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

Rules assistance for Battles of Westeros: Brotherhood Without Banners
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Battles of Westeros: Brotherhood Without Banners is an expansion for Battles of Westeros released in 2011 for 2 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 13 and up. It was designed by Robert A. Kouba and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Dice Rolling, and Campaign / Battle Card Driven.
Game description from the publisher: Brotherhood Without Banners introduces players to a new ally force that can supplement a primary House's forces, such as House Stark or House Lannister from the Core Set, through regular play or Skirmish rules. With new unit types, a rulebook with four new scenarios, new cards, new commanders, and even more, this expansion will bring greater variety to your Battles of Westeros experience and awesome power to your House’s cause! Ally yourself with three new commanders, sworn to protect the smallfolk against all who would harm them: Lord Beric Dondarrion, Anguy "the Archer", and Thoros of Myr. Dubbed the "Lightning Lord", Beric's sigil is a forked lightning bolt, and his weapon a flaming sword. Swift in battle, he is a leader who will stand against any enemy. Anguy is an archer with a reputation across Westeros for devastating accuracy and can avoid capture by using his surroundings to his advantage. The red priest of R'hllor, Thoros of Myr, is a formidable warrior but his greatest strength is in his ability to assist his fallen Brotherhood members... The Brotherhood units continue the Battles of Westeros trend of representing ally forces with tan-colored miniatures. However, unlike all other Battles of Westeros sets, Brotherhood Without Banners does not include any banner or pole components, as these outlaw warriors neither answer to a liege lord nor ride under any flag. These units do not follow normal activation rules and are controlled through a new mechanism: Brotherhood tokens. This expansion also features new thematic keywords, such as Call to Arms and Scrapper. Call to Arms represents the Brotherhood's ability to incite the local peasantry to take up arms and join them on the battlefield. Scrapper is attributed to units who are stubborn and hardy fighters, aggressive even when defending.
Battles of Westeros: Brotherhood Without Banners supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Battles of Westeros: Brotherhood Without Banners is 60 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.
The catalogue lists Battles of Westeros: Brotherhood Without Banners for ages 13 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Battles of Westeros: Brotherhood Without Banners has a complexity rating of 3.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight 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.
Battles of Westeros: Brotherhood Without Banners belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Fighting, and Wargame. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Dice Rolling, and Campaign / Battle Card Driven. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Battles of Westeros: Brotherhood Without Banners are: Robert A. Kouba. 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 Battles of Westeros: Brotherhood Without Banners as an expansion for Battles of Westeros. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Battles of Westeros to use it. Check that your edition of Battles of Westeros is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.