Rule doubts Thread - Draconian Wars

Hi everyone and welcome to Draconian Wars!
Since Draconian Wars introduces new game mechanics that are not common to other games, it can create some initial confusion. In this post I'll try to explain the more typical questions. Remember that almost every question is answered in the tutorials, so don't be afraid of replay them as many times as you feel necessary.

Combat Explanation
Combat is explained in the fourth tutorial "Extract & Combat Tutorial".
The numbers at the bottom of the units, from left to right, are: Force, Skill, and Armor. The force is how strong they are in combat. Skill represents their tactical knowledge. Armor is the amount of damage they can absorb and how difficult is to hit them with weapons. These numbers are important for combat.The combat may seem complex, but it's not. Following there is a short explanation:
- The combat is divided in three steps. Before each step players have the opportunity of playing disrupts or activate activated abilities.
- The first step is combat fate step. In this step, each player adds the total skill of his units in combat. If the total is equal or grater than four, then that player draws combat fate. When you draw combat fate, you take the top card of the your main deck and note its fate number (number at the top right corner of the card). Combat fate represents the inevitable casualties of war, thus, units are damaged as a result. Players have to absorb the combat fate of their opponents. To absorb combat fate you have to damage units with a total combined armor equal or grater than your opponent's combat fate. If you don't have units with enough total armor, you have to damage all of them.
- The next step is the Force step. In this step, each player adds the total force of his units, plus the combat fate drawn in the previous step (if any). The player with the highest total force is the combat winner. The loser has to absorb the combat damage, which is the difference between the winner's force and loser's force. Previous damaged units absorb combat damage. This usually means that any unit damaged in the combat fate step will absorb damage. To absorb damage you have two options: damage units in combat or discard cards. Each unit absorb combat damage equal to its armor value. Each card you discard reduces your combat damage in 1.
Total Force = Combat fate (if any) + Units' total force
Combat Damage = Winner's total force - Loser's total force - Loser's damaged units' armor
- The last step is Regroup step. In this step each player discards his damaged units.
That's it! It's a long explanation, but as I said, it's a lot easier than it seems. Just replay the fourth tutorial and play a couple of games, and you'll get it. The battle panel gives you all the information, so you can always know how much combat fate you and your opponent draw, the total force of both, and the combat damage left.
Thanks for your interest, and if you have any doubt, please, don't hesitate to ask.

Edited by: DonPio

So the combat fate (that's already been absorbed )is added AGAIN during the force step?

I think a large part of the problem is that we're never presented a log we can look at to see exactly what's going on. As a new player, at each phase of combat I just see a lot of flashing lights and numbers flipping around, and then I'm told if there's damage to assign.

If the combat fate weren't added again during the force step, previous damaged units would "only" absorb combat damage. In that way, it would be very unlikely that players would ever have to absorb combat damage discarding cards or damaging more units.

I've read and re-read that dozens of times and can still make no sense of..

- previous damaged units would "only" absorb combat damage -

yes, verses combat damage + fate damage that they've already absorbed which is exactly what's at issue.

I am new as well and have ran through the tutorials a bunch of times. The explanation above certainly helps. I think one of the issues I have is that when I add the the skill numbers on my side of the tutorial I get a different number than what the tutorial says. (7 instead of 5). I think it has to do with a gound unit in an air unit maybe? Are there rules that one has to be aware of when adding?

Thanks!!

still-unchained wrote: I've read and re-read that dozens of times and can still make no sense of..

- previous damaged units would "only" absorb combat damage -

yes, verses combat damage + fate damage that they've already absorbed which is exactly what's at issue.

Ok, let me show an example.
Let say you and I are playing a game. In an area you have Finley Brothers and Cacique, and in the same area I have Xahlotet. You start a combat in that area. You have a total skill of 5, thus, you draw combat fate. You get a 4. The skill of Xahlotet is 3, not enough to draw combat fate, therefore, my combat fate is 0. Now I have to absorb you combat fate, which is 4. I damage Xahlotet, the only unit I have. Now we move to the combat force step. Your total force is 4+3+4 = 11. My total force is 4, thus, I lose the combat by 7. In other words, I have to absorb a combat damage of 7. Because Xahlotet is already damaged, it reduces the combat damage by its armor, which is 5. The final combat damage I have to absorb is 2. I have no more units in that area, then, I have to discard two cards from my hand, or from any pile.
If the combat fate wasn't added during the combat force step, your total force would be 7, I would lose the combat by 3, and because Xhalotet armor is 5, I wouldn't need to discard any card.
I hope this clarifies everything.

Jackgist wrote: I am new as well and have ran through the tutorials a bunch of times. The explanation above certainly helps. I think one of the issues I have is that when I add the the skill numbers on my side of the tutorial I get a different number than what the tutorial says. (7 instead of 5). I think it has to do with a gound unit in an air unit maybe? Are there rules that one has to be aware of when adding?

Thanks!!

Hi Jackgist and welcome to Draconian Wars,
There is an errata in that tutorial. We're preparing a new patch that will correct that error. As you say, the correct skill total is 7.
Cheers.

Thanks DonPio- That makes me happy because that was throwing me off everytime!! I appreciate your patience!!! Off to do battle!!