AMMO

LOW
READY
WOUND
SHOCK
SHOCK

+1

FLAME
TEMPLATE

© 2020 Jaye Wiley. All Rights reserved.

The Quick Reference Sheet, counter sheets & templates may be reproduced for personal use.
No other portions of this booklet may be reproduced in any form without the prior written consent of the author.
Introduction 2 Game Design: Jaye Wiley
What you need to play 3 Cover Art: Jaye Wiley
Playing the Game 4 Interior Spot designs: Jaye Wiley
Special Cards 5 Editing: Steve Wilkie
Actions 6 Playtesters: A lot of people have played
Moving 6 over the years, but mostly the Basement
Formations 7 Generals. They are, in no particular order:
Terrain 8 Ken “Lead Addict” Boone, Al “Little Al” Trout-
Shooting 9 wine, Chris “Cluck Amok” Cluckey, Greg
Sample Ranged Weapons 10 “Where’s the cover?” Moore, the 3 Scotts:
Close Combat 13 (Mathews, Wagner and Lindsey), Roger
Sample Close Combat Weapons 14 “Just Got Rogered” Reed, Jon “Gas War-
Wounding 15 fare” Fleckal”, Jay “Propaganda Architect”
Rally, Regrouping, Ready 16 Reese, Ramon “Silver Fox” Olivera, Steve
Mounting/Dismounting 17 “Dutch Oven” Willaredt, Doug “D.E.F.” Strue,
Crewed Weapons, Tasks 17 Brett “Polska” Murawski, Marshal “the Boy”
Building your Units 20 Wiley, and his sister Rowan “Hugs When I
Unit Traits 21 Need ‘em” Wiley.
Negative Traits, Arming Troops 25
Commanders & Heroes 26 The Brothers Arnold, Chris & Jay.
Unit Leaders 27
Vehicles 30 My playtesters from Across the Pond, the
Beasts 36 Fistful of Everything group: James “Oshiro”
Adding Events 37 Sharpe, Nick “Malamute” Futter, Mark “Dr.
Sample Units/Vehicles 38 De’Ath” Evans and Steve “Elk101” Wilkie.
Unit/Vehicle Record Sheets 43
Scenarios 45 Special thanks goes out to the Fistful of
Q&A 47 Lead community for their continued support
Quick Reference Sheet 48 and ideas, and anyone over the years who
has played and left a nice review on a web
site. You’re the reason we have a following.

Special, special thanks goes to the overflow-

Published by Wiley Games ing fountain of patience that is my wife
Copyright Jaye Wiley 2020. All rights Robin, who understands when I spend way
reserved too many hours “playing with my soldiers”.

www.wiley-games.com
 ©Empress Miniatures Zulu War British

Introduction
When we first wrote Fistful of Lead going on two We also wanted the rules to work for multiple
decades ago, one of the attractions was that a periods and genres. At first, that might be hard to
player could get into the game without very much visualize, but other popular rule systems have a
financial commitment. A game only required 5-6 base set of mechanics that they then use for
miniatures a side and a pack of playing cards. other periods. As always, we‘ve gone for a
This proved a great way to try new periods or cinematic feel. Players are free to build armies
genres out before diving in deeper. And more based on their own research or thoughts.
than a few us suffer from “wargaming butterfly
syndrome”. Is this rule set for everyone? Certainly not. The
button counters and rules lawyers will hate it.
Over the years my collection grew along with a What the rules ARE NOT: A historical recreation
need to play with all the miniatures I was paint- of large-scale skirmishes across history or a
ing. There are plenty of options out in the gam- theoretical recreation of futuristic or fantasy
er-verse, but I had a group of players that were combat.
already fans of Fistful of Lead in all its iterations,
and frankly, teaching them something new can What the rules ARE: A fun way to pass the time
be tough. with your friends using all those miniatures
you’ve had laying around collecting dust.
Turns out, all I had to do was go back to the rules.
This book contains all the information you need
To make this work, we are essentially playing the to play a game, including rules for building your
same game but replacing the standard one card forces and how to set up the table for different
per miniature with one card per unit. This way, a scenarios. A few genre options are provided to
player can control 5-6 units versus 5-6 minia- get you started.
tures. Instead of a single miniature taking Shock
and Wounds, a unit takes Shock and loses For those familiar to the Fistful of Lead family of
miniatures from the unit when a Wound is rules, you’ll find the mechanics basically the
scored. These were originally written with singly same, but with some new ideas we’ve developed
based miniatures in mind but work just as well over the years. I’ve tried to cover most situations
with multi- based stands. that arise in the game, but I can’t pretend to know
I’ve covered them all. If something comes up not
The purpose of the rules and driving factor, is to covered in the rules, players should try to come
play larger battles than the standard Fistful of up with a mutually agreeable solution. If that
Lead games without fundamentally changing the doesn’t work, roll a die!
system. Keep in the parts we like about the rules,
change only what we need. You don’t need to Have fun with Bigger Battles!
have previous knowledge of Fistful of Lead
games. New players will pick up the mechanics
quickly and Fistful Fans will recognize a game
they already know. Jaye
2
 What You Need
Miniatures When rolling, a roll of “1” is generally considered
Fistful of Lead: Bigger Battles isn’t tied to a bad, and a 10 or above is considered good.
specific miniature manufacturer. Indeed, half the Some special conditions might even be triggered
fun will be using whatever you have on hand. by these rolls. On a 10-sided die, the “0” face is
The rules work for Historical, Fantasy or Sci-Fi. read as “10”.
This is really a toolbox for you to design your own
match ups. Playing Cards
You’ll need an ordinary pack of 52 playing cards
Bigger Battles is designed with 28mm scale or the Custom Cards available through Wiley
miniatures in mind. It’s a popular scale and on Games. These are used to determine which
the table the ranges and movement scales look player is acting, and are the core of the rules.
right. You can, however, use smaller or larger
scales without altering the rules. With the huge Measuring Tape or Ruler
variety of 15mm scale miniatures out there, you You’ll need something to measure the distance
could have a large game in a small space. units move and shoot. A tape works best due to
the longer ranges of some of the weapons. All
You’ll most likely want to mount your miniatures distances are measured in inches.
or figures on bases. This makes them easier to
handle and adds to the overall look of the minia- The Gaming Table
ture. The base size has no effect on the rules. Since this game is about bigger battles you’ll
Your miniatures can even be mounted with multi- need a big table! The exact size depends on the
ple miniatures on a stand. This gives you a number of opponents and the size of their forces.
couple of options when it comes to the size of A 4’ x 4’ sized table could be used, but it won’t
your units. You can remove whole stands of leave much room for maneuver and some units
miniatures when casualties are taken or use a will start the game already in shooting range of
way to track individual miniature losses on each bigger guns. A 6’ x 4’ table is ideal, but 8’ x 6’ can
stand. give you even larger battles.

Dice Worthy Opponent(s)

To determine the outcome of the actions of your Of course, you’ll need someone to play against.
units, you’ll be using dice. You’ll mostly be using Bigger Battles works well for a one on one
a 10-sided die, hereafter referred to as a d10. A game, but it’s just as fun, if not more so with more
handful will do. players.

For some of the advanced rules, you’ll also need

a few 8-sided and 12-sided dice (d8s and d12s).
All these dice should be available online or at
your local hobby and game store.

3
 GET READY FOR BATTLE!
Playing the Basic Game
What follows are the Basic Rules. Once you
understand these, you’ll be able to add on the
Advanced Rules seamlessly. For those readers
who have played Fistful of Lead games, the
system will seem familiar, but please read it care-
fully because some things are different. We’re For added help, your guide through the rules is
going to go over the rules before we discuss how the General. He can be cranky, but he’s full of
to build your forces. useful information.

Turn Sequence “Listen up Recruit! It’s the

A game of Bigger Battles is played over a beginning of a new turn. Steve
number of turns. How many turns a game lasts is has been dealt three cards, one
determined by the scenario chosen, or by the for each unit he controls. He
players involved. gets a King, a Jack and a 5
card. Mike has four cards.
Each turn is divided into 2 phases. The caller calls out “Kings!”. Steve has two units
in cover and one lone unit standing out in the
1- SHUFFLE CARDS (All of them) open just asking to be a target.

2- DEAL CARDS, THEN TAKE ACTIONS Steve decides to use his King to activate the unit
Each player is dealt one card for every unit, Hero in the open.
or Commander they control. For example, Scott
has three units in his army, so he gets 3 cards. He throws down his King and takes an “At the
Ken has two left after a previous turn, so he gets Double” move to a nearby wall. Next, “Queens!”
2 cards. Players are allowed to look at their own are called. Nobody has one, so the turn
cards, but not the cards of others. proceeds to Jacks. Both Steve and Mike throw
down a Jack. Mike has a Jack of Spades so he
The turn is played out from highest (King) to goes before Steve’s Jack of Hearts. Play
lowest (Deuce) card. Aces are explained in proceeds until all units have been activated.
Special Cards, below.
Got it? Good!”
A player or referee is designated as the Caller.
They begin the turn by calling out “Kings!”. Every
player with a King card (if there is one) throws it
down.

Cards cannot be saved for later. Each card “acti-

vates” one of the player’s units whether the
player decides to do something with it or not. The
player then takes actions with that unit (see
Actions, below).

Once a unit has been activated and done its

actions, it may not be activated again until next
turn.

Next “Queens!” are called, and all players with a

Queen card go, then Jacks, Tens, etc.
©Boothill miniatures Presidial Troopers
photo courtesy of Nick Futter
In the case where more than one player has the
same card, Spades go first, then Hearts, then
Diamonds, then Clubs are last.

4
Special Cards
In addition to activating figures, some cards have “Steve has 2 Aces. He knows
special qualities. They are referred to as Special he wants to go first in the turn,
Cards. so when the round starts and
“Kings!” are called, he lays
They are played just like normal activation cards down one of his Aces and
but allow the player to do some unusual feats states it’s the King of Spades.
and spice up the game. The Special Cards and
their qualities are: If there are no other Kings of Spades out there
(i.e. the real one) he goes first, since Spades
Queen of Spades- Remove all Shock come first in precedence. If, however, there was
markers from a unit, Commander or Hero a real King of Spades laid down, the real one
when they activate. would go before Steve’s.”

Queen of Hearts- roll d10: Odds get one Here’s another example: Later in the round
member of the unit back. Evens get two. We are “Sixes!” are called. Steve’s been holding on to
justifying by saying these are stragglers return- the second Ace for just the right moment. The
ing to the unit or patched up soldiers coming other players have been ignoring one of his units
back. The unit can then proceed to its actions. because it has a “Low on Ammo” marker and
This card can also be used to heal a wound on a they know he needs two actions to “reload”.
Hero or Commander. Steve lays down his Ace and calls it a “Six”. His
unit instantly gains ammunition and takes one of
One-Eyed Jacks (Hearts & Spades)- The unit, his actions to blast away at one of the units that
Hero or Commander activated with this card has ignored him! That’ll teach them!”
a +1 to Shooting rolls this turn.
A “real” card always takes precedence over an
Two-Eyed Jacks (Diamonds and Clubs)- The Ace impersonating it. As in the example above, a
unit, Hero or Commander activated with this card real King of Spades goes before Steve’s Ace
has a +1 to rolls in Close Combat this turn. acting as a King of Spades. If multiple Aces are
played, all acting as the same card, the order of
Sevens (any suit)- A unit, Hero or Commander Spades then Hearts, etc. takes precedence.
may reroll their whole throw of dice or a single
die. This can be any roll such as Combat or Sometimes you’ll end up with more cards than
Recovery rolls. This second roll must be used. units. This happens when a player has a unit
eliminated before he has a chance to activate it.
Sixes (any suit)- The unit, Hero or Commander The player holds on to the extra card until the
activated with this card can discard any Low end of the turn and tosses it on the discard pile.
Ammunition marker. This overrides the normal
Ammo rules (see Low on Ammo, below). The WHEN ALL CARDS HAVE BEEN PLAYED
unit, Hero or Commander then proceeds to any (ALL UNITS, HEROES OR COMMANDERS
actions. HAVE BEEN ACTIVATED) A NEW TURN
BEGINS.
Twos (any suit)- The unit, Hero or Commander
activated with this card may reroll misses from
one throw of the dice this turn.

Aces (any suit)- An Ace is wild and can be any

card the player wishes. It must, however, be
played in sequence. For example, if you use an
Ace to stand in for a six card and get the instant
reload, it must be played when “Sixes” are called.

5
 ACTIONS
When a unit, Hero or Commander activates, it Failure to remove all of them means the unit,
can perform an action from those listed below: Hero or Commander’s turn is over. If a they man-
aged to remove all Shock, they may still use a
Move at the Double- The unit, Hero or Com- single move or shoot action (not Concentrated
mander can move at twice the normal rate. This Fire).
move cannot put the unit within 1” of an enemy
unit, Hero or Commander. That requires a Ready- This is like the Overwatch or Hold action
Charge action. in the Fistful of Lead Core rules. The first part of
the action, the unit, Hero or Commander
Maneuver- The unit, Hero or Commander can receives a “Ready” marker. Later in the turn the
make a single move and shoot or shoot then unit, Hero or Commander can react to enemies
move but at -1 to Shoot rolls. by interrupting to fire or move. The Ready marker
is removed at end of each turn.
Shoot- The unit, Hero or Commander doesn’t
move, but shoots once this turn. Mount/Dismount- A mounted unit can make a
single move at its mounted movement rate and
Form Up- (Regular units only) This action lets dismount. A dismounted unit can mount up and
troops form up into Close Order. Close Order is make a single move.
the only way to use Concentrated Fire and has
benefits in Close Combat. Setting up a Crewed Weapon- Weapons like
Canon, Machine Guns, Heavy Lasers to name a
Concentrated Fire- (Regular units only) This few, require some time to set up. It takes a unit
action could be considered Volley fire too, and equipped with these types of weapons a turn to
represents controlled fire being delivered in an set up or break down.
orderly way. The unit does not move but gets a
+1 to their Shoot rolls. Complete a Task- A unit, Hero or Commander
may have to perform a Task during the course of
Charge- The unit, Hero or Commander can a game (see Tasks, below) such as lighting a
move at twice the normal rate to contact the field of crops on fire or lowering defense shields.
enemy. This gives this a +1 to Close Combat rolls This will usually involve a roll based on the
in addition to any traits they possess. difficulty of the Task.

Rally- A unit, Hero or Commander may try to Important: A unit, Hero or Commander can
remove any Shock markers (see Wounding, only fire once a turn.
below) it has accumulated.

MOVING

Movement is kept as simple as possible. Each In the swirl of a Bigger Battles, some units may
figure (or stand) can move up to its maximum get mixed together, so try to keep distance
amount, limited by terrain effects. At the end of between friendly units so it is apparent which unit
the move, each miniature within the unit must is which.
stay within 1” of another miniature in the unit. If
using stands, you can keep them in contact with Friendly units may pass through each other as
each other. It’s always easiest to move one or long as they have enough movement left to do so
two miniatures from the unit, then just move the to clear the other unit, and neither unit has Shock
rest up keeping them roughly in the same forma- (see Shock, below). If either unit has any Shock,
tion they started. then both units will receive a Shock marker. This
may cause a Regroup (see below).

6
Unit Movement Rates Close Order: Close order has the unit tightly
Regular Foot: 5” packed together to maximize fighting power.
Irregular Foot: 6” Only Regulars can form Close Order and must
Regular Mounted: 8” use the Form Up action. Miniatures within the
Irregular Mounted: 10” unit should touch and be in at least two ranks.
Guns and Crews: Unlimbered 3”. 6” when
limbered. Crews, Heroes and Commanders cannot Form
Up and be in Close order.
Moving At the Double, of course, doubles the
rates listed above. While in Close Order, a unit may only fire to its
front 90 degrees but can use Aimed Fire. Units in
A unit cannot end it’s movement within 1” of Close Order have a +1 to hit in Close Combat
the enemy. To do that, they must use a against enemies in Open Order. Close Order
Charge action. units contacted by enemy units in the side or rear
are at a severe disadvantage. Enemies may
Formations and Flanks reroll any misses in Close Combat. Units that
Open Order: The default formation for a unit is Shoot Artillery or Crewed weapons at units in
Open order. The miniatures are moving in a Close Order get a +1 to their rolls.
loose cloud, but still within 1” of each other.
There are no modifiers to shooting, being target-
ed or fighting while in Open order unless
attacked by units in Close Order. While in Open
Order, a unit has no flanks, and may fire in any
direction.

The same troops are in Close Order. The members

of the unit are all touching.

A unit will lose its Close Order formation if forced

to Regroup, move through Difficult Terrain or
These Russian Civil War troops are in Open Order. cross an obstacle.
There is a gap of 1” (roughly) between each
member of the unit. Once a unit is down to less than half its strength
it cannot form Close Order.

“What about forming square and other kinds of formations? I hear you say. Well,
we have to cover alot of ground in these rules, so with some things we have to be
a little broad in our definition. Close Order formation could mean forming a square
against cavalry attack. In fact, you could place your miniatures in that formation.
In which case, treat the unit as having no flanks, and only sides facing the enemy
may fire. The bonus for enemy artillery shooting at Close Order troops still holds.
Close Order can also be used to represent being in a Shield Wall or other tight formation such as
a Pike Block.
Horse in Close Order would represent the tight wedge formation used by some Ancient
and Medieval cavalry to break up enemy formations. How you choose to represent Close Order, is
up to you!”

7
 TERRAIN
Since your game probably won’t happen on a
featureless desert or flat, open, frozen moon,
let’s deal with terrain.

Terrain affects the game in two ways: by imped-

ing movement and giving cover. Cover will be
explained more in the Shooting section. We’ll
deal with how it effects movement now.

There are several types of terrain:

Open: Fairly obvious, nothing that would impede

movement, open fields or streets. No Deduction.
These Japanese troops are defending an
Difficult: Includes woods, fields full of crops, obstacle in Close Order. They are considered
marsh, shallow streams and rubble. Move at Half to be in Heavy cover if shot at.
rate, i.e. 2.5“ for Regular Foot, 4” for Mounted. The attacking Chinese are in Open terrain in
Open Order.
For purposes of the game, mounts cannot enter
woods or buildings. Photo provided by James Sharpe

Troops must be in Open Order to move through

Difficult terrain. “A unit with 3 Shock would
move 3” less for each single
Impassable: Cliffs, wide and deep rivers. As the move. Thus, a Regular infantry
name says, impassable. unit that normally moves 5”,
would only move 2” when
Obstacles: Low walls, fences. Subtract 1” per Maneuvering, and 4” while At
Move action. High walls or field works take an the Double.
entire action. Troops end their move at the obsta-
cle. Next turn they may cross it. Moving through difficult terrain can further slow
units down. If the unit we just mentioned tried to
Roads: Roads don’t provide any bonus for move through the woods, they would drop down
movement, but they do provide a bit of Open to 1“. As you can see, multiple Shock can soon
terrain to cross areas of rough. immobilize your troops. Time to give that Rally
order!”
Miniatures within a unit move individually. Terrain
might affect some miniatures within a unit but not Buildings
others. Much of the fight can center around buildings.
The size of your buildings may vary, but the
All terrain should be discussed before the game general rules governing movement in/out are as
begins so that each player is aware of its effects. follows:

Modifiers to Movement Entering or exiting a building costs nothing.

SHOCK: -1” of movement per Shock marker a Going up or down a floor costs 3” of movement.
unit has Unless you have a finished inside for your build-
ings showing the location of stairs, simply mea-
DIFFICULT TERRAIN: Half rate. sure the cost for the stairs from the point the unit
enters the building. Units can appear anywhere
OBSTACLES: -1” for low walls and fences, full on the roof. The size of the building will obviously
action for high walls limit the number of figures who can gain access.
Common sense should prevail.
UP / DOWN FLOOR: -3”

8
 SHOOTING
When a unit shoots, first choose a target. In the “A unit of 10 is firing at a unit
swirl of a Bigger Battles gunfight, all models partially behind a hill. Only 3
have a 360 degree field of fireif in default Open troops of the target can be seen
Order. If in Close Order, the unit has a field of fire by the shooting unit. The attack-
to its front 90 degrees. ers roll 10 dice at -2 for the hard
cover afforded by the interven-
The firing unit must have line of sight to the ing hill.
target. The closest enemy unit must be targeted
unless the closest unit is in cover or a Command- Six hits are scored resulting in 4 wounds and two
er/Hero. If a unit wants to target a different unit, shock. Only the three troops visible are removed,
they must pass a Hard (8+) Task roll first. but the target unit still gets 2 Shock markers.”

You cannot shoot through units, friendly or other- A unit must target a single unit, Hero or Com-
wise. Units on an elevated surface like a hill or mander. No splitting fire or combats between
building can fire over a friendly unit if the unit targets.
being fired over is closer to the shooter than the
target. Range is measured from the closest miniature of
a unit to the closest miniature of the target unit.
This may require getting down to eye level with
the unit and trying to see what they see. Laser Ranges for the most common weapons are listed
pointers or string are helpful for this, but hopeful- on the following page and are divided between
ly in the spirit of good fun, both players can Short and Long. There is no Close range. That is
decide if a unit has a line of sight. considered in Close Combat, below.

Miniatures are only visible inside terrain or build- Ranges based on what looks right, not any
ings if they are within one inch of the door, particular ground scale.
window or edge of the woods. The same is true if
they wish to shoot out from inside cover. What follows on the next page is by no means a
comprehensive list of every weapon you can use
Units in cover may be targeted, but not units for Big Battles, but it does give you good base to
completely hidden by obstacles like woods or start from if you want to design your own.
buildings.
It is assumed that most units will be similarly
A unit is considered in a piece of terrain, or armed but certain traits or the use of Squad
behind cover, if half or more of the miniatures are Support weapons may change this. Some weap-
in said cover, then the whole unit gets the benefit ons may be in range while others aren’t. The use
of the cover. This will require common sense. of distinctively colored dice can aid in keeping
Stacking a 12 man unit in line behind an track of which weapon is doing the shooting
outhouse would be within the letter of the rules, while allowing you to still only roll one handful of
but not the spirit. dice.

A unit can be targeted if at least one member of

the attacking unit has line of sight to the target.
The whole unit is the target, but only troops that
are visible can be removed by wounds. It still
receives Shock as normal.

9
 Ranged Weapons
Name Range Short/Long Dice Notes

Pistol 6/12” 1 -
Assault Rifle 12/24“ 2 -
Submachine Gun 6/12” 2 +1 to Close Combat rolls
Machine Gun 18/36” 3 Crew
Heavy Machine Gun 18/36” 4 Crew, AP1
Modern Rifle 12/24“ 1 -
Obsolete Rifle 9/18” 1 -
Musket 9/18” 1 Reload
Rifled Musket 12/24“ 1 Reload
Grenade Launcher 10/20” 1 AP2, Blast 3, IF, Limited Ammo
Squad Support Wpn 12/24“ 2 or 3* -
Laser Pistol 8/16” 1 AP 1
Laser Rifle 16/32” 1 AP 1, Ammo Hog
Heavy Laser 24/48” 3 AP 2, Ammo Hog, Crew
Missile Launcher 12/24”** 3 AP2, Limited Ammo, Splash
Shotgun 6/12” 1 +1 to CC rolls, +1 Wound at Short Range
Flame Thrower - 1 Flame Template, Limited Ammo., Terrifying
Spear (Thrown) 3/6” 1 Limited Ammo
Bow 9“/18” 1 -
Mounted Bow 6“/12” 1 -
Crossbow 9/18” 1 Reload, +1 Wound at Short Range
Field Gun***
-Light 18”/36” 3 AP1, Crew, Reload, Limited Arc of Fire
-Medium 24“/48” 4 AP2, Crew, Reload, Limited Arc of Fire
-Heavy 24”/48” 5 AP2, Crew, Reload, Limited Arc of Fire
Mortar 12-24“/48”**** 1 Blast 5, Crew, IF
Railgun 24/48” 1 AP3, Crew, Deadly
Fusion Gun 18”/36” 4 Crew, Splash, Terrifying

*Squad Support weapons can use 2 or 3 dice depending on player’s choice. If they choice 3 dice, they gain the
Ammo Hog trait.
**Missile Launcher ranges would be adjusted by period. Early versions like the Panzerfaust should probably be 8”/16“, while
a more modern missile launcher like the Javelin might be 18”/36“.
*** Field Guns can reroll misses at 12” to simulate cannister.
**** Mortars have a minimum range of 12”. Anything closer cannot be hit.
Ammo Hog- Becomes Low on Ammo if it rolls more 1s AND 2s than hits.
AP (Armor Piercing)-The listed number is what the target must subtract from their Armor roll, i.e. for AP1 an Armor roll of 8+
would become a 9+, etc.
Blast- Use a Blast template equal to rating (3 or 5). Center over target and roll one die for each member of unit more than half
under it, rolling to hit based on range of target point.
Crew- These weapons require a Crew to use. Number of crew is based on number of dice used in shooting.
Deadly- Automatically destroys their target on a natural die Wound roll of 10 or above.
Flame Template- Use the flame template. Roll for each member of unit more than half under it, hitting on a 5+ if in the first
band, 8+ in the second band.
IF (Indirect Fire)- See page 11 for rules on Indirect fire.
Limited Ammo- A “Low on Ammo” result means this weapon or unit is out of ammo for the rest of the game.
Limited Arc of Fire- Weapon can only fire to front 90 degrees.
Reload- Units automatically become Low on Ammo after every Shoot action (see page 12).
Splash Damage- May hit any unit within 3” of the original target unit. These extra hits are at a -1 to the Shoot roll.
Terrifying- Target unit automatically takes 1 extra Shock in addition to any other Wounds. Units friendly to the
target unit within 6” also gain a Shock marker.

10
Rolling to Hit Indirect fire
Roll d10 (or d8 for militia or just bad troops/d12 Weapons listed with the Indirect Fire capability
for elite troops) for each model in the unit. (IF) can target units they can’t see or draw a line
of sight to, as long as a friendly unit can see the
The base roll needed to hit is: target. Place a marker on the battlefield in sight
5+ for close range 8+ for long range of a friendly unit and within range. This is your
target point.
Artillery and crewed weapons will roll a number
of dice based on their type, usually based on the Unlike direct fire, which uses multiple dice to hit,
number of crew. For example, a Medium gun you’ll only use one die for indirect fire to roll to hit.
rolls 5 dice, one for each crew. As the crew takes
damage, the effectiveness of the gun does too, Roll to hit with the target as usual. If a success,
losing dice as it loses crew. roll a 10-sided-die close to the target point. The
die shows the distance in inches the round
More modern, near future or Sci-Fi units may deviates with the “point” of the die showing the
have units with a mix of weapons like rifles with a direction. Use the corresponding template
squad support weapon. Easy enough. Simply centered on the impact zone. Any unit partially
add in the extra dice provided the support under the template is hit with the number of dice
weapon. shown in the weapon profile, but only miniatures
“A unit of Space Troopers has 4 under the template can be removed as casual-
soldiers armed with laser rifles, ties. For example, if the template only covers 2
and one with a heavy laser members of a unit, but the Wound results in 3
repeater. They roll 4 dice for the Wounds, only the two under the template are
laser rifles and 3 dice for the removed. Shock still applies to the whole unit.
heavy laser for a total of 7 dice.
If the roll was a miss, use the procedure above,
The enemy target falls within long range for the but double the distance rolled.
laser rifles, but short range for the heavy laser.
The laser rifles need 8 or higher while the heavy If the same target point is targeted a second
laser only needs 5 or better. Just roll different consecutive time, and the roll is a success, the
color dice for the heavy.” round is on target and there is no deviation. They
have zeroed in. If the roll is a miss, deviate the
“Another example: You have a mixed unit of 12 distance rolled as above.
miniatures, 6 crossbowmen and their 6 shield
bearers. When they shoot, there are only 6 This can also be used to represent airstrikes on
crossbowmen, so they would only roll 6 dice. If your battlefield.
they are engaged in Close Combat, on the other
hand, all 12 would fight”.

Modifiers to Shooting -1 shooting at gun crews, Heroes or Command-

Remove a die for each Shock marker (a unit ers
down to 7 miniatures and 3 shock markers would
only roll 4 dice) -1 if target is in light cover

½ the number of dice (rounded up) if Low on -2 if target is in heavy cover

Ammo
+1 for a Large target such as a vehicle
+1 for Concentrated Fire
+1 Artillery or Crewed weapon shooting at a
-1 if unit Maneuvered Close Order unit

+/- for any traits

11
 “A French unit with 8 miniatures Cover
remaining and one Shock Our little metal or plastic soldiers are forever
marker is shooting at a unit of stuck in one pose. It would be wrong to think that
British behind a fence (light in their world, the world of the tabletop, they
cover) in short range. They aren’t actively crouching behind whatever cover
don’t move so decide to use they have, trying desperately not to be hit. Their
Concentrated Fire. real life counterparts are really good at finding
They roll 7 dice (8 minus 1 for the Shock marker) every scrap of cover. Therefore, we have to think
needing a “5” to hit (5+ for close range, -1 for the of cover in an abstract way.
fence, +1 for Concentrated Fire).
If a unit is behind a linear piece of terrain like a
Rolling 1s wall, even though the models may be standing
If more 1s are rolled than hits, the unit is Low on presenting a large target, in reality they are
Ammo. Low on ammo is a generic term. It could crouched down behind it.
actually mean erratic or ragged fire due to a
breakdown of fire discipline, or literally the unit If a unit is in contact with a solid wall, or inside a
has been blasting away and needs ammo from building looking out the windows, the unit counts
the rear. as in Heavy Cover, and this is a -2 to the die roll
of any unit shooting at it unless the shooters are
Units that are Low on Ammo fire at half their positioned in such a way to outflank the terrain.
allowed dice rounded up (first counting any For instance, the shooting unit is in the same
reductions for Shock) until they spend a turn building or same side of the wall.
reloading. This reload turn, the unit cannot make
any other Actions. The use of the 6 Special Card, It’s helpful if the player controlling the unit states
however, instantly reloads the unit and they may that they are in cover.
carry on as normal.
If a unit is behind a linear piece of terrain like a
Some weapons require a Reload between each wooden fence, or something less substantial
shot. See page 10 for examples. than stone, it is in Light Cover, and there is a -1
to the die roll of any unit shooting at it.
“The French unit from above
manages to roll more 1s on Area Terrain
their Concentrated Fire action Some areas on the tabletop can be identified as
than hits, and goes Low on Area Terrain. These are your woods or tall crops.
Ammo. The next turn they They should have a defined edge and be called
decide to fire anyway. With 8 out before the scenario to all players. A unit has
miniatures reduced to 7 eligible to be within 1” of the edge to shoot out or be shot
because of their 1 Shock marker. Their fire is at.
then reduced to 4 dice. Seven halved and round-
ed up is 4. While in Area Terrain, units receive the Light
Cover modifier of -1 to be shot at. Models more
Too bad they didn’t activate on a 6 card.” than 1” away from the edge of the terrain cannot
be targeted. If two units are within the same
feature, both are in Light Cover and only have
visibility of 6”. If they are more than 6” from each
other they cannot target each other.

12
 CLOSE COMBAT
Close Combat can only be initiated at the end of Winners and Losers
a Charge action. Like shooting, the closest The unit that causes the most Wounds wins, with
enemy unit must be targeted unless the closest losers falling back one move. If the number of
unit is in cover or is a Commander/Hero. If a unit Wounds inflicted is equal, then look to see which
wants to target a different unit, they must pass a side inflicted the most Shock. If both are still tied,
Hard (8+) Task roll first. the attacker is forced back one move. Opposing
units never end a turn still in contact.
You cannot Charge through enemy troops to hit a
target on the other side. You may move through If a unit is forced back through their own troops,
your own troops to Charge, but the friendly unit both units gain a Shock marker. This force back
charged through gains a Shock marker. move ignores penalties from Shock.

The procedure for Close Combat is similar to Attacking Cavalry that win a Close Combat may
Shooting. Both sides, attacker and defender, roll immediately make a follow up single move. This
a d10 (or d8 for militia or just bad troops/d12 for move may take them into contact with another
elite troops) for each model (or stand if using enemy unit, including the unit they just had
those) in the unit. combat with. In that case, another Close Combat
is fought. This follow up move can only be done
Base die roll to Hit once a turn.
Tribal 4+
Regulars 5+ Units who have already activated but have the
Irregulars 6+ Ready status may launch a countercharge if they
themselves are charged. If they pass a Regular
Modifiers to Close Combat Task (see Tasks, below) roll (5+) they may coun-
tercharge the enemy unit, negating the enemy
Remove a die for each Shock marker (a unit charge bonus in Close Combat. Only Mounted
down to 7 miniatures and 3 Shock markers units and infantry charging infantry may do this.
would only roll 4 dice)
+1 to roll if Attacker Attacking Regular Infantry that win a Close
+1 if in Close Order Combat may immediately move to occupy the
+1 to roll if unit has a friendly unit within 3”. This space vacated by retreating enemies. This move
bonus is only once no matter how many friend- may not put them into contact with the enemy.
lies in range.
+1 Defending an obstacle or fortified area Rolling 1s in Close Combat
Reroll misses if fighting a Close Order unit in If more 1s are rolled than hits, whether they are
the flank. considered the winner of the combat or not, the
unit retreats 1 move immediately and adds a
Shock marker.

“A unit of 8 Star-troopers uses its activation to charge a unit of 6 Rebels. The

Star-troopers have 1 Shock and the Rebels have 2 Shock. The Star-troopers roll
7 dice. They have 8 miniatures, but the Shock marker reduces them by one. They
are Regulars and would normally hit on a 5 or above, but they were the attacker
which gives them a +1 to all their dice. Now they hit on 4 or more. They roll their 7
dice roll and get 4 hits.
The Rebels fight back with only 4 dice due to their Shock, needing 5s or more. They roll, and only
get 1 hit. However, the Rebels have the Brawler trait and get to reroll their missed Close Combat
die rolls and are able to get 4 total hits of their own!”

13
 Close Combat Weapons
Name Notes

Hand Weapons Any one handed weappn like a sword, axe or club
Spears/Polearms/Bayonets Attacking Mounted -1 to Close Combat roll against spear armed unit
Pikes Attacking Mounted must reroll their hits if Pike unit is in Close Order
2-Handed Sword/Axes +1 to the Wound Roll
Weapon of Legend Heroes only, Deadly*
Mounted Lance Reroll misses in Close Combat. One use.
Shields Shield carrying troops count as Light cover vs bows, crossbows and
thrown spears.
Cannot combine with polearms, pikes or 2 handed weapons

*Deadly- Automatically destroys their target on a natural die Wound roll of 10 or above.

Samurai battle featuring the collection of James Sharpe

14
 WOUNDING
Roll a die for each hit scored: If a unit has more Shock markers than
remaining miniatures, it must fall back to
Die roll Result Regroup (see Regrouping, below).
0 or less No effect
1-5 Shock (unit receives a Shock Wounds
marker) Wounds cause actual miniature removal from the
6-8 Wound (remove a miniature unit for each Wound die result. This could be
from the unit) actual casualties but can also be troops that
9+ 2 Wounds (remove 2 minia have become ineffective from wounds or lost the
tures from the unit) will to fight.

“Of the seven Shooting dice If any Wounds are scored, you must see if the
used by the French, only four unit’s Leader was a casualty. Roll a d10 and
hit. Four dice are rolled to subtract -1 for each wound scored on the unit. If
Wound. The results are 3,5,7 the final score is 0 or below, the Leader has been
and 10. That means the British hit. See Leaders, below.
take 2 Shock markers and
remove 3 miniatures. A unit is eliminated when all its miniatures
They now check to see if the unit leader was hit have been removed by Wounds.
(see Leaders, below).
Modifiers to Wounds
Shock Roll half the dice (rounded up) of hits if:
Shock represents a temporary loss of courage. -Open Order Foot fighting Mounted in Close
This can be thought of as minor wounds or just Combat.
hesitation due to bullets or arrows whizzing past.
Mark units with a “Shock” marker for each die - Attacking units defending in hard cover in Close
result that comes up Shock. These can be found Combat.
in the back of the book, or you can use small dice
to track Shock. - Foot Shooting at Mounted in Close Combat.
This represents dividing the shots between rider
As a reminder, units that are activated using the and mount.
Queen of Spades can remove all Shock.
Example: 5 hits are scored. Only roll 3 dice on
Units with Shock markers have a minus to their the Wound chart.
move for each Shock marker. Thus, a Regular
unit with 2 Shock markers would only move 3”, or As a reminder, units that are activated using the
6” when moving At the Double. This may leave a Queen of Hearts can try to bring back stragglers
unit is immobile. Time to rally! or lightly wounded troops.

“Looking at our last example, both sides had inflicted 4 hits. They both roll 4 dice
on the Wound chart. The Star-troopers have the Killer trait and get to add a +1 to
each of their dice. After rolling, they score 2 Shock and 2 Wounds on the Rebels.
This means the Rebels are down to 4 miniatures in their group with 4 Shock
markers. Not enough to force a Regroup (we’ll talk about that later).
In return, the Rebels fight back inflicting 2 Shock and 3 Wounds (they managed to
roll a 9). Because the Rebels inflicted more casualties they are considered the winners and the
Star-troopers must fall back. Both might want to think about Rallying on their next activation!”

15
 RALLYING
As an action, a unit, Hero or Commander can try If all Shock markers are removed on this roll, the
to remove Shock markers. This is the Rally unit may either make one Move or one Shoot
action. To Rally a unit, Hero or Commander must action. If all of the Shock markers aren’t
roll a number of dice equal to the number of removed, the unit’s activation is over.
Shock markers, removing one for every roll that
scores equal to or higher to below: A unit activated with a Queen of Spades remove
all Shock markers.
Regulars, Vehicles or Gun crews: 5+
Irregulars: 6+ If more 1s are rolled than successes, the unit
Tribal: 7+ must fall back 1 move and gains another
Modify this roll: Shock marker. This may force a Regroup.
-1 if Leader is Out of Action
Unit Traits: +/-

REGROUPING

If a unit has more Shock markers than minia- If the unit was in Close Order, it defaults to Open
tures left in the unit it must Regroup. The Order. The unit may activate as normal on its
Regrouping unit must immediately fall back away next turn. However, with now limited movement
from the enemy 2 moves. This move ignores any and no dice to attack with because Shock is
terrain (other than impassable) or Shock penal- equal to the number of miniatures, the best
ties as the unit runs away. action is to Rally.

Remove all the excess Shock so that the number If the unit is forced to Regroup and has nowhere
of Shock markers equals the number of minia- to retreat to (cut off by terrain or enemies), it
tures in the unit. routes and is removed permanently.

READY
When activated, a unit can use its action to “A unit of Prussian Jaegers are
“Ready”. This can be considered overwatch or positioned on a hilltop. They
holding. The unit is waiting for an opportunity activate on a Jack of Hearts, but
later in the turn to strike at an enemy when they has no targets available. They
appear, or just holding to see what happens. use their action to Ready. We
Mark them with a Ready marker. They can then put a Ready marker next to
wait until later in the turn to interrupt another them to help remember.
unit’s actions to shoot, only at the unit that
activated, at a -1 to hit. This target must appear Later in the turn, an enemy breaks cover and
within line of sight of the Readied unit. moves across the open field. The Jaeger’s
player politely asks his opponent to hold his
As mentioned above, units who have already movement while he takes some shots. The shots
activated but have the Ready status may launch will be long range. He does not get the Jack of
a countercharge if they themselves are charged. Hearts +1 bonus to shoot.
If they pass a Regular Task roll (5+) they may
countercharge the enemy unit, negating their The Jaegers score a few hits, and the enemy
charge bonus in Close Combat. soldiers get to finish their move.”

The Ready action cannot be used in conjunction The Ready status goes away at the end of the
with a card’s special ability if it has one. If for turn.
instance, you activated with a Jack of Spades,
you cannot benefit from the +1 to shoot when
you interrupt later in the turn.

16
 MOUNTING/DISMOUNTING
A mounted unit can make a single move at its This action also includes troops loading and
mounted movement rate and dismount. A unloading from vehicles. Vehicles (see Vehicles)
dismounted unit can make a single infantry move activate on their own card. Units inside then
and mount or mount and then make a mounted disembark or load on their own card. A unit can
move. make a single move before loading into a vehicle
or can make a single move after unloading.

SETTING UP CREWED WEAPON

Some weapons are too large to be carried by a The following turn, the gun is ready to fire.”
single miniature. We class these as Crewed
Weapons. These weapons can be anything from Or
Canon, to Machine Guns, to Heavy Lasers. They
require some time to set up. It takes a unit “A machinegun crew has been firing the last two
equipped with these types of weapons a turn to turns and has decided they are attracting too
set up or break down. much attention. They spend the following turn
“A gun and limber moved last packing up their weapon and ammunition but
turn to its current location. On take 2 Shock markers from enemy fire while
this turn they decide to unlimber doing so.
and set up the gun. The limber
is set aside and the gun is point- When they finally move, they move at a -2” due
ed whichever way the player to the Shock they have accumulated.“
decides.

TASKS

Tasks are things that require rolls to accomplish, For example: Searching is a Regular Task,
like scavenging, setting crops on fire, breaking requiring a 5+. However, searching with an
down walls, calling in air support or shutting enemy unit within 6” becomes Hard.
down defense fields. Performing a Task is the
action for the unit, Hero or Commander. If a unit has any Shock markers, it has a -1 to any
Task rolls, per Shock marker.
TASK DIE ROLL
Easy 3+ A natural 10 or more, no matter how hard,
Regular 5+ passes a Task, and a “1” means something bad
Hard 8+ has happened. For instance, rolling a 1 while
trying to set some crops on fire means your
Tasks can be broken down into Easy, Regular torches went out.
and Hard. It’s really up to the players how tough
or easy a Task is. Some factors can make them Failing a Task without rolling a 1, makes the Task
easier or harder. If an enemy is within close one level harder the next try. A unit is trying to
range, move the Task difficulty up one level. destroy a barricade (Regular 5+). They fail with a
Players can also decide to make things easier, roll of “3”. Next turn they’ll need to make a Hard
like a robot breaking into a computer. roll (8+). If they fail again, it will take a 10+ on all
subsequent attempts.

17
 EXAMPLE OF A TURN
“Here’s an example of a couple “Steve rolls 3 dice on the Wound chart and gets
of turns. Our two players are 2 Shock and a Wound. Mike removes a miniature
Mike and Steve. For ease, we from his unit. Where’s that Queen of Hearts
aren’t using Heroes or Com- now?
manders.They each control 4
units. Steve is dealt: “Tens” are up next, but neither player has one, so
it’s on to “Nines”. Steve gets to go again.

He decides to try and close with Mike’s unit with

the 2 Shock. Steve Charges and makes contact.
Mike is dealt: A Close Combat ensues.

Close Combat is simultaneous. Steve has 10

men. Being Regulars, he rolls 10 dice, each
needing 4 or above (Regulars 5+ plus 1 for
Steve volunteers to be the Caller and starts with charging). He gets 7 hits! He rolls 4 Wounds and
“Kings!” 3 Shock. Mike fights back. Down to 9 with 2
Shock. He rolls 7 dice needing 5 or more. He
Mike has the King of Hearts so he discards it and gets 3 hits and gets 2 Shock and a Wound.
starts to activate a unit, but Steve interrupts him.
Scoring more Wounds means Steve wins and
Steve has decided to use his Ace of Clubs as a Mike must fall back 2 moves or 10 inches.
wild card King of Spades. Spades go before
Hearts in suit order. Steve activates first using it “Eights, Sevens, and Sixes” are called but no
to have his unit move At the Double, followed by one has these cards. When the “Five” comes up,
Mike with his King of Hearts. Mike has one of his Mike uses it to Maneuver and scores a few hits.
units Form Up.
The same for Steve when his “Three” is called.
“Queens” is called next. Only Mike has a Queen. But Steve rolls more 1s than hits. Mike's unit
It is the Queen of Hearts, which used as a takes a hit but now Steve’s unit is Low on Ammo.
Special Card allows him to return one or two
casualties to a unit. Mike has no units with lost When the “Two” comes up, Mike uses it for its
troops, so this one just gets used as a regular Special Card ability. Any unit activated by the
card. Deuce can reroll any misses.

Mike uses the card to Maneuver his unit. His At 11” he is within Close range for his unit’s rifles.
target unit is at long range and his troops will be He initially rolls a 6 hits and 4 misses. He takes
firing at a -1 for Maneuvering. He manages a few the 4 misses and rolls them again, adding 2 more
9s. He rolls the two dice that hit on the Wound hits for a total of 8 hits!
chart but only puts 2 Shock on Steve’s unit.
When Mike rolls his 8 dice to wound, he scores
“Jacks” are next. Steve activates another unit 2,3,3,4,6,9,9 and 10. Four Shock and 7 Wounds.
Shoot. Steve gets a +1 because he activated his That leaves Steve’s unit down to 3 troops. With
unit with a “One Eyed Jack”, which used as a more Shock than miniatures left in the unit,
Special Card, gives him +1 on Shooting rolls. Steve’s unit must Regroup.

Mike’s unit is 13” away. Steve’s unit have rifles, The turn is over. All units have activated.”
making it long range. Long range requires an 8+
to hit. Steve has 10 men in his unit needing now
7s or above to hit. Three dice score 7 or more.

18
 EXAMPLE OF A TURN
“All cards are shuffled. Mike uses a Four to Ready one of his units.
On Turn 2, both players still get
4 cards. The other Four is used to move At the Double to
Steve gets: some high ground.

Steve has the final card and activates it with his

Three. He risks it and uses the card to Charge
Mike’s Ready unit. Steve starts moving his unit.

Mike gets: Mike asked him to stop a few inches short of his
waiting unit. He rolls his Shoot dice and manag-
es to cause a few casualties as well as Shock to
Steve’s unit. It isn’t enough to make Steve’s unit
Regroup so the Charge continues.
When “Kings” are called, Mike uses his King of
Spades to go first, but Steve had also thrown in They fight a Close Combat. Steve has to fight
his Ace as a wild card to be a King of Spades. with less miniatures and the Shock he accumu-
Mike has the “real” King and goes first. lated. In the ensuing brawl, Mike is able to finish
off the remaining soldiers in Steve’s unit.
Mike uses his Ace and shoots. He puts a few
Wounds on one Steve’s already weakened units. That’s it for this turn. Next turn, Steve will only
have 3 cards to match his 3 units.”
Steve uses his activation to Rally his unit that
had to Regroup. He has 3 Shock on that unit In this example we didn’t use a Commander or
(after the Regroup, you reduce the Shock to Hero. We’ll explain those in the next section.”
match the remaining miniatures). Steve rolls 3
dice looking for 5 or more on each die. He rolls 3,
5 and 7. That’s enough to get rid of 2 Shock.
Because he didn’t rid of all of the Shock, the unit
is done.

“Queens” is called and Mike uses his Ace of

Clubs as wild to be a Queen of Hearts. He
activates a unit that has a casualty. A Queen of
Hearts let him roll a die. On an odd roll, he gets 1
soldier back, on evens, he gets 2 back. As the
unit only has one casualty, there is no need to
roll. He can’t have more troops than he started
with.

Since he used a Special Card, Mike still has his

activation. He decides to Maneuver to get his
troops into cover. They move then let loose some
fire. Steve’s unit is hit and Mike makes the usual
Wound rolls for it.

The cards are called until “Sixes” come up. Steve

has an unactivated unit that’s Low on Ammo. He
uses and the unit automatically reloads. With his
action still left, Steve Forms Up, thinking a
Charge might be headed his way.
Photo courtesy of Nick Futter

19
 BUILDING YOUR UNITS
We’re using the term unit, but it could just as When determining relative sizes of units, a basic
easily be warband, cadre, squad, whatever you rule is what looks and feels right to you. Remem-
want for your period or genre. Each unit will be ber, this is a toolbox for you to use. Keep all the
made of a number of miniatures. The exact units fighting close to the same size? Maybe you
number of miniatures is up to you based on the need some forces larger than others? A horde of
type of game you are playing. For example, for a Zulus or Undead just looks better with more
more modern period, you might want 5-6 man miniatures.
units, but for Colonial or Medieval period troops,
10-12 miniatures might look better. Example unit sizes
Squad level: 5-6 miniatures
If using stands, that is multiple miniatures mount- Regular Foot: 10-12 miniatures
ed on the same base, you can choose to count Irregular Foot: 12-16
whole stands when determining size, essentially Regular Mounted: 6-8
counting a stand like a single miniature. Or, use Irregular Mounted: 8-10
a way to keep track of individual miniature losses Guns and crews: 3-4 plus gun
on the stands, like a die or roster system. Tribal Foot: 12-16

A 6mm stand of troops. You’ll need a way 15mm stands of troops. Just remove stands
to track hits, and show the strength as casualties rather than single miniatures.
of the unit, but perfectly acceptable.

A 10 miniature strong unit

of 28mm miniatures.

28mm crossbows mounted 6 to a stand for a 12 miniature unit.

In this case, you’ll need to a way to track casualties since you
can’t exactly remove miniatures.

20
Unit types One of your units will be the most experienced
We’re breaking down units into 3 broad catego- and dedicated. These can be thought of as your
ries: Foot, Mounted and Guns. Vehicles will be command unit or simply the most trusted. Think
discussed later in the Advanced rules. Foot and of the chief’s huscarls, a unit of grizzled veterans
Mounted units are further subdivided into Regu- or fanatical bodyguards of the Galactic Overlord.
lars, Irregulars and Tribal. This really has more to This unit will get 3 traits.
do with training and limits what Traits a unit can
have. Your second unit has seen a bit of action. They
know what to expect in combat and have picked
Each unit has a Shoot die type and a Close up a few things along the way. This unit has 2
Combat die type. These are the type of dice used traits
by a unit for each associated action. The default
die type is a 10-sided die (d10). This can change The rest of your units will be average troops.
based on unit traits. These are somewhat experienced troops. Each
have 1 trait. This trait can be the same or differ-
Units are further defined by the Traits you assign ent to each unit to give variety.
them. This where you can really customize and
make your units feel right for the tabletop world You can elect to replace one of your units with a
they are fighting in. Hero. This is a person of legend spoken only of
in hushed whispers. They can add personality to
Each player will build a force of around 5 units your force and used correctly might even turn the
and a Commander. This is because that’s around tide of battle. They are explained later in depth.
the amount most players can keep track of
easily. Finally, you can elect to trade 1 of your units for 2
units of Grunts. You are sacrificing quality for
First, we’ll start with a Commander. This person quantity. Grunts are anything from unenthusias-
commands all the units you’re about to build. tic hordes of pressganged peasants to enthusi-
Depending on what scale your Bigger Battle is, astic conscripts but with little training. Grunts are
he or she could be anything from a low level always Green (see Negative Traits, below) and
officer to a general. Commanders are explained can never be Regulars. Grunts only have 1 Trait.
in depth below, after Unit Traits.

UNIT TRAITS
Assigning Traits to your units is what really gives R: Regulars only
them character and helps differentiate a unit of I: Irregulars only
Viking beserkers from cyborg commandos. The T: Tribal only
following are listed for completeness and won’t H: Heroes only
always fit the type of game you are playing. I C: Commanders only
don’t think you’ll have any Flier troops in a
Renaissance battle, unless they are Leonardo Agile (Dodge): If the unit, Hero or Commander
Da Vinci’s famed Birdman troops! I suggest is the target of shooting, it can immediately make
trying the first few games without Unit traits. a single move towards cover after wounds are
Traits cannot be taken by a unit, Hero or Com- determined. This bonus move cannot take them
mander twice unless specifically stated in their into combat or be used if the unit is forced to
description. Regroup.

Traits might have letters at the end of the Amphibious: An amphibious unit, Hero or Com-
description. If there isn’t a letter, it means the trait mander has no movement penalty for moving in
can be chosen by any unit, Hero or Commander. water. This ability could be due to special equip-
ment or training.

21
Armored: The unit, Hero or Commander has Coolheaded: A unit, Hero or Commander with
noticeably more armor than other troops. After this trait has +1 to Rally rolls. (R, H, C)
Wound results have been established, roll a die
for each type, i.e. Shock and Wounds. Every Cunning: This unit, Hero or Commander may
result of 8 or more drops the Wound result by a re-roll any Task roll once per turn.
level: Wounds become Shock, Shock becomes
no effect. Deadeyes: This unit, Hero or Commander has a
+1 to Shoot rolls.
For example: A unit of Star Troopers takes 5 hits.
The Wound roll results in 3 Shock and 2 Defensive Fighters: If this unit or Hero is the
Wounds. The Star Trooper player rolls for the 3 defender in an attack (i.e. they were attacked by
Shock. He rolls 3, 5, and 8. One of the Shock another unit or Hero) and win, they may immedi-
becomes “no effect”. He then rolls for the ately make a Charge of their own against the
Wounds and gets a 6 and 9, dropping one of the attacker. (R, I, T, H)
Wounds to a Shock. The Star Troopers end up
with 3 Shock and one Trooper removed as a Determined: This unit, Hero or Commander
casualty. ignores Shock penalties in Close Combat.

This trait can be taken twice to create a unit that Eagle Eyed: Increase the unit, Hero or Com-
is Heavily Armored. This means they armor mander’s weapon’s short range by 2” and long
reduces hits on a 6 or more. It also reduces a unit range by 4”.
move by 1” per move action.
Encouraging: As their action for the turn, a Hero
Bloodthirsty: The unit or Hero must use a or Commander can remove all Shock markers
Charge action if an enemy is within Charge (dou- from a unit within 12” or that they are attached to.
ble move) distance. They gain a +1 on their (H, C)
Close Combat dice rolls and +1 on the Wound
rolls. (I, T, H) Extra Training (Fancy Footwork): The unit,
Hero or Commander counts Shock as well as
Bodyguard: This Hero or Commander has a Wounds to determine Combat wins. (R, H, C)
bodyguard. He or she may apply a Wound result
to any friendly unit within 6” instead of taking the Fearless: A Hero or Commander can reroll a
Wound themselves. (H,C) missed Rally roll. (H, C)

Brutes: This unit, or Heroes are savages or Ferocious: A unit, Hero or Commander may add
berserkers and have no ranged combat abilities +1 to Wound rolls in Close Combat.
but move up one die type (d10 to d12) for Close
Combat. Because they are all attack and no Fliers: This unit can fly! Be it jetpacks or wings,
defense, defenders may reroll any Wound roll this unit can ignore terrain when moving. It is
results against the Brutes. This trait cannot be assumed they are landed or close to the surface
combined with Armored or given to Grunts. (I, T, at the end of each move. Fliers cannot be in
H) Close order.

Brawler: Once per turn, this unit, Hero or Com- Flurry of Blows: If a Close Combat attack only
mander may re-roll their Close Combat dice. causes Shock, the unit, Hero or Commander
fights a second round of Close Combat immedi-
Camouflaged: The unit, Hero or Commander ately before winners are determined.
gets an additional -1 to be hit while in cover.
Impervious: A Hero or Commander ignores
Cold Blooded: This Hero gains an additional +1 Wound penalties on Close Combat and Shooting
in Close Combat for each Shock and Wound rolls. In other words, even if your Hero has only
Marker his or her target, unit or individual, has. one Wound left, they still roll their original
(H) number of dice, usually 3, for attacks. (H, C)

22
Indomitable: Unit, Heroes and Commanders Medics: This unit has medics or healers. If a
with this Trait can remove all Shock markers by Hero, the hero has healing abilities. A Hero must
using entire turn. be adjacent to a unit to try to help, but a unit can
try to heal itself, not other units or Heroes. This is
Infiltrators: Once a scenario has defined start- a Regular Task (5+) roll. If successful, the unit
ing positions, this unit, Hero or Commander may gets 1 miniature back. This cannot take the unit
immediately move 12” in any direction. to more miniatures than it started with. (R, H, C)

Inspiring: Your commander is so inspiring, they Mixed: This unit has a mix of Close Combat and
gain an extra Regular unit for their force. (C) ranged weapons. The unit gains the benefit of
both kinds of weapons. For example, a mixed
Invulnerable: A Hero or Commander may re-roll unit of 6 Spearmen and 6 Crossbows has the
one failed Rally roll. (H, C) defensive bonus against cavalry a Spear unit
has, along with damage inflicted at range that
Killers: Units, Heroes or Commanders may add crossbows have. However, the unit will only roll
+1 to Wound rolls when Shooting. dice equal to the type of combat being fought. In
the example above, the unit would roll 6 dice for
Large: The members of this unit are bigger than the Spears in Close Combat, and 6 when Shoot-
most, like elephants or ogres. That makes them ing. This is a great trait for Pike and Shot units.
an easy target. Enemies shooting at this unit get
a +1 to their roll. However, their immense size When Wounds are inflicted, the owner of the unit
forces enemies to reroll any Wound results (6 or must try and spread the casualties between the
better) on the Wound chart. Large units or two types as evenly as possible. (R, I, T)
Heroes add +1 to any Wound rolls they deliver in
Close Combat. (R, I, T, H) Mounted: This unit, Hero or Commander is
mounted. Mounted units get this trait for free.
Lightning Fast: If a Hero is the target of a This trait is really for infantry units to be able to
successful Shoot action, immediately make a field mounted or dismounted like dragoons or
Hard Task roll (8+). If successful, the shots miss. mounted infantry types.
(H)
Natural Weapons: This unit or Hero has claws,
Loads of Ammo: Ignore first Low Ammo roll of fangs or horns to receive a +1 to Close Combat
the game. (R, H, C) rolls. (I,T,H)

Loyal: When this unit, Hero or Commander is Nerves of Steel: Ignore one Shock result each
forced to Regroup, instead remove enough time wound results are rolled for this unit, Hero or
Shock markers to equal remaining miniatures Commander. For example, if a unit takes 2
left, or Wounds in the case of Heroes or Com- Wounds and 2 Shock from shooting, reduce it to
manders, as long as another unit from its com- 2 Wounds and 1 Shock. (R, H, C)
mand is still on the table.
Poison/Venom (only for the truly dastardly): The
Lucky: A Hero may re-roll any die roll once a trait is presented more for fantasy or to represent
turn. (H) chemical weapons. If a unit causes at least one
wound in Close Combat, roll once on the Wound
Master: This Hero rolls twice the amount of dice chart at the end of every turn for the poisoned
in Close Combat and picks the best results. In target. They can only be “healed” by a Queen of
Close combat, Heroes roll a number of dice Hearts. If more 1s are rolled than hits in Close
equal to their remaining wounds. A Hero with the Combat, the unit (or individual) is out of poison
Master trait with 3 wounds would roll 6 dice in for the rest of the game.
Close Combat and choose the best 3 results,
ignoring the other 3 dice. (H) Quick: This unit, Hero or Commander adds +2”
on each Move Action.

23
Ranged Fighters: Unit has a d12 when it comes Squad Support: A unit may give one of the
to Shoot actions, but a d8 for Close Combat. The members a Squad Support weapon or missile
d12 is used to for Shooting Wound rolls, while launcher. (R, I)
the d8 is used for Close Combat Wounds. Only
one unit in your command can be Ranged Fight- Steady: This unit, Hero or Commander ignores
ers and they cannot also have the Green trait Shock penalties when Shooting. (R, H, C)
(see Negative Traits, below).
Stealthy: A unit, Hero or Command is good at
Rangers: Units, Heroes and Commanders with using every fold in the field or bit of cover. This
this trait Ignore terrain penalties for movement. gives them a -1 to be hit if the target of Shooting.

Sixth Sense: A Hero with this trait can force an Swordsman, or Handy with a Bayonet: This
enemy to re-roll any Shooting rolls action against unit, Hero or Commander are particularly well
him or her once a turn. (H) trained or armed for close combat and receive a
+1 to Close Combat rolls.
Slippery: If targeted by a Charge, the unit or
Hero may try to make an out of sequence Regu- Thunderous Charge: A unit, Hero or Command-
lar (5+) Task roll. If successful, this unit or Hero er adds an additional +1 to Close Combat roll if
can fall back a full move before the enemy they are the attacker.
contacts. In addition, unit may first make a Shoot
action with half dice. If the enemy is able to Tough as Nails: A Hero or Commander has 4
contact after this move, fight as usual. This is Wounds instead of the standard 3. (H, C)
great trait to represent Light Cavalry. (I, T, H)
2 Fisted: A Hero can roll a Close Combat die for
Skirmishers: This unit can use the Maneuver every opponent he or she is facing in Close
action with no penalty to Shooting. They cannot, Combat instead of just their current number of
however, use the Form Up action or be in Close Wounds. They still have a penalty to the die roll
Order. for Shock, unless they have another trait that
offset this. For example, a hero engaging a unit
Small: The members of this unit are physically of 5 enemies would roll 5 dice minus any Shock
small. Enemies attacking this unit have a -1 to he has. (H)
their roll. However, their small size lets enemies
reroll any Shock results (1-5) on the Wound Two Guns: A Hero can roll a Shoot die for every
chart. opponent he or she is Shooting at instead of just
their current number of Wounds. They still have a
Smart: This Unit, Hero or Commander has a +1 penalty to the die roll for Shock, unless they have
to all Task rolls. another trait that offset this. For example, a hero
shooting at a unit of 5 enemies would roll 5 dice
Snipers: A unit, Hero or Commander may re-roll minus any Shock he has. (H)
missed Shoot dice. Limit to one unit a command.
Unstoppable: Once per turn, if this unit or Hero
Solid as a Rock: This unit, Hero or Commander wins a Close Combat, they may immediately
is never forced back or moved in Close Combat. engage another enemy up to one single move
Unless you are forced to Regroup, attacker will action away, or enemy they have already
be forced back a move after combat. (R, H, C) engaged with. Cavalry already have this ability,
but this trait allows them a bonus attack if the last
Soulless: This unit or Hero has no fear (or is was successful. Infantry can’t normally attack
incapable of it). Shooting at them gives the after a Close Combat. This trait allows them to.
enemy a +1 to their rolls, but this unit or Hero
ignores any Shock results on the Wound chart. Veterans: A Veteran unit, Hero or Commander
This trait is perfect for undead or robots. (R, I, T, uses 12-sided-dice (d12) for all rolls. There can
H) only be one of these units and one individual per
command.

24
 NEGATIVE TRAITS
When building a unit, you can elect to take a (N) Slow: -1” to movement Actions
Negative (N) Trait in order to gain another
positive trait. This can only be done once. (N) Unlucky: Each enemy unit may re-roll any
die roll against this unit once a turn.
(N) Brittle- Enemies add +1 to Wound Rolls.
(N) Understrength: Unit starts the game with
(N) Don’t like it up at ‘em: -1 to all Close d8/2 rounded up less miniatures. You can “heal”
Combat rolls. during the game as usual with a Queen of Hearts
to bring them to full strength.
(N) Green troops: Unit uses a d8 for all rolls.
(N) Yellow Bellies: You must roll a 5+ before
(N) Gun-shy: Unit has a -1 to Wound rolls made engaging in Close Combat.
against opponents when shooting.
“Let’s build a unit with a Nega-
(N) Heavy Triggers: When a Low on Ammo tive trait. It’s time to build Leon-
result is rolled, roll again. On a “1, 2 or 3” unit is ardo’s Birdmen Archers. We'll
completely out of ammo for the rest of the game. start with the Flier trait. They
No Shooting. Playing a 6 card doesn’t change wouldn’t be much of birdmen
this. without it!
To give them another trait, we’ll have to give this
(N) Poor shots: Missed that part of the training: unit a Negative trait. Since these archers like to
-1 to shoot dice stay above the fray, it’s only fitting we give them
the Don’t like it up at ‘em. In return, we can give
(N) Poorly armed: Long range weapons fire with them another trait. Deadeye seems like good
1/2 dice (rounded up). trait for archers.”

Traits from any of the Fistful of Lead supplements, not covered here, can be easily added
to this list. Just make sure your opponents are aware of any changes.
. Traits are a way to add flavor to your units as well as tell a story. Are your troops Deter-
mined because they are grizzled veterans or crazed zealots? Are they Killers because of
training or special ammunition? The story is up to you.

ARMING YOUR TROOPS

For the most part, members of a unit will be Giving your American Revolution troops assault
armed the same. However, some traits like rifles isn’t going to get you a lot of friends to play
Mixed or Squad Support allow some members to with. Unless, of course, you’re playing an alter-
have a different weapon. When a unit takes nate reality game in which Ben Franklin invents
Shock and reduces the number of dice that can some steam powered repeaters to bring down
be rolled, the owning player can decide which those pesky British airships.
miniatures and their weapons are used. For
example, a unit with 4 rifles and a Squad support It’s not necessary to list every weapon a unit may
weapon has 3 shock. The player decides the 3 carry, just their primary. With a unit of pikemen,
shock are on the riflemen. the pikes would be the weapon that effects the
unit’s performance even though they might carry
When deciding how to equip your troops, its best swords as well, but you can only use one.
to look at history, or at least your favorite movie
for inspiration. At the end of the rules are a few pages of exam-
ple troops we’ve put together to get you started.

25
 COMMANDERS AND HEROES
Players should elect to create an overall com- “Scott uses a card to activate
mander for their forces. This can be a single his Commander. The Com-
model (or model with staff). We use a method mander is within a 5” standard
similar to creating a Leader in the standard move of a unit of lancers. Even
Fistful of Lead rules. This means they can though he himself isn’t a mount-
choose 3 Traits from the Traits above. ed figure he takes on the unit’s
movement rate.
During the turn the Commander or Hero is dealt Let’s assume they have a mount for the boss.
their own card which they will activate just as a Later in the same turn, the lancers activate. The
unit. attached Commander moves along with them.
The lancers Charge an enemy unit. In the ensu-
Commanders ing brawl, the lancers get to use the Command-
An unattached (see below) Commander gives a er’s Killer trait and get +1 to all their Wound rolls
+1 to any unit Rally rolls within 12”. When a com- as well rerolling their missed Close Combat
mander activates they can make any of the stan- because the Commander is attached.
dard actions. In addition, choose one of the
following: The next turn, his work done, the Commander
detaches from the lancers on his activation. A
• Remove 1 Shock marker from any unit within nearby unit is within his standard move, but he
12”. This does not require a roll but uses the can’t detach, and re-attach to another unit in the
Commanders action. same turn.”

• Attach to a unit for an action if within a single Heroes

move distance. While attached, the Commander Heroes are single miniatures that can be built
adds a +2 to Rally rolls to parent unit. The unit using the rules for Commanders but are handled
may also Reroll misses in Close Combat. This slightly different. Being larger than life, Heroes
extra miniature counts towards the unit size are bit tougher than most. When fighting they
when checking to see if a unit needs to Regroup, use as many dice as possible wounds they have.
but not towards Shooting or Close Combat. This would be 3 for a standard leader in Fistful of
Lead Core rules. However, they receive a -1 for
While attached, the Commander will move when every Shock marker they have to their Shooting,
the unit moves. They lose the ability to influence Close Combat and movement (unless they have
other troops, like give a +1 to Rally rolls, but most a trait that would let them ignore shock, such as
importantly give the unit any Traits the Com- Steady).
mander has, such as Veteran. A Commander is
also vulnerable as a Leader Casualty (see Example: Baron Von Bombast is a Hero. He is
below) as normal. shooting at a group of French Marines. He is at
full strength so he would roll 3 d10s. Later in the
Units forced back by combat or forced to turn, the Marines fire back and herr Baron gets a
Regroup takes the Commander with them. Shock and a Wound. Now, when he fights it will
He/she is swept along with the herd. If a unit falls only be with one die to reflect his Shock and the
back through a detached Commander, he does Wound.
not gain a Shock.
Heroes can join units just like Commanders but
The Commander can detach and move away confer none of the morale bonuses or share their
from the unit when he/she activates for an action traits like a Commander does. They can, howev-
but cannot then attach to another unit in the er, add any dice to Shooting or Close Combat
same turn. they may have.

For purposes of Shooting and Close Combat, Attaching a Commander or Hero to a unit at
Commanders only have one die. However, they the right time can turn the tide of a battle, but
count as having 3 Wounds, unless they have trait knowing when is the key to the game.
that modifies this.

26
Targeting Commanders and Heroes If a Commander is put Out of Action by loss of all
A Commander or Hero can only be the target of wounds, all units in his command receive a
Shooting or a Charge if they are more than 6” Shock Marker. This may force a unit to Regroup.
away from a friendly unit. If targeted, and within
6” of a friendly unit, a Commander will automati- If a unit takes any Wounds (casualties) while a
cally move to the safety of the closest unit and Hero or Commander is attached, you must check
attach. to see if they are hit. If a unit takes at least 1
casualty (not Shock) roll a d10. Subtract 1 from
If farther away than 6” the Commander or Hero is the die for each Wound inflicted in the attack. If
an eligible target. If not outright put out of action, the result is 0 or below, the attached Hero or
a Commander or Hero will be forced to Regroup Commander is hit. Reduce their remaining
if their Shock markers become more than their wounds by 1. If this reduces them to zero, they
remaining wounds. are Out of Action and removed from play.

UNIT LEADERS
What follows is optional, but adds a little added 19-21 Truly Ugly- Not much to look at, but no
enjoyment. You can include Leaders to each other discernible capabilities.
unit. This can add, subtract or not change
anything about your unit. Each unit has a Leader 22-24 Coward- The first time his unit takes a
with a trait that affects the unit they are part of. casualty, roll d10: 6+ he deserts his unit.
They count as one of the figures that make up a
unit instead of an extra miniature and unlike 25-27 Near sighted- No shooting beyond short
Heroes or Commanders are permanently range.
attached.
28-30 Drill master- Unit Shooting rolls at +1.
Before the game, roll d100. This means rolling
two 10-sided-dice. One counts as the tens (the 31-33 Sprinter- Unit moves +1” when moving.
first number) and the other as the Ones (second +2” At the Double.
number). A roll of “00” would be read as “100”.
34-36 Drunkard- Roll before the game. Odds
01-03 Complete Dullard- -1 to all Rally, Shoot- he’s liquored up and all unit rolls are at a -1. Even
ing and Close Combat by unit. rolls they get a +1. This state can be removed by
using the Queen of Hearts special card.
04-06 Handsome Bloke- Good looking fellow
but no other discernible capabilities. 37-39 Well connected- Unit gets an extra Trait
or upgrade to weapons.
07-09 Bit of the Consumption- His unit may not
move At the Double. 40-42 Crack shot- Reroll one shoot die.

10-12 Weakling- Do not count his miniature in 43-45 Shirker- His unit won’t Shoot or Close
Close Combat when his unit fights. Combat unless his unit is shot at or charged.

13-15 Lilly Livered- His unit must maneuver in 46-48 Bullet Magnet- He is Out of Action on a
such a way to stay out of enemy charge range Leader casualty roll of 0, 1 or 2. See Leader
when possible. Casualties, below.

16-18 Untested- Roll before the game, 1-5: unit 49-51 Pleasant Fellow- Nice chap but no char-
fights as Militia, 6-9 fight as d10, 10 use a d12 acter in battle.
he’s a God Among Men (see below).

27
52-53 Poor Planner- After each Shoot or Leader Casualties
Concentrated Fire that ends up with a Low on Similar to the procedure for attached Heroes and
Ammo result, roll a die. On a “1’” the unit is com- Commanders, if a unit takes at least 1 casualty
pletely out of Ammo for the rest of the game. (not Shock) roll a d10. Subtract 1 from the die for
each Wound inflicted in the attack. If the result is
54-56 Bit of a Cad- Unit must retreat 2 full 0 or below roll of the chart below:
moves when losing a Close Combat.
Leader Casualty Chart
57-59 Stalwart- +1 to Rally rolls. 1-5: “Just grazed me!” Unit takes an additional
Shock marker
60-62 Lucky- His unit may reroll a throw of the
dice once a turn. 6-8: “Wounded!” Leader has taken a wound
and moved to the rear. Unit loses any abilities
63-71 Fine Fellow- Nothing more, nothing less. (traits) granted by the Leader. If the unit is forced
to Regroup, roll d10. 1-5: Leader remains Out of
72-75 Yellow- His unit will only shoot at enemies Action. 6-10: Leader can join the unit to fight
when possible and cannot willingly contact an again.
enemy.
9-10: “Most definitely dead”. Unit loses any
76-78 True Gentleman- His unit will not charge abilities (traits) granted by the Leader.
or shoot a unit with Shock if another unshaken
unit is within range. This ignores the usual Task The use of Unit Leaders is completely optional,
rule to shoot a unit that is not the closest. but it is a great way to sneak in an extra trait of
sorts to a unit.
79-81 Fix Bayonets!- If within Charge range,
unit must Charge to Close Combat Design Notes
These build rules are just guide lines. They
82-84 Swordsman- +1 for unit in Close Combat. are not set in stone. Players can adapt them
to fit their view of the troops portrayed.
85-87 Bald- Luckily, he has a sun helmet.
A good rule of thumb is that if you add some-
88-90 Inspiring- May reroll a Rally roll. thing to a unit, try to balance it out with a
negative. Giving a unit extra armor might
91-94 Brave- Unit ignores the effects of multiple mean they are slower. Making them better
Shock markers until they reach Regroup level. shots might mean they aren’t as good in
Close Combat.
95-97 Master Strategist- If activated on a red
card, unit gets an extra single move or shoot Most importantly, any changes you make
action should be discussed with your opponent
before the game. Remember, this isn’t a
98-100 God Among Men- His unit become competition game!
Veterans and he gives them a +1 to Rally rolls

©Pulp Figures Mexican Revolution from author’s collection

28
Commanders and Heroes Example

TURN 1 TURN 1 continued

Commander moves 5” (one move) Unit makes a Maneuver action.
and attaches to a unit. The Commander moves with the unit.
It benefits from the Commander’s Deadeye
trait and receives a +1 to Shoot rolls,
eliminating the -1 from Maneuver action.

TURN 2 TURN 2 continued

The unit is the target of enemy shooting The Commander activates and decides to
and takes 2 wounds and a Shock. The owning detach from the unit. There is another unit
player rolls for Leader casualties. The unit close, but he cannot detach and reattach
Leader is rolled for and survives. Next, the in the same turn.
Commander is checked. He too survives.
The player removes 2 miniatures from the unit.

TURN 2 continued TURN 3

The unit uses its action to Form Up. The Commander activates and uses his
ability to remove 1 Shock from a unit within
12”.

29
 VEHICLES
If you want to have vehicles on your battlefield, Vehicle Movement
they are treated for the most part, just like units. Vehicles move if much the same way as units,
They will have a movement rate, and a number with their movement rate based on their size.
of Damage Points which act like wounds or casu- Small: 10”
alties of units. Medium: 8”
Large: 6”
The Shoot dice are based on the skill of the Huge: 4”
gunner manning the weapons, while the Close
Combat dice are based on how rugged the Vehicles can make any number of turns during
vehicle is or any antipersonnel weapons they it’s activation, but some movement modes may
carry. change this.

In addition, vehicles will come in different sizes: Terrain can will also affect a vehicle’s movement
Small, Medium, Large and Huge. There will also rate based on what kind of movement mode it
be a listing if there is additional room for passen- has, such as Wheeled, Hover, or Tracked. The
gers. default mode is Wheeled. The rest are Vehicle
Traits (see below).
Vehicle Activation
Each vehicle is dealt a card just like units are. Open: Fairly obvious, nothing that would impede
When they activate, they have the similar choic- movement, open fields or streets. No Deduction.
es as units as to what to do:
Move at the Double- Trying to cover as much Difficult: Includes woods, fields full of crops,
ground as possible, giving up the ability to Shoot. marsh, shallow streams and rubble. Move at Half
Maneuver- Moving and Shooting but at the cost rate. Wheeled vehicles must make a Bog Check
of accuracy. If a vehicle moves, there’s a -1 to all as soon as they enter Difficult terrain. See Bog
Shoot rolls. Checks in the Vehicle Task section, below.
Shoot- Sit place and blast away with all weapon
systems. Impassable: Cliffs, wide and deep rivers. As the
Charge- Trying to overrun a position or ramming name says, impassable.
another vehicle.
Rally- The crew trying to shake off any Shock Obstacles: Walls, fences and buildings. If a
they have acquired. If a vehicle has more Shock vehicle collides with a another vehicle, or obsta-
than remaining damage, the vehicle will cle like a big rock or building, the crew will have
Regroup. Under certain circumstances, they may to make a Collision check (see Collisions,
even Bail. below). Collisions will likely damage the vehicle
Ready- Wait to see what the enemy will do. and crew.
Mount/Dismount- Some vehicles have the
Transport trait allowing them to carry troops. Roads: Roads don’t provide any bonus for
movement, but they do provide a bit of Open
You will notice Form Up, Concentrated Fire, Set terrain to cross areas of rough.
Up Weapon and Complete a Task, are not on the
list. Crews may be asked to make a Task roll
during the course of game, such as making a
bog check, but this is done at the time of the
occurrence.

Vehicle Sizes- Rather than number of miniatures in a unit, vehicles have sizes that determine how much
damage they can take, how many weapons and what kind they can carry, as well as how fast they are.
Small: Scout Vehicles, Mech suits Damage points: 2 Move: 10”
Medium: Transport trucks, Command vehicles. Damage points: 3 Move: 8”
Large: Battle Walker, Tanks Damage points: 4 Move: 6”
Huge: Battle Wagons, Heavy Tanks Damage points: 6 Move: 4”

30
Vehicle Shooting Vehicle Close Combat & Collisions
Shooting is handled in much the same way as If a vehicle moves to touch another vehicle, a
units, but the number of dice is based on the unit or obstacle, a collision might occur.
weapon type instead of number of miniatures.
Vehicle vs Vehicle- Both vehicles must make an
immediate Hard Task roll (8+). If a vehicle fails, it
Sample Weapons bounces 2” away from the other vehicle. The
Range Dice vehicle rolls on the Vehicle Damage chart (see
Hvy Machine Gun Damaging Vehicles, below) with a modifier
18”/36” 4
Light Gun based on the size of the other vehicle:
18”/36” 3
Medium Gun Small +1
24“/48” 4
Heavy Gun Medium +2
24”/48” 5
Large +3
Huge +4

When rolling to Shoot dice, roll each weapon Vehicle vs Units- Units roll based on the number
system separately. Some weapons may have of miniatures as usual. It’s assumed units are
different effects and ranges. Also remember how carrying some sort of anti vehicle weapons, or
Low on Ammo works? If a weapon rolls more 1s are attacking exposed bits or getting at the crew
than hits, it’s Low on Ammo. through vision slits. Vehicles are never pushed
back if defeated by units. Unless the vehicle is
Line of Sight put Out of Action, the unit is forced back after
Measurements are made from the center of the combat.
vehicle to the closest part the target vehicle or
closest member of a unit. Vehicles roll a number of dice for Close Combat
based on their size:
Make sure the target is inside the weapon’s arc. Small: 2
Draw a line across the appropriate side the Medium: 3
weapon is mounted (front, side or rear). Every- Large: 4
thing in front of this line is within the weapon’s arc Huge: 5
or fire. Turret mounted weapons can fire in all
directions. Vehicles hit as Regulars on a 5+ modified, of
course by the same factors as units.
Shooting at a Vehicle
When shooting at a vehicle, you must declare if Vehicle vs Obstacles- If a vehicle hits a obsta-
you targeting the vehicle or driver or passengers. cle or building, roll on the Vehicle Damage chart
twice with the modifiers above, based on the
If the vehicle has an enclosed crew compartment vehicle’s own size.
like an armored vehicle, you can’t target the
passengers or driver. If the driver or passengers
are exposed, they are considered to be in Hard
Cover (-2 to Shoot rolls).

Shooting at a vehicle itself is easier. Large Vehi-

cles have a +1 to be hit, while a Huge Vehicle
has a +2.

After successful Shoot rolls, roll on the Vehicle

Damage chart (see below).

31
Vehicle Damage If a vehicle has more Shock than remaining
Vehicles have Damage Points instead of Damage Points AND the vehicle has half (round-
Wounds, but we should think of them just that ed down) it’s remaining Damage Points left, the
way. Just like a units, the more damage a vehicle crew will Bail (see Bailing Out, below).
takes, the less functional it is. It will have a -1 on
it’s movement for every Damage Point it has, as Just like units, Shock reduces the amount of dice
well as Shock. used when Shooting or Fighting in Close
Combat. This reduction is for each individual
Roll a die for each hit scored: weapon.

Die roll Result “We’ve got a hover tank with 2

0 or less No effect Shock packing a Heavy Gun (4
1-5 Shock (Crew receives a dice) and a Heavy Machine
Shock marker) Gun (4 dice). With the 2 Shock,
6-8 Damage when our tank fires, it will only
9+ 2 Damage roll 2 dice for each weapon.”
Damage
Once a vehicle loses all it’s Damage Points, it This means the vehicle has taken real physical
is Out of Action. damage. It’s not important to know specific
systems or weapons damaged, just that the
Out of Action for a vehicle may or may not be a vehicle isn’t fully functioning.
burning hunk of wreckage, it may just have
blown out tires, treads or blown engine. Whatev- Just as a unit, vehicles that are activated using
er the cause, it is out for the rest of the game. the Queen of Hearts can to repair Damage.
You can leave the vehicle on the table as an Activating with it repairs 1 Damage Point.
obstacle or cover.
Bailing Out!
Shock As mentioned earlier, when a vehicle has no
Shock with vehicles represents the crew getting damage left, it is Out of Action. The crew are
shaken by damage real or imagined. Mark either injured or killed, but they are out of the
vehicles with a “Shock” marker for each die result fight.
that comes up Shock.
The result is the same if vehicle has more Shock
As a reminder, vehicles that are activated using than remaining Damage Points AND the vehicle
the Queen of Spades can remove all Shock. has half (rounded down) it’s remaining Damage
Points left. The crew has had enough and aban-
Vehicles with Shock markers have a minus to dons the vehicle. They won’t return by the end of
their move for each Shock marker. The crew is the game. Vehicles cannot be re-crewed.
not operating at optimal status and are a bit
cautious. Thus, a vehicle that moves 6“ with 2 Optional: This is really just used if playing a cam-
Shock markers would only move 4”, or 8” when paign game where the survival of the crew
moving At the Double. Enough Shock could matters. If the Bail Out is due to reducing the
make a vehicle immobile. Time to Rally! vehicle to zero Damage Points the crew mem-
bers must pass a Hard (8+) Task roll.
If a Vehicle has more Shock than remaining
Damage Points, it will Regroup just like a unit Units being transported (the vehicle has the
does. It will fall back 2 complete moves, ignoring Transport trait) will have a similar roll if the
the reduction for Shock. Follow the rules for vehicle they are traveling in or on is put Out of
Regrouping on page 16. Action. Roll a die for each member of the unit,
needing a successful Hard (8+) task roll to
escape. Those that fail are lost in the burning
wreck. Units in/on vehicles abandoned by their
crew are not forced to dismount.

32
Vehicle Armor
Some vehicles may be roaming the battlefield
unarmored: Jeeps, transports, supply vehicles.
These vehicles just follow the rules outlined
above.

Military vehicles will tend to be armored. This is a

trait and handled like unit or individual armor is
with a success Armor Roll reducing Wound Rolls
be a factor: Wounds become Shock, Shock
becomes No Effect.

However, Vehicle armor is sturdier than armor

worn by the common foot slogger. Bullets from
small arms have little to no effect on tanks. That’s
why when we note down armor for vehicles we
list it as (V) followed by the Armor Roll number
(6+, 8+). Vehicle traits
Just like your units, you can add flavor to your
Only weapons listed as having Armor Piercing vehicles by adding Vehicle Traits. Each vehicle
(AP) 2 or higher, Blast, Deadly or Flame has 3 slots to spend on Vehicle traits. The traits
Throwers are capable of damaging Vehicle below list the cost after name. Some traits have
Armor. If an armored vehicle is hit by any a restriction due to size.
other kind of weapon, it AUTOMATICALLY
passes the Armor Roll. That means the worst Advanced Sights (1): +1 to Shoot roll.
that can happen on the Damage Chart wound be
a Shock result. Agile (1): -1 To be hit by enemy’s Shooting.
Small and Medium vehicles only.
“A squad of Russians is being
menaced by a German tank. Amphibious (1): The vehicle can move through
They all open fire scoring 5 hits. water at full movement rate.
Ivan rolls to Wound on the
Damage Chart and scores 3 Armor (1): Armor Roll of (V) 8+.
shock and 2 Damage Points.
As they only used small arms, the tank Automati- Durable (1): The vehicle has one extra Damage
cally passes the Armor Rolls dropping the Point for its size.
Shocks to no effect and the Wounds to Shock. All
those bullets pinging on the side the side of the Escape Hatch (1): Crew and any transported
tank manage to give the crew 2 Shock. Luckily, units add +1 to any Bail task rolls.
the crew has Nerves of Steel and ignore one of
these Shocks.” Fast (1): Add 2” per move action.

“We’ll look at it from the other Heavy Armor (2): The vehicle has two levels of
side. A squad of Germans has a armor. The Armor roll is (V) 6+. Vehicle must be
Russian tank in their sights. Large or Huge.
They are armed with a Panzer-
faust. Were giving it an AP3 and Hover (2): This vehicle can cross Rough terrain
the Deadly trait. (including water) as if Open terrain.
The Germans fire it. A successful hit! The AP3
reduces the Russian’s Armor roll from 6+ to 9+, Hull Mount (1): Gun mounted on the vehicle
which they fail. But that doesn’t matter. The takes up one less slot (see Arming your Vehicle,
Germans roll a 10 for their Deadly weapon and below), but the weapon is fixed forward with a
knock the tank out.” 90º arc or fire.

33
Indirect Fire (1): Vehicle’s gun may use indirect Determined: The crew ignores Shock penalties
fire as long as it has a spotter, in the form of a in vehicle vs vehicle or vehicle vs unit Close
friendly unit, Hero or Commander. The target Combat.
must be more than 12” away.
Eagle Eyed: Increase weapon short range by 2”
Reinforced Crew Compartment (1): Reduce and long range by 4”.
any Shock results by one each attack on vehicle.
Encouraging: As their action for the turn, the
Stabilizers (1): No minus for Shoot roll when crew can remove all Shock markers from another
Maneuvering. vehicle within 12“.

Super Heavy Armor (3): Armor roll is (V) 4+. Indomitable: The crew can remove all Shock
Vehicle must be Huge. markers by spending using entire turn.

Transport (1): The vehicle may carry one unit of Infiltrators: Once a scenario has defined start-
troops. ing positions, this vehicle may immediately move
12” in any direction.
Tracked (0): This vehicle can cross Rough
terrain like it is Open, but can only make one 90º Killers: Add +1 to Wound/Damage rolls when
turn during movement. Shooting.

Turret (1):Vehicle’s gun may fire in any direction. Loads of Ammo: Ignore first Low Ammo roll of
the game.
Walker (1): This vehicle can cross Rough terrain
(except water) as if Open terrain and may ignore Loyal: When this vehicle forced to Regroup,
movement penalty for crossing obstacles like instead remove enough Shock markers to equal
walls, if smaller than half the height of the remaining Damage Points, as long as another
vehicle. unit from its command is still on the table.

Nerves of Steel: Ignore one Shock result each

time wound results are rolled for this vehicle. For
example, if the vehicle takes 2 Damage and 2
Shock from shooting, reduce it to 2 Damage and
Crew Traits 1 Shock.
The crew for your vehicle can have 1 trait also. If
making multiples of the same vehicles, feel free Slippery: If targeted by a Charge, the vehicle
to make the traits for each vehicle different. may try to make an out of sequence Regular (5+)
Task roll. If successful, this vehicle Hero can fall
Camouflaged: The crew are masters of back a full move before the enemy contacts. In
concealment. The vehicle gets an additional -1 to addition, unit may first make a Shoot action with
be hit while in cover. one weapon at half dice. If the enemy is able to
contact after this move, fight as usual.
Cold Blooded: The crew takes glee in running
over infantry. The vehicle gains an additional +1 Snipers: Once per game crew may re-roll a
in Close Combat for each Shock and Wound Shoot roll.
Marker on its target, unit or individual, has.
Soulless: The vehicle is controlled by comput-
Coolheaded: The crew with this trait has +1 to ers. Shooting at it gives the enemy a +1 to their
Rally rolls. rolls, but this vehicle ignores any Shock results
on the Damage chart. This trait is perfect for
Deadeyes: This crew has +1 to Shoot rolls. undead or robots.

34
Steady: The crew of this vehicle ignores Shock Larger weapons, that would be found on military
penalties when Shooting. style vehicles, require more space,

Stealthy: This crew is good at using every fold in We break these “Big Guns” into three broad cate-
the field or bit of cover. This gives them a -1 to be gories: Light, Medium and Heavy.
hit if the target of Shooting.
What you decide to call them is up to you:
Thunderous Charge: This vehicle adds an addi- Twin-Turbo Laser, Blast Cannon, Melter. They
tional +1 to Close Combat roll if they are the function the same for purposes of the game.
attacker.
Gun Slots Special Rules
Veterans: A Veteran crew uses 12-sided-dice Light 2 AP1
(d12) for all rolls. There can only be one of these Medium 3 AP2, Burst 3
crews per command. Heavy 4 AP3, Burst 5, +1 DMG

Arming your Vehicles AP1: Armor Piercing rounds that make Armor
The number of weapons a vehicle can carry is Rolls one harder (6+ would become 7+)
based on the vehicles size. The size gives you a AP2: Armor Piercing rounds that make Armor
number of slots that are open for weapons. The Rolls two harder.
number of slots just happens to coincide with the AP3: Armor Piercing rounds that make Armor
number of hits a vehicle can take. Rolls three harder.
Blast 3/5: Use the 3“ or 5” Blast template.
Small: 2 +1 DMG: Add +1 to the Wound or Vehicle
Medium: 3 Damage roll
Large: 4
Huge: 6 This is a very basic list of guns, but it should get
Heavy weapons like Machine Guns, Heavy you started. When designing your own weapons
Lasers and Blasters, that would normally require beyond what’s provided here, a good rule is to
a Crew, can be mounted on most vehicles. On add a negative whenever you add a positive. For
Armored Vehicles they take up 0 slots for up to instance, if you make a gun a Deadly, maybe it
2 weapons, but 2 slots for each additional requires a Reload between shots.
weapon or for non Armored vehicle.

Vehicles in Bigger Battles are single transports or weapon platforms. They generally have crews
of more than one. If you want to use things like groups of hover bikes, it’s better to build them as
units using the Mounted trait. A list of different generic vehicles are in the back of this book. When
building your force, you can replace units for vehicles. A Small Vehicle: 1 unit, Medium Vehicle: 2
Units, Large Vehicle: 3 Units and a Huge Vehicle: 4 units.

Minefields Bog Checks

Define an area no bigger than 1 foot by 1 foot for When a Tracked, Wheeled or Walker vehicle first
your minefield. This can be known to players or enters rough terrain, the crew must roll a Bog
drawn on a hidden map and handled by a referee Check based on their movement type:
or third party.
Tracked or Walkers 3+ Wheeled: 5+
Any miniature or vehicle which crosses the mine-
field must pass a Hard Task roll for each 3 inches Success mean the vehicle moves as normal.
they travel. If failed, roll immediately on the Failure means the vehicle is stuck. Stop it where
Wound or Vehicle Damage chart with a +3 modi- it is. It can try again to move next turn using the
fier. Hover vehicles roll as a Regular Task. same roll but the roll is one harder.

35
 BEASTS & MONSTERS
Large beasts or mystical monsters can easily be Instead of one large monster, you can field
added to your forces. They can be built just like groups of beasts. It’s simply a matter of keeping
you build a unit, with traits used to better define track of Wounds on each creature.
the creature. Any trait that applies to units can be
“Our general wants to field a
used.
unit of Minotaurs for his mythi-
cal Greek force. Instead of 12
Instead of individual miniatures determining the
individual miniatures, he
size of a unit, beasts have Wounds. All the same
decides to use 4 big brutes,
rules apply to beasts as units. They take Shock
each with 3 Wounds.
and Wounds and can be forced to Regroup if the
number of Shock exceeds its remaining wounds. The Minotaurs are hit by Shooting and suffer 2
Wounds. Two Wound markers are placed next to
Dragon one of the Minotaurs. They attack in Close
Wounds: 12 Combat a few turns later and fight with 10 dice
Shoot: d10
lose Close Combat: d10 (that’s the number of Wounds they have remain-
Traits: Armored, Flier, Large,Thunderous ing). They win the Combat but lose 2 more
Charge Wounds. The Greek player removes one of the
Weapons: Breath (Flame Thrower) Minotaurs along with one of the Wound markers.
The other Wound marker is moved to another
“Let’s look at our Dragon above. Minotaur.”
The beastie fights as 12-man
unit, that can fly, has armor and By thinking of Wounds like you would members
gets a +1 when Charging. of a unit, you can make all kinds of creatures of
Sounds like a Dragon to me. different sizes. You can make one large creature
When it attacks, it rolls as many of 10-12 Wounds, two creatures of 6 Wounds,
dice as it has Wounds remaining.” three of 4 Wounds, etc.

Beasts fight as Irregulars, hitting in Close For squad level (5-6 man) units, you can make
Combat and Rallying on a 6 or more. They beasts or creatures that fit the level of the game.
may only take Traits available to Irregulars and Imagine a WW2 era German squad running into
cannot Form Up or Concentrate Fire. a 6 Wound Soviet Werebear!

Beasts have 4 traits and can be added to your Some sample beasties are at the back of this
force in exchange for two units. book.

36
 EVENTS
By adding one or both Jokers to the deck, you Sequenced Events lend themselves to being
can use them to trigger Events in your scenario. more even to benefit both players. When a Joker
Two Jokers increase the chance of triggering a is played, look at the first event on the chart.
an Event. When the next Joker is played, use the second
Event, etc. Assign one side as Side A and the
When a player uses a Joker to activate a unit, it other side B.
is treated like an Ace of the lowest suit, so it
always goes last if multiples of that card are For example:
played. After the player completes his/her activa- Event Order
tion the Event is triggered, but the Event itself 1- Weather: Sand, fog, rain. Whatever applies to
may be delayed until the end of the turn, as in the your scenario has reduced visibility to 12”. All
case of reinforcements. ranges for weapons are half.
2- Weather lifts: Weather conditions applied in
Events should be set up ahead of time and either the above Event, lift.
be random from a list, or sequenced and follow- 3- Airstrike: Player A can place the 5” Blast
ing a strict order. template over any spot or units on the battlefield.
Once it is placed, roll a d10. The direction the die
With a Random Event, you can set it up so only is pointing is where the template scatters and the
the only the player using it benefits or is effected number on the die is the distance. Roll on the
by the Event. Wound Chart for each miniature under the
template.
Example- 4- Bombardment- Player B uses the rules for
When a Joker is played roll a d10 on the follow- Airstrike above, but gets three, 3” templates to
ing table: place.
Roll Event 5- Reinforcements!: Player A gets one Regular
1-2 Shortcut!: One of your units can make unit that enters on his/her baseline. They will
one bonus single move even if they have available at the beginning of the following turn.
already activated. This move cannot put 6- Reinforcements!: Player B gets one Regular
them into Close Combat. unit that enters on his/her baseline. They will
3-4 Straggler: One of your units regains 1 available at the beginning of the following turn.
lost casualty. 7- Rally!: Player A chooses one unit and removes
5-6 Local intel: Add an extra card to your all Shock.
hand next turn. 8- Rally!: Player B chooses one unit and
7-8 Where’d this bog come from?: Choose removes all Shock.
an enemy unit. It has come across And so on...
terrain that wasn’t on the map. They
can’t move on their next activation. “These are just a few examples.
9-10 Reinforcements!: One friendly Regular Making Event tables for your
Unit enters on your baseline. They will specific scenario can really add
available at the beginning of the follow flavor to your game. Obviously,
ing turn. airstrikes aren’t going to occur
in a Roman vs Celts game.
This can lead to a one sided game if one player You’ll have to adjust to fit your
is lucky in the deal unless you weigh the Random game.
Events to even the them out by adding in some
negative Events.

37
 Sample Units & Vehicles
Here are some examples of units and vehicles. Heavy Cavalry- R(6-8)
This is by no means a comprehensive list, nor Traits: Armored, Thunderous Charge or Fero-
should it be seen as a strict historical guideline. cious
Feel free to adjust to your liking based on your Lance or Spear, sometimes Bows
own research or favorite movie. These cavalry wear armor and occasionally their
horses, too.
We’ve broken them down into periods and given
a few examples. After the unit type name is their Medium Cavalry- R,I,T(6-10)
class: Regular, Irregular or Tribal (R,I or T). Then Traits: Brawlers, Flurry of Blows
the suggested unit size. Hand Weapons, Spears or Throwing Spears
Medium cavalry makes up the majority of
Some early units may not have a ranged attack. mounted forces at this time.

Classical to Medieval Light Cavalry- I,T(8-10)

Traits: Agile, Skirmishers or Slippery
Heavy Infantry- R(10-12) Spears, Throwing Spears or Bows
Traits: Armored, Indomitable. Veteran or Brawler Lightly armed riders on fast, nimble horse. Made
Hand Weapons, Spears, Throwing Spears, for hit and run tactics, not stand up fights.
Polearms or Pikes
Shields if no Pikes Horse Archers- I,T(8-10)
Roman Legionaries, Hoplites, Viking Hirdmen or Traits: Deadeyes, Skirmishers or Slippery
sturdy Dwarves. Bows
This unit type is for purely bow armed cavalry
Medium Infantry- R,I,T(10-12) like Parthians, Scythians and Goblin Wolf riders.
Traits: Thunderous Charge, Ferocious or
Armored Chariots- R,I,T (1-2 for Heavy, 3-4 for Light)
Hand Weapons, Spears or Throwing Spears Traits: Light- Agile, Determined
Shields Heavy- Armored, Unstoppable, Thunderous
The majority of infantry at this time Charge
Throwing Spears and Bows.
Light Infantry- I,T(10-12) Chariots are a good use for multiple wounds
Traits: Agile or Skirmishers rules. Light Chariots can represented by 4
Spears, Throwing Spears or Bows chariots, each with 2 Wounds, while Heavy
Troops that fight in Open Order but can stand Chariot units can be 2 chariots with 4 Wounds.
and fight if needed. No armor to speak of.
Peltasts are a good example of this type. Elephants- (Large Beast 10 Wounds)
Traits: Large, Thunderous Charge, Determined,
Skirmishers- I,T(10-12 or 2 units of 5-6) Solid as a Rock
Traits: Slippery or Skirmishers Bows, Spears or Throwing Spears
Spears, Throwing Spears or Bows Special: If an elephant is forced to Regroup and
These troops are not expected to fight in Close the its path would take it through any units, roll
Combat. They’re better used as harassing on the Wound chart for the unit to represent the
troops. crazed elephant smashing through the troops.

Extra Heavy Cavalry- R(6-8)

Traits: Armor x2. Thunderous Charge, Veteran or
Brawler
Lance and Shield
This covers units like Cataphracts and the
heavier Gendarmes of the Late Medieval period
where horses are as armored as the rider.

38
Infantry Archers- R(10-12) Light Infantry- R,I(10-12)
Traits: Ranged Fighters, Eagle Eyed Traits: Rangers, Skirmishers, or Snipers
Warbows 12”/24” Muskets, Rifled Muskets
These represent trained archers used to deliver- Agile troops capable of fighting in looser, more
ing massed volleys: English Longbowmen or open formation. By the end of this period, most
Elven archers. troops would be considered Light Infantry. To
represent Dragoons, give them the Mounted
Warband- R,I,T (10-12) trait.
Traits: Bloodthirsty, Brutes
Hand Weapons, Spears or Throwing Spears Heavy Infantry- R(10-12)
Shields Traits: Indomitable,Thunderous Charge, Veter-
Hordes of hairy barbarians or Orcs. ans
Muskets, Rifled Muskets
Phalanx Pikes- R(10-12) Grenadiers, Highlanders, the elite Guard
Traits: Armored, Solid as a Rock
PIkes, Shields Skirmishers- R,I,T(10-12)
Traits: Rangers, Skirmishers, or Slippery
Heavy Infantry w/ 2 Handed Weapons- R,I,T Muskets, Rifled Muskets
(10-12) Everything from dedicated skirmish troops to
Traits: Brawlers, Ferocious, Thunderous Charge native woodsmen.
2 Handed Weapons
Huscarls, whether Saxon or Dwarf, possibly Native- I,T(12-16)
Samurai Traits: Brutes, Ferocious, Rangers or Thunder-
ous Charge
Small Bolt Thrower- R(1) Muskets, Hand Weapons, Thrown Spears
Traits: Deadeyes, Eagleyed, Loads of Ammo or Any tribal troops that only fight in open forma-
Steady tion. They can be armed with a variety of
Bolt Thrower 3 Crew weapons.
Use stats for Light Field Gun but ignore rerolls
at Short range. Heavy Cavalry- R(6-8)
Traits: Brawler, Determined, Thunderous
Medium Artillery- R(1) Charge, Unstoppable
Traits: Deadeyes, Eagle Eyed, Loads of Ammo Hand Weapons, possibly Carbines (8”/16”)
or Steady Big men on big horses. They charge in close
Bolt Thrower 4 Crew formation, relying on shock of impact to win the
These would include small catapults and early day.
guns. Anything larger would only be used for
sieges. Use stats for Medium Field Gun but Light Cavalry- R,I,T(6-8 or 8-10)
catapults cannot target anything closer than 12”. Traits: Agile, Slippery
Lances, Hand Weapons, possibly Carbines
Age of Gunpowder to Early Modern (8”/16”)
We are classing most cavalry as Light. These
Line Infantry- R(10-12) could be Lancers, dragoons, or native horse-
Traits: Deadeye, Killers, Indomitable, or Steady men. Early dragoons that dismount to fight are
Muskets better represented by Infantry with the Mounted
The majority of troops for this period, fighting in trait.
lines to maximize firepower. To represent newly
raised troops or militia, give them the Green Artillery- R(1)
trait, or make them Veterans to make them Traits: Deadeyes, Eagle Eyed, Loads of Ammo
grizzled grognards. or Steady
Use Light or Medium Field Gun

39
Modern Armored Transport- Size (Medium)
The size of modern squads varies by nationality Traits: Armor v(8+), Fast, Transport (optional:
and period. We have listed a few, but players will Tracked)
need to be flexible and adjust squad size accord- 2 Machine Guns
ingly.
Ultra Modern
To cover every possibility, especially with Tanks Special Forces- R(5)
and vehicles, would be a whole book in itself, so Traits: Squad Support, Deadeyes, Determined or
we are painting with a very broad brush here. Steady, Veteran
How you decide to assign traits makes the differ- 4 Assault Rifles, Light MG (Squad Support 3)
ence between a Sherman and a Panther. This would cover most of elite forces around the
world. Add a Missile Launcher if facing enemy
WW2 armor.
Infantry Squad- R(5)
Traits: Deadeyes, Green, Squad Support, Peace Keeping Forces- R(5)
Steady, or Veteran Traits: Squad Support, Coolheaded
3 Rifles, 1 SMG, Light MG (Squad Support 2 4 Assault Rifles, Light MG (Squad Support 3)
Dice fro BAR and Bren, 3 Dice for MG42).
You can make them Tank Hunters by adding Mercenaries- R(5)
(Missile Launcher). Some Nationalities will also Traits: Squad Support, Deadeyes, Steady, or
have Assault rifles available for Late War. Veteran
Save the Veteran trait for battle hardened troops 4 Assault Rifles, Light MG (Squad Support 3)
like Paratroopers, Commandos and Waffen SS.
Green troops would be new recruits or Volk- Local Militia or Insurgents- I(8-10)
strum. Traits: Agile, Green, Infiltrators, Quick or Rang-
ers
Machine Gun Team- R(3) 5 Assault Rifles, Missile Launcher
Traits: Deadeyes, Eagle Eyed, Steady, or Insurgents have home field advantage, that’s
Veteran why the list of possible traits gives them the
Machine Gun ability to move faster or use terrain to their
advantage. Making them Green gives you a
Anti Tank Guns- R(4) chance to field more of them.
Traits: Deadeyes, Eagle Eyed, Steady, or
Veteran Armored Vehicles Size (Medium)
Medium Field Gun Traits: Armor v(8+), Fast, Reinforced Crew
Compartment or Amphibious
Medium Tank- Size (Medium) 2 Machine Guns or an MG and Missile Launch-
Traits: Vehicle trait of choice, Armor v(8+), er
Tracks, Turret & Crew Traits
Medium Gun & 2 Machine Guns Militia Trucks- Size (Small)
Traits: Fast, Transport
Heavy Tank- Size (Large) MG and Missile Launcher
Traits: Vehicle trait of choice, Heavy Armor
v(6+), Tracks, Turret & Crew Traits
Heavy Gun & 2 Machine Guns

Tank Destroyer (Huge)

Traits: Vehicle trait of choice, Heavy Armor
v(6+), Tracks, Turret & Crew Traits
Heavy Gun (Deadly) & 2 Machine Guns

African Militia provide by Jay Reese

40
SciFi

Star Troopers- R(5)

Traits: Armored (6+), Killers
4-5 Laser Rifles, 1 Squad Support Weapon
(Heavy Laser)
Faceless minions of the Emperor. Change to Jet
Troopers by adding Flier, Doom Troopers by
adding Veteran.

Hover Bike Troopers- R(5)

Traits: Fliers, Slippery
Bike Mounted Laser repeaters (2 Dice 12”/24”)

Robot Legion- R(5)

Traits: Soulless, Deadeye
5 Laser Rifles

Rebel Forces- R(5)

Traits: Deadeyes, Green, Loyal, Squad Support,
Steady, or Veteran
4-5 Laser Rifles, 1 Squad Support Weapon Fantasy
(Heavy Laser)
The brave forces of the Rebellion. Change to Greenskin Brutes- I(10-12)
Drop Marines by adding Flier, Commandos by Traits: Bloodthirsty, Brutes
adding Veteran. Hand Weapons

Planetary Militia- R(5) Greenskin ‘Eavies- R(10-12)

Traits: Green, Squad Support, or Steady Traits: Brawlers, Determined, Veterans
4-5 Laser Rifles, 1 Squad Support Weapon Two Handed Weapons
(Heavy Laser)
The forces caught in the middle of the Galactic Greenskin Shooties- I(10-12)
War. Traits: Deadeyes, Skirmishers
Bows
Native Hordes- I,T(12-16)
Traits: Brutes, Brawlers, Determined or Greenskin Runts- I(10-12)
Skirmishers Traits: Small, Skirmishers
Laser Rifles or Close Combat weapon Spears
Native creatures defending their home world.
Any number of extra traits can be added, like Dwarf Ironsides- R(10-12)
Amphibious to establish their unique world. Traits: Heavily Armored, Determined or Veter-
ans
Armored Walker- - Size (Medium) Two Handed Weapons
Traits: Armor v(8+), Stabilizers, Walker & Crew
Traits Dwarf Muskets- R(10-12)
Medium Gun & 2 Heavy Lasers or switch out Traits: Deadeyes, Killers
one Laser for a Missile Launcher Muskets

Galactic Hero- (Hero) Dwarf Rangers- R(10-12)

Traits: Brawler, Two Fisted, Veteran Traits: Deadeyes, Killers
Laser pistol and Laser Sword (Deadly) Muskets
He might be here to save every one of us.

41
Dwarf Cannon- R(1) Beasts
Traits: Deadeyes, Loads of Ammo
Medium Field Gun Dragon- Wounds: 12
Traits: Armored, Flier, Large,Thunderous
Elf Cavalry- R(6-8) Charge
Traits: Armored, Thunderous Charge or Fero- Weapons: Breath (Flame Thrower)
cious
Lance Giant- Wounds: 12
Traits: Ferocious, Flurry of Blows, Large,Solid
Elf Longbows- R(10-12) as a Rock
Traits: Ranged Fighters, Eagle Eyed Weapons: Hand Weapon, Thrown Rocks
Warbows 12”/24” 12”/24”

Elf Spear- R(10-12) Giant Spider- Wounds: 12

Traits: Armored, Defensive Fighters Traits: Large, Killer, Poison, Quick
Spears Weapons: none

Elf Elite Nobles- R(10-12) Manticore- Wounds: 12

Traits: Armored, Indomitable, Veteran Traits: Flier, Killer, Large, Poison
Hand Weapons Weapons: Poison Barbs (ranged Weapon)
6“/12”
Undead Spears- I(10-12)
Traits: Brittle, Soulless, Ferocious Treemen- Wounds: 2 Miniatures, 6 Wounds
Spears each
Traits: Indomitable, Large, Natural Weapons,
Undead Archers- I(10-12) Rangers
Traits: Brittle, Soulless, Killers Weapons: Thrown Rocks 12”/24”
Crossbows
Trolls- Wounds: 3 Miniatures, 4 Wounds each
Wights- R(10-12) Traits: Armored, Brutes, Killers, Natural Weap-
Traits: Armored, Brittle, Soulless, Ferocious ons
Hand Weapons Weapons: none

Undead Cavalry- I(10-12)

Traits: Brittle,Soulless, Thunderous Charge
Lances

Zombie Horde- I(10-12)

Traits: Soulless, Green, Poison
No Weapons (-1 to CC)

Wizard- Hero
Traits: Encouraging, Two Guns, Veteran
Wizard’s Staff (treat as Flame Thrower)

Barbarian Hero- Hero

Traits: Brawler, Two Fisted, Veteran
Sword of Legend

Dwarf Musketeers stand up tall against a Giant.

© Games-Workshop Dwarves and © WotC Stone Giant from author’s collection.

42
UNIT # COMMANDER
TYPE
UNIT TRAITS TRAITS

LEADER:
ABILITY:

WEAPONS WEAPONS

SHOOT CC MOVE SHOOT CC MOVE

UNIT # UNIT #
TYPE TYPE
UNIT TRAITS UNIT TRAITS

LEADER: LEADER:
ABILITY: ABILITY:

WEAPONS WEAPONS

SHOOT CC MOVE SHOOT CC MOVE

TYPE

MOVE

Feel free to copy this page

to create your Units.
#

CC
UNIT TRAITS

WEAPONS

© 2020 Jaye Wiley. All Rights reserved.

LEADER:
ABILITY:

The Quick Reference Sheet, counter sheets

SHOOT

& templates may be reproduced for

personal use.
UNIT

No other portions of this booklet may be

reproduced in any form without the prior
written consent of the author.
HERO BEAST #
WOUNDS
TRAITS TRAITS

WEAPONS WEAPONS

SHOOT CC MOVE SHOOT CC MOVE

DAMAGE:

DAMAGE:
SHOOT

CC

SHOOT
MOVE

CC

MOVE
CREW:

CREW:
WEAPONS

WEAPONS
VEHICLE TRAITS

VEHICLE TRAITS
CREW TRAITS

CREW TRAITS
VEHICLE

VEHICLE

VEHICLE DAMAGE:
CREW:
SHOOT Feel free to copy this page
VEHICLE TRAITS
to create your Units.
CC

MOVE

CREW TRAITS WEAPONS

© 2020 Jaye Wiley. All Rights reserved.
The Quick Reference Sheet, counter sheets
& templates may be reproduced for
personal use.
No other portions of this booklet may be
reproduced in any form without the prior
written consent of the author.
 Scenarios
Scenario 1- Take and Hold The side with the most Victory Points when
2 - 6 Players night falls is the victor.
6’ x 4’ Playing Area, larger if more players
Scenario 2 - Hold Out
This scenario works for most periods. Three 2 - 6 Players
objectives are placed on the table (see map 6’ x 4’ Playing Area, larger if more players
below). The side that holds the most, the longest
by nightfall wins. Side 1 is the defender. They have been tasked
with holding the line against a much larger
1 attacking force.
C
Side 2 must try and get at least half their forces
off the opposite side of the table before enemy
reinforcements arrive.
B A
Z

A
2

The Set Up B
There are 3 Objectives: A, the high ground. B,
the bridge. C, the ruins. There is a fordable X
(difficult terrain) river that crosses the table.
Y
There is a hill and scattered woods. The rest of
the table can have crops or fields, but nothing The Set Up
that impedes movement. Side 1, the defenders, can set up anywhere
behind the line between A and B shown on the
Side 1 enters anywhere within 6” of the road map, above. This line runs along the hill and
marked “1”. This restricted set up zone may force woods.
games with multiple players to start off the table,
entering each turn after the first. Side 2 enters, Side 2 enters at points X and Y along the road.
with the same restrictions, at “2”. The majority of the rest of the battlefield is open
with a few small woods. It may contain crops or
Forces fields, but nothing that impedes movement.
Both sides should have their forces built using
the standard build rules. Forces
Side 2 should double Side 1’s forces.
Special Rules
At the end of each turn, a Side gains a Victory Special Rules
Point for each Objective they control. To control Put a Joker in the deck. It is used just like an Ace,
an Objective, a unit (not Hero, Commander or but at the end of the turn it is played. Side 1 gets
Vehicle) must be on the Objective with no enemy reinforcements in the form of a unit entering at Z.
units within a single move distance for that unit to
the unit holding the Objective. Victory
Side B must get half or more of its starting units
Victory (not Heroes or Commanders) off the table at Z
At the end of turn 8, roll a 10-sided-die. Add the before the game ends. At the end of turn 8, roll a
result to the last turn number played. If the total 10-sided-die. Add the result to the last turn
is 15 or more, darkness has halted the battle for number played. If the total is 15 or more, the rest
the night. of Side 1’s army approaches and the game ends.

45
Scenario 3- Breakout
2 - 6 Players A
6’ x 4’ Playing Area, larger if more players

Side 1 is cut off from it’s main army. Side 2 is

closing in to finish them off
B

A C B

Forces
Side 2 should outnumber Side 1 by about 50%
more forces.

D Special Rules
Side 1 doesn’t place their forces on the table.
The Set Up Instead, they should mark on a map of the table
Side 1 sets up anywhere within the dotted box in where each unit is. This is anywhere west of the
the map above. Side 2 Enters from A, B, C and dotted line on the map above.
D. The River is impassable except at the bridge.
A small village sits at the cross roads. A few hills Units will be revealed when:
and woods can be added to the otherwise open - an enemy comes within 12”.
terrain. - the player reveals the unit by doing anything
other than the “Ready” action with them.
Forces
Both sides have equal forces, but Side 2 must Victory
split it’s forces as evenly as possible between the Side 1 wins if they can destroy more than half of
4 entry points. Side 2’s units. Side 2 must exit off the western
edge of the table with more than half its forces.
Special Rules
Side 1 must set up first. Side 2 then sets ups. Scenario 4- Hold for Reinforcements
There is no turn limit on this scenario. 2 - 6 Players
6’ x 4’ Playing Area, larger if more players
Victory
Side 1 must try and get half or more of its units off Side 1 is holding the highground but with only
the table at D. half its forces. Can they hold out until reinforce-
ments arrive.
Scenario 4- Seek and Destroy
2 - 6 Players
6’ x 4’ Playing Area, larger if more players A
X
Side 2 Has been tasked with clearing Side 1 from
the countryside. They just have to find them first.

The Set Up B
The table is crisscrossed with roads, small
woods, walls, fences, hills and buildings. Side 2
starts on any or all roads along the east side of Y
the table. Side 1 does not set up on the table
immediately (see Special Rules, below).

46
The Set Up Special Rules
The table has a main road that crosses the table Side 1 has had time to dig in. They can have field
east-west. A long hill dominates the eastern third fortifications that count as Heavy Cover for up to
of table. A town sits at the northwest corner but half their forces.
the rest of the battlefield is fairly open with a few
woods and small hills. Victory
At the end of turn 8, roll a 10-sided-die. Add the
Forces result to the last turn number played. If the total
Side 1 puts half it’s forces on the hill at B. The is 15 or more, the battle ends and whoever holds
rest of Side 1’s forces start at the town A. the hill is the victor.

Side 2 places his forces 6” from the eastern

board edge anywhere between X and Y.

Q&A

Do I shuffle after every turn? Commanders and Heroes can attach to units,
Yes. Gather all the cards, discards and unused can they attach to each other?
deck, and shuffle together before every turn. This No.
is so each turn there a chance for players to get
a Special Card, as well as when playing with an If I attach my Hero to a unit, do they get his
Event Joker card. traits?
No. Units gaining traits only applies to attached
Do Veterans use a 12-sided-die for all rolls? Commanders. While a Hero in attached to a unit,
Yes. Vets use d12s for shooting, Close Combat, they do get to use whatever dice he/she has
Wound and Task rolls and Rallys. This makes available towards Shooting and Close Combat.
them very dangerous. That’s why we limit them. The attached Hero still benefits from any traits he
Conversely, Green troops use d8s for all rolls. or she may have.
This makes hitting anything at long range in
cover impossible, as well as making it very tough For example: If a unit of 8 with an attached Hero
to Wound or Rally. with the “Two Fisted” trait, Charges a enemy unit
of 10, the unit would roll it’s 8 dice plus the 10
Traits like “Ranged Fighters” use a d12 for granted by the Hero.
Shooting, and d8s for Close Combat, but use the
standard d10 for everything else. Can I arm a unit with nothing but Flamethrow-
ers?
If my unit is forced to Regroup but has friend- You certainly can, but no one will probably want
ly troops in the way of their fall back move, to play with you. Weapons like Flamethrowers
what happens? and shotguns should really be for Heroes or, if
Because a Unit that is forced to Regroup has part of a unit, carried by one member. They can
Shock (panic stricken) when it moves through its be casualties just like unit Leaders.
own troops, those troops it moves through gain a
Shock marker. Bigger Battles, like all Fistful of Lead games, is
unapologetically not for power gamers or min/-
Regrouping Commanders and Heroes cause maxers. Look to history, literature or your favorite
Shock to friendly units they fall back through to movie when deciding to equip your units.
Regroup. Seeing your fearless leader run past
you towards the rear can be very disconcerting.

47
 BIGGER BATTLES!
TURN SEQUENCE CLOSE COMBAT
1- Shuffle & deal one card to each player for
each unit, Hero and Commander Both sides, attacker and defender, roll a d10 (or d8
2- Activate Units for Green or just bad troops, d12 for Veteran troops)
for each model (or stand if using those) in the unit.
To Hit
Regulars hit on 5+ Irregulars 6+ Tribal 4+
Close Combat Modifiers to the Die Roll:
ACTIONS Remove a die for each Shock marker
Move at the Double Rally +1 to roll if Attacker
Maneuver Ready +1 if in Close Order
Shoot Mount/Dismount +1 to roll if unit has a friendly unit within 3”. This
Form Up Setting up a Crewed bonus is only once no matter how many friend-
Concentrated Fire Weapon lies in range.
Charge Complete a Task +1 Defending an obstacle or fortified area
Reroll misses if fighting a Close Order unit in the
MOVEMENT MODIFIERS flank.
SHOCK: -1” of movement per Shock marker a • If more 1s are rolled than hits, whether they are
unit has considered the winner of the combat or not, the
DIFFICULT TERRAIN: Half rate. unit retreats 1 move immediately and adds a
OBSTACLES: -1” for low walls and fences, full Shock marker.
action for high walls WOUNDING
UP / DOWN FLOOR: -3”
Roll a die for each hit scored:
SHOOTING Die roll Result
0 or less No effect
THE ROLL TO HIT AT SHORT RANGE IS 5+ 1-5 Shock (unit receives a Shock
AT LONG RANGE IS 8+ marker)
Shooting Modifiers to the Die Roll: 6-8 Wound (remove a miniature
Cover: from the unit)
Light Cover -1 9+ 2 Wounds (remove 2 minia-
Heavy Cover -2 tures from the unit)
Size: Modifiers to Wounds
Target is Small -1 Roll half the dice (rounded up) of hits if:
Target is Large +1 Open Order Foot fighting Horse in Close
Shock: Combat.
Remove a die for each Shock marker Attacking units defending in hard cover in Close
Actions: Combat.
+1 for Aimed Fire Foot Shooting at Mounted
-1 if unit Maneuvered
Other: RALLY
+/- for any traits
½ the number of dice (rounded up) if Low on Regulars or Gun crews: 5+ Irregulars: 6+
Ammo Tribal: 7+
-1 Shooting at gun crews, Heroes or Com- Modify this roll:
manders -1 if Leader is Out of Action
+1 Artillery or Crewed weapon shooting at a Unit Traits: +/-
Close Order unit If all Shock markers are removed on this roll, the unit
* If more 1s are rolled than hits, the unit is Low may either make one Move or one Shoot action. If all of
on Ammo. the Shock markers aren’t removed, the unit’s activation
is over.

Queen of Spades- Remove all Shock 7cards- Reroll a throw of the dice
Queen of Hearts- Restore unit strength or Heal 6 cards- Discard Low Ammo status
SPECIAL a wound to Hero or Commander Deuce- Reroll misses from one throw of the dice
CARDS One Eyed Jacks- +1 Shoot rolls Aces- Wild
Other Jacks- +1 to Close Combat rolls
 CLOSE
© 2020 Jaye Wiley. All Rights reserved. SHOCK SHOCK WOUND READY ORDER
The Quick Reference Sheet, counter sheets & templates may be reproduced for personal use.
No other portions of this booklet may be reproduced in any form
without the prior written consent of the author.

BLAST
5”

TEMPLATE
3”

+1

3”

5”