HOBGOBLIN

A Fantasy Mass Battle Rules System

Version 1.11 - July 29, 2015

Introduction The number of models in your units is entirely up to you,

and should be based entirely on aesthetics. For guidance on
Hobgoblin sets out to provide a fast and simple ruleset that 'sensible' unit footprints, see the "Guidance" section. Units
will allow you to play fantasy-themed mass battles with your must have straight edges and be oblong or square.
existing miniatures collections, at satisfyingly large scales.
RECORDING WOUNDS
The objective of Hobgoblin is to provide interesting tactical
Most units start with exactly 10 Wounds, unless otherwise
and strategic choices throughout the game, alongside more
noted. You will need a way of recording a unit's remaining
unexpected moments, whilst also ensuring that every model
wounds, as they are lost. The simplest way is to mark units
you own is as equally "viable" a choice as any other model, so
with dice (D10 work well) or tokens when removing
nothing you choose to paint is wasted.
wounds.
GENERAL
This game only uses six-sided dice (D6). Each player will
need ten or so dice and a tape measure. Setup
When rolling dice, target numbers may never be reduced to 1. REVEAL ARMY LISTS
less than 2+ or raised above a 6+. Once a dice has been "re-
Before the game, you must reveal your Army List to your
rolled", it may never be rolled a third time, and the second
opponent. No upgrades may be kept secret. See "Building
result always stands.
An Army List" for details. You do not need to decide which
In Hobgoblin, we always round up, and you may measure unit your Commander or Battle Standard is in at this stage.
distances or check line of sight at any time.
2. DRAW FORTUNE CARDS
Shuffle the Fortune Cards. Each player draws one Fortune
Units Card for each 1000pts (or part thereof) in their army, and
then two more if his general is the Tactician.
In Hobgoblin, we concern ourselves with Units, not models.
3. PLACE TERRAIN
UNIT TYPES
Hobgoblin is designed to be played on a 6' by 4' or 8' by 4'
Every unit has a single Unit Type. The unit's type table, but may be played on other sizes, so long as there is
determines its movement rate; its attack range; the 24" between the armies' deployment zones. Place terrain to
effectiveness of its attacks against other unit types; and, in your mutual agreement, and then agree which is rough and
some cases, which strengths and weaknesses it may take, or which is blocking.
has as standard.
4. DRAW STRATEGY CARDS
Movement Movement Rate Attack
Points Open Rough Range Next, randomly deal each player one of the three Strategy
Infantry 4 2" 1.5" 0–1" Cards face down. Each Strategy Card has a set of Victory
Conditions on it, which the player will need to complete, in
Missile Troops 4 2" 2" 0–24"
order to earn Victory Points. See "Determining Victory" for
Foot Knights 4 2" 1.5" 0–1" details.
Light Cavalry 4 3" 2.5" 0–10"
5. ESTABLISH BREAKING POINT
Heavy Cavalry 4 2.5" 2" 0–1"
Next, establish each army's Breaking Point. An army is
Monster 4 2.5" 2.5 0–1"
considered broken when more than 75% of its starting
Chariot 4 2.5" 1.5" 0–1"
points value have been destroyed, or there is only one unit
War Machine 0 - - 8–48" remaining.
War Beasts 4 3" 3" 0–1"
6. ROLL FOR INITIATIVE
UNIT SIZES Roll for initiative. The player with the highest roll may
In Hobgoblin, we concern ourselves with units, rather than choose either to deploy the first unit and take the first player
models. That an individual goblin is no match for an turn, or to force his opponent to deploy the first unit, giving
individual dwarf is of no matter to us: a single goblin unit him the first player turn.
will contain many more goblins than a single dwarf unit, and
so the two units are comparable in fighting strength.

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7. DEPLOYMENT
Divide the table in half to create a centerline. Deployment
Zones begin 12" away from the centerline of the table, and
stretch the full width of the table. Players alternate
deploying units.
You must deploy your Commander and Battle Standard into
units during deployment. Each counts as a unit for the
purposes of alternating the deployment of units.
The Turn
FIRST TURN
The player who deployed the first unit takes the first turn.
TURN SUMMARY
Every Game Turn, the player with the initiative has a Player
Turn, which is an opportunity to act with each of his units
in turn. Play then passes to his opponent, who will activate
each of his units in turn, which is his player turn. After all
players have had their player turn, the game turn ends.
Each unit may move and, after moving, may attack. This is
called an Activation.
A unit is neither forced to move in order to attack, nor is it
forced to attack. A unit may pass. One unit must complete
both its movement and attack before another unit may
activate. A unit may not activate twice in the same game
turn.
Line of Sight
If a line can be drawn from the centre point of the front
edge of the attacking unit to any point the target unit,
without that line passing though the attacking unit itself, or
any other unit, or though blocking terrain, then the
attacking unit has line of sight to the target. Ignore any
piece of terrain that either unit is touching for the purposes
of determining line of sight.
BLOCKING TERRAIN
Buildings and hills count as blocking terrain. Fences, hedges,
forests and water features are not blocking. It may help to
agree with your opponent which terrain pieces are
considered blocking before the game begins.
HILLS
A unit with more than 50% of its footprint touching a hill,
or other elevated terrain such as a castle battlement, may
ignore friendly units for the purposes of drawing line of
sight.
COVER
Draw a line from the centre point of the front edge of the
attacking unit to the point on the target unit nearest to the
attacker. If that line crosses any piece of terrain then the
target unit gains the Cover strength. For avoidance of
doubt: unit do not gain cover from other units. Ignore any
piece of terrain that the attacking unit is touching for the
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purposes of determining cover. This does mean that units
stood on hills gain cover, from up on their vantage point.
Cover: (Strength) When defending against an attack at any
range greater than 1", the attacker suffers a -1 to wound.
BUILDINGS & FORTIFICATIONS
A unit with more than 50% of its footprint touching a
building, castle battlement, or similarly occupiable
earthwork or solid structure, gains the Defensive Position
strength.
Defensive Position: (Strength) When attacking a unit that
is in a Defensive position, at any range, the attacker suffers a
-1 to wound. Note: Cover and Defensive position can stack
for a -2 to wound. Remember a 6 is always a success.
Movement
Every unit has a number of movement points available,
normally 4. Each movement point will allow the unit to
move a certain number of inches, directly forward,
depending on the terrain they are moving though. The
movement rate is determined by the unit's type, and by the
terrain that the movement point begins in.
Movement must be directly forward; else the unit must
wheel (see below). Unit cannot move through other units.
Units cannot move backwards or sideways, you coward!
ROUGH TERRAIN
Almost all battlefield terrain will count as rough. For
example: forests, water terrain, walls, ruins, and hedgerows.
Hills do not count as rough, unless they have loose ground.
WHEELING
When expending each movement point: a unit may either
move directly forward by the movement distance indicated;
or may wheel. To wheel, keep one front corner of the unit
(the "inside" corner), in a fixed position, and rotate the other
front corner (the "outside" corner) forward by up to 45º.
This outside corner must not travel further than the
movement rate of the unit in this terrain, (e.g. 2" for an
Infantry unit in open ground).
REFORM
A unit may spend 2 movement points to Reform. When a
unit reforms: you may rotate the unit around its centre point
to face any new direction. During this rotation, you may
ignore other units, friendly or enemy, but you must end the
reform such that the unit is not touching any other units.
Units, once deployed, are of a fixed shape and cannot
change their depth or breadth during the game. There is no
concept of reforming between column and line in
Hobgoblin.
DISENGAGING THE ENEMY
A unit is free to disengage from an enemy unit, so long as
they are able to do so using the Wheeling or Reform rules.
For example a unit that is facing and touching an enemy
unit may spend two movement points to reform 180º, and
then two more points to cowardly move away from the
enemy.
Attacking
A unit may attack or counter-attack any enemy unit within
range. A unit cannot make more than one attack once each
game turn. A unit may make any number of counter-attacks
NUMBER OF ATTACKS
The attacking unit rolls a D6 for each wound the unit
currently has remaining. For example, a unit at full health
will roll 10 attack dice, whereas a unit that has suffered 3
wounds will roll 7 attack dice. A unit may never roll more
than 12 attack dice.
ROLLING TO WOUND
Each unit has a type. Look at the following table to find the
target number that an attacking unit of a given type needs to
roll to successfully remove a wound from a target unit of a
given type. For example, a unit of Infantry that is attacking
another unit of Infantry will require a 4+ on any of its attack
dice to remove a wound from the target.

Missile Troops

Heavy Cavalry

War Machine
Light Cavalry
in a single game turn.

Foot Knights

War Beast
Monster
There are a couple of differences between attacking at range

Infantry

Chariot
(shooting) and attacking at close-quarters. The most ! Attacker
important is that shooting attacks require line of sight to the Infantry 4+ 3+ 5+ 4+ 6+ 6+ 5+ 2+ 3+
target, and close-quarter attacks do not. The second most
Missile 5+ 5+ 6+ 5+ 6+ 6+ 6+ 6+ 5+
important is that shooting attacks roll half dice, and close-
quarter attacks do not. Foot Knights 3+ 2+ 4+ 3+ 5+ 6+ 4+ 2+ 3+
Light Cav. 5+ 4+ 5+ 4+ 5+ 6+ 4+ 2+ 4+
DETERMINING RANGE Heavy Cav. 2+ 2+ 4+ 3+ 4+ 5+ 4+ 4+ 3+
Each unit has a minimum and maximum range. For Monster 2+ 3+ 3+ 4+ 4+ 4+ 2+ 2+ 2+
example, units without missile weapons will commonly be Chariot 2+ 3+ 3+ 6+ 4+ 6+ 5+ 6+ 3+
0-1", meaning they can attack any unit that is 1" away or
War Machine 4+ 6+ 4+ 6+ 4+ 3+ 4+ 4+ 6+
closer. A war machine will commonly have 8-48", meaning
they can attack any unit that is 48" away or closer, but War Beasts 5+ 4+ 6+ 4+ 6+ 6+ 5+ 2+ 4+

cannot attack a unit closer than 8". Any attack at a range of

1" or less is considered to be at close-quarters. Any attack at
a range of more than 1" is considered to be a shooting attack.
When measuring range: measure the distance between the
centre point of the front edge of the attacking unit to the
point on the target unit nearest to the attacker. (This is the
same line that determines cover). Pre-measuring is
permitted at any time.
SHOOTING ATTACKS
Any attack at a range greater that 1" is a shooting attack.
When making a shooting attack, total the number of dice
you would have rolled, including strengths or weaknesses,
and then halve that number, rounding up, before rolling to
wound.
ENGAGED UNITS & SHOOTING
If there is an enemy unit within 1" of a unit; that unit is
considered to be engaged. A unit that is engaged may not
may a shooting attack. A unit may not target a unit that is
engaged with a shooting attack.
ATTACK SEQUENCE
Attacks and counter-attacks are simultaneous:
1. Attacker rolls a number of D6 equal to the unit's
current wounds (e.g. between 1 and 10 dice).
2. Defender must then immediately make a counter-
attack, if within range.
3. Wounds are then applied to both units.
COUNTER ATTACKS
A counter-attack is a free attack, made by the defender on
the attacker, rolled immediately after the unit is attacked,
but applied simultaneously with damage from the attacking
unit. A unit may make a counter-attack in response to a
shooting attack, if they are within range and line of sight.
The defender becomes the attacker for the purpose of the
counter-attack. Defenders may make any number of
counter-attacks in a single game turn.
MULTIPLE COMBATS
When counter-attacking, if your unit is currently engaged
with two or more enemy units: the unit suffers the Disrupted
weakness, as your attention is divided.
Disrupted: (Weakness) When counter-attacking, this unit
may only counter-attack with half its available attack dice,
rounding up.
FLANK & REAR
Unit A is in the flank of Unit B if more than half of Unit
A's footprint is beyond a line extended parallel with the
front edge of Unit B.
Unit C is in the rear of Unit A if more than half of Unit C's
footprint is beyond a line extended parallel with the rear
edge of Unit A.

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When counter-attacking, if the target is in the unit's flank
or rear, the counter-attacking unit suffers the Disrupted
weakness.
An attacking unit also gains the Elite strength if they are in
the rear of the target.
These bonuses are awarded both for shooting and at close-
quarters.
COMBAT EXAMPLE
It is the goblin player's turn. He selects a unit of goblins
mounted on wolves. The wolf-riders are Light Cavalry and
have the In-fighting weakness. In order to soften up a unit
of elven sword-masters, (Foot Knights with the Elite
strength), the goblin player spends 2 movement points to
move the wolf-riders 6" over open ground to touch the
sword-masters. Both units are at full starting wounds of 10.
The goblin wolf-riders now attack, rolling 10D6, needing 5s
or 6s. They roll 1, 1, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 5, 5, and 6. This is three
wounds against the sword-masters, but also two wounds
against the wolf-riders, due to the In-fighting weakness!
Before the wounds are applied, the sword-masters make
their counter-attack, rolling 10D6, and needing 3+. They
roll 6 successes, and then re-roll the 4 failures, due their
Elite strength, scoring 2 more for a grand total of 8 wounds.
Wounds are now applied. The sword-masters drop to 7
wounds, and the wolf-riders are removed from play, as they
suffered 8 wounds from the elves, and did 2 wounds to
themselves as well!
CASUALTIES
When a unit loses it's last reminding wound, the unit it
immediate removed from play. Whenever one of your units
is removed as a casualty, you may immediately either gain
two mana dice, or draw a new fortune card.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Units may have additional strengths and weaknesses. These
capture the unit's particular skills or shortcomings. They
may be innate skills or traits possessed by the unit, or they
may be granted though magic or other means.
Many strength and weakness affect target numbers to
wound. Target numbers may never be reduced to less than
2+ or raised above a 6+. Once a dice has been "re-rolled", it
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may never be rolled a third time, and the second result
always stands.
A unit may only have one copy of a strength or weakness at
any time. If some game effect, (such as the battle standard
or a spell), would result in a unit gaining a strength or a
weakness that they already have, the second copy is simply
ignored.
STRENGTHS
Hero – The unit rolls two additional attack dice (up to a
maximum of 12).
Wizard – This unit contains a wizard.
Elite – Re-roll failures when attacking. If a unit has both
Elite and Clumsy, they cancel each other out, and both are
ignored.
Stubborn – When defending, attackers must discount one
success before removing wounds.
Frenzied – When attacking at close-quarters, for every roll
of 6, the unit may make an additional free attack.
Merciless – When defending at close-quarters, the attacker
takes a wound for every 1 they roll (after any re-rolls).
When fighting a unit with In-Fighting, each '1' results in a
single wound, not two wounds.
Monstrous – When attacking: +1 to wound anything that
isn't Monstrous or a Monster. When defending: attacking
suffers a -1 to wound if they are not Monstrous or a
Monster. Monsters may not take this strength.
Flying – This unit gains +4 movement points (normally
resulting in 8 movement points). This unit may ignore
other units and terrain when moving.
Swift – This unit may divide its movement points to spend
as it pleases before and/or after attacking. This unit may
reform for 1 movement point.
Horde – Only Infantry units may take this upgrade. This
unit gains 10 additional wounds. When attacking, halve the
unit's remaining wounds to calculate the number of attacks,
before adding any additional dice for Hero or similar.
Pikes – Only Infantry or Foot Knight units may take this
upgrade. This unit may spend 1 Movement Point to gain
Pikes Set.
Pikes Set: This unit gains +1 to wound against
Light Cavalry, Heavy Cavalry and Monsters. If
this unit moves: remove Pikes Set.
Shield Wall – Only Infantry or Foot Knight units may take
this upgrade. This unit may spend 2 Movement Points to
gain Shield Wall.
Shield Wall: attackers suffer a -1 to wound this
unit. If this unit moves: remove Shield Wall.
Stakes – Only Infantry, Missile Troops or War Machines
may take this upgrade. This unit gains Merciless if
defending against Light Cavalry, Heavy Cavalry or
Monsters. If this unit moves: discard this upgrade.
Trample – If this unit destroys an enemy unit in close-
quarters during an activation in which it moved more than
4", it immediately gains 4 movement points and may make a
second move after combat is resolved.
Rangers – This unit ignores the effects of rough terrain.
Skirmishers – This unit may reform for free before or after
each Movement Point.
Indirect Fire – This unit may target a unit with a shooting
attack that it cannot draw line of sight to. If it does, the
attack suffers a -1 to wound.
Ambush – Only Infantry, War Beasts or Missile Troops
may take this upgrade. This unit may be held in reserve,
rather than deployed at the start of the game. During any of
your player turns after your first, when you have an
opportunity to activate a unit, you may place this unit
anywhere on the board that is more than 6" from an enemy
unit. This unit activates immediately. This unit does count
for the purposes of establishing the army's initial Breaking
Point.
Mounted War Machine – Only Monsters or Chariots may
take this upgrade. Range increases to 0-24". When making
a shooting attack, suffer a -2 to wound.
Missile Fire – Unit increases range to 0-10". When making
a shooting attack, suffer a -2 to wound.
WEAKNESSES
Clumsy – Re-roll successes when attacking. If a unit has
both Elite and Clumsy, they cancel each other out, and both
are ignored.
Weak – Remove one success, after re-rolls, when attacking.
In-fighting – When attacking: the unit takes a wound for
every 1 they roll (after any re-rolls). When fighting a unit
with Merciless, each '1' results in a single wound, not two
wounds.
Cowardly – When attacking: each roll of a 1, after re-rolls,
cancels out a success.
Stiff Breeze – When defending at close-quarters, the
attacker may double the number of successes before wounds
are applied.
Tiny – When attacking: -1 to wound anything that isn't
Tiny. When defending: the attacker gains a +1 to wound if
they are not also Tiny. Monsters may not take Tiny.
Uncontrolled – When this unit activates; if there is an
enemy unit within 12": this unit must roll under the distance
to the nearest enemy unit on 2D6 or immediately move
towards the nearest enemy unit, ending as close to that unit
as possible. War Machines may not take this weakness.
Slow – This unit loses 1 Movement Point, (usually leaving
the unit with 3 MP). War Machines may not take this
weakness.
CHARIOTS
Chariots always have the Stiff Breeze weakness, which is
included in their points cost. They may be given a second
weakness, which may not be Stiff Breeze.
WAR MACHINES
War Machines cannot move, and always have the Stiff
Breeze weakness, which is included in their points cost.
They may be given a second weakness, which may not be
Stiff Breeze, Slow, or Uncontrolled.
Magic
The purpose of the magic system in Hobgoblin is to change
impossible situations into winnable ones, to dramatically and
unexpectedly shift odds, and replace moments of potential
staleness with ones of excitement and uncertainty.
WIZARDS
In order to use magic, you must purchase at least one wizard
for your army, as an upgrade to any unit. You may wish to
represent the upgrade on the battlefield by use of a token or
nicely painted model. The unit with the upgrade is the unit
that the wizard is lurking in, or perhaps the monstrous beast
he is riding into the battle upon. This unit is then used for
the purposes of drawing line of sight and range for spells.
SELECTING SPELLS
Each wizard that you purchase in your army must select a
single school of magic. The selected school determines the
spells that that wizard is able to cast.
BUILDING MANA
Mana is represented by dice. Use dice of another colour to
represent and track your mana. You gain mana dice in two
ways. Immediately before you activate your first unit in your
player turn, you gain two mana dice. In addition, whenever
one of your units is removed as a casualty, you may
immediately either gain two mana dice, or draw a new
fortune card.
CASTING SPELLS
When you select a unit to activate that contains a wizard,
you have an opportunity to cast magic. You may cast magic
before or after you have moved. You may cast magic before
or after you have attacked.
To attempt to cast a spell, name a spell, and select any
number of mana dice from your pool of available mana dice.
Roll the dice: the total of the results is your casting value. If
the casting value is equal to or greater than the spell's target
number: the spell is cast; resolve the spell's effect. If the
casting value is less than the spell's target number: the spell
is not cast; do not resolve the spell's effects.
Regardless of the target number, a roll of 4 or less is always a
failure when casting.
After a casting attempt, whether successful or unsuccessful,
you may not attempt to cast that spell again in the same
game turn.
TARGET NUMBERS
Most spells have target numbers that are dependant on the
current wounds of the target unit.
Cantrips require that you roll equal to or higher than a target
number equal to the current wounds of the target unit.
5
Makings require that you roll equal to or higher than twice
the current wounds of the target unit.
The most powerful spells, Cataclysms, affect more than one
unit, and these always have a target number of 21.
MAGIC & LINE OF SIGHT
All Cantrips and Makings require line of sight, as per a
shooting attack, as they required you to target a unit.
Cataclysms do not require line of sight, and affect every unit
within range.
Schools Of Magic
CONJURATION
Ice Blast – Cantrip. Range 18”. Target unit is reduced to 0
Movement Points until the end of its next activation.
Fireball – Making. Range 18”. Target unit immediately
suffers D3 wounds.
Fire Storm – Cataclysm. Every enemy unit within 18" suffers
D3 wounds.
MALIDICTION
Weaken – Cantrip. Range 18". Target unit gains Weak until
the start of the caster's next player turn.
Shrink – Making. Range 18". Target unit gains Tiny until
the start of the caster's next player turn.
Decay – Cataclysm. Every enemy unit within 12" must roll
under its current wounds on 2D6 or suffer D6 wounds.
VITALITY
Growth – Making. Range 18". Target friendly unit gains
Monstrous until the start of the caster's next player turn.
Healing – Making. Range 18". Target friendly unit gains
D3+2 wounds, to a maximum of its starting wounds.
Breath of Life – Cataclysm. Every friendly unit within 12"
regains D3 wounds, to a maximum of its starting wounds.
NECROMANCY
By My Will – Cantrip. Range 12". Target unit may ignore
any weaknesses it possesses until the start of the caster's next
player turn.
Re-stitch – Making. Range 12". Target friendly non-
monster, non-war-machine unit gains D6 wounds, which
may cause the unit to exceed its starting wounds.
Raise Dead – Cataclysm. Place a new unit of Infantry with
the Clumsy weakness, and no other upgrades, anywhere
within 12". Placement of this new unit does not cause the
army's breaking point, which is established at the start of the
game, to be recalculated, but it does count for the purposes of
establishing if the army is currently broken or not.
ILLUSION
Spectral Horrors – Cantrip. Range 18". Target friendly
unit gains Merciless until the start of the caster's next player
turn.
6
Illusions – Making. Range 18". Target friendly unit gains
the Illusions strength until beginning of caster's next player
turn. Illusions: When engaged with an enemy unit at close-
quarters, establish the number of dice the attacker would
roll, and the number that the defender would roll when
counter-attacking. Swap these numbers between the two
units before rolling. E.g. if the attacking unit would
normally roll 3 dice when attacking, and the defending unit
would normally roll 10 dice when counter-attacking, the
attacker now attacks with 10 dice, and the defender now
counter-attacks with 3 dice.
Visions of Death – Cataclysm. Every enemy unit within 12"
gains Cowardly until the start of the caster's next player turn
PENUMBAL
Spectral Hand – Cantrip. Range 12”. Target friendly unit
gains Flying until the beginning of the caster's next player
turn.
Shadows Coil – Cantrip. Range 12”. Target friendly unit
gains the Defensive Position strength until the beginning of
the caster's next player turn.
Death's Carriage – Making. Range 12”. Target friendly unit
gains both the Hero and Trample strengths until the
beginning of the caster's next player turn.
Fortunes
In battle, some information is known, and some information
is hidden. Some situations may appear to be clear, but then
twist unexpectedly. Fortunes are "one shot" cards that allow
you to surprise your enemy with unexpected shifts in the
odds. They are dealt secretly at the start of the game, and
held hidden in your hand for the right moment to arise.
Each player draws one Fortune Card for each 1000pts (or
part thereof) in their army, and then two more if his general
is the Tactician.
In addition, whenever one of your units is removed as a
casualty, you may immediately either gain two mana dice, or
draw a new Fortune Card.
You may play Fortune Cards from your hand at various
times, as indicated on the cards. You must nominate a unit
when you play the Fortune Card. Most fortunes may be
played on either friendly or enemy units, unless noted.
FORTUNE CARDS
Shock and Awe – Play at the start of any combat. The
defending unit may not counter-attack during this combat.
Discard after use.
Moment of Glory – Play at the start of any combat. This
unit gains Elite until the end of the current player turn.
Discard after use.
Eldritch Protection – Play when a unit would be affected by
a spell. This unit ignores the effect of the spell. Discard
after use.
Against All Odds – Play when a unit looses its last wound.
Ignore all damage done to this unit. This unit now has 1
wound remaining. Discard after use.
Out Maneuvered – Play during the deployment phase, on a Healing Potion – Play at any time. The unit immediately
friendly unit that has already been deployed. Pick this unit regains 2 wounds, to a maximum of its starting wounds.
up and deploy it again. This counts as a unit deployment. Discard after use.
Discard after use.
Vanguard – Play at the end of the deployment phase, before
the first game turn begins. This unit may make an Determining Victory
immediate move. Discard after use.
STRATEGY CARDS
Cape of Despair – Play after an attack fails to wound a
friendly unit with an attack. The attacking unit immediately During setup of the game, randomly deal each player one of
takes 1 wound. Discard after use. the three Strategy Cards face down. Each Strategy Card has
a set of four victory conditions on it, which the player will
Terrifying Roar – Play at any time. Enemy units may not need to complete in order to earn victory points.
end a move within 3" of this unit, until the start of your next
player turn. Discard after use. STRATEGY CARD 1 – SLAUGHTER
Strong Wind – Play after a shooting attack wounds a 1. Kill the Commander
friendly unit. This unit may ignore the effects of this 2. Capture the Battle Standard
shooting attack. Discard after use. 3. Eliminate a Unit Type (secret)
4. Break the Enemy
Drive Them Back – Play after a unit wounds an enemy unit
with a shooting attack. The enemy unit is immediately STRATEGY CARD 2 – BESIEGED
pushed 4" directly backwards, stopping if it comes into 1. Capture the Battle Standard
contact with blocking terrain or another unit. Discard after 2. Hold Them Back
use. 3. Capture Landmark (secret)
Heroic Last Stand – Play when you are defending against an 4. Break the Enemy
enemy unit with more wounds remaining than your unit.
STRATEGY CARD 3 – TAKE GROUND
Your unit rolls 10 dice during its next counter-attack.
Discard after use. 1. Capture Three Quarters
2. Hold Them Back
Assassin – Play at any time. This unit gains Hero until the 3. Capture Landmark (secret)
end of the current player turn. Discard after use. 4. Break the Enemy
War Cry – Play at any time. This unit gains Frenzied until
the end of the current player turn. Discard after use. ENDING THE GAME
At the end of any unit's activation, if the opposing army is
Magic Sword – Play at any time. This unit gains +1 to
broken, you may reveal your Strategy Card and end the
Wound until the end of the current player turn. Discard
game immediately.
after use.
Daring Charge – Play at any time. This unit gains Trample VICTORY POINTS
until the end of the current player turn. Discard after use. At the end of the game, each player is awarded victory
points for the victory conditions he has completed on his
Feint – Play when a unit ends a movement point within 1"
own Strategy Card. He may not claim points for victory
of a unit it considers an enemy. The selected unit is
conditions not on his card.
immediately pushed 4" backwards. Discard after use.
Improvised missiles - Play at any time. This unit's range is
now 0-8" until the end of the current player turn. Discard Victory Conditions
after use.
Magic Shield - Play when a unit would suffer a wound. BREAK THE ENEMY
Discount one success before removing wounds. Discard Each army has a breaking point. An army is considered
after use. broken when more than 75% of its starting points value have
Magic Banner - Play when a unit would suffer wounds. been destroyed, or there is only one unit remaining. E.g. a
Halve the number of wounds suffered, rounding up. 3000 point army has a breaking point of 2250 points. If the
Discard after use. points value of units from this army removed from play
reaches or exceeds this number then that army is
Redeploy – Play at any time. The unit gains +2 Movement immediately considered to be broken.
Points until the end of the current player turn. Discard after
use. If you break the enemy, you may claim 1VP.

Scroll Of Occult Knowledge – Play when a unit makes a KILL THE COMMANDER
casting attempt. This unit gains +6 to this casting attempt. If you kill the enemy commander, you may claim 2VP.
Discard after use.

7
CAPTURE THE BATTLE STANDARD
If you capture the Battle Standard, and are holding it, you
may claim 2VP. If you have dropped it, you cannot claim
the victory points.
HOLD THEM BACK
If there are no enemy units even partially in your
deployment zone, you may claim 1VP. If there are no
enemy units even partially in your table half, you may
instead claim 2VP.
CAPTURE THREE QUARTERS
Divide the table into equal quarters. To control a table
quarter you must have at least one unit in it, and your
opponent cannot have more units than you it in. At the end
of the game, if you control any three of the table quarters,
you may claim 2VP.
ELIMINATE A UNIT TYPE
At the beginning of the game, before deployment, secretly
note down a unit type of which the opponent has 2 or more
units. If you destroy all the enemy units of the noted type,
you may claim 2VP.
If the opponent does not have 2 or more units or any one
unit type, treat this victory condition as Capture Three
Quarters instead.
CAPTURE LANDMARK
At the beginning of the game, before deployment, but after
terrain has been placed, secretly note down a piece of terrain
that is at least partially in the opposing players table half.
If the player has a friendly unit within 1" of the noted
terrain piece, you may claim 1VP. If there is a friendly unit
within 1" of the noted terrain piece and no enemy units
within 1" of the noted terrain piece, you may claim 2VP,
instead of 1VP.
3 Or More Players
INITIATIVE & DEPLOYMENT
Set up as for two players, with the following differences.
Roll for initiate to establish an order among the players.
Players deploy in that order, and then take player turns in
that order.
Each player must deploy in an 18" square, which must touch
a table edge, agreed amongst the players but selected in
initiative order. No unit may be deployed closer than 12"
from an enemy unit.
TURN SEQUENCE
Each player takes his player turn as normal, with the
opposing players making their counter-attacks.
DETERMINING VICTORY
The game ends immediately when more than half of the
players' armies are broken. At this point, each player gains
2VP for each Commander they killed, and 1VP for each
Battle Standard they captured during the game. Players are
awarded an additional 1VP for each enemy standard they are
8
holding at the end of the game. They lose 1VP if there
army is broken. In case of a tie, the player whose army is
not broken wins. In case of a tie at this point, the players tie
for victory.
Commander
Every army has exactly one Commander. During
Deployment, you must place your Commander token or
model into or beside any unit. This is the unit that the
Commander is marching to battle with, or perhaps the
monstrous beast he is riding into the fray upon.
The Commander isn't a "strength", although he may convey
one. You may place the Commander into a unit that already
has two strength upgrades.
Should the unit containing the Commander be removed for
any reason, the Commander is immediately removed from
play as a casualty.
When creating your army, your must choose what sort of a
leader commands your host. There are three options, and
you must select one as part of choosing your army: Warlord,
Sorcerer, or Tactician.
WARLORD
Once per game, before or after activating the Warlord's unit,
you may choose another friendly unit within 8". This unit
may immediate make a free attack, even if it has attacked
already this player turn.
The Warlord also conveys the Hero strength onto the unit
he joins, and so the unit rolls two additional attack dice (up
to a maximum of 12).
SORCERER
The Sorcerer conveys the Wizard strength onto the unit he
joins. Once per game, when attempting to cast a spell, the
unit containing the Sorcerer may choose to re-roll any
number of their dice during a single casting attempt.
TACTICIAN
Once per game, immediately after the deployment phase,
but before the start of the first game turn, you may pick up
and redeploy up to three friendly units. These units must be
deployed entirely within your deployment zone.
In addition, the Tactician allows you to draw an additional
two Fortune Cards at the start of the game.
Battle Standard
Every army has exactly one Battle Standard. During
Deployment, you must place your Battle Standard token or
model into or beside any unit. This is the unit that bears the
Battle Standard, or perhaps the chariot it is carried into the
fray upon.
All friendly units within 10" of the unit carrying the Battle
Standard gain the Stubborn strength, due to its inspiring
presence.
The Battle Standard does not count as a strength, so you to be printed on sheets of sticky labels (3x6, sliced in half) to
may place the Battle Standard into a unit that already has stick onto small playing cards or small blank cards.
two strengths.
SCALE
Should the unit containing the Battle Standard be
This game was written to play with "heroic" 28mm fantasy
destroyed, and there is an enemy unit within 1", then the
figures, of which I have many, but has also been play-tested
player controlling the nearby unit may immediately capture
with 6mm figures, of which I have some.
the Battle Standard. Place the model or token representing
the Battle Standard besides that unit. Otherwise, place the Hobgoblin will work perfectly well will 28mm, 15mm,
Battle Standard anywhere within 1" of the unit on the table 10mm, 6mm and 2mm miniatures. If you are using 10mm
(placed by the player whose turn it currently is). The Battle figures or smaller, it is recommended that you count all
Standard may be captured (or re-captured) at any time by a distances as centimeters instead of inches.
friendly or enemy unit within 1".
REPRESENTING FANTASY RACES
Once captured, the opposing army may make use of the
effect of the captured Battle Standard, as the sight of the This game was written with the rich variety of Tokien-esque
defaced and tattered flag of their enemy paraded back fantasy races in mind. That there is a single generic army
towards them raises the moral of the opposition warriors. list should not dissuade you from playing with dwarves, elves
or any other fantasy race. The trick is in selecting the right
strengths or weakness to capture the flavor. Here are some
suggestions:
Guidance
Elves: give units Elite, to represent their prowess in battle.
The preceding sections were all game rules. This section Put the commander token on a Monster with Flying as he
contains no rules, but provides some guidance or suggestions rides to battle on a dragon or griffon.
about how to get the most fun out of Hobgoblin as it was
intended to play. Dwarves: give units Stubborn, to represent their loyalty and
grumpiness. Give the War Machines the Elite strength, due
UNIT FOOTPRINTS to their incredible craftsmanship.
In the rules, we state that the number of models in a unit is Goblins: give units In-Fighting, to represent the unruly
of no concern to the game, and should be based on rabble, and give the Infantry units Horde.
aesthetics. Whilst this is true, representing a horde of
Undead: give the basic undead units Clumsy and Horde and
fighting men with a single 28mm figure on a 20mm square
be sure to take the Necromancy school of magic.
base is clearly not going to look good on the table, and also
will provide advantages in certain situations (e.g. allowing Ogres, Trolls, Minotaurs: Infantry units with the Monstrous
movement through small gaps). strength.
The following are recommendations for sensible looking Demons riding giant flies: Heavy Cavalry with the Flying
minimum & maximum unit footprints for each unit type, and Monstrous strengths.
when using 28mm figures:
And so on: you get the idea!
Suggested Suggested
Min/Max Frontage Min/Max Depth ARMY LIST BUILDER
Infantry 80mm/250mm 40mm/150mm An army list builder may be downloaded from our website
Infantry (Horde) 80mm/250mm 80mm/200mm as a spreadsheet, or as a template for the Quartermaster App
Missile Troops 80mm/250mm 40mm
for iOS: http://gasland-games.co.uk/hobgoblin
Foot Knights 80mm/250mm 40mm
Light Cavalry 100mm/250mm 50mm
Heavy Cavalry 100mm/250mm 50mm
Monster 50mm/150mm 50mm/150mm
All text copyright Mike Hutchinson, 2015.
Chariot 50mm 100mm
Gasland-Games.co.uk
War Machine 50mm 50mm
These rules are currently in beta for the purposes of playtesting.
War Beasts 80mm/250mm 40mm/150mm
Please let me know any suggestions or comments by emailing
mike@gasland-games.co.uk
CARDS
In this PDF file, you will find sheets of upgrade cards, unit
summary cards, strategy cards, and magic cards. The
simplest option is to print these out and have the pages
nearby to make reference to. However, you may choose to
cut them out, maybe even sleeve them with plastic card
sleeves, to create cards that you can pop down on the table
next to the unit to mark their unit type and their upgrades or
spells. That is up to you. I have designed the upgrade cards
9
10
2"
Open

0 – 24"

0 – 1"
0 – 1"
0 – 1"
0 – 1"

RANGE

RANGE
RANGE
RANGE
RANGE

2"
2"
2"

2+
3+
4+
4+

5+

2.5"
Infantry

Open
Open
Open
Open

Infantry Infantry Infantry Infantry

3+
2+
3+
3+

5+
Missile Troops Missile Troops Missile Troops Missile Troops Missile Troops

3+
4+
5+
5+

6+
Foot Knights Foot Knights Foot Knights Foot Knights Foot Knights

6+
3+
4+
4+

5+
Light Cavalry Light Cavalry Light Cavalry Light Cavalry Light Cavalry

2"
Rough

4+
5+
6+
6+

6+
Heavy Cavalry Heavy Cavalry Heavy Cavalry Heavy Cavalry Heavy Cavalry

Chariot
INFANTRY
INFANTRY

6+
6+
6+
6+

6+
Monster Monster Monster Monster Monster

1.5"
1.5"
1.5"
1.5"

FOOT KNIGHTS
Missile Troops

6+

Rough
Rough
Rough
Rough

5+
4+
5+
5+

Chariot Chariot Chariot Chariot Chariot

6+
2+
2+
2+

6+
War Machine War Machine War Machine War Machine War Machine

double the number of successes before wounds are applied.

5+

3+
3+
3+
3+

War Beast War Beast War Beast War Beast War Beast

Stiff Breeze: When defending at close-quarters, the attacker may

2.5"

0 – 1"
Open
RANGE

0 – 1"
0 – 1"

RANGE

8 – 48"
0 – 10"

RANGE
RANGE
RANGE

-
3"
3"

4+
5+
2+
5+

2+
2.5"

Infantry Infantry Infantry Infantry

Open
Open
Open
Open

Infantry

6+
4+
2+
4+

3+
Missile Troops Missile Troops Missile Troops Missile Troops Missile Troops

4+
6+
4+
5+

3+
Foot Knights Foot Knights Foot Knights Foot Knights Foot Knights

6+
4+
3+
4+

4+
Light Cavalry Light Cavalry Light Cavalry Light Cavalry Light Cavalry
2.5"
Rough

4+
6+
4+
5+

4+
Heavy Cavalry Heavy Cavalry Heavy Cavalry Heavy Cavalry Heavy Cavalry
Monster

3+
6+
5+
6+

War Beasts
4+

Monster Monster Monster Monster Monster

-
War Machine
3"
2"
2.5"
LIGHT CAVALRY

HEAVY CAVALRY

Rough
Rough
Rough
Rough

4+
5+
4+
4+

2+

Chariot Chariot Chariot Chariot Chariot

4+
2+
4+
2+

2+

War Machine War Machine War Machine War Machine War Machine

double the number of successes before wounds are applied.

2+

6+
4+
3+
4+

War Beast War Beast War Beast War Beast War Beast

Stiff Breeze: When defending at close-quarters, the attacker may

Magic Quick Reference

CONJURATION
Ice Blast – Cantrip. Range 18”. Target unit is reduced to 0
Movement Points until the end of its next activation.
Fireball – Making. Range 18”. Target unit immediately
suffers D3 wounds.
Fire Storm – Cataclysm. Every enemy unit within 18" suffers
D3 wounds.
MALIDICTION
Weaken – Cantrip. Range 18". Target unit gains Weak until
the start of the caster's next player turn.
Shrink – Making. Range 18". Target unit gains Tiny until
the start of the caster's next player turn.
Decay – Cataclysm. Every enemy unit within 12" must roll
under its current wounds on 2D6 or suffer D6 wounds.
ILLUSION
Spectral Horrors – Cantrip. Range 18". Target friendly
unit gains Merciless until the start of the caster's next player
turn.
Illusions – Making. Range 18". Target friendly unit gains
the Illusions strength until beginning of caster's next player
turn. Illusions: When engaged with an enemy unit at close-
quarters, establish the number of dice the attacker would
roll, and the number that the defender would roll when
counter-attacking. Swap these numbers between the two
units before rolling. E.g. if the attacking unit would
normally roll 3 dice when attacking, and the defending unit
would normally roll 10 dice when counter-attacking, the
attacker now attacks with 10 dice, and the defender now
counter-attacks with 3 dice.
Visions of Death – Cataclysm. Every enemy unit within 12"
gains Cowardly until the start of the caster's next player turn.

PENUMBAL
VITALITY Spectral Hand – Cantrip. Range 12”. Target friendly unit
Growth – Making. Range 18". Target friendly unit gains gains Flying until the beginning of the caster's next player
Monstrous until the start of the caster's next player turn. turn.

Healing – Making. Range 18". Target friendly unit gains
D3+2 wounds, to a maximum of its starting wounds.
Breath of Life – Cataclysm. Every friendly unit within 12"
regains D3 wounds, to a maximum of its starting wounds.
Shadows Coil – Cantrip. Range 12”. Target friendly unit
gains the Defensive Position strength until the beginning of
the caster's next player turn.
Death's Carriage – Making. Range 12”. Target friendly unit
gains both the Hero and Trample strengths until the
beginning of the caster's next player turn.

NECROMANCY
By My Will – Cantrip. Range 12". Target unit may ignore
any weaknesses it possesses until the start of the caster's next
player turn.
Re-stitch – Making. Range 12". Target friendly non-
monster, non-war-machine unit gains D6 wounds, which
may cause the unit to exceed its starting wounds.
Raise Dead – Cataclysm. Place a new unit of Infantry with
the Clumsy weakness, and no other upgrades, anywhere
within 12". Placement of this new unit does not cause the
army's breaking point, which is established at the start of the
game, to be recalculated, but it does count for the purposes of
establishing if the army is currently broken or not.

11
Building an Army Quick Reference
A unit costs a basic amount of points, based on its unit type.
A strength costs a number of extra points, and a single unit
Movement Movement Rate Attack
may not buy more than two strengths. A weakness Points Range
Open Rough
discounts the cost of the unit by an amount, and a single
Infantry 4 2" 1.5" 0–1"
unit may not buy more than one weakness.
Missile Troops 4 2" 2" 0–24"
We recommend both players select an army of equal points
Foot Knights 4 2" 1.5" 0–1"
values, with 3,000 to 4,000 points providing a game of
between 60-120mins. Light Cavalry 4 3" 2.5" 0–10"
Heavy Cavalry 4 2.5" 2" 0–1"
You do not need to pay for your Commander or Battle
Standard: those come for free. Otherwise, there are no Monster 4 2.5" 2.5 0–1"
restrictions on army composition. Chariot 4 2.5" 1.5" 0–1"
War Machine 0 - - 8–48"
War Beasts 4 3" 3" 0–1"
Army List
Unit Type Points
Infantry 250

Missile Troops

Heavy Cavalry

War Machine
Light Cavalry
Foot Knights
Missile Troops 250

War Beast
Monster
Infantry
Foot Knights 430

Chariot
Light Cavalry 370 ! Attacker

Heavy Cavalry 550 Infantry 4+ 3+ 5+ 4+ 6+ 6+ 5+ 2+ 3+

Monster 700 Missile 5+ 5+ 6+ 5+ 6+ 6+ 6+ 6+ 5+

Chariot 270 Foot Knights 3+ 2+ 4+ 3+ 5+ 6+ 4+ 2+ 3+

War Machine 320 Light Cav. 5+ 4+ 5+ 4+ 5+ 6+ 4+ 2+ 4+

Heavy Cav. 2+ 2+ 4+ 3+ 4+ 5+ 4+ 4+ 3+
War Beasts 180
Monster 2+ 3+ 3+ 4+ 4+ 4+ 2+ 2+ 2+
Chariot 2+ 3+ 3+ 6+ 4+ 6+ 5+ 6+ 3+
Strength Points Weakness Points War Machine 4+ 6+ 4+ 6+ 4+ 3+ 4+ 4+ 6+
Horde 150 Clumsy -100 War Beasts 5+ 4+ 6+ 4+ 6+ 6+ 5+ 2+ 4+
Wizard 100 In-fighting -100
Elite 100 Cowardly -100
Ambush 100 Stiff Breeze -100
Hero 70 Weak -70
Skirmishers 70 Tiny -70
Mounted War Machine 70 Slow -50
Missile Fire 70 Uncontrolled -50
Indirect Fire 50
Frenzied 50
Flying 50
Merciless 50
Monstrous 50
Shield Wall 50
Stubborn 50
Pikes 30
Trample 30
Swift 20
Stakes 10
Rangers 10

12