Burning Sands

Campaign
Squad Scale Combat
(and beyond)

bleybourne@gmail.com
Contents
Introduction ................................................................. 3
A note on squad scale actions.................................. 3
Squad Scale Combat Overview ................................ 3
Squad Statistics ............................................................ 4
Attributes ................................................................. 4
Size ....................................................................... 4
Strength................................................................ 4
Agility ................................................................... 4
Wits ...................................................................... 5
Armor ................................................................... 5
Encumbrance ....................................................... 5
Grit ....................................................................... 6
Skills.......................................................................... 6
Melee ................................................................... 6
Ranged ................................................................. 6
Defence ................................................................ 7
Talents ...................................................................... 7
Flight..................................................................... 7
Skirmishers ........................................................... 7
Archers ................................................................. 8
Mounted .............................................................. 8
Spear Wall ............................................................ 8
Gear .......................................................................... 8
Ropes.................................................................... 8
Ladders ................................................................. 8
Siege Tower .......................................................... 8
Plank Bridges ........................................................ 9
Mantlet................................................................. 9
Battering Ram ...................................................... 9
Ballista .................................................................. 9
Trebuchet ............................................................. 9
Combat and the Battleground ...................................10
Zones ......................................................................10
Terrain ................................................................10
Range .................................................................10
Combat ...................................................................10
Move ..................................................................10
Melee Attack ......................................................10
Ranged attack .................................................... 11
Posturing ............................................................ 11
Set ...................................................................... 11
Fortifications .......................................................... 11
Abatis ................................................................. 12
Walls .................................................................. 12
Towers ............................................................... 12
Gates .................................................................. 13
Moats ................................................................. 13
Boiling Oil ........................................................... 13
PC Actions during squad scale combat ...................... 14
Character actions ................................................... 14
Duck and weave ................................................. 14
Join a squad ....................................................... 14
Inspire the troops .............................................. 14
Make a personal challenge ................................ 15
Go with the flow ................................................ 15
Individuals versus squads ...................................... 15
Battle Events Table ................................................ 16
Scaling up the action.................................................. 17
Platoon Scale Combat ............................................ 17
Individuals or Squads versus Platoons ............... 17
Regiment Scale Combat ......................................... 17
Brigades, Divisions, Legions and Armies ................ 17
Squad Statistics Sheet ................................................ 18
Introduction
This set of rules is intended to be used for squad
scale combat, and can handle fights with any
number of fighters from squads of 5 members up
to potentially thousands per side. The bulk of
the rules cover how to adjudicate and determine
the outcome of squad scale combat (in squads of
up to 5 fighters). These rules can be used to
simulate small scale battles between similarly
sized forces (and how squads can interact with
individual PCs and NPCs). Following the main
section is a discussion of how the rules are scaled
up to handle larger sizes of forces. The rules
generally expect that opposing sides will not be
of wildly different sizes – if they are it is likely
that the larger force will simply overrun the
smaller force, but this is discussed later in the
document.
Squad Scale Combat Overview
At this scale of armed conflict, troops are
arranged into squads of up to 5 combatants. A
battle can consist of multiple squads per side of
the conflict, with each squad being treated in
much the same way as an individual in the
personal combat rules. There is a soft limit on
how many squads can be easily accommodated
without the book-keeping becoming too much
(in much the same way that determining the
results of a melee combat between 5 on one side
and 3 on the other is fine, but running a fight
with 12 on one side and 10 on the other would
A note on squad scale actions
Personal combat in Forbidden Lands consists of
individual blows and defences by combatants,
but squad scale combat is expected to be an
overall back-and-forth of fighters attacking and
defending throughout the combat round. As
such, casualties incurred by squads during a
squad scale combat round are tallied and
calculated, but are not applied until the end of
each r0und, rather than immediately following
each attack action. Accordingly, there are no
defensive actions or reactions in squad scale
combat – squads are expected to be defending
themselves as they fight, and thus automatically
make defensive rolls against incoming attacks as
described in the actions section.
simply be frustrating). Once you get above
around 5 squads per side, you should consider
scaling the conflict up to the Platoon-based
rules (or higher) later in this document.
These rules can also simulate small numbers of
troops accompanying PCs or NPCs during a
standard adventure. Perhaps your PCs have
been gifted 8 warriors to help them clear an
adventure site, or a force of 20 enemy
combatants are assaulting their stronghold
where they have 12 guards – these kinds of
situations can easily be accommodated by
arranging the troops into squads and using the
rules presented here.
P a g e 3 | 18
Squad Statistics
Like individuals, squads have a set of attributes, Kin Suggested
skills, talents, and gear to determine their Strength
effectiveness in combat. The below rules Halflings, Aarakocra, Humans, 1
describe how to determine those statistics. A Half-Elves, Elves
squad sheet is included on the last page of this Dwarves, Mul, Thri-kreen, 2
document. Dray
Half-Giants 3
Squads are always made up of individuals of the e.g: a squad of 4 Dwarves would have Size 4,
same (or mostly the same) kin. If you have some Strength 2, and Size/Strength of 6
halflings and some Thri-kreen for example, it’s
better to make them into two squads rather than
trying to determine the statistics for a squad that
mixes the two types.

Attributes

Size: The main attribute for a squad is the size.

This is the number of individual figures in the
squad, and is always a score from 1-5. This
attribute is reduced when the squad suffers
damage/casualties, fatigue, or fear / loss of
morale. When this number reaches 0, the squad
has disbanded and is considered broken,
whether it be because the individual members
are all dead, have dropped from exhaustion, or
have fled. When a squad recovers following a
battle, it can regain Strength, Agility and Wits,
but the only way to regain loss to the Size
attribute is to recruit new members to the squad.

Strength: This attribute is determined based on

the type of figures who make up a squad, taking
into account how tough those units tend to be.
When a squad suffers physical damage during a
Agility: This attribute is used to determine how
battle, the strength is atrophied away first (as in
agile and manoeuvrable the unit is. This
personal combat) and then once that reaches 0
attribute can be depleted, which represents
any further physical damage directly affects the
fatigue and exhaustion. When this kind of
Size attribute (which represents members of the
damage is suffered, Agility is reduced first (as in
squad dying). Any actions that utilise the
personal combat) and then once that reaches 0
Strength attribute will use as many attribute
any further Agility damage directly affects the
dice as Size+Strength; this will be written as
Size attribute (which represents members of the
Size/Strength when referred to.
squad collapsing). Any actions that utilise the
P a g e 4 | 18
Agility attribute will use as many attribute dice members of the squad fleeing). Any actions that
as Size+Agility; this will be written as utilise the Wits attribute will use as many
Size/Agility when referred to. attribute dice as Size+Wits; this will be written
as Size/Wits when referred to.
Kin Suggested
Agility Kin Suggested
Half-Giants 1 Wits
Aarakocra, Humans, Elves, 2 Half-Giants, Thri-Kreen, Dray 1
Half-Elves, Dwarves, Dray, Aarakocra, Elves, Dwarves, 2
Mul Mul, Halflings
Halflings, Thri-Kreen 3 Humans, Half-Elves 3
e.g: a squad of 3 Mul would have Size 3, Agility 2, e.g: a squad of 4 Humans would have Size 4, Wits
and Size/Agility of 5 3, and Size/Wits of 7

Armor: The armor rating of a squad is used in

the same way as Armor in personal combat – the
squad will roll this attribute to attempt to avoid
damage in most (but not all) cases while
fighting. A squad’s armor attribute is
determined by taking the average armor rating
of the figures in the squad.

Encumbrance: Squad encumbrance is tracked as

Low, Medium or High, based on the following
chart. Encumbrance determines the maneuvers
a squad can perform during combat, and how
much fatigue they might suffer while doing so.
It is affected by the amount of armor a squad is
wearing, and whether they are only carrying
equipment for the battle or are carrying all of
their daily equipment with them (e.g. troops
fighting while on the march and/or without the
benefit of an encampment nearby).

Status Encumbrance
Squad has Armor rating of Lightly
less than 6, and is not Encumbered
carrying extra equipment.
Wits: This attribute tracks the Squad’s morale
Squad has Armor rating 6 Medium
and willingness to continue fighting. When a
or higher, but is not Encumbrance
squad suffers Wits damage due to stress, fear, or
carrying extra equipment.
loss of morale, the Wits attribute is atrophied Squad has Armor rating Medium
away first (as in personal combat) and then once less than 6, but is carrying Encumbrance
that reaches 0 any further damage directly extra equipment
affects the Size attribute (which represents

P a g e 5 | 18
 Squad has Armor rating 6 Heavily the longer the squad remains together and
or higher, and is carrying Encumbered learns to fight as a cohesive unit. If the squad is
extra equipment ever broken up and the members subsumed into
other squads, the Melee skill of the new squad

Grit: The grit of a unit denotes how hardened may be reduced based on the average/typical

and tough the unit is. It is mostly a function of Melee skill of the new members and how many

experience: the longer a soldier is a soldier, the newbies there are (this is up to the GM to

more battles he or she fights, the more times determine).

exhaustion and terror must take a backseat to Amount of training Typical

determination; all of these factors determine Melee
the Grit attribute of a squad. This attribute can Skill
go up or down depending on how a squad Totally green / conscripted troops 1
performs in battle, at the GM’s discretion. Typical fighting units 2
Some battle experience as a 3
Battle experience Grit
unified squad. This is the
Totally green / conscripted troops 1 maximum possible Melee without
Typical fighting units 2 special training
Squad has fought together and 3 Very well experienced troops who 4
survived a few battles have fought together for some
Experienced troops who have 4 time and train regularly
fought together for some time and Expert troops who spend all their 5
seen a lot of action time training while not fighting;
Expert troops who have fought as a 5 have fought as a squad for a long
squad for a long time and have time
“seen it all before”

Ranged: This skill is used during combat when

Skills the unit shoots or throws ranged weapons and is

The 3 skills below represent the ability of the determined based on the experience and squad
cohesion of the unit.
squad to fight and defend itself. A certain level
of training is required to be very good at any of Amount of training Typical
the skills, which usually precludes being very Ranged
skilled in more than one area (there’s only so Skill
much training a squad can do, and training in Totally green / conscripted troops 1
more than one area reduces the time that can be Typical fighting units given some 2
devoted to each). Generally, it is extremely ranged weapon training
uncommon for a squad for have a rating above 3 Some battle experience as a 3
in more than one of the following skills (other unified squad. This is the
than by GM fiat). maximum possible Ranged
without special training
Melee: This skill determines how effectively a Very well experienced troops who 4
unit can fight in melee combat. It is determined have fought together for some
by the GM and can be improved with experience time and train regularly

P a g e 6 | 18
 Expert troops who spend all their
time training while not fighting;
have fought as a squad for a long
time
5 maximum possible Defence
without special training
Very well experienced troops who 4
have fought together for some
time and train regularly
Expert troops who spend all their 5
time training while not fighting;
have fought as a squad for a long
time

Talents

As with individuals, squads can have certain

talents, giving them abilities other squads my or
may not have. Squad Scale Talents do not have
levels, a squad simply has the talent or doesn’t.

Flight: Aarakocra squads are capable of flight.

Defence: The defence rating of a squad
determines how good it is at defending itself
when attacked in melee combat or shot at in
ranged combat. This is the training to parry,
dodge, and otherwise avoid taking damage,
which is distinct from the Armor attribute,
which represents damage reduction.
Amount of training Typical
Defence
Skill
Totally green / conscripted 1
troops
Typical fighting units 2 into combat. A squad with this talent can move
Some battle experience as a 3 into the same zone as an opposing squad and
unified squad. This is the
If the squad is lightly encumbered, they can
hover above the battlefield. Move the unit as
normal, but they can only attack their
opponents using ranged attacks and can only be
targeted themselves with ranged attacks. A
squad with medium encumbrance can fly in
short bursts but cannot hover. Such a squad can
move without worry about having to worry
about difficult terrain, and can fly over walls or
other fortifications. A heavily encumbered
squad cannot fly at all.
Skirmishers: Squads who fight as skirmishers
tend to split up and leave a lot of space around
themselves, rather than grouping together. A
skirmishing squad is less effective in combat,
suffering a -1 die penalty when making Melee
attacks. However, skirmishing units are less
susceptible to ranged attacks because they are
more spread out, gaining +1 die on their defence
rolls against ranged weapons.
Charger: Some squads are adept at charging
make a melee attack after the movement.

P a g e 7 | 18
Heavily encumbered squads cannot charge. Ropes: A squad carrying ropes with grapples
Lightly encumbered squads are especially fast will have an easier time trying to scramble up a
chargers, and gain +1 die on their first melee wall or other fortification. Using Ropes grants
attack roll immediately following a charge. a +1 gear die bonus when attacking a defended
wall or fortification. Ropes can only be used
Archers: Most squads can only fight in melee
once, but will last fur the duration of one entire
combat. However, some squads are equipped
assault on a wall or fortification, even if it takes
with ranged weaponry, and can use it to make
several combat rounds.
ranged attacks using their Ranged skill. This
Talent allows a squad that can move two zones Ladders: A squad can carry a ladder to assist
(see Moving, later) to instead only move one them when assaulting walls or towers. A squad
zone and use their second point of “movement” equipped with ladders gains a +2 gear die bonus
to make a ranged attack. when attacking a defended wall. When a squad
with a ladder takes damage, they can elect to
Mounted: Troops can be mounted on various
assign damage to their ladder gear, reducing the
types of mounts in battle. Every member of a
gear die bonus. When it reaches +0, the ladders
squad must have a mount, and when the size of
break and becomes useless.
a squad is reduced, it is assumed that the squad
member lost either took their mount with them
or it died with them. Mounts allow a squad to
move up to 2 zones in open terrain or one zone
in difficult terrain, regardless of their
encumbrance level. Additionally, mounted
troops gain +1 die on melee attacks and defences
against non-mounted opponents.

Spear Wall: Some squads are very adept at

defending themselves against attackers. When
an attacking squad moves into arms reach, a
Spear Wall squad gets to make a single free
attack action. Resolve the results of this attack
and allocate casualties to the moving squad
immediately.

Gear

In general, squads are expected to be carrying

typical equipment and do not receive gear dice
for their standard weapons or armor (the
average armor rating of the squad is used to
determine the Armor attribute of the squad as a
whole). There are certain special items of gear
that a squad can possess, which will give Gear Siege Tower: A siege tower is really just a more
dice in specific circumstances. Squads may only advanced form of a ladder. Siege towers are
possess one of the gear options below at a time. designed to be pushed up to a wall to give a squad
P a g e 8 | 18
access to the top of the wall, while protecting
them along the way. A siege tower gives a +3
gear die bonus when attacking a defended wall,
and gives the squad the same +3 gear die bonus
on defence rolls while using the tower. When a
squad with a siege tower takes damage, they can
elect to assign damage to the tower, reducing its
gear die bonus. When it reaches +0, it breaks
and becomes useless. Pushing a siege tower
across difficult terrain is exhausting – the squad
loses 1 Agility for each such zone of movement
(on top of other exhaustion they may suffer).
Plank Bridges: When assaulting a fortification
protected by a moat, squads can carry plank
bridges to attempt to cross the moat without
having to climb through it. Plank bridges have
two gear dice. When a squad with takes damage,
they can elect to assign damage to the plank
bridge, reducing its gear die bonus. When it
reaches +0, it breaks and becomes useless.
Placing a plank bridge requires a special action,
requiring a successful Size/Agility check (with
the Plank gear bonus). If successful, the moat
can now be crossed as if it were its own Difficult
Terrain zone.
Mantlet: A Mantlet is a giant shield that can
be carried and set against ranged attacks, giving
the squad cover. A mantlet can only defend a
squad against ranged attacks from one
direction. It gives +3 gear dice on defence checks
against ranged attacks. When a squad with a
mantlet takes damage, they can elect to assign
damage to the mantlet, reducing its gear die
bonus. When it reaches +0, it breaks and
becomes useless.
Battering Ram: A Battering ram is a large
heavy ram used to break down gates. It is of no
use to defenders or when assaulting squads or
other fortifications, but can be used when
assaulting a defended Gate. In this case, the ram
provides a +2 gear bonus on melee attacks and
the defender must assign damage taken to the
gate first. When a squad with a battering ram
takes damage, they can elect to assign damage
to the ram, reducing its gear die bonus. When it
reaches +0, it breaks and becomes useless.
Ballista: A ballista is essentially a giant
crossbow that can be carried and set by the squad
who maintains it. A ballista cannot be fired in
the same round a squad has moved, but it can be
loaded and fired in the same round as long as the
squad size is 3 or more (otherwise loading and
firing take an action each). If used against an
opposing squad, a ballista provides a +2 gear die
bonus on the attack and the defender cannot
roll their Armor attribute to resist the damage.
If used to assault a wall or other fortification,
the squad makes an unresisted ranged attack
roll. If successful, roll the Ballista gear dice.
Each success rolled reduces the gear of the
fortification by one step. When a squad with a
ballista takes damage, they can elect to assign
damage to the ballista, reducing its gear die
bonus. When it reaches +0, it breaks and
becomes useless.
Trebuchet: A trebuchet is a large catapult that
can toss large weights a great distance. It is of
little use against other squads, but can be used
to attack walls or other fortifications. A
trebuchet takes one action to load, and another
action to fire. the squad makes an unresisted
ranged attack roll. If successful, roll the
Trebuchet’s 4 Gear Dice. Each success rolled
reduces the gear of the fortification by one step.
When a squad with a Trebuchet takes damage,
they can elect to assign damage to the
Trebuchet, reducing its gear die bonus. When it
reaches +0, it breaks and becomes useless.
P a g e 9 | 18
Combat and the Battleground
Zones Squads with medium encumbrance can move
one zone through either open or difficult
Zones on a battleground work in the same way
terrain, but in open terrain can elect to push
the do in personal combat. The GM will divide
themselves. They move two zones but must roll
the battleground into different zones, often
Size/Agility and achieve at least one success.
using geographical features as zone boundaries.
Failure will cause one point of Agility damage
Terrain: Zones can be open or difficult terrain. due to fatigue.
This is important when squads move through
Heavily encumbered squads can only move one
the zone (see Movement, later). In general,
zone in any kind of terrain, and in difficult
Movement rolls are not required to move
terrain must make a successful Size/Agility
through difficult terrains, but squads will move
check or lose one point of Agility due to fatigue.
smaller distances and/or may suffer fatigue
when moving in Difficult terrain. Encumbrance Open Difficult
Terrain Terrain
Range: Squads must be in the same zone to fight Light Move 2
in melee combat (however, there is no concept Move 1 zone
zones
of Near vs. Arms Reach). When using ranged Move 1 zone
weapons, squads must be no more than one zone Or move 2
away for thrown weapons (such as spears, stones zones and
and the like), or two zones away for projected Medium roll Move 1 zone
weapons (archery). Ballista weapons have a Size/Agility
range of 3 zones. On fail lose
1 Agility.
Combat Move 1 Zone
and roll
Combat rounds in squad scale combat work in a
Heavy Move 1 zone Size/Agility.
similar way to personal combat. Each squad
On fail lose 1
draws an initiative card, and in initiative order Agility
gets a single action, during which it can perform
one of the following actions. There is no
concept of Fast and Slow actions at Squad Scale, Melee Attack: This action allows a squad to
each squad simply gets one action. make a single melee attack against another
squad in the same zone. An attack is made with
Move: This action allows a squad to move. See Size/Strength + Melee + Applicable Gear dice
the chart below for how far squads can move in versus the other squad’s Size/Agility + Defence +
a single action. Some squads can move and Applicable Gear dice. These rolls cannot be
attack, or move and fire ranged weapons in the
pushed. Defender successes are removed from
same action; see the Charger and Archer attacker successes, and any remainder represent
Talents.
wounds to the defender. The defender decides
Lightly encumbered squads can move two zones how much damage will be assigned to the
in open terrain or one zone in difficult terrain. fortification or other gear they possess (to a
maximum of the current Gear bonus) and the
P a g e 10 | 18
rest is applied to the squad. An armor roll is
then made for the squad. Successes on the roll
reduce the damage, while 1’s on this roll reduce
the armor bonus for the rest of the combat as the
armor is depleted. A squad cannot attack the
round it moves unless it has the Charger talent.
Ranged attack: This action allows a squad to
range attack another squad within range.
Ranged attacks are made using Size/Agility +
Ranged + Applicable Gear dice versus the
defender’s Size/Agility + Defence + Applicable
Gear dice. These rolls cannot be pushed.
Defender successes are removed from attacker
successes, and any remainder represent wounds
to the defender. The defender decides how
much damage will be assigned to the
fortification or other gear they possess (to a
maximum of the current Gear bonus) and the
rest is applied to the squad. An armor roll is
then made for the squad. Successes on the roll
reduce the damage, while 1’s on this roll reduce
the armor bonus for the rest of the combat as the
armor is depleted. A squad cannot make a
ranged attack the round it moves unless it has
the Archers Talent
Posturing: Tough squads can taunt and belittle
their opponents, sewing fear and doubt. This
action requires that an opposing squad be no
more than two zones away. The “attacker” rolls
Size/Wits + Grit, and the defender rolls their
own Size/Wits + Grit to defend. If the attacker
wins, the difference between the number of
successes is applied as Wits damage to the
defender. If it is a tie or the defender wins, the
Attacker loses a single point in Wits and cannot
make the same posturing attack against the same
target again this combat.
Set: A squad can set themselves against
opposing squads, using their action to ensure
they are ready to be attacked. The squad gets no
action this combat round, but gains their Grit
attribute as bonus dice to any/all Defence rolls
they make until the start of their next turn.
Fortifications
When defending an area, fortifications can
often be set up to help repel attackers. These
rules are also used when the attacking squad(s)
are assaulting a castle or other stronghold.
The fortifications listed below grant gear dice
on defense, and some grant bonus dice when
counter-attacking squads assaulting the walls.
If a fortification has been reduced to 0 gear die
bonus, it no longer offers any protection. In
that case, attacking squads can move freely
through the fortification if it is undefended.
Each wall section is a separate zone and can
only have one squad defending it (and one squad
attacking it). Similarly, Towers and Gates are
P a g e 11 | 18
their own zones. This is the one exception to the
requirement to make melee attacks within the
same zone – attackers assault a wall or other
fortification and attempt to either defeat the
defenders and/or destroy the fortification. Once
the defenders have been defeated or routed, the
attacker can simply pass by the fortification,
although if the fortification has not been
reduced to 0 gear dice it counts as difficult
terrain.
Medium encumbered units assaulting Wall or
Tower fortifications must roll Size/Agility at
the end of every round of combat. If they fail,
they lose 1 point of Agility due to exhaustion.
Heavily encumbered units automatically lose 1
Agility for each round they assault a Wall or
Tower.
+1 to +5 gear dice on defence depending on their
height, and half the gear bonus (rounded down)
as a bonus on melee or ranged attack rolls
against troops assaulting the wall. Walls cannot
take damage from melee or ranged attacks, but
their gear bonus can be reduced by attacks from
siege weapons such as a ballista or trebuchet.
When a wall’s gear bonus reaches +0, it has been
breached and no longer provides any bonus to
the defenders. A squad defending a wall can
only melee attack troops assaulting the specific
section of wall they are defending, or make
ranged attacks against a squad in a zone directly
in front of the wall - they cannot make ranged
attacks at enemy squads assaulting fortifications
in a neighbouring zone.

Mounted troops have no place in fortification

battles. It’s not possible to either attack or
defend a fortification while mounted.

Abatis: An abatis is a line of sharpened stakes,

massive bones, or sharpened lengths of rock or
obsidian planted in the ground pointing towards
attackers as a form of defense. Any zone can be
“mined” with Abatis spikes, making it difficult
terrain for the attacker, and granting the
defender +2 gear dice on both attack and defense
rolls. When the defenders take damage, they
can elect to assign damage to the spikes,
reducing the gear die bonus. When it reaches
+0, enough of the Abatis spikes have been
pushed over or flattened or moved past and they
no longer provide any benefit. Abatis spikes
only work in one direction.

Walls: Squads defending a wall zone gain a

bonus on both their defence and attack rolls
based on the height of the walls. Note that to
gain the benefit of the wall gear dice, the squad
must be actively defending it, so they cannot use
siege weapons or other gear. Walls provide from
Towers: Towers are built at the junctions of
walls (or on either side of a gate) and are used as
extra defence plus a handy attack spot. A tower
provides a +2 to +6 gear die bonus on defence

P a g e 12 | 18
rolls, and half that amount (rounded down) to difference as Size/Strength damage (although
melee or ranged attack rolls for troops Armor can be rolled to offset this damage).
defending an assault on the tower. Towers are a Squads can avoid having to climb into and back
lot more expensive to build and maintain than out of a moat through the use of Plank Bridges.
walls, but the advantage is that because towers
Boiling Oil: Boiling Oil is a gear item a
jut out from the walls they protect, it’s possible
defending squad can use when defending a wall
for the defenders in the tower to shoot ranged
(but not a Tower or Gate). The oil takes hours
weapons sideways, so attacks can me made
to get up to a high enough temperature to use,
against a squad assaulting a wall or gate in
so it is a “one shot” attack that can be used
another zone beside the tower zone. Towers are
against a squad assaulting the wall. For a single
always at least one level higher than the walls
attack action, the oil grants a +4 Gear Die bonus
they are at the junction of, and so have at least
to such an attack. Each wall zone can only have
+1 higher gear bonus.
one pot of oil prepared and ready for use.
Gates: Gates are a weak point in a wall
fortification. They provide only +1 to +3 gear
bonus to the defence of defenders (and give no
bonus to attack). When defending a gate, the
defending squad can elect to assign damage
taken to the gate itself, reducing its gear bonus.
If a gate is undefended and has a gear bonus of
0, an attacking squad can just march through it.

Moats: A moat is a fortification that makes it

harder for opposing squads to assault a
stronghold. Moats on Athas are not filled with
water, of course. Instead, they are usually filled
with sharpened stakes and chunks of razor sharp
obsidian or rock, and have extremely high and
sheer sides to make it as hard as possible for
opponents to traverse them. Moats have a
difficulty rating from 1-3. Climbing down into a
moat is a movement action for a squad, and
climbing back out of one is a second movement
action. Both actions count as difficult terrain.
When a squad makes either action, roll
Size/Agility for the squad. At least as many
successes as the difficulty rating of the moat
must be achieved, or the squad suffers the

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PC Actions during squad scale combat
While the various squads of troops are is left alone to fend for themselves again. If the
maneuvering and fighting, there’s certainly no PC leaves a squad, it loses all of the bonuses.
reason for the PCs to be sitting around and
While a PC is joined to a squad, they do not roll
doing nothing! PC characters can choose to do
on the battle events table.
any of the following actions (or anything else
that is approved by the GM).

Note that a PC can be in the same zone as a

squad without being engaged.

Character actions

Duck and weave: This activity allows a PC to

duck and weave their way through a combat,
avoiding engaging with any enemy troops. This
action is necessary to move through enemy
lines, perhaps to find and challenge an opposing
leader or to break through the lines. In order to
avoid getting entangled, the PC make a Move
check, requiring more successes than the
number of enemy squads in their zone. If
successful, the PC can move to an adjacent zone
with no issues. If the check is not successful, the
PC is stuck in the same zone they started the
round in and must roll on the Battle Events
table.

Join a squad: A player character can choose to

join a squad in combat. Remove the PC’s figure
from the table and just consider that the PC is a
port of the squad. The squad gains the following
bonuses while the PC is attached:
+1 Size, +1 Strength, +1 Agility, +1 Wits, +1 Grit
Thus, the squad becomes substantially more
effective, effectively gaining +2 dice on most
actions due to the assistance of the PC. As the
squad loses casualties, the PC will always be the
last point of Size, so they do not need to worry
about being accidentally killed. If the squad is
reduced to size 1, then it is disbanded and the PC
Inspire the troops: Rather than joining a squad
directly, a PC can choose to make himself
visible in or near the battle, inspiring and
encouraging the troops. Any friendly squad
within the same zone or no more than one zone
away gains +1 die to all actions as long as the PC
is visible and is spending his time encouraging
them and generally looking all heroic and stuff.
The GM should roll on the Battle Events table
for the PC each round to see what happens to
them during the ebb and flow of battle.

P a g e 14 | 18
 immediately regain +1 Wits if they had suffered
any damage to that attribute during the battle.

Go with the flow: A character who choose this

option is not electing to perform any specific
action in combat, instead allowing the battle to
flow around them and involving themselves
when- and wherever possible. Roll on the Battle
Events table, but you may choose either the
result rolled, or one of the two results on either
side of it (e.g. a roll of 3 could be used as a 2, 3,
or 4).

Individuals versus squads

At some point during Squad Scale combat, it’s

quite likely an individual figure is going to find
themselves engaged with a whole group of
combatants – individual versus squad. This is an
uneviable position for an individual to be in, but
is certainly not (necessarily) the end of the
world.

An individual character can battle a squad of up

Make a personal challenge: If a PC can see a
to 5 figures. The PC only gets a slow action each
leader or other powerful individual on the
round (it is assumed his Fast action is used
opposing side, he or she can maneuver
ducking and weaving through the fray). The
themselves into a position to be able to issue a
squad makes an attack against the PC on its
challenge. The PC must be in the same zone as
action. The character rolls Dodge or Parry
the opposing figure (the Duck and Weave
(whichever skill is higher) as a defence, and any
action may be useful in previous rounds to get
damage suffered is reduced from Strength as
there). The PC then makes a Manipulation
usual. In return, the character makes his usual
check, opposed by the target’s Insight. If
attack against the members of the squad on his
successful (or if the target wants the fight) then
action (the squad resists using Size/Agility +
the two enter individual combat. Neither can
Defence as usual). If the PC deals at least as
back down unless the other allows it. Resolve
much damage as the base Strength score of the
the entire fight immediately, until one or the
squad (1 to 3, depending on Kin) then the
other is broken or killed. Whichever side loses,
Strength of the Squad is reduced by 1, otherwise
all friendly squads must immediately make a
the PC’s attack has no effect. E.g. Against a
successful Size/Wits + Grit check, losing 1 Wits
squad of Mul, the character would need to deal at
for each 1 rolled and breaking and fleeing if they
least 2 damage from a singler attack because the Mul
do not succeed in the roll (or if the Wits damage
strength attribute is +2. If he does this, he deals one
reduces their Wits and Size to 0). All squads
Strength/Size damage to the squad.
friendly to the winner who can see the fight

P a g e 15 | 18
Battle Events Table

The following table is used to determine

random events that happen to a character
during Squad Scale combat. The GM can
choose to roll for each character each round, or
pick a character each round.

Roll Battle Event

1 PC is pushed and falls D6+2 meters
(see rulebook for falling damage).
2 If there is an enemy squad in the same
zone, the PC becomes engaged, and
must fight them this round before
managing to escape (or can choose to
remain engaged)
3 If there are any enemies in the same
zone (in a squad or not) the PC finds
herself face-to-face with an attacker
and must fight him in close combat
until one is broken. If the opponent
was part of a squad, after the fight, the
squad has -1 Size.
4 A random arrow or other ranged
attack flies towards the character.
Roll 8 dice in an attack (the character
can Dodge but not Parry). If the
attack is successful, the character
suffers the number of successes as
Strength damage.
5 PC suddenly finds herself face-to-face
with the commander of the attackers.
Resolve a close combat between them
until only one remains standing,
preferably in a dramatic location.
6 The press of battle leads to injuries.
Roll an 8 die attack. Character can
Parry but not Dodge. If the attack is
successful, the character suffers the
number of successes as Strength
damage.

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Scaling up the action
Sometimes, squad scale combat just isn’t epic
enough. It can easily handle up to around 5
squads per side (so 20-25 combatants per side)
but falters with much larger numbers. This
section explains how to scale up the conflict.
Platoon Scale Combat
At the Platoon scale, all of the rules already
outlined in this document can be utilised, except
that each Platoon is made up of squads in the
same manner that Squads are made up of
individuals in Squad Scale combat.
Thus, a Platoon of size 4 would contain 4
Squads and would therefore have around 20
warriors. It’s too much to expect that every
Squad will be made up of all members of the
same Kin (as is required in Squad Scale combat)
so if the Squads in a Platoon are of different Kin
types, some fudging or averaging of the
attributes will be required.
Zones are considered to be around 4-5 times
larger in Platoon Scale combat as they are in
Squad Scale combat but are otherwise used in
the same way and the Platoons are moved and
engaged in the same manner as Squads.
Individuals or Squads versus Platoons
There are too many fighters in a Platoon for an
individual to have any meaningful interaction
with them in combat. If a character ends up
engaged with a Platoon, the character is
immediately broken and captured or killed. If
an individual Squad ends up engaging a
Platoon, treat it the same as Individuals versus
Squads (thus the Squad can only do one damage
at a time to the Platoon, denoting that they have
broken one Squad inside that Platoon; in return
the Platoon can do as much damage to the
Squad as it is capable of).
Regiment Scale Combat
Regiment Scale Combat is simply the next scale
up. Each member of a Regiment in the Size
Attribute is an entire Platoon (so a Regiment
consists of around 100+ soldiers). All the
previous rules work at this scale, as long as both
sides are using the same scale (Individuals and
Squads cannot possibly compete at the
Regiment scale, individual Platoons versus
Regiments are treated in the same manner as
Individuals versus Squads).
Brigades, Divisions, Legions and
Armies
These rules can be scaled up again as required,
through Brigade Scale Combat (consisting of
Regiments; around 500+ troops), Division
Scale Combat (made up of Brigades; thousands
of troops), Legion Scale Combat (made up of
Divisions; tens of thousands of troops) and
finally on to Army Scale Combat, which can
involve many tens of thousands of troops.
In each case, no meaningful interaction can be
determined unless the two sides are at least
within one scale of each other. If there is more
than one level of scale (e.g. a Legion versus a
Brigade) then the larger force simply wipes out
or captures the smaller.
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Squad Statistics Sheet

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