Diplomachine Rules (Ver 1.0) : Introduction/Tutorial
Diplomachine Rules (Ver 1.0) : Introduction/Tutorial
Diplomachine Rules (Ver 1.0) : Introduction/Tutorial
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Introduction/Tutorial
Diplomachine is a 2-4 hour grand strategy experience where teams of players compete to
control the war torn iron kingdoms with Brawlmachine armies.
https://wartable.online/games/-Mf9rOTPcbbs8lcGjKrP/copy
If this is any player's first game of Diplomachine, read the following and allow the new players to
resolve the orders as presented. Note that each warcaster (representing a single player and
their army) gives one order per round, and all orders are resolved simultaneously, this is simply
an order to explain them in, and the full rules are available after the tutorial.
War is on the horizon for the Iron Kingdoms. Proudly independent Llael is caught between two
larger powers, and corruption among its rulers has given Khador an opportunity to invade.
1. The Butcher has pushed far ahead of his allied forces, ADVANCING from Laedry into
the Llaelese capital of Merywen. There is no real defense, so control of the territory
would switch to the Khadoran coalition if all else goes well.
2. Sorscha Kratikoff was ordered to assist her hated rival, so ADVANCES from Khardov
into the Laedry territory, where she is met with fierce resistance.
3. Ashlynn D'Elyse has marshalled what remains of the Llaelese military and attempted to
stop the Khadorans before they could reach the capital, but failed to intercept the
Butcher in time. She also ADVANCES from Rynyr into Laedry, which will cause a
Brawlmachine fight between her army and Sorscha's.
4. Ashlynn has prepared for this fight, calling on her Cygnaran ally Allister Caine to
SUPPORT her fight from the Thornwood into Laedry.
5. Sorscha, seeing that she would have to fight both Ashlynn’s army and Caine’s support
card, and not caring whether the Butcher lives or dies, decides to RETREAT from the
territory rather than fight the combined forces. This takes her off the board and next
round she would appear un-weakened in her coalition capital.
6. Ashlynn now gains control of Laedry, cutting off the supply lines for the overextended
Khadoran force. At the end of this round, Butcher's army will become WEAKENED
because he cannot trace a continuous path of friendly territory back to his coalition
capital. While WEAKENED, an army cannot control territory and must RETREAT if it
fights again before completing a HOLD order in friendly-controlled and supplied territory.
7. However, the Butcher still manages to control the territory before running out of supplies,
and the fall of the Llaelese coalition capital leaves Ashlynn without a nation to support
her. She refuses to become a VASSAL to her conqueror, and instead continues as an
IRREGULAR force - unable to control territory, but a constant thorn in their side.
With open conflict between Cygnar and Khador, all the factions of the Iron Kingdoms assemble
for an all-out war, forging alliances in an attempt to control the continent.
Remove the tutorial armies and order tokens, then evenly distribute the players into between 2
and 4 coalitions. See the faction setup section for each faction’s starting territory, event cards
and support card.
At the end of each round, all armies not involved in a battle simultaneously resolve an order.
After resolving orders, reveal and complete one event card. The coalition who controls the most
Victory tokens when the infernal invasion begins wins the game.
Full Rules
Diplomachine is a 2-4 hour grand strategy experience where teams of players compete to
control the war torn Iron Kingdoms with Brawlmachine armies.
Each player will need to bring a single 25 point Brawlmachine list with a different
warcaster/warlock from all other players, as well as two event cards and a single support card
that matches their faction (see the faction setup section for details).
The Coalition with the most victory tokens under their control when the infernal invasion card is
resolved wins the game. If 2 or more coalitions have the same number of victory tokens at that
point, use the following tiebreakers to determine which coalition wins:
1. Most Hub tokens controlled
2. Most Athanc tokens controlled
3. Most Bounty tokens controlled
4. Most Objective tokens controlled
If there’s still a tie, then both coalitions win simultaneously.
Setup
First choose whether to play as a single real-time session (where rounds are 10 minutes long
and battles can take multiple rounds), or to play as a league (where rounds last for a day or
more and all battles are resolved before moving on to the next order). The rules will assume that
you are playing real-time, and will call out any differences necessary for league play.
Place a Hub token in each of Merin, Merywen and Ghord. Place an Athanc token in Iryss.
Form players into 2-4 coalitions. For all game purposes, coalitions are considered to be on the
same side - no player can leave the coalition and they win and lose as a group. Players (and all
related armies, tokens and territories) are considered “friendly” to all players in their same
coalition, and “enemy” to all other coalitions (though you can still form temporary alliances and
even support them in battle)
Coalitions start with control of all territories defined in their faction setup (unless they deploy
using the below invasion force rules)
It is highly recommended that adjacent factions not be put into different coalitions.
In order to make sure coalitions can all start in the same location, any army may choose to be
considered an “Invasion Force”, and simply start in a territory that is controlled by a friendly
coalition player rather than their designated starting territories. Grymkin, Crucible Guard and
Convergence do not have a designated starting area, and must be an invasion force. This rule
should be used to ensure that all coalitions start with a similar number of territories, and that no
2 coalitions start adjacent to each other.
Armies (represented by the warcaster/warlock leading the army) must start in different territories
that belong to their coalition (and not any territory that has a hub or athanc token).
Each coalition must choose a coalition capital - this is the core of the coalition, where supply
lines are drawn from and if lost means each coalition member must choose to become either a
vassal or an irregular.
Each player will place an objective token in their army’s starting location to represent the
supplies of their home base. If an army starts in their coalition capital, instead choose an
adjacent territory that doesn’t already have an objective marker to place it in. Mark the color of
the coalition that places them - only coalitions of a different color may control, pick up or remove
these tokens.
To create the event deck, shuffle together event cards from each player along with enough
“Casus Belli” (or other faction events) to create a deck according to the desired game length (12
cards total for a short game of approximately two hours, or up to 24 cards total for a longer
game of four hours or more). Shuffle this deck, and separate it into two face-down piles. Shuffle
the “Infernal Invasion” card into one pile, place the “Castle of the Keys” card on top of it, then
the remaining pile on top of that. This will be the event deck for the game. For online play, I
recommend using something like: https://wheelofnames.com/fcp-x2u
Gameplay
Orders
The primary mechanic of Diplomachine is the order. Each round, every army that is not currently
fighting a Brawlmachine game must secretly choose an order and simultaneously reveal it with
all other players at the end of every 10 minute round. Note that rounds are intended to take
exactly 10 minutes, no more no less (league play will use a much longer timer).
Advance
An advance is the primary way of moving around the map. A player notes their caster's name
and the different adjacent territory they are advancing into (ex: Round 1: Ashlynn1 advance
Laedry).
No more than one friendly army can occupy the same territory, so if another friendly army will
remain in that territory or will advance into that territory, one order is illegal and must be
changed to hold. Unlike Diplomacy, friendly armies can “swap” spaces by advancing to each
other’s territory, but if opposing armies try to “swap” they will start a Brawlmachine game that is
considered to be taking place in both territories (for the purpose of support and territory control
for the victor).
If the army is not weakened, and the territory is empty and either neutral or enemy controlled, it
becomes friendly controlled.
If a non-weakened enemy army is in that territory or also advances into the territory at the same
time, then a game of Brawlmachine starts. The full details and timing for Brawlmachine games
will be detailed below.
Support
Support orders are a way to give up movement in order to gain an advantage in a
Brawlmachine match. A player notes their caster's name, the other army that they are
supporting (which does not have to be from the same coalition as the army giving the order)
and the adjacent territory they are supporting (ex: Round 1: Caine1 supports Ashlynn1 in
Laedry).
A support order is only successful if the noted territory and army are adjacent to the army
giving the order and is currently starting or involved in a Brawlmachine game. Successful
support orders allow the player to give their support card to the supported army. Players in a
brawlmachine game can use 1 support card at the start of each of their turns, with the benefits
detailed in the faction setup section. Each player is limited to having one support card, which is
returned only after the game is completed - any support order that is declared when they do not
have a support card is illegal, and automatically turned into a hold order.
In addition, a support order may be used to transfer any number of victory tokens from the
army that resolved the order to the targeted army, assuming the order successfully resolves.
Hold
Hold orders are the default in case of illegal or illegible orders, and also useful for protecting
important territory or removing the weakened condition without having to return all the way to
your coalition capital. A player need only note the type of order and their caster's name. (ex:
Round 1: Haley2 Hold)
If the holding army is weakened, in friendly controlled territory and can draw a supply line of
continuous friendly territory back to their coalition capital it loses the weakened condition before
any other orders are resolved.
If an enemy army advances into the territory where the hold order is resolved, the holding army
can place two trench templates before the battle begins (see the Brawlmachine section for
details).
Retreat
Retreat orders are slightly different because they usually take 2 rounds to complete, and can
sometimes be used outside of the normal order sequence.
When giving a retreat order as your order for the round, simply note their caster’s name and the
type of order (ex: Round 1: Sorscha1 retreat). This will remove their army from the board before
any other orders resolve.
In the next round they lose the weakened condition if they have it, are placed in the coalition
capital (if unoccupied), and may issue any order. If the coalition capital is occupied, they may
advance into any adjacent territory as if they were in the coalition capital but may not issue
support or hold orders.
Defend
The defend order is slightly different from other orders in that it is only declared after all other
orders are revealed. If an enemy army successfully advances into a friendly coalition capital
that doesn’t already contain a friendly army, any friendly non-weakened army that is not
currently involved in a Brawlmachine game may immediately change their order to a defend
order. This allows that army to immediately be placed in their coalition capital and start a special
Brawlmachine battle to defend their coalition capital. See the Brawlmachine section for more
details.
Victory Tokens
The coalition that controls the most victory tokens after the infernal invasion wins the game. No
matter the type of token (hub, athanc, objective, bounty, etc) they all have the same value and
follow the same rules (except where noted).
In general, to control a victory token, they must be picked up by an army by gaining control of
the territory that contains that token. Once a token has been picked up by an army, it will remain
attached to them until the army either resolves a retreat/defend order (in which case all tokens
are placed in the territory they are leaving behind), the army advances into their friendly
coalition capital (in which case all tokens are removed from the board and are permanently
considered to be controlled by that coalition) or if the army resolves a support order (in which
case they may transfer any number of victory tokens to the army they are supporting, before a
battle begins). Exceptions to these general rules are described below.
Hub tokens
These are strategically important cities that grant a victory token to the coalition currently
controlling them. These tokens are always placed on Merin, Merywen and Ghord and can never
be picked up, moved or removed. The only way to control these tokens is to control the territory
they are placed in. If a Brawlmachine game is ongoing in that territory, they are not considered
to be controlled by anyone.
Athanc token
This represents the weakened dragon Pyromalfic, and is a victory token that can be controlled
and picked up by armies normally, except that it cannot enter a coalition capital. If an army with
the Athanc token advances into a coalition capital, it must leave the Athanc token at its
previous location. The token’s location will determine the outcome of the mid-game “Castle of
the Keys'' event.
Objective tokens
Objective tokens represent territory or strategic points that the other coalitions want to control.
They are placed during the setup of the game. Each coalition can only gain control of objective
tokens that do not match their coalition.
Bounty tokens
Bounty tokens represent privateer and mercenary contracts taken out against stronger
coalitions. Whenever a battle ends, if the losing coalition has control of more victory tokens than
the winning coalition (before transferring tokens due to the battle), the winning army creates a
bounty token and gains control of it. Once created, these tokens behave normally and can be
dropped or picked up by any coalition.
Diplomacy
Communication, deals and treaties are encouraged between coalitions, but are not enforced by
any game mechanics.
Any verbal or written agreement can be broken at any time for any reason, with the following
exceptions:
● Once a support order is successful, the support card will remain with the supported army
until the Brawlmachine game ends.
● Coalition allegiance and decisions to become a vassal/irregular are permanent and
cannot be changed later.
If the coalition capital ever falls into enemy hands, all territory controlled by that coalition
becomes neutral, remove all objective tokens from that coalition, and all players of that coalition
must immediately and independently choose one of the following:
● Become a vassal: Join the conquering coalition as a vassal. They can gain control of
territory and can control objective tokens as if they were part of the conquering coalition.
They treat the conquering capital as their own for supply line purposes and are treated
as part of the conquering coalition for purposes of orders and are considered friendly to
that coalition only. If the conquering coalition wins the game, so do their vassals.
● Become an irregular: Refusing to join the conquering coalition means the player can
no longer win the game (but can hold objective and bounty tokens as if they were still of
their original coalition). They can still continue playing as normal except that they cannot
gain control of territory, give a retreat or defend order, or become weakened for any
reason. They treat no other player as friendly, and instead treat all players as enemy. In
the unlikely event that a single irregular player has more victory tokens than any of the
remaining coalitions, the coalition with the highest number of victory tokens controlled
wins the game, and the irregular player gains extreme bragging rights.
If only one coalition remains intact (all others are either vassals or irregulars), the game
immediately ends and that coalition wins.
Events
At the end of every round, after all orders are resolved, territory control is updated (and for
campaign play, after all brawlmachine games are completed), reveal the next event from the
event deck.
Faction-specific Events all have two possible outcomes and allow a coalition to choose which
mode and where they occur. These choices are made by the coalition that controls the fewest
victory token. If more than one coalition is tied for the fewest victory tokens, they each resolve
the entire card simultaneously.
Infernal Invasion
This event represents the end of the Llael War - when all the forces of Immoren must set aside
their differences and face a greater threat. It also represents the end of the game of
diplomachine. After this event is revealed, there will be one more round of orders, then the
victorious coalition will be declared (after resolving all ongoing Brawlmachine games).
Battle
When two or more enemy armies are in the same territory after all orders, event cards and
supply lines are resolved, a Brawlmachine game begins. Follow the steps below:
1. Determine which armies are involved in the battle, and successful supports
2. All weakened armies must retreat.
3. Starting with the coalition that has control of the most victory tokens and continuing to
the least (ties reveal simultaneously) decide whether to play the Brawlmachine game or
to retreat. If all other armies retreat, the last remaining army gains control of the territory.
4. Start the game of Brawlmachine normally, using a 30 minute deathclock (this is not
necessary for league play)
5. If one of the armies successfully resolved a hold order this round, after deciding who
goes first and which side they’ll deploy on, that army can place two trench terrain
features anywhere completely within 20” of the rear edge of their deployment zone
6. If the fight is happening in a coalition capital that belongs to one of the participating
armies, that army can deploy 2 wall templates and a 4” circle obstruction template
completely within 20” of their rear table edge, and not within 3” of any terrain except for
these.
7. Any successful support order gives that army a support card. Each army can hold as
many support cards as they want, but can only use 1 support card per round and only at
the beginning of their maintenance phase.
8. If a support order successfully resolves during the battle, they gain the card and can
use it at the start of their next turn (this isn’t relevant for league play).
9. After the game is over, the winning army gains control of the territory, gains control of
any victory tokens controlled by the losing army or armies or in the territory, and gains a
bounty token if at least one of the losing armies has more victory tokens than them
(before other tokens are transferred). All losing armies must either become weakened
and must declare advance or retreat as their next order. In real time play, battles will
likely end outside the normal order resolution phase, so all participants get a "bonus"
order they can resolve immediately (before checking for supply lines).
Faction Setup
Cygnar
● Starting territories: Caspia, Corvis, Ceryl
● Event (choose one):
○ Long Range Bombardment (Choose an enemy army within 2 spaces of a friendly
army to immediately become weakened. If the enemy army is currently involved
in a brawlmachine game, instead resolve the cygnar support card three times)
○ Airship Rescue (choose a friendly army not involved in a brawlmachine game
and immediately advance it into any unoccupied friendly territory)
● Support: Place a 5” aoe Mage storm that is not overlapping any enemy models, this is a
cloud hazard that does pow 12 magical damage to any enemy model that enters or ends
in the aoe. Mage storm lasts for one round.
Protectorate of Menoth
● Starting territories: Sul, Imer, Ancient Icthier
● Event (choose one):
○ Crusade (choose a friendly army not involved in a brawlmachine game. It may
immediately resolve an advance order)
○ Crisis of Faith (choose an enemy army that is adjacent to a friendly territory to
immediately become weakened. If it is involved in a brawlmachine game, instead
at the end of that army’s next turn solos cannot control or contest scenario
elements).
● Support: When used, you may choose to have any continuous effect, animus or upkeep
spell expire.
Khador
● Starting territories: Korsk, Khardov, Skirov
● Event (choose one):
○ Scorched Earth (choose a territory that contains a friendly army. Remove all
objective tokens from that territory, and all armies in that territory must
immediately resolve a retreat order. That territory becomes impassable for the
rest of the game - no army may advance into it, no supply lines may be drawn
through it)
○ Forced March (choose a friendly army, it may immediately resolve two advance
orders, but cannot enter territories containing an enemy army and after territory
control is updated they become weakened).
● Support: Place a 5” aoe rough terrain template. Any model currently in the aoe suffers
flare for one turn. The rough terrain lasts for one round.
Cryx
● Starting territories: Toruk’s Roost, Garlghast Island, Broken Coast
● Event (choose one):
○ The Dead Rise (Choose a weakened army to immediately lose the weakened
condition. Until that army becomes weakened or retreats, it does not have to
check for supply lines)
○ Piracy (Choose an enemy army. Take one objective or bounty token that is
controlled by that army and place it in an adjacent territory).
● Support: Place 2 3” aoe cloud effects. Any model that enters or ends in the aoe takes 1
point of corrosion damage. The aoe lasts for one round.
Retribution of Scyrah
● Starting territories: Shyrr, Aeryth Dawnguard, Iryss
● Event (choose one):
○ Nyssor’s Gift (choose an enemy army, next round, its order must be hold or
support)
○ Mage Hunters Strike (choose an enemy army that is adjacent to a friendly army
to become weakened. If that army is currently involved in a brawlmachine game,
instead immediately resolve the retribution support card three times)
● Support: Choose one model, it is automatically hit by a pow 10 ranged attack with
blessed, magical, weapon master, and disruption.
Convergence of Cyriss
● Starting territories: N/A, must start as an invasion force
● Event (choose one):
○ Opening the Gate to a Thousand Worlds (Choose one friendly army, advance it
into any unoccupied neutral territory)
○ Clockwork Perfection (choose an army. At the beginning of each of its turns
during its next or current brawlmachine game, it may resolve a Convergence
support card in addition to its normal support cards)
● Support: Choose one model, for one round it gains perfect alignment (it may reroll attack
and damage rolls. Each roll can only be rerolled once from perfect alignment).
Crucible Guard
● Starting territories: N/A, must start as an invasion force
● Event (choose one):
○ Chemical Warfare (choose an enemy army adjacent to a friendly army. Both the
friendly and enemy armies must immediately retreat. If they are involved in a
brawlmachine game, they are both considered to have lost and all objective and
bounty tokens are left in the territory)
○ Rebellion (choose a territory that doesn’t contain an enemy army and isn’t a
coalition capital. It immediately becomes neutral)
● Support: Choose one model, for one round it loses all elemental immunities and gets -2
arm.
Infernals
● Starting territories: See the territories of the caster’s original faction
● Event (choose one):
○ Infernal Gate (choose a territory that contains a friendly army. Remove all
objective tokens from that territory, and all armies in that territory must
immediately resolve a retreat order. That territory becomes impassable for the
rest of the game - no army may advance into it, no supply lines may be drawn
through it)
○ Betrayal (choose an enemy army and immediately resolve an advance order for
it - this may start a brawlmachine game if it advances into a territory with an army
that isn’t in their coalition, and they must take control of the territory they advance
into).
● Support: One friendly model gains Soul Taker: Body Count and Strength of Death for
one turn. All enemy models lose soul ward and direct spirits for one round.
Trollblood
● Starting territories: Rimeshaw mountains, Molgur, The Gnarls
● Event (choose one):
○ Awaken the Kings (choose an enemy army within 2 spaces of a Trollblood
starting territory to become weakened. If they are involved in a brawlmachine
game, instead one model is automatically hit by a pow 22 melee damage roll. If
that boxes the model, make a rat 5, spray 10 pow 16 attack using the boxed
model as the attack’s point of origin. This may target models in the boxed
model’s back arc. Remove all models boxed by these attacks from play)
○ Kriel Revolt (choose a territory that doesn’t contain an enemy army and isn’t a
coalition capital. It immediately becomes neutral)
● Support: All friendly models gain +2 arm and are immune to continuous effects for one
round.
Circle Orboros
● Starting territories: Scarsfell Forest, Rotterhorn, Gallowswood
● Event (choose one):
○ Plague (choose an enemy army adjacent to a friendly army. Both the friendly and
enemy armies, and any other armies adjacent to them become weakened. Any
affected army that is currently in a brawlmachine game doesn’t lose because
they are weakened, but suffer -2 MAT and -2 Rat until the end of the game)
○ Leyline Transport (Choose a friendly army and advance it into any unoccupied
friendly territory)
● Support: one model/unit gains apparition (at the beginning of your control phase, place
the model completely within 2”) for one round.
Legion of Everblight
● Starting territories: Shard spires, Thundercliff Peaks, Hellspass
● Event (choose one):
○ Blight Mutation (choose an enemy army adjacent to a friendly army to become
weakened. If they are involved in a brawlmachine game, instead choose one solo
to be replaced by an incubus solo)
○ Dragonblight (choose a territory that contains a friendly army. Remove all
objective tokens from that territory, and all armies in that territory must
immediately resolve a retreat order. That territory becomes impassable for the
rest of the game - no army may advance into it, no supply lines may be drawn
through it)
● Support: place 2 3” aoe cloud effects. An enemy model entering or ending the aoe takes
one point of fire damage.
Skorne
● Starting territories: Baalash, Haalak, Stormlands
● Event (choose one):
○ Exalted (Choose a weakened army to immediately lose the weakened condition.
Until that army becomes weakened or retreats, it does not have to check for
supply lines)
○ Superior Tactics (choose a friendly army, it may immediately advance)
● Support: choose a model, for one round, each of its weapons gain Weapon Master (gain
an additional damage die with this weapon).
Grymkin
● Starting territories: N/A, they must start as an invading force
● Event (choose one):
○ Dreaming (choose an objective token, hub token, bounty token or Athanc token
that is currently on the board. Move it to an adjacent territory)
○ Wicked Harvest (Choose any number of friendly armies, they may immediately
resolve an advance order if that advance would take them into a territory
containing an enemy army)
● Support: Once this round, when an enemy model casts a spell, the spell does not take
effect, but it is still considered to be cast and its COST remains spent. Additionally, all
enemy upkeep spells in the friendly warcaster/warlock’s control range expire.
Mercenaries
● Starting territories: Rynyr, Laedry
● Event (choose one):
○ Dwarven/Cephalyx tunnels (choose a friendly army, immediately advance it into
any unoccupied friendly territory)
○ Piracy (Choose an enemy army. Take one objective or bounty token that is
controlled by that army and place it in an adjacent territory).
● Support: choose a model/unit, it gains +2 to ranged attacks and ranged attack damage
rolls for one turn.
Minions
● Starting territories: Blindwater Lake, Thornwood Forest.
● Event (choose one):
○ Apotheosis (Choose a friendly army, for the duration of its current or next
brawlmachine game, its warcaster/warlock gains Dark Shroud, Sacrificial Pawn
[friendly warrior model], Steady, and Execration of Blackest Night (enemy models
in their control range suffer -2 to attack rolls))
○ Farrow Ambush (Choose an enemy army within 2 spaces of a friendly army to
immediately become weakened. If the enemy army is currently involved in a
brawlmachine game, instead place 3 5” aoes and all enemy models in one or
more aoe suffer a pow 10 blast damage roll)
● Support: Place a 5” aoe. Enemy models treat the aoe as shallow water, friendly models
completely within the aoe cannot be targeted by enemy spells or ranged attacks. This
AoE remains for the rest of the game.