Store and Google Play.

BattleLore: Command is a digital game of tactical combat based on the board game BattleLore Second Edition. Command the noble Daqan army as they defend their realm from its direst foe in the game’s single-player campaign. In the skirmish mode, you can lead the Daqan army or their enemy, the bloodthirsty Uthuk Y’llan, fighting the computer or a friend on the same wireless network. Using the game’s 360º view with zoom capability, you can experience the action as if in the middle of the fray or survey the entire battlefield at once to plan your strategy. With suspenseful battles, fantastical armies, and game-changing lore powers, BattleLore: Command provides a thrilling and challenging combat experience.

Defend Your Homeland

Our first preview introduced the valiant and powerful units of the Daqan army. When the land of Terrinoth is in danger, its farmers and villagers take up arms as brave Citadel Guards and sharpshooting Yeoman Archers. These units are the heart of the Daqan army, the realm’s first line of defense. Charging ahead of them are the Riverwatch Riders: swordsmen mounted on swift horses trained for battle. As the conflict intensifies, you can awaken the massive Rune Golems: the ancient guardians of Terrinoth, built of magically animated stone. If you ensure the safety of the mountain clans, they will send Roc Warriors– soldiers mounted on giant birds of prey– to fight under your command. You may even win armed bandits to your cause, or Baron Frederic may contribute his elite cavalry to the war effort.

In the campaign mode, which our last preview explored more fully, you will command these troops on missions throughout the barony of Kell. You will have to protect border villages, rescue innocents held captive in the Forest of Grief, and prevent enemy forces from occupying the baron’s keep. Once you have stopped the Uthuk Y’llan invasion, you must still venture into their barren desert territory and defeat the cruel sorceress who governs them in order to win.

Invade and Destroy

The Uthuk Y’llan, featured in our second preview, owe their superhuman strength and their inhuman savagery to the demon blood that corrupts their bodies and minds. The backbone of their invading force are the Blood Harvesters– rage-filled, relentless melee troops armed with scythes– and the Viper Legion: archers with quivers full of poison arrows. Fighting among them are a variety of demons: ravenous packs of Flesh Ripper Brutes that can smell a wounded enemy, mace-wielding and blood-craving Obscene. As their invasion progresses, demons far more powerful and evil will join the battle: towering Chaos Lords who terrifying their opponents into fleeing across the battlefield and Ravos the Ever-Hungry, a gargantuan creature who devours everything in his path.

You must vanquish these vicious forces of chaos and destruction in the campaign mode. In the skirmish mode, however, you can command the Uthuk Y’llan and channel their furious, demonic strength into obliterating your opponent in five different skirmish scenarios. Each scenario offers a different strategic challenge, from Gather Power, in which you must protect your own resources while stealing the enemy’s, to Deathmatch, in which your goal is to slay every last unit of the opposing army.

Wield Arcane Powers

Combat in BattleLore: Command involves more than weapons, movement, and a unit’s abilities. Both the Daqan Lords and the Uthuk Y’llan have their own lore powers: single-use advantages that come from inspired tactics, bursts of valor, and even magical combat spells. You can use lore powers during your turn to make an offensive attack more lethal, or play them defensively during your opponents’ turn to shield your troops. The Daqan lore power Wall of Steel, for example, makes a single unit less likely to be harmed when attacked. Enchanted Arrows allow your archers to shoot any target on the battlefield, regardless of line-of-sight issues. Uthuk Y’llan lore powers include Summon Swarm, which calls down upon the battlefield an infestation of deadly insects, and Chaos of Battle, which fills your opponent’s units with terror and confusion so that they move randomly around the battlefield. Strategically playing a lore power could not just give you the upper hand for a round, but put victory well within your grasp.

Command and Fight

Lead the Daqan army and order your Riverwatch Riders to stampede across the battlefield as Rune Golems pound your enemy into the ground. Command the savage Uthuk Y’llan hordes, releasing the Flesh Ripper Brutes to tear at the enemy’s flesh and sending in Blood Harvesters to cut down anyone that stands in their way. Take on the challenge of leading Terrinoth’s defense by yourself, or duel with a friend in heated skirmishes for tactical supremacy. Armies are waiting to be deployed, the battlefield is waiting to be bloodied, and you are in command.

Download BattleLore: Command from the iTunes App store and Google Play today!

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The Battlefields of Terrinoth

Published 28 October 2014 | BattleLore: Command

The Battlefields of Terrinoth

Preview the Campaign and Skirmishes of BattleLore: Command

The Flesh Ripper Brutes roared and reared at the guard so he sliced at their bellies, blood spilling onto the ground as he killed two with one stroke. A third leapt onto his back, but before it could bite he stabbed the spearpoint of his poleaxe deep into the beast’s mouth. The others ran off in fear. He took a deep breath and looked around. Coming towards him was an ugly, gargantuan demon wielding a scythe as big as a man: Ravos the Ever-Hungry. The guard recognized Ravos and suddenly knew his own death was imminent, but killing Ravos meant saving his homeland, and so he had no choice.

Valiant warriors and vicious demons go to war in BattleLore: Command, an application for iOS, Android, and PC. Whether you command the Daqan army in combating the worst threat they have faced for centuries, or lead the ravenous demonic hordes of the Uthuk Y’llan into Terrinoth, BattleLore: Command offers you the chance to fight epic fantasy battles and wield arcane powers in a variety of tactically challenging missions.

Today we will look at some of the battles that await you in the app’s single-player campaign mode, and at the different scenarios you can choose to play in the skirmish mode, which pits your army against the computer’s or against the army of a friend on the same wireless network.

A Heroic Campaign

Baron Frederic looks you in the eye. “You can’t let Kell fall into enemy hands. I know that all you’ve got right now are a few units of young infantry and archers, most of whom have never seen battle before. But under your command, guided by your strategic insight, they can stop the Uthuk Y’llan invasion before advances any further." He paused. "Well, what are you waiting for? Muster your troops. Terrinoth is depending on you."

The war begins when the Uthuk Y’llan, who have long been gathering strength in the desert wastelands of the Ru Steppes, invade and occupy Hernfar Isle, a defensive outpost on Terrinoth’s northeastern border in the barony of Kell. As the commander of the Daqan army, your task is to expel them from the land and ensure that they never threaten your people again. In your quest to do so, you’ll encounter a variety of battlefields across Terrinoth, from castles and farms to thick forests and blasted, barricaded deserts. You'll have to win battles with only a few units of infantry and archers, strategically deploy flying Roc Warriors, and learn how to defeat demons that have three times the strength of a group of Rune Golems. You'll have to penetrate enemy lines, take defensive stands, and prevent entire villages from being burned.

In the beginning of the campaign both armies are still assembling their forces. As the Uthuk Y’llan occupy border settlements and slaughter livestock, you must both protect your people and go behind enemy lines to light the signal fires that will summon the Riverwatch Riders. Before the Roc Warriors will join your army, you must ensure that the mountains clans are safe and chase the Uthuk Y’llan out of the Rookery where the Roc Warriors are trained. In order to bring the Rune Golems to life, you must ransack the Uthuk Y’llan encampment for the stolen rune shards that will animate Terrinoth’s stone sentinels.

The Uthuk Y’llan are not the only threat to peace in Terrinoth. With the land’s military might focused on defending against the Uthuk invasion, groups of bandits have begun to raid farms and attack caravans. If you can defeat the bandit king, you may be able to convince the bandits to fight alongside your own Daqan forces. But as the campaign progress and your army grows, the Uthuk Y’llan also become more powerful. A powerful demon called Ravos the Ever-Hungry appears in Kell, who leads wandering bands of Uthuk Y’llan that destroy and consume everything in their path, leaving heaps of bones in their wake– all that remains of Ravos’ animal and human victims.

Since a commander cannot be on two battlefields at once, some stages of the campaign force you to make difficult choices: do you save the valuable herds that provide a living for the people of Kell, or do you prevent the ancient and powerful energy orbs at the Tomb of Pelius from falling into enemy hands? Do you rescue a group of unarmed villagers held captive by the Uthuk Y’llan, or do you attempt to free Baron Frederic, a powerful leader beloved by his people, before he is sacrificed on a demonic altar?

Once you have pushed the Uthuk Y’llan army out of Terrinoth you must still defeat them in their own territory. There in the barren expanses of the Ru Steppes you must encounter the blood priestess who masterminded the Uthuk Y’llan invasion, Malaana, whose psyche is so powerful that it could control Baron Frederic’s dreams from hundreds of miles away. Since Malaana takes supernatural strength from the blood rites she practices, it takes ten blows to kill her, which may prove difficult since her dark magic slays soldiers long before they can approach her. Her gargantuan black scorpion protects her, swinging its poisonous tail that can murder a human with one sting. Only slaying Malaana can you ensure that Terrinoth is free from the threat of an Uthuk Y’llan invasion.

Savage Skirmishes

Only few Rune Golems stood between them and the Daqan stronghold, but those could easily be eliminated. The Uthuk Y’llan archers exchanged smiles with bloodstained mouths and let their poisoned arrows fly. One found its target, and the Rune Golem burst apart with a brilliant blue glow, leaving behind only a lifeless pile of rubble and clay. The archers reached for more arrows and took aim again. “Now let us darken the skies.”

In the campaign mode, your army, its size, and the units available to you depend on your current mission. In the skirmish mode you can choose whether to play the Daqan army or the Uthuk Y’llan. It’s even possible to pit two armies of the same faction against each other. You can vary the gold limit to alter the size of your army, taking the field with a strike force of a few units or mustering a full army of multiple elite units with the infantry and archers to support them. As you progress in the campaign mode, moreover, you can unlock new units for your army. Once you've defeated them, you can even deploy Ravos the Ever-Hungry and the blood priestess Malaana in your skirmish battles.

Five different scenarios offer a range of objectives and strategic challenges. In Deathmatch, you have ten rounds to destroy as many of your opponent’s units as possible. In Demolition, the attacker must invade a village and burn down at least four buildings to win. Cross the Line is another invasion scenario, in which the attacking army must fight their way across a river into enemy territory. Gather Power asks you to prevent the enemy from stealing your energy orbs as you send forces out to steal theirs. Similarly, Strongholds challenges you to simultaneously defend your own fortress and invade your opponent’s fortress, compelling you to fight on two fronts at opposite ends of the map.

Prepare for War

From sneaking through enemy lines to fighting until every last enemy is slain, from defending Baron Frederic’s keep to conquering your opponent’s stronghold, , the missions and scenarios of BattleLore: Command will test and develop the tactical skills of any commander. Are you ready to lead an army into battle against its greatest foe?

BattleLore: Command is coming soon to the App Store, Amazon Marketplace, and to Google Play.

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Blood, Fury, and Chaos

Published 20 October 2014 | BattleLore: Command

Blood, Fury, and Chaos

Preview the Uthuk Y'llan Army and Lore Powers in BattleLore: Command

Rage was in his demon-tainted blood. It coursed hot through his veins, fueling his thirst for more blood, for destruction, for death. It made him fearless, sharpened his senses, quickened his movements. He laughed at the nervous soldiers he could see across the field, imagined his scythe slicing their heads off, blood spattering on the ground, on their armor, on his skin. He could almost taste it. Soon the battle would begin. Soon he would litter the field with mutilated, dismembered corpses. Soon the nearby village would burn while he feasted upon slaughtered livestock and listened to the screams of the dying. He was Uthuk Y’llan. He lived for war.

In BattleLore: Command, a digital application for iOS, Android, and PC, the Daqan lords and determined villagers of Terrinoth take on the most vicious enemy they have ever encountered: the Uthuk Y’llan, barbarians from the eastern steppes, eager to ravage the land and massacre its people. Take charge of either army in skirmishes against a friend on the same wireless network or against the CPU, or command the Daqan army in a single-player campaign to save your homeland from the bloodthirsty hordes that threaten it.

Our last preview looked at the various units and tactical strengths of the Daqan army, as well as looking at how combat works in the app. Today’s preview focuses on the Uthuk Y’llan army, a force of humans corrupted and deformed by demon blood fighting alongside malicious and hellish creatures. Whether defending Terrinoth against the invading Uthuk Y’llan army in the campaign mode, or deploying their demonic units against your opponent in the skirmish mode, you will need to understand their capabilities in order to triumph in battle. We will also look at lore powers in BattleLore: Command, which are specific and sudden advantages in battle, from increasing a unit's combat value to infesting the battlefield with swarms of poisonous insects. Used at the right moment, lore can put victory in your hands or save you from fast and bitter defeat.

Demon Blood and the Viper’s Bite

The core of any Uthuk Y’llan army are the Blood Harvesters, humans drawing extraordinary strength and terrible bloodlust from the demon blood they consume. These infantry units match the Citadel Guard with a movement value of two, and combat value and health of three, but surpass them in anger: the Rage ability increases the combat value of a Blood Harvester unit if it is weakened, their ferocity increasing with every blow they take. Blood Harvesters also value the enemy’s death over their own lives: their Frenzy ability allows them to deal a blow to an enemy unit by sacrificing themselves.

The ranged counterpart to the Blood Harvesters are the Viper Legion, archers whose arrows can poison the enemy in addition to slaying them outright. A poisoned unit can be harmed not only by a hit result in combat, but also by a lore result, doubling your odds of dealing damage to it. The poison doesn’t wear off either, but endures until the enemy commander spends two lore points to dispel it.

Nasty, Brutish, and Massive

Where other armies might have cavalry and elite forces, the Uthuk Y’llan have demons bred for war, their viciousness and hatred cultivated for centuries. The most revolting of these demons are the Obscene, ravenous, bulging creatures who can only move one space at a time – unless they smell the enemy nearby. Then, their craving for blood draws them adjacent to the enemy unit. Although slow, the Obscene are nevertheless deadly: they have a combat value of four, enough to wipe out a unit of Rune Golems or Citadel Guard.

The Uthuk Y'llan can also deploy packs of fiendish Flesh Ripper Brutes to tear down enemy cavalry. What these beasts lack in size, they make up for in speed and ferocity. With a movement value of three, these charging, chomping hunters can rise towards unsuspecting enemy units. Their sharp senses can smell the fresh blood of a wounded soldier, luring them to prey upon the weak: their Bloodthirst combat result deals a point of damage to an already weakened unit. Moreover, their Pursue ability is more effective than that of the Citadel Guards, allowing them to chase an enemy two spaces instead of one, or destroy one unit and then move two spaces towards new prey.

The most fearsome of all Uthuk Y’llan units is the Chaos Lord, a horned, clawed monster that towers over the battlefield. The moment that enemy troops catch sight of him, they struggle to control their terror. With a combat value of four and a health value of six, he can survive more blows than any other unit in the game. Being Immoveable, he can ignore one retreat result in combat, remaining in place in order to counterattack. With a single, earthshaking roar he can chase enemy units away: his Terrifying ability allows him to force enemies to retreat twice, wrecking your opponent’s strategies and wreaking havoc among his troops.

Combat Spells and Sudden Strikes

Battle is more than just a test of a army’s capabilities, however. A commander may have a new tactical insight, or find an unforeseen opportunity to exploit the enemy’s weakness. In Terrinoth, moreover, magic is used in battle: to paralyze the enemy, guide arrows around obstacles, or bring a weakened unit back to life, for example. The lore powers in BattleLore: Command represent these various combat advantages, from sudden bravery to blood sacrifice. Playing a lore power costs a certain amount of lore points, which you accumulate both through combat results and at the start of each turn, when you also gain a new lore power. Use them during your combat turn for an offensive boost that the enemy can’t anticipate, or play them defensively to shield your units against the enemy’s onslaught.

Each army possesses a different and unique set of lore powers. The Uthuk Y’llan derive their lore powers from dark, demonic magics and from their insatiable rage. Blood Sacrifice allows you to steal the health of one unit in order to give that health to another. Chaos of Battle undoes the enemy’s movement phase by magically compelling the ordered units to move randomly, possibly sending a weakened unit straight into a group of ravenous Flesh Ripper Brutes, or moving a group of Rune Golems away from the unit that they intended to attack. A unit filled with the Fury of Y’llan has their combat value increased by three, as the unmitigated rage in their blood drives them to new levels of savagery.

Many of the Daqan lore powers come from the determination of the troops. Valor and Vengeance, for example, enhances the combat value of a single unit, as if it were suddenly spurred on to achieve greater glory than its fellows. Assault makes it almost certain that your units will do terrible damage to the enemy that turn, indicating the commander’s decision to throw his army unreservedly into an attack. Portal, one of the magical Daqan lore powers, can transport a unit to a strategically significant location against the rules of movement, or pull back a surrounded unit so that it can survive to fight again.

Command and Fight

Use demonic magic to thwart your opponents efforts or inspire your brave troops to do noble deeds on the battlefield. Channel the unquenchable rage and fury of the Uthuk Y’llan into the destruction of Terrinoth’s defenders or lead the Daqan army in a battle to save their homeland from a cruel and ruthless invading force. Each army has its own particular tactical strengths and weaknesses and each needs a shrewd commander to guide it to victory.

Check the BattleLore: Command minisite for future previews and more details. The game will be available soon in the App store, Amazon Marketplace, and on Google Play.

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The Defenders of Terrinoth

Published 9 October 2014 | BattleLore: Command

The Defenders of Terrinoth

Preview the Daqan Army and Combat in BattleLore: Command

Bodies and weapons littered the battlefield. The Daqan troops were fighting the thick rain and pervasive mud as much as they were fighting the unbroken line of Uthuk Y’llan. For a second, the commander feared the war would be lost before he could kindle the signal fires and alert the rest of Terrinoth to the danger. But then he spotted them – an unharmed unit of the Citadel Guard, young men more used to herding sheep than to warfare, but brave and capable of outrunning the demonic Uthuk infantry. “Guardsmen,” he called out. “Come here. I know you have the strength and speed necessary to reach the signal posts. Now you must prove that you have courage as well.”

Muster your troops, lead the charge, and go to war in BattleLore: Command, a digital application for iOS, Android, and PC based on the tactical combat board game BattleLore Second Edition.

Lead the valiant Daqan army in a single-player campaign to vanquish the vicious and demonic Uthuk Y’llan from Terrinoth, or command either army in skirmishes, playing against the CPU or against a friend on the same wireless network. Whether you have won countless battles in Terrinoth or never before ordered troops into battle, BattleLore: Command provides a challenging combat experience on your digital device.

Today’s preview will introduce you to the units composing the Daqan army: farmers armed in order to defend their homes, horsemen specialized in speeding across the battlefield, Rune Golems created to be the sentinels of Terrinoth, and enormous raptors trained to fight.

The Backbone of the Daqan Army

The people of Terrinoth prefer peace to war, but in a time of danger they readily take up arms to defend their homeland. Farmers, trained and outfitted by the Daqan lords who govern them, become Citadel Guards, the infantry backbone of the Daqan army. The Citadel Guards are melee troops, close-knit groups of soldiers trained to move, defend, and attack as one unified being, armed with poleaxes to slash and stab at the enemy in close proximity, and thick shields to defend against counterattacks. With their determination and their Superior Tactics ability, they often force enemy units they can’t destroy to retreat, allowing the Citadel Guard unit to advance. Citadel Guards are also among the select units in BattleLore: Command that can pursue a retreating unit and attack again. This relentlessness makes them invaluable in battle, capable of taking down not just other infantry, but cavalry, elite units, or even a Chaos Lord in defense of their homeland.

Hunters skilled in bow and arrow become Yeoman Archers and take aim at the Uthuk Y’llan instead of the wild game they are accustomed to chasing. These ranged units are capable of fighting in melee combat, but are better used to thin out unsuspecting enemies at a distance. If they do not have to move before an attack, they can take a double shot, and slay an entire enemy unit by sending arrows into their hearts.

Every unit type has specific values for movement, combat, and health. A unit of Citadel Guards, as you can see above, has a health of three and a movement of two: it can move two hexes at a time, and takes three blows to kill. Combat value represents how many chances a unit has to deal a blow, force an enemy to retreat, or activate a special ability. Results appear as they are generated randomly, so that no battle is decided before it is fought and there is always an element of surprise.

The Citadel Guard unit has slain part of the enemy unit, caused it to retreat one space (except that the enemy unit was supported), and earned a point of lore.

Vigilant Cavalry

Citadel Guards and Yeoman Archers can be quickly mobilized the moment that Terrinoth is attacked and are often first on the field of battle. As they fight for their lives, news spreads to distant lords who send whatever forces they can to help vanquish the threatening enemy. These forces include the Riverwatch Riders, mounted swordsmen who have spent their lives on horseback. Their horses are fearless in battle, ready to gallop through a rain of poisoned arrows or stand firm in the face of hellish and hungry demons. With a greater movement value than any other Daqan or Uthuk Y’llan unit, the Riverwatch Riders excel at rushing behind enemy lines, or occupying a strategic position before the enemy can reach it. Although they only have a combat value of two, they are Vigilant, meaning that no unit they attack can counterattack.

Riverwatch Riders can also enhance your other units’ strength by flanking enemy units, limiting the enemy’s options for retreat and temporarily increasing the combat value of any friendly units involved in the attack. Supported by Riverwatch Riders, the Citadel Guard have a combat value of four, meaning they are more likely to force the enemy to retreat, or destroy the enemy unit completely.

Living Stone and Winged Legends

Long ago, the leaders of Terrinoth made sentinels for the land which could be brought to life in a time of serious danger. They shaped clay and stone into hulking giants that could kill a man with a single blow of their fist and gave their creations life using ancient and now forgotten magics. The enchanted runes necessary to resurrect these massive constructs have been handed drown from generation to generation and now, for the first time in memory, there is dire enough need to awaken the Rune Golems. These formidable creatures ignore one retreat during combat, and have the potential to stun their enemies, so that the stunned unit cannot move or attack. Use Rune Golems to create an impenetrable line of defense, protecting a group of unarmed villagers, or send them to isolate and paralyze enemy units while your cavalry speed into Uthuk Y’llan territory.

The most powerful units of the Daqan army are the Roc Warriors from the mountainous regions in the north. For centuries, the clans dwelling in the crags have bred giant birds of prey known as Rocs and matched them with brave fighters in life-long bonds, so that the human and bird act together in battle. These raptors swoop in and out of the fight, descending to slash the Uthuk Y’llan with their giant, sharp talons and flying away again. Only Roc Warriors have Mobility, which allows them to move both before and after they attack, so that the Uthuk Y’llan don’t get a chance to retaliate. Use Mobility to suddenly strike down a pernicious enemy unit and then pull back to a safe location so the Roc Warrior can attack again, unharmed, next round.

You Are In Command

Driven to defend Terrinoth against the most powerful enemy it has ever known, the forces of the Daqan army fight with the utmost determination, fortitude and valor. They also offer a commander many intriguing tactical possibilities, both offensive and defensive. In BattleLore: Command you can explore the full range of these units’ capabilities in a variety of missions as they fight to keep darkness and chaos out of their land.

In our next preview we will examine the bloodthirsty Uthuk Y’llan army, composed of humans corrupted by demonic blood and vicious demons seeking to bleed and ravage whatever they can. In addition, we will explore lore powers– game-changing tools that you can use in the middle of combat to suddenly enhance your army’s capabilities. Finally, in our third preview we will look at the missions of the single-player campaign and the scenarios of the skirmish mode, from Strongholds, in which you must protect your own territory while trying to invade your opponent’s fortress, to Deathmatch, where your sole aim is to eradicate the enemy.

BattleLore: Command will appear in the App store, Amazon Marketplace, and Google Play in the fourth quarter of 2014. Meanwhile, check the minisite for further previews and more information.

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BattleLore: Command

Published 18 August 2014 | BattleLore: Command

BattleLore: Command

Announcing a Digital App of Tactical Battles in Terrinoth

For a moment it seemed that the tide of war might have turned, but it was only a moment. The Uthuk Y’llan have returned more powerful than ever. They storm throughout Terrinoth, laying waste to our land and massacring our people. With these bloodthirsty demons clamoring at our gates, we place our hope in you, Commander, knowing that you have the knowledge of lore to awaken the Rune Golems and the military talents to lead our forces to victory. This is the last chance to save Terrinoth. You must defeat the Uthuk Y’llan.

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce BattleLore: Command, a digital game for iOS, Android, and PC, based on the tactical board game BattleLore Second Edition.

Take command of the noble Daqan Lords’ army in a single-player campaign to vanquish the vicious Uthuk Y’llan from Terrinoth, or control either army in battles against a friend on the same wireless network. With vividly-realized battlefields and engaging animations, Battlelore: Command brings tactical combat to life.

Watch a video trailer of BattleLore: Command above!

Formidable Opponents and Challenging Missions

The single-player campaign against the Uthuk Y’llan takes you throughout Terrinoth on a series of unique missions, from Hernfar Isle in the middle of the fast-flowing River Lothan, the ancient Tomb of Pelius and the sand-covered Steppes. Depending on the mission, your troops must keep the enemy from burning homes, recover powerful magical artifacts, or stop the massacre of innocent people.

You begin a battle by mustering an army particularly suited to the current mission and strategically deploying your forces. In the first battle, the only Daqan units available to you are the Yeoman Archers and Citadel Guards. As the campaign progresses and missions become more difficult, other types of units come into your command: mounted Riverwatch Riders, monstrous Rune Golems made of living stone, and mighty flying Roc Warriors. Every unit has a special ability that may be activated in combat. Yeoman Archers can shoot twice if they do not have to move before firing; Rune Golems can stun the enemy so that it cannot move, attack, or retreat.

The Uthuk Y’llan army also grows over the course of the campaign. At first, only Blood Harvesters and Viper Legions, mortals transformed by dark magic, terrorize the land. Soon, however, demons come to their side: rabid Flesh Ripper Brutes threaten the Daqan cavalry, the Obscene unrelentingly bludgeon their opponents, and titanic Chaos Lords spread destruction across the battlefield. Of course, the Uthuk Y’llan units also have special abilities in combat: Viper Legions can poison enemy units, Flesh Ripper Brutes unfailingly wound any weakened units they attack.

In the multi-player Skirmish mode, you and your friend select a scenario to play and deploy the most powerful armies possible using the full range of units. Each scenario takes place on a different battlefield and has a different victory condition, from utterly destroying your opponent’s forces to merely preventing them from advancing into your territory. The Daqan Lords and the Uthuk Y’llan each possess unique strengths for a commander to utilize – and unique vulnerabilities to exploit.

Commands, Maneuvers, Tactics, and Lore

Combat begins once the armies have been mustered and deployed. Sometimes the enemy advances immediately, other times you will have the opportunity to attack first or take a stronger position. You have a limited set of commands, each governing a different number of units in the three sections of the battlefield. Some commands focus on the left flank, right flank, or the center, others allow allow you to make a line advance, or to move three units of a specific type no matter their location.

Plan your movements and positions carefully. You could try to outflank the enemy and ambush them, gang up on an isolated unit, or pull your forces back and wait for a better opportunity. Occupying a building shields a unit from the first hit scored against it, while surrounding an enemy unit enables you to pin them, which deals additional damage beyond any hits you score. Positioning your units close together may prevent them from being pinned, or from having to retreat. A 360 degree view of the battlefield enables you to see your position, and the enemy’s, from any vantage, to zoom in close to forests or strategic chokepoints or pull back and view the entire battlefield at once.

BattleLore: Command rewards good tactics, but there is a random component to combat. Every unit has a combat value that determines how many “dice” are rolled in an attack. As the combat results are revealed, animations show you the exact effect of the attack: archers take aim and shoot, Flesh Ripper Brutes roar and rear up to attack, retreating units turn and run, slain Rune Golems crumble into lifeless stone and dust.

Combat in BattleLore: Command consists of more than blade meeting blade. Lore powers, activated either during an attack or defensively at the end of your turn, endow armies with fantastical abilities. Enchanted Arrows allows Yeoman Archers to hit any target on the battlefield, regardless of distance or obstacles that block line of sight. Stalwart Defenders allows all Daqan units to ignore one damage and one retreat during an enemy turn. The Uthuk Y’llan can use Chaos of Battle to force the Daqan army to move randomly around the field, or Blood Sacrifice to strategically weaken one unit in order to add strength to another.

Take the Battlefield

BattleLore: Command provides an engaging and challenging combat experience, both for expert players of the board game and for players who are entirely new to BattleLore. Its missions will test and develop the tactical skills of any commander, whether leading the Daqan Lords in the defense of their homeland or ravaging Terrinoth with the Uthuk Y’llan. Prepare to command an army in battle against its greatest foe.

Look for Battlelore: Command in the App store, Google Play and Amazon Marketplace in the last quarter of 2014.

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