Ancients Rules Updates

Hey everyone!

As we look forward to the re-release of Warlord by Kingswood Games, there are changes on the horizon. More specifically, rules changes. Kingswood will soon be releasing a new set of rules for Warlord, and those rules will be the future of Ancients and beyond. To avoid having more than one ruleset operational at once, we’ll be adopting the Kingswood rules as soon as they come out. To make sure that everyone has an adequate opportunity to playtest for Worlds, we’ll also be adopting the most important changes earlier, effective first with our July Ancients tournament. These new rules also tackle some of the ad hoc rulings we’ve made this year—these new rules supersede those rulings.

Without further ado, here are the new rules we’ll be implementing to ensure a smooth transition to the Kingswood rulebook.

UPDATE: June 30, 2023: At the time of posting, the Kingswood rulebook was a work in process—several changes have been made since the Guardians published our rules update, and we want to bring our new rules in line with those changes. Changes since the initial posting have been italicized below.

Rule #1: Effects that switch the places of characters may only target characters in the same formation.

Fixes: Baqbou Umbala, Baqbou’s Charm and Treewalk. Since these cards can no longer switch characters from one army to another, we will no longer be using the 10th Anniversary printing of either Baqbou Umbala or Treewalk. This means no 10AS printings will be used in Ancients moving forward.

N.B.: Bescez is still errata’d to say: “If Bescez is in your formation”

N.B. 2: This ruling does not effect using Summon Lesser Fiend on a character you control in another formation. That is legal.

Rule #2: The modifier of a strike refers only to the bonus to the strike roll. It does not include fixed dice or multiple rolls.

Fixes: The first half of Rapid Shot. Father Ansance’s bonus (though not his ability to ignore critical failures) and Justinian will carry over. Acolyte Dorra and Light will not. More importantly, this means that Assassin’s Arrow will not grant a natural 20 on the strike generated by Rapid Shot.

Rule #3: The effect of a strike refers only to the wounds that strike inflicts, or an effect that says it is replacing wounds.

Fixes: The second half of Rapid Shot. Additional wounds from Marksmanship will carry over, the additional rank will not. If a ranged strike spends the target instead of inflicting wounds, that will carry over. If a ranged strike spends the target in addition to inflicting wounds, that will not carry over.

Rule #4: When an action does any of the following at the time is performed, it is considered targeting:

• Generates a ranged or melee strike.

• Uses the word target.

• Modifies a character’s attributes, location or readiness.

• Requires a character to make a check, test or save.

• Gives a card an ability, feat, keyword, or trait.

• Kills or wounds a character. This does not include wounds suffered through strikes. The character is targeted when the strike is targeted.

• Cancels or redirects an action a character is performing.

• Generates an ongoing effect that prevents a card from moving, performing strikes, equipping items, attaching cards, or performing any other actions.

• Effects a characters level for the purposes of performing actions (including equipping items).

• Discards or targets a card attached to, or destroys or targets an item equipped to, a character

• Attaches a card or equips an item to a character.

• Modifies a character’s die roll, either through bonus or penalty, giving the roll advantage or disadvantage, causing them to roll multiple dice, or setting the roll.

Fix 1: Winter Warfare. Winter Warfare now targets all characters in play when it is played. This means cards like Rescue, Halo of Secrets and Cal Blackborne can cancel it.

Fix 2: Litany of the Dead targets when it names a character currently in play. Actions can only target characters out of play if they explicitly say they target, so when Litany is used on a character not currently in play, it does not target.

Fix 3: Premonition targets in two stages. When Premonition cancels an action, it targets the character whose action it cancelled. This can be countered with Rescue, Magic Resistance, or any other cancelling effect. Then it targets all characters in play when it prevents any character from performing the action again. It can also be cancelled with Magic Resistance or Rescue or something else at this stage, but all that will cancel is the restriction on playing the action—the original action will remain cancelled, and the card returned to the player’s hand.

 N.B.: This ruling also has a large effect on anything that cancels or redirects strikes or actions. Halo of Secrets and Cal Blackborne target when they cancel. Since Defend redirects a strike or action, when a character uses the Defend feat, they are considered to be targeting the character who made the strike or action. Likewise, because Stealth and Magic Resistance both cancel actions and/or strikes, characters who use them are considered to be targeting the characters who performed those strikes or actions.

N.B. 2: Players are also valid targets for an action. An action targets a player if it says it does, or if it causes a player to 1) discard cards from their hand or deck, 2) prevents or generates an ongoing effect that prevents a player from performing an effect, 3) drawing cards, 4) prevents characters from entering play or causes them to enter play in a different rank or orientation than normal, or 5) prevents the player from playing characters as a decree.

Cards that target a player can also target a character: for instance, Crisis of Faith targets both the player and the characters it kills. Cards that target a player do not necessarily target a character, however. Amnesia and Sanctuary do not target characters, since they do not inherently prevent characters from taking actions. Drawing or retrieving cards is not inherently an action, but an effect of an action. There is no standard order to draw, and unlike Staff of Secrets or Premonition, Amnesia and Sanctuary do not name specific actions that cannot be taken. Some actions may be prevented by it, like Sethusk or Back Alley Tavern, due to the zero-effect rule, but at the time of performing, neither prevents any character from performing any specific actions.

N.B. 3: Additionally, the Guardians will be errata'ing Halo of Secrets for future Online Circuit events. Halo of Secrets will now read "May not perform actions other than the following: Spend React: After a Deverenian is targeted by an action (not a melee strike): Cancel the action. This action may not cancel Standard Orders." The standard orders are attacking, equipping an item, and maneuvering. This applies only to the standard orders taken as decrees: Halo of Secrets can cancel the order of Mischievous Sprite. Although the attack performed via Hand of Might is not a standard order, it still cannot be cancelled by Halo because it targets via melee strikes.

This errata is Guardians specific and won't necessarily be used by Kingswood Games--it will apply to Online Circuit events, but may not apply to Kingswood run tournaments or be reflected on the Accordlands, which is maintained by Kingswood.

These rules will go into effect for Ancients starting with our July Ancients tournament.

The Accordlands is maintained by Kingswood Games. These changes will be put on The Accordlands, but obviously Kingswood is very busy at the moment, so it may be a bit before you see them.

The Guardians are very excited for the complete Kingswood rules to be released: they mark a huge improvement in clarity, accessibility, and comprehensiveness in Warlord’s rules. We will be adopting these rules for our online tournaments as soon as possible. In the meantime, this announcement highlights the major changes the rulebook will bring, so you have as much time to prepare for Worlds and Gencon as possible. Good luck, and happy warmaking!

Change Log:
7/4/2023
- removed the rule that reducing wounds targets the character inflicting them.
- added the rule that targeting a card equipped or attached to a character targets the character.
7/8/2023
- added the rule that modifying, setting, or causing a roll to use multiple dice targets the character making the roll.