Conquest: First Blood

What is Conquest: First Blood

Conquest: First Blood is a dark fantasy skirmish game from Para Bellum. It’s set in Eä, the world of Conquest, where “more than six centuries have passed since the Fall and war is brewing.” You command a Warband, a contingent of Warriors drawn from one faction, led by a Warlord and a few Heroes.

It’s one half of a pair. Para Bellum makes two games with one range of miniatures. Conquest: The Last Argument of Kings is the rank-and-flank mass battle, with 40 to 80 or more models a side on multi-model stands and a game that runs about two hours. First Blood is the skirmish, with roughly 5 to 20 models a side, each on its own round base, and a game that runs 30 to 60 minutes. The miniatures come off the stands and go into a Warband, so a First Blood collection is also the start of an army, and an army already holds a Warband or two. Para Bellum is clear that First Blood is not a cut-down version, though: it “stands as its own complete game system,” with its own rules, points and army books.

There are ten factions, all usable in both games: the Hundred Kingdoms, Spires, Dweghom, Nords, W’adrhŭn, Old Dominion, City States, Sorcerer Kings, Yoroni and Weaver Courts.

First Blood got a new edition in 2026, with new Warband boxes for the factions. The current rulebook is dated June 2026, with army books updated since. Every miniature is hard plastic and comes on sprues, so it all needs assembly.

How it plays

Six rounds, four phases. Each round has a Supremacy Phase (both players roll a die and the lower roll acts first), a Command Phase, an Action Phase and a Victory Phase where you score the scenario.
Alternating activations by card. Every Warlord, Hero, Monster and Regiment in your Warband has a Command Card laid face up beside the table. Players take turns flipping one and activating its Warriors one at a time. Each Warrior gets 2 Actions and can’t repeat one, except March. Each card has a QR code that opens its rules in the Conquest Companion App.
Characters give orders. In the Command Phase each Character uses one Command Ability. Everyone has Rallying Cry, Press Forward and Duel. A Duel locks two Characters into single combat, and a Character that declines one is Broken on the spot.
Low dice are good. An attacker rolls dice equal to Attacks and keeps the lowest results, up to the Clash (or Volley) value, as Hits. The defender rolls Defense or Evasion, whichever is higher, and each Block cancels a Hit if it rolls equal or lower. A 6 always fails. Wounds that reach a Warrior’s limit trigger a Resolve test rather than a straight kill.
Terrain you climb and break. Vantage Points are climbed or traversed, Barricades can be defended and torn down, and fortified positions can be breached.
Hidden deployment. Scenarios are generated before each battle, and both players pick a Tactic. You deploy your Command Cards face down, then reveal them one at a time and place that card’s Warriors within 3” of it.
Size scales with points. You agree a points total. The slot table sets how many Warlords, Heroes and Monsters you can take, from 1 Warlord and at most 1 Hero up to 500 points to 3 Warlords and 5 Heroes past 2,000. Infantry Regiments grow from 4 to 8 models at the low end up to 24.

How to start

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First Blood Rulebook, June 2026 (free PDF)

The full core rules, straight from Para Bellum.

Read the rules for free. The core rulebook, the army books for every faction, the scenarios and a quick start are all on the Rules & FAQ page. Para Bellum suggests starting with the quick start.
Pick a faction and buy its Warband. The 2026 Warband boxes are built for First Blood. The Hundred Kingdoms box has a Mounted Noble Lord, three four-model infantry units (Men-at-Arms, Household Guard and Longbowmen, each a dual kit), a Sealed Temple, command cards, dice, a measuring tool, two random 3D terrain pieces and a quick start guide. It also comes with infantry and brute stands, so the same models can rank up for The Last Argument of Kings later. Flipside Gaming lists the 2026 Warbands at $69.99.
Grow it. Each faction has a smaller First Blood Reinforcement Set. The Hundred Kingdoms one adds a Chapter Mage, eight infantry and two Household Knights. Flipside Gaming lists it at $59.99.
Build lists. The free Army Builder and the Conquest Companion App cover both games.

Community & reviews

Para Bellum runs organised play for both Conquest games, has a store locator and an events calendar on its site, and hosts the community on Discord. It also suggests stores and groups run “A Bloody Good Night” of First Blood.