Battle for York

Play Details: 2-4 Players, 60 Minutes, Ages 12+

Artillery_Red

Artillery Card

“This is a game I can play with my friends and walk away with new enemies. I love it.”         -Dave Miotke, tester

The Empire is in shambles after centuries of misrule. The imperial family has left with what’s left of the treasury and old rivalries have flared up in the vacuum. The time has come to determine the future of the Empire and its people. Take command of your faction, lead them to victory, and return York to its former glory.

The map of York for 2 and 4 player games.

I’ve long wanted to design a war game. It’s not only my favorite genre of board game, but also one of the most crowded. Not merely crowded, but it’s packed with outstanding games, ranging from the beautifully accessible Memoir ’44, the wonderful 1812: The Invasion of Canada, Heroscape, ShogunConflict of Heroes, and recently the ridiculously innovative Risk: Legacy.

Early prototype components

Battle for York is accessible, fast-paced, rich with player interaction, and plays with up to 4 players with 4 unique factions, all in a short one hour play period. The game also features a tutorial faction to make it easier for new players to get into the game. The game features no dice and instead gives each player an Army deck using 5 simple card types, each with only a number and symbol: Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery, General, and Scout. That’s it.

“York is a fun strategy war game that plays much more quickly and smoothly than most. As you lead your conquest against your friends, you will need to balance your short and long term goals with the strength of your faction. Personally, I really enjoy the lightweight and sneaky abilities of the Militia to the more aggressive or defensive proper military factions… even when I, rarely, lose.” – Isaac Epp, tester

soldier

Infantry Card

Cards are played to add Reinforcements to the board, but more importantly, to activate powerful Tactics and Special Maneuvers. These do things like Infantry Charges, Ambushes, or sending the enemy False Orders. The uncertainty of the cards drawn paired with the actions of your opponents will allow for a great deal of variety that’s easy to learn. If you’re put off by war games, here’s a secret: Battle for York is about cube manipulation, area control, hand management, and conflict. This isn’t a typical war-game.

The Scout card

The Scout card

I’m also excited by how expandable the core system is. I already see great potential for small and large expansions that add leaders, new armies (i.e. new decks with new Tactics), new maps, naval combat, and more.

Cavalry_Blue

Cavalry Card

All told, Battle for York is a unique game that works just at well at lunch, game night, or the Thanksgiving table after dinner. The game is finished and has been sent to the printer. It will be available for purchase via Print & Play Productions in the near future.

General_Yellow

General Card

Battle for York has been tested at GenCon, via the Prototype Penpal Program, and at Protospiel Milwaukee (in additional to countless personal tests). If you have any thoughts, comments, or questions regarding Battle for York, please . I’m also looking for a publisher, so inquiries along that path are also perfectly fine.

photo (1)

Below are some helpful links!

  • Visual Reference
  • Board Game Geek Page
  • Details on Production for Battle for York
  • Rules for Battle for York
  • The Hyperbole Games Facebook Page
  • The walk-through video

18 thoughts on “Battle for York

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  3. How has pinterest been for organizing info? Have you used it more than just visual reference? I have a pmwiki and a blog for organizing some ideas, but I wouldn’t mind something more visual. What sort of content can you post/link on there?

    • I use Pinterest primarily for visual reference (i.e. something I would show to an illustrator I hire to create art for the game) and just for thematic inspiration. For example, when searching for Empire Reborn I discovered that Camel Artillery is a thing. Very helpful. Looking up the Native Americans versus T. Roosevelt’s Rough Riders gave me inspiration for two different army types. Pinterest is only for posting images. Honestly, it’s free — you should just get it and try it for yourself.

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  5. Thanks again Grant for allowing us to play test your game at GenCon. I cant wait for this game to hit the market!

    • It was a pleasure! GenCon was really awesome. If you have time, I’d love for you to check out the rules (linked above) which show the new board, new cards, new reference boards, and new rules. I’d love your input. I hope to have a Print-and-Play available in a few weeks.

      • Absolutely fantastic changes! I love the explainations of the rules in such detail. The ability to read the rules and understand what other players are capiable is also invaluable. The board is much cleaner and easier to understand. You have done so much amazing work on this game, we can’t wait to try it again!

        • Awesome, glad to hear you’re excited. Adam Goodmurphy, one of the GenCon testers, has been playing the old prototype and the new changes. He’s been very positive so far (and has made many great suggestions to improve it further). I’m very optimistic.

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