War Chant

War Chant is an innovative miniature wargame system designed for hobbyists seeking ultimate creative freedom. Set in an agnostic fantasy world, it allows you to build and play the faction you've always dreamed of. The rules are designed to adapt to your choices and bring strategic, immersive, and simulation-based battles to life.  
Tell new and thrilling war stories or bring that long-delayed modeling project to life, War Chant puts you at the center of the action, creating a unique gaming experience in which you are in charge!

War Chant is a strategic skirmish game for 28/32 mm scale miniatures, for two or more players.  You can use any miniature you want, whether it comes from another game line, an original 3D printed creation, or a unique handcrafted collection! The system supports both narrative and competitive play, and even map-based campaigns.

These three aspects have guided us throughout the entire development process of War Chant. The core idea stems from a simple yet powerful question: "What would we want in our ideal wargame?" The answers shaped the pillars on which the entire project is built.

I- A Space for Imagination

First and foremost, we wanted a place where we could unleash our imagination and bring our ideas to life, a space where every player could create extraordinary worlds, tell unique stories, and experience epic battles.

II- Total Freedom in the Creative Process 

Next, we wanted to realize our imagined worlds without any limits. As hobbyists, we know there is no greater satisfaction than completing a project that reflects our creative vision. Whether building an army or crafting immersive scenarios, we wanted every idea to find its place.

III- Strategic, Fun, and Realistic Gameplay

Lastly, we sought a gaming experience that is both strategic and engaging. For us, the "ideal wargame" should be fun, with streamlined and intuitive rules, offering tactical challenges that satisfy even the most experienced and dedicated players. We aimed for an asymmetrical game system that also provides a realistic simulation of battlefield dynamics, accessible enough for quick and easy gameplay, but with deep mechanics and synergies that take more than one match to fully master.

In War Chant, every player has complete creative freedom: the rules do not impose a predefined setting with predetermined factions. On the contrary, it provides the tools necessary to build your own game world. This is made possible by an innovative system we call the "archetypal system."

What is an archetype?

An archetype represents the heart of a faction and, together with the backstory written by the player, defines its identity and nature. Archetypes are typical models of the fantasy genre, each with specific characteristics and rules that bring unique playstyles to life. But how does this translate into gameplay?

Choosing an archetype means giving your faction distinct traits and specific abilities. For example, a band of undead might draw strength from the souls of enemies reaped in battle, while a crew of corsairs will use hit-and-run combat tactics. Each archetype not only defines the faction's identity but also directly influences how the game is played.

A wide range of choices and unlimited possibilities

The War Chant rulebook offers no less than 7 archetypes to choose from, each with a completely different playstyle! And if that’s not enough, inside you will find detailed guidelines, advice, and suggestions to create brand new, customized archetypes, expanding the game world according to your imagination.

The real challenge? Let your imagination run wild and build a faction like no other, ready to conquer the battlefield!

A central goal in the development of War Chant was to create a game system capable of faithfully representing the clash between Warbands. I didn’t want a simple brawl where warriors blindly throw themselves into the fray, but an organized battle between opposing forces, where the decisions of commanders could have a real impact on the battlefield.

At the same time, I wanted a modern system designed to minimize downtime and keep the pace of the game consistently high. I also wanted to preserve the advantages of the skirmish format, which allows for greater customization of individual models, without reducing the size of Warbands too much.

The result is a rather unconventional game system: alternating activation, a staple of skirmish games, combined with the ability to activate multiple models through special figures known as Officers.

This mechanic is designed to represent the organized nature of the battle: not simply individual warriors fighting on their own, but commanders issuing orders and leading their men across the battlefield.

Within the pages of War Chant (over 250!), you will find everything you need to play. Specifically: 

• Core Rules — Everything you need to play exciting and strategic battles.
• Model Customization Rules — Give your miniatures a unique identity and truly make them your own.
• 3 Game Modes — Choose between Narrative, Balanced, and Campaign games, depending on how you want to play.
• 7 Archetypes — Build your forces around powerful archetypal concepts, each offering a distinct playstyle.
• 12 Ready-to-Play Scenarios — Jump straight into battle with a variety of tactical challenges.
• And much more! — Tools, options, and rules designed to let you personalize your experience and bring your ideas to life.

To celebrate the official launch of War Chant, we’ve prepared the Lords of the Lands campaign: a whole region ready for you to explore and conquer! This module supports 2 to 5 players and lets you jump straight into campaign mode without the need for extensive preparation upfront. Plus, you can draw inspiration from this first experience to craft your own adventures! 

You can find the Lords of the Lands campaign module among the available pledges on Kickstarter.

"Every great story needs a voice to tell it."

The voice entrusted with the story of War Chant is that of the fearless Alec of Reis, a war chanter who chose to leave his home behind and make his living by the sword. Throughout the rulebook, you will find several excerpts from his writings: tales, memories, and testimonies that will accompany you into the world of War Chant and prepare you for a life of war.

To celebrate the launch of War Chant on Kickstarter, we commissioned the creation of an event miniature dedicated to Alec of Reis, designed specifically to mark War Chant's debut. A carefully crafted model, made to be proudly displayed in your collection or deployed directly onto the battlefield.

The miniature will be available exclusively as part of the War Chanter pledge.

Those who select this pledge will receive, when the product is released, the STL file of the Alec of Reis miniature, optimized for printing at 28/32 mm and also suitable for larger scales, such as 75 mm or larger. The file will be provided in two versions: one containing the miniature only, and a second, pre-supported version, ready for printing.

A small piece of the story of War Chant to add to your collection. And who knows, perhaps to your next battle as well.

War Chant was created to give players the freedom to build their own worlds. That freedom shouldn't stop with the game table.

That's why War Chant includes the War Chant Third Party License (WCTPL) — a license designed to give independent creators the freedom to build, publish, and sell their own content compatible with War Chant.

With the WCTPL, creators can develop their own:

• Supplements and expansions
• Scenarios and campaigns
• New rules and archetypes
• Worlds, game content, and other creations

Whether you're an independent game designer, a hobbyist, an artist, or simply someone with an idea you'd like to share, the WCTPL is designed to make it possible to build upon War Chant while keeping your own creations yours. The full terms and conditions of the War Chant Third Party License will be available alongside the game.

War Chant is not meant to be a closed project, but an open invitation to create and share.

I may be its author, but War Chant is also the result of everything I have learned through countless games and from the many designers who came before me — people far more experienced and accomplished than I am. Their ideas, their games, and their work helped shape the way I think about game design. The War Chant Third Party License is my way of giving something back: opening War Chant to those who want to build upon it, expand it, and make it their own.

The Kickstarter campaign was created to raise the final funds needed to bring War Chant to publication and, if possible, achieve everything that my limited resources have prevented me from doing so far.

My main goal has always been to create a complete rulebook, rich in content and made with passion — by a player, for players. I have been working tirelessly on War Chant for five years, and I’ll be honest: bringing a rulebook to life from scratch has been quite an undertaking, especially considering the costs involved in creating a product of this kind. This is also why, reluctantly, I had to make use of AI to create the internal artwork.

This is where the Kickstarter campaign makes the difference. The more we raise, the more we can do with War Chant: adding new content, refining the ruleset, expanding the game, and bringing to life ideas that my limited resources have not yet allowed me to realize.

By supporting the campaign, you are not simply helping me publish War Chant — you are helping shape what War Chant can become.

Printing and shipping from Italy would make the final book incredibly expensive. Using the Lulu print-on-demand formula allows us to give you a high-quality printed book through a highly efficient, eco-friendly, and economical distribution method.

After the project is completed, you'll receive a private, print-at-cost promotional link (ENG-ITA) for a copy of the book. At this point, you'll only have to pay printing and shipping fees through LULU to get the book shipped directly to the address of your choice.

ESTIMATED printing prices

• War Chant Rulebook (Hardcover, A4) - 25.00/27.00€ (28/30$) - (310 pages, 80# coated paper, standard color)
• Lords of the lands (Softcover, A4) - 5.00/8.00€ (6/8$) - (50 pages, 80# coated paper, standard color)

ESTIMATED shipping fees

6.00/8.00€ (5-9 USD) - (LULU has printers in the U.S.A, Europe, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Shipping outside these areas may result in customs fees)

NOTE: Prices may vary depend

I’m Alessandro Vittori, an independent game designer and author with a passion for wargames, role-playing games, storytelling, and worldbuilding. I’ve published a few small projects independently over the years, and War Chant is my first Kickstarter project.

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