Table of Contents

Table of contents

Credits p5
1. Introduction p8
Core Rules p12
2. Concepts and Essentials p13
3 Getting Started p17
4 The Game Turn p19
5 Game Play p20
6 Close Assault p26
7 Ranged Assault p29
8 Damage p34
9 Morale p36
10 Casting p38
Advanced Play p41
11 Terrain Rules p42
12 Campaign Rules p49
13 Scenarios p57
14 Elements p61
15 Glossary p64
Templates p75 & 76
Counters p77 & 78
Quick Reference Sheet P79 & 80

4
 Core Rules
Samaria
An abandoned planet, a ruined world, a place where few still remember...
Can you imagine what it means when everything falls down?
When the world, as you know it, ends in a flash, what comes next?
Do you give up, fall down, die? Or do you struggle, force yourself to stand, live on? Walk over the bodies
of your family. Kill or be killed. Cling to life no matter where it takes you. Because only then will you
understand how deeds become history.
Only then will you survive Dark Age.
The world of Dark Age is a world of contradiction. Plasma rifles meet crossbows, laser torches meet
horse-drawn ploughs, and future philosophy meets ancient religion. The inhabitants of our world all
share one simple trait, the instinct for survival at any cost.
A politician’s church ruling long abandoned humans with an iron fist.
Self-proclaimed demigods thrusting humanity forward with ancient technology.
An alien race, battling dishonor through warriors’ eyes, defending their adopted home.
Mutated barbarians, thirsting for revenge against those who forsook them.
Vat-spawned nightmares created by a perversion of the evolutionary principle and unleashed by an
insane mother.
And there are others;
humanity’s sins risen up against them,
an angel fallen through scientific pride,
even more secrets held close by a merciless world.
Welcome to Samaria.

12

2. concepts and essentials
In this chapter, you will learn some of the basic and essential concepts
you will need to know when playing Dark Age. If you ever have any
questions not found in this rulebook regarding Dark Age, feel free to
stop by the website, http://www.dark-age.com, and visit the forum.
There you will find many interesting articles on the varying aspects of
this hobby including specific articles on the different tactics you can
use in the game of Dark Age and plenty of useful downloads.
What You Need To Play
BATTLEFIELD – You need something to play on, a table or any
playing surface will do, typically 4’ x 4’.
DARK AGE MINIATURES - To play the game you need a
number of Dark Age miniatures to represent your chosen Forcelist.
Each Dark Age miniature comes with a round plastic base to not
only help the piece stand, but also used throughout the rules to rep-
resent the Unit's footprint on the Battlefield.
TAPE MEASURE (FT) – Dark Age requires a standard Inches/Foot Tape
Measure.
20-SIDED DICE – Used throughout Dark Age, rolling twenty
sided dice (d20s) to determine the outcome of statistic rolls and gen-
eral game play. Multiple dice of different colors are preferable, mak-
ing different rolls easier to distinguish.
TERRAIN – To add life to your Dark Age miniature game you will
want to use terrain such as miniature-scale hills, rivers, bridges,
fences, buildings, and other landscapes.
COUNTERS & CARDS – Dark Age makes use of various
counters and templates. Find these at the back of the Forcelist books.
If you decide to use your own Counters and/or Cards, ensure they
are clearly representative, and that your opponent knows what they
represent before setting up the game.
Game Play Definitions
Argument Stopper - Tabletop war games are just that:
“games.” Although making every attempt to cover all possible
scenarios and keep game play as smooth as possible, circumstances
may arise during game play not covered by the rules. If at any point
you or your opponent have a dispute on a topic and cannot reach an
agreement, simply roll one d20 each. The player that makes a lowest
roll wins the decision and the game continues. This will allow you to
keep your game flowing smoothly. You can always discuss the ruling
after the game for future reference. When this occurs, please post the
question on the Dark Age forums for a more official ruling.
Measuring - All measurements in Dark Age are in inch-
es (in). When measuring the distance between two Units,
13
Core Rules
always measure the shortest possible distance between the two
Miniature’s Bases. When determining Movement, measure from the
nearest point in the desired direction on the Miniature’s Base, up to
the correct distance. Then move the Unit, placing the same point of
the base at that location. There is no pre-measuring in Dark Age. If
you measure a distance, you must follow through with the action.
NOTE: Round all fractions down.
Die Rolls - Dark Age utilizes a d20 for all game determinations. By
design, rolling lower is better than rolling higher.
Critical Success and Critical Failure - Rolling a “1” on
the die results in a “Critical Success” and rolling a “20” is a “Critical
Failure.” Most tests have special stipulations for handling such criti-
cal rolls.
Lowest to Hightest - If a Unit must make multiple die rolls
for one action, such as AR Saves, make all of these dice rolls at once.
Consider them to occur in order from the lowest result to the
highest. If you only have one d20, you should note your results
down and resolve them in order of lowest to highest as above.
NOTE: As the die rolls are taken from lowest to highest, if a player rolls
both a 1 and a 20, the roll of 1 would take precedence over the 20.
Scatter Roll - A Scatter Roll is a single d20 roll. Each facet, or
side, of a d20 is a triangle shape and the direction of the Scatter is the
direction of the triangle point above the number rolled. It is best to
roll your Scatter die close to the intended target area to make direc-
tion determinations easier
Target Number (TN) - The Target Number (TN) is the num-
ber needed for a successful outcome on any die roll. Determine a
TN with one or more Statistics and any situational modifiers that
may apply to the specific action performed. If the result is equal to
or lower than the TN, you are successful. The TN is calculated for
anything that requires a die roll including attacks, AR Saves, Fear or
Panic Tests, etc.
Army - An Army is the primary and most general classification for
combatants in Dark Age. These often refer to a race or nation (e.g.
Forsaken, Dragyri, Skarrd, Brood, etc.). Each Army contains one or
more sub-types, called Forcelists.
Forcelist (Force) - The Forcelist provides details on all of the
Units that make up the Force you field on any particular Scenario.
Each Forcelist’s entries describe Units’ Statistics, Abilities, and Weap-
ons for use in the game of Dark Age. Additional books have even
more Forcelists to expand the world of Dark Age further.
NOTE: You may only use one Forcelist per 1,000 points. In games
from 1,001 – 2,000 points, you may combine up to two Forcelists
from the same Army. In games 2,001 – 3,000 points you may
combine up to three Forcelists from the same Army, etc.
Concepts & Essentials

Unit - Dark Age represents forces on the Battlefield by Miniatures,
referred to as Units. A Unit is a single Miniature. Grouped into two
different categories, Units are either Individuals or Squads. There-
fore, the term “Unit” may refer to an Individual or a single member
of a Squad.
Individual - Individuals are Units that activate on their own.
Squad - Squads are teams of Units that move and attack as a group.
A Squad may contain a Leader who generally has different Statistics.
Unit Card - Using a Unit Card
in Dark Age is a fast way of learn-
ing and remembering your Unit’s
Statistics, Weapons, and Special
Abilities. A Unit Card also helps
keep track of which Units have
completed their activation each Game
Turn. Unit Cards for each Forcel-
ist accompany each Forcebook.
Unit Statistics - Each Unit has Sta-
tistics to represent how well the Unit can
shoot, attack, Cast, resist damage, move,
and function in the harsh world of Dark
Age. The following Statistics describe the
fundamental attributes of a Unit used in
Dark Age.
Action Points (AP) - Action Points
(AP) represent the amount of activity a
Unit can participate in during its Acti-
vation. A Unit spends an AP in order to
perform single actions such as Movement,
using weapons, abilities, and castings.
Defense (DF) - Defense (DF) is a Unit’s ability to avoid an attack.
Add this number to an attacker’s AS when the target of an Assault.
Armor (AR) - Armor (AR) is the amount of protection the Unit
has against most attacks. This can be due to protective equipment,
or natural protection from a tough hide, fur, scales, or mutation.
Subtract the PW of a hit from a Unit’s AR when making an AR Save.
NOTE: The Unit attempting to avoid damage makes an AR Save,
not the Unit causing damage. Thus, AR Saves ignore any Attackers’
TN modifiers.
Move or Movement (MV) - Movement (MV) measures the
number of inches the Unit may travel per AP spent. Terrain and
obstructions can sometimes modify this amount.
Psyche (PS) - The Psyche (PS) statistic indicates the Unit’s bravery
and willpower. Units with high PS are less likely to suffer from Fear
or Panic. They are also more likely to resist some Castings.
Health Points (HP) - Health Points (HP) show the amount of
damage a Unit can withstand before Dying or removing it from play.
Point Value (PV) - Point Value (PV) is the worth of each Unit
in the game. This statistic balances the Forces to ensure every player
has an equal chance of winning. Before a game begins, players decide
the total Point Value for the game.
Special Abilities - Abili-
ties are the representation of a Unit’s
special talents that other Units may not
share. Some Units have the ability to
attack multiple times, while
others have the ability to use a Casting.
Special and Weapon Abilities can be
found in the appropriate Forcelist section.
Special Abilities supersede or modify
how the standard rules apply to the Unit.
Size (SZ) - Size (SZ) shows the
physical size of a Unit in the world of Dark
Age. The Size groups are Tiny, Small, Medi
Medi-
um, Large and Huge.
Size Correlates to Base Size
Tiny, Small,
Medium = Small Base (30mm)
Large = Medium Base (40mm)
Huge = Large Base (50mm)
Equipment - This shows the equipment
and weapons a Unit possesses.
Squad Size - Each Forcelist provides you with the Unit’s Squad
Size. This statistic is either “Individual” or provides details on the
number of Units allowed in a single Squad. If the Squad Size is Indi-
vidual, you pay the PV for each Unit. Individuals may not become
part of a Squad unless a Special Ability states otherwise. If the Unit
is part of a Squad, it must adhere to the minimum and maximum
Squad Size restriction usually referenced. Squads must have at least
as many Units as the minimum listed, and no more than the maxi-
mum number of Units listed. The Point Value for any type of Squad
is always ‘per Unit,’ and totaled accordingly.
Availability - Availability is a limitation on the number of
Individuals or Squads that you can have in your Dark Age Force.
Availability restrictions range from required Game Size to need-
ing other specific Units in your Force before allowing the

14

Unit’s purchase. If the listed Availability is “Unique” then you may
only ever take one of those Units or Squads per Force.
Example 1: “Availability: 1 per 1000 points.” This means that you may
only have one of these Individuals every 1000 points, or portion thereof,
which your Force is worth. If you are playing Forces of up to 1000 points,
you may therefore take one of these Units, and you may choose a second
one of these Units if you are playing 1001 – 2000 points, and so on. The
same would be true for the number of Squads with an “Availability: 1
Squad per 1000 points.”
Example: 2: “Availability: Up to 2 per Soul Warden of the Ice Caste.”
This means that you may only ever field this Squad or Individual if you
also have a Soul Warden. For each Soul Warden you may have up to two
of this Squad or Individual.
Weapon Statistics - The following statistics describe the
fundamental attributes of weapons used in Dark Age.
Weapon Name - Weapons in Dark Age have their own statistics to
represent their effectiveness against other Units, as well as how effec-
tively their users’ wield them. As different Units may carry the same
weapons, only the weapon statistics written on a Unit’s card applies
to that particular Unit.
Assault (AS) - Assault (AS) shows the combat ability of a Unit
with this particular weapon or attack. This Statistic reflects the Unit’s
training and ability, plus the inherent accuracy of the weapon. Add
the AS stat to the target’s DF to find the TN for an attack.
Rate of Fire (RF) - Rate of Fire (RF) is the maximum number of
uses in one Game Turn of this weapon. A “-” in this field means the
weapon has no limit on the maximum usage per Game Turn.
Power (PW) - Power (PW) is the strength of a weapon’s attack.
Subtract this number from the target’s AR to find the TN for AR
Saves. PW is a result of both the strength of the wielding Unit and
the sheer brutality of the weapon (Thus, different weapons with the
same name may have different PW statistics). A Power Multiplier,
indicated by an “x” and a second number indicates how many AR
Saves to avoid any Damage. A PW with no multiplier requires only a
single AR Save. The PW of an attack never drops below 0. An attack
with a PW of 0 automatically fails, stopping any follow up Assaults;
i.e. an Assault or Armor Save roll is not even made.
Range (RN) - The Range (RN) statistic is the maximum distance
at which the weapon can hit a target. Ranges are always in inches
(in). If the weapon is for Close Assault only, it will be marked with
a “CA.”
Malfunction (MAL) - Malfunction (MAL) is a com mon occur-
rence in a world of such poorly maintained weapons as Dark Age.
15
Concepts & Essentials
Weapons created with unstable technology usually have MAL
statistics to show the danger of using it. On a roll equal to or greater
than the MAL number something has gone wrong and the weapon
has backfired, vented gasses, recoiled unexpectedly or something
similarly bad. The Unit using the weapon suffers an immediate hit
by its own attack. In some situations, it is possible for a weapon to
both MAL and still hit its target. Simple weapons like swords do not
usually have a MAL statistic, so they will be marked with a “-” and
thus can never MAL. Some weapons have special MAL effects found
on the Unit Cards or in the Weapon Abilities section of the Forcelist.
Notes - In the Notes you will find Weapon Abilities and other
useful information. E.g., the Coil’s Morning Stick has the Ability to
Knock Prone (KP). Weapon Abilities are in the appropriate section
of each Forcelist. Special Abilities supersede or modify how the stan-
dard rules apply to the Unit.
Attack Groups (AG) - Weapons and attacks segregate into
groups. These groups are marked in the Unit description as Attack
Group 1, Attack Group 2, etc. Attack Groups show attacks that may
be used for 1 AP. When an AP is spent, choose any Attack Group
you would like to attack with and make one roll for each entry in the
group. Each time an AP is spent you may chose a different group.
If an Attack Group has more than one attack listed in it, you must
designate the target for all attacks before making any AS rolls. If
you wish, you are not required to make all the attacks in an Attack
Group.
Example 1: Chitin has two Toxic Cleavers in Attack Group #1. Chitin
is in Base to Base (BtB) contact with Bane #1 and Bane #2. If Chitin
attacks Bane #1 only, she should roll two dice, and resolve the rolls from
lowest to highest. If Chitin splits the attacks between Bane #1 and Bane
#2, either roll two separate attacks by rolling two different colored dice
indicating which die is for Bane #1 and which die is for Bane #2, or you
could declare intentions to attack Bane #1 first and Bane #2 second, then
resolve your die roll lowest to highest.
Example: An Abomination has three Pod Guns in Attack Group #3.
Spearslaves #1, #2, and #3 are within 36”. #1 is within 10” so it must
be a target. #2 is at 12” and #3 is at 24”. The Abomination wants to
shoot all three. It must target #1, but it has the option of making #2 or
#3 his second target. The Abomination declares targeting #1, then #2,
then #3. It rolls three dice and resolves lowest to highest; the rolls are 1,
15, and 19. As a result Slave #1 is hit and killed, Slave #2 is missed, and
a Malfunction occurs shooting at Slave #3.
Example 2: X-Cess has a Sword and two daggers in Attack Group #1.
X-Cess is in BtB with Buzzblade #1, #2, and #3. If X-Cess attacks Buzz-
blade #1, she should roll three dice at the same time, one die separate
from the other two to denote the Sword. If X-Cess attacks Buzzblade #1,
#2, and #3, either roll three separate attacks, or roll three
Concepts & Essentials

different colored dice indicating which die is for Buzzblade #1, #2, and Example: Deadlock fires at a Spearslave with her machine pistols. She
#3 plus note which attack will be the sword. rolls an 8 and a 20. Resolve rolls lowest to highest. The Spearslave first
must make an AR Save, then Dedlock must roll for the AR Save from
Example 3: A Ratchet has Chitin Club (KP 12) & Chitin Short Sword the MAL.
(Paralyzing Poison) in Attack Group #1. The Ratchet is in BtB with
Bane #1 and Bane #2. If the Ratchet attacks Bane #1 you should either
roll two separate attacks, denoting which weapon you are using (because
they have different abilities) or roll two different colored dice indicating
which die is which weapon. If the Ratchet splits the attacks between Bane
#1 and Bane #2, either roll two separate attacks, or roll two different col-
ored dice indicating which die is for Bane #1 and which die is for Bane
#2. Note the weapons used as they have different abilities.

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

16
 Core Rules

3. Getting Started
Before playing a game of Dark Age, the players involved need to de- Paul plays Dragyri Ice Caste and chooses the following Forcelist:
cide what kind of game they wish to play. This includes game size,
scenarios or victory conditions, special terrain rules, or any house 1 Spirit Lord 140 pts
rules. 1 Frostbite 75 pts
2 Blizzards (2 x 82 pts) 164 pts
1. Determine Size Of Game 12 Spearslaves 120 pts
Usually the first step is to decide how big a game to play, often Total = 499 pts
dictated by the time available to the players. Given allotted time,
the players will agree on how many points they will allocate for Dean plays Saint Mark and chooses the following Forcelist:
choosing their Forces. Greater point totals allow for larger / more
elite units in each Force. Some recommended point totals, and 1 Saint Mark 132 pts
their corresponding game times, are listed below. These are, how- 1 Reaver 75 pts
ever, estimated times and you will find game times changing for 3 Junkers (3 x 64 pts) 192 pts
varying reasons (such as becoming more proficient with the rules). 2 Shades (2 x 50 pts) 120 pts
Total = 499 pts
Player Amount Point Totals Durations
2 Players 500 points 45 minutes Large Scale Games
2 Players 750 points 60 minutes In games larger than 1000 points, you may combine two Forcelists
2 Players 1000 points 90 minutes of the same Army type. When combining Army Forcelists, the cost
3+ Players 400 points 60 minutes of the primary Forcelist will come from the first 1000 points. The
cost of the secondary Forcelist Units will come out of the next 1000
2. Determine a Scenario points/remaining points, etc. All special rules of the Forcelists still
Scenarios, in the majority of cases, will simulate a ‘meeting engage- apply (e.g. Honor Before Combat).
ment’ where two Forces square off with the goal of eliminating their
opposition. However, players are free to develop whatever scenarios Example: David wants to play a 1500- point game. He plays Forsaken.
they wish to play such as defending a location, protecting a person He decides to take St. Mark in his primary Forcelist and St. Mary for
or asset, attempting to escape an ambush, etc. Whatever Scenario his secondary.
you wish to play, all participating players need to agree to the specific
conditions and rules before the game begins. If you want to play a David’s List
game not using a particular Scenario a default “Kill ‘em All” game Primary List Second List
may be played. The game ends after 5 Game Turns, add up the Points St. Mark St. Mary
Values of all the Casualties on both sides. The Player with the lowest 1 Saint Mark 132 pts 1 Saint Mary 130 pts
total is the winner. 1 Reaver 75 pts 1 Contradiction 70 pts
1 Field Medic 51 pts 3 Clergy Ann 180 pts
3. Select Units for Play 3 Junkers 192 pts 2 Flense 120 pts
Once you and your opponents have selected the size of game to play, 2 Shades 100 pts
you can then proceed with choosing the makeup of your Force. Us- 2 Shades 100 pts
ing the points available to you refer to your Forcelist. Each listing 1 Sister of
has a Point Value or PV. Total up their PV’s to make sure you do Compassion 60 pts
not exceed, even by one point, the total points available to you. This 4 Banes & Leader 205 pts
simulates the resources available for support. Availability and Squad 3 Coils & Leader 185 pts
Size restrictions on Units will also factor into your decisions regard- Total = 1000pts 500 pts
ing which Units to take. You may, only purchase Units from selected
Forcelists for your Army based on the game size.

Example: Paul and Dean decide to play for about 45 minutes, so they
agree to play a quick 500-point game. Each of them then looks at what
miniatures they have bought and cross-references those with the Unit’s
PV’s, available in their Forcelist.

17
 Getting Started

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

Brian’s List
Primary List Second List
Ice Caste Air Caste
1 Luck’kit-kaii 170pts 1 Yovanka 128 pts
1 Soul Warde 115 pts 1 Cyclone 70 pts
1 Ice Elemental 160 pts 2 Whispers 136 pts
1 Frostbite 75 pts 13 Spearslaves 130 pts
2 Blizzards 164 pts 1 Slave Taskmaster 36 pts
1 Slave Taskmaster 36 pts
14 Spearslaves 140 pts
14 Spearslaves 140 pts Once Deployment Zones are marked, all players roll a d20 to see
Total = 1000pts 500 pts whom Deploys first. The player with the lowest roll Deploys one
Individual or one Squad, then the player with the next lowest roll
Lay Out Unit Cards Deploys one Individual or one Squad, and so on. When all play-
If you are following the recommendation to use Dark Age Unit Cards, ers have finished Deployment, roll Initiative and begin the game.
then after selecting your Units, simply place each Unit Card face up The player who won the roll for Deployment may choose to
on or near the table so that you will have them handy for your Game. make another player Deploy first, and can even specify ex-
actly which Individual or Squad that player must Deploy.
4. Setting Up The Battlefield Only the Deployment winner can do this and by doing so
A large component of any tabletop wargame is the tabletop itself. they swap places with the player they choose to Deploy first.
Many players enjoy creating and collecting custom built terrain.
Miniature railroad terrain, homemade supplies, and common hard- Example: David, Brian, and Marbella are playing a game of Dark
ware supplies also work perfectly. Specific scenery and even whole Age. They each roll a d20 for Deployment. David rolls a 6, Brian rolls
gaming tables are available from various reputable retailers around 15 and Marbella gets a 12. David is the Deployment winner, however
the globe; many will be perfect for your Dark Age games. There are he chooses to make Brian Deploy first instead (He can also chose exactly
a couple of recommended ways of setting up the Battlefield in a fair which Squad or Individual Brian has to Deploy). David trades places
way for you and your opponent. Obviously, you may use your own with Brian, changing the Deployment order: first Brian, then Marbella,
method instead. and finally David.

OPTION 1 – Players take turns laying down pieces of terrain on the
table until one player decides to stop. After that each other player in
the game may place one more terrain piece should they so wish.
OPTION 2 – One player sets up the Battlefield, while the other
players roll off to decide what deployment zone(s) to use. The other
player(s) choose in order of lowest to highest, the player who setup
the terrain always chooses last.
Ultimately, the aim is to make sure that you and your opponents are
satisfied with the fairness of the Battlefield before the game begins.
5. Deployment
The recommended table size for a game of Dark Age is 4ft x 4ft.
The Deployment Zone for a game with two Forces is a rectangle
extending 6” onto the playing board and stopping 12” from the out-
side edges of the board on opposing sides of the table. This leaves 36”
between the two Deployment Zones (see the accompanying diagram).
NOTE: You may not force a Unit to Deploy that has an Ability that
modifies their deployment e.g., Infiltrate or Assasination.
6. Determine House Rules
Almost everyone has House Rules, and your games of Dark Age are
bound to have their own as well. House rules could be as simple
as declaring all rivers are shallow and do not limit Movement for
your Forces. Or, perhaps you and your friends may want to allow
one re-roll per game. Your House Rules are fine and you are even
encouraged to use them. If you do, please stop by the Dark Age web-
site and post them for discussion. The only set rule for using House
Rules in Dark Age is: if you do not tell your opponent(s) your House
Rules at the beginning of the game, then you cannot use them.
All players must both agree on their use before the game begins.
7. Play the Game
Now that you have assembled your Forces and prepared your Battle-
field, it is time to dive into the action! A “Game Turn” is one full Turn
of play for each player. The Game Turn is broken down into steps
that allow each player to use every aspect of their Forcelist.

18
 Core Rules

Game Turn
4. the game turn places with the player they have chosen to activate a Squad or Indi-
Phases are broken into the following steps: vidual first.

PHASE 1 – Preparation Phase
• Lingering Effects stage
• Reset Unit Cards
• Counter Removal (i.e. temporary MV counters, etc)
PHASE 2 – Initiative Phase
• Players roll d20’s: Lowest roll wins Initiative.
PHASE 3 – Activation Phase
• Select a Squad or Individual.
• Activate one Unit and use all of that Unit’s Action Points
(AP). If selecting a Squad, Activate one Unit in that Squad
and use all its AP. Continue Activating Units in the Squad
until all have Activated.
• Turn the Unit Card, place temporary Movement counters.
• Repeat this Phase passing play to the next player in
Initiative order until all players have activated all of their Units
PHASE 4 – End of Game Turn
• Return to the first step and repeat until the game ends.
Preparation Phase
Lingering Effects Stage
Effects or special rules may carry over from the previous Game Turn,
referred to as Lingering Effects. These Effects are resolved at this time.
Some counters, like Poison or Hold, remain in play during the Linger-
ing Effect stage. These counters have special rules for removing them
in the Forcelist. Check the rules for all counters before removing them
from play. If multiple Lingering Effects must resolve and the outcomes
may affect each other, each player rolls a d20 to determine which will
happen first. The lowest rolling player determines who will resolve
which Lingering Effect first. This goes between the players, in die roll
order from lowest to highest, until every Effect has been resolved.
Example: Each player rolls a d20. The results are David rolls a 13, Mar-
bella rolls 12, and Brian gets 8. This means that Brian ‘won’ Initiative
and the order of the Game Turn: Brian followed by Marbella and then
David. Brian could Activate one of his own Units now as he won Initia-
tive, but Brian decides to make Marbella go first and chooses to make her
Activate her Bane Squad. When Marbella is done with that Squad, the
Game Turn then passes to Brian because Brian took Marbella’s place in
the Initiative order.
Activation Phase
Activate A Unit
Game play passes from player to player in Initiative order with each
player choosing a single Squad or Individual to Activate. Players may
not choose to activate a Squad or Individual who already activated
this turn. If a player has no Units left to Activate, control passes to
the next player in Initiative order who still has Units yet to Activate.
This repeats until all of the Units in all of the players’ Forcelists acti-
vate once.
End of Game Turn
When all of the players’ Units have activated, the Activation phase is
complete and a new Game Turn will begin. Check Victory conditions
(If you are using them). Proceed back to the Preparation Phase and
begin the next Game Turn.

Face Up Unit Cards

Players using cards will take this opportunity to turn all Unit
Cards back to their starting direction (face up, facing the
player) this effectively resets the table for the upcoming Game Turn.

Remove Temporary Movement Counters

Players using temporary Movement counters will take this oppor-
tunity to remove all counters used in the previous Game Turn to
represent Unit Movement.

Initiative Phase
Initiative is the order players will take their Activation Phase. Play-
ers determine this order by each rolling a d20 and comparing their
results. Game play then proceeds starting with the player with the
lowest result and ending with the player with the highest. The player
who won may choose to make another player go first and can even
specify exactly which Individual or Squad that player must Activate.
Only the Initiative winner can do this and by doing so, they trade

19
 Core Rules
Action Points (AP)
5. game play
Action Points (AP) represent the amount of activity a Unit can
participate in during its Activation. A Unit spends AP’s to perform
single actions such as Movement or using weapons, Abilities, and
Castings. Units also spend AP’s to perform special movement such as
going Prone, standing up, Climbing, and Jumping. Any unused AP’s
are lost (unless the Unit goes ‘On Hold’). You are, however, allowed
to spend AP’s in any way you choose for the current Game Turn.
Once a Unit spends all its AP’s, it cannot perform any further actions
this Game Turn. You can do multiple actions in a Game Turn if you
have the AP’s to do so, but these actions must take place in the same
Game Turn. E.g., a Unit may move, shoot, and move again. It may
also shoot, move, and jump; however, you must have the AP to carry
out all the actions.
NOTE: Although Units are forced to activate every Game Turn, Units
are not forced to use all of their AP’s. They may choose to Activate,
do nothing and end their Activation. If a Unit does this, you may not
activate it again that Game Turn regardless of how many AP’s it has left.
Holding an Action-‘On Hold’
Units not currently in Close Assault (CA) may ‘Hold’ an action by
spending their last 2 AP to Hold 1 AP in reserve for Getting the
Jump, Ranged Assault or Evading. It doesn’t have to be their last
2 AP but once a Unit has spent these 2 AP they are considered on
Hold regardless of any AP’s left over, if they spend any more AP’s
during that Activation their Hold is wasted. In an ‘On Hold’ state,
the Unit is waiting to react to the enemy. The AP is Held until that
Unit is next Activated. If the Held action remains unused when the
Unit next Activates, the Held action is lost. As members of a Squad
activate individually, it is possible for members of a Squad to Hold
an action while other members of their Squad do not. Be sure to use
counters to keep track of what Units are on Hold. Getting the Jump,
RA-From Hold, or Evading do not count as the Unit’s activation.
NOTE: Using the “you go first-Initiative” rule, you may choose an
“On Hold” Unit to Activate, wasting their Held Action.
Example: Mike wins Initiative and forces Eric to activate the On Hold
Coil, wasting its Held Action. As the On Hold action was from Game
Turn #1, Eric may still activate the Coil normally.
Get the Jump – From Hold
“Get the Jump” is the term used for reacting to a Charge using a
Held action. When an Enemy Unit spends an AP to Move into Base-
to-Base (B2B) contact with an On Hold Unit, the holding Unit may
attempt to Get the Jump. Both the Charging and the On Hold Unit
roll a d20 adding their own DF statistic to their die rolls. The Unit
with the lowest total attacks first. (Tie goes to the lower DF Unit. If
both Units have equal DF, tie goes to the Charger). After the Unit
who won the Get the Jump first attack is resolved, resolve the losing
Unit’s attack (if the Unit is not dying or removed from play)
20
Example: A Death’s Device charges an On Hold Ravage. Both roll d20
and add their DF. Death’s Device rolls a 10 (10 + 5 = 15) and the Rav-
age rolls a 10 (10 + 5 = 15). As this is a tie, and both units have equal
DF (5), the tie goes to the attacker. The Death’s Device resolves his attack,
then the Ravage (if not Dying or removed from play) resolves its attack.
RA - From Hold
If a Unit is On Hold, it may interrupt an action by another Unit
in LOS, spending its Held AP to make a Ranged Assault (RA).
Before making this RA attempt, the Unit must make a PS check. (Roll
equal to, or under, the Unit’s PS. A Unit within its Leader’s Sphere of
Influence (SOI) may use their PS). If the PS check fails, the Unit
may not make the RA and their Held Action is wasted. Ranged
Assault from Hold allows you to leverage your Rate of Fire (RF).
A Unit on Hold, with RF left to spend, may use this RF even if
a new Game Turn starts (but before the Holding Unit Activates).
This is the only time when you may carry over unspent RF from
the previous Game Turn. Conversely, a Holding Unit without
any remaining RF may make a Ranged Assault from Hold after a
new Game Turn begins (but before the Holding Unit Activates).
This will consume the RF from the current Game Turn as normal.
The use of RA from Hold Interrupts a Unit in LOS actions during
the Activation phase:
• You may interrupt a Unit when it activates.
• You may interrupt any type of movement at anytime.
• You may stop a Unit spending an AP and resolve your RA
from Hold before they spend the AP.
• You may not interrupt an action that has already started
(e.g., multiple weapons in an attack group, AoE weapons
that effect multiple targets, etc,. If you allowed the AP to
be spent, you must resolve all weapons/effects before the
interrupt occurs)
NOTE: RA from Hold must still follow Targeting Priority rules. You
may interrupt any Unit in your LOS and then attack a different Unit.
Example 1: A Soul Searcher activates and is moving from behind a
large boulder (Completely Obscured) to behind smaller rubble (Partial
Cover). An On Hold Coil has the Soul Searcher in LOS and interrupts
the movement before the Soul Searcher reaches the smaller rubble. A Coil
has a PS of 12 and must roll a 12 or less for the PS check. The Coil rolls
a 10, passing the PS check and may now attempt the RA from hold at the
Soul Searcher, or another Unit (Targeting Priority allowing).
Example 2: In the first Game Turn, Eric activates a Coil using its first
Action Point to move, then using its last two Action Points to go on Hold.
During the second Game Turn, Mike activates his Buzzblade and is
moving from behind a large boulder (Completely Obscured) to behind
smaller rubble (Partial Cover). Eric activates his On Hold Coil to at-
tempt a RA-From Hold. (As the On Hold was from the previous Game
Turn) The Coil passes the PS roll, but misses the shot. Eric Activates the
Coil (its normal Activation for this Game Turn), and may shoot
again since he has not used the RF for this Game Turn.

Example 3: In the first Game Turn, Eric activates a Coil using its first
Action Point to make a RA with its Death Disk, then using its last two
Action Points to go on Hold. The Death Disk has RF 1, thus the Coil
may not use its Held action to make an RA-From Hold in this Game
Turn. Eric and Mike’s Units have all activated and a new Game Turn
begins. During the second Game Turn, Mike activates his Buzzblade
and is moving from behind a large boulder (Completely Obscured) to be-
hind smaller rubble (Partial Cover). RF determines the maximum uses
of a weapon per Game Turn (and this is a new Game Turn). Thus, Eric
may activate his on hold Coil to attempt a RA-From Hold. As the On
Hold was from Game Turn #1, Eric may still activate the Coil normally
this Game Turn, but cannot use the Death Disk as it has an RF of 1.
Evade - From Hold
Evade is the term used for reacting to Area of Effect (AoE) attacks.
An on Hold Unit hit by an AoE attack must make a PS check. (Roll
equal to, or under, the Unit’s PS. A Unit within its Leader’s SOI may
use their PS). If the PS check succeeds, the Unit may then move its
MV in any direction to attempt to avoid the template. If the Unit
does not have enough MV to clear the Area of Effect, it still suffers
a hit. The effects of the attack resolve normally from the position
the Evading Unit ended its Movement. (There is no pre-measuring,
declare the direction the Evading Unit will move and measure the
distance.) The Held AP is lost regardless of if the Unit passes its PS
check, or if it fails to clear the AoE with its subsequent Movement.
Movement in this manner ending in BtB contact with an enemy
Unit is not a Charge.
Example: A Stream weapon hits an on Hold Forsaken Bane. A Bane has
a PS of 12 and must roll a 12 or less for the Bane to Evade the Stream
attack. The Bane rolls a 9, passing the PS check, and may now move
the Bane up to its MV in inches (3in in this case) in any direction to
attempt to clear the Stream template.
Attack &Firing Arc-Front Arc
Units have a 180° Attack and Firing Arc (Front Arc). Draw a line
through the center of the Unit’s base to create front and back 180°
arcs. Marking the Attack Arc on all Dark Age Miniatures' Bases dur-
ing painting will reduce any arguments concerning Attack Arcs (all
that is necessary are two small lines on the edge of each side of the
base). Anything in front of that line is in the Unit’s Close Assault
(CA) and Ranged Assault (RA) Front Arc. For CA, the base of the
Unit must be touching a spot on the target Unit’s base somewhere in
this Front Arc. For RA, a line drawn from any point in this arc must
reach some point on the target. Actual placement of the weapon on
the Unit’s miniature is irrelevant. A Unit may change its facing, at-
tack, and firing arc freely during its own Activation with the follow-
ing restrictions:
• A Unit may not turn after spending their last AP except
when making a Free Spin.
• A Unit may turn while using an AP for a CA or RA.
21
Game Play
• A Unit may turn without limitation while spending AP on
Movement.
• A Unit may change direction while performing a Free Spin.
Free Spin
When a Unit not in CA is Charged, it may perform a Free Spin. This
allows the Unit to turn in place (spin) in order to meet the new threat
head on. The Unit is not required to make this Free Spin and may
stay stationary if it so wishes. Units on Hold may make a Free Spin
if Charged. Prone or Dying Units may not Free Spin. A Unit in CA
may use a Free Spin for every AP they spend for a CA or RE Attack.
Rear Arc
As noted in ‘Attack & Firing Arcs’ a Unit has a 180° Front Arc. The
reverse of this arc is the Unit’s ‘Rear’ Arc. Attacks that originate from
a Unit’s Rear, with a Range of “CA” or “RE,” gain +1 to the Assault’s
Target Number and gain +1 PW as well. To receive the Rear Arc at-
tack bonus the attacking Unit's Base must be entirely in the target’s
Rear Arc.
Line of Sight (LOS)
Units have a Line of Sight (LOS) of 180°. A Unit must clearly see
its target Unit. This means that, there must be an unobstructed path
from some part of the attacking Unit to some part of the target Unit,
and the target Unit must be inside the attacking Unit’s firing arc.
Other Units, both friendly and enemy, block this path up to the
topmost height of the intervening Unit and for the width of its Min-
iature’s Base. Some Dark Age miniatures have elaborate poses, which
elevate them into the air or lay them flat on the ground. These poses
do not apply to any game mechanics. If players disagree on LOS
to a Unit because of its Miniature’s pose, use a less elaborate Min-
iature of the same Size (preferably the same Unit type if you have
one). Likewise, flags, banners, weapons, etc. do not count for LOS
purposes when targeting a Unit. When determining LOS make a
straight line from any point in the Front 180° Arc of the attacking
Unit to any point on the target Unit as described above. If that line
crosses another Unit (Units of smaller Size do not block LOS but
provide Cover) or terrain piece, then the attacking Unit does not
have LOS to its target.
Movement
Units may spend AP to move on the Battlefield. For every AP spent
on Movement, the Unit may move in any direction up to their MV
statistic as measured in inches (in). Moving Units may turn freely
as long as the total linear Movement does not exceed their MV. The
Unit does not have to use its entire MV statistic in a given action,
but any remaining unused distance is wasted. Spending an AP on
Movement that brings a Unit into BtB contract with an enemy Unit
is a Charge.
NOTE: Units cannot end their Movement with their base
overlapping another Unit’s base.
 Game Play
Movement Penalties
Movement Penalties represent certain terrain features that naturally
slow a Unit down, wasting some of their MV. Only apply the largest
penalty per AP if moving through multiple terrain types.
Movement Penalties Steps
1) Spend 1 AP and Measure the distance the Unit is able
to move.
2) Identify the largest Movement Penalty.
3) Apply largest penalty to this AP’s MV.
4) Move the Unit.
NOTE: A Unit can always move at least 1” by spending an AP, unless
the terrain is Impassible.
Example: Frederick wants to move his Broodling over sand, through a
river, and into heavy jungle to attack a Spearslave. There is 3” of sand,
3” of river, and 2” of jungle between the Broodling and the Spearslave.
The sand terrain remains Open, while the river is Rough, and the jungle
declared Dangerous. Frederick spends 1AP and measures the distance the
Unit is able to move (7”).
The Broodling moves through sand and the river applying a –1 MV to
his 7” of MV for a total Movement of 6”. Frederick spends a second AP
and measures the distance the Unit is able to move (7”).
The Broodling moves through river and jungle too, applying a –2 MV to
its 7” of MV for a total Movement of 5”.
OPEN – Green fields or sandy deserts are examples of open ground.
Although not entirely flat, these areas are open enough that a Unit
can move without penalty.
ROUGH – This terrain can be moved through at a slightly reduced
pace. Such terrain includes swamps, areas of heavy snowfall, or
wooded areas. Units moving through these features cannot move at
full speed. The MV penalty demonstrates the problems to Move-
ment due to dangers and impediments like low hanging limbs, deep
snow, flowing water, or sheer elevation changes. Rough terrain incurs
a -1 MV penalty.
DANGEROUS – This terrain is dense or treacherous to the point of
forcing the Unit to slow down considerably. This can include treach-
erous mountain passes, heavy jungle, or ice-covered sections of rock.
Dangerous terrain incurs a -2 MV penalty.
IMPASSIBLE – This terrain is not passable for a Unit on the ground.
The only way to cross this terrain is the air or in some cases through
a special Movement type such as Climbing, Jumping etc.
SMALL OBSTACLES (SO) – These include fences, low walls,
hedges, barrels, and crates...anything that is as tall as a Unit
22
when Prone, or less. These objects are not large enough to stop Move-
ment but they do take time to cross. A SO costs -1 MV point to cross
it or, if there is enough space for the Unit's base, to be climbed upon
and clear the edge.
NOTE: SO –1MV is in addition to Movement Penalties.
Stairs and Ladders
Stairs and ladders make moving up hills and walls easier. Stairs or
ladders avoid normal Movement Penalties for Climbing, Rough and
Dangerous terrain.
NOTE: Declare and agree upon all terrain areas before the game starts.
Moving Through Units
Units may move through other Units in the same friendly Forcelist,
as long as the moving Unit has an equal or larger Size than the sta-
tionary Unit. A Unit may not move through a Unit from an enemy
Forcelist. Units cannot end their Movement with their base overlap-
ping another Unit’s base. A Unit may not move the base of another
Unit to make room for its own.
NOTE: Units may move through Dying Units regardless of Size, or
friendly/enemy Forcelist.
Movement Off The Table
Knocking a Unit off, running off, flying off (Scatter), or even moving
voluntarily off the Battlefield occurs in some cases. If a Scatter or an
action from another player forces the Unit off the Battlefield, they
may move back onto the Battlefield during the next Lingering Effects
Stage. The Unit’s player places the Unit back on the Battlefield edge
at the spot where it left the table. The Unit may not spend any AP
during the Game Turn that it comes back on, it must instead wait
until the following Game Turn to spend AP. Voluntary movement
off the table, this is considered retreating. Remove Units that inten-
tionally move off the table, and count them as Casualties for Victory
purposes.
 Game Play

Movement Table it automatically falls (see ‘Falling’).

OPEN Green fields, sandy deserts, open ground, NOTE: Units may climb down terrain features as well, following all
No Penalty etc. the rules for Climbing upward.

ROUGH Swamps, heavy snowfall, wooded, moving Example: A Coil wishes to climb a small embankment. The embank-
-1 MV water, etc. ment is 3in high. The Coil starts its Activation at the bottom of the climb
and has an MV of 3. After spending 2 AP it completes the climb, placing
DANGEROUS Mountains, heavy jungle, Marshes, ice the Coil atop the embankment.
-2 MV covered, etc.
Falling
IMPASSABLE May only pass by Air, Jumping, or Special A Unit that Falls from being hit while Climbing, is knocked off a
Ability. high place, or for whatever reason finds that their feet are no longer
on solid ground will take Falling damage and be Knocked Prone.
SMALL OBSTACLES Low walls, barrels, crates, etc. Fall damage is PW 1 for any Fall up to 2in. For every inch above 2
-1 MV that a Unit Falls, add the remaining distance in inches to the PW of
the Fall. Falls shorter than a Unit’s height when Prone do not cause
STAIRS AND Stairs or ladders avoid normal Movement a Damage roll. Units taking Falling damage make an AR Save as per
LADDERS Penalties for Climbing, Rough and normal. If a Unit happens to fall onto another Unit below it, then
Dangerous terrain. both Units take the same PW hit as the falling Unit would have, had
it hit the ground. Both Units must make AR Saves to avoid taking
MOVING THROUGH Friendly Force Only Damage. Falling Units are Prone when they land and should they
UNITS • Moving Unit’s Size is larger – Yes. land on another Unit, place both Prone. Falling is not a Charge.
• Moving Unit’s Size is equal size – Yes. NOTE: You may purposefully fall.
• Moving Unit’s Size is smaller – No.
Example: A Coil shoots a Death’s Device, while it Climbs up a small
FORCED OFF THE A Unit forced off the Battlefield moves cliff face. The Coil manages to damage the Death’s Device and now he
TABLE back onto the table at the spot where it will Fall. The player measures the distance fallen (3 in), this will be a
left the Battlefield during the next PW 2 hit (3in - 2in = +1 PW). The Death’s Device now subtracts that
Lingering Effects Stage. Unit(s) may not number from his AR of 20 (20 - 2 = 18). The Death’s Device rolls his a
spend AP during the Game Turn they die and score an “19.”. Unfortunately for him, that is not 18 or less. The
return. Death’s Device will now take 1 HP of Damage from the Fall in addition
to the Damage the Coil inflicted, and considered Prone.
INTENTIONALLY OFF Remove a Unit voluntarily moving off
THE TABLE Battlefield from play, counting it as Jumping
Casualties for Victory purposes. A Unit can Jump up to half its MV statistic (rounded down, mini-
mum 1) in inches (in) per AP spent. The height of the Jump is 1
inch, unless a Unit has an Ability that affects this. Jumping is used to
Special Movement clear small Impassible terrain features.
Climbing NOTE: You may purposefully jump off terrain to fall.
There may be terrain features on the Battlefield that Units may want
to get on top of or climb over, such as buildings, tall trees, cliff faces, Example: A Unit wishes to cross an impassable fissure that is 2in across.
etc. You must agree on climbable Terrain before the game begins. A Unit with MV 3 would spend 2 AP to Jump the fissure. The Unit
The rate at which a Unit can climb is 1in for every 2in of normal could Jump a total of 2in across (1in per AP spent). The Unit would also
MV. When a Unit clears the edge of a climb, place them standing on jump 1in high.
top of the climbed object.
Prone
It is possible to spend all of a Unit’s AP Climbing and not reach the A Unit may go Prone willingly, be Knocked Prone because of a weap-
top of a terrain feature or, being unable to clear the edge properly, for on’s effect or may be Dying and therefore considered to be in a Prone
any reason. When this occurs, the Unit ends its Activation Hanging position. Prone is considered being down on one knee, lying down,
from the terrain and must continue Climbing during its next Activa- or similar recumbent stance.
tion. While Hanging the Unit is very vulnerable. Attacks against
Hanging Units receive a +4 to the Assault’s Target Number. If
the Unit takes Damage or is Knocked Prone while Hanging,
23
 Game Play
It costs 1 AP to go Prone willingly, and 1 AP to stand from a Prone
position. A Unit will do this to reduce its exposure to enemy RA
(Ranged Assault receives a -2 TN penalty). Going Prone, however,
exposes them to CA (Close Assault attackers receive +2 AS versus
Prone targets). Conversely, the Prone Unit itself has a more difficult
time attacking in CA (Prone attackers receive -2 AS for making any
CA while they are Prone).
Prone Units with a Size of Medium, Small, or Tiny have a height of
1”. Large and Huge Units have a height of 2”. The Prone Unit may
only move half of its MV statistic (rounded down, minimum 1), and
may not Jump or Climb. Prone Units do not count for Ganging Up
bonuses. Prone Units may also not Charge or hold opponents in CA,
and enemies may therefore move without suffering an attack from a
Prone enemy if a Break Free attempt fails.
A Unit moving from Prone to standing while in BtB with another
Unit is in CA as normal, but the Movement is not a Charge.
NOTE: A Unit may not willingly go Prone on Small Obstacles (SO),
and may never go Prone or be Knocked Prone while in Impassible
terrain.
Prone Units
• A Prone Unit’s MV statistic is halved (rounding down
with a minimum of 1), and may not Jump or Climb.
• RA against a Prone Unit suffers a -2 TN penalty.
• CA against a Prone Unit gains a +2 AS bonus.
• Prone Units making CA suffer a -2 AS penalty.
• A Prone Unit may not Charge.
• All attacks against Prone a Unit are in its Front Arc.
• Medium, Small, or Tiny Size Prone Units are 1” tall.
• Large and Huge Size Prone Units are 2” tall.
• While atop a SO Units may not willingly go Prone.
• Units inside Impassible terrain may never be Prone.
24
Special Movement
CLIMBING
• ½ MV per AP spent.
• All attacks against Climbing Units receiver a +4 TN bonus.
FALLING
• Falling Units suffer a PW 1 hit for up to 2” height,
+1 PW per additional inch.
• Falling Units are Knocked Prone.
• Falling onto another Unit causes both to take full Falling
damage, and both Units are Knocked Prone.
JUMPING
• ½ MV per AP spent.
PRONE
• Going Prone 1 AP.
• Standing from Prone 1 AP.
Coherency
Individuals
Individuals act alone on the Battlefield. In game play, Individuals are
not bound to Coherency.
Squad Coherency
Although Units in Squads activate independently, they still fol-
low certain Coherency restrictions. All members of a Squad must
remain within 2” of another member of their Squad. Larger Units
may separate an additional 1” per Size above Medium and remain
in Coherency. In mixed Squads, use the most common Size for de-
termining Coherency limits, with the larger Size resolving ties. Once
established, the Coherency limit remains for the game and not recal-
culated due to Casualties.
Leader’s Sphere of Influence (SOI)
Squads with a Leader enjoy slightly more leeway in their Move-
ment. A Squad’s Leader has a 4” radius Sphere of Influence. Any
Squad member may move freely within 4” of their Leader without
being Out of Coherency. Should they leave this 4” SOI they must
follow normal Coherency rules, i.e. remaining within 2” of another
member of their Squad. Squad members who are within their Leader’s SOI
may also use the Leader’s PS stat for any PS checks they may need to take.
Out of Coherency (OOC)
Check for Coherency at the end of the entire Squad’s Activation.
Any Unit who did not participate in a CA and is outside their Coher-
ency limit, will mark the entire Squad as Out of Coherency (OOC).
Any Unit in an OOC Squad who did not themselves participate in a
CA receives -2 TN on all rolls they make, except AR Saves. This pen-
alty applies until the Squad ends its Activation in Coherency again.

Leaders Take Charge
When Units get scattered, Leaders step up to keep their Squads on
track. At the end of a Squad’s Activation, if any Squad member is
‘Out of Coherency’ and did not participate in a CA, the whole Squad
would normally receive the -2 TN. Leaders are specially trained as
stand-alone fighters in order to direct their Squad in these situations.
Leaders never suffer from ‘Lack of Support,’ or ‘Out of Coherency.’
Furthermore, any Unit within its Leader’s Sphere of Influence (SOI)
is also immune to Out of Coherency penalties.
Diagram: Five members of a Squad, which includes a Leader (A),
separate. The Leader's 'Sphere of Influence' means that two members
of the Squad are still in Coherency with Him. However, the last two
members of the Squad (D and E) are both outside the Leader's SOI
and not within 2” of another Squad member. Therefore, Squad mem-
bers D and E have a -2 OOC penalty.
Game Play
Dying Units and Coherency
Units reduced to 0 HP or less have suffered a mortal wound and
are ‘Dying’. Dying Units are immediately removed from play
unless another Ability in the game keeps them in play (see relevant
Abilities sections in the Forcelists); if the Unit is Dying and remains
in play, mark the Unit with a Dying counter. Remove Dying Units
from play when the Unit is next Activated. Ignore Dying Units
during Coherency checks. Dying Units that later regain HP must
be inside Coherency when they Activate or they suffer the -2 OOC
penalty until they rejoin their original Squad. The rest of the Unit’s
original Squad believes the Unit dead, so they do not receive the -2
for OOC.
NOTE: Units removed from play, for any reason, do not count for
Coherency checks.
Lack of Support
The last Unit in a Squad is always considered ‘Out of Coherency’ and
receives the -2 for OOC. Trained to fight together, without support
Squads do not function as effectively.
NOTE: This does not apply if the Squad started with only a single
member.
25
 Core Rules
6. close assault
In this chapter, you will learn how to attack Units in hand-to-hand
combat, known as Close Assault (CA). An AP spent on Movement
that brings a Unit into BtB contact with an enemy is a Charge.
When Units of opposing Forces are in BtB contact, they are in CA.
CA Steps
To make an attack using a CA weapon, follow these steps:
1. Check RF
RF is the number of times a Unit may use a weapon per Game Turn.
Once a weapon has been used as many times as its RF statistic, it may
not be used again that Game Turn.
Example: The Coil’s Morning stick has a “-” in the RF statistic. This
means the Unit may assault with it as many times as the Coil has AP. If
however, the weapon's RF was "1," the Coil could only attack once per
Game Turn with it.
2. Spend AP
Subtract 1 AP from the Unit’s remaining AP to attempt the CA (All
CA attacks require a Unit to spend 1 AP, unless otherwise stated).
The AP’s spent for the attack are lost whether or not the attack suc-
ceeds. If the Unit does not have the AP to spend, the Assault cannot
occur.
3. Select a Valid Target
A Unit must be in BtB contact with another Unit in order to make
a CA attack (unless the Unit or its Weapon possesses an Ability that
says otherwise). If a Unit is in BTB with multiple other Units, it may
choose any of the Units in its front Attack Arc to Assault.
4. Determine TN
The player determines the attacking Unit’s TN. First, apply any
modifiers to either the attacking weapon’s Assault (AS) or the target
Unit’s Defense (DF) statistics. Then, add the defending Unit’s DF to
the AS of the attacker's weapon to determine the TN.
Example: The Coil has Charged a Dragyri Spearslave in CA. The Coil
adds its weapon’s AS, plus a +1 AS Charge bonus, to the Slave’s DF to get
the TN. The Coil’s morning stick has an AS of 4, and the Slave has a DF
of 6. The TN would therefore be 11 (4 + 1 + 6 = 11).
Charging
To initiate CA, a Unit spends an AP on Movement to reach BtB
contact with an enemy. The term for this is a Charge. The Charging
Unit will receive a bonus AP, in essence, a free Assault. A Unit end-
ing in BtB contact with more than one Unit receives only 1 Bonus
AP. Moving into BtB with a friendly Unit may initiate a CA, but
does not gain Charge or Gang Up bonuses. An Assault made with
this bonus AP receives a +1 AS and +1 PW bonus to all weapons
in the Attack Group used for the Charge attack. A Unit with
multiple weapons in an Attack Group may split its Charge
attack between multiple Units that they are in CA with.
26
You may only spend the bonus Charge AP on a Close Assault (CA).
You may not use the Bonus AP for Casting, Abilities, or to perform
any other actions the Unit normally could with an AP. Weapon Abil-
ities are part of the weapon itself, allowing them with this bonus AP.
NOTE: If the Charged Unit is Prone, Dying, or removed from play
after CA(s) are resolved, the charging Unit may spend additional
AP(s) on Movement to reach BtB contact with another enemy, re-
sulting in another Charge. Attacks targeting a Prone or Dying Unit
are in its front arc.
Example 1: Saint Mark moves into BtB contact with a Dragyri Soul
Searcher. Saint Mark has 4 AP and spends 1 to bring him into CA with
the Soul Searcher. Saint Mark gets a bonus AP to use for a CA. Saint
Mark spends his bonus AP to make an attack with his Cutter Arm, and
receives +1 to both the AS and the PW of the Arm. Saint Mark still has
3 AP remaining for his Activation.
Example 2: A Dragyri Soul Searcher moves into BtB contact with two
Bane Units. As the Soul Searcher has two weapons in Attack Group #1,
he may split his attack between both Banes, or use both attacks against
either Bane exclusively. He gains +1 AS and +1 PW for both weapons in
Attack Group #1 regardless of how he splits, or does not split, the attacks.
Ganging Up
All Units gain +1 AS and +1 PW for every friendly Unit in BtB with
the same target. This bonus is cumulative with the bonus received for
Charging and any other bonuses the CA may receive.
NOTE: The attacking Unit does not gain a Ganging Up Bonus for
itself.
5. Add CA Modifiers
Circumstances in combat can affect how difficult a target is To Hit.
Special circumstances have blanket adjustments to all Target Num-
bers (TN) except AR Saves, such as Out of Coherency (OOC), or
Fear. Players calculate any appropriate CA modifiers and apply them
to the TN.
6. Roll D20
After you determine your TN including any modifiers, roll a d20.
If the roll is higher than the TN, then the CA fails to hit. If the roll
is equal to or lower than the TN, you are successful in hitting your
target. The target Unit will then have to make an AR Save to avoid
taking damage.
CA Critical Hits and Failures
When making a CA, a roll of a 1 is a Critical Hit. Critical Hits au-
tomatically succeed and negate all AR Saves. Likewise, all Weapon
Abilities of the attack also succeed. A roll of a 20, conversely, is a
Critical Failure. Critical Failures automatically miss. Furthermore,
they cost the attacking Unit 1 additional AP (This penalty is not car-
ried over to the next Game Turn if the critical failure was the Unit’s
last AP). The weapon may also Malfunction (MAL) if applicable.
 Close Assault

NOTE: If a Player wishes, they may choose to convert their Critical
Hit to a normal success forcing the target to make an AR Save (all
Weapon Abilities still automatically succeed).
CA Modifiers
CHARGING +1 AS and +1 PW + bonus AP.
GANGING UP +1 AS and +1 PW for every other
friendly Unit in BtB with the same
target.
PRONE TARGET +2 AS.
PRONE ATTACKER -2 AS.
DYING +4 AS (not cumulative with Prone).
REAR ARC +1 AS and +1 PW.
Breaking Free From CA
On occasion, a player may wish to remove a Unit from a particularly
dangerous CA entanglement. In game terms, this is when you use
Movement while in BtB contact with an enemy Unit. While arguably
cowardly, and certainly dangerous, Units can walk away from a fight.
When moving out of CA, the Unit becomes more vulnerable to other
attacks. A Unit may counter this by Distracting their opponent:
DISTRACT – The Unit attempts to flee without being hit by
Distracting its opponent(s). To move a Unit out of CA, you must
first declare your intention to Distract and spend 1 AP. Choose
1 CA weapon and roll against each enemy Unit in the CA.
Enemy Units not hit receive a bonus AP they may immediately
use to execute their own CA before any further Distract rolls are
made. Enemy Units hit by a Distract roll do not take damage,
that Unit has been Distracted and does not receive a bonus AP.
Special CA Rules
Arc Attacks
Arc attacks are sweeping Close Assaults made on multiple target
Units. The Assault occurs from one side of the Units 180° Front Arc
to the other. The player chooses the direction of the attack, right to
left or left to right. For other Arc Attacks it may be different, such as
Tail Arc Attacks where the arc is from the exact rear point of the Unit
to the exact front of the Unit through the side of the attacker’s choice.
The area impacted extends outward from the attacking Unit’s Base for
2 inches. The Unit spends the 1 AP needed for the Arc Attack and
then measures out the range of the Arc to identify affected Units. Roll
a CA for each Unit, resolving damage before moving on to the next.
NOTE: The first roll is the only one that can Malfunction (MAL).
For the first Unit hit, apply the PW of the weapon and resolve dam-
age as normal. The PW of the attacking weapon reduces from the
impact of every victim, so the attack receives a –2 PW before being
applied to each successive Unit. This is cumulative with each Unit hit
by the Arc Attack. If the attack has a Weapon Ability with its own
TN (e.g., KP (15)), it also receives a -2 to the Ability’s TN for each
Unit after the first that is hit by the Arc Attack. You can find more
on Knock Prone (KP) in the relevant Abilities section. The Arc attack
will only halt if it hits a Unit and fails to Wound or fails a Weapon
Ability TN.
NOTE: When using an Arc weapon on a Charge, all attacks gain +1
AS, +1PW.

After resolving all Distract attempts, the Unit breaking free (if not
Dying) may move up to it’s MV statistic (for no additional AP)
and complete its Activation normally. The moving Unit may not,
however, enter CA with any of the Units it Broke Free from for the
remainder of its Activation.
NOTE: Units may still not move through enemy Units when
attempting to Break Free from CA.

Break free from CA

1. Spend 1 AP and declare a Distract attempt.
2. Roll against each enemy Unit in CA:
• To Distract, choose one weapon and roll as a CA.
3. Any Unit not Distracted receives a bonus AP To
immediately execute a CA.
4. The Breaking Unit (if not Dying) may then move
up to it’s MV statistic (for no additional AP).

27
 Close Assault

Reach (RE)
Reach weapons represent large axes, long poles, whips or any weapon
capable of a limited reach. This allows a Reach (RE) weapon to make
Close Assault (CA) and short Ranged Assault (RA) attacks. All Reach
attacks that originate from the target Unit’s Rear gain +1 to the As-
sault and +1 to the PW.

REACH CLOSE ASSAULT – Resolve as a normal CA except RE

weapons make “Breaking from CA” harder. In order to Break from
CA without being attacked by a Unit with a Reach weapon, the
Breaking Unit must make two successful checks. If either fail, the
Breaking Unit is attacked as normal. Only one free attack generates
even if both attempts fail.

REACH RANGED ASSAULT – A weapon with Reach will have RE

followed by a number in parentheses in the RN field of the weapons
statistics e.g., “RE (2).” The number in parentheses is RA range, in
Diagram: Luck’kit-kaii is in BtB with three Banes. They are all in
inches. Reach Ranged Assaults resolve as a normal RA, see below,
his Front Attack Arc and thus eligible targets for his Axe Arc At-
and they also may use the “Fire from Hold” action. RE weapons may
tack. The Axe Arc has a 2” range so first measure 2” out from his
RA when in Base-to-Base contact with an enemy Unit. They may
base, this is easily enough to hit all 3 Banes but doesn’t reach any
also make Ranged Assaults over Units of equal or lesser Size with no
Units behind them. Luck’kit-kaii rolls a CA against the first Bane.
penalty and they ignore the “Target Priorities” and “Firing into CA”
The Axe Arc has an AS of 11 plus the Banes DF of 6 = TN 17. He
rules.
rolls a 14, and hits. Now the Bane gets to roll an AR Save, if he
NOTE: If an Ability like Pin or KP are on a RE weapon from Ranged
passes he will not take any damage and the Axe Arc will not hit the
Assault, if the Unit “Breaks the Pin” or stands from the KP they are
next Bane in line. If the first Bane fails his AR Save however, he
not considered in BtB contact.
takes the damage of the attack and Luck’kit-Kaii rolls a CA on the
next Bane in line (with a -2 to the PW).

28
 Core Rules

7. Ranged assault
In this chapter, you will learn how your Units attack with ranged NOTE: You must target the closest visible Enemy Unit in your Threat
weapons, known as making a Ranged Assault (RA). Zone even if it is not currently in your Firing Arc.

RA Steps Example: Threat Zone

To make an attack using a RA weapon, follow these steps: Units within Threat Zone (10”)
A-Tempest – Cover (-4 TN)
1. Check RF B-Tempest - In open (no modifiers)
RF is the number of times a Unit may use a weapon per Game Turn. C- Soul Searcher - In open (no modifiers)
Once a weapon has been used as many times as its RF statistic, it may
not be used again that Game Turn.
NOTE: You may not use a RA weapon when you are in BtB contact
with an enemy Unit.

2. Spend AP
When making a RA, you must spend the AP before determining a
‘Valid Target.’ You must guess if your desired target will be ‘Valid,’ or
not, before spending the AP. Subtract 1 AP from the Unit’s remaining
AP to attempt the RA (All Ranged Assaults require a Unit to spend
1 AP unless otherwise stated in the Notes). The AP’s spent for the at-
tack are lost whether or not the RA succeeds. Remember that there is
no pre-measuring in Dark Age so if you declare a Ranged Attack and
then measure the distance to be further than the weapon’s maximum
RN, the AP for the attack is wasted.

3. Select a Valid Target

A Battlefield is a chaotic place. Targets come and go in the blink of
an eye. Units caught in the middle of the Battlefield must react to
threats and target enemies. First and foremost are considerations of
survival from imminent threats. As such, there are some basic rules
for what targets a Unit may attempt to attack with a Ranged weapon.
To perform a RA, you must find a Valid Target within your Unit’s
Arc of Fire and Line Of Sight. The second stipulation for a Valid
Target is that it must be within the RN of your weapon. You must
guess if the target is within Range. After you guess you must measure.
Again, spend the AP for the attack regardless of whether it was truly
in Range or not.
Targeting Priorities-Threat Zone
A Unit can make a RA at any Unit to which it has a clear Line of
Sight (LOS). A Unit’s Threat Zone is an area that extends 10” from
its Base in all directions. A Unit making a Ranged Assault with one or
more enemies in its Threat Zone must target the closest visible enemy
Unit in its Threat Zone with at least one attack of the chosen Attack
Group. Even if the enemy Unit is in Cover, panicked, or Prone it is a
Valid Target unless totally obscured by Terrain. If the closest Enemy
Unit has any negative TN modifiers to hit (such as Cover, panicked,
CA, Prone, etc.), and there are other Enemy Units within the Threat
Zone, then the attacker may choose the Unit with the least RA modi-
fiers. If there are no Enemy Units within the Threat Zone, then the
attacking Unit may target any Unit in its Line of Sight. You may
ignore Dying Enemy Units within your Threat Zone.
Diagram: A Squad of Coils finds itself with three possible targets,
a Squad of Tempests, a Squad of Soul Searchers, and Luck'kit-kai.
The Coils may choose to ignore Tempest A, even though she is the
closest Unit, as she is in greater Cover than other models in the
Threat Zone. Should they choose to fire the Coils have three choices:
Tempest A (closest but with Cover), Tempest B (no Cover) or Soul
Searchers C (no Cover). They may not target Luck'kit-kaii or any
other Soul Searchers outside of the Threat Zone, as there are other
targets within the 10” area.
4. Determine TN
The attacking player determines the TN. First, apply any
modifiers to either the attacking weapon’s Assault (AS) or the target
Unit’s Defense (DF) statistics. Then, add the defending Unit’s DF to
the AS of the attacker's weapon to determine the TN.
Example: The Coil has decided to make a RA against a Dragyri
Spearslave with his Death Disk. The Coil adds his Death Disk’s AS to the
Slave’s DF to get the TN. The Death Disk has an AS of 5 and the Slave
has a DF of 6. The TN would therefore be 11 (5 + 6 = 11), assuming
there were no other modifiers.

29
 Ranged Assault

5. Add RA Modifiers Stands are ineligible targets for Ranged Assault, nor may
Cover and Range can modify the TN of a Ranged Assault (RA). The they RA outwards themselves. Units that are not 4” or more
following sections explain the various modifiers that may apply to inside the stand receive Cover (Unless agreed upon otherwise
the TN: before the game begins). The players should decide which scen-
ery pieces count as Terrain Stands before the game begins.
RN Modifiers
The TN is modified by -1 for every full 4” of Range between the
attacking Unit and the target.

Example: If a Coil were making a RA against a Dragyri Slingslave that

is 12” away, he would suffer a -1 to his RA TN. If the Slingslave were
20” from the Coil, it would be at -2 TN.

Cover Modifiers
Players must agree upon the terrain types that provide Cover before
the game begins. Cover can be anywhere between the Unit making a
RA and the target Unit. At any given time, a Unit may only receive
one type of Cover modifier (largest modifier).

OUT OF COVER – The Unit is standing completely in the Open.

This means there is a clear and unobstructed LOS between the Unit

PARTIAL COVER – This is if a Unit is obscured but 50% or less

covered by scenery or other Units. Examples of partial cover are small
rocks and bushes, ammo boxes and crates, etc.
*Partial Cover results in a -2 TN of the Unit making a RA.

COVER – This is provided if a Unit is more than 50% covered by

any objects that obscure the target Unit. Some examples of Cover are
high walls, steel grates, doorframes, other Units, large boulders, etc.
*Cover results in a -4 TN of the Unit making a RA.
FIRING THROUGH GAPS – For a Unit to make a RA between
other Units on the Battlefield, there must be a gap wide enough to
draw a straight line without going over any Unit’s base. If the base
of either of the Units obscures any part of the target, a –4 TN Cover
penalty applies regardless of how obscured the target actually is.
Diagram: A Coil Squad is attempting to target a Squad of Spearslaves.
The Closest Slave (C) is 3” inside the first Terrain Stand, Coil A is
outside of the second Terrain Stand and thus may target Slave C
(with appropriate Cover modifiers). Coil B however, is 2” inside the
second Terrain Stand and the total amount of Terrain Stand between
Coil B and Slave C is 5”, thus Coil B may not fire at the Spearslaves.
NOTE: Cover bonuses do not stack for any reason. Always just apply
the largest penalty.

FIRING OVER UNITS – To make a RA over another Unit, the

intervening Unit must be a Size smaller than either the Unit attempt-
ing the RA, or the target. If this obscures the target in any way a –4
TN applies to the attack attempt.

COMPLETELY OBSCURED – Cannot draw line of site to that

Unit at all and all attacks automatically fail. (With the exception of
certain Abilities that say otherwise).

TERRAIN STANDS – Terrain Stands are pieces of terrain

constructed on large base sheets to represent clumps of thick
but not Impassable terrain. Some examples of Terrain Stands
are a copse of trees, a group of rocks, or twisted steel beam
stands. This type of terrain blocks Line of Sight (LOS) if
they are over 4” thick. Units more than 4” inside these
30
 Ranged Assault

RA Modifiers Special RA Rules

RANGE – -1 to TN penalty for each full 4 inches. Firing Into a CA
PARTIAL COVER – -2 to TN, Cover penalty. In the swirling chaos of combat, risky shots are sometimes necessary
COVER – -4 to TN, Cover penalty. to save comrades. However, these shots can go awry and other Units
FIRING THROUGH GAPS – -4 to TN, Cover penalty. involved into CA may take the hit instead. Despite all this, you may
FIRING OVER UNITS – -4 to TN, Cover penalty. fire into CA. When firing into a CA, the attackers TN is modified by
TERRAIN STANDS – -4 to TN, Cover penalty based on -2, this modifier is cumulative to any other modifiers, such as Range,
terrain type. Blocks LOS if 8+inches thick. Aiming, etc. Once you have generated your TN you must then gener-
INDIRECT – -2 TN penalty. ate a Friendly Fire TN. This is done by adding 2 to the TN for each
AIMING – +2 TN bonus. Unit in CA with the Target Unit. Now make the attack and roll a
PRONE – -2 to TN penalty. d20. If the result is equal to or under the TN, you hit the Target Unit
and resolve the attack as normal. If the result is above the TN, but
Aiming equal to or below the Friendly Fire TN, then you hit one of the other
A Unit may spend 2 AP to make a RA instead of 1 to Aim at a target Units involved in the CA. Randomly determine which of the other
Unit. The Aimed RA gains a +2 bonus to their AS. A Unit can make possible target Units may get hit (e.g. if there are 2 other possible
more than one Aimed RA as long as the weapon’s RF permits two or targets, A or B, then roll a d20, 1-10 is Unit A and 11-20 is Unit B).
more shots, and the Unit has enough AP to pay for both (2 AP for Example: A Bane franticly defends itself in CA with a two Dragyri
each). Spearslaves 7” away from a Coil. The Coil attempts to assist the Bane
NOTE: Aiming affects all weapons in the Attack Group used in the by firing into the CA. First, the Coil picks his target Unit and works
RA. out the TN. In this case, the Coil’s AS is 5, the Spearslave’s DF is 6.
Factor in the RN modifier is –1 and then apply the –2 for Firing into
Example 1: A Coil’s Death Disk costs 1 AP to fire. An Aimed RA with CA.
the Death Disk costs 2 AP, total. The Aimed RA receives a +2 to the TN.

Example 2: A Weaponsmith’s God’s Wraith Rifle costs 1 AP to fire Attack

Group #3. An Aimed RA with the God’s Wraith Rifle costs 2 AP, total.
The Aimed RA receives a +2 to all three attacks in Assault Group #3.

6. Roll D20
After you determine your TN including any modifiers, roll a d20.
If the roll is higher than the TN, then the RA fails to hit. If the roll
is equal to or lower than the TN, you are successful in hitting your
target. The target Unit will then have to make an AR Save to avoid
taking damage.

RA Critical Hits and Failures

When making a RA, a roll of a 1 is a Critical Hit. Critical Hits auto-
matically succeed and negate all AR Saves. Likewise, all Weapon Abil-
ities of the attack also succeed. A roll of a 20, conversely, is a Critical
Failure. Critical Failures automatically miss. Furthermore, they cost
the attacking Unit 1 additional AP (This penalty is not carried over to
the next Game Turn if the critical failure was the Unit’s last AP). The
weapon may also Malfunction (MAL) if applicable.
NOTE: If a Player wishes, they may choose to convert their Critical
Hit to a normal success forcing the target to make an AR Save (all
Weapon Abilities still automatically succeed).

31
 Ranged Assault
Indirect Attacks
Some weapons allow RA’s at Units that not visible through a normal
LOS check. The “Indirect” Ability indicates weapons capable of such
attacks. An Indirect attack requires a Spotter, who must have LOS to
the target Unit, to use signals directing the attacker’s Assault. First,
the AP for the attempt is spent. In order to make an Indirect Attack,
the Unit making the RA and the Spotter may not be further apart
than the attacking Unit’s PS in inches. Next, measure the distance
from the attacking Unit to the target Unit. If this distance exceeds
the weapons maximum RN then the shot is wasted. The indirect shot
is made with the firing Unit’s AS with that weapon but any Cover
modifiers are based on the Spotter’s perspective. There is an addi-
tional -2 TN for making an Indirect Attack.
NOTE: Indirect shots must be able to land on their target so Indirect
shots will not penetrate Architecture or other similar scenery.
Diagram: A Squad of Ravages is behind a 3in high wall and has no
Line of Sight to an approaching Soul Searcher. A nearby Bane at-
tempts to act as a Spotter. Ravage A spends the AP for the attempt
and chooses his POI. Measuring the distance between him and the
POI, it is within the maximum RN of the Ravage’s attack. As there is
no Cover or RN modifier the Ravage will just have the –2 TN to the
attempt. Ravage B attempts to do the same but finds itself 14in away
from the Spotter, which is more than their PS of 13, and thus cannot
make the attempt.
Area Of Effect (AoE) Weapons
Some weapons are more powerful than normal and may impact a
large area. These will usually be of the type Blast, Stream, or Spray.
Examples of these are explosives, grenades, poisonous gas, irradiated
clouds, etc. The Weapon’s statistics clearly note these types of attacks.
Consult the following rules to see how to resolve each type of attack.
32
Blast (BL) Attacks
This is a large Blast radius such as from a grenade. A Blast (X) label
in its RN or Notes specifies a Blast weapon. Each possesses an ac-
companying number, e.g. BL (2). The number specifies the radius in
inches (in) that the Blast affects from the target Point of Impact. All
Units whose Bases are at least partially within the Blast radius suffer
the effects of the attack. Find examples of all templates at the back of
this rulebook.
Targeting a Blast Attack
Units making Blast Attacks do not target other Units; instead, they
target a specific point on the Battlefield called the Point of Impact
(POI). This POI may be anywhere within their normal Line of Sight
including another Unit’s Base. Units making Blast attacks may ig-
nore normal Targeting Priority rules and the POI may be anywhere
within their normal Line of Sight and Attack Arc. The DF of the POI
is always 3 and never affected by Cover modifiers (range and other
modifiers are taken into account as normal).
NOTE: While the Blast templates are circular, the Blasts themselves
are spherical. Should a Blast go off at a point such as the base of wall,
with a Unit standing on top, use the radius of the Blast attack for the
height the Blast reaches.
Scattering Blast Attacks
Blast attacks generally don’t just go away on a failed roll, but will
Impact somewhere that they were not intended to. Roll a Scatter Roll
to find where the new Point of Impact is. Divide the number rolled
by 2 (rounding down) to find the number of inches the POI Scatters,
place the template in the new position, and work out the results as
normal. The maximum a Blast can Scatter is half the distance be be-
tween the Attacking Unit and the targeted POI (rounded down). If a
Blast weapon’s Point of Impact Scatters to a point further than maxi
maxi-
mum Scatter, the extra distance is ignored and the template is placed
at the point of maximum Scatter.
NOTE: If intervening terrain causes the final position of a scattered
Blast to be out of LOS for the attacker (or its spotter), center the
template at the point where the LOS ends.

Diagram: A Ravage attempts to throw a grenade amongst a Squad
of Spearslaves. He chooses his Point of Impact, rolls and misses. He
now makes a Scatter Roll. The roll comes up a 13 and the triangle
points towards a Squad of Soul Searchers. The Point of Impact is
moved 6” (13 / 2, round down) in the direction of the triangle on the
d20, placing the grenade template at the new POI.
Blast Attacks Critical Success And Failure
When making a Blast attack, a 1 automatically succeeds and called
a Critical Success. The closest Unit under the template to the Point
of Impact receives no AR Save and suffers all extra effects. Calculate
the Damage for all other Units normally. On a roll of a 20, the Unit
making the Blast attack loses an additional AP (This penalty is not
carried over to the next Game Turn if the critical failure was the
Unit’s last AP). The weapon may also Malfunction (MAL) if appli-
cable.
MAL of Blast Attacks
When a MAL occurs with a Blast weapon, center the Blast template
over the Unit making the RA, then resolve the attack as normal.
Spray(SP) / Stream (ST) Attacks
Spray Attacks are short, directional attacks that are cone shaped.
Stream Attacks are longer, almost rectangular shaped directional at-
tacks. Both use a template. Spray and Stream Attacks hit every Unit
touched by the template, starting with a point at the edge of the
attacking Unit’s Base and extending to a rounded edge at the end
of the template. The Unit with the Spray or Stream weapon must
choose a target Unit and follow normal Targeting Priority rules. They
must then place their template so that nearest point of the template
touches the closest part of the attacking Unit’s base. The centerline of
the template must cross through the center of the target Unit’s base
(or as close as possible). As Spray / Stream attacks simply place
templates, a Ranged Assault roll is not necessary to hit. A die is
rolled however, to determine if Critical Successes or Critical
Ranged Assault
Failures occur (Critical Failures only result in a loss of AP, not a miss).
Spray / Stream weapons that have a MAL number also consult the
d20 to see if the weapon Malfunctions (This is a straight unmodified
d20 roll against the weapon’s MAL).
NOTE: While the templates are flat, the effects are cone-shaped.
Should a template targeting one Unit also have the potential of over over-
lapping another Unit stood upon a wall, rotate the template to deter deter-
mine the height/depth the template reaches.
MAL of Spray / Stream Attacks
Even though these weapons have a designated Area of Effect, they
still have the capability to Malfunction. On a MAL find the new
direction of the attack by making a Scatter Roll, and then place the
template pointing so that the topmost point of the template is facfac-
ing in the direction of the Scatter. The attacking Unit automatically
suffers a hit and the normal rules for Units under, or touched by, the
template apply.
Area of Effect Weapons and Terrain
Even though these weapons use a template that does not mean they
can penetrate terrain that completely obscures a Unit. You must have
a Valid Target to use an AoE weapon. Should the AoE template cross
terrain that that would normally prevent targeting then the effect
stops there even if the template touches the unit.
Example: Two Soul Searchers are behind a large boulder (Completely
Obscured) with a Death’s Device in front of the boulder. A Firestorm uses
a Stream Attack on the Death’s Device (which is a Valid Target within
Arc of Fire, LOS, range and closest in Threat Zone.) The template also
touches the Soul Searchers. As the Soul Searchers are Completely Ob-
scured they are not effected by the Stream attack.
Firing AoE Weapons into CA
Area of Effect weapons do not follow the rules for Firing into CA as
they utilize either a POI or a placed template to resolve their attacks.
AoE weapons must follow their normal targeting rules and work out
the attack as normal.
33
 Core Rules
8. damage
Now that you have learned all about how to hit your opponent, it is
time to learn how to Damage them. Units hit with RA, CA, some
Castings and other effects make AR Saves or suffer Damage.
Armor (AR) Saves
After a successful hit, the target Unit must make an AR Save (if ap-
plicable). The weapon, or Casting has hit the target Unit but it may
not lose any HP. AR can save a target from the nastiest of weapons
or spells. Armor is not only the protective clothing a Unit wears, but
can also represent other factors such as a natural hide, mutation, or
the effect of certain drugs. To determine the TN, the player subtracts
the weapon’s PW and any modifiers from the target Unit’s AR. If the
defending player rolls equal to or less than this TN, the target Unit
takes no damage.
NOTE: The Unit attempting to avoid damage makes an AR Save,
not the Unit causing damage. Thus, AR Saves ignore any Attackers’
TN modifiers.
Example: A Bane has successfully hit a Soul Warden with his Double
Mace. The Double Mace has a PW of 4; the Soul Warden’s AR is 16. The
Soul Warden must now roll equal to or under his modified AR Save of 12
(16 – 4 = 12). If the Soul Warden succeeds, he will not take Damage. If
the Soul Warden fails, he will have to ‘Apply Damage’
Power Multipliers
Designed to defeat armor, some weapons are much harder to survive.
An ‘x’ multiplier indicates these in their PW statistic (e.g., PW 6x2).
This multiplier indicates the number of AR Saves the target must
make to avoid damage. The defending player rolls all of the indicated
AR Save attempts at the same time and assumes that they occurred
in order, from lowest to highest. If any of the rolls fail, then the AR
Save has failed. The exception to this is: if any of the dice rolled are a
“1.” In which case, you avoid all possible effects. Keep in mind that
a roll of 20 would result in a critical AR failure as shown later in this
Chapter.
NOTE: As the die rolls are taken from lowest to highest, if a player
rolls both a 1 and a 20, the roll of 1 would take precedence and all
possible effects are ignored, including the extra effects of rolling a 20.
Example: A Forsaken Coil fires a Death Disk at a Dragyri Soul Search-
er. The Death Disk has a PW of 6x2, meaning that two AR Saves are
required. The player must pass both to avoid taking damage. On a roll
of a 1, the second AR Save is not important because a 1 saves against all
Damage. In this example, the Soul Searcher’s AR is 16 meaning the Soul
Searcher would need to roll 10 or less on both dice to make a successful
save.
Critical Successes and Failures on an AR Save
When making AR Saves, a roll of a 1 automatically succeeds and
negates all Damage that the attack could cause, including the
effects of any Abilities. The roll of ‘1’ includes
making Saves against Damage that exceeds their AR rating
(for special cases involving PW multipliers see ‘Overkill’
34
below). Similarly, a roll of a 20 automatically fails the AR Save and
all possible Damage, including that from any Weapon Abilities. If the
player rolls a 20 (Critical Failure) on an AR Save, the target Unit loses
an additional HP. This represents an attack hitting a vital area. For
weapons with a PW multiplier each 20 rolled on the AR Save causes
the loss of 1 additional HP.
NOTE: When making multiple AR Saves due to Power Multipliers,
a 1 negates all damage and effects. However, when making multiple
AR saves due to multiple weapon attacks, a 1 only negates one attack.
Example 1: A Ravage makes a RA with a grenade, with Knock Prone,
at a Soul Warden and hits. The Soul Warden rolls a d20 AR Save and the
result is a 1. The Soul Warden takes no Damage, and does not have any
chance of being Knocked Prone.
Example 2: A Ravage makes a RA with a grenade, with Knock Prone, at
a Soul Warden, and hits. The Soul Warden rolls a d20 AR Save and the
result is a 20. The Soul Warden now loses 1 HP, plus another HP for the
Critical Failure, and is automatically Knocked Prone.
Example 3: A Deaths Device attacks a Bane and hits. The Bane must
now make an AR Save against a PW 10x2, the Bane rolls a 1 and a 20.
The 1 negates all damage and effects.
Example 4: A Soul Searcher attacks a Bane and hits with both attacks.
The Bane must now make two AR saves against PW 7. The Bane rolls a
1 and a 20. The Critical Success (1) negates all damage and effects of one
attack, and the Critical Failure (20) has the Bane lose 1 additional HP,
and suffer all weapon effects.
Overkill
Sometimes being lucky just isn’t enough to defeat the overwhelming
might of a weapon’s PW, or the extreme situation of being severely
Ganged Up on. To show this, if the TN for an AR Save is 1 or less
and the attacking weapon has a PW multiplier, then a single 1 is not
lucky enough to save you. In these cases, you must roll a 1 for each
multiplier.
Example: A Sister of Compassion (AR 13) franticly defends herself in
a CA, by two Spearslaves. A nearby Death’s Device decides to charge the
Sister from behind, as well. He hits and determines the TN for the AR
Save. The Death’s Device’s weapon is PW 10x2, he gains +1 for each
Spearslave, +1 for the Charge, and +1 for attacking from the Rear. This
makes his total PW 14x2 and the Sister now has to make two ‘-1’ AR
Saves to avoid damage. In this case, a single 1 on either die is not enough
to save her from this overwhelming attack and she must be lucky enough
to roll as many 1’s as the multiplier (which is two). Unless she rolls a
double 1 she takes the Damage of the attack as normal.
 Damage

Apply Damage
All attacks not saved by AR remove 1 HP each time they Damage a
target. This is the standard damage but, Abilities or Critical Failures
on AR Saves (rolling a 20) cause more. For attacks with ‘Power Mul-
tipliers’, the defending Unit does not lose HP for each failed roll. 1
HP is lost if any of the rolls fail (this may be modified by Abilities or
Critical Failures).
NOTE: Every Critical AR Save failure made against a Power Multi-
plier weapon adds 1 to the Damage taken.
Dying Units
Units reduced to 0 HP or less have suffered a mortal wound and
are ‘Dying’. Dying Units are immediately removed from play unless
a scenario condition or another friendly Ability in the game keeps
them in play (see relevant Abilities section in the Forcelists); if the
Unit is Dying and remains in play, mark the Unit with a Dying
counter. Remove Units with Dying counters from play when they
next Activate. If at any point a Dying Unit has lost twice its original
HP it is immediately removed from play. Units wounded to this ex-
treme point are beyond any recovery. A Dying Unit that has its HP
raised back to 1 is still considered Prone.
Example 2: A Dying St. Mark suffers two more Soul Splitter crossbows
hits, and fails both AR Saves, one with a Critical Failure of a 20. This
drops Mark to –3 HP and means he has now taken twice his original HP
in Damage. Regardless of any other Unit’s Abilities, Immediately remove
St. Mark from play.
Example 3: Late in a game, St. Mark is on 1 HP. He suffers a hit from
a Soul Splitter’s crossbow and fails his AR Save. This drops Mark to 0 HP
and he is Dying. Since there are no Abilities in play that will keep Mark
in play, the player removes him from play immediately.
Example 4: A Soul Splitter hits a Firestorm who fails her ‘Kaboom!’
check, and her AR Save. She receives a Fire (12) counter, and is Dying.
As this Forcelist also has a Field Medic, her abilities “Just a Flesh Wound”
and “Hang In There Boys” keeps the Firestorm in play. Spearslaves Ac-
tivate and end their Movement in BtB with the Firestorm. The Field
Medic Activates, moves around the Spearslaves, and restores 1 HP on
the Firestorm. The Firestorm is still Prone and is now in CA with the
Spearslaves. The Firestorm will resolve the Fire (12) counter normally
next Lingering Effects stage.

Units may move through a Dying Unit. You may not end your
Movement with your Base overlapping the Dying Unit. Dying Units
do not obscure LOS, nor provide Cover to other Units. They may be
ignored if within your Threat Zone, and do not count as a Unit in
CA. Dying Units do not gain bonus CA attacks for “Cowardice Will
not Be Tolerated” and ignore them for purposes of “Breaking Free
from CA.” Coherency checks ignore Dying Units. If a Dying Unit
regains HP later they must be inside Coherency when they Activate,
or they suffer the -2 OOC until they rejoin their original Squad.

Dying Units keep and resolve all counters normally. Dying Units are
considered Prone with one exception; they are even more vulnerable
to CA. Any Unit making a CA against a Dying Unit gains +4 TN
instead of the normal +2. Charge and Gang up Bonuses affect Dying
Units. All attacks against a Dying Unit are in its Front Arc. At the
end of a game, and for the purposes of Panic, Dying Units count as
casualties. If a Dying Unit is revived prior to the Squad’s Activation
and brings the Squad Size to above half, or more, of their original
Squad Size (rounded down), remove the Panic counter.

Example 1: Late in a game, St. Mark is on 1 HP. He suffers a hit from

a Soul Splitter’s crossbow and fails his AR Save. This drops Mark to 0 HP
and he is Dying, As this Force also has a Field Medic, her Abilities “Just
a Flesh Wound” and “Hang In There Boys” keeps Mark in play. St. Mark
is Dying and given a Dying counter. The player will remove Mark from
play during his next Activation if he is still dying.

35
 Core Rules
Morale Tests
9. morale
Combat in the world of Dark Age is a violent and shockingly quick
experience that can test the mettle of the most tempered warriors.
Unexpected casualties, unknown and terrifying enemies, and hor-
rific environmental conditions are but a few of the things that can
break the will of combatants and turn the tide of battle. When these
circumstances occur, the Units affected must test to see if they stand
their ground or suffer the debilitating effects of broken Morale. This
can include Fear or outright Panic. Make a Morale test by rolling
equal to or under the Unit’s PS statistic on a d20. Units within their
Leader’s SOI may use their Leader’s PS statistic as normal.
Fear
Fear is a strong emotion that can cause the most powerful warrior to
doubt himself and his abilities. Fear alone is not enough to debilitate
a Unit completely. It is a common emotion on a violent Battlefield,
but it can cause hesitation and reduce a Unit’s effectiveness.
A Unit that causes Fear has the Ability ‘Cause Fear’ listed in its
statistics. Fear affects all enemy Units within a 8” radius centered
on the Unit with Cause Fear. Units that Activate within the 8”
radius of a Fear-Causing Unit, or Units that move into the Fear radius
receive a Fear Counter if their PS is lower than the Fear
casusing Unit’s PS. Every Unit in a Squad is affected by Fear
the instant a member of the Squad moves into the Fear radius.
Fear
FEAR TEST
1. Check 8” radius for Units that may be affected.
2. If the Fear causing Unit has a higher PS than the
affected units, the affected Units receive a Fear Counter.
FEAR COUNTER EFFECTS
1. All TN’s for the affected Unit are at -1, except AR saves.
2. Effects last until the counter is removed or the Fear
Causing Unit moves out of Fear range.
NOTE: Fear is not cumulative and a Unit never suffers
more than -1 TN for Fear at any one time. This does not
mean that a Unit cannot have more than one Fear counter
from different Fear-causing Units however. Units must re
move all counters before the -1 TN for Fear no longer
applies.
All Units affected by Fear receive a -1 TN (except AR saves). If the
Squad contains a Leader Unit that has a PS value higher than that
of the Fear Causing Unit, the Squad will not receive a Fear Counter.
The Leader need not be in the 8” radius of the Fear Causing Unit,
but must be in Squad coherency. Individuals may spend 1 AP to
remove a Fear Counter from an affected Squad/Unit, the
36
Individual must be within 8” and have LoS of an affected Unit
or Unit of a Squad. If the Individual Unit passes a PS test,
remove one Fear counter. If you remove all Fear counters, all Fear effects
immediately expire. The Squad does not receive any more Fear
counters caused by the same Unit. Fear effects are not cumulative from
multiple Units that cause Fear or from repeated effects from the same
Unit.
Panic
Panic is an emotional state caused when a Squad sustains heavy ca-
sualties or an Individual suffers grievous wounds. A Squad receives a
Panic counter when reduced to half, or less, of their original Squad
Size (rounded down). An Individual receives a Panic Counter when
reduced to half, or less, of their original HP (rounded down). Take a
Panic test every time a Squad or Individual Activates and has a Panic
counter. Only ‘In Coherency’ Units count for this check e.g. a Squad
of 8 Banes splits into two groups of four. When Activated, each group
will act as if they were a Squad of 4 for Panic purposes.
To make a Panic test, the Squad or Individual must roll equal to or
under their PS on a d20. If the Panic test is successful, remove their
Panic counter and they may act normally. Once a Squad or Indi-
vidual makes a successful Panic test, they do not need to make any
further Panic tests for the rest of the game.
When a Panic test fails, the affected Units simply break ranks and
must escape the battle by any means possible. To represent this, make
a Scatter Roll, the direction the Panicked Units will move is set using
the Panic Counter arrow. Panicked Units will continue to move in
that direction until they recover from Panic, Die or Leave the Table
Edge. All members of a Squad will run in the same direction. Pan-
icked Units must use all available AP to move in the set direction by
the shortest possible path, and must move their full MV in inches
for every AP spent. Panicked Units may only use AP for Movement.
Panicked Units will only deviate from this direct path to avoid Ter-
rain that is Impassible and even then, they will go around, or over,
the Terrain feature via the shortest route. Panicked Units may move
through any other Units (Including enemy Units or Units of a greater
Size). However, any Unit they move through will get a free CA attack
against them (See ‘Cowardice will not be Tolerated’ below).
Units that were already in CA when becoming Panicked are also sub-
ject to the ‘Cowardice will not be Tolerated’ rule, i.e. they will move
in the direction of their Panic counter and their opponent will auto-
matically get a free CA against them.
 Morale

Panic Test
1. Determine if a Unit has to test for Panic:
If a Squad is reduced to half its starting Squad Size or
less (rounded down). If an Individual is reduced to
half its starting HP or less (rounded down).

2. Immediately upon its next Activation and before

it spends any AP it must make a Panic Test.

3. Make a Panic Test by rolling equal to or under the

Unit’s PS (or the Leader’s PS if the Unit is within
its Leader’s SOI).

Success – No Effect they may now act as normal and

the Individual or Squad does not need to test for Panic
for the rest of the game.
Diagram: A Squad of Coils finds themselves Panicked. They make
Diagram: A Squad of Coils finds themselv
themselves Panicked. They make
Failure – Individual or Squad becomes Panicked.
a Scatter Roll and the triangle on the d20 points towards a Squad
of Banes. Ignore the number on rolled on the d20. When Activat-
4. Make a Scatter Roll for the direction that the
ed the Coils use all 3 AP to move in the direction of the triangle,
Panicked Units must move. Use the Panic counter to
with an MV of 3 this means they move 9”. Coil A and Coil B each
mark the direction.
pass through the Base of a Bane while Coil C does not. The Banes
must make an attack on the Coils that pass through their base. Even
5. Panicked Units will use all available AP to move in
though the Banes may make more than one attack per AP, ignore this
this direction. Panicked units in CA will be subject to
for the purpose of this attack, they may only make their single best
the ‘Cowardice will not be Tolerated’ rule.
attack against the fleeing Coils.
6. Panicked Units re-test at the beginning of their
Rallying Troops
Activation, every Game Turn until: they succeed, Die
Individuals can spend AP to let Squads or Individuals roll a Panic
or leave the field of play.
or Fear test. If an Individual is within 8” of a Squad or Individual
affected by Fear or Panic (The Rallying Individual only needs to be
NOTE: Remove Panicked Units from play when they
within 8” of one member of a Squad to make the Rally attempt),
move off the Battlefield. They count as Casualties for
they may spend an AP to allow that Squad or Individual to re-take
Victory purposes.
the test immediately, using the PS of the Rallying Unit. An Individ-
ual can make only one Rally attempt in a Game Turn. The Rallying
Cowardice will not be Tolerated
Individual must have a higher PS than the Squad or Individual they
The world of Dark Age is not a gentle place. If at any time a Panicked
are attempting to Rally in order to try a Rally Test (If a Squad has
Unit contacts a non-Panicked Unit (from any Forcelist) of equal Size
a Leader then the Individual making the Rally attempt must have a
or larger, the non-Panicked Unit makes one bonus CA attack against
higher PS than the Leader). If the Rally attempt fails, the Squad or
the Panicked Unit. Even Units that are on the same Forcelist will not
Individual is still affected by Panic or Fear and will still be affected
tolerate cowards and they must attack the Panicked Units. You must
by anything associated with being in that state. Any Rally attempts
use the Unit’s best weapon for the free CA (for this the best weapon is
do not affect a Panicked Units own test, and they still make a Fear or
defined as the weapon with the highest PW). Weapons with a Power
Panic check as normal in their own Activation. A Rally test works on
Multiplier use that also e.g., a PW 3x2 weapon counts as a PW 6
a Unit with a Panic or Fear counter, regardless of whether they have
weapon for purposes of defining ‘best weapon,’ but a PW 3x2 weapon
suffered from these effects yet.
when actually making the attack). Units affected by this rule do not
make Break Free tests and thus may not attempt to Distract the attack.
Example: A Squad of Coils has been reduced to half, or less, of their
NOTE: This is not a free AP, it is only a free CA thus you may only
original Squad Size, and are marked with a Panic counter. They will
choose your best CA weapon and make an attack with it.
make a Panic test at the start of their next Activation. Before their
next Activation, Saint Mark moves within 8” and attempts to Rally
them. Even though the Coils have not suffered from any ill effects
or even made their Panic test yet they still make an immediate
37 test to lose the counter.
 Core Rules
Statistics
10. casting
Used to describe the mystical, mental, and/or biological abilities used
in Dark Age such as Foci, Psychogenics, Bio-Gens, etc. This informa-
tion appears in the appropriate Forcelist. Below is an example of a
Focus Card:
Description
Here you will find a description of the Casting itself and any Special
Effects it may have.
Assault (AS) / Target Number (TN)
Each Casting has either an AS or a TN statistic to show the difficulty
of a particular Casting. Casting uses the Caster’s PS; the TN may
also have a number in parentheses, e.g. PS (2).
Subtract this number from the Casters PS stat
for purposes of the test.
Rate of Fire (RF)
RF is the maximum number of uses in one
Game Turn of this Casting. A “-” means there
is no limit on the number of uses per Game
Turn.
Power (PW)
Castings create a wide array of effects repre-
sented in the PW Statistic.
• A number in this field represents a
physical effect, which will require
an AR Save from the target Unit on a
successful hit.
NOTE: Physical effects follow the
Rules for RA Modifiers.
• A PS in this field represents a Psyche
effect requiring PS test from the target Unit
to avoid its effects. This may also have a number in parentheses,
e.g. PS (2). This number is subtracted from the target’s TN for
this save.
NOTE: Psyche effects ignore the Rules for RA Modifiers.
• A “-“ in this field will follow the relevant Description
and Notes to find out what effects the Casting has.
NOTE: “-“ effects are not affected by the Rules for RA Modifiers.
Malfunction (MAL)
Some Castings are particularly difficult to get right and may go
wrong in some way. The MAL represents this possibility, and works
in the same way as a weapon’s MAL number (If the d20 roll is equal
to or higher than this number then a MAL has occurred). There
38
is also a MAL description to describe what happens when the
Casting goes wrong. The word Normal here means that you
follow the normal rules for a MAL weapon, i.e. Caster takes the hit.
Range (RN)
Range (RN) is the distance the Casting may be Cast.
• Self - The Casting either solely affects the Caster in
some way or it is centered on the Caster.
• SP or ST means that the Casting uses a Stream or
Spray template.
• A number represents the range, in inches measured from
the Caster that the effect may reach.
NOTE: Having a RN in inches does not mean the Caster cannot
target itself.
Using a Casting
To Use a Casting you must perform the
following steps:
1. Check The RF
RF is the maximum number of uses in one
Game Turn of this Casting. Factors such as
casting time or the difficulty in handling the
energy needed for the Casting make rapid
use difficult. Once a Casting has been used as
many times as its RF statistic, it may not be
used again that Game Turn. Unless an AbilAbil-
ity says otherwise, a Unit may not perform a
Casting from Hold.
2. Spend AP
When performing a Casting, you must spend
the AP before determining a ‘Valid Target.’
You must guess if your desired target will be
‘Valid,’ or not, before spending the AP. Sub
Sub-
tract 1 AP from the Unit’s remaining AP to
attempt the Casting (All Castings require a Unit to spend 1 AP unless
otherwise stated in the Notes). The AP’s spent for the attempt are lost
whether or not the Casting succeeds. Remember that there is no pre-
measuring in Dark Age so if you declare a Casting and then measure
the distance to be further than the effect’s maximum RN, the AP for
the attack is wasted.
3. Select a Valid Target
To perform a Casting, you must find a Valid Target within your
Unit’s Arc of Fire and Line Of Sight. The second stipulation for a
Valid Target is that it must be within the RN of your Casting. You
must guess if the target is within Range. After you guess, you must
measure. Again, spend the AP for the Casting regardless of whether it
was truly in Range or not.

Measure Range (in ‘inches’) to Target
Measure from the Casting Unit’s Base to the target point (Whether
another Unit or a POI.) If the range is equal to or under the RN of
the Casting, roll to check for success. If the measurement shows that
the target point is out of range, the attempt has failed and the AP for
the attempt is wasted.
NOTE: There is no pre-measuring in Dark Age and this affects Cast-
ings as well. If a Casting has a physical effect or “-”, you must pick
the Unit or POI first before any measuring.
Example: A Soul Warden would like to Cast ‘Ice Wall’. The Player first
places the Ice Wall template where he would like it to be and then mea-
sures the distance from the Soul Warden’s Base to the closest point on the
Ice Wall template. If this is further than the 12” RN of Ice Wall, then the
Casting attempt has failed and the AP is wasted.
4. Determine Casting TN
To make a Casting TN check, roll a d20. A roll of equal to or under
the TN is a success; a roll higher than the TN is a failure.
NOTE: Only Castings that have a Physical Effect (A number in the
PW field) follow the Rules for RA modifiers.
Example 1: A Soul Warden (PS 16) casts ‘Glacial Dart’ (PS(5)) at a
Bane (DF 6) 24” away, behind small rocks (Partial Cover). As ‘Glacial
Dart’ is a Physical Effect it requires an AR Save and is affected by the
rules for RA modifiers. The Soul Warden determines his casting TN: Soul
Warden PS 16 –‘Glacial Dart’ PS(5) = 11 + Bane (DF 6) = 17 - RN
modifier (-2) = 15 - Partial Cover (-2) = 13. The final TN is 13. The
Soul Warden rolls a 10 for a successful hit. The Bane now must make an
AR Save against a PW 5.
Example 2: A Tribal Father (PS 18) casts ‘Provoking Ridicule’ (PS(5))
at a Bane (DF 6) 30” away, behind small rocks (Partial Cover). As
‘Provoking Ridicule’ does not require an AR Save it ignores the rules
for RA modifiers. The Tribal Father determines his Casting TN: Tribal
Father PS 18 - ‘Provoking Ridicule’ PS(5) = 13 + Bane (DF 6) = 19.
The Final TN is 19. The Tribal Father rolls a 10 for a successful hit. The
Bane now must make an PS save against a PS(4).
Example 3: A Soul Warden (PS 16) casts ‘Ice Patch’ (PS). He picks a
POI 12” away. As ‘Ice Patch’ is an “-“ Effect it ignores the rules for RA
modifiers. Soul Warden determines his Casting TN: Soul Warden PS 16
- ‘Ice Patch’ (PS) = 16. The Final TN is 16. Soul Warden rolls a 14 for a
successful attempt. The BL (6) template is now centered on the POI and
the effects of KP (15) is resolved (if any Units are under the template).
Aiming a Casting
A Casting Unit may spend 2 AP, instead of 1, to make an Aimed
Casting attempt. The Aimed attempt gains a +2 bonus to the TN.
For a Casting that does not affect a target point (such as those tar-
geting on the Casting Unit) the ‘Aiming’ represents a moment or
two of extra concentration. Units may attempt more than one
Casting
Aimed Casting per Game Turn as long as the Casting Unit has the
AP’s left and the Casting has a high enough RF.
NOTE: Aiming affects all weapons in the Attack Group used in the
Casting.
5. Roll D20
After you determine your TN including any modifiers, roll a d20. If
the roll is higher than the TN, then the Casting fails to hit. If the roll
is equal to or lower than the TN, you are successful in hitting your
target. If the target is a Unit, it may then have to make a PS or an AR
Save to avoid the Castings Effects.
Casting Critical Hits and Failures
When making a RA, a roll of a 1 is a Critical Hit. Critical Hits auto-
matically succeed and negate all Saves. Likewise, all additional Abili-
ties of the Casting also succeed. A roll of a 20, conversely, is a Critical
Failure. Critical Failures automatically miss. Furthermore, they cost
the Unit 1 additional AP (This penalty is not carried over to the next
Game Turn if the critical failure was the Unit’s last AP). The Casting
may also Malfunction (MAL) if applicable.
NOTE: If a Player wishes, they may choose to convert their Critical
Hit to a normal success forcing the target to make a Save (all Abilities
still automatically succeed).
6. Check for MAL
Whether or not the Casting roll fails, there is a chance for a MAL.
If the d20 roll is equal to or over the MAL stat of a Casting then it
has Malfunctioned. Check the MAL listing in the Casting listing for
the effect.
NOTE: In some situations, it is possible for a Casting to both MAL
and still hit its target.
7. Target Unit Rolls AR or PS Save
The target Unit may save against some Castings with a PS Save. Oth-
er Castings simulate Physical Effects requiring an AR Save in place
of a PS Save. For either type of Save, take the target Unit’s relevant
statistic and subtract either the PS (x) number (for PS Saves) or the
PW stat (For AR Saves) to get the TN. The d20 roll to Save must be
equal to or under this number to avoid the effects of the Casting.
8. Apply Damage or Effects of Casting
If the target Unit fails an AR Save against a Casting that simulates
a Physical Effect, the target Unit loses 1 HP (Unless the Casting or
Focus has an Ability that says otherwise, e.g. Extreme Damage (ED).
For all other Castings, refer to the relevant entries in the Forcelist.
NOTE: A Unit may only be under the affects of one friendly and one
enemy Casting at any time.
39
 Quick Reference sheet
GAME TURN
STEP 1: PREPARATION PHASE
LINGERING EFFECTS STAGE
o Players roll d20s: Choice of effect order, lowest to highest.
RESET UNIT CARDS
o Remove all temporary movement markers from Units.
STEP 2: INITIATIVE PHASE
o Players roll d20s: Lowest roll wins Initiative.
o Game Turn begins with the Initiative winner, first.
Winner may nominate another Player’s Squad/Individual, first.
STEP 3: ACTIVATION PHASE
o Nominate one Squad or Individual.
o Activate one Unit (if Squad) and use all AP.
o Repeat until all Units in that Squad have expended their AP's.
o Turn the Unit card, place temporary movement markers.
o Play passes to the next player in Initiative order for this Turn.
o Repeat until all players have Activated all their Units.
STEP 4: END OF TURN
PRONE UNITS
GOING PRONE
o 1 AP to willing go Prone or Stand from Prone.
o Prone Units with a SZ of ’Medium’, ‘Small’ or ‘Tiny’ have a
height of 1”.
o rone Units with a SZ of ’Large’or ‘Huge’ have a height of 2”.
o Half the Prone Unit’s base MV: round down, minimum of 1.
o A Prone Unit moving into B2B with an Enemy is not a Charge.
o CA by a Prone Unit are -2 Assault (AS).
o CA against a Prone Unit are +2 AS to hit.
o All Attacks on Prone Units are considered from the Front Arc.
o RA against a Prone Unit are -2 Target Number (TN) to hit.
MOVEMENT TABLE
Open No Penalty
Rough -1 MV per AP*
Dangerous -2 MV per AP*
Small Obstacles (SO) -1 to MV
Stairs and Ladders No penalty
Move through...
- equal SZ or smaller Units of same Force No penalty
- enemy or larger SZ Units of same Force Impassable
Jumping Half MV (min 1) per AP spent
Climbing Half MV (min 1) per AP spent
- climbing Units may only climb. No other actions
allowed.
- assaults against Climbing Units receive +4 TN to hit.
Falling Armor save of 1 PW / 2” fallen
- if Falling further than Unit’s Prone height.
- faling onto another Unit causes an equal PW roll.
- all Units affect by Falling are Prone.
* Only apply largest penalty per AP spent
COHERENCY AND LEADERSHIP
Coherency: Units of a Squad within 2” of another Squad-mate.
o 1” added for each SZ above Medium
o Out of Coherency (OOC): -2 all TN’s except Armor Saves.
o Check at end of Squad’s Activation.
o Any Unit not in Coherency, and did not Close Assault, effects
entire Squad.
o Last Unit of a Squad is always OOC unless deployed as a Squad
of 1.
o Regain Coherency by ending Activation in range.
o Leader’s Sphere of Influence (SOI): 8”
o Ignore Coherency range while within Leader’s SOI
o Use Leader’s Psyche (PS) for all checks of that Stat
o Leaders are never Out of Coherency
FEAR
o Units within 8” Enemies with ‘Cause Fear’ receive a Fear
Counter if their PS is lower than Fear Causing Unit’s PS.
o Fear Counter = -1 to all TN’s except Armor Saves.
o Individuals may roll to remove Fear Counters.
o Effects of Fear are not cumulative.
o May have multiple Fear counters for multiple checks.
PANIC TEST
o Panic Counter if Squad is at half or less starting Units.
o Panic Counter if Individual is at half or less starting HP.
o Units with Panic Counter PS check at start of Activation.
o Success removes Panic Counter, Unit immune to future Panic.
o Failure causes the Unit to flee.
o Fleeing will use all AP to move in Scatter direction.
o Re-test at the beginning of each Activation.
COWARDICE WILL NOT BE TOLERATED
o All Units (Friendly or Enemy) attack Panicked Units.
o Units fleeing from CA are automatically attacked.
o Units that scatter through other Units are attacked.
o Use single Weapon (not Attack Group) with highest PW.
HOLD ACTIONS
o On Hold: 2 AP, ends Unit’s Activation. Holds 1 AP until next
Activation to:
o Get the Jump: When Charged, attack with CA Attack
Group.
o Both Units roll d20 and add DF.
o Lowest attacks first (Tie to lowest DF, else Charger
wins).
o RA from Hold: Shoot as Enemy Activates, during Movement, or
before AP spent
o Pysche (PS) check (d20 equal to or less than PS stat) to
fire.
o RF may be banked from Game Turn Unit when On-
Hold.
o Evade: Under AoE Template.
o PS check to move MV in inches.
 Quick Reference sheet
CLOSE / RANGED ASSAULT RANGED ASSAULT MODIFIERS
1. Check Rate of Fire (RF)
2. Spend AP Aiming +2 TN To Hit
3. Select Valid Target Range -1 for each full 4”
4. Determine TN (Attacker’s AS + Target’s Defense (DF)) Partial Cover (Less than 50% obscured) -2 Cover TN
5. Add any Modifiers Cover (More than 50% obscured) -4 Cover TN
6. Roll d20, equal or under TN to hit. Firing through Gaps (LOS between Units) -4 Cover TN
oRolls equal or above the Weapons MAL. Firing over Units -4 Cover TN
o Attacker automatically hits itself. Terrain Stands no LOS beyond 8”
o May also still hit target if sufficient TN. Indirect Attack -2 TN To Hit
o MAL BL: Center AoE on attacker. Prone or Dying Target -2 TN
o MAL on ST or SP: Hit attacker and Scatter for direction. Climbing Target +4 TN
o MAL Casting: See individual Casting rules. Firing into CA -2 TN
o Critical Success: (Natural 1 on d20)
o Automatically hits. Friendly Fire TN +2 TN for each Unit in CA with Target
o Negates Armor Saves. If miss Target but under Friendly Fire TN, hits Random Unit in CA
o All Weapon Abilities of the attack succeed.
o Critical Failure: (Natural 20 on d20) Target Priority Threat Zone of 10”
o Automatically misses - Must target closest Enemy in Threat Zone with LOS.
o Costs the Unit an additional AP. - May target another Enemy in Threat Zone and LOS if it has
o May also MAL. fewer negative RA Modifiers.
NOTE: Cover bonuses do not stack for any reason. Use only the
CLOSE ASSAULT MODIFIERS largest penalty.

Charging +1 AS, +1 PW and a bonus AP INDIRECT AND AREA OF EFFECT RA

Ganging Up +1 AS and +1 PW per friendly Unit in B2B
with target.
Rear Arc +1 AS and +1 PW if originating in Unit’s
Rear Arc.
Prone Target +2 AS
Dying Target +4 AS, not cumulative with Prone.
Prone Attacker -2 AS (This applies to Parry rolls as well)
BREAK FREE FROM CA
o Free Spins while in CA do not count towards movement.
Distract: Spend 1 AP, may attempt CA with 1 weapon,
Success:Breaks free (no damage), may move 1AP of MV.
Failure: Enemy immediately gains 1 AP of CA on the Unit.
ARMOR SAVE AND DAMAGE
o Armor Save: Target Unit’s AR - Attacker's PW.
Power Multipliers: (PW with an ‘X’ multiplier) Specified
number of saves
Overkill: Armor Save TN of 1 and Multipliers require
specified number of 1’s
o Target Unit rolls equal to or under TN, else 1 HP damage.
Critical Success: (Natural 1 on d20)
o negates all remaining Damage
o negates Power Multipliers and any effects of Weapon
Abilities.
Critical Failure: (Natural 20 on d20)
o fails and takes an additional Wound.
Indirect: LOS from any Friendly Unit (within Attacker’s PS in in).
Blast (BL):
o Target Point of Impact (POI),in LOS.
o DF of 3.
o Ignore Target Priority.
o Misses Scatter: Roll d20, moves ½ roll (round down) in inches.
o Scatter Distance cannot be more than ½ distance to POI.
o Scatter Direction of d20’s top triangle facing.
Spray (SP) / Stream (ST)
o Center on Target Unit. Obey Target Priority.
o No to Hit Required. Roll only for Criticals and MAL.
DYING UNITS
o Units reduced to 0 HP are Dying and considered Prone.
o Immediately remove unless friendly healing Ability or
Scenario rule.
o Remove next time Squad/Individual activates.
o Remove if receive double original HP in Damage.
o CA against Drying Units: +4 TN to hit
(not cumulative with Prone).
o Dying Units do not effect Movement, LOS or Threat Zones.
o Other Units cannot end Movement on top of Dying Units.
o Dying Units cannot receive AP, make Assaults, or hold Units
in CA.