Combat Mechanics

Battles are a large and frequent part of life in Vain. They help you progress through the game by generating experience for your troops (which they need to upgrade) and obtain embers, loot and prisoners. Obviously you also reduce your enemies' strength by beating them in the battlefield, which in turn increases your own strength.

## War-related unit types

### Leaders

These are your most important units. Your faction Leaders

### Combat Units

Not all units can join battles. Only units with the  "Combat Unit" icon can fight. These units are your **Warriors** and are ready to give their lives for you and their faction.

### Non Combat Units

Non Combat Units also known as **War Councilors**, distinguished with the  "War Councilor" icon, represent influential individuals working away from the battlefield to further the goals of their Factions. Their Figurines are not deployed in the battlefield, but instead interact with the War Council board. To learn how the War Council board works, click here.

### Leaders

The Leader, distinguished with the  "Leader Icon" is your most important unit. Your faction Leader should be treated like you treat a King pawn in chess. While they are so powerful they can beat pretty much any other unit, if they die, your faction will be destroyed and you will lose the game.

### Generals

Your Generals, distinguished with the  "General Icon" are stronger than regular warriors, and many of them have special abilities that boost your army's offensive or defensive capabilities. If your General has the  "Combat Unit" icon, it means that they are willing to fight in the battlefield. If they have the  "War Councilor" icon, it means that they either are incapable of fighting by old age or wounds, and they prefer to help you in the War Council.

### Clarification

There are more units types than mentioned above. For example there are Heroes, Nobles, Specialists. If they have the  "Combat Unit" icon, it means that they can also fight. If they have the  "War Councilor" icon, it means that they can help you in the War Council. If you want to learn more about the rest of the unit types, click here.

## Flow of Combat

When fighting a battle against another player, the player with the least units or the weaker army begins. If there's a tie in army size and strength roll the d10 die. The player with the greatest number begins first. The flow of combat works just like in chess. Control a unit, then the other player controls a unit and so on. If you want you can use a war councilor instead of moving a unit as long as there are free zones to occupy (read more about war councils here), but you are advised to use your War Councilors Strategically, because every one of their tactics can be used only once per fight.

## How Combat works

There are several factors you need to remember before you fight your first battle. Pay close attention, because the following information is important:

### Stats

All Combat Units have 5 Stats:

* Endurance : (how many hits one can take)
* Armor : (extra health points, they are damaged before normal health points)
* Strength : (how much damage a unit can do with melee weapons)
* Aiming : (how much damage a unit can do with ranged weapons)
* Agility : (how many spaces a unit can move\*)

( **Example**: *You have an Archer with 2 , 0 , 1 , 3 , 2 . Your Archer is easy to get killed because he has no armor, and only 2 health points. His strength is weaker compared to his aiming skill. So you will get the most out of him if you keep him away from stronger infantry units, who can best him in melee combat, where he can attack them more effectively. If things go south, he can always move 2 spaces away.* )

\*both in the Campaign and War maps.

### Weapons

All combat units have some sort of weapon, be it melee or ranged. Each Weapon is different in how it behaves. You need to remember only 2 things about weapons. Each weapon has a:

* Weapon Level : (how many combat dice you can throw with that weapon)
* Range : (how many spaces away you can attack with that weapon)

( **Example:** *A weapon that has 3  and 7 , gives you the ability to attack with 3 combat dice.* )

### Chance to Hit

In war there's always a chance to miss your opponent. This is simulated with the use of combat dice. The number of combat dice you can throw when you control a unit, is determined by the  "weapon level" of the weapon you use (see the previous example). Combat Dice have 3 possible results:

* Headshot : (Hit)
* Bodyshot : (2 Bodyshots make a hit. 1 Bodyshot on its own counts as a miss)
* Miss : (No hit)

( **Example**: *You rolled 6 combat dice. The results are as follows: 1 headshot  , 3 bodyshots  , 2 misses . That would translate as 1 hit from the headshot, 1 hit from 2 bodyshots, the 3rd bodyshot is not paired, so its a miss, and the rest are misses. So of all the dice you got only 2 hits.* )

### Examples of Combat

Now that you know all the parameters, lets combine them. This is how battle works:

**Example 1:** *The Hoplite with 1  strength and 1  weapon level, attacks an enemy. The weapon level is 1 so he rolls 1 combat die. The result is a  bodyshot. So the Hoplite deals no damage to his enemy ( You need 2 bodyshots to make a hit ).*

**Example 2:** The Archer with 2  aiming and 1  weapon level, attacks an enemy. The weapon level is 1 so he rolls 1 combat die. The result is a  headshot, so the archer deals 2 (from the aiming skill) x 1 (hit) = 2 damage to his enemy.

**Example 3:** The Hero with 2  aiming and 3  weapon level, attacks an enemy. The weapon level is 3 so he rolls 3 combat dice. The result is 3  bodyshots, so the Hero deals 2 (from his aiming skill) x 1 (hit)= 2 damage to his enemy. (Remember, 3  bodyshots=1 hit, because there is only 1 pair of bodyshots.)

**Example 4**: The King with 4  strength and 4 weapon level, attacks an enemy. He rolls 4 combat dice. The results are 1  headshot, 1  bodyshot, and 2 misses. The headshot counts as the first hit, the bodyshot is not paired so no hits here, and the misses count as no hits. So the King deals 4 (from his strength skill) x 1 (hit), so the King deals 4 damage to his enemy.

The previous examples take for granted that the enemies were within range of those who attacked them. Remember, you cannot attack an enemy that is not within range of your weapon.

## Actions and Special Actions

When you control a unit, you can make it attack, and then move, or the opposite. If your unit has a special ability, they can also perform it. The order doesn't matter. Not only Units but also weapons can have special abilities. Just follow the text in the card to perform the special ability. Most special abilities have a cool-down time. The cool-down helps to prevent some of the stronger units in the battlefield from spamming their special abilities and obliterating the enemy army within several turns. When the special ability you just used has the  "cool-down" icon, check the number next to it and place the same number of cool-down tokens on your Unit's card. Every time it is your turn, you may remove a cool-down token, regardless whether you control this unit or another. When all the cool-down tokens are removed, you can use that special ability again.

( **Example:** *Your Hero has the special ability "Quick Reflexes" with 2  , but also his weapon has the special ability "Fanning" with 3 . Its your turn, you decide to use this character. Your Hero moves, attacks, uses his "Quick Reflexes" ability and then he also uses his "Fanning" ability. Place 2 cool-down tokens on the "Quick Reflexes" ability and 3 cool-down tokens on the "Fanning" ability. Each time it is your turn, whether you control this hero or not, you can remove 1 cool-down token from each ability. After 2 turns you can use the "Quick Reflexes" again, but there's still one  cool-down token on "Fanning". You will be able to use it again, in the next round.* )

## Unit Sides and Backstabs

Units face towards the space they are headed. Always remember that. A unit that faces to the NORTH and wants to move SOUTH, will have to face towards the SOUTH and turn its back to the NORTH. If a unit gets hit or shot in the back, that counts as a  backstab.  Backstabs multiply damage done by 2, unless the unit that was backstabed had a shield in its back.

## Cover, Concealment and Natural Features

The last thing you should know about combat in A War in Vain, is that each map, has features that may obstruct you from moving, slow you down, hide your field of view, offer concealment or even make you hit your own friends!

### Arcs and Friendly Fire

Bows shoot arrows in arcs, meaning that archers can shoot arrows over friendly units. All the other kinds of weapons shoot in straight lines. A cowboy shooting towards an enemy while a friendly unit is in the middle of him and his enemy, would result in friendly fire (you would hit your enemy). So remember, bows shoot in arcs, all other ranged weapons, including crossbows and thrown weapons shoot/are thrown in straight lines, and if you are not careful, you can injure your own units. Combine that with the backstab rule, and if you hit a friendly unit in the back, you actually  backstab them and you might instantly kill them.

### Cover

Cover not only obstructs you from moving, but it may also prevent you from shooting an enemy that is in the other side of it. Trees, wooden forts and generally wooden cover may be damaged and broken down by some weapons. Stone cover is almost impossible to shoot through. If your weapon can shoot through cover, it will let you know in its description box. On the bright side, you can use cover to your advantage to avoid incoming enemy fire.

### Concealment

Dense Bushes and Treelines allow you to hide your units. You normally can't step on tile with a tree on it, because it is considered cover, BUT, if you want your unit can climb on the tree. Then you can remove it from the battlefield (because it is hidden) and place it on its card. Mark on a paper where its hidden. At any time that it is your turn, you may reveal them by placing their figurines back on the board, on the spot they hid. If the attack in the same turn they reveal themselves, they deal x2 the damage they would normally do (it's an ambush!).

### Rivers, Swamps and more

There are some map features that slow you down. Rivers, and Swamps are a prime example. To pass through such features, you move at half the speed you'd normally do. For example, if a unit with 2  agility would want to pass through a river, it would only have 1  agility until it would get to the other side of the river (A unit with 3  agility would have 2  agility, because the 3/2=1.5 is rounded up, not down.). There are ways to circumvent this problem. Many maps with rivers will have bridges for example.

## War Map Special Rules

These rules only apply in the War Map (not in the campaign map):

1. Centaurs, and Mounted Warriors cannot hide.
2. Yphrod and Zyrgahv Warriors cannot swim. Eqnids can.
3. Units with more than 3 armor cannot hide.
4. Units can spend their movement points in different phases. A unit can move 1 space, attack, move 1 space if they have 2  agility points.
5. You cannot use a War Councilor  unit, if there's no spaces available.
6. War Councilors  occupy a zone permanently if they use all of their tactics cards.
7. You cannot have a unit with the same name in the battlefield  and in the war council  at the same time.
8. You cannot undo moves, unless you have special gizmos or tactics cards that allow you to do so.
9. Your enemy can attack your hidden units if they can guess where they are located at.
10. If during your fight, there's 1 or more players in the Campaign Map, they can either take a break, or join you in the fight. A player can ask to join a side, and if that side agrees, the player who controls that side, will assign them roles. For example, if a side has 50 units and a player wants to join them , they can let them have 20 of these units, but that's up to the players.

If you want to learn some tips and tricks about combat, check the Combat Strategy page.