Hi

Two of my friends and I disagree about how to play the tactic card "Bands of Brigands".
I think we can:
1- activate an area containing neutral units allied to an opponent
2- to send a hero in the area
3- play the card ""Bands of Brigands"
4- steal neutral units
5- send in the area my military units to begin a battle.

My friends think that we must choose between stealing the neutral units and trigger a battle.

What do you think off ?

From the wording on the card, I think you should be able to do just that. For clarity's sake: the stolen neutrals have to be routed, so you can't steal them to fight on your side in THIS battle.

Hi Ctol, you are absolutely right. You first move the hero, then play the tactic card and then continue your movement to the area were your hero is.

I would even say that if you move afterwards your units there is no battle there and could use the supremacy bounus of a mobiliza card.

You can also use this to weaken an enemy player, using band of brigrands and then attacking the area (if you use a rally cry you can even attack him with his own ex neutrals), we have done this many times.

Best regards

I'm not so sure you can split up your movement like that- I think the heroes and the units must move together. If you want to play "band of brigands" after moving everyone but before starting a battle, that should be fine, but no where is it implied that just because you pick up and move figures separately do they actually enter the area at different times. I'm looking at pg 17 of the rulebook. The description shows the player selecting all of the different units that are moving in, and then a battle or diplomacy starts.

Otherwise, you'd open the door for strange situations where you could activate an area, move in 1 unit, attempt diplomacy, and then if it fails, move in the rest of your units to battle. That doesn't make sense to me. You commit the forces you are moving in (units and heroes) and then must decide how to proceed.

I'm not so sure you can split up your movement like that- I think the heroes and the units must move together. If you want to play "band of brigands" after moving everyone but before starting a battle, that should be fine, but no where is it implied that just because you pick up and move figures separately do they actually enter the area at different times. I'm looking at pg 17 of the rulebook. The description shows the player selecting all of the different units that are moving in, and then a battle or diplomacy starts.

Otherwise, you'd open the door for strange situations where you could activate an area, move in 1 unit, attempt diplomacy, and then if it fails, move in the rest of your units to battle. That doesn't make sense to me. You commit the forces you are moving in (units and heroes) and then must decide how to proceed.

The example you describe is not the same thing. Once you begin a battle or diplomacy, your movement is done, and you move onto that step. So if you fail diplomacy, you can't resume movement - you are done.

Contrasted with cards that let you play them during your turn - there is no such restriction that they end your turn. For example, it has been confirmed that you can use a Strategize order, move units out of some of your areas making them empty, play "Favor of Kellos" to place rune tokens there, and then move other units back in (not the same units that left, because they've already moved).

I asked Corey a question about Ice Storm, which is somewhat related, basically "can you move in your hero, play Ice Storm, then move more units in to do the actual fighting?" The answer was "Yes", with the basis of (like Strategize) movement is not simultaneous, and the battle doesn't start until the movement is completely done. You can interrupt the movement with certain cards and effects, though, and then continue moving. But again, once you do Diplomacy or Battle, you are done with movement - they aren't the same as playing a card.

So with Band of Brigands, you could indeed do this - move in your hero, play the card, and then move more units in.

However, there is a related question I want to ask - can you use Rally Cry to stand up the newly-acquired neutrals to move them back into the area? I'll ask Corey this.

Great point about Ice Storm, sigma, I stand corrected.