- BGG rank
- BGG #5,246
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Warmaster
- 2–4 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 2.9/5
- 2000
- BGG rank
- BGG #11,311
- BGG rating
- 7.2
The Battle of Five Armies
2005
Rules assistance for The Battle of Five Armies
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 120 min
- 10+
- Complexity 3.2/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for The Battle of Five Armies
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Battle of Five Armies is a board game released in 2005 for 2 players, 120 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Rick Priestley and its main mechanics are Simulation.
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About the game
This is a self contained miniatures battle game based on the Battle of the Five Armies in J.R.R Tolkien's book "The Hobbit". It uses 10mm miniature figure blocks for each of the forces present. The game system is based on Warmaster also by Games Workshop. The game comes with all the unpainted plastic miniatures and terrain, an unpainted plastic modular hill and a colour printed cardstock river, needed to play the game. The miniatures can be clipped together to be able to play the game relatively quickly, or they can be glued together and painted by those who want a more satisfying visual miniatures game. The main scenario of the game is the Battle of Five Armies, but rules are included to allow design of your own scenarios. The game was expanded by metal miniatures sold separately in blister packs, but these are no longer available. The rules to include these are included in the game box.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Games Workshop Ltd.
Questions and answers
The Battle of Five Armies 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 The Battle of Five Armies 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.
The catalogue lists The Battle of Five Armies 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.
The Battle of Five Armies has a complexity rating of 3.2 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.
The Battle of Five Armies belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Wargame, and Miniatures. Its main mechanics are Simulation. 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 The Battle of Five Armies are: Rick Priestley. 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 The Battle of Five Armies 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.