EDITOR

Greg Horton
electi-studio.com

DESIGN + L AYOUT

Greg Horton

COVER ARTIST
Aedel Fakhrie
artstation.com/aedel

CONTRIBUTORS

Mike Hutchinson

| VOL.4
Ash Barker
Joseph A. McCullough
Sean Sutter
Joseph McGuire

SIGN-UP
for emails and launch notifications
at blaster-mag.com

BLASTER © Ash Barker, Joey McGuire, Joe McCullough, Mike

Hutchinson, Sean Sutter and Greg Horton 2022

Last Days: Zombie Apocalypse, Last Days: Seasons and Last Days:
Seasons are © Ash Barker 2022

Rangers of Shadow Deep, Frostgrave, Ghost Archipelago & Death

Ship One are © Joseph A. McCullough. All artwork included in his
article are © Barrett Stanley.

All rights reserved. Brutl! Tank Arena, This Is Not A Test Logo,
the World’s End Publishing Logo, and any places, things, and
character names and their distinctive likenesses, or artwork and
photography created specifically for This Is Not a Test are © 2022
of World’s End Publishing, LLC.

Sludge, Sludge: Nations © Sean Sutter 2022

Gaslands. Gaslands: Refuelled, Gaslands: Legacy are © 2022 Mike

Hutchinson.
PAGE 04
LAST DAYS: LEGENDS
Ash Barker

PAGE 14
BRUTL! Tank Arena
Joey McGuire

PAGE 44
SLUDGE NATIONS
Sean Sutter

PAGE 82
GASLANDS: LEGACY PT II
Mike Hutchinson

PAGE 96
DEATHSHIP ONE
Joseph A. McCullough
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
YOU SHOULD CALL
IT “SLUDGE RULES”
We are all so pleased that you loved SLUDGE and we echo your desire for it to live

on well after BLASTER. But I wanted to slow down for a second and remind you that

we’re just getting started. BLASTER represents the collaboration and freedom our

game designers experience from working together. It creates the soil in which to

grow ideas like SLUDGE, and we need your support to keep creating games of this

caliber. That support needs to be holistic. When 2000 AD launched it didn’t set out to

create one title, and if it had we wouldn’t have Judge Dredd, we would have Dan Dare.

If you love SLUDGE you must love BLASTER. You can’t effectively separate them.

In Vol. 04 you’ll be getting two standalone games, a huge expansion to

SLUDGE, Last Days: Legends, and the conclusion to Gaslands: Legacy. These are the

direct result of that collaboration and freedom we stand for. So buckle up.

BRUTL! Tank Arena is a shining excuse to find a huge tank model to customize

and fight against your friends. Best part? No pile of shame, you only need to

customize a single model and read the rules to play. All you need is friends. Hey

and if you don’t, we have you covered with Joseph A. McCullough’s Deathship One

a beautifully stylized solo sci-fi/horror game. You will lead a squad of soldiers in a

race to escape room after room of hellish alien torment designed to kill each and

every one of your soldiers.

Thank you for supporting us and we’ll see you again in Vol. 05.

EDITOR
Greg Horton
 LEGENDS
L AST DAY S : ZOMBIE A P O C A LY PSE

ASH
BARKER

ABOUT
LAST DAYS: ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE
OSPREY GAMES

Last Days is a survival-horror war-game

set in our own world after the zombies rise
and collapse our civilization. Play solo,
cooperatively or against other Groups as
your cast of Characters explores, gathers
food, equipment and resources and fights to
survive the living-dead.

WHERE TO BU Y- IN
FACEBOOK .COM/L A STDAYSZ A
4 | B L A S T E R V O L U M E 4
LAST DAYS: LEGENDS
There are a great many folk heroes and villains in our modern society. Names USING LEGENDS
we recognize no matter what the context as being representative of one trait IN YOUR GAMES
or another. Sometimes someone so embodies their role or path in life that Using the Legends rules is a great way to have
they slip into legend and take on larger-than-life attributes. exciting random encounters with powerful
The Zombie Apocalypse is a time like no other, but that hasn’t stopped people characters during a normal or Seasons Campaign.
from being people and assigning a near mythological oral history to the lives If they are used, it should be agreed upon at the
and actions of extraordinary people that have emerged during this time. start of the campaign and all players will have
Sometimes someone so embodies a philosophy or way of looking at the world access to them during their games, rolling to see
that the campfire re-telling of their exploits can spread across the land even before each Encounter if one or more appears.
without the modern technologies that can so viralize information today.

What’s more, this spoken transmission will expand and embellish things
even further. Usually the truth is a far-cry from what actually happened. But
sometimes, these people really did exist. Sometimes these legends are true.

And sometimes, these legends come knocking on the refuge door.

L A S T D A Y S : L E G E N D S | 5
INTRODUCTION

What follows are rules for including three Legendary characters Likewise, Groups that become fat and affluent may attract the
in your games of Last Days. These rules are compatible with the attention of the bitter Waitress, so mistreated in her life that
modern game setting and both the core Rulebook and Seasons she has come to embody the mercenary and selfish acts that
Supplements. Some modifications may need to be made for were enacted on her. She now finds herself inflicting them on
them to be included in a Timelines or Evolutions game should the world around her for her own gain.
the setting shift. Players should feel free to alter the equipment Finally, there is the Mechanic. This passionless survivor
of the Legends appropriately to fit their campaigns. embodies the practical adaptation of those that put training
The rules presented here are for three very different and skills as the most prized assets in this new world. A Refuge
Characters, each one following an alignment that so embodies may find itself with both a renovation and a great many new
the many Groups in the Zombie Apocalypse. If these people had skills after a visit from this brilliant wanderer.
names, they are lost to the telling and re-telling of the campfire If you decide to open the doors to Legends, they can make
stories that have spread their status and deeds across the land even the most mundane of supply runs different and exciting.
without the need for modern communication. They may not They’re dangerous and powerful in the extreme, so be careful if
even be a single person, but instead a whole series of people you decide to get in their way.
whose acts have come to typify larger than life characters that
Using Legends in your games–Using the Legends rules is a
now dot a world that has been turned upside down.
great way to have exciting random encounters with powerful
There is the noble Lucha who appears when a Group has lost characters during a normal or Seasons Campaign. If they are
all hope and things seem the darkest like a vengeful spirit. used, it should be agreed upon at the start of the campaign and
Protecting the innocent and defending the suffering, this all players will have access to them during their games, rolling
unstoppable tower of a man stands resolute in defense of the to see before each Encounter if one or more appears.
helpless.

DESIGNER’S NOTE
I have always loved the larger than life figures that sometimes
pop in and out of Zombie Movies. When the incredibly talented
Arthur Asa (@Cromsferatu) did the art for the original release
of Last Days a few of the wonderful Character Studies really
jumped off the page. Bringing these vivid personalities that
were now stuck in my imagination to life on the game table was
something I had hoped to do for some time and BLASTER has
given me the perfect venue for it. I’m really excited about the
new dynamic of these Legends and I think they embody the
different values of the various Groups in the last days in a way
that continues to drive home that it’s not just about surviving,
but HOW you survive that counts.

Temple of the West is making lovely figures for these three

Legends and they are available now! You can also convert your
own models to represent these storied heroes and villains in Last Days: Legends models available
your own campaign of Last Days, share them on the official at templewest.co
Facebook Group! facebook.com/groups/1759601664283463
L A S T D A Y S : L E G E N D S | 7
GENERAL RULES No matter which Legend appears during the course of a
Campaign, the following rules will apply to all of them.

S T E E LY R E S O L V E PERSONAL AGENDA PURPOSEFUL

Legends are always considered to roll a 6 If the Legends rules are being used, Each Legend will have rules for who they
for any Courage Checks they are required prior to each Game and beginning with will target and how they will act. Follow
to make. the player with the lower Group Rating, these instructions instead of deciding
each Leader must roll once for each on their Action Point use or how they
SEEN IT ALL Legend to see if their Group has caught operate in the CQC or Shooting Phases.
Legends never gain Experience. their attention if any of the following They will always act before any other
criteria apply. Stop rolling if a Legend is models in the Action Phase, fight first
LEGENDARY FORTITUDE summoned by a player. The other Player in the CQC Phase and fire first in the
Never make Injury Table rolls for Legends will no longer roll for that particular Shooting Phase. This does not count as
if they are taken out of action. Legends Legend to arrive, but may attract one of the activation of a player, so the person
never die. the other two! with initiative in that Phase will go after
the Legends are resolved. If two Legends
A L WAY S R E A D Y SUDDEN ARRIVAL are present in the same encounter, Roll
Legends never make Ammo Checks or Each Legend will have their own rules for Off to see which one activates first.
generate Ammo Tokens. They generate being placed in the Encounter.
RIVALS
Noise as normal.
If a Legend has a Rival, they will seek
them as the primary target for their
Actions and Attacks, whether they are
the closest Character or not. If their Rival
exits the Encounter or is taken out of
action, they will revert to their normal
targeting rules.

8 | B L A S T E R V O L U M E 4
LEGEND ARRIVAL

The Luchador
If two or more Characters in the Group have two or more Conditions checked,
the Lucha will appear during the next game on a 6+. Add one to this roll if
three or more Characters meet this condition and two to this roll of four or
more Characters meet this Condition.

The Waitress
If a Group has twenty or more saved Scavenge Points in their Stash, the Waitress
will appear during the next game on a 6+. Add one to this roll if the Group has
thirty or more Scavenge Points and add two if they have forty or more

The Mechanic
If a Group has a character with a Master Skill, the Mechanic will appear on a
6+. Add one to this roll if there are two Master Skills assigned to Characters in
the Group and two to the roll if there are three or more Master Skills.

L A S T D A Y S : L E G E N D S | 9
L A S T DAY S: L E GE N D S

THE LEGENDS
THE LUCHADOR
An imposing and gregarious figure, the Luchador never removes his mask,
but his smiling eyes and mouth put at ease those he meets despite his
strange appearance. Stories have traveled hundreds of miles of this odd but
gentle giant of a man appearing as the odds seemed their worst, carrying
those thought to be lost away from danger and helping to set right the
balance of a community on the edge of collapse. He never stays, begging
off any attempts to get him to join the Group with a laugh, wave and
explanation that there is far more left to do out in the world for him to be
able to rest in one place.

DEPLOYMENT

The first time a member of the Group which summoned the Lucha is
taken out of action, do not remove the model. Instead, place it on its
side or mark it as incapacitated, then place the Luchador model in
contact with them after the attack is resolved, not in contact with any
other models. Even if it is not the Action Phase, immediately activate the
Lucha as if it were the Action Phase, interrupting the normal sequence of
selecting models to shoot or fight. When this is complete, the Lucha will
then immediately shoot or fight in CQC, depending on what Phase he was
summoned in.

TARGETING AND ACTIONS

The Luchador will always target the closest enemy model to the fallen
Group Member that summoned them using the following preferences -
Selfish, Zombie or Neutral. They will never target Selfless models, unless
that model attacks them, at which point it is treated as Selfish for the
remainder of the Encounter. If the model is within 6” of the fallen Group
Member, the Lucha will spend AP to make Move and Run actions, using
the Bull Charge rule below. If not, he will move to Cover in relation to the
target if possible, remaining within 6” of the fallen character and fire his
Pump Shotgun in the Shooting Phase.

THE LUCHADOR
AP CQC FA S­­ E DC I C
5 6 3 5 7 8 4 5
Equipment: Pump Shotgun, Club

Rival: The Waitress is undermining all of the Luchador’s good work, turning
people against each other and making them shut down from helping those in
need. If she is here she has to be stopped.

SPECIAL RULES
S AV I O R BULL CHARGE SPINEBUSTER

If the Luchador has not been taken out of action at After completing a move that results in the Lucha All Shooting and CQC attacks made by the Lucha
the end of the Encounter, you may add or subtract being in contact with their Target for the turn, have the Lobo 3 rule.
1 from the Injury Roll of the model who summoned immediately make a shooting attack using the
them during the Post Game. Pump Shotgun against them. Use the Lucha’s CQC
HELPING HAND
stat instead of FA stat for making this attack roll
and ignore the rules for not being able to fire while
If the Lucha is not out of action at the end of the
engaged in CQC.
encounter, they may be assigned 3 Jobs by the
leader during the Post Game. They do not require
any food, water or shelter in exchange for this help,
they have plenty of their own.

L A S T D A Y S : L E G E N D S | 1 1
THE WAITRESS
Life can be the worst kind of instructor for some. The stories say the
Waitress wasn’t always cruel and self-serving. In fact, before the collapse
of the Zombie Apocalypse she had cheerfully made her way through life
trying to help others. But what the end taught her was that there is no help
coming. She saw people descend and turn on each other, feeding off of
what they could snatch and steal and leaving others to their fate. Her heart
broke as she was let down again and again. She lost people who tried to
help others, she lost family. She resolved that only fools helped. If you were
going to give it was because you were going to get something. It was the
only thing that made sense any more. That was what she learned and that
was what she was going to teach everyone else as well.

DEPLOYMENT

During the Menace Phase of the first turn of the game after moving all
Zombies, place the Waitress within 2” of the most central Supply Token
in the Encounter. If these are carried by a model (such as a Zombie) place
her in cover from this model if possible.

TARGETING AND ACTIONS

If a Supply Token is within 6” of the Waitress she will always attempt to

move to it and interact if possible if she is not already carrying one during
the Action Phase. If there is one that is carried by another model, she will
attempt to gain line of sight to that model in order to shoot it. She will
always attempt to position herself to shoot if possible instead of entering
CQC. If she is carrying a Supply Token she will move by the most direct
route possible to the board edge of the Group she is currently supporting.
Normally this will be the group that summoned her but that can change!
She will always attempt to break off in order to complete these tasks
if required. She will target the closest model of the opposing group or
Zombies in the following order of preference in the Shooting and CQC
phase; Selfless, Zombies, Neutral and then Selfish.

THE WAITRESS
AP CQC FA S­­ E DC I C
7 3 5 3 5 8 4 5
Equipment: Magnum, Knife

Rival: The Mechanic always seems to be after valuable stuff...if he’s here it
means there’s something valuable the Waitress can get her hands on.

SPECIAL RULES
HOT COFFEE COMING THROUGH BET ON THE WINNING TEAM NOSE FOR RICHES

The Waitress only ever pays 2 AP to disengage, At the beginning of the Menace Phase, if the Group If the Waitress exits the table with a Supply Token,
regardless of how many hostile models she is in not affiliated to the Waitress is currently carrying or make three rolls to see what it contains and keep
contact with. has exited the Encounter with more Supply Tokens, them all.
STEADY HANDS roll 1D6. On a 5+, the Waitress changes sides. She DOES IT FOR THE TIPS
will now attempt to exit the opposite board edge,
All the Waitress’ Shooting Attacks have the Lobo 3 but will continue to attack her Rival if they are After inventorying Supply Tokens and updating
present. The Waitress can change sides multiple the Group’s Stash, the Waitress leaves with half
Trait.
times per Encounter. the Scavenge Points the group now has, total. She
doesn’t ask, so you don’t have the option not to pay
her.

1 2 | B L A S T E R V O L U M E 4
THE MECHANIC
To a hammer, everything begins to look like a nail. The stories about the
mechanic tell of a self-taught and self-reliant man of few words and fewer
friends. The apocalypse suited such a man just fine, until he began to
realize that the foolishness of others was going to set back the world into a
new dark age if he did not do something. Watching people die from simple,
preventable things like drinking untreated water or infections that could
easily have been controlled grimly reminded him that knowledge wasn’t
free. It had value. It needed to be guarded. And, it awarded power.

DEPLOYMENT

Regardless of what Encounter is being played, place an additional Supply

Token on a Zombie as close as possible to the centre of the board, but not
within 12” of the Deployment Edge of the group that summoned him. The
Zombie is carrying this token. The Mechanic will deploy with the rest of
the Group that summoned him and within 1” of a model that has a Master
Skill. If there is more than one, simply pick.

TARGETING AND ACTIONS

During the Action Phase, the Mechanic will always attempt to move
towards the model currently carrying his special Supply Token using
Move action, but he will not Run. He will disengage to do so if required. If
possible, he will interact with it to pick it up. Once in possession of it he
will return to the board edge of the Group with whom he is affiliated and
attempt to leave as quickly as possible. He will always target a Zombie in
CQC if he has multiple options, but will target the closest hostile model
otherwise, regardless of its alignment. If there are multiple models of the
same distance, he will target the one he has the best chance of hitting,
followed by the best chance of taking out of action. If all these are the
same, the player affiliated with him may pick.

THE MECHANIC
AP CQC FA S­­ E DC I C
6 4 5 4 5 8 5 4
Equipment: Semi-Automatic Pistol, Club

Rival: The Lucha’s need to put people first has left whole buildings burning
full of knowledge or medicine and things the world needs to rebuild. His
people-first attitude puts the skills and practicalities of survival at risk and he
must be stopped!

SPECIAL RULES
PRECISION HERE, TRY THIS! FOUND IT!

The Shooting and CQC Attacks made by the If a Group Member is making an Intelligence Test The Mechanic will Run if he is in possession of his
Mechanic all have the Lobo 2 trait. within 6” of The Mechanic, reduce the TN by 2. Special Supply Token. If a friendly Character picks
it up instead, he will move towards them each turn
instead and will measure the closest Target from the
WATCH ME WORK LIGHT FOOTED
model carrying this Token instead. If the Token exits
the Table, the Mechanic will attempt to exit from the
Any Group Member within 6” and Line of Sight to The Mechanic only pays 1 AP to Climb or Move
same point.
the Mechanic when he takes a Zombie out of Action Through Difficult Terrain.
earns the 1 Experience he would normally gain for
doing so instead. If multiple models are eligible,
they all earn it.

L A S T D A Y S : L E G E N D S | 1 3
 BRUTL! TANK ARENA
THE GA ME OF J U NK YA R D TA NK FIGHTS

JOEY
MCGUIRE

ABOUT
BRUTL! TANK ARENA

BRUTL! Tank Arena is a beer and pretzels

style game of insanely fun tank battles. Your
humble author wanted a ruleset to use all
those cool tanks he had lying around, but
something simple and required minimal
effort. With only a bit of terrain and a single
tank per player, BRUTL! Is both easy to start
and plays quick, getting to the best parts
of miniature wargaming, blowing up your
opponent.

M O R E F R O M T H E A U T H O R A T:
WORLDSENDPUBLISHING.COM
BRUTL! Tank Arena Getting Started
Welcome to BRUTL! Tank Arena In Specially cobbled together stadi- To play BRUTL! Tank Arena all you need is
this mini-wargame, you take on ums made of scrap and garbage the following:
the particularly important job of are used to house semi-legal tank ʣ One big and clanky tank for each
keeping a large and highly unre- fights where bored blue-collar player.
liable tank going just long enough workers bet their beer money on
ʣ A table space. We recommend a space
to blow up another large and high- the outcome. Engineering teams roughly 48” square.
ly unreliable tank. Don’t worry. build their tanks using whatever
ʣ Terrain to place about the board. We
The tank is remotely driven and they can find and push them into
recommend a mix of large pieces and
maintained by little scrapper bots, the arena in the hopes of making patches of rough ground. Shipping
so no one gets hurt. Don’t think a little scratch to fund the next containers are perfect and easily avail-
the job is easy, though. These fight. Authorities turn a blind eye able.

tanks have been cobbled together as the casualty counts tend to be ʣ Six-sided dice (We recommend 8 be
from the leftovers of industrial low, no one cares if a junkyard visually distinct from the rest).
scrapyards. Their engines are not arena ends up with a few extra
ʣ A measuring device marked in inches.
top-rate. They’re slow and extra craters in it, and frankly, the
clanky and pack all the subtlety of fights are highly entertaining. So, ʣ A tank sheet for each player. *
a sledgehammer. grab your wrench and rivet gun
ʣ A turning template. *
and get to work.
This is all done for spectacle,
ʣ A Doom Deck for each player. *
glory, and a little bit of profit.
ʣ An Upgrade Deck (Depending on
scenario) *

Welcome to ʣ A supply of tokens to mark certain

BALTIMORE! game effects. *

*These are all available at the end of the rules.

Looking for pre-fab tank designs for the arena?
We've got the best chassis over at electi-studio.com/brutl
 BRU T L! TA N K A R E NA

CORE RULES
Game Concepts
Dice Firing Point
BRUTL! Tank Arena uses the humble D6, with high results Before play starts, you must designate your tank’s firing
being better. Sometimes, you will be able to roll multiple D6. point. Unless otherwise stated, this will be the center of your
In these cases, you may choose between any of the rolled tank’s movable turret. Do not worry if your turret is not in
results. the center of the tank, as we adjust for this later. When mea-
Rolls of 6, called Criticals, are considered special. Criticals
suring any distance from your tank, always measure from
will always have a positive effect, which vary depending on
the tank’s firing point. In fact, we recommend you mark this
individual rules.
spot on the tank for quick reference.
Occasionally, a D3 is called for. To get this result, roll a
D6. A score of 1-2 counts as a 1, 3-4 counts as a 2, and 5-6 Because of the large variety of tank shapes and sizes,
counts as a 3. turret placements, gun positions, etc., we measure from the
firing point to keep things fair and universal.

Stat Tests
When your tank needs to perform an action that isn’t au- Line of Sight
tomatic, they will need to test against a stat. Stat tests are BRUTL! Tank Arena uses true line of sight as much as pos-
mostly used for things like shooting and putting out fires. sible. When checking line of sight, draw an imaginary line
To take a stat test, roll a D6. If the result equals or exceeds between your tank’s firing point and any part of the target
the relevant stat, then the test is successful. Otherwise, the tank. As long as that line crosses any part of the enemy tank,
result fails. then your tank has line of sight.

Starting STats Line of Fire

All tanks start the game with the same stats that Just because a tank has line of sight to an enemy, doesn’t
are modified in play: mean they can shoot at them. They must bring their guns to
Starting Stat Value bear on target. Because of this we use the line of fire rule.
Line of fire is determined by drawing an imaginary line from
MOVE 4"
your firing point, continuing down your tank’s main cannon,
SHoot 4+ and continuing to any point of an enemy tank. As long that
SKIll 4+ line crosses any part of the enemy tank, then your tank has
line of fire.

Note that the big difference between having line of sight

Bonus/Penalties and line of fire is that for the latter, the imaginary line must
Some actions may be helped or hindered by external factors. follow the direction of the tank’s main cannon.
If an action has a bonus or penalty, you modify the result of
the dice roll by adding or subtracting that amount as appro-
Fire Arcs and Facing
priate. Note that, depending on circumstances, an action can
have both a bonus and a penalty. In addition to line of sight, BRUTL! Tank Arena uses firing
arcs for determining where tank’s
For example secondary weapon systems can fire FIRE ARCS
and where tanks are hit by incom-
A tank shoots its main gun and has a Shoot stat of 4. To hit
ing fire. Each tank has a front arc,
its target, its needs a 4 or better. If it had a bonus of 1, it
two side arcs (left and right), and
would need a 3 or better; whereas it would need a 5 or better FRONT
a rear arc, as illustrated in the pic-
if it had a penalty of -1.
ture below. The center of the arcs is
directly over the physical center of
RIGHT
LEFT

Measuring the tank. When shooting secondary

guns, we use firing arcs instead of
All measurements are made in inches. As BRUTL! Tank Are-
the line of fire rules above.
na Is a game dedicated to things being unreliable, distances
REAR
may never be pre-measured. We use the phrase fire arc
when the tank shoots with its sec-
ondary guns and the term facing
when it is hit by enemy fire.
BRUTL! TANK ARENA | 17
The Tank Model
This game is not particularly concerned about scale, but there are a
few requirements for your tank:

The actual size of your tank does matter somewhat, and it should
be roughly the same size as your opponent’s tank. The pictures in
this book show 28mm scale tanks, but any scale will work with the
rules. You may just need to adjust measurements if using larger or
smaller tanks. We recommend trying to get tank models that have a
nice rectangular shape and are as close to 6” long X 4” wide as you
can, but there is a good amount of wiggle room.

Your tank needs a turret-mounted main weapon that can freely

spin in all directions to fire. The type of gun is not important, but
the gun needs to be able to turn to determine line of fire.
ACTION tabLE
Type DiFFiculty

Your tank needs smaller guns as well. either a single gun

NAME

mounted in the front or a pair of guns mounted on the sides.

While not an “official” game rule, your tank should look

junky and rusty to fit the theme. The more rivets the better.
Flashy paint schemes are a must.

Your Tank TANK SHEET

ACTION tabLE
NAME
Type DiFFicult

Each tank has a set of statistics that represents its in-game ability to move about, shoot, survive being
shot at, and generally muck about. Generally, lower stats are good and higher stats are bad.

Name: Shoot: Armor Reduction:

The fighting name of your tank. It This represents the gunnery skill of Your armor’s ability to reduce the
should be something cool, like “Thun- your tank’s crew. amount of damage your tank re-
der Bandit” or “Lady Demon”. ceives. As armor is stripped away, the
Armor:
damage your tank takes with each hit
Action Dice: The amount of protection your tank increases.
This is the number of Action Dice has. Each facing will have different
Skill:
your tank generates each activation. amounts of armor. Armor is repre-
sented by several check boxes that The quality of your tank’s controller
Move:
are marked off as your’s tank armor and scrapper robot crew.
This is how many inches your tank is damaged.
Damage Points (DP):
moves for each move action it takes.
The amount of actual hits your tank
can take before being reduced to a
pile of scrap. Luckily, such hits must
get through your armor first.

18 | BLASTER VOLUME 4
 Game mechanics
Action Dice Major and Minor Actions
After setting up your tank, but before the first turn, each Besides Difficulty, actions are also listed as either a major
player rolls their Action Dice. Each player starts with 8D6 or minor action. Major actions represent a significant
Action Dice, though this number can change during play. time investment for the tank and allow your opponent
Once Action Dice are rolled, they are placed to the side time to react, while minor actions are less time intensive.
with the results visible. The results shown on the Action When a player uses a major action with their tank, play
Dice represent how effective each tank and its crew will passes to an enemy player once the action is resolved. The
be for the following turn. The higher results rolled, the other player may then take an action, and so on. Minor
more actions a tank can take. actions do not cause play to pass unless the player uses
two minor actions (of any sort) in a row. If this happens,
play passes the same way.
Gaining and Losing Action Dice
Passing play in this way makes battle more dynamic,
Should a rule cause a player to lose available Action Dice,
with players having a chance to react to whatever nefari-
one opponent may choose which of the available dice are
ous schemes their opponents are planning.
removed. If a player would gain Action Dice, he rolls the
new dice and adds them to his available ones.
Running Out of Action Dice
Taking Actions Eventually you will run out of Action Dice. When this
happens, your tank takes no actions during its next subse-
The tanks used in BRUTL! Tank Arena are ponderous and
quent activation, but you reroll your Action Dice to pre-
slow. Their controller and crew must plan out their move-
pare for your next activation. It’s important for players to
ments with foresight and care. This challenge is repre-
determine when they will run of Action Dice, lest they get
sented by assigning each action type a Difficulty. When
caught off guard.
a player wishes to take an action, they may take one or
ty more available Action Dice from their pool, and use them
to meet the required Difficulty for the action. Multiple
dice can be added together to help take an action with a
harder Difficulty. A full list of actions and their Difficul-
ties are listed below.

Example: The Pink Demoness’s controller rolls their

Action Dice for this turn. They score a 1, two 2s, three 4s,
and two 5s. They decide to shoot their main gun (aimed),
as offense is better than defense. The Difficulty for this
action is 8+. The player takes two of the three 4s and adds
them together, giving them the required result to take the
action. They now have their 1, two 2s, two 5s, and a single
4 remaining for later actions.

Game Design Note:

Note that taking actions and resolving actions are two

separate things. Taking actions as described above only
allows you to make the attempt. Some actions, such as
movement, succeed automatically, but others require a
stat test to succeed.

BRUTL! TANK ARENA | 19

 ACTIONS
ACTION table
NAME Type Difficulty

Aimed Cannon Shot Major 8+

Blitz Major 6+
The Humble Controller Override Major 0+

Scrapper Bot Field Repairs

Full Spin
Major
Major
6+
6+
Due to liability issues and an ill-fated debut season, all
Extinguish Fire Minor 4+
tank-fights are legally required to use robotic crewman.
While these fights exist in a grey area of legality, most
Quick Cannon Shot Minor 6+
arenas won’t even try to skirt this law. Human volun- Rotate 45 Degrees Minor 4+
teers are always in short supply, and the authorities Rotate Turret 90 Degrees Minor 3+
have and will quickly shut down matches that use live Shoot Secondary Guns Major 6+
crews. Instead, the humble scrapper bot is jammed into
Trundle Minor 4+
the tank chassis, taking positions as drivers, loaders,
and gunners. The term scrapper bot describes any small
bargain-bin robot that can pull a handle or operate a
Types of Action
pedal. Robot heuristic software tends to be expensive,
so scrapper bots almost never have higher cognitive Aimed Cannon Shot (Major)
functions, being the mental equivalent of a toddler or
The tank may fire its main gun with a bonus to hit.
smart dog. While they can operate a tank to a degree,
they perform much better while working in tandem with Blitz (Major)
a tank controller who directs them from the sidelines. The tank may move forward or backward a number
This is easier said than done. The more complicated the of inches up to double its Move stat.
action, the more likely it will tax the poor scrapper bots’
capacity to both understand and execute it. Scrapper Controller Override (Major)
bots come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but most are Instead of a normal action, you may pick up all your
vaguely humanoid. Since they are mostly jammed into Action Dice and re-roll them. Your tank otherwise
their tanks pre-match, little thought is given to the bot’s will perform no other actions this activation. If your
appearance, though some glitzier tank crews may spray tank is on fire, resolve that now.
paint them a cohesive color scheme. While scrapper bots
are clearly little more than fodder, most fans feel a bit
Field Repairs (Major)
of affection for them. Many fans have their favorite bots If the tank has received any permanent status effects
they have seen blown up and welded back together again from Doom Cards, it may roll a Skill Test to repair the
time after time. damage. If the test is successful, discard one Doom
Card. See Doom Cards under the shooting rules.
Types of Action CONT.
Full Spin (Major) Rotate 45 Degrees (Minor)
Pivoting on its center point, the tank may rotate and end Pivoting on its center point, the tank may rotate up to 45
facing in any direction. degrees.

Extinguish Fire (Minor) Rotate Turret 90 Degrees (Minor)

If the tank is on fire, it may roll a Skill test. If successful, The turret may rotate up to 90 degrees in any direction.
the fire is put out. See On Fire under the shooting rules.
Shoot Secondary Gun (Minor)
Quick Cannon Shot (Minor) The tank may fire its secondary gun(s).
The tank may fire its main gun.
Trundle (Minor)
The tank may move forward or backward a number of
inches up to its Move stat.

TANK MOVEMENT
Arena tanks are a bit faster than traditional military spending the requisite actions. When a tank turns, its
tanks. When moving they may trundle, which is a short turret will rotate along with it.
move as the tank gets up to speed or moves cautiously.
However, if they really want to kick the pig into action For example
they can blitz to move at a faster pace. Regardless of
If a tank turns 180 degrees, its turret will end up
how fast they are moving, tanks may only travel in a
pointing in the opposite direction it started in.
straight line, either forward or backward. Tanks reduce
their movement distance for an action by 2” if they
move through any type of difficult terrain or rough Tank Contact
ground. Tanks are not impeded by low pieces of linear
It is perfectly legal for a tank to come into contact with
terrain like walls and fences, as they simply smash
another tank. Most of the time, their speed is negligible
through them, so may move through them without pen-
for damage purposes. Should a tank touch any part of
alty.
another tank while moving, it may either immediately
stop and forfeit any remaining movement, or may elect
Turning to push the tank in its way. If advanced rules are being
used, a tank may also elect to ram.
Tanks are large and bulky, and turning them is a bit of
a process. Tanks pivot on their centers in increments of At no time are tanks locked together, and either tank
45 degrees. A turning template is included in the back is free to move away.
of the rules for ease of play, but it is not required. To
pivot a tank, simply place the turning template along
Pushing
the rear of the tank and flip the vehicle as depicted in
the picture on the template. If a tank moves into contact with another tank and
wishes to push, both tanks make an opposed stat test
Game Designer Note: using their Skill stat. The pushing tank adds +1D6 to
their test if they blitzed before moving into contact
If for some reason you do not have a turning tem- with the other tank. If the pushing tank wins, the
plate or it is not available, you can simply use your pushed tank is moved D3” in a straight line in the direc-
best judgment to pivot your tank up to the distance tion the pushing tank was moving, or D6” if the pushing
allowed. It’s assumed there will be some human error tank blitzed as described earlier. If the pushed tank
in the mix and ultimately this will not dramatically wins, both tanks stay where they are. When a push oc-
affect the chaos that is BRUTL! Tank Arena if players curs, keep the original orientation of both tanks intact.
do not abuse it.
If a tank is pushed into a large piece of terrain or a
table edge, all movement immediately stops when the
Turret Rotation terrain piece or table edge is reached, and the pushed
The main of advantage of turreted tanks is that they tank suffers no further effects. It is possible for tanks
can bring their guns to bear without repositioning. to be pushed into Boom Boxes, Loot Crates, and other
Tank turrets may freely spin up to 360 degrees by special scenario terrain pieces. These small items do
not stop the push.

BRUTL! TANK ARENA | 21

BRU T L! TA N K A R E NA

COMB AT
Shooting
The main armament of a tank is its cannon. These can-
nons are dedicated tank destroyers and may only target
other tanks unless otherwise stipulated by scenario or

Cannons advanced rules. To fire a main gun, it first must have line
of sight and line of fire to its target.

Remember that you may not measure distance prior to

declaring fire.

Checking Range
After declaring fire, but before resolving the attack, you
must check range. Tank cannons have a range of 24”, and
an attack against a target farther away than this automat-
ically fails. Remember to measure from your tank’s firing
point to any part of the target tank. If the range is equal
to or less than 24”, then the attack may continue

‘To Hit’ Modifiers

Despite tanks being large, slow-moving targets, a lot of
things can go wrong when shooting. This is represented
by applying bonuses and penalties to a shot. Apply the
following:

The attacker receives a +1 to hit if they used the Aimed

Cannon Shot action.

The attacker receives -1 to hit if their target used the Blitz

action during their last activation.*

The attacker receives -1 to hit if their target is obscured.*

*These penalties are not cumulative.

Obscured
Tanks are rather large, but crafty crews can use terrain to
block incoming fire. When determining line of sight, if an
imaginary line drawn between the attacker’s firing point
and any part of the target tank would cross any piece of
significant terrain, then the target counts as obscured.
Note that line of fire is not used to determining if a tank is
obscured.

The definition of significant terrain is left vague as

terrain can vary wildly. As a rule of thumb, this would be
a piece of terrain big enough to block at least 25% of the
defender’s bulk. Players are encouraged to give each other
the benefit of the doubt when determining if a tank is ob-
scured or not. Note that main guns punch through small
fences, tall grass, and other dainty cover, so these do not
obscure tanks at all.

BRUTL! TANK ARENA | 23

Facing
If the attack is successful, determine which armor sec- For Example
tion of the target is hit by drawing the same imaginary
line used to determine line of fire and seeing which fac- The Max Crusher attacks the Pink Demoness and
successfully hits the front facing. The attacking
ing the line touches.
player rolls for damage and scores a 5. The Demoness
has not taken any damage previously. Looking at the
Resolving Damage picture below, the left most box has an armor reduc-
tion of 3, which is subtracted from the damage roll
Once a tank is hit and its facing has been determined, the
of 5 for a total of 2 damage to the front facing. The
attacker rolls a D6 to see how much damage the target
Pink Demoness crosses off two boxes. The next time
suffers. If the attacker rolled a Critical to hit, they may it is hit, damage will be dealt starting with the new
either roll 2D6 and pick the highest result, or force the leftmost box.
target player to immediately draw a Doom Card. Doom
Cards are explained in a later section.
Front Armor Facing
Each tank sheet contains a series of check boxes for 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1
each facing and a final set for the tank’s Damage Points.
For the facing armor, each check box contains a number.
If a tank runs out of check boxes for the facing where
These numbers represent the tank’s armor reduction.
they were hit, check off any remaining damage from the
Damage is applied left to right, crossing off a check box
tank’s Damage Points instead.
for each point suffered.

Once the attacker has rolled for damage, the damage

Tank Destruction
reduction value from the leftmost unmarked check box
for that facing is subtracted from the result. Cross off When a tank’s last Damage Point check box is crossed off,
check boxes for the target facing equal to the amount of conveniently marked DOOM!, the tank is destroyed and
remaining damage. Note that regardless of damage re- removed from the game. For most scenarios, the last tank
duction, a successful attack will always deal at least one standing wins.
point of damage to the target.

Scrap Tanks
When thinking of an arena tank, you must put aside any notion of military efficiency or practicality. These
are not the tanks dreamt up by science fiction authors that fly about the battlefield on anti-gravity skirts or
are piloted by almost-human intelligences. A scrap tank is a bodge job. Tons of surplus armor are pulled from
whatever ship or outdated military vehicle is being dismantled that day and reworked into the semblance of a
tank shape. An over-charged engine with a high-output power plant is then placed within. The interior of the
tank is cramped and poorly lit, with the driver area and access panels (the only place humans may need to get
into) the only places of comfort. The last and most important part of the tank are the guns. The main cannons
are military surplus pulled from a multitude of sources. While these guns can fire many types of ammunition,
depending on the rules of the match being played, most are solid slugs with limited explosive capability to
prevent collateral damage from getting out of hand. In terms of final appearance, a scrap tank can be painted
in a team’s colors or remain as rusty as the day it was thrown together. Top teams that field multiple tanks may
have a common uniform of sorts, but given that any match will leave a tank potentially devastated, little time
is spent or making them pretty.
Doom Cards Secondary Guns
Each player needs their own Doom Deck to draw from. Most, if not all tanks, feature secondary guns of some
These cards represent temporary and permanent effects type. Tanks are especially vulnerable to infantry as-
of damage to a tank’s systems. A player draws a Doom saults and so heavy machine guns and lighter rapid-fir-
Card each time their tank takes 3 or more damage from ing cannons are mounted to discourage such assaults.
a single hit, after accounting for damage reduction. Ad- Such weapons are useless against the heavy armor of
ditionally, if an attacker rolls a Critical to-hit, they may enemy tanks, but there are sometimes things other than
force their target to draw a Doom Card. tanks to contend with in the arenas.

The effects of Doom Cards are applied immediately To fire its secondary guns, a tank must have line of
once they are drawn. If the effects are temporary, the sight and a legal target. Note that to keep things simple,
card is then discarded and placed on the bottom of the secondary guns have a much-abbreviated firing process.
player’s Doom Card deck. If the effects are permanent,
keep the card next to the player’s Tank Sheet as a re-
minder.

A tank may use the Field Repairs action to attempt to

remove the effect of any one permanent Doom Card. If
the Skill test is passed, the card is discarded back to the
bottom of the player’s Doom Card deck.

On Fire
Certain game rules may cause a tank to catch on fire,
such as Doom Cards. This does not generally bother
the tank, but the poor scrapper bots inside can suffer
and a fire that burns too long can damage important
systems. A tank’s crew may use the Extinguish Fire
action to try to put out a fire. However, if a tank ends
its activation on fire, you must roll an immediate Skill
test. If the test is passed, the fire goes out. If not, roll
on the following table.

D6 Roll Result
The tank suffers one damage to its
1 Damage Points, and the fire goes out.

The tank suffers one damage to its front

2 facing, and the fire continues.

The tank loses D3 Action Dice, to a min-

3 imum of 0, and the fire continues.

The tank suffers one damage to its front

4 facing, and the fire goes out.

The tank loses 1 Action Dice, and the

5 fire continues.

6 No damage, and the fire goes out.

Additionally, while a tank is on fire it increases the

Difficulty of all actions it takes by +1.

BRUTL! TANK ARENA | 25

Line of Sight
A tank may have several secondary weap-
ons, often mounted on its front or sides. All
secondary guns are treated as facing to-
wards the front, even if they are modeled
in different positions. Because of this,
secondary guns may only draw line of
sight and shoot at things that are in
the tank’s front arc, but do not need to
check for line of fire.

Targeting
Secondary guns may only shoot at infantry
models and immobile scenario targets like
Boom Boxes and Loot Crates. They cannot
target enemy tanks since they cannot harm Effects on Target
them. If such items are in line of sight and within range of If an infantry model is hit, they are automatically killed
the secondary gun, they can automatically be targeted. and removed from play. Loot Crates and Boom Boxes are

All secondary guns have a maximum range of 16” and use also destroyed if hit, but have additional rules when de-

the tank ‘s Shoot stat when firing. As with firing from the stroyed that are described in the Scenario section.

turret, measure the range from the tank’s firing center.

Setting Up the Arena
Declare Fire Unless specified by scenario requirements, BRUTL! Tank

Once you have decided to fire, complete the following Arena is played on 48””x 48” area, or as close to this size

steps. as possible. This size is specifically chosen to keep the

tanks in a constricted space, but allow enough room to
1. Spend any number of Action Dice that in total meet or maneuver out of range of each other.
exceed the Difficulty of the attack.
We recommend a mix of terrain be placed between
2. Check range. Secondary guns have a range of 16”.
the tanks, with at least one large piece dead center that
3. The attacker rolls a stat test using their Shoot stat. can block line of sight entirely. Smaller pieces should be

3.a Add or subtract any bonuses or penalties.

placed around the arena at various points, enough room
for tanks to maneuver. Remember that you want tanks to
4. If the target is hit, it is automatically destroyed. be able to get cover, but not be constricted. It’s important
to keep movement lanes open.

Spend any number of Action Dice that in total meet or As mentioned earlier, cargo container models are rela-
exceed the Difficulty of the attack. tively cheap to acquire. They can be used singly or stacked
together to form quick and dirty blocking terrain.

We also recommend adding debris piles and other

‘To Hit’ Modifiers rough patches of ground to force tanks to maneuver. Use
Infantry models dash around the arena trying to avoid tank the pictures located throughout these rules as inspiration
fire as much as possible. This imposes a -1 penalty when for your boards.
shooting at them. Stationary targets like Boom Boxes and This is scenario dependent, but you may also need to
Loot crates receive neither penalties or bonuses to-hit. set up Loot Crates, Boom Boxes, or other special items.
Specific scenario will list any special terrain require-
ments that are needed.

26 | BLASTER VOLUME 4
 BRU T L! TA N K A R E NA

SCEN A RIOS
Beginner’s Blitz
(2-4 Players)
Beginner’s Blitz is a simple battle where the last tank stand- »Going First
ing wins, making it a great scenario for first-time players.
All players roll a D6, with the highest scoring going
first. Play proceeds in the order of results, from highest
»Setup to lowest.

Set up the arena on a 48”x48” board with a large

piece of terrain in the center that should completely »Special Scenario Rules
block line of sight. Additional terrain should be placed
None.
around the board, with its placement agreed upon by
the players.
»Victory Conditions
»Deployment The last tank standing wins. If the game is called with
multiple surviving tanks, the player with the most re-
All players roll a D6, with the highest scoring placing
maining Damage Points is the winner.
their tank first, touching any part of a board edge of their
choice. If there is one other player, they must deploy their
tank touching any part of the opposing board edge. If there
are two to three remaining players, take turns placing
each player’s tank along a separate board edge, deploying
in order of dice results, until all tanks are placed.

28 | BLASTER VOLUME 4
Bomb-tastic Bash
(2-4 Players)
BRUTL! Tank Arena is all about keeping things interesting »Going First
and to many fans that means more explosions. Sometimes
All players roll a D6, with the highest scoring going
called “A Boom with a View”, this match has the tanks
first. Play proceeds in the order of results, from highest
dealing with the presence of Boom Boxes, large crates of
to lowest.
explosives just waiting to be blown up. Controllers and their
teams tend to hate these matches as they leave the tanks a
little worse for wear, but arenas give a high portion of ticket »Special Scenario Rules
sales back to the crews, so it’s a win-win for everyone.
Boom Boxes – See Special Scenario Rules for how to
place and use Boom Boxes. Place 2 Boom Boxes for each
»Setup player.

Set up the arena on a 48”x48” board with a large

piece of terrain in the center that should completely »Victory Conditions
block line of sight. Additional terrain should be placed
The last tank standing wins. If the game is called with
around the board, with its placement agreed upon by
multiple surviving tanks, the player with the most re-
the players.
maining Damage Points is the winner.

»Deployment
All players roll a D6, with the highest scoring placing
their tank first, touching any part of a board edge of
their choice. If there is one other player, they must de-
ploy their tank touching any part of the opposing board
edge. If there are two to three remaining players, take
turns placing each player’s tank along a separate board
edge, deploying in order of dice results, until all tanks
are placed.

BRUTL! TANK ARENA | 29

Double-Back Death Race
(2 Players)
A bit of a change-up from the usual last tank standing »Special Scenario Rules
matches, the double-back tests the tank driver’s skill and
Tank Race – Both tanks must drive towards the op-
determination to be the first-place winner. Of course, this
posing board edge, essentially racing each other, and
being BRUTL! Tank Arena, putting the hurt on the opponent
crossing paths. Both players must drive to the oppo-
is also an important consideration.
nent’s starting position, this is considered the first lap,
and then double back to their own, the second lap. Nei-
»Set-Up ther tank is allowed to turn towards the other starting

Set up the arena on a 48”x48” board with a large piece position until they travel past the center terrain piece,

of terrain in the center that should completely block no short cuts allowed.

line of sight. The remaining terrain should be placed to Promise of Violence – Before a tank can finish each
form a loop around the center. lap, they must deal at least six points of damage to
the enemy tank’s armor, divided up among all facings.
They may complete the lap by movement, but it does not
»Deployment
count as fully complete until they do enough damage.
Both players should roll a D6, with the highest scoring
placing their tank first. Both tanks are placed on the
same board edge. One player on the far edge, but not »Victory Conditions
quite touching the corner, and the other player on the The first tank to return to their starting position is the
opposite edge, also not quite touching the corner. These winner. If the game is called before one tank has re-
are considered the starting positions. turned to its starting position, the player that came clos-
est to returning to their starting position is the winner.

»Going First
Both players roll a D6, with the highest scoring going
first. Play proceeds in the order of results, from highest
to lowest.
Prize Fight
(2- 4 Players)
Many arenas like to spice the action up a little bit by deploy- »Going First
ing special Loot Crates on the field. When rolled over by a
All players roll a D6, with the highest scoring going
tank, these crates release special electronic prize codes that
first. Play proceeds in the order of results, from highest
can dramatically improve a tank’s performance. All tanks
to lowest.
have these coded embedded, but they are only allowed under
certain conditions. Both controllers and crowds love the
surprise of a particularly good grab. »Special Scenario Rules
Loot Crates – Give each player a Loot Crate token or a
»Setup suitable crate model if one is available, and take turns
placing them on the table. See Special Scenario Rules
Set up the arena on a 48”x48” board with a large
for how to place and use Loot Crates.
piece of terrain in the center that should completely
block line of sight. Additional terrain should be placed
around the board, with its placement agreed upon by »Victory Conditions
the players.
The last tank standing wins. If the game is called with
multiple surviving tanks, the player with the most re-
»Deployment maining Damage Points is the winner.

All players roll a D6, with the highest scoring placing

their tank first, touching any part of a board edge of
their choice. If there is one other player, they must de-
ploy their tank touching any part of the opposing board
edge. If there are two to three remaining players, take
turns placing each player’s tank along a separate board
edge, deploying in order of dice results, until all tanks
are placed.
Slugfest
(2-4 Players)
Sometimes called StuG-Fest as a joke, the slugfest match- »Going First
up focuses less on dramatic tank kills and more on a bru- All players roll a D6, with the highest scoring going
tal slog where tanks are slowly pummeled and fans have first. Play proceeds in the order of results, from high-
time to finish their beers. To keep things going, scrapper est to lowest.
bots are supplied on the sidelines to perform battlefield
repairs.
»Special Scenario Rules
Fixer Bots – Fixer bots are used in this match. See
»Setup
Scenario Special Rules for further details.
Set up the arena on a 48”x48” board with a large
piece of terrain in the center that should completely
block line of sight. Additional terrain should be placed »Victory Conditions
around the board, with its placement agreed upon by The match lasts for eight rounds. The tank with the
the players. most remaining Damage Points at the end is the win-
ner.

»Deployment
All players roll a D6, with the highest scoring placing
their tank first, touching any part of a board edge of
their choice. If there is one other player, they must de-
ploy their tank touching any part of the opposing board
edge. If there are two to three remaining players, take
turns placing each player’s tank along a separate board
edge, deploying in order of dice results, until all tanks
are placed.
32 | BLASTER VOLUME 4
Scenario
Special Rules
Boom Boxes
Not all objects on the battlefield are
useful. To up the fun factor, arena
officials sometimes place boxes of
live ordnance on the field. These
are easily avoided, but may explode
unexpectedly or even be shot at on
purpose.

A number of Boom Boxes may be

placed on the battlefield before the
first turn of the game, as dictated
by the scenario. Boom boxes must be
deployed at least 8” away from any
board edge and 8” away from anoth-
er Boom Box. Boom Boxes may be
represented with the provided tokens
or any suitable bomb-like object.
Make a note of where Boom Boxes Replacing Boom Boxes cheer its destruction in a hail of bul-
are placed when they are deployed, lets. Luckily, fixer bots are only used
Once Boom Boxes are destroyed, they
as they may reappear after being in a select few matches, otherwise
are removed from the table. Howev-
destroyed or claimed. the cost of replacing them might cut
er, they are immediately replaced as
into tank maintenance budgets.
Go Boom soon as there are no tanks within 6”
of the spot where the Boom Box was Placing Fixer Bots
Boom Boxes are automatically de-
deployed.
stroyed if they are hit by a tank’s If a scenario calls for fixer bots, each
secondary guns or a tank comes into player starts with two fixer bots on
contact with one for any reason. A Fixer Bots the field for a two player game, or
tank that touches a Boom Box suffers one fixer bot if there are more than
BRUTL! Tank Arena audiences want
D6 damage points to the facing that two players. Before the game begins,
value for their money, and nothing
made contact with the Boom Box, each player rolls a D6. The player
irks them more than a premature end
subtracting Armor Reduction as who rolls highest places their fixer
to a tank battle. To account for this,
normal. Additionally, any other tank bot in a corner of the board of their
each tank crew must allocate a small
within D6” of the Boom Box suf- choice, then the player with the next
number of scrapper bots, called
fers D6 damage points to the facing highest roll chooses a corner, and so
fixer bots, to performing battlefield
closest to the Boom Box, subtracting on, until all fixer bots are deployed.
repairs. The enemy’s machine guns
Armor Reduction as normal.. Any Should a fixer bot be destroyed or
make this a perilous task for the poor
Loot Crates or infantry model within removed from this corner, such as by
fixer bots, but audiences are just
this D6” explosion is destroyed. being called to action, it is immedi-
as likely to applaud a plucky fixer
ately replaced by another robot.
bot making the repair as they are to

BRUTL! TANK ARENA | 33

Calling Fixer Bots that tanks can run over to activate dormant features.
These features can include anything from special ammo
Call Fixer Bot is an additional action tanks may take in
to scrapper bot upgrades.
scenarios where fixer bots are used, and follows the
standard rules for actions. Once successfully used, one A number of Loot Crates may be placed on the bat-
fixer bot of the player’s choice becomes active and may tlefield before the first turn of the game, as dictated by
move about the field. the scenario. Each Loot Crate should be placed within 8”
of the center of the board, and further than 6” from any
Action Action Difficulty other Loot Crate, though this can be adjusted as required.
Type The intent is to spread Loot Crates out from each other
Call Fixer Bot Minor 4+ near the center of the board. Loot Crates may be repre-
sented with the provided tokens or any suitable crate-like
Moving Fixer Bots object. Make a note of where Loot Crates are placed when
Until they are called for, fixer bots cannot move from they are deployed, as they may reappear after being de-
their corner and cannot be attacked or interacted with. stroyed or claimed.
Once a tank performs the Call Fixer Bot action, one fixer
Claiming Loot Crates
bot of the player‘s choice becomes active and may move
up to 6” onto the field. Fixer bots may move in any direc- If your tank makes physical contact with a Loot Crate,

tion and suffer no penalties when moving through rough you may immediately draw a card from the Upgrade Deck.

terrain, though they must move around all other types of You may play this card immediately or hold onto it for

terrain. A player may only have one active fixer bot at a later use, but you may only play cards from the Upgrade

time. Deck during your tank’s activation. Once a card from the
Upgrade Deck has been used, discard it by placing it on
Each time a player activates their tank activates, their
the bottom of the deck.
active fixer bot may also move 3”. The player may also
take additional Call Fixer Bot actions to allow the fixer Attacking Loot Crates
bot to move an additional 6”. Loot crates may be shot at as described under the Shoot-

Fixer Bot Repairs ing rules for shooting secondary guns at immobile
scenario targets. This is generally done to deny an enemy
If a fixer bot makes it into contact with their assigned
tank the chance to get them.
tank, roll a Skill stat test. If the test fails, nothing hap-
pens. If the test is successful, the fixer bot may either Replacing Loot Crates
repair two damage to any one armor facing, or discard Once Loot Crates are destroyed, they are removed from
a single Doom Card of the player’s choice. If the stat the table. However, they are immediately replaced as
test was passed with a Critical, the player may do both soon as there are no tanks within 8” of the spot where
instead. Regardless of the result of the test, remove the the Loot Crate was deployed.
fixer bot from play.

Attacking Fixer Bots

Active fixer bots may be attacked as described under the
Shooting rules for shooting secondary guns at infantry.
Additionally, should a tank come into physical contact
with another player’s active fixer bot, the poor bot is
smooshed flat and immediately destroyed.

Loot Crates
Audiences love randomness and sudden swings of fate,
and arena officials were happy to oblige by installing
Loot Crates. Loot Crates are special activation codes

34 | BLASTER VOLUME 4
BRU T L! TA N K A R E NA

A DVA NCED RULES

BRUTL! TANK ARENA | 35

Advanced Rules
The following rules are considered advanced and have
been removed from the base game to reduce unneces-
sary complexity. However, if all players agree, they can
add flavor and offer additional tactical options.

Destroying Terrain Ramming

Tanks carry explosive ordinance that demolish struc- Under normal conditions, tanks rarely ram each other.
tures. The rules do not account for this in exchange for They have cannons to destroy other tanks, after all, and
quicker play, but should players want maximum carnage, survival is paramount in a battle. However, when tanks
destruction of arena terrain can be allowed. are remote controlled and only scrapper bots are at risk,
no opportunity for destruction is off the table. A tank may
Instead of targeting another tank with their main
ram another tank by ending its movement in contact with
gun, a tank can target a terrain piece. If the main gun has
the target after moving at least 3”. If the ramming tank
range, line of sight, and line of fire to the targeted ter-
moves less than 3”, the attempt is instead treated as nor-
rain piece, the target is automatically hit. Damage is then
mal tank contact, or pushing, as described under Move-
rolled as normal. The table below has examples of possible
ment. If the ramming has moved a sufficient distance,
terrain damage values. Note that terrain does not have
both tanks roll a Skill stat test. The tank that initiated
armor or armor reduction, and once a terrain piece has
the ram adds a +1 bonus to their test if they used blitz to
lost all its Damage Points it is removed from the game. For
get into contact. If either player succeeds, their oppo-
any terrain piece 5” or less in diameter, remove the entire
nent takes damage D3 damage to the facing contacted the
piece. For anything bigger, you can remove a 5” or smaller
other tank as if they were hit by an enemy main cannon.
if possible.
Additionally, the tank that initiated the ram may elect to
Damage push the enemy tank D3” in a straight line in the direction
Terrain Type (Examples) the pushing tank was moving, or D6” if the pushing tank
Points
blitzed as described earlier.
Reinforced structures, concrete buildings, 7 Example:

Scrap structures, wrecked vehicles, con- The Pink Demoness has just finished a blitz move,
crete barriers 5
moving 6”, and coming into contact with an enemy tank.
Since she moved at least 3” she may initiate a ram. Both
Tanks traps, concrete barriers, small
scrap walls 3 tanks roll their Skill stat, but the Pink Demoness adds +1
to the result. The Pink Demoness succeeds, but her
 enemy fails. She does not take damage as a result. She
hit the enemy in their rear facing, so her opponent takes
D3 damage, with armor reduction subtracted from the
roll. Note that since this is treated as normal damage,
the defender will always take a point of damage, even
if armor reduction would reduce the amount to zero
or less. The Pink Demoness may also elect to push the
rammed tank D6” in a straight line in the direction it
was moving before the ram.

Treacherous Terrain
Each battle tank arena possesses its own quirks that are as Oil Slick
much as an opponent as the tanks that fight within them. This is a pool of black sludge about a foot deep. Tanks treat
Arenas built around factories may contain large piles of these as difficult terrain, reducing movement by 2” if they
scrap or pools of flammable oil. Others that were built cross them. Additionally, they may be set alight. An oil
upon dump sites may be full of radioactive waste or worse. slick ignites if a tank is attacked while touching it, or if it
The following rules do not give specific descriptions for is targeted by secondary weapons; assume such an attack
size or shape of each terrain feature. Players are free to automatically succeeds. While alight, any tank that touch-
choose the size of the following terrain features, or assign es the oil slick must roll a Skill test or catch fire.
these rules to appropriate terrain inside their arenas.
Exercise caution! Radiation Leak
This is a pile of barrels holding spent nuclear waste or
Acid Pool
another area with high levels of radioactivity. Tanks treat
A pool of acid or other corrosive material left deliberately these as difficult terrain, reducing movement by 2” if they
or accidently on the floor of the arena. Tanks treat these cross them. Additionally, tanks lose an Action Dice any
as difficult terrain, reducing movement by 2” if they cross time they come within 3” of this terrain piece, down to
them. Any time a tank enters an acid pool it must pass an a minimum of zero, as the poor scrapper bot’s internal
immediate Skill test or automatically suffer D3 damage components are damaged by the radiation. If players want
to its front armor facing which is not reduced by damage to have places of higher radiation, increase the Action Dice
reduction. loss to D3.

Bumpers Scrap Pile

Some arenas come equipped with large pneumatic ham- This is any large pile of scrap parts or other hardened
mers, plates, or other devices of sufficient size and refuse that might damage an errant tread. These rules can
strength to push tanks around. Should a tank move into also represent specialized caltrops. Tanks treat these as
contact with a bumper, it is pushed D6+D3 inches directly difficult terrain, reducing movement by 2” if they cross
away from the bumper. For more fun, tanks can be pushed them. Additionally, a tank must roll a Skill stat test when
in a random direction if players wish. crossing through this terrain feature. If the test is failed,
start drawing cards from the Doom Deck until the Bent
Heavy Turret
Track or the Thrown Track card is drawn. Immediately ap-
Some arenas have large turrets capable of auto-targeting ply that card to the tank and shuffle the other drawn cards
nearby tanks. Each time a tank activates, roll a D6. On a back into the deck.
Critical, that player may nominate one heavy turret to fire.
On a 1, an opponent may choose one to fire instead. On a Tank Trap
2-5, nothing happens. Once a turret has been selected, the This piece of terrain is specifically designed to damage
selecting player rolls a D6 to-hit, scoring a hit on the clos- tanks. Such a piece of terrain tends to be small, about 2”
est tank to the turret on a 4 or better. The turret may fire across or less. If a tank comes into contact with a tank
in any direction but may only fire if it has line of sight to trap, it automatically suffers 1 point of damage to its front
a tank. It has unlimited range. This attack follows all the armor facing which is not reduced by armor reduction
rules for a tank’s main cannon. across or less.

BRUTL! TANK ARENA | 37

BRU T L! TA N K A R E NA

A PPENDIX
Tank name Controller name
ACTION table
NAME Type Difficulty

Move SHOOT SKILL ACTION DICE Aimed Cannon Shot Major 8+

Blitz Major 6+
Controller Override Major 0+
DAMAGE POINTS
Field Repairs Major 6+
Doom! Front Armor facing
3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1
Full Spin Major 6+
Extinguish Fire Minor 4+
Quick CannoN Shot Minor 6+
Rotate 45 Degrees Minor 4+
Rotate Turret 90 Degrees Minor 3+
Shoot Secondary Guns Major 6+
Trundle Minor 4+

LEFT Armor facing RIGHT Armor facing

3 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 3 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 1

FIRE ARCS
Armor Reduction:
Reduce the amount of damage dealt by the number in the first
box crossed off.
FRONT
A hit will always do a minimum of 1 damage to armor, regard-
less of armor reduction.
RIGHT
LEFT

Doom Cards:
Draw a Doom Card every time the tank receives 3 or more dam-
REAR Armor facing age in a single hit, or if an opponent chooses to make you after
REAR
2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 they roll a Critical to-hit.

Tank name controller name

ACTION table
NAME Type Difficulty

Move SHOOT SKILL ACTION DICE Aimed Cannon Shot Major 8+

Blitz Major 6+
Controller Override Major 0+
DAMAGE POINTS
Field Repairs Major 6+
Doom! Front Armor facing
3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1
Full Spin Major 6+
Extinguish Fire Minor 4+
Quick CannoN Shot Minor 6+
Rotate 45 Degrees Minor 4+
Rotate Turret 90 Degrees Minor 3+
Shoot Secondary Guns Major 6+
Trundle Minor 4+

LEFT Armor facing RIGHT Armor facing

3 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 3 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 1

FIRE ARCS
Armor Reduction:
Reduce the amount of damage dealt by the number in the first
box crossed off.
FRONT
A hit will always do a minimum of 1 damage to armor, regard-
less of armor reduction.
RIGHT
LEFT

Doom Cards:
Draw a Doom Card every time the tank receives 3 or more dam-
REAR Armor facing age in a single hit, or if an opponent chooses to make you after
REAR
2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 they roll a Critical to-hit.
Doom Deck
A Doom Card deck contains a single copy of each permanent card and three copies of
each instant card. Permanent cards are kept next to your Tank Sheet until the end of
the game or until fixed by the Field Repair action, while instant cards are discarded
to the bottom of the deck after use.

Bellringer
(Instant)
Cracked Turret
Cracked Cannon Loss of Scrapper Fire!!! (Instant)
Ring (Permanent) Thrown Track Immediately lose D3
Barrel (Permanent) Bot Crew
(Permanent) available Action Dice, Your tank catches fire.
When using the Turn (Permanent)
Attacks with your main to a minimum of 0. Additionally lose D3
Turret action, the turret Increase the Difficulty of
cannon suffer a -1 to-hit Reduce your Action Dice Additionally, during your available Action Dice, to a
may only swivel 45 the Trundle action by 1.
penalty. stat by 1. next activation, you may minimum of 0.
degrees instead of 90.
only take a single minor
action.

Bellringer
Compromised Hull (Instant)
Auto-Loader Bent Machine Guns
(Permanent) Fire!!! (Instant)
Damaged Steering Malfunction (Permanent) Immediately lose D3
Affects the facing hit by (Permanent) (Permanent) available Action Dice, Your tank catches fire.
the attack. Reduce the Your tank cannot shoot its to a minimum of 0. Additionally lose D3
Increase the Difficulty of Increase the Difficulty of secondary guns.
Armor Reduction in all Additionally, during your available Action Dice, to a
the Turn action 1. the Quick Cannon Shot
remaining check boxes next activation, you may minimum of 0.
action by 1.
by 1. only take a single minor
action.

Erratic Steering
(Permanent) Partial Ammo
Explosion
When using the turn Reduced Cannon
Bent Track Damaged Power Rough Reset (Instant)
action, you must declare Velocity
(Permanent) Plant (Permanent) (Instant)
you are turning left or (Permanent) Suffer D3 damage to a
right and then pass a Reduce your Move stat Increase the Difficulty of Lose all available Action randomly determined
Reduce the range of your
Skill test. If passed, you by 1. the Blitz action by 1. Dice. facing of your tank, which
main cannon to 16”.
may turn as normal. On is not reduced by armor
a failure, you turn the reduction.
opposite direction instead.

Shell-Shocked Partial Ammo

Scrapper Bots Explosion
Shattered Optics Stuck Turret
(Permanent) Reduced Steering Rough Reset (Instant)
(Permanent) (Permanent)
(Permanent) (Instant)
When you refill your Suffer D3 damage to a
Increase the Difficulty of Increase the Difficulty of
Action Dice for any reason, Increase the Difficulty of Lose all available Action randomly determined
the Aimed Cannot Shot the Turn Turret action
an enemy player can force the Full Spin action by 1. Dice. facing of your tank, which
by 1. by 1.
you to reroll one Action is not reduced by armor
Dice of the choice. reduction.

Bellringer
Partial Ammo
(Instant)
Explosion
Fire!!! (Instant)
Immediately lose D3 Rough Reset (Instant)
available Action Dice, Your tank catches fire. (Instant)
Suffer D3 damage to a
to a minimum of 0. Additionally lose D3
Lose all available Action randomly determined
Additionally, during your available Action Dice, to a
Dice. facing of your tank, which
next activation, you may minimum of 0.
is not reduced by armor
only take a single minor
reduction.
action.
UPGRADE Deck
If your tank makes physical contact with a Loot Crate, you may immediately draw
a card from the Upgrade Deck. You may play this card immediately or hold onto it
for later use, but you may only play cards from the Upgrade Deck during your tank’s
activation. Once a card from the Upgrade Deck has been used, discard it by placing it on
the bottom of the deck.

Insta-Repair Heat-Seeker Rounds

Move Boost Skill Boost
(upgrade) Dragon’s Breath
(upgrade) (upgrade) (upgrade)
During your next attack Rounds (upgrade) Overdrive
You may either repair two Play at the start of your Play at the start of your
with your main cannon, (upgrade)
damage to any one armor activation. You may During your next attack activation. For the next
you do not need line of
facing, repair one lost increase your Move stat by with your main cannon, Immediately gain 3 Action three activations, counting
fire to attack. You must
Damage Point, or discard +3 or, if you use the Turn the target automatically Dice. the current one as the
still have line of sight and
one permanent Doom action, you may pivot to catches fire if they are hit. first, gain +2 to your
be within range of your
Card. face any direction. Skill stat.
target.

Armor Boost Anti-Armor Rounds

(upgrade) (upgrade)
Telemetric Data
You may play this card Play before rolling to-hit
(upgrade)
after your tank is hit with your main cannon.
by an attack. When If successful, reduce Play before rolling to-hit
your opponent rolls for the armor reduction of with your main cannon.
damage, they must roll an the defender by 2, to a Gain a +2 bonus to-hit.
additional D6 and choose minimum of 0, for this
the lowest result. attack.

ROTATE Tank
RO
T AT
E

TURN TEMPLATE
Ta
kn
TOKENS

BOOM BOXeS

LOOT CRATES

ON FIRE
BRUTL
Over the years there have been many tank leagues found seaboard of the United States, with occasional forays into
all over the world. On the East Coast of the United States, Canada and Mexico. It is the most successful league still
tank fighting is dominated by BRUTL, one of the premiere operating, running ten arenas and hundreds of registered
leagues of the sport. Its origins began decades ago, when professional teams and several amateur circuits. Given
an eccentric billionaire named Wallace Strathmore start- its dominance, BRUTL sets the standards for rules of play,
ed a tank fighting league in the state of Maryland, taking team contract standards, and commercial licensing for
advantage of the city of Baltimore’s industrious shipping merchandising and match broadcasts. As they say, “If
port. Dubbed the Baltimore Regional Tank-Fighting Asso- you’re going to watch a tank fight, make it BRUTL!”.
ciation, it was built around the crane yards and drydocks
where teams could use the facilities at night. Several
arenas were built in Maryland and as far north as parts
of Canada as the league expanded. However, the league
came close to folding as they failed to penetrate south-
ern markets and crowd tastes started changing to less
violent pastimes. To protect the sport, Strathmore cut a
deal with the majority owner of the Ultimate Tank-Fight-
ing League, an up-and-coming league with arenas as far
south as Florida. Both leagues were folded into each
other and consolidated under the Baltimore Regional
Ultimate Tank-Fighting League moniker, or BRUTL for
short. Today, BRUTL expands on the reach of its prede-
cessors and holds matches up and down the eastern

ROTATE Tank
RO
TAT
E
Ta
nk

CARDS MINIS TEMPLATE

DOOM DECK AND Upgrade DECK AVAILABLE HUGE CUSTOM STL TANKS AVAILABLE ON Turn widget Available in Acrylic

OFFICIAL GAME MATERIALS

electi-studio.com/brutl
BRUTL! TANK ARENA | 43
 SLUDGE NATIONS
FA N TAS Y WA RGA MING IN A D O OM AGE OF BL AC K P OW DER

SEAN
SUTTER

ABOUT
M E TA L K I N G S T U D I O

Sean crafts compelling games in

fresh worlds like Relicblade and
Mystic Skies. Check out Sean's deeply
creative miniatures and enjoy diving
into Sludge.

M O R E AT

M E TA L K I N G S T U D I O.CO M
The world tree is rotting and the nine hells are bleeding into our own. We have

plunged into a poisoned dark age, and the verdant lands of our forefathers

have become a decaying nightmare. Black storms blot out the sun and churn

the dying earth into sludge. Vast tracts of land break apart to form island

kingdoms precariously supported by the colossal structure of the world tree.

Otherworldly fungal growths spread deadly spores, and great clouds of poison

scour and distort the world. Distant memories of the time before claw at the

mind, but the present horror remains.

Great armies languish in the land like locusts. They greedily consume the

now scarce resources. Barons, dukes, and princes gather warriors to conquer

what they can as they conduct bitter warfare to settle ancient grudges. The

cruel wars of men compound the nightmare. Death would be a small mercy,

but for fear or hate, the warriors will not yield. The latent magic of the world

tree spurs cycles of endless violence. The great exposed roots of the world tree

will heal any wound at a price, and men have turned to the dark practice of

harvesting its vital fragments. When forced into a wound the root bursts to

life, feeding off the host but also sustaining him. The excruciating process is

a horror of its own, yet the promise of revenge sends bitter hearts down this

dark path.

Decaying structures of reality crumble. Dark worlds beyond our own merge

into the sludge mire of the present age. Rumors of evil creatures and strange

men spread, but whatever new horrors may emerge, relentless armies of

damned men yet march to war. Once peaceful peoples are caught between

spreading fungal horrors and the incursion of evil warlords. Even the free men

have turned to violence. Grim corruption has taken hold of all things. Nothing

pure remains.

It i s a dark age of sludge and d oo m

SLUDGE | 45
Introduction
Greetings Sojourner,

Thus we return to the nightmare realms of sludge. In this volume of blaster we will
explore some of the nations found in the western branchways. As a miniature agnostic
game, sludge is always balanced against each player’s personal agency as a creative
storyteller. The core units presented in sludge war represent the “universal” troop types
found throughout the world of sludge. The rules found in sludge nations dive deeper into
some of the stranger unit types that exist in that doomed world.

Ultimately, even though there is a fair offering of lore in this supplement, it is crafted
under the expectation that you will shape these rules into your own vision of the sludge
world. The Basilisk Empire is arguably the most powerful nation that exists in this “Doom
Age of Black Powder.” But the basilisk also represents an imperial archetype that players
can adopt and adapt to the vision they hold for their own army. These new units are
balanced for competitive play, but that doesn’t mean they have to look the way I describe
them. You are free to “reskin” the horrible machines, cursed magicians, and cunning
weapons of war as you see fit.

This supplement steers the sludge ship away from the realms of anachronism and
directly into weird doom fantasy. One of my favorite moments during play-testing
included seeing a smoldering land crawler nearly torn to shreds by a mutated giant.
Then the tank blasted its arcane engines into overdrive and smashed headlong into the
beast, churning it into gore. There was also the time I saw an imperial army siege the
fortifications of the noble free-peoples. Lines of free longbowmen rained arrows from the
sky while their sacred icon continued to raise their unyielding warriors from the fields
of gore to continue their valiant defense. But despite their grit, the inexorable imperials
flowed over their fortifications like an unstoppable tide.

It is my intention to send you further down doomed paths into this world of self-
consuming destruction. I have all kinds of absurd ideas that I’m super excited to deliver,
and blaster has been a wonderful vehicle and excuse to do just that. I am really delighted
that you have chosen to explore the decaying branchways with me. If you don’t see the
unit types you have been daydreaming about, please feel free to start wishlisting on the
sludge wargame Facebook group! sludge is a creative wargame for creative wargamers.

As always, be sure to stay safe and have fun.

Your friend,
 Sludge Nations
The world of sludge is vast and each player’s interpretation of
the setting is a valid iteration in the decaying multiverse. The
Nation Factions described here will represent both existing
nations and archetypes found across the dying world. For what
it’s worth, these factions are primarily focused on the western
branchways inhabited by mankind and don’t represent the full
breadth of the sludge world.

When creating a new sludge battalion, players may choose

to identify their army as part of one of the following factions.
By doing so, they gain access to various special units in
addition to the core units found in sludge war.

The Armies of Keth

Throughout the book you'll find photos with
the Armies of Keth models, direct from Sean's
imagination. You can buy them cast in high-detail
resin here:

https://blacksitestudio.com/sludge/ SLUDGE | 47
SLU D GE NAT IONS

IMPERI A L FAC TIONS

The Basilisk Empire

Across all of time, mighty empires have risen and fallen lands and Prince Konrad’s rise to power with jealous horror. The
as history grinds the bones of brave men to dust. In the age machinations of a corrupted royal court began to sway against
of decay, the vast majority of the western branchways are the prince and his ambitions. A carefully executed conspiracy
inhabited by tribal coalitions and minor kingdoms. But when brought severe charges against the royal family. The king was
a singularly powerful warlord sets his sight on conquest, the forced to prosecute his own son for fear of a violent uprising.
dream of empire is born anew. Konrad III was recalled to his father’s fortress city where he
In the late second century of the common era, Konrad III, the would face a trial before the enraged priests and wrathful lords
Serpent Prince, made his meteoric ascent to power. According that had accused him. One of the conspirators broke from the
to legend, his genius for statecraft was present from a young carefully laid plan to alert Konrad III of his impending doom.
age and, after being granted his first command, the prince set The Serpent Prince’s cunning was vastly underestimated and,
to work forging an empire in the crucible of war. With lightning when he arrived at the city gates, he held all the cards. The
speed he conquered the warrior tribes to the east. But unlike his prince’s loyal assassins spread through the city like a plague.
forefathers, he began to organize his conquests into ever greater By nightfall the king’s nightmare was fulfilled and even royal
military might. His tireless zeal and unmatched charisma drew blood flowed in the streets. The entire kingdom was brought to
powerful commanders to his banner. Those who found favor in heel in three days of bloodshed. Ancient traditions were burned
his court were lifted to positions of power and granted wondrous to ash and the Serpent Prince shed his royal skin to be reborn
conquered lands. Within eight short and bloody years the Serpent as the Basilisk Emperor. In the proceeding century the Basilisk
Prince grew from the son of a warrior king into something far Empire became the largest and most powerful nation in the
beyond the bounds of his station. west. It is a curse to have the Basilisk set its eye upon you. Vast
Grumbling lords watched the transformation of the eastern armies marched to war under the banner of the Serpent Star

48 | BLASTER VOLUME 3
and with each conquest the empire grew in power. Though the annals of history. Imperial armies are a mixture of both
Basilisk’s might was unmatched, the bloated imperial state professional soldiers and slave-like conscripts hailing from the
was not without its dangerous flaws. The massive nation was sprawling vastness of its unknowable borders. The unending
plagued with internal strife. Rival lords vied for supremacy imperialist wars are powered by conquest and iron governance.
in a complicated political network. Strange alliances with It is common for lone kingdoms to be swiftly overwhelmed by
mysterious Arcanist guilds shaped precarious treaties and expeditionary forces. All military resistance is swept aside
sacred oaths. Sinister doom cults infected the populous. Greedy and the local lords are replaced by imperial agents. Ultimately,
dukes sent their personal armies deep into unknown lands to the imperial armies will pass onward, leaving the kingdom
subjugate and devour everything in their path. to persist under the new administration.The peasants of that
Perhaps none except the Basilisk Emperor himself knew the rural kingdom will live as before, except their sons and the
true scale of the empire. The empire continued to gorge itself bounty of their land is sent as tribute to the ravenous Basilisk.
on the decaying world as it became inextricably entangled in
the roots of the world tree, Yggdrasil. High upon the cyclopian
spires of the Imperial Capital, Konrad III, The Basilisk
Emperor, sat enthroned at the center of groveling kings and
whispering sorcerers. He became the unknowable center of
the colossal imperial war machine. He became the brooding
heart of greed that obsessed over what more could be devoured.
Exploiting dark magic, he traded his humanity for an eternal
life consumed by an insatiable hunger for conquest.
The Basilisk Empire has become a grim monolith in the

SLUDGE | 49
Imperial Special Units
Imperialist battalions may include the following special units in addition to
those found in the core rules.

Imperial Artificer
One of the strongest elements of the imperial model was the adoption of those it conquers. When the Basilisk consumed the
industrial city of Cinder Forge and the secretive Machine College in 345ce, it claimed one of its greatest jewels. The Artificers are the
sons of imperial genius. By imperial decree, the Machine College was forced to receive Arcanist overseers. The proud machinists were
initially enraged, but the adversarial relationship was short lived. The tireless minds of these academic masters quickly embraced
one another. New and wondrous technologies were born from the powerful collaboration.

Artificers are a single figure at 30 points.

I M P E R I A L A R T I F I C E R | H E RO
SPEED BRUTA LITY CU NNING FA ITH A RCA NA DEFENSE WOU NDS

4 1 2 2 0 6 2

EQUIPMENT SPECIAL SKILLS:

Musket and Knightly Arms Tough

Gain +1 on endurance saves.
OPTIONAL UPGRADES
Artificer Abilities
Bodyguard | 10 points Artificers have the following abilities.

May include one bodyguard for 10 points. The bodyguard increases

wounds by 1 and Knightly Arms burst by 2. Bodyguards count as the
same figure as the artificer and may be modeled on the same base or
separately. They are not removed until the artificer is destroyed.

Repeating Rifle | 5 points

Musket becomes range 14 and burst 3.

NA ME OR DER TY PE A ND BONUS R A NGE TN BURST DA M AGE OR EFFECT

Heal 1 wound on target

M AC H I N I S T Short Special, Cunning 2” 5 - artillery piece or Imperial
Crawler.

Friendly Artillery and

J U M P S TA R T Short Special, Cunning 2” 5 - Imperial Crawler units
within range may move 2”.

Target friendly artillery or

M A S T ER Imperial Crawler unit may
GU N N ER Long Special, Cunning 2” 5 -
gain one stress to make a
ranged combat order.
Imperial Zouaves

Imperial armies featured troops from vast and varied lands, Imperial Zouaves are line infantry regiments consisting of
and the Imperial Zouaves are one of the most striking units in between three and five 40mm bases of soldiers at 10 points each.
the empire. The first Zouave units were assembled by the Basilisk Imperial Zouaves are elite line infantry and their inclusion in a
Emperor himself during his conquests in the eastern battle planes. battalion does not open the option to include an elite unit.
They combined Eastern martial traditions with new lightning
tactics and quickly gained renown for their speed and discipline.

I M P E R I A L Z O UAV E S | L I N E I N FA N T RY R E G I M E N T
SPEED BRUTA LITY CU NNING FA ITH A RCA NA DEFENSE WOU NDS

4 1 1 1 0 5 3

EQUIPMENT OPTIONAL UPGRADES

Musket volley and bayonets. The regimental standard and musician upgrades may both
be equipped to the same figure.
Veterans | 10 points
Hold Position becomes a Short Order.

Regimental Standard | 5 points

Gain +1 on nerve tests.

Musician | 5 points
Gain the Regimental Song free order.

SLUDGE | 51
 Imperial Conscripts

In contrast with the highly disciplined Zouaves, the empire

regularly pressed the slave-like peasants within its iron grasp
into military service. Conscripts were far from professional
soldiers, but they were nevertheless equipped and sent into
battle. The Basilisk gladly spent countless lives at the altar of
conquest.
Imperial Conscripts are line infantry regiments consisting
of between three and six 40mm bases of soldiers at 10 points
each.

I M P E R I A L C O N S C R I P T S | L I N E I N FA N T RY R E G I M E N T
SPEED BRUTA LITY CU NNING FA ITH A RCA NA DEFENSE WOU NDS

3 1 0 0 0 5 4

EQUIPMENT SPECIAL SKILLS:

Musket volley and bayonets. Irregular

When this unit fails a nerve test, it suffers stress wounds when its
total stress is equal to or greater than their wound characteristic.
Normally, the total must be greater than the wound characteristic to
inflict stress wounds.
Imperial Crawler (Elite)

The Imperial Crawler must be the most fearsome creation of hateful bursts of burning lead into their foes. The monstrous
the age. These mechanical titans came thundering forth from the Imperial Crawler is a beast from the Age of Myth reborn.
billowing fires of Cinder Forge. These heavily armored weapons Imperial Crawlers are a single large machine at 60 points.
of war are the offspring of ancient arcane secrets bred with the Imperial Crawlers are an elite unit choice.
machinist’s enigmatic imagination. Specially trained Arcanist
crews stoke enchanted engines while ingenious artificers unleash

I M P E R I A L C R AW L E R | E L I T E M A C H I N E U N I T
SPEED BRUTA LITY CU NNING FA ITH A RCA NA DEFENSE WOU NDS

3 1 1 1 0 7 6

EQUIPMENT SPECIAL SKILLS:

Heavy Guns and Crushing Mass. Tough

Gain +1 on endurance saves.
OPTIONAL UPGRADES
Land Ship
Flame Cannon | 10 points This unit cannot be locked in close combat and enemy units cannot be
locked in close combat with it. That means the crawler can perform
Replace Heavy Guns with Flame Cannon.
ranged attacks even if enemy figures are within 2” of it. Enemy fighters
may charge and attack the crawler from within 2” as normal but they
Heavy Crawler | 20 points
are not locked in combat after they fight. If the crawler fails a close
Heavy Crawlers gain +2 Wounds and it gains 2x burst on ranged attacks combat test, the crawler does not move away from the enemy or end its
as if it were a unit of two figures. activation.

Troop Transport
During deployment, the controlling player may deploy one unit with
a maximum of 9 wounds inside the crawler. During the crawler’s
activation it may deploy the unit completely within 3” of itself for a
short order. If the crawler is destroyed while the unit is inside, place
the figures within 3” of the crawler and each figure suffers d3 wounds.
Machines and Cavalry units may not be deployed inside the crawler.

NA ME TY PE R A NGE TN BURST DA M AGE OR EFFECT

H E AV Y GU N S Ranged 12 8 5 +2, SHOCK 2

FL A M E C A N N O N Ranged 4 9 7 +2, SHOCK 6 and BURN

C RUS H I N G M A S S Close - 5 3 +3, SHOCK 4 and DISMEMBER

BURN DISMEMBER

Wounds caused by this weapon do not generate gore. Each damage roll of 6 deals 2 wounds instead of 1.

SHOCK

Units that suffer wounds from a weapon with the

SHOCK special rule increase the TN of their nerve
test by the SHOCK value.

Designer’s Notes: The model tanks used during playtesting fit on a 4” or 100mm round base. These machines drop gore when wounded just like everything else. When
they take damage, the gore could be from wounded crew members or maybe the gore is black smoke and wreckage. Either way, it adds to the chaos of the battlefield.

SLUDGE | 53
Rocket Battery

Rockets are an ancient technology that were successfully weaponized by artificers in recent
years. Highly mobile teams of specially trained units may rush into position, take aim, and lay
down withering explosive barrages against their enemies.

Rocket teams are particularly effective in regions where field guns are too cumbersome to
operate. Rockets can be fired from the decks of Arcships, the high ridges of mountain crags, and the
deep mud of no-man’s-land with equal efficacy.
Rocket batteries are artillery units consisting of between one and three 40mm bases of soldiers
at 20 points each.

RO C K E T B AT T E RY | A R T I L L E RY U N I T
SPEED BRUTA LITY CU NNING FA ITH A RCA NA DEFENSE WOU NDS

3 1 1 1 0 5 2

EQUIPMENT OPTIONAL UPGRADES

Rockets and Hand Weapons. Extra Crew | 5 points

The whole unit gains +1 wound and +1 speed for 5 points.
SPECIAL SKILLS:

Dangerous Ordinance
Rocket Salvo TN rolls of 10 grant +2 burst instead of +1 but the unit
suffers 1 wound. On Rocket Salvo TN rolls of 1 this unit suffers 2
wounds and the attack fails as normal.

NA ME TY PE R A NGE TN BURST DA M AGE OR EFFECT

RO C K E T S A LVO
+2, DAZE and
Ranged 24 7 3
SHOCK 4

SHOCK DAZE

Units that suffer wounds from a weapon with the Each damage roll of 6 causes the DAZE status. Dazed units suffer -1 on
SHOCK special rule increase the TN of their nerve tests during their next activation, then the status is removed. Units can
test by the SHOCK value. suffer from multiple daze effects at once for greater negative modifiers.

54 | BLASTER VOLUME 3
SLUDGE | 55
SLU D GE NAT IONS

ROYA LIS T FAC TIONS

The Chimera Throne

Imperialist aggression spread with impunity throughout monarch and will resort to extremes in service of their beloved
the Scattered Planes until its expanding borders slammed into ruler. According to legend, the Chimera claims an unbroken lineage
the lands of the ancient Chimera Throne. Those first encounters from before the world broke apart, through the mythical age of
were unimaginably savage. Imperial war parties flooded into arcanism, and into the dawn of humanity. It is meaningless to
the land with gleaming red banners and thundering cannons. contest the validity of this belief because the pure earthly might of
Where minor kings and their knights would have crumbled, a the Chimera Throne is unassailable. Ancient Chimeran territories
professional army stood its ground. Thousands of lives were are fortified with dominating stone castles and complex defensive
spent in a day of blazing fires and exploding lead. Royalist networks. In addition to massive fortresses, the Chimera Throne
fortifications held fast against the imperial onslaught. It seemed has access to the largest known fleet of Arcships. So while the
that the unstoppable imperial force had met an immovable Chimeran territory is much smaller than the Basilisk Empire, the
object. What resulted was a blighted boundary between the royalist forces are able to compete on equal, if not superior, footing
Chimera Throne and the Basilisk Empire. These titanic forces in nearly every arena.
eternally vie for supremacy across savage frontiers. The fierce Unlike many traditional military forces throughout the
competition between these age-defining powers fostered branchways, the royalist armies are primarily composed of
continual escalation. Whenever one sought to claim new professional soldiers. Most notable is the widely deployed Royal
territory, the other was never far behind. Marines. Delivered to battle via massive arcships and tactical battle
The Chimera is an intensely secretive ruler who has never kites, the royal marines are able to bypass strong points to strike
been seen by outsiders. Throughout the kingdom, the divine exposed positions. They are tactically flexible and extremely well
Chimera monarch is revered as an earthly manifestation of the disciplined. The Royal Marines are a noble and steadfast fighting
god. Subjects of the Chimera Throne are fiercely loyal to their force who face any danger in the name of their monarch.

56 | BLASTER VOLUME 3
 Through a complex mixture of military might and political
leverage, the Chimera continued to grow in power throughout
the west. With a professional standing army at the ready and a
fleet of mythic arcships available to impose ironclad blockades
at a whim, Chimeran emissaries negotiated trade agreements,
treaties, and alliances that established what amounted to
vassal kingdoms at best and brutal colonial holdings at worst.
For many of these remote planes, the choice was to starve to
death or to simply bow before the Chimera. However, as the
endless wars continued to rage, these minor lands became the
stage for titanic clashes between the venerable Chimera and the
ravenous Basilisk. Still, even though the Chimera had arrived
as a conqueror to these lands, it also brought a semblance of
prosperity in a doomed world. And many of these colonies and
vassals rose to the challenge to fight alongside the royal armies
in service of their beloved and terrible monarch.

SLUDGE | 57
Royalist Special Units
Royalist battalions may include the following special units in addition
to those found in the core rules.

Royal Magician
The court of the Chimera Throne is an extremely complicated show
of careful pageantry and deadly posturing. Unlike the dark sorcerers
found throughout the branchways, the royal magicians are aristocratic
officers of the arcane. Over the centuries, the royal Chimeric Academy has
developed a path into the arcane completely unique to their order. Royal
Magicians loath to degrade themselves by entering the battlefield but, as
loyal servants to the Chimera Throne, they do as they are bidden.
Royal magicians are a single figure at 30 points.

ROYA L M A G I C I A N | H E RO
SPEED BRUTA LITY CU NNING FA ITH A RCA NA DEFENSE WOU NDS

4 1 1 0 2 6 2

EQUIPMENT SPECIAL SKILLS:

Knightly Arms Tough

Gain +1 on endurance saves.
OPTIONAL UPGRADES
Arcane Abilities
Bodyguards Magicians have the following abilities.

May include up to two bodyguards for 10 points each. Each bodyguard

increases wounds +1 and Knightly Arms burst by 2. Bodyguards
count as the same figure as the magician and may be modeled on the
same base or separately. They are not removed until the magician is
destroyed.

Mount
Royal Magicians may be mounted for free. Increase to speed 6.
Mounted magicians may only have one bodyguard.

NA ME OR DER TY PE A ND BONUS R A NGE TN BURST DA M AGE OR EFFECT

Target friendly unit that is

FRO M T H E
H E AV EN S Short Sorcery LOS 5 - not locked in combat may
move 2”.

P S YC H I C
M U TAT I O N S Short Sorcery LOS 5 - Target unit suffers DAZE.

Target friendly unit may gain

C H I M ER I C
FU RY Long Sorcery LOS 6 - one stress to perform the
combat long order.

DAZE

Each damage roll of 6 causes the DAZE status. Dazed units suffer -1 on tests
during their next activation, then the status is removed. Units can suffer
from multiple daze effects at once for greater negative modifiers.

58 | BLASTER VOLUME 3
Royal Marines

The Royal Marines are among the most illustrious military

outfits in the western branchways. Their exploits are the stuff
of legend. The men of the Royal Marines are daring and bold
warriors who will gladly undertake any hardship in the name of
their monarch. Commonly deployed behind enemy lines on strange
airships, they face mortal peril with stoic determination and have
overcome every obstacle by strength of will and martial might.
Royal Marines are line infantry regiments consisting of between
three and five 40mm bases of soldiers at 10 points each.

ROYA L M A R I N E S | L I N E I N FA N T RY R E G I M E N T
SPEED BRUTA LITY CU NNING FA ITH A RCA NA DEFENSE WOU NDS

3 1 2 1 0 5 3

EQUIPMENT OPTIONAL UPGRADES

Musket volley and bayonets. Veterans | 10 points

Hold Position becomes a Short Order.

Raiders | 10 points
Gain +1 Brutality.

Regimental Standard | 5 points

Gain +1 on nerve tests.

Rifles | 5 points
Musket volley becomes range 14.

SLUDGE | 59
Royal Hussars
While there is a general sense of rivalry between the Marines and the other branches of the Royal Military, the Hussars have
earned the respect of even the most hardened Marine veterans. This light cavalry unit was originally composed of ostentatious
volunteers with a vain reputation for bravado. During the winter of 425ce, when the 4th and 6th Marines were locked in a bitter
campaign against the Death Templar, the all-volunteer 2nd Royal Hussars stayed by their side through the ice storms and harsh
deprivation. The Hussars held fast even after the winter had claimed nearly half their number and all of their horses. During the
final battles of the campaign, the 2nd Hussars showed valor and charged on foot by the Marines’ side. In the end, the 2nd Hussars
earned battle honors when they famously stormed the southernmost tower of the Iron Minarets to slay the dark sorcerer and his
retinue of bloodthirsty crusaders.

Royal Hussars are light cavalry consisting of between three and six figures at 5 points each.

ROYA L H U S S A R S | L I G H T C AVA L RY
SPEED BRUTA LITY CU NNING FA ITH A RCA NA DEFENSE WOU NDS

5 2 0 1 0 5 1

EQUIPMENT OPTIONAL UPGRADES

Cavalry Sabres Royal Hussars may be upgraded to the following variant.

Death’s Head | 5 points
The whole unit may be upgraded to Death’s Head Hussars for 5 points.

Death’s Head Cavalry Sabres gain DISMEMBER: Each damage roll of 6

deals 2 wounds instead of 1.

Volunteer's Bravado | 5 points

The whole unit gains Noble for 5 points. Failed nerve tests that would
cause wounds only remove one figure.

60 | BLASTER VOLUME 3
Battle Kite (Elite)
The Chimera Throne is an ancient monarchy that holds the largest known fleet
of Arcships in the world and it has maintained an extremely close alliance with
the Arcanist Navigator guilds for many centuries. The Arcanists who have aligned
themselves with the Chimera Throne have enjoyed unique access to various ancient
Arcship technologies. As a result, the Chimera Throne is one of the few nations to
develop new flying machines in the Age of Decay. Battle Kites are small, short range
airships that provide remarkable mobility. These machines serve as excellent scouts,
invaluable transports throughout the tangled land, and have even been adapted for use
as tactical bombers.

Battle Kits are a single large flying machine at 30 points. Battle Kites are an elite
unit choice.

B AT T L E K I T E | E L I T E M A C H I N E U N I T
SPEED BRUTA LITY CU NNING FA ITH A RCA NA DEFENSE WOU NDS

7 0 1 1 0 5 5

EQUIPMENT SPECIAL SKILLS

Bombs Flying Ship

Flying ships may be mounted on any size base. Ranges are measured
OPTIONAL UPGRADES from the center point of the figure’s base. This unit can see and be seen
through other units and low terrain features such as barriers. This
unit may move unhindered through terrain and other units. This unit
Veteran Pilot | 10 points
cannot enter close combat by any means.
Battle Kite gains +1 Defense.
Strafing Run
Bomber Kite | 10 points
When this unit makes an attack with bombs, it moves up to twice its
Bomber Kites lose the Troop Transport special skill, but gains 2x burst speed. This move does not need to be in a straight line. The kite may
on ranged attacks as if it were a unit of two figures. target one unit that was within 3” of its flight path.

Troop Transport
During deployment, the controlling player may deploy a unit with a
maximum of 9 wounds inside the Battle Kite. During the kite’s activation
it may deploy the unit completely within 3” of the center of the kite as
a short order. If the kite is destroyed while the unit is inside, place the
unit within 3” of the center of the kite and each figure suffers d3 wounds.
Machines and Cavalry units may not be deployed inside the kite.

NA ME TY PE R A NGE TN BURST DA M AGE OR EFFECT

BOMBS Ranged 3 7 3 +3, SHOCK 2 and DISMEMBER

DISMEMBER SHOCK

Each damage roll of 6 deals 2 wounds instead of 1. Units that suffer wounds from a weapon with the
SHOCK special rule increase the TN of their nerve
test by the SHOCK value.

Designer’s Notes: Airships are amazing. The battle kite is an arcane machine to model them however you wish. They could be dragons for all I care. But my
that would be analogous to some kind of helicopter in our world. They aren’t very imagination is some kind of ornithopter.
big and they aren’t really what we think of as kites. You are obviously welcome

SLUDGE | 61
Mortar Teams
The Royal Marines are famous for taking advantage of their air superiority to make daring attacks behind enemy lines.
However, these tactics often lead to engagements in terrain that limits the effectiveness of traditional artillery. In response, the royal
armory developed smaller light mortars that could be deployed from Kites alongside combat marines. These light artillery units first
saw widespread use in the campaign to reclaim the Gorgon Archipelago.

Mortar teams are artillery units consisting of between one and three 40mm bases of soldiers at 20 points each.

M O R TA R T E A M S | A R T I L L E RY U N I T
SPEED BRUTA LITY CU NNING FA ITH A RCA NA DEFENSE WOU NDS

3 1 1 1 0 5 2

EQUIPMENT SPECIAL SKILLS

Light Mortar and Hand Weapons Indirect Fire

Mortars may draw LOS through one other unit or terrain piece.
OPTIONAL UPGRADES Mortars on a hill may draw LOS over two units or terrain pieces.

Dangerous Ordinance
Extra Crew | 5 points
Light Mortar TN rolls of 10 grant +2 burst instead of +1 but the unit
The whole unit gains +1 wound and +1 Speed for 5 points.
suffers 1

wound. On Light Mortar TN rolls of 1 this unit suffers 2 wounds and the
attack fails as normal.

NA ME TY PE R A NGE TN BURST DA M AGE OR EFFECT

L I G H T M O R TA R
+2, SHOCK 2 and
Ranged 18 7 3
DISMEMBER

DISMEMBER SHOCK

Each damage roll of 6 deals 2 wounds instead of 1. Units that suffer wounds from a weapon with the
SHOCK special rule increase the TN of their nerve
test by the SHOCK value.

62 | BLASTER VOLUME 3
SLUDGE | 63
SLU D GE NAT IONS

FREE PEOPLES FAC TIONS

The Roc Coalition

There are countless nations in the inconceivable tangles of initial battles against the local tribes and quickly took control
the decaying world tree. The mightiest nations sail through the of a large southern territory. With the whole region under
branchways on ancient Arcships with powerful armies. They dire threat, the six remaining tribes gathered their elders in a
prowl through the skies like predatory animals on the hunt. historic council.
At any moment, bloodthirsty warlords may emerge from dark For centuries, the people had been free from outside
storms or impenetrable fog to pillage, burn, and conquer all influence. The eight original tribes were fiercely independent
they come across. The truth is that most nations are not mighty and had fought many wars within the gilded lands. Forty years
empires, rather they are desperately small and hanging on from prior, Nodu the Betrayer launched a bloody war in an attempt
the brink of destruction. In the face of imperial conquest, there to subdue and unify the tribes. It was only by the rise of a noble
is little chance of survival. Bereft of hope, there are many proud warrior named Mokosa that Nodu and his brigands were
free-peoples who persist in bitter defiance of a merciless world quelled. Mokosa convinced one legendary warrior from each
and hateful enemies. of the eight tribes to join him as equals. These knights gathered
There are numerous tribes and minor states that might under one banner to face a mortal enemy. The heroic events
be identified as free peoples by an outsider. These groups are of that war had solidified the proud identities of those eight
best defined by their fierce independence and profound sense independent tribes forty years earlier, but the imperial war had
of identity. One of the most iconic examples of a successful exploded to a completely new level. The strangers had emerged
independent nation in the western branchways is the Roc from the firmament mere weeks before, and two of the eight
Coalition. In the latter part of the fourth century common era, proud tribes had been completely wiped from the face of the
High Marshal Broadmoor led an expedition in force on the earth. It was clear that in this new age, the old ways would be
Gilded Peninsula. The imperial army made massive gains in the challenged like never before.

64 | BLASTER VOLUME 3
 Passionate arguments and savage accusations echoed in
the smoky hall where the elders of the six remaining tribes were
gathered. The roar finally subsided when Mokosa’s eldest son
took the floor. He held his father’s carefully folded banner in
his hands. A quiet murmur spread through the gathering as
the legendary object was unfurled. The emblem of a massive
golden eagle was once again displayed before the assembled
tribes. Mokosa’s son was the first to pledge the oath and soon
all six remaining tribes were unified under the Roc Coalition.
Each tribe maintained their independence, but their might was
joined in brotherhood against a common enemy. On that fateful
day, Mokosa’s son became the First Among Equals. What
followed was a legendary clash between the merciless Basilisk
Empire and the proud Roc Coalition.

SLUDGE | 65
Free Peoples Special Units
Free Peoples battalions may include the following special units
in addition to those found in the core rules.

Knights of the Realm

In myths and legends, the Knights of the Realm were heroes Knights of the Realm are a special commander unit consisting of 5

who protected the land against the forces of evil. In the 4th individually based figures at 40 points.

century, the Knights of the Realm became a powerful symbol Knights of the Realm replace the free battalion commander. If the
of tribal unity and noble purpose. Each champion is appointed Knights of the Realm unit is destroyed all units in their battalion
by the elders from the assembled warrior clans in accordance gain one stress.
with tradition. These knights are extremely powerful warriors
who assume this mantle of authority with grim reverence. It is
vital among the free people to celebrate their traditions, and it
is a point of pride that they are led by a council of their finest
warriors rather than a single individual.

K N I G H T S O F T H E R E A L M | H E RO I C C O M M A N D E R U N I T
SPEED BRUTA LITY CU NNING FA ITH A RCA NA DEFENSE WOU NDS

4 2 2 2 0 7 2

EQUIPMENT SPECIAL SKILLS:

Knightly Arms Tough

Gain +1 on endurance saves.
OPTIONAL UPGRADES
Noble
The First Among Equals | 15 points Failed nerve tests that would cause wounds only remove one figure.

The Knights of the Ream gain one additional figure. All friendly units Ceramic War Blades
gain +2 Faith while within 15” of this figure.
This unit’s Knightly Arms gain DISMEMBER. Each damage roll of 6
Mounts | Exchange deals 2 wounds instead of 1.

The Knights of the Realm may be mounted for free. Increase to speed 6 Command Abilities
but reduce the unit size by 2 figures.
The Knights of the Realm have the following abilities.

NA ME OR DER TY PE A ND BONUS R A NGE TN BURST DA M AGE OR EFFECT

I N S PI R E
Remove 4 gore from within range or
Short Special, Cunning 10” 5 -
Remove 1 stress from the target.

WA RC RY
Self or ally Target gains +1 Burst on next combat
Short Special, Cunning 5 -
within 5” order.

BASTION
This unit gains +1 on endurance saves
Short Special, Cunning Self 5 -
until its next activation.

MART YRDOM
Remove one figure from this unit. All
Short Special, Cunning Self - -
allies within LOS lose one stress.

GO AT T H EM
Target gains +2 Speed on their next
Short Special, Cunning 5” 5 -
charge order.

H ERO I C S PEEC H
Remove 3 stress tokens from within
Long Special, Cunning 10” 5 -
range.

66 | BLASTER VOLUME 3
Longbowmen
Many minor kingdoms had very limited access to black
powder and had difficulty bringing the full might of the musket
to bear. However, in the face of this disparity the proud free
peoples train harder and exercise extreme discipline with
traditional longbows. The longbow is a powerful weapon in able
hands, but mastery of the longbow is a lifelong pursuit. Arrayed
on the field with their colorful banners, noble regiments of
longbowmen are a living relic of a lost age. Enemy commanders
have been known to view these units as powerless primitives. But
it is a mistake they rarely have an opportunity to make twice.
Longbowmen are line infantry regiments consisting of between
three and six 40mm bases of soldiers at 10 points each.

L O N G B OW M E N | L I N E I N FA N T RY R E G I M E N T
SPEED BRUTA LITY CU NNING FA ITH A RCA NA DEFENSE WOU NDS

3 1 1 1 0 5 3

EQUIPMENT

Longbows and hand weapons

OPTIONAL UPGRADES

Longbowmen may choose from the following

upgrades.
Regimental Standard | 5 points
Gain +1 on nerve tests.

Musician | 5 points
Gain the Regimental Song free order.

NA ME OR DER TY PE A ND BONUS R A NGE TN BURST DA M AGE OR EFFECT

R EG I M EN TA L S O N G (FR EE) Free Special, Faith - 5 - Remove 4 gore from within 5”

NA ME TY PE R A NGE TN BURST DA M AGE OR EFFECT

LO N G B OW VO L L E Y Ranged 16 7 3 +1, BLEED

BLEED

Each damage roll of 6 generates one additional gore.

SLUDGE | 67
Heavy Infantry

Limited access to black powder is an influential factor

for many free nations. Soldiers find themselves charging
into battle armed with swords and spears like warriors
from ancient times. The disparity of equipment often
instills a fiery determination to fight at a new level of
brutality. In some cases, the technological emphasis is
shifted away from gunsmithing into crafting fine armor
for every soldier in the regiment. These heavily armored
troops have had great success in recent conflicts in the
western branchways.
Heavy Infantry are line infantry regiments
consisting of between three and six 40mm bases of
soldiers at 10 points each.

H E AV Y I N FA N T RY | L I N E I N FA N T RY R E G I M E N T
SPEED BRUTA LITY CU NNING FA ITH A RCA NA DEFENSE WOU NDS

3 2 1 1 0 5 3

EQUIPMENT OPTIONAL UPGRADES

Pole weapons Heavy Infantry may choose from the following upgrades.
Full Armor | 10 points
Gain +1 Defense.

Regimental Standard | 5 points

Gain +1 on nerve tests

Musician | 5 points
Gain the Regimental Song free order.

NA ME OR DER TY PE A ND BONUS R A NGE TN BURST DA M AGE OR EFFECT

R EG I M EN TA L S O N G Free Special, Faith - 5 - Remove 4 gore from within 5”

68 | BLASTER VOLUME 3
Men-at-Arms
There are many martial traditions among the free peoples. Men-at-Arms consist of between four and eight figures at 5
Men-at-Arms are a class of free soldiers who have chosen a life points each. Full units of eight Men-at-Arms add an elite unit
of battle. They are travelers who lend their strength to warring choice to your battalion as if they were line infantry.
clans according to need. They have developed a unique martial
culture and usually fight in loose skirmishing formations. They
are a complicated group of mercenary-like warriors who are
often preoccupied with notions of honor and personal glory.

M E N - AT - A R M S | S K I R M I S H E R S
SPEED BRUTA LITY CU NNING FA ITH A RCA NA DEFENSE WOU NDS

3 1 1 1 0 6 1

EQUIPMENT SPECIAL SKILLS

Martial Weapon and Ceramic Shield or Heavy Weapon Shield Wall

Units with ceramic shields may assume the column formation as if
they were line infantry.
OPTIONAL UPGRADES

Line Breakers | 5 points

The whole unit’s close combat weapons gain DAZE for 5pts. Each
damage roll of 6 causes the DAZE status. Dazed units suffer -1 on tests
during their next activation, then the status is removed. Units can
suffer from multiple daze effects at once for greater negative modifiers.

NA ME TY PE R A NGE TN BURST DA M AGE OR EFFECT

MARTIAL WEAPON Close - 6 2 +2

H E AV Y W E A P O N Close - 6 2 +3

SLUDGE | 69
Sacred Icon (Elite)

The free peoples have remained free by their stern hands. Other free nations may gather around ancient idols,
determination and unyielding sense of independence. The central cryptic relics, or even an anointed princess. The traditions are
pillar of their ironclad identity is often personified by a sacred vast and varied, but the power of these sacred symbols to inspire
symbol. For example, the Roc Coalition is pledged under the free people is undeniable.
ancient banner of Mokosa. When Roc warriors look upon this Sacred Icons are a single figure at 30 points. The Sacred
golden standard they are filled with overwhelming pride, and Icon may be mounted on a 25-60mm base. The Sacred Icon is
they will fight like demons to protect their banner from enemy an elite unit choice.

SAC R E D I C O N | E L I T E
SPEED BRUTA LITY CU NNING FA ITH A RCA NA DEFENSE WOU NDS

3 0 0 2 0 7 3

EQUIPMENT SPECIAL SKILLS

The icon and attendants do not carry weapons. Optional Tough

bodyguards are equipped with Knightly Arms Gain +1 on endurance saves.

Sacred Abilities
OPTIONAL UPGRADES
The Sacred Icon has the following abilities.

Bodyguards | 10 points each

May include up to two bodyguards for 10 points each. Each bodyguard
increases wounds +1 and Knightly Arms burst by 2. Bodyguards count as
the same figure as the sacred icon and may be modeled on the same base
or separately. They are not removed until the sacred icon is destroyed.

NA ME OR DER TY PE A ND BONUS R A NGE TN BURST DA M AGE OR EFFECT

Target unit gains Tough until the user’s

Y I EL D N OT!
next activation to gain +1 on endurance
Short Prayer 10 5 -
saves. Units with the Tough special skill
cannot benefit from this.

R I G H T EO US FU RY
Target friendly unit may gain one
Long Prayer 10 5 -
stress to perform the combat long order.

Remove up to 8 gore from within range.

If 8 gore was removed, one friendly unit
B L ES S ED
R ESU R R EC T I O N Long Prayer 10 5 - within range heals three wounds, even
returning figures from the dead. Units
cannot exceed original unit strength.

70 | BLASTER VOLUME 3
SLU D GE NAT IONS

CULT FAC TIONS

The Manticore Cults

The decaying world is a mind-shattering landscape. Not justice and revenge in the decaying world. Printing presses
only is the entirety of the world a mutilated mockery of the churned out pamphlets containing the Witchfinder’s writings.
natural order, but the very pillars of reality are collapsing Weekly essays about the Manticore’s wrath reverberated with
into one another. In this terrible condition humanity grasps the people. The horrors they had suffered in the endless wars
for threads of continuity, and belief becomes a commodity of and the hateful dreams that consumed their minds had been
paramount importance. Within every empire, kingdom, and given a voice. The pamphlets contained accounts of horrific
nation strange cults have burst into existence. The cults and deeds that required the Manticore’s judgement alongside searing
their beliefs are as diverse as the people of the world, but many admonitions and dire warnings. As the Witchfinder’s writings
of these unholy religions share grim similarities. Thankfully, became ever more widely distributed, violent fervor swept across
most of these doom cults are sequestered in fortress monasteries the Basilisk Empire.
or distant and forgotten planes, but not all cults are content to That following year, The Witchfinder General was at the head
live in solitude. The Spires of Penitence, The Blind Citadel, The of a fierce crusade. Hastily constructed gallows burst like weeds
Mountain of Solace in the Pale Moon, and The Death Templar in every town square. Statesmen and peasants alike were dragged
have all launched cursed crusades into the western branchways. before zealous mobs to face trial. The convicted were burned
These singularly violent belief systems appear to be born from a upon great pyres. Black smoke and screams of agony filled the air.
shared nightmare known as the Manticore. In the age of decay, no one was without blame, and none were
The phenomenon now known as the Manticore was first safe from the Manticore’s judgement. The Witchfinder General
identified by the Imperial Witchfinder General Sigmund Roth presided over these grim rituals. Human beings were sacrificed
in 266ce. His obsessive writings meticulously outlined a sinister as burnt offerings at the altar of divine revenge. But with each
cosmology. The Manticore became the central figure in this step the vengeful crusaders trod deeper down the path of endless
emerging world view. The Manticore is a creature that is believed bloodshed themselves. The Witchfinder’s mind slipped in the gore of
to lurk in the collective subconscious. It is a symbol of humanity’s his conquests, and the crusade erupted into a fractious ruin. The
privileged place in creation as beings that are both half-god and endless bloodshed they reviled was a shimmering reflection of their
half-beast. Empowered by a belief in their own primal authority, own murderous deeds. The blasphemy they had sought to uproot
the devotees of the Manticore assumed the burden and duty to had nested in their souls. The first Manticore Crusade splintered
execute vicious retribution. They would become vessels of both into dozens of cruel factions which drove deeper into the berstial

72 | BLASTER VOLUME 3
Manticore ideology to become homicidal revenge cults. Over the Manticore cults have become a consistent feature of the
following decade, the First Manticore crusade was crushed by the decaying world. The endless bitter wars waged by heartless
imperial legions. The Witchfinder General was executed and his rulers create fertile soil for the Manticore’s Venom to sow
writings were outlawed by imperial decree. Despite the Basilisk its poisonous seeds. As narcissistic rulers abandon their
Emperor’s fathomless capacity for violence, militant Manticore humanity to bask in dark immortality, their people’s lost souls
cults remained a major player in the balance of power across the hunger for revenge. Terror and nihilism consume countless
western branchways. souls, and the promise of the Manticore’s primal justice is a
The prominence and might of various Manticore cults wax precious temptation. A shared hate-filled nightmare burns
and wane following the tide of human suffering. However, like a wildfire in the dry tinder of human suffering. The savage
some of these cults have become powerful assets to enterprising thoughts of the Manticore gnaw at the root of the mind. Visions
warlords looking to leverage the fanatical might of a violent of the Manticore percolate through humanity’s lived horrors to
faith. The Arcanists of Divinity were among the most powerful manifest as new cults, and blood-soaked crusades against the
factions formed in the dissolution of the first crusade. pillars of civilization have become a perennial tragedy. At the
Accordingly, they were mercilessly hunted and their remnants center of these virulent crusades stands the dark governance
were exiled on the desolate Keth Planes. Keth had become of a destroyer. The shadow of the Manticore is cast upon
synonymous with a civil war that was as brutal and unrelenting every mind in these dark days, and the imminent madness it
as its hellish landscape. It was under these harsh conditions that promises lurks just beyond sight.
the Arcanists of Divinity made an alliance with the Northern
Keth Sultanate. The Sultan was as artfully deceitful as the
Arcanist cult, and their alliance was balanced on a razor edge.
The exact depth of Manticore corruption in the Keth Sultanate
is a matter of debate, but the brutal efficacy of this alliance
is undeniable. This murderous regime launched a fanatical
crusade with renewed vigor. And against The Sultan Divine
the bitter nations of Keth were cast into unplumbed depths of
abyssal war.

SLUDGE | 73
Cultist Special Units
Cultist battalions may include the following special units in addition to those
found in the core rules.

Priest of the Manticore

The cults of the Manticore have become widespread. The Manticore’s Venom manifests as dark thought and once a population
is exposed to this intellectual contagion the poison will spread. The Priests of the Manticore are dark sorcerers who have become
completely consumed by this cruel venom. Their obsessive minds gnaw endlessly at the tangled web of existence. Their dark dreams
spread into humanity’s collective subconscious and find fertile grounds in downtrodden souls. These priests are the progenitors of
corruption and the madness from which they suffer spreads outward from the cracks in their darkened souls.
Priests of the Manticore are a single figure at 30 points.

P R I E ST O F T H E M A N T I C O R E | H E RO
SPEED BRUTA LITY CU NNING FA ITH A RCA NA DEFENSE WOU NDS

4 1 1 0 2 6 2

EQUIPMENT SPECIAL SKILLS:

Knightly Arms Tough

Gain +1 on endurance saves.
OPTIONAL UPGRADES
Arcane Abilities
Bodyguards Priests of the Manticore have the following abilities.

May include up to two bodyguards for 10 points each. Each bodyguard

increases wounds +1 and Knightly Arms burst by 2. Bodyguards count
as the same figure as the priest and may be modeled on the same base
or separately. They are not removed until the priest is destroyed.

Mount
Priest may be mounted for free. Increase to speed 6. Mounted priests
may only have one bodyguard.

NA ME OR DER TY PE A ND BONUS R A NGE TN BURST DA M AGE OR EFFECT

+1, DAZE. If this attack removes a

figure from play, replace that figure with
MIND POISON
a new Zealot under your control. Zealots
Short Sorcery 12 7 2
created this way activate after all other
units have activated, right before the
nerve phase.

Friendly units gain DAZE on their

weapons while within 12” of the priest.
M A N T I CO R E V EN O M Long Sorcery 12 5 - Weapons that already have DAZE cause
two DAZE effects on a 6. This sorcery lasts
until the user’s next activation.

SIGN OF DOOM Long Sorcery 12 6 - All units within range gain 1 stress.

DAZE

Each damage roll of 6 causes the DAZE status. Dazed

units suffer -1 on tests during their next activation,
then the status is removed. Units can suffer from
multiple daze effects at once for greater negative
modifiers.

74 | BLASTER VOLUME 3
Cultist Throngs
The Manticore cults gather howling mobs to tear down their earthly masters. Blood will run in the streets and fire will consume
fertile lands wherever these raving throngs pass. They have become like plague-born swarms. As the rioters spread destruction,
the rioting mass only grows larger and more fervent. They are both the result of the disease and the disease itself. The Manticore’s
devotees suffer from unending nightmares that whisper dark secrets into their fragile minds. Following these dreams, the cultists
obsessively assemble and stockpile poison gas grenades. These bombs are a concoction of heaving dread that damages the mind and
soul as much as the body.
Cultist Throngs are line infantry regiments consisting of between three and six 40mm bases of soldiers at 10 points each.

C U LT I ST T H RO N G S | L I N E I N FA N T RY R E G I M E N T
SPEED BRUTA LITY CU NNING FA ITH A RCA NA DEFENSE WOU NDS

3 0 0 1 1 5 4

EQUIPMENT SPECIAL SKILLS

Sinister Blades and Poison Grenades Fanatical

Gain +1 on combat orders for each stress on this unit instead of the
usual -1.

Irregular
When this unit fails a nerve test, it suffers stress wounds when its total
stress is equal to or greater than their wound characteristic. Normally,
the total must be greater than the wound characteristic to inflict stress
wounds.

NA ME TY PE R A NGE TN BURST DA M AGE OR EFFECT

S I N I S T ER B L A D ES Close - 7 3 +1, DAZE

P O I S O N G R EN A D ES Ranged 8 7 3 +1, DAZE

DAZE

Each damage roll of 6 causes the DAZE status. Dazed

units suffer -1 on tests during their next activation,
then the status is removed. Units can suffer from
multiple daze effects at once for greater negative
modifiers.

SLUDGE | 75
 Zealots
The teachings of the Manticore cults transform devotees’ minds
and bodies into living weapons. Violent zealots are fanatical creatures.
They are both heralds who spread the Manticore’s thought poison and
assassins who embody the Manticore’s venom. They are the Manticore’s
carefully perfected tools. It is believed that Manticore Zealots are
already widely spread throughout the branchways as spies. These
agents quietly infect others long before their respective cult emerges
in force. In one instant they are subtle agents and in the next they are
rabid attack dogs. And the change from a sleeper agent to a savage
killer is only a matter of their master’s dark thought.

Zealots are skirmishers consisting of between three and six figures

at 5 points each.

Z E A L O T S | SK I R M I SH E R S
SPEED BRUTA LITY CU NNING FA ITH A RCA NA DEFENSE WOU NDS

4 2 1 1 1 5 1

EQUIPMENT SPECIAL SKILLS:

Hidden Blades and Hidden Poison Bombs Fanatical

Gain +1 on combat orders for each stress on this unit instead of the
OPTIONAL UPGRADES usual -1.

Zealots may be upgraded to the following variant.

Assassins | 10 points
The whole unit may be upgraded to Assassins for 10 points. Do not
deploy this unit at the beginning of the game. Instead, at the end of any
Activation Phase, and before the Nerve Phase has been resolved, the
controlling player may place the assassin unit within 4” of any board
edge and not within 4” of an enemy unit. The assassins activate in the
following Activation Phase as normal.

NA ME TY PE R A NGE TN BURST DA M AGE OR EFFECT

H I D D EN B L A D ES Close - 7 2 +1, DAZE

H I D D EN P O I S O N
G R EN A D ES Ranged 8 7 2 +1, DAZE

DAZE

Each damage roll of 6 causes the DAZE status. Dazed units suffer -1 on
tests during theirnext activation, then the status is removed. Units can
suffer from multiple daze effects at once for greater negative modifiers.

76 | BLASTER VOLUME 3
Crusaders (Elite)
Many knightly orders are insular warrior cultures that exist separate from society and already exhibit many cult-like tendencies.
It is reasonable to believe that the corrupting tendrils of the Manticore have infiltrated every aspect of society. But there is undeniable
certainty that the savage crusades launched by once respected knightly orders are intimately linked to the Manticore’s sinister goals.
Crusaders are a diabolic hybrid between the unyielding savagery of the zealot and the unmatched combat prowess of the noble knight.
Crusaders consist of between three and six figures at 15 points each. Crusaders are an elite unit choice.

C R USA DE R S | E L I T E SK I R M I SH E R S
SPEED BRUTA LITY CU NNING FA ITH A RCA NA DEFENSE WOU NDS

4 2 1 2 1 6 2

EQUIPMENT
Fanatics | 5 points
The whole unit gains Fanatical for 5 points. Gain +1 on combat orders
Knightly Arms for each stress on this unit instead of the usual -1.

OPTIONAL UPGRADES Blood Knight | 10 points

The whole unit becomes blood knights for 10 points and gains the
Mounts | Exchange Blood Ritual skill.

The whole unit may be mounted to gain +1 speed, but the maximum
unit size is reduced to four figures.

NA ME OR DER TY PE A ND BONUS R A NGE TN BURST DA M AGE OR EFFECT

Remove up to 8 gore from within

5”. If 8 gore is removed, this
B LO O D R I T UA L
unit recovers d3 wounds, even
Long Prayer 5 5 -
returning figures from the dead.
This unit cannot exceed the
original unit strength.

SPECIAL SKILLS

Tough
Gain +1 on endurance saves.

Noble
Failed nerve tests that would cause wounds only
remove one figure.

Fury
During this unit’s activation, it may gain one stress
to perform the combat long order as a free action.
Saint
As the pillars of reality decay, the nine hells bled together in their virulent congregations. They promise that the saints of old
a maddening tangle. Daily life was dominated by ever-present would soon be reincarnated. These saints would not be reborn as
dread. Heavy black clouds drifted through immense branches the faithful healers they were in life, but in their second coming,
that stretch across the darkened sky. Nations of men scratched they would be vengeful destroyers. They would be man-eating
out their bitter existence on brutal tracks of bleak land. The demons and instruments of divine justice.
Manticore’s poisonous religions found fertile grounds in the Saints are a single large figure at 45 points each. The saint’s
hearts of beleaguered peoples. The priests pulled prophetic base should be between 50mm and 80mm.
visions from ever-churning nightmares to deliver grim hope to

S A I N T | H E RO
SPEED BRUTA LITY CU NNING FA ITH A RCA NA DEFENSE WOU NDS

3 2 1 0 1 6 5

EQUIPMENT SPECIAL SKILLS

Knightly Arms Tough

Gain +1 on endurance saves.

OPTIONAL UPGRADES Huge Warrior

Saint gain 3x burst on close combat attacks as if it were a unit of three
Psychotic | 15 points figures.
The Saint gains Fanatical and Fury for 15 points.

Fanatical
Gain +1 on combat orders for each stress on this unit instead of
the usual -1.

Fury
During this unit’s activation, it may gain one stress to perform
the combat long order as a free action.

78 | BLASTER VOLUME 3
SLU D GE WA R

SLUDG E N ATIONS
A PPENDIX
 I M P E R I A L I ST U N I T S
NA ME SPEED BRUTA LITY CU NNING FA ITH A RCA NA DEFENSE WOU NDS

I M PER I A L A R T I FI C ER 4 1 2 2 0 6 2

I M PER I A L ZO UAV ES 4 1 1 1 0 5 3

I M PER I A L CO N S C R I P T S 3 1 0 0 0 5 4

I M PER I A L C R AW L ER (EL I T E) 3 1 1 1 0 7 6

RO C K E T B AT T ERY 3 1 1 1 0 5 2

ROYA L I ST U N I T S
NA ME SPEED BRUTA LITY CU NNING FA ITH A RCA NA DEFENSE WOU NDS

ROYA L M AG I C I A N 4 1 1 0 2 6 2

ROYA L M A R I N ES 3 1 2 1 0 5 3

ROYA L H US S A R S 5 2 0 1 0 5 1

B AT T L E K I T E (EL I T E) 7 0 1 1 0 5 5

M O R TA R T E A M S 3 1 1 1 0 5 2

FREE PEOPLES UNITS

NA ME SPEED BRUTA LITY CU NNING FA ITH A RCA NA DEFENSE WOU NDS

4 2 2 2 0 7 2
KNIGHTS OF THE REALM

LO N G B OW M EN
3 1 1 1 0 5 3

H E AV Y I N FA N T RY
3 2 1 1 0 5 3

M EN -AT-A R M S
3 1 1 1 0 6 1

3 0 0 2 0 7 3
S AC R ED I CO N (EL I T E)

C U LT I ST U N I T S
NA ME SPEED BRUTA LITY CU NNING FA ITH A RCA NA DEFENSE WOU NDS

PR I ES T O F T H E M A N T I CO R E 4 1 1 0 2 6 2

CU LT I S T T H RO N GS 3 0 0 1 1 5 4

ZE A LOT S 4 2 1 1 1 5 1

C RUS A D ER S (EL I T E) 4 2 1 2 1 6 2

SAINT 3 2 1 0 1 6 5

80 | BLASTER VOLUME 3
 WEAPONS
NA ME TY PE R A NGE TN BURST DA M AGE OR EFFECT

B AYO N E T S Close - 7 3 +2

BOMBS Ranged 3 7 3 +3, SHOCK 2 and DISMEMBER

C AVA L RY S A B R ES Close - 6 2 +2, SHOCK 2 on Charge

C ROS S B OWS Ranged 14 7 2 +1

C ROS S B OW VO L L E Y Ranged 14 7 3 +1

C RUS H I N G M A S S Close - 5 3 +3, SHOCK 4 and DISMEMBER

FI EL D GU N Ranged Guess+d10 - 3 +5, Bounce d10, SHOCK 4

FL A M E C A N N O N Ranged 4 9 7 +2, SHOCK 6 and BURN

HAND WEAPONS Close - 6 1 +2

H E AV Y GU N S Ranged 12 8 5 +2, SHOCK 2

H E AV Y W E A P O N Close - 6 2 +3

H I D D EN B L A D ES Close - 7 2 +1, DAZE

H I D D EN P O I S O N G R EN A D ES Ranged 8 7 2 +1, DAZE

K N I G H T LY A R M S Close - 6 2 +3, SHOCK 2 on Charge

L I G H T M O R TA R Ranged 18 7 3 +2, SHOCK 2 and DISMEMBER

LO N G B OW VO L L E Y Ranged 16 7 3 +1, BLEED

MARTIAL WEAPON Close - 6 2 +2

M US K E T S Ranged 12 6 1 +2

M US K E T VO L L E Y Ranged 12 6 2 +2, SHOCK 2

P O I S O N G R EN A D ES Ranged 8 7 3 +1, DAZE

POLE WEAPONS Close - 6 3 +3

RO C K E T S A LVO Ranged 24 7 3 +2, DAZE and SHOCK 4

S I N I S T ER B L A D ES Close - 7 3 +1, DAZE

Special Rules
BLEED DISMEMBER

Each damage roll of 6 generates one Each damage roll of 6 deals 2 wounds
additional gore. instead of 1.

BURN SHOCK

Wounds caused by this weapon do not Units that suffer wounds from a weapon
generate gore. with the SHOCK special rule increase the
TN of their nerve test by the SHOCK value.

DAZE

Each damage roll of 6 causes the DAZE

status. Dazed units suffer -1 on tests
during their next activation, then the
status is removed. Units can suffer from
multiple daze effects at once for greater
negative modifiers.

SLUDGE | 81
 GASLANDS: LEGACY (PT.2)
GET R E A DY TO SNA P S OME TEMPL ATES

MIKE
HUTCHINSON

ABOUT
GASL ANDS: REFUELLED

Gaslands is the high-octane game

of post-apocalyptic car combat from
Osprey. Modify toy cars into death-
dealing racers and roar across the
wasteland in this tabletop game for
two or more players.

C O R E R U L E S A V A I L A B L E AT
GA SL ANDS.COM
 10560
10499 New Martian Way | District 10, Mars
The Story So Far…
pulled the
Rutherford Inc. just unceremoniously
Earth-side factories, including the
plug on all its
assets, it is
one you worked at. To protect their
standard practice to liquidate all
the unwanted HELPFUL LINKS
ot demolition
facilities. Unfortunately, the nanob
e for this task appea r to Vehicle Generator:
systems responsibl
e of microscopic gaslands.com/legacy
have gone rogue, and now a plagu
thing within 1000
machines are bent on turning every Legacy Dash boards:
miles to digital slag. gaslands.com/legacy/
dash boards
les you were able
Fleeing the bugs in whatever vehic
from the factory lot in the moments you had
Legacy Templates:
to loot
appea r to have stumbled lates
to make your escape, you gaslands.com/legacy/temp
s some kind of cland estin e facility belonging
acros
to the GeneSys Corp. Your scientists were so
preoccupied with whether
g about, they seem
From the looks of the gear layin or not they could, they
shit, but from
to be up to some pretty high-tech didn’t stop to think if they
mutat ed semi- mecha nical dinosaurs
the looks of the should.
e the nanobot
you just escaped, you have to assum
actually alrea dy made it this far,
infection has Ian Malcolm
racing virtually
which is bananas, as you’ve been Jurassic Park (1993)
flat out.

but they are only

The nanobots are insanely deadly,
place you might find the
machines. If there is any
of computer nerds neede d to fix this, it’s gotta
sort
e up some tech
be here. Let’s see if we can rustl
rt. We have to find some way to pull the plug.
suppo

What is this?
ign with
If you have BLAST ER Volum e 3: start your campa
volum e when
Chapt er 1 and proce ed to Chapt er 6 in this
e 3: no proble m!
instru cted. If you don’t have BLAST ER Volum
RUTHERFORD,INC

n, create some
Read throug h the ‘Legac y Rules Recap’ sectio
action at Chapt er 6.
new legacy teams , and jump right into the
reveal ed in the first
You’ll miss out on some of the story that is
of the madd est
five chapt ers, but you are still guara nteed five
games of Gaslan ds you’ve ever played!

G A SL A N D S: LEGACY | 83
Legacy Rules Recap
Gaslands: Legacy is a narrative campaign for Gaslands featuring a number
of new ‘legacy’ style mechanics to ensure that whatever is done cannot be
undone.

The following rules changes were all introduced over the course of the first five
chapters of the Gaslands: Legacy campaign, available in BLASTER Volume 3.
There are summarised here for convenience, and in case you are encountering
Gaslands: Legacy for the first time in this volume. (If the latter is the case, of
course I hope that by reading this you’ll be tempted to pick up Vol. 3 too). Vehicle By: Carlos Pandiella

­­R U L E S C H A N G E : ­­R U L E S C H A N G E :
­­R U L E S C H A N G E :

Rules Changes Creating a Legacy Team Legacy Templates

A Legacy team must consist of exactly two Each team must print off their own set of Legacy
‘Rules Changes’ in this Gaslands: Legacy
Legacy Vehicles. Templates.
campaign change the rules of Gaslands and/or
the rules of the campaign when encountered. To create a Legacy Vehicle, visit Gaslands.com/ Download the Gaslands: Legacy movement
Unless otherwise noted, each Rules Change legacy. Select the vehicle type you wish to create templates here: Gaslands.com/legacy/
applies from the point it is introduced and for from the drop-down list and enter the name Templates
the rest of the campaign (and only applies during printed on the bottom of your toy car. You must When moving a vehicle, including during forced
this campaign). use the set of starting stats, weapons, upgrades movement, the controlling player may only ever
‘Scenario Rules’ are just like ‘Rules Changes’, but and perks provided for your vehicle. select and place templates that belong to its team.
they apply only during the scenario they appear You must decide and note which facing each When measuring ranges, e.g. when measuring
within. weapon is mounted on. If a player forgets to note ranges for shooting, explosion, deployment and
a facing for a weapon before the start of the next other non-movement game effects, players must
­­R U L E S C H A N G E :
game, then it is front-mounted. use standard Gaslands templates, even if that
Permanent Changes template is recorded as damaged for their team.
Important: Legacy vehicles may never equip
When asked to record something ‘permanently’, a single weapon or upgrade that would alone
­­R U L E S C H A N G E :
whatever is written may not be erased during the require more build slots than the vehicle type’s
campaign, so use permanent ink.
Unlocking a Clue
starting build slots statistic.
Whenever a rule instructs you ‘unlock a clue’,
If a rule says to write temporarily, or says nothing For example, a performance car that gets
visit Gaslands.com/legacy/secret and enter the
specifically, whatever is written might need to generated with three machine guns is legal
code indicated in the text.
be erased again during the campaign, so use a (even though that would take up three build
pencil, or a dry-wipe marker. slots), but later game effects cannot cause it You can test it out by unlocking a clue using the

to gain a 125mm Cannon, which requires 3 code ‘TEST’.

Vehicles start each game on ‘full hull’.
build slots on its own (as the Performance Car
has only 2 starting build slots).

Legacy teams do not have a sponsor. All teams

gain audience votes in the same ways (see
‘Gaining Audience Votes’ below).

Download the Legacy dashboards here:

Gaslands.com/legacy/Dashboards

84 | BLASTER VOLUME 3
­­R U L E S C H A N G E :
­­R U L E S C H A N G E :

Gaining Audience Votes Corrosion

All players may gain audience votes in the normal ways listed on page 88 of Whenever a rule instructs you to ‘mark one corrosion’ on a vehicle:
the Gaslands: Refuelled rulebook and may also gain votes in the following permanently write an exclamation point (‘!’) in any hull point box
ways: on that vehicle’s dashboard card that doesn’t already have an ‘!’

Televised Carnage written in it.

If this vehicle causes 6 or more hits in a single Attack Step, before Evades, A hull box with an ‘!’ written in it is referred to as a ‘corroded hull
the controller of this vehicle gains 1 Audience Vote. box’, but otherwise functions as a normal hull box during play.

Live Fast When asked to check their team’s ‘Total Corrosion’ value, a player
During this vehicle’s activation, if this vehicle begins the Wipeout Step must add up the total number of corroded hull boxes on all their
with more Hazard Tokens than Hull Points, this vehicle’s controller gains 1 vehicles.
Audience Vote.
­­R U L E S C H A N G E :
All unspent audience votes are lost between games in this campaign.
Junkyard Cybernetics
­­R U L E S C H A N G E :
Whenever a rule instructs you to ‘roll one template improvement’,
Team Ratings roll a D6 and consult the following table:
Each vehicle you generate will have a listed ‘Vehicle Rating’.

Each player's ‘Team Rating’ is the sum of the Vehicle Ratings in their team.

­­R U L E S C H A N G E :
D6 Template Improvement

Track Your Victories Select one of this team’s templates and

1 permanently cross out one HAZARD ( ) H
At the end of each game, the player or players that won the game must icon from any permitted gear.
record one victory for their team. A tracker is provided on the back of one Select one of this team’s templates and
of the two legacy dashboard cards that make up your team. 2-3 permanently add one SHIFT ( ) icon to
S
any permitted gear.
Select one of this team’s templates and
permanently mark one new permitted
4-5
gear (i.e. shade in one of the unshaded
gears).
Select one of this team’s templates and
permanently draw (and perhaps snip out)
6 a new ‘slide exit point’ (▶) anywhere that
is touching an outer edge of the selected
template.

Vehicle By: Jack Stover

G A SL A N D S: LEGACY | 85
 NEW SLIDE EXIT POINTS ­­R U L E S C H A N G E :

As template improvements can add new slide exit points, two Turret Mounting
new rules apply during this campaign: Change the Turret Mounting upgrade to the following:

1. If a new slide exit point is added to one of the short Turret Mounting (Upgrade): When adding this upgrade to this vehicle, select a
edges of a template, then during a slide action using weapon attached to this vehicle. This upgrade costs twice the cost of the selected
that slide exit point, the player controlling the active weapon. The selected weapon gains a 360-degree Arc of Fire.
vehicle may choose which direction to face the
vehicle in at the end of the slide, (as with sliding off a
­­R U L E S C H A N G E :
straight in regular Gaslands).
Team Handicaps
2. Vehicles may not place a template with a slide exit
Before the start of each game, each player should compare their current
point touching their starting position. This means
Team Rating to the player with the highest Team Rating. If there is a
that if you add a new slide exit point to the short
difference in rating, the player with the lower Team Rating begins the
starting edge of the Medium Straight template it
game with the following bonus:
cannot be placed (so don’t do that).

­­R U L E S C H A N G E :

Nano-mutations Rating Gap Bonus

• Whenever a rule instructs you to ‘gain a mutation’, 0-5 No Bonus

load the vehicle up in the Gaslands: Legacy web app
6-10 +1 Audience Vote
(gaslands.com/legacy), either by revisiting a
bookmarked ‘vehicle link’ or by re-entering the vehicle’s 11-15 +2 Audience Votes
name, and click ‘Gain Mutation’.
16-20 +3 Audience Votes
• If the gained mutation says ‘gain one weapon’ or ‘gain one
upgrade’, the vehicle may gain anything from the noted list, Each vehicle on this team gains
one mutation. Then this team
up to any noted cost, ignoring all normal restrictions. (I.e. 21+ recalculates its Team Rating and
Electrical weapons are fair game). checks this table again.

• If the gained mutation adds a perk, weapon or upgrade,

the player must increase the vehicle’s rating by the cost in
cans of that perk, weapon or upgrade.

• If the gained mutation increases the vehicle’s hull value,

the player must increase the vehicle’s rating by 2 cans for
each hull point.

• If the gained mutation adds or unlocks something other

than a perk, weapon, upgrade or hull, increase the
vehicle’s rating by 3 points for the mutation.

Vehicle By: Joshua Parise

86 | BLASTER VOLUME 3
 Diorama By: Dick Vigil

­­R U L E S C H A N G E :
pointing in the direction indicated by the arrow on the lower
Unpredictable Performance
template. (The arrow on the upper template may face in
Whenever a rule instructs players to ‘combine two either direction).
templates’, they must roll two D6, and select two different
Once the two templates are glued or taped in place, remove
templates, one template that has a permitted gear equal to
(cut off) any part of the lower template beyond its dotted
the first dice roll, and another template that has a permitted
line that isn’t concealed under the upper template.
gear equal to the second dice roll. If either dice rolls is a 6,
that dice may be used to choose any template. The combined templates permanently form a single
movement template for the rest of the campaign.
Once the two templates are selected, they must be
combined by permanently affixed one to the other, such Once combined, either set of visible permitted gear icons

that the short starting edge of one template (the ‘upper may be used and any slide exit points may be used (including

template’) is placed exactly in line with (and centred on) the those on the ‘flip-side’ of the templates).

dotted line on the other template (the ‘lower template’), and

G A SL A N D S: LEGACY | 87
 Chapter 6: Tech Support
Read out the “The Story So Far”, and then read this
section out:

Assuming there are still staff working at this Dino

Park, GeneSys must have the sort of nerds who know how
to slow this plague. Search the facility and find some
tech support.

Scenario: Tech Suppor t

Play ‘Capture the Flag’ , except the flags are Technicians (use miniatures if
you have them), and you need to pick up two Technicians to win.

Vehicle By: Richard Greer

88 | BLASTER VOLUME 3
 ‘Post Game’ section.
Stop reading now. At the end of the game, read the

POST GAME

Tech Suppor t
After this game, read the following aloud:

As you suspected, this area is not abandoned. The two technicians you bundled into your
vehicles seem really on-edge. Dr. Short is stubbornly silent, but her assistant Brock is more
forthcoming.
it
“The park had been mothballed for decades until Rutherford paid GeneSys to quietly spin
back up again. I really couldn’t guess who first had the batshit idea to attempt to weaponise

the paleo-regenesis process, but it turns out to work pretty damn well. We’ve been building
prototype ‘sauruses here for about 6 years and if it wasn’t for this ham-fisted nano-demolition
over at the Rutherford logistics facility, we’d be getting our bonuses in about 4 months. This
cross-contamination is going to set us back years if we can’t reset it.”
it’s a
Dr. Short speaks unexpectedly, sounding distant: “The guys call them ‘Killsaurus’. I suppose
term of affection.”
Brock
Weaponised dinosaurs? You can’t resist asking: “These ‘sauruses’ ... are they … pilotable?”
eyes you suspiciously: “Sure. They are intended as crewed war-machin es. But, don’t get any
are
ideas, the human-inter face is still way off. Short of some kind of nano-grafting miracle, they
still non-operable as piloted vehicles.”

You realise the cold-blooded monsters you fled from earlier were BUILT with weapons mounted
on them. You had assumed it was a nano-bot mutation.

“Listen, that Rutherford paycheck is as good as gone if we can’t quarantine or cleanse a sample
before this new swarm of nanobots turns them into something we can’t undo. They’ve gone
rogue, but I think we can salvage them: will you guys help us get to the reset button?”

1. Each vehicle gains one 3. If any player noted earlier

mutation. in the campaign that ‘the

locals are grateful to you,’
2. The player with the lowest
they may unlock a clue using
total corrosion (roll off if
the code ‘DOGTAG’, keeping
tied) rolls one template
the content secret from the
improvement. All players
other players.
gain the rolled template
improvement. 4. Each player calculates their
new team rating.

Vehicle By: Matt Reeve

G A SL A N D S: LEGACY | 89
 Chapter 7:
Looting the Command Codes
You enter the vast GeneSys hanger through
one of its many massive hanger doors. It is
festooned with technical equipment, snaked
with power cables and dotted with forklifts.
This is the heart of the Killsaurus
programme. As you zoom down the central
thoroughfare, you start to notice the regular
organisation of tall bays and electrified pens
that betray its purpose.

There is a shocking amount of blood and gore,

and the distant roars confirm your suspicions:
this facility is overrun by angry mutated
dinosaurus.
nna Zillman
By: Chuck Williams & Dea
Dr. Short says the shutdown override codes
are stored in the data banks in the central
computer hub at the heart of this giant
facility. We need to find them fast, and then
get to the radio towers to broadcast the
codes.

Scenario 7:
Looting The Command Codes
Play the Automated Salvage scenario, adding the
following special rules:

­­S C E N A R I O R U L E :

Snatch ­­S C E N A R I O R U L E :

Change the scenario’s Ramshackle rule to say: ‘Once per step, if

•
Corrosive Pools
a vehicle suffers damage from an enemy vehicle, the damaged
are
During setup, players take turns to place corrosive pools until three
vehicle’s controller must place 1 Salvage Counter…’
in play.
• Change the scenario’s Game End condition to say: ‘The game
A corrosive pool should be represented by an item of gloopy or swampy
ends at the end of any round, if only one player has vehicles in play,
The
scenery roughly medium across, and counts as treacherous terrain.
or after three rounds, whichever comes first.’
first time this game each vehicle’s movement template or final position
overlaps any corrosive pool: note that this vehicle ‘got goo on it’.

90 | BLASTER VOLUME 3
 ­­S C E N A R I O R U L E :
­­S C E N A R I O R U L E :

The Files Are In The Computer File Not Found

a
The player with the highest total corrosion (roll off if tied) may unlock
As you barrel into the GeneSys computer hub, tyres
squealing on the slick floors, you are presented clue prior to the start of the scenario using the code ‘404’, keeping the
with a jungle of crates, computers, data banks and content secret from the other players:
generators. You know roughly what you are looking
for, but it is a needle in a haystack.

• Set aside a single Command Codes token at the start of the

game. (MIKE: Bonus points for using a tiny computer miniature as
the token.)

• If the Command Codes token is currently set aside: whenever

a vehicle gains a Salvage Point, its controller rolls a dice, and
adds their team’s current total Salvage Points. If the result is
6 or higher, place the Command Codes token on this vehicle’s
dashboard.

• If a vehicle uses the Magnetic Scavenger Hooks special rule

while short range of the vehicle with the Command Codes token,
the active vehicle takes the Command Code token from it.

• If the vehicle carrying the Command Codes token places a 1

Salvage Counter via the Ramshackle special rule, or is wrecked,
its controller must remove the Command Codes token from
that vehicle and set it aside. Vehicle By: Richard Greer

‘Post Game’ section.

Stop reading now. At the end of the game, read the

POST GAME

Looting The Command Codes

3. Each vehicle gains two mutations.
After this game:
4. The player with the lowest total corrosion (roll off if tied)
1. If a player is holding the Command Codes token at the
rolls two template improvements. All players gain both
end of the game they must note that they ‘have the
the rolled template improvements.
command codes’.
5. Each player calculates their new team rating.
2. If a vehicle ‘got goo on it’, mark one corrosion on it and
erase the note. After the scenario is played, proceed to Chapter 8.

G A SL A N D S: LEGACY | 91
 When it activates, the Truckasaurus counts as being in the same current
Chapter 8: The Killsaurus Factory Gear as the current Gear Phase. When activating the Truckasaurus, the
If a player has noted that they ‘have the command controlling player must select from the templates available to that player
the
codes’ then that player must unlock a clue using (including their damaged and new templates).
code ‘COUNTDOWN’ and read it aloud.
,
the If the Truckasaurus is involved in a collision outside of its activation
Otherwise, if no player has noted that they ‘have is
command codes’ then the player with the highest
total it always declares a Smash Attack reaction. When the Truckasaurus
as
corrosion (roll off if tied) must unlock a clue using attacked or is involved in a collision outside of its activation, it counts
the code ‘ROADBLOCK’ and read it aloud.
being in Gear 3.

Scenario: The Killsaurus Factory The Truckasaurus may not leave the play area. If the Truckasaurus final
t at
position would overlap the edge of the table, interrupt the movemen
Play ‘Truckasaurus’, but be sure to use a large toy dinosaur for the
that point. Do not resolve a collision with the table edge.
Truckasaurus. During this scenario, the following special rules apply:

­­S C E N A R I O R U L E :
­­S C E N A R I O R U L E :
Killsaurus Lives
Killsaurus Bleeds
.
Ignore the Truckasaurus Lives special rule on p152 of Gaslands: Refuelled
.
Ignore the Truckasaurus Feeds special rule on p153 of Gaslands: Refuelled
s’
At the start of the game, the player with Pole Position receives a ‘Killsauru
Point
When a player causes damage to the Truckasaurus, they gain 1 Victory
token (use a spare dinosaurus toy if you have one).
for each point of damage caused.
At the end of every gear phase, the player with the Killsaurus token
.
activates the Truckasaurus and then passes the Killsaurus token clockwise
other
The Truckasaurus activates exactly once each gear phase (even if no
vehicles are activated).

92 | BLASTER VOLUME 3
 ­­S C E N A R I O R U L E :

Game End & Victory Conditions

Ignore the Victory Conditions on p153 of Gaslands:
Refuelled.

The first team to score 25 Victory Points is the winner and

the game ends. Otherwise, the game ends when only one
player has vehicles in play, or three rounds have elapsed, and the
player(s) with the most Victory Points is the winner.

­­S C E N A R I O R U L E :

Access Codes
If a player noted that they ‘discovered the KSR access codes’ then once
spend
during this game, when the Truckasaurus is activated, this player may
. The
1 Audience Vote to jam the Truckasaurus for the rest of its activation
attacks, and
jammed Truckasaurus may not target vehicles from this team with
team
must declare an evade reaction when colliding with a vehicle from this
during this activation.

­­S C E N A R I O R U L E :

The Scent of Blood

During setup, before deployment, each player that noted that they have
give
‘dinosaur blood on their windshield’ must select one other player and
them two bonus Audience Votes to start the game with.
By: Mike Hutchinson

‘Post Game’ section.

Stop reading now. At the end of the game, read the

POST GAME

The Killsaurus Factory

b. If at least half of a team’s total hull boxes are
1. Each vehicle gains two mutations.
corroded, that player must unlock a clue using
2. The player with the lowest total corrosion (roll off if
the code ‘DIREBOT’.
tied) rolls two template improvements. All players
gain both the rolled template improvements. 4. Each player calculates their new team rating.

3. Each player must check their team’s hull boxes: After the scenario is played, proceed to Chapter 9.

a. If fewer than half of a team’s total hull boxes

are corroded, that player must unlock a clue
using the code ‘SYMBIOSIS’.

G A SL A N D S: LEGACY | 93
 even
At the start of every round, all wrecked vehicles may respawn for free,
Chapter 9: Ctrl+Alt+Delete if their controller has other vehicles in play.
Seated in a jumble of wires and slime, in the saddle
of a prehistoric bio-mech, you feel a surge of hope.
halt
Here is where you take a stand. You will either ­­S C E N A R I O R U L E :
this madness or be overwhelmed by this grey nano-
plague. Get to the radio towers. Broadcast the Game End
shutdow n override signal. Pray it works.
game
Ignore the ‘Game End’ rules on page 141 of Gaslands: Refuelled. This
Scenario: Ctrl+Alt+Delete does not end until one player has 3 Victory Points, at which point the game

rules: ends immediately.

Play ‘The Revolution Will Be Televised’, with the following special

­­S C E N A R I O R U L E :
­­S C E N A R I O R U L E :
Nanobot Override Beacons
Command Codes
not note
Whenever a player is required to note a new terrain piece, they may
have
If one player has the command codes, all the other players that don’t
a piece of terrain within double range of any of their vehicles.
the command codes require 4 VP to win this scenario, instead of 3 VP.

­­S C E N A R I O R U L E :

Heart of the Nanobot Vortex

At the end of every round, the player with the most victory points (roll
off if tied) rolls one template improvement and all players gain the rolled
template improvement.

94 | BLASTER VOLUME 3
 ‘Post Game’ section.
Stop reading now. At the end of the game, read the

POST GAME

Ctrl+Alt+Delete:

1. If a team containing a Killsaurus won the 2. If a team containing a Nanobot Behemoth

game: the shutdown codes were broadcast: won the game: the shutdown codes were

proceed to Conclusion A: Dawn Of The not broadcast: proceed to Conclusion B:

Killsaurus. Nanopocalypse.

Conclusion A: Conclusion B:
Dawn Of The Killsaurus Nanopocalypse
As you push the ‘transmit’ button, the world TRANSMISSION ABORTED. SHUTDOW N THREAT
freezes in place. The swirling, chaotic CONTAINED. AREA PHX-0345 ERASURE PROCEEDING.
nano-soup suddenly calcifies into a demented EXPECTED STERILISATION IN T-23H. REPORT
tableau of otherworldly scupltures, familiar COMPILING… COMPRESSING... UPLOADING… COMPLETE.
but indescribable. The rampage of the rogue
RECEIPT ACKNOWLEDGED. STAND BY FOR NEW
nanobots from the Rutherford facility seems
DIRECTIVE.
to have been halted. This part of the world
will just have to die of some other horror
DOWNLOA DING… RECEIPT ACKNOWLEDGED. NEW
instead.
DIRECTIVE RECEIVED. UPDATING DESIGNATION:
COUNTER-TERRORIST STRIKE UNIT KSR-039001.
From your vantage point atop your Killsaurus,
UPDATING OPERATING PROTOCOL: SEARCH AND
you can’t help feeling something is only
DESTROY. ACQUIRING TARGET COORDINATES.
beginning. In the command of this engine of
EXECUTE.
destruction, a person might do something
great, or something terrible. You feel as if
The campaign ends. The player with the highest total number of
you could take Mars on single-handedly, or
build a terrible wasteland empire of your corroded hull boxes across all their vehicles is the winner of this
own. Gaslands: Legacy campaign. If there is a tie, the tied player with

WIDE SHOT OF A MECHANISED DINOSAUR the highest number of victories is the winner of the campaign.
SILHOUETTED BY THE SETTING SUN

The campaign ends. The player with the lowest total number of
corroded hull boxes across all their vehicles is the winner of this
Gaslands: Legacy campaign. If there is a tie, the tied player with
the highest number of victories is the winner of the campaign.
RAGE OF THE KILLSAURUS
If you wish to play one more
game, Play ‘Arena of Death’
with the final teams from this
campaign.

By: Tim Jacobs

 DEATHSHIP ONE
THE U LTIM ATE TEST OF SU RV I VA L

JOSEPH
A. MCCULLOUGH

ABOUT
DEATHSHIP ONE
Deathship One is a solo or co-operative
miniatures game in which the player controls
a small squad of warriors attempting to
fight their way through an alien death trap.
It’s designed to be fast and fun and to use a
minimum of miniatures and terrain. It’s also
designed to be limited. The whole game
consists of 5 scenarios or ‘rooms’. The order
of those rooms can change from game-to-
game, but you always play all five, assuming
you live that long.
WELCOME TO DEATHSHIP ONE
Welcome to Deathship One. Better listen up, because the
truth is, you probably won’t live long. You see, you’ve been
INTRODUCTION
brought here to die. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s a test or Deathship One is a solo or co-operative miniatures game
experiment to measure the capability of warriors from in which the player controls a small squad of warriors
your planet. Maybe it’s just entertainment, like a circus or attempting to fight their way through an alien death trap.
gameshow. Or maybe this is punishment, a personal pur- It’s designed to be fast and fun and to use a minimum of
gatory for you sins. Now, I don’t mean to bring you down. I miniatures and terrain. It’s also designed to be limited.
just don’t want to fill you with any false hopes either. The whole game consists of 5 scenarios or ‘rooms’. The or-
der of those rooms can change from game-to-game, but
On the other side of that door is a room, and beyond
you always play all five, assuming you live that long.
that another, and another, and another. In fact, there are
five rooms in total. Each of those rooms is designed to The first part of this booklet explains how to assemble
kill you in different ways. Traps, monsters, automated your squad. There are three squads available: low-tech,
weapons systems, you name it. No, I can’t tell you what middle-tech, and hi-tech. This means you can play the
the next room looks like, even if I wanted to. It changes game using miniatures from any setting or time-period.
every time. The rooms shift around you see. But you’ve So, if you want to try the game with Greek hoplites, or US
got one chance. You’ve got to fight your way through all Marines from the Vietnam War, or power armoured space
five rooms. In the unlikely event you survive, you get to go commandos, you can. In fact, why not try all three and see
home. which group lives the longest?

So, it’s that simple. You fight your way through, you The second part contains the rules you need to play
survive. You might even find a few things to help you on the game. These have been purposely kept as simple as
the way. Seriously though, make your peace before you possible, so that you can jump in and start playing quickly,
open that door, because once you do, there’s going to be and so there isn’t too much to remember that might slow
no time for praying… down the action.

After that comes the scenarios. Each of the scenarios

represents one of the rooms in the Deathship. It tells you
98 | BLASTER VOLUME 4
how to set-up the terrain, what markers or monsters are if you want to… that way you can shout their names as they
required, and any special rules that are in play. There is also are horribly mauled by an alien, fried by an energy weapon,
a roster sheet for your team, a set of asset cards, and an or crushed by moving walls.
easy reference card for each of the three alien menaces. If you are playing the game co-operatively, then the
Finally, one last word about this game. It is not designed players should decide together what type of squad they
for you to win. Quite the opposite, in fact. It is the Death- wish to run and then divide up the members of that squad
ship after all. That’s not to say that winning is impossible. between them.
The Deathship can be beaten, it just isn’t very likely. The
fun is in the trying, in the desperate attempt, and seeing
how far your guys make it. If you keep trying, who knows, LOW-TECH SQUAD
someone might just make it out that last door! This squad is composed of ten soldiers, who come from a
time before most soldiers were equipped with firearms. So,
anything up to and included the medieval period. The ex-
WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY act time-period is not important, so feel free to have your
Aside from these rules, you are going to need a few things squad composed of Hittites, Ancient Egyptians, Roman
to play. First, you’ll need a set of miniatures to represent Legionaries, Vikings, or Norman knights. You then must de-
your squad. This will be 4 – 10 figures, depending on the cide how many of your squad are ‘fighters’ and how many
type of squad. If you don’t want to use miniatures, you are ‘shooters’. You must have at least 3 of each in the squad.
can use paper stand-up figures, plastic army men, or even Once you have decided, write the stats for each of your
two-dimensional tokens. They’ll all work fine. You’ll also soldiers on the roster sheet.
need some aliens. There are three different types of aliens,
which are detailed later. Again, you can represent these Low-tech Fighter
with miniatures or whatever works for you. Terrain-wise,
These are soldiers that are trained to fight in hand-to-hand
mostly you need walls. You will need lots of different sizes
combat. They carry no missile weapons and thus cannot
of walls, and you will need to be able to move the walls
make shooting attacks. Most fighters are armed with either
around during play, so really, it might be best to just get a
a combination of a hand weapon such as a sword, spear, or
set of blocks. You can also just use strips of paper, if you
axe, and a shield, but some will carry heavier two-handed
are happy with a two-dimensional set-up (height plays no
weapons. There is no distinction made in these rules.
part in this game). There are a few other bits you will need
for specific rooms, but they are simple to obtain or make. Low-tech Fighter
You will also need a few tokens or markers. Little ammo
Shoot Fight Health
crates or computer terminals work great for this, but again,
anything will work. Beyond that, all you will need is a few NA (2) 7+ 12
ten-sided dice, a copy of the roster, a pencil, and a set of
the asset cards which you can print and cut out. Low-tech Shooter
These are soldiers that are primarily trained to use missile
CHOOSING A SQUAD weapons such as javelins, bows, slings, bows, crossbows or
even very early gunpowder weapons. The exact weapon is
Before you can an attempt to survive the Deathship, you’ve
not important. They also carry some type of hand weapon,
got to choose a squad. There are three different squads
but have only minimal training in its use.
available: low-tech, middle-tech, and hi-tech. Each squad
comes with a fixed number of soldiers, but also allows a Low-tech Shooter
little bit of choice in the make-up of those soldiers. Each of Shoot Fight Health
these soldiers has a ‘stat block’ which defines their effec-
(1) 7+ (1) 7+ 12
tiveness during the game. Don’t worry too much about
these stats for the moment, they will be explained in the
rules section.

For now, select which squad you would like to play,

what soldiers are in the squad, and then transfer all that
information to the roster sheet. You can name your soldiers
DEATH SHIP ONE | 99
MIDDLE-TECH SQUAD Middle-tech Medic
This squad is composed of 6 soldiers who come from a This is a soldier that has specialized in battlefield medicine.
time when most soldiers were equipped with gunpowder Although they are less effective in the middle of a firefight,
firearms. This could be a unit of Napoleon’s Old Guard, they are one of the few ways that soldiers can recover lost
British ‘Tommies’ from World War I, Special Forces from the Health during the game. After each room, if there is a living
‘War on Terror’ or even near future mercenaries. Obvious- medic in the squad, each squad member regains up to 3
ly, there is actually a lot of capability difference between points of lost Health. This includes the medic.
these different soldiers, but for game purposes, we lump Middle-tech Medic
them all together. When selecting a middle-tech squad, Shoot Fight Health
the player may replace 1 soldier with a special weapon (1) 7+ (1) 7+ 12
trooper, 1 soldier with an officer, and 1 soldier with a medic.
The player may make all or none of these substitutions,
and this is where a player can bring in some of the period
Middle-tech Special Weapons Trooper
distinction if they wish. For example, a unit of Napoleonic This soldier has traded in their standard firearm for a
soldiers is unlikely to have a special weapon trooper or heavier support weapon. When selecting a Special Weap-
a medic, though they might have an officer. A modern ons Trooper, you must also select one of the following
special-forces unit probably would have a special weapons weapons for this trooper to carry: machine-gun, grenade
trooper, might have a medic, but likely would not have a launcher or flamer-thrower. A full explanation for each of
distinct officer. Really though, the choice of which of these these weapons is given in the rules section.
selections to take and how to depict them on the table is Middle-tech Special Weapons Trooper
left to the player.
Shoot Fight Health
(2) 7+ (1) 7+ 12
Middle-tech soldier
These are soldiers that are trained to fight primarily with
a firearm that fires either individual shots or short bursts,
HIGH-TECH SQUAD
so these soldiers might be equipped with firelocks, bolt
This squad is composed of 4 soldiers, all of them wearing
action rifles, M16s, or P90s. While these soldiers are likely
full-suits of powered battle-armour that increases their
trained in some hand-to-hand fighting, it is not their pre-
strength, durability, and even provides medical assistance
ferred method of combat.
when necessary. This squad is a chance for a player to use
Middle-tech Soldier any of their heavily armoured, science-fiction miniatures.
Shoot Fight Health For futuristic squads not wearing battle-armour, the player
(2) 7+ (1) 7+ 12 should probably use the middle-tech squad instead.

The player may choose to replace one of the soldiers

Middle-tech officer in the squad with a High-Tech Special Weapons Trooper.
These soldiers are dedicated leaders. Their job is less about Because their battle armour includes medical assistance all
directly fighting the enemy than it is organizing the rest of of the soldiers regain up to 2 lost Health after every room.
their unit and maximizing their abilities. Officers generally
do not carry long-range firearms and instead carry a pistol High-tech Soldier
and possibly a close-combat weapon such as a sword.
These are the greatest soldiers humanity has ever pro-
Officers gives bonuses to asset cards as explained later in
duced. Highly trained, possibly even genetically en-
the rules.
hanced, and equipped with power and agility-enhancing
Middle-tech Officer battle-armour.
Shoot Fight Health
High-tech Soldier
(1) 7+ (2) 7+ 12
Shoot Fight Health
(2) 6+ (2) 6+ 15

100 | BLASTER VOLUME 4

High-tech Special Weapons Soldier MIXED SQUADS
This soldier has traded in their standard firearm for While these rules don’t allow for the mixing of soldiers
a heavier support weapon. When selecting a Special between different types of squads, there is nothing to stop
Weapons Trooper, you must also select one of the fol- a player from mixing soldiers within a squad. For example,
lowing weapons for this trooper to carry: machine-gun, a middle-tech squad could consist of a colonial ranger, a
heavy beamer, grenade launcher, or flame-thrower. A full Confederate sharpshooter, a British redcoat, two German
explanation for each of these weapons is given in the fallschirmjäger, and a modern Chinese special forces
rules section. trooper. By the same token, a low-tech squad could consist
High-tech Special Weapons Soldier of four Samurai, three medieval crossbowmen, and a pair
Shoot Fight Health of Pictish warriors. It really doesn’t matter, so just go with
(2) 6+ (2) 6+ 15 whatever is most fun to you. Some players will probably
prefer to keep their squads focused on one period, others
might like the idea of individual warriors plucked out of
different eras of history.

DEATH SHIP ONE | 101

 THE RULES
A ‘game’ of Deathship One comprises one squad’s attempt
to make it through all five rooms and escape. In this way,
it may include 1 – 5 rooms, depending on how long the
squad survives. Each room is like a separate scenario,
having a specific set-up, alien menace, and special rules.
Essentially, for each room, the player is attempting to get
as many members of the squad from the entrance to the
exit. Once this is accomplished, the player should check
which room is next and re-arrange the table.

SET-UP
To begin, the player should roll on the ‘Random Room
Table’ found in the next section. This will tell the player
which room they will attempt to cross first. Each room
has a complete set of instructions on how to arrange the
terrain, including placement of walls and asset tokens,
where to start the members of the squad, and where to
place alien menaces.

DRAW ASSET CARDS

Once you have the table set-up for your first room, the
player should draw four asset cards from the asset deck
found at the back of the book. If playing cooperatively,
have each player draw one or two cards, whichever result
ends up closer to 4. Asset cards are only drawn in this way
before the first room. Additional cards can only be drawn
by recovering asset tokens or by having an officer. The rules
for using Asset Cards are found below.

102 | BLASTER VOLUME 4

THE TURN
Games of Deathship One are played as a series of turns. If a soldier elects not to take a shooting action (or can’t)
Each turn is divided into three phases, the Soldier phase, then it can increase its move to 9” for that activation.
the Event Phase, and the Alien Menace phase, which are It is not possible to climb over any walls as these are
always played in that order. assumed to run to the ceiling of the room.

As soon as a squad member comes into contact with

an alien, its movement ends, and it must fight a round of
THE SOLDIER PHASE combat as explained below.
During the soldier phase, the player may activate all of the
A soldier that moves into contact with the exit has
soldiers in their squad in whatever order they wish. When
escaped the room and should be removed from the table.
activated, a soldier may make one move action and one
There is no other way to leave the table alive.
shoot action in whichever order they choose. Both actions
are optional, but a figure must complete any actions it
wishes to take before another soldier is activated. Figures
that have ‘NA’ written under the Shoot Stat do not have
ASSET TOKENS
any kind of ranged weapon and may never take a shoot Some rooms contain Asset Tokens. These can be repre-
action. sented by any kind of token, but little ammo boxes or
other scenic pieces look good. If a soldier is adjacent to an
If playing co-operatively, the players can decide which
asset token, they may sacrifice either their move or shoot
order to activate their soldiers.
action to recover the asset. Soldiers that don’t have a
shoot action, may still sacrifice it, to pick up an asset token,
but they can then only move 6” that activation. As soon as
MOVE ACTION an asset token is picked up, the player should draw a card
To move a soldier, simply move the figure up to 6” in any from the Asset Deck and add this to their hand.
direction. It doesn’t matter which direction the figure is
facing at the beginning or the end of its move. In fact, the
facing of the figure plays no part in this game, so just have FIGHTING
them face whichever direction looks best. Movement does
Whenever a soldier and an alien move into contact,
not have to be in a straight line and can include as many
regardless of which figure actually moved, the two figures
turns as the player desires, so long as the actual distance
must fight a round of combat. The player should then refer
covered isn’t greater than 6”.
to the soldier’s Fight Stat. This will contain two numbers.
The first number, listed in parenthesis, is the number of
dice that should be rolled. This will either be (1) or (2). The
second number is the target number for those dice.

DEATH SHIP ONE | 103

 So, to fight, the soldier rolls however many dice they are
allowed and compares the results to the target number.
For every result that is equal to or higher than the target
number, a hit has been scored. If the result of the dice that
SHOOT ACTION
hit is even (i.e. 6, 8, or 10) the alien has been killed and the To shoot, a soldier must have an alien within line of sight.
figure should be removed from the table. If the result of To check line of sight, simply draw a line straight from the
the die that hit is odd (i.e. 7, 9), the alien has been knocked base of the shooter to the base of the alien. So long as this
down – lay the figure on its side. Aliens with ‘Armour’ line does not pass through a wall or another figure, then
are only killed on a result of 10, otherwise they are just the shooter has line of sight.
knocked down, even if the die roll was even. If an alien is The player should then refer to the soldier’s shoot stat.
already knocked down, a second knocked down result This will contain two numbers. The first number, listed in
kills it, even if it has Armour. If a figure scores two hits, they parenthesis, is the number of dice that should be rolled.
may apply them in whichever order they choose. This will be (1), (2), or (3). The second number is the target
If, however, the soldier fails to roll any hits, then the number for those dice.
soldier has been hit instead. Take the highest number So, to shoot, the soldier rolls however many dice
rolled by the soldier in the combat, and compare that to they are allowed and compares the results to the target
the specific alien’s damage track. This gives the amount number. For every result that is equal to or higher than
of damage done to the soldier. This damage should be the target number, a hit has been scored. If the result of
immediately deducted from that soldier’s Health Stat. If the dice that hit is even (i.e. 6, 8, or 10) the alien has been
this takes a soldier’s Health to 0 or less, they have been killed and the figure should be removed from the table.
killed and are out of the game. If the result of the die is odd (i.e. 7, 9), the alien has been
Once the results have been determined, if both figures knocked down – lay the figure on its side. Aliens with
are still alive, move them both 0.5” directly away from ‘Armour’ are only killed on a result of 10, otherwise they are
one another. If this would move them into contact with just knocked down. If an alien is already knocked down, a
another enemy figure, move them the maximum amount second knocked down result kills it, even if it has Armour.
before they make contact with an enemy figure. If a figure scores two hits, they may apply them in which-
ever order they choose.
ExamplE
If no hits are rolled than the shot has missed.
Let’s say an alien Rieger moves into contact with a
low-tech warrior. The low-tech warrior’s Fight Stat is (2)
Example 1
7+. This means the warrior should roll two dice, looking
for a 7 or above to score a hit. The warrior rolls the two Let’s say a middle-tech soldier is shooting at a slathek.

dice and gets a ‘1’ and a ‘4’. Since neither die scored a The soldier’s shoot stat is (2) 7+, so they roll two dice

hit, the low-tech warrior has been hit instead. The low- needing an 7 or higher to score hits. The soldier rolls the

tech warrior compares his highest die result, the ‘4’ to two dice and gets a ‘2’ and ‘9’. The 2 misses, but the 9

the Rieger’s damage track, which shows that 6 damage scores a hit. Since the hit is an odd number, the slathek

has been inflicted. The low-tech warrior must subtract is knocked down.

this damage from his Health Stat. So, a fully Health low-
tech warrior would drop from Health 12 down to Health Example 2
6. If it suffers 6 more damage, he will be killed. The two
A high-tech soldier is shooting a drekyl. The soldier’s
models should now be separated.
shoot stat is (2) 6+. The soldier rolls the two dice and
Let’s say, instead, the warrior had rolled a ‘7’ and an gets a ‘7’ and an ‘8’. Normally, an 8 would be a kill
‘8’. Both of which are hits. Since the hit was an even result, however, since the drekyl is armoured, it is only
number, the warrior has scored a kill and the rieger is knocked down. Thankfully, the soldier scored two hits,
removed from the table. The 7 in this instance is wasted. and since the drekyl was knocked down by the first,
However, if the soldier had rolled two ‘7’s, then it would the 7, which would normally just cause a knock-down
have scored two knockdown results, which would also result, kills it.
kill the Rieger, as the first hit would knock it down, and
the second, which would normally knock it down, kills
it, since it is already knocked down.

104 | BLASTER VOLUME 4

SPECIAL WEAPONS
Some soldiers carry special weapons that have their If a soldier is under the template, roll three dice. The
own specific rules for making shooting attacks. These soldier takes damage equal to the highest result on the
are listed below. three dice. If two or three of the dice have the same
number, add them together and treat this as one result for
Flame-thrower – These weapons spray flames or
determining the highest result.
burning chemicals that can incinerate most targets. To use
this weapon, you will need a ‘flamer template’. This should Machine Gun – This is any kind of personal weapon with
be a cone about 8” long and 3” wide at its widest. Similar a very high rate of fire. When making a shooting attack
templates are used in many science-fiction wargames, with a machine gun, choose a target and roll 3 dice using
such as Stargrave, and any will work. Place the pointed the figure’s shoot stat to determine the target number.
end against the figure using the flame-thrower, then roll 2 Once the dice are rolled, one die must be applied to the
dice against each model that is fully or partially under the target alien. The others can also be applied to the target,
template, using the figure’s shoot stat to determine the or any other alien within 1” of the original target, but still
target number. If any rolls see two dice showing the same within line of sight. If the rolls see any two dice showing
result, however, then the flame-thrower has temporarily the same result, however, the machine gun has exhausted
run dry and must be refilled. Resolve all the attacks as its ammunition and must be reloaded. Resolve the attack
normal, but the figure using the flame-thrower cannot as normal, but the figure using the machine gun may not
shoot during its next activation. take a shoot action during its next activation.
DEATH SHIP ONE | 105
 Heavy Beamer – This is a focused energy weapon that that important. Whenever an alien activates, it will shoot if
usually requires a heavy power pack. When making a it has a weapon and move.
shooting attack with a heavy beamer, roll 2 dice against
each alien in a straight line from the shooter, using the
shooter’s shoot stat to get the target number. Apply the ALIEN SHOOTING
effects of both dice to each figure. If any roll sees the two
If an alien with a shooting attack (which is only the drekyl
dice showing the same result, however, the heavy beamer
in these rules) activates with a soldier in line of sight and
has temporary run out of charge. Resolve the attacks as
within 16”, it will make a shooting attack against the closest
normal, but the figure using the heavy beamer cannot
soldier. To make this attack, roll one die and compare that
make a shoot action during its next activation.
to alien’s Shooting Damage track, found under its descrip-
If a soldier is in the line of fire, roll 2 dice. The soldier tion or on its card. The target soldier immediately suffers
suffers damage equal to the higher roll of the two dice. If the amount of damage listed on the track. If this reduces
the results on the dice are the same, add them together to the soldier to 0 Health or less, they have been killed and
determine the damage. should be removed from the table.
Grenade Launcher – These weapons fire fragmentation Otherwise, if no soldier is in line of sight the alien will
grenades that strike all targets within a given area. When move first. If it then has a target, it will make a shooting
making a shooting attack with a grenade launcher, choose attack, otherwise, it will be done. Note that aliens move
a target figure and roll 2 dice against it. Then roll 1 die the same distance, regardless of whether or not they make
against every other figure within 1”. If the initial roll sees the a shooting attack.
two dice showing the same result, however, the grenade
If the alien is knocked over, it is allowed to stand up,
launcher has jammed and must be cleared. Resolve the at-
make a shooting attack, and then take its move action –
tacks as normal, but the figure using the grenade launcher
though subtract 3” from its move in this case.
may not take a shoot action during its next activation.

If a soldier is within the blast radius of a grenade Example

launcher attack, roll 1 die. The soldier suffers damage A drekyl activates with a low-tech warrior in line of
equal to the roll. sight. It immediately makes a shooting attack. It
rolls one die, which results in a ‘5’. Comparing that to
the drekyl’s Shooting Damage Track, it shows that 3
THE EVENT PHASE damage has been inflicted. This damage is immedi-
ately subtracted from the warrior’s Health. The drekyl
Once all the soldiers on the table have activated, the turn
will then move – towards the same soldier if it is still
proceeds to the Event Phase. What happens in this phase
alive – and fight if it moves into contact.
is determined by the specific room being played. Normal-
ly, this phase will involve placing new aliens on the table
and/or rolling for events.
ALIEN MOVEMENT
Note, this means that aliens will potentially show up and
Each of the three alien menaces has their own rate of
act before the soldiers can react. That’s the horrors of the
movement. This is listed in their description in the Alien
Deathship, I’m afraid, so watch your back.
Menaces chapter and listed on their card. Whenever an
Once this phase is completed, proceed to the Alien alien moves, it will move its maximum movement towards
Menace Phase. the closest soldier, via the shortest, unimpeded route. No
line of sight is necessary. If an alien moves into contact
with a soldier, it’s movement ends, and fighting occurs.
THE ALIEN MENACE PHASE If an alien is knocked over, it should stand up first. It
After the Event Phase, the aliens will activate. Aliens should then follow the normal rules for its activation, but
should activate in the order of proximity to a squad subtract 3” from its total movement.
member – the closest alien should always go first. Don’t
worry about being too exact about this. If you aren’t sure
which alien is the closet, just pick one and go with that. As-
long-as all the aliens activate, the exact order isn’t usually

106 | BLASTER VOLUME 4

INTERCEPT MOVES
Whenever an alien moves within 1” of a soldier,
the soldier may immediately move to inter-
cept it. End the alien’s movement, move the
soldier into contact with it, and fight a round
of combat. If a soldier ever moves within 1”
of an alien, the same thing happens. Cease
the soldier’s movement, move the alien into
contact, and fight a round of combat.

An alien that is currently knocked down

cannot intercept.

This rule keeps figures from running right

passed one another.

ASSET CARDS
There are fourteen total asset cards, including
some duplicates. A player should draw four
at the start of a game and then another one
whenever an asset token is recovered. Each
card states when it can be used and what ef-
fect it has. Alternatively, any Asset Card may be
discarded after any room to restore 2 points of
lost Health to a soldier (that is still alive!).

If the squad features an officer, that officer

may forgo their move or shoot action on any
turn, to place one of their asset cards on the
bottom of the deck and draw a new one from
the top. Also, a squad with an officer that has
no asset cards when they begin a new room
gets to draw another one for free.

When asset cards are used, they are discard-

ed. If the asset deck is exhausted, no more
asset cards may be gained or used during the
game.

DEATH SHIP ONE | 107

COMPLETING A ROOM
Once there are no soldiers left on the table, the room
has ended. If all the soldiers that started the room were
killed, then their attempt to escape from the Deathship

AND THE GAME has failed and the game has been lost. If any soldiers
managed to make it through the exit, however, then the
game continues.

Soldiers do not heal between rooms unless some spe-

cific rule (like having a medic) specifically allows it, and any
soldiers that were killed in a room are dead and out of the
game. The player can keep any asset cards they still have
but should not draw any new ones (unless they currently
have none but have a living officer).

The player should now roll for a second room. The player
should continue playing through rooms until all five have
been completed. If the player manages to get any figures
through the exit of the fifth room, these soldiers are
immediately transported to their normal time and space,
and the game has been won!
ALIEN MENACES
This game feature 3 varieties of alien
menace which are detailed here.

RIEGER
Tall, gangly humanoids, rieger feature shark-like heads, completely dominated by a
mouth filled with hundreds of jagged teeth. These creatures like to grasp onto prey
with their long arms, and hooked, four-fingered claws, and then deliver a killing bite.
While their emaciated form looks frail, Rieger are immensely strong and tough.

Rieger Movement: 7”
Damage Track
Fight Roll 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Damage 12 9 8 6 4 2 1 1 1-W

DEATH SHIP ONE | 109

 SLATHEK
Resembling earth cephalopods, these human-sized, boneless creatures glide through the
air, using some unknown form of propulsion. Although they are slow, their seeming lack
of any critical internal organs makes them especially difficult to kill. When they get close
to prey, they use their many long tentacles to pull their victim apart into small, edible
chunks.

When a Slathek is knocked down, a second knock-down result has no effect. They may
only be killed by achieving a kill result on the dice.

Slathek Movement: 5”
Damage Track
Fight Roll 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Damage 7 6 5 5 4 3 3 3 3
Special: Knocked down results while already knocked down have no effect.

110 | BLASTER VOLUME 4

 DREKYL
It’s not clear if drekyl are aliens wearing a form of combat armour or if they are truly
cybernetic organisms. From the outside, they look like rather crude robots that walk on
a short set of spider-ish legs and feature one extendable ‘arm’. Don’t be fooled by the
crude appearance, however, as the arm features a deadly beam weapon that can slice
through even the toughest amour, while their own shell is extremely thick and resistant
to damage.

Drekyl Movement: 5”
Damage Track
Fight Roll 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Damage 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 1

Shooting Damage Track

Roll 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9–10
Damage 5 5 4 3 3 2 1 1 0
Special: Armoured

DEATH SHIP ONE | 111

THE FIVE ROOMS
The Deathship consists of five rooms, all of which must
be traversed to escape. When starting a new game, the
player should roll on the Deathship Room Table below
to determine which room they enter first. This room
should then be crossed off the list. After the first room
is completed, the player should roll again to generate
the second room – rerolling if the result is a room that
has already been played.

Each room is fully explained below, giving a guide, as

well as a map to show how to set it up, and explaining any
special rules that are used for that room.

Deathship One Room Table

Die Roll Room

1–2 Room Alpha

3–4 Room Beta

5–6 Room Gama

7–8 Room Delta

9 – 10 Room Epsilon
 ALPHA
ROOM ALPHA ASSET
This room is a 2.5 x 2.5’ square. One corner is designated as
the squad entry door. The exit door is one corner away. All 5
soldiers must be placed within 4” of the entry. The room is REIGERS DREKYL
divided into 4 sections, each 7.5” wide by 2.5’ long. The sec-
tions are separated by three walls, each 2’ long. Each wall
is flush against one table edge, leaving a 6” gap between it
and the opposite edge of the table. The middle wall starts SLATHEK SLATHEK
against the opposite side of the room from the entry and
exit door. The other two walls start flush against the same
side. These walls will potentially slide across the room
during the game.

Place five riegers in the section containing the entry

door, but in the other corner. Place one slathek in the
middle of each of the next two sections, and one drekyl in Room Alpha Event Table
each of the far corners of the final section. Also place an Die Roll Result
asset token in the far corner of the final section that does 1 Move Wall 1, place 1 rieger in a random
table corner.
not contain the exit door.
2 Move Wall 2, place 1 slathek in a random
table corner.
During the event phase of each turn, roll once on the
3 Move Wall 3, place one drekyl in a random
Room Alpha Event table. If this results in a wall moving, table corner.
move it directly across the table so that it is flush with the Move Wall 1, place 2 slethek in a random
4
wall opposite to the one it was previously flush with. If an table corner.

alien was standing in the gap between this wall and the 5 Move Wall 2, place 2 drekyl in a random
table corner.
edge of the table, it is squashed and killed, remove it from
6 Move Wall 3, place 2 rieger in a random
the table. If a soldier is standing in that gap, it immediately table corner.
suffers d10 damage. If it survives, roll randomly to see 7 Place 2 slethek in front of the exit doorway.
which side of the wall it ends up on, and move it the
minimum amount required to get it there. 8 Place 1 drekyl in front of the entry doorway.

9 The player may choose to move one wall

of their choice. Place 1 rieger in each of the
three corners of the table, except the one
containing the exit doorway.

10 Move all the Walls.

DEATH SHIP ONE | 113

ROOM BETA

BETA
This room is 3' long, but only 1.5' wide. Place an entry door ASSET
REIGER REIGER
in the centre of one short wall, and the exit door in the DREKYL

centre of the other. Place two rows of six columns running SLATHEK
the length of the room. Each row of columns should be
6” away from one of the long walls. The first column in
each line should be 6” from the short wall containing
the entrance, the next 6” further, and so on, until the last SLATHEK
column is flush with the wall containing the exit door.
DREKYL
REIGER ASSET REIGER
Place two asset tokens on the table, each adjacent to
the centre point of one long wall.
Room Beta Event Table
Place two Rieger and one slathek next to each asset
Die Roll Result
token. Place one drekyl in each corner of the table
adjacent to the exit edge. 1 No Event

During the event phase of each turn, select one random 2 No Event
column from each row. Every soldier with 6” of that
column is hit by a mild electric shock that does 1 point 3 Place a slethek in front of the exit.
of damage. Aliens are immune to this damage. Then roll
4 Place a rieger next to a random column.
once on the Room Beta Event Table.

Place all of the soldiers within 3” of the entry door. 5 Place a rieger next to a random column.

Place a slethek next to a random

6 column.
Place a slethek next to a random
7 column.

8 Place a drekyl next to a random column.

9 Place a drekyl next to a random column.

Roll 3 Times on this table and apply all

results. If this includes another 10, do
10 not roll 3 more times, instead place a
drekyl in front of the exit doorway.
ROOM GAMMA

GAMMA
This room is 3' long, but only 1.5' wide. Place an entry
ASSET
door in one corner of one short wall. Place the exit SLATHEK SLATHEK

door in the diagonally opposite corner. Place 4

REIGER
glowing discs of power (4” diameter circles) in a line
running down the centre of the room. The centre of
the first disc should be 8” away from the short edge
containing the entry door. The centre of the next disc REIGER
DREKYL

should be 8” further down the line, and so on.

SLATHEK ASSET SLATHEK DREKYL
Place two asset tokens on the table, each adjacent to
the centre point of one long wall.

Place a one rieger and two slathek next to each asset one, they will immediately take damage the next time the
token. Place two drekyl in front of the exit doorway. disc moves. Discs block all line of sight through them, but
not from two figures that are both touching the disc.
During the Event Phase each turn, starting with the
disc closest to the edge containing the entry door, move After moving the discs, roll once on the Room Gamma
each disc 6” in a random direction. If this moves a disc Event Table.
into contact with a table edge, or another disc, generate Place all of the soldiers within 3” of the entry door.
a new random direction that moves it out of contact and
continue its move. If a disc moves onto, or into contact
with, a soldier, that soldier must roll a die. The soldier Room Gamma Event Table
takes damage equal to the amount rolled on the die, Die Roll Result
divided by 3, rounded up to a maximum of 3 (so a roll
of 1 would be 1 damage, a roll of 10 would be 3 damage). 1 No Event

Aliens are unaffected by the discs. Soldiers can move

2 No Event
through the discs, but if this leaves them in contact with
3 Place a rieger in front of the exit.

Place a rieger in the centre of a random

4 disc.
Place two Rieger in the centre of a
5 random disc.
Place a slethek in the centre of a
6 random disc.
Place two slethek in the centre of a
7 random disc.

8 Place a drekyl in a random table corner.

9 Place a drekyl in a random table corner.

The player may choose one disc and

10 remove it from the table. Place a Rieger
in front of the exit doorway.

DEATH SHIP ONE | 115

ROOM DELTA

DELTA
This room is a 2.5 x 2.5’ square. One corner contains
the squad entry door; the diagonally opposite corner
??? ???
contains the exit door. The table is split into four equal
2x ALIENS 2x ALIENS
sections by a ‘+’ section of walls placed in the centre
of the table. This cross should leave 6” of room to pass
between each of the sections.

Place one ‘sentry gun’ in the corner of each part of the SENTRY
??? GUNS ???
‘+’, so that there is one gun in each of the four sections. In
2x ALIENS 2x ALIENS
each event phase, these guns will fire at the closest soldier
in line of sight, as though it were a drekyl (use their stat
card). These guns can be targeted by shooting attacks. Any
shooting attack against them that scores a ‘10’ on a die,
destroys them. Any other result has no effect. Alternatively,
any soldier that moves into contact with a gun automat-
ically attacks it. The soldier should roll its Fight dice as Room Gamma Event Table
normal but must score a 10 to destroy the gun. The soldier Die Roll Result
does not take any damage if it fails this attack. Place an asset token in a random corner of the
1 table. This can happen a maximum of 3 times
Place 2 randomly determined aliens in the centre of each in the room, then treat this as No Event.

of the four sections. Place an asset token in a random corner of the

2 table. This can happen a maximum of 3 times
During the Event phase of the first turn, randomly in the room, then treat this as No Event.

determine one end of the ‘+’. This end is suddenly blocked 3 Place a slethek in a random table corner.
by a wall (so the clear 6” is filled by a wall), making move-
4 Place a rieger in a random table corner.
ment between those two sections impossible. If a figure is
standing in this area, roll randomly to see which side they 5 Place two rieger in a random table corner.
end up on and move them the minimum required distance
to do so. During all subsequent Event Phases, remove this 6 Place a slethek in a random table corner.

wall and roll again. This can place the wall back where it 7 Place two slethek in a random table corner.
was or blocking one of the other three ends of the ‘+’. After
this is done, roll on the Room Delta Event Table. 8 Place a drekyl in a random table corner.

Place all of the soldiers within 3” of the entry door. 9 Place a drekyl in a random table corner.

A random sentry gun that was destroyed

suddenly reactivates. If there are no destroyed
10 sentry guns, place a slethek in a random table
corner.
 ASSET

EPSILON
ROOM EPSILON
This room is a 2.5 x 2.5’ square. One corner contains the
entry doorway. The corner diagonally opposite contains DREKYL
the exit door. This corner is a completely walled off 1 x 1’ 3
3x REIGER SLATHEK
square. Note that three 6” sections of this wall should be
removable – the two sections that touch the perimeter
wall of the room, and the middle 6” that form the corner
pointing into the rest of the room.

Another wall, approximately 12” long, should sit between

the entry corner and the corner of the smaller square, but
DREKYL
leaving an opening on both ends.
3x REIGER
Place two asset tokens on the table, each 6” in from
the two corners that don’t contain a doorway on a line ASSET
towards the centre of the table. Place 1 drekyl and 3
Room Epsilon Event Table
rieger next to each of these. Place 3 slethek in the centre
Die Roll Result
of the smaller square.
1 No Event
During the first event phase, randomly remove one
of the 3 ‘removable’ sections of the smaller square, thus No Event
2
giving access to that smaller square. For each subsequent
Place one rieger in a random table
event phase, return the removed section and then remove 3 corner.
another random section (this can be the same section). Place two rieger in a random table
4
Then roll once on the Room Epsilon Even Table. corner.
Place one rieger in a random corner of
Place all of the soldiers within 3” of the entry door. 5 the smaller square.
Place two slethek in a random table
6 corner.
Place one slethek in a random corner of
7 the smaller square.
Place two drekyl in a random table
8 corner.
Place one drekyl in a random corner of
9 the smaller square.
The floor momentarily becomes
electrified. All soldiers that are outside
of the smaller square, immediately
10 suffer 1 point of damage, though ignore
this for soldiers that currently only have
Health 1.

DEATH SHIP ONE | 117

SQUAD ROSTER TURN OVERVIEW
Each turn is divided into three phaseswhich
are always played in this order:

1. the Soldier phase

2. the Event Phase

3. the Alien Menace phase

Solider 1 Solider 6
Name: Name:
Soldier Type: Soldier Type:
FIGHT: Current HEALTH: FIGHT: Current HEALTH:
Shoot: Health: Shoot: Health:
Notes: Notes:

Solider 2 Solider 7
Name: Name:
Soldier Type: Soldier Type:
FIGHT: Current HEALTH: FIGHT: Current HEALTH:
Shoot: Health: Shoot: Health:
Notes: Notes:

Solider 3 Solider 8
Name: Name:
Soldier Type: Soldier Type:
FIGHT: Current HEALTH: FIGHT: Current HEALTH:
Shoot: Health: Shoot: Health:
Notes: Notes:

Solider 4 Solider 9
Name: Name:
Soldier Type: Soldier Type:
FIGHT: Current HEALTH: FIGHT: Current HEALTH:
Shoot: Health: Shoot: Health:
Notes: Notes:

Solider 5 Solider 10
Name: Name:
Soldier Type: Soldier Type:
FIGHT: Current HEALTH: FIGHT: Current HEALTH:
Shoot: Health: Shoot: Health:
Notes: Notes:
 QUICK RELOAD/ NOT QUITE
HAND CLEARANCE FULL AUTO
DEAD
OF FATE If you have a special weap- You may play this card
You may play this card whenever a soldier makes
on that either runs out of
You may play this card any whenever a soldier is a shooting attack. This
ammo or jams, you may
time you roll one or more reduced to 0 Health or soldier can make two shoot
play this card. This solder
dice. You may re-roll any less. That soldier instead actions but does not get a
may take a shoot action
one die. remains on the table with 1 move action.
during their next activation
Heath remaining.
as normal.

HEALING HEALING
HAND
SPRINT KIT KIT
OF FATE
You may play this card You may play this card You may play this card
You may play this card any whenever you move a during any soldier’s acti- during any soldier’s acti-
time you roll one or more soldier. Move that figure an vation. That soldier must vation. That soldier must
dice. You may re-roll any extra 3”. sacrifice either its Move or sacrifice either its Move or
one die. Shoot Action but regains up Shoot Action but regains up
to 5 lost Health. to 5 lost Health.

MIRACULOUS TAKE IT
HEAD SHOT CLEAVE DODGE WITH ME
You may play this card You may play this card
You may play this card
whenever an alien is whenever an alien is You may play this card
whenever a soldier takes
knocked down by a shoot- knocked down in a fight. during any soldier’s acti-
damage from a shooting
ing attack. Treat the result Treat the result as killed vation. That soldier must
attack. The soldier manag-
as killed instead. instead. sacrifice either its Move or
es to dodge the shot and
Shoot Action but regains up
takes 0 damage.
to 5 lost Health.

LURE ASSET CARDS

PARRY There are fourteen total asset cards, including some dupli-
You may play this card
cates. A player should draw four at the start of a game and then
You may play this card another one whenever an asset token is recovered. Each card
whenever an alien is within
whenever a soldier takes states when it can be used and what effect it has. Alternatively,
line of sight of more than any Asset Card may be discarded after any room to restore two
damage from an alien in a
one soldier. You may de- points of lost Health to a soldier (that is still alive!).
fight. Reduce the amount
cide which soldier the alien
of damage by 3.
moves towards.
RIEGER MOVMENT
7"
SLATHEK 5"
MOVMENT

Damage Track
Damage Track
Fight
Fight 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Roll
Roll
Damage 7 6 5 5 4 3 3 3 3
Damage 12 9 8 6 4 2 1 1 1

Special: Knocked down results while already

knocked down have no effect.

DREKYL MOVMENT
5"

Damage Track
Fight
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Roll

Damage 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 1

Shooting Damage Track

Roll 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Damage 5 5 4 3 3 2 1 1 0

Special: Armoured
 Last Days: Legends
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS WRITTEN AND DESIGNED BY
M I N I AT U R E PA I N T I N G & P H O T O G R A P H Y
Sean Sutter

Ash Barker P L AY T E S T I N G
Will Von Doome, Matthew Ajifu, Linus “Laketide”
MODELS Sjöström, Malev da Shinobi, M.T. Nielsen. On discord:
Temple of the West drake, General Wessles, holo,Quil[Imperial Kingdom
templewest.co of Lavael], Wayne_Robert
M I N I AT U R E PA I N T I N G , T E R R A I N A N D P H O T O G R A P H Y
Kyle Gibson B AT T L E S C R I B E L I S T B U I L D E R
M.T. Nielsen
ART BY ART BY
Arthur Asa TERR AIN
© Osprey Publishing Ltd Black Site Studios
blacksitestudio.com

Firedragon Games
BRUTL! Tank Arena firedragongames.co.uk
VEHICLES Renedra
Ramshackle Games renedra.co.uk
ramshacklegames.co.uk
Tablewar
Electi Studio tablewar.com/collections/fatmats
electi-studio.com/brutl
and some scratch builds by Sean Sutter
T E R R A I N A N D M AT S
Printable Scenery M E TA L B L A S T E D D U R I N G D E V E L O P M E N T
printablescenery.com Brand of Sacrifice, Electric Wizard, Fleshgod
Apocalypse, Green Lung, Skeleton Witch, Mammoth
Ironheart Artisans Weed Wizard Bastard, Humanity’s Last Breath,
ironheartartisons.com Sunnata, Forming the Void, Year of the Cobra
(wrongly called “Year of the Serpent” in Vol.3)
Black Site Studios
blacksitestudio.com

Death Ray Designs Gaslands: Legacy pt.2

deathraydesigns.com
I L L U S T R AT I O N S
Cigar Box Battlemats Lucas Belkowski
cigarboxbattlestore.bigcartel.com
Peter Laycock
Frontline Gaming
frontlinegaming.org/f-a-t-mats/ Sean Sutter
EDITING I L L E G A L* B U I L D S A N D M E C H A N I S E D D I N O S A U R S
Kyle Bentley, Mike Hutchinson Carlos Pandiella, Jack Stover, Joshua Parise, Dick
Vigil, Richard Greer, Matt Reeve, Chuck Williams &
P L AY T E S T E R S Deanna Zillman, Mike Hutchinson
Don Goddard, Dennis Jensen, Chad Mastbergen,
Todd Pressley, Soren Emil Rosenhøj Bay

Deathship One
Sludge Nations
I L L U S T R AT I O N S
ADDITIONAL COPY EDITING
Barrett Stanley
Wayne Canepa
M I N I AT U R E PA I N T I N G A N D P H O T O G R A P H Y
Mike Hutchinson
I L L U S T R AT I O N
Sean Sutter | @sean_sutter_art
M I N I AT U R E S
relicblade.com/shop
Heresy Miniatures
heresyminiatures.com
M I N I AT U R E S
Perry Miniatures
perry-miniatures.com
Dead Earth Games
deadearth.co.uk

Sean Sutter for Black Site Studios

blacksitestudio.com/sludge/
Studio McVey
studiomcvey.com

Gustav Medium Tank by Black Site Studios

blacksitestudio.com/
Scenery from Euphoria Miniatures
euphoriaminiatures.com

*Highway Patrol has been dispatched