Oathmark

What is Oathmark

Oathmark is a fantasy mass-battle game by Joseph A. McCullough, the designer of Frostgrave, published by Osprey Games. The setting is a lost age where the empires have fallen and loyalty is worth as much as gold.

You field a whole army: a company of dwarves, say, or a mixed force with elves, men, and goblins in the same battle line. That army comes out of a kingdom you build, so the campaign is the heart of it. Win and you take territory from your rival. Lose and you give some up.

The first edition, Oathmark: Battles of the Lost Age, came out in 2020. The Second Edition is the new one. It came out on 27 August 2026 in the UK, and Osprey’s US store lists 15 September 2026. It’s 224 pages, with art by Jon Hodgson, Joel Thomas, and Gloria Notarangelo.

What changed in the Second Edition

McCullough wrote up the changes on Osprey’s blog. The core mechanics are the same. The big shifts:

It’s a kingdom game now. The book opens with building your kingdom, and you can start small, with just two or three regions.
A sixth region, the Borderlands. Troops from out there are less reliable, and dragons can only come from it.
Undead, chariots, and Legendary Heroes are in the core book.
Racial rules. Elves are Eldest, humans are Hasty, dwarves are Children of Stone, and orcs keep Wild Charge.
Stronger magic. Spellcasters get more spells and cast more easily, and magic items cost less.
Eight scenarios, up from five.
Monsters toned down, and artillery loses the Champion Die.

McCullough says only the Second Edition is current. The older supplements are still useful to read, but they “are not fully compatible with Second Edition.”

How it plays

Kingdom first. Your kingdom is a set of rings around a capital. The capital sets your culture, and the territories you fill in decide which units you can recruit.
Big blocks of troops. Units rank up in fives, up to 20 figures.
Roll to activate. Players take turns activating units. You roll two dice, and at least one has to equal or beat the unit’s Activation stat. Disciplined elves need a 3, unruly orcs need a 6. A unit that fails can still move, just not as well.
Leaders matter. Commanders add activation dice for nearby units and can activate several units at once.
Everything on d10s. You need five of them. One should be a different colour. That’s the Champion Die.
A campaign. The winner of a battle usually takes one of the loser’s territories.

It’s miniature agnostic. McCullough says Oathmark “allows for the use of any miniatures,” and North Star makes the official ones.

How to start

Get the Second Edition. $24.50 for the PDF or $35 for the hardback, from Osprey. It’s the only book you need to start.
Grab the free downloads. Osprey’s resources page has a kingdom sheet, army roster, quick reference, battle honours sheet, errata, and a Halflings list.
Start with a small kingdom. The Second Edition’s beginner setup is two regions and three territories, which keeps your first army small.
Pick up minis, or use your own. North Star makes the official 28mm range, including plastic infantry boxes for dwarves, elves, humans, orcs, and goblins. Any fantasy rank and file will do.

Supplements

Battlesworn, Oathbreakers, and Bane of Kings, all on Osprey’s Oathmark page. They were written for the first edition, and McCullough says they aren’t fully compatible with the Second.