Borderlands - Rules Thread

[Montresor]

BORDERLANDS




SUMMARY:

Each player takes control of one of several communities of survivors, attempting to eke out life in a barren and desolate wasteland. The earth, having been devastated by nuclear war over a century ago, is covered in deserts, poison air, shattered battlegrounds, and ruined cities. Human life is almost extinct.

Players select their forces from one of three factions – Shelter Dwellers, Waste Nomads, or Cultists. Each faction plays differently from another, and each has access to different forces, structures, and technologies.

FACTIONS:

Shelter Dwellers: are technologically advanced, have access to the greatest potential resources and equipment, and possess well trained scientists and soldiers. These are the representatives of governments, scientists, and wealthy corporations which fled to survive below ground, while all those above were left to die. Having only just emerged from over a century of isolation, they lack any practical experience, have small populations, and are viewed with envy and suspicion by the peoples of the waste.

Waste Nomads: are adept at survival, and are experts at exploration and scrounging for materials with which to survive on and use. The Waste Nomads are a disparate bunch of men and women; people who have grown accustomed to an unforgiving world in which death is more of a constant than life. They often travel widely, and many have no fixed abode. They have a propensity for adapting old technologies and cannibalising whatever they find for some use. Their forces are excellent at staging raids and ambushes, though they have little ability to fight protracted battles.

Cultists: are fanatical survivors who have banded around a religious or ideological concept. Their fervour has reached a point where their beliefs dominate their entire purpose. People of the waste flock to cult leaders. In the days beyond the apocalypse, religious belief once more seized hold of the imaginations of the unwary. Cultists have high populations of fanatical followers. They compensate for their low technology with dogged-determination and ferocity. Though mostly untrained, their followers have an almost unbreakable morale in battle. They are good at surviving, and excellent at converting others to their cause.

GAMEPLAY:

The game is played in turns. Players submit their orders to the GM via PM, and the GM processes all events and encounters. There is no currency system in Borderlands. Players instead have access to five key resources: Supplies, Scrap, Fuel, Armaments, and People. Resources are finite, and must be acquired from the waste, or other factions. Resources are spent to feed a player’s populations, to move them, to construct or recruit new elements, and to do almost any action in the game.

Furthermore, players have a limit to the amount of things they can do in a turn. Due to the problems of communication in a vast and hostile environment lacking an infrastructure, carrying out orders beyond a player’s base are limited. Players can issue as many orders as they wish for the home base. Players can only issue up to 3 orders for any action either ending, or originating beyond the home base. This can change due to access to technologies, settlements, characters and so on.

ORDER TYPES:

There are a number of basic orders which a player can carry out in a turn, each of which will be detailed in its own section later. These are: Movement and Exploration; Construction or Recruitment; Diplomacy (with NPC settlements and factions); Research; and Manufacture. Every order has a basic requirement which needs to be fulfilled to be able to attempt it. For example, a Cultist player wishes to recruit a squad of militia – they must have three things to do so: a settlement, a unit of population, and a unit of armaments.

[Montresor]

SURVIVING IN THE WASTES

RESOURCES

There are five main resources available to each faction. Only one is potentially infinite.

Supplies – represent any foodstuffs or water needed to feed your faction. Supplies are consumed by all members of the faction, whether they are soldiers, workers or scientists. Without supplies, people will eventually starve. If supplies ever fall to 0, growth rate reverses, and all actions are taken with a severe penalty.

Fuel – is any kind of substance which can be used to power vehicles, generators and, sometimes, missiles. Fuel is needed to move some of the forces available to a player. Without fuel, tanks will not move, planes will not fly, and factories will not run. This is the rarest resource, more valuable to the denizens of the waste than their own lifeblood (or preferably another’s).

Armaments – are used to equip soldiers and some structures and vehicles. Weapons can be of many varieties, though armaments vary greatly from faction to faction. Without armaments, no new soldiers can be recruited.

Scrap – is scattered in varying degrees of plenty throughout the waste. Scrap represents metal, stone, glass, wood, or anything else which can be conceivably used to make or repair structures. Scrap is needed to make structures, to convert found technology, and to manufacture goods.

People – are the only potentially infinite resource in Borderlands. Every faction starts with an unassigned population which can be turned into workers, soldiers, scientists etc. With no people, a faction ceases to exist. Every faction has a growth rate, which can be influenced by how large they are, what facilities they have, and whether they have supplies. One unit of people has no literal representation, though it could be anywhere from five to twenty persons. As a unit encompasses children and the aged, it is to be assumed that those not old enough, or too old, to be put to some use would simply become part of another unit of unassigned population.

CONSTRUCTION AND RECRUITMENT

Every faction has access to a unique list of structures to construct and forces to recruit. These shall be detailed to each individual player after they have selected their faction type. In the case of constructing or recruiting items available on the list, a player MUST fulfil the individual requirements. For instance, Shelter Dwellers have access to ‘soldiers’. To be able to recruit a soldier, both a unit of people, and a unit of armaments are needed. Without the appropriate resources, the unit cannot be recruited, nor could a structure be constructed.

MANUFACTURE: broken down technologies still exist in the shattered cities of the waste; old battlefields still hold smashed and rusted treasures. Shelter Dwellers have access to blueprints of old 21st century technologies which they could potentially construct. Any player who discovers a new technology, such as body armour, jet planes, artillery, and so on may attempt to get the item to work. They may also attempt to use the item as a prototype for manufacture. To be able to manufacture an item a player MUST have access to a factory. Factories are rare, though rumours abound that some may still be operable amongst the detritus of the nuclear age.

To construct, recruit, or manufacture, a player MUST issue an order. A player can issue as many orders as they like at their home base, however, they can issue only 3 orders which either end or originate outside the home base. Certain factors may mitigate this.

[Montresor]

STAKING A CLAIM IN THE WASTELAND

What little life remains on the earth has been forced to eke a living from a near inhospitable land. Scrounging for resources to make a paltry survival is difficult and, when a new source of fuel or scrap is uncovered, it most often proves to be very finite. Amongst the ruins of mankind, people still play out the death-spasm of civilisation in rudimentary settlements.

In terms of game mechanics, almost anything which can have any kind of unit stationed at it can be considered a ‘settlement’. The home base, farms, ruined towns, subway stations, old army bases, municipal buildings and so on are all potential settlements. Each faction starts with their home settlement. Waste Nomads have the potential to begin with more. Each faction’s home base and populations are unique.

Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Bunker Centres: The NBCBCs were devised to house the very best of humanity. Government representatives, scientists, wealthy business people were all selected as the most likely to rebuild society when the time came to re-emerge into the world. The NBCBCs were multileveled and vast structures built into the earth, below the surface, or into the side of mountains. They are almost impregnable to invasion, and completely immune to bombardment.

NBCBCs were equipped with water purification devices, artificial fresh produce replicators, and all the creature comforts the best of society could expect in their tomb-like confinement. Nonetheless, underground confinement for a century or more has made most of their inhabitants generally timid and physically weaker than those who were forced to try and survive in the post-fourth-world-war world.

Shelter Dwellers begin with an NBCBC as their home base. These are the best kinds of bases available, and usually begin with optional extras, such as a ward, or a machine shop. However, despite their soldiers, the populations of Shelter Dweller factions are extremely reluctant to fight. They consider this the role and duty of soldiers. As such, non-military units in a Shelter Dweller faction will NEVER participate in a fight, even if the home base is under attack.

Nomad Camps: are relatively common throughout the waste. Most often, they are not fixed locations, and can move very frequently. Waste Nomads vary dramatically from one another, however, and it is not so rare to find a Nomad Camp which has for sometime been a permanent establishment.

Nomad Camps are the least defensible of all the faction’s home bases. Because of the ever present danger of raids, wild dog packs, and acid storms, camps need to be easy to pack up and move on at a bare moment’s notice. As such, they have only the most rudimentary structures and defences. Any Nomad Camp can pack up and move on without any great difficulty, although no further orders would be possible at the homebase in that turn.

Waste Nomads have struggled for generations in the Borderlands. They have become proficient at many means of survival. Furthermore, their populations are not unaccustomed to having to fight and defend themselves. Any Waste Nomad unit will fight if a settlement is under attack, however, only their warriors will fight offensively.

Communes: The Cults of the Wasteland more often than not require a habitable base from which to disseminate their faith to the heathens of the Borderlands. Though many cults travel around like pilgrims, most have a permanent base. Quite often, these bases are established around the old centres of religious and secular faith and philosophy, such as churches, libraries, museums.

Communes are often akin to small towns, and usually are able to provide a range of relatively civilised comforts, such as a place of worship, food distributors like bakeries, and repopulated homes. Communes are well-defensible, and withstand assault with relative ease.

The faithful of a cult have abandoned all other idolatrous beliefs, and devote themselves to their cause with an unmatched fervour. The faithful do not have second-thoughts about fighting hostile forces. Not only can any Cult unit participate in the defence of a settlement, but ANY Cult unit can also fight in ANY kind of battle. A unit of workers could fight alongside militia in an invasion of another settlement, for instance.

SETTLEMENT CAPACITIES

Every settlement has a maximum capacity for population. For purposes of game mechanics, every unit at a settlement will be considered a ‘garrison’. Settlements have a limit to the garrison it can hold. Once this is reached, no further forces can be stationed there, and no growth there will be possible.

GROWTH AND EXPANSION

Populations grow slowly but steadily in Borderlands. Every faction has a growth rate which can be influenced by a variety of factors, such as their access to medicines, their size, and how many idle people they have. A faction which employs all of its population in some function (i.e., as scientists, soldiers, workers etc), will find its growth rate will be minimal. A faction with a high population, with many idle units of People, and with access to supplies and water will find they may have a high growth rate.

Units can be sent into unexplored areas (more on that later), to try to uncover new resources and territories. If a location is uncontested, than any player can claim it as their own simply by moving units there. Structures can be built there and, in some cases, resources and work can be carried out. There is no limit to the amount of settlements a player can claim, although it is perhaps unwise to spread one’s forces too thinly.

Those structures found which offer the potential for resource gathering or technologies will need either units of workers or scientists present to utilise their benefits.

TAKING AND LOSING TERRITORIES

Once resources are taken to a settlement, they become part ofan overall 'pool'. It is not necessary to know which settlement holds exactly what amount of resources. Players may assume that, if they need 5 Scrap at one location for construction, and they have at least 5 in their overall pool, they can use those resources at any settlement they own. If the home base id taken, the player will automatically lose 50% of all resources. If a player has only one other settlement, the loss will be 75%. If any other settlement is lost, they will lose a proportion of 50% (i.e., if they had 5 other settlements besides the home base, they would lose 10% of their resources).

The one exception to this is the People resource. People must be given a location. If that location is taken, all those 'People' become part of the conqueror's resources.

[Montresor]

EXPLORING THE WASTELAND

The webs of roads and rails which once made up the infrastructure of pre-fourth-world-war North America are now largely vanished. Shattered highways trace their way through vast deserts like little more than old tracks, overgrown with weeds, and forgotten. Packs of wild animals, dangerous and deranged humans wander the wastes. Rumours abound of men degenerated into cannibals, of people who seem less than human. Travellers in the waste are understandably cautious.

Players can use any unit type to move through the waste. A move is considered an order. However, a move, in combination with any other action is still only considered one order. Thus to travel from the home base to another settlement and build a shelter is only one order for rule’s purposes.

A unit can move up to the maximum of its move distance. This varies from unit to unit, and will be detailed in the faction unit summaries sent to players. As an example, suppose a Shelter Dweller Soldier unit has a Move Value of 2, this means it can move two grid spaces in one turn. However, ANY unit, besides Scouts, can only move 1 space into unexplored territory. It takes time to survey an area, and it is a potentially exceedingly dangerous task. Scouts can move into a maximum of two unexplored grid spaces a turn, though the second one is done with a slightly higher risk.

Units which are grouped together under a 'company' (see upcoming ORGANISATION rules), always moves at the speed of its slowest element.

Any grid, even previously explored ones, can be scrounged for supplies. Explored zones are much less likely to yield anything useful, though there may be things left behind which scouts previously missed. To hunt for resources, a unit must be given a Scrounge order.

SCROUNGING

Units may come across locations or items of value in the Wasteland. These can range from other settlements, ghost towns, old military installations, and many more. They may also be simple scatterings of resources. Any found resources must be taken by a unit back to a settlement, before it is considered part of the player’s resources. However, if a resource is ‘found’ at a settlement belonging to a player (i.e., fuel pumped from an abandoned gas station), it is automatically added to that player’s resources.

Some special items may also have to be taken back to settlements.

TECHNOLOGY

The ruins of the wasteland offer many opportunities for technological discoveries. Valuable items may be found which a faction’s ‘scientists’ may be able to get working, and could use as potential proto-types for recreations. If an item of technology is discovered which a faction has no practical knowledge of, or if an old piece of ruined tech is found, then scientists can attempt to fix the object for an expense of scrap. This cost varies depending on the object. To do this, the scientists must have the needed resources, and be present in the same location as the tech. They can either travel to it, or have it brought to them.

Once a new technology is discovered, and if the scientists are able to successfully understand it, the faction will then possess the tech as a ‘blueprint’. This blueprint enables them to be able to manufacture the tech at a factory, providing they also have the required resources.

Some locations will require scientists to successfully ‘crack’ the tech to be able to use it at all. There are varying degrees of difficulty, and each faction has a different chance of studying technologies. The order from most to least likely of successfully studying technology is: Shelter Dwellers, Waste Nomads, and Cultists.

[Montresor]

MAKING FRIENDS AND ENEMIES

DIPLOMACY

There are no rules governing trade or diplomacy between players. As there is no monetary system in Borderlands, the only commodities are resources and technologies. Players may trade these between each other, though they must actually transport resources physically from their settlements, to their trade partners.

Further, diplomacy between players has no rules governing it. Players are free to declare war on each other, lend each other support, offer advice, or whatever else they need. Communication over long distances is possible via radio transmitters. One thing of high importance, however, is to keep the GM well informed about player-to-player discussions at all times. Too many complications and misunderstandings may arise from the GM being left in the dark. As troops may accidentally fire upon one another, or even purposefully shoot upon neutral forces without the controlling player’s consent or intention, it is essential that the GM knows who is aligned to whom.

Trade between player factions

Trade is a necessity for survival in the Borderlands. It is highly unlikely that one faction will find itself comfortably represented in every resource type. Therefore, players will need to trade amongst themselves, and decide upon there own prices. Resources need to be shifted by elements from one of their structures either to another faction's elements or settlements. Once a player has received resources, he may not use them until they have been transported back to a settlement.

Though this may sound complicated or impractical, it is remarkably easy to achieve. Certain structures can be built anywhere in the wastes and used to transport goods. Guard posts, way stations, and unique (non-settlement) locations, like gas stations, can be used for this purpose. If a location isn't a settlement, however, there is a limit of 5 resources per turn maximum which can be traded in this fashion.

Diplomacy with NPCs

Diplomacy with NPCs works differently. NPCs are influenced by a variety of factors, including the relative power of the player to them, their distance, and the faction they are playing. It is possible to come to agreements with NPC groups, and one can even convince them to join your faction completely. However, to do this, a player needs to initiate diplomacy with the NPCs. This can be done in one of two ways: firstly, by communicating with the individuals over radio (if they have them); or, secondly, by sending a delegation to the NPC territory. This can be done by moving any unit to the territory and issuing an order to begin discussions. Either option requires an order, and will never be considered as a free order via the home base rule.

Diplomacy is easiest for Cultists, and hardest for Shelter Dwellers.

COMBAT

Combat in the harsh world of the Wastes is inevitable. There are simply not enough resources to be shared by all. Marauders, the insane, wild animal packs and worse lurk in the Wastes, waiting to ensnare whatever passes by.

Statistics and rules governing combat shall only be known by the GM, however, a brief summary of how combat works will be given now. Basically, any battle has a maximum of 5 rounds. Each faction has a morale factor. Waste Nomads have a morale of 3; Shelter Dwellers have a morale of 4; and Cultists have a morale of 5. This basically means that these factions will fight at their full ability until the round which corresponds to their morale is exceeded. They will continue to fight if they face a higher morale force, though they shall do so at a penalty. Once combat concludes, both sides will disengage, and the GM will determine the victor. The loser withdraws.

Attacking a settlement works differently. By the conclusion of the combat, an attacker must have eliminated at least 50% of the settlement’s defenders to be considered for a victory result. Anything less will result in the attacker withdrawing.

The quality and equipment of troops impacts on their ability to attack and defend themselves. Some troop types fight better defensively. The faction with the highest overal quality of troops are the Shelter Dwellers. The faction with generally the least proficient troops are the Cultists.

Ambush

Ambushing superior forces is a way of evening odds or, even, of annihilating a more powerful force. The more scouts one has in an ambushing force, the more likely the ambush is to succeed. Likewise, the more scouts one has in an ambushed force, the more likely the ambush will fail. If an ambush is successfully sprung, the ambushers fight with a bonus, and the ambushed fight with a negative for the entire duration of the battle. Furthermore, they receive a +1 to their morale factor for the fight.

The most likely to succeed at laying or detecting ambushes are the Waste Nomads, the least likely are the Shelter Dwellers.

[Montresor]

COMMAND AND CONTROL

Organisation is key to success in Borderlands. Players begin the game with a variety of different units, and it is likely that they shall soon expand with others. Due to the problems of commanding large forces over a hostile environment with a near complete lack of infrastructure, it is crucial to have reliable commanders and organised forces.

Every single unit in the game is known as an ‘element’. Three units of soldiers are therefore three elements. One team of scientists is therefore one element. As ordering each element to carry out an action can quickly use up all of a player’s orders, it is necessary to place elements in ‘companies’.

Companies are groups of up to five elements, and may be comprised of any type. The main benefit of a company is that it counts as one element for the purposes of orders. For instance, five elements on their own moving from point A to point B would cost five orders. However, if those elements were organised into a company, the same move of all five elements as the company would cost only one order.

To organise a company, all elements which are intended to form it must be at the same location. Furthermore, it requires an order to organise a company.

For movement purposes, a company always moves at the speed of its slowest element. The one exception to this is if the company possesses enough transportation to move all elements at a higher speed.

COMMANDERS

Command units are both valuable and rare in Borderlands. They cannot be recruited. Players begin with some command units, and may acquire more in the game by one of two means: the first is by convincing NPC commanders to join their forces; the second is purely through a random chance when growth is calculated.

Commanders can be of three types: the first is a Military Officer, the second is a Research Supervisor, and the third is a Work Instructor. Military officers add a bonus to the attack and defence of elements in their company. Research Supervisors add a bonus to the chance of successfully studying technology to all scientific elements in their company. Work Instructors increase the rate of work of all worker elements in their company, and thus boost production and manufacture rates.

Commanders do not count as an element for purposes of calculating maximum company numbers. Therefore, a company with a commander could potentially have the Commander unit and still retain five other elements.

Finally, Commanders allow one extra order to be carried out per turn. This does not mean a single element can act more times than it would be ordinarily permissible to do so.

[Montresor]

ORDER SUMMARY

IMPORTANT: Players may issue as many orders as they wish at their home base, however, they may only issue 3 orders per turn which either originate or end outside of the homebase. Players may gain the ability to issue more than 3 orders outside of the home base as a result of Commander units, technologies, structures, or special events.

An element can perform only one order a turn.

Below is a summary of the Orders which can issued in Borderlands:

MOVE: a simple order to move from one point to another. When the map is revealed, this will be done via grid reference points (i.e. MOVE from A4 to C4). A MOVE order is one of only two order types which can be combined with any other order and still have the two only count as one order.

ATTACK: many times it will be unecessary to issue an ATTACK order. Elements will use their own discretion and, if attacked, they will fight back. A specific target must be given.

AMBUSH: an element given an AMBUSH order attempts to hide and surprise enemy forces. If no enemy type is specified, the element will ambush any non-aligned unit that passes nearby. AMBUSH orders have a higher chance of success if scout units are present in the company. AMBUSH orders can only be carried out against units which either enter or leave the same location as the ambushing element. Therefore, an element cannot ambush an enemy unit if it remains in a settlement for one turn, and does not attempt to leave the map coordinate.

JOIN COMPANY: elements given this order will form a company of up to five elements, and one Command unit. Any element can be added to the company, regardless of its type. This is the only other order, besides MOVE, which can be combined with any other order and still have the two only count as one order.

FORM BRIGADE: elements or companies ordered to join a brigade form part of a large concentration of units. A brigade may have up to ten elements, and one Command unit. Brigades can only be formed with military units, though any kind of Command unit may lead it. Brigades are complex units and require an entire week to organise. An element or company forming a brigade may do nothing else that turn but issue a FORM BRIGADE order. Leaving a brigade costs no orders. Companies which join a brigade may keep their structure (i.e., still remain in a company) though they cannot act as a company individually while still in a brigade.

STAFF: This is an order for an element to staff a structure, or to crew a vehicle. STAFF can be used in conjunction with another order, and still only have the two orders count as one action. Multiple units which belong to the same company can be made to staff multiple positions at a location for one order.

CONSTRUCT: is an order for an element or a company to build a structure at a location. Most structures must be built at a settlement, with few exceptions. Only Worker elements can perform a CONSTRUCT order.

MANUFACTURE: is an order for an element to build a unit, such as a vehicle or armour etc, at a factory. A factory is a necessary pre-requisite. Only a Worker element can perform a MANUFACTURE order.

RECRUIT: is an order to create a new element. This is used for any type of element, excluding vehicles (which falls under a MANUFACTURE order. The necessary requirements must be fulfilled, and this order can be issued at any of your settlements.

RESEARCH: is an order for an element to try to study a found technology. It will become apparent when this is an option. Only Scientist elements may perform a RESEARCH order.

MAKE OFFER/DEMAND: is a diplomacy order to an NPC faction/settlement. Not all NPCs are amenable or, even, possible to bargain with. Furthermore, either the NPC faction needs a radio, or the player needs to MOVE an element to initiate dimplomacy at the required location. Any element can perform a MAKE OFFER/DEMAND order, though Command units are more likely to succeed. This order will always count as an outside of settlement offer, regardless of where it is performed.

SCROUNGE/EXPLORE: is an order to hunt in the wastes and ruins for resources and useful items. Unexplored areas of the map are more likely to yield unclaimed resources, though anywhere may still hold some items of value.

SHIFT CAMP: This order is unique to Waste Nomads. As long as no other order is carried out at the home base, a Waste Nomad faction may move its home base up to two grid coordinates away. Any structures built will be scuttled and part of the resources used to build them will be returned to the pool.

[Montresor]

AN EXAMPLE OF PLAY

In order to preserve the mystery of faction units, this example is given with a non-playable faction type.

Shawn has made his selection for a faction and, having chosen all the starting options he wants, he begins with the People of the Barren Gorge. The degenerate and inbred inhabitants of a once fertile region, the survivors now skulk in their cave-riddled, rocky warren, capturing the unwary nomads who pass by for food . . . and worse.

The People of the Barren Gorge begin with nothing but the caves and make-shift shelters of their warren. They also have the Flesh Totem – a totem made from human remains and bones, which they worship as their god. The Flesh Totem is the scene of great ceremonies in which captives are slaughtered and eaten. These usually precipitate the cannibals heading into the wastes in great mobs to ensnare captives. For the expense of 2 units of Supplies, the People of the Barren Gorge may use the Flesh Totem, which boosts the morale of all elements present at the settlement by 1 point, until the end of the turn. This is good, as the cannibals are ill-disciplined and cowardly. The Flesh Totem does not count as an Order if used.

The People of the Barren Gorge start the game with 8 elements of Cannibal Raiders (soldiers); 2 Skulkers (scouts/soldiers); 4 units of Tribes People (workers); and 1 Witch Doctor brood (scientists). The tribe has one character – Chief Donner, a Military Commander unit. They also have 40 Supplies; 0 Fuel; 7 Scrap; 6 Armaments; and 18 People.

Shawn knows, from the turn summaries, that there is a small settlement of farmers to the North-East, across cracked and life-less hills. They don’t appear to have any defences, and would make an excellent new supply source. Capturing the farm would also be useful, as it would allow access to a potentially renewable supply source.

Shawn also knows that strange men, clothed in thickly padded-armour, wearing masks and helmets, and carrying sticks which spit out death with terrifying rapidity have been seen lurking in the West, near an old shattered highway. These men may make good sacrifices to the God of Flesh and Plenty.

The Tribe had also discovered a rusted old vehicle, which they dragged back to the gorge. The Skulkers thought it may be a dead animal of some kind, though the Witch Doctor Brood suspects it may be a workable car (an old legend, passed down from generations, about metal beasts which swallowed people and took them from one place to another).

Finally, the warrens of the gorge are providing only rudimentary shelter, and space is limited. With a People of 18, and 16 elements, the tribe has almost reached its garrison maximum of 40 units/elements. New caves need to be dug.

Shawn’s general plan of action for the turn is thus: organise his forces into more manageable units; assault the farm settlement to the north – taking its people and claiming the territory; send some forces West to try and lay an ambush for the Shelter Dwellers his tribe spotted; build a new structure at the home base; try to make the car work; recruit more Cannibal Raiders to face the possible threat of more Shelter Dwellers; and, scrounge for new supplies.

Building the new caves at the home base will increase the maximum garrison by 5, though it requires a unit of Tribes People (workers) and 4 Scrap.

Trying to make the car work will be an extreme challenge for these savage peoples, and it will require the Witch Doctor Brood (‘scientists’), 2 Scrap, and luck.

Recruiting the Cannibal Raiders is relatively easy. These are very low-tech troops, armed with makeshift bows and clubs. This requires only a unit of People, and 1 Armament.

Shawn also thinks it wise to hold a great ceremony beneath the Flesh Totem before embarking to assault the settlement, or attempting to ambush the Dwellers.

The orders sent to the GM are thus:

Recruit 3 units of Cannibal Raiders [3 People, 3 Armaments]

Split the 8 raiders into 2 Companies (Shawn doesn’t think the term ‘company’ suits his concept, so he calls them ‘Mobs’) [8 Join Company Orders]

Add one unit of Skulkers to the first ‘Mob’ [1 Join Company Order]

Add Chief Donner to second ‘Mob’ [Join Company Order]

Build Cave Shelters at home base [Construct Order -1 Tribes People unit builds shelter – 4 Scrap]

Use Witch Doctor Brood to try to make car work [Research Order – 2 Scrap]

Send unattached Skulker unit South to Scrounge for supplies [Move and Scrounge Order]


MOVE first ‘Mob’ West and lay an AMBUSH [1st Mob – 4 Cannibal Raiders & 1 Skulker – Move and Ambush Order]


MOVE second ‘Mob’ North-East and ATTACK the farm. Slaughter all resistance, and imprison all for food [2nd Mob – 4 Cannibal Raiders & Chief Donner – Move and Attack Order]

Hold a ceremony at the Flesh Totem [2 Supplies]

These orders are clear and well-written. A helpful summary of order types and expenditure is written to make the GM’s task easier. Shawn has also only ordered 3 Orders which originate or end outside the home base and, as this is beneath his maximum of 4 (+1 with the Commander), he is not breaking any rules. However, Shawn has made two crucial mistakes in his orders. Elements can perform only 1 Order a turn (with the exception of Join Company or Move orders combined with any other type). Shawn has made all the units in the companies attempt 3 orders (Join Company, Move, and either Attack or Ambush). In a case like this (and if the GM has neither the time nor the ability to contact the player for clarification, the last order will be ignored), only the Join Company and Move orders would be attempted. This means that the Attack will not take place this turn, and the Ambush will not be laid. Shawn had better hope those Shelter Dwellers don’t come across his cannibals in the open . . .

[Dorian]

Fuck yeah! My units are awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I love this game already.

Now, all I need is a blue suit with a big yellow thirteen on the back and I would feel complete. Ten points to anyone other than monty who can tell me what im on about

[Halal_Kebab]

Hmmm, yeah I really don't know this one? Sorry Dorian, I'm too busy trying to find my water purifier to spend much time on it!

I can't believe the shelter dwellers start with a tactical nuke - can't wait til I run into one of you surface monkeys!!!!

[Montresor]

Shhh . . . next you'll tell them about the robot armies . . .

[Dorian]

Hey mate, tell em about the robot armies, anything that takes their minds of the free squadron of jets we get.

Turns out that with the use of VTOL they can fly straight outta the shelter without a run way

[Loredoctor]

Haha.

[Montresor]

Just a request: When players send me their unit and structure choices, can they also send me the definitive details on their faction? i.e., faction name, leaders, brief history, that sort of thing. I realise some players have already done this, but if everyone could send details with their choices, that would be greatly appreciated. This will allow me to tailor perspective to the individual players, and add modifiers to NPC interaction etc.

Also, Lore, that's the best avatar ever.

[balon!]

Do Commander elements need to be WITH the unit/element using the extra order granted from said Commander?

[Montresor]

Do Commander elements need to be WITH the unit/element using the extra order granted from said Commander?

No. Commanders grant a 'blanket' +1 order. This means that, if you have one Commander Element, you can issue up to four orders ending or originating outside of the home base settlement (3 is the base, +1 per commander).

Commanders do not allow elements to take more than their permissable number of orders per turn.

[balon!]

No. Commanders grant a 'blanket' +1 order. This means that, if you have one Commander Element, you can issue up to four orders ending or originating outside of the home base settlement (3 is the base, +1 per commander).

Excellent, thanks.

[Montresor]

This was probably assumed by everyone but, when a 'Worker' unit is staffed in any structure, it cannot be used to Construct another structure. To do so, it would have to be removed from the staff. Everyone probably worked that one out for themselves, though.

Also, I seem to have forgotten to note it in player's relevant descriptions but, for those who have a structure like a trade centre (those who have one willl know what I mean, I'm sure), these structures require a staff of one 'Worker' to be used.

[Montresor]

Tomorrow is the deadline for all players to make their starting unit and structure choices. 24 hours to go. This announcement happened between the hours of 11 p.m. and 12 p.m.

[Dorian]

will you be online tonight? I wanna discuss a couple of choices with you