A game by Tara Dillenburger-Keenan (@ManglingMinis)

Cover art by George (@inkxxviii)

Herding28 is a non-combat tabletop game inspired by the wonderful works of Simon (@4ydra)
and Lennart Schnitzler. The aim of this game is to wrangle your herd into their pen, taking
control of a herding dog.

To play this game you require:

› A 5” diameter template to represent the herd.
› A 20mm – 40mm token to represent the herding dog.
› A number of spare 20mm – 40mm tokens to represent loose animals.
› A scatter die (or some other method to determine a random direction, such as placing a pencil
vertical and then letting go, with your random direction being the direction the pencil points
when it lands).
› A four-sided die (D4), a six-sided die (D6), an eight-sided die (D8), a ten-sided die (D10), and a
twenty-sided die (D20).
› A tape-measure or measuring stick of up to 12”.
› A roughly 2’ x 2’ board or playing area.

complete, a new turn begins and you repeat

A Note on Dice
Certain rules will require you to roll a die to
determine random events. The type of die
you roll can depend on various factors, such
as terrain or mutations to your herd. Unless
stated otherwise the die you roll is a D6.
However, this die can be “upgraded” or
“downgraded”. To upgrade a die, you must
roll the next die up (e.g. a D6 is upgraded to a
D8 and a D8 is upgraded to a D10). To
downgrade a die you must roll the next die
down (e.g. a D8 is downgraded to a D6 and a
D6 is downgraded to a D4). A die can never be
upgraded above a D20 or downgraded below
a D4. A die can be upgraded or downgraded
multiple times, with upgrades and
downgrades cancelling each other out.
How to Play
To begin play, set up the herding dog, the
herd, and any terrain as described in the
Trial. The game is split into turns. Each turn
is split into four unique sequential phases;
Dumb Animals, Come-by, Loose Animal,
Move Herd. Once all phases of a turn are
all phases.
Dumb Animals
At the beginning of each turn roll the scatter
die and a D6 for each herd and/or loose
animal. Starting with the herd or loose
animal that it furthest away from the
herding dog, move the herd or loose animal
a number of inches equal to the number the
rolled on the D6 in the direction the
randomly selected direction. Measuring
happens from the centre of the herd or loose
animal.
Come-by
Once any herds and/or loose animals have
finished randomly moving, you can now
move your herding dog. A herding dog can
move 12” in any direction you wish, however
it cannot move through a herd or loose
animal. Note you can NOT measure the
distance between the centre of any herds or
loose animals and the herding dog during
this phase.
Loose Animal
With the movement of the herding dog
complete, measure the distance between the
centre of any herds and the herding dog. If
the herding dog is within 8” of the centre,
roll a D8. If the roll is equal to or exceeds
the distance in inches between the herding
dog and the centre of the herd, an animal
has gotten spooked and split from the herd!
Roll a D6 and a scatter die to determine a
random direction and place a loose animal
token as many inches away from the edge of
the herd as was rolled on the D6 in the
random direction (measure between the
centre of the herd and the new loose animal
to follow the random direction).
Note that while a loose animal acts like a
herd during the Dumb Animals and Move
Herd phases, it cannot create more loose
animals. In addition, if a loose animal
touches a table edge they are immediately
removed as they have escaped!
A herd represents an indeterminate number
of animals, and so will always be able to
create new loose animals. If you have run out
of loose animal tokens then you don’t have
to place any new ones, but any animals that
have escaped can be reused as new loose
animals.
A loose animal can be returned to the herd
if any movement would result in them
coming into base-to-base contact with the
herd in any turn after the animal has gotten
loose. On any turn it cannot return to the
herd, a loose animal cannot move through
the herd and will instead stop at soon as it
gets into base-to-base contact.
Move Herd
Once any loose animals have separated from
the herd, the herd and loose animals will
now move. Starting with the herd or loose
animal that is furthest away from the
herding dog, move the herd or loose animal
a number of inches so that the herd or loose
animal is 10” away from the centre of the
herding dog. Herds and loose animals move
in a straight line directly away from the
centre of the herding dog, measuring from
the centre of the herd or loose animal.
If the centre of a herd or loose animal is
already more than 10” away from the
herding dog, do not move them.
If a loose animal touched the edge of the
table, remove the loose animal from the
table. This loose animal has escaped, which
will affect victory conditions.
If the herd touches the edge of the playing
area, it immediately stops. Unlike loose
animals it is not removed, but counts as an
additional loose animal escaping for the sake
of the victory conditions.
If a herd or loose animal touches another
herd, loose animal, or herding dog, it
immediately stops.
That’ll Do
You finish a game by getting the centre of
the herd into the Pen. At the end of the
game, add up how many loose animals
escaped or didn’t reach the Pen, the lower
the number the better. Give your dog a pat
for being so good and get ready for the next
trail!
Trials
Trials can either be chosen, or you can roll a D6 to randomly select one. Note that these are just
suggested layouts for your Trials. Feel free to design your own and see what tricky situations you
can herd your animals through!

1 Walk Up
2 Rotten Bridge
3 Dead Mount
4 Mirage
5 Bog's Edge
6 Lumbering Pen

Terrain
Certain Trials require specific terrain that will change how the game is played. The terrain type
will be specified in brackets beside the terrain name. Fences and the table edge are always
considered impassable terrain. The Trials below don’t use all the terrain types featured here, so
feel free to create your own Trials using some of the unused ones.

A herd or loose animal will immediately stop if it touches this type of terrain, and
Impassable
cannot pass through it for any reason.
If any part of a herd is touching this type of terrain during the loose animal phase,
Sinister
add 2 to the roll to check if a loose animal has broken free.
If the centre of a herd or loose animal is touching this type of terrain during the
Dumb Animals or Move Herd phase, reduce its movement to half, rounding up.
Labouring
Note this may mean that the herd or loose animal does not end up 10” away from
the herding dog during the Move Herd phase.
If the centre of a herd or loose animal is touching this type of terrain during the
Dumb Animals or Move Herd phase, double its movement. Note this may mean
Tantivy
that the herd or loose animal may end up more than 10” away from the herding
dog during the Move Herd phase.
If the centre of a herd or loose animal is touching this type of terrain during the
Move Herd phase and is within 10” of the herding dog, move it directly towards
Antithetical the herding dog a number of inches equal to the 10” minus the distance between
the herding dog and the herd or loose animal, stopping if the herd or loose animal
gets into contact with the herding dog.
This terrain counts as a board edge. As such, if a loose animal touches it, it is
Plunge immediately removed, and if a herd touches it, it counts as an additional loose
animal escaping for the sake of the victory conditions.

A herding dog will immediately stop if it touches this type of terrain, and cannot
Repugnant pass through it for any reason. Note that herds and loose animals can move through
this type of terrain.
Walk Up
It’ll be easy the said. Just get them in the pen they
said. Now I’m sat here covered in mud and
smelling like sheep.
Layout
A square Pen made of three 8” fences is set
up on one side of the board, 2” away from
the right table edge and along the horizontal
centre line. A herd is placed 8” away from
the left table edge. Your herding dog can be
placed anywhere within 2” of the left table
edge.
Rotten Bridge
A river too deep for the herd to move through is
crossed only by a half-rotted bridge. Surely none
will fall in the rapids below.
Layout
A square Pen made of three 8” fences is set
up 2” away from the right table edge and 0”
away from the top table edge. A 2” wide river
(impassable) is set up along the centreline.
An 8” wide bridge is set up over this, 8” away
from the top and bottom table edges. A herd
is placed 8” away from the bottom table edge
and 10” away from the left table edge. Your
herding dog can be placed anywhere within
2” of the left table edge.
Dead Mount
Not quite a misty mountain. More a claggy knoll.
Layout
A square Pen made of three 8” fences is set
up at a 45° angle touching the top and right
table edges. A herd is placed 10” away from
the left table edge. The entire left side of the
table is Uphill (labouring), while the entire
right side is Downhill (fast). Your herding
dog can be placed anywhere within 2” of the
left table edge.
Mirage
One of these two aren’t who they’re saying they
are, but I’m not paid enough to decide which is
which. If fact, I’m not paid at all!
Layout
A square Pen made of two 8” fences and one
20” fence is set up on one side of the board,
1” away from the right table edge and along
the centre line. A herd is placed 10” away
from the left table edge and 8” from the top
table edge. A second herd is placed 10” away
from the left table edge and 8” away from the
bottom table edge. Your herding dog can be
placed anywhere within 2” of the left table
edge. When the first herd reaches the Pen,
remove it from the table. This does not
count for That’ll Do, but any Loose Animals
created from this herd still count towards
your final score.
Bog’s Edge
Gotta get them in for a nice dip before bedtime.
Layout
A square Pen made of three 8” fences is set
up along the vertical centre line of the board,
2” from the bottom table edge and with its
open face pointing towards the right table
edge. An 8” wide Murky Water (antithetical)
runs down 6” from the right table edge. A
herd is placed 10” away from the left table
edge and 8” away from the top table edge.
Your herding dog can be placed anywhere
within 2” of the left table edge.
Lumbering Pen
Honestly don’t really know how it’s moving.
Maybe it’s alive, maybe it’s got lots of tiny feet
under it. I’ll just chalk it up to magic
Layout
A square Pen made of three 8” fences is set
up on one side of the board, 2” away from
the right table edge and along the horizontal
centre line, with the Pen’s open face facing
the right table edge. A herd is placed 8” away
from the left table edge. Your herding dog
can be placed anywhere within 2” of the left
table edge. At the beginning of each turn roll
a D6 and a scatter die to determine a
random direction. The Pen moves as many
inches as is stated on the die, in the direction
the arrow is pointing, with the Pen’s facing
maintained. If the Pen comes into contact
with anything other than the board,
immediately stop moving the Pen.
The Roving Lands
The Roving Lands is a campaign system for Herding28 that allows you to create a story of you
and your herd moving from place to place, overcoming the trials and tribulations of the
mutating lands. Throughout the campaign you will watch as your herd changes and grows into
a unique and beautifully disgusting menagerie, affecting how the game plays.

Each Trial you play for The Roving Lands will now have a win/lose condition. To win a Trial
you must complete it in fewer than 15 turns. Each loose animal not in the Pen counts as an
additional 1 turn when calculating how many turns it took to complete a Trial. Each escaped
animal counts as 2 additional turns when calculating how many turns it took to complete a
Trial.

If you complete a Trial within the allotted 15 turns, you must then roll a D20 on the Mutation
Table below. These mutations represent a combination of selective breeding and the inherent
magical nature of either the herd or the lands where the Trials take place. Your herd and any
loose animals generated during a Trial now follow the additional rules given by the mutation
they have gained. These mutations are persistent and will carry over between Trials. If you ever
roll the same mutation a second time, you must ignore that result and instead roll a D6 on the
Overmutation Table. These overmutations represent rampant and unruly transmutation in the
herd. Similarly to the mutations, these overmutations are persistent and will carry over between
Trials.

To play The Roving Lands, begin by playing the Walk Up Trial. Once completed, and any rolls
on the Mutation Table have been done in the event of a successful Trial, you may then
continue on to new and other Trials. You can either roll on the Trials table to decide what
Trial you will play next, or try creating your own Trial setup.

The Roving Lands are complete when you have finished playing 5 different Trials. If you were
successful in at least 3 of these Trials then you have won the campaign. Otherwise, you must
hang up your crook and seek your fortune in other ventures. I hear there’s a nearby orchard
looking for workers…

Mutation Table
1. Overmutated 3. Delegged (Fewer Legs)
Something hideous has happened An unusually low number of legs
Roll on the Overmutation Table. Downgrade the die used when rolling for
scatter during the Dumb Animals phase.
2. Prehensile Nose
A nose for sniffing out danger
Ignore the effects of Sinister Terrain.
4. Prehensile Tongue
Able to taste the most succulent grasses
You may reroll any future rolls on the
Mutation or Overmutation Tables, but
must accept the second roll.
5. Wonderous Plumage
A dazzling pearlescence of brilliant colours
You always count as taking one fewer turns
when completing a Trial for the campaign.
6. Many Toed
Many toes make light work
Ignore the effects of Labouring Terrain.
7. A Human Feature
When you stare into the herd, the herd stares
back at you
Downgrade the die used when rolling for
spooking an animal during the Loose
Animal phase.
8. Belegged (More Legs)
A few spare legs
Move the herd or loose animal an
additional 2" during the Move Herd phase.
9. Palmate Feet
Waddle waddle waddle
Ignore the effects of Antithetical Terrain.
10. Velvet Fleece
A soft and luxurious coat
Downgrade the die used when rolling for
the distance a new loose animal is from the
herd during the Loose Animal phase.
11. Exceedingly Long Snout
Able to sniff out home
During the Dumb Animals phase, move
this herd or loose animal directly towards
the centre of the Pen rather than rolling for
a random direction.
12. Gaping Maw
Consume the scared
If the herd has been spooked during the
Loose Animal phase, roll a D6. On a 5 or 6
no new loose animal token is placed.
13. Cloven Trotters
Adapted for hills
Ignore the effects of Tantivy Terrain.
14. Unusual Eyes
Seeing into the unseen
Twice per game you can place a strange
item token on the board at the beginning
of a turn. The direction between this token
and the herd or loose animal counts as the
random direction created during the Dumb
Animals phase and Loose Animal phase.
Remove the strange item token at the end
of the turn in which you placed it.
15. Squamous
Tick scaley plating makes for a less scared herd
When this herd or loose animal comes in
contact with the board edge or a piece of
Plunge Terrain, roll a D6. On a 5 or 6 the
herd or loose animal immediately stops
moving and does not count as escaped for
the purposes of victory conditions.
16. Prodigious Ears
Hear the herding dog long before its ever in sight
After setting up a Trial but before the first
turn you may move the herd by up to 4" in
any direction.
17. Winged Beast
Fly my pretties
Ignore the effects of Impassable Terrain.
18. Lengthy Neck
The next pen is already in view
You may reroll the result of which Trial you
are playing during a campaign, but must
accept the second roll.
Overmutation Table
1. Prehensile Eyes
Gelatinous orbs flailing seemingly at random
Upgrade the die used when rolling for
spooking an animal during the Loose
Animal phase twice (e.g. a D8 would
become a D12).
2. Sentient Teeth
Voicelessness speaks to the herd. You think you
might be able to hear it too
Upgrade all die rolls.
3. Too Many Legs
Sprouting from all angles, getting tangled and
knotted
Reduce the movement of the herd or loose
animal an by 3" during the Dumb Animals
and Move Herd phase.
19. Gangly
Limbs tied and locked together
Downgrade the die used when rolling for
spooking an animal during the Loose
Animal phase.
20. Unique Breed
Beautiful monstrosities
Roll twice on the Mutation Table.
4. Fingers
Busting through the skin, popping off, and
running away
Loose animals can be spooked and produce
more loose animals during the Loose
Animal phase as if they were a herd.
5. Conjoined
The sloppy noise of skin tearing as the spooked
animals try to flee in different directions
If the herd is spooked during the Loose
Animal phase, create two loose animal
tokens rather than just one.
6. Eye Infested
Pulsating out of the folds in skin and fervently
glancing around in terror
After setting up a Trial but before the first
turn, place a loose animal token as if the
herd had been spooked during the Loose
Animal phase.
 8” Long
Fences
The Herd

The
Herding
Animal

Loose
Animals

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