Stats:
No. of players: 2-4
Amount of time to play: 20 min
Age requirements: 12+
Set-up time: minimal

Battle of 4 Armies Rules Description:

Battle of 4 Armies is an abstract strategy game for 2-4 players. With the queen missing you must gain control of the land. Be aware though, other races will oppose you.

You win the game if you are the last player not captured or if you control 3 of the 4 named locations on the map. To start you have four normal army units and one mounted unit that start n your Reserve.

On your turn you may take one of four actions: Place, Move, Withdraw or Rally. Placing and Moving can result in Capturing.

When you Place a unit it may be put in any hex on the edge of the map or adjacent to any of your units that is part of an unbroken chain that touches the edge of the map. These units come from your Reserve.

Moving is similar to placement in that you may move any unit to one empty adjacent hex or into an empty hex adjacent to an adjacent friendly unit (even in a chain).

The Withdraw action allows you to take your Mounted unit from the map and put it back into your Reserve.

When you Rally a unit you may take a captured unit from an opponent and put it back into your Reserve. You must meet two prerequisites to Rally. First two of your units must be captured and second you must have one opposing unit captured. To determine whether or not you get a unit back you flip a captured unit like a coin. If it lands face up you get one of your units back. If not you don’t get a captured unit back and it is the next player’s turn.

A unit is captured if it is adjacent to two of an opponent’s unit. Captures are resolved simultaneously. You may also advance one of the two capturing units into the captured unit’s space which may result in more captures.

Your Mounted units have a couple special abilities. They strike first during a capture. That means if you and your opponent both have 2 units next to each other and one of yours is your Mounted unit, you capture your opponent’s unit. They do not capture your unit (unless one of their units was their Mounted unit). Mounted units may also Retreat before they are captured. In order to Retreat the Mounted unit must be able to move into an adjacent empty hex that is not adjacent to any opposing unit.

A Quick Review of Battle of 4 Armies:

Battle of 4 Armies is simple to play but will take some time to master. The rules are easy to understand and teach as the gameplay is simple. It is very accessible and can be taught to most anyone.

The rules are well-written and the components are typical Victory Point Game fair. The art work is good especially on the unit tokens.

Like I said this game does take some playing to grasp the best way to maneuver your troops. And coming up with a good strategy to capture opposing units is key. It feels like advanced checkers as you and your opponents dance on the hex based map.

Although listed as a 2-4 player game, Battle of 4 Armies could get repetitive with just 2 players. With 3 or 4 players the challenge is greater and the gameplay feels fresher.

If you enjoy abstract strategy games then you should enjoy Battle of 4 Armies. It is available here on the Victory Point Games website and is very affordable.

Score and synopsis: (Click here for an explanation of these review categories.)
Strategy 4 out of 6
Luck 2 out of 6
Player Interaction 5 out of 6
Replay Value 3 out of 6
Complexity 2 out of 6
Fun 4 out of 6
Overall 4 out of 6