NOTE: These instructions correspond to BattleBoardz 2.0.0 and higher.
If you're looking for the instructions for BattleBoardz Legacy, you can find them
here.
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Operating System: Windows, Linux, or Mac OS
Java Runtime: Oracle Java or OpenJDK
Screen Resolution: 1024x600 or higher
On the download page, the latest version is available. It is a stand-alone .jar file that does not require any installation. Simply download the .jar file to the desired location and run it using your preferred method.
To run the program from the terminal, cd into the location of the .jar file and enter the following command:
java -jar BattleBoardz.jar
BattleBoardz is a turn-based, "hotseat" 2-player strategy game. Each player controls a team consisting of various pieces that are used to battle the other team on a board of squares. Each piece has rules for moving, attacking, and defending, and some pieces also have magic. These rules depend on the class of the piece. For example, the Mage class knows magic, while the Warrior class does not.
Selecting PLAY NEW GAME from the Main Menu will bring up a screen with the Game Setup options. There, you can choose the desired Game Mode and Board Size, resulting in a template that will be previewed to you. On this screen, you can also select the Starting Player (default is random), as well as customize your team names.
The different game modes you can choose from are Normal Mode and King Mode, which each have their own win condition. In Normal Mode, the objective is to eliminate all the pieces on the other team, whereas in King Mode the objective is to eliminate the other team's King.
There are two ways that a Draw Game can occur in BattleBoardz as follows:
- If both teams satisfy the win condition when the last turn completes, this is a Draw Game.
- If both teams are reduced to one piece left, a countdown (of 30 turns) begins. Should the counter reach zero before any team wins, the game automatically ends in a Draw Game.
Once the game begins, the starting player must select the piece they wish to use by clicking on it. Then, they must select what action(s) they want the piece to perform. When the turn is over, the other player will do the same. Once both turns are over, it will of course then be the starting player's turn again, and the game would now be in "Turn #3". The game keeps track of turns in this way, so keep this in mind when deciding for how many turns to do something (some actions can be "in effect" for a number of turns).
If the player has not yet performed an action with the currently selected piece, they can cancel their selection. The hotkey to do this is ESC.
The different types of actions (and their hotkeys) are Move (F1), Attack (F2), Defend (F3) and Magic (F4). Moving will never end the turn, but the piece can only move once in a turn. Attacking ends the turn, except for the Warrior class who can attack twice per turn (in this case, attacking the 2nd time ends the turn). Defending always ends the turn. The King in King Mode can only defend for one turn but all other classes can choose to defend for 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9 turns. Finally, some classes know magic and can cast spells. Casting a spell will always end the turn.
At any point during a game, pressing the F10 key will bring up the Game Menu. This menu allows the game to be quit (returning back to the Main Menu) without exiting the application. Alternatively, the application can be exited at any time, whether in game or in menu, by pressing the F12 key and selecting 'Yes' on the confirmation dialog.
The following Status Effects exist which can affect pieces in a positive or negative way.
Positive Status Effects:
DOUBLE DMG While under this status effect, the piece's Attack Dmg is doubled. This status effect lasts until the piece successfully strikes with an attack or arrow. FOCUS ENERGY While under this status effect, the piece cannot be targetted. This status effect lasts 1 turn.
Note: the Focus Energy spell only enables this on the castor if their team has 3 or more pieces.PROTECT While under this status effect, the piece cannot be targetted by attacks (they can still be targetted by spells). This status effect lasts 1 turn.
Negative Status Effects:
ANTI-MAGIC While this is in effect, no magic may be used by any piece. This status effect lasts 3 turns. CONFUSE While under this status effect, the piece's % Hit is reduced to 40. This status effect lasts until the piece successfully strikes with an attack or arrow. POISON While under this status effect, the piece loses 1 HP per turn. This status effect does not expire and can only be removed by the Cleanse spell.
Each piece in the game is of a certain class. There are 5 main classes in BattleBoardz: Archer, Mage, Dark Mage, Warrior, and Knight. In King Mode, each team also has a King.
Archer
HP: 90
MP: 40
Attack Dmg: 15-35
Def: 1
% Hit: 90
% Block: 0
Move Method: Foot
Weapon: Bow
Defend Bonus: HP +5/Turn, MP +5/Turn, Double Def
Archers know the following 2 spells:
- Magic Arrow
- Poison Arrow
Mage
HP: 80
MP: 100
Attack Dmg: 1-15
Def: 0
% Hit: 100
% Block: 0
Move Method: Teleport
Weapon: Staff
Defend Bonus: HP +5/Turn, MP +10/Turn
Mages know the following 8 spells:
- Heal Target
- Heal
- Fireball
- Cleanse
- Protect
- Double Dmg
- Lightning
- Earthquake
Dark Mage
HP: 80
MP: 100
Attack Dmg: 1-15
Def: 0
% Hit: 100
% Block: 0
Move Method: Teleport
Weapon: Staff
Defend Bonus: HP +5/Turn, MP +10/Turn
Dark Mages know the following 8 spells:
- Focus Energy
- X-Fer Energy
- Life Leech
- Black Box
- Anti-Magic
- Confuse
- Telekinesis
- Mind Drain
Warrior
HP: 100
MP: -
Attack Dmg: 10-25
Def: 2
% Hit: 75
% Block: 20
Move Method: Foot
Weapon: Sword
Defend Bonus: HP +5/Turn, Double Def, % Block +10
Warriors do not know any magic.
Knight
HP: 120
MP: -
Attack Dmg: 20-40
Def: 5
% Hit: 80
% Block: 10
Move Method: Horse
Weapon: Lance
Defend Bonus: HP +5/Turn, Double Def, % Block +10
Knights do not know any magic.
King
HP: 250
MP: -
Attack Dmg: 1-50
Def: 10
% Hit: 60
% Block: 25
Move Method: Foot
Weapon: Scepter
Defend Bonus: HP +10/Turn, Double Def, % Block +25
Kings do not know any magic.
Pieces in BattleBoardz are able to move according to one of three different move methods: Foot, Horse, or Teleport. Moving does not end the turn, but can only be done one time per turn. If a player decides to move a piece in a given turn, they must then select another action to continue completing the turn.
The Archer, Warrior, and Knight classes, as well as the King in King Mode, all move by foot, which allows them to move to any adjacent square. The Knight is the only mounted class and uses a horse to move. The horse move method allows the piece to move to any adjacent square as well, but also allows moving two squares away (but not diagonally), jumping over a piece if necessary. Lastly, the Mage and Dark Mage both move via teleport and can move to any square within a 5x5 box of squares around them.
The targetting rules of a given piece for attacking correspond to the class' weapon. The Warrior class wields a sword, can attack any adjacent square, and is the only class that can attack twice in one turn. Performing the second attack ends the turn. All other classes can only attack once in a turn and, for them, attacking always ends the turn. The Archer class uses a bow and can attack in-line targets up to 5 squares away; however, archers cannot attack adjacent squares. The Knight class attacks with a lance. Knights can attack any adjacent square, or attack 2 squares away (but not diagonally), provided there is no piece in the way. The Mage and the Dark Mage classes both attack using a staff and can attack any adjacent square. In King Mode, the King holds a scepter, allowing him to also attack any adjacent square.
The Attack Dmg and % Hit of the attacks also depend on the class, as well as a piece's Def and % Block. When an attack is rolled, it is possible for the attack to miss according to the % Hit of the attacker. Assuming it doesn't miss, it can also be blocked according to the % Block of the target. The Warrior, Knight, and King classes each have a shield and are capable of blocking attacks. All other classes have a % Block of 0. If an attack successfully strikes, a certain amount of dmg is dealt depending on the Attack Dmg of the attacker as well as the Def of the target. However, if the Attack Dmg max value is rolled in a successful strike, it is a critical strike and ignores the target's Def.
A selected piece can defend for 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9 turns, except for the Kings in King Mode; they can only defend for 1 turn at a time. For the duration that a piece is defending, it is given a certain defend bonus depending on its class, but cannot be selected for use until this duration is complete.
Defending always ends the turn, and while it is possible for a selected piece to be unable to move, attack, and/or use magic, it is always possible for a selected piece to defend. Thus, if no other actions are possible, a player can always end the turn by defending. However, this is not the only time when defending is useful; the defend bonus is usually the main reason for defending.
If the selected piece is your only remaining piece, or if all your other pieces are already defending for more than 1 turn, then the selected piece cannot defend for more than 1 turn. However, in the game, it is still possible to lose a piece in such a way that all your remaining pieces will be defending when it becomes your turn. In this case, you cannot do anything and you lose your turn.
In addition to being able to move, attack, and defend, pieces that know magic are also able to cast spells. Archers, Mages and Dark Mages know magic and so these classes are considered magical pieces. Each of these classes knows a different set of spells. Casting a spell always ends the turn, and most spells require a certain amount of MP in order to cast. While there is no critical strike for spells, some damaging spells always ignore the target's Def. However, each spell has its own purpose and/or spell rules as described below.
Archer Spells
Archer spells create special arrows that deal dmg based on current Attack Dmg but have other additional effects. Unless otherwise specified, it is also possible to miss based on current % Hit or have the arrow blocked based on the target's current % Block.
Spell Mana
CostDescription Comments Magic Arrow 10 MP Shoot a magical arrow that seeks target enemy. Magic Arrow cannot miss or be blocked. Does NOT ignore target Def. Poison Arrow 20 MP Shoot at target in-range enemy an arrow that poisons if it successfully strikes. Poisoned pieces lose 1 HP/Turn. Does NOT ignore target Def.
Mage Spells
The Mage class knows a variety of spells, including heals, buffs and damaging spells. Unless otherwise specified, these spells cannot miss or be blocked.
Spell Mana
CostDescription Comments Heal Target 1 MP/HP Heal target to max HP, or for as much as your mana permits. N/A Heal 20 MP Heal yourself +50 HP. N/A Fireball 20 MP Create a Fireball that harms target enemy in line-of-sight for 25-50 Dmg, provided it isn't blocked. Blockable projectile. Ignores target Def. Cleanse 20 MP Remove all status effects from target. For each negative status effect removed, target is healed +5 HP. Cleanse heals are regardless if target is ally or enemy. Protect 25 MP Heal yourself and each adjacent ally +5 HP. Next turn, these pieces cannot be targetted by attacks. Applies the Protect status effect to the given pieces. Double Dmg 30 MP Enhance target ally's Attack Dmg by x2 until they successfully strike with an attack or arrow. Applies the Double Dmg status effect to target. Lightning 40 MP Strike target enemy with a lightning bolt that does 25-65 Dmg. Ignores target Def. Earthquake 50 MP Create an Earthquake that affects the entire board, causing Dmg to each piece equal to 1/4 of their current HP. Integer division used for Dmg. Ignores target Def.
Dark Mage Spells
The spells known by a Dark Mage include mana manipulation, life stealing and negative status effects. Unless otherwise specified, these spells cannot miss or be blocked.
Spell Mana
CostDescription Comments Focus Energy 0 MP Regain Max MP but lose up to an equal amount of HP. If you have at least 3 pieces, this one can't be targetted next turn. Status effect requires 3 or more pieces on team. X-Fer Energy 1 MP/MP Transfer as much MP as possible to target other magic-user. N/A Life Leech 2 MP/HP Target other piece takes the selected amount of Dmg while you are healed up to an equal amount of HP. Can't be used for more than target HP. Ignores target Def. Black Box 5 MP/Turn Create a 3x3 square Black Box that no one can leave or enter. There can only be one Black Box on the board at a time. Anti-Magic 20 MP For 3 turns, no magic may be used. Applies the Anti-Magic status effect to all magical pieces. Confuse 30 MP Reduce target enemy's % Hit to 40 until they successfully strike with an attack or arrow. Applies the Confuse status effect to target. Telekinesis 50 MP Move any piece, except a King, to another square. Caster first selects the piece, and then the destination. Mind Drain All MP Drain all of target enemy magic-user's remaining MP as well as your own. Minimum cost is 1 MP.
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