Empire Chronopia

Author: Target Games © 2005

Empire Chronopia

Target Games presented 1999 in the New Chronicles #2 and #3 a new Chronopia game. Empire Chronopia was a rank and file system in 10mm scale.
But the end from Target Games, the game to be unpublished.

The next text came out the rulebook from Empire Chronopia and shows the World of Chronopia, the first game introduction and a typical unit profile.

The World of Chronopia

Chronopia is at once terrible and wonderful world. It is a place of antiquated splendor and mythical beings, a land riven by fell sorcery and the laughter of conquering warlords as they make mountains from the skulls of the fallen.

Four mighty empires battle throughout ancient realms as the maps of Chronopia are rewritten by war. The human knights of the Firstborns, the Elves ... masters of the elemental planes, the beast clan Dwarves ... immovable as stone, and the noble Blackbloods ... four warrior nations united under the Ogre Emperor Nizar. Four great civilizations battlting for supremacy, but over them all looms a burning shadow, the all-consuming shadow of the Devout. Led by the four Dark Prophets the hellish legions of the Devout are marching across Chronopia in a wave of simingly unstoppable devastation.

To the north the Firstborn knights of the One King hold back the infernal legions of the Dark Prophet Nemeth. And while armor-clad knights dispatch the enemy with lance, sword and mace the time bending Chronomancer monitor the unfolding destiny of mankind. Through years of study in the Eternal Towers these secretive mystics are able to manipulate the flow of time, slowing it is down to a crawl or speeding it to a blur to give the Firstborn knight a sorcerous advantage over their enemies. The origins of the Firstborns are rooted in the great barbarian tribes of Chronopia. Three centuries ago the One King united the barbarian tribes and thus the Firstborn Kingdom was born. Although the youngest civilization in Chronopia the speed of their expansion earned them the hatred of all other races. The One King was slain in battle but he returned from death to deliver the Firstborns from the jaws of eternal darkness. Now, with the rising of the Devout the Firstborn Kingdom is beset on all sides and even the time magics of the Chronomancers and the return of the One King might not be enough to carry the Firstborn to victory.

To the northeast lies the vast empire of the Ogres, Orcs, Trolls and Goblins, four races collectively known as Blackblood. They fight as one nation under the brutal reign of the Ogre Emperor Nizar Bloodbound. Time and again they encounter the vile Necromancy of Negral´s horde, as the Prophet attempts to crush Blackbloods and bind them to eternal servitude under the Dark One. The Blackblood´s mastery of alchemy and astronomy mark them as a highly sophisticated people, however, the Emperor´s administration is harsh and dictatorial. Since the Ogre rose to power they have ruled the Blackblood Empire wth a ruthless hand. But Blackbloods respect strength and military prowess above all else, so while the Ogre Emperors remain strong enough to rule the other members of the Blackblood Empre will deign to serve. Surrounding the Emporer is a court of adviser with Grand Viziers and provincial governors called Satraps. The military advisers dwell in palatial fortresses decorated with gold spires and alabaster dimes, a fine reflection oft the wealth and power of the Blackblood Empire, power that they will not relinquish while they live and breathe.

At the heart of Chronopia lies the Inner Sea where the Elven Empire spans countless islands and a thousend miles of rugged coastline. Even here the dreaming cities of the Elven Dukes have come under threat from the Devout. To the southeast Duke Heliac of the House Helios fight a ceaseless war with Lokoth´s minions. To the west Duke Valymir of the House of the Obsidian Serpent plots dark schemes to advance his own power. Finally, to the northwest Zazen, the most powerful of all Elven Dukes, tries to unite the Elves under the banner of his House, the House of the Crystal Lotus. History has educated the Elves in the art of war and they have learned its lessons well but the most potent force in an Elven army are the Lotus Eater. By ingesting, the mystical lotus flower these powerful sorcerers can summon entities from the elemental planes to burn, freeze and crush the enemies of the Elves. The Elves are an ancient civilization, decadent and isolationist, but they must heed Zazen´s call to arms lest their magnificent spiral cities be cast down in ruins by the desecrating armies of the Devout.

While the other races spread across the surface of Chronopia the Dwarves carved an empire from the very bedrock of the world. Over the centuries their subterranean stronghold has served them well but now the Devout have moved into the Dwarven Labyrinth, and its shadows offer little protection from the minions of the Dark One. The Dwarves have suffered grievously from the murderous crusade of the Devout. They live in underground fortress cities known as Ringholds many of which are in a permanent state of siege as the demonic legions of the Devout try to claim the darkness for their own. The dwarves are an anvient people who have worshipped their beast-gods since time began. Their devotion runs so deep that they have grown to resemble the ebast-gods they worship, the greatest of which is the boar clan of the Dark-Tusk. In legendary time the Dwarven gods were cast down and transformed into savage beasts by the treacherous power of the Dark One. But the indomitable Dwarven Overlord Graygon Cagn command with the beasts and reconciled them with the warrior clans. Now they join their Dwarven childrin on the battlefield to smash, rend and gore the enemies of the Dwarven.

Vast empires clash on the field of battle and the world trembles with the violence of war. Nations, Kingdoms, Empires ... looked together in eternal conflict. Power and glory to those who prevail, misery and desolation to those who fall, for fate smilies an the victors and condeinns the vanquished to the realms of history.
In the world of Chronopia the battle to decide the fate of Empires rages on.

Empire Chronopia

For those of you who are new to wargaming, or wargaming at this scale (25mm skirmish games are very different to this), here´s what it´s all about.
Empire Chronopia is a game of mass combat where huge armies sweep across the landscape of Chronopia in earth-shaking clashes. Armies represent hundreds, even thousands of troops and although Chronopia is set in a time of heroes the relative skill and particular equipment of an individual warrior are not so important in games of this scale. Heroes inspire and lead armies; they do not win battles single handedly. The real superstar of Empire are the titanic war machines and gigantic beasts and demons that rumble alongside the massed ranks of infantry and cavalry.


You will find that the emphasis in Empire is on strategy rather than blow by blow combat and the particular differences between the various troops. This is a tactical game, and the skill and judgement with which you maneuver and position your units is of prime importance. If you maximize the potential of your units and use them for support one another, you should be well in the way to winning.

The following set of rules are designed to produce a fair and balanced game that will allow you to play exciting battles that give a genuine feel of mass combat. However, once you open the box though we concede that not every possible situation is covered here (our brains have practically exploded just coming up with this lot). The fact ist that once you have opened the box, you gamers are in charge of what goes on. If you come across an unusual situation during a game, or cannot agress with your opponents on how a particular rule should be played, roll a dice of flip a coin to decide the matter. After the game you can talk it over and agree how to treat such situations in future games. Just remember that any new rules or changes have to be approved by all players before you start a game.

What you will need to play
When playing a game of Empire you should have few things on hand that you will need to use throughout the game. These are follows:
Pens and Notepaper: This game has been designed to minimize the amount of bookkeeping during a game. However, it is always handy to have a pen and notepad to hand, especially if you are playing your own scenarios and need to note down successes and failures with regard to game objectives. You will also need them them to total up your points at the end of games that use victory points.
A Ruler or Tape Measure: A ruler marked in cm is essential as a large part of the game involves measuring range and distance. Don´t even contemplate playing a game without a measuring device of some kind. A retractable steel rule makes an ideal choice.
Constand supply of snakes, drinks and junk food: As Dedicated, professional game designers the idea of playing a game without these particular resources is simply unthinkable.

Dice and dice use
Although strategy and tactics are the cornerstones of victory in Empire, nothing is ever assured. A number of dice are included with the game and these decide how the fortunes of war affect the cunningly laid plans of al would-be generals. In any situation where there is an element of chance to be considered the dice will decide. For example, will your troops survive when they charge that enormouse monster, or will those staunch fighters succumb to the influence of sorcery? Good tactices of course swing the odds favorably but they are never a guarantee of success.

Throughout this rulebook an ordinary six sided dice is referred to as a d6. There are also several other ways in which ordinary dice can be used in Empire and these are as follows:
- 2d6: this mean that you roll two d6, adding their results together to generate a number between 2 and 12.
- D3: this means that you roll one d6 to generate a number between 1 and 3. A result of 1 or 2 = 1, 3 or 4 = 2, 5 or 6 = 3.
- D2: this mean that you roll one d6 to generate a number between 1 and 2. A result of 1,2 or 3 = 1, and 4,5 or 6 =2.

This roughly sums up the use of the standard playing dice, but there are also two types of special dice included in the game, these are:
- The "summoned" dice: these are small red dice specifically used to indicate the chance of summoned beings remaining in the game. This will be fully explained in the relevant section of the rules so don´t worry about it just now.
- The "direction" dice: this is used to generate random direction for things like the unpredictable movement of a Devout Brass Sphere Simply roll the die and an arrow on the uppermost face indicates the direction.

Counters and Cards
Empire Chronopia uses a number of counters and a deck of cards known as "command cards". Counters are placed beside a unit to indicate certain effects, while commando cards are used to make sure your units carry out the orders they are given. Don´t worry about specific command cards and counters as these will be explained in the relevant section of the rules.

Diagram 1: Sample Profile

1. Name and Background: The name of the troop and a brief description of who they are and what role they fulfil.
2. Type: This describes the type of unit and its battlefield role, i.e. Infantry (Archers). It also tells you if the troop type is "standard", "elite" or "special", which can he important to army structure.
3. 3. Stand: Dimension of a stand of these troops in centimeters, the first number is the front and the second a side. The number in brackets shows how many models should be mounted on it.
   Cost: How how much it costs to buy 1 stand of these troops.
4. Combat Stat Line: This shows how effective the unit is against other troop types in combat. the stats are abbrevations of particular troop type (SI for shock infantry, WM for war machine, etc.) The higher the number in a column, the better the unit is against that type of enemy.
5. Movement: Distance in cm traveled by the unit on a normal move.
   Command: Discipline and reliability of the troops. Determines how well they bear up under adverse conditions and how readily they reacts to orders.
   Wounds: How many points of damage one stand can sustain before being removed from the game.
   Attacks: First number tells you how many dice one stand of these troops rolls, when attacking in combat. Number in brackets tells you how much damage is caused by successful attacks.
6. Power: This is a measure of how well attuned the unit is to the supernatural world. This stat is used to resist the effects of hostile magic. In addition to this some units practice sorcery and this stat determines how effective they are.
   Size: This stat indicates the relative mass of one stand of this troop type. Amongst other things, it is important for resolving who won or lost a round of combat.
   Missile: If the unit uses missile weapons, this stat tells you the maximum distance in cm, at which you can shoot.
7. Support: This column describes any support capability the unit may have. Range shows the maximum distance, in centimeters, at which they can provide support. Ratio shows how many stands it takes to provide support. The first figure shows the amount of support this troop type can provide, and the second shows the number of stands required to provide it. So 5 stands of Orc Archers can provide 1 point of support; 10 stands can provide 2 points and so on. Facing shows the direction in which the unit can provide support.
8. Notes: This lists any special rules that apply to the troops. Also which enhandenients and generals you may buy for the unit. The details for such optional extras are found at the back of the army list books.

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First version from 23.03.2008. Last Version from 24.03.2008.