Solo Grimdark Warfare, Version 1

Wolfdog Artcorner

 

This is an experiment: a way to abstract a wargame into a solo, no-miniatures experience, which can then have additional story elements and mechanics added to it as one desires.

This template is equal parts Grimdark Future, and a CYOA called A Century At War. It's designed to be played using the army lists in Grimdark Future and Age of Fantasy with no conversion required beyond reskinning to taste.

Battles in this system are abstracted: all that you the player need to care about are the stats and traits of units - position and movements don't come into play.

 

This is very, very much a work in progress and in many ways just a proof of concept.

Building an Army 

Armies are built using the points values in Grimdark Future and Age of Fantasy - I default in this sketch of the rules to the game's standard 750 points for a standard army and 250 for a skirmish (the former might just be too big, I will have to test and see). The only things you need to worry about are the Attack and Defense rating of each unit, and any special traits they might have. (Special traits will be detailed in a post to follow)

War, Huh? What's it Good For?

Each battle consists of three phases - for each phase, roll 2d6, with any modifiers factored in.

Phase 1: Reconnaissance

• 10+: +1 to Attack and Defense rolls for all units
• 7-9: Either no bonus or +1 to Attack or Defense rolls and -1 to the other.
• 6-1: -1 to Attack and Defense for all units.

Compare the rolls of both armies (factoring in any bonuses you might have) - the winner gains +1 for their Combat roll.

Phase 2: Combat

• 10+: +1 enemy death rate
• 7-9: Either no bonus or +1 enemy death rate and +1 self death rate.
• 6-1: +1 self death rate

This is the part where the actual combat takes place, and at the moment I haven't been able to get it down to less than a metric fuckton of dice rolls. But, you only need to do it once.

1. Roll 2d6 for every unit (individual soldier!) in both armies (different colors help!) - one for Attack and one for Defense.
2. Rolls above a unit's Attack and Defense values are successful. If they fail, it means that the shot didn't connect, or they got hit, respectively.
3. Assign all the successful hits of an army to the failed defenses of the other. If failed defense > successful attack, some folks got lucky. If successful attack > failed defense, some units are going to get hit twice.
4. Hit units need to make a death roll.

All units have the same default death rate of 2-in-6. If they are not killed instantly, they are considered injured. If you're playing multiple battles in a gauntlet, Injured units take -1 to their attack and defense if they take to the field. They can recover from injury if withheld from the battle.

Finally, compare the rolls of both armies. The winner and loser roll on the appropriate tables below.

Phase 3: Aftermath

Loser of Combat

• 10+: +1 RP
• 7-9: Both / neither
• 6-1:  All injured units must be left behind. +0 RP

Winner of Combat

• 10+: +1 RP & all injured units heal.
• 7-9: Either +1 RP or all injured units heal.
• 6-1: +0 RP, no other bonus

RP = reinforcement point, which is equivalent to 150 unit points. These can be stored up for major purchases, and cashed out between battles.

To Do

• Figure out general special trait list.
• Figure out army-specific special traits.
• Make demo armies
• Playtest
• Refine
• Add tables for story events for longer campaigns
• Promotion mechanic for veteran units
• Reskinned factions / setting post.
  

Still rough, still untested, but I think it could turn into a cool little thing to pass the endless quarantine days. Solo games have a lot of untapped potential, and honestly who doesn't like rebranding properties imprisoned by the litigious iron fist of James Blortshorp.

My primary concern at the moment is just how much rolling there is for combat, which really upsets the flow. Century of War solved this by having units give bonuses to a percentile combat roll, but that game doesn't have any means to determine the fate of specific units, which is something I wanted to do for the storytelling element.

Please dump all feedback in the comments I have no idea what I am doing.

Degenesis and Ruinations

Marko Djurdjevic

A while back I tried hacking Degenesis into Shadow of the Demon Lord. I got a little ways and then never any further. Lo and behold I realize now that I was making entirely too much work for myself and the thing I actually needed was in my hands the entire time.

Brent Ault's Ruinations shall serve as the base here. Everything needed for badlands survival, combat, equipment, trade, etc is in there and intact. No need to change what works. The meat of this hack shall be character creation. but, before we get to that, a primer:

What You Need to Know

1. It’s 2595, and the world is fucked. You’re in Europe, which is survivable levels of fucked.
2. There was a huge meteor that broke apart and crashed and had alien fungus on it.
3. This is called the Eschaton. It happened in 2073 and everything was fucked.
4. The fungus is called Primer, there’s a sort of spiritual aspect to it, it infects everything.
5. There are monsters and spore mutants fucking everywhere. This is Sepsis.
6. Civilization is founded on 13 cults. Everyone else is either a mutant or a small clan.
7. The old world had singularity tech. Some of it is still around. There are bunkers out there.
8. Did I mention the world is fucked? Shit’s fucked. God damn. So fucked.

For character creation, select a class, culture concept, and cult.

Class

The following options are available.

Class	Description	Source
Wastelander	Fighters and survivors.	Ruinations
Hunter (I)	Tribal warriors.	Wolfpacks & Winter Snow
Adept	Skilled specialists.	Ruinations
Expert (I)	Tribal specialists.	Wolfpacks & Winter Snow
Sullied (II)	The common mutant.	Ruinations
Aberrant	Degenerating and savage.	Wolfpacks & Winter Snow
Explorer	Scouts and lookouts.	Esoteric Enterprises
Berserker	Frothing blood-rage.	LotFP666
Ranger	Hunters and trackers.	LotFP666
Marksman	Dead-eye with a gun.	LotFP666
Rat-Catcher	Keeper of vermin.	LotFP666
Neanderthal (III)	Sturdy as stone.	Wolfpacks & Winter Snow
Orphan	Abandoned, feral.	Wolfpacks & Winter Snow

Class skills are adapted at a rate of 15% per point.
(I) - Tribal characters only.
(II) - Ignore mutation tables.
(III) - Not actually neanderthals, but close enough.

Culture

Where you're from. Reroll a stat and take the higher number.

Region	Description	Reroll
1) Borca	Dusty wastelands, bordered by mountains to the south and glaciers to the north.	DEX or CON
2) Franka	Miserable bug-infested swamplands, dominated by the Pheromancers.	CHA or DEX
3) Pollen	Scarlands overrun with Fractal Forests, home only to migratory tribes.	CON or STR
4) Balkhan	Clan holds and city states dot an untamed and fractured wilderness.	CON or WIS
5) Hybrispania	Wet jungles and high deserts, embroiled in constant conflict.	INT or DEX
6) Purgare	Toxic volcanic wasteland in the west, fertile plains and hills to the east.	CHA or WIS
7) Africa	There was a great migration northward into the newly-green Sahara.	INT or STR
8) From Beyond	Is it possible to cross the Atlantic? Have the Chinese held out?	Choose

Concept

What defines you. Once per session, you may gain d6 points to add to a roll OR reroll a skill check if you act according to your concept.

Concept	Aspect
1) Adventurer	Go out there and find some excitement.
2) Creator	Working, building, making.
3) Mentor	Teacher and keeper of knowledge.
4) Martyr	Self-sacrifice for others' sake.
5) Ruler	Control and command
6) Seeker	Looking for answers.
7) Healer	Fights against the world's decay.
8) Traditionalist	Upholds the old ways.
9) Mediator	The point between two parties.
10) Hermit	Isolation, solitude, wisdom.
11) Heretic	Upends faith, casts doubt.
12) Conqueror	Glorious victory at all costs.
13) Abomination	Something's broken inside.
14) Destroyer	Let nothing remain standing.
15) Chosen	Hailed as the doer of a great task.
16) Defiler	Blame and undermine all others.
17) Protector	Protect and preserve what is precious.
18) Visionary	Big-picture ideas of a better tomorrow.
19) Zealot	Of absolute faith and conviction.
20) Disciple	Follower of teachers old and new.
21) Righteous	Unshakable confidence in their path.
22) Traveler	The open road still softly calls.

Cults & Clans

Each comes with a perk and starting equipment. Special equipment can be acquired later. Clans are limited to specific regions, while cults may be found throughout the remains of the world.

Cult
Anabaptists	Swords against the rot of the Demiurge, swords in the name of Gnosis.
	Perk: Tattoo and nose ring - Advantage on mental saves.
	Starting Equipment: Bidenhander (d10), blessed seeds, Elysian Oil
Anubians	Mystery priests of distant, jungled Cairo. Know more than they let on.
	Perk: Welcomed and sheltered anywhere in Africa.
	Starting Equipment: Anubis mask, soul stones, healing herbs, khopesh (d8)
Apocalyptics	Hedonist flocks offering any imaginable vice.
	Perk: 1000 ways to the sweet spot - Human enemies have -1 AC
	Starting Equipment: Blade bracelet (d6), compact pistol (d6), tarot deck
Chroniclers	Secretive techno-fetishists. Wish to resurrect the bygone Stream.
	Perk: Barcode tattoo - Grants access to any Cluster
	Starting Equipment: Hooded robe, vocoder mask, Chronicler's suit (AC 12), dazer pistol (Save vs impairment, 1d4 rounds stunned on fail)
Clanners	The bulk of humanity; tribes big and small, savage and civil.
	Perk: Detailed regional knowledge
	Starting Equipment: light armor, weapon (blackpowder available > TL 2, other guns > TL3), trade tools
Hellvetics	Guardsmen and tollkeepers of the Alpine fortresses. For hire.
	Perk: +10 bullets / month
	Starting Equipment: Trailblazer rifle (d8 + 1 mod), harness + helmet (AC 16)
Jehammedans	A religion of shepherds and patriarchs; rivals of the Anabaptists.
	Perk: Rally allies with +1 AC and saves during combat, 3/day.
	Starting Equipment: Scimitar or rider's hoe (d8), light armor (AC 12)
Judges	Bringing law and civilization to the wasteland clans.
	Perk: Informants (+2 Network for typical cases)
	Starting Equipment: Hat and jacket (AC 12), Codex, warhammer (d10), blackpowder pistol (d8)
Neolibyans	The capitalists of Tripoli, the masters of the Mediterranean.
	Perk: Start with d6 x 1000 scrap worth of Dinars.
	Starting Equipment: Balance book, heirloom rifle (d10), seal of the Libyan
Palers	Inbred descendants of Bygone vault-dwellers.
	Perk: Dark-vision
	Starting Equipment: Submachine gun (d6), sun talisman, key to a distant bunker
Scourgers	The Neolibyan's muscle.
	Perk: Select a worthy adversary; gain +2 AC when fighting them alone.
	Starting Equipment: Spear (d6), shield (+1 AC), assault rifle (d8), flak vest and helmet (AC15)
Scrappers	Lonesome scavengers of the end of days.
	Perk: Can read and make scrappers' marks.
	Starting Equipment: Rope, compass, periscope, rifle (d10)
Spitalians	Medic-militants locked in a war against the Sepsis.
	Perk: Free access to hospitals and spore purges.
	Starting Equipment: Medical manual, Spitalian suit + gas mask (AC12), splayer with mollusk (d6, detects spore infestation), fungicide rifle (d10, as flamethrower)

Making Your Own Clan

This is legitimately the only random table in the entire Degenesis book. By Jove, I will use it.

Tech Level	Worldview	Governance	Cultural identity	Size	Resources
1: TL1 - Primitive	1-2: Animism	1-2: Rule of One	1: Holy Sites	1: Family	1-2: Food
2-3 TL2 - Medieval	3-4: Theism	3-4 Rule of a Few	2-3: Founding Place	2-3: Extended Family	3: Mines
4: TL3 - Progressive	5: Enlightenment	5-6: Rule of Many	4: Texts	4-5 Local Power	4: Ruin Field
5: TL4 - Industrial	6: Secular		5-6 Legendary Leader	6: Tribe	5: Bunker
6: TL5 - Transhuman					6: Raiding

Backgrounds

Each background is rated between 0-6. Characters get 4 points to begin, and cannot raise a background above 3 at character creation. Further increases or losses will come about as appropriate during gameplay.

Roll a d6 when wanting to draw on a background, aiming at or below your rating. If the roll fails, you may turn it into a success by permanently burning one point of the background.

• Allies - Contacts within the Cult.
• Network - Contacts outside of the Cult.
• Authority - Influence within the Cult.
• Renown - Reputation outside of the Cult.
• Resources - What you can draw on beyond your own possessions.
• Secrets - Knowing the truth behind the curtain.

Secrets generally don't involve a roll involved, and just dictate a specific thing a character knows. The location of hidden bunkers, the passwords to an ancient computer, the real reason why the higher ups are giving an order, and so on.

Corruption

Sepsis spores are everywhere, and the best Spitalian medicine can only purge them from a body in the early stages. Be vigilant.

A character's maximum infestation limit is their CON + WIS modifier, as the spores attack both body and soul. Spore infestation up to this limit can be medically treated. Reaching 50% infection forms a sepsis stigma on the victim's chest.

If a character is infected beyond their maximum, they must make a WIS save whenever they would gain further spore infection. If they fail, they will gain a point of permanent infection. Reaching 50% permanent infestation means that there's no going back: the character is now a Leperos, fully under the sway of the Primer.

• 0-100% - Treatable infection.
• 50% -  Stigma appears.
• >100% - Permanent infection.
• 150% - Leperos transformation. Character is lost.

Characters gain 1 point / day in areas of light sporination, 1 / hour in areas of moderate sepsis, and 1d6 / hour in adult fungal blooms.

Services

Available in any settlement with a Chronicler or Spitalian presence.

Chroniclers

• Sell unique and curious artifacts (TL 2-4)
• Access to communication network (100 scrap for an account, 10 to read messages, 30 to send) 
• Salvage leads (They claim 10% on all salvaged goods)

Spitalians 

• General medical care (20 scrap per day, heals 1d4 / day)
• Surgery (100 scrap, heals 5d4)
• Detox (300 scrap, flushes out 4 points of spore infestation)
• Complete De-sporing (900 scrap, reduces spore infestation to 0)