Burning of Prospero: Rules Overview & More
Curious about the rules for Burning of Prospero? Well we can help you out with that!
Burning of Prospero is the new board game from Games Workshop. It’s got excellent models and some really nice accessories – but how does it stack-up in terms of game play?
Game play is pretty simple actually. If you’ve played Deathwatch: Overkill, Betrayal at Calth, Execution Force or even Space Hulk, you’ll be fine. It plays similar to both Overkill and BoC and it’s really easy to pick-up and play.
A turn consists of 4 phases:
- The Enumeration Phase (Psychic Phase)
- Movement Phase
- Attack Phase
- Consolidation Phase (Clean-up Phase)
Psychic Phase is basically a mini-card game (think of the card game “War”) where players reveal cards from their respective Warp or Willpower Deck. The Traitor player chooses which “coven” is casting and what square is the target, and which power they are casting. The Loyalist player simply flips over cards from their Willpower deck – each player may draw up-to 3 cards per power (more on this) and the Traitor can only cast 3 powers per turn.
Now, I’m sure you’re wondering “Why not always draw 3 cards as the Traitor?” Well, some of the cards in both decks have extra effects, like “End the phase” or “The Traitors can cast an additional power” or they give a bonus to the other side. The same is true in the Willpower Deck. So it’s really a “push your luck” mechanic that is quick and easy.
The Movement phase is pretty simple. Roll for initiative. Each player moves their units around (typically up to 2 zones). The player with the initiative moves all their units first, then the other player can move. If you’re adjacent to an enemy unit, you may not move – unless your side has the initiative.
The Attack phase is where the shooting and close-combat happen. The player with initiative chooses first and you alternate activating units. Units are determined by zone. If you have 3 friendly models in one zone, they for a unit – and yes, this can mix armor.
Attacks are either close-combat or they are shooting. A basic attack is simply a D6 and a basic armor save is a D6. However, you can upgrade 1 die per model with the appropriate attack or armor. We show of an example in the video – it’s really easy to see it in action.
After the dice are rolled, you pair the off – the defender rolls an equal number of dice to the attack, and the number of attacks is determined by the number of models in the attacking unit. If you have 3 models in the unit, you roll 3 attacking dice and the defender rolls 3 defense dice, even if they only have 1 model in the defending unit. When you pair off the dice you must match them highest-to-highest working your way down the dice pool.
Any attack rolls over a 6 are considered critical damage – if they aren’t blocked they do double damage. Compare the amount of damage to the stamina stat. If a model has taken more damage than it’s stamina, it’s removed. Once a model takes damage, it must continue to take damage until it is dead. If a model takes damage but it’s not lethal, place the appropriate wound counters by the model.
Now, there are other special rules that I’m skipping over but hopefully you’re seeing how simple the combat is.
The Consolidation Phase (the clean-up step) is where you shuffle the Warp and Willpower cards back in their respective decks and remove any wound counter – that’s right: If you didn’t kill a model during the turn, they get ALL of their health back.
Suddenly that Contemptor Dreadnought is starting to sound like a beast with it’s 6 stamina and an armor of D12…
Overall, the rules are very simple once you get the terminology down. It’s not a very “Fiddly” game and while it might take a turn or two to figure out the general principles, once you get that down you’re set.
Don’t get thrown off by the “other” types of dice – just remember that each model can only upgrade 1 die in the pool. So if a Custodes with a D8 armor gets hit by a unit with 4 attacks, they still roll 4 dice – but only 1 D8 and 3 D6’s. Weight of fire can overcome the thickest armor…you just have to kill it before the Consolidation Phase!
The Horus Heresy: Burning of Prospero $150
On Prospero, the psykers of the Thousand Sons face the ultimate censure for their forbidden studies. The Primarch Leman Russ is sent to punish them by any means necessary – at his command, fire rains from the skies as his Space Wolves fleet bombards Prospero over and over, reducing the world of the Thousand Sons to ash. Tizca, city of glass pyramids and golden hopes, is protected from the fires by a vast force field of telekinetic power. So it is that the Space Wolves bring the Sisters of Silence, anti-psykers anathema to all who channel the Warp, and the Custodian Guard, shining heroes who are the elite blades of the Emperor himself to Prospero, there to attempt the riddance of the Thousand Sons forever.
The Wrath of the Emperor is upon Prospero! Will the Psykers of the Thousand Sons stop the Space Wolves?
