Warband - FAQ

[Chieftain]

What bases can I use?

Warband uses large bases that are 100x50mm.  
This is designed to show off Pendraken's excellent miniatures to their best effect and to allow you to show off your skills modelling a great looking 'warband' vignette on each base.
However, you can use any base size you like, although its probably best to have both armies based the same!  You can also use figures of any scale.  This means you can leap right into the rules from the start, using whatever armies you already have.
Consider singly based larger figures too.  With the 100x50mm bases, you can simply blu-tac (or otherwise attach) the single figures on.

Square bases
20x20mm means you'll get 10 figures on a Warband base.
25x25mm means you'll get 8 figures on a Warband base.
25x50mm means you'll get 4 figures on a Warband base.

Round (e.g. 2p coins) means you'll (roughly) get 8 figures on a Warband base.

What sized table / battlefield?
If you're using the intended basing sizes (100x50mm), a 6x4' table will give you a good game.  
You can probably play on a 4x4' table, but you'll lose some room for flanking moves!
If you're using other base sizes the general rule is that your playing area should be roughly 18 'base widths' across, and 12 'base widths' deep.  

How do you decide which side gets which deployment zone?
It's not explicitly stated who gets which side of the battlefield to deploy in.
Terrain placement is completed, then an initiative roll is made to determine which side begins army deployment. 
Unless playing a scenario, the player that deploys first (actually the initiative loser!) can choose which side to deploy onto. 
The opponent then deploys in the opposite deployment zone.
This of course will have a considerable impact on what terrain you choose, and how you decide to place it.  Setting up impassable terrain to defend 'your' flanks is risky, as your opponent may get to choose that deployment zone!

How many units in an army?
It depends.  The army lists have been designed so that you can field large numbers of low quality troops, small numbers of elite units, or more typically a mix of both.
Most armies are likely to be between 8-12 units in size.  

Are the army lists fixed to a set background, or are the flexible enough to allow you to create your own fantasy forces?
The army lists are set, although not to any specific background.  
They are mix of 'traditional' factions, and some unique lists based around Pendraken's fantasy army ranges.
There are twelve armies available;

BARBARIAN MEN: Barbarian men are savage tribes of primitive humans who are as rugged and wild as their homeland.  They fight alongside an array of fearsome beasts and monsters.
DARK ELVES: Dark elves have made the underground realms their home, and come to the surface to raid and make war.  Their powerful magic and skilled archers fight alongside monsters of the underworld.
DRAGON MEN: Dragon men hail from fertile feudal lands.  Their armies are filled with ranks of armoured knights and warriors.  They are ruled by dread chromatic dragons who rule as terrible kings.
ELDRITCH VAMPIRES: Eldritch vampires cast their dark rule over stygian lands of mountain, forest, and swamp, where subdued folk are dominated to serve their twisted masters alongside all manner of undead horrors.
GOBLINS & ORCS: Goblins and orcs are vigorous, fractious tribes who live by hunting, raiding, and war.  Their tribe queens and war chiefs drive great hosts of warriors and monsters into battle.
HIGH ELVES: The high elves are ancient and powerful folk, with skilled archers and magic users.  They count dragons and elementals among their monstrous allies.
HILL DWARVES: Hill dwarves are the living embodiment of stoicism.  They seem almost carved from the rock of their homelands.  Their warriors are well armoured and fight alongside powerful artillery and monstrous elemental creatures.
LIZARDMEN: Lizardmen dwell in vast jungles and rain forests, where their semi-aquatic folk thrive in the abundant life-energies.  The lizardmen and their newtmen cousins take to war alongside forest beasts of all kinds.
SAMURAI APES: Samurai apes inhabit a mystical island that has yet to fully form.  They are masters of war who are innately linked to the chaotic elemental energy of their homeland.
TAURIANS: Taurians are centaurs and minotaurs who dwell in a land of mazes and labyrinths.  Their tribal city armies are savage, primitive, and powerful.
UNDEAD: Undead inhabit a sour and wasted land where no life survives.  Their armies are filled with skeletons and the recently dead, and are commanded by vampires and necromancers.
WOOD ELVES: Wood elves are fickle and wild folk from the woodland realms, and like their kin are master archers and spell casters.  Great eagles, forest elementals and the feared arboreal dragons are their allies.

Within each army, there are many units and troops to choose from, and these can be further modified with 'optional upgrades'.  These have been designed so that they will allow you to tailor your army to your specific fighting style, rather than to generate an 'optimal build'.  
It means that no two armies should ever be quite the same.  For example, you could build a Barbarian Men army that is a nomadic mounted force riding into battle on bisons and mammoths, or a mountain tribe of infantry archers, fire elementals and flying icarusi owl men.
There are also provisions to use allies and mercenaries, so your army could contain a mix of dwarves, elves, and goblins if you liked!

How many pages of actual rules there are in the book?
The book is about 60 pages (A4). That includes 24 pages that are the army lists so around 35 pages of rules.  The rules have been written to be clear, concise, and easy to learn and remember.

Are their limits to how many Command Points you can spend on any one test?
No there aren't.  You can spend all the Command Points you have for a turn on a single Motivation, Shooting, Melee, or Protection test if you want.  You can also spend 3 or 6 Command Points on rallying a unit's Morale by one or two points.  This means your units can potentially move very far, or shoot or melee with a devastating, attack or protect against lots of hits.

Can you 'heal' lost Morale from previous turns?
Yes.  Command points spent on the rally action, and under certain circumstances the regnerate special ability allows you to restore Morale on a unit back up to its starting total, including Morale lost in previous turns of the game.

Can you cast the same spell multiple times?
Yes you can.  You can also cast the same spell on the same unit multiple times.  Ability bonuses (any xd6 value) from this stack, but additional capabilities (i.e. gaining a shooting attack) and special abilities only every apply once to each unit.  Every magic user also has access to a 'magic missile' spell.  This spell can be boosted, and you can spend extra Magic Points on any of these boosts as desired.  Or of course you can cast the 'magic missle' spell multiple times, but it will simply add +1d6 Shooting to the shooting attack the first casting grants you.