(I've been fiddling around with this for the last few weeks. It begun as a semi free form/matrix argument inspired battle game but mutated into a more mechanical skirmish game where I try and squeeze as much as possible out of a single d6. I'm currently play testing a Necromunda inspired "hack/total conversion" of these rules. I had plans to put this into a PDF but I don't know if that will be happening any time soon, so here it is in blogpost format!)
For generating and resolving interesting and unique narrative skirmish conflicts
This is not a competitive skirmish game. Some willingness to cooperate to see an interesting battle play out is required from the players
A digital or hand drawn map with symbols for units/terrain/chits or, miniatures, terrain and distinct chits/unit markers, are highly recommended to play the game.
Movement:
Players state where each of their units will move.
If the other player does not slow any units, the units move immediately.
Slowed units arrive at the beginning of the next movement phase (and may then move again).
A slowed unit’s faction gains a token for each unit slowed.
To melee attack a target a unit must move to the area of their target, and then move again into melee range.
To range attack a target a unit must move to the area of their target.
Special Resolution,
When a unit attempts something that isn't an attack, roll a d6:
1 - 2) Failure
3 - 4) Failure, put a +1 chit on unit, unit gets +1 to next roll attempting same thing
5 - 6) Success
Basic Battle Resolution,
When a unit attacks a target, roll a d6:
1) Miss
2) Defend - Put a defense chit on unit - Minus 1 to next battle roll targeting unit.
CAN stack but only one chit always consumed each attack against unit
3-4) Injure - Put an injury chit on target. Each injury chit = minus 1 to all rolls.
A unit is dead if it has 4 or more injury chits on it.
5) Maim - Put a maimed chit on target. Target is unable to act and an additional attack of 3+ kills it
6) Kill - Put a dead chit on target. Target unable to act until they are no longer dead.If a unit has their Dead chit removed, they are no longer dead but must remove one if their “Strengths”.
Tokens: May be used to:
Cause a successful dice rolled by a unit with a Tragic Flaw to fail as if a 1 was rolled, but MUST reference the Tragic Detail as a reason for the failure.
Causes an unrolled dice roll by a unit with a Heroic Boon to be an automatic 6 (affected by -1 from injures), MUST reference the Heroic Boon as a reason for the success.
In the environmental phase a player may spend a token to apply Turf Crunch to a specific area of the map.
Turf Crunch: Advantages (Crunch Strengths, Special Abilities, Heroic Boons) or disadvantages (Crunch Weakness, Special Weakness, Tragic Flaws) applied to a specific area of the battlefield.
Setup Phase Summary:
Agree on number of units in each faction
Apply Crunch Strengths and Weaknesses to whole faction
Apply Advantages (Crunch Strengths, Special Abilities or Heroic Boons) and disadvantages (Crunch Weakness, Special Weakness or Tragic Flaw) to each specific unit .
Agree on battlefield base terrain description and any special atmosphere
Apply Turf Crunch to battlefield areas .
Agree on battlefield objectives
Deploy units.
Battle Turn Summary:
Gambit - determine which player acts first in all phases this turn.
Movement Phase - Each player, in gambit order, moves all of their units.
Special Phase - Each player, in gambit order, resolves all of their units special abilities.
Battle Phase - Each player, in gambit order, attacks with all of their units
Repeat!
Key Terms:
Crunch Strength: A positive slight change (one mechanic, one integer) to the key mechanics of the game.
Crunch Weakness: A negative slight change (one mechanic, one integer) to the key mechanics of the game.
Token: Spent to make an unrolled dice by a unit with a heroic boon a 6, or a rolled dice by a unit with a tragic flaw a 1.
Special Ability: An out of battle ability/power/etc used in the “Special Phase” of a turn.
Heroic Boon:A descriptive detail that allows the unit to use a token to guarantee a roll of 6.
Special Weakness: A negative (generally passive) out of battle ability/power/etc activated in the “Special Phase” of a turn.
Tragic Flaw: A descriptive detail that allows a token to be used against the unit to turn a roll of theirs into a 1.
Advantages: Crunch Strengths, Special Abilities or Heroic Boons applied to a unit.
Disadvantages: Crunch Weaknesses, Special Weaknesses or Tragic Flaws applied to a unit.
Turf Crunch: Turf Crunch are advantages (Crunch Strengths, Special Abilities, Heroic Boons) or disadvantages (Crunch Weaknesses, Special Weaknesses, Tragic Flaws) applied to a specific area of the battlefield.
Gambit: When one player declares that they will act first in all phases of a turn turn. The other player may take a token, or give a “Tragic Flaw ” to one of the other players units , or give an “Heroic Boon” to one of their units.
Key Chits applied to Unit:
Slowed: Does not move this movement phase, applies at the beginning of the next movement phase and may then move again. .
+1: Applied after a roll of 3 - 4 on a specific action in the special phase, unit gets +1 to next roll attempting same thing
Defense:- Minus 1 to next battle roll targeting unit. CAN stack but only one chit always consumed each attack against unit
Injury: -1 to all dice rolls by the unit. A unit with 4 injury chits dies.
Maimed: Unit is unable to act and an additional attack of 3+ kills it
Dead: Unit is unable to act until they are no longer dead.If a unit has their Dead chit removed, they are no longer dead but must remove one if their “Strengths”.
Note: A simpler and swifter version of the game can be played if “Army lists” have been prepared that allow the players to simply choose from a list of appropriate Advantages (Crunch Strengths, Special Abilities and Heroic Boons) and Disadvantages (Crunch Weaknesses, Special Weaknesses and Tragic Flaws) applied to a unit. Additionally, having battlefields prepared with lists of appropriate turf crunch will also help make the game simpler and swifter.
Faction Setup:
Both Players agree on the number of units their faction will have.
Each faction has the same number of “Basic Melee Fighting People” that use the “Basic Battle Resolution” to attack. “Basic Melee Fighting People” begin with no advantages or disadvantages.
Each player may give their faction as many “Crunch Strengths” as they desire. These strengths apply to all units in the faction.
A Crunch Strength is a slight change (one mechanic, one integer) to the key mechanics of the game.
Once a player has given their faction the desired number of strengths, a second player may give the first’s faction a “Crunch Weakness” or take a “ Token” for each strength the other took.
A Crunch weakness is a slight change (one mechanic, one integer) to the key mechanics of the game.
Unit Setup:
Each player may give each of their specific units as many advantages (Crunch Strengths, Special Abilities or Heroic Boons) as they desire.
A Crunch Strength is a slight change (one mechanic, one integer) to the key mechanics of the game.
A Special Ability is an out of battle ability/power/etc used in the “Special Phase” of a turn.
A Heroic Boon is a descriptive detail that allows the unit to use a token to guarantee a roll of 6.
Once a player has given their units all their desired strengths a second player may give the first’s units a disadvantage (Crunch Weakness, Special Weakness or Tragic Flaw) or take a token for each advantage given to the other’s units. .
A Crunch Weakness is a slight change (one mechanic, one integer) to the key mechanics of the game.
A Special Weakness is a negative (generally passive) out of battle ability/power/etc activated in the “Special Phase” of a turn.
A Tragic Flaw is a descriptive detail that allows a token to be used against the unit to turn a roll of theirs into a 1.
Notes:
A disadvantage cannot override a faction/unit's specific advantage.
Crunch strengths/weaknesses should only affect one integer and type of mechanic (changing the dice roll resolution tables by ONE entry/requiring ONE more or less token/chit, etc.) More than one integer of the same strengths requires multiple weaknesses be applied/tokens taken.
A special ability/weakness should impact the current condition, by one integer, of one unit's status in one mechanic.
Battlefield Setup:
A first player describes the terrain of the battlefield.
These descriptive details can be used in movement slowing and applying Turf Crunch.
A second player describes any additional effects, atmosphere, weather, dangers, etc that the battlefield has.
These descriptive details can be used in movement slowing and applying Turf Crunch.
Each player takes it in turns to define a distinct area or region of the battlefield and apply Turf Crunch to it.
Turf Crunch are advantages (Crunch Strengths, Special Abilities, Heroic Boons) or disadvantages (Crunch Weakness, Special Weakness, Tragic Flaws) applied to a specific area of the battlefield.
Cover, traps, doors, healing pools, etc and so on, can be added to a battlefield in this way. These must seem plausible and logical considering the battlefield’s description and all units, regardless of faction, have equal access and use of these environmental additions.
Optional, Battle Objective Setup
A first player describes the basic objectives of the battle of each faction (if it is beyond “Kill the other faction”)
A second player describes a complication, technicality, or quantifier to each objective.
Objectives may result in Additional Turf Crunch if both players agree.
Pre Battle:
Deployment:
A first player describes the starting locations of each of their units.
A second player may ask the first player to change the location of any of their units. For each unit moved the first player may take a token.
The second player now describes the starting locations of each of their units, following the same procedure above.
The Battle Begins!
Play out turns in the following order!
Gambit:
One player declares that they will act first in all phases this turn. The other player may take a token, or give a “Tragic Flaw ” to one of the other players units , or give an “Heroic Boon” to one of their units.
If neither player (or both) wants to declare that they will act first in all phases, roll a d6, highest wins, to determine who will act first.
Movement Phase:
The first player states where each of their units will move.
If the other player does not slow any units, the units move immediately.
A player slowing a unit must provide a logical in universe reason as to why a unit is slowed.
Slowed units arrive at the beginning of the next movement phase (and may then move again).
A slowed unit’s faction gains a token for each unit slowed.
To melee attack a target a unit must move to the area of their target, and then move again into melee range.
To range attack a target a unit must move to the area of their target.
The second player now states the movements of each of their units, following the same procedure above.
Notes on Movement: Movement will be game and battlefield dependent. The specifics will need to be agreed on by both players before the game begins. As a general rule on a “smaller” battlefield, units should be able to move any area on the map with a single move. On a “larger” map units may need to move to a specific region of the map with a move, then to a specific area within that region with another move.
Special Phase:
The first player describes the attempted out of battle actions of each of their units, resolving them with the d6 Special Resolution.
Tokens may be used in this phase.
Tokens: May be used to:
Cause a successful dice rolled by a unit with a Tragic Flaw to fail as if a 1 was rolled, but MUST reference the Tragic Detail as a reason for the failure.
Causes an unrolled dice roll by a unit with a Heroic Boon to be an automatic 6 (affected by -1 from injures), MUST reference the Heroic Boon as a reason for the success
The second player now describes the attempted out of battle actions of each of their units, following the same procedure above.
If a unit is an area affected by Turf Crunch that requires a dice roll, the unit must resolve the environmental Turf Crunch before they can resolve their special action.
Note: The special resolution system can be used by units to attempt certain actions that may not be covered by specific “Special Abilities” (such as giving another unit a specific piece of equipment), if both players agree on the result of the attempted action.
Battle Phase:
A first player describes the attempted attack of each of their units, resolving them with the d6 Basic Battle Resolution. A “Basic Melee Fighting Person” needs to be standing next to a target to attack them (in melee range). Other attack distances will depending on the attacking units Advantages
Tokens may be used in this phase.
Tokens: May be used to:
Cause a successful dice rolled by a unit with a Tragic Flaw to fail as if a 1 was rolled, but MUST reference the Tragic Detail as a reason for the failure.
Causes an unrolled dice roll by a unit with a Heroic Boon to be an automatic 6 (affected by -1 from injures), MUST reference the Heroic Boon as a reason for the success
The second player now describes the attempted attacks of each of their units, following the same procedure above.
Note: As a general rule a unit can only be the target of up to 4 melee attacks in a single battle phase.
Return to “Gambit” then repeat until the battle is resolved!
Optional Environmental Phase:
In this phase each player, in gambit order, may spend a token to apply Turf Crunch to a specific area of the map.
