Hex General: Fantasy Edition – 5) The Siege of Caerlyon

The first epic mega battle of Hex General is upon us! The Siege of Caerlyon is a grand strategy scenario where each player has a massive army at their disposal. The map is also four times larger than normal and the game takes about an hour and a half to resolve. The Fallen Barons player has a vast horde of troops supported by a cohort of allied bandits. They can also call on demonic summons from the underworld at the key moment of the battle. The Lyonards player has half a garrison to guard the capital and three smaller allied cohorts from the Feywood, from Grandel and from Drakensberg. The scope of strategy in this scenario is vast and it has great replay value. This siege is guaranteed to come down to the last few dice rolls as the Fallen Barons desperately strive to slay Aldrien King! The Siege of Caerlyon combines everything learned in the previous four scenarios, but it is possible to jump straight in if you are a new player. (The battle map is four times larger than normal and is contained in a separate .PNG file. It is recommended to print in 2x2 and then glue all four pages onto a cardboard backdrop) The Hex General Engine Hex General is a hex and counter scenario-based wargame. Gameplay is based on asymmetrical scenarios between an Attacker and a Defender. Each side has it's own unique forces, objectives, advantages and disadvantages. The PDF comes with everything you need to play the game - the hex map, the rules, the narrative, the scenario and a sheet of counters (all counters are in regular size and in larger size for people with visual impairments). All you need to bring are a couple of six-sided dice and your strategic mind! Each PDF contains one detailed scenario. Solo gamers and player vs player The strong emphasis on Attacker and Defender roles, combined with the detailed scenarios, makes Hex General perfect for solo gamers - all of the guidance needed is contained in the book. For player vs player action it is recommended to use 'challenge rounds' where players run through each scenario twice, once as the Attacker and once as the Defender. The Game Engine Hex General has a simple game engine which lets players focus on strategy. Each counter represents a hundred-strong company of Infantry, Cavalry or Flyers. Every company have three stats: Movement, Attack and Defence. There are three types of attack: Melee, Missile, Magick - and two types of defence: Physickal (which can defend against spears and arrows) and Magickal (which can defend against everything). All the stats you need are written on the counters, with the exception of a few companies who have special rules (such as infiltration). This game has almost no book keeping, no rulebook checking phase and no gimmicks! Gameplay is divided into three phases: The Battle Phase - where players move their troops and shoot with missile and magick attacks. The Melee Phase - where melee companies in contact with the enemy get to make their melee attacks. The End Phase - where players check if they scored objectives, clean up the battlefield and so on. Archers and magick-hurling mages can move and shoot or shoot and move, giving them a tactical advantage against melee troops. All companies project a zone-of-control (ZoC) which limits the movement of hostile companies. However allied companies can move into a hostile ZoC and allow their allies to pass through umimpeded, creating 'bridges' across the battlefield. Some companies such as scouts and rangers can move through ZoCs without penalty, but most troops must navigate a hostile battlefield and support their comrades to succeed. The Game Setting and the story Hex General is set in the City of Shadows campaign in the realm of Arkané. The Fallen One is making his final return to the surface world, manipulating the forces of men into war. The so-called 'Free Barons' rule much of Arkané, having slaughtered the last royal house and taken over their provinces. Their reign of chaos allows for bandits and warlords to seize land and power, pushing many toward the worship of powers dark and forbidden. Only the return of a royal house at Caerlyon may unite men against the tides of darkness, but many are the forces which would not see such a prophecy come to light. And many are those who fear the return of a king as much as the terror of a demonic lord. The campaign is divided into five chapters. Each chapter is divided into four scenarios and a final mega battle - this makes thirty scenarios across the whole campaign! This game has the same setting as Spears of Valour and Legend of Mythra if players want to find out more about the lore. This setting is a low-mid fantasy which focuses mainly on the human factions and characters. The fate of Arkané lies in your hands... —description from the publisher