MORTAL GODS by Andy Hobday

by Maciej Sokolowski September 15, 2019

In today’s article, I will be reviewing Mortal Gods by Andy Hobday and Footsore Miniatures.

Mortal Gods is set during a time when Ancient Greece was formed by State-Cities. The cities were all at war with each other, fighting for wealth, fame and new land. Occasionally Greece was attacked by external enemies, forcing the State-Cities to ally to fight off the invaders.

Mortal Gods is based on mechanics very similar to Test of Honour by Andy Hobday. Each of the heroes and units has he’s own roster card. All the stats needs are listed on the cards. Most of the actions in the game are resolved by a roll of the special D6 dice. Instead of numbers, they are marked with a sword, two swords, shield, andPegasus. You will still need a standard D6 for some of the actions. The sequence of the game is determined by drawing an action marker from a bag (Black for heroes and white for companions). During the draw you can pull out a red token, the first two will activate an Omen and the third one will end the turn. Omens add more excitement to the battle as they can help you or go totally against you…are the Gods on your side? Have you sacrificed enough for them?

Damage markers are represented by a set of specially marked D6 dice. These dice will help you track the level of injury your men have caused your opponents.

Another set of cards will represent gifts and injuries that your heroes can get.

The box set contains:

38 x plastic Victrix Ancient Greek miniatures, made up of the following:

2 x Mercenary Hoplite frames (16 miniatures)

1 x Unarmoured hoplite frames (8 miniatures)

1 x Peltast frame (8 miniatures)

3 x Mini slinger frames (6 miniatures)

This provides you two equal-sized medium forces or one large force. The box contents can be used to represent Mercenary Greek Lochoi or other cities, with a simple painting solution.

Bases - singles and groups

2 x movement sticks

The Mortal Gods Rulebook

10 x Mortal Gods Dice (white & black)

15 x Damage Dice (red & white)

1 x D6

2 x Quick Reference Sheet (one on the back of the rulebook)

97 x Lochos Roster Cards, including Phalanx Cards

30 x Gift Cards

30 x Omen Cards

5 x Injury Cards

20 x White activation markers

20 x Back activation markers

3 x Red Omen markers

The rules for Mortal Gods are very well written, easy to learn and follow. Beautifully illustrated 32 pages rulebook contains a short story about ancient warfare, all the rules, and scenarios. The game is dynamic and full of action, the typical game takes around 60-90 minutest to complete. Perfect game time for a tournament.

As a player, you take control of Lochos, a small band of warriors that are ready to defend their homeland. Firstly, you select a leader (Lochagos) who will lead the group of brave fighters. What is a unit without an inspirational leader who can change the course of the battle? Once your leader is appointed, you have an option of selecting your hero. The hero does not have to be a warrior, he can be a healer or a seer. Do not forget to select your companions, these are your brave soldiers of Greece ready to die for you.

Now your warband is ready for some action. The game is played in turns and each turn has a specific sequence. Players draw tokens from the bag, the colour of the token will represent which unit can be activated. Once the player finishes all his actions, he passes the bag to his opponent who then draws from the bag. This will continue until all units have been activated, or a third red token is pulled out subsequently ending the turn.

Combat mechanics are very simple to follow! firstly you roll the dice, the number determines if your attack was successful, then the opponent rolls for defence. If you managed to score hits, you will roll for damage to determine how many injuries will be caused to your enemy. This is applied to both melee and ranged attacks.

One of the most spectacular rules is the ability to form your hoplites in the phalanx. Three units of hoplites can join together and create a very strong unit with fantastic defence stats. You want to charge them? well, firstly you need to pass the courage test.