Across the

Dead Earth
Post Apocalyptic Tabletop Skirmish Wargame

Rulebook Version 2.4 Rich Chappell Dead Earth Games

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Contents Capture and Occupy Games 33
Types of Game 6 Grudge Matches 34
Setting Up 6 Balancing Forces (Points) 34
The Turn Sequence 8 Campaigns 35
Actions 8 Death is not (always) the End 35
Movement 11 Wait a Minute, where do I write all this Down?
Difficult Terrain 11  36
Combined Moves 11 Stat Cards 36
Moving Into Cover 12 What to do with all that Loot?  37
Corners/Windows/Doors etc. 12 Shopping!  39
Hiding 13 Rare Items 40
Incidental Cover  13 Price and Effect 40
Jumping (or falling) from Heights 14 The Wester Campaigns 48
Drop Attacks 14 Gangs 49
Moving Past Enemies 14 Creating your Own Gang and Characters  49
Shooting 14 Adam’s Family 51
Shooting from an elevated position 16 The Red Claw 56
Jammin’ 17 FURTHER GANGS 62
Unjammin’ 17 Jester’s State IAO Squad 62
Scoring Damage/Save Rolls 17 The Engineers Guild F.E.S. 66
Basic Ranged Weapons 19 Watt’s Airship “The Viking’s Crow” 69
Grenades  20 Mercenaries 70
Dropping a Grenade 21 General Traits and Skills 74
Alternate Fire Modes 21 Class Talent Trees 75
Shotguns 21 Leader 76
Assault Rifles, Light Machine Guns (LMG’s) Medic 77
and Submachine Guns (SMG’s) 22 Sharpshooter 78
Fighting/Hand-to-Hand 22 Assault 79
Engaged 24 Scout 80
Dual Attacks 24 Heavy 81
Basic Melee (hand to hand) Weapons 25 Scrapper 82
Fighting Multiple Opponents 26 Dogs 83
Holding 26 Yob Upgrades 84
Pushing  26 A Campaign of Campaigns 86
Knocked Out  26
Recovery/Bleeding Out 26
Out of Action 26
Shooting a Knocked Out Gang Member 26
Finishing Off 27
Carrying Knocked Out Allies (Or Enemies) 27
DOGS 27
Guard 28
Dragging 28
Event Cards 29
Winning and Losing the Game 31
Individual (Points) Games 31
Loot  32
Territory 33

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 “Sit down, listen up...
we’ve all the time in the world...”
It was a Tuesday the day the world ended. My Grandmother must have told
me a thousand times. People argue over the date, the month, the year, not
that it matters. My Grandmother was a young girl then, she’s now long since
dead, my mother, born after the war, is dead too.

The Last World War some call it. Optimists. No one really knows who started
it, or why, if there was ever a reason, but once it started it was only ever
going to end one way: the end of the world itself. And what comes after
the end of the world, inherited by those few survivors? Life, of sorts, I suppose. A struggle to
survive, scavenging and looting and fighting our way in small bands, groups, gangs or families:
across the dead Earth.

Of course America, China and Russia hit each other with nukes and exist now only as burned
out ruins, poisoned rivers and darkened skies, not much grows and only a fool would trust the
vegetation that does to not be infected with God knows what man-made evil. I don’t know if
Europe came off better or worse. The trees still grow here, but twisted and black, empty of any
birds but crows. I’ve only ever known crows. My Grandmother told me there used to be hun-
dreds of different types of birds, and that they weren’t all black. Some of them sang, she said. I
don’t know whether I believe that.

Buildings still stand, on the whole, outside of the Cities, though they are empty, haunted plac-
es. The weapons they attacked Europe with were different: some kind of darker, sicker, more
evil weapons: disease. The mainland is peopled now by the shambling, shuffling half-living
corpses the young people call the Sollus. My mother’s generation called them Soulless, my
Grandmother’s called them zombies. Of course there aren’t many alive now that would even
know that, not here. Before the end of the world, something like 3% of the UK’s population
were blood type B- or AB-. Today 100% of the population of the F-UK have those blood types,
and let me tell you, that wasn’t because of a baby boom. My Grandmother told me “they”
must have put something in the water, or in the food supply, a radioactively activated poison,

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maybe building up in people’s blood over years and years, every time they ate and drank. Or
microchips released the toxin - my Grandmother said they used to line the children up at school
and inject them telling, the parents it was an immunisation. No one ever even asked what
against. They put their arms out, cheerfully, received their death switch injection smiling, got
told they were brave and given a lollipop. Then when the day came, someone flicked a switch,
and 97% of everyone on this Island dropped dead. I guess someone forgot to test the obscurer
blood types for immunity.

I don’t like to think of myself as a leader, but I suppose I am. You don’t live as long as I have
without learning a thing or two about staying alive. How to fight, how to shoot, and most of all
how to hide: from the gangs, from the looters, from the Sollus…from the Night…

We keep moving, my Family and me. Most folks do. The cities, London, Birmingham, Liverpool,
Manchester: they were all nuked, I guess 3% of the population of those places was still a risk in
someone’s eyes: they existed as ghost towns for a while, but eventually people crawled back,
the lure of tonnes of tinned food, of petrol, of weapons, of technology, proving too much. They
are warzones now: London a crumbling, ashen police state in parts, under the fist of those cra-
zy young men in black suits who think they are the Government and call themselves The State,
criss-crossed by Gang warfare elsewhere. They call the streets around the Thames New Venice.
I don’t know where old Venice was. I guess it didn’t survive.

Liverpool has a population of nearly a thousand, I hear, run by gangs who charge a fortune to
enter to anyone trying to find passage to Ireland or elsewhere on the Junkers, the great, lurch-
ing rust buckets that use every last drop of petrol we syphon from the hundreds of thousands
of permanently parked cars, bumper to bumper on motorways, skeletons in the seats...I can’t
imagine what it would have been like to be a driver in one of those cars, or worse, a passenger,
when everyone around you just...stops functioning. Birmingham, they call The Rag Market. It
fits. Most of the other big towns and Cities are too dangerous for people to live in. I wouldn’t
step foot in Mutantchester for all the tea in a Costco.

We move around the countryside, from place to place, taking what we need, trading, and, more
than anything else: fighting. Because everybody knows that there’s only so many tins. There’s
only so many cigarettes. There’s only so many bullets.

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Types of Game

There are essentially two ways to get out there and start surviving: individual (pointed) games
and Campaigns. You’re probably itching to get started so we’ll talk about individual games first,
but things really get interesting when you embark on Campaign play. Don’t worry now ‘cos I’ll
be sure to fill you in on all the details regarding that particular wasp’s nest later on. Let’s get
you going with the basics.

Setting Up

So, the first thing you’re going to need if you’re going to survive five minutes out here is a Gang.
I call mine my Family, and there’s a good reason for that, and it isn’t just that I don’t have no
other family left alive. The second things you’ll need is weapons. I ain’t even sure which of
those is the more important. People, by and large, are much the same to start off with. Maybe
some are a little faster, a little stronger: well, that’s useful, and a little specialist knowledge or
command of medicine is useful too. Other than that, the difference between one Gang member
and another is more often than not the weapon in his or her hand, until they get out there and
start learning at any rate.

You’ll want a gang of 5-10 members, by and large, although the exactitudes of that we’ll discuss
at length later: there are two gangs detailed and ready for use on pages 51 and 56 and
all the info you’ll need to create your own from scratch over on page 49. For the purpose of
instructing you here, I’ll be talking about my Family (see page 51 for further details), me and
four others: they are armed with shotguns, pistols, assault rifles, and various knives, adapted
weapons and homemade explosives. We take what we can.

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Once you and whoever it is you’re fighting against have
got their Gangs ready, you’ll also need a few six sided dice
(referred to throughout these rules as D6), something
The State
to measure in inches with, and something to fight over.
Nobody in this world is still alive because they ever made “The State” considers itself, but
themselves a sitting duck, so for most fights you are going is considered by few others, to
to want plenty of terrain: buildings, trees and ruins, even rule the Dead Earth in the For-
destroyed vehicles, to take cover behind or outflank your mally-United Kingdom. Based in
opponent around. I wouldn’t recommend fighting over too empty, echoing halls with shat-
larger space if I were you – too much ground to cover, 3’x3’ tered windows and vegetation
should more than suffice. You’ll also need the Event Cards breaking through the floor and
from the back of this book, punched out neatly, well shuf- walls in New Venice, London, the
fled and then placed in a pile and the WAW and HIDDEN State “protects” and heavily taxes
tokens too. Put these aside for now. those who still live in the bomb-
shell of the old capital city. What-
As for the setting, well, that depends on where you’re fight- ever else you can say about the
ing. The big Cities of the UK are all but destroyed, charred State, it does control a great deal
buildings and ash piles. Out in the countryside you’ll find of the military grade weaponry in
a mix of towns, villages and hamlets, some intact, some the country, and members flock
destroyed by war or looted and pillaged since, some occu- to swell their ranks, hearing that
pied, some overgrown with vegetation - some woods and loyal and established members
forests still exist - although the trees are probably poisoned are rewarded with accommo-
so I wouldn’t go making any apple crumbles. You might dation in luxurious mansions
find yourself fighting over any of these types of terrain. decked out with museum pieces
And that’s just in the F-UK - maybe you want to explore and unspeakable riches from be-
further afield, in the Sollus infected ghost towns of France fore the war, with running water
and mainland Europe, the dark, eerie, desolate wastes that and electricity. And slaves.
used to be America or even the frozen death fields of Alaska
where insane men think the wars still goes on. In terms of The I.A.O, or Information Acqui-
representing this on the tabletop, agree the choice of set- sition Operatives, are medium
ting with your opponent: you’ve got plenty of options. ranking State operatives who
have proven of enough worth to
Once the terrain is set up on the table, each player should be provided with weapons and
assemble their gangs on opposite table edges, within 6” of uniforms. They are dispatched
the table edge and with all Gang members no more than 6” to every corner of the F-UK to
away from their furthest ally. This area is your Start Zone. I spread the word of The State and
find it useful to mark this area - a handy way of doing this is The State’s law, to bring towns,
to fold a piece of A4 paper around 2/3rds of the way across traders and enclaves under State
and placing it on the table edge, but you could even use control and to eradicate and kill
specific pieces of terrain - perhaps the end of a road leading Gang members, and more than
onto the battlefield, or a bunker. anything else to spy on the other
Gangs and factions.

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The Turn Sequence

In some scenario games, who goes first might already be decided for some reason, but on the
whole, it should be randomised by tossing a coin or rolling a die each and the higher scorer
going first. We’ll call him Player 1. Player 1 takes the top three cards from the Events cards deck.
He may read these and may put any he wishes to In Play straight away, by placing them FACE
DOWN in front of him. Event cards are only turned face up when the player wishes to Activate
them. Player two may now do the same, taking three cards and placing them face down if he
wishes to – as these are currently the only cards the players have, there is no reason not to put
them In Play.

Player 1 then elects any of his Gang members to Act with. Once he has carried out all the Ac-
tions he wishes and is permitted to with that Gang member, Player 2 chooses a Gang member
to Act with. Once Player 2 has attempted to complete all his desired Actions with that Gang
member, play reverts to Player 1 who chooses any other Gang member (i.e. not the one which
has Acted), and Acts with them. We can refer to a single character using their Actions as their
“Phase” of a turn. Play proceeds in this manner until all Gang members in both Gangs have
completed their Phases. This concludes the first turn. At the beginning of the second turn and
all consequent turns the Player who has the Initiative (I’ll tell you more about that later on)
draws ONE further Event card from the deck. Having read the card and chosen whether to place
it In Play or not, player 2 does the same. Then Player 1 chooses any Gang member to Act with,
and play proceeds as in the first turn. Your Gang does not have to Act in the same order each
turn, you may use any Gang member each time it is your phase so long as they have not Acted
already that turn.

Actions

On the whole, each of your Gang may make 2 Actions on each phase, with your Leader usually
able to make three. A Gang member can complete Actions in any order.

To make an Action, the controlling player should first verbally announce what Action is being
taken, so that the enemy may attempt to interrupt or counter in specific ways. People are
sneaky like that.

Actions which can be made are:

Move: your Gang member may move as many inches as their Speed allows, applying any modi-
fiers for difficult terrain. See further details below.

Aim: your Gang member may take some time to line up a shot, using one of its actions to Aim
prior to shooting, which makes it more likely they will hit their target, allowing them to add 1 to
the score on the dice they have rolled To Hit their target as explained in the Shooting section.

Shoot: your Gang member may fire any ranged weapon he or she is equipped with.  See further
details below.

Hide: You remember how I told you it’s important to learn to hide? Well it is. If you don’t want
your Gang returned to you stripped bare of anything valuable and bleeding, you better teach
them to Hide in cover. If a Gang member is near (i.e. their base is in contact with) suitable cover

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with which they are able to conceal the majority of their
body (a wall, the corner of a building, a tree, etc.) that
Gang member may Hide. This makes them more difficult
Society
to hit, as explained in the Shooting section. When a Gang
member uses an Action to Hide, place a Hidden marker Since the effective end of the
next to them. This is removed if/when they move. world and fall of civilisation,
there have been several changes
Melee: Your Gang member may engage an enemy in good already in the way that people try
old fashioned, sporting fisticuffs, only likely with knuck- to live. First there was, of course,
le-dusters and to the death. To engage in hand to hand widespread panic, then came
combat the Gang member must be in base-to-base contact hoarding, then came an attempt
with their intended target. at organisation, and then came
what we have now. Most peo-
Watching-and-Waiting: WAW, or Watching-and-Waiting ple in the F-UK live in one of two
is important. Really important, so listen. It’s when you lie ways: in a Settlement or Town-
in wait and keep an open eye on all in front of you. To do ship under the protection of The
this your Gang member makes no movement or shot (or State, The Guild, The Queen of
any other action) within their own turn; however, when the South, other individual Gangs
any enemy player declares their Gang member is to make or smaller factions or alternate-
a Move or Shoot Action within your Gang member’s line of ly, they adopt the itinerant Gang
sight, your Watching-and-Waiting Gang member may elect lifestyle.
to fire, interrupting the enemies’ turn. You must inform
your opponent of your intention to do this as soon as pos- In the Townships and Settle-
sible - I find shouting in their ears effective - as your Gang ments most people labour hard
member may complete their Shooting action PRIOR to the to either grow usable crops, farm
enemy completing their action. If the enemy Gang mem- edible, non-irradiated chickens,
ber is in the process of moving, you just tell them that they or make weapons and alcohol for
must stop in their tracks until the WAW action is resolved. whomsoever it is they owe their
If your shot does not result in the enemy being Knocked loyalty to.
Out, they can then go about their business and complete
their move as usual. If they are Knocked Out, they are
so immediately, and may not complete their Action. Watching and Waiting shots are always
Aimed, adding a +1 to the result of the shooters To Hit roll, and as such, it costs 2 Actions to
place a figure in WAW. 

When a Gang member elects to use WAW, place a WAW marker next to them. Remove this ei-
ther when the Gang member moves or interrupts the other players Action, as described above.

Watching-and-Waiting on consecutive turns: if your Gang member starts their turn with a WAW
counter in play, they may:

Make any other Action as outlined above. Remove the WAW counter. 

Remain in WAW: this costs both their Actions for the turn. Add another WAW counter – pile
‘em up. When the Gang member does eventually fire, they may now receive a +2 modifier,
as they receive a +1 to their To Hit roll per stacked WAW counter. Your Gang member may do
this up to a maximum advantage of a +3 to their To Hit roll, that is to say, they may continue to
accumulate as many WAW counters as they wish by remaining in WAW, however they may only
use a maximum of 3 at a time or as a modifier to any single shot.

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Special Actions

Orders: a Gang’s leader, such as yours truly, I suppose, may use an Action to give an order to
any of his Gang who are either within 12” and line-of-sight or within 6” if not: representing
the giving of an order either by signalling or verbally. Leaders have more Actions than all other
Gang members, usually having three, although it is possible for them to have even more than
that if they are experienced. They may use only one Action per turn to give an Order. To give an
Order successfully the Leader must roll 2D6 and score equal to or under their Skill amount. If
the score is above the Leader’s skill, the Gang member has not successfully received the Order
– they have either not seen/heard the communication, or it they have otherwise been unable
to perform the Action Ordered. The Leader may make a 2nd or third attempt to give the Order
if the Order is unsuccessful, but may only give one successful Order per turn

By giving this Order your Gang Leader allows the Gang member they are ordering to perform an
EXTRA Action. This Action is performed immediately, as part of the Leader’s phase, and occurs
regardless of whether the Gang member has Acted during a phase of their own or not.

E.g. I use one Action to move forward 6” (my maximum speed) to the edge of a building. I then
declare myself Hidden to make the most of the cover the building edge provides, a second Ac-
tion. I have enemies in my line of sight, but they are far off and my chances to hit are therefore
relatively low. Reggie is much close to the enemy. Having 3 Actions, I can then give an Order to
my boy Reggie, to fire on the enemy, assuming that I can either see him to give the signal or he
is close enough that I can simply tell him…I roll a 5, which is below my Skill of 7, and as such the
Order is successful. Reggie then shoots as if it were his own Phase. If he has not acted already,
he may still act as normal on his own Phase of the turn, potentially allowing him to Shoot twice
more.

Healing: Only Medics can do this one (that’s why it’s called “Special”). You’ll want a Medic in
your gang as soon as you can get one. Ezra, the Medic in my Gang, has proved his worth a
thousand times, patching me and the others up after a sticky situation and getting us back on
our feet. The Medic may attempt to use their healing ability to revive a Knocked Out ally. They
must be in contact with the ally to attempt this (i.e. their base must be touching the Knocked
Out figure). The attempt, whether successful or not, is one of the Medic’s Actions. To attempt
to heal an ally, roll 2D6. If the number is equal to, or less than, the Medic’s Skill score, the ally
is healed, and may be stood back up. Ezra’s skill is 6, and his speed is 6: so if Reggie has taken
a hit on his Phase of the turn, and Ezra is less than 6”
away, Ezra can use one action to move into contact with
Reggie, and another to attempt to Heal him during Ezra’s
phase. If Ezra scores a 6 or less, Reggie jumps right back
up. If Reggie had been shot PRIOR to using his own Phase
of the turn, he may still do so, having been successfully
Healed during Ezra’s phase.

Finishing off: To despatch an unconscious enemy your

Gang member has to be in contact with the Knocked Out
enemy and have an available Action. See Finishing Off
Knocked Out enemies.

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Movement

A Gang member may move an equal amount of inches to their SPEED unless they need to move
over Difficult Terrain. As Moving requires one Action, most Gang members will normally be able
to move up to twice per turn. Turning does not slow your Gang member at all, and in fact, if
they wish to turn to face another direction they can do so without expending an Action point.
When your Gang member finishes their movement for the phase, take care to face their front in
the direction you wish them to be looking, as they are only considered to be able to see any-
thing within a 180 degree arc of their front. (This is easier to achieve with square based minia-
ture than those on round bases, however, apply the rule of thumb that the figure is looking in
the direction the head of the model is looking in).

Difficult Terrain

There are types of terrain which will slow down your guys’ movements. Below is a chart show-
ing how many inches the characters speed for that Action is reduced by i.e. Ezra, with a SPEED
of six wishes to move towards the enemy. There is a fence in the way. We can see from the
table below that leaping any object below Ezra’s height reduces his speed by 2 inches. Ezra can
therefore move a total of 4 additional inches, either side of the object, in addition to leaping
it. If he has already moved 4 inches or more prior to reaching (i.e. being able to make contact
with) the fence, he cannot jump it in that action, and must either wait where he is, or use an-
other action.

Terrain Type Penalty to speed

Low wall or fence (vaulting) 2
High wall or fence (climbing) 4
Hill or ramp up 1
Steep hill or ramp up 2
2 (note this is a penalty for the vertical
Ladder movement, and therefore in addition to any
horizontal distance covered by the ladder)
Shallow Water each inch across counts as two inches moved
Deep Water Impassable
each inch across accounts as three inches
Bog/Marsh
moved

As it may be a matter of some debate whether a wall is low or high, a rule of thumb should be
whether or not the wall is taller than your Gang member. If it is, it’s High.

Combined Moves

If a player wishes to, they may of course use both a Gang member’s ACTIONS to MOVE. In this
case, they are permitted to measure the total distance, i.e. twice the characters SPEED, before
deducting any penalties for terrain. Therefore, if we take the above example again, if Ezra is 5
inches from the fence, but he is using two ACTIONS to move, he may move a total of 10 inches
in addition to leaping the fence – five inches to it, over it, and five inches after it.

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Moving Into Cover

Cover is a very important aspect of

surviving out there across the dead
Earth, as it protects your Gang from
the ranged fire of the enemy. Cover
takes the form of inanimate objects
which shield or obscure your guys
from the Line-of –Sight of the oppo-
nent, and may include trees, walls,
fences or buildings. A gang member’s
base MUST be touching the object
for them to receive the benefit of the
cover. The amount of protection the
cover gives is reflected in a modifier
to the score required by someone
shooting. Standing behind a tree gives
a modifier of +1 to the score the shooter requires to match or beat on 2D6 (see Shooting), be-
hind a wall or fence (where the objects height does not totally obscure the target) a modifier of
+2, and positioning your figure within a building by a door or window which they can fire from
a +3.

(It is important to note that all cover only works from certain angles, there is no benefit to
hiding behind a wall if your enemy then moves so that the wall is not between them and the
target. In the instance of trees, there may be some debate as to whether or not the tree affords
cover from certainly angles. In my experience, most trees used for tabletop wargames tend to
have trunks which are notably thinner than the figure attempting to use the cover. We allow,
however, for the character to use some degree of artfulness in their positioning, to take in ac-
count the character being able to shuffle around or shift his weight to remain obscured. There-
fore if the shooter is to the front of the tree which the target is behind, the target is in cover.)

Corners/Windows/Doors etc.

Your Gang member may take up a position in cover where they are effectively completely
invisible to the enemy from which they would be able to lean out or over to take pot-shots at
the enemy, for example, behind the corner of a building, through a window which the Gang
member is standing to the side of, or at the end of a wall or fence. The Gang member in cover
may take a shot around the corner without using a movement Action, to represent leaning out
or around an object – however, this means they have made themselves visible and can be shot
at. In this case, the modifier is for the enemy shooter to their “to hit” roll is +3. See the diagram
on page 16 for an example of this.

Say an enemy, one of the Red Claw savages, has taken cover next to a window opposite Reggie
and Ezra on the last turn. It is now Reggie’s phase, but he cannot see the savage, and so uses
both his Actions to Wait-and-Watch. The savage then takes their phase and fires on Ezra. Reggie
has the opportunity to use his WAW to interrupt the shot, but chooses not to, knowing that as
the Savage has fired and therefore made themselves visible to Ezra, Ezra can fire back on them
in his phase. When Ezra’s phase comes around, he needs to score 3 more To Hit the savage than
if the savage were not in cover.
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To move through a door does not require the use of an Action, your Gang member will barge
through it or kick it open as part of their movement. IF however, your Gang member wishes to
close the door behind them, potentially blocking line of sight to him from an enemy shooter,
deduct 1” from their allowed movement to account for the time taken to close the door.

Gang members can also climb through windows, assuming the window is large enough that the
gang member would feasibly be able to do so, and that they can reach it (if there is any debate
as to whether a window is large enough to climb through, settle it by rolling a dice each with
the high scorer getting the final say). If the window is on the ground storey of a building and
between approximately the waist height and full standing height of the Gang member, they
may clamber through it at a cost of deducting 1” from their total movement that action. If the
window is higher than this, but no more than 1/2 an inch higher, they may pull themselves up
through the window at a cost of 4” to their movement. This also goes for climbing or pulling
oneself up onto a ledge or other surface, and is the same penalty as climbing over a high wall.
If an ally is positioned above the Gang member on that ledge or surface, they may assist by
pulling the Gang member up an extra 1/2 of an inch, meaning that the Gang member can climb
1 inch above their total height with assistance of this kind, however, to do so is at a cost of an
entire Action for the climbing Gang member. Once up, the Gang member should be placed on
any side of, but in base to base contact with, their ally.

Similarly, Gang members may give each other a “bunk up”, allowing them to access any ledge or
similar up to the combined height of the two characters or 2 ½ inches whichever is the greater.
The assisting Gang member must be level with the ledge – they may not move to achieve this
as it is not their phase. Receiving a bunk up also requires the use of 1 Action.

Hiding

Any figure which is in Cover as described above may use

one of their actions to Hide. This represents making the
best use of the available cover, ducking down or finding
some vegetation or other object to obscure you from
the enemy view. A figure Hiding adds a further +1 to the
required To Hit score of anyone shooting at them. Place
a Hidden counter next to the figure to indicate this. Like
cover, the effect of Hiding only works when the cover inter-
rupts the line of sight of the shooter. In the above example, if the Red Claw savage had been
hiding, the modifier for Ezra to shoot with would then be +4: +3 for the cover itself, and +1 for
the fact the target is Hidden.

Incidental Cover

It will often occur that whilst neither you or your target are deliberately in cover, i.e. in base
contact with cover, there is an object or objects in between you and your target. In this in-
stance, try to look along the eye line of the Gang member. If the target is partially obscured but
they can see half or more than half of the target, there is a penalty to hit of +1, if they can see
less than half of the target, the penalty is +2, if they can see less than 25%, for example just the
head, the penalty is +3. If the Gang member is in base to base contact with cover, but there
is incidental cover which may offer greater cover, always allow the GREATER amount of cover,
whichever that is.

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Jumping (or falling) from Heights

A Gang member may choose to leap from a high position to the ground as part of a Move
Action. This does not require any deduction for difficult terrain, however, the Gang member
may injure themselves. They must make a roll against their toughness, and add 1 to the score
on the 2D6 per Inch or part therefore that they wish to jump or fall. If the score is higher than
their Toughness, they are Knocked Out. Otherwise, they have landed safely and may proceed as
normal. In some circumstances, Gang members may also fall or even be pushed from heights,
the exact same principle applies here.

Drop Attacks

If a Gang member is above an enemy, within 2” of them horizontally, and there is no obstacle
blocking their movement, they may jump downwards to attack the enemy. This is most likely to
occur when the attacking player is standing on a ledge or roof of a building. To execute a Drop
Attack, the Gang member must use an Action and successfully roll lower than their Skill level. If
they do so, they have initiated a melee attack and may add 3 to their score, accounting for the
force of the blow and the fact that the enemy is taken by surprise. If the roll against their Skill
is Unsuccessful, they are treated as having fallen as detailed above, and must roll against their
Toughness in exactly the same way.

Moving Past Enemies

If your Gang member wants to pass an enemy in a restricted space, most commonly a doorway
or a cramped corridor, they may pass freely if there is a gap of 1” or more between the enemy
Gang member’s base and the furthest wall or obstruction. If the space in between is LESS than
1” than the Gang member cannot pass without become engaged in hand to hand combat. If
they have sufficient Actions to move AND attack, they may do so, if they do not, having only
sufficient Actions to move up to the intervening enemy, they must stop there, in base-to-base
contact, and are considered to be “Engaged” in combat.

Shooting

A gang member armed with a ranged weapon may shoot at any target which he can “see”. To
see a target, your Gang member must have line-of-sight to the target. The easiest way to estab-
lish whether or not a Gang member has line of sight to his target is to try and bring your own
eye in line with that of the figure, and see whether, realistically, a man standing in the position
of the firing figure would be able to see a man standing in the position of the target. There are
a couple of important principles to remember here: you may be using figures which are posed
in a crouch, and as a result of this, they cannot be seen over a wall or fence. UNLESS that figure
has a hidden marker, he should be considered to be standing, just as any other figure. You
should also remember that, on the whole, people look forwards, and so the line of sight of the
gang members should be considered to be within a 180 degree arc in front of their front facing.
On most occasions, this is not particularly relevant, as to change the facing of a Gang member
does not require an Action, and thus is essentially a free move, however, were the character to
have a weapon which fires more than once per action, they can only fire within this 180 degree
arc of the first shot. It is also an important principle when a character is using WAW, as they can
only do so in one fixed direction - a figure in WAW is not able to change their facing without
using a Move action, and thus looking away and losing their Wait and Watch bonus. Figures in
14 | Page
WAW may only fire at targets within 180 degrees of their front facing.

Once you have declared your intention for your Gang member to shoot, nominate the target
and measure the distance between them. Always measure from the edge of the base to the
edge of the base so there should be no doubt as to whether a target is in range or not. Distance
and range is important, as all weapons are more or less effective dependent on the range. Let’s
have a look at how that might affect your shooting right now with the Shotgun as an example.
Shotguns are pretty much the most common weapon across the Dead Earth, at least for the
Gangs without political affiliation or financial support of some kind, as ammunition is the easi-
est to manufacture.

Short Range Medium Range Long Range

Distance To Hit SM Distance To Hit SM Distance To Hit SM
0-3” 6 -3 3-6” 7 -3 6-9” 8 -2

The complete list of basic ranged weapon stats is on page 19.

The table shows that the Shotgun can be fired at a range of 0-9” (Distance). This total range is
divided into three sub-ranges: short, medium, and long, which not only affect how easy or hard
it is to hit a target, but also how likely it is that the shot has been a good one and therefore how
much damage may be caused. Once you have measured the distance between your gang mem-
ber and the enemy, check the weapon chart to see the required roll To Hit - this is the score
required by rolling 2D6 (two six sided dice) and adding the results together. With a Shotgun, we
can see that the roll required To Hit is 6 if the target is within 3 inches, 7 if they are between 3
and 6 inches away, or 8 if they are between 6 and 9 inches away.

Prior to rolling, be sure to apply any To Hit modifiers from the target being in cover or Hiding. If
Ezra were firing his Shotgun at a Red Claw savage, and the savage was between 6 and 9 inches
away, Ezra would usually need an 8 to hit. If we refer back to the previous example of cover,
however, Ezra would need to roll a 12 to hit, as you would add 3 to the required score due to
the savage being in cover, and a further +1 to the score required because they are hiding, to
the normally required roll of 8. You can see that this would make the shot very tricky for Ezra.
He can improve his chances a little by using the Aim Action prior to using the Shoot Action. By
Aiming, Ezra adds 1 to whatever the score on the dice is. So if the roll was an 11, Ezra would
add one to it, and would score a hit. Ezra may, of course, opt instead to fire twice, using both of
his Actions to Shoot.

Page | 15
In the above diagram, Gang member a has moved to one side of a window in a wall which is
taller than all Gang members and therefore completely blocks line of sight through it. Here, the
window allows Gang member a line of sight, and therefore may freely fire, on Gang member
c, who can also achieve line of sight to Gang member a and can return fire, but receives a +3
To Hit modifier due to the cover. Gang member b cannot see Gang member a and cannot fire
upon them UNLESS his Phase occurs AFTER Gang member a’s, and Gang member a has fired
upon him. In doing so he has leant out of cover to make a line-of-sight between the two. Gang
member b can therefore fire on Gang member a just as Gang member c can, receiving the
same +3 modifier. Note, Gang member a does not reveal himself to b simply by firing on c, as
he would not have to lean out to do so, as the line of sight already exists.

Were a hiding in addition to being in cover, as the savage in the previous example was, the
modifier To Hit would be +4.

Shooting from an elevated position

Shooting from an
elevated position
can often give an
advantage, as your
Gang members
line-of-sight is likely
to be improved as
they can see over
objects and as
such, they receive a
-1 Modifier to their
required roll To Hit.

16 | Page
Jammin’

The weapons we find across the dead earth are OLD, and prone to jamming. Whenever any
player rolls To Hit and rolls a double 1, the weapon does not fire at all but jams, and may not
fire again unless successfully un-jammed. Place a Jammed marker next to the player.

Unjammin’

To attempt to Un-jam a weapon uses an Action and also requires a successful roll against the
Gang members’ Skill on 2D6. On a score of equal to or less than their Skill, the weapon is un-
jammed and can be used as normal from now on. On the score of a double 6 the attempt to un-
jam the weapon results in your Gang member breaking it completely. The firearm is no longer
usable in this or any future game. Bummer, huh?

Scoring Damage/Save Rolls

Not all Hits are equal, and just having Hit your target doesn’t mean you’re going to stop him.
We’re a tough bunch out here, we’re also good at evading shots if we see them in time, and if
we can, we’ll piece together some armour to make us tougher targets still. Once it has been
established that you have Hit your target, the other player gets a chance to make a Save roll -
effectively saving them from damage. Although some special individuals are tougher, or per-
haps have upgraded their armour, most Gang members have a Toughness of 10. If you have a
look at my Family, you’ll see that I have a Toughness of 12 - Tough as old boots me - but that
all the other members of the Family have a Toughness of 10 - it’s the same for that Savage
gang, the Red Claw. This is the number which, free from any modifiers, the player would need
to roll on 2D6 LESS than to save their Gang Member from damage. Less than? Sounds pretty
easy, huh? Well, sometimes it is, but usually it’s not so simple: remember I said “free from any
modifiers?” Well, there are almost always two modifiers to apply before making a save. One
of them comes from how good a shot the hit was in the first place. To establish this count any
positive difference between the number which was required To Hit and the number which was
actually rolled, and deduct this from the target’s Toughness to ascertain the required Save Roll:
the score which they need to roll equal to or less than to be spared damage.

The second modifier comes from the weapon itself, and represents the variation in a weapons
power and the ammunition used. This is the SM - Save Modifier – found next to the To Hit col-
umn on the weapon stats. This number is also deducted from the Target’s Toughness.

A roll of a double one is always a successful save regardless of any and all modifiers- there is
always a chance, no matter how slim, that the target may not be Knocked Out, however, on the
roll of a double 6, the Gang member is not just Knocked Out, but Out of Action outright. An Out
of Action character may be dead, or they may be seriously wounded, wither way they are not
getting up before the end of this game and are removed from the table.

Let’s consider an example of this:

Drexyl is armed with an Assault Rifle and is also a Sharpshooter. This is Drexyl’s class specialisa-
tion, which we’ll get to later, suffice to say that where we have already seen some advantages
to being a Leader or a Medic, Drexyl, as a Sharpshooter treats all Long range To Hit rolls as if
they were Medium range. Let’s assume he is behind a Savage, who therefore gets no cover bo-

Page | 17
nus and is unable to hide, and that Drexyl is less than 6” from the Savage. Consulting the table
on the next page, we can see that as he is armed with an Assault Rifle, at less than 6” Drexyl
requires a roll of 6 or more to score a Hit.

If Drexyl rolls a 12 the difference between the required roll and that scored is a pretty hefty 6,
meaning we deduct 6 from the savage’s Toughness to make a required Save Roll of 4. We then
also deduct the SM. We can see on the Assault Rifle stats that at the achieved range, this is -3.
We therefore need to deduct a further 3 from the Savage’s To Save roll. This comes to 1. This,
of course, cannot be scored on 2D6 - or any other number of dice! The only chance the Savage
has is to roll a double 1, which is ALWAYS a save. Although highly unlikely, this represents the
chance of a complete fluke - in this example it may be that the shot is perfectly on target but
passes straight through the Savage, failing by complete chance to hit any vital organs. In all
likelihood, however, the Savage is Knocked Out and almost dead. Drexyl was close to the Savage
- who had no cover - so this modifier represents that he is much more likely to Knock Out the
enemy, perhaps scoring a shot right in the back of the head.

Let’s consider how different circumstances could have been were the situation different by re-
turning to our previous example on Shooting, where Ezra required a 12 To Hit the Savage. Let’s
assume that Ezra has Aimed his shot and actually rolled a 12, the +1 to this score from Aiming
giving him a score of 13. Therefore the difference between the required To Hit score and the
actual achieved score is 1. This is the first modifier we deduct, representing how good the shot
was - given the distance and the amount of Cover, it is hardly surprising that Ezra’s shot, even
when aimed, has not caused a greater modifier to be achieved, it was simply very unlikely that
Ezra would get a clean shot on his target.

The savage has a Toughness of 10, which we then deduct that 1 from and the Save Modifier
(SM) of the Shotgun, which at this range is -2 to establish the savages required Save Roll. This
would mean the player would now need to roll less than 7 on 2D6 to save their Gang Member
from being Knocked Out.

18 | Page
Basic Ranged Weapons

Short Range Medium Range Long Range

Weapon Cost
Range To Hit Sm Range To Hit Sm Range To Hit Sm
Bow 0-3 5 - 3-6 6 - 6-9 7 - 4pts
Pistol 0-4 6 -1 4-8 7 -1 8-12 8 - 5pts
Hand
0-4 6 -2 4-8 7 -1 8-12 8 - 6pt
Cannon
Crossbow* 0-3 6 -1 3-6 7 -1 6-12 8 -1 5pts
Crosspistol 0-3 6 -1 3-6 7 -1 6-9 8 -1 4pts
Shotgun* 0-3 5 -3 3-6 6 -2 6-9 7 -1 10pts
Combat
0-4 6 -3 4-8 6 -2 8-12 7 -1 12pts
Shotgun
Blunderbuss
0-4 7 -1 0-8 8 -1 8-12 9 - 4pts
/Musket
Rifle 0-6 6 -2 6-12 6 -1 12-18 7 - 10pts
Assault Rifle* 0-6 6 -3 6-12 7 -2 12-18 8 -1 15pts
SMG* 0-4 6 -4 4-8 7 -3 8-12 8 -2 15pts
SMG Pistol 0-4 6 -3 4-8 7 -2 8-12 8 -1 11pts
Scout Sniper 0-6 6 -3 6-12 5 -2 12-18 7 -1 15pts
Sniper Rifle 0-6 6 -2 6-12 5 -2 12-18 7 -2 15pts
Grenade~ 0-4 8 -4 4-8 9 -4 - - - 5pts
Flame
0-3 4 -4 3-6 5 -3 - - - 15pts
Thrower~
RPG~ - - - 4-8 6 -4 8-12 7 -4 20pts
Missile
- - - 4-8 6 -4 8-12 7 -4 25pts
Launcher~
LMG~* 0-4 7 -5 4-8 8 -4 8-12 9 -3 20pts

Weapons marked with an Asterisk* have an alternate fire mode, which can be used only by
skilled Gang members who have acquired the ability via the Talent tree.

Weapons marked with~ have additional special rules, see below:

The Flame Thrower can be fired at as many targets as the player wishes within range of the
Gang member armed with it, within 180 degrees of the direction the firer is facing. The Flame
Thrower may therefore be aimed at numerous enemies, however, after the first, each subse-
quent target is harder to hit by 1, so if a Flame Thrower is fired at close range at 3 targets, a 4+
is required to hit the 1st, a 5+ to hit the 2nd and a 6+ to hit the third. Good news, Flame Throw-
er fans - Flame Throwers do NOT jam on the roll of a double 1 to hit. Slightly less good news
– instead they explode. The user is automatically hit and suffers a -4 save Modifier. Also, the
Flame Thrower is destroyed.

Both RPG’s and Missile Launchers always require 2 Actions to fire, due to the frequency and
relative complexity of reloading compared to other firearms.
Page | 19
RPG’s fire Grenades both straighter and further than
simply throwing them, as such, they work similarly to
other ranged weapons, with the exception being that Trade: the gun is king
the Grenade affects anyone within a 2” radius of the
target point. Unlike some other countries, the UK
was never awash with guns, although
Missile Launchers work exactly the same as RPG’s, after the devastation wrought by the
except the area of effect is a 4” radius. Last War the decrease in population
meant that there was a licenced, pri-
Light Machine Guns (LMG) vately owned shotgun for every sur-
vivor in the UK. The formative State
Light Machine Guns require 2 Actions to fire in the first were quick to act in securing as many
instance, the first representing the need to set up the weapons as they could, and as Gang
gun. Once the gun has been set up, assuming the char- warfare erupted across the F-UK, it
acter has not moved, the gun may then be fired as any was frequently with improvised weap-
other, requiring just one Action. ons and those stolen from the State.
As Gangs became more successfully
Grenades they not only acquired more weapon-
ry from defeating their opponents but
A Gang members who is equipped with Grenades may
also more wealth, and by only a decade
elect to throw a Grenade as an Action, similar to shoot-
PLW (Post Last War) the most success-
ing. Unlike other items, Grenades must be purchased
ful Gangs were already overseeing the
per use, that is to say, it costs 5pts PER Grenade, each
smuggling weaponry from the Europe-
of which may be used only once. Characters may carry
an Mainland, and in particular the for-
3 Grenades unless otherwise stated.
mer USSR. Gang members soon wore
Grenades are a little different from guns, as they are their Kalashnikovs and rare pistols as
thrown rather than fired. That makes them a lot less badges of pride. Unfortunately, guns
accurate, and consequently a lot more dangerous, were not the only things to come over
as missing with a bullet is unlikely to blow all of your on those boats…
limbs off, whilst missing with a Grenade may well do
just that, particularly if you throw like a girl (no offence
Skylar). Grenades have an area of effect, and can cause damage to anyone within that area, so
you may also blow half your Gang’s limbs off if you’re really unfortunate. Doing the same to
the enemy, of course, is rather satisfying. When throwing a Grenade, nominate a point as your
target: this does not have to be a person, it can just be a point on the ground chosen with the
intention of encompassing 2 or more targets in the area of effect. This means you can throw a
Grenade that’s Area of effect will encompass an enemy to whom you do not have line-of-sight.
Whilst this is very useful and entirely permissible, Gang members DO NOT just throw Grenades
around willy-nilly and as such will not throw a Grenade in this manner unless at least ONE of
their Gang has line-of-sight to the target.

Firstly, roll to hit. If the score you roll is equal to or above the UNMODIFIED (i.e. before any
cover is taken into account) required to hit roll, then the Grenade has landed exactly as aimed.
Anyone within the area of effect of the Grenade is therefore at risk of being harmed. Standard
Grenades have an area of effect of three inches: so anyone within three inches of the point the
Grenade lands at and explodes can potentially be hit. If there is any cover in between the point
where the Grenade landed and a Gang member, then they are only hit if the To Hit roll was
sufficient to hit them with this modifier applied.

20 | Page
Let’s say Reggie is chucking a standard Frag Grenade at a bunch of 3 Savages. He aims at the
centre of the group, 7 inches away, and rolls a ten - exactly what he needs To Hit at that range.
Two of the savages, however, have cover between them and the point of explosion, one is be-
hind a high wall and the other behind a tree. So whilst the Savage in the open must now make a
save roll, Reggie would have required an 11 to hit the Savage behind the tree and a 12 to hit the
Savage behind the wall.

The unfortunate savage then makes a Save Roll. Because the score required was exactly met,
the Save Roll is not modified for accuracy, but only by the SM of the Grenade, which is -4. The
Savage in the open, having a Toughness of 10, therefore needs to roll a 6 or less to save. Had
Reggie rolled a 12, the Savage behind the wall would have been in this position, requiring a 6,
where as the savage behind the tree would have suffered a further -1, and therefore requiring
5 or less, and the unfortunate Savage in the open would require a 4 or less not to be Knocked
Out.

If, when throwing the Grenade, the To Hit roll is failed, then we must find out what happens to
the errant Grenade. First, establish which direction it has deviated in randomly - you can use
either a spinner or a dice with directional arrows (sometimes called Artillery Dice) to establish
this, or even a bottle or pencil. Then roll a D6 - on the roll of a one treat the grenade as having
landed in base contact with the thrower, otherwise add 3 and measure that number of inches
rolled from the point initially aimed at in the direction established. This is where the Grenade
ends up, having been mis-thrown, bounced or rolled. If the Grenade would have come into con-
tact with a wall or other fixed cover, it rests there. If there are any Gang members from either
side within the area of effect (in this case 3 inches) then they have been hit. There is no To Save
modifier for accuracy in these circumstances - only for the SM value of the Grenade. If there
is cover in between the point of explosion and a Gang member, then they can add the amount
which the cover usually effects a To Hit roll to their To Save roll. So, if an errant Grenade rolls
within 3 inches of Ezra, but on the other side of a low wall, Ezra may use the cover of the wall
to deduct 1 from his required To Save roll.

Dropping a Grenade

If your intended target is directly, or nearly directly (within 1”horizontally) below you, you may
drop a Grenade on them, which is substantially easier than throwing one, so add 3 to the To
Hit roll scored. If you somehow still Miss, however, the Grenade goes off at your feet. This is
inadvisable. Also remember that the blast radius of a Grenade should be considered to be in all
directions, and as such it would be unwise in the extreme to drop one LESS than 3”, as the blast
radius will also include your own Gang member.

Alternate Fire Modes

Some weapons have alternate firing modes. These can only be used if the appropriate Talent,
for example Shotgun Expertise, has been granted to the individual Gang member.

Shotguns

Shotguns have two barrels which can be fired individually or simultaneously. Firing both barrels
simultaneously makes aiming wildly inaccurate and as such should only be attempted by Shot-
gun Experts! Firing both barrels simultaneously DOUBLES the Save Modifier, but also increases

Page | 21
the To Hit roll by 3.

Shotguns, by their nature, also fire across a wide arc, and it possible for a skilled user to aim
their shot between targets and hit both, or even three, should they be close enough together.
Gang members who have acquired the Shotgun Expertise Talent may aim at groups of enemies,
rather than individuals. To do so, the player nominates a target in the usual way - if there are
any other enemies within 2” of the target, the Gang member with the shotgun may also shoot
at them within the same action. To Hit rolls are rolled separately, as if the shotgun were firing
entirely separate shots.

Crossbows

Cross-bows can be fitted to fire explosive bolts by Crossbow

Specialists. These are aimed and fired like normal crossbow bolts,
but have an area of effect like Grenades. Explosive crossbow
bolts can be aimed at people, trees, walls and other free standing
objects. They cannot be aimed at the ground, as the angle would gener-
ally be too acute. If a Hit is scored with an explosive crossbow bolt, it hits
anyone within 2” of the target, with no accuracy modifier to their save
roll, but a -1D6 modifier for the damage caused. Misses do not explode.
Explosive bolts, like Grenades, cost 5pts PER USE. As such it will be nec-
essary to keep a tally of how many a Gang member has.

Assault Rifles, Light Machine Guns (LMG’s) and Submachine Guns (SMG’s)

In addition to firing single shots, these automatic weapons can also fire in bursts. To fire a burst,
the Gang member must have acquired the appropriate Talent on their Talent Tree.

The shooting Gang member nominates the target as usual and declares how many shots they
are taking. If they wish to fire 2 shots (i.e. one extra) then the To Hit roll required for both shots
is increased by +2. For each additional shot fired, increase this by one further. So, if the To Hit
roll is normally 6, for 2 shots it would be 8 per shot, for 3 shots 9 per shot and so on.

e.g. Drexyl fires his Assault Rifle at a Savage at medium range. He require a 7 to hit. If he choos-
es to fire two shots, this in increased to 9, if he wishes to fire a burst of 3 shots, each of these
requires a 10 to hit. If he wishes, he could fire an additional 4 shots, 5 in total, but each would
require a roll of 12, the highest possible score, To Hit.

Note that this therefore also reduces the amount by which Drexyl can reduce his targets Save
Roll required, as his inaccurate shooting means he is far less likely to hit a vital spot, and by
increasing the To Hit roll he requires, he also decreases the potential difference between the
required roll and the achieved roll.

Fighting/Hand-to-Hand

If your gang member is in base to base contact with an Enemy, they may engage them in good
old fashioned fisticuffs - although if they have to really use their fists because they do not have
a weapon, this is perhaps an ill-advised method of attack, as unlike in ranged combat, your
opponent will attempt to defend and counter attack when in hand to hand. As such, both play-

22 | Page
ers roll 2D6 and add any modifier for the hand to hand weapon they are using, the Attacking
player adding their Attack Modifier, whilst the defending player adds their Parry Modifier. The
Attacking player also adds 1 to their score for initiating the combat and striking the first blow. If
the totals are the same, then the fight continues and the two Gang members remain Engaged.
If the attacking Gang member’s total score is higher than the defender, then they have scored
a Hit, and the defending player must make a Save Roll. As with ranged combat, first deduct the
difference between the required and achieved scores, the required score, in this case, being the
total the defender rolled including modifiers, and then also deduct any SM modifier.

If the defending player wins the round of hand to hand combat, they have a choice, they may
either fight back, attempting to score a Hit on their opponent, or disengage from the combat.
To disengage, they move 1” directly away from their attacker. It’s worth bearing in mind, that
if the defender has not taken their Phase yet, doing so may allow them two very close range
shots when they do, rather than attempting to counter and score a hit, which if unsuccessful,
leaves them engaged in hand to hand.

Should the defender wish to counter, both players roll again, only this time, the roles are
reversed and the +1 goes to the Gang member now not defending, but counter-attacking,
who therefore also use the Attack Modifier whilst the other Gang member now adds the Parry
Modifier. Counter-attacking is risky, and if the Defender’s score beats the Counter Attacker’s
score, he scores a hit: there may only ever be one Counter Attack in a combat, once the Coun-
ter Attack takes place, whoever scores higher inflicts a Hit on their opponent.

Tiede counter-attacks result in neither side taking a hit but remaining engaged.

Let’s have a look at a couple of hand to hand weapons so you get the idea:

Attack Modifier Parry Modifier Save Modifier

Combat Knife +1 - -
Saw Edged Sword +3 +2 -1

Let’s imagine a Savage armed with the Saw Edged Sword has attacked poor Ezra, who only has
a combat knife. They both roll 2D6 To Hit. Ezra rolls a 5 and the Savage rolls a 4. They then add
the modifier for their weapons, Ezwra adding nothing for the combat knife as it isn’t designed
to parry, and the Savage adding 4, the Attack Modifier of the weapon and a further +1 for
attacking, making a total of 8. The Savage has scored a hit. Having scored 3 more than Ezra in
total, that 3 is deducted from Ezra’s Toughness to determine the number he requires to make
his save roll, along with a further deduction of -1 from the Saw Edged Sword’s Save Modifier. As
Ezra has a Toughness of 10, this means he has to roll a 6 or less to save himself from harm.

Now, let’s say that Ezra had rolled a 9 - the fight has unexpectedly turned in his favour. He may
now choose to either counter attack or disengage. Ezra is poorly equipped for melee combat,
and so even though he would benefit from a +2 in the counter attack (the +1 Attack Modifier
for his knife and +1 for being the attacker) he chooses instead to disengage, as if he loses the
Counter Attack a hit will be scored against him. With his phase “in hand” he has a far better
chance of despatching his foe by waiting and using his shotgun.

Page | 23
Engaged

If your Gang member is in base to base contact with an enemy they are considered Engaged
in hand to hand combat. If the enemy has attacked them on a preceding turn or phase, it may
be that the figure your Gang member starts their turn Engaged. If this is the case they have
only two choices: to fight, as explained above or to attempt to disengage from the combat.
Attempting to disengage from a fight is not a simple matter of walking away, they must dodge
the attacks and grappling of the enemy as they do so. To attempt to disengage roll 2D6 and add
the Gang members Speed. The enemy rolls 2D6 and adds any hand to hand Attack modifier. If
the Gang member attempting to disengage scores higher, they are successful, and may move up
to 3” away from their assailant. If the enemy scores higher, they have scored a hit against the
fleeing Gang member, just as if he had attacked him, deducting any difference between the two
scores from the defender’s required Save Roll in addition to any Save Modifier associated with
the weapon. If the fleeing Gang member is not Knocked Down then they may continue to flee
and move 3” away.

Dual Attacks

It’s not unheard of for some Gangs, particularly savages, to take to battle fielding no ranged
weaponry and two hand to hand weapons. In such circumstances, the Gang member, when
attacking, has the option of attacking once separately with each weapon, or, if they have the
pre-requisite Melee Expert trait, combining the two bonuses into one attack. Either option
requires the use of only one Action.

eg. A Red Claw savage who has the Melee Expert trait is armed with a Combat Knife in each
hand. He uses one action to Move, in doing so coming into base to base contact with Reggie.
He can then use his remaining action to either attack Reggie twice, adding the Knifes +1 Attack
Modifier to his result on each occasion, or use both knives to attack simultaneously, combining
the Attack Modifiers and thus adding 2. Knowing that Reggie also carries a Combat Knife, the
Savage is best to gain any advantage he can, combining the attacks. As the Combat Knife has
no Save Modifier, if the Savage wins, he only gains the advantage from the difference between
the two rolls. Were he armed with weapons with Save Modifiers, these would also be added
together and the total subtracted from the Save Roll required by Reggie. A Dual Wielding de-
fender may, similarly, choose to attempt to Parry with each weapon separately or, if they have
the Touche trait attempt to Parry with both weapons simultaneously. To attempt to Parry with
each weapon individually, the Defender should roll at the same time as the Attacker as usual,
but add only the modifier of the weapon with which they are defending. If they score the same
or higher than their opponent, play continues as usual, however, if they score lower, they may
re-roll applying any Parry modifier from their other equipped weapon.

Weapons which are marked 2h require two hands to use, and therefore cannot be dual-wield-
ed, additionally, some weapons can be used single handed, but benefit from the greater control
and accuracy afforded when used two handed.

24 | Page
Basic Melee (hand to hand) Weapons

Parry
Weapon Attack Modifier Save Modifier Cost
Modifier
Combat Knife +1 - None Free
Assassin’s Blade +1 - -2 4pts
Machete/Short Sword +2 +1 -1 6pts
Rapier +2 +3 -2 9pts
Scimitar +2 +1 -3 8pts
Broadsword (2h) +4 -1 -2 9pts
Saw Edged Sword +3 +2 -1 9pts
+2 if used 2 handed, - -1 3pts
Club
+1 if dual wielded
+3 if used 2 handed, +2 -2 10pts
Spear
+2 if dual wielded
Staff (2h) +2 +4 -1 9pts
Iron Pipe +1 +1 -1 4pts
Small Axe +2 +1 -2 7pts
2 Handed Axe (2h) +4 -1 -3 12pts
Chainsaw (2h)# +4 +1 -4 13pts
Spiked Club/Mace/Ball +3 if used 2 handed, +1 -3 10pts
and Chain +2 if dual wielded
Small Shield~ +1 +4 - 6pts
Chain +2 Special* - 4pts
Whip +1 Special* - 3pts
Riot Shield~ - +5 -1 10pts

*Whips and chains give no bonus when parrying, however, if the defensive roll is successful, the
attacking player is disarmed and may not receive any bonuses from their hand to hand weap-
ons until no longer engaged.

~Small shields count as +1 cover from ranged weapons, Riot shields as +2, when the target is
being shot from the front.

# if a double 1 is rolled whilst attacking with a chainsaw there has been a chain jam. The
weapon is jammed just as a ranged weapon and must be unjammed to use. The character can
neither attack nor defend with the weapon until this is done. If, on an attempt to unjam the
chainsaw, the player again rolls a double one, they have caused themselves an injury and must
make a save roll at Toughness -4.

Equivalency: across the Dead Earth we often improvise and almost anything can be used as a
melee weapon. If your Gang members are equipped with tools or sports equipment treat them
as equivalent to one of the weapons listed. A Club can act for most blunt instruments, and a
sword for sharpened or adapted weapons.

Page | 25
Fighting Multiple Opponents

If your Gang member is attacked whilst already engaged, they suffer a -1 to all dice rolls for
each enemy more than 1 they are engaged with, in all individual rounds of combat. So, if Ezra is
attacked by three savages, he suffers a -2 to his roll in his combat against all three.

Holding

On winning a round of combat, the Attacker may choose to hold the Defender still rather than
inflict a hit themselves. Doing this reduces the held defender’s ability to avoid punches or shots
from other enemies and as such effectively reduces their Toughness from any other attack by 3
for the duration they are held, i.e. until the Defender attacks their attacker and wins or draws,
the Attacker is shot or attacked and harmed by someone else, or the attacker wishes to make
another action, at which point they must let go.

Pushing

If the hand to hand combat has taken place whilst EITHER combatant is 1 or less from a ledge or
edge, the winning combatant may elect to push the loser of that ledge rather than plunge their
weapon home. The loser then falls to the ground. As such the loser’s Save Roll is modified by
the number on the dice by which they were beaten, and 1 for each inch they fell. E.g. A Savage
attacking Ezra with a machete rolls a 7, whilst Ezra rolls a 5. Rather than plunging the Machete
home, the Savage knocks Ezra from the ledge. The distance to the ground is measured, and is 6
inches. Ezra’s Toughness is 10, which is then reduced by the 1 by which he was beaten in com-
bat, and a further 6 for the height of the fall, meaning he must roll 3 or less.

Knocked Out

If as character is shot or harmed in hand to hand combat, they are Knocked Out. They can take
no further part in the game unless they Recover or a Medic reaches and heals them, or they are
revived using a Stim Pack (see Rare Items).

Recovery/Bleeding Out

If a Gang member is Knocked Out when they would otherwise take their phase, roll 2D6. On the
roll of a double 1, they have recovered, may stand back up, and continue the game, able to act
from the FOLLOWING turn onwards. On the roll of a double 6, however, their wound has bled
too severely for them to recover, and they are immediately Out Of Action.

Out of Action

If a Gang member is Out Of Action they play no further part in this game. In an individual game
they are considered Dead. In a Campaign game, they are unable to carry on, but may recover
before the next game(see Death is not Always the End, page 35).

Shooting a Knocked Out Gang Member

Whilst shooting someone who is already knocked out may be considered mean, that’s no
reason not to do it. As they are slumped or lying on the floor, they are harder to hit, and so you

26 | Page
must add 1 to the required To Hit score at either Medium or Long range, though no modifier is
applied at Close range. It’s worth noting that shooting someone and knocking them out can ef-
fect line of sight, especially if they were behind a wall or a fence, and you should check wheth-
er or not you can see the Knocked Out Gang member before trying to shoot them again. The
Knocked Out guy, conversely, can of course, do nothing to defend themselves, and they must
deduct an additional 3 from their Toughness for any Save roll they must make.

Finishing Off

It is simplicity in itself to kill someone who is already knocked out. A well aimed kick to the
head or a quick slit of the throat takes no time at all. To despatch a Knocked Out foe for the
rest of the game in this way, the Gang member must simply have sufficient skill to do so. Your
Gang member must be in contact with the Knocked Out enemy and have an available Action,
then both players roll 2D6, with the Attacker adding their Skill to the score rolled. If the attacker
scores higher, then the enemy is Out Of Action. If the defender scores higher, then the attack-
er has made a mess of the job, slipping or missing, or the defender is tough as old boots and
survives, to remain Knocked Out.

Carrying Knocked Out Allies (Or Enemies)

If one of your Gang is Knocked Out and a Medic cannot reach them (or worse still, it IS your
Medic) they can be picked up and carried or dragged to safety by another Gang member. It
costs no Action to lift a comrade, your Gang member must simply be in base-to-base contact
to do so. Once carrying an ally, however, a Gang member’s speed is reduced by half. A carried
Gang member may be shot at as normal by enemies. If the Gang member carrying their ally is
shot at, the shooter receives a -1 to the score required To Hit due to the slowed speed of the
carrier. If the carrier is Knocked Out, place both models Knocked Out side by side. You may
carry a Knocked Out enemy in the same way - this can be useful in certain circumstances where
the mission is to capture enemies alive.

If the Knocked Out Gang member being carried is shot at, apply the same -1 to the Shooter’s
required To Hit roll, and deduct 3 from their Toughness on any required Save Roll, as above.

DOGS

Some Gangs keep dogs as fighting, scouting or retrieving animals.

I dare say some just keep them as pets too, although you’re
unlikely to hear any Gang member admit to that.

Dogs have several uses, they can Guard people or objects, retrieve
Loot, drag k/o’d Gang members, and, of course attack the enemy.
They’re useless with guns though, so it’s generally a waste of time
arming them.

For the sake of the turn sequence, a Dog is treated as any other Gang member, and similarly,
Dogs have two actions. However, getting a Dog to do exactly as you wish is even harder than
getting Reggie to do anything before midday. For a Dog to complete any Action, it must first
pass it’s obedience test – this is essentially a Skill test, in that the player must roll BELOW the
Dog’s obedience value for it to then carry out its’ Action. Dogs move and attack in melee much

Page | 27
as Gang members do, although a Dog has its’ own Attack and Dodge (equivalent to Parry)
scores as it carries no weapon. Similarly, Dogs can pick up and carry Loot in the same manner as
a human Gang member. HOWEVER, as the Dogs mouth is also its’ primary weapon, a Dog can-
not Attack whilst carrying Loot, it must drop it first (this does not require the use of an Action,
but the Loot counter must be moved out of contact, to the side, of the Dog). Most Dogs cannot
Hide, although some can learn this Talent, and Dogs do not WAW but Guard.

Dogs cannot receive an Order from the Gang Leader to allow them a third Action. They are
essentially always under orders.

Adding a Dog to your Gang costs 20 pts.

Guard

Ordering a Dog to Guard uses both its’ Actions, but still requires only one obedience roll. A Dog
can be given instructions to Guard a specific person, place or item. If a Dog is guarding a specific
place, for example a building, it will remain at the location ordered and attack any enemy which
comes within 6” of the Dog. The Dog does this immediately, regardless of turn sequence, and
interrupts the enemies turn. A Guarding Dog may always move AND attack. If ordered to Guard
a person, the Dog acts in the same way, but on each subsequent turn it makes no other Action
other than to move to within 6” of that person if they have moved. It does not have to roll for
obedience again, however, and completes this automatically. A Guarding Dog will not leave a
KO’d Gang member if they are Guarding them under any circumstances, but MAY be given a
new order to attempt to drag the KO’d Gang member only.

Dragging

A Dog may be ordered to drag any unconscious gang member, friend or foe. If they pass their
obedience test, they drag the knocked out Gang member at half the Dog’s usual speed.

Toughness Obedience Speed Attack Dodge Points
Dog 7 8 7 +3 +1 20

28 | Page
Event Cards

Remember these cards which you picked up at the beginning of your turn? Well, they aren’t
just there for show, so let’s see what they do now. You pick up three at the beginning of your
first turn, as does your opponent, and then pick up another at the beginning of each subse-
quent turn. You may have UP TO 3 cards placed face down on the table at any time. These cards
are IN PLAY. This means that at any time you may turn the card over, Activating it, and enacting
the consequences as detailed, and then returning the used card to the bottom of the deck.
If you have more than 3 cards, you may keep the excess in your hand - they are not IN PLAY
(placed on the table) and cannot be Activated. At the beginning of each turn, after taking a new
card from the deck, you may replace any card In Play with one from your hand, however, the
card you are replacing is then discarded to the bottom of the deck, you may not place it back in
your hand.

You can Activate any card In Play at any time, and as such you can Activate all cards In Play
during a single turn if you wish, you still then only pick up one new card at the beginning of the
next turn.

Each card has a name, which briefly describes the effect it has on the game. The full details of
the effect of each card type are listed alphabetically below.

Blank - This card has no effect. Whilst it is face down, of course, your opponent does not know
that.

Booby Trap - One of your Gang has cunningly set a trap - a rock placed over a doorframe
perhaps, or even timed explosives. Activate this card when an Enemy passes through a doorway
or window or between two objects within 6” of one another (for example trees, or an alleyway
between buildings) which has already been passed through by any one of your Gang, at any
point in the game so far. The Enemy is Hit on a 7 or above, and their Save Roll is at -2.

Distraction - Play as an enemy states their intention to fire. They become distracted and their
shot is an automatic miss.

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Dummy - Your Gang member has cunningly fashioned a substitute of himself - perhaps his hat
on the end of a mop - to make the enemy believe that he is in one place when he has actually
departed for another. Play this card when one of your Gang who is in cover is Hit by an enemy.
Your Gang member is no longer there, and the bullet instead strikes Mr. Moppy. Your Gang
member has already moved unseen and you may place him anywhere up to 12” away from his
perceived location, but only if he can be placed somewhere which is not in LOS of ANY ENEMY.
Any Hit scored against him is disregarded.

Flesh Wound - Disregard a failed Save Roll and roll it again.

Fluke - Play when you have missed a shot and there is another enemy within 6” of your in-
tended target. The shot hits them instead.

Four Leaf Clover – Roll 2D6 and set them aside. You may use this roll to replace any other
roll you make in the game.

Heroism - When one of your Gang members would have otherwise been hit by a ranged
weapon, an ally within 6” runs and leaps in front of them, blocking the shot and being hit
instead. Move the ally into base to base contact with the targeted Gang member and apply the
consequences of the shot to them instead. 

Information Error - Reconnaissance reports were incorrect and the Loot is not where it was
believed to be. Pick up a Loot counter and move it 2D6 inches in a randomly determined direc-
tion (use an artillery or scatter dice to determine the direction, or spin a pen or pencil). The loot
cannot leave the play area, so if the dice roll determines it would have done so, move it instead
to the edge of the plat area nearest the point determined.

Initiative Steal – When the other player has won the Initiative, steal it back!

Look Out! – A Gang member either standing in any building or in base to base contact with
a building is either hit by falling masonry or falls into a hole caused by collapsing floor-boards.
They must make an Save Roll at a SM of -2 to avoid being Knocked Out or Killed.

If played on a character within ¼ inch of a ledge they fall and must apply the appropriate modi-
fier, and should be placed on the ground below their starting position.

Lucky Shot - Disregard a failed To Hit roll and roll it again.

Medic! - Move your Medic up to 12” straight towards a downed Friendly Gang member, un-
restricted by terrain penalty and regardless of whether or not the Medic has taken their Phase
this turn. Note: If this brings the Medic into contact with the downed Friendly Gang member
the Medic’s next Action MUST be an attempt to heal the Friendly Gang member they have
moved to.

Miscommunication - Play when the opposing Gang leader gives an Order. Roll a D6, and have
the ordered Gang member carry out the following instead of the intended order:

1-2 Do nothing

3-4 Retreat at full speed directly away from the nearest enemy

30 | Page
5-6 Move directly towards the friendly Gang leader

Not Cricket – Play when an enemy grenade would otherwise have hit one of your Gang, they
catch it and throw it back at the Gang member whose phase it is. Treat this exactly as if it were
a new Action for the purposes of Hitting and Missing.

Quick Draw – Interrupt the other players turn as one of their character’s moves within 6”
of one of yours. Both reach for their guns. Each character makes a skill roll, if both successful,
the lower scorer gets a free shot (no Actions), if only one is successful, they get the free shot, if
neither is successful, no-one does.

Sacrifice – On an enemy’s attempt to Finish Off one of your Gang member’s they notice a sur-
prising grin on their victim’s face, and a surprising pin grasped between their teeth! The blast at
point blank range removes both from the fight immediately, no save rolls.

Taunt – Play on any character within 10” of one of your characters. Your witty put downs en-
rage them, and on the next Activation they must move as far as possible towards the Taunting
character.

That’s not a knife! – Your opponent in h2h is disarmed and gains no bonuses from any
weapon until no longer Engaged against their current opponent.

...the best laid plans - Play this card when your opponent has just played a Card. Their card
has no effect.

Trip Wire - Play whilst the enemy is moving a Gang member. Elect any spot in between their
position at the start of the phase and the position they intended to move to. The enemy trips
and must stop here, ending their Movement Action (if they have another Action they may still
move).

Initiative

On all Turns subsequent to the first Turn, which player may Act first is not decided entirely
randomly, but according to which of the Gangs has the Initiative. Each player rolls 2d6 and adds
one point for any enemy Out of Action or Knocked Out. The Gang with the higher total score
has the Initiative and acts first. If playing with more than two players, the player who scores the
2nd highest goes second, and so on. Re-roll any draws.

Winning and Losing the Game

Individual (Points) Games

Now, if everybody in one Gang is alive and kicking and everybody in the other Gang is Out of
Action or Knocked Out, then you probably don’t need me to tell you who has won and who has
lost. However, we aren’t at war here, and although people do, increasingly, fight out of grudg-
es borne from the last time they fought, there’s usually a better reason to fight, an objective:
sometimes territory to control, to loot, sometimes a location to take as a base for the Gang,
temporary or otherwise. Mostly over food. So here’s a few ways of determining who has won
different game types whilst playing Individual Games.

Page | 31
Loot

This is what Gangs spend most of their time doing: looting. Currency
That is, searching for anything useful and laying claim to it.
Trouble is, as the years go by, there’s only so much out there The Universally accepted curren-
to claim, and someone else nearly always lays claim to it too. cy across the F-UK is the Point.
Points were initially issued as Ra-
Before starting the game cut out the Loot tokens at the back tion Points by the State, as they
of the book. Choose whether to play for 3, 5 or 7 objective sought to control the remnants of
markers (or, heck, any other number really) and then place the old Capital and surrounding
the tokens face down. Shuffle them or jumble them up so areas. After some semblance of
nobody knows which tokens are in play, as the Loot tokens order was established there but
have values varying between 5 and 50 pts. Take it in turns to The State ran into other challeng-
pick one, making sure not to look at the side with the value es, Points started being awarded
on it, and place it on the battlefield. at different rates based on be-
haviour and loyalty, and then as
The objective of loot games is simply to gather loot worth payment for Gang members or
more in Points than the other Gang. To gather loot, figures Trade Unionists killed. Points so
must move into base to base contact with the Loot marker became the de facto currency,
thus collecting it. The player controlling that gang member each one essentially a promise
may then look at the base of the marker to see how much it of rations signed by the Head of
is worth. If they so wish, they can share this information with State. The Trade Union now issue
the opposing Gang. If they so wish, they could lie about it their own Points, as The State re-
too. They then need to RETURN to their Start Zone with the fuse to deal with them, but both
marker, which travels with that Gang member. Gang mem- forms are widely considered legal
bers are free to “drop off” Loot in their Start Zone and return tender by most residents of the
to the battle, or simply remain in the Start Zone and take F-UK.
no further part in proceedings. If a Gang member carrying
a marker is either Knocked Out or Out of Action then the
marker remains where it was at the time the carrier stopped
moving, and can be collected in the usual fashion, by any Gang member from either Gang. Sim-
ilarly, a Gang member may drop their Loot at any time in any place, and it may then be picked
up by any other Gang member, friend or foe.

In addition to the Points collected in this way, across all game types, Points are awarded for
OOAs (note, not for Knocked Outs, if someone remains Knocked Out when the game ends, they
are still considered Knocked Out and NOT OOA). These Points are paid by The State, which is
a bunch of crazy idiots who think that they are the Government. Not surprisingly, they don’t
much approve of the way we go about things about here, and therefore every Gang member
has a bounty on their head. The State don’t seem to care who this is paid to. Putting an enemy
Out Of Action is worth 5 Points, and 2 are paid for putting a Dog Out of Action.

This can be doubled by looting a fallen enemy of their ID or identifying personal belongings
and thus verifying the “kill”- once you have Knocked Out a Gang member if any of your guys’
can move into contact with them and Finish Them Off, thus putting them Out Of Action as
described previously, they can also take an additional 5 credits for looting that Gang members
Id and/or personal belongings. Putting an enemy who is Knocked Out Out Of Action with ranged
fire therefore acquires you just 5 Points.

32 | Page
Loot games end either when all Loot counters have been returned to either of the Start Zones,
all of one Gang is OOA or Knocked Out, or all of one Gang is within their Start Zone and their
Leader - the player, declares them to be retreating home. If a Gang retreats, the other Gang can
take any remaining Loot counters immediately unless they have no Gang members who are not
currently KO or OOA. Games end as soon as any of these events occur, regardless of whether
this is mid-turn or even halfway through a phase.

Once the game has ended, add up the scores for all Loot counters found and Points for OOA’s
and Finishes. The Gang with the highest score wins! To the victor, the spoils. It is, of course,
possible that the “winning” Gang will have suffered greater losses than the “losing” team, but
that’s how some Leaders run their Gangs. Not me, you understand, we’re a family after all.

Territory

Capture and Occupy Games

Gangs often fight each other for control of specific areas of strategic interest or importance. For
a while back, my Family controlled the entire town centre of a place called Bedford or Medford
or something - anyway, posting sentries around the place whilst the rest of us stripped the
shopping centres and rich people’s houses of anything of value was way more effective than
having to move camp every day. There aren’t many gold mines like that around anymore, but if
you’re lucky you’ll come across one. If you’re unlucky, you’ll have to fight for it.

Territory fights are either for control of a number of Objectives, or for one specific building. In
the first instance, Capture Games, choose how many objectives you and your opponent will
fight over and then take it in turns to designate areas on the battlefield as these strategic points
- usually buildings, ammo dumps or other resources - and place one of the Objective markers
in the centre of this point. Then decide how many turns the Gangs will fight over. Gangs will
generally only ever fight over territory during the daytime, The Night is too dangerous, and
by the time night falls your Gang members will want to either be dug in or retreating back to
their camp - so it’s important to set a limit. 6 turns works well for 3 objectives, longer will be
required for more. When both players’ Gangs have completed all their Actions at the end of the
last turn, see who is in control of the most Objectives. To be in control of an Objective you must

Page | 33
have a Gang member within 3” of the Objective marker and no enemy Gang members must
be within 3” inches of that marker. If members of both Gangs are within 3” of a marker, no one
scores any points for it. If both Gangs are in control of the same number of Objectives, or none
control any, then count the any points for kills to determine who wins, otherwise, the player
with the most Objectives wins 25pts per Objective.

The other type of territory game is the Occupy game. In this game, the sole objective is to take
and retain possession of a specific building. The building, it may be somewhere useful as a
base, somewhere where good loot is known to be, or even a traders stall, should be placed an
equal distance between the two start zones. The winner is quite simply the Gang that has the
most living members WITHIN the building at the end of a determined number of terms. Again,
6 should do the trick. If the building does not have a clearly defined inside and outside, simply
place an Objective marker somewhere in the building and treat the victory conditions as de-
scribed above. In an Occupy Game, the winner scores 50pts in addition to any scored for OOA’s.

Grudge Matches

In a Grudge match the two Gangs are set solely on the utter destruction of the other, and play
continues until one Gang is either eradicated or their Leader makes the decision to retreat. The
Leader may retire individual Gang members from the game by moving them into their Start
Zone and declaring that they are returning to base - whilst this serves no purpose in individual
Games, it may be worth considering to save a valued colleague in Campaign Grudge Matches.

Balancing Forces (Points)

Life ain’t fair, I’d be the first on this Dead Earth to tell you that and I’m sure there’s not many
that would disagree with me, and sometimes battle across the Dead Earth won’t be fair either,
particularly if you’re playing scenario or campaign games. In Individual games, however, par-
ticularly Grudge matches, it’s much more satisfying to send your opponent scuttling away with
their tail between their legs (sometimes literally in the cases of some of the savages I’ve seen in
the Inner Cities) knowing that you out fought them fair and square, with no advantage.

To try and establish some kind of balance everything and everyone is assigned a value in Points
(pts), which are also the currency across the Dead Earth. When you’re creating your forces for a
competitive game, it’s best to choose a Points value which both teams are allowed to spend on
creating their Gang for that battle. 4 basic Gang members have a value of 100 points - but with
only knives (which everyone may be equipped with for free), the game is likely to lack interest
and variety. I would recommend that 350-400 points is a good amount for an individual game,
and we have balanced two Gangs - My Family and those goddamn Savages the Red Claw - at
around that Points value for you from page 51.

You’ll note that The State Gang described on page 62 have a higher points values, and as
such it would be wise to add new Talents or Equipments, or perhaps a Mercenary, to The Fami-
ly or Red Claw to balance things if taking them on.

Once you’ve played a few individual battles and got the hang of things, you’ll want to think
about embarking on a Campaign, and perhaps even creating your own Gang from scratch. Fur-
ther guidance on how to do this can be found on page 49.

34 | Page
Campaigns

Campaigns are the heart of Across the Dead Earth. They tell a story with your Gang over a
series of interconnected battles. Your Gang is a persistent, customisable and fully personal one
to you and you alone - as they gain talents and upgrades in between battles or lose and gain
comrades. Even if you start a Campaign with one of the pre-defined Gangs on page 51, by the
end of the campaign, that Gang might be unrecognisable. You can, of course, create an entirely
original Gang to fight a Campaign with (see page 49).

There are a number of ways to play a Campaign, and I will, of course, go through them all, but
there are a number of elements common to most or all, so let’s cover them first:

Death is not (always) the End

You may be wondering how you’re going to take your persistent Gang from one battle to the
next when each and every battle there is another Gang intent on making them deceased? Well,
here in the Dead Earth, thanks to a combination of crappy ammunition and survival instincts,
Out Of Action Gang members who appear to be casualties on the battlefield more often than
not actually pull through after the event. Gang members who are only Knocked Out at the end
of a battle suffer no permanent ill effects and may fight on as normal in the next battle.

Following a campaign battle, roll a 2D6 for each of your Gang members who was put Out of
Action and consult the following Chart:

2 - Nope, sorry to get your hopes up, they’re dead.

3 - They will live but have suffered a permanent eye injury. -1 to all To Hit rolls.

4- They will live but need time to recuperate, they will take no part in the next battle, re-joining
the Gang following this.

5 -They have a serious but repairable injury - pay 10 credits to heal them (if you are unable to
pay then they cannot take part in a battle again until this is paid).

6 - They have a minor injury - pay 5 credits to heal them (if you are unable to pay then they
cannot take part in a battle again until this is paid).

7 - They will live but have suffered a permanent arm injury. -1 in all hand to hand combat.

8 - They will live but have suffered a permanent leg injury. -1 to their Speed.

9 - They will live but do not have the strength they once had. Reduce their Toughness perma-
nently by 1.

10-12 - They are fine and may carry on as normal

Additionally, it is possible with the acquisition of some dodgy technology that the various Gov-
ernments were working on just before the war, to resurrect a character from the dead. To do
this, you will need a Resurrection Vial, which can only be purchased from Travelling Traders or,
if you’re incredibly lucky, found out on the Dead Earth. Losing a Gang member for the first time

Page | 35
can be a heart breaking affair, and if both players agree, it’s not a bad idea to let each Gang
start the Campaign with one resurrection vial. This is strongly recommended at least for your
first campaign.

Note: Permanent Injuries are persistent and accumulative, so if a character is “OOA” in three
consecutive battles, and each time rolls a 9 on this chart, their Toughness would be reduced by
a total of three, one for each time.

Wait a Minute, where do I write all this Down?

Stat Cards

If your Gang member has picked up a permanent injury, acquired a class, new talents or up-
graded equipment, you’re going to need somewhere to keep a track of it all. This is not so
important in Individual Games but is VITAL in Campaign games. For each of your Gang mem-
bers, print or photocopy a Stats Card (or make your own, so long as it contains the same infor-
mation). Stats Cards for my Family and the Red Claw are provided from page 51, along with
some others that might come in handy, and also some blanks for you to copy. Let’s just have a
quick look at mine to be clear what they cover:

Name Adam
Class Leader, Skill: 7
Gang Points 50
Equipment Shotgun, Pistol, Knife, Grenade
Talents Commander, Walkie Talkie, Rough House
Toughness (Original) Modified (12)
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier
0
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier +2 / 0
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
Pistol 0-4 6 -1 4-8 7 -1 8-12 8 -
Shotgun 0-3 5 -3 3-6 6 -2 6-9 7 -1

Name, Class and Equipment should all be fairly self-explanatory. In the sections for Toughness
and Speed you’ll note that my current values for both are recorded, with space for this to be
crossed out and amended should they change due to upgrade or injury. There are then spac-
es to allow you to quickly record the total modifiers to apply when attempting “to hit” when
shooting and when “attacking in melee” gained from equipment and talent. Because I have the
Rough House Talent and a knife, this reads “Total Attack Modifier” +2. There’s plenty of room
for this and the other Modifier sections to be updated later. Following this, for ease of refer-
ence, I’ve added on the stats for the two guns I carry. The Gang Points space only appears on
your Leader’s Stat Card, as the Points for the Gang are pooled together and looked after by the
Leader, this is just somewhere to record any you have left over, after you’ve decided what to do
with all the Loot.

36 | Page
What to do with all that Loot?

In each Campaign battle, win or lose, you’re

The Trade Guild
likely to come away with some Loot - that is,
either the Loot which you have found from
literally looting, or the Points you have been
Whereas The State consider themselves to
paid for taking out an enemy or perhaps even
be the authority in the F-UK, it’s the Guild of
looting their body. Assuming you don’t have to
Traders, Trade Guild or simply The Guild, as
spend it on medical bills for your Gang mem-
they are variously known, whom most civilians
bers who were put OOA during the battle, there
rely upon. After civilisation and democracy fell
are three other ways of spending the loot:
in a single day, after the looting and the cha-
Hire a new Gang member: assuming you os, the fires, the murders, the suicides, it was
have models to represent them, there’s not the plucky self-proclaimed entrepreneurs who
much to stop you expanding your Gang assum- equipped themselves with rucksacks full of
ing your Leader is capable of controlling a Gang tins of dog food and set off to see how many
of that size. A Leader may head a Gang with as bottles of beer they could swap them for that
many total members (himself included) as his save the F-UK. With the eternal optimism of
Skill level. A basic Gang member comes with the salesman and a firm belief in capitalism,
no Class or Skills and is referred to as a Grunt. the early PLW (post Last-War) linked straggling
Grunts are equipped with a Knife at no addi- survivor communities, spread news and de-
tional cost, and optionally a pistol at a cost of livered hope. The Gangs came, and travelling
5 pts. Their weapons can be upgraded at any hundreds of miles of road alone with as large
Travelling Trader and as such can be upgraded a supply of valuables as you could manage
prior to their first battle if funds allow. A new became untenable. And so the Traders, faced
Grunt may also be purchased General Skills with death at the hands of brigands, thieves
and Traits from that list (p70) prior to entering and cut-throats did what came naturally, and
battle. Hiring a new Grunt costs 25 pts. Grunts bartered. Hiring body-guards for a share of
have the following standard stats: the profits worked out well for some traders
(less well for others, who hired less patient
Speed: 6 gang members) and soon the need for escorts
between settlements – but, of course, at the
Toughness: 10 lowest possible cost, lead to alliances between
traders who might require to stay in a settle-
Skill: 6 ment just reached for some time and another
who was just leaving in the opposite direction.
In addition to Grunts, unscrupulous or desper- Thus the Guild was born. Nowadays few trad-
ate leaders can hire untrained and unproven ers are non-guild affiliated, as the Guild has
adolescents known as Yobs. Yobs are cheap, at military weight to throw around, and likes to
only 10 pts, but have no special talents or abili- prove this point whenever one of its traders
ties and the following basic statistics: is robbed or murdered by finding the culprits
sparing no expense in bribing locals in the pro-
Speed: 5 cess) and re-arranging their heads into kebab
style ornaments for the nearest settlement.
Toughness: 7
Seemingly, no-one REALLY know who runs the
Skill: 4 Guild, or where it is run from, as the head of
the Guild is only ever referred to as the Treas-
Finally, you can add a Dog for 20pts urer, and their Headquarters as the Wharf.

Page | 37
Upgrading your Gang’s Talents: Each Gang member can be assigned a Class. This can
either be done when Creating your Gang or in between battles, in what we refer to as Down
Time, during a Campaign. If you’re using the pre-determined Gangs, you’ll notice that a lot of
Gang members are already assigned a Class, and we’ll talk more about the specifics of Classes
later on. What you need to know right now is that during Down Time in between Campaign
battles, you can train a Grunt in any Class. The costs are as follows:

Leader 25pts - each Gang must field a Leader and may only field one Leader

Medic 15pts

All other classes 10pts

Any Gang member who already belongs to a class may upgrade their Talents by purchasing a
Talent from the next Tier of their classes’ Talent Tree. There are several Tiers within each Talent
Tree, Talents associated with Tier 1 being applied as soon as your Gang member acquires a
class. Following that, any Gang member may purchase ONE talent upgrade each in each Down
Time. You may only purchase a Talent of a Tier equal to or one Tier above your current level.
Let’s look at the Leader Talent tree on page 76 as an example. By being a Leader I automati-
cally acquire the Leader Talent on Tier 1, this is what gives me my extra Action each phase and
the ability to give orders, not to mention my Toughness! After the first battle of a Campaign, I
come back with plenty of Loot and can upgrade my Talents. I have no choice which to go for, as
the next Tier on the Talent tree includes only one Talent: the walkie-talkie upgrade. I purchase
this, and head back out onto the battlefield. Huzzah! I am victorious once again and return with
enough Loot to swim in. This time, I can upgrade to one of the Talents on Tier 3 - I cannot have
both even though I can afford it, as to train takes time. I have the choice of the Rough Houser
or Strategist Talents. I choose Strategist, because I’m a clever one, and head out to fight again.
Returning after the next battle, with yet more spoils, I now have a choice of either acquiring the
other Tier 3 Talent, Rough Houser, or upgrading to the Master of Strategy Talent, from Tier 4
of the tree. Note that these are my only two upgrade options, as although Crack Shot is also a
Tier 4 Talent, it is an upgrade of Rough Houser, and thus if I want that Talent, I need to purchase
Rough House this time, and then Crack Shot next time.

Whilst I have been upgrading my Talents, I have also unlocked the ability to use a variety of
Rare Items, many of which have a Tier requirement.

Yobs cannot have a Class assigned until they have matured and trained to become Grunts, and
they have their own progression, described on page 84.

38 | Page
Shopping!

In between battles, there’s nothing more I like to do with my Down Time than to do a little
shopping! Travelling Traders are rife across the Dead Earth - they are also nearly always armed
to the teeth and well defended. Not that it would really be in any Gang’s interest to attempt to
murder or jack a Trader anyway, as word soon gets around, particularly now they’ve organised
themselves into a Guild, and you kill one, you’re more than likely going to starve to death the
next week when you can’t find anyone to sell you anything to eat because you’ve been black
listed. Anyway, killing Travelling Traders is not an option. Shopping is: you can shop during
each Down Time, using the Points you’ve acquired. You are ALWAYS able to buy, for any Gang
member, any of the items listed under Basic Melee Weapons and/or Basic Ranged Weapons,
as listed previously- as these are always kept in stock by any Travelling Trader.. In all likelihood,
you kitted out your Gang with these when you set up anyway, but you might need to replace
destroyed weapons or kit out a new Gang member (Editor: or perhaps, in reality, you’ve simply
bought some new models which you wish to swap out for our old ones, and they have different
equipment on them. Although what a physical model is actually equipped with on the model
shouldn’t stop you from imagining they are equipped differently, it’s aesthetically pleasing and
much easier to remember if they do. If not, it’s important that you’re clear with any opponent
before the game what a model/Gang member is actually equipped with for use in game). You
are also permitted to purchase any number of single use items such as Grenades (although you
may not be able to carry them all into battle)

The more exciting aspect of running into a Travelling Trader are the Rare Items and upgrades
which he might have for sale. There are a great many rare and unusual items which you will
come across whilst dealing with Travelling Traders. Although dealing with Traders is done indi-
vidually during the Down Time between battles, and each Player’s Gang will not be offered the
same Rare Items, just so everyone knows no-one is trying to swizzle one another, it’s best to
carry out any trade with the other player(s) present, or at least with witnesses. Firstly, establish
how many rare items the trader has to offer, by rolling a D6. Then deal that many cards from
the (carefully shuffled) Rare Items deck of cards. You may, but are under no obligation, to buy
any item dealt. Each player should return the cards to the deck and shuffle again before the
next player is dealt their cards.

Page | 39
Rare Items

Price and Effect

Traders aren’t supermarkets. They’re human, and haggling is a part of their livelihood. As such
all the rare items listed below have not one but three prices, the best price, the standard price,
and the worst price, these are listed below as the three numbers next to the item name - best,
standard, worst . Which of these you are offered depends on your Leader’s bargaining skill. For
each purchase you wish to make, roll 2D6. If the score is BELOW your Leader’s skill value, the
item is available for the best price, if the score is equal to your Leader’s skill value, the item is
available for the standard price, if the score is higher than your Leader’s skill value, then the
item is available only for the worst price. If you purchase an item, make a note of it on the
Gang member’s Stat Card, its effects are permanent unless stated otherwise. Rare Items often
require a certain amount of Talent to use, and indeed some traders will not even sell goods to
Gang members they think green or unworthy of their goods. These items will be marked with a
TIER requirement, usually between 1 and 5. A character must have learned a Talent of that Tier
to be able to purchase, equip and use the Rare Item. For more information on Talent Trees and
Tiers, see page 75. In most cases only 1 of any item is offered for sale. Exceptions are noted.

BULLET PROOF VEST 10-15-20 Tier 2

Increase the Character’s Toughness by 1 until they are Knocked Down, at which point the vest
becomes unusable. Repaired for free in each down time.

CAMOUFLAGE 20-30-40

The Gang member receives an additional +1 cover bonus when Hiding.

CLIMBING ROPE 4-6-8

A length of rope with a grappling hook on the end, which if equipped allows a Gang Member to
climb the sides of buildings or up onto ledges at a rate of 3” per Action up to a total of 6”.

CONTRACT 5-10-15

Killing (putting Out of Action) any and all enemies in the next battle (only) grants a reward not
only of the usual Points but additionally the amount paid for the contract (i.e either 5, 10 or
15).

EVENT CARD 10-15-20

Take an Event card from the deck at random. You may use this as normal in the next Battle.

“FLASH-BANG” GRENADE 3-5-7 Tier 1

Flash bang grenades are thrown exactly as grenades, however, they automatically hit all charac-
ters within the area of effect. All characters caught within that Area of Effect may not act when
they would otherwise next have a Phase (either on this turn or the next) having been temporar-
ily blinded and deafened.

40 | Page
FREE GIFT

Buy any of the other items drawn, get another draw of your choice at the same time, FREE! No
other items available from this Trader? Bummer...

GAS MASK 5-10-15

Someone wearing a gas mask is not affected by gas.

GAS GRENADE 3-5-7 Tier 1

A gas grenade is thrown like a normal Grenade, however, it hits and effects everyone within
the Area of Effect regardless of cover - they get no To Save roll. Once Gassed, each individual
effected may make 1 less Action per turn for D6 turns. Any number of Gas Grenades is available
when this card is dealt, all at the same price.

GUN REPAIR KIT 5-10-15

The Gang member may automatically repair a jammed weapon without passing a Skill Roll
(uses 1 Action).

GUN STOCKS, VARIOUS 10-12-20 Tier 3

Attach the improved gun stock to a specific weapon to improve the comfort of use and there-
fore accuracy. Add a +1 to all To Hit rolls with this weapon.

INTENSIVE TRAINING 10-15-20

Any one Gang member may take 2 talents from their talent tree during this period of Down
Time, instead of just one.

LASER SIGHTS 10-15-20 Tier 3

Work exactly the same as REFLECTIVE SIGHTS but add the modifier at Close and Medium Range.

NAIL GRENADE 3-5-7 Tier 1

A nail grenade works precisely the same as a normal Grenade except the random nature of the
amount of damage caused means they carry a Save Modifier of -1D6. Any number of Nail Gre-
nades is available when this card is dealt, all at the same price.

OPTICAL SIGHTS 15-20-25 Tier 4

Work as other SIGHTS but add the +1 modifier at all Ranges.

Page | 41
PERSONAL BODY ARMOUR 15-25-35 Tier 2

This military grade body armour used to also be commonly supplied to armed police and is
therefore standard issue to State Squads. Which, of course, means that there’s plenty of it for
sale from traders and Gangs who have had run-ins with The State. +1 to Toughness.

PRICE GUIDE 20-30-40

Equipable by the Gang leader only. AFTER this purchase, the Gang leader always pays Best Price
for any items from Travelling Traders.

REFLECTIVE SIGHTS, rifles, assault rifles, shotguns, pistols, SMG’s 5-10-15 Tier 2

Upgrading the sights of any of these weapons to Reflective Sights gives a permanent +1 To Hit
modifier at close range.

RESURRECTION VIAL 30-40-50 Tier 1

This sure does what it says on the tin! If your Gang member was killed in battle and you were
unfortunate enough to roll a 2 in the post battle down time, revive them with this pseudo-sci-
entifically proven mug of black gung which smells like the blue Danish cheese we found in a deli
in London which had been there for the last dozen decades. However, it does appear to bring
Gang members back to life with no side effects, which is pretty darn handy! This should be
given to your Medic but can be used on ANY Gang member during Down Time. Each vial can be
used once and only one is offered per card dealt.

SHOTGUN x 2 BARREL ADAPTATION 20-25-30 Tier 4

2 Barrels not good enough for you? How about four? Upgrade any shotgun to a Scatter Gun,

42 | Page
replacing stats as follows:

Short Range Medium Range Long Range

Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
Scattergun* 0-3 7 -6 3-6 8 -7 - - - Upgrade Only

SILENCER, pistol, SMG, or sniper rifle 10-15-20 Tier 3

If you’re of the sneaky disposition, fitting a pistol or sniper rifle with a silencer allows you to
take enemies unawares and thus decreases the chances of them evading your shot. Fixing a
silencer to a weapon is a permanent upgrade, and allows an additional -3 Save Modifier when
fired against anyone who does not have line of side on the shooter.

SMOKE GRENADE 5-10-15

Smoke grenades are thrown as any other grenade and have a 3 inch area of effect. Anyone
within that area suffers from and is also subject to a -3 To Hit modifier for ranged combat fro
D6 turns. Any number of Smoke Grenades are available when this card is dealt, all at the same
price.

STIM PACK 10-15-20

A stim pack allows a Knocked Out Gang member to be partially revived. A stim pack can be
administered to a Knocked Out comrade by moving into contact with them and using one Ac-
tion. A stim pack may also be self-administered by a Knocked Out Gang member, however, this
requires the passing of a Skill roll in addition to the use of an Action. Gang members revived by
Stim Packs may Move and Hide as normal, but may not fight. They cannot shoot or initiate hand
to hand combat at all, and if engaged in hand to hand combat may only attempt to disengage,
not to fight. Any number of Stim Packs are available when this card is dealt, all at the same
price.

SURGEON 20-30-40

The trader is also a skilled Surgeon and may reverse the effect of any “Permanent” injury.

SWEET TRAINERS! 10-15-20 Tier 1

The Gang member’s Speed is increased by 2. Sweet!

THERMO-BINOCULAR GOGGLES 15-20-25

These allow the user to see an enemies heat trace through thin or partial cover, and negate the
effects of smoke or darkness. A Gang member equipped with these binoculars may reduce the
penalty they suffer against To Hit rolls by 1 and may disregard the effects of Smoke.

WEAPON ABILITY Tier 5

One of this character’s weapons has been uniquely improved by them. Deadly 15-25-35 (ranged
weapon) On a roll of any double which successfully hits, double the SM. – Reliable 15-20-30
Re-roll 3’s To Hit- Parrying 15-20-25 Increase these weapons Parry value by 3
Page | 43
Rare Loot Games

A variation on the standard Loot game is the “Rare THE FOREST-KIN

Loot” game which can be played instead of a Loot
game within a Campaign. In this version, ignore the
Points value written on the Loot token - instead, each
item of Loot is a Rare Item. When a Gang member col-
lects an item of Loot, take the top card from the Rare
Item deck. The winner of such a game is the Gang who
has achieved the most Points in KO’s and OOA’S, and
the value of the loot they have acquired. The value of
each Rare Item is listed next to the description of that
item – use the middle figure for this calculation.
Not everyone across the Dead Earth
necessarily felt that the Last War was
such a bad thing, and some soon dis-
appeared into the wilds, which were
themselves beginning to reclaim and
conquer the fallen cities of 20th cen-
tury civilisation, to live in woods and
marshlands.

Campaign Types Whilst few domestic animals survived

without the care and attention of man,
Whilst there are all sorts of variations which can apply in the forests deer flourished once
within campaigns, there are essentially two different again, the wallabies in the South mul-
types: Mapped Campaigns and Narrative Campaigns. tiplied and spread, and packs of previ-
Prior to beginning either, both players will need a ously domesticated dogs reverted to
Gang, as per any other game. I would recommend that wolf-like behaviour, and tiring of the
one of you use my Gang and the other take control of scraps left by their former masters,
the Red Claw for your first Campaign, but soon enough moved into the country to hunt rabbit,
you’re going to want to create your own Gang. We’ll squirrels and crow.
talk about just how to do that a little later.
They weren’t alone. As the years
Mapped Campaigns passed those humans who turned
their back on the technology and life-
A Mapped Campaign tells the story of a series of bat- styles they saw as the causes of the
tles for control of a particular area through the use of last war bred and spread, forming into
a Map, as the name suggests, divided into numerous Gangs and tribes, spreading through
territories. An example map is provided, along with the F-UK’s now flourishing woodlands,
details of a specific Mapped Campaign, The Wester living on wild animals.
Campaigns, on page 48, but you can use any map so
long as it’s easily dividable into Territories, or draw one Today the Forest-kin share little in
up yourself. Most 20th and 21st Century maps of Cities common with the scavengers and
you might recover already do this for you, and more townsfolk of the rest of the F-UK, liv-
rural areas can usually be divided by rivers, forests ing by their own traditions, wearing
and other landmarks, or simply use the squares on an animal skins and war-paint, and relying
old Ordnance Survey Map. Each gang should choose a as often on hand-hewn weaponry as
Territory as their base. Having just arrived in the area, the guns they occasionally trade with
your Gang’s base will be one of the outer territories others for. Knowing little of the Last
on the map, and if you wish the Campaign to be even War they have no fear of the radiation
and fair, the two bases should be equidistant from any which keeps the rest of the population
Territorial Goal (see below). fearing animal flesh, and even their
language has evolved (some would
Before each campaign, first establish the ultimate goal argue devolved) to the point where it
of the two Gangs. There will usually be three types of barely resembles English.
goal.
44 | Page
You can play for one ultimate Goal, or equally, you can start a Campaign with the agreement
that when either Gang achieves any of the Goal types, the Campaign is won.

1. Territorial Goal: A territory within the mapped area is specifically valuable: usually a town, a
factory, an un-looted supermarket. The Goal of the Campaign is to Control this specific Territo-
ry. Pick a suitable Territory on the map and mark it as the Goal.

2. Control: Once all the Territories are controlled by one Gang or the other, the Gang with the
most Territories under their Control wins.

3. Complete Control: The Goal of the Gangs is to capture the other Gang’s Base.

Before each game, one or other of the Gang leader’s chooses one of the territories to fight
over. For the first Game of the Campaign roll 2D6 each and the higher scorer chooses any
Territory which borders their Base Territory in which to do battle. If you wish to, you can decide
a specific type of battle for each Territory, but generally this is randomised as follows: the
winner of the previous roll rolls 1D6. On the roll of a 1-2 the battle is a Loot game. On a 3 it is
a Rare Loot game. On a 4 it is a Capture game, a 5 an occupy game and on a 6 it is a Grudge
game. The winner of that game then has Control of that Territory, which you can mark on the
map either by placing a coloured Counter of the Territory, or by colouring it in or writing on the
map - note that if you use either of these methods, you may have to erase any marking later if
the Territory changes hands. The winner then chooses another Territory in which to do battle,
choosing any Territory which borders any Territory they control (in this case either their base
Territory or the Territory they have just captured). Note that a Gang cannot choose to do battle
for a Territorial Goal or the enemy Gang’s base unless they control Territories linking this Terri-
tory to their own base:

In this Complete Control Campaign, on a simple geometric map, the Objective for each Gang
is to capture the other’s base Territory. Two battles have been fought. The Family won the
Dice roll to decide where the first battle should take place, and chose Territory 6 - they had
no choice as this is the only Territory they border. They lost the battle, and therefore the Red
Claw control Territory 6 and also chose where to do battle next. Although they now had con-
trol of Territory 6, which borders the Family base, they cannot attack it straight away. First they
must create a passage
of controlled territories
from their base to the
Family’s.

Page | 45
They therefore choose to do battle in Territory 3, winning again. If the Red Claw now take con-
trol of Territory 1 or 2, their base will be linked by a passage to the Family base. They chose to
Battle in Territory 2, however, they are this time defeated by the Family.

The Family now have

control of Territory 2 as
well as their base. Due
to the way the borders
lie on this map, they may
now choose to do battle
in any Territory - except
the enemy base, as they
do not have a clear pas-
sage. If The Family can re-
take control of Territories
3 and 6, they can then
attack the Red Claw base.

This works similarly for

Territorial Goal Cam-
paigns. Let’s use the
same map but assume that Territory 4 has been designated the Territorial Goal. Although both
Gang’s control bordering Territories, neither can chose to do battle in the Territorial Goal, as
they do not have clear passage. The Family would need to take control of Territory 6 and the
Red Claw Territory 2 prior to being able to choose to do battle for the Territorial Goal. If the
family re-take Territory 6 and then chose to battle for the Territorial Goal, but lose that battle,
the Red Claw take the Territorial Goal, but cannot win the Campaign until a passage is secured
to their base, either by controlling Territory 2 or both 3 and 1.

Defending the Gang Base

In Complete Control games, when attacking a Gang’s base the game does not have a ran-
domised objective but is a battle to the death like a Grudge match. In these circumstances,
however, the Gang defending do not have to begin the game in a Start Zone, but may begin
set up anywhere on the playing area. Suitable Terrain should also be used to represent a base,
which will have been designed to be defended. This can make taking a Gang Base an incredibly
difficult proposition.

Territorial Terrain (Optional Rules)

You may be quite restricted in what Terrain (scenery, buildings etc.) you have available for
battles, or you may have a preference for one type. What can make Campaigns more interest-
ing, however, is to ensure that there is a variety of possible Terrain to fight across. This can be
decided in a couple of ways, if you are using a 20th/21st Century map you have found, then you
can go by what is indicated on the map (villages, towns, cities, forests, rivers, farms etc.) If you
have created your own map, then you can create these Geographical features yourself. Alterna-
tively, you can randomise Geographical features using the table below. This can be very exciting
and represents both Gangs exploring previously uncharted Territory:

46 | Page
1. Scrub or wasteland with little remarkable, perhaps a few trees or rock formations

2. Woodland, mainly covered in trees with perhaps a shack or river

3. Village. A few buildings, usually villages will also be surrounded by trees.

4. Town. Mainly buildings.

5. City: the entire playing area should be covered in buildings, possibly abandoned

Narrative Campaigns

A Narrative Campaign more literally tells a story. A Campaign of this type will consist of a num-
ber of inter-related Games which may take on the form of battles of the type we have discussed
previously, or of more story-lead scenarios. See the Narrative Campaign “Skylar” which tells the
story of how the Scout came to be a member of my family on www.deadearth.co.uk which will
also, in future, feature further narrative campaigns as well as guidance of how to create your
own.

Page | 47
The Wester Campaigns

Ah, Wester, a smouldering heap of industrial wreckage shrouded in dense smog. Who would
have thought a town that no-one ever heard of would have attracted a nuke? Stands to reason,
therefore, that there was something worth destroying in Wester, and therefore, possibly, just
possibly, something worth salvaging. Just try to ignore the ticks on your radiation counter as we
go in...

As you can see from the...ahem...”map” which Skylar, my dear Scout, has provided for us above,
the areas around the strategically beneficial town of Wester have become the temporary home
not just of our good selves but also to that band of savages, the Red Claw. We need to take
Wester, and find out what’s there. Whatever it is, it’s worth points and points keep my Family
alive. Doubtless the Red Claw are thinking approximately the same thing, that or they know
what I’m thinking and they just want to kill us, I don’t call them Savages for nothing. Prior to
heading out onto the battlefield, you’ll notice that each of the ten territories has been given a
description and a number - it’s entirely up to you if you want to follow the Terrain descriptions,
but it’s important to note that the town of Wester itself falls entirely within Territory 4, and
therefore a Gang must control Territory 4 to attack Wester.

There’s absolutely no reason why you can’t use the same map for Control and Complete Con-
trol games as well.

48 | Page
Gangs

Putting together your own band of brave and intrepid adventurers, like my lot, or scurvy,
ruthless scumbags and mercenaries like the Red Claw, is one of the true joys to be had across
the Dead Earth. Using the Classes provided and the weapons charts, anyone can put together a
truly unique Gang, or, adapt one of the pre-existing Gangs to suit your purposes. There’s a few
ways you can put together a Gang:

Firstly, you can just pick one of those listed below. You’re going to want to do this for your first
few Games and/or Campaigns to figure out which weapons and classes work best for you.

Secondly you can mix and match and adapt the Gangs below. In addition to the complete
Gangs, you’ll find a bunch of Stats below for Mercenaries. A good way to put together your first
gang would be to take some of the Gang members you’ve worked with previously and mix them
up with some Mercs. Remember, you can change the Gang members names, back stories, class-
es - be creative. One thing you will have to bear in mind before you go to crazy is that when
you’re playing against someone else they’re most likely going to want to think there was a fair
shot of them winning, and therefore you’ll want to balance the points values of your Gang.

Both my Family and the Red Claw have the a similar Points value and are balanced, in their way
(although very different in combat style - my Family are sensible folk who know how to stay out
of trouble and pick the enemy off from range, where as some of those Red Claw scumbags are
absolutely deadly if you let them get too near you!) and unless you wish to deliberately give
one Gang an advantage, it makes sense to balance the two sides, at least in Campaign games,
and that’s why we allocate everything a points value.

Thirdly, you can start from scratch, and after a while you are definitely going to want to do this,
let me tell you.

The recommended Points Value for Gangs is 350 to 400pts. Less will mean you can field fewer
members or it will take a longer period to upgrade them, whilst more is not advised for begin-
ners.

Creating your Own Gang and Characters

To do this, start with deciding how many Gang members you want. Each Grunt, that is to say
a basic adult, costs 25 points which includes a knife( A knife! Big Whoop). Then simply use the
talent trees and weapon charts to personalise your Gang. You’re going to need a Leader – as
you can see from the Talent Tree for Leaders over on page 76, the Leader Class costs a fur-
ther 25 points. He or she is going to need more than just a knife to get by, so choose him some
weapons from either the Ranged list on page 19, the Melee list on page 25, or better still:
both. Each comes with its’ own points value. You may choose any weapons from the Basic lists.
To make your character more individual, you might want to add some specific character traits.
General traits, that is, those which are available to character of ANY class, can be found on
page 74, whilst specific Talents can be found in the Talent Tree which you’ve already looked
at. Again, these all carry their own points values. With Talent Trees it’s important to remember
that you can’t just apply any Talent you like, as the way in which they are acquired is hierarchi-
cal. Starting at the Tier 1, and going down, a character may only be given a Talent if it is pointed
to by an arrow emanating from a Talent they already have. That is to say that as a Leader, I must

Page | 49
acquire the Talent Walkie Talkie before I can then choose any other Talent. To equip your Leader
with the Talent Rough-Houser, therefore, you must equip them first with Walkie-Talkie, and one
cannot then apply the Talent Master of Strategy without first equipping the Talent Strategist, as
it is from this Talent that Master of Strategy emanates. As you can see, equipping Talents soon
costs a great deal of Points, and that’s just your leader! You need a whole Gang to go with him.
This is why it is usual for most Gangs to start with Gang members who have a Class assigned but
not many further Talents beyond.

Now that you have a Leader for your Gang it is entirely up to you how many other members are
added, so long as the total number does not exceed the Leader’s Skill level (which is likely to be
7).

To create the rest of your Gang, go through the same basic process: start with a Grunt (25pts),
add weapons (ranged on page page 19, melee page page 25), general traits (page page
74) and then a Class and any Talents from that classes Talent Tree (pages page 74 to page
83).

An interesting, but perhaps laborious way of building your gang is through a Campaign, or
series of Campaigns, where both Gangs start with 4 or 5 Grunts or Yobs. No Talents, no decent
equipment. This way, you will truly have to build from scratch, whereas the Gangs here have
“cheated” a little in that they are already well versed in their Talents when you take control.

Speaking of cheating, you’ll notice that both My Family and the Red Claw - but particularly the
Red Claw, have in their possession Rare Items. There’s no reason why you and your opponent
shouldn’t similarly cheat in this manner if you wish however, it’s absolutely vital that you agree
to do so before putting any Gangs on the battle field, and it’s also a good idea to put a limit on
how many Rare Items a Gang can field (otherwise they simply wouldn’t be that rare, would
they?) It is recommended that each Gang may choose NO MORE than 1 Rare Item for each
complete 100pts in the agreed limit, so a Gang of the recommended Points Value would ordi-
narily have no more than 3 Rare Items.

50 | Page
Adam’s Family

Name Adam
Class Leader, Skill: 7
Gang Points
Equipment Shotgun, Pistol, Knife
Talents Leader, Walkie Talkie, Rough Houser
Toughness (Original) Modified (12)
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier 0
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier +2 / 0
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
Pistol 0-4 6 -1 4-8 7 -1 8-12 8 -
Shotgun 0-3 5 -3 3-6 6 -2 6-9 7 -1

Pts: Grunt 25+Leader 25+Walkie Talkie 10+ Rough House 10+Shotgun+Pistol 5=85pts

This is me: the person that’s been guiding you through this chaos and introducing you to the
dead earth. I was born somewhere here in England, 42 years ago. Most people don’t know
how old they are around here. Others refer to themselves as “28 summers” or “32 winters” but
that don’t mean much in a world where seasons can last for hours or years. On the whole I’ve
always been moving. I grew up in a family that moved around, sometimes trading and most
times fighting. As you may have gathered I listened to my Grandmother a lot. That is largely
due to the relatively premature deaths of my parents and the scarcity of electricity with which
to power MP3 players. A few years back someone traded me a wind-up device which, for a
fair amount of sweat work, provides enough juice to power up most phones, tablets and other
devices we can find - ‘cept those stupid ones with the fruit on the back that have to have a dif-
ferent charger which no one ever can find or trade. Anyways, thinking about it I maybe learned
a lot more from my Grandmother not having earphones in all the time.

My parents? I told you, they died young. That happens more often than not,
and there isn’t any point getting sentimental about it.

Some point or other there wasn’t much of a Gang left, and those what
were older than me decided to stay on at a wind farm in Norfolk. I
wished them all the luck in the world but so far as I could see planting
yourself makes you a sitting duck, so I headed off across the dead earth.

Page | 51
 Name Ezra
Class Medic, Skill: 6
Gang Points -
Equipment Shotgun, Short-sword
Talents Medic, Physician Heal Thyself!
Toughness (Original) Modified (10)
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier 0
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier +2 / +1
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
Shotgun 0-3 5 -3 3-6 6 -2 6-9 7 -1

Pts: Grunt 25+Medic 15+ Shotgun 10+Physician Heal Thyself5+ShortSword 6=61pts

A lot of people will tell you for certain that Ezra is a mute. He ain’t, he just only speaks if he’s
got something he thinks is worth saying. I like Ezra. Drexyl and Reggie and a few others we’ve
met along the way say they find it most disconcerting that Ezra always wears a gas mask. I fig-
ure if anyone is going to be a hypochondriac, it’s the best gosh-darn field medic I ever met. For
all he might give them the heebie-jeebies, there isn’t a soul in this family who wouldn’t trust
Ezra entirely to fix them up and set them right. I think Skylar sort of has a soft spot for him, not
that she’s one to betray her emotions, should she suffer any.

I can’t say I know a lot about Ezra’s background, he kind of just walked into my life one day and
since then we’ve always looked out for one another, and the rest of the family as it grew. He
collects books, on pretty much any subject, though I know he really likes the ones about Lords
and Ladies back in the olden days. Though he’s a peaceful guy, on the whole, you wouldn’t
want to get on the wrong side of that sword he carries around.

52 | Page
 Name Drexyl
Class Sharpshooter, Skill: 6
Gang Points
Equipment Assault Rifle+Reflective Sights, Knife
Talents Sharphooter, Head Shot
Toughness (Original) Modified (10)
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier +1 Close and Medium range (treats Long
(from talents and equip) as Medium)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier +1 / 0
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
Assault
0-6 6 -3 6-12 7 -2 12-18 8 -1
Rifle*

Pts: Grunt 25+Sharpshooter10+Assault Rifle 15+Head Shot 5 + Reflective Sights 15=75pts

Drexyl’s parents, like mine, died when he was real small. Unlike me, he didn’t have the benefit
of any others around. All alone in London, the kid lived off insects and rats until one day he
found a gun on a body in the street and shot dead anyone who tried to take it from him, until
they stopped trying to take it from him and offered him money to shoot their enemies instead.

Drexyl operated entirely as a loner and a mercenary until one day he took a contract out here
in the country and got his leg caught in a deer-trap. That’s how Ezra found him, and set about
setting Drexyl free and patching up his wounds despite the fact that Drexyl kept
his rifle pointed between Ezra’s eyes the whole time. About
5 seconds after Ezra finished taping up Drexyl’s leg the man
he had been hired to kill turned up. Drexyl aimed and
would have put that man down right there and then had
Ezra not put his hand on the barrel and lowered Drexyl’s
gun. I guess by that point Drexyl figured he owed Ezra
a favour, and I’m very lucky he seems to still think the
same way, because that man was me.

Page | 53
 Name Reggie
Class Assault, Skill: 7
Gang Points
Equipment Assault Rifle, Pistol, Knife, Grenade
Assault, Charge, Assault Rifle Specialist,
Talents
Grenadier, Skilled
Toughness (Original) Modified (10)
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier 0
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier +2 / 0
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
Assault
0-6 6 -3 6-12 7 -2 12-18 8 -1
Rifle*
Pistol 0-4 6 -1 4-8 7 -1 8-12 8 -

Pts: Grunt 25+ Assault 10+Pistol 5 + Assault Rifle 15+Grenade 5+Assault Rifle

Specialist 10+ Charge 5+ Grenadier 20+ Skilled 15 =110pts

Reggie’s still just a kid, really. His family are traders over in the Fens whom
we picked up some weapons from a couple of years back. Reggie spent
hours watching Drexyl testing the sights on his Assault Rifle on their
range. A couple of days later, Drexyl told me the boy had
been shadowing us ever since we left. I didn’t think he was
old enough to live the kind of lifestyle we lead, and so I set
out to find wherever he was camping one night and tell him
to vamoose. When I tracked him down to a campfire which he
seemed to have lit using some dirt and hope, he grinned at me
ear-to-ear and threw me a rucksack of ammo and moonshine he
had taken from a bunch of raiders who had also been tracking
us, and who were by then sinking slowly into the wetlands, their hats
bobbing up and down in the centre of pools of ripples. He figured this
would impress me. He’s been at my side ever since.

54 | Page
 Name Skylar
Class Scout, Skill: 6
Gang Points
Equipment Pistol, Assassin’s Blade, Grenade
Talents Scout, Slippery
Toughness (Original) Modified (10)
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier 0
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier +1 / 0
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
Pistol 0-4 6 -1 4-8 7 -1 8-12 8 -

Pts: Grunt 25+ Scout 10+Pistol 5+ Grenade 5 +Assassin’s Blade 4 + Slippery 5 = 54pts

Skylar was always going to have a hard life growing up in this world as girl with a pretty face.
She got real good at hiding, and when that failed, escaping, with no qualms whatsoever about
leaving anyone who crossed her with a wide red smile in her wake.

I’m glad as hell that whatever the boys in

my family might be, none of them is either
discourteous or stupid enough to think to try
and treat Skylar the way it seems most folk
prior to us running into her, by and large, had
in the past. I’ll leave that there, as I know that
Skylar wants to tell you that story for herself.

Gang total points 85, 61, 75, 110, 54 = 385

Page | 55
The Red Claw

Name Ronnie
Class Leader, Skill: 7
Gang Points
Equipment SMG, Pistol, Short Sword, Grenade
Talents Leader,
Toughness (Original) Modified (12)
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier 0
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier +2 / +1
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
Pistol 0-4 6 -1 4-8 7 -1 8-12 8 -
SMG* 0-4 6 -4 4-8 7 -3 8-12 8 -2

Grunt 25+ Leader 25+SMG 15+ Pistol 5+ Grenade 5 + Short Sword 6 =81pts

That’s enough from that stupid old man Adam. You want to end up
running errands for old women and rescuing skinny girls from trad-
ers, go ahead and sign up with that regular philanthropist over
there. You want adventure, glory and the coolest guns on this
island, follow me. My name’s Ronnie, but until you’ve proven
yourself you can call me Sir. The Red Claw are the best, and
we’re the best because we pull no punches. This is survival,
but who ever said survival can’t be fun?

56 | Page
 Name Shay-man + McHeed
Class Medic, Skill: 6
Gang Points
Equipment Shotgun, Knife, Gas Mask
Talents Medic, Physician Heal Thyself
Toughness (Original) Modified (10)
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier 0
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier +1 / 0
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
Shotgun* 0-3 5 -3 3-6 6 -2 6-9 7 -1

Grunt25+Medic 15+Shotgun 10+ Physician Heal Thyself 5+ Gas Mask 10=65pts

Shay-man is insane.

I don’t mean the good way, like me, I mean he’s properly
tapped. He calls that Skull on his hat McHeed and takes
advice from him, which usually consists of making some
god-awful concoction out of moonshine, mushrooms and
herbs and injecting it until his eyes go purple and he starts
speaking Dutch.

He knows one end of a syringe from another though,

and for some reason he’s the only medic I’ve
ever had that didn’t whine all day about being
overworked.

Page | 57
 Name Fatboy
Class Heavy, Skill: 6
Gang Points
Equipment RPG, Knife
Talents Heavy, Launcher Specialist
Toughness (Original) Modified (10) 11
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier 0
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier +1 / 0
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
RPG~ - - - 4-8 6 -4 8-12 7 -4

Grunt 25+Heavy 10 +Launcher Specialist 10 + RPG 20=65pts

Fatboy is a rude, crude, lewd hulk of a man who likes to drink,

smoke and fraternise with members of the opposite sex. He’s a hoot
and a half, I tell you. Whilst he’d almost certainly rather be play-
ing poker and losing his share of the loot than helping
you out, if you promise him there will be explosions
and a bar at the end of the day, he’s probably follow you to
the ends of his next drink.

58 | Page
 Name Topper
Class Assault, Skill: 6
Gang Points
Equipment Scattergun, knife
Talents Assault
Toughness (Original) Modified (10)
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier 0
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier +2 / 0
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
Scatter-
0-3 7 -6 3-6 8 -7 - - -
gun*

Grunt 25+Asault 10+Shotgun10+ Scattergun Upgrade 25=70pts

Whilst Shay-Man may be insane,

Topper is simply a sadist. After half
our battles together, he doesn’t even
remember to ask for his share of the
loot - he’s too busy either regaling
anyone that will listen to usually wildly
exaggerated tales of the destruction
he caused or arguing with his brother
about who has the most kills racked up
this month. Topper eats raw meat and
I don’t like to ask where he gets it from
when the rest of us have been on dry
rations for weeks. Topper laughs like
a hyena and can frequently be found
clutching his groin following any con-
versation with Shrimp.

Page | 59
Name Pyro
Class Skill: 6
Gang Points
Equipment Flamethrower, knife
Talents
Toughness (Original) Modified (10)
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier 0
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier +1 / 0
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
Flame
0-3 4 -4 3-6 5 -3 - - -
Thrower~
Grunt 25+Flamethrower 15=40pts

Pyro is Topper’s brother and they share a lot in common, although you wouldn’t know it the
way they argue: mainly over which is the superior of their two deadly weapons. Pyro isn’t
the sharpest tool in the box, but then he doesn’t need to be, as it’s very rare
anyone ever gets close enough to him to take advantage of his dim witted
nature.

60 | Page
 Name Shrimp
Class Scout, Skill: 6
Gang Points
Equipment Pistol, Axe (2H), Grenade
Talents Scout
Toughness (Original) Modified (10)
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier 0
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier +4 / -1
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
Pistol 0-4 6 -1 4-8 7 -1 8-12 8 -
Grunt 25+Scout 10+Pistol 5+Grenade 5+Axe 12=57

Shrimp just joined us. Pyro picked her

up in some hole of a town. I mean he
literally picked her up and carried her
with him. Topper seemed quite en-
amoured with his brother’s find but
Shrimp put a swift end to his advances.
She seems to trust Pyro, who shows
more affection for her than I’ve seen
him show anything other than his
beloved flame-thrower. She’s unskilled
and untested as yet, but I like her atti-
tude, and I reckon she’ll soon be a real
asset to the Gang.

Gang total pts 81+65+65+70+40+57=378

Page | 61
FURTHER GANGS

Numerous further Gangs are listed at www.deadearth.co.uk and, of course, you can create your
own. Here are some further examples you may wish to employ.

Jester’s State IAO Squad

Jester leads a typical IAO squad. 

Name Jester
Class Leader, Skill 7
Gang Points
Submachine Gun, Optical Sights, Stocks,
Equipment
Grenade, Gas Grenade, Body Armour
Talents Leader
Toughness (Original) Modified (12) 13
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier +2
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier 0/0
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
SMG* 0-4 6 -4 4-8 7 -3 8-12 8 -2

Grunt 25 + Leader 25 + SMG 15 + Body Armour 25 + Grenade 5 + Gas Grenade 5 + Optical Sights
20 + Gun Stocks 12 =132

Cpt. “Jester” Jackson is a ruthless career soldier who is loyal to the State totally, at least so
long as she serves as a means to his ends. His disdain for human life is legendary and there are
even rumours that he has had a hand in the deaths of superiors in an effort to expedite his rise
through the ranks.

His call sign – a shortening of “Deathjester”, the name by which he was known as a Grunt –
doesn’t come from any love of one-liners or witty repartee, but from the smile Jester breaks
into when he watches his enemies dispatched, no matter how cruelly or bloodily.

62 | Page
 Name Squint
Class Medic, Skill (6) 7
Gang Points
Equipment Assault Rife, Body Armour
Medic, Physician Heal Thyself, Adrenalin
Talents
Shot, The Good Doctor
Toughness (Original) Modified (10) 11
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier -
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier 0/0
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
Assault
0-6 6 -3 6-12 7 -2 12-18 8 -1
Rifle*

Grunt 25+Medic 15+ Body Armour 25 + Assault Rifle 15 + Physician Heal Thyself 5+ Adrenalin
Shot 10+ The Good Docter 15 = 110

Squint is an exceptionally talented and intelligent young Dr. who uniquely amongst the Choo-
bies of New Venice’s underground, descendants of the legendary Seven Sisters – those who
remained hidden underneath the war torn world for decades - saw the opportunity for learn-
ing, and was spotted by State officials, soon graduating from his scholarship as a Dr. Being so
low born, though, Squint could command no respect amongst the strictly hierarchical families
of New Venice and the State, and so joined an IAO squad to become a man of rank. Squint is
focused and single minded, knowing that to obey orders is to raise his status in this world.

Name Siwoc
Class Scout, Skill 6
Gang Points
Submachine Gun, Pistol with stock, stim-
Equipment
pack, Body Armour
Talents Scout, Slippery, Dual Wield 1 & 2
Toughness (Original) Modified (10) 11
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier Pistol +1
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier 0/0
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
SMG* 0-4 6 -4 4-8 7 -3 8-12 8 -2
Pistol 0-4 6 -1 4-8 7 -1 8-12 8 -

Page | 63
Grunt 25+Scout 10+Body Armour 25 +SMG 15 + Pistol 5 + Stock 12 + Stimpack 15 + Slippery 5 +
Dual Wield (1&2) 15 = 127

Siwoc picked up his name from an off-hand utterance which became a catchphrase in his first
squad (“Situation is…world of chaos!”) Assigned to Jester due to his hatred of the Gang lifestyle
and way of life, Siwoc wishes to bring order to the chaos around him. Precise, quick witted and
showing an amazing alertness to tactical opportunities, Siwoc makes for the perfect eyes and
ears in the squad.

Name Skelch
Class Sharpshooter, Skill 6
Gang Points
Sniper rifle, Optical Sights, stimpack,
Equipment
Body Armour
Talents Sharpshooter, Head Shot, Loyal
Toughness (Original) Modified (10) 11
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier +1
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier 0/0
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
Sniper
0-6 6 -2 6-12 5 -2 12-18 7 -2
Rifle

Grunt 25 + Sharpshooter 10 + Body Armour 25 + Sniper Rifle 15 + Optical Sights 20 + Stimpack

15 + Loyal 10 + Head Shot 5 =125

A State veteran of several years’ service, Skelch is the ultimate professional. A grizzled and
hardened sniper, Skelch stays cool under fire and obeys orders. Less politically motivated than
some of his pears, Skelch followed his father into the military tradition upheld by the State, and
believes what he does must be right, because otherwise the Head of State would not order it.
There is therefore no question Skelch’s loyalty or commitment.

64 | Page
 Name Yoshi
Class Assault, Skill 6
Gang Points
Grenade, Assault Rifle, stimpack, body
Equipment
armour
Talents Assault, Loyal
Toughness (Original) Modified (10) 11
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier +2
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier +1 / 0
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
Assault
0-6 6 -3 6-12 7 -2 12-18 8 -1
Rifle*

Grunt 25 + Assault 10 + Body Armour 25 + Assault Rifle 15+ Stimpack 15 = Grenade 5 + Loyal 10
= 105

Yoshi is on a one man war to rid the F-UK of Gangs and bandits, having witnessed the death of
his close family in a Gang raid as a youth. The State protected and raised Yoshi, instilling in him
and almost religious fervour and hatred for the Trade Guild, non-aligned towns and most of
all, the Savages. Yoshi also despises the Inquisition, seeing them as questioning the might and
authority of the Head of State.

Now a family man himself, Yoshi would stop at nothing to defend New Venice, seeing it as his
home and castle, and the world which protects both he and his family.

Gang Total 132+110+142+125+105=614

Page | 65
The Engineers Guild F.E.S.

A little knowledge in the Dead Earth goes a long way. The Engineers specialise in maintaining,
upgrading and adapting pre-war technology. Although on the whole the Engineers Guild prefer
to keep themselves holed up in their workshops in towns and Cities, Barnabus leads the Engi-
neers Forward Expeditionary Squad out into the countryside and Ghost towns, searching for
scrap metal and electronic salvage to bring back to his Colleagues.
Engineers may add 2 to their score on any attempt to fix a jammed weapon (add 2 pts).

Barnabus – Leader

Name Barnabus
Class Leader, Skill (7) 8
Gang Points
Shotgun w/laser sights, screwdriver (eq
Equipment
to knife)
Talents Leader, Strategist, Walkie Talkie
Toughness (Original) Modified (12)
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier +2
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier +1 / 0
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
Shotgun* 0-3 5 -3 3-6 6 -2 6-9 7 -1

Grunt 25+Leader 25+ Shotgun 10 + Laser Sights 15 + Walkie-Talkie 10+ Strategist 10 =95

Born in the relative safety of a City, Barnabus was raised in the Engineer’s Guild but always had
a desire to see more of the world outside and a perhaps dangerous desire for adventure. Sur-
prising his parents and the other City elders, Barnabus proved a talented and tactical military
thinker, and the City now rely upon him to return regularly with metal treasures.

66 | Page
 Name Daisy
Class Heavy, Skill 6
Gang Points
RPG, smoke grenade, flash bang grenade,
Equipment
wrench (eq to club)
Talents Assault, Loyal
Toughness (Original) Modified (10)
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier +1 / 0
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
RPG~ - - - 4-8 6 -4 8-12 7 -4

Grunt 25 + Heavy 10 + RPG 20 + Flash Bang Grenade 5 + Loyal 10 + Club 3 = 73

Daisy was a teenager when Barnabus first began making his name as an adventurer and scav-
enger. Hearing tales of his exciting deeds and loot securing escapades, Daisy set about finding
a way to make her engineer’s education an asset to Barnabus’s FES, which she did by learning
everything there is to know about explosives. Daisy is 100% loyal to Barnabus and the two have
an almost psychic connection.

Name Watt
Class Medic, Skill 6
Gang Points
Equipment Rifle, Hammer (eq to club)
Talents Medic, Physician Heal Thyself
Toughness (Original) Modified (10)
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier +1 / 0
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
Rifle 0-6 6 -2 6-12 6 -1 12-18 7 -

Grunt 25 + Medic 15 + Physician Heal Thyself 5 + Club 3 + Rifle 10 = 58

Quick thinking and single minded, Watt is determined to complete his research into reversing
the radioactive effects of the Last War on the various areas of the UK, and returning the country
to a habitable environment. He attached himself to the FES in order to seek out and discov-
er military technology and salvage. Like many medics and scientists, he is against violence in

Page | 67
theory, but is a practical man, and thinks nothing of defending himself, balancing the life of an
enemy against his own superior intellect and deducing that the human race will benefit more
from his staying alive than anyone else.

Name Tricky
Class Scout, Skill 6
Gang Points
Equipment Shotgun, Baseball bat (eq to club)
Talents Scout, Loyal
Toughness (Original) Modified (10)
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier +1 / 0
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
Shotgun* 0-3 5 -3 3-6 6 -2 6-9 7 -1

Grunt 25 + Scout 10 + Shotgun 10 + Club 3 + Loyal 10 = 58

Tricky didn’t take to engineering like her family and friends, and would rather be free-running,
rock climbing, playing Lootball or otherwise involving herself in more physical activity. Unable
to sit still, or stay quiet for more than a few seconds, Tricky is a ball of kinetic energy.

Name Chinny
Class Sharpshooter, Skill 6
Gang Points
Sniper rifle w/Optical Sights, Wrench (eq
Equipment
to club)
Talents Sharpshooter, Loyal
Toughness (Original) Modified (10)
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier +1
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier +1 / 0
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
Sniper
0-6 6 -2 6-12 5 -2 12-18 7 -2
Rifle

Grunt 25 + Sharpshooter 10 + Sniper Rifle 15 + Optical Sights 20 + Club 3 + Loyal 10= 83

68 | Page
The unfortunately, but accurately, named Chinny has defended the gates and walls of Birming-
ham since before Daisy was born, and his eyes are yet to fail him. The City now secure, Chinny
sets out with the FES to win honour in her name and, like Watt, dreams of returning the UK to
civilisation with Birmingham the jewel in the crown and new capital.

Watt’s Airship “The Viking’s Crow”

Any member of the Engineer’s Guild F.E.S may travel in Watt’s experimental helium balloon.
Designed as an exploratory aid, The VC can travel at height at a pace quicker than travelling by
foot over ground but at a speed which allows the user to easily reconnoiter the surrounding
area for valuable and rare loot – most often more helium to keep her up!
The Viking’s Crow carries only a single passenger but is equipped with the highest powered
scope the Engineers have found, making its single mounted rifle deadly even from heights. Dai-
sy also enjoys dropping grenades from the cockpit (an old motorcycle sidecar) when she (rarely)
is allowed to pilot the craft.
The cockpit of the VC provide the pilot cover of 2.
The Viking’s Crow has a Speed of 16, a Toughness (should she be targeted rather than her pilot)
of 13, and is equipped with a Sniper Rifle with Optical Sights. Grenades may be “dropped” from
the VC, giving the Gang member a +3 to hit any target within a 3” radius and below the VC.
Due to the difficulty of controlling The Viking’s Crow, Movement costs 2 Actions.
Should The Viking’s Crow be targeted and damage is scored she crashes. Roll a scatter die for
the direction she falls in and move her 1d6+4 in that direction. The pilot suffers a penalty to
their Save Roll equal to that roll, whilst anybody in the path of the crashing airship must also
take a Save roll and suffers the D6 rolled as negative modifier.

150 pts

Gang total: 95 + 73 + 58 + 58 + 83=367 (without airship)

+ 150 = 517 with airship

Page | 69
Mercenaries

You can use Mercenaries to make a new Gang, but you can also introduce them to a Campaign
as you go along. During Down Time you can hire a mercenary to fight in your next battle. To
establish which Mercenaries, if any, are available, roll a D6:

1 Crimson

2 Felix

3-4 The Twins

5 Kevin

6 Hans

Mercenary fees are established by haggling, in the same way as Rare

Item costs from Travelling Traders. Mercenaries may also consider joining
your Gang permanently, if they are available to Hire, you can also try and
convince them to join your Gang permanently. Roll a D6, on a 6, they will
join your Gang at the cost of their Points Value. If you have previously
hired the Mercenary during this Campaign and they were NOT killed, add
1 to the score on the dice for each battle they have fought for you and
not been killed.

Name Crimson
Class Sharpshooter, Skill 6
Gang Points
Sniper Rifle, Optical Sights, Knife, Gas
Equipment
Grenade
Talents Sharpshooter, Head Shot, Chain Shot
Toughness (Original) Modified (10)
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier +1
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier +1 / 0
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
Sniper
0-6 6 -2 6-12 5 -2 12-18 7 -2
Rifle
Points value: 90

To hire: 15-20-25

Crimson is a woman you can trust to the ends of the Earth, so long as it’s you who’s paying her.
If it’s not, keep a wide birth, not that that’ll necessarily do you a great deal of good given that
she could hit the pimple off the end of your nose from 500 yards away with that sniper rifle of
70 | Page
hers. Nobody knows a lot about where Crimson came from, she doesn’t let anyone get close
enough, in any sense of the word - and if you think she’s trying to get close to you be careful
for a knife in your back. A lot of men have made that mistake, so don’t ever go thinking that
because she smiled at you your some kind of exception. Crimson only cares about herself and
the next haul of loot. Oh, and maybe her precious rifle, I swear I’ve heard her whisper to that
thing...

Name Felix
Class Medic, Skill 7
Gang Points
Equipment Shotgun, Knife, Event Card: Medic
Medic, Physician: Heal Thyself, Adrenalin
Talents Shot, The Good Doctor, Surgeon, Superi-
or Surgeon
Toughness (Original) Modified (10)
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier +2
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier +1 / 0
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
Shotgun* 0-3 5 -3 3-6 6 -2 6-9 7 -1
Points value: 120

To Hire: 20-30-40

Felix is without a doubt one of the finest and most skilled medics walking the Dead Earth. He
may be getting on a bit now, and you can tell by his white hair and spectacles, but if you call for
him, he’ll be there in a flash and set you right up again. But don’t think of Felix as a philanthro-
pist, he’s motivate by money and money alone. As such, Felix doesn’t see any value in denying
himself future business, and when working as a mercenary will not Finish Off a Knocked Out
enemy - after all, they might be willing to pay for his services at the end of the battle.

Note: A Gang may make use of Felix’ surgical talents either during the Down Time when he is
hired OR during the Down Time immediately after he has taken part in battle.

Page | 71
 Name Aysha
Class Assault, Skill 6
Gang Points
Equipment Shotgun, Short Sword
Talents Assault, Charge, Shotgun Specialist
Toughness (Original) Modified (10)
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier +3 / +1
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
Shotgun* 0-3 5 -3 3-6 6 -2 6-9 7 -1

Name Nisha
Class Assault, Skill 6
Gang Points
Equipment Assault Rifle, Short Sword
Talents Assault, Charge, Assault Rifle Specialist
Toughness (Original) Modified (10)
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier +3 / +1
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
Assault
0-6 6 -3 6-12 7 -2 12-18 8 -1
Rifle*

135 Points

To hire: 35-45-55

Aysha and Nisha are twin sisters who have grown up never letting the other out of their sight,
and it works. Aysha covers the foreground whilst Nisha keeps an eye open further away, and
they make a deadly duo. Knowing that they need no-one else to survive but one another, they
work as Mercenaries and only ever work together. As smart as they are tough, it is not possi-
ble to outflank the Twins, and as such no modifiers are ever applied for attacking either of the
twins from behind, either in hand to hand or with silenced weapons.

Aysha and Nisha must always remain within 3” of each other, however, which does make them
vulnerable to area weapons, and if either is knocked out, the other will ALWAYS attempt to pick
up her fallen sister and carry her to either a friendly medic or the Start zone.

72 | Page
 Name Kevin
Class Scout, Skill 6
Gang Points
Rifle, Knife, Grenade (x2), Smoke Gre-
Equipment
nade, Gas Grenade, Flash Bang Grenade
Talents Scout, Slippery, Loud
Toughness (Original) Modified (10)
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier +1 / 0
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
Rifle 0-6 6 -2 6-12 6 -1 12-18 7 -
80 Points

To Hire: 10-15-20

Kevin gives the impression of a studious, quiet and shy type, hiring himself as a Scout and
generally to be found stirring a coffee rather than a whisky in the bar, whilst he pours over old
chemistry books. On the battlefield this interest manifests itself in an obsession with explosives
and other chemical weapons. I don’t know whether Kevin is a mercenary by choice or wheth-
er his awkward manner and strange obsession has simply prevented him from settling down.
There’s something in Kevin’s eyes close to ecstasy when those Grenades go off, and he scamp-
ers away to safety...

Name Hans
Class Leader, Skill (7) 8
Gang Points
Equipment Assault Rifle, Hand Canon, Knife
Talents Walkie Talkie, Strategist
Toughness (Original) Modified (12)
Speed (Original) Modified (6)
Total To Hit Modifier
(from talents and equip)
Total Attack / Parry Modifier +1 / 0
Short Range Medium Range Long Range
Weapon
Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM Range To Hit SM
Hand
0-3 6 -3 3-6 7 -2 3-9 8 -1
Canon
Assault
0-6 6 -3 6-12 7 -2 12-18 8 -1
Rifle*

Page | 73
88 pts (only usable as Additional Leader when hired)

To Hire: 25-20-35

Formerly a smuggler equipping anti-State Gangs with weapons, Hans then became a General in
the rebellion against the State a few years back. A charismatic Leader as much as he is a Rogue,
Hans can inspire your Gang members and give Orders to them, just as the Gang’s regular
Leader and, likewise, has 3 Actions per turn. Hans and your normal Leader cannot give orders
to one another and cannot both give Orders to the same Gang member in the same turn. Hans
uniquely over-powered pistol packs as much punch as a Shotgun, although doesn’t fire in an arc
and kicks like a mule.

General Traits and Skills

Any character can be equipped with these traits or skills on creation or bring hired into a Gang.
They are universal in that they can be applied to a Gang member of any class, but cannot be
learned as skills at a later date:

Loyal: When a Leader attempts to give this Gang member an order, apply a -1 modifier to the
dice roll.

10 pts

Rage: This Gang member may enter a Rage in hand to hand combat, increasing his aggression
but lowering his awareness. The Gang member may enter a Rage at any time, effective once en-
gaged and lasting until that period of melee is concluded i.e. they are no longer engaged. Whilst
in effect the Gang member may roll 3D6 when attacking in h2h, but their Toughness is reduced
by 2.

10 pts

Touche: This character may defend with 2 hand to hand weapons simultaneously.

5pts

Dual Wield 1: The Gang member may wield 2 pistols at the same time. They may fire each in-
dividually as one Action (exactly as per normal) however, they can also be used simultaneously
as a single Action. This doubles the Save Modifier but makes it harder to aim by 1 (-1 To Hit).

10 pts

Dual Wield 2: The Gang member can dual wield SMG pistols, Hand Canons and other single
handed weapons. Must have Dual Wield 1.

5 pts

Melee: This character may attack with 2 hand to hand weapons simultaneously.

10pts
74 | Page
Sexy/Witty/Charming: This character is able to manipulate others due to certain person-
ality, or even physical aspects, allowing them to distract or dissuade them from acting against
them. Use of this ability requires an Action, and is against one specific enemy within 12”. On
the successful pass of a Skill roll, the enemy may not attack this character this Turn.

10 pts

Jack of all Trades: This character may acquire Talents from any Talent tree, however, they
may not acquire any Talents from the next tier of ANY tree unless they have acquired the Tal-
ents from the previous tier across ALL Classes.

No cost

Lucky: This character was simply born lucky. They may make one re-roll per game. The re-roll
can be for anything – shooting, saving, a skill roll etc. but the dice roll MUST involve this charac-
ter either acting or being acted upon.

20 pts

Smart: This one is a real switched on cookie. On a successful Skill roll this character is unaffect-
ed by Dummy, Booby Trap or Trip Wire. Take a test against their skill as soon as one of these
cards is played against the character, if they pass, the card has no effect, as the character has
noticed the trap or deceit, and taken action to avoid it.

15 pts

Class Talent Trees

As we discussed in upgrading your gang’s talents once any Gang member has a Class assigned,
you may use Credits in the Down Time between battles to upgrade their Talents. Remember
that a Gang member may only purchase a Talent of the same Tier or one Tier above their last
Talent, and that you upgrade along branches of the Talent tree, i.e. if a Talent is on the next Tier
up, you must be able to trace a line from the Talent you have to the Talent you want. Some-
times this cannot be done, and another Talent on the same Tier must be gained first.

Learning Talents also allows Gang members greater access to Rare Items, which are restricted
in their use to those who have Talents of a specific Tier. The Tier requirement is shown on the
Rare Item card. It does not matter which talent is equipped, just the Tier

e.g. Drexyl has been upgraded several times though a campaign and now has the talents Head
Shot and Chain Shot 1. Next time he upgrades he can choose Chain Shot 2, Skilled, or Glasses. If
he chooses Chain Shot 2 or Skilled, he will have unlocked a Tier 4 Talent, and can therefore use
Tier 4 restricted Rare Items, for example Optical Sights for his weapon. This was not previously
available to him.

Page | 75
Leader

Tier 1 Leader: 3 Actions

May Give Orders
Toughness 12, Skill 7
25 Points

Tier 2 Walkie Talkie: Orders can

be given to Gang members
anywhere within 16”
10 Points

Tier 3 Rough Houser: The Leader

Strategist: The Leader gains
gains a permanent +1 to all
a permanent +1 to their skill
melee attack rolls
10 Points
10 Points

Tier 4 Crack Shot: The Leader Master of Strategy: The

gains a permanent +1 to all leader may have 4 event
ranged To Hit rolls cards in play rather than 3
15 Points 15 Points

Tier 5 Mater of Fortune: The Leader may

Hard as nails : The Leader gains a reject the 1st event card they take
permanent +1 to their Toughness from the event card deck each turn
25 Points and take the next instead
25 Points

Tier 6
Veteran Leader: The Leader
has 4 actions per turn
25 Points

Tier 7 Grizzled Veteran: The Leader increases

their Skill by a further +1
30 Points

76 | Page
Medic

Tier 1
Medic: May use the heal
action
15 Points

Tier 2 Physician Heal Thyself: Whilst

“Knocked Down” the Medic may at-
tempt to heal themselves (2 Actions)
5 Points

Tier 3 Adrenalin Shot: The Medic may administer a shot of

adrenalin to any ally in base to base contact, giving the
allt an extra Action in their next phase (1 Action to use)
10 Points

Tier 4 The Good Doctor: The

Medic’s Skills is permanently
increased by 1
15 Points

Tier 5
Surgeon: May heal 1 minor injury
during each Down Time
20 Points

Tier 6 Superior Surgeon: May heal

1 Serious or Minor Injury
during each Down Time
25 Points

Page | 77
Sharpshooter

Tier 1
Sharpshooter: Treats Long
Range To Hit rolls as Medium
10 Points

Tier 2 Head Shot: On any To Hit roll, a roll of a Double 6

instantly puts the target Out of Action. They make
no Save Rolls and are not Knocked Out
5 Points

Tier 3 Chain Shot: If the Sharpshooter’s first target is Glasses: The Long Range
Knocked Out or Out of Action, the Sharpshooter of any weapon is increased
may shoot another target within 2” of the first by 2”
10 Points 10 Points

Tier 4 Chain Shot 2: As Chain Binoculars: The Long

Skilled: Receives a
Shot, but the 2nd target Range of any weapon is
permanent +1 to Skill
must be within 4” of the 1st increased by 4”
15 Points
15 Points 15 Points

Tier 5
Chain Shot 3: As Chain Shot, but 20/20 Vision: The Long
the 2nd target must be within 6” Range of any weapon is
of the first increased by 6”
20 Points 20 Points

Tier 6
Chain Shot 3: The Sharpshooter may Controlled Breathing:
continue to “Chain” shots together, Aiming increase the To
firing on any number of targets if the Hit bonus by +2, not the
previous was Knocked Out or put Out usual +1
of Action and the target is within 6” 25 Points
25 Points

78 | Page
Assault

Tier 1 Assault: Recieves +1 to all

melee attack rolls and +1 to
all short range To Hit rolls
10 Points

Tier 2 Charge: The Gang member may move up to 2” further than their
usual speed IF doing so will either bring them within Short range for a
missile weapon OR in base-to-base contact with an enemy
5 Points

Tier 3 Assault Rifle Specialist: Shotgun Specialist:

Crossbow Specialist: May
May use the Assault Rifle May use the Shotgun Alter-
use explosive crossbow
Alternate Fire mode nate Fire Mode
bolts 10pts
10 Points 10 Points

Tier 4 Shotgun Expertise: May

Skilled: Receives a permanent
shoot multiple targets
+1 to Skill
within 2” of one another
15 Points
15 Points

Tier 5
Grenadier: May carry up to 10 Grenades and re-
ceives a +1 To Hit when
throwing Grenades
20 Points

Tier 6 Martial Artist: Receives a

further +1
(total +2) on all melee rolls
20 Points

Tier 7 Hardened Veteran: Receives a

permanent +1 to Toughness
25 Points

Page | 79
Scout

Tier 1
Scout: May move over any
terrain suffering no penalty
10 Points

Tier 2 Slippery: +2 to any roll made at-

tempting to disengage from
melee combat
5 Points

Tier 3 Quiet: If the Scout attacks an enemy in Loud: The Scout may carry up to
melee from outside of their Line Of Sight, 5 Grenades and receives a +1 To
they receive +3 to their attack roll Hit roll for grenades
10 Points 10 Points

Tier 4 Reconnoitre: The Scout may look
at the value of a Loot counter
when within 8” of it.
20 Points
Great Minds: The Scout knows what
their leader is thinking and may receive
an order (on a successful passing of the
leaders skill test) at any distance
20 Points

Tier 5
Skilled: The Scouts Skill is increased
by 2
25 Points

Tier 6
Athletic: The Scout’s speed is permanently increased to 8
25 Points

80 | Page
Heavy

Tier 1 Heavy: The Gang Members

Toughness is permanently
increased by 1
10 Points

Tier 2 LMG Specialist: The Gang Launcher Specialist: The Gang member
member may use the LMG receives +1 on To Hit rolls when firing
alternate fire mode Missile Launchers or RPGs
10 Points 10 Points

Tier 3 Bear Hug: The Gang member may add +2 to their

attack roll in melee if attempting to Hold rather than
wound their enemy
10 Points

Tier 4 Break Stuff: This character may destroy Loot either

No Sweat: This character by beating their Skill test whilst in base to basecontact
can carry other Gang mem- with it, or by successfully shooting on a character car-
bers at no penalty to rying Loot. The Gang member then chooses whether
their movement the target is Knocked Down or the Loot is destroyed
10 Points 10 Points

Tier 5 LMG Expert: This Launcher Expert: This Heavy can

Skilled: Receives a
character can fire an LMG re-load and ready his weapon
permanent +1 to
from the hip and does not with exceptional speed - only 1
Skill
need to set it up Action required to fire Launchers
15 Points
25 Points 15 Points

Tier 6
Heavy Vet: Toughness increased by a
further +1
25 Points

Page | 81
Scrapper

Tier 1
Scrapper: Receives +1 in all
attack and parry rolls
10 Points

Tier 2 Feint: When attacked in melee, the Gang member

may disregard the first successful hit against them
on successful pass of a Skill Test
5 Points

Tier 3
Aggressive: Receives a Skilled: Recieves a
Parryist: Receives a further +1
further +1 when attacking in permanent +1 to
when parrying in melee
melee Skill
15 Points
15 Points 15 Points

Tier 4
This is mine: Elect one
weapon. Add a +1 bonus to
all rolls made with this
weapon only.
20 Points
Dirty Fighter: No roll is required to Finish Off a
Knocked Out opponent, the Gang member must sim-
ply be in base to base contact and use one Action
20 Points

Tier 5
Deadly Skill: Re-roll any failed Expert Swordsman: Re-roll the first
melee attack failed parry when defending
25 Points 25 Points

Tier 6 Dervish: May attack any and all enemies in base

to base contact with the use of only one Action
and suffers no penalty for being in combat with
multiple opponents
30 Points

82 | Page
Dogs

Tier 1
Loyal: +1 to Obedience
10 Points

Tier 2 Fetch: Dog may move with

a speed of 9 for one Action if Kill: +1 When
Down Boy: Dog may Hide
doing so brings it into contact attacking
10 Points
with Loot 10 Points
10 Points

Tier 3 Pin: Dog adds +3 What’s that Lassie? The Dog’s

Guard Dog: +2 in to melee attack LoS can be used by other Gang
melee when guarding when trying to Hold members for the purposes of
15 Points enemy. targeting/throwing Grenades
15 Points 15 Points

Tier 4 Disarm: Dog May attack in melee with +3 and if

successful in harming the enemy can also choose
one of the target’s weapons to be lost for the dura-
tion of this game
20 Points

Tier 5
Man’s Best Friend: A further +1 (total +2) to
obedience
25 Points

Page | 83
Yob Upgrades

A Yob may increase any their basic stats by 1 after each battle in which they were not put OOA
for no cost until they reach the level of a Grunt, i.e. Speed 6 Toughness 10 Skill 6 at which point
they may be given a class and upgraded as any other Grunt.

Advanced Campaign Rules

All rules referred to as Advanced are entirely optional. You may wish to include them or not in
your own games. I would certainly recommend you get to grips with the basics of Campaigning
before trying any of the following options:

Territory Protection and Income

By taking control of certain areas Gangs can earn themselves greater income, either by setting
taxes or levies for moving through and trading in their territory, taking advantage of an abun-
dance of resources found there and setting up a supply chain, or by running protection rackets
to extort funds from traders, settles, travellers or even other Gangs. To represent this, areas on
the map are assigned a Points value - this can be one specific area, but works best if the addi-
tional funds are awarded for achieving control of several neighbouring and/or connected areas.
Once a Gang has control of an area, they receive that number of Points during each Down Time.
You can also add additional tactical advantages to specific regions by placing specific buildings
in them which give advantages to the controlling Gang:

1. Hospitals: If the Gang has control of a region containing a Hospital, they may always have
access to a Surgeon during Down Time and are always able to purchase Stim Packs.

2. Trader: A permanently established Trader. A Gang that controls a region with a Trader in may
roll 2D6 instead of one to see how many Rare Items are available during Down Time.

3. Bar: A Gang that controls a region with a Bar in, where bums and mercenaries gather seeking
work, may recruit Gang members at the reduced cost of 20 points rather than the usual 25.

84 | Page
The Burtonage Campaign

Burtonage was a remote but highly prosperous Town before the end of the world, which still
holds a wealth of resources and Loot. A few Traders and mercenaries have set themselves up
there, but there’s no Gang in ultimate control. That’s where we come in. As ever, we’re going to
have to fight for those resources.

As you can see from the map below, Burtonage is a lot bigger than Wester and is split into 6
regions: The Vale, the Industrial District, the Shopping District, The Suburbs, Park View and
the City Centre. Each of these is made up of a number of smaller areas, and each holds a value
in controlling it. That value is marked on the map. To bring that income to your Gang each
Down Time, you must control all the areas in the region: that is 1, 2 and 3 to control The Vale
for 15 Points. 4,5 and 6 to control the Industrial District for 15 Points, 7,8, 9 and 10 to control
the Shopping District for 20 points, 11 and 12 for the Suburbs and 10 points, 13,14 and 15 to
control Park View for 15 Points and finally 16, 17, 18,19 and 20 for the City Centre and 25 points
per down time. You’ll also notice that there is a Hospital in area 19, a Trader in 10 and a Bar in
2.

Burtonage can be used as a Control, Complete Control or Territorial Goal (with area 20 being
that goal) campaign.

Prior to beginning the Campaign, both players should roll a die, and the highest scorer may
choose which of the areas will be their base. This can be any area which has an EXTERNAL bor-
der, as this is the point the Gang has entered the Town, EXCEPT areas 2, 10 and 19, which are
occupied and cannot be controlled without a fight.

Page | 85
A Campaign of Campaigns

There is, of course, no reason why once a Campaign has ended you should retire your Gang and
start afresh. If you and your opponent wish, you may tie together any number of Campaigns.
However, the financial and territorial advantage of controlling an entire Town, City or area of
the Countryside would likely place the Gang controlling it at too much of an advantage, and so
the Campaign should be recorded as a Win for that Gang but serve them no further advantage.

It may also be the case that one Gang is healthy, fit and armed to the teeth at the end of a Cam-
paign and the other is full of Grunts armed with nothing more than a bad attitude and some
pluck. If one player wishes to retain their Gang into another Campaign and the other wishes to
start again, count up the points value in total of the continuing Gang and allow the “new” Gang
to be recruited up to 75% of that value.

86 | Page
For Harmony and Dexter

Across the Dead Earth conceived and created by Rich Chappell

Design by Mike and Rich Chappell

Artwork by Pijus Baksys, Filip Dudek and Raul A, Santos

Miniatures sculpted by Andrew May

Miniatures painted and scenery created by The Artificer Miniature Painting

Thanks

Julia, Jenny & Dexter Chappell, WSM, Nathaniel “Bob” Thorne, Phil Smith, Simon “Squint”
Quinton, Carl “Jester” Packham, Johnny “Siwoc” Frandsen, Paul “Yoshi” Campbell, Tom “Skelch”
Skelcher, Neil Shuck, Guy Bowers, Ben @ Beasts of War, Matthew Sears, Joshua Tumbry, Craig
Cartmell, Paul Wilder Murphy, Leon Mallett, Hyacinth Games, Paul Mountford, Martin Mount-
ford, The Ritchies, Sarah Robbins, Andy Wedmore, Dan Garcia, Pete Mason, Mike Erty, Galen
Teschendorf, Ranger Dave Ross, Graham Hogg, Frederik Rosati, A Williams, David Henk, Paul
M. M. D. Jacobus, Chris Lee Wilson, Alan Doyle, Eric Taylor, Jason Frazier, Jordan Grigg, Paulo
Cortes, Marco, Ove Boman, Paul Waters, Brain Fowler, Andrew Martin, JR Reichel, Chris Kaye,
Karl Turner-Howe, Michael O’Brien, Lindemann, John Hovey, Gallerne Jonathan, Rob Carpenter,
Brian J. Underhill, Rachel Fearn, David Landry, Tim S, Karl Jepson, Tim Lancaster, Andy Thomp-
son, Nathan Robson, Heath Burkill, Dave Polhill, BadBabyBunny, Ewan Farish, David Drage (Iron
Mammoth), Andrew “Barloq” Cowie, robh, Ben Archer, Mel Smith, Chris Snyder, Richard Platt,
Xander Warren, Komabai, Mark A, Paul Cowin, Geoff Squire, Donald Harders, Dean and Linda
Martelle, Cindy Mello, Onlyonepinman, Suzanne Samson, Tony Heugh, Jill, Andy GI, Joe Roon-
ey, Anthony Watts, Richard Lambert, Joseph Butler, James Aldridge (Twisted Pinnacle Games),
Calvin Grindle, Kev Addams, Andy Stearman, James “Big Chief” Houlahan, Liam Phillips, Michael
Armstrong, Simon Dangerfield, Dunc Vernon, Alistair Osborne, Dave Zecchini, Mick Holman,
James Aubery, Niall “Better than Mel Smith (allegedly)” Donaldson, Peter Chatfeild, O. Meads,
G.J. Wilson, Mr Sean Patterson, Alastair Jack, Car Smith, Sam Irving, Jamie Howard, Gavin
Shanks, Michael R. Blair, Michael Macauley, Matt MacGregor, Tom Jewell, Rob Pearson, David
M. Churchill, Allani Miasma, Franz Georg Rosel, Murray Fish, Chris Smit, Les Fulbrook, Kent
Yeomans, Peter Williams, Astorderire, Erik Melnichenko, Scott Butler, Wayne Gilbert, Jez Gray,
Deon Beswick, Gray Tanner, Jasper Leenarts, Jason Ellis, Mike Twaddell, Chris Kaye, Jonathan
Haythornthwaite, James Beattie, Clive Dudley, Big Jones, Chris Saunders, Derek Whittenbury,
Parpy, Daniel Weber, Rob Bresnen, Mike Jones, Joiney Wright, Jason Mirosavich, Michael “EO”
Greenhill, @kfer_games, Erik A. Olsen, George Dick, Damon Richardson, Mike Nicholson, Craig
Robertson, Chris Thornhill, Mark Elster A.K.A Commander Vyper, Kevin Wallis, Gary Robb, Mark
“Edster” Edwards, Robert Outram, Michael Awdry, Louis Britton, Mohammed Nur Adli, Paul
Grindrod, Phil Ray, Captain Sir Mark Franceschini, Kevin “Sagan” Satra Schwarz, Konstantinos
Sarantis, P Stubbs, Sapper Joe, Kees DeBruin, Dadup, SerialMoM, KMANT, Christian Torrent,
Christian A. Nord, Leonardo Poni, Matthias De Wit, Francis A. Thibert Jr, Drew “Doctor Warlock”
Wood, Sebastien Reid, Adam Rusted, Rob A, Callum Mccuaig, Stephen Stewart, Jason O’Maho-
ny, Jeff O’Brien

Page | 87
 “A Post Apocalyptic Skirmish Wargame: Three generations on from The Last War, pockets of
humanity roam the ghost towns and ruins of civilisation, looting and fighting for profit, glory
and their very lives Across the Dead Earth.

Assemble your Gang of deadly warriors and embark on campaigns to upgrade your characters
and their equipment from game to game, building a persistent and truly personalised Gang,
honed to your style of play, destroying your enemies as you go and carving out your survival
Across the Dead Earth.

88 | Page