Origi ns

Complete Gang Customisation Supplement for Across the Dead Earth

by Rich Chappell
Across the Dead Earth : Origins | 1

Origi ns
To the untrained eye or the new visitor, the Formerly-United Kingdom may seem
like a desolate and uninhabited place. Nature has reclaimed what once were villages
and towns, and even great Cities fell beneath her onslaught. Moss and ivy cover great
skyscrapers and mighty roots grow through the floors and ceilings of town halls and
churches indiscriminately. The UKs mighty forests grew back with a vengeance, covering
thousands of square miles of what once was England and Wales, swallowing up all but
the last remnants of civilisation.

For the F-UK is not uninhabited.

The greater City ranges from barely
In Scotland, thousands of deer in
inhabited ghost towns to thriving
great herds run freely, pursued only
underground communities which exist in the
occasionally by wolf like animals
ruins and remains of the old underground.
devolved from domestic dogs.
Household pets turned predators,
only the strongest, fiercest and
biggest survived long enough to breed. Thousands of years of selective breeding was
undone remarkably quickly perhaps not so surprising when the larger breeds began
to prey on the smaller. It is not only dogs that the wildlife has to contend with, but
also man. The Scots not only have a seemingly inexhaustible supply of fresh venison
to sustain them, but also access to large reserves of pre-war alcohol, thanks to the vast
quantities of whisky which were in storage across over a hundred distilleries throughout
the country at the time of the Last War. On the West Coast entire islands have become
fortresses to the Whisky Lords.

What was once central London now exists as New Venice so called because most of it
is now under 6 feet of water, though hardly anyone alive in the F-UK today would have
heard of, let alone have ever travelled to Venice herself, should that City still exist.
The decaying ruins of double decker buses lurch drunkenly out of the gloomy Thames,
armed guards at their top The greater City ranges from barely inhabited ghost towns
to thriving underground communities which exist in the ruins and remains of the old
underground. Deep below the surface, an entire generation of so-called Choobies have
rarely, if ever, seen the light of day.
In the great forest that stretches from what once was Nottingham to the ruins of Leeds
and almost as far as the bustling Rag Market, tribes of men and women known as the
Forest-Kin, scorn all the technology that they hold responsible for the Last War and live
amongst the trees, hunting rabbit, squirrel and crow with bow and knife. The Rag Market
has rebuilt itself as a shanty city of trade and industry, whilst in New Venice young men
in dark suits who call themselves The State and believe themselves the Government make
grim and far-reaching decisions carried out at the barrel of a gun.
2 | Across the Dead Earth : Origins

The Gangs that travel the F-UK are made up of a mix of scavengers, traders, looters and
survivors those that wish nothing more than to get by. They are therefore made up of
a disparate and varied bunch.
In the Across the Dead Earth rulebook all human characters start off with the same basic
stats and abilities, which are then altered by applying them a Class or Skills and Talents.
This supplement: Origins, allows players to customise those characters to a greater extent
than ever before, providing them a backstory and origin which grants them new basic
statistics or abilities dependent on
When forming your Gang, you can use this
various factors, or allows them easy
access to common items. When
supplement to give each individual member
forming your Gang, you can use this an Origin story, or you can give the whole
supplement to give each individual Gang the same basic origin.
member an Origin story, or you can
give the whole Gang the same basic origin. In some cases, the origin may dictate that all
members of the Gang must share that origin. This will be stated in the individual section.

Although this supplement has been written with Across the Dead Earth in mind, the
backgrounds would naturally be applicable, or adaptable, to many post-apocalyptic
settings, and players can also adapt the traits or abilities that come as a result to their
own game, rules or setting. There are also many other possible backgrounds for someone
born in the F-UK which can be explored: feel free to adapt any background or write your
own entirely whilst retaining the additional trait or Talent so long as you include the
Points value in your characters Stats of course!
It should also be remembered that the changes to the core rules contained within this
supplement are entirely optional, and players should ensure that they decide before
choosing their forces whether they are using Origins or not.

Across the Dead Earth : Origins | 3

The Forest-Kin
Not everyone across the Dead Earth necessarily felt that the Last War was such a bad
thing and some soon disappeared into the wilds, which were themselves beginning to
reclaim and conquer the fallen cities of 20th century civilisation, to live in woods and
marshlands.
Whilst few domestic animals survived without the care and attention of man, in the
forests wildlife flourished once again, the wallabies in the South multiplied and spread,
and packs of previously domesticated dogs reverted to wolf-like behaviour, tiring of the
scraps left by their former masters, and having cannibalised the population of lesser pets,
moved into the country to hunt rabbit, squirrels and crow.
They werent alone. As the years passed those humans who turned their back on the
technology and lifestyles they saw as the causes of the last war bred and spread, forming
into Gangs and tribes, spreading through the F-UKs now
flourishing woodlands, hunting and living off of the
fruits of the land. Those Gangs and tribes eventually
formed into Clans, and in those clans purposefully
split themselves up into smaller Families, each lead
by an Alpha, upon who the Clan bestow a certain
territory which other Families are not permitted to
hunt or gather in.
Today the Forest-kin share little in common
with the scavengers and townsfolk of the rest
of the F-UK, living by their own traditions,
wearing animal skins and war-paint, and
relying as often on hand-hewn weaponry
as the guns they occasionally trade with
others for. Knowing little of the Last War
they have no fear of the radiation which
keeps the rest of the population fearing
animal flesh, and even their language has
evolved (some would argue devolved)
to the point where it barely resembles
English.
Savage to others, but with a strict code of
honour and a quasi-religious respect for
animals, particularly deer, the Forest-kin are led
by the Mothers of their best warriors, the Alpha Mothers,
who are worshipped for bringing such near-deities to the
4 | Across the Dead Earth : Origins

Earth and raising them to defeat their enemies in the names of their animal Gods.
The Forest-kin believe that the animal Gods have spoken, and that all surviving
remnants of technology are to be swept away (although many claim that shotguns are
exempt, such is forever the wont of religious laws).
All Forest-Kin have a Speed of 7 and a Toughness of 9. They receive a +1 bonus to all
To Hit rolls with Crossbows and Bows and all Shots with Bows are treated as Silenced
(as Silencer, pg 43 Atde rulebook). Forest-Kin cannot use automatic
weapons (i.e no Assault Rifles or Machine Guns of any sort). All
Forest-kin have Forest Sense this is the same as the Smart skill as
described on page 75 pf the Atde rulebook.
Each Forest-kin costs 5pts more than a normal Grunt expect where
otherwise noted. All Forest-kin may take the skill Touche for the reduced cost
of 3pts and Melee for the reduced cost of 5pts.
Alphas and Alpha-Mothers
Every Family is led by an Alpha. Alphas become so by one of two means. Traditionally
an Alpha rises from the ranks of children and teenagers in another Family through their
expertise as a warrior and hunter. When a male child reaches maturity, he becomes a
warrior, a hunter, or an Alpha. Alphas are recognised as such by being wed to a female
from another family. The Alpha, his bride and the Alpha mother then leave their families
and set out to form a new one. If the Alpha mother has a partner who is not an Alpha
himself, they often also join the new family and frequently act as a trusted advisor to the
Alpha (they are, after all, more often than not the Alphas father). More recently it has
increasingly become the case that new Alphas have to be found for established families
when the original dies. Forest-kin tend not to live as long as other inhabitants of the
F-UK, which outsiders put down to their cavalier approach to diet.
Alphas are Leaders, but have a Toughness of 11 and not 12. They are always strong
fighters and hunters and receive a +1 to all melee. Due to their status and the loyalty
inspired in the rest of the family, they have a Skill of 8
Alpha Mothers are Medics, they also inspire loyalty and as such have a Skill of 7. Alpha
Mothers are 25 pts.

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The Engineers of the Rag Market and other city dwellers

Before the Last War, the city of Birmingham had long been considered the home of
Engineering in the United Kingdom and was once the heart of gun manufacture. This
had declined long before the Last Day itself, yet something about the city perhaps the
records held in its gigantic central library and numerous University libraries, or perhaps
something less tangible, inspired it to rise again like a phoenix in the new world of the
F-UK. As survivors from the suburbs and surrounding towns and villages returned
gradually and instinctively to the former City Centre, once home of the famous Bullring
and Rag Markets, it soon grew into a bustling market town once again.
Its central position and placement at heart of the old motorway network, which many
travelling graders still used as a means of navigation, as well as its access to the newly
revived and thriving canal systems, made the Rag Market, as it was shortly christened,
the ideal position to form a trading town. Here, traders joined the descendants of the
few Local Government employees and their families who had known the location of
Birminghams vast secret underground network of communications tunnels. These
descendants kept with them, secreted inside the forgotten tunnels a great wealth of
knowledge which Professors from the old citys numerous universities and research
hospitals along with academics from the libraries, art galleries and museums used to
form the Engineers Guild. Based within the very heart of the Rag Market, its entrances
are still known only to its own members and their most trusted allies. Within the Guild,
Engineers and scientists reconstruct pre-war technology and carry out research into new
technology. Their ultimate aim is to use this tech to return civilisation to the world. The
Guilds exploration arm is made up of the Forward Expeditionary Squads,
who also serve to protect the market itself.
Other cities across the F-UK have similarly began to revive themselves
and re-establish some form of order, and frequently have Gangs or
militia attached to them. The specific advantages and skills of the
Engineers need not be considered unique to gangs based out of this
City, but should be considered as a template for Gangs from any
other town or City that may well be seeking similar aims.
All members of The Engineers start with a Skill of 7, they may also
re-roll any failed attempt to fix a jammed weapon. Due to their
better understanding of technology and science, Medics, Assault and
Heavys may be equipped with Skills from any tier at any time, they do
not have to fulfil the usual requirement to equip Skills in the tier below.
UNIQUE EQUIPMENT: Superior Walkie-Talkie, Orders can be
given up to a range of 24. 15 pts.
6 | Across the Dead Earth : Origins

The Assassins
Death is commonplace in the F-UK, to such an extent that murder isnt even a concept
in many peoples minds. Death does not require justification, and short of The State
protecting their own interests (as do the Guild, Inquisition and others) there is no police
force and very little in the way of justice. The Postmen (see Trade Guild) are considered
by some to be the most deadly assassins in the F-UK, but however deadly and rightfully
feared they may be, the truly most deadly Assassins areunknown. Gangs kill people
in the open. Their targets usually know they are targets and often know why usually
because they are standing to near some Loot or have a bounty of 5 points on their heads.
Assassins kill from the shadows, unseen, unknown, and without any motivation other
than their own financial reward.
The Orphanage* is widely, and incidentally quite correctly believed to the home of one
group of deadly assassins, but these are not the only ones to be found in the F-UK. In the
ruins of a dark tower in the very heart of New Venice
itself, defectors from The State take on missions for
money.
Assassins are particularly useful in scenario
games, where a 3rd party (i.e. someone not
taking an active part in that specific game)
nominates one character to be the main
target for the player with a gang of or
featuring Assassins.
Assassins receive 5 pts for each enemy
knocked out and 25 points for killing the
specific target but lose the 5 KO points
if they then kill that target. If this is
not possible the player controlling the
target Gang should assign a number
to each of their Gang members, and the
Assassin player should roll a dice secretly
to nominate one. Cover that dice with a
cup until the target is killed or the Game
ends.
*much more on the Orphans in the forthcoming
second issue of the Rough Guide to the Dead Earth

Across the Dead Earth : Origins | 7

Settlers
Though it is easy to think the entirety of the F-UK is over-run by Gangs and
paramilitaries this is far from the case. In fact the majority of people neither live in the
new cities like New Venice and the Rag Market nor do they live the itinerant lifestyle of
Gangers and Traders. Most people, in fact live in small villages, settlements and farms.
There is very little arable farming in the F-UK due to most peoples fears about radiation
and though no one knows for sure the origin of the Sollus, the vast majority of people
are wholly unwilling to take any risk which may cause them to end up either eating or
being killed by their nearest and dearest. Although there are similar fears over livestock,
the people of the F-UK believe that through the generations since the Last War, livestock
must have either built up some resistance to the radiation, or that its effects are weakened
from generation to generation.
Most farmers operate massive greenhouses
in which they grow crops from supplies of
compost and feed looted from garden centres
and the like to sustain their animals, they
themselves live off cheese, meat and alcohol.
Fish is rarely touched by anyone however,
mainly due to the increasingly common
knowledge that Europe is over-run by Sollus
and you never know where the fish might
have swum from. Most people will eat crow,
having been brought up on legends that there
used to be as many different types of bird as
there are types of insect, but since all the others perished, Crows are therefore thought
to be either immune or somewhat magical, dependent on your belief. (Given how few
people in the F-UK actually reach their potential lifespan due to gang activity and war,
it is very hard to gauge exactly what effect various lifestyles have on the population.)
Other communities exist around limited sources of pre-war food, though these by their
very nature tend to be small. Even so, some villages based around large supermarket
distribution centres have survived for decades by the use of rationing.
These villages must, however, manage their populations very carefully, and it is therefore
common to find Gangs of very young ex-settlers who have been banished from such
centres into the wider world, only to be allowed to return if they can bring great
replenishments of food stocks with them. Other Settlers choose to leave of their own
free will. Reggie, from Adams family is a prime example of the bored young farmers and
settlers who wish to seek adventure and excitement, or simply a better life for themselves
outside of the barbed-wire topped fences and walls of their homes.
Settlers receive one rare item each upon leaving home. This should be dealt randomly. 10
pts
8 | Across the Dead Earth : Origins

Trade Guild
The United Kingdom the name the F-UK was known by prior to the Last War
was frequently referred to as a nation of shopkeepers. Though the world has changed
unrecognisably in the years since, in many respects this remains true. It was months,
not years after the events that changed the world, that The Trade Guild was formed in
Liverpool by a small group of traders who banded together for their own protection. In
doing so they immediately not only established their own safety, but found they could
offer protection for others at a cost. Being placed in Liverpool also put them in an ideal
position to reach out across the ocean to Ireland and even the Disunited States, and it
was the growing Trade Guild that recovered and refurbished surviving sea worthy vessels
to carry people and trade once more across the sea albeit at a greatly reduced speed
compared to pre-war days. Today the Guild exists both as a physical fortress, staffed
by dozens of administration and military staff and as a society which can be joined
by any trader, giving them access to preferential trade rates and first dibs on any rare
items discovered by other members. The Guild also exists in a state of semi-cold war
with The State. Though neither organisation wishes to risk its own strength in resources
by forming an army and attacking the other, they each refuse to recognise the others
authority nor accepts the others currency (though everyone else in the country will
happily accept either and consider them like for like).
Most members of the Guild are
Traders, but very few would
ever travel alone. Guild
Caravans usually consist of
more armed guards than
trader themselves. These
guards are sometimes
Guild members, such
as the Postmen, but are
more often than not
hired hands. The Postmen
are the most feared and
respected unit amongst The
Guilds military arm. When
the Guild was established to
help protect its member traders
and hired mercenaries or bodyguards
were formed into paramilitary squads
to escort valuable goods, the cream of the
crop were selected and trained personally
by Anonymous. He formed The Postmen with
the intention of ensuring the delivery of sensitive
Across the Dead Earth : Origins | 9

documents and messages between townships, Gangs and even the Inquisition. To this
day, no information entrusted to the Postmen has ever failed to reach its destination. The
Guild have, unsurprisingly, now found other uses for the Postmens talents, and they are
frequently to be found attempting to recover high value Loot or even eradicating Gangs
or State officials. To protect their families, the Postmen maintain anonymity at all times
by wearing masks, but whilst working they are easily identifiable by their royal blue
and bright red armoured uniforms.
To use any Gang members as members of the Trade Guild, the Leader must be a
member of the Guild, as most of the benefits are accessed between games. There is no
real difference between other gangs members whether they are members or not, other
than no Gang may consist of members of the Guild AND members of The State. A Trade
Guild Leader costs 50 pts. The Trade Guild have access to twice as many rare items as the
Gang would otherwise choose from between games, and also always get the best price.
The Guild also has access to military grade equipment.
Gangborn
In the first few decades after the Last War, Gangs were formed
more often than not by individuals meeting and banding
together in their mutual interest. Most of these Gangs
lived an itinerant lifestyle of robbery and looting which
necessitated they kept moving. This frequently made
relationships difficult for gangers to enter into outside
of their immediate gang. As such, it is now not at
all uncommon for children to be born and raised
into Gangs forever on the move, never settling,
frequently never setting foot in or ever seeing the
big cities and settlements. Gangborn as they
are known know no life but that which they are
born into, and often know nothing of the world
before this one. They are unschooled and often
completely without any form of education other
than never to pull the trigger when youre looking
down a barrel, and to not hold a sword by the pointy
end. Gangborn have a Toughness of 11 and
Gangborn leaders a Toughness of 13. Due to
their lack of education and social isolation, no
Gangborn can achieve a Skill greater than 7 under
any circumstances. Any Gangborn may take the
Class Assault, Heavy or Scrapper for half the
usual price. Basic Gangborn (i.e. no class skills
or equipment) cost 30 pts.
10 | Across the Dead Earth : Origins

The State
Order. That is the mission of The State. Though the details
of what exactly would occur on the Last Day were
known to none, the military and the Government had
taken precautionary action against almost any set of
eventualities. When the switch was flicked, and 98% of
the population of the F-UK dropped down dead, it
came as quite a shock to the thousands of military
and Government personal who were already in
bunkers underneath London. Safe or so they
thought, few remained standing. The highest
ranking survivor immediately declared
himself Head of State. He spoke with sufficient
authority and an eerie calmness whilst all
around him was chaos that all did as he ordered. When the
handful of survivors emerged into the sunlight to find the
remains of London scarred and flooded, he remained calm
and instructed his men and women to gather together as
many survivors as they could find within the City and gather
them together to hear him. The State was born. With the flag
raised, the Head of State inspired hope and loyalty to the
cowering survivors of the old world. Later he would go on
to inspire that same Loyalty through fear.
Today, The State consider themselves the rightful
Government of the F-UK and continue their missions to return order to the nation.
Though based out of New Venice (legend has it that it was the Head of State himself
that coined the moniker) The State has spread throughout the South-East and East of
the Country. It is a primarily a military operation, funded by taxes gathered from
settlements and towns which fall under The States protection. The State is massively
corrupt, with much of those taxes going into the pockets of Captains and smaller
scale protection rackets common, but even where this is the case, the protection of
The State is real and worth having. The State can extended their arm further and more
quickly than any individual gang, as they have units based throughout the entirety of
the F-UK (with notable exceptions including Liverpool and much of the Queendom of
Cornwall). New Venice itself is the beating heart of The State, and though rumours of
his death circulate every few years, it is widely believed that The Head of State, though
an incredibly old man, still resides somewhere within. Never seen in public due to the
high risk of assassination, the HOS regularly delivers speeches and announcements via
acetates played on clockwork or electric record players through New Venice and beyond.
Electricity is one of the many luxuries that the inhabitants of New Venice most of
Across the Dead Earth : Origins | 11

whom work in one way or another for the State can enjoy, along with occasionally
clean running water and the most expensive and rarest surviving pre-war artefacts from
around the country, as liberated by the States Information Acquisition Operatives.
Those born and raised in New Venice are almost all unerringly loyal to The State, and
this loyalty is rewarded with these luxuries and gifts. It is perhaps, then, not hard to see
why young men and women flock to join the State, work their way up the ranks and
attempt to gain favour with the HOS himself. Most fail, and instead find other means to
line their pockets.
The State have increased Loyalty, and as such when giving Orders a State Leader treats
his Skill as 1 higher than usual (all other Skill rolls are unaffected) and can re-roll any
failed order once. For The State, the Leader class costs 35 points. In addition to the
usual choice of weapons and equipment The State may choose from Bullet Proof Vests
or Personal Body Armour as Common Items (i.e. they are not treated as Rare but are
available at all times, at the usual price).
The Monarchists of the Queen of the South
The Royal Family did not survive the Last Day. At least, none of the well-known
members of The Royal Family did. Like all families, however, particularly large,
sprawling families, the blood types of the Royal Families members were not all the same.
It stands to reason therefore, that somewhere, someone in line to the throne survived.
According to Boudica and her supporters, that someone was her Grandfather, and then
her father, and now her.
Boudica was named by her father after a legendary warrior queen
who fought invaders in a mythical past said to have occurred long,
long before the skyscrapers and automobiles of the old world were
consigned to history. He and his followers raised her to live like
that warrior Queen and to one day march on New Venice and
demand the HoS bow to her. It is said that as a servant of The
State, he would be honour bound to do so. There are only two
minor problems, the first is obvious: provenance.
Boudica has divided her army into numerous Gangs who have
now been tasked with seeking out some form of written evidence
of her bloodline. Boudica has raised an army in Cornwall
now referred to by her and her supporters as the Queendom of
Cornwall (which also includes many other areas of the South of
England) and even lives in a castle. She is convinced that one
day one of her Gangs will return with the evidence she needs
to rule the whole country. Unfortunately, the second problem,
which is closely tied to this belief, is that Boudica is stark raving
12 | Across the Dead Earth : Origins

mad. She sits upon and ancient throne, wearing an ancient crown, and insists that her
followers battle each other to prove their worth to her frequently to the death. Those
that survive, she Knights. Boudica has read a lot about Knights in her fathers books, and
is quite insistent on how they should behave. Hence, the Monarchists who support her
take to the battlefield against other Gangs toting automatic weapons and grenades with
swords and suits of armour where available, and occasionally, even on horseback.
Having been raised to do battle without any modern technology at all, the Monarchists
have a +1 to all hand to hand combat. Monarchists can be equipped with Armour which
increases their Toughness by 1 but reduces their Speed to 5 and costs 15 points. Boudica
herself can be used as a Leader. She costs an additional 25 points, but all her Orders are
always successful, such is the almost religious fervour and worship she inspires in her
followers.
The Whisky Lords
Access to pre-war food and drink in secure packaging not only provides sustenance,
but can also provide immense wealth. In Scotland the survivors of the Last War found
themselves heir to that wealth when on the Last Day over 20 million casks of whisky lay
aging in distilleries across a country now populated by only a hundred thousand people.
Even after the angels had taken a considerable share*, that left a lot of whisky. Once
their heads cleared, it didnt take long for numerous industrious individuals to realise
this and organise themselves in such a way as to best capitalise on it. Clans soon began
to re-emerge as a manner of identity, loyalty and lifestyle. Ancient castles were raided
for weaponry and the clans were soon armed. Civil war occurs, normally over the rights
to loot newly rediscovered distilleries or for hunting rights to the gargantuan herds of
deer, but more often than not the Whisky Lords are content to live alongside one another
whilst trading with the rest of the F-UK.
Trade caravans carry with them a substantial amount of wealth, and as such, are fiercely
protected and defended by the Lords. Most guards are more than happy to be paid
in whisky, and attempts to rob them usually end up being a battle against a gang in a
drunken rage! Though most Lords have no plans to expand into other areas of the UK,
they are frequently engaged in running battles with the Trade Guild and The State, who
both wish to either control or tax the whisky trade. As such it is not uncommon to find
gangs of Scots carry out covert and overt attacks throughout the F-UK on strategic
targets, or simply to disrupt the actions of their enemies.
The Whisky Lords have access to all rare items at all times and always pay the highest
price, as they have no need nor time to haggle. All Whisky Lords also have the Skill Rage
at the usual cost.
*the longer whisky is aged, the more evaporates. This is referred to as the angels share and is one of the
reasons whisky is more expensive the older it is.

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