Chaos Marauders

About this board game

Chaos Marauders is a 1987 card-based board game for 2–4 players, with games lasting about 45 minutes. Each player takes the role of an orcish general, mustering troops into three battle lines in preparation for attacking the dwarves.

Every player begins with a blank card mat that is gradually filled with cards. These cards represent a range of forces and supplies, including orc units, goblins, war machines, and treasure. Each card has its own rules, adding different effects to the developing formations and the wider game.

A battle line is completed when it has a standard at the front, a musician at the rear, and every space between them filled. Completed lines are not merely markers of progress: they can be used to disrupt another player’s unfinished battle line, putting pressure on opponents as they work toward their own objectives.

• Build three battle lines on your card mat.
• Use cards representing troops, war machines, and treasure.
• Complete formations with the required standard, musician, and filled spaces.
• Disrupt opponents’ unfinished battle lines with completed formations.

The game ends when one player has completed all three lines. Players then tally the point values of their cards and add bonus points for completed battle lines. The winner is the player with the highest final score.

Many of the cards are also related, in theory, to old Citadel ork and goblin miniatures. With its combination of formation building, card-specific rules, and direct disruption, Chaos Marauders presents a contest to see which orcish general can assemble the most valuable army.