Lionheart

About this board game

Lionheart is a chess-like wargame for 2 players, with games lasting about 60 minutes. Players command armies of distinct units, using movement, positioning, and combat dice to eliminate the opposing King or every other warrior in the enemy army.

Each turn, a player may perform any two actions. Actions include moving, turning, or attacking, creating a compact system in which every decision can affect the next exchange. Units attack the square they are facing, while archers attack an area of squares in front of them.

The armies include seven different unit types:

• King
• Knight
• Archer
• Heavy Infantry
• Infantry
• Mercenary
• Peasant

Foot units move one square forward per action. Mounted units can move across as many unblocked squares in front of them as they like, while turning and attacking use the same limited action supply.

Combat gives Lionheart its distinctive twist. Instead of making every capture automatic, players roll combat dice to determine whether an attack succeeds. Appropriate symbols—axes or arrows—count as hits, and scoring more hits than the target has hit points removes some miniatures from that target army.

Victory comes in one of two ways: eliminate the opposing King, or eliminate every other warrior in the enemy army and leave its King standing alone on the battlefield. With its simple rules, varied unit roles, and dice-driven attacks, Lionheart combines familiar chess-like movement with uncertain battlefield outcomes.