Morale: A good thing to have!
As alluded to in the previous entry, units in BattleLore have an important new attribute: Morale, which determines how a unit reacts to Retreat flags rolled against it in combat.
By default, all troops are considered to be at a Normal level of morale. When forced to retreat, they follow standard Retreat rules, retreating 1 hex toward their side of the board for each Retreat flag rolled against them.
Should a Normal unit’s retreat path be blocked for any reason, it loses one figure per hex of retreat ground not covered, instead.
Where things get interesting is when a unit has higher Morale (Bold unit) or lower Morale (Frightened unit).
The Benefits of being Bold
A Bold unit is one that has the ability to ignore one (or more) flag(s) rolled against it in combat. For one of several reasons, the unit feels particularly valiant, and is determined to stand and fight back.
Bold units engaged in Melee (i.e., attacked by an enemy from an adjacent hex) are entitled to battle back against their attacker, immediately following the results of that attacker’s battle dice roll, if they survive the initial onslaught and did not retreat.
Only Bold units are entitled to battle back, making a troops’ Morale something important to watch (and/or bolster, whenever possible).
There are various ways to boost a unit’s morale to Bold, either temporarily or permanently, but the most common is to surround the unit with at least two friendly, adjacent units.
Any unit thus supported is said to receive Support, and its Morale immediately boosted to Bold for as long as it continues to receive support.
With Support - or without - a big difference!
Upon attack, the unit is able to ignore one flag from any dice roll made against it. Even better, if in Melee, the unit can ignore one flag, and battle back (assuming it was not forced to retreat because of another flag, nor destroyed in the initial assault!).
This makes keeping troops in ranks particularly effective for a defender, and breaking up those ranks a worthwhile endeavour for any attacker. It also makes self-supporting triangular formations particularly effective!
A Bad Scare
On the opposite end of the spectrum, a Frightened unit is a squeamish one… and likely to run away faster and farther than normal. Any unit that must retreat 2 or more hexes for each Retreat flag rolled against it (instead of the standard 1 hex per flag of Normal units) is said to be Frightened.
Frightened units must make a Panic Loss check each time they run away from combat. For each hex of retreat ground covered during a retreat move, a Frightened unit must roll 1 battle die.
Any colored helmet rolled that matches the retreating unit’s banner color forces the removal of a figure from that unit. (All other dice results are ignored in a Panic Loss, so as not to trigger a recursive rout, however!)
A Summary of Morale Effects
Morale Modifiers
In BattleLore, Landmarks (men-made constructions or natural wonders distinctive enough to warrant their own hex on the battlefield), racial attributes, and plain good old magic and Lore are also among the game elements that can impact one’s Morale.
Next week… The Lore Masters!
Other Languages:
October 3rd, 2006 at 4:45 pm
OK, I admit it, I have no actual comment. I just wanted to be first. But it is late in Australia and I just finished an excellent game of Memoir ‘44 Pacific Theatre ..!
October 3rd, 2006 at 4:51 pm
Next week… The Lore Masters!
I think this is a mistake you meant this friday right!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don’t make us wait so long PLS!!!!!!!!
October 3rd, 2006 at 5:00 pm
Since this is the “morale” entry, do you think you could give a bit more detail?
What are the “various ways to boost a unit’s morale to Bold”?
If a unit is permanently bold (i.e. not from a formation, or being on a certain tile), how can you tell? Is there some way to keep track?
When is a unit frightened?
October 3rd, 2006 at 5:17 pm
That is my question. What makes a unit frightened?
The Bold is so far just like a supported unit in Ancients. I see nothing new that makes it stand out - except maybe the undescribed Lore portion that could embolden (or frighten enemy) units.
October 3rd, 2006 at 5:23 pm
I’ve never played C&C:A, so I’m not sure if this kind of thing was present in that game, but this little addition goes along way towards making this game more period authentic and helps develop strategies.
Now you can form a line of units, and every unit but the 2 at either end are bold making them tougher to attack (they Battle Back) and tougher to break (need 2 flags to break the line). This makes the line a very effective formation.
But yeah, we could really use some more informatino on what else changes units morale, although at this point I’m guessing it’ll come in the relevant Lore Powers/Buildings/War Council sections.
We know that support and possibly buildings and possibly lore powers cause unnits to be bold. And I’m guessing Lore Powers or units special abilities can make enemy units frightened. But more info is always good!
October 3rd, 2006 at 6:04 pm
In CC:A the retreat is based on the movement rate of the unit. One flag forces you to retreat your movement to the rear. This is very bad for light troops - as that means they might end up retreating a long distance.
As well, a unit can ignore one flag if their is a leader in their hex. And they can ignore another flag if they are supported (as in the example here). Thus up to two flags can be ignored in CC:A
But you are correct, the line is a very powerful formation in CC:A - which is why one tends to attack the flank. Of course, there are also cards that support line formation - for example, the line advance - which allows you to move an entire line of contiguous infantry one hex - no matter how many units are in the line!)
I wonder if Battlelore will also have the Evade feature - which allows one to pass up the chance to battle back in return for some defensive bonuses (specifically, if a unit Evades, it may only be hit by the die face matching the unit type - thus in Battlelore, shields, and lore would not hit if the unit was evading)
More info please !!!!
October 3rd, 2006 at 6:58 pm
ColtsFan76 writes: “The Bold is so far just like a supported unit in Ancients.”
It’s similar, but there appears to be one big difference from C&C:A. In C&C:A, all units can battle back (assuming they don’t retreat or get eliminated); having support just makes it more likely (since you are less likely to retreat). Apparently in BattleLore, *only* units who are bold (because of support or for some other reason) can battle back.
October 3rd, 2006 at 7:00 pm
A few more tidbits: Some racial traits (say being born a Dwarf or a Goblin) impact Morale permanently (in a good or a bad way). Landmarks often boost the morale of the unit occupying them to Bold, making that unit better equipped to defend the place. Some Lore cards impact Morale, etc…
October 3rd, 2006 at 7:07 pm
David is correct, this is a significant difference.
October 3rd, 2006 at 7:13 pm
Eric,
Is there a way to keep track of a unit’s morale? It seems like it would get confusing to have to remember all of this, especially if there are modifiers and other things on top racial traits and position on landscape, etc…
October 3rd, 2006 at 7:28 pm
It is not confusing, because the effects are either permanent and well known (eg Racial modifiers), or temporary and explicitly spelled out on the corresponding Lore card in play.
As for landmarks, by default they always make the unit occupying them bold (and it is spelled out on the corresponding summary card too).
We spent a _lot_ of time making sure the game would be easy to get into, without a bizillion things needing to be remembered
October 3rd, 2006 at 7:41 pm
Thanks Eric, sounds like you’re putting a lot of care and thought into the game. I look forward to reading future entries.
October 3rd, 2006 at 8:11 pm
On a complexity level, will battle lore be more complex than C&C:A or inbetween M’44 and C&C:A?
October 3rd, 2006 at 8:21 pm
Interesting, no battle back unless you are bold.
It sounds like Dwarves will be bold, and Goblins will be fearful by nature. Of course those pesky Goblins could become bold if they properly support themselves.
Intersting to note that we have now seen our third icon, the warrior, on the castle tile.
I have offically pre-ordered the game from my FLGS. They did not have all of the information yet, but they were more than happy to take my deposit.
They also asked me about possibly demoing the game. Eric, any more information on that yet? Who do we contact at DoW about this possibilty?
October 3rd, 2006 at 8:24 pm
Also, is that a new figure that is being used to help illustrate the morale effects? It seems to be a warrior type with a weapon in their RIGHT hand and a shield.
Eric, what figure is that?
October 3rd, 2006 at 9:56 pm
aslskfan - that looks likes the same swordsman figure from earlier in the blog. His sword is held in his left hand, shield in right, with the sword raised near the right side of his head.
I too, suspect Goblins will be naturally frightened. This sounds right according to traditional folklore/literature - they’re tough when in large groups, but cowardly when not.
I’m really looking forward to reading about the LoreMasters. That is the bit that has intrigued me since the beginning. But do we have to wait to next week?
October 3rd, 2006 at 10:04 pm
Clever…being back up by your bros lets you battleback…I like it!
Battlelore is my new favorite game and I won’t even own it for two more months (but I’ve preordered!)
About this time last year I started transitioning from mini games to boardgames, but couldn’t break the addiction. The mini games tried to suck me back in, but a recent experience has convinced me that miniature games are dead to me. Battlelore is the game to fill the void for me, with many other board and card (not CCG) games serving auxiliary roles.
So bring on Nov…I’m itching for a game!
October 3rd, 2006 at 10:54 pm
So, as an example…let’s assume Goblins (or miniature X) is a ‘frightened’ unit.
Let’s say you have a Goblin unit by itself and you play a command card that ‘reinforces’ this goblin unit because you move 2 or more other goblin units adjacent to the first goblin unit.
Does the original goblin unit become bold? or does it move up one step to Normal?
October 3rd, 2006 at 11:08 pm
A Goblin that is supported would be able to ignore a flag (and possibly battle back for the presence of his brethren temporarily makes him Bold). But any flags above and beyond that (on the same dice roll) would force him to retreat 2 hexes per flag, and make Panic Loss checks as appropriate. As you correctly guessed, by nature, Goblins have are an easily Frightened bunch and they have a tendency to run back toward their lines…
October 3rd, 2006 at 11:09 pm
We will make some announcements about in-store demos and volunteers once we get closer to shipping the final games (ie in November).
October 4th, 2006 at 4:24 am
I really like the tactics and flavor that moral seems to add to this game. Just reading about it got my creative juices flowing. I’m looking forward to this game!
October 4th, 2006 at 12:13 pm
Avete mai pensato di inserire anche l’Italiano tra le lingue del gioco…
vi assicuro che sono molti gli italiani interessati e spesso bisogna attendere altri siti per avere traduzioni ecc…
Grazie e spero che mi rispondiate!
October 4th, 2006 at 5:30 pm
If a unit is supported by two others behind it (triangle-style) they will be bolstered for improved morale, right? But doesn’t that mean if they get two retreat flags (assuming they aren’t inherently bold) then they have nowhere to run and will lose a figure (or more, dependent of number of retreat flags)?
I guess if this is the case it makes supporting your troops a sensible but potentially hairy prospect - and I suppose it simulates getting caught between two forces. Still, you’d think that a supporting unit of well-trained knights (for example) would know enough to part the ways for them…
I must say though - I am very excited about this and have been looking forward to it since Memoir 44 came out (tried to come up with a way to use my Lord of the Rings figures). I think some of the fan-created scenarios will be very imaginative!
October 4th, 2006 at 5:55 pm
I think the idea is to have two units forward supported by one unit int he rear. This gives the front units a place to rout and allows the supporting unit to step into the hole in the line. Now frighted units would not be very good at this at all.
It looks like you are right about that figure. I thought the shield being held back was rounder in shape than it is.
Eric, any chance we will see any new figures with future updates?
October 4th, 2006 at 6:00 pm
Vincent the Cat Says:
“If a unit is supported by two others behind it (triangle-style) they will be bolstered for improved morale, right? But doesn’t that mean if they get two retreat flags (assuming they aren’t inherently bold) then they have nowhere to run and will lose a figure (or more, dependent of number of retreat flags)?”
That’s when you support with 1 in front and 2 behind. So you’d better support 2 in front, 1 behind ! More fighting power and room to escape.
October 4th, 2006 at 6:55 pm
Indianino,
We already have an Italian volunteer (and a Spanish one) to translate this blog. The only reason this hasn’t happened yet is because of some technical issues on our side. It’s coming soon, though.
October 4th, 2006 at 11:31 pm
Eric,
And Portuguese?
I would like to see more Portuguese in the blog, and think to play this very nice game.
October 5th, 2006 at 12:40 am
Vincent the Cat Says:
“If a unit is supported by two others behind it (triangle-style) they will be bolstered for improved morale, right? But doesn’t that mean if they get two retreat flags (assuming they aren’t inherently bold) then they have nowhere to run and will lose a figure (or more, dependent of number of retreat flags)?”
o
OO
If 1 of your front units retreats 2 hexes= * X
1 *x
2* X
On your next card (hopefully),U can play like = OX
to bring you back to a battle triangle. xX
If your card/troop type lets U move 2 hexes 1*2*
October 5th, 2006 at 12:44 am
Nevermind, the blog box realigned my O & X’s diagram.
October 5th, 2006 at 10:22 am
grazie eric!
October 6th, 2006 at 7:32 pm
Argh…this ‘one update a week’ is killing me! Must have more BATTLELORE!
October 6th, 2006 at 9:03 pm
Yep - if they continue this way, there won’t be many potential buyers alive when the game is released - I can hardly breathe anymore…… arrrrgghhhhhh
October 6th, 2006 at 9:18 pm
One update a week ??? NOOOOOOO…..
Eric, can you at least tell us when the next update is ?
October 6th, 2006 at 10:41 pm
Should be Monday or Tuesday of next week. And we’ll try to get one or two more out by the time the Essen fair starts. We’re just busy getting ready for the show, right now
October 7th, 2006 at 2:11 am
Is anyone going to Essen? I am hoping for a players eye view of the game.
October 7th, 2006 at 12:40 pm
There will be enough german atttending the fair, like myself, hich could write a review. Just hope that someone with a better english than me, does it
By the way, will the blog be finished after Essen, since Players can take a look at full Battlelore there ?
October 7th, 2006 at 1:32 pm
If someone is going to Essen and would like to write a guest ‘review’ for http://www.battleloremaster.com, please contact me via the site!
October 7th, 2006 at 7:55 pm
No the blog won’t end at Essen, since there will still likely be many things of interest to discuss afterwards: online support, volunteers, promotional miniatures, etc…
But we will try and make sure that we’ve covered most of the remaining “biggies” by then, specifically the Lore Masters, the War Council, and the Creatures.
October 8th, 2006 at 4:34 am
Well, we have a lot to cover in a short period of time then.
October 9th, 2006 at 6:16 am
2 Questions:
>>Any unit that must retreat 2 or more hexes for each Retreat flag rolled against it (instead of the standard 1 hex per flag of Normal units) is said to be Frightened.
You say that a frightened unit will retreat 2 or more spaces for each retreat flag, but in the summary chart, it just says 2 spaces per flag. When will a frightened unit retreat more than 2 spaces?
>>A Goblin that is supported would be able to ignore a flag (and possibly battle back for the presence of his brethren temporarily makes him Bold). But any flags above and beyond that (on the same dice roll) would force him to retreat 2 hexes per flag, and make Panic Loss checks as appropriate. As you correctly guessed, by nature, Goblins have are an easily Frightened bunch and they have a tendency to run back toward their lines…
This section seems strange. If a unit is bold it seems like it should remain bold for the entire attack (and any retreat it might perform). It seems like it will be confusing to have a unit that is bold if it stays in it’s hex, but will act frightened if it does retreat. It seems like it should just retreat one space per retreat (after ignoring the first).
October 9th, 2006 at 7:03 am
Fanaka,
A Frightened unit will retreat more than 2 hexes when the rules explicitly say so.
(no worry, it won’t happen in the base rules)
Goblins always retreat 2 hexes when they take a flag, so if they have to take a flag, they retreat 2 hexes. The fact that they might have ignored a flag because of support does not change this, once they start running, they run far and away.
October 9th, 2006 at 3:14 pm
Hmmmm….
So it sounds like the retreat distance is more a factor of race than of morale. Being Bold reduces your chances of retreating, but if you do it’s a matter of what type of creature you are and perhaps some magic adjustments, also?
October 9th, 2006 at 6:13 pm
What about racially bold troops that are also supported? Do they get to ignore 2 flags?