Warlord Ascendant is a wargame focused on small-scale battles, set in the world of Sacrifice: An Incense & Iron RPG. In it, you take control of a small warband; this can be anything, from a group of mercenary soldiers, to a horde of desperate peasants, or even an inquisitor with their retinue. Your goal is to grow more powerful and extend your influence over as much of No Man’s Land as possible, potentially turning you into one of the big names in the region.

Warlord Ascendant utilizes the Sacrifice: An Incense & Iron RPG rules as its basis, so if you’re familiar with that game, you’ll be playing Warlord Ascendant in no time. This means that all checks utilize a D20 for their resolution, and the character stats and details that most know from OSR games are present here. As a skirmish game, the focus on Warlord Ascendant is combat and tactics, and as such you will find that there is more detail here than in most RPGs, while remaining as fast and deadly as ever.

At the heart of your warband lies your commander. Regardless of who they are (an inquisitor, mercenary commander, or even a demonic warrior), this is the indisputable leader of your warband, and as such they bring to the table not only their combat expertise, but also their tactical know-how. This is represented in the game by Command Actions: a series of orders unique to each warband that can alter the course of any battle. This is of course pointless if you’ve already spent all your orders for the round and there’s nobody left to follow your leader’s commands…

With 6 different warbands to choose from (and more to come!), and each one offering their unique approach to battle, your options to create the exact type of warband you desire are almost limitless. Each character in your warband will grow and become stronger (unless they start accruing lingering wounds…), gaining access to new skills and perks as they level up, aside from better gear, either purchased or looted in the battlefield.

Warlord Ascendant Features:

• An OSR D20-based ruleset compatible with similar systems. Warlord Ascendant works as a standalone game, or as a skirmish-focused expansion for Sacrifice: An Incense & Iron RPG. It even includes conversion guidelines to bring your Sacrifice characters into the bloody world of Warlord Ascendant!

• A feudal, human-centric ruthless world with no magic but full of demonic evil and corrupted institutions.

• A detailed warband creation system: recruit your warriors, pick their starting gear, Traits and Combat Maneuvers, and make sure your Commander has the right Command Actions for the upcoming battle!

• Interesting and rich tactical combat, with critical hit and fumble tables, morale rules, exciting Combat Maneuvers, and more.

• Meaningful tactics: while in battle, each warband can only activate 3 characters during their turn. But keep an eye open for the battlefield’s Strategic Point, because those who manage to capture it and hold it will gain the ability to issue extra orders… 

• Small-scale skirmishes fully playable with any minis you want, on any terrain you prefer, but written to be played on standard square grid maps with tokens or standees.

• Conquest system: Why would you fight, if there’s nothing at stake? Explore a randomly generated hexmap, expanding your influence and capturing locations that will grant your warband benefits and access to unique perks, gear and opportunities. But be ready to defend your territory when necessary, as others will be vying for the same limited resources!

• Alternate between the Battle Phase, where you’ll face your enemies in combat, and the Management Phase, where you level up your warriors, equip them, treat their wounds, recruit new warriors, send explorers to find new interesting areas to expand to, and much more!

• Play it solo, co-op, or player versus player! Warlord Ascendant comes with all the rules you need to automatize the enemy’s decisions in combat, or out of it!