ONUS! Traianus is a historical battles wargame, similar to a miniatures game, where two sides confront each other in an Ancient battle. This game is focused on the armies of the great superpowers of the apogee of the Roman Empire, during the reign of the emperors Trajan and Hadrian, between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. In this game, different action cards recreate varied kinds of orders and battle events, that allow every match to be unique and to any combat to be epic, unpredictable and exciting. ONUS! can be played anywhere but to get the best gaming experience we do recommend a game area as large as possible, i.e. 3.2 x 2.9 feet (100 x 90 cm).

Units are represented by cards which have been scaled around a Centuria (also known as Century) or to a Maniple (also known as Manipulus), representing formations from 80 to 100 men for Infantry units, 20 cavalrymen for Cavalry units or 6 Elephants. Units have their own set of traits to represent permanent attributes of the unit, like Melee Combat, Range Attack, Defensive capacity, Morale and Life, and Movement capacity. This set of traits gets bonuses and penalties depending on the ongoing situation and combat engagements. Units also have their unique set of skills to represent specific abilities they can perform: from defensive formations to extremely effective techniques to attack enemies. Some of these skills need to be activated; meaning only one of them can be used in an engagement, while others are inherent to the units.

Leadership is represented in the game by the figure of the General. A General’s token represent his HQ and its own escort. In addition to the leadership benefit, a General grants bonuses to nearby units, boosting the morale of the troops and providing additional benefits when they are engaged with the enemy in those bloody encounters.

The ONUS! system puts you in command of armies of ancient world, in a battle system similar to that of miniatures wargames, replacing miniatures with cards with detailed unit illustrations and printed game statistics.

The cards feature different units deployed on the battlefield, which will move, attack at range or melee, envelop and adopt special formations, among many of the actions available.

It can be played in historical scenarios or points-based battles, where each side builds its army, as agreed, according to its historical availability or freely.

Action cards

The ONUS! system uses an engine of action cards, which contain both orders and events that occur when combat takes place.

This card management system gives the ONUS! player limited control over his troops, while reflecting the chaotic nature of a battle and the difficulty of getting orders to all units effectively.

The player uses the top of the action cards in his hand to activate his units, in addition to gaining the special effects they grant him.

The events section of the action cards is used in combat: in each combat we reveal a random event from the deck and players can play one from their hand. This reflects the uncertainty and chaos of combat and adds a layer of decision making about which cards to use to activate units or reserve them to use their events – every card counts!

The units

Each card has several sections of amplitude and can perform enveloping movements, as well as extending its formation to provide a wider front.

The camel catafracts have 2 sections of the 4 that form their front locked in combat, so they can extend the other 2, indicated by the arrows, to envelop the Roman cavalry.

This results in enveloping attacks, with bonuses to combat, as well as the use of different unit formations, such as shield walls, phalanx, square formation, arrowhead, etc.

Movement is carried out using a standard unit of measurement in the game, according to the capacity of each specific unit as expressed on its card. For this purpose, the game has rules to make the movement easier.

The Celtic swordsmen would not be able to reach the Praetorian Guard with one move, as they would need half a UD (Unit of Distance) of additional movement.

Our troops do not go into battle alone. They are leaded by a general, depending on the side and historical period we play in. Each general has specific abilities, in addition to his leadership skills, radius of influence and the bonuses he brings to the units around him.

It is complemented by the “Terrain and Fortresses” expansion set, which includes elements for setting up the battlefield or emplacing fortifications, as well as rules for sieges, incendiary missiles and much more!

SLEEVING:

98 cards size 45x68mm (mini euro)

312 cards size 56x87 (USA)

CONTENT:

272 unit cards.

34 general cards.

6 quick reference cards.

98 action cards.

6 measuring rulers.

200+ markers and tokens.

8 6-sided dice.

Game rules.

Solo rules.

96-Page campaign book.

BGG link