BattleLore as a digital board game!
I’ve been excited to write about the digital board game implementation of BattleLore for a couple months now. Why? Because I’ve been lucky enough to be a playtester for the game as it’s been in development!
And it’s fantastic!
It’s also super close to being available for iOS, Android, and PC.
Knowing that a build has been submitted to the iOS app store means it’s very close.
What is BattleLore?
BattleLore is a 2-player board game with a hex-based combat system very much like Memoir ’44 (one of my favorite board games), but with a fantasy theme. Instead of armies waging WWII battles, players have fantasy armies battling one another for different objectives.
And I’ve wanted to play BattleLore for a long time.
Ever since Fantasy Flight Games published BattleLore Second Edition, I’ve had it on my board game wish list.
With BattleLore Second Edition, FFG adding a lot of cool elements to improve upon the battle system. One of the cool additions is in the game set up. In other games with the same battle system, scenarios dictate where each player’s starting units begin the game. However, with BattleLore Second Edition, each player gets there own few different options to of how to set up their side of the game board. That alone delivers a ton of replayability.
Anyway, it’s intrigued me for a while. But up until a couple months ago, I’d still never played BattleLore.
Playtesting BattleLore Command
Getting involved with Fantasy Flight Games as a playtester has been a lot of fun.
We first got involved with FFG earlier this year when we were asked to playtest a Descent expansion – Crusade of the Forgotten – after FFG saw the video we posted about organizing our Descent games into one box. We had a great time with that playtesting and have since continued to be involved playtesting to some extent.
From that, the opportunity to be a software tester for BattleLore popped up.
So for the last few months we’ve been playtesting builds of BattleLore as FFG polishes up the game for release.
And we’re happy to report that we really enjoy the game!
BattleLore: Command Game Play
The official name of the digital board game version is BattleLore: Command.
And Fantasy Flight Games has done an amazing job with the digital implementation. The visuals are fantastic. The interface is intuitive. And the game play is a lot of fun.
Coming at the game from a BattleLore newbie perspective, we were quickly able to dive right in and play the game. No problem.
As FFG added in the tutorial element of the game, we reviewed it through the many iterations and are happy to report that it’s super helpful in getting to know the game – both mechanics and theme. The help system is also easy to use and full of great information.
The game itself is chuck-full of different battle scenarios – all with their own objectives and landscapes. Players can venture forth in Campaign mode or dive into Skirmish mode with a foe. There are plenty of Skirmishes to be battled with a wide range of objectives. And Campaign mode is quite extensive as well – again with each scenario in the Campaign having its own unique objectives.
Sometimes you’re protecting areas or things.
Sometimes you’re charging ahead.
Sometimes you just have have to eliminate your opponent.
(And I think we’ve just scratched the surface in our playtesting.)
One of the things I love the most is that every scenario has it’s unique landscape. With the board game, there are different terrain tiles that give each scenario a different layout and challenge. But with the digital implementation, the whole landscape changes – from hilltop, to island, to burnt and dark ruins and forests. It’s easy to get pulled into the theme in such environments. (I took a bunch of screenshots along the way, but can’t share those…yet. The FFG published images will have to do for now.)
Check out the FFG trailer for BattleLore: Command to get a glimpse of it all:
Yep, you’re sold on it too. Right?
As far as game play goes, the flow is very straight forward.
First players deploy units to the board (play area).
Different units under your command have different abilities and cost a certain number of Gold to deploy. For each scenario, players are given a bank of Gold to spend and get to choose which units and how many of each they want to deploy up to the Gold limit.
For example, you can deploy strong units, but you’ll have less units on the board to maneuver. Or you can deploy of bunch of units that cost less for maneuverability, but they may be defeated more easily. It’s all up to you.
As players progress through the campaign, new types of units will become available. And there are plenty to enjoy.
For example, one side gets to choose from Guards, Archers, Riders, Cavalry, Golems, and Roc Warriors while the other gets Blood Harvesters, Vipers, Flesh Rippers, Chaos Lords, and more.
- Lore: On a player’s turn he/she first gets a new Lore Power. These are special abilities that players can use during different phases of the battles.
- Command: Then the player will select units to Command for that turn. This is done through different command options that determine in which areas/lanes you can command units or of which types.
- Movement: After choosing which units to command, the player will select where to move each unit to – or keep have them stay where they are.
- Combat: Now it’s on to battle. Units that can battle now take action. Ranged units can fire on enemy units within their range while Melee units can only battle enemy units that are adjacent.
While the game play is pretty straight forward, there’s still a bunch of fun things to learn. First is just getting familiar with each unit type – both your own and the enemy. Knowing how they can move, how they battle, and what their special abilities are will be key to winning. Through many loses, I learned which enemy units I’d prefer to avoid.
Other things to learn are the special abilities of the Lore powers. Each Lore power requires a different amount of Lore points to use. Players gain Lore points along the way, but it’s good to know which Lore powers are worth saving up for.
In addition to that, different terrain elements have their own unique features. And there are different Status effects – like being Stunned or Poisoned.
One of the things that was new to me (since I’m used to Memoir ’44) is that attacks against adjacent units will provoke a counter-attack. So if you don’t eliminate an adjacent unit or cause them to retreat, they’ll attack back. It caught me off-guard at first, but then I came to enjoy it when I was on the defense.
All of these elements add a lot to the fun, but just take a bit of time to get familiar with in order to plan your best strategy and know how to react when the random Combat results don’t go your way.
Verdict
Is there still any question?
Yes, you want this game.
I don’t yet know when BattleLore: Command is going to be available, but it should be soon.
And at only $9.95, it’s a definite Buy.
