New Aquisition - BattleSworn

There has been plenty of buzz in the Blogosphere about the new game BattleSworn. BattleSworn is the latest product from Ganesha Games, the creator of Song of Blades and Heroes.

It is a simple, fantasy skirmish game for just two players. There has been some discussion about how to manage more than two players but nothing practical has come up yet, more about that in a little bit. The game is played with similar warbands used in Song of Blades and Heroes. The really innovative part of the game is that it does not require any die rolls and there is no measurement for movement. The game is played out in a series of bidding contests. For example, player A secretly bids a number of actions the he wants to take for his turn. Player B bids as well. They reveal their bids at the beginning of the turn. The player with the lowest number will get to take that number of actions *first*; the other player gets to take the difference of the two bids for his actions. Movement is abstract. Any figure can take one action to move as far as it wants, only stopping for a change of terrain. The combat system works with a similar bidding system. It is a quick and easy way to play out a battle! Since the game involves the bidding mechanic, it only works as a two-player game.

I'm generally not a fan of the simplistic games but I can appreciate a game that has simple mechanics as long as the game play is engaging. This game seems to fit it that category. Another plus is the easy price of $8 for the PDF version of the rulebook!

I haven't had a chance to play this one yet. But, I'm excited to get my Venom Inc. warband on the table with these rules. Could my feeble dwarves find new life with Battlesworn?

For a more comprehensive review, please check out Mik's review on his blog, Mik's Minis. Also check out Kaptain Kobold's battle reports at The Stronghold Rebuilt.

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