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Deadzone Rulebook

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100% found this document useful (1 vote)
576 views84 pages

Deadzone Rulebook

rpg

Uploaded by

Trixyblueeyes
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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TM

WAR IN URBAN BATTLE ZONES


A GAME BY JAKE THORNTON
A GAME BY JAKE THORNTON

Rupert Coles (order #5245731)


“If the citizens of the GCPS were to find out the threats that are lurking on the frontier, can you imagine the effect it
would have? The losses in revenue? That’s why Containment Protocol works as it does. It stops the spread of the
Plague, certainly, but more importantly it stops the spread of panic. That’s easily worth the occasional loss of a system.”

–Unattributed audio grab, alleged to be the voice of Councillor Lang

Rupert Coles (order #5245731)


Concept and Game Design Additional SCENERY
Jake Thornton Antenociti’s Workshop, Armorcast,
Quantum Gothic, Rust Forge

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL
GRAPhic Design
Guy Haley, James Hewitt
Chris Webb

SPECIAL THANKS
Photography
Matt Gilbert
Ben Sandum

Cover ARt
Painting
Luigi Terzi
Chris Webb, Dave Neild, Golem Painting
Studio, Winterdyne Commission
Internal Art Modelling

Heath Foley, Jonas Springborg, Luigi


Terzi, Roberto Cirillo Playtesting
Bob Parnham, Chris Palmer, Geoff
Sculpting Savory, Matt Gilbert, Sam Dale, Stewart
Gibbs, Tim Hancorn, Ronnie Renton
Ben Skinner,Bob Naismith,Dave Kidd,
Derek Miller, Francesco Pizzo, Gregor With special thanks to the thousands of
Adrian, Grégory Clavilier, MKUltra Studio, gamers who backed us on Kickstarter
Rémy Tremblay, Steve Eserin, Steve and the many more who joined in with our
Saunders, Sylvain Quirion, Tim Prow public Beta test. It’s you guys who make
all this possible.

Rupert Coles (order #5245731) 1 - INTRODUCTION


INTRODUCTION ... 1 CORE RULES ... 15
Containment Protocol . . . . . . . . . 4 Dice Rolls . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Deadzone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Blank Stats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Test Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Plague . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Dice Rolling Sequence . . . . . . . . . 17
Doubling and Tripling . . . . . . . . . 17
Game Components . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Scatter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Line of Sight . . . . . . . . . 18


Types of Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Point LOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Model Positioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Area LOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
How Much Room? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Model’s Eye Views . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Aggression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Level Differences . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Stat Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Lying Down Models . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Measuring Distance . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Battlefields . . . . . . . . . . 12 Play Sequence . . . . . . . 20


Cubes Not Squares . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Rounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Buildings and Cover . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Determine Initiative . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Turns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
End of Round . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Free Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Move . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Climb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Sprint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Break Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Fight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Get Mean! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Shoot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Blaze Away . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Aim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Throw Grenade . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Overwatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Battle Cards . . . . . . . . . 32
Card Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Card Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Card Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Damage . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Damage States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Resolving Damage . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

2 - INTRODUCTION
Rupert Coles (order #5245731)
SETTING UP ... 35 REFERENCE ... 65
Choose Your Strike Team . . . 36
Prepare Your Strike Team . . . 36 Plague . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Prepare Your Battlefield . . . . 37
Determine Deployment . . . . . 38 Enforcers . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Start the Game . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Rebs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Missions . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Mission Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Marauders . . . . . . . . . . 64
Winning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Choosing A Strike Team . . . . . . . 44 Abilities . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Equipment . . . . . . . . . . 76
CAMPAIGNS ... 45 Mutations . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Campaign Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Campaign Notes . . . . . 48

Starting A Campaign . . 50

After a Battle . . . . . . . . 52

Roster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Rupert Coles (order #5245731) 3 - INTRODUCTION


Containment Protocol Deadzone
In the vast sea of space claimed by the Corporation, Containment Protocol is a well-organised process of
some areas are far better controlled than others. damage limitation and control. It starts by removing the
Although they would never admit it, the ruling Council of affected area from all maps, all navigation computers
Seven are not seen as the benign overlords they portray and all communications channels. Where a system of
themselves as in every system and by every race. For planets once span around their sun there is nothing but
some they are tyrants and dictators, and for others they a blank space. At least, so it would seem to the outside
are distant fools who fail to realise the wealth they hold. universe. Of course, the planets still exist and so does
Whether it is insurrection, greed or alien invasion there the problem for the Council, it’s just that they now have
are often times when the Council want all news from a the lack of public scrutiny they need to be able to deal
system to simply stop while they resolve a problem. with it as they please.

So, when things get seriously out of hand, when A cordon of Enforcer warships is positioned to monitor
marauding pirate fleets seize a colony, when Rebels this space, ensuring that nobody enters or leaves
throw off Corporation shackles, when Veer-myn erupt without authorisation. Inside the Containment are one
from their tunnels or when a Plague breaks out, the or more planets and perhaps many millions of human
Council of Seven order a Containment Protocol. and alien citizens, all suddenly cut off from the wider
Corporation. Those in transit between worlds find
themselves suddenly without navigation aids as all their
local maps are removed from the grid without warning.
The lucky ones manage to find a habitable planet close
by. The less lucky drift off into the darkness.

Cut off from outside help, many planets will gradually


slip even further into lawlessness and chaos, so it is
important to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
This may include the use of normal Corporation troops,
though most such missions are given to the fanatically
loyal Enforcers.

4 - INTRODUCTION
Rupert Coles (order #5245731)
Plague
Even so, news of such measures inevitably leaks out Perhaps the most alarming cause that is hidden by
and the borders can never be entirely secure. Without Containment Protocols is outbreaks of the Plague.
the normal security protection of the wider Corporation, There are many virulent infections that can massacre
such an area is too attractive a proposition to many colonies, but the most dangerous is not natural. It is
different warring groups and the bribes to inform about simply known as the Plague and is the product of
them are huge. Rebels and Marauders are attracted by little-understood alien artefacts. These strange devices
the wealth of Corporation spoils to be ransacked; Forge are scattered seemingly at random across Corporation
Fathers see a chance to plunder the natural resources space and beyond, infecting and mutating those who are
of long-forbidden sites; yet others see it as a way to not killed by the virulent mutagens they contain, turning
revenge or enrich or simply seek adventure. For those the few survivors into crazed monsters that rampage
who are stuck inside the Containment Protocol it is a across their worlds, killing and infecting any they find.
matter of life and death. News of such events causes mass panic in nearby
systems as a few of these monsters retain enough of
As far as the Council of Seven and their forces are their old skills to use weapons, operate computers and
concerned, a Containment Protocol is a problem to pilot spaceships.
be solved – nothing more. The pirate fleet must be
destroyed, the rebellion quelled, the aliens repulsed,
the infection stamped out. None of these problems
can be allowed to spread beyond the bounds of the
Containment Protocol. The lives of those inside are not
a consideration in the wider scheme of things. They are
largely left to fend for themselves for the years or even
decades it takes to resolve the problem. Even then, the
Council may not want any witnesses...

Whilst this process and these areas are formally


termed Containment Protocol, even the Council’s loyal
Enforcers simply call them Deadzones.

Rupert Coles (order #5245731) 5 - INTRODUCTION


Set on the fringes of civilised space, Deadzone is a game of
futuristic battles fought among the ruins of human colonies
against a variety of alien threats.
Deadzone is played with model soldiers on a battlefield that is represented by a gaming mat and model scenery.
As a player you will take command of an elite Strike Team of human soldiers or alien warriors. Each turn you
decide which of your models to move and what they will do, advancing across the board, shooting your enemies and
picking up items of stray equipment as you go. Each player has a secret mission that they are trying to complete,
and the first to do so wins the game.

Before we get into the rules proper, you will need to familiarise yourself with the components of the Deadzone game.
An understanding of this foundation will make following the remainder of the rules easier.

Miniatures
The Deadzone boxed game contains two factions – the Enforcers and the Plague, each represented by a set of
highly detailed miniatures. More information on how to use these in your games can be found on page 8.

In addition, the Deadzone universe is continually expanding, with exciting new specialists for your forces, additional
factions that add a twist to the game, and enigmatic mercenaries. Visit www.manticgames.com for more details.

The Battlefield Buildings and Cover


Deadzone is fought out over a battlefield represented by The futuristic constructions of Deadzone are a key part
a gridded mat. This playing area (sometimes referred to of the game, and the plastic tiles are intended to provide
in the rules as a board) is an 8 x 8 grid of squares onto an infinite combination of buildings, making every game
which you place buildings and other scenery. Where different. The tiles will need to be removed from the
this scenery is placed on the mat will have an impact on frames and joined using the connector pieces provided.
the game, as detailed on page 14. You can construct larger buildings to block line of sight,
and smaller ones to provide cover – the choice is yours.
More information on these buildings can be found on
page 14.

6 - INTRODUCTION
Rupert Coles (order #5245731)
Cards
Each faction has its own deck of cards. These are divided into three types:

Stat Cards: these list the game Battle Cards: these allow a Mission Cards: these show
values of the different models variety of extra actions. During what you need to do to win the
available to that faction. During a game you will have a hand game. During a game you will
the game you will use these as of these cards to play. More have one of these to use as
reference. More details can be details can be found on page 32. reference. More details can be
found on page 10. found on page 40.

Counters Dice
Several things need to be tracked during a game, All dice in Deadzone are 8-sided and are marked from
whether it is as simple as which models have had their 1-8. These are rolled just like normal 6-sided dice and
turn, or as worrying as which of your models have been the number facing up when it stops is the result. In most
injured. There are also counters that represent items of cases several dice are rolled simultaneously. However,
equipment, game objectives and so on. The use of each each dice is read separately and the results are never
type of counter is described in the relevant section of totalled.
the rules.

Note that the word “dice” is used here for both singular
and plural. Normally the singular would be “die”, but in a
game where people get killed so frequently this can be a
little confusing.

Rupert Coles (order #5245731) 7 - INTRODUCTION


Model is the general term for any playing piece and
applies whether the model is a human, mutant, vehicle
Types Of Model
or an alien monstrosity. It does not apply to separate Models are divided into a number of categories
guns and items of equipment such as sentry guns. depending on their place in their faction’s hierarchy.
Although these playing pieces are models of the Due to the different levels of skill and training available
weapon, in game terms it is an item (see page 76), not a the exact definition varies between factions. One
model. faction’s Specialist might be another faction’s Trooper.
Whenever a rule refers to a model it means the whole These types are:
playing piece including any base that it may be attached
to. It also includes any weapons, clothing, armour, Leader: the leaders of a faction. For example, an
tentacles, spikes, hairstyles, loincloths or anything else Enforcer Captain.
that is sculpted as part of that model.
Specialist: models with unusual weapons, training or
If you are a veteran miniatures gamer and want to equipment. For example, a Goblin Sniper.
convert your model into a different pose then feel free
Trooper: normal rank and file. For example, a Rebel
to do so. The model will now be able to see and be seen
Human.
in slightly different circumstances, but will find that the
change of pose is as much of a hindrance as a benefit. Rare: exotic aliens, experimental equipment or
Having tested the game with proxy models in a wide highly-specialised models. For example, a
variety of poses, no position was found to be universally Plague Teraton.
better than others. If you want to convert your models
we recommend doing so because you enjoy the process Unique: one-of-a-kind models, usually named
or have a cool idea for a heroic pose rather than individuals. For example, the mercenary known as
imagining that this will provide any gaming edge. Wrath.

The collection of models you play with in an individual


game is called your Strike Team.

8 - INTRODUCTION
Rupert Coles (order #5245731)
Model Positioning Aggression
In Deadzone, a model’s exact placement is very As well as stats, a model is defined by their current
important. For this reason you can only move a model level of Aggression. This rises and falls during the
when the rules specifically require you to do so. The battle in response to events that happen to the model.
owning player always decides on a model’s exact You will need to track the current state of the model’s
position when it needs to change position for any Aggression throughout the game.
reason. The reasons for the importance of the exact
position of a model will become apparent when you read Aggression has 4 steps. From lowest to highest these are:
the rules about Line of Sight on page 18.

As well as being in a specific position, each model is Suppressed


also in a specific cube. You can place a model wherever
you like on the board (see page 13), including partly over The model is entirely focused on staying
the lines that form the grid between cubes. In all cases, hidden from the incoming fire. Lie the
the centre of a model’s base defines which cube it is in. model down to show this and place a
If this is not obvious, simply tell your opponent when the Suppressed counter beside it.
model is moved into position.
A Suppressed model must Get Mean!
to change its Aggression to Pinned. This will be the
only action it can do in a turn it starts Suppressed.
Remember that you can only Get Mean! once per turn.

Pinned
The model has taken cover from an immediate threat. It
Both models are in the same cube even though the may take a while to decide that it is safe to advance once
one on the right is partly overlapping the line. more. Lie the model down to show this. A Pinned model
must Get Mean! as its first action if it makes any actions
at all.
If a second or subsequent model moves into a cube
it may not move another model out of the way unless
there is nowhere else the moving model could be placed
within that cube. If it must move a model in order to fit
Alert
in then it must move friendly models in preference to This is the normal state for models in combat. The
enemy ones and only by the minimum required to fit model is assumed to be in this state unless marked
the new model into the cube. Note, however, that this otherwise.
is quite uncommon and a moving model can almost
always be placed somewhere in the cube, even if it isn’t
necessarily where you want to go. Remember that the Enraged
centre of the model’s base is what defines which cube it
is in. The model is out for blood, angered by
enemy action, artificial stimulants or
How Much Room? innate rage. Mark the model with an
Enraged counter.
Every model has a size listed on their Stat Card (see
page 10). Each cube can hold up to four size 1 models
(or equivalent – two size 2s, a size 3 and a size 1, etc)
from a faction. This is an absolute limit and cannot be
exceeded. So, if a Strike Team already had three size
1 models in a cube it could not move a size 2 model in An Angry Mob
until one of the others left.
At the start of each battle, a Plague player can
If models from opposing Strike Teams want to fight in choose the level of Aggression each model in
hand-to-hand combat then they need to be in the same his force starts at. This can be either Enraged
cube. In this case both factions can have up to 4 size 1 or Alert and can be different for different
models or equivalent in the same cube. models.
Half-width walkways can hold up to 2 size 1 models or
equivalent from a single Strike Team per cube. This
means that size 3 or 4 models cannot be placed in these
cubes.

If possible, try to position opposing models in adjacent


cubes so that they are not touching. This helps keep the
situation clear.

Rupert Coles (order #5245731) 9 - INTRODUCTION


Stat Cards
Each type of model has its own Stat Card. You only need one Stat Card for each type of model, not one for each
individual model you are using.

During the game, you are free to examine the Stat Cards of the other player’s models. They are not secret.

Shoot stat: Fight stat: Survive stat: Armour stat: Command stat:
Shows your Shows your Shows how Shows how Shows your
model’s model’s ability likely your well-protected model’s skill at
proficiency to attack model is to your model is directing other
with ranged enemies up- endure enemy against harm. members of your
weapons. close. attacks. Strike Team. The
two numbers
added together
are called the
Command Total.

Each card shows a Points


value – this is the cost for
including one of this type
of model in your Strike
Team. Each card has one or more
Overwatch actions – see
Overwatch on page 31 for
details on how these are
There are five types of
used.
model:

• Leader Most models have one


• Specialist or more abilities which it
• Trooper can use during the game.
• Rare These are listed in full in
• Unique the Abilities section on
page 66.
See page 44 for how this
effects force selection.
All of a model’s weapons
and equipment are listed
here, along with any
relevant special rules.
Models have a size value, from 1
to 4, which affects their ability to
move around the battlezone. See
pages 9 [how many models fit in a
cube] and 26 [squeezing through
gaps] for further information.

Size 1 Size 2 Size 3 Size 4

10 - INTRODUCTION
Rupert Coles (order #5245731)
Wrath
Throughout their long and noble history, there has never been a Judwan warrior or a Judwan murderer, and certainly
nothing like the psychotic assassin known as Wrath. At least, not until now. The following information has been
pieced together from a variety of sources, and the truth of the matter will probably never be known for certain. The
few that did know the truth of this code 8 secret operation are mostly dead. The handful that remain are running for
their lives or hiding where they think he cannot find them.

It seems that he was taken from his parents at an early age and raised as an assassin for the Council of Seven.
Producing such unwavering killers was probably only one order issued among many others and was long forgotten by
the time he was old enough to be sent on his first mission. Still, he was their work.

His first mission was almost his last as the Enforcers he accompanied nearly shot him on the spot for disobeying
direct orders under fire. Despite his excellence in training and simulation, when it came to reality he would not kill.
He was, after all, Judwan.

The programme leader was given a month to persuade his subject to see reason. Failure would not be a healthy
option for either of them. From that point the means of persuasion became increasingly blunt and desperate.
Hypnotism, indoctrination, and behavioural therapy were quickly replaced by surgery, implants and mind-probes.
These failed too, so more were tried, as was simple torture to break his will – to force him to obey. After a month the
programme leader claimed a great success. He had broken the Judwan. Turning around such a high cost investment
was such good news that even one of the Council saw fit to inspect this most lethal of new weapons in their arsenal.

Reports of this official demonstration are sketchy, but the results are clear. Today the assassin known as Wrath is
the most wanted sentient in the galaxy. He is at the top of every Enforcers shoot to kill list and has been the target
of no less than nine fleet sized actions. Small cities have been nuked in an effort to kill him, but he has slipped away
quietly every time.

The main reason for this unusually costly pursuit is simple revenge. Wrath carries one of the Council of Seven’s
ceremonial blades, and this he took from the dead hand of the Councillor himself. He cannot be allowed to live. His
every breath is an encouragement to the Rebs and an embarrassment for the Council and the Corporation. The
problem is that we was trained too well.

Rupert Coles (order #5245731) 11 - INTRODUCTION


Deadzone is fought out over a battlefield that is represented by a gridded mat. This playing area is an 8 x 8 grid of
squares onto which you place buildings and other scenery.

12 - INTRODUCTION
Rupert Coles (order #5245731)
Cubes Not Squares
This scenery adds a third dimension to the battlefield
and means that we are really dealing with cubes, not
squares. Deadzone uses the term cubes throughout the
rules as a constant reminder that you are fighting in
three dimensions.

A cube is simply a 3” square in 3D, so it has a height of


3” as well as a breadth and depth. If you find it easier to
call them squares then that’s fine, but remember that
they have a height too. This is important as the volume
of the cube is used for some rules, not just its square
“footprint” on the mat. In the sparsely populated planets of the far
The 8 x 8 grid of cubes represented by the mat is the reaches of Corporation space, the settlements
lowest level of the playing area. As buildings get higher all tend towards a familiar look – built from
you can imagine them occupying a 3D volume in a series the same prefab units that are supplied
of 8 x 8 layers of cubes piled on top of each other. Each by Shensig Interplanetary to almost every
layer is 3” high. We can number these levels starting colonist collective and security unit known
with the lowest one as level 1, the one above that is level to man. These boxy and utilitarian blocks
2, and so on. are formed into storage units, barracks,
workshops, offices, armouries, labs, holding
pens, and medi-centres with equal ease. They
are the defining architectural wonder of the
Corporation and are commonly what alien
races assume to be the pinnacle of human
achievement. They are a far cry from the
architectural marvels of the Core.
Whether a settlement is military, contractor
or colonist it will be built in much the same
way. First the construction bots lay down a
foundation of concrete sections laced with
multiweave for additional strength and with
expansion buffers between slabs for thermal
integrity. On top of this they then use the
patented habtainers to construct the required
buildings. These habtainers are designed to
be used both as shipping containers en route
to the new settlement and as habitats once
they arrive. Their simple and robust cube
form allows them to tessellate with maximum
efficiency both in spaceship holds and within
security perimeters. They are even moderately
bullet proof.
When a Containment Protocol is declared the
fighting is usually not long in following, and
these battles almost always take place in and
around Shensig habtainers. The reason is
simple. Any alien artefacts must be reported
to the local Corporation military, who can
then examine them. This places the source of
almost every single Plague outbreak within
a Corporation base. That is where the Plague
are most common and where the Enforcers
must go to stamp them out. The plundering
forces of Rebels, Marauders, Forge Fathers or
Veer-myn don’t care about the swamps and
backwoods of the planet as much as the high-
tech resources and information that can be
In this example, model A occupies a level 3 plundered from the abandoned Corporation
cube, B occupies a level 2 cube and C occupies bases. So they too head for the habtainer
a level 1 cube. jungles of Corporation settlements…

Rupert Coles (order #5245731) 13 - INTRODUCTION


Buildings and Cover are passable by some models, depending on the relative
size of the hole and the model trying to move through it.
The scenery on the battlefield gives your models See page 26.
protection from enemy attacks as well as vantage points
from which you can see the enemy. This is important as
most models can only hurt what they can see. Cover
The scenery can be divided into two main types: When you set up a battlefield, some cubes will contain
buildings and cover. The difference is really one of small scenery elements such as barricades or ammo
convenience for the rules and in reality the troops crates. These are physical objects that will block the
would be using whatever they could find to hide behind, ability of models to see and shoot at each other, just as
regardless of what it was originally. any building will. However, in addition to this they may
be enough to make a particular cube count as cover.
Buildings are the larger remains of structures and can
be several cubes tall or wide. Before the game starts, you and your opponent should
agree which cubes count as cover. Each cube either
Cover is any small fragments of walls, barricades or counts as cover or it doesn’t. There is no middle ground.
other debris that offers protection within a cube. If a cube counts as cover then it doesn’t matter where
in the cube the scenery that represents that cover is.
However, it is always better for visual clarity to put the
Buildings scenery clearly in one cube or another and not directly
on the adjoining lines (unless you want that piece of
Wherever possible, always place buildings so that they
scenery to denote that both cubes it’s in count as cover).
fit exactly within one or more cubes, by placing the
By defining what is and isn’t cover before the game
walls on the cube edges. This makes the rules run more
starts you avoid any awkwardness later. This only takes
smoothly, as you will see later. The model buildings
a moment and because most people play with the same
designed for Deadzone are all based on a 3” template so
friends and the same scenery every time, this quickly
that they fit the cubes perfectly.
becomes second nature.

Buildings are the basic framework of the battlefield and In this diagram, cubes A, C and D are open. Cubes
form the space in and around which you will be fighting. B, E, F, G, H and I count as cover.
Exactly how you assemble them is up to you and is part
of the fun. However, one good piece of advice is that it’s
always more interesting to include a variety of heights There is no hard and fast rule about how much scenery
and sizes of structure when you set up a battlefield. constitutes enough to be cover – it’s really just a matter
of what looks right to you.
Another thing to be aware of when constructing your
buildings is the difference between solid tiles and all During the game, a model that is anywhere in a cover
others. Solid tiles are those without any trapdoors, cube gets the benefit of being in cover regardless of
windows or missing sections. These totally block whether it is standing behind a particular piece of
movement across that cube edge. Of course, the scenery or not. The whole cube counts as cover.
Deadzone buildings are part of a very flexible modelling
system and so these sections could be ceilings or floors
as well as walls. Sections that have some gaps in them

14 - INTRODUCTION
Rupert Coles (order #5245731)
CORE RULES
15 - CORE RULES
Rupert Coles (order #5245731)
At the heart of Deadzone’s rules is a simple dice rolling
system. This is used whenever you Shoot an opponent,
Test Format
Throw a Grenade at them or Fight them in close With only a few exceptions (such as scatter on the
combat, to name a few common uses. The following opposite page) all dice rolls are resolved the same way.
rules explain the way such tests are written and how to This is written in a standard format that describes:
resolve them.
• The number of dice to roll (usually 3).

• The game stat each dice roll needs to equal


or beat to succeed (Shoot, Fight, Survive,
etc). Occasionally this value will be fixed for
everyone, and if this is the case then a number
will be listed instead of a stat.

• If you have a choice between two or more stats,


you must decide which one to use before rolling
any dice as different choices have different
modifiers and results.

• The target number (in brackets) of successful


dice rolls to achieve the aim of the dice roll.

Blank Stats • If this number is a “(1)” then you only need a


single successful dice roll to pass the check.
If a model has a value of “-” for the required
stat then it may not choose to make that test. • If this number is an “(X),” then the result is
compared to your opponent’s score to see who
If a model with a stat of “-” must use that value has won. This is called an opposed test.
for a test then regardless of modifiers it rolls
no dice and counts as making zero successes. For example, a “3 dice Shoot test (X)” requires you to
roll 3 dice against your Shoot stat and compare the
number of successes you roll against the number your
opponent rolls.

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Dice Rolling Sequence Tripling works just like doubling, but with rolling three
times the target number or your opponent’s successes
Dice rolls in Deadzone are resolved as follows unless instead of twice.
otherwise stated:
1. Create your pool of dice by taking the number Doubling and Tripling Against Zero
of dice listed for the test and applying any
modifiers as necessary. Note that modifiers If your opponent rolls zero successes then a single
always alter the number of dice rolled, not the success against them counts as the highest level of
result of the test. success described in the results. This will vary from
test to test, but where both doubling and tripling are
2. If modifiers reduce the dice pool to zero, you possible it will always count as tripling.
cannot make the test. Otherwise, roll all the
dice.
Scatter
3. Each dice that scores equal to or higher than the
model’s relevant game stat (as listed in the test Sometimes you will need to work out where an
description) counts as a success. inaccurately thrown grenade lands or a rampaging
model charges. Random movement of models or items
4. Each dice that scores an 8 counts as a success is called scattering and is usually worked out with a
and lets you immediately roll an additional dice. single dice roll. Use the scatter diagram shown below.
(If this dice is also an 8, roll another one – keep Move the model or item in question one cube in the
going until you roll something other than an 8.) direction indicated by the diagram below. The 1 is always
considered to be furthest away and to the left of the
5. Apply the results of the test based on the rolling player, with the 8 closest and furthest to the right.
number of successes you have rolled.

To continue the 3 dice Shoot test (X) example


above, if your Shoot stat was 6+ and you had +1
dice because your previous action had been to
Aim, you would roll four dice...

...rolling 2, 5, 6, 8, you would have scored 2


successes and would be able to roll a further dice...
Scatter is always worked out initially on the same level.
Then, if the model or item scatters into a cube that has
no floor on that level then it will fall until it lands on
something. If a cube has a partial floor, such as a half-
width walkway or a floor with a trapdoor, then roll a
...rolling a 7, you would have scored 3 successes
single dice to see if the model or item has landed on it or
in total.
fallen past. A roll of 1-3 means that the “floor” has been
missed and the fall continues, a 4-8 means that the
model or item lands on that level. In this way, a model
Doubling and Tripling or item may scatter into another cube on the same level,
or fall into a lower level, but cannot scatter up.
In some instances, doubling the target number or doubling
If the scatter move is completely blocked by solid walls
your opponent’s total number of successes causes an
then the model or item simply bounces back into the
improved effect. These are listed where they apply.
original cube.
So, a result of 2 or more successes when you need (1) is
Items can always fit in a cube. If a model scatters into
doubling, as is 4 to (2), 6 to (3) and so on.
a cube that it cannot fit into due to the size limitations
When you are rolling an (X) test you need to double the explained above, then it must bounce back into the
number of successes scored by your opponent. original cube (if on the same level) or scatter again from
that cube (if it has already fallen to a lower level).

Models that fall or are thrown into walls may take


damage. See the rules for whatever caused the scatter
for more details.

Rupert Coles (order #5245731) 17 - CORE RULES


A model needs to be able to see their target in order to If you can see every last bit of the target model then you
attack it. In game terms this means that the target must have a Clear Shot and this gets you a bonus. See page 29.
be both in range and in Line of Sight (LOS).
The norm in this urban combat zone is that you will be
LOS comes in two types and is explained here. able to see only part of the model and the clutter of the
environment will obscure the rest. That allows a
LOS is essentially just a straight line between two normal shot.
points. As we’re simply deciding whether this model can
see that target, both types of LOS use the head of the
shooting model as the starting point. That is, after all, Area LOS
where he (or she or it) would be looking from.
This is used for an attempt to keep the enemy’s head
The two types of LOS are: down or to drop in a round that has a blast area and
so does not need to be perfectly accurate to do its job.
Point LOS: use this when you want to Shoot at a specific Examples would be Blazing Away with an Enforcer’s
point such as an individual enemy model. heavy rifle, or throwing a frag grenade.
Area LOS: use this when you want to Blaze Away at a Area LOS is calculated by looking from the model’s
whole cube rather than a specific model. perspective. If you take a model’s eye view, can you see
the target cube? Remember that a cube is a 3D target,
so the volume of the cube is as legitimate a target as
Point LOS the floor. You can therefore shoot through a window at a
cube beyond.
Point LOS is used for an attempt to Shoot a specific
target. The pinnacle would be the sniper’s headshot. In the case of Area LOS there are only two possibilities:
you can either see it or you can’t. There is no bonus for a
Point LOS is calculated by looking from the model’s Clear Shot for Area LOS.
perspective. If you take a model’s eye view, can you
see the target model? Remember that “the model”
includes the base of the model as well as any weapons,
Model’s Eye Views
flamboyant hairstyles, tails, etc. Note that it doesn’t In most instances a LOS of either type is clearly possible
matter what is obscuring the target. It could be a piece or not. If there is any doubt then simply bend down over
of scenery, an enemy model or even a friendly one. The the table and look from the model’s viewpoint. A model’s
question is simple: can you see the target model – yes or eye view over the battlefield will often show unexpected
no? obstacles and surprisingly clear targets that you hadn’t
noticed from your normal “bird’s eye” view over the
If you can’t see it at all then you do not have a Point
battlefield.
LOS to it.

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Level Differences
Often you will be firing at targets above or below you.
These instances are more likely to need you to check the
real LOS from the model’s perspective. They also cause
some modifiers to the subsequent tests. However, the
principles of LOS are the same whether you are on the
same or different levels.

Lying Down Models


During the game some models will invariably end
up lying down (to show that they are Pinned or
Suppressed). How does LOS work to these models?
Exactly the same as every other model. Lying down
changes nothing as far as the rules are concerned.

Measuring Distance
When you need to work out how far a model can move
or shoot you use the same method. Simply count the
shortest route in cubes between where you start and Adjacent cubes: Though he can’t move to all of them,
where you want to move or shoot to. The distance/range the model on Level 2 is adjacent to 26
is the number of cubes. You never count the cube you other cubes:
start in and always count the one you finish in. • 9x level 1 cubes (between the red and blue grids)
• 8x level 2 cubes (between the blue and green
When counting this way, you can move into any adjacent
grids)
cube. Remember this is in three dimensions, so you can
• 9x level 3 cubes (between the green and purple
move diagonally up or down as well as diagonally on the
grids)
same level.

There is an easier shorthand method for working out


ranges if doing this in three dimensions is unfamiliar at
first. Just count the range as if the distance was all on
one level, then count the difference in levels. The higher
of these two numbers is the range – see the example
below.

The distance between A and B is 2 cubes as the vertical distance (2 cubes) is greater than the horizontal distance (1 cube).
The distance between A and C is 3 cubes as the horizontal distance (3 cubes) is greater than the vertical distance (2 cubes).

Rupert Coles (order #5245731) 19 - CORE RULES


Deadzone’s sequence of play revolves around four core
concepts: the Round, the Turn, Initiative and Activation.
Determine Initiative
When a player is taking his Turn he is said to have the
Initiative.
Rounds Some scenarios list which side starts with the Initiative
Deadzone is played in a series of Rounds. During a and therefore takes the first Turn in the first Round.
Round all the models on all sides get to act. Each model More commonly the scenario will not define a starting
may only act once in each Round (unless a card or ability player. In these cases one player rolls a single dice. On
states otherwise). Each Round follows these steps: a 1-4 that player starts; on a 5-8 their opponent begins
the game with the Initiative.
1. Determine which player has the Initiative.
In all following Rounds, the player that was first to
2. The player with the Initiative takes the first Turn. finish activating his models in the previous Round starts
with the Initiative.
3. The second player takes their Turn as per step 2.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until all the models on both


sides have been activated in this Round.

5. When all models have been marked as activated


then the Round is over. Follow the steps under the
End of Round section on the next page.

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Turns Note that you can choose to do nothing with a model in a
Turn if you want to. This will still count as its activation
During a Turn an individual player gets to act with some and will still mark it as such.
of his models.

A model’s Activation is its opportunity to move, shoot, End Of Round


fight, etc in a Round.
When all models have been marked as activated then
Normally you will have to activate at least one model the Round is over. Follow these steps:
in your Turn. However, if you have fewer models left 1. If a player has not used at least one Battle Card
to activate than your opponent then you may choose to so far in this Round they must discard one of their
pass the Initiative over to him. choice from their hand now.
If all your models have already been activated then you 2. Each player takes a number of cards from his draw
have no choice but to pass. deck equal to the first number in his Commander’s
command value. He then keeps a number of cards
If you cannot pass, or choose to activate a model
of his choice equal to the second number of his
anyway, follow these steps:
Commander’s command value. Any excess cards
1. Choose one model that has not yet acted this Round. are placed at the bottom of his draw deck - not the
discard pile. If the Strike Team’s Commander is
2. This becomes the active model. An active model can dead then use the model with the highest remaining
choose to make either a single long action or up to command value for this step instead. If the draw
two short actions in their Turn. On top of this, some deck runs out then simply draw as many as you can.
results allow additional “free” actions. The discard pile is not reused.

A model that starts its activation in the same cube 3. If a player has no cards left to draw and no cards
as one or more enemy models may only choose remaining in his hand then the game has timed out.
Fight or Break Off actions. In addition it may have See page 43.
a single active Battle Card played on it. When the
player has finished with this model he must mark it 4. If the battle is not over then remove the activation
with an activated marker to show that it cannot act markers from all models and start a new Round at
again this Round. step 1.

3. Either act with another model or give the Initiative


to your opponent.

4. In a single Turn you may act with a maximum


number of models equal to your Commander’s
command total. If your Commander is dead then
use the highest remaining command total in your
Strike Team (not counting mercenaries). For
example, a Strike Team with a 2-1 Commander
would be able to activate up to 3 models per Turn.

Rupert Coles (order #5245731) 21 - CORE RULES


The following pages are a list of the more
common actions available to most models.
A few rare types of action are limited
to those with specific abilities and are
described in those rules. See pages 66 to
75.

Important! A model may only perform each


type of action once in a Turn. Free actions
do not count towards this limit.

Free Actions
Free actions do not count towards a model’s
limit for that Turn in either type or quantity.
However, they are limited in other ways.
A free action cannot trigger another free
action of the same type. If the result says
that a second free action of the same type is
earned then ignore that part of the result.
Note that you could earn two free actions
of the same type in a single Turn if two
separate short actions triggered one each.

A free action must be taken immediately or


it is lost. You may always choose not to take
a free action if you want.

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Command (Long Action)
Command is a variable dice 6+ test (1). Roll a
A Command action is one of the few types of action that number of dice equal to the model’s command
is limited in number. It is also unusual because it is not total. For example, a 2-1 model would roll 3 dice.
a single thing but a choice of options.
Command fails: no effect.
Only a model that is either a Leader or has the Tactician
or Strategist ability can use a Command action. Command succeeds: choose one of the following
options:

Command Pool Energy: nominate a single unactivated


friendly model within 4 cubes to take an
At the start of a battle, work out the Strike Team’s immediate free short action. They may
Command Pool. This is the number of Command actions choose any short action that is available to
that they can use during the whole battle. Calculate the them. This action does not mark the target
number as follows: model as activated.
• Each Leader: +1 Pause: nominate an unactivated or
• Each Tactician: +1 overwatching enemy model within 4 cubes.
• Each Strategist: +2 Mark it as activated.
For example, imagine a Strike Team that contains
one Leader that has no abilities and another that is a Clarity: take the next Battle Card from the
Strategist. The total Command Pool for the strike team top of your draw deck and add it to your hand.
would be 4: 1 for each Leader model (2) plus another 2
Command doubles: choose one of the following
for the Strategist ability.
options:
Use the command tokens to track the number of possible
Drive: nominate any single friendly model
Command actions remaining in your Command Pool.
(activated or unactivated) within 4 cubes to
Remove one token from the Command Pool each time take an immediate free short action. They
a Command action is used. In addition, if a model that may choose any short action that is available
contributed to the Command Pool dies then the number to them. This action does not mark the target
of tokens it added are immediately lost. model as activated if it wasn’t already.

If there are no tokens left in the Command Pool then the Indecision: nominate an unactivated or
Command action cannot be taken. overwatching enemy model within 8 cubes.
Mark it as activated.

Command Decision Planning: look through your discard pile and


choose any one card to add back into your
When a model takes a Command action it must first draw deck. Reshuffle your draw deck.
take a command test.
Command triples: choose one of the following
options:

Inspiration: nominate any single friendly


model (activated or unactivated) within 8
cubes to take an immediate free short action.
They may choose any short action that is
available to them. This action does not mark
the target model as activated if it wasn’t
already.

Confusion: nominate an unactivated or


overwatching enemy model anywhere on the
battlefield. Mark it as activated.

Cunning: look through your discard pile and


Command Tokens choose any one card to add to your hand.
The double-sided command tokens can
represent 1 or 2 points in the Command Pool.
Note that no LOS is required for any of these Command
results.

Rupert Coles (order #5245731) 23 - CORE RULES


Move (Short Action)
The model moves 1 cube. Alternatively, the model may spend
a Move action to reposition itself within the same cube.

If the model moves into a cube containing an enemy


model then they must Fight it immediately. This is true
regardless of the cause of the move. If there is more
than one enemy model in the cube then the moving
model only needs to Fight one and may choose which.

Note: In these diagrams, solid red lines are


used to illustrate solid walls.

Moving on the Same Level


This can be into any of the 8 surrounding cubes on the
same level that are not completely blocked.

Orthogonal and Diagonal: Orthogonal describes


adjacent cubes that share a common side with the
original cube. A cube therefore has 4 orthogonally
and 4 diagonally adjacent cubes on the same level.
Orthogonal is also used for those cubes directly
above or below those marked as such on the above
diagram.

The active Stage 3A model in the centre could


move to any one of the surrounding cubes on that
level apart from the one on the top centre and
bottom right. Both are blocked by solid walls.

Changing Level
You can also move up or down a single level as part of
the same Move action.
In order to go up a level into an orthogonally
Moving down simply requires a clear path to the new adjacent cube there must be a wall to climb on the
cube. A model dropping more than a single level is lower level, directly between the cubes. A solid
falling and may suffer damage. See page 67. wall in this position on the upper level will block
the movement.
To move up there must be a full cube height wall to
provide handholds to climb. In this example the active Stage 3A in the centre
can only move to one of the level 2 cubes. 
The following diagrams show where the wall needs to
be in relation to the moving model. In order to climb
straight up there must be a wall on at least one side of
the cube.

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In order to go up a level into a diagonally adjacent In this example, the active Stage 3A in the centre
cube there must be a wall to climb on the lower is trying to get to the highest level of each cube.
level, in one of four positions shown. Solid walls All marked walls are on the lower level.
in either both closer or both further positions on
the upper level will block the movement. The model can freely move to any of the level 1
cubes as none of them are completely blocked.
In this example the active Stage 3A in the centre
can only move to one of the level 2 cubes.  The model can move to the two diagonally
adjacent level 2 cubes at the bottom of the
diagram as there are walls in at least one of the
correct positions. There is no route to the level 2
cube in the centre left of the diagram as there is
no wall between them to climb up.
Despite the position of the walls, the model
cannot move to the level 3 cube as a Move action
only allows a rise of a single level. If this was
a level 2 cube then the model would be able to
make the move.

Rupert Coles (order #5245731) 25 - CORE RULES


Moving On Walkways Moving Through Gaps
Walkways are half cube-width platforms. They can hold The Deadzone scenery has a number of windows,
a total of 2 normal size 1 models, so size 3 and 4 models doorways and ruined gaps blasted through it. Some
cannot use them. of these gaps are large enough for models to move
through and others aren’t. Obviously the size of a model
They are treated as normal cubes for movement changes which gaps it can easily move through. As there
except when size 1 or 2 models, grenades or other are an infinite number of possible variations in scenery,
items fall onto them. In this case roll a single dice. On especially if you have built your own, the following rules
a 1-3 the model or item has missed the walkway and deal in broad categories. If there is any potential for
has continued to fall. On a 4+ they have landed on the confusion then it’s a good idea to talk through with your
walkway. Size 3 or 4 models will always hit the walkway, opponent which category each piece of scenery counts
take (and inflict) any appropriate falling damage, and as before you start the game.
then begin to fall again.

The half of the floor of the walkway cube that is empty Size 1 Size 2 Size 3 Size 4
space may be moved over without penalty as long as the Cube
moving model would normally be able to move to the
first cube beyond it.
Solid

no no no no

Small
window

no no no no

Average
The active Stage 3A model is able to move left window
and right to the level 1 cubes because you can
move down a single level if there’s a clear path. yes no no no
The model can move down to the level 1 cube
directly below its starting position for the same
reason.
The model can move diagonally to the top left Door or large
Level 2 cube as it is on the same level and the window
route is not completely blocked.
The model can move to the top right Level 3 cube
as there is a wall to climb. yes yes no no

The model cannot move orthogonally to the top


centre Level 3 cube as there is no wall to climb.

Large door

yes yes yes no

Barricade

yes yes yes yes

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Who Moves The Models? If the model picks up an item then they may choose to
keep it, drop it or destroy it. Models can carry up to
Whenever a model is moved the owning player decides one item at a time. If they pick up a new item they may
on the exact position of the model within the cube. This choose which to keep and which to drop/destroy.
is true whether the model is moved by an action, a blast,
changing Aggression (standing up or lying down) or An item that is dropped is placed in the same cube, face up.
anything else.
An item that is destroyed is removed from the game.
A model cannot be moved when there is no game cause.
A model that is Killed drops any item(s) they were
In other words, you can’t decide to move a model just
carrying in the cube they died in.
because it is in the way, or too exposed to enemy fire or
anything else. You must use an action to move it or be
responding to a change in Aggression, enemy weapon
Swapping Items
effects, etc.
If a model could pick up an item then they can choose to
swap an item they are already carrying with a friendly
Full Cubes And The Edge Of The Board model in the same cube instead.
Models can only move off the board in two places: their The active model gives an item they are currently
own deployment zone and that of their opponent. carrying to the other model. If this other model cannot
carry more items than it already has then they must
Infiltrate mission goals require you to move off the
either give one to the active model or drop one on the
board through the enemy deployment zone. This means
floor.
that the model must be in a cube that is both within the
opposing deployment zone and at the edge of the board. Only the active model spends an action in order to swap
A single Move action will move the model off the board. items. The other model can be already activated or yet
to have its Turn when the swap takes place.
Scour mission goals require you to move off the board
via your own deployment zone. This works the same
way as infiltrate, but in your deployment zone, not the
enemy’s. Climb (Long Action)
Note that deployment zones are considered to be at all The model moves 2 cubes and must move either up 2
levels and so a model can leave the battlefield on any levels or down 2 levels whilst doing so. If the model
level. cannot make the change in level required then this
action cannot be taken.
A model that leaves the battlefield cannot return.

Apart from these specific instances, you should treat Sprint (Long Action)
the edge of the board as a solid wall that blocks all
movement. The model moves 2 cubes on the same level. They
cannot intentionally change level during a Sprint.
A cube or walkway that the moving model could not fit Otherwise, the rules for movement are as listed under
into is also treated as a solid wall. the Move action on page 24.

Picking Up And Carrying Items


Models with a Shoot of “-” or with the Beast or Hover
ability cannot pick up or carry items. All other models
can carry a single item counter.

When a model moves into a cube containing an item,


but no enemy models, they may choose to pick it up.
This applies whatever the cause of the movement. In
addition, if a model spends a Move action repositioning
within the same cube then they may also pick up an item
in that cube.

If there is more than one item in a cube then the moving


model must choose which to pick up. They can only pick
up one at a time.

Items begin the battle face down, so that their type is


unknown. Picking up an item allows a player to turn
it over and look at what it is. Once an item has been
revealed then it stays face up for the rest of the game
even if it is dropped or swapped later.

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Break Off (Long Action) Fight (Long Action)
A model that wishes to leave a cube that also contains If a model begins its Turn in the same cube as an enemy
one or more Alert or Enraged enemy models must model then it may choose to Fight it.
themselves be Alert or Enraged and must use a Break
Off action to do so. Whether the model moves or not If a model moves into the same cube as an enemy model
depends on the results. then it will Fight for free as part of that action. This
happens whether the movement is intentional (such as a
Move action) or unintentional (such as being blasted into
Break Off is a 3 dice Survive test (X) a new cube by a booby trap).

The opposing player chooses one of the Alert or If there is more than one enemy model in a cube the
Enraged enemy models in the cube to resist the active model chooses which one it will Fight.
Break Off attempt. They roll a 3 dice Fight test
(X). Every model can Fight unless specifically mentioned
otherwise. We can safely assume that these elite
Survive modifiers: warriors are well trained in unarmed combat and/or
are carrying at least a combat knife or similar to protect
• +2 any friends in the same square (not 2 themselves with. The only additional weapons that can
per model) be used in a Fight are those with range F. If a model
Fight modifiers: has more than one range F weapon then it must choose
• +1 any friends are in the same square (not which one to use before any dice are rolled.
1 per model) A model with a Fight stat of “-” may not choose Fight as
• +1 Enraged an action or a response.
• -1 Injured
Compare the total number of successes to find
the outcome: Fight is a 3 dice Fight test (X).
Draw or Survive wins: take a free Move action. The target of a Fight action must choose to roll
either a 3 dice Fight test (X) or a 3 dice Survive
Survive doubles: take a free Move action. In test (X).
addition, the Break Off attempt is only counted as
a short action, leaving the model with one short Fight modifiers:
action left this Turn. • +1 if moved into this cube in this action
• +1 if any friends are in the same square
Fight wins: the difference in number of successes
(not 1 per model)
is the potential damage. Resolve this first at an
• +1 if Enraged
additional AP1. Then, if the Breaking Off model is • -1 if Injured
still alive, they take a free Move action. • -1 if Pinned
Fight doubles: the difference in number of • -2 if Suppressed
successes is the potential damage. Resolve this Survive modifiers:
at an additional AP1. • +1 if any friends in the same square (not 1
per model)
• -1 if Pinned
If a model Breaks Off into a cube containing an item but • -2 if Suppressed
no enemy models then it may choose to pick it up. See Compare the total number of successes to find
page 27. the outcome:
If a model Breaks Off into a cube containing enemy Draw: MISS – no effect.
model(s) then they get a free Fight action as normal.
Fight wins: HIT - hits opponent. The difference in
number of successes is the potential damage.

Fight doubles: HIT - hits opponent. The difference


in number of successes is the potential damage.
Winner gets a free Fight action if there are still
opposing models in that cube, or a free Move
action if none are left.

Survive wins: MISS – no effect.

Survive doubles: MISS - survivor gets a free


Move or Fight action. The Move action is made as
if the survivor was not in a cube with an enemy
model and does not require a Break Off test to
leave the fight.

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Important!: A model that is Pinned or Suppressed at
the start of a Fight action involving it will recover to Shoot is a 3 dice Shoot test (X)
Alert automatically and without counting as a Get Mean!
action. However, they will suffer the -1 for being Pinned The target of a Shoot action must roll a 3 dice
or the -2 for Suppressed during that first Fight. Survive test (X)

If a model injures or kills an opponent in a Fight they Shoot modifiers:


gain +1 Aggression.
• +1 if the active model’s previous action
this Turn was Aim
• +2 Clear Shot*
Get Mean! (Short Action) • +1 if on a higher level than the target
This action immediately raises the model’s Aggression • -1 if Enraged.
by one step along the scale Suppressed > Pinned > • -1 if at long range
Alert > Enraged. • -2 if there are any friendly models in the
target cube
Raising your Aggression is the only way to stand up * See page 18. To qualify as a Clear Shot, you
from being Pinned or to remove a suppression marker. must have a completely unobstructed view to the
whole of the target model. Note that you can have
a clear shot to a model in a cover cube. In this
Shoot (Short Action) case both modifiers would apply.
A model must have an attack with a Range number (not Survive modifiers:
F) to take this action.
• +1 in cover**
• +1 Pinned or Suppressed
** A model that is on a higher level than the active
Ranges model is always considered to be in cover
Weapons have ranges listed as part of their Compare the total number of successes to find
description. A range of F means that the the outcome:
weapon can only be used with a Fight action
against targets in the same cube. Draw or Survive wins: MISS - Attack misses.

Weapons with a number for Range cannot be Shoot wins: HIT – the difference in number of
used in a Fight. successes is the potential damage.

Anything between one cube and the weapon’s Shoot doubles: HIT – the difference in number of
listed Range in cubes is called combat range. successes is the potential damage. In addition,
Beyond that, up to twice the number listed, is the target suffers -1 Aggression.
called long range.

Tests may have negative modifiers when


weapons are used at long range.
Blaze Away (Short Action)
Long range is the maximum distance a weapon
can fire. A model must have an attack with a Range number (not
F) to take this action.

The target must be within the maximum range of the


The target must be within the maximum range of the weapon used to take this action.
weapon used to take this action. Blaze Away targets a cube and requires Area LOS.
Shoot targets a single model and requires Point LOS. You can, therefore, Blaze Away at a model you cannot
Other models in the same or intervening cubes are not actually see with Point LOS.
affected. In addition to the normal LOS rules, if both active model
and target are on the same level then Blaze Away
cannot trace LOS through a cube that is occupied by any
Alert or Enraged models.

Blaze Away affects all the models in a cube, both friend


and foe.

Rupert Coles (order #5245731) 29 - CORE RULES


Supporting Models
Blaze Away is a 3 dice Shoot test (X)
*A friendly model may support a Blaze Away action if
Each model in the target cube of a Blaze Away it has not yet activated and it could have made a Blaze
action must take a separate 3 dice Survive test (X) Away action of its own against the same target. A model
that supports is marked as activated and does count
Shoot modifiers: towards the maximum number of models a player can
• +1 per supporting model* activate in his Turn.
• +2 if the active model uses an Ammo item.

Survive modifiers: Cover


• -1 in cover** The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed
• +1 if Enraged that cover is dealt with slightly differently in
• +1 if Pinned or Suppressed Deadzone. Against shooting it gives the target
a better chance of surviving. That’s normal.
** A model that is on a higher level than the active But against Blaze Away attacks it actually
model is always considered to be in cover. A makes it harder for the target to resist. Is
model that is in the target cube but which cannot that right? Absolutely. When you shoot at me I
be seen by the active model with Point LOS is am less likely to be dead if I have a nice, thick
always considered to be in cover. wall to hide behind, so the modifier is in my
favour. However, if you’re blazing away at me
Compare the total number of successes to find in an effort to pin me down then I’m far more
the outcome: likely to curl up and stay hidden (be Pinned
or Suppressed) if I’ve already got some cover
Draw or Survive wins: MISS - no effect. to hide in. Cover is nice and feels safe. Once
Blaze Away wins: HIT - target -1 Aggression, eg they’re in it, people don’t like moving out of it.
Alert to Pinned. For Shooting this translates to a bonus for the
target, but mechanically this must be a minus
Blaze Away doubles: HIT - target -2 Aggression, when it is Blazing Away.
eg Enraged to Pinned.

Blaze Away triples: HIT - target -3 Aggression, eg


Enraged to Suppressed.

Aim (Short Action)


A model must have an attack with a Range number (not
Blaze Away Damage F) to take this action.
When you’re blazing away at a target there is always a
The model remains in place and takes Aim. This adds
chance that you might hit them even if your main aim is
a bonus to a subsequent Shoot action if it is made
only to keep their heads down. To take this into account,
immediately afterwards in the same Turn.
use the following rule.

Any HIT result with a Blaze Away test may cause


damage.

Work out the effects of the Aggression loss on the Throw Grenade (Short Action)
target. If all the loss has been used in reducing the
A model must have a grenade with a Range number (not
target to Suppressed then no damage is caused. If
F) to take this action.
however, the target is reduced to Suppressed and there
is still a reduction in Aggression left over then each The target must be within the maximum range of the
extra step causes 1 potential damage. weapon used to take this action.
For example, if an Enraged model is tripled then it Throw Grenade targets a cube and requires area LOS.
loses 3 Aggression. This reduces it to Alert then Pinned
then Suppressed with no points left over. No damage is
caused.

For example, if a Pinned model is doubled it loses 2


Aggression. This reduces it to Suppressed with one
point left to lose. This extra point loss causes one
potential damage. Resolve this damage as normal
(see page 34).

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When an enemy model takes any action that begins or
Throw Grenade is a 3 dice Shoot test (1) ends within Area LOS of the overwatching model then
they may attempt to react.
Shoot modifiers:
Roll the following test to see if the model reacts quickly
• -1 if Indirect weapon at combat range enough in the tumult of battle.
• -2 if Indirect weapon at long range
Note that any number of overwatching models may
Throw Grenade succeeds: HIT – the grenade attempt to interrupt each enemy action, but that you
lands in the target cube. must declare all of those that will try before you roll
for any of them. Roll for and resolve each overwatching
Throw Grenade fails: MISS – at combat range the model one at a time in an order chosen by the owning
grenade scatters one cube in a random direction. player.
At long range the grenade scatters twice. Roll
separately for each scatter. An overwatching model does not have to interrupt an
enemy, and if there are several that could then it is
always their owning player’s choice as to which ones, if
any, make the attempt.
This action resolves where a thrown grenade ends up.
What happens when it goes off in that cube depends on
what type of grenade it is. See pages 77 to 78 for details Overwatch is a 3 dice 6+ test (1)
of the different types and their effects. Overwatch fails: remove the Overwatch counter.
Overwatch succeeds: take the model’s Overwatch
action after the target has completed their action.
Grenades are reliable and carefully built Discard the Overwatch counter.
weapons that only explode when triggered.
They do not detonate when the model carrying Overwatch doubles: take the model’s Overwatch
one dies or drops one to pick up something action before or after the target has completed
different. their action. Discard the Overwatch counter.

Overwatch triples: take the model’s overwatch


action before or after the target has completed
their action. The model remains on Overwatch -
Overwatch (Long Action) leave the Overwatch counter in place.

The model lies in wait for the enemy, carefully watching


the approaches.
After The Overwatch Action
Place an Overwatch counter next to the model. The
Once any Overwatch action has been resolved, the
model remains on Overwatch until their Overwatch
model that was interrupted may continue with their Turn
test tells you to remove it, they are Injured, Pinned
provided that they have not been Pinned,Suppressed,
or Suppressed, or they choose a new action in a
Injured or Killed.
subsequent Turn.

The Judwan are a calm, peaceful race, each one following the ancient Mu’shen’wan path to spiritual enlightenment.
A staggeringly large number of them are healers, using a mixture of dazzling technology and ancient medicine to
care for those with whom they share the galaxy, but never asking for reward or recompense.

Rupert Coles (order #5245731) 31 - CORE RULES


Each faction has its own deck of cards, and within this is
a set of Battle Cards. . Some of these will form a Strike
Card Types
Team’s battle deck for use during a game. A player has Once a card has been played and resolved it is placed
a hand of cards drawn from this battle deck that he in a discard pile next to that player’s draw deck. The
uses to aid his Strike Team. As the game goes on cards discard pile is never reshuffled and reused. Discarded
will be used and discarded, and new ones drawn. If a cards are out of the game.
player’s deck runs out completely and he has no cards
left in his hand, then the battle is over. Battle Cards come in three main types: Active, Reactive
and Hybrid. They are marked with the icons below.

Active cards may only be played during


your own Turn.
Reactive cards can only be played in your
opponent’s Turn.
Hybrid cards may be played in any
player’s Turn.

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Card Play Once the booby trap has been resolved, the model that was
interrupted may continue with their Turn provided that
Cards are played on models in addition to actions. Each they have not been Pinned, Suppressed, Injured or Killed.
Battle Card has two possible effects which may be
different types. You must choose which one of these
effects you wish to apply when you play the card. You Change of Plans
may only ever use one of the two options when you play
a card and the action chosen defines when that card This must be allocated to a specific friendly model as
may be played. their active card for the Turn even though it affects the
enemy.
Each model can have a maximum of one Active card
played on it per Turn. There is no limit on the number of
Reactive cards. Hybrid cards count towards this limit if Distract
they are played as an Active card.
This must be allocated to a specific friendly model as
An active card can only be played during the target their active card for the Turn even though it affects an
model’s activation and must be played on the model enemy model.
it affects (unless otherwise mentioned in the notes
below). Within this limitation it can be played before or Mark the target model as activated regardless of what it
after any action taken during this activation. was doing.

When models take an opposed test, either, neither or


both players can add to their dice with modifying cards. Headshot
The player whose model is taking the action must
decide first whether he will add a card to boost that test Unlike Weak Spot, this only applies to Shoot actions.
or not. His opponent may then decide to add a card if
he chooses. All decisions about card use must be made
before any dice are rolled. Move
No more than one card may be played by each player to This is a one cube Move, exactly as the action of that
modify a single test. name. It cannot be used as a Teleport or Break Off
action.
Card Notes
For ease of reference all the notes on Battle Cards Steadfast
are collected here. These notes aim to clarify the use This cannot be used to ignore Pinned results of Blasts.
of cards and are best read with the card to hand as
reference.

All cards are single use and are discarded as soon as Surge
they have been resolved.
This must be allocated to a specific friendly model as
their active card for the Turn.
+1
Many cards give a model +1 dice to a specified test. To Twisted
use this type of cards the model must already be taking
The new mutation counter is drawn at random from the
that action. The card does not “buy” an action, it simply
remaining supply. If all the counters have been used
modifies the test required.
then the card does nothing.

Booby Trap Weak Spot


This can only be played on a model when they pick up a
Can be used to boost the lethality of any attack including
face down item. Once an item has been looked at or is
Blaze Away, Fight and grenades. Remember to declare
dropped it will be face up and can no longer be booby
its use before any dice are rolled.
trapped.

Resolve the booby trap as a frag grenade that has hit its
target (so it gets the +1 modifier).

The item that was booby trapped is not damaged, and it


does not go off if it is a grenade. The booby trapped item
remains with the model that picked it up, or is scattered if
the model dies.

Rupert Coles (order #5245731) 33 - CORE RULES


Deadzones are dangerous places and models can be
damaged in a wide variety of ways. They can be shot,
Resolving Damage
stabbed, blown up, knocked off heights, slammed Each successful attack generates an amount of
into walls or set on fire. In rules terms this wealth of “potential damage”. This will be listed in the test
unpleasant situations is simplified into the following results.
system.
Effects of successful attacks are resolved as follows:

Damage States 0 damage caused: The target’s armour saves it.


A model can be in one of three damage states: The target is Injured if
1 damage caused: currently undamaged or
Killed if already Injured.
1. Undamaged 2+ damage caused: The target is Killed.
The initial state of a model.
The target model’s armour (reduced for any AP ability of
the attack) is subtracted from the potential damage to
find the actual damage caused. This is then compared to
2. Injured the following table.
The model continues to fight. They suffer
For example, a model is hit by an attack that resolves
negative modifiers in a few tests but are
with a potential damage of 3. The model is wearing
otherwise able to continue as normal.
armour 2, and the attack is AP1. The AP reduces the
Mark the model with an injury counter.
effectiveness of the armour to 1 (2 armour -1 AP =
1 armour). The remaining armour then reduces the
potential damage of 3 down to 2. Unfortunately this is
3. KILLED still enough to kill the model. If the attack had not had
The model is removed from the game. In reality any AP then the attack would have been reduced to 1
they may be able to recover with extensive medical and the model would only have been Injured if it was
treatment. However, for the purposes of this mission previously undamaged.
they are no longer “combat effective”.

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SETTING UP
35 - SETTING UP
Rupert Coles (order #5245731)
In order to play Deadzone you need to get a number of 1. ChoosE Your Strike Team
things together. If you’ve got the boxed set then almost
all of these are included. All you will need to find for Each player should decide which of the different
yourself is an opponent. Once you’re ready, lay out the factions (Enforcers, Plague, Marauders, Rebels, etc)
battle mat between you and follow these steps. they like most. Then, using the Stat Cards from the
appropriate faction deck, each player needs to put
1. Choose Strike Teams.
together a Strike Team following the rules on page 44.
2. Prepare your Strike Team.
As long as you have the models to represent the various
3. Prepare the battlefield. soldiers and monsters on the battlefield, you can play
any combination of factions you like, including fighting
4. Determine deployment. with the same faction on both sides. It’s up to you.
5. Start the game. When both players have the models and cards needed to
play and have each chosen a Strike Team, then go to the
next step.

2. Prepare Your Strike Team


Each player should follow these steps.
• Make sure you have all the models and item
counters you have chosen for your Strike Team.
Sort out the activation, Aggression and other
game counters so that they are within easy
reach. Lay out the Stat Cards for your Strike
Team.

36 - SETTING
Rupert ColesUP
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• Shuffle your Battle Cards. Deal yourself 20 Cover
Battle Cards. These will form your battle deck
for this game. Place the remainder to one Once your buildings are laid out, define some cubes as
side. They will not be used in this battle. Deal cover to break up clear fire-lanes and make the board
four Battle Cards from your deck of 20 as your look more interesting. Exactly what bits of scenery you
starting hand. use to show cover does not matter.

• Shuffle your Mission Cards and draw a mission.


Keep this secret. If you don’t think you can What Is Cover?
achieve this mission then you can reject this first
draw and choose another. You must attempt the The concept of cover is very important to
second one regardless, and cannot change back Deadzone, yet can be quite difficult to understand.
to the first once you have drawn a second. Keep While the rest of Deadzone is based on a literal
the remainder of the Mission Cards nearby as representation of models and buildings, cover is
you will need them for deployment. partially abstract.

In reality, a Deadzone battlefield would be


If you are using Plague, you must allocate initial
covered in all manner of debris, from smashed
mutations. Shuffle the 8 mutation counters
bits of walls to abandoned vehicles, damaged
face down and draw 3 at random. Allocate each
street furniture, scattered remains of building
of these to a separate model before the battle
interiors, and so on. You can imagine that the
starts. Note that these initial mutations can be
innards of every damaged building have been
allocated after you see what they are. Put the
strewn across the streets. All those desks, sofas,
rest of the mutations (still face down) to one
chairs, cabinets, etc have to go somewhere, but
side. You may need them later.
in a game it simply isn’t practical to model every
last piece of this battlefield detritus. So, we use
Not all mutations are useful. Despite this, all
the concept of cover.
mutations drawn must be allocated to a model,
good or bad. That kind of unpredictability is just Cover is represented on the gaming area by a
part of what happens when you’re infected with few pieces of scenery within a cube. This could
alien mutagens. be almost anything, but players commonly use
barricades, crates, barrels, and rubble. These
scenery elements act like buildings to block the
3. Prepare the Battlefield lines of sight between models. However, they also
act as a visual reminder that the whole cube they
Lay out your playing area and place the buildings and are in counts as cover. Cover is a way of saying
other scenery on it to form the battlefield. Place the that we know there is really a lot more stuff to
buildings first and then the cover. hide behind, but that we can’t show all of it. Quite
apart from anything else the models would fall
over all the time if we had realistic amount of bits
Buildings of rubbish all over the place.
The Deadzone buildings can be assembled in an infinite So, a cube counts as cover or it doesn’t. Use the
number of ways, and this is part of what makes them scenery to show cover by placing it inside the
fun. As a general rule, lots of smaller buildings is often cube, not along its edges (as buildings are). This
better to fight around than a few large ones, but you means that you should be able to tell at a glance
should experiment for yourself to find out what suits which cubes are cover and which aren’t.
you and what you think looks best.
To make the scenery elements stretch further
When you have assembled some buildings, place them and as a useful guide, cubes inside buildings
on the mat. Wherever possible, align buildings so that count as cover too, regardless of what scenery is
they are exactly in line with the printed grid on the mat. present. These are the locations where the piles
Spread out the buildings, avoiding large open spaces. As of rubble and smashed furniture are likely to be
a rule of thumb, try to avoid any 3 cube x 3 cube areas of at their highest, and so it looks right in game too.
the lowest level being completely empty of buildings.
Decide before the battle starts which cubes count
Multi-level buildings can be connected by walkways as “inside” buildings. These are usually fairly
above ground level. clear as the shape of the walls shows where the
Remember that you are laying out all this scenery buildings once stood. If there is any doubt then
before you know where either Strike Team will deploy. come to an agreement with your opponent before
anyone knows which side they are setting up on.

Rupert Coles (order #5245731) 37 - SETTING UP


4. Determine Deployment item in either player’s deployment zone. We can assume
that anything that has been left lying about in the
Decide which way up the board will be viewed. One of assembly areas has already been used up or removed to
the players then draws a random Mission Card from the rear. The only items remaining would be in the no-
his remaining (unused) deck. Use this only to determine man’s land between the forces. 
the deployment zones. The result can be one of the
following four layouts. Using the agreed orientation of When eight counters have been placed in total (4 by the
the board, the player that drew the card takes the red players, 4 at random), put the remaining eight counters
zone and his opponent the blue. The grey central zone is to one side. They will not be used in this battle.
used for random item deployment, and each X marks a
cube where an objective must be set up (see below).
Objectives
There are three octagonal objective counters marked
A B X, Y and Z. Shuffle them face down and place one at
random on each of the positions marked X on the map.
They remain face down. Objective counters may only be
examined by a player who has a model in the same cube
at that time.

Deployment

C D
The player who did not draw the card for deployment
now draws an unused Mission Card from his deck to
determine who deploys their models first and starts the
battle. “Friend” means that he does, while “Foe” means
his opponent begins.

The starting player deploys his non-Scout models


anywhere within his deployment zone. His opponent
then deploys all of his models, placing any models with
the Scout ability in the white area of the map between
his own deployment zone and the central grey sector.

The starting player then places any models with the


Scout ability in the white area of the map between his
own deployment zone and the central grey sector.

If any models start the game with an Aggression other


than Alert, place the relevant counter next to the model
Items now. Also place Overwatch markers for Sentry models
Take the 16 item counters with crate together with any other counters that are placed “at the
designs on the back and shuffle them face start of the game”.
down. Each player takes 2 at random and
Models can be deployed on any level. .
without looking at them places each in a
separate cube in the central grey area. The
player who drew the card for deployment
places the first two and his opponent the last. In this
5. Start the Game
step, each item must be in a separate cube. Items can The starting player takes the first Turn.
be placed on any level.

Then take 4 more counters at random and without


looking at them place them one at a time on the board
using dice to determine a random position for each. For
each counter, roll one dice and count that many columns
across; then roll a second dice and count that many
rows down. Place the counter on the top level of scenery
in the resulting space. Re-roll a dice if it would drop the

38 - SETTING
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During a game, each player attempts to collect Victory Points (VPs) by completing mission goals. These vary from
mission to mission. Some focus on killing the enemy, others on holding ground or moving to new positions. As the
missions are kept secret, part of the challenge is to hide what you’re up to whilst working out what your opponent
is trying to do and counter it.

Rupert Coles (order #5245731) 39 - SETTING UP


Who’s In Charge? Goals
The various forces that fight within the Deadzone are There are far more tasks on the battlefield than can
not simply fighting among the burning wreckage for the possibly be carried out by a single small unit on one
best scraps of a ruined colony. Each is part of a carefully patrol. In Deadzone, each battlefield task is called a
structured military hierarchy and as such is operating goal. All the goals a unit could be asked to complete
with support from higher echelons of its parent “army”. are listed here. However, only the goals listed on the
This may sound odd for the Plague, but even their Mission Cards will earn VPs in that game. Whilst you
bizarre and mutant forces have a rudimentary structure may complete other goals in passing, you will not
to them that controls their actions on a planetary scale complete your mission if you ignore the specific goals
– and beyond if they can get there. you have been tasked to complete. For example, you
may have been ordered to capture and hold specific
In each game, each Strike Team will be given a mission
objective points on the battlefield. Killing the enemy
to complete. Its success in completing this specific
is seldom a bad thing, but it is not what you’ve been
mission will determine whether it wins or loses the
asked to do this time. You will only earn VPs, and only
battle.
win the battle, by actually capturing and holding that
objective. Always read your Mission Card carefully and
Mission Cards understand what you need to focus on to achieve those
goals. Adapt your tactics accordingly.
Each faction deck includes a number of Mission
Cards. Whilst these differ from faction to faction,
the information on each card is laid out in a standard
You will notice that some of the goals are
format.
highlighted in red, and prefixed by a symbol
– these are core mission goals, and gain extra
Reputation during a campaign. See page 52. In
Goals / VPs earned: one-off games treat all mission goals the same.
This section shows the various ways you can
earn Victory Points during this mission.
The list of possible goals is as follows:

Kill
Destroy the enemy forces. Without troops they can
achieve little. This is broken down into 3 levels and is
listed as 3 separate goals. These levels are based on
the points value of each enemy trooper you kill (1-6,
7-10, 11+). Each kill earns you the VPs listed for the goal
that covers their total value. For example, if a mission
gives 1VP for 1-6 point models Killed, 2 for 7-10 point
models and 3 for 11+ point models then killing a 7 point
model earns you 2VPs. Note that in some missions you
will earn VPs for some kills and not others.

Kill Commander, Trooper, Specialist or Leader


The enemy forces are like a house of cards. Remove the
right one and the whole thing collapses. These goals are
listed separately, but all work in exactly the same way.

These VPs are in addition to any points you may get for
Notes:
Kill goals. Each model of the specified type that you Kill
If the Goals require any further explanation, it
earns points for both the Kill and the Kill Commander,
will be found here.
Trooper, Specialist or Leader. You earn the bonus each
time you Kill a model of the correct type. This means
that you can only earn one Kill Commander bonus per
battle (as there is only ever one in each Strike Team),
but can potentially earn the other goals multiple times
Deployment / Friend/Foe: depending on the composition of the enemy force.
The icons in this corner do not form part of
For purposes of this goal, Rare models are counted as
the mission itself – instead, they are used
Specialists and Unique models are counted as Leaders. 
while setting up the game, as described on
page 38.

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Capture (X, Y or Z) Scour
Sometimes boots on the ground is the only way to get It may not be brave, but it’s got to be done. Some
things done. This is broken down into 3 goals – one for factions are abundantly supplied with every item of
each of the objectives: X-Ray, Yankee and Zulu. You equipment they might wish for, while others struggle to
capture an objective by having a model in the same cube as get by. Each time you carry an item off the board from
it, as well as having no enemy models in the same cube. your own deployment zone you earn the VPs for this
goal. The items cannot be ones you started the battle
with; they must either be ones that began the game
Control (X, Y or Z) littering the battlefield or ones that enemy models have
dropped since. See the rules for moving off the board on
Use stealth, use cunning or use brute force, but
page 27.
make sure none of the enemy gets anywhere near.
This is broken down into 3 goals – one for each of the
objectives: X-Ray, Yankee and Zulu. You control an Survive
objective by making sure two things are true at the
same time. Firstly, you must capture the objective by Sometimes just holding on can be enough. This goal is
having a model in the same cube as it when no enemy earned at the end of every Round that more than half
models are in that cube. Secondly, there must be no your Strike Team (in points) remains on the battlefield.
enemy models in any cube adjacent to the objective. If a model has moved off the board then it is no longer
When both of these are true then you have control of counts as being on the battlefield even though it did
that objective. not die. You may want to use a spare counter to track
how many Rounds you have played. If you do this, make
IMPORTANT! Note the difference between capture and sure that you do so even when Survive is not one of your
control of objectives. objectives – just to keep your opponent guessing.

Infiltrate Intel
Leave the enemy blocking force to the other teams. Your In addition to these goals, there are some items of
job is to get past them and onto your next target. This intelligence value called “intel” that are worth 1 VP each
is broken down into 3 levels and is listed as 3 separate to any faction on any mission. These can sometimes be
goals. These levels are based on the points’ value of found on the battlefield as part of the scatter of random
each trooper you exit off the board from the enemy items.
deployment zone (1-6, 7-10, 11+). Each trooper you move
off earns you the VPs listed for the goal that covers their
total value. For example, if a mission gives 1VP for 1-6
point infiltrating models, 2 for 7-10 point models and 3
for 11+ point models then moving off a 15 point model
earns you 3VPs. Note that in some missions you will
earn VPs for some infiltrators and not others. See the
rules for moving off the board on page 27.

Rupert Coles (order #5245731) 41 - SETTING UP


VPs Earned
This column on the Mission Card lists the VPs awarded for each time you complete that goal. Total the number of
VPs you have earned at the end of each Round to see if you have won the battle.

Tracking VPs
An easy way to keep track of your VPs is to use your Mission Card as a reference point. Simply place enemy
models you kill, friendly models you infiltrate off and any other VP related counters and models around your
Mission Card so that you can count the points quickly. It’s best to use the layout shown here so you always
know where everything is and what it’s worth.

Above: 7-10 point enemy


models Killed or own models
infiltrated off the board.

Left: 1-6 point enemy Right: 11+ point enemy models


models Killed or own models Killed or own models infiltrated
infiltrated off the board. off the board.

Below: Intel counters,


scavenged items and Turns
survived (use a spare dice to
track this).

Of course, the particular mission you’re on might not count


infiltrators, kills etc, but your opponent doesn’t know
that. Not yet, anyway, and the longer you can keep
him in the dark the better. For this reason it’s
best to look like you’re after every possible
type of mission goal there is. By always
counting everything you can keep your
mission secret longer.

42 - SETTING
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Winning Conceding a Battle
There are a number of ways to win a game of Deadzone. There are times when everything goes wrong and
These fall into two main types: claimed and timeout. In retreating to reform is the only sensible option.
addition, players can concede or abort battles.
A player can concede the game at the start of any of his
Turns. This is usually only done as part of a campaign
when a player is worried about the losses in his force.
Claimed Victories
The player that concedes earns zero VPs for this battle
These are when one player achieves a clear victory by
regardless of his mission and any intel recovered. His
either completing his mission or wiping out his foes. To
opponent earns 10 VPs regardless.
win this way a player must claim his victory by telling
his opponent that he has won and then confirming it. He
may do so in one of two situations:
Aborting The Mission
1) When he has earned a total of 10 or more VPs.
There are times when an assigned mission is
2) When his opponent has no models left on the table, or impossible. Sometimes the reports are incorrect
the only ones left have a command value of “-”. and the enemy forces you have been assigned
to kill simply aren’t there, or the models that
When a player claims victory, pause the game to check needed to infiltrate are killed by a lucky shot right
that they have actually done so. When this is due to at the outset. In these situations you have two
wiping out the enemy it should be obvious. Otherwise, choices: concede the battle or abort the mission
the player claiming the victory reveals his Mission Card and fight on regardless. Aborting a mission looks
and his VP total is checked by both players. Remember bad, but sometimes it’s the only option.
to include any intel recovered in this total.
Conceding the mission is dealt with above. While
If they have earned 10 or more VPs then the game is this is OK in a one-off game, in a campaign it
over. If not then carry on from where you left off. gives a lot of VPs away and is not usually such a
good option.
The first player to claim a valid victory wins the game.
At the start of any of your turns you can abort
your mission if it is no longer possible. Turn over
Timeout Victories your Mission Card and show it to your opponent.
If you agree that the maximum possible VPs
All missions are time-sensitive. If you don’t complete
from the mission alone (ie ignoring intel, etc) is
your assigned tasks quickly then the strategic situation
less than 10 then you may abort the mission. If
will change and your goals may no longer be valid.
you could earn 10 or more VPs then you must
Deadzone is designed to time out games on its own. This continue with the mission or concede the game.
avoids stalemate situations where neither player can Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean that an elite
make headway on achieving their mission. The way the force commander such as you can walk away
game does this is by using the Battle Cards. from it.

At the end of a Round the number of remaining If the mission can be aborted, discard your
Battle Cards are checked. If one or both players has Mission Card and any models Killed or infiltrated
completely run out then the game is over. The mission’s to this point. You start your VP total again from
window of opportunity has been missed and the Strike zero. From now on you will earn 1 VP per enemy
Teams have been recalled by their respective High model you kill, regardless of its cost or type. This
Commands. See the Play Sequence on page 20 for more makes it very hard, or perhaps impossible to win
details. outright, but in a campaign some VPs are better
than none. Remember that you can also play for
If a game times out then both players flip over their time so a win is always possible even on aborted
Mission Cards and the total VPs are calculated. missions.
Remember to include any intel recovered in this total.
Note that you cannot get the campaign bonus
The player with the highest total wins. In the case of a for completing core mission goals as aborted
draw, the player with the highest total points (in models missions have none.
only) remaining on the tabletop when the battle ends
wins the battle. Once you abort a mission you cannot go back to it
later.

Rupert Coles (order #5245731) 43 - SETTING UP


Choosing a Strike Team Battle Cards
These rules are for choosing a Strike Team for a You may start the battle with up to 5 extra Battle Cards
normal game. in your deck if you choose. They cost 1 point each. These
will be added at random from what is left after you have
Each model, item and card has a cost in points. You followed the normal deck building process on pages 36
must carefully consider which combination will work and 37.
best for you and spend your points accordingly.

The Commander
Point Limits
When you have finished spending your points, you must
Each Strike Team has a total of 70 points to spend. You nominate a Commander for your force. This will be the
can choose to spend less than the full 70 if you wish, but model with the highest Command Total stat in the Strike
you cannot spend a single point more. Team. If two or more models have equal highest value
then you must choose between them.

Models A Commander must have a command value of at least


1-1.
Most of your points will be spent on models for your
Strike Team. There is only one Commander in a Strike Team for each
battle. If this model is Killed then you must use the next
highest surviving Command total in the Strike Team
Type Limits for certain game functions. However, that model is not
considered a Commander.
No Strike Team can expect to go to battle with just
snipers or Grogans. Specialists are in high demand
everywhere and a Strike Team is often lucky to have one Mercenaries
at all.
Most armies are rather wary of mercenaries as you can
When you choose a Strike Team the number of models never be sure of their loyalty or discretion. However,
you can have depends on their type. You can always take there are times when their special skill sets are very
as many Leaders and Troopers as you wish. Specialist, useful, whether this is to bolster an already strong
Rare and Unique models are grouped together. You may theme in your force, or to plug a gap where you are
not take more of these models, added together, than you weak.
have Troopers.
Each Strike Team can include up to one mercenary, and
For example, if I had 4 Troopers in my Strike Team then I does not have to include any. If you choose to include
could take a total of no more than 4 Specialist, Rare and one they are paid for using part of the 70 points budget
Unique models. for the force and count as the type listed on their card
(usually Unique) just like any other model. The only
additional restriction is that some mercenaries are
Items picky about who they work for. Each mercenary card
lists which factions that model will fight alongside in
A Strike Team may include as many items as its models addition to all the normal information.
can carry. Items are bought with points from the
following list: A mercenary cannot be a Strike Team Commander.
Ignore them when working out who has the highest
item Cost Notes Command Total in the Strike Team.

Ammo 1

AP Ammo 2
Frag Grenade 3
Sentry Gun 5 Enforcers only. Requires
(packed) an Engineer to deploy.

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One thing that Deadzone does well is tell a story. Strike Force
Battles feature dramatic rescues, lucky escapes and
heroic charges all the time, and the actions of individual This is your overall force of models. Think of this as
models often end up being recounted as great tales of your base camp where all the resources you have are
heroism after the game. The only downside is that these collected. You will not have everything available at
individuals have no life beyond that single mission. What once, and this more accurately reflects the realities
if you could follow these heroes in their next battle, and of combat. However, you will be able to tailor what
the one after that? Would they carry on saving the day resources you do have – at least to an extent.
or would their luck run out? Campaigns let you find out.

A campaign is a linked series of games where the lives Stores


of the individual models in your Strike Team continue
from battle to battle. Instead of the anonymous fighters In effect, this is the item equivalent of your Strike Force.
you have in one-off missions, you can name these brave It is the stores available at your forward base and the
souls in the knowledge that the survivors of one fight only items you can choose to take with you when you
can continue to tell their story in the next. As they do so assemble a Strike Team for a mission.
they gain a variety of new experience, equipment and
abilities that makes them even more formidable.
Strike Team
Individual games within a campaign are fought in much
the same way as a normal one-off game. The difference This is a selection of models and items, taken from your
lies in what happens between the battles and how you Strike Force and Stores. Unlike a normal game, you
keep track of your force. must draw the models for your Strike Team from your
Strike Force rather than simply taking anything you
like. Similarly, you can only take items available in your
Campaign Terms Stores. This makes campaign Strike Teams different to
those built for one-off games.
As well as all the normal Deadzone rules, campaigns
need to more closely define a few terms and add a
couple of extra ones:

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Roster Sheet for the total reputation ever earned, and a separate
space for “unspent” reputation. Highest total reputation
This is a record of all the models and items available for is the usual measure of a campaign winner. Unspent
you to purchase, and those that are already part of your reputation is only used for working out what can be
Strike Force and Stores. Individual models have their bought between missions.
stats listed here along with any injuries or experience.

Clearance
Restrictions
Regardless of the outcome, each battle a Strike Force
In a campaign, each player’s initial Strike Force fights improves its standing with High Command
represents a newly-arrived unit in the battle zone. It and improves its clearance. Each clearance allows a
has limited resources and no reputation to persuade the Strike Force to remove one restriction. Note this newly
local units to help it out with supplies. A Strike Force available model or item on the back of your roster
starts with access to only a few of its faction’s possible sheet.
models and items. The others are restricted.

High Command
Reputation
The various forces that fight within the Deadzone are
This represents how well known and how respected not simply squabbling among the burning wreckage
the Strike Force is. The more missions it fulfils for the best scraps of a ruined colony. Not at all. Each
and the longer it remains at the front the better its is part of a carefully structured military hierarchy and
reputation. And, the better a reputation a Strike Force as such is operating with support and aid from higher
has, the more easily it can persuade High Command echelons of its parent “army”. High Command is the
that it should get what it wants by way of supplies and term for these upper echelons.
replacements. Reputation is “spent” between battles
to improve the Strike Force and to gain better medical
treatment for casualties. The roster sheet has a space

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Some Compaign Notes
The campaign system included here is a very simple one
that can be easily adapted to a wide variety of different
sizes of groups and styles of gamer. There are other,
more elaborate types of campaign and you may like
to try these at some stage. However, it’s best to start
simple and get some successes under your belt before
you try anything too complex. A short, simple, successful
campaign will be remembered fondly. You can build on
that. An unsuccessful attempt at an elaborate and
hyper-detailed map-based extravaganza will be
remembered for its failure and nothing else.

When you and your friends decide that you want to start
a campaign, how do you go about it? Well first there are
some questions to be answered. By going through these
you should give yourself a solid foundation onto which
you can build whatever additions you like. Campaigns
can be very individual things and are likely to change as
you go along, acquiring new aspects that you and your
gaming buddies think are cool and dropping those that
don’t suit.

Who Organises It All?


Someone has to sort things out. Even if it is just checking
that people are playing games and keeping rosters up to
date, there needs to be a driving force behind a campaign.
Deadzone campaigns are designed so that this person
can also join in the battles. This means that nobody need
miss out on the carnage.

One helpful means of showing which Strike Forces are


doing well is to have a “league table” of total reputations.
However, this isn’t the only thing you can measure. If you
wanted you could keep track of total VPs earned, kills
caused (or losses suffered), missions accomplished,
battles won, and so on. Decide in advance what you will
track and what will decide overall campaign victory so
that everyone knows what to aim for.

When it comes to making final decisions about something


the organiser should be responsible. It’s usually a
good idea to discuss these things among the group, but
decisions are typically needed sooner rather than later
and it’s much easier and faster if one person is ultimately
responsible. If a situation arises where an organiser’s
own Strike Force is involved in the question then the
players should vote on the outcome as a group and abide
by the majority decision.

How Long?
Short campaigns and those with fixed end points are best
to start with and probably best overall. As mentioned
above, success is a good recruiter when you want to run
another.

How long a campaign lasts for depends on how often the


players are likely to get a game. I’d aim for perhaps 4-8
games for your first campaign, depending on the size of
your group and their level of enthusiasm. If people are
still enthusiastic at the end of a campaign you can always

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consider running another one immediately afterwards Continue up the rankings, each player issuing a
with the same experienced Strike Forces instead of new challenge unless he is already part of one, until every
ones (or as well as new ones if you have new players Strike Force has a challenge match arranged. This
wishing to join in). It’s best to be flexible and adapt to need not be the only game either Strike Force plays
your local group. The campaign organiser should make during that period, but they must play this one or the
the final decision, but as always it’s a good idea to talk it challenged Strike Force loses the reputation.
through with the rest of the people in the campaign.
Of course, this too can be exploited and the organiser
will need to be alert to people issuing challenges and
Who Do You Fight? then not playing through no fault of the challenged
player. In these cases the reputation loss should be
The more rigid your organisation of battles in a levied on the challenger instead. If the game cannot be
campaign, the less successful you and everyone else played through no fault of either player then the penalty
will be at sticking to it. The answer is to be as freeform can be waived at the organiser’s discretion.
as you can.

Let players arrange their own games and play as A Balanced Campaign
often as they like or can within their chosen campaign
structure. The only restriction that is both easy to The Deadzone campaign system doesn’t require that
implement and helpful to use is to say that you cannot everyone play the same number of games. This will give
fight against the same opponent twice in a row. an advantage to those who fight more often, however,
the advantage will be very small.
One final thought on who you fight is challenges. The
way they work is simple. By keeping the battle size fixed at 70 points, all that
more experienced Strike Forces can bring to the table is
Using whatever means you have decided on to judge the a wider variety of models and items. More experienced
overall winner (see above), rank the Strike Forces in and improved models cost more points and so will
order. Then, let players issue one challenge per week, reduce the size of the overall force. This puts the focus
fortnight or whatever time period makes sense for your back on the player’s skill rather than the models in the
group. Strike Force itself, which is where it should be.
Starting with the lowest ranked Strike Force, let them This also means that players can join in part way
issue a challenge. Simply pick any other Strike Force through the campaign and not be at a huge disadvantage
that has not already got a challenge match in this period in a game. They will struggle to beat those who have
and issue your challenge. If they fail to fight you in that fought more battles in terms of overall reputation, but
time period then they lose 5 from their total reputation they can still join in and fight lots of games without
for cowardice. feeling overwhelmed by the veterans.

HEW Guntracks were once popular among Corporation armed forces, but when Accutek started pushing the
HSW-04 – and its hefty exclusive-use agreement – they were forgotten almost overnight. Most have now found homes
among Marauder fleets, where goblin crews treasure them for their sturdy construction and excessive firepower.

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Once you’ve got a group of players for your campaign
you will need some armies. Each player needs to follow
these steps to get started:

1. Choose a faction

2. Complete a roster sheet

3. Choose initial clearances

4. Work out initial Strike Force

5. Play some games!

1. Choose a Faction
Players will have a collection of models and a favourite
faction. It’s more fun if there is a mixture of different
factions in your group, but the amount of infighting
within every faction makes it perfectly reasonable to
have duplicates.

2. COMPLETE a Roster Sheet


Each player will need a roster sheet. You can photocopy
the one on page 56 or download a pdf from
www.manticgames.com. This is where you will record
all the details of your Strike Force and your Stores.
Every time a model is Killed or Injured, and each time
they gain experience, you note this on the roster sheet.
It is the central record of everything that makes your
Strike Force unique. Keep it safe.

3. Choose Initial Clearances


The assumption is that most things in Deadzones are
restricted. You are new in this battle zone and supplies
are limited.

On the back of your roster sheet write down all of the


Troopers in your faction. You can always choose from
any types of Trooper and normal ammo (not AP to start
with). All other models and items start the campaign
restricted. Then choose 3 clearances. Each clearance
lifts one restriction on a single model or item. This
means that the model or item becomes available to your
Strike Force. Note this on your roster sheet.

For example, if you are playing Enforcers you will


always be able to take all of the Trooper options. You
might decide to use your three initial clearances to
add the Enforcer Captain and the Enforcer with the
missile launcher. The last one you could spend making
frag grenade items available. They’re always useful.
All other models and items will remain restricted and
unavailable to buy until you earn more clearances and
lift the restrictions.

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Choosing A Mission For A Campaign Battle
There is an important distinction between Draw a Mission Card at random from your faction deck.
cleared and bought. Models and items will Do this before you choose your Strike Team, not after.
often be on your cleared list long before you You may not refuse this mission.
actually buy one of them for your Strike Force.
This is far more realistic for a military unit in a combat
This simply means that you have done enough
zone than being allowed to pick and choose, and would
to persuade High Command that you are worth
be preferable for one-off battles too if it were not for
trusting with such important and limited
the practicalities of gaming. Most people work out
resources. It doesn’t mean that they have any to
their armies before they turn up for a game, and so
give you yet. You still have to spend the points
drawing a random mission in front of your opponent is
to buy a model or item before it is added to the
a simple and quick way of getting straight into a game.
Strike Force or Stores section.
However, in a campaign many players will be looking
for something more realistic and immersive, hence the
change.

4. Work out initial Strike Force


Choosing A Strike Team For A Campaign Battle
This is exactly like the normal process of choosing
a Strike Team (see page 36) with a couple of notable This is exactly the same as choosing a Strike Team
exceptions. Firstly, you have 140 points, not 70. for a one-off game with one exception: you can only
Secondly, you only have access to a limited selection of choose from the models in your Strike Force (that are
models and items. You can only spend your 140 points not currently marked as absent) and the items in its
on models and items that are available to your Strike Stores. This limit applies to both type and number of
Force, i.e. Troopers, ammo and the three things that you models and items. For example, if you only have one
made available with the clearances you chose above. frag grenade left in the stores you can only take one to
this battle.
One final thing you might like to do is name your models.
They will hopefully be with you through many victories,
and it’s an easy way to bring them to life.
Let Battle Commence
Other than the selection of mission and Strike Team,
5. Play Some Games! the rest of the setting up and fighting a battle remains
the same.
Fighting battles in a campaign setting is much the same
as normal one-off battles. However, there are some
important differences.

Mission log 332\19\a


Log begins. Our objective is a piece of experimental technology, function classified.
Prior to the outbreak it was being held in the Lu-Fan warehouse district – outpost
D-9 – but audio logs indicate that a group of researchers tried to move it to a safer
location. Intel concludes that their transport was brought down when they tried to
pass through D-12.
While we don’t know what hit the research team, we do know that the area was
recently chosen by a group of Marauders as the site for a base camp. Considering
the facts, it is unlikely that they are aware of the existence of the experimental
tech; however, we can expect resistance on our approach.
I have already assembled a strike team. I have chosen 03\Baraka, 07\Yuri and
08\Ryler as the vanguard of the group, following sweep drill 021, with 02\Toval
giving heavy fire support in case of armoured units. 12\Aral is the obvious choice
to recover the device, but he will be accompanied by 09\Hyris – whom he has
briefed – as a backup. Assuming all goes well, Hyris will also provide short-ranged
defensive support while Aral completes his task.
Review to follow after extraction (crossref 332\19\b). Log ends.

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In campaigns we care about what happens to individual Deployable weapons are a special case and what
models after a battle. Have they recovered from their happens depends on their state at the end of the battle.
injuries, learnt any new abilities, or scrounged any If they are packed then they are treated like any other
good equipment? We also need to see what strings we item. If they are deployed then they may be returned to
can pull to ensure the Strike Force gets the best new their owner’s Stores only if the closest model to them
recruits and items it can find. To do all this, simply at the end of the game is from their Strike Team and is
follow the steps below. These are best done when both not already carrying an item (make a note of this before
players are still present, immediately after the battle. the models are cleared from the board). If this is not
This ensures that there is someone impartial to witness the case then the weapon is lost and removed from the
any dice rolls and to remind you which models were roster.
Injured or “Killed”.
If you acquire an item that is still restricted then you
1. Return items to the stores. may use the one you’ve got. You just can’t buy any more
until you have the clearance.
2. Calculate reputation.

3. Absent models return.


2. Calculate Reputation
4. Resolve experience.
After a battle you earn reputation as shown on the
5. Choose clearances. table below:

6. Spend reputation.
Situation Reputation earned
7. Resolve casualties.
One reputation per VP
8. Check roster is fully updated. Earn any VPs for mission earned up to a maximum
of 10.
9. Add fresh recruits.
Achieve any core mission
+2 reputation.
goals (see page 42).
1. Return Items to stores Win the battle. +2 reputation.
Included a mercenary in
If any models are carrying items at the end of a battle, -3 reputation.
your force.
add them to your Stores. This includes those you took to
battle and never used, those you have found and those
you have taken off the bodies of the enemy. As long as
one of your models is carrying it at the end of the battle,
you put it into your Stores.

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Each situation applies only once. The maximum possible New Ability
reputation earned from a single battle is 14. The
minimum is zero. The model is sent for training and learns a new ability.
Mark them absent for the next battle while they train.
Add the reputation earned to both the total reputation
and unspent reputation areas of the Strike Force’s You may choose an ability from the following lists.
roster sheet. The total reputation only ever goes up, Which list you can choose from depends on your current
whilst the unspent reputation rises and falls as it is rank.
earned and spent. A model may only have each ability once.

A model may only have one of: Engineer, Medic,


3. Absent Models Return Scavenger. If a model already has one of these abilities it
Go down the list of models in the Strike Force section cannot choose either of the others.
of the roster and uncheck any absent boxes, thereby
returning all models to active duty.

Rank 5-6 (model cost +4)


4. Resolve Experience

Rank 1-4 (model cost +2)

Rank 7+ (model cost +6)


Individual models gain one experience for each battle
they fight in. They also gain one experience per enemy
model they kill. Add these to the appropriate place on
their line of the roster.

Keeping track of who Killed what is most easily done Ability Notes
when the kills are made during a battle. Simply make a
Agile
check mark next to the model’s entry on the roster and
tidy it all up at the end, in this step. AP1 Only affects Fight attacks.

BOOM!
Each model has a rank and all models start at rank 1.
Brawler
When they collect enough experience to equal the next
rank above them then they go up one level. For example, Discipline
a rank 3 model would need to collect 4 experience to Engineer + Beast The extra engineering equipment
advance to rank 4. When a model advances in rank means that the model no longer
reduce their experience by an amount equal to that has room to carry more.
new rank. A model can only advance by one rank after Fast
a battle. If they have enough experience to advance Glide
again then it is saved until after the next battle. These
Irresistible
experiences take time to assimilate.
Knockback Only affects Fight attacks.
Note that a model cannot advance after a battle in which Marksman Cannot take this if they already
they were Killed or Injured. Only models that survive a have the Sniper ability.
battle unscathed or are already on the roster can gain Medic + Beast The extra medical equipment
ranks (and therefore advancements) after a battle. means that the model no longer
However, experience earned is still marked on the has room to carry more.
roster and can be used after they have healed. Really Tough Must have the Tough ability
already. Really Tough replaces it.
When a model advances in rank you may roll one dice on Resourceful
the advancement table to see how they improve.
Scavenger

Dice roll Result Model Cost Scout


Sentry
Depends on the Sniper Must have the Marksman ability
1-2 New ability list choosen from already. Sniper replaces it.
– see below Solid
Stat improvement Spotter
of player’s choice. If
Strategist Must have the Tactician ability
3-5 all four stats have +1 already. Strategist replaces it.
improved then treat
Tactician Cannot take this if they already
this as a roll of 7. have the Strategist ability.
6-7 +1 Veteran Dice +1 Tough Cannot take this if they already
have the Really Tough ability.
Choose one of the
8+ results above

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Stat Improvement Mercenaries
You can choose between command and combat (Shoot, These models do not belong to the Strike Force
Fight, Survive) stats. permanently and never earn experience.

If you choose to raise your Command stat then it goes


up one level. See the list below. Command value may 5. Choose Clearances
only ever increase once. The order of Command, from
highest to lowest, is: Each battle earns a Strike Force a single clearance.
Additional clearances can be bought with reputation.
3-3 Clearances cannot be saved.
3-2
2-2
2-1 6. Spend Reputation
1-1 Unspent reputation from this battle (or saved from
previous battles) can be spent on various upgrades that
If you choose to raise a combat stat then the highest one improve your Strike Force. You can spend as much or as
that has not yet advanced will go up. If two are equal little as you want within the limitations of your unspent
you may choose which to advance. Each combat stat will total. You may not spend more.
only ever advance once.

If you roll this result and have already increased all Cost in
Upgrade Notes
three combat stats plus Command then treat it as a roll reputation
of 7 and take a Veteran Dice instead.
1 Clearance 4
Increases in Shoot, Fight and Survive stats make the Cannot buy
number drop by 1. So, a 6+ becomes a 5+, a 5+ becomes Buy item Item cost
restricted items
a 4+, and so on.
Cannot recruit
Recruit model Model cost
restricted models.
Veteran Dice Emergency
1 per model
Hardened veterans have learned how to survive in the medical aid
harsh realities of combat and know all manner of subtle
Resurrect model 3 per model
tricks. These are represented by Veteran Dice.

Each Veteran Dice can be used once per battle to add to


any normal test for the model that owns them. Decide Apply all upgrades as they are bought and update your
before you roll any dice whether you will add one or roster accordingly. You are allowed to buy a clearance
more Veteran Dice to it. You may add as many Veteran and then buy the item or model you have just cleared in
Dice as you like to a single test with the proviso that you the same step.
can only use each one you have once per battle. They Each faction achieves these upgrades in different
are rolled just like the other dice and need the same ways. Some are technological, others more mystical,
number for success, roll up on an 8, and so on. biomechanical or mutagenic. Whatever the means,
every faction has access to all upgrades.
Cost
Every benefit gained by experience makes a model more
dangerous in battle and so increases its value. Adjust
the cost of the model on the roster sheet as described
for the bonus gained.

54 - CAMPAIGNS
Rupert Coles (order #5245731)
7. Resolve Casualties 8. Check Roster Is Updated
Models that were Killed during the battle are removed Ensure that Injured and dead models are noted
from the roster unless you bought a resurrect model correctly, experience has been counted and all other
upgrade for them. You need to buy one such upgrade updates and upgrades noted. Check your opponent
per model and may choose to resurrect some and not has done likewise. It’s easy to miss a detail as there’s
others. If you want to resurrect a model you must do so a lot going on, especially with more experienced Strike
immediately after the battle in which they were Killed. Forces in the middle of a campaign. Take the time to
If you cannot afford to pay at that time they are removed check now, while the battle is still fresh and you can
from the roster permanently. both remember what happened.

Models that are resurrected must roll one dice on the


complications table below and apply that result. 9. Add Fresh Recruits
Injured models will recover on their own given the If, after everything has been done, you have fewer than
normal medical attention available. However, this will 70 points left of models available for the next battle,
take some time and they will be absent for a single High Command will send some fresh recruits to join
battle. If you do not buy emergency medical care for a your Strike Force at no cost. This ensures that all their
model then mark them as absent for the next battle. units are always battle ready. Stop adding fresh recruits
You need to buy one such upgrade per model and may as soon as the total available models is 70 points or
choose to treat some and not others. more.
Models that receive emergency medical aid are not These fresh recruits will always be the least desirable
marked absent and may fight in the next battle. of the pool of reinforcements. The exact model depends
Reductions in Shoot, Fight and Survive game values on your faction:
make the number rise by 1. So, a 3+ becomes a 4+, a
4+ becomes a 5+, and so on. If the model already has a Faction Recruit is...
game value of 7+ and is reduced further then they fall
into a coma and cannot be revived. Treat this as a roll of Enforcers Enforcer
a 1 instead. Plague Stage 3A
Reductions in Command value move down the hierarchy Marauders Commando
listed on page 54. If the model has a 1-1 command and is Rebs Rebel Human
reduced further then they fall into a coma and cannot be
revived. Treat this as a roll of a 1 instead. In addition, every fresh recruit starts out as a New Guy
and is marked as such on the roster sheet. During their
first battle they are at -1 dice for all tests. If they survive
Complications Table
this first battle they will have adapted to the combat
zone and this penalty is removed.
Roll Result
Note that this penalty does not apply to models
Bleeder: Despite every effort, the model recruited by the normal process of using reputation.
cannot be saved and dies permanently on
1 the operating table. Remove the model from
your roster and bury them with full military
honours.
Brain damage: reduce Command by 1 level.
2
The model’s cost is reduced by 1 point.
Impaired reflexes: -1 Survive. The model’s
3
cost is reduced by 1 point.
Blurred vision: -1 Shoot. The model’s cost is
4
reduced by 1 point.
Muscle wasting: -1 Fight. The model’s cost is
5
reduced by 1 point.
Smooth operation: No complications. The
6-8
model returns to active duty immediately.

Rupert Coles (order #5245731) 55 - CAMPAIGNS


Strike Force: Total reputation: Unspent reputation:
In Strike Team?

Experience

New Guy?
Absernt?

Vet. Dice
Rank

Cost
Name Model Type Overwatch Abilities Weapons and equipment
Item Quantity In Strike Team? Cost Item Quantity In Strike Team? Cost

Coles (order #5245731)


56 - CAMPAIGNS
Please use the back of this sheet to list cleared models and items.

Rupert
© 2014 Mantic Games, permssion granted to photocopy for personal use.
REFERENCE
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Rupert Coles (order #5245731)
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Rupert Coles (order #5245731)
The Plague is not really a disease at all. Although it
spreads like an infection and wipes out populations
like the most virulent of biohazards, it is in fact an alien The Lu-Fin Exiles
mutagen. Whether this is intended as a weapon, some Under the earth of New Czechia, in specially
form of self-defence or simply as a means to keep the developed laboratories the scientists of the
rats down is unknown. Ongoing research still struggles Lu-Fin Conglomerate are doomed to spend
with both the identity of the aliens responsible as well the rest of their lives analysing the materials
as their purpose. collected from suspected Plague outbreaks.
What is known is that certain areas of space have Locked down under miles of elaborate
been seeded with a series of readily recognisable safeguards to ensure no outbreak can result
alien artefacts. These are sometimes robust and from their investigations, these exiles are
impenetrable, whilst at other times they allow locked in to a programme of experiments on
themselves to be easily opened. Huge penalties the recovered corpses and any alien hardware
are levied on anyone hiding knowledge of their thought connected. Their research has afforded
whereabouts, and given their lethality most citizens the Corporation a better understanding of how
are more than happy to alert the nearest Corporation to best combat the Plague on the battlefield
outpost when one is found. They are swiftly recovered with a few biological tricks of their own.
and contained in a secure unit with the best precautions Beyond the dissection of the “hows”, the
available. Sadly this is seldom sufficient. Surgeon Generals are concerned with the
When the artefact is eventually cracked open, anyone “whys” – why the Plague were designed, breed
in the immediate proximity not wearing at least level 7 or evolved. It has been theorised that the
biohazard protection is immediately infected with the creation of the various mutated hosts is the
mutagen. This initial stage has a very low mortality rate intended effect. These savage, ultraviolent
as it is key to the Plague spreading. Most of those within killers have no compassion, no fear, and
a few metres will be turned into Stage 1s. These are yet retain most of their problem solving
the focus of each outbreak, and tracking them down is capabilities. The Stage 3s are for the most part
key to containing it. Until they have all been destroyed infertile, and so after a while a race infected by
the Plague will continue to spread. As individuals they the Plague will die out. Many are killed outright
are powerful and cunning commanders. All of their by the disease, others are killed by the infected
previous character and skills have been overwhelmed members of their own society. Those infected
as thoroughly as their physical form has been. This have no way of reproducing other than by
has been replaced with an innate tactical cunning that infection. As long as a Primary Infection Source
makes them natural commanders. They are dangerous – one of the “Plague Devices” remains active,
foes in combat too, but they are not just beasts. the Plague will not stop.

These rapidly disperse, slaughtering any they At first, the Lu-Fin exiles thought the primary
can find as they spread out, each carving its own purpose of the Stage 3s seems to be to spread
dominion among the civilian population. Whilst they the disease beyond the principal infection site,
attack indiscriminately, not all of their victims die. A as they retain the ability to utilise technology
percentage are themselves infected and these mutate and indeed, appear to be driven to spread away
into Stage 2 creatures. These creatures lose most from their infection site. But the infection’s
of their higher functions and serve as the premier characteristics are inherently self-limiting.
warriors of the outbreak. They are devastating in Could this be to protect the creators of the
close combat. Plague? The leading, current theory is that
extinction of intelligent races through sheer
Those who survive the rampages of the Stage 2s may havoc rather than direct pathogen mortality is
themselves be mutated into Stage 3s. As the mutagen the ultimate aim of the Plague.
spreads from its source it is diluted yet further,
the potency is reduced, and the Stage 3s are more
recognisably what they were originally. Not all survive
the transformation, though those that do can be left
with shadows and fragments of their previous character
and skills. This allows the Stage 3s to perform many
of the support tasks for the outbreak, using weapons
and operating technology so that the Plague as a whole
may even move between planets. Even though they are
individually far less dangerous than the earlier stages
in terms of raw combat potential, these residual skills
and intelligence can make them very dangerous for
those attempting to contain an outbreak.

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Rupert Coles (order #5245731)
Of the many types of human warrior fielded by the fall in battle (or an attempt be made to forcibly remove
Corporation, the Enforcers are by far the most deadly. his armour) his body will be turned to fine ash. A
At least, that is the common perception. In fact, the rigidly locked battlesuit of metal plates is all a foe will
Enforcers are not really part of the Corporation military recover, ensuring the secrets of both the Forgefather’s
at all. Instead they serve the Council of Seven directly, technology and the man wearing it remain safe.
being loyal to them rather than the Corporation itself.
Naturally, the agendas of the Corporation and its Unparalleled mobility is a further characteristic of
ruling body tend to coincide, but this is not always the the Enforcers. Lightweight jump packs are mounted
case, and incidents of battles between Enforcers and upon their armour, enabling them to fly over obstacles,
Corporation regulars are not unknown. perform hot insertion into a theatre of war directly from
aircraft, and redeploy from one area of a battlefield to
The Enforcers have their own fleet of spaceships that another once there.
allows them to move wherever they need to without
relying on the Navy, or giving away their intentions to The primary weapon of the Enforcers is a heavy laser
other factions within the Corporation’s labyrinthine assault rifle, a modified Genling 45, one of the most
world of political manoeuvring. Naturally, the Navy is powerful personal armaments produced in corporation
less than happy about this, and the rivalry between the space. These guns are capable of projecting a hail of
Enforcers and the various branches of the Corporation fire, avoiding the problems of overheating and focus-
military proper is well known. fracture that so dog other marks of laser weaponry.
It is rare indeed to see Genling 45s deployed with any
Deadzones are exactly the sort of reason that the other force, and private ownership is strictly forbidden.
Council of Seven feel they need their own army in the Genling’s manufacture of this weapon is thus almost
first place. When dealing with sensitive situations solely undertaken for the Enforcers, and the precise
such as these they need loyal followers who ask no specifications of these modified 45s are kept strictly
questions and do whatever is needed, regardless of the confidential, ensured by terrifying non-disclosure
cost to either themselves or Corporation civilians. The agreements and the threat of corporate dissolution
Enforcers are all too willing to oblige and take great for Genling should the design of the Enforcer model
pride in the reliance that the Council places on them. become public. Genling also provide pistols and heavy
weapons for the Enforcers, derived from the same
Enforcer technology base technology.
Enforcers are equipped with the best technology the For close quarter fighting, Enforcer officers and
Corporation or anyone else has to offer, bar the very members of Enforcer Assault Teams are equipped
top grade of Forgefather weaponry. Their armour is with wrist blades. Vibrational, nonomolecular edged
proof against most small arms fire and power-assisted, weapons that extend from a housing on the Enforcer’s
granting Enforcers enhanced strength and speed. The right forearm, wristblades are closer in aspect to a
ubiquitous helmet is designed to inspire fear in the sword than a knife, and sharp enough to penetrate
enemy, and a stylised graphic of it is used as a warning anything from carbon lattice to the thick hides of
icon in government facilities galaxy-wide. silicon-based lifeforms. How the blades maintain their
atom-thick cutting edge without blunting under the
Proof against most hostile environments, including rigours of combat, and whence they come, is a mystery.
hard vacuum, Enforcer armour allows its wearers (It has been suggested, notably by Colonel Gore (ret.),
to fight in virtually all situations, and so must that wristblades are purchased from the same unknown
incorporate extensive recycling, rebreathing and species which provide the Marauders with their Rippers
medical technology, a marvel when one considers the – the similarities are self-evident.)
armour’s low bulk. This factor of low mass also makes
the protection given by Enforcer armour astounding,
being surpassed only by that of the armour worn by the
Forgefathers themselves.

Indeed, the armour bears all the hallmarks of


Forgefather construction, and it is widely assumed
that this element of Enforcer wargear is sourced from
this most skilled of species. The contracts or threats
Corporation Central offered to secure this equipment
must have been highly enticing and/or dire, as Enforcer
armour is far superior to technology the Forgefathers
are willing to market to other powers.

As all advanced Forgefather technology tends to have,


Enforcer armour possesses a self-destruction device,
intended to keep their secrets from falling into non-
Forgefather hands. In the case of the Enforcers it is
even more effective than the norm. Not only are all the
sensitive components of Enforcer armour destroyed
when examination is attempted, but should an Enforcer

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Rupert Coles (order #5245731)
The Corporation is not well liked.

Within its borders the Corporation projects its image


as one of benign overlord, raising backward cultures
Another hi-ex round impacted against the
into the fold of a vast family of equals. Whatever
habtainer wall, but somehow it held. Fillon
their origins, everyone has a chance to win big if only
prayed that it would stay standing. They were
they work hard and follow the immutable rules of
surrounded on three sides, and it wouldn’t
commerce.
be long until they were entirely encircled. Of
Those that live on the fringes of Corporation space have the Rebs under her command, only four were
seen a darker side to all this. Massive exploitation of still capable of anything like a fighting retreat,
natural resources and uncaring heavy-handedness and Joruk’s Onslaught Cannon had to run dry
that brushes aside any that bar the way of profit are sooner or later.
more common traits of the Corporation when it comes
Belwin darted around the refrigeration unit he
to those that have no influence in the halls of power.
was using for cover and let loose a burst from
Here, far away from the civilised hub, the Corporation
his rifle. His only reward was the bark of return
rules with an iron fist and a cynical sneer. At least, that
fire from the enemy position, shots chewing
is the view of the many who oppose them and who band
more fist-sized holes through the wall. Fillon
together in the loose confederation known simply as
barked at him to stop wasting ammo, but she
Rebs.
didn’t blame him. If they didn’t do something
The Rebs are made up of many races, creeds ad soon, none of it would matter anyway.
cultures, allied only in their hatred of the Corporation.
She tried to work out how OTR-9 had been
If that were ever to fall then they would surely fall
backed into the wreckage of a diner unit. It had
on each other, but luckily for the coherence of the
been a routine sweep-and-keep, picking the
movement the Corporation will not be toppled easily if
area clean for the good of the cause. Drone
at all. Still, that doesn’t mean they won’t try.
visuals had shown no enemy forces, so they
Some join the Rebs as individuals or small groups, hadn’t suspected a thing until the Marauders
seeking recompense for the harsh way they have been had opened fire. Turns out the visuals had
dealt with. The Corporation interests scour planets of been wrong.
resources with scant regard for the lives or cultures
The east wall exploded inwards, and three
that inhabited them before the survey teams arrived.
Commandos were already charging through
Sacred lands and future livelihoods matter not at all
the breach by the time she was raising her
when the verdant topsoil hides mineral resources
rifle. Radna looked up from treating Nolan’s
below.
ragged chest wound a moment too late; the
The primitive Kraaw, daubed in their warpaint, fell lead Orx was on him, a heavy dagger plunging
foul of the Corporation miners. With their sacred lakes through the Judwan’s neck and dropping
despoiled or drained they fell on the Human interlopers him instantly. Fillon aligned her sights on
only to be driven off with massed gunfire. They learned the brute’s centre mass but her gun beeped
quickly, and when the Rebs heard of their resistance empty as she pulled the trigger. Swearing,
they quickly moved to harness their fighting spirit and she rolled back into cover and yelled an
unique physical abilities to their cause. order to Joruk. The Grogan swung around,
his cannon’s barrel still spinning, and played
Teratons have suffered too, as have Yndij, Chulep, a line of bullets across the interior of the
Sorak, Rin nomads and countless Humans from habtainer. All three of the attackers were
all manner of cultures. All band together to fight a taken down; two threw themselves behind
common foe, bringing whatever they can to the uneven a jumble of wreckage, while the third was
fight, knowing that they stand little chance of a final almost torn in half by the hail of fire.
victory but doing simply what they know is right.
“Belwin!”
The trooper pulled a frag, thumbed the primer
switch and rolled it underarm. The grenade
detonated just as one of the Marauders lunged
to kick it aside. Fillon saw her chance, and
didn’t hesitate.
“Move it! Regroup at the water tower! Go!”
Not stopping to see the effects of Belwin’s frag,
she followed her own advice. They couldn’t
afford to be this sloppy again. Next time, she
promised herself, things would be different.

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Rupert Coles (order #5245731)
Originally, the Orx were one of the many races inducted As they are professional mercenaries, you can find
into the Corporation military and they fought well for Marauders in almost every combat zone across the
their human masters. Over centuries they became Corporation and far beyond. They are unable to discuss
increasingly militarised and eventually began to the strange sights they have seen outside the Sphere for
question why they were carving out empires for the reasons of professional discretion, but few doubt that
humans when they could keep them for themselves. they have come into contact with stranger aliens than are
More than a few wars started that way. currently defined by the Corporation’s public data banks.

These days, the Marauders are famed mercenaries Within the confines of the Deadzone the Marauders have
and are some of the most professional soldiers known yet one more ace up their sleeves – they are naturally
to the Corporation. They are regularly hired both by immune to the Plague.
and against Human forces and take a great deal of
professional pride in being apolitical. Most Marauder
units will be uniformed and uniformly equipped with
state-of-the-art weaponry and support equipment. They
are drilled in modern tactical doctrine and can be relied
upon to undertake any mission with practised skill.

Of course, when they aren’t working for someone else’s


money they work for themselves. Having been made
privy to the secrets of the Containment Protocol many
years ago when the Corporation was learning to deal
with such problems, the modern Marauders know that
there are rich pickings to be had within them. Few
would think twice at the idea of stocking up on new
technology and supplies when all that protects the bulk
of them is a few poorly trained militia.

The Marauder forces themselves are a mixture of


different, but related races. These range from the
smaller Goblins to the enormous Hulks, with the Orx
forming a standard near-Human scale that allows them
to use most captured equipment with ease.

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The elite warriors and fearsome monsters that make up Agile
the various factions all have an above average ability to
fight and survive. These common traits are included as Each Turn, the model may count one Climb or one Sprint
stats. However, some have even more specialised and action as a short action instead of a long action. The
unusual skills, and whether they are innate or learned model may take a Move action as normal.
they are listed as separate abilities. Each model’s Stat
Card lists the abilities that apply to it.
AP(x)
Some abilities belong to the model and others to the
weapons that they carry. Weapon abilities are listed as AP is short for Armour Piercing and denotes a type of
part of the weapon’s line on the card. Model’s abilities weapon that is particularly good at defeating armour.
have their own section. AP will always be listed with a number after it in place
of the (x), eg AP1, AP2, etc.
Where an ability conflicts with a core rule, the ability
takes precedence. Attacks by a model or weapon with this ability ignore a
number of points of armour equal to the number after
the AP. So, if an AP1 attack hits a model with Armour 2
then the damage is resolved as if the target had Armour
2-1 = 1.

AP is cumulative. If a result or card says that the


damage should be resolved at an AP value then add this
to the weapon’s native value.

Beast
The model cannot pick up, carry or use items. All of its
weapons and equipment are either natural or have been
grafted on permanently by skilled bio-technicians.

This ability can also apply to models that are simply so


burdened already by their normal combat load that they
have no room to carry more.

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Blast
Blast effect is a 3 dice 4+ test (X).
Blast weapons create a massive overpressure shock
wave when they explode, fire gravitic pulses that throw • +1 if the attack was a Hit.
targets about, or use other alien technologies that • +2 if the weapon is a Shockwave.
produce similar effects. However, they do not contain Models caught in the explosion roll a 3 dice
shrapnel and so are primarily for moving targets, not Survival test (X).
killing them. They are, in effect, Frag weapons without
• +1 if the model is in a cover cube.
the damage.
• +2 if the Blast was centred in an adjacent
A weapon with this ability ignores the normal result cube.
details of a Shoot or Blaze Away action. All that matters Draw or Blast wins: target is Pinned*. If the
for Blast weapons is whether the result was a hit or a model is in the same cube as the Blast then
miss. In either case, roll a new test to resolve the attack. they are thrown one cube in a random direction.
This may result in further damage from being
Work out where the weapon strikes/lands and centre smashed into a wall or blown off a roof (see
the effects on that cube. Every adjacent cube on the below).
same or higher level is affected by the Blast as long
as there is a clear route to it. A “clear route” exists to Blast doubles: target is Pinned*. If the model is in
a cube if a size 1 model with a jump pack could move the same cube as the Blast then they are thrown
there from the starting cube.” one cube in a random direction. If the model is in
an adjacent cube then they are thrown one cube
Roll one test for the success of the Blast regardless directly away from the centre of the effect. To
of how many potential target models are in the area. work out where “directly away” is, draw a straight
Roll a separate test for each potential target model and line from the centre of the effect to the target and
compare this to the Blast total. beyond. The first new cube the line enters is the
one the model is thrown into. This may result in
further damage from being smashed into a wall
or blown off a roof (see below).
Blast weapons will not scatter on a miss
unless the action used to deliver them Survival wins: target is Pinned*.
specifically says so, eg Throw. Other attacks
will miss the exact point that was aimed at, Survival doubles: no effect.
but will land sufficiently close to still be in the
target cube.
Slammed Into Walls and Falling
From Heights
If a model is thrown into a wall that
blocks its movement to a different cube
The Kraaw are unparalleled guerrilla fighters, it takes a new 3 dice 5+ vs Survival roll
and enemies of the Rebellion have come to fear but remains in the original cube. The
their swift, unexpected attacks from high vantage survival roll gets +1 dice if they started
points – so much so that the winged aliens have in an adjacent cube to the grenade.
had to adapt their tactics to maintain the element
of surprise. Kraaw Warriors have recently set Falling damage is 3 dice 5+ vs Survival,
aside their traditional Stingcasters in favour +2 dice per level after the first. In both
of a wrist-mounted grav-blaster, retuned and these cases the results are as follows:
overcharged to produce dissonant grav-pulses.
Damage wins: the model is Pinned*, plus
While this renders the the difference in successes is potential
weapon completely damage.
non-lethal, the Kraaw have
Survival wins: the model is Pinned*, but
still found a deadly use for it.
suffers no damage.
They will unleash a fusillade of
blaster fire from on high, sending If a model lands on or is thrown into
their enemies sprawling or pulling another model then both models should
them out of cover, before swooping roll for damage. Roll separately for each
in to claim their kills at close using the modifiers for the moving model.
range with their Talon
Blades.
*Pinned pins the target unless it is already
Suppressed in which case it stays Suppressed.

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BOOM! Deployable
When a model with this ability is Killed, they explode. Deployable weapons have two states: packed and
deployed. They always start the battle packed.
In addition, the model may choose to trigger the
explosion when it is active. This could be during its own A Deployable weapon cannot be fired whilst it is packed
Turn or as part of an Overwatch action. and in this state it is treated like any other item: it may
be swapped between friendly models, dropped by
Regardless of the cause, when the model explodes treat casualties, picked up by the enemy, etc.
it as a Frag Hit in that cube.
A Deployable weapon may only be deployed and
If a model explodes as a result of this ability then re-packed by a model with the Engineer ability.
they cannot be revived by any means. They are
permanently dead. To deploy the weapon the Engineer must be carrying
it. Deploying is treated as a Sprint action for purposes
of interacting with other rules. However, the Engineer
Brawler remains in the cube he started the action in. Simply
place the model of the deployed weapon wherever you
The model gets +1 dice to any test of his Fight stat in like in the cube with him. Place an Overwatch marker
addition to any other modifiers that may apply. next to the weapon. The weapon cannot be moved whilst
it is deployed, including by Blast, etc.

Construct To re-pack the weapon the Engineer must start his


action in the same cube as the deployed weapon. Re-
This model is an artificial creature and as such is packing is treated as a Sprint action for purposes of
immune to certain effects. In addition, they are interacting with other rules. However, the Engineer
dispassionate machines and do not feel fear, joy or any remains in the cube he starts the action in. Simply
other emotion. The model’s Aggression stat is Alert and remove the model of the weapon and replace it with the
cannot be changed. appropriate item counter. The Engineer does not have
to carry the packed weapon – he could leave it on the
ground for someone else to collect.
Deliberate
Deployable weapons do not take actions and do not count
The weapon requires careful sighting in, has a complex towards the number of models remaining to activate in a
set-up or lock-on process or is otherwise slow to use. Round. All they do is react to enemy actions.
Shoot, Blaze Away and Throw are long actions for this
weapon. If a model has other weapons then this penalty
only applies when using the Deliberate weapon. Discipline
When this model takes a Get Mean! action it may choose
to raise or lower its Aggression by one step.

Following an extended underground skirmish on Dotha Epsilon, Enforcer units requested more specialist close-
quarters equipment. Less than a cycle later, Rhode Industries pulled its CQD Shield from general circulation…

68 - REFERENCE
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Engineer
Frag damage is a 3 dice 4+ test (X).
The model is experienced with tripwires and mines and
so cannot have a Booby Trap card played on him. • +1 if the attack was a Hit.
• +2 if the weapon is a Massive Frag.
In addition, the Engineer can set up and take down Models caught in the explosion roll a 3 dice
Deployable weapons (see Deployable). Survival test (X).
If a Strike Team contains one or more models with this • +1 if the model is in a cover cube.
ability as well as any Deployable weapons then the • +2 if the explosion was centred in an
weapons may be set up or packed at the start of a battle adjacent cube.
as the player chooses. If they are set up at the start then Draw or Frag wins: target is Pinned* and hit
they may only be positioned in a cube that one of the by shrapnel. The difference in successes is the
Engineer models could have deployed in himself. potential damage. If the model is in the same
cube as the Frag then the blast throws them one
cube in a random direction. This may result in
Fast further damage from being smashed into a wall
or blown off a roof (see the box).
Sprint is a short action for this model.
Frag doubles: target is Pinned* and hit by
shrapnel. The difference in successes is the
Firestorm potential damage. If the model is in the same
cube as the Frag then they are thrown one cube in
The weapon gets +2 dice to Blaze Away actions in
a random direction. If the model is in an adjacent
addition to any other modifiers that may apply.
cube then they are thrown one cube directly away
from the centre of the effect. This may result in
further damage from being smashed into a wall
Frag or blown off a roof (see the box).
Frag weapons explode with both blast and Survival wins: target is Pinned* as abovebut
fragmentation effects. The effects of the blast are unharmed.
included in the rules below.
Survival doubles: no effect.
A weapon with this ability ignores the normal result
details of a Shoot or Blaze Away action. All that matters
for Frag weapons is whether the result was a hit or
a miss. In either case, roll a new test to resolve the Slammed Into Walls And Falling
damage of the explosion. From Heights
Work out where the weapon strikes/lands and centre If a model is thrown into a wall that blocks
the effects on the explosion on that cube. Every adjacent its movement to a different cube it takes a
cube on the same or higher level is affected by the Frag new 3 dice 5+ vs Survival roll but remains
as long as there is a clear route to it. in the original cube. The survival roll gets
+1 dice if they started in an adjacent cube
to the grenade.
Frag weapons will not scatter on a miss unless
Falling damage is 3 dice 5+ vs Survival, +2
the action used to deliver them specifically
dice per level after the first. In both these
says so, eg Throw. Other attacks will miss the
cases the results are as follows:
exact point that was aimed at, but will land
sufficiently close to still be in the target cube Damage wins: the model is Pinned*, plus
the difference in successes is potential
damage.
Roll one test for the success of the Frag regardless of
Survival wins: the model is Pinned*, but
how many potential target models are in the area. Roll suffers no damage.
a separate test for each potential target model and
compare this to the Frag total. If a model lands on or is thrown into
another model then both models should
roll for damage. Roll separately for each
using the modifiers for the moving model.

*Pinned pins the target unless it is already


Suppressed in which case it stays Suppressed.

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The Helfather’s Heatcannon has become his signature weapon, custom-made by the Chaniz-Andovakian gunsmiths.

Glide Each weapon the Gun Crazy model carries may only
be used once per Turn. Each target model may only be
The model may drop any number of levels in a single attacked once per Turn.
Move or Sprint action without harm. This may be done
as a deliberate movement or as the result of being Continue to roll a dice as above after each attack until
blasted out of a position. In either case they glide to the you either run out of weapons, run out of targets or you
ground unharmed by the drop and land on their feet. For roll a 1–4.
every level they drop they may move one cube sideways
(orthogonally or diagonally) relative to their original
position. Hover
A model with this ability floats in the air and never
settles. This has two effects.
Gun Crazy
Firstly, the model may rise or fall by one level when
A model with this ability always fires their weapons
performing a Sprint. It never needs handholds to climb
using this rule. Shoot and Blaze Away are long actions
up/down. You must be able to place the model in the
for this model. If you wish to use any weapons, start by
new position.
taking a single Shoot or Blaze Away action as normal.
After this has been resolved, roll a single dice: Secondly, the model is particularly vulnerable to Blasts
and will roll -1 dice when resisting their effects.
Roll Result
your opponent chooses an unused weapon. Irresistible
They must then use this weapon to attack a
1-2 If the target of this weapon has the Tough ability then
valid target of their choice, from any side. The
model’s Turn now ends. it is treated as having +1 Armour instead. If it has the
Really Tough ability then it is treated as having +2
everything is obscured by gun smoke. The Armour instead. The AP of the weapon’s attack will
3-4
model’s Turn ends. reduce this total target AP as usual. For example, if an
Choose an unused weapon and make a Shoot AP2 Irresistible weapon does 3 potential damage to an
5-8 Armour 1, Really Tough target then the target’s effective
or Blaze Away action as appropriate.
Armour level is 3

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It Burns! MarksMan
When a weapon with this ability hits its target work out The model gets +1 dice to Shoot actions in addition to
the damage as usual. If the model survives the attack any other modifiers that may apply.
it is also set on fire. Roll a new test immediately for the
fire damage.
Massive Frag
The fire rolls a 3 dice 4+ test (X). Treat this as a Frag weapon with a +2 modifier for the
explosion effects. See page 69 for the Frag rules.
The target rolls a 3 dice Survival test (X).

Compare the total number of successes to find


out the outcome.
Medic
The model is able to heal Injured troopers as if he had
Draw or Survival wins: the target puts out the
a medi-pack (see page 78). However, this ability may be
flames before they do any real damage.
used repeatedly, unlike the item.
Fire win: the target manages to put out the
flames, but suffers damage in the process. The
potential damage is equal to the difference in Mutant
total successes +1.
Mutant Battle Cards may only be played on models with
Fire double: the target remains on fire. The this ability.
potential damage is equal to the difference
in total successes +1. Roll again at the start
of the model’s next Turn. Regardless of their One-Use
Aggression, a model that starts their Turn on fire
can do nothing except try to put out the flames. This item can only be used once during the battle.
This is a long action. Roll this test again at a -1
modifier to Survival as the flames take hold. The
Survival roll gets +1 per friendly model in the Own Agenda
same cube.
The model follows their Own Agenda. Sometimes this
coincides with their Commander’s plans, sometimes
it doesn’t. Roll one dice at the start of the model’s
activation.

Knockback On a roll of 1-2 the opposing player may control the


model’s actions for this Turn. This can include attacking
When a weapon with this ability hits its target it may the active model’s friends. This counts as an activation
knock it back into a different cube. Resolve the attack as for the active model’s side, not the player who is
normal. Then, if the target did not double the attacker actually controlling it.
the target is moved one cube directly away from the
attacker. On a roll of 3-4 the model does nothing that activation.

To work out where “directly away” is, continue a point On a roll of 5-8 the owner of the active model chooses
LOS from the firer to the target and into the first new the model’s actions like normal.
cube beyond the one the target is standing in. If there
is any choice, the firer may decide. If the attacker and
target are in the same cube then the attacker chooses
which adjacent cube to knock the target into.

If this movement causes the model to fall or be thrown


into a wall then resolve this as per the rules on pages 67
and 69.

After it has been moved, the target loses 1 Aggression


in addition to any other damage they suffer.

Limited Range
The weapon cannot be used beyond combat range. For
example, a Range 4 weapon cannot be fired at a target
further than 4 cubes away.

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Psychic
Blank is a 3 dice 5+ (2) psychic test. There are no
The model can influence creatures and objects with the modifiers.
power of their mind alone. This provides one automatic
effect and an additional choice of actions for the model Blank fails: no effect.
to choose from.
Blank succeeds: the target model is marked as
Several of these effects call on the model to make a activated.
psychic test. This is a normal 3 dice 5+ test (1) or (X)
depending on the circumstances. If the test is an (X)
then the target rolls a number of dice equal to the
second value in their Command stat to resist it. For
example, a model with a Command stat of “2-1” would Clarity (long action)
roll 1 dice. Psychic rolls for all models succeed on a 5+. The Psychic smooths away panic and confusion,
If a model has a Command stat of “-” then it counts as replacing them with a sense of calm and clarity.
rolling zero successes.

The automatic effect is a form of defence. The model


Clarity is a 3 dice 5+ (1) psychic test. There are no
creates a shimmer and swirl in the air around itself,
modifiers.
making it harder to target with ranged weapons. This
has no effect on Fights. The first time in a Round a Clarity fails: no effect.
model with this ability is the target of a Shoot attack,
roll a psychic test. The number of successes is the Clarity succeeds: the target’s Aggression is
negative modifier to all Shoot attacks against it that increased by one, up to a maximum of Alert.
Round.
Clarity doubles: the target’s Aggression is
All other psychic actions have a Range of 4 and may increased by two, up to a maximum of Alert.
target any model of the Psychic’s choice within that
range regardless of LOS.

A Psychic model can choose any normal action(s) or one


of the following long actions. Passion (long action)
The Psychic evokes a sense of desperate need for
Mind Storm (long action) immediate action. There is no time to rest.

The Psychic creates pain and confusion in the target’s


mind, temporarily stopping them from doing anything Passion is a 3 dice 5+ (2) psychic test. There are
but resisting. no modifiers.

Passion fails: no effect.

Mind Storm is a 3 dice 5+ (X) psychic test. There Passion succeeds: the target model’s activation
are no modifiers. marker is removed. The model may be used again
this Round ªwaiving the normal restriction for
Compare the total number of successes to find acting once per round).
the outcome:

Mind Storm wins: the target’s Aggression is


reduced by a number of steps equal to the
difference in successes.

Draw/Target wins: no effect.

Target doubles: the Psychic suffers feedback.


Their Aggression is reduced by a number of steps
equal to the difference in successes.

Blank (long action)


The Psychic revives powerful and emotive memories
from the target, distracting them from the events at
hand. For a moment they are far away, lost in thought as
the battle rages around them.

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Rampage Resourceful
When a model with this ability is Injured by an attack, Once per battle this model can redo a single normal test
but not Killed, it goes crazy. In its blood frenzy it may after he has seen the result. How it turned out the first
even attack its friends. Follow this process: time was how he the model imagined it would go, but he
is Resourceful. If there’s a way to get better odds then
The model’s Aggression changes to Enraged and cannot he’ll find it.
be reduced.
The dice for the test are rolled again with all the
You can choose when to activate this model, but not modifiers that applied the first time. This includes any
exactly what it does. cards that were played. If the test is opposed then both
players roll again. Whether the results of this second
Roll one dice at the start of the model’s activation.
test are better or worse than the first, they are what
On a roll of 1-2 the opposing player may control the actually happens.
model’s actions for this Turn. This can include attacking
the active model’s friends. This counts as an activation
for the active model’s side, not the player who is Scavenger
actually controlling it.
The model may carry up to 3 items instead of the normal
On a roll of 3-6 the owner of the active model chooses limit of 1. In addition, the model is an experienced
the model’s actions like normal. explorer of rubbish tips and debris fields and will never
set off a booby trap. You may not play a Booby Trap card
On a roll of 7-8 the owner of the active model chooses on this model.
the model’s actions like normal. In addition, the model
counts as Fast for this Turn if it did not already have this
ability. Scout
The model sneaks ahead of his comrades to scout out
Rapid Fire the battlefield. At the start of a game this model can be
placed anywhere in the deployment areas described on
The weapon may not Shoot, it may only Blaze Away. page 38.

Really Tough
The model ignores 2 points of potential damage per
successful attack against it.

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Sentry Spotter
At the start of the game and every subsequent Round, If one or more models with this ability can see the
before any Turns are taken, place an Overwatch counter target of a Blaze Away attack then it is resolved with an
on any deployed items or models with this ability. additional +1 modifier.

A model with the Sentry ability gets +2 dice for Providing this modifier does not count as an action
Overwatch tests. for the Spotter and works regardless of whether the
Spotter has been activated or not this Round.
If a model has this ability then they get the free
Overwatch counter at the start of the Round in addition
to any other action(s) they may choose to take during Stranded
their Turn.
The model has been separated from its comrades and is
trying to make its way back to safety.
Shockwave
At the start of the battle, a model with this ability is
When a weapon with this ability is used against a set up by the owning player as if it were a Scout for the
target, resolve the attack as usual. Unlike normal Blast opposing side. This will place them on the “wrong” side
weapons, the Shockwave effect is in addition to the of the battlefield.
normal attack, not instead of it.
If the model can leave the table via their own Strike
Once the attack has been resolved, roll a Blast effect Team’s deployment area then they earn an additional +2
with a +2 modifier. See page 67 for the Blast rules. VPs regardless of the mission.

Stranded models cannot have Battle Cards played on


Single Shot them by their own Strike Team.

The weapon may not Blaze Away, it may only Shoot.


Strategist
Slow The model is able to take Command actions. Each
model in the Strike Team with this ability adds +2 to the
The model cannot take Sprint or Climb actions. Strike Team’s Command Pool. If this model is Killed,
immediately reduce their Strike Team’s Command Pool,
by 2. For the full Command action rules see page 22.
Sniper
The model gets +2 dice to Shoot actions in addition to Support
any other modifiers that may apply.
The weapon is large and cumbersome. A model that
has one or more weapons with this ability has all Fight
Solid tests modified by -1 dice, whether it rolls against Fight
or Survive. This penalty applies only once regardless of
A model with this ability is not affected by weapon how many such weapons a model is carrying.
effects that move their target to a new cube, such as
Knockback. In addition, the model will not be Pinned
by Blasts. However, the model may still be Pinned or
Suppressed by Blaze Away attacks.

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Tactician
The model is able to take Command
actions. Each model in the Strike Team
with this ability adds +1 to the Strike Team’s
Command Pool. If this model is Killed,
immediately reduce their Strike Team’s
Command Pool, by 1. For the full Command
action rules see page 22.

Teleport
A model with this ability may choose a
Teleport action in addition to the normal
options.

Teleport is a long action that moves the


model up to two cubes in any direction
without the need for a clear route between
them. Opposing models cannot Overwatch
against Teleport actions. If the teleporting
model ends this move in the same cube
as an enemy model then they will Fight as
normal.

Tough
The model ignores 1 point of potential
damage per successful attack against it.

Toxic
A model struck by a Toxic weapon is treated
as if it had Vulnerable. This ability is ignored
by models with the Construct ability.

Volatile
A weapon with this ability includes a tank of
highly Volatile fuel.

If a model carrying a weapon with this ability


is saved from injury by its armour then roll
a dice. On a roll of a 2-8 the Volatile fuel is
safe. On a roll of a 1 the fuel tank ruptures
and sets the model on fire. See It Burns! on
page 71. The Volatile weapon is destroyed.

VULNERABLE
A model with this ability is never Injured.
Any damage that gets through the model’s
armour will kill them.

Weight Of Fire
The model gets +1 dice to Blaze Away actions
in addition to any other modifiers that may
apply.

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There are many items of equipment used by the Ammo: 1 point
different factions, each styled to their particular tastes.
However, the function is far less variable than might at Ammo is One-use.
first appear. In reality the tactical challenges faced by
troops on a battlefield are common wherever you are The more you fire at the enemy the more
from and whomever you are fighting. The following list effect it will have. This is usually limited
defines the common items found among all military by the amount of ammunition you have or
forces. charge your weapon carries. But if you’ve
got ammo and charge to spare…
A model with ammo can use it when taking
A Note On Repeated Use
a Blaze Away action. That action is made
Unless an item says that it is One-use then the model with +2 dice.
can use it as many times as they like during the battle.
Models always carry vast amounts of equipment as part
of their standard combat load, which is why they can AP Ammo: 2 points
only add one item at a time during the game.
AP ammo is One-use.
The listing here refers to an item when it is found on the
battlefield or bought for the Strike Force’s Stores. On a Whether it is overcharging, double-shot,
few rare occasions, an item that is listed here as One- thorium laced rounds or other forms of
use will be listed without that restriction on a model’s special ammunition, every weapon can
Stat Card. This means that the model carries enough have its performance boosted in some
of them to last the whole battle instead of just one. For way.
example, the mercenary Boomer has frag grenades A model with AP ammo can use it when
listed among his weapons. They are not listed as One- taking a Shoot action. That action is made
use for him because he has so many of them. However, with an additional AP1.
anyone finding a frag grenade during a battle will only
find one at a time and so the limitation listed here will
apply to them.

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Energy Shield (x) : (X)+1 points Holo-Sight : 3 points
Energy shields are designed to absorb the A holo-sight makes an Aim action +2 to
energy of incoming attacks, whether this Shoot instead of the normal +1.
is from particle weapons or kinetic energy
devices. The number in brackets after the The view of the world through a holo-sight
name is the level of defence provided. is enhanced by computer to include the
likely impact point of the weapon’s shots.
When a model wearing this item suffers potential This allows the user to fine tune their aim before giving
damage, roll a number of dice equal to the number in away their position, and makes the first shot far more
brackets. A roll of 8 rolls up as usual. deadly.
For each 6+ you roll, one potential damage is absorbed
by the shield. However, the shields are new technology
and are somewhat unreliable. If you roll more 1s than
successes then the incoming energy overwhelms the Intel
shield’s ability to buffer the surge of power and it is
destroyed. Any successes in that roll will still reduce Intel is One-use.
the potential damage as normal, but the shield will
Intel represents valuable information
never work again.
on the enemy forces. It could take many
forms, though some form of data storage
device is the most common.
Frag Grenade : 3 points
When a piece of intel is picked up by a model,
A frag grenade is Range 3, Limited Range,
immediately remove the counter from the board and
Frag, One-use. place it next to the Strike Team’s Mission Card. It is
Frag grenades are the standard type worth +1 VP regardless of the Strike Team’s mission.
of grenade, exploding in a shower of The item is not being carried by the model. Instead,
deadly fragments and stunning blast a the data has been transmitted back to High Command
few seconds after the pin is pulled. They
come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, where it can be properly analysed.
though their game effect is always the
same.
Jump Packs: 1 point
Use the Throw Grenade action to work out
which cube the frag grenade ends up in. It is important to understand that jump packs are not
full flight suits. After many studies, most militaries
See the rules on the Frag ability on page 69 for how to decided that the huge weight of fuel required for
work out the damage caused. sustained flight would be better allocated to more
ammunition and bigger guns. Jump packs enhance the
user’s range of movement, but do not allow them to fly.
Glue Grenade : 3 points
A model equipped with a jump pack can:
A glue grenade is Range 3, Limited Range, One-use.
• Move up or down levels without needing a wall
Glue grenades are not harmful, being designed for law to climb.
enforcement to capture and contain rioters rather than • Jump over solid walls on the same level.
armies to kill opponents on a battlefield. However, it • Jump over gaps in the floor of the same level (up
does take time to get free of their gooey strands. to one cube wide).

Use the Throw Grenade action to work out which cube


the glue grenade ends up in.

When a glue grenade goes off, everything in that cube is


enmeshed in a tangle of sticky filaments of clingy goo. Counters are used to represent equipment
come in two varieties – blue and green. Blue
The effect is to immediately mark all models in that counters represent items purchased from
cube as activated. The cube can be entered as normal Stores. Green counters represent Items
as the stuff becomes non-stick within a few seconds - picked up on the battlefield.
unless you’re already tangled up in it.

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Medi-Pack : 3 points Any adjacent cube on the same or higher level modifies
all Shoot and Blaze Away attacks into or through it by -1
A medi-pack is One-use. dice. This modifier is only taken once regardless of how
many smoky cubes the LOS passes through.
Medi-packs are used to heal injured
troopers. They may only be used on Roll a single dice at the end of each Round for the smoke
any living models, and cannot repair grenade. On a roll of 1-4 the smoke continues. On a roll
Constructs, Vehicles and the like. of a 5+ the smoke dissipates – remove the marker. Note
that you only roll once for the grenade itself, not once
A model with a medi-pack may use it for each cube the smoke affects.
either on themselves or any other single
living model in the same cube as long as
no enemy models are in that cube. Stealth Cloak : 5 points
Using a medi-pack is a long action for the model Sometimes called a chameleon cloak,
carrying it. It does not require a dice roll and works this cloak’s covering of photoreactive
automatically. The effect of using a medi-pack is to cells makes it harder to target the
remove one level of damage from the target model. The wearer as it blends into any background.
medi-pack is then discarded.
The stealth cloak reduces Shoot attacks
by -2 dice, Blaze Away attacks by -1 dice
Sentry Gun : 5 points and has no effect on Fight.

A sentry gun is Range 8, Rapid Fire,


Weight of Fire, Deployable, Sentry. Targeter : 1 point
Sentry guns use stripped down, heavy This works like the Spotter ability.
barrelled versions of heavy rifles, as However, unlike Spotter, it only works as
used by normal Enforcers. This allows long as the model with the targeter has
them to share ammo supplies and makes not been activated that Round.
resupply easier. Their job isn’t to kill enemy troopers as
much as to give warning of enemy movements and allow Depending on the manufacturer, a
the Enforcers time to react and reposition themselves targeter can use one of a variety of target designation
in the event of an enemy attack. Earlier models carried and marking methods. Some use a laser, phased ion
heavier weapons, but these were found to run out of stream, microwave or other high tech approach. Others
ammo too quickly in the face of massed enemy assaults. methods are cruder, simply squirting fluorescing
They were also extremely heavy and were seldom taken dyes or distinctive chemicals on the target. Whatever
as primary choice when the lighter alternatives were technique is employed the result is the same: everyone
available.  now knows where the target is.
The Sentry gun is a piece of equipment and should be
bought as such, not as a model. It doesn’t count a sentry ? Special
gun as part of the force for Survive missions, etc. It
always counts it as an item. This item has a number of uses. Some
scenarios give it a specific function and
value for that game. If this is the case
Smoke Grenade : 2 points then it will be mentioned in the scenario
description. When this is not the case the
A smoke grenade is Range 3, Limited “?” counter should be treated as a second
Range, One-use. intel counter.
A smoke grenade does no damage and
does not hinder movement at all. It is
simply designed to create clouds of
smoke to conceal an advance or block the
line of sight of enemy weapons.
Use the Throw Grenade action to work out
which cube the smoke grenade ends up in.
Other Item Counters
When a smoke grenade goes off, that cube is completely
blocked for all LOS. A model in that cube cannot be a The Deadzone boxed set includes a number of counters
target for Shoot actions and Blaze Away actions against that are not defined here. Put these to one side for the
that cube are modified by -2. Leave the grenade item moment. They will be used in future supplements.
in place as a reminder that there is smoke in that cube.
Alternatively, if you have a clump of cotton wool you
could use as a smoke marker that would look better.

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The recognised forms of the Plague creatures are
only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the vast
Types Of Mutation
numbers of mutant possibilities. Constantly shifting and There are several types of common mutation among the
reforming limbs and organs make minor changes in the Plague. Not all are useful.
infected victim’s body. Some are useful, many are not.
In fact, all Plague creatures are unique when examined
closely. It’s just that you very rarely get close enough to Acid Bite
tell them apart without getting killed first.
Model gains Range F, AP2 weapon.
To include some of this variety in Deadzone we include
mutation counters. These modify the normal stats of a Instead of venom, this mutant has evolved
recognised Plague model as defined below. the ability to inject acidic bile into its
victims. This has the helpful side effect
of burning through armour that would
Allocating Mutations normally protect its wearer from a mere bite.

This is described as part of setting up the game on page


37. In addition, a mutation can be allocated during a Acid Breath
battle by use of a Twisted Battle Card.
Model gains Range 2, AP2, Limited Range
Mutations are not items and any model with the Mutant weapon.
ability may have one in addition to an item. No model
may have more than one mutation at a time. Mutations The effect quickly dissipates, but anyone
cannot be dropped or traded. When a Mutant dies its close to the foul breath of this mutant will
mutations die with it. have skin dissolved and flesh seared from
bone by the corrosive cloud.
Mutants are constantly changing and evolving so
mutations only last for a single battle. In a campaign, a
model may have a mutation in one battle and a different Crippling Spasms
one or none at all in the following battle.
Model gains Slow.

Using Mutations Unspeakable pain wracks the mutant’s


body, and every movement only makes it
Mutations are considered to be an extension to the worse.
model’s Stat Card and are considered an integral part of
their weapons and abilities.

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Overactive Metabolism Terminology
Model gains Agile. Officially, the Corporation classify the various Plague
creatures as a series of stages. The initial Stage 1s
The world appears to slow down as this are infected by the alien artefact directly. They infect
mutant’s body races. Every process is Stage 2s, who in turn infect Stage 3s. Within this simple
accelerated, every sense sharpened. process is an additional level of detail. To accurately
Standing still is impossible, walking a classify an individual creature you need to specify not
huge effort. He now lives for the hunt, the only which stage it is at, but also what host creature
chase and the kill. it was based on. The mutagens create vastly different
results depending on the genetic stock they have to
work with. So, the full designation has a letter at the
Razor Claws end to designate species. For example, Stage 1A (for
human), Stage 3D (canine), Stage 2T (Teraton), and so on.
Model gains Range F, AP1 weapon.
Of course, while that is all well and good in a formal
Mutants normally have sharp and paper on the subject back at base, in the field they
dangerous talons, and this one is no get given all kinds of names. Most commonly they
exception. In fact, the talons have evolved are simply referred to as 1st, 2nd or 3rd generations,
with such fine and hardened edges that or “jens” for short. Even less formal are terms like
can slice armour as well as flesh. “Hellhounds”, Boom-stick” or “General”, and they’re
just the repeatable ones.
Spiny Growths In the end it doesn’t really matter what the troops on the
ground call their foes, as long as they report the correct
Model gains Tough. This has no effect on terminology to the intelligence division. They need
models that already have either Tough or accurate reports so that they can map out the spread
Really Tough. and determine whether the Plague can be contained.
The skin of the mutant twists and changes
into boney protrusions, adding to their
resilience. As these growths feel little pain these
mutants can take far more punishment than lesser
creatures.

Vestigial Wings
Model gains Glide.

A tough membrane connects the limbs of


the mutant in an ungainly mass of skin. It
is cumbersome on the ground, but shows
its worth when the creature scales the
tallest buildings without fear.

Wasting Muscles
Model gains Vulnerable.

If the mutant ever had any strength it


has left them now. They need to fight
alongside many of their kin if they are to
have a chance against their foes.

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Rupert Coles (order #5245731)
“They think they can sell us mining rights then close the whole system? Put up a blockade, and turn us away? The
smeltheads. Way I see it, they’ve spoiled the agreement, so all bets are off. Forget mining. We’re going to take it all…”

–Chief Brokkr Saxulf Dellingr

Rupert Coles (order #5245731)


... Plague detected ... Enforcers dispatched ...
... Containment Protocol Active ...

Nexus Psi is under total lockdown. The This rulebook contains:


Plague – an alien virus that turns men into
www.manticgames.com
monsters – is ravaging the planet’s surface, Game Rules – complete rules for leading
and it can’t be allowed to spread any further. your chosen force into the heart of the
The Enforcers – an elite group of super Deadzone and fighting against any foe to
soldiers – have been sent in to retrieve vital achieve your mission.
resources and stop the Plague at all costs.
Campaign Rules – guidelines for running
Amid the chaos, groups of Rebels and alien campaigns, gaining experience, adding
Marauders, not realising the danger awaiting new troops and equipment as your force
them, descend to the planet’s surface to gains reputation.
strip its abandoned outposts of valuable
Corporation technology. As they clash with Battlezone Guide – rules for setting up Product Code MGDZM03-1
Barcode 5060208865622
Enforcers and Plague alike, Nexus Psi falls urban battlefields and fighting over the
ISBN 978-0-9569945-8-5
further into ruin. Deadzone modular terrain.

Rupert Coles (order #5245731)

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