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    2.concepts and essentials

    Core Rules

    In this chapter, you will learn some of the basic and essentialconcepts you will need to know when playing Dark Age. If youever have any questions not found in this rulebook regarding Dark

    Age, feel free to stop by the website, http://www.dark-age.com, andvisit the forum. Tere you will find many interesting articles onthe varying aspects of this hobby including specific articles on thedifferent tactics you can use in the game of Dark Age and plenty ofuseful downloads.

    What You Need To Play

    BALEFIELD You need something to play on, a table or anyplaying surface will do, typically 4 x 4.

    DARK AGE MINIAURES- o play the game you need a number ofDark Age miniatures to represent your chosen Forcelist. Each DarkAge miniature comes with a round plastic base to not only help

    the piece stand, but also used throughout the rules to represent theUnits footprint on the Battlefield.

    APE MEASURE (F) Dark Age requires a standard Inches/Footape Measure.

    20-SIDED DICE Used throughout Dark Age, roll twenty sideddice (d20s) to determine the outcome of statistic rolls and generalgame play. Multiple dice of different colors are preferable, makingdifferent rolls easier to distinguish.

    ERRAIN o add life to your Dark Age miniature game you willwant to use terrain such as miniature-scale hills, rivers, bridges,

    fences, buildings, and other landscapes.

    COUNERS, CARDS, & EMPLAES Dark Age makes use ofvarious counters and templates. You can find these at the back ofthis book. If you decide to use your own Counters and/or Cards,ensure they are clearly representative, and that your opponentknows what they represent before setting up the game. Te game ofDark Age uses various game effects that are explained later. Witha few exceptions, most counters can be classified into two differenttypes: Warning and Hazard.

    Warning Countersrepresent a GameEffect that has a positive effect on

    a Unit and looks like this:

    Hazard Counters represent a detrimentalGame Effect and can be identified by this:

    Te Forcelist book or applicable Force book will list any Special orWeapon Abilities that have Game Effects and will be identified byone or both of the following symbolsAandB.

    Game Play Definitions

    Argument Stopper - abletop war games are just that:

    games. Although making every attempt to cover all possiblescenarios and keep game play as smooth as possible, circumstancesmay arise during game play not covered by the rules. If at any pointyou or your opponent have a dispute on a topic and cannot reach anagreement, simply roll one d20 each. Te player that makes a lowestroll wins the decision and the game continues. Tis will allow youto keep your game flowing smoothly. You can always discuss theruling after the game for future reference. When this occurs, pleasepost the question on the Dark Age forums for a more official ruling.

    Measuring- All measurements in Dark Age are in inches (in).When measuring the distance between two Units, always measurethe shortest possible distance between the two Miniatures Bases.

    When determining Movement, measure from the nearest pointin the desired direction on the Miniatures Base, up to the correctdistance. Ten move the Unit, placing the same point of the baseat that location. Tere is no pre-measuring in Dark Age. If youmeasure a distance, you must follow through with the action.NOTE: Round all fractions down.

    Die Rolls- Dark Age utilizes a d20 for all game determinations.By design, rolling lower is better than rolling higher.

    Critical Success and Critical Failure - Rolling a1 on the die results in a Critical Success and rolling a 20 is aCritical Failure. Most tests have special stipulations for handling

    such critical rolls.

    Lowest to Highest- If a Unit must make multiple die rollsfor one action, such as Armor Saves, make all of these die rolls atonce. Consider them to occur in order from the lowest result tothe highest. If you only have one d20, you should note your resultsdown and resolve them in order of lowest to highest as above.NOTE: As the die rolls are taken from lowest to highest, if aplayer rolls both a 1 and a 20, the roll of 1 would take precedenceover the 20.

    Scatter Roll- A Scatter Roll is a single d20 roll. Each facet,or side, of a d20 is a triangle shape and the direction of the Scatter

    is the direction of the triangle point above the number rolled. It isbest to roll your Scatter die close to the intended target area to makedirection determinations easier.

    Target Number (TN) - Te arget Number (N) is thenumber needed for a successful outcome on any die roll. Determinea N with one or more Statistics and any situational modifiers thatmay apply to the specific action performed. If the result is equal to

    or lower than the N, you are successful. Te N is calculatedfor anything that requires a die roll including attacks, Saves,

    Fear or Panic test, etc.

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    Army- An Army is the primary and most general classification forcombatants in Dark Age. Tese often refer to a race or nation (e.g.Forsaken, Dragyri, Skarrd, Brood, etc.). Each Army contains one or

    more sub-types, called Forcelists.

    Forcelist (Force)- Te Forcelist provides details on all of theUnits that make up the Force you field on any particular Scenario.Each Forcelists entries describe Units Statistics, Abilities, andWeapons for use in the game of Dark Age. Additional books haveeven more Forcelists to expand the world of Dark Age further.NOTE: You may only use one Forcelist per 1,000 points. Ingames from 1,001 2,000 points, you may combine up to twoForcelists from the same Army. In games 2,001 3,000 pointsyou may combine up to three Forcelists from the same Army, etc.

    Unit - Dark Age represents forces on the Battlefield by

    Miniatures, referred to as Units. A Unitis a single Miniature. Grouped into twodifferent categories, Units are eitherIndividuals or Squads. Terefore, theterm Unit may refer to an Individual ora single member of a Squad.

    Individual - Individuals are Unitsthat activate on their own.

    Squad- Squads are teams of Units thatmove and attack as a group. A Squadmay contain a Leader who generally has

    different Statistics.

    Unit Card - Using a Unit Card inDark Age is a fast way of learning andremembering your Units Statistics,Weapons, and Special Abilities. A UnitCard also helps keep track of which Unitshave completed their activation eachGame urn. See example, center.

    Unit Statistics- Each Unit has Statistics to represent how wellthe Unit can shoot, attack, Cast, resist damage, move, and functionin the harsh world of Dark Age. Te following Statistics describe the

    fundamental attributes of a Unit used in Dark Age.

    Action Points (AP) - Action Points (AP) represent theamount of activity a Unit can participate in during its Activation.A Unit spends an AP in order to perform single actions such asMovement, using weapons, abilities, and castings.

    Defense (DF) - Defense (DF) is a Units ability to avoid anattack. Add this number to an attackers AS when the target ofan Assault (AS).

    Armor (AR)- Armor (AR) is the amount of protection the Unithas against most attacks. Tis can be due to protective equipment, ornatural protection from a tough hide, fur, scales, or mutation. Subtract

    the PW of a hit from a Units AR when making an AR Save.NOE: Te Unit attempting to avoid damage makes an AR Save,not the Unit causing damage. Tus, AR Saves ignore any AttackersN modifiers.

    Move or Movement (MV) - Movement (MV) measuresthe number of inches the Unit may travel per AP spent. errainand obstructions can sometimes modify this amount.

    Psyche (PS) - Te Psyche (PS) statistic indicates the Unitsbravery and willpower. Units with high PS are less likely tosuffer from Fear or Panic. Tey are a lso more likely to resist someCastings.

    Health Points (HP)- Health Points(HP) show the amount of damage a Unitcan withstand before Dying or removingit from play.

    Point Value (PV)- Point Value (PV)is the worth of each Unit in the game.Tis statistic balances the Forces toensure every player has an equal chanceof winning. Before a game begins, playersdecide the total Point Value for the game.

    Special Abilities - Abilities are therepresentation of a Units special talentsthat other Units may not share. SomeUnits have the ability to attack multipletimes, while others have the ability to usea Casting. Special and Weapon Abilitiescan be found in the appropriate Forcelistsection. Special Abilities supersede ormodify how the standard rules apply tothe Unit.

    Size (SZ)- Size (SZ) shows the physical size of a Unit in theworld of Dark Age. Te Size groups are iny, Small, Medium,

    Large and Huge. See chart, below.

    Concepts & Essentials

    Size Correlates to Base Size

    iny, Small, Medium = Small Base (30mm)Large = Medium Base (40mm)Huge = Large Base (50mm)

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    Squad Size - Each Forcelist provides you with the UnitsSquad Size. Tis statistic is either Individual or providesdetails on the number of Units allowed in a single Squad. If

    the Squad Size is Individual, you pay the PV for each Unit.Individuals may not become part of a Squad unless a SpecialAbility states otherwise. If the Unit is part of a Squad, it mustadhere to the minimum and maximum Squad Size restrictionusually referenced. Squads must have at least as many Units asthe minimum listed, and no more than the maximum numberof Units listed. Te Point Value for any type of Squad is alwaysper Unit, and totaled accordingly.

    Availability - Availability is a limitation on the numberof Individuals or Squads that you can have in your Dark AgeForce. Availability restrictions range from required Game Size

    to needing other specific Units in your Force before allowingthe Units purchase. If the listed Availability is Unique thenyou may only ever take one of those Units or Squads per Force.Example 1: Availability: 1 per 1000 points. Tis means that youmay only have one of these Individuals every 1000 points, or portionthereof, which your Force is worth. If you are playing Forces of upto 1000 points, you may therefore take one of these Units, and youmay choose a second one of these Units if you are playing 1001

    2000 points, and so on. Te same would be true for the numberof Squads with an Availability: 1 Squad per 1000 points.

    Example: 2: Availability: Up to 2 per Soul Warden of the IceCaste. Tis means that you may only ever field this Squad orIndividual if you also have a Soul Warden. For each Soul Warden

    you may have up to two of this Squad or Individual.

    Weapon Statistics- Te following statistics describethe fundamental attributes of weapons used in Dark Age.

    Attack Groups (AG)- Weapons and attacks segregate intogroups. Tese groups are marked in the Unit description as AttackGroup 1, Attack Group 2, etc. Attack Groups show attacks thatmay be used for 1 AP. When an AP is spent, choose any AttackGroup you would like to attack with and make one roll for eachentry in the group. Each time an AP is spent you may chose adifferent group. If an Attack Group has more than one attacklisted in it, you must designate the target for all attacks before

    making any rolls. If you wish, you are not required to make allthe attacks in an Attack Group.Example 1: Chitin has two oxic Cleavers in Attack Group #1.Chitin is in Base to Base (BtB) contact with Bane #1 and Bane #2.If Chitin attacks Bane #1 only, she should roll two dice, and resolvethe rolls from lowest to highest. If Chitin splits the attacks betweenBane #1 and Bane #2, either roll two separate attacks by rolling twodifferent colored dice indicating which die is for Bane #1 and whichdie is for Bane #2, or you could declare intentions to attack Bane #1

    first and Bane #2 second, then resolve your die roll lowest to highest.

    Example 2:X-Cess has a Sword and two daggers in Attack Group#1. X-Cess is in BtB with Buzzblade #1, #2, and #3. If X-Cess

    attacks Buzzblade #1, she should roll three dice at the same time, onedie separate from the other two to denote the Sword . If X-Cess attacksBuzzblade #1, #2, and #3, either roll three separate attacks, or rollthree different colored dice indicating which die is for Buzzblade #1,#2, and #3 plus note which attack will be the sword.

    Example 3: A Ratchet has Chitin Club (KP 12) & Chitin ShortSword (Paralyzing Poison) in Attack Group #1. Te Ratchet is inBtB with Bane #1 and Bane #2. If the Ratchet attacks Bane #1 youshould either roll two separate attacks, denoting which weapon youare using (because they have different abilities) or roll two differentcolored dice indicating which die is which weapon. If the Ratchetsplits the attacks between Bane #1 and Bane #2, either roll two

    separate attacks, or roll two different colored dice indicating whichdie is for Bane #1 and which die is for Bane #2. Note the weaponsused as they have different abilities.

    NOE: Die Rolls always occur lowest to highest. Tis meanseven if you roll a 20 on your attack, it is the last occurring attack,and it does not supersede the other attacks

    Example: Deadlock fires at a Spearslave with her machine pistols.She rolls an 8 and a 20. Resolve rolls lowest to highest. Te

    Spearslave first must make an AR Save, then Dedlock mustroll for the AR Save from the MAL

    Concepts & Essentials

    Understanding the SymbolsTe following symbols from left to rightare: Size, Squad Size, and Availability.

    Size = iny, S=Small,M=Medium, L=Large, H-Huge

    Squad Sizeypically you will see one of these twosymbols; the first is for a Squad and the Squadsminimum and maximum size will be listed,the second denotes an Individual.

    Availability

    Te asterik is typically used in referenceto an Individual and means that the

    Individual is Unique. Sometimes it may represent a SpecialRule concerning the availability. Te other two show howmany squads may be taken per Force inregard to the PointValue of the Force. Te second symbol denotes that you maytake One Squad per 1,000 points. Te third symbol denotesthat you may take wo Squads per 1,000 points.

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    Weapon Name - Weapons in Dark Age have their ownstatistics to represent their effectiveness against other Units, aswell as how effectively their users wield them. As different Units

    may carry the same weapons, only the weapon statistics writtenon a Units card applies to that particular Unit.

    Assault (AS) - Assault (AS) shows the combat ability of aUnit with this particular weapon or attack. Tis Statistic reflectsthe Units training and ability, plus the inherent accuracy of theweapon. Add the AS stat to the targets DF to find the N foran attack.

    Rate of Fire (RF) - Rate of Fire (RF) is the maximumnumber of uses in one Game urn of this weapon. A - in thisfield means the weapon has no limit on the maximum usage perGame urn.

    Power (PW)- Power (PW) is the strength of a weapons attack.Subtract this number from the targets AR to find the N for ARSaves. PW is a result of both the strength of the wielding Unit andthe sheer brutality of the weapon (Tus, different weapons with thesame name may have different PW statistics). A Power Multiplier,indicated by an x and a second number indicates how many ARSaves to avoid any Damage. A PW with no multiplier requires onlya single AR Save. Te PW of an attack never drops below 0. Anattack with a PW of 0 automatically fails, stopping any follow upAssaults; i.e. an Assault or Armor Save roll is not even made.

    Concepts & Essentials

    Range (RN) - Te Range (RN) statistic is the maximumdistance at which the weapon can hit a target. Ranges are a lwaysin inches (in). If the weapon is for Close Assault only, it will be

    marked with a CA.

    Malfunction (MAL) - Malfunction (MAL) is a commonoccurrence in a world of such poorly maintained weapons asDark Age. Weapons created with unstable technology usuallyhave MAL statistics to show the danger of using it. On a rollequal to or greater than the MAL number something has gonewrong and the weapon has backfired, vented gasses, recoiledunexpectedly or something similarly bad. Te Unit using theweapon suffers an immediate hit by its own attack. In somesituations, it is possible for a weapon to both MAL and still hit itstarget. Simple weapons like swords do not usually have a MALstatistic, so they will be marked with a - and thus can never

    MAL. Some weapons have special MAL effects found on theUnit Cards or in the Weapon Abilities section of the Forcelist.

    Notes- In the Notes you will find Weapon Abilities and otheruseful information. E.g., the Coils Morning Stick has the Abilityto Knock Prone (KP). Weapon Abilities are in the appropriatesection of each Forcelist. Special Abilities supersede or modifyhow the standard rules apply to the Unit.

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    Before playing a game of Dark Age, the players involved need todecide what kind of game they wish to play. Tis includes gamesize, scenarios or victory conditions, special terrain rules, or any

    house rules.

    1. Determine Size Of GameUsually the first step is to decide how big a game to play, oftendictated by the time available to the players. Given allottedtime, the players will agree on how many points they willallocate for choosing their Forces. Greater point totals allowfor larger / more elite units in each Force. Some recommendedpoint totals, and their corresponding game times, are listedbelow. Tese are, however, estimated times and you will findgame times changing for varying reasons (such as becomingmore proficient with the rules).

    Example:Paul and Dean decide to play for about 45 minutes, sothey agree to play a quick 500-point game. Each of them then looksat what miniatures they have bought and cross-references those with

    the Units PVs, available in their Forcelist.

    Paul plays Dragyri Ice Caste and chooses the following Forcelist:

    3. Getting StartedCore Rules

    Davids List

    Primary List Second List St. Mark St. Mary 1 Saint Mark 135 pts 1 Saint Mary 130 pts

    1 Reaver 75 pts 1 Contradiction 70 pts 1 Field Medic 55 pts 3 Clergy Ann 180 pts 3 Junkers 195 pts 2 Flense 120 pts 3 S pts

    4 Banes & Leader 205 pts3 Coils & Leader 185 pts

    otal = 1000 pts otal = 500 pts

    1 Saint Mark 135 pts1 Hephzibah 90 pts1 Junker 65 pts4 Shades (4 x 50 pts) 200 pts

    otal = 490 pts

    Large Scale Games

    In games larger than 1000 points, you may combine two Forcelistsof the same Army type. When combining Army Forcelists, thecost of the primary Forcelist will come from the first 1000

    points. Te cost of the secondary Forcelist Units will come outof the next 1000 points/remaining points, etc. All special rules ofthe Forcelists still apply (e.g. Honor Before Combat).

    Example: David wants to play a 1500- point game. He playsForsaken. He decides to take St. Mark in his primary Forcelist andSt. Mary for his secondary.

    1 Spirit Lord 135 pts1 Frostbite 75 pts2 Blizzards (2 x 80 pts) 160 pts12 Spearslaves 120 pts

    otal = 490 pts

    Dean plays Saint Mark and chooses the following Forcelist:

    2. Determine a Scenario

    Scenarios, in the majority of cases, will simulate a meetingengagement where two Forces square off with the goal ofeliminating their opposition. However, players are free to develop

    whatever scenarios they wish to play such as defending a location,protecting a person or asset, attempting to escape an ambush, etc.Tere are a number of Scenarios the players can choose from laterin this book. Each player can choose which scenario they wishto play or they may randomly roll for their Scenario. WhateverScenario you wish to play, all participating players need to agreeto the specific conditions and rules before the game begins. Ifyou want to play a game not using a particular Scenario a defaultKill em All game may be played. Te game ends after 8 Gameurns, add up the Points Values of all the Casualties on bothsides. Te Player with the lowest casualty total is the winner.

    3. Select Units for Play

    Once you and your opponents have selected the size of game toplay, you can then proceed with choosing the makeup of yourForce. Using the points available to you refer to your Forcelist.Each listing has a Point Value or PV. otal up their PVsto make sure you do not exceed, even by one point, the totalpoints available to you. Tis simulates the resources available forsupport. Availability and Squad Size restrictions on Units willalso factor into your decisions regarding which Units to take.You may only purchase Units from selected Forcelists for yourArmy based on the game size.

    Player Amount Point otals Durations

    2 Players 500 points 45 minutes2 Players 750 points 60 minutes2 Players 1000 points 90 minutes

    3+ Players 400 points 60 minutes

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    Getting Started

    Brian plays Dragyri. He chooses Ice Caste as his primary Forcelist,and Air Caste as his secondary Forcelist.

    Brians List

    Primary List Second List Ice Caste Air Caste

    1 Luckkit-kaii 180pts 1 Yovanka 130 pts 1 Soul Warden 80 pts 3 Whispers 225 pts 1 Ice Elemental 190 pts 7 Spearslaves 70 pts 1 Frostbite 75 pts 7 Spearslaves 70 pts 2 Blizzards 160 pts 1 Slave askmaster 35 pts 14 Spearslaves 140 pts 14 Spearslaves 140 pts

    otal = 1000 pts otal = 495 pts

    Lay Out Unit Cards

    If you are following the recommendation to use Dark Age UnitCards, then after selecting your Units, simply place each UnitCard face up on or near the table so that you will have themhandy for your Game.

    4. Setting Up The Battlefield

    A large component of any tabletop wargame is the tabletop itself.Many players enjoy creating and collecting custom built terrain.Miniature railroad terrain, homemade supplies, and commonhardware supplies also work perfectly. Specific scenery and evenwhole gaming tables are available from various reputable retailersaround the globe; many will be perfect for your Dark Age games.Tere are a couple of recommended ways of setting up the

    Battlefield in a fair way for you and your opponent. Obviously,you may use your own method instead. It is recommended tohave at least ten terrain pieces on your table.

    OPION 1 Set aside an appropriate amount of terrain for thebattlefield size, 2-3 pieces for every 1x1 section of the battlefield.Players take turns laying down pieces of terrain on the table untilall terrain pieces have been placed.

    OPION 2 One player sets up the Battlefield, while the otherplayers roll off to decide what deployment zone(s) to use. Teother player(s) choose in order of lowest to highest, the playerwho setup the terrain always chooses last. Ultimately, the aim is

    to make sure that you and your opponents are satisfied with thefairness of the Battlefield before the game begins.

    5. Deployment

    Te recommended table size for a game of Dark Age is 4 x 4.Te Deployment Zone for a game with two Forces is a rectangleextending 6 onto the playing board and stopping 12 fromthe outside edges of the board on opposing sides of the table.Tis leaves 36 between the two Deployment Zones (see theaccompanying diagram). Once Deployment Zones aremarked, all players roll a d20 to see whom Deploys first.

    Te player with the lowest roll Deploys one Individual or oneSquad, then the player with the next lowest roll Deploys oneIndividual or one Squad, and so on. When al l players have finished

    Deployment, roll Initiative and begin the game. Te player whowon the roll for Deployment may choose to make another playerDeploy first, and can even specify exactly which Individual orSquad that player must Deploy. Only the Deployment winnercan do this and by doing so they swap places with the player theychoose to Deploy first.Example:David, Brian, and Marbella are playing a game of Dark

    Age. Tey each roll a d20 for Deployment. David rolls a 6, Brianrolls 15 and Marbella gets a 12. David is the Deployment winner,however he chooses to make Brian Deploy first instead (He can alsochose exactly which Squad or Individual Brian has to Deploy).David trades places with Brian, changing the Deployment order:

    first Brian, then Marbella, and finally David.

    NOE:You may not force a Unit to Deploy that has an Abilitythat modifies their deployment e.g., Infiltrate or Assassination.

    6. Determine House RulesAlmost everyone has House Rules, and your games of DarkAge are bound to have their own as well. House Rules couldbe as simple as declaring all rivers are shallow and do not limitMovement for your Forces. Or, perhaps you and your friendsmay want to allow one re-roll per game. Your House Rules arefine and you are even encouraged to use them. If you do, pleasestop by the Dark Age website and post them for discussion. Te

    only set rule for using House Rules in Dark Age is: if you do nottell your opponent(s) your House Rules at the beginning of thegame, then you cannot use them. All players must both agree ontheir use before the game begins.

    7. Play the Game

    Now that you have assembled your Forces and prepared yourBattlefield, it is time to dive into the action! A Game urn is

    one full urn of play for each player. Te Game urn is brokendown into steps that allow each player to use every aspect

    of their Forcelist.

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    4.the game turnCore Rules

    Ravages prepare to assisttheir Reaver against Mongo.

    Game Turn

    Phases are broken into the following steps:

    PHASE 1 Preparation Phase Lingering Eects stage

    PHASE 2 Initiative Phase Players roll d20s: Lowest roll wins Initiative.

    PHASE 3 Activation Phase Select a Squad or Individual. Activate one Unit and use all of that Units Action

    Points (AP). If selecting a Squad, Activate one Unit inthat Squad and use all its AP. Continue ActivatingUnits in the Squad until all have Activated.

    Repeat this Phase passing play to the next player inInitiative order until all players have activated all oftheir Units

    PHASE 4 End of Game urn Return to the rst phase and repeat until the game ends.

    Preparation Phase

    Lingering Effects StageEffects or special rules may carry over from the previous Gameurn, referred to as Lingering Effects. Tese Effects are resolvedat this time. Some counters, like Poison or Hold, remain in playduring the Lingering Effect stage. Tese counters have specialrules for removing them in the Forcelist. Check the rules for allcounters before removing them from play. If multiple LingeringEffects must resolve and the outcomes may affect each other,each player rolls a d20 to determine which will happen first. Te

    lowest rolling player determines who will resolve which LingeringEffect first. Tis goes between the players, in die roll order fromlowest to highest, until every Effect has been resolved.

    Initiative Phase

    Initiative is the order players will take their Activation Phase.Players determine this order by each rolling a d20 and comparingtheir results. Game play then proceeds starting with the playerwith the lowest result and ending with the player with thehighest. Te player who won may choose to make another playergo first and can even specify exactly which Individual or Squadthat player must Activate. Only the Initiative winner can dothis and by doing so, they trade places with the player they have

    chosen to activate a Squad or Individual first.

    Example:Each player rolls a d20. Te results are David rolls a13, Marbella rolls 12, and Brian gets 8. Tis means that Brianwon Initiative and the order of the Game urn: Brian followedby Marbella and then David. Brian could Activate one of hisown Units now as he won Initiative, but Brian decides to make

    Marbella go first and chooses to make her Activate her Bane Squad.When Marbella is done with that Squad, the Game urn then

    passes to Brian because Brian took Marbellas place in theInitiative order.

    Activation Phase

    Activate A Unit

    Game play passes from player to player in Initiative order with

    each player choosing a single Squad or Individual to Activate.Players may not choose to activate a Squad or Individual whoalready activated this turn. If a player has no Units left toActivate, control passes to the next player in Initiative order whostill has Units yet to Activate. Tis repeats until all of the Unitsin all of the players Forcelists activate once.

    All Units must be Activated, if a Unit may not be Activated forany reason other than any Special Rules then it must be RemovedFrom Play.

    End of Game Turn

    When all of the players Units have activated, the Activation

    phase is complete and a new Game urn will begin. CheckVictory conditions (If you are using them). Proceed back to thePreparation Phase and begin the next Game urn.

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    Core Rules

    5.game playAction Points (AP)

    Action Points (AP) represent the amount of activity a Unit canparticipate in during its Activation. A Unit spends APs to perform

    single actions such as Movement or using weapons, Abilities, andCastings. Units also spend APs to perform special movementsuch as going Prone, standing up, Climbing, and Jumping. Anyunused APs are lost (unless the Unit goes On Hold). You are,however, allowed to spend APs in any way you choose for thecurrent Game urn. Once a Unit spends all its APs, it cannotperform any further actions this Game urn. You can do multipleactions in a Game urn if you have the APs to do so, but theseactions must take place in the same Game urn. E.g., a Unit maymove, shoot, and move again. It may also shoot, move, and jump;however, you must have the AP to carry out all the actions.NOTE:Although Units are forced to activate every Game urn,Units are not forced to use all of their APs. Tey may choose

    to Activate, do nothing and end their Activation. If a Unit doesthis, you may not activate it again that Game urn regardless ofhow many APs it has left.

    Attack & Firing Arc

    Units have a 360 Attack and Firing Arc. It is not necessary tohave Unit facing its target in either Close Assualt (CA) or with aRanged Assault (RA), you may turn your Unit to face its targetfor free if desired.

    Line of Sight (LOS)

    Units have a Line of Sight (LOS) of 360. A Unit must clearly seeits target Unit. Tis means that, there must be an unobstructed

    path from some part of the attacking Unit to some part of thetarget Unit. Other Units, both friendly and enemy, block thispath up to the topmost height of the intervening Unit and forthe width of its Miniatures Base. Some Dark Age miniatureshave elaborate poses, which elevate them into the air or laythem flat on the ground. Tese poses do not apply to any gamemechanics. If players disagree on LOS to a Unit because of itsMiniatures pose, use a less elaborate Miniature of the same Size(preferably the same Unit type if you have one). Likewise, flags,banners, weapons, etc. do not count for LOS purposes whentargeting a Unit. When determining LOS make a straight linefrom any point of the attacking Unit to any point on the targetUnit as described above. If that line crosses another Unit (Units

    of smaller Size do not block LOS but provide Cover) or terrainpiece, then the attacking Unit does not have LOS to its target.

    Movement

    Units may spend AP to move on the Battlefield. For every APspent on Movement, the Unit may move in any direction up totheir MV statistic as measured in inches (in). Moving Units mayturn freely as long as the total linear Movement does not exceedtheir MV. Te Unit does not have to use its entire MV statisticin a given action, but any remaining unused distance iswasted. Spending an AP on Movement that brings a

    Unit into BtB contract with an enemy Unit is a Charge.NOTE: Units cannot end their Movement with their baseoverlapping another Units base.

    Movement Penalties

    Movement Penalties represent certain terrain features thatnaturally slow a Unit down, wasting some of their MV. Onlyapply the largest penalty per AP if moving through multipleterrain types.NOTE:A Unit can always move at least 1 by spending an AP,

    MOVEMEN PENALIES SEPS

    1) Spend 1 AP and Measure the distance the Unit is ableto move.

    2) Identify the largest Movement Penalty.

    3) Apply largest penalty to this APs MV.4) Move the Unit.

    unless the terrain is Impassible.

    Example: Frederick wants to move his Broodling over sand,through a river, and into heavy jungle to attack a Spearslave. Tereis 3 of sand, 3 of river, and 2 of jungle between the Broodlingand the Spearslave. Te sand terrain remains Open, while the riveris Rough, and the jungle declared Dangerous. Frederick spends 1APand measures the distance the Unit is able to move (7).

    Te Broodling moves through sand and the river applying a 1 MVto his 7 of MV for a total Movement of 6. Frederick spends asecond AP and measures the distance the Unit is able to move (7).

    Te Broodling moves through river and jungle too, applying a 2MV to its 7 of MV for a total Movement of 5.

    OPEN Green fields or sandy deserts are examples of openground. Although not entirely flat, these areas are open enoughthat a Unit can move without penalty.

    ROUGH Tis terrain can be moved through at a slightlyreduced pace. Such terrain includes swamps, areas of heavy

    snowfall, or wooded areas. Units moving through these featurescannot move at full speed. Te MV penalty demonstrates theproblems to Movement due to dangers and impediments likelow hanging limbs, deep snow, flowing water, or sheer elevationchanges. Rough terrain incurs a -1 MV penalty.

    DANGEROUS Tis terrain is dense or treacherous to the pointof forcing the Unit to slow down considerably. Tis can include

    treacherous mountain passes, heavy jungle, or ice-covered sectionsof rock. Dangerous terrain incurs a -2 MV penalty.

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    IMPASSIBLE Tis terrain is not passable for a Unit on theground. Te only way to cross this terrain is the air or in somecases through a special Movement type such as Climbing,

    Jumping, etc.

    SMALL OBSACLES (SO) Tese include fences, low walls,hedges, barrels, and crates...anything that is as tall as a Unitwhen Prone, or less. Tese objects are not large enough to stopMovement but they do take time to cross. A SO costs -1 MVpoint to cross it or, if there is enough space for the Units base, tobe climbed upon and clear the edge.NOTE:SO 1MV is in addition to Movement Penalties.

    Stairs and Ladders

    Stairs and ladders make moving up hills and walls easier. Stairsor ladders avoid normal Movement Penalties for Climbing,

    Rough and Dangerous terrain.NOTE:Declare and agree upon all terrain areas before the gamestarts.

    Moving Through Units

    Units may move through other Units in the same friendlyForcelist, as long as the moving Unit has an equal or larger Sizethan the stationary Unit. A Unit may not move through a Unitfrom an enemy Forcelist. Units cannot end their Movement withtheir base overlapping another Units base. A Unit may not movethe base of another Unit to make room for its own.NOTE:Units may move through Dying Units regardless of Size,or friendly/enemy Forcelist.

    Movement Off The Table

    Knocking a Unit off, running off, flying off (Scatter), or evenmoving voluntarily off the Battlefield occurs in some cases. Ifa Scatter or an action from another player forces the Unit offthe Battlefield, they may move back onto the Battlefield duringthe next Lingering Effects Stage. Te Units player places theUnit back on the Battlefield edge at the spot where it left thetable. Te Unit may not spend any AP during the Game urn

    MOVEMEN ABLE

    OPEN Green fields, sandy deserts, open ground,No Penalty etc.

    ROUGH Swamps, heavy snowfall, wooded, moving

    -1 MV water, etc.

    DANGEROUS Mountains, heavy jungle, Marshes, ice

    -2 MV covered, etc.

    IMPASSABLE May only pass by Air, Jumping, or Special

    Ability.

    SMALL OBSACLES Low walls, barrels, crates, etc.

    -1 MV

    SAIRS AND Stairs or ladders avoid normal Movement

    LADDERS Penalties for Climbing, Rough and

    Dangerous terrain.

    MOVING HROUGH Friendly Force Only

    UNITS Moving Units Size is larger Yes.

    Moving Units Size is equal size Yes.

    Moving Units Size is smaller No.

    FORCED OFF HE A Unit forced off the Battlefield moves

    ABLE back onto the table at the spot where it

    left the Battlefield during the nextLingering Effects Stage. Unit(s) may not

    spend AP during the Game urn they

    return.

    INENIONALLY Remove a Unit voluntarily moving off

    OFF HE ABLE Battlefield from play, counting it as

    Casualties for Victory purposes.

    that it comes back on, it must instead wait until the followingGame urn to spend AP. Voluntary movement off the table, isconsidered retreating. Remove Units that intentionally move off

    the table, and count them as Casualties for Victory purposes.

    Special Movement

    Climbing

    Tere may be terrain features on the Battlefield that Units maywant to get on top of or cl imb over, such as buildings, tall trees,cliff faces, etc. You must agree on climbable errain before thegame begins. Te rate at which a Unit can climb is 1 for every 2

    of normal MV. When a Unit clears the edge of a climb, placethem standing on top of the climbed object.

    21

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    Game Play

    SPECIAL MOVEMEN

    CLIMBING MV per AP spent. All attacks against Climbing Units receiver

    a +4 N bonus.

    FALLING Falling Units suer a PW 1 per 1 height. Falling Units are Knocked Prone.

    Falling onto another Unit causes both to take full Falling damage, and both Units are Knocked Prone.

    JUMPING MV per AP spent.

    PRONE Going Prone 1 AP.

    Standing from Prone 1 AP.

    It is possible to spend all of a Units AP Climbing and notreach the top of a terrain feature or, being unable to clear theedge properly, for any reason. When this occurs, the Unit ends

    its Activation Hanging from the terrain and must continueClimbing during its next Activation. While Hanging the Unitis very vulnerable. Attacks against Hanging Units receive a +4to the Assaults arget Number. If the Unit takes Damage oris Knocked Prone while Hanging, it automatically falls (seeFalling).NOTE:Units may climb down terrain features as well, followingall the rules for Climbing upward.

    Example:A Coil wishes to climb a small embankment. Teembankment is 3 high. Te Coil starts its Activation at the bottomof the climb and has an MV of 3. After spending 2 AP it completesthe climb, placing the Coil atop the embankment.

    Falling

    A Unit that Fal ls from being hit while Climbing, is knocked offa high place, or for whatever reason finds that their feet are nolonger on solid ground will take Falling damage and be KnockedProne. Fall damage is PW 1 per inch for any Fall. Falls shorterthan a Units height when Prone do not cause a Damage roll.Units taking Falling damage make an AR Save as per normal.If a Unit happens to fall onto another Unit below it, then bothUnits take the same PW hit as the falling Unit would have, had ithit the ground. Both Units must make AR Saves to avoid takingDamage. Falling Units are Prone when they land and shouldthey land on another Unit, place both Prone. Falling is not a

    Charge.NOTE:You may purposefully fall.

    Example:A Coil shoots a Deaths Device, while it Climbs up asmall cliff face. Te Coil manages to damage the Deaths Device andnow he will Fall. Te player measures the distance fallen (3 in), thiswill be a PW 3 hit (3 = 3 PW). Te Deaths Device now subtractsthat number from his AR of 20 (20 - 3 = 17). Te Deaths Devicerolls his a die and score an 19.. Unfortunately for him, that isnot 17 or less. Te Deaths Device will now take 1 HP of Damage

    from the Fall in addition to the Damage the Coil inflicted, andconsidered Prone.

    JumpingA Unit can Jump up to half its MV statistic (rounded down,minimum 1) in inches (in) per AP spent. Te height of the Jumpis 1 inch, unless a Unit has an Ability that affects this. Jumpingis used to clear small Impassible terrain features.NOTE:You may purposefully jump off terrain to fall.

    Example:A Unit wishes to cross an impassable fissure that is 2across. A Unit with MV 3 would spend 2 AP to Jump the fissure.Te Unit could Jump a total of 2in across (1in per AP spent).Te Unit would also jump 1 high.

    Prone

    A Unit may go Prone will ingly, be Knocked Prone because of aweapons effect or may be Dying and therefore considered to bein a Prone position. Prone is considered being down on one knee,lying down, or similar recumbent stance.

    It costs 1 AP to go Prone willingly, and 1 AP to stand from aProne position. A Unit will do this to reduce its exposure toenemy RA (Ranged Assault receives a -2 N penalty). GoingProne, however, exposes them to CA (Close Assault attackersreceive +2 AS versus Prone targets). Conversely, the Prone Unititself has a more difficult time attacking in CA (Prone attackersreceive -2 AS for making any CA while they are Prone).

    PRONE UNIS

    A Prone Units MV statistic is halved (rounding down with a minimum of 1), and may not Jump or Climb. RA against a Prone Unit suers a -2 TN penalty.

    CA against a Prone Unit gains a +2 AS bonus. Prone Units making CA suer a -2 AS penalty. A Prone Unit may not Charge. Medium, Small, or Tiny Size Prone Units are 1 tall. Large and Huge Size Prone Units are 2 tall. While atop a SO Units may not willingly go Prone. Units inside Impassible terrain may never be Prone.

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    Game Play

    Special Actions

    Holding an Action-On HoldUnits not currently in Close Assault (CA) may Hold an actionby spending their last 2 AP to Hold 1 AP in reserve for Gettingthe Jump, Ranged Assault or Evading. It doesnt have to betheir last 2 AP but once a Unit has spent these 2 AP they areconsidered on Hold regardless of any APs left over, if they spendany more APs during that Activation their Hold is wasted. In anOn Hold state, the Unit is waiting to react to the enemy. TeAP is Held until that Unit is next Activated. If the Held actionremains unused when the Unit next Activates, the Held actionis lost. As members of a Squad activate individually, it is possiblefor members of a Squad to Hold an action while other membersof their Squad do not. Be sure to use counters to keep track of

    what Units are on Hold. Getting the Jump, R A-From Hold, orEvading do not count as the Units activation.NOTE:Using the you go first-Initiative rule, you may choosean On Hold Unit to Activate, wasting their Held Action.

    Example:Mike wins Initiative and forces Eric to activate the OnHold Coil, wasting its Held Action. As the On Hold action was

    from Game urn #1, Eric may still activate the Coil normally.

    Get the Jump From Hold

    Get the Jump is the term used for reacting to a Charge using aHeld action. When an Enemy Unit spends an AP to Move intoBase-to-Base (B2B) contact with an On Hold Unit, the holding

    Unit may attempt to Get the Jump. Both the Charging and theOn Hold Unit roll a d20 adding their own DF statistic to theirdie rolls. Te Unit with the lowest total attacks first. (ie goes tothe lower DF Unit. If both Units have equal DF, tie goes to theCharger). After the Unit who won the Get the Jump first attackis resolved, resolve the losing Units attack (if the Unit is notdying or removed from play)

    Example:A Deaths Device charges an On Hold Ravage. Bothroll d20 and add their DF. Deaths Device rolls a 10 (10 +5 = 15) and the Ravage rolls a 10 (10 + 5 = 15). As this is

    a tie, and both units have equal DF (5), the tie goes to the attacker.Te Deaths Device resolves his attack, then the Ravage (if not Dyingor removed from play) resolves its attack.

    RA - From Hold

    If a Unit is On Hold, it may interrupt an action by another Unitin LOS, spending its Held AP to make a Ranged Assault (RA).Before making this R A attempt, the Unit must make a PS check.(Roll equal to, or under, the Units PS. A Unit within its LeadersSphere of Influence (SOI) may use their PS). If the PS check fails,the Unit may not make the RA and their Held Action is wasted.Ranged Assault from Hold allows you to leverage your Rate of Fire(RF). A Unit on Hold, with RF left to spend, may use this RF evenif a new Game urn starts (but before the Holding Unit Activates).Tis is the only time when you may carry over unspent RF fromthe previous Game urn. Conversely, a Holding Unit without any

    remaining RF may make a Ranged Assault from Hold after a newGame urn begins (but before the Holding Unit Activates). Tiswill consume the RF from the current Game urn as normal.

    Te use of RA from Hold Interrupts a Unit in LOS actionsduring the Activation phase: You may interrupt a Unit when it activates. You may interrupt any type of movement at anytime. You may stop a Unit spending an AP and resolve your RA from Hold before they spend the AP.

    You may not interrupt an action that has already started (e.g., multiple weapons in an attack group, AoE weapons that effect multiple targets, etc,. If you allowed the AP

    to be spent, you must resolve all weapons/effects before the interrupt occurs)NOTE:RA from Hold must still follow argeting Priority rules.You may interrupt any Unit in your LOS and then attack adifferent Unit.

    Example 1:A Soul Searcher activates and is moving from behind alarge boulder (Completely Obscured) to behind smaller rubble (PartialCover). An On Hold Coil has the Soul Searcher in LOS and interruptsthe movement before the Soul Searcher reaches the smaller rubble. ACoil has a PS of 12 and must roll a 12 or less for the PS check. Te Coilrolls a 10, passing the PS check and may now attempt the RA from holdat the Soul Searcher, or another Unit (argeting Priority allowing).

    Example 2: In the first Game urn, Eric activates a Coil usingits first Action Point to move, then using its last two Action Pointsto go on Hold. During the second Game urn, Mike activates hisBuzzblade and is moving from behind a large boulder (CompletelyObscured) to behind smaller rubble (Partial Cover). Eric activateshis On Hold Coil to attempt a RA-From Hold. (As the On Holdwas from the previous Game urn) Te Coil passes the PS roll, but

    misses the shot. Eric Activates the Coil (its normal Activation forthis Game urn), but may not shoot again since he has used

    the RF for this Game urn.

    Prone Units with a Size of Medium, Small, or iny have a heightof 1. Large and Huge Units have a height of 2. Te Prone Unitmay only move half of its MV statistic (rounded down, minimum

    1), and may not Jump or Climb. Prone Units do not count forGanging Up bonuses. Prone Units may also not Charge or holdopponents in CA, and enemies may therefore move withoutsuffering an attack from a Prone enemy if a Break Free attemptfails.

    A Unit moving from Prone to standing while in BtB with anotherUnit is in CA as normal, but the Movement is not a Charge.NOTE:A Unit may not willingly go Prone on Small Obstacles(SO), and may never go Prone or be Knocked Prone while inImpassible terrain.

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    Game Play

    Yovanka leads a Unit of Squalls into battle.

    Example 3:In the first Game urn, Eric activates a Coil using itsfirst Action Point to make a RA with its Death Disk, then usingits last two Action Points to go on Hold. Te Death Disk has RF

    1, thus the Coil may not use its Held action to make an RA-FromHold in this Game urn. Eric and Mikes Units have all activatedand a new Game urn begins. During the second Game urn, Mikeactivates his Buzzblade and is moving from behind a large boulder(Completely Obscured) to behind smaller rubble (Partial Cover).RF determines the maximum uses of a weapon per Game urn (andthis is a new Game urn). Tus, Eric may activate his on hold Coilto attempt a RA-From Hold. As the On Hold was from Game urn#1, Eric may still activate the Coil normally this Game urn, butcannot use the Death Disk as it has an RF of 1.

    Evade - From HoldEvade is the term used for reacting to Area of Effect (AoE)

    attacks. An on Hold Unit hit by an AoE attack must make aPS check. (Roll equal to, or under, the Units PS. A Unit withinits Leaders Sphere of Influence (SoI) may use their PS). If thePS check succeeds, the Unit may then move its MV in anydirection to attempt to avoid the template. If the Unit does nothave enough MV to clear the Area of Effect, it still suffers a hit.Te effects of the attack resolve normally from the position theEvading Unit ended its Movement. (Tere is no pre-measuring,declare the direction the Evading Unit will move and measurethe distance.) Te Held AP is lost regardless of if the Unit passesits PS check, or if it fails to clear the AoE with its subsequentMovement. Movement in this manner ending in BtB contactwith an enemy Unit is not a Charge.

    Example:A Stream weapon hits an on Hold Forsaken Bane. A Banehas a PS of 12 and must roll a 12 or less for the Bane to Evade the Streamattack. Te Bane rolls a 9, passing the PS check, and may now movethe Bane up to its MV in inches (3in in this case) in any direction toattempt to clear the Stream template.

    Coherency

    Individuals

    Individuals act alone on the Battlefield. In game play, Individuals

    are not bound to Coherency.

    Squad Coherency

    Although Units in Squads activate independent ly, they sti llfollow certain Coherency restrictions. All members of a Squadmust remain within 2 of another member of their Squad.Larger Units may separate an additional 1 per Size aboveMedium and remain in Coherency. In mixed Squads, use themost common Size for determining Coherency limits, withthe larger Size resolving ties. Once established, the Coherencylimit remains for the game and not recalculated due toCasualties.

    Leaders Sphere of Influence (SoI)Squads with a Leader enjoy slightly more leeway in theirMovement. A Squads Leader has a 4 radius Sphere of Influence.Any Squad member may move freely within 4 of their Leaderwithout being Out of Coherency. Should they leave this 4 SoIthey must follow normal Coherency rules, i.e. remaining within2 of another member of their Squad. Squad members who arewithin their Leaders SoI may also use the Leaders PS stat for anyPS checks they may need to take.

    Out of Coherency (OOC)

    Check for Coherency at the end of the entire Squads Activation.Any Unit who did not participate in a CA and is outside their

    Coherency limit, will mark the entire Squad as Out of Coherency(OoC). Any Unit in an OoC Squad who did not themselvesparticipate in a CA receives -2 N on all rolls they make, exceptAR Saves. Tis penalty applies until the Squad ends its Activationin Coherency again.

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    Leaders Take Charge

    When Units get scattered, Leaders step up to keep their Squadson track. At the end of a Squads Activation, if any Squad

    Game Play

    A Bane Leader directs his Banesto fight the foul abominations of the Brood.

    Diagram:Five members of a Squad, which includes a Leader(A), separate. Te Leaders Sphere of Influence means thattwo members of the Squad are still in Coherency with Him.However, the last two members of the Squad (D and E) areboth outside the Leaders SoI and not within 2 of anotherSquad member. Terefore, Squad members D and E have a-2 OoC penalty.

    member is Out of Coherency and did not participate in a CA,the whole Squad would normally receive the -2 N. Leaders arespecially trained as stand-alone fighters in order to direct their

    Squad in these situations. Leaders never suffer from Lack ofSupport, or Out of Coherency. Furthermore, any Unit withinits Leaders Sphere of Influence (SoI) is also immune to Out ofCoherency penalties.

    Dying Units and Coherency

    Units reduced to 0 HP or less have suffered a mortal woundand are Dying. Dying Units are immediately removed fromplay unless another Ability in the game keeps them in play(see relevant Abilities sections in the Forcelists); if the Unit isDying and remains in play, mark the Unit with a Dying counter.Remove Dying Units from play when the Unit is next Activated.Ignore Dying Units during Coherency checks. Dying Units that

    later regain HP must be inside Coherency when they Activateor they suffer the -2 OoC penalty until they rejoin their originalSquad. Te rest of the Units original Squad believes the Unitdead, so they do not receive the -2 for OoC.NOTE:Units removed from play, for any reason, do not countfor Coherency checks.

    Lack of Support

    Te last Unit in a Squad is a lways considered Out of Coherencyand receives the -2 for OoC. rained to fight together, withoutsupport Squads do not function as effectively.NOTE: Tis does not apply if the Squad started with only asingle member.

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    Core Rules

    6.close assaultIn this chapter, you will learn how to attack Units in hand-to-handcombat, known as Close Assault (CA). An AP spent on Movementthat brings a Unit into BtB contact with an enemy is a Charge.

    When Units of opposing Forces are in BtB contact, they are in CA.

    CA Steps

    o make an attack using a CA weapon, follow these steps:

    1. Check RF

    RF is the number of times a Unit may use a weapon per Gameurn. Once a weapon has been used as many times as its RFstatistic, it may not be used again that Game urn.

    Example:Te Coils Morning stick has a - in the RF statistic.Tis means the Unit may Assault with it as many times as the Coilhas AP. If however, the weapons RF was 1, the Coil could only

    attack once per Game urn with it.

    2. Spend AP

    On the first Assault of an Attack Group, subtract 1 AP from theUnits remaining AP to attempt the CA (All CA attacks requirea Unit to spend 1 AP, unless otherwise stated). Te APs spentfor the attack are lost whether or not the attack succeeds. If theUnit does not have the AP to spend, the Assault cannot occur.

    3. Select a Valid Target

    A Unit must be in BtB contact with another Unit in order tomake a CA attack (unless the Unit or its Weapon possesses anAbility that says otherwise). If a Unit is in BtB with multiple other

    Units, it may choose any of the Units to Assault. Under certainconditions it is permissible to even target your own Units. Suchan act of desperation would have far-reaching consequences afterthe battle, of course. If a Friendly Unit attacks and Removes FromPlay another Friendly Unit the opponent receives VPs for theattack equal to the PV of the removed Unit. A Friendly Unit maynot attack another Friendly Unit that has a higher PS.

    4. Determine TN

    Te player determines the attacking Units N. First, apply anymodifiers to the attacking weapons Assault (AS). Ten, addthe defending Units DF to the AS of the attackers weapon todetermine the N.

    Example:Te Coil has Charged a Dragyri Spearslave in CA. TeCoil adds its weapons AS, plus a +1 AS Charge bonus. Te Coilsmorning stick has an AS of 4, and the Slave has a DF of 6. Te Nwould therefore be 11 (4 + 1 + 6 = 11).

    Chargingo initiate CA, a Unit spends an AP on Movement to reach BtBcontact with an enemy. Te term for this is a Charge. TeCharging Unit will receive a bonus AP, in essence, a freeAssault. A Unit ending in BtB contact with more than one

    Unit receives only 1 Bonus AP. Moving into BtB with a friendlyUnit may initiate a CA, but does not gain Charge or Gang Upbonuses. An Assault made with this bonus AP receives a +1 AS

    and +1 PW bonus to all weapons in the Attack Group used for theCharge attack. A Unit with multiple weapons in an Attack Groupmay split its Charge attack between multiple Units that they arein CA with. You may only spend the bonus Charge AP on a CloseAssault (CA). You may not use the Bonus AP for Casting, Abilities,or to perform any other actions the Unit normally could with anAP. Weapon Abilities are part of the weapon itself, allowing themwith this bonus AP.NOE: If the Charged Unit is Prone, Dying, or removed fromplay after CA(s) are resolved, the charging Unit may spendadditional AP(s) on Movement to reach BtB contact with anotherenemy, resulting in another Charge.

    Example:Saint Mark moves into BtB contact with a Dragyri SoulSearcher. Saint Mark has 4 AP and spends 1 to bring him into CAwith the Soul Searcher. Saint Mark gets a bonus AP to use for a CA.Saint Mark spends his bonus AP to make an attack with his Cutter

    Arm, and receives +1 to both the AS and the PW of the Arm. SaintMark still has 3 AP remaining for his Activation.

    Ganging Up

    All Units gain +1 AS and +1 PW for every friendly Unit in BtBwith the same target. Tis bonus is cumulative with the bonusreceived for Charging and any other bonuses the CA may receive.NOE: Te attacking Unit does not gain a Ganging Up Bonusfor itself.

    5. Add CA Modifiers

    Circumstances in combat can affect how difficult a target is oHit. Special circumstances have blanket adjustments to all argetNumbers (N) except AR Saves, such as Out of Coherency(OoC), or Fear. Players calculate any appropriate CA modifiersand apply them to the N.

    6. Roll D20

    After you determine your N including any modifiers, roll ad20. If the roll is higher than the N, then the CA fails to hit.If the roll is equal to or lower than the N, you are successful inhitting your target. Te target Unit will then have to make an

    AR Save to avoid taking damage.

    CA Critical Hits and Failures

    When making a CA, a roll of a 1 is a Critical Hit. CriticalHits automatically succeed and negate all AR Saves. Likewise,all Weapon Abilities of the attack also succeed. A roll of a 20,conversely, is a Critical Failure. Critical Failures automaticallymiss. Furthermore, they cost the attacking Unit 1 additional AP

    (Tis penalty is not carried over to the next Game urn if thecritical failure was the Units last AP). Te weapon may

    also Malfunction (MAL) if applicable.

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    NOTE: If a Player wishes, they may choose to convert theirCritical Hit to a normal success forcing the target to make anAR Save (all Weapon Abilities still automatically succeed).

    Special CA RulesArc AttacksArc attacks are sweeping Close Assaults made on multiple targetUnits. Te Assault is a 180 Arc from any point on the Unitsbase. Te player chooses the direction of the attack, right to leftor left to right. Te area impacted extends outward from thecenter of the attacking Units Base for 2 inches. Te Unit spendsthe 1 AP needed for the Arc Attack and then measures out therange of the Arc to identify affected Units. Roll a CA for eachUnit, friendly or enemy, resolving damage before moving on tothe next.NOTE: Te first roll is the only one that can Malfunction (MAL).

    For the first Unit hit, apply the PW of the weapon and resolvedamage as normal. Te PW of the attacking weapon reducesfrom the impact of every victim, so the attack receives a 2 PWbefore being applied to each successive Unit. Tis is cumulativewith each Unit hit by the Arc Attack. If the attack has a WeaponAbility with its own N (e.g., KP (15)), it also receives a -2 to theAbilitys N for each Unit after the first that is hit by the ArcAttack. You can find more on Knock Prone (KP) in the relevant

    Abilities section. Te Arc attack wi ll only halt i f it hits a Unitand fails to Wound or fails a Weapon Ability N.

    NOTE: When using an Arc weapon on a Charge, allattacks gain +1 AS, +1PW.

    Close Assault

    Diagram:Luckkit-kaii is in BtB with three Banes. Tey areall eligible targets for his Axe Arc Attack. Te Axe Arc has a2 range so first measure 2 out from the center of his base,this is easily enough to hit all 3 Banes but doesnt reach anyUnits behind them. Luckkit-kaii rolls a CA against the firstBane. Te Axe Arc has an AS of 11 plus the Banes DF of 6= N 17. He rolls a 14, and hits. Now the Bane gets to rollan AR Save, if he passes he will not take any damage and theAxe Arc will not hit the next Bane in line. If the first Banefails his AR Save however, he takes the damage of the attackand Luckkit-Kaii rolls a CA on the next Bane in line (witha -2 to the PW).

    BREAK FREE FROM CA

    1. Spend 1 AP and declare a Distract attempt.2. Roll against each enemy Unit in CA:

    To Distract, choose one weapon and roll as a CA. 3. Any Unit not Distracted receives a bonus AP o

    immediately execute a CA.

    4. Te Breaking Unit (if not Dying) may then moveup to its MV statistic (for no additional AP)

    Breaking Free From CAOn occasion, a player may wish to remove a Unit from aparticularly dangerous CA entanglement. In game terms, thisis when you use Movement while in BtB contact with an enemyUnit. While arguably cowardly, and certainly dangerous, Unitscan walk away from a fight. When moving out of CA, the Unitbecomes more vulnerable to other attacks. A Unit may counterthis by Distracting their opponent:

    DISTRACT Te Unit attempts to flee without being hit byDistracting its opponent(s). o move a Unit out of CA, you mustfirst declare your intention to Distract and spend 1 AP. Choose 1CA weapon and roll against each enemy Unit in the CA. Enemy

    Units not hit receive a bonus AP they may immediately use toexecute their own CA before any further Distract rolls are made.Enemy Units hit by a Distract roll do not take damage, that Unithas been Distracted and does not receive a bonus AP.

    CA MODIFIERS

    CHARGING +1 AS and +1 PW + bonus AP.GANGING UP +1 AS and +1 PW for every other

    friendly Unit in BtB with the same target. PRONE ARGE +2 AS. PRONE AACKER -2 AS. DYING +4 AS (not cumulative with Prone).

    After resolving all Distract attempts, the Unit breaking free (ifnot Dying) may move up to its MV statistic (for no additionalAP) and complete its Activation normally. Te moving Unit maynot, however, enter CA with any of the Units it Broke Free fromfor the remainder of its Activation.NOTE:Units may still not move through enemy Unitswhen attempting to Break Free from CA.

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    Reach (RE)

    Reach weapons represent large axes, long poles, whips or anyweapon capable of a limited reach. Tis allows a Reach (RE)

    weapon to make Close Assault (CA) and short Ranged Assault(RA) attacks.

    REACH CLOSE ASSAUL Resolve as a normal CA exceptRE weapons make Breaking from CA harder. In order to Breakfrom CA without being attacked by a Unit with a Reach weapon,the Breaking Unit must make two successful checks. If eitherfail, the Breaking Unit is attacked as normal. Only one freeattack generates even if both attempts fail.

    Close Assault

    REACH RANGED ASSAUL A weapon with Reach willhave RE followed by a number in parentheses in the RN field ofthe weapons statistics e.g., RE (2). Te number in parentheses is

    RA range, in inches. Reach Ranged Assaults resolve as a normalRA, see below, and they also may use the Fire from Holdaction. RE weapons may RA when in Base-to-Base contactwith an enemy Unit. Tey may also make Ranged Assaults overUnits of equal or lesser Size with no penalty and they ignore thearget Priorities and Firing into CA rules.NOTE: If an Ability like Pin or KP are on a RE weapon fromRanged Assault, if the Unit Breaks the Pin or stands from theKP they are not considered in BtB contact.

    Luckkit-kaii utilizes a screen of Slaves to get thebest use of his Reach Attack.

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    7.Ranged assaultCore Rules

    In this chapter, you will learn how your Units attack with rangedweapons, known as making a Ranged Assault (RA).

    RA Stepso make an attack using a RA weapon, follow these steps:

    1. Check RF

    RF is the number of times a Unit may use a weapon per Gameurn. Once a weapon has been used as many times as its RFstatistic, it may not be used again that Game urn.NOTE: You may not use a RA weapon when you are in BtBcontact with an enemy Unit.

    2. Spend APOn the first Assault of an Attack Group, when making a RA,you must spend the AP before determining a Valid arget. You

    must guess if your desired target will be Valid, or not, beforespending the AP. Subtract 1 AP from the Units remaining AP toattempt the RA (All Ranged Assaults require a Unit to spend 1AP unless otherwise stated in the Notes). Te APs spent for theattack are lost whether or not the RA succeeds. Remember thatthere is no pre-measuring in Dark Age so if you declare a RangedAttack and then measure the distance to be further than theweapons maximum RN, the AP for the attack is wasted.

    3. Select a Valid TargetA Battlefield is a chaotic place. argets come and go in theblink of an eye. Units caught in the middle of the Battlefieldmust react to threats and target enemies. First and foremost are

    considerations of survival from imminent threats. As such, thereare some basic rules for what targets a Unit may attempt to attackwith a Ranged weapon. o perform a RA, you must find a Validarget within your Line Of Sight. Te second stipulation for aValid arget is that it must be within the RN of your weapon.You must guess if the target is within Range. After you guess youmust measure. Again, spend the AP for the attack regardless ofwhether it was truly in Range or not.

    argeting Priorities-Treat ZoneA Unit can make a R A at any Unit to which it has a clear Lineof Sight (LOS). A Units Treat Zone is an area that extends 10from its Base in all directions. A Unit making a Ranged Assault

    with one or more enemies in its Treat Zone must target theclosest visible enemy Unit in its Treat Zone with at least oneattack of the chosen Attack Group. Even if the enemy Unit isin Cover, panicked, or Prone it is a Valid arget unless totallyobscured by errain. If the closest Enemy Unit has any negativeN modifiers to hit (such as Cover, panicked, CA, Prone, etc.),and there are other Enemy Units within the Treat Zone, thenthe attacker may choose the Unit with the least RA modifiers.If there are no Enemy Units within the Treat Zone, then theattacking Unit may target any Unit in its Line of Sight.You may ignore Dying Enemy Units within your TreatZone.

    NOTE:You must target the closest visible Enemy Unit in yourTreat Zone even if it is not currently in Line of Sight.

    Example:Treat ZoneUnits within Treat Zone (10)

    A-empest Cover (-4 N)B-empest - In open (no modifiers)C- Soul Searcher - In open (no modifiers)

    4. Determine TN

    Te attacking player determines the N. First, apply any modi-fiers to either the attacking weapons Assault (AS) or the targetUnits Defense (DF) statistics. Ten, add the defending UnitsDF to the AS of the attackers weapon to determine the N.Example:Te Coil has decided to make a RA against a DragyriSpearslave with his Death Disk. Te Coil adds his Death Disks AS

    to the Slaves DF to get the N. Te Death Disk has an AS of 5and the Slave has a DF of 6. Te N would therefore be 11

    (5 + 6 = 11), assuming there were no other modifiers .

    Diagram: A Squad of Coils finds itself with three possibletargets, a Squad of empests, a Squad of Soul Searchers, andLuckkit-kai. Te Coils may choose to ignore empest A,even though she is the closest Unit, as she is in greater Coverthan other models in the Treat Zone. Should they chooseto fire the Coils have three choices: empest A (closest butwith Cover), empest B (no Cover) or Soul Searchers C (noCover). Tey may not target Luckkit-kaii or any other SoulSearchers outside of the Treat Zone, as there are other tar-gets within the 10 area.

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    Ranged Assault

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    5. Add RA Modifiers

    Cover and Range can modify the N of a Ranged Assault (RA).Te following sections explain the various modifiers that may

    apply to the N:

    RN ModifiersTe N is modified by -1 for every full 4 of Range between theattacking Unit and the target.

    Example:If a Coil were making a RA against a Dragyri Slingslavethat is 12 away, he would suffer a -3 to his RA N. If the Slingslavewere 20 from the Coil, it would be at -5 N.

    Cover ModifiersPlayers must agree upon the terrain types that provide Coverbefore the game begins. Cover can be anywhere between the

    Unit making a RA and the target Unit. At any given time, a Unitmay only receive one type of Cover modifier (largest modifier).

    OU OF COVER Te Unit is standing completely inthe Open. Tis means there is a clear and unobstructed LOSbetween the Unit

    PARIAL COVER Tis is if a Unit is obscured but 50% orless covered by scenery or other Units. Examples of partial coverare small rocks and bushes, ammo boxes and crates, etc.*Partial Cover results in a -2 N of the Unit making a RA.

    COVER Tis is provided if a Unit is more than 50% covered

    by any objects that obscure the target Unit. Some examples ofCover are high walls, steel grates, doorframes, other Units, largeboulders, etc.*Cover results in a -4 N of the Unit making a RA.

    FIRING HROUGH GAPS For a Unit to make a RA betweenother Units on the Battlefield, there must be a gap wide enoughto draw a straight line without going over any Units base. If thebase of either of the Units obscures any part of the target, a 4N Cover penalty applies regardless of how obscured the targetactually is.

    FIRING OVER UNIS o make a RA over another Unit,

    the intervening Unit must be a Size smaller than either the Unitattempting the RA, or the target. If this obscures the target inany way a 4 N applies to the attack attempt.

    COMPLEELY OBSCURED Cannot draw Line of Siteto that Unit at all and all attacks automatically fail. (With theexception of certain Abilities that say otherwise).

    ERRAIN SANDS errain Stands are pieces of terrainconstructed on large base sheets to represent clumps ofthick but not Impassable terrain. Some examples of

    errain Stands are a copse of trees, a group of rocks, or twistedsteel beam stands. Tis type of terrain blocks Line of Sight(LOS) if they are over 4 thick. Units more than 4 inside these

    Stands are ineligible targets for Ranged Assault, nor may theyRA outwards themselves. Units that are not 4 or more insidethe stand receive Cover (Unless agreed upon otherwise beforethe game begins). Te players should decide which scenery piecescount as errain Stands before the game begins.

    Diagram:A Coil Squad is attempting to target a Squad of

    Spearslaves. Te Closest Slave (C) is 3 inside the first er-rain Stand, Coil A is outside of the second errain Stand andthus may target Slave C (with appropriate Cover modifiers).Coil B however, is 2 inside the second errain Stand and thetotal amount of errain Stand between Coil B and Slave C is5, thus Coil B may not fire at the Spearslaves.

    NOTE:Cover bonuses do not stack for any reason. Always justapply the largest penalty.

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    Aiming

    A Unit may spend 2 AP to make a RA instead of 1 to Aim at atarget Unit. Te Aimed RA gains a +2 bonus to their AS. A Unit

    can make more than one Aimed RA as long as the weapons RFpermits two or more shots, and the Unit has enough AP to payfor both (2 AP for each).NOTE: Aiming affects all weapons in the Attack Group used inthe RA.

    Example 1:A Coil s Death Disk costs 1 AP to fire. An Aimed RAwith the Death Disk costs 2 AP, total. Te Aimed RA receives a +2to the N.

    Example 2:A Weaponsmiths Gods Wraith Rifle costs 1 AP to fireAttack Group #3. An Aimed RA with the Gods Wraith Rifle costs 2AP, total. Te Aimed RA receives a +2 to all three attacks in Assault

    Group #3.

    6. Roll D20

    After you determine your N including any modifiers, roll ad20. If the roll is higher than the N, then the RA fails to hit.If the roll is equal to or lower than the N, you are successfulin hitting your target. Te target Unit will then have to make anAR Save to avoid taking damage.

    Special RA RulesFiring Into a CAIn the swirling chaos of combat, risky shots are sometimes

    necessary to save comrades. However, these shots can go awryand other Units involved into CA may take the hit instead.Despite all this, you may fire into CA. When firing into a CA,the attackers N is modified by -2, this modifier is cumulativeto any other modifiers, such as Range, Aiming, etc. For eachadditional Unit in CA with the target add an additional -2modifier. Tere is no Friendly Fire so if the attack misses theintended target it is missed and complete the attacking UnitsActivation if applicable.

    Example:A Bane franticly defends itself in CA with a two DragyriSpearslaves 7 away from a Coil. Te Coil attempts to assist the Baneby firing into the CA. First, the Coil picks his target Unit and works

    out the N. In this case, the Coils AS is 5, the Spearslaves DF is 6.Factor in the RN modifier is 1 and then apply the 4 (-2 for the

    first slave plus -2 for the second slave) for Firing into CA, for a Nto hit the first Spearslave of 6.

    Ranged Assault

    A Unit of Coils attempt to help the Warwindby firing into combat.

    RA MODIFIERS

    RANGE -1 to N penalty for each full4 inches.

    PARIAL COVER -2 to N, Cover penalty.COVER -4 to N, Cover penalty.FIRING HROUGH GAPS -4 to N, Cover penalty.FIRING OVER UNIS -4 to N, Cover penalty.ERRAIN SANDS -4 to N, Cover penalty

    based on terrain type. Blocks LOS if 4+inches thick.INDIREC -2 N penalty.AIMING +2 N bonus.PRONE -2 to N penalty.

    RA Critical Hits and Failures

    When making a RA, a roll of a 1 is a Critical Hit. Critical Hitsautomatically succeed and negate all AR Saves. Likewise, all WeaponAbilities of the attack also succeed. A roll of a 20, conversely, is aCritical Failure. Critical Failures automatically miss. Furthermore,they cost the attacking Unit 1 additional AP (Tis penalty is notcarried over to the next Game urn if the critical failure was theUnits last AP). Te weapon may also Malfunction (MAL) ifapplicable.NOE: If a Player wishes, they may choose to convert theirCritical Hit to a normal success forcing the target to makean AR Save (all Weapon Abilities still automaticallysucceed).

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    Indirect Attacks

    Some weapons allow RAs at Units that not visible through anormal LoS check. Te Indirect Ability indicates weapons ca-

    pable of such attacks. An Indirect attack requires a Spotter, whomust have LoS to the target Unit, to use signals directing theattackers Assault. First, the AP for the attempt is spent. In orderto make an Indirect Attack, the Unit making the RA and theSpotter may not be further apart than the attacking Units PS ininches. Next, measure the distance from the attacking Unit tothe target Unit. If this distance exceeds the weapons maximumRN then the shot is wasted. Te indirect shot is made with thefiring Units AS with that weapon but any Cover modifiers arebased on the Spotters perspective. Tere is an additional -2 Nfor making an Indirect Attack.NOTE:Indirect shots must be able to land on their target so Indi-rect shots will not penetrate Architecture or other similar scenery.

    Blast (BL) Attacks

    Tis is a large Blast radius such as from a grenade. A Blast (X)label in its RN or Notes specifies a Blast weapon. Each possesses

    an accompanying number, e.g. BL (2). Te number specifies theradius in inches (in) that the Blast affects from the target Pointof Impact. All Units whose Bases are at least partially within theBlast radius suffer the effects of the attack. Find examples of alltemplates at the back of this rulebook.

    Targeting a Blast Attack

    Units making Blast Attacks do not target other Units; instead,they target a specific point on the Battlefield called the Point ofImpact (PoI). Tis PoI may be anywhere within their normalLine of Sight including another Units Base. Units making Blastattacks may ignore normal argeting Priority rules and the PoImay be anywhere within their normal Line of Sight. Te DF of

    the PoI is always 3 and never affected by Cover modifiers (rangeand other modifiers are taken into account as normal).NOE: While the Blast templates are circular, the Blaststhemselves are spherical. Should a Blast go off at a point such asthe base of wall, with a Unit standing on top, use the radius ofthe Blast attack for the height the Blast reaches.

    Scattering Blast Attacks

    Blast attacks generally dont just go away on a failed roll, but willImpact somewhere that they were not intended to. Roll a ScatterRoll to find where the new Point of Impact is. Divide the numberrolled by 2 (rounding down) to find the number of inches thePoI Scatters, place the template in the new position, and work

    out the results as normal. Te maximum a Blast can Scatter ishalf the distance between the Attacking Unit and the targetedPoI (rounded down). If a Blast weapons Point of Impact Scattersto a point further than maximum Scatter, the extra distance isignored and the template is placed at the point of maximumScatter.NOE: If intervening terrain causes the final position of ascattered Blast to be out of LoS for the attacker (or its spotter),center the template at the point where the LoS ends.

    Blast Attacks Critical Success And Failure

    When making a Blast attack, a 1 automatically succeeds andcalled a Critical Success. Te closest Unit under the template

    to the Point of Impact receives no AR Save and suffers all extraeffects. Calculate the Damage for all other Units normally. On aroll of a 20, the Unit making the Blast attack loses an additionalAP (Tis penalty is not carried over to the next Game urn ifthe critical failure was the Units last AP). Te weapon may alsoMalfunction (MAL) if applicable.

    MAL of Blast Attacks

    When a MAL occurs with a Blast weapon, center the Blasttemplate over the Unit making the RA, then resolve the

    attack as normal.

    Ranged Assault

    Area Of Effect (AoE) Weapons

    Some weapons are more powerful than normal and may impacta large area. Tese will usually be of the type Blast, Stream, orSpray. Examples of these are explosives, grenades, poisonous gas,irradiated clouds, etc. Te Weapons statistics clearly note thesetypes of attacks. Consult the following rules to see how toresolve each type of attack.

    Diagram: A Squad of Ravages is behind a 3in high walland has no Line of Sight to an approaching Soul Searcher.A nearby Bane attempts to act as a Spotter. Ravage A spendsthe AP for the attempt and chooses his PoI. Measuring thedistance between him and the PoI, it is within the maximumRN of the Ravages attack. As there is no Cover or RNmodifier the Ravage will just have the 2 N to the attempt.Ravage B attempts to do the same but finds itself 14in away

    from the Spotter, which is more than their PS of 13, and thuscannot make the attempt.

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    Spray(SP) / Stream (ST) Attacks

    Spray Attacks are short, directional attacks that are cone shaped.Stream Attacks are longer, a lmost rectangular shaped directional

    attacks. Both use a template. Spray and Stream Attacks hit everyUnit touched by the template, starting with a point at the edge ofthe attacking Units Base and extending to a rounded edge at theend of the template. Te Unit with the Spray or Stream weaponmust choose a target Unit and follow normal argeting Priorityrules. Tey must then place their template so that nearest pointof the template touches the closest part of the attacking Unitsbase. Te centerline of the template must cross through thecenter of the target Units base (or as close as possible). As Spray/ Stream attacks simply place templates, a Ranged Assault rollis not necessary to hit. A die is rolled however, to determine ifCritical Successes or Critical Failures occur (Critical Failuresonly result in a loss of AP, not a miss). Spray / Stream weapons

    that have a MAL number also consult the d20 to see if theweapon Malfunctions (Tis is a straight unmodified d20 rollagainst the weapons MAL).NOTE:While the templates are flat, the effects are cone-shaped.Should a template targeting one Unit also have the potential ofoverlapping another Unit stood upon a wall, rotate the templateto determine the height/depth the template reaches.

    MAL of Spray / Stream Attacks

    Even though these weapons have a designated Area ofEffect, they still have the capability to Malfunction. On

    a MAL find the new direction of the attack by making a ScatterRoll, and then place the template pointing so that the topmostpoint of the template is facing in the direction of the Scatter. Te

    attacking Unit automatically suffers a hit and the normal rulesfor Units under, or touched by, the template apply.

    Area of Effect Weapons and Terrain

    Even though these weapons use a template that does not meanthey can penetrate terrain that completely obscures a Unit. Youmust have a Valid arget to use an AoE weapon. Should the AoEtemplate cross terrain that that would normally prevent targetingthen the effect stops there even if the template touches the Unit.

    Example:wo Soul Searchers are behind a large boulder (CompletelyObscured) with a Deaths Device in front of the boulder. A Firestormuses a Stream Attack on the Deaths Device (which is a Valid arget

    within Arc of Fire, LOS, range and closest in Treat Zone.) Tetemplate also touches the Soul Searchers. As the Soul Searchers areCompletely Obscured they are not effected by the Stream attack.

    Firing AoE Weapons into CA

    Area of Effect weapons do not follow the rules for Firing into CAas they utilize either a PoI or a placed template to resolve theirattacks. AoE weapons must follow their normal targeting rulesand work out the attack as normal.

    Ranged Assault

    Hoj and his merry bunch line up quite nicelyfor the Firstorms flame throwers.

    Diagram:A Ravage attempts to throw a grenade amongst aSquad of Spearslaves. He chooses his Point of Impact, rollsand misses. He now makes a Scatter Roll. Te roll comesup a 13 and the triangle points towards a Squad of SoulSearchers. Te Point of Impact is moved 6 (13 / 2, rounddown) in the direction of the triangle on the d20, placing thegrenade template at the new PoI.

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    8.damageCore Rules

    Now that you have learned all about how to hit your opponent,it is time to learn how to Damage them. Units hit with RA,CA, some Castings, and other effects make AR Saves or suffer

    Damage.

    Armor (AR) Saves

    After a successful hit, the target Unit must make an AR Save (ifapplicable). Te weapon, or Casting has hit the target Unit butit may not lose any HP. AR can save a target from the nastiestof weapons or spells. Armor is not only the protective clothing aUnit wears, but can also represent other factors such as a naturalhide, mutation, or the effect of certain drugs. o determine theN, the player subtracts the weapons PW and any modifiersfrom the target Units AR. If the defending player rolls equal toor less than this N, the target Unit takes no damage.NOTE:Te Unit attempting to avoid damage makes an AR Save,

    not the Unit causing damage.

    Example:A Bane has successfully hit a Soul Warden with hisDouble Mace. Te Double Mace has a PW of 4; the Soul Wardens

    AR is 16. Te Soul Warden must now roll equal to or under hismodified AR Save of 12 (16 4 = 12). If the Soul Warden succeeds,he will not take Damage. If the Soul Warden fails, he will have toApply Damage

    Power Multipliers

    Designed to defeat armor, some weapons are much harder tosurvive. An x multiplier indicates these in their PW statistic(e.g., PW 6x2). Tis multiplier indicates the number of AR Saves

    the target must make to avoid damage. Te defending playerrolls all of the indicated AR Save attempts at the same time andassumes that they occurred in order, from lowest to highest. Ifany of the rolls fail, then the AR Save has failed. Te exception tothis is: if any of the dice rolled are a 1. In which case, you avoidall possible effects. Keep in mind that a roll of 20 would result ina critical AR failure as shown later in this Chapter.NOTE: As the die rolls are taken from lowest to highest, if aplayer rolls both a 1 and a 20, the roll of 1 would take precedenceand all possible effects are ignored, including the extra effects ofrolling a 20.

    Example:A Forsaken Coil fires a Death Disk at a Dragyri Soul

    Searcher. Te Death Disk has a PW of 6x2, meaning that twoAR Saves are required. Te player must pass both to avoid takingdamage. On a roll of a 1, the second AR Save is not importantbecause a 1 saves against all Damage. In this example, the SoulSearchers AR is 16 meaning the Soul Searcher would need to roll 10or less on both dice to make a successful save.

    Critical Successes and Failures on an AR Save

    When making AR Saves, a roll of a 1 automatica lly succeedsand negates all Damage that the attack could cause,including the effects of any Abilities. Te roll of 1

    includes making Saves against Damage that exceeds their ARrating (for special cases involving PW multipliers see Overkillbelow). Similarly, a roll of a 20 automatically fails the AR Save

    and all possible Damage, including that from any WeaponAbilities. If the player rolls a 20 (Critical Failure) on an AR Save,the target Unit loses an additional HP. Tis represents an attackhitting a vital area. For weapons with a PW multiplier each 20rolled on the AR Save causes the loss of 1 additional HP.NOTE: When making multiple AR Saves due to PowerMultipliers, a 1 negates all damage and effects. However, whenmaking multiple AR saves due to multiple weapon attacks, a 1only negates one attack.

    Example 1:A Ravage makes a RA with a grenade, with KnockProne, at a Soul Warden and hits. Te Soul Warden rolls a d20 ARSave and the result is a 1. Te Soul Warden takes no Damage, and

    does not have any chance of being Knocked Prone.

    Example 2:A Ravage makes a RA with a grenade, with KnockProne, at a Soul Warden, and hits. Te Soul Warden rolls a d20

    AR Save and the result is a 20. Te Soul Warden now loses 1 HP,plus another HP for the Critical Failure, and is automaticallyKnocked Prone.

    Example 3:A Deaths Device attacks a Bane and hits. Te Banemust now make an AR Save against a PW 10x2, the Bane rolls a 1and a 20. Te 1 negates all damage and effects.

    Example 4: A Soul Searcher attacks a Bane and hits with both

    attacks. Te Bane must now make two AR saves against PW 7. TeBane rolls a 1 and a 20. Te Critical Success (1) negates all damageand effects of one attack, and the Critical Failure (20) has the Banelose 1 additional HP, and suffer all weapon effects.

    Overkill

    Sometimes being lucky just isnt enough to defeat theoverwhelming might of a weapons PW, or the extreme situationof being severely Ganged Up on. o show this, if the N foran AR Save is 1 or less and the attacking weapon has a PWmultiplier, then a single 1 is not lucky enough to save you. Inthese cases, you must roll a 1 for each multiplier.

    Example:A Sister of Compassion (AR 13) franticly defends herselfin a CA, by three Spearslaves. A nearby Deaths Device decides tocharge the Sister from behind, as well. He hits and determines theN for the AR Save. Te Deaths Devices weapon is PW 10x2, he

    gains +1 for each Spearslave, and +1 for the Charge. Tis makes histotal PW 14x2 and the Sister now has to make two -1 AR Savesto avoid damage. In this case, a single 1 on either die is not enoughto save her from this overwhelming attack and she must be lucky

    enough to roll as many 1s as the multiplier (which is two). Unlessshe rolls a double 1 she takes the Damage of the attack as

    normal.

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    Damage

    A Unit of Ravages hold a choke point froma ravaging Skarrd horde.

    Apply Damage

    Al l attacks not saved by an AR check remove 1 HP eachtime they Damage a target. Tis is the standard damage

    but Abilities or Critical Failures on AR Saves (rolling a 20)can cause more. For attacks with Power Multipliers, thedefending Unit does not lose HP for each failed roll. 1 HP islost if any of the rolls fail (this may be modified by Abilitiesor Critical Failures).NOTE: Every Critical AR Save failure made against a Powe