RULES AND POINTS UPDATE: Conquest: Last Argument of Kings: Old Dominion and Spires - Para Bellum Games

Yesterday saw Para Bellum Games give some updates for Conquest: The Last Argument of Kings forces the Spires and the Old Dominion.   When new updates are available we'll post them here...

Old Dominion:

NEW TREASURE – Hierotekton (Treasures, The Grim Crypt), – 15 Pts 

(Hierodiacon and Archimadrite Only) The [Character] gains Bone Golems Army List Entry as a Mainstay. If this artifact is bought on the Hierodeacon Bone Golems in this Warband lose [The Creed] and gain [The Fallen Pantheon] Battlefield role. 

The [Character] must attach to The Bone Golems Regiment, changes their Type to Brute, gains the Impact (2), Aura of Death (2) Special Rules and adds +1 to its Clash and Attacks Characteristics

Bone Golems:  Now 60pts per Stand.

Text Adjustment – Surrounded by Fear and Dead Men

Last sentence changes to: Each friendly stand destroyed as an effect of this ability grants one additional Empowerment Token to the Fallen Pantheon Pool.

Developer notes: We know that there was a lot of confusion on whenever it is 9 or 12 for our favourite statues therefore we clarified the intent.

Spires

Developer notes: This is another set of small quality of life updates for Spires we had in our backlog. We want to make sure that every strain has its use case and it can be used more often while maintaining risk associated with using it. Moreover we want to give you some more strategic options and better flow of a game.

Merchant Prince:  Add TEXT: The Best That Money Can Buy: The Regiment this [Character] is currently attached to suffer half Wounds (Rounding up) from the Decay Special Rule.

Developer notes: Merchant Prince is expensive for a reason, but broadly it can be problematic to find a place for him outside of lists specifically tailored for him.

The Directorate- Lobotomytic Override

[Always Active] Once per Round, immediately upon drawing a Command Card, but before performing any Draw Events, you may place it next to the Command Stack face down, without revealing it, and Draw the next Card. Place the first Command Card either on the top or bottom of the Command Stack and proceed with Activating the second. 

If you put the Command Card on the top, upon drawing that Card without using the Entourage Rule, should it be a Regiment it may use its Strain Expression [Draw Event] without suffering the Decay Special Rule.

If you put the Command Card on the Bottom, upon drawing that Card should it be a Regiment it gains +2 to its Attacks Characteristic until the end of the Round.

This ability cannot be Activated if there is only one Command Card left in your Command Stack.

Developer notes: We love this sect rule, but sometimes it is not enough to make an impact on your game. Therefore we shot two birds with one stone and also made sure you can use strains more often if you time it right or deal devastating blows with your last activation.

High Clone Executor- Ruthless Competence

Change the first sentence to: “Friendly Infantry Regiments using Strain Expression [Draw Event] gain +1 to their March Characteristic until the end of the Round.”

Developer notes: We wanted something to justify adding non-clone regiments into HCE Warlord lists for more variety and also give HCE  “Ruthless Competence” vibes. Moving faster seems like a good idea.

Lineage Prideborne

Gain Action – Action: Sharpshot (Out-of-Combat Action) Target one Enemy Regiment within Character’s Barrage Range, it suffers 1 Wound. This does not trigger resolve tests.

Lineage Highborne

Action: Mighty Swing (Combat Action) Target one Enemy Regiment Engaged with Regiment this Character is attached to, it suffers 1 Wound. This does not trigger resolve tests.

Developer notes: We wanted something to justify adding non-clone regiments into HCE Warlord lists for more variety and also give HCE  “Ruthless Competence” vibes. Moving faster seems like a good idea.

Master of Flesh – Move to Eccentrity (Clone Character Only) 15 Points

Once per Game: Should this [Character] be destroyed, instead of removing it from play you may immediately replace a non-Command Stand in the first Rank of Friendly Regiment  with this [Character] Stand. The Regiment may not currently have a [Character] attached and must have a matching [Character]’s Type. The replaced Stand is removed as a casualty, but it does not count towards making the Regiment Broken or Shattered. The [Character] does not count as being destroyed as a result.

Note: Should this character be removed as a consequence of the Duel action it can still join the same regiment it was attached to if it’s possible. 

Developer notes: Clones should clone themselves. I do not think this require further explanations.

Consumption Beast Points go down to 190 (from 200)

Developer notes: Overshadowed by Abomination a little bit – Should be even now.

Leonine Avatara

Strain: Longshot

Clash: Reduced to 2 (from 3).

Developer notes: One of the best shooting Regiments in the game and therefore had to be tuned down a bit when Engaged.

Stryx: Points go down to 110 (from 120).

Developer notes: A small incremental buff.

Force Grown Drones – Optimized Fodder

This Regiment can only suffer a maximum of 6 Wounds from any given instance of the Decay Special Rule. In addition, should this Regiment consist of at least 6 Stands during List Building:

The Regiment Strain ability permanently changes to Lethal Demise (2) and adds +1 to its March Characteristic.

The Regiment Regeneration Draw Event permanently changes to Regeneration (+4).

Developer notes: A small incremental buff.

Onslaught Drones: March characteristic increased to  6 (from 5).  Points increased to 135 from 130

Developer notes: It was hard to find a place for it. Should be easier now.

Vanguard Clone Infiltrators:  Add text to Army List Entry – Should this Regiment consist of less than 4 stands, its stands contribute barrage to the volley action regardless of Rank.

Developer notes: We quite like the square formation!

Hyperadrenal Stimulation – 10 pts (from 20)

Degenerative Aura – remove lethal demise note from it (app bug fix)

No Matter the Price – 20 pts (from 30)

Linked Neuroreceptors – 10 pts (from 15)

Endocrine Overstimulation – Remove

Convulsive Doom – 10 pts (from 15)

Developer notes: Minor cost rebalance.

NEW APPARATUS- Affliction Absorption

Once per Round: When another Regiment within 8” suffer wounds from Decay Special Rule you can allocate that wounds into the Regiment this [Character] is attached to. These wounds do not trigger resolve tests. These wounds cannot be avoided or reduced.

Designer note: Your Regiment can absorb more wounds than it can take and as a result be destroyed by Affliction Absorption.

Avatar Projection: (Biomancer, Pheromancer, or Merchant Prince only) This Eccentricity can be purchased multiple times.  The [Character] changes their Type to Brute, gains the Impact (3) Special Rule and adds +1 to its Clash and Attacks Characteristics.

Developer notes: Works well in Weavers. Should do the same here.

Mutations – Each Character can now buy multiple mutations.

Developer notes: Mutations should be the signature of Spires – no limits here

All the best,

ThunderMouser

NEWS: UKGE is live today - UKGE

Today marks the first day of UK Games Expo which runs from the 29th to the 31st May at the NEC in  Birmingham's.  Running from 9AM through to Midnight on Friday and Saturday and 9-4 on Sunday.  At the event are a number of blog friends who are going to be there so please go visit them and get a look at a ton of absolutely fabulous games and mini's.

Demo's on Stand: 

Conquest: First Blood - Para Bellum Games 12+  Tickets £15 Various 3-462 (also the limited edition Winters Bite for the Weavers Court can be picked up from here) 

Crits and Tricks, Ice and Idols and Thieves of Eldris - Inside Up Games (4-302) - Various

Cryptid Smash - Noctilux Ltd - 7+   Various 3A-644

Cyberpunk TCG - WeirdCo - 4-779

Feed the Kraken - Cheatwell Games - Various - 3A-318

Gundam Asssemble - 3A-343

Kryptothera: The Cryptid Pursuit - Noctilux Ltd  14+  Various 3A-644

The Mad Kings Ire - Converge Games (3A-166)  Various

Malediction - Loot Studios (3-1129)  Various

P3 Paint - Paint and Take Feature - 4-814

Orcwood Showdown - Orcwood Games (4-274) - Various

Three Kobolds in a Trenchcoat - Fan Crafted - 10+  Various  3-154

Tunnels and Trolls - Rebellion Unplugged (3A-502)

Warmachine - 4-413 - Various

Sellers:

Amber Works Studio (Realms of Tiberium) Featuring Pandemonium Miniatures Painting (Saturday)

Bad Squiddo - 3-913

Bags for Dice - 3A-T46

Chaos Cards - 3-302

Chaos Curio's - (selling Lost Haven Studio TTRPG's) 3-T20

Cryptic Cabin - 4- 823

EN Publishing - 2-921

Fistful of Crits - 3-621

GMS Hobby Games & Handiwork Games - 3-846

Iconic Smart Hobbies - 3-824

Lucky Leaf Tea and Objet d'Artifice - 2-981

Magic Madhouse - 3A-144

Mig Ammo (Paint Range demonstrated by Pandemonium Miniatures on Sunday)

Monford Tales - 3A-412

Tabletop Tinkering - (3-967)

Trench Crusade (3A-506)

Warbases - 2-494

Wayland Games - 2-502

Finally to help you keep up with everything, there's a fab map done by The Offline Gamer on their article, here.

Hope Everyone has a fab time,

All the best,

ThunderMouser

INTERVIEW: Conquest and Conquest: First Blood Creators: Joel and Jacob Rasmussen - Para Bellum Games

Jacob (L) & Joel (R) Rasmussen

We love the opportunity to talk to people within the TTRPG community, and one of the interviews we're really proud of this year is this one with Para Bellum Games Jacob and Joel Rasmussen, designers of Conquest: The Last Argument of Kings and Conquest: First Blood.  Getting to delve into their past, their straight forward approach to gaming being easy to learn and where their love for TTRPG's all began...

Totally Pawsome:  As a creator for the Conquest games, what inspired you to design it and what do you feel it brings to a table that will have people falling in love with the setting?

Jacob:  Our goal with the new First Blood was to create a system with simple yet very flavorful and immersive rules. You can truly feel each clash as a struggle between two warriors which makes for some very heroic and memorable moments!

Joel:  For the new First Blood, a goal established early on was creating an experience that was truly unique yet familiar to the rank-and-flank version of Conquest. We asked ourselves: “how can we experiment and differentiate while maintaining the essence of the prior versions”? We feel that we landed on quite the sweet spot, incorporating some essentials such as rolling low=good and same statlines, while adding new innovations such as a dice comparative combat system and hidden card based deployment.

We also place a high value on variety, theming, and differentiation when writing statlines and armies. When you look at a miniature and read their lore, that should translate to how they play on the tabletop. The naming of abilities and addition of unique special rules act as a gateway to the full background and setting of Conquest. If a player reads a cool name or effect, they will be inclined to read more about the lore to get a better understanding of their faction and the world of Eä.

TP:  What would you say is the best selling point of your Wargames?

Jacob:  Something we are both very pleased with is that First Blood is a very approachable game, simple to learn yet hard to master, the best sort of game for all sorts of players. As players battle it out, they will slowly find ways to improve and get more out of each Warrior on the battlefield. (but none of these tricks/optimizations learned come at the expense of the experience!) It is truly magical when a competitive player can battle it out against a laid back opponent where both can walk away satisfied.

TP:  With so many Heroes and species within what was your favourite to design, play and why?  (This could be multiple answers.)

Joel:  I feel that the City States turned out very well. Translating a faction that relies on order, discipline, and the formation of soldiers into a skirmish game is no easy task. Having the choice of maintaining the strategy that you set at the start of the round which benefits your disciplined Hoplites  versus breaking formation that abandons the set gameplan which benefits your auxiliary troops such as Minotaurs is great fun. 

Jacob:  The Yoroni are an obvious choice when discussing fun, as each Warrior is of brutish stature (worth about 4x that of a normal warrior) they all are extremely noteworthy and unique. From their Unique Activation system to all of their fun flavor rules (Yes, the Sumo-like Kami Ayakashi can body slam Enemies), each individual Warrior truly brings something new to the table.

TP:  Where do you see the Conquest world developing to and can you tell us anything about future products?

Joel:  We would love to implement even more variety in how our players can interact with our games and setting. Official support for slow-grow league play, narrative map-based campaign systems, multiplayer battles, and anything else that we can add to the Conquest experience. For what shiny new miniatures are in the pipeline, all we can say is to tune into our Happy Hour streaming events for the first glimpses into what is currently in the works.

TP:  When you designed your world what were the key things you wanted to include and why?

Joel:  Our home lies in the dungeons of game design, such lore questions are better answered by Leo Stavros, as the world of Conquest is his brainchild. Para-Bellum does offer an incredibly beautiful and insightful lore book which covers factions not yet adapted into playable armies. I would recommend looking there if you want to see what the future may hold!

TP:  Who do you think would love to play your Wargames and why?

Jacob:  We like to think there is something in First Blood for everyone, but the players that will be most fulfilled playing First Blood are those looking for replayability, on-your-toes strategy, and memorable experiences. First Blood’s Dynamic Scenario system along with hidden deployment truly makes no two games quite the same. 

TP:  Where do you see your TTRPG writing career taking you in 5 years?

Joel: There are a plethora of new factions and mysteries to yet explore in the world of Conquest. There are also possibilities of even more ways to use your miniature collection, such as dungeon crawling games and siege battles. At Para-Bellum there are even more esoteric ideas and endeavors that are pondered that I cannot discuss here! 

TP:  If budget was not a problem and you had an infinite fund to call upon, what do you think you'd like to develop and bring to the fore?

Jacob:  This is a difficult one to pin down, there of course are many ideas that are kicked around and some are definitely more “realistic” than others but we feel that we can't share too much here as no one truly knows what the future holds…

Joel:  I see room for innovation by incorporating more digital aspects into miniature games, merging video game and tabletop game experiences together. Touch screen battlefields that interface with miniatures, dynamic apps that track ability cooldowns; the possibilities are endless!

TP:  Who do you admire in the Independent TTRPG writing space and why?

Joel:  We have to pay respects to the giants that exist in this space for their legacy and for onboarding new players into the wider world of tabletop gaming. With that being said, we are always appreciative of companies and individuals that truly try to do their own thing that offers game mechanics and experiences seen nowhere else in our sphere.

Jacob:  With how big the once-niche hobby of tabletop gaming has grown, it is a bright future where many individual designers and small teams are creating some truly unique experiences for all to have. We greatly appreciate when we see things that are genuinely new appear in the market, as their success pushes everyone else to grow and create better games for us all to enjoy.

TP:  What got you into TTRPG's in the first place?

Joel: We come from a very nerdy little area of the American midwest in Wisconsin, with a strong tabletop gaming community that stretches back decades. We are right by some of the largest miniature and tabletop gaming conventions, and also only a 20 minute drive to the town where Dungeons and Dragons was created. It was only a matter of time before we would get sucked in!

I love the blend of artistry, strategy, and creativity that miniature gaming consists of. There is something I find so satisfying about pushing your little dudes around the table that you built and painted yourself that you cannot find in any other hobby.

Jacob: When we set our first foot into our local hobby shop, it was love at first sight. The tactile experience of building/painting minis, rich fictional worlds to explore, AND fun games to play with your friends? The multi-faceted nature of TTRPGs is what makes it the vastly growing success that it is; no matter your mood, the individual, or your time to spare there is always some way to engage with it. As we become more and more attached to our technology, it really is no wonder so many people are picking it up!

For those going to UKGE please visit the Para Bellum Games area on Conquest Avenue (3-462) for a chance to learn how to play the games, discuss history and pick up some fab miniatures.

All the best,

ThunderMouser

BRAND NEW FEATURE: Unboxing and Building of Alternate Jarl - Para Bellum Games

Hail Mighty Readers and Followers of the Luck Gods Math Rocks,

Well, we finally did it, we're doing our first unboxing and build on our You Tube Channel and wanted to put it up here.  I won't say it was a smooth job, but as they say, you learn by doing.  (Or in my case you learn by incompetency.)  So hopefully you'll enjoy our first endeavour for Para Bellum Games. Conquest, where we built the Nord Alternate Jarl.

All the best,

ThunderMouser

NEWS: Winters Bite Founders Exclusive Released for Pre-Order - Para Bellum Games

Hail Mighty Readers and Followers of the Luck Gods,

Our friends at Para Bellum Games, have let us know, along with some photo's, about their brand new mini that goes live for the world on the 27th May 2026 and if you're in the UK they will be at UKGE from the 29th May - 31st May on Stand 3-462.  Here's what they had to say:

"Para Bellum Wargames, the developer and publisher of the fantasy Regimental Miniature Wargame “Conquest: The Last Argument of Kings” and updated Skirmish system “Conquest: First Blood” releases in May the first Founder’s Exclusive for the Weaver Court – Winter’s Bite! 

Deep in the northern reaches of the Faerann there is a land of perpetual cold and hunger. The Gemred Knights patrol its borders and prevent any of the hungering creatures that call that desolate land home from preying on their southern kin. The bravest amongst their number venture into these lands alone, culling these threats before they even make it to the border. And the greatest among those who venture return with a Lindworm, the most terrifying predator in the north, as their mount. These acts of bravery do not go unnoticed in the Court of Winter, where Mab ensures the swift rise of the Gemred in question to the rank of Lord. 

This Founder’s Exclusive is a visual representation of the Winter's Bite upgrade, which grants a Court of Winter the Cavalry Type, adds +2 to its Wounds Characteristic and gains the Impact (4), Brutal Impact (2), Hardened (1) and Trample (2) Special Rules. This makes them ideal to join Gemred Knights, but can also be used to enhance the output of Fianna Cavalry or the upcoming Wyrd Knights! 

This is a numbered edition, Founder's Exclusive. Once the edition of 1099 units has sold out, it will not be issued again in any other form. 

The Winter’s Bite is available for Pre-Order now at an SRP of USD 109.99 /EU 99.99"

So remember to get in quick and get yours.  

All the best,

ThunderMouser