Force (F)
Comparable mechanicWeapon Strength (S)
Weapon strength, not armour penetration. Compare Force with the target’s Toughness: higher needs 3+ to wound, equal 4+, lower 5+.
RULES REFERENCE / VERSION 2.4
Crib Sheet
Follow the numbered steps to play a battle round, resolve an attack and check the rules used on your fighter cards.
Use this page at the table. The Field Manual contains the full rules; the Armoury contains fighter and weapon profiles.
01 / ORDER OF PLAY
Play one battle round
Five battle rounds per mission. Campaign companies begin at 400 points and progress to a 500-point maximum; standalone games use up to 500. Recruit a Captain and four Officers, two compulsory Core squads (up to four total), and up to two each of Elite, Skirmisher and Heavy formations. There is no separate model cap. Place three points of interest, each defended by three neutral mutants (one token per neutral patrol).
- 01
Complete the Command Phase
Both players declare any eligible Captain signature abilities and issue up to two Captain orders each. Finish commands before drawing activation tokens.
- 02
Check the round two event
At the start of round two only, roll one D20: 1–10 spawns a cryptid; 11–20 creates a radiation storm. Resolve the new cryptid's first action before player activations. Skip this step in other rounds.
- 03
Put activation tokens in the bag
Place one token per active formation in an opaque bag, using a different colour for each player. Officers attached to a squad share its token. Unattached Officers activate with the Captain's command group.
- 04
Draw a token
Draw one token without looking. The player whose colour is drawn chooses one of their formations that has not activated this round.
- 05
Activate that formation
Take its normal action: Move, then Shoot or Manifest, or Charge and Fight. Apply any relevant order or special rule. Mark the formation as activated.
- 06
Keep drawing
Return to step 4 until the bag is empty and every eligible formation has activated once. Resolve cryptid behaviour separately as set out in the Bestiary.
- 07
End the round
Resolve radiation exposure, score objectives and remove effects whose duration has expired. Begin the next round, or finish the battle after round five.
Remember: one Field Gambit per player per round. Any natural 1 on a D6 critically fails and cannot be rerolled. A natural 6 on a Hit roll automatically hits and adds +1 Damage if the wound is unsaved. A 6 on another D6 test is an automatic success with no damage bonus.
02 / RESOLVING ATTACKS
Resolve an attack in order
Roll to Hit, Wound, Save, then apply Damage. Compare Force to Toughness: higher 3+, equal 4+, lower 5+. Natural 1 is always a failure, never a reroll. Natural 6 to Hit means +1 damage once the Save fails. Shooting into melee is allowed: each miss hits a randomly selected friendly fighter in that combat (then roll Wound/Save). Blasts affect every miniature under the template. Destroyed Heavy models always deal D3 Wounds to every miniature within 3 inches. No separate Armour Penetration statistic exists.
ExampleA Force 3 musket hits a Toughness 3 target. Roll 4+ to Wound. The defender then makes its listed Save, for example 4+. If the Save fails, deduct the musket’s Damage from the defender’s Wounds.
03 / FIGHTER AND WEAPON PROFILES
Statistics reference
Read these values on the fighter and weapon cards. For Hit, Save and Resolve, a lower required target is usually better.
Toughness (T)
Comparable mechanicToughness (T)
How resistant a fighter is to injury. Force is compared against this number to work out the wound roll.
Hit (for shooting / melee)
Comparable mechanicBallistic Skill / Weapon Skill (BS / WS)
One Hit target number is used for either type of attack. A 3+ is better than a 4+. Some weapons or abilities alter it.
Save (SV)
Comparable mechanicArmour Save (Sv)
Defender rolls a D6 after a wound. A 4+ prevents damage on 4, 5 or 6; better armour improves the required number.
Wounds (W)
Comparable mechanicWounds / hit points (HP)
The damage a model can endure before being removed. Do not confuse this with the wound roll, which comes earlier.
Attacks (A)
Comparable mechanicAttacks (A) / attack dice
How many attempts a fighter makes in melee. Ranged weapons normally supply their own Attacks value.
Damage (D)
Comparable mechanicDamage (D)
How many wounds are lost from an unsaved hit. Melee uses the fighter’s Damage unless a rule says otherwise; firearms use their weapon profile.
Resolve (RS)
Comparable mechanicLeadership / Morale / Will save
A D6 target used to resist fear and supernatural effects, or to attempt an altered manifestation. This is not a direct copy of any D&D saving throw.
Wound-negation roll
Comparable mechanicFeel No Pain (FNP)
An extra chance to ignore damage after normal saving throws have failed. For example, 6+ succeeds only on a 6.
04 / OTHER GAMEPLAY TERMS
Rules terminology
Refer to these definitions when a term appears on a card or during a battle.
Field Gambit
Comparable mechanicStratagem / tactical ploy
A special tactical decision: one per player per battle round, with no command-point currency. Examples include Brace and Overcharge.
Bodyguard’s Oath
Comparable mechanic“Look Out, Sir!” / bodyguard rule
An eligible living Officer within 2″ of the Captain takes an ordinary ranged hit allocated to the Captain if visible to the attacker and not behind an opaque wall. The protection does not apply against melee, blast or environmental damage.
Formation
Comparable mechanicSquad / unit / fire team
A group of individual miniatures that normally activates as one. Each fighter may have different equipment, but the group shares an activation token.
Activation token
Comparable mechanicOrder die / alternating activation
A coloured token drawn from a bag determines which player may activate one of their formations. Inspired by random order-dice systems such as Bolt Action.
Command order
Comparable mechanicLeader order / command ability
An instruction from an eligible commander or retinue fighter, normally within 12″, granting a specific benefit such as Steady Fire.
Rule of Cool
Comparable mechanicImprovised action / ability check
Once per battle, your HQ or retinue can attempt a plausible stunt using its own equipment or surroundings. Roll a D20; this is not a standard D&D check.
Awakened / manifestation
Comparable mechanicPsyker / magic user / spellcasting
Altered fighters with access to supernatural abilities. A manifestation uses an ability test rather than spell slots.
Blast / scatter
Comparable mechanicBlast template / scatter die
Place a 3″ blast template; missed explosions can scatter. Both friendly and enemy models underneath are affected.
Cryptid encounter
Comparable mechanicNeutral monster / NPC / PvE encounter
A neutral creature with 15 Wounds. It acts before player formations. When unengaged, players roll off to determine its target at the beginning of each later round; when engaged, it stays in that combat. See the Bestiary →.
Province / origin city
Comparable mechanicBattlefield setting / army subfaction
Province controls the possible roaming cryptids. Origin city gives a small free starting trait; it does not change your army’s faction.
REFERENCE / FULL RULES
Use the full rule when in doubt
This sheet is a table reference. If an action, timing window or exception is unclear, use the Field Manual. Consult the Armoury for the exact fighter and weapon profile and the Bestiary for independent creature behaviour.
Deadshot, mutants and cryptid rewards
Deadshot Sniper: one +14 point loadout in each three-person Skirmisher patrol, W1/Save6+, −1 to ranged Hit rolls against them. Deadshot ignores Bodyguard's Oath against a visible individual model. Mutants: M5 W1 Hit4+ T3 Save5+ A1 D1, guard points, last flees after two die. Cryptid: ordinary 15W, Boss 20W; Enraged at half health (+1 Attack). Every five actual Wounds dealt earns a squad one later-use Cryptid Die. Trophy drops on death, claimed at corpse.
CAMPAIGN REFERENCE / FAQ
Five missions, five chances to grow
How does my personal points allowance grow? Start with 400 points. After each of Missions 1–4, add your earned RP to your own allowance, up to 500 points. There are no separate mission ceilings. The Builder and Campaign Journal show the same current allowance. Rewards: participation +18, victory +10, each mutant killed +2, most cryptid damage +10 or second-most +4.
Why is my starting roster empty? Nobody is auto-recruited. In the Builder, add one Command group and at least two Core Infantry squads, then customise equipment and purchase any optional formations you can afford. A separate 500-point standalone game must be chosen deliberately.
How do my kills become upgrade points? In Play Mode, mark whether your company or the enemy killed each mutant, record cryptid wounds, and track the battle score. At the end choose your result and surviving squads, then press Finish Mission & Upgrade Army. The campaign records its RP reward once and takes you straight back to your existing roster. Your newly increased personal allowance is shown there and in the Journal. You can return to the Builder without finishing if the battle is still underway.
What happens to survivors? A squad with at least one survivor (including one who has successfully retreated) earns a service mark. After one mark it gains one Veteran Six for the next battle; after three marks it has two. Replace a die before rolling an eligible Hit, Wound or Save test. Spend at most one per squad activation. A Hit six gains +1 Damage only if it subsequently Wounds and beats the Save. No extra attack dice.
Can I use my upgraded company in a new campaign against Peter? No. Begin a different campaign ID with a fresh 400-point force. Nothing transfers.
Can Dave miss a week while I play Peter? Yes, as a crossover. Peter's established army must be on the same mission level and both players agree matched fielded points. If Peter is new, he may bring a one-off fresh army equal to the actual points of your deployed company. Give both sides the same Veteran Six allowance or turn those dice off for both. Your original five-game record remains separate.
Why can't I fully buy everything? The maximum 500-point army is a trade-off: a smaller, thoroughly upgraded company versus more bodies with fewer upgrades. Every price is even; stronger factions and specialist weapons may cost more.