
- BGG rank
- BGG #473
- BGG rating
- 7.7
BattleLore: Second Edition
- 2 players
- 45–90 min
- Complexity 2.7/5
- 2013

1997
Rules assistance for Armies of Arcana
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Armies of Arcana is a board game released in 1997 for 2–8 players and 120 minutes per game. It was designed by Thane Morgan.
Armies of Arcana is a set of miniature rules for fantasy figures, along the same lines as Warhammer Fantasy Battle but with a different focus in way play is balanced. The rules accommodate both 15mm and 25mm figures. From publisher (Nov 2009): Armies of Arcana 5th Edition Softcover Rule book (Published by Terrain Warehouse) Armies of Arcana, fifth edition is a major revamp of the fourth and is in full colour. It contains 132 pages including templates and reference charts. Though this is a new edition it has not reworked the original rules only reorganised the layout for better reading. Most sections have been rewritten with the purpose of clarity. The fourth edition was published in 2002 and as such was not a true fourth version of the rules more of a combining of the three separate editions. The fifth edition brings the publication up to today’s high standards. So what’s different or new, what have we done? Well the main thing we have done is to combined the last few years of work on the forum with the existing edition and to expand the scope of the concept which is Arcana. The fifth edition will not come alone it now comes complete with a new Armies of Acrana website. The Book First it’s now all colour with a new foreword and introduction in which we expanded the background of Arcana to give it some extra meaning. Then the book is divided into sections, the first is the basics principles with a new learn to play section for those who are new to wargaming. The second section contains all the turn sequences reworked to follow the actual turn sequence. Again some sections have been updated to follow what has been developed for the forum, especially the flying section. The next section is ‘To Battle’ - this has had a major reworking. We have added terrain generators, a new scenario - Attrition, tournament rules. In the army building section we have revamped the vehicle, war machine and creature creation parts all now carry example of how to make them and are much easier to read and use. The spells have had little done to them other than some realigning by Thane. The last section contains the army lists and templates. There are now 23 official army lists plus the monsters list.
Armies of Arcana supports 2–8 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Armies of Arcana is 120 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
Armies of Arcana has a complexity rating of 2.7 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Armies of Arcana belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Wargame, and Miniatures. Categories describe the theme, setting and style of a game rather than its rules. Filter the catalogue by the same category to find similar games when you enjoyed Armies of Arcana and want something comparable for your next game night.
The credited designers of Armies of Arcana are: Thane Morgan. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Armies of Arcana as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.