BelloLudi Spellbound

Throughout history mankind has been pondering the things that are not of this material world. To make sense of the unknowable and to seek wisdom in matters greater than humanity have proven themselves to be a favoured pastime again and again. Several kings, queens, emperors and empresses were no exception to this rule. Both in legendary stories and known history there are examples of rulers who sought council from persons who were acclaimed, at least by themselves, to be in touch with the otherworldly. As was the legendary Arthur counselled by Merlin, so was queen Elizabeth by John Dee and, perhaps most famous, Nicholas the second by Rasputin.

Whether any of these figures had any of the powers they claimed to have or whether these are the product of hearsay, self-aggrandizement or embellishment, we leave to the discretion of the individual reader. Yet here in BelloLudi Spellbound they certainly are the stuff of wonders!

Stand-alone game or supplement?

In fact: both! With these rules we aim to add an extra layer of magic and monsters to the game for those who love a bit of mythology or weird war in their games. This add-on can be applied to any BelloLudi rules or period you like the most: they are designed to tack on to all other BelloLudi books, be it a skirmish game or big battle. Spellbound can also be played as a standalone game with a couple of Casters and/or Monsters per side. As Casters are able to drum up some otherworldly minions, the table might soon be crowded with supernatural lackeys to give you some regiments to command about! Please note that Spellbound is an expansion as well as a stand-alone game. We give the basic rules in this booklet but for advanced rules you still might want a regular BelloLudi ruleset for shooting, melee, etcetera.

In consideration of the fact that not everyone may have a selection of fantasy miniatures, we have tried to make these rules as agnostic as we could. The purpose is very much that people can just play with whatever miniatures they happen to have available.

And now, without further ado, let’s add some magic to the table!