The Berserkers kept coming, slashing at anything they could reach and leaving guards, archers, horses, even the Battlemages bleeding severely in their wake. Bright light shone through the Rune Golems’ stone bodies marking their wounds. The commander knew it was time to turn the tide of battle, to save his troops, Hernfar Isle, and Terrinoth. He whispered a few words under his breath and immediately heard the clanging of metal. Slowly, steadily, immense and shining automatons marched out of the trees and into the fray. The Uthuk stabbed and slashed at them, and then began to panic as they realized their weapons could not harm these armored, inhuman soldiers.

Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce two upcoming Army Pack expansions for BattleLore Second Edition. Stand your ground against chaos and destruction with the Daqan army in Hernfar Guardians, or lacerate your opponents and lay waste to the land with the demonic Uthuk Y’llan units of the Warband of Scorn.

In each Army Pack you will find four new unit types for BattleLore Second Edition and two army cards that allow you to quickly deploy complete Daqan or Uthuk Y’llan armies composed entirely of the new units. Additional infantry units – the Daqan Citadel Guards or the Uthuk Blood Harvesters – are also included, along with a complete alternate deck of lore cards, new terrain tiles, and scenario cards. Choose one of the suggested armies or combine the new units with ones from the core set – either way, you’ll command a force of unprecedented might and tactical capabilities.

Fearless Defenders

With Hernfar Guardians, mages, knights, and automatons come under your command to fight in the Daqan army. The Citadel Lancers, horsemen armed with double-headed poleaxes, trample supported enemy units that otherwise would stand firm. Siege Golems, larger and stronger than Rune Golems, are ranged units with a combat value of four and a range of up to six– greater than any other ranged unit on the field. Their immense size also allows them to ignore other units when determining line of sight. Send them forward early in the game to thin out the enemy line, or deploy them behind infantry to support an attack.

For the first time in BattleLore Second Edition, Caster units enter the conflict. These ranged infantry units fight using spells instead of physical force, their power granting them a range up to three and a combat value of three. Fighting for the Daqan Lords are Greyhaven Battlemages, scholars of the most powerful and arcane magics. Their lore results allow you to both gain a point of lore and draw a lore card.

The Battlemages bring with them the Ironbound: indomitable and enchanted automatons with a combat value of four and the ability to ignore one point of damage each combat round. As automatons, they do not need to be commanded the way living troops do. Instead, you can spend a lore to order them, enabling them to fight in every round as long as you have the lore to spend.

Bloodthirsty Demons

As the warriors of Terrinoth unite to defend their homeland, the Uthuk Y’llan gain darker infernal powers and more vicious demonic allies in Warband of Scorn. Once men, the Grotesque and Berserkers have little humanity left in them and seek only to stain the ground crimson with Daqan blood.The monstrous Grotesque can use their Lacerate ability to Bleed target units, so that the unit rolls one fewer die in combat as long as they keep bleeding. The Berserkers’ Deranged ability allows you to reroll one die in every combat roll, making them an unpredictable and vicious threat for the Daqan.

The Uthuk Y’llan gain Caster units as well: the fiendish Blood Sisters, who can Syphon target units to regain health, and cast Blood Magic to bleed their own units in order to harm their enemies. Following them are creeping, insectlike Doombringers. The terrifying presence of these creatures Immobilizes nearby units so that you cannot move them, while the Doombringers themselves can Burrow, ignoring movement restrictions imposed by terrain or other units. Send a Doombringer into the middle of Daqan cavalry to freeze them in place before they can charge forward, then annihilate them before they can fight back.

Changing Terrain

Hernfar Guardians and Warband of Scorn feature additional terrain tiles that allow you to adjust the battlefield landscape according to your will. You deploy these terrain tiles as if they were army units, and must factor them into your deployment cost. Both the Daqan Lords and Uthuk Y’llan gain Barricades that block movement or damage units that move across them. The Daqan also have Crystal Spires: any Daqan unit atop a Crystal Spire during combat can roll one additional die. Similarly, the Uthuk Y’llan can now create Blood Fields, where their units can recover one point of health at the start of your turn.

Each Army Pack includes five scenario cards that incorporate the new terrain tiles, offering your army unique advantages and challenges. In Behind the Lines, your Daqan troops are encouraged to fight their way deep into enemy territory. If you’re commanding the Uthuk Y’llan, the Blood-Stained Forest scenario gives you incentives for sending your Blood Sisters to occupy forest hexes in the middle of the battlefield.

Command and Fight

Hernfar Guardians and Warband of Scorn both contain the units necessary to deploy a complete army, with two suggested deployment options and everything you need to use these units and terrain tiles in battle. For example, with the units included in Hernfar Guardians you can deploy either the Hernfar Guardians army, which is centered around the Citadel Lancers and a Siege Golem, or the more infantry-heavy Tranlon’s Raiders army. Future previews will provide more detail about the strengths and tactical capabilities of the suggested armies.

You can also combine units from the Army Packs with those from the core set to muster an army designed for the battle at hand and customized to fit your strengths as a commander. Similarly, you can substitute the lore decks included in the Army Packs for the lore deck from the core set, or mix cards from both decks to create the lore deck that gives your army the greatest tactical advantages. Whether you command the bloodthirsty and savage Uthuk Y’llan or the noble and fearless Daqan Lords, these Army Packs offer you myriad tactical options. Choose your battlefield and your army, and prepare to fight with these formidable military units. You are in command.

Look for Hernfar Guardians and Warband of Scorn in the first quarter of 2015. In the meantime, watch the Battlelore Second Edition minisite for in-depth previews and further information.