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Thursday, November 9, 2006

Official Word: The Adventures

Adventure SymbolsThe latest post on the official DoW blog talks about the world of BattleLore, Adventures and the BattleLore Online Adventure editor.

Europe during the Late Middle Ages is the stage for BattleLore adventures—”a period rich in major mass combat clashes, minor skirmishes and daring chevauchées … full of lively and colourful characters … [and] enough geo-political twists … and military and scientific innovations (cannons and gunpowder, astronomy …) to make anyone’s head spin.”

The Adventure Booklet is written from the point of view of one of the period’s leading chroniclers— Jehan (Jean) Froissart (c.1337 - c.1405); and is titled Vrayes croniques de France, d’Engleterre et païs voisins (‘Veritable Chronicles of France, Engelond and Neighbouring Countries’).

Adventure Booklet Cover

Of course, this being a uchronian Middle Ages Europe, things are not quite as they seem. In the BattleLore version of Froissart’s writings, monstrous creatures, mythical races and the mysterious power of Lore further enrich the already fascinating and exciting historical battles.

Adventure MapEach BattleLore adventure is presented in the same format to facilitate rapid setup.

The format features the adventure’s Title (and date, when provided); a Battle Map depicting the lay of the land and the initial deployment of forces; a list of the type and quantity of Terrain; a list of key figures and supplemental units; and the Adventure’s Battle Notes.

Adventure NotesThe Battle Notes give the players a background introduction to the adventure, a briefing section detailing known Commanders, Lore Masters and/or War Councils composition, the starting player, Victory Conditions and Special Rules.

Adventure BriefingThe Adventures in the base game are presented in order, progressively introducing players to all facets of BattleLore. A brief Apprentice section at the end of the Battle Notes lists the key new rules featured and references to their page number or chapter in the Player’s Guide.

It’s clear that the adventures presented have a high replayability factor. Different War Councils, Lore Masters and Creatures should change the way the battles play out considerably. Days of Wonder also promise more Adventures on the official BattleLore website. Hopefully, we’ll also be featuring as many unofficial adventures as possible on BattleLoreMaster.com.

EditorAccessible with the registration number that comes with every copy of BattleLore, the Online Adventure Editor is the same tool that Days of Wonder uses internally to develop and test their adventures. It should make the process of creating your own adventures remarkably painless. More detail about this is promised in a future entry.