
- BGG rating
- 5.8
Diskwars: Acolytes of Timorran
- 2–8 players
- 45 min
- 1999

1999
Rules assistance for Diskwars
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Diskwars is a board game released in 1999 for 2–8 players, 90 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Tom Jolly, Christian T. Petersen, Darrell Hardy, and Tod Gelle and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers and Action Points.
GAME SYSTEM This entry is to allow for discussion/rating of the game system as a whole. It is not for a specific product or release. Versions will appear on the individual item pages. A Fantasy themed miniatures wargame without the miniatures. Will you play as the ubiquitous Elves, the barbaric Uthuk Yllan, the stalwart Dwarves, the vile Undead, the medieval Knights, the desert dwelling Acolytes, the mighty Dragon kin, or the vicious Orcs? Players choose a faction from the eight available in the base game and an army point value for the battle. Each must then build an army using the double-sided cardboard disks and battle it out. At least half of the army points must be from one faction and the remaining points are made up of like aligned or neutral disks and spells. Each double-sided disk represents either a faction homeland (your starting area), a terrain (ruins, forest, swamp etc... with effects on combat and line of sight), a spell(levels 1-3), a missile or one unit with its alignment (Good, Neutral, or Evil) with values for its Attack, Defense, Toughness, Movement and the army point cost of the disk. The disks have varying sizes (Giants and Dragons tend to be larger) and most units have a wide variety special abilities such as flying, the spell-casting ability or the missile ability to launch boulders, bolts, arrows or fireballs for example. Players take it in turn activating 3 units(disks) and resolving battles, casting spells, and firing missiles. Activated Unit disks are moved around the table by flipping them end over end a number of times up to their movement value. If the disk lands on top of an opposing army disk a battle ensues with the top disk (the attacker) doing its attack damage value to the lower disk (the defender) who applies its defense value to the attacker if the damage is equal or greater to either unit's toughness it is either wounded or killed. Combats can involve numerous disks upon top of each other and are resolved top down. Missiles can be fired by missile capable units at disks within range by dropping them upon the target from a foot above the table. Those which land upon the target do damage otherwise they miss or can hit other disks they land on. This can result in 'friendly fire' damage on your own troops and adds an element of luck/dexterity to the game. The game rules come with multiple scenarios that accommodate 2 to 8 players. The victory goal of each scenario can vary from king of the hill, to enemy elimination, to just about any combat scenario victory condition one could imagine.
Diskwars 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 Diskwars is 90 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 Diskwars for ages 10 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.
Diskwars has a complexity rating of 2.4 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.
Diskwars belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Wargame, and Collectible Components. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers and Action Points. 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 Diskwars are: Tom Jolly, Christian T. Petersen, Darrell Hardy, and Tod Gelle. 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 Diskwars 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.