Army Building
Small Wars encourages players to create their own Units, Contingents, and even full Armies, complete with unique aesthetics, characters, and backstories.
Building Units
The Small Wars unit building system is a complete design toolkit that empowers players to create custom units and fully personalized armies. Whether you're building a quick skirmish contingent or crafting a deeply themed Army, the level of complexity is entirely up to you—just follow the simple steps and apply the appropriate point costs.
Unit creation in Small Wars is fast, intuitive, and highly flexible. Each unit is built using four core characteristics: Unit Type (eg, infantry or cavalry), Armour Type (Defence), Weapon (Attack), and Abilities. With almost endless possible combinations for Infantry and Cavalry alone, no two forces need to feel the same.
Designing a Unit
To start designing your own units now you can download the Army Builder PDF or use our interactive Army Builder tool. The best way to approach unit design is to consider both the theme and the mechanical role you want the unit to fill.
Example: Spartan Hoplite
A heavily disciplined citizen-soldier of ancient Sparta. Armed with a spear and shield, and protected by bronze armour. A general all purpose soldier with a decent defence.
Unit Type: Infantry
Armour Type: Medium Armour D8 Defence
Weapon: Light Polearm, D6 attack (+1 when charging)
Optional Ability: Shield (+1 on defence rolls)
Cost 22 points
Using our Army Builder, you can quickly assemble battle-ready Contingents or go further by designing complete pre-made armies, with every unit fully built, costed, and ready for the tabletop. Whether you're planning a one-off skirmish or a multi-game campaign, Small Wars makes it easy to tailor your force to your strategy and style.