GAME SYSTEM

S Rules yst and me de jeu Game-Playo, here you are, eagerly gripping your little lead gures still sticky from their last lick of paint (Anyone who thought they can use unpainted minis is welcome to visit Croc for a good spanking with his spiked plank). You have agreed with your opponent on how large and powerful your armies will be, and you have laid out a glorious battleeld. All you have to do now is learn the following rules by heart (more or less).

SDice

must be rolled in some situations. In general, each d6 will be considered independently.

FathomsThe standard unit of measurement used in Hell Dorado is the Fathom, which, although it is now only used to measure nautical depths, was still in use at the time when Hell Dorado is set to measure distances on land. It is equivalent to an average mans height. On the battleeld, this will be scaled down to a standard inch. For those of you who do not live in countries where the Imperial system is still used (unless, of course, you had the great idea of investing in an inch-graduated measuring tape to check the size of your new at-screen monitor), consider a fathom to be 2.5cm.

D own to BasicsPlaying Hell Dorado only requires six-sided dice, also known as d6 by Those Who Know. Ideally, each player should have at least ve six-sided dice (d6) handy. Some of the numbers used on the stat cards or in the rules will mean that that number of d6

DistanceWhen the rules state that a unit should be at or within a certain distance from another unit or from a spot on the battlefield, this means that any part of its base that is at that distance fulfills that condition. A unit is considered to be inside an area from the moment when any part of its base is inside the area. This is the general rule, but we may remind you of it again if required. In all other cases, the specific rules will state if and when the whole of the base needs to be at a precise distance or within a specific area.

IntroductionThis chapter will give you the basic, essential concepts you will need to understand the rest of the rules. Some of them will be using concepts that will be explained later. If you dont understand everything to begin with, dont worry, you can come back to it later. In any case, you will quite probably have to read the rules several times over to fully absorb them.

MeasuringWhen playing Hell Dorado, players can measure any part of the battleeld at any time. You can, for example, measure the distance between two units, between one of your own units and a point on the battleeld,

1

GAME SYSTEMA

Unit A is inside the explosion area. Unit B is 3 fathoms away from its opponent.

3

B

1

measuring distances between units and effect areas

or between one of your units and one of your opponents, etc.

Contact and Control AreaOne unit is considered to be in contact with another if their two bases are in contact, or if a part of one of them touches a part of the other. A unit touching another unit is said to be engaged. The terms in contact and engaged are equivalent when applied to opposing units. Most of the Hell Dorado models have a control area of one fathom. This means that any unit that comes within a distance of one fathom from an enemy unit will be considered to be inside that units control area. Unless otherwise specied, once units are engaged they lose the effects of their control areas. The control areas of units affect the way their opponents can move. See the chapter on control areas effect on page 14.

DirectionsMiniatures in Hell Dorado are not considered to have a specic facing. It is treated as though the course of the battle is not really chopped up into phases and turns. Each unit is considered to turn automatically to face a danger or an opponent. So theres no use bickering about whether your miniatures front arc is touching your opponents or not.

CONTACT

CONTROL AREA

For those who like to meddle in the affairs of minisNo doubt that some of you, when reading this particular rule will jump to the conclusion that they can mess with their miniatures so contact becomes much easier (by changing a vertical spear into a horizontal one, for example). Far from wanting to crush your creative spirit, I must however warn you that anyone caught doing this will be thrown into a large vat of sulfuric acid. Previously, I will of course have ensured that their hands are cut off and sent to their mini-painting club. Once news of this hits the headlines, Im pretty sure that anyone else who had come up with any similar smart idea will think twice about it. As for the unfortunate miscreant, apart from making bubbling noises with his mouth while waiting for the rest of his body to be completely dissolved, he will no longer be of any nuisance to any of the true Hell Dorado fans.

The TapIf, at some point in the game, the rules alone do not enable you to resolve a conict between players, two solutions can be used: The rst is the well-known heads-or-tails technique. Basically, you pick some handy object, such as a coin, a frying pan, or your girlfriend, and you ip it up into the air, after betting on which side you think will be visible when it hits the oor. Obviously, if you want to use this technique to end an argument, it tends to help if both players pick opposite sides. The second option is our personal favorite, albeit one requiring skill and therefore best if only used by players of experience: a Tap on the cheek. When an argument cannot be settled by simply applying the rules, the rst of the two players to gently tap the other on the cheek wins. This should be done with caution, as, if the tap

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GAME SYSTEM

These minis are in contact with their opponents.

2

two miniatures engaged by their bases, then by the figures

turns into a slap, the too-brutal slapper is immediately disqualied. A slightly safer version is the tap on the back of the hand, but this is, of course, much less fun.

T he Armed ForcesUnit RanksEach unit has one of the three following ranks: Ofcer, Independent, or Trooper. The Ofcers are unique (they should only be present once per Company) as are the Independents who have an identity. Troopers and anonymous Independents can be used several times in the same Company.

Ofcers are the soldiers who lead Companies into battle. They are unique beings who all have their own identity. They can therefore only be one each per Company. These units have unique support and command abilities that are linked to their character. The rules for composing Companies will tell you how many Ofcers you will be able to hire for your Company, depending on the total number of army points you have agreed on with your opponent. Usually, in a standard Company, you will only be allowed one Ofcer. All Ofcers automatically possess the orders vae soli and vae victis (p. 27). Independents are elite soldiers who join the Companies seeking fame and fortune, or just for the pleasure of butchering invaders or natives. These soldiers have special abilities which are often exceptional. When put to the right use, they can change the course of a whole battle on their own.

OFFICERS

INDEPENDENTS

3

diagram of a miniatures control area

3

The control areas of units affect the way their opponents can move. See the chapter on control areas effect on page 14.

GAME SYSTEMThe CompanyIn Hell Dorado, each player has tactical control of a Company of soldiers or units. Each unit is physically represented by a miniature. They are all different, with different ranks, stats, types, base sizes, etc. All these concepts are explained in greater detail further on. A whole chapter (p. 33) is entirely devoted to their special abilities.

This score indicates the distance in fathoms that a unit can move in one turn when walking at a normal pace. This value can change depending on the actions undertaken by the units or the orders they receive. xample: the average human unit has a Movement score of 5 if it is carrying little or no armor. In all other cases the Movement score will be 4. This score represents a number of dice. This is the number of dice that will be used when the unit attacks with a ranged weapon (bow, arquebus, throwing dagger, grenade, etc.). This stat represents the units skill at using its weapon. xample: the average human unit will have a SHS score of 2 if it carries a ranged weapon. If it doesnt, then the SHS score will not even be mentioned. This stat represents a number of dice. This is the number of dice used by this unit during close combat. This stat represents the units talent for attacking, its physical abilities in combat and its equipment. It is both a reection of the units warrior fury and its pure skill. A unit with no Combat stat cannot ght, even if it receives a CBT bonus later on. All attacks against it will remain unanswered. A unit with a CBT stat of 0 will not usually throw any dice during a mle, but it can receive a bonus that will allow it to do so. xample: the average human unit has a Combat score of 3.

MOVEMENT (MVT)

SHOOTING SKILL (SHS)

The Independent units with an identity (their own name) are unique and can only be hired once per Company. For all others, their Availability (p. 8) will tell you how many you are allowed to have in any one Company at the same time. Troopers are the huddled masses of random soldiers who are the heart of the Companies, the nameless cannon fodder who ght and die for the glory of their commanding ofcers. Multiple Troopers of the same kind can be used in the same Company. The limits to their recruitment are dened by the units Availability stat (p. 8).

TROOPERS

COMBAT (CBT)

Unit StatisticsEach unit on the battleeld is dened by a series of statistic numbers that you will nd on all the stat cards.

Red and GreenOn most stat cards, the units statistics are printed on two different colored backgrounds: red and green. The value of the red stat is the basic value. The value of the green stat is the one that should be applied when the unit is in a wounded state. One exception: on the bar of life points on the back of the card, the green backgrounds are for the point from whereon the unit is considered to be wounded.

As the name suggests, this score is an indicator of the difculty that others will have hitting the unit during a battle. It is this score that the units opponents will roll their attack dice against when in contact (and sometimes when attacking from a distance). This stat represents the units speed, skill and martial talents. Unless stated otherwise, a units Defense score cannot be higher than 5. In some very rare cases, always stated as such, the Defense score can reach 6. xample: the average human unit will have a Defense score of 3.

DEFENSE (DEF)

This score is a representation of the units armor (natural or not) and its resistance to hits. It is directly

PROTECTION (PR)

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GAME SYSTEM

FrontMOVEMENT DEFENSE FAITH COMMAND AVAILABILITY SPECIALABILITIES POINTS4 3 3 13

Missionnaire

UNITS

NAME

UNITS FACTION

SYMBOL

4

4

Limit 3

Indpendant Humain Mle Ennemi jur 2

Papiste (chrtien) Mentaliste

ARMY

KEYWORDS

Fanatique

25

(dmons et damns)

BackSHOOTINGSKILL-

Missionnaire-

UNITS

NAME

LIFE POINTS4

3

COMBAT DEFENSE PROTECTION WEAPON DAMAGETYPE

4

31

4

23 4 5

86

3

37 8

1

COMMAND FAITH LIFE POINT POWER SPECIAL DAMAGEBAR (WOUNDED STATE IN GREEN) TABLE EFFECT POINTS

2

EncensoirContondant

Touches1 2 3 4 5

Dgts2 Sonn 4 5 6

Passif 1 CMD Tous les combattants allis sont immuniss contre la Terreur jusqu la fin du tour.

Dieu est mon bouclier

ORDERS AURAS

Temporaire Actif 4 toises de rayon Rsiduel Chrtiens (immunis) Les combattants autres que chrtiens subissent un malus de -1 CBT. Temporaire Actif 4 toises de rayon Rsiduel Chrtiens Les combattants chrtiens causent 1 touche de plus lors dun combat au contact si au moins une touche a t obtenue. Temporaire Actif 4 toises de rayon Instantan Papistes Les combattants papistes regagnent un nombre de PV gal leur FOI.

Aura de peur

Aura de puissance

Aura de soins

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Analyzing a stat card (front and back): Missionaryshield, full body shell...). A higher score is possible but remains exceptional. This stat represents the number of damage points a unit can take before dying in battle. If this value is followed by a second one printed on a green background, this second stat indicates the number of Life Points below which the unit is considered Wounded. This second value is called the Wound Threshold (WT). The initial number of Life Points is reduced after each hit depending on the number of damage points

subtracted from the total number of damage points inicted during an attack. xample: a Protection value of 0 means a total lack of armor; a value of 1 means light armor or natural protection (leather, small shield, thick skin) ; a value of 2 means a medium level of armor or natural protection (chain mail, leather and metal-plated armor, partial metal armor...) ; a value of 3 means heavy armor or natural protection (full plate armor, chain mail and

LIFE POINTS (LP)

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GAME SYSTEMthat belong to specic beliefs, and also as a way to resist hostile magical powers. A unit with the keyword Unbeliever (p. 7) does not have a Faith stat, and any ability, spell or aura that requires Faith will have no effect on it. xample: the average human unit has a Faith stat of 1

This stat represents the capacity the unit has for inuencing the behavior of its allies during battle. This value is added to the total Command score of the Company when the game begins (p. 24). When a unit with a Command score of at least 1 is eliminated, its score is immediately removed both from the Companys original Command total and from the Companys current value. xample: the average human Ofcer has a Command score of 4.

COMMAND (CMD)

inicted, and the new value becomes the current Life Point total. A unit dies when its current Life Point total is equal to or less than 0. A unit is Wounded as soon as its current Life Point total is reduced to or below the Wound Threshold printed on the green background. xample: the average human unit has an initial Life Point total of 4/1. This means it has a total of 4 Life Points and will be considered Wounded as soon as it only has 1 Life Point left. In the same way, a unit with a Life Point total of 5/2 has a total of 5 Life Points (it will take 5 Damage Points to kill it) and it will be considered Wounded as soon as it has 2 (or fewer) Life Points left. This stat represents the units spiritual strength and it can be considered a bonus for the magical effects

Weapon StatisticsThe power of a units weapons is represented in a power table, showing the number of Damage points inicted depending on the number of hits obtained during the attack roll. For mle weapons, this stat is both a representation of the units strength, its weight, the weight of the weapon and its skillfulness at hitting the target. For ranged weapons, this stat represents the strength of the unit for some weapons (bows, slingshots, throwing weapons...) and the natural power of the weapon itself for the others (arquebus munitions, crossbow bolts). The power tables always indicate the damage inicted for 1 to 5 hits, even if the unit in question doesnt have a combat stat that enables it to achieve such a score. This is in order to accommodate for any positive bonuses that may affect the unit. Some special effects can be triggered by a certain number of hits.

POWER TABLE

FAITH (FTH)

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GAME SYSTEMThe player controlling the attacking unit can choose to inict less hits than they obtained with their attack roll (or even none at all if he wishes). Explosive or blast-effect weapons do not have a power table. You will nd more information on how these weapons work on pages 22 and 23. xample - A Succubus using her whips will have the following power table: Number of hits 1 2 3 4 5 Damage points 3 4 + Pain 2 6 8 6 + knocked down to be the target of a special attack, if it will be affected by magical effects or not, etc. The nature of a unit can therefore dene several elements of its personality. Rank (p. 3) is listed on the stat card as a keyword. Ofcer Independent Trooper Species Angel Animal Damned Demon Lost Human Lemure Gender Asexual Female Male Religion When it comes to religion, the units can be given a general belief in certain principles (Christianity, Satanism, Islam...) or a more precise belief in certain dogmas. Units who believe in a specic dogma are affected by the effects of their general belief and those associated with their particular dogma. Atheist Buddhist - Yanluowang (Buddhist) Christian - Papist (Christian) - Orthodox (Christian) - Protestant (Christian) Jewish Muslim - Shiite (Muslim) - Sunni (Muslim) - Kharijite (Muslim) Satanist - Luciferian (Satanist) Unbeliever (this is applied to all units who can never be affected by the powers that concern religion. They do not have a Faith statistic.). Magic Infernalist x/y These are the units that can control lemures. This keyword is special in the sense that it is followed by two numbers. These indicate the number of lemures that the unit can control at one time (x) and the total number of lemures that it can use during a game (y) (p. 28).

She rolls 3 hits against an opponent for her attack roll. She can therefore inict 6 Damage points. She can also consider inicting only 2 hits, so she can inict only 4 Damage points to her opponent but make him suffer a Pain effect for 2 turns. She could also choose to inict only 1 hit and 3 Damage points or 0 hits and no damage. This stat denes the difculty of a ranged attack. The value is a number of fathoms. This value will be multiplied to obtain the levels of difculty depending on the distance between the attacker and its target. You will nd the rules about shooting distances in the chapter on ranged combat (p. 18). Most weapons have a keyword that de nes the kind of damage it will in ict. The most common ones are Sharp, Piercing, and Blunt, but there are many more, including more exotic ones (gaze, inhalation, etc.). This keyword doesnt have any effect (in general) on the game, but is used to trigger certain special abilities. Some weapons can in ict multiple types of damage. Some weapons have special abilities that will distinguish them from others. Their full descriptions are on page 33.

R ANGE (FOR R ANGED WEAPONS)

DAMAGE TYPE

WEAPON ABILITIES

Nature of the UnitsEach character is dened by a number of keywords that should give you a better idea of who they really are. These keywords will determine if a unit is eligible

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GAME SYSTEMxample: Asaliah, a rebel angel, has the keyword Infernalist 2/3. This means she can invoke 3 lemures during the game, and control 2 at the same time. Mentalist These are the units that have one or several auras (p. 28).

Value, Faction and Availability of a UnitAll units are worth a certain number of Army Points. This number represents the units power on the battleeld. Usually, a standard Company is made up of miniatures whose army points total no more than 200 (p. 40). Each unit belongs to one of the games Factions (Westerners, Saracens, Demons, the Lost and Mercenaries). The Troopers mercenaries and Independent mercenaries can be hired by other Factions (p. 40). Mercenary Ofcers can also be tolerant towards other Factions (if they have the special ability Prestige) and can therefore hire Troopers and Independents from those Factions under certain conditions (p. 40). All units have an Availability stat that represents the density with which they can be used when composing a Company (p. 40). Unique: the unit has an identity: it can therefore only occur once per Company, no matter the size of the Company. Limited x: the unit can occur several times in any one Company. There can be x specimens in each partial or complete group of 200 army points in any one Company (p. 40). Unlimited: the unit can be used as frequently as possible in any one Company. There is no limit to the number of specimens of this unit that can be hired in a Company. This is the default value of all units. Associated (name of unit) x: this miniature can only be used if the unit named between brackets is hired to the Company. There can only be x specic units associated with one named unit.

Magic, Special Abilities and OrdersSome units can use auras or control lemures (see above). Most of them also have special abilities that give them various bonuses (p. 33). Abilities which are printed in red have an effect on the unit which is (at least partially) negative. Finally, the Ofcers and some of the other units can use orders (p. 27). All of these special powers will be described in full in their own respective chapters.

Unit Base SizesAll the units in Hell Dorado are tted onto round bases that are suited to their size and mass. There are three sizes of base, and some of the games rules take these sizes into account. Regular sized base (30mm diameter) Large base (40mm diameter) Extra Large base (50mm diameter)

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three units side by side

Large unit

Extra Large unit

8

Regular unit

GAME SYSTEMLimited X/YWhen a unit has two possible variations, its Availability is indicated by two numbers. This means that the maximum number of this unit is limited to X for each complete or partial portion of 200 points, and out of these X units, a maximum of Y can be of the second type described on the stat card.

xample: Pillars of Faith, Daggers/Halberd, Limited 3/2. A Company of 200 points can use a maximum of 3 Pillars of Faith (all types) and out of those 3, a maximum of 2 can be halberdiers. Transformation (conditions new shape): This model can change its shape and statistics during the game. This transformation will take place once the conditions indicated between brackets are ful lled. A transformed unit appears with full life points, even if the previous shape had suffered damage.

D ominanceThe concept of Dominance is one of the key elements of Hell Dorado. It denes the general way in which one of the two sides will dominate the other. It represents the way the warriors in the Companies feel during the battle, whether theyre feeling superior or on the contrary if they have a vague fear of being overrun. As you will see later on, Dominance is the way to resolve many situations and work out which player starts each turn. If necessary, Dominance can be physically represented on the table by a marker held by the player who is

currently Dominant (a large marble, a skull on a stick, a cucumber, etc.). Before the battle begins, both players must work out their initial Dominance score. This is the sum of all the Command values of the ofcer and the independents in the Company, plus the number of units lined up for battle (except the units with the special ability Insignicant), plus the sum of any First contact values (unit special ability) present in the Company. Do not add the Command values of any units who do not start out on the battleeld. Command should be calculated even if the whole Company is not present on the battleeld when the game begins. If both players have an equal Dominance score, the player with the most units in his Company achieves Dominance. If there is still a tie, the player with the ofcer with the highest Command score still in play gets control of the marker for this turn. If the tie persists, ip a coin (or use the Tap). After the rst turn of the game, control of Dominance is determined by the number and the nature of the units that were killed during the previous turn. Both players count the number of signicant units (not counting Insignicant units) that they lost during the previous turn. The player who has lost the least units is granted Dominance for the next turn. If both players have lost the same number of units, then the player who already had Dominance keeps it through the next turn.

T urnsTurnsA Hell Dorado turn is split up into two phases : Upkeep phase and Action phase. During the Upkeep phase, the players work out who has Dominance, Command scores are reset to their basic values, and all the special effects that take place during this phase are applied. During the Action phase, the players alternate activating their units one by one, until all of them have performed their actions. Once this is nished, a new turn begins.

First DominanceDominance = sum of ofcer and independent CMD + number of units (minus Insignicant units) + sum of First contact values.

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GAME SYSTEMA game of Hell Dorado is split up into a certain number of turns. In basic battles, the number of turns in a game is limited (see scenario details in complete rules). as soon as a player has nished the actions of a unit, it is the other players turn to act. However, as we will soon see, this rule is quite often abused. In any case, each unit can only be activated once per turn (except for lemures, see page 28). All units must be activated every turn. To limit the risk of arguments, it is considered good manners, once one has nished the action of ones unit, to let ones opponent know that they are free to play. A standard phrase can be chosen, such as The table is yours, or even Dude, syour turn. Once this has been said, the previously active player can no longer use a vae soli order (p. 27). A unit that has not yet taken an action during the current turn is said to be waiting. A unit that is currently taking an action is said to be active. A unit that has already taken its actions for this turn is said to be already activated. A unit that is in contact with an enemy unit is said to be engaged. A unit that is not engaged with an enemy unit is said to be free. Allied units are all the units currently controlled by the same player. Enemy units are all the units controlled by the other player or players (even temporarily). Enemy is synonymous with opponent.

Upkeep PhaseIt is during this phase the rst phase of every turn that the players resolve any special effects or situations that last more than one turn. 1) At the beginning of the Upkeep phase, the current Command score of each player is reset to its original value. 2) The question of Dominance is resolved (p. 9). 3) Then any damage that should be inicted is done, followed by any healing. In both cases, this is done simultaneously by both players. 4) Finally, each player resolves any other powers, orders, auras and abilities that have an effect during this phase. If this causes any problems, the player who currently has Dominance gets to choose the order of application of the effects.

DEFINITIONS

Action PhaseOnce both players have nished their Upkeep phase, the Action phase begins. During this phase, the players will be making their units act in turn. The basic rule of this phase is this:

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GAME SYSTEMAt the beginning of the Action phase, the player who has Dominance chooses which of the two players activates one of their units rst. The player that is chosen therefore has to activate one of its units, even if he has fewer units on the battleeld than his opponent. When a player has to play one of his units and he has fewer waiting units than his opponent, he can choose to make his opponent activate one of their units instead. This way, he can continue to skip his turn for as long as he has fewer waiting units than his opponent. This rule does not apply to the rst unit activated each turn. The side to activate the rst unit is always chosen by the player with Dominance. xample: Ileana has Dominance for the current turn. She currently controls 8 Lost units. Her opponent, Arnold, has 4 Westerner units left. Ileana makes Arnold play rst at the beginning of the Action phase. He is therefore made to activate one of his 4 units. Then Ileana plays one of hers. When its Arnolds turn to play his second unit, he refuses, as he only has 3 units left and Ileana has 7. This way, he can make her play all her units until she also has only 3 waiting units left. However, Arnold does have the option to resume activating his units at any time after each of Ileanas moves, if he wishes. Once a unit is activated, the player that controls it can choose to perform a single action from the list below. All units must act once per turn. None of them can act multiple times (except for lemures, see page 28). Walk Normal movement No contact with an enemy unit Free units only The unit can move a distance up to or equal to the value of its Movement score before ending its activation. The unit cannot end its activation in contact with an enemy unit but it can enter an enemy control area. This action can only be performed by a free unit. Run Movement x 2 No contact with an enemy unit Free units only The unit can move a distance up to or equal to double its Movement score before ending its activation. The unit cannot end its activation in contact with an enemy unit but it can enter an enemy control area. This action can only be performed by a free unit.

DOMINANCE

INFERIORITY

OF

NUMBERS

ACTIVATION

Attack Normal movement Contact with enemy unit Free units only The unit moves as if it was performing a Walk action, but it ends its activation in contact with an enemy unit, triggering a normal combat action (p. 15). This action can only be performed by a free unit. Charge Movement x 2 Contact with enemy unit -1 CBT when contact is made Free units only The unit moves as if it was performing a Run action, but it ends its activation in contact with an enemy unit. This immediately triggers an attack sequence affected by Charge modiers (p. 16). This action can only be performed by a free unit. Shoot Normal movement Ranged attack No contact with an enemy unit Free units only The unit can perform a ranged attack against any eligible target (p. 18). It can also move a distance up to or equal to the value of its Movement score before or after shooting. It cannot end this movement in contact with an enemy unit. The unit can either move and then shoot or shoot and then move, but it cannot move part of the distance, shoot, then continue moving. This action can only be performed by a free unit. It is the only action that allows a unit to use a ranged weapon at a distance. Retreat Movement x 2 No contact with an enemy unit Triggers one-sided attack during Retreat Engaged units only The unit announces its intention to retreat from the combat it is engaged in. It immediately suffers a one-sided attack from one of its opponents, to which it cannot retaliate (p. 17). It can then use a Run-type Movement, unless the previous attack killed it or left it in a specic state (p. 29). It is impossible to come into contact with an enemy unit when using a Retreat action. This action can only be performed by an engaged unit. If, during the one-sided attack, the enemy unit has less than 1 attack die, the attack is canceled and the Retreating unit can then transform its Retreat action into a Walk, Run, Attack or Charge action. Concentration Free units may move normally No contact with the enemy Engaged units may not move Modied attack sequence The unit announces its intention to use an active (see Special effects and timing, page 26) power (spell, special ability, order...). If the unit is free, it can move a distance up to or equal to its Movement score, either before or after using its power. It cannot end its movement in contact with an enemy unit. The unit can either move and then

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GAME SYSTEMuse its power, or use its power and then move, but it cannot move part of the way, use its power and continue its movement. If the unit is engaged, it cannot move and it begins combat, affected by Concentration modiers (p. 17). If the outcome of the combat is a change of state (p. 29) for the unit (or its death, of course), the power has no effect (however, all costs must still be paid). Focus Free units may not move Engaged units may not move Triggers one-sided attack during Focus The unit announces its intention to use an exhausting (see Special effects and timing, page 26) power (spell, special ability, order...). If the unit is free, it cannot move at all, neither before nor after using its power. If the unit is engaged, it cannot move and one of the enemy units it is in contact with gets to launch a one-sided attack at it (p. 17). If the result of the attack involves a change of state for the unit (or its death, of course), the power will have no effect (however, all costs remain due). Mle Limited movement No loss of contact Normal combat Engaged units only The unit engages an attack sequence against an enemy unit in contact with it. This action can only be performed by an engaged unit. At the beginning of its activation, if the unit in contact with only one enemy, it is allowed move where it wishes to as long as it remains contact with the enemy unit. It must however end is to in its

ActionsIn practice, it isnt usually necessary to announce the action that the current unit is about to undertake beforehand. Therefore, a unit can be moved up to the double of its Movement score in fathoms: if it comes into contact with an enemy unit, it will be considered to have performed a Charge action ; if it ends its activation outside of any contact or control areas, it will be considered a Run action. Walk and Run actions may seem very similar, but some elements of the game (using auras, orders, etc.) will take the speed of movement into account. For example, a unit can be ordered to perform a Walk action. It would not, therefore, be able to move further than its Movement score in fathoms.

activation in an area of terrain on which it could normally move over. If, during this movement, it comes into contact with another enemy unit, it can choose with which of the two it wants to engage in an attack sequence, while, of course, remembering that in this situation the two enemy units will be providing each other with support. If the unit is already in contact with multiple enemy units, it cannot move, but gets to pick which of the two enemies it wants to ght (attack sequence).

6

Different types of movementA

B Unit A has performed a Walk action Unit B has performed a Run action Unit C has performed a Charge action Unit D has performed an Attack action Unit E has performed a Mle action. E

C

D

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GAME SYSTEMQuick chart of actionsFree UnitsWalk Run Attack Charge Shoot Concentration Focus Retreat Concentration Focus Mle Normal movement No contact with enemy units Movement x 2 No contact with enemy units Normal movement Contact with enemy units Movement x 2 Contact with enemy units -1 CBT when contact is made Normal movement Ranged attack No contact with enemy units Normal movement No contact with enemy units No movement Movement x 2 No contact with enemy units Triggers a no-retaliation attack No movement Modied attack sequence No movement Triggers a no-retaliation attack Limited or no movement No loss of contact Normal attack

Engaged Units:

It is important to remember that a passive power (p. 26) can be used at any time during a units activation, no matter what action is being performed at the time. This does not trigger any particular reaction, whether the unit is free or engaged. It can even be used before or after but not during an attack sequence or a ranged attack (if the unit survives, of course). A free power can be triggered at any time during the Action phase, whether the unit has already been activated or not (even during an enemy units activation) but never during an attack sequence or a ranged attack. A free unit can decide not to perform any actions during its activation (it will not, however, be able to act later on during the same turn). An engaged unit must act once it is activated (Mle, Retreat, Concentration or Focus actions). Once a unit has nished its action, in order to remember which units have been activated, you can ip their stat card over. By doing this, all players can easily see which units are still waiting and which have already been activated. xample: Stephen has 2 Lost units. One of them is Saurav-Geet (an independent), who is engaged in contact with an enemy unit. The other is Isha-Akshay (the Companys ofcer). When his turn comes to act, he decides to activate Saurav-Geet and make him perform a Concentration action. He can then use his Exuvia power (an active power) if he survives an attack sequence as modied by the Concentration action, meaning 1 CBT and -1 DEF for Saurav-Geet. If he had possessed a passive power, he could have used it before he began the attack sequence. He could also

have chosen to use it after the attack sequence (if he survived it, of course). During the attack sequence, Stephen can choose to spend 1 or 2 of his current Command points to add 1 or 2 points to Saurav-Geets CBT stat, thanks to Isha-Akshays vae victis order. Indeed, the vae victis order is a free effect, and it can therefore be used at any time during the Action phase, whether the unit who possesses it has been activated or not, and as many times as the player can afford to do so. Once his independent unit has nished its activation, Stephen can spend one of his current Command points, if he has any left, to give a vae soli order (free effect) and therefore activate a second unit, Isha-Akshay in this case, immediately.

M ovementAll movement distances are measured in fathoms. A moving unit never has to spend all of its movement potential (it can even choose not to move at all). It doesnt have to move in a straight line, either. During its movement, its base can never overlap the base of another unit (ally or enemy). Some elements of the terrain can block or hinder movement, as you will see in the detailed terrain rules in complete rules.

13

GAME SYSTEMControl Area EffectsMost units in Hell Dorado have a control area of a fathoms radius out from their base. Control areas affect the movements of other units in the following way: A unit entering the control area of an enemy unit has only three choices. It can: continue its movement so as to engage its enemy directly (by the most direct route, even if this means entering another units control area); or approach its enemy as stated above, but stop moving before making contact; or stop moving immediately. It cannot continue its movement and leave the control area or otherwise move around within the area unless it is to engage the enemy. If it decides to end its movement before making contact with the enemy, the two units are not considered to be engaged. If a unit simultaneously enters the control areas of several enemy units, it can: stop its movement immediately; or pick one of the enemy units and engage it by moving to make contact by the most direct route (this may take it out of the control area of one or more of the other units); or simultaneously engage several enemy units. Unless otherwise stated, an engaged unit is no longer considered to have a control area. A unit that begins its activation within the control area of one (or more) enemy units can: perform an action that will allow it to engage its enemy as directly as possible (or one of them); or perform a Concentration, Focus, or Shoot action (no movement when using a Shoot or Concentration action); or pay 1 Command point to be able to either move around inside the control area it is in at the beginning of its activation or leave the control area. This can only be done to leave a control area that the unit is in at the beginning of its activation. It cannot pay to move through a control area during its movement without stopping there. See page 24 for a full description of Command points. Spending Command points in this way is not an Order. Control areas have no effect on a unit that moves during a Mle action. On the other hand, a unit that moves to Retreat is affected by control areas (except for the one it is Retreating from).

C ombatIn this section, you will nd a detailed description of all the possible combat situations, both close and ranged, that can occur during the Action phases of a game. It is important to have a good grasp of all the following concepts to be able to make the most of playing Hell Dorado and to avoid being led astray by your future opponents.

7

Examples of minis entering enemy control areasA Unit A decides to stop its movement. Unit B decides to engage the enemy unit. Unit C decides to engage enemy unit E. Unit D decides to engage enemy units F and G. C D B

E

F

G

14

GAME SYSTEMA C

If unit A wants to engage unit B, it must spend 1 Command point. Engaging combat with C will cost nothing.

B

8

a miniature inside a control area decides to actA unit without a Combat stat cannot engage in combat, even if it receives CBT bonuses later on. Any attack engaged against this kind of unit will remain a one-sided attack. The same procedure is used whenever a close combat attack sequence needs resolving. Later, we will see the most common exceptions.

Close CombatAn attack sequence in Hell Dorado represents a urry of blows between engaged units. This is one of the reasons why the Hell Dorado units dont have front and rear arcs like minis do in most similar games. An engaged unit can ght all the units around it, for as long as it can resist their number. However, every time an attack sequence is resolved, it can only involve two units at a time (an ally and an enemy), any other units in contact will only provide support to the main ghters. A player cannot choose to attack one of the units in his own Company, unless those units are considered to be enemy units (controlled by another player at that time).

RESOLVING

AN

ATTACK SEQUENCE

A. BOTH PLAYERS WORK OUT HOW COMBAT DICE THEY NEED TO ROLL.

MANY

In close combat, both players roll a number of dice equal to the Combat stat of the unit involved. This number of dice can be modied by the actions of the units during the Action phase, by the state of the units or by outside elements.

15

GAME SYSTEMFriendly FireIn Hell Dorado, a player cannot attack one of his own allied troops, be it in close or ranged combat. Allied troops are all the units controlled at any one time by the same player.

If a unit ever has a number of dice greater than 5, it will only roll 5 and any extras will be counted as rerolls (see below). A unit cannot have more than 10 dice to roll (5 rolls and 5 possible re-rolls). If a unit gets over 10 dice, each die over 10 allows it to inict one automatic Damage point per extra die to its opponent (Protection is ignored and these points are inicted even if the unit doesnt score a single hit with its attack roll). xample: William has a Damned One of Wrath engaged in an attack sequence. This unit has a CBT score of 4 and has a total of 3 extra points added to its CBT as bonuses (order, spell...). William will therefore have 5 dice to roll and 2 possible re-rolls. Each of the dice that rolls a number equal to or greater than the units Defense stat inicts a hit. Each of the dice that rolls a number lower than the units Defense stat is a miss. A die that rolls a miss can be rolled again, once and only once, as a re-roll. This means that if a player has 3 possible re-rolls and only 2 misses, the third possible re-roll will not be usable, no matter what the result of the re-rolls are. Once all re-rolls are done, the players count the number of hits. xample: the enemy unit Williams Damned One is ghting has a Defense score of 3. William rolls his Combat dice and obtains 3, 4, 2, 6 and 4. He has scored 4 hits. He re-rolls the 2 and gets a result of 1. Even if he had 2 possible re-rolls, he cannot re-roll the 1, as any die can only be re-rolled once: in this case, he does not benet from his second re-roll. At the end of this sequence, William has scored 4 hits.

should be inicted and/or any special effects that have been triggered. A player can always choose to reduce the number of hits inicted by his own unit (this can, for example, allow him to trigger specic effects that may be a lot more helpful than the full number of hits) The defenders Protection score is then subtracted from the number of damage points. The nal result will be the number of Life Points the unit will lose. Unless otherwise specied, damage is inicted simultaneously to both units engaged in the attack sequence. The same is true for any change of state. Even if a unit dies, all the damage it caused is applied (and any special effects are triggered). xample: Arnolds missionary can inict 4 damage points with the 3 hits it rolled during the attack roll. However, Arnold chooses to reduce the number of hits inicted to 2, so he can also inict a Stunned effect (p. 33) and inict no damage points. The missionarys enemy, a Damned One of Wrath, manages 5 hits and inicts 10 damage points, which, despite the missionarys Protection score kills him. The Damned One will still suffer from the Stunned effect, as the effects of the attack sequence are applied simultaneously. The units whose Life Points reach or go below 0 are immediately removed from the battleeld. All units who still have one or more Life Points left stay on the battleeld. Depending on the result of the attack sequence, a unit can become free or remain engaged.

B. BOTH

PLAYERS ROLL THEIR COMBAT DICE

D. THE GRIM REAPER

COMES FOR THE FALLEN

SPECIAL

When a unit engages an attack sequence while charging, it suffers a -1 CBT penalty. Any later attack sequences are not affected.

CHARGE

SITUATIONS

Attack sequenceOnce the attack sequence has begun, powers and passive or free abilities can no longer be used until the sequence is over. The most obvious example of this is the use of the order vae victis (p. 27).

C. BOTH

The players check the power table of the weapons that were used to work out how many damage points

PLAYERS APPLY THE RESULT OF THE ATTACK ROLLS SIMULTANEOUSLY

16

GAME SYSTEMWhen a unit engages in an attack sequence during an Attack or Mle action, no particular modiers are applied. Any unit standing on ground at least half a fathom higher than its opponent receives a +1 CBT bonus. On the other hand, if the lower units head is lower than the base of the higher unit, no contact and therefore no close combat can occur between the two. When a unit performs a Concentration action while engaged, it takes part in an attack sequence at the beginning of its activation, but he does so affected by a -1 CBT and DEF penalty. If several enemy units are in contact with the unit, only one of them (chosen by their controlling player) will perform an attack, the others will only provide a support bonus. When a unit suffers a one-sided attack because of a Retreat action, a normal attack sequence is performed, but only the enemy unit gets an attack roll. If several enemy units are in contact with the Retreating unit, only one of them (chosen by their controlling player) performs the attack, the others will only provide a support bonus. All abilities and modiers

ATTACK

AND

MLE

that affect normal attack sequences can affect onesided attacks. When a unit suffers a one-sided attack because of a Focus action, a normal attack sequence is performed, but only the enemy unit gets an attack roll and the unit currently Focusing suffers a -1 DEF penalty. If several enemy units are in contact with the Retreating unit, only one of them (chosen by their controlling player) performs the attack, the others will only provide a support bonus. All abilities and modiers that affect normal attack sequences can affect one-sided attacks. If a unit engages combat with an enemy unit that is already in contact with an ally unit, the attacking unit receives a bonus for its attack roll. Each ally in contact with the enemy unit produces a +1 CBT bonus. A unit can provide a support bonus multiple times in one turn. A unit that cannot ght (no CBT stat, Immobilized, etc.) or that has been Knocked Down does not provide any support. Most of the weapons carried by Hell Dorado units inict a specic kind of damage, indicated on the stat cards as keywords. However, some weapons can be listed as inicting several types of damage. In this case, the type of damage inicted is always the one that will

ONE-SIDED

ATTACK DURING

FOCUS

ATTACKING

FROM ABOVE

CONCENTRATION

SUPPORT

ONE-SIDED

ATTACK DURING

RETREAT

WEAPON

DAMAGE TYPES

9

multiple units and support

Unit A receives a support bonus of +1 CBT. Unit B receives a support bonus of +2 CBT. Unit C does not receive any support. B

A

C

17

GAME SYSTEMSpecific modifiersCharge Concentration One-sided attack during Retreat One-sided attack during Focus Support vae victis (p. 27) -1 CBT for the attacking unit -1 CBT and -1 DEF for the attacking unit One-sided attack One-sided attack with -1 DEF for the attacking unit +1 CBT for the allied unit (per supporting unit) +1 or +2 CBT depending on Command points spent

be more favorable to the attacking unit (depending on the defenders different types of resistance). Note that the kind of damage inicted by a weapon does not imply that any special rules should be applied unless otherwise stated. For example, the keywords Blunt, Sharp or Piercing are not associated with any special rules. They are only used as keywords when dealing with some specic effects. When a unit carries several weapons (with different power tables) that can be used during ranged or close combat, its player must state which weapon is being used for the current attack sequence. If the player fails to do so, the defender gets to choose which power table is used to inict damage. Obviously, only close combat weapons can be used by an engaged unit and only ranged weapons can be used by a free unit.

Ranged combatAs with close combat, ranged combat is resolved during the Action phase. There is, however, one big difference between the two: during ranged combat, the targeted unit cannot respond to the attack. During the Action phase, as with close combats, ranged combats are resolved during the attacking units activation. These ranged attacks are called shots. When a unit wishes to shoot, the ensuing actions are always the same. In Hell Dorado, unless they have special abilities, units wishing to perform a ranged attack must target the enemy unit that is nearest to them. There are, however, three exceptions to this: The rst important exception to this rule is that if the nearest possible target is under cover (see below) that gives it a Protection bonus at least equal to its natural Protection score, the shooter can choose the next closest eligible target. If the next possible target has a similar amount of cover to the previous one (cover that provides Protection at least equal to the units natural Protection score), then the next closest target will be examined and so on. The second important exception to this rule is that if the nearest enemy unit is engaged in close combat, the shooter does not have to choose it as a target and can choose the next closest eligible target. The third exception is that an enemy unit that cannot be a target (because of an ability or an aura, etc.) never counts as the nearest enemy unit. Allied units cannot become targets, unless they are temporarily considered to be enemy troops. You can consider that there is a clear line of re between a shooter and its target if an imaginary straight line could be drawn between the center of

MULTIPLE

WEAPONS

SHOTS

A. CHOOSING

THE TARGET

10

Units and damage types

This Damned One of Wrath can cause both Piercing and Sharp damage. Depending on the type of resistance its opponent has, the type of damage will be the one that is more favorable to the attacker.

B. COVER

AND LINE OF FIRE

18

GAME SYSTEMThe shooter has a clear line of re towards D but the element it is behind gives it a Protection bonus of 2 (the target has a Large base). D The shooter (A) has no possible line of re towards B, as part of the terrain is completely blocking any line of sight between the two units. B

C

F

E

A

The shooter has a clear line of re towards E and the scenery is hiding less than 50% of the gure. The shot therefore takes place as normal.

The shooter has a clear line of re towards C but the element it is behind gives it a Protection bonus of 3 (the unit has a Regular base) as less than 50% of the gure is visible.

The shooter has a clear line of re towards F and the scenery is over 1 fathom away from the gure. The shot therefore takes place as normal.

11

line of fire and protectionIf the target is partially covered by terrain elements (from the shooters point of view), it receives cover Protection if at least 50% of the gure is concealed by the obstacle and if it is a fathom (or less) away from the obstacle. To work out if at least 50% of the gure is hidden from the shooters view, you can either lean over and see for yourself what the mini can see, or use a laser pointer. If a target does have cover, then it receives a bonus to its Protection score depending on its size (a large warrior would naturally nd it harder to hide than a smaller one would).

the shooters base and any part of the target (base, weapon, body of the gure...). Elements of terrain can naturally prevent a shooter from aiming at an enemy unit if there is no clear line of re between the two, no matter how far the enemy unit is from the terrain element. On the other hand, in Hell Dorado, lines of re are never blocked by other units (enemies or allies). It is treated as though the warriors are not standing still on the battleeld. As one moves forward at a fast pace to intercept an enemy, another one will have the time to exchange blows with several enemies and a shooter can wait until its target is in view as other units move out of the way.

19

GAME SYSTEMCoverTargets base size Regular Large Extra Large Cover bonus (added to targets Protection score) 3 2 1

automatic Damage point per extra die to its opponent (Protection is not taken into account and these points are inicted even if the unit doesnt score a single hit with its attack roll). Each of the dice that rolls a number equal to or greater than the shots difculty inicts a hit. Each of the dice that rolls a number lower than the shots difculty is a miss. A dice that rolls a miss can be rolled again, once and only once, as a re-roll. This means that if a player has 3 possible re-rolls and only 2 misses, the third possible re-roll will not be usable, no matter what the result of the re-rolls are. Once all re-rolls are done, the players count the number of hits.

The distance between the shooter and its target is always measured from the edge of one base to the other. In Hell Dorado, there is no limit to the range of most throwing weapons or rearms. The weapons Range score is only an indication of how difcult the shot roll will be depending on the distance from the target as explained in the following table: The nal difculty of the shot roll is equal to the distance difculty or the targets Defense score, whichever is higher. The shooting unit rolls a number of combat dice equal to its Shooting skill stat. This number of dice may be modied by the units state or other modiers. If a shooter ever has a number of dice greater than 5, it will only roll 5 and any extras will be counted as re-rolls (see below). A shooter cannot have more than 10 dice to roll (5 rolls and 5 possible re-rolls). If a unit gets more than 10 dice, each die over 10 allows it to inict one

C. MEASURING

DISTANCES

ShotsOnce a shot has been red, passive or free powers and abilities can no longer be used. For that, you must wait until the shot has been resolved. The most obvious exception to this rule is the use of the vae victis order (p. 27).

D. RESOLVING

THE RANGED ATTACK

The player checks the power table of the weapon that has just been used to work out how many damage points to inict and/or what special effects may have been triggered.

E. THE SHOOTER APPLIES THE RESULTS OF THE SHOT ROLL

12

Distance and difficultyAll the shooters in this example are using arquebuses (range of 8). The Defense score of all targets is 4. Shooter As target B is 19 fathoms away from him. The difculty of the shot roll will therefore be 5 (4 DEF score and a 5 distance difculty). Shooter Cs target D is 5 fathoms away from him. The difculty will therefore be 4 (4 DEF score and a 3 distance difculty).

B A C

20

D

GAME SYSTEM

D

E B C 10 11

8

A

9

Unit A wishes to shoot. Usually, it would have to pick the nearest enemy unit, but... Unit B has a cover of 3, and its natural Protection score is 1. Unit C is engaged in close combat. Unit D also has some cover, although it is not better than the units natural Protection score (cover of 1 and Protection of 3) Unit E is not under cover. Unit A can therefore pick units B, C or D as its target for this shot.

13

aiming a shot at certain miniswill be the number of Life Points that the enemy unit will lose. The units whose Life Points reach or go below 0 are immediately removed from the battleeld. All units who still have one or more Life Points left stay on the battleeld.

A player always has the option of choosing to cause fewer hits than the number rolled by one of the units he controls (which may enable him to inict specic effects that may be more benecial to him than the full number of hits would). The defendants Protection stat is subtracted from the Damage points to be inicted. The nal number

F. THE GRIM REAPER

COMES FOR THE FALLEN

Range and difficulty of shotsDistance between shooter and target No greater than the weapons Range Greater than the weapons range but no greater than Range x 2 Greater than Range x 2 but no greater than Range x 3 Greater than Range x 3 Range Point blank Short Medium Long Distance difculty 3 4 5 6

21

GAME SYSTEM

When a unit decides to perform a ranged attack on an enemy unit engaged in close combat, the shot takes place as normal (measuring distance, consideration of cover, etc.). The difculty of the shot roll is the highest of values between the Defense stat of each unit engaged in the close combat (and not just the targets Defense) and the distance difculty. While resolving the attack (once all re-rolls are done), if the result is at least one hit, then the number of odd and even dice scores are compared (compare all the dice, those that provided hits and those that didnt). If there are more odd scores than even ones (even though this may seem odd), the shot hits another of the units engaged in the close combat, chosen randomly (give each of them a number and roll a die, or mix up their stat cards and pick one...). The Damage is then inicted as normal, based on the total number of hits (in this case it is impossible to choose to reduce the number of hits). xample: Ileana is playing her Berber chasseur, who is ring at an enemy Blade for hire that is engaged in close combat with two of her units. These two have Defense scores of 3 and 5, the targets Defense stat is 4 and the shot is short range (distance difculty of 4). This means that the shots difculty will be 5 (the highest of the previous values). Ileana rolls 3 dice for her shooter. The results are 5, 6 and 3. She gets

SHOOTING

DURING CLOSE COMBAT

2 hits, but as there are more odd results than even ones, the shot will hit one of the other engaged units (meaning one of hers) picked randomly. If the shooter picks a target that is behind an ongoing close combat, the same rule applies, but if the odd dice win, the unfortunate victim is picked amongst all those whose bases are at least partially on the imaginary line between the center of the shooters base and that of its target, and all the units in contact with them. Of course, if the shooter and/or its target are on a higher level than the units between them, the line of re is not blocked and the shot can take place as normal. A shooter who carries a weapon that produces an explosion aims it at a point on the battleeld. It can be a place where an enemy unit is standing, or any other spot on the ground. Important note: the unit does not have to aim at the closest enemy unit. The unit will require a free line of re towards the spot it wishes to aim at. Unless otherwise stated, all explosions will affect a circular area with a 3 fathom radius, centered on the targeted spot. The shooter then performs a normal ranged attack based on the distance difculty (Defense stats are not taken into account here). If the shot roll scores at least one hit, then the shot is considered to have successfully hit the targeted spot.

EXPLOSION

22

GAME SYSTEMIf the shot roll does not score a single hit, then the shot is considered to have missed and in icts no damage (as if the weapon had mis red or the shot had missed completely and hit some deserted bit of terrain...). If the shot roll is successful, the explosion template is placed on the battleeld with its center on the targeted spot. All units that are hit (allies or enemies) by the template have to roll for damage (even if only a tiny part of the miniatures base is inside the effect area). Ranged weapons with explosive ammunition have two stats: a Difculty value and a Power value. They are always displayed in the following way: Explosion (type of damage if necessary power x/y). Here, x is the Difculty and y is the Power. In some cases, these two damage stats will be replaced by a specic state. In this case, any unit even partially inside the effect area will automatically be affected by the aforementioned state. For each unit inside the effect area of and explosion the shooter rolls 5d6: each of the dice higher than or equal to the explosions Difculty stat is a hit. Each hit inicts a number of damage points equal to the explosions Power stat. The damage points for all the hits are added up, the units Protection score is subtracted to obtain the number of Life Points the unit will actually lose. It is not possible to choose to reduce the number of hits obtained. There are no bonuses due to cover for units inside an explosion effect area. The vae victis order cannot be used during explosion damage rolls (although it can perfectly be used during the roll that determines if the shot hits its target or not). xample: One of Stephens sling-carriers shoots with an explosion (power 3/1) weapon on a battleeld that can allow him to include two enemy troops in the effect area, but also one of his own units, unfortunately for him. The targeted spot is in long range. Stephen rolls 2 dice for his shot roll: he gets 2 and 6. This single hit (the 6) means that the shot has hit its target. For each of the three units inside the effect area, Stephen then rolls 5d6 against a Difculty of 3, as he would with a normal shot roll. Each hit will inict 1 damage point. The Protection stat of each unit is then subtracted from the total number of Damage points it was hit with. Before we begin, it is important to differentiate the two kinds of blast effect weapons: cloud-type blasts and ammunition blasts. Whatever the type of blast, the attack is resolved in the same way. The shooter places a blast template (a triangle 6 fathoms long and 2 fathoms wide at the base) where he wants on the battleeld, the only condition is that the tip of the cone must be in contact

BLAST

EFFECT WEAPONS

14

Ammunition blast

Grenadier A, carrying a blunderbuss Impact blast (piercing power 4/2) shoots at a group of 3 units. Its Shooting skill score is 2. It therefore rolls 7 dice against unit B and scores 2, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5 and 6. This means that it hits unit B 4 times, and therefore inicts 8 Damage points (minus Protection). The shooter then rolls 3 dice (the dice that missed during the previous roll) against Unit C. The shooter obtains 4, 6 and 6, for three hits, which deal 6 Damage points (minus Protection and Cover). Unit D therefore suffers no damage, even though it is inside the blast effect area, as there are no dice left to roll (all the dice in the previous roll produced hits).

B C A D

23

GAME SYSTEMwith the units base. It doesnt have to aim at any specic enemy unit. Each unit (ally or enemy) hit by the blast template will have to roll for damage (even if only a tiny part of the base is inside the effect area). Using a blast effect weapon does not require a shot roll. Blast effect weapons have four stats: type of damage, type of blast (cloud-type or impact), Difculty and Power. They are always displayed in the same way: [blast type] Blast (type of damage power x/y). In this example x is the Difculty and y is the Power. In some cases, these two stats will be replaced by a specic state. In this case, all units even partially inside the effect area will automatically be affected by the aforementioned state. The vae victis order cannot be used during a shot with a blast effect weapon. It is not possible to choose to reduce the number of hits for blast effects. Cloud-type blast effect weapons For each unit inside the effect area of a cloud-type blast, the shooter rolls 5d6: each die which rolls equal to or greater than the blasts Difculty stat is a hit. Each hit inicts a number of damage points equal to the blasts Power stat. The damage points for all the hits are added up, the units Protection score is subtracted to obtain the number of Life Points the unit will actually lose. There are no bonuses due to cover for units inside a cloud-type blast effect area. Impact blast weapons With Impact blasts, the rst unit we will take care of will be the one nearest the shooter, inside (at least partially) the blast template. The shooter rolls a number of dice equal to its Shooting skill stat + 5: each die that rolls equal to or greater than the blasts Difculty stat is a hit, each hit then inicts a number of Damage points equal to the blasts power. The Damage points are added up and the rst targeted units Protection score is subtracted to obtain the number of Life Points that it will lose immediately. The attack then continues to the next closest unit to the shooter. The shooter rolls the dice that did not produce hits during the roll for the previous unit. Each of the dice that rolls a score higher than or equal to the blasts Difculty stat is a hit, each hit then inicts a number of Damage points equal to the blasts power. The Damage points are added up and the next units Protection score is subtracted to obtain the number of Life Points that it will lose immediately. Continue until there are no more units left inside the blast effect area or until there are no dice left to roll. Cover is applied normally to damage inicted by an Impact blast. If two units (or more) are at an equal distance from the shooter, the one who is affected rst is determined randomly. Impact blast weapons are usually weapons that re clusters of ammunition (Blunderbuss, cannon loaded with lead shot...).

Full CoverDuring an explosion or an Impact blast (but not during a Cloud-type blast), if a unit is totally under cover (none of the miniature is visible) from the point of origin of the attack (center of the explosion, tip of the blast cone), then it will not be hit by the attack.

C ommand and OrdersCommand and Orders are important notions in Hell Dorado. These are the factors that will most probably make the biggest difference between two Companies. Managing Command points is particularly important in this respect.

CommandCloud-type blast effect weapons usually re things like ames or burning gases. As you will probably have noticed, these effects are quite similar to the explosions mentioned above. xample: a monstrous creature projecting a cloud of acid across the battleeld has an attack Cloud-type blast (acid power 5/2). Any dice rolled by the creature that scores a 5 or higher will cause 2 Damage points. The notion of Command is essential to games of Hell Dorado. Each player has a certain number of Command (CMD) points that will be used to pay for the orders that some units can use. You can use cardboard tokens, glass markers or coins to keep track of how many Command points each player has left. At the beginning of the game, all players work out the number of Command points they will start with.

24

GAME SYSTEMThis is done by adding up the Command points of all the units in each Company. The basic Command score is considered to be different from the current Command score. The basic score is the Command score of the Company: it is only modied by permanent losses of Command points (caused by the death of units, use of orders that cost permanent Command points...). The current score is the number of Command points that a player has left at any given time (once permanent and temporary costs are accounted for). At the beginning of each turn, during the Upkeep phase, the current Command score is reset to its basic value. When a player spends temporary Command points, they are subtracted from the current score. When a player spends permanent Command points, they are subtracted from the current score and the basic score. When a player loses a unit with a Command score, the units score is subtracted from the current and from the basic Command score. If the player doesnt have enough current Command points, he loses all remaining command points. He will still, however, lose the units full Command stat from the Companys basic Command score. It is, of course, impossible to use an order if the player doesnt have enough current Command points to pay for it. Depending on unit losses and expenditure, it is possible for players to reach a basic Command score of 0 during the game. xample: Arnold is playing a Westerner Company and has 7 Command points at the beginning of the game (4 points for the Frank-Captain +1 for the Swashbuckler +1 for the Missionary +1 for the Sergeant). During the rst turn of the game, he decides to use 3 temporary Command points to trigger certain orders: he has 4 Command points left for the rest of the turn, even though the basic score remains at 7. During the Upkeep phase of the following turn, Arnolds Command points return to the basic score of 7. During this phase, Arnold uses 4 temporary points and 2 permanent points to activate various orders: at this point, he only has a current Command score of 1 and the basic score is lowered to 5 (7 2 permanent points). Before the turn is over, Arnold loses his ofcer who had a Command stat of 4. He immediately subtracts these 4 points from his basic Command score, which is reduced to 1 (5 4), and from his current score, which is reduced to 0 (1 4, with a minimum of 0).

25

GAME SYSTEMSpecial Effects and TimingThe area of effect is the range (in fathoms) that is the radius of the circular area where the aura will be effective. This radius is always measured from the edge of the base of the unit that uses it. There are two types of aura, lingering and instant (p. 28), their precise nature is indicated in their full description. Auras can be associated with a keyword. Depending on the effects nature, this keyword allows to tell the difference between vulnerable units (no keyword) and immune units (keyword: immune).

If a special ability or any other spell, order or aura contradicts one of the basic rules, then the special ability is the one to prevail. Special effects in this game can be associated with specic statistics when they are indicated on the stat cards. - Duration: a permanent effect is always in effect, a player cannot voluntarily choose to stop it. A temporary effect is only active until the end of the current turn, unless stated otherwise (for example lasts until the end of the units activation). Players cannot voluntarily choose to stop the effect before its term. When a duration of x is indicated for a temporary effect, the current turn is always considered to be the rst turn of the x value. Thus, an effect with a duration of 1 will end at the end of the current turn, an effect with a duration of 2 will last through the current turn and end at the end of the next turn, etc. - Triggers: exhausting, active, passive or free (sorted by decreasing complexity). An exhausting effect requires the unit to perform a Focus action (p. 12) to be triggered. An active effect requires the unit to perform a Concentration action (p. 11) to be triggered. A passive effect can be triggered at any time during the units activation, no matter what action it chooses to perform. This does not trigger any reaction from its enemies, whether the unit is free or engaged (p. 10). This type of effect cannot be used during a ranged attack or a close combat attack sequence, but it can be used just before or just after the attack. A free effect can be triggered at any point during the Action phase (even during an opponents activation), whether the unit in question has already been activated or not. This kind of effect cannot be used during a ranged attack or a close combat attack sequence, but it can be used just before or just after the attack. If none of these four triggers are indicated for a permanent effect, then the effect is always in effect. If none of these four triggers are mentioned for a temporary effect, then it can be triggered as indicated in its full description. An aura is described as follows: Duration Trigger Area of Effect Type (lingering or instant) Keyword (immune or nothing)

xample: Inspiration Aura Temporary Active 4 fathom radius Lingering Muslims Muslim units gain +1 CBT. This ability is an aura. It lasts until the end of the turn (temporary). To use it, a Concentration action is required (active trigger). It affects all Muslim (keyword) units within a range of 4 fathoms from the units base (effect area). Auras have another trait (the type: lingering or instant): we will go into this in more detail on page 28. Using this aura doesnt cost any Command points (no cost indicated).

An order is described in the following way: Trigger Cost (permanent or not) Unique (or nothing) An order with the keyword Unique can only be used once per game . The cost indicates the number of Command points that will be spent to trigger the order. In some cases the points will be permanently spent (p. 27).

xample: The Lord guides my hand Active 2 permanent CMD Unique The swashbuckler gains +1 MVT, +2 SHS, +2 CBT and +2 FTH until the end of the game. This ability is an order. It has a permanent effect (see description). To use it, a Concentration action is required (active trigger). It only affects the swashbuckler. This order can only be used once during the game (Unique keyword) and it costs 2 permanent Command points.

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GAME SYSTEMDuring the following Upkeep phase, Arnold will only get a current Command score of 1 Command to spend on his orders. If, for some reason, a unit enters the game after the rst turn, its Command value is added to the basic Command score of its Company during the Upkeep phase of the turn following the turn when it entered the game. This can happen because of a special rule or other detail in a scenario. In the same way, if a unit leaves the battleeld during a game, its Command stat will be subtracted from the basic Command score of the Company, exactly as if it had been eliminated.

Orders Without TriggersUsing an Order without a trigger (exhausting, active, passive, free) is not considered to be giving an order or receiving an order.

OrdersSome units in Hell Dorado can use orders. These are often effects that allow the unit to break some of the basic rules of the game, and they therefore have great tactical potential. These orders are usually activated by spending Command points. In general, and unless specied otherwise, orders do not have a limited range and can therefore affect units anywhere on the battleeld. Using an effect as it is described on a units stat card is called Giving an order. Being affected by an effect as it is described on an allys stat card is called Receiving an order. A unit is not Receiving an order if it is reacting to an effect listed on an enemys stat card. Orders follow the same rules as effects (see Special effects and timing on page 26). Orders with the keyword Unique can only be used once in each game. There are two special orders that all Ofcers and only Ofcers can use (see below): these are vae victis and vae soli. Free 1 or 2 CMD As long as a Company has at least one unit with this order (able to use it), the player who controls it can give one of their units a +1 CBT or SHS bonus for 1 temporary Command point, or +2 CBT or SHS for 2 temporary Command points. This order should be used when the number of dice is being calculated for the combat or shot roll. The bonus only lasts for the current attack sequence or shot (this Order is an exception to the rule that states that free triggered powers cannot be used during an attack sequence).

xample: Samael and one of his Succubi have been Stunned (incapable of giving or receiving orders) by enemy units. If Samael dies, he can still use his Ultimate Sacrice order and the Succubus can benet from it. This order cannot be used during a shot with a blast effect weapon (or when rolling for damage after using an explosive weapon). As this order has a free type trigger, it can be used several times during any one Action phase (even when an enemy unit is resolving an action). Even if several units have the ability to use this order within a Company, it is not possible to spend more than 2 Command points and so obtain a CBT or SHS bonus higher than 2 for any one shot or attack sequence. Free 1 CMD As long as a Company has at least one unit with this order (able to use it), the player who controls it can spend 1 temporary Command point immediately after activating one of their units to be able to activate a second unit immediately. This cannot be used to activate more than two units in a row, even if there are several units in the Company that can use this order.

VAE SOLI

VAE VICTIS

Frequent Use of vae victis and vae soliAfter your rst few games of Hell Dorado, using these two orders will have become a second nature to you and you will nd it hard to do without them. However, dont forget that your Ofcer is the one who allows you to use them and that if he dies, you will lose these two essential abilities. Also, dont forget that if an Ofcer is Stunned or Knocked down (for example) you temporarily lose the benet of these two abilities.

27

GAME SYSTEM

M agicThere are two ways of using magic in Hell Dorado: the rst is by using magical auras with effects with variable durations, the second is by capturing small demonic creatures and feeding them magical ingredients and using them as power containers.

AurasSome units are able to use magical auras. These auras obey the rules of special effects (see Special effects and timing on page 26). A unit with at least one aura is called a Mentalist. Many auras are linked to the units religions: if so they represent the powers of Faith. There are two kinds of auras: lingering auras and instant auras: A lingering aura will only affect the units that are inside its effect area and no longer affects the units once they leave the area. The effects of a lingering aura end if the unit that produced it dies (but not if its state changes), or at the end of a turn if the unit is still alive. The effects of two identical auras cannot be applied jointly to any one unit. An instant aura only affects the units inside its effect area at the time it is triggered. The effects of an instant aura end at the end of the current turn, even if the unit who triggered it is killed before that.

live in Hell like rodents on Earth for use as vessels for the magical powers that seep through the infernal planes. These units are called Infernalists. These people know what to feed the strange little creatures so they can obtain surprising and sometimes explosive effects... On the battleeld, Lemures are represented by their own special miniatures. Like all the other units, lemures have their own stat cards. However, they do follow some special rules. When they are captured, lemures are tiny creatures, only an inch or two high, like a kind of demonic grub. Infernalists feed them up with various elements (gold coins, herbs, potions, rocks...) so as to be able to use them as they wish. As soon as the combined elements are sufcient to produce the desired effect, the lemure grows incredibly fast, growing from a grub of less than 4 inches to a fully grown specimen of 1.5 to 3 feet tall in a few seconds. Unless stated otherwise, an Infernalist can choose any lemure to cast a spell (as long, of course, as the corresponding miniature and its base are available and painted). A lemure that has been destroyed (either because it was killed or because its power was triggered) is available again immediately. Invoking a lemure is an exhausting power that requires a Focus action. Once this has been done, the miniature of the chosen lemure should be placed on the ground in contact with the Infernalists base, but not in contact with an enemy unit. A lemure cannot be activated during the turn during which it was invoked. Every time a lemure is invoked, its owner must clearly warn its enemy which spell will be used with it (it can only associate one spell with each lemure). The kind of spell associated with each lemure can even be indicated by some kind of special marker. There is no particular limitation to the kind of spell associated with lemures (unless otherwise stated). Any lemure can be associated with any spell known by the Infernalist. If the unit in question can invoke several lemures, it can associate the same spell with any number of them. Unlike the other units, lemures are activated twice per Action phase. If a player owns a lemure that has not been activated at all and his opponent has no units left to activate, the lemure can only be activated once. This rule prevents a lemure from moving twice its Movement distance without anyone being able to react to its movement. It is therefore important to remember which lemures have already been activated. This can be done by placing tokens beside the miniature or the stat card. The

ENTERING

THE

BATTLEFIELD

Mi lemures es su lemures...

The basic rule in Hell Dorado, is that all players should bring their own miniatures for the lemures they are going to use during the game. During friendly games, if both players agree, the lemure miniatures can be put to one side and shared between the players. This way, the players can dip into the lemure pool every time they require one of these strange little creatures for one of their Infernalists.

ACTIVATING LEMURES

LemuresSome of the units in Hell Dorado have learned how to capture and train some of the small creatures that

28

GAME SYSTEMMadagascar ?No, Ileana. A lemure (rimes with secure) is not a lemur (rhymes with steamer). Lemures are drooling demonic creatures that live in Hell. Lemurs are cute little furry wide-eyed monkeylike mammals that live on the island of Madagascar. They do not explode. Got it?

stat card can also be turned round 90 degrees after the rst activation and turned over after the second. Lemures can only perform one of their own specic actions during their activation. Although it resembles a Walk action, it is still a specic lemure action and also allows them to trigger their magical power. When performing an action a lemure can: move, at the most, the number of fathoms indicated in its Movement stat. It can engage an enemy unit, but this will not trigger a combat sequence. It can also break contact with an enemy without triggering an attack sequence or a one-sided attack (but it cannot engage and break contact with a unit during the same activation). AND a lemure may also release the magical effect that it was entrusted with, which usually destroys the lemure instantly. So, during its activation, the lemure can move over a number of fathoms lower than or equal to its Movement stat and may also choose to trigger its magical power. A lemure never Runs: it always moves, at most, the number of fathoms indicated in its Movement stat. Only lemures with the Strider ability can enter and end their turn in Difcult terrain. As long as a lemure has not been activated twice during an Action phase, it will count toward the number of waiting units when working out inferiority in numbers (p. 11). Unless otherwise stated, lemures have the following special abilities: Harmless, Evasive, Insignicant, Rebellious and Invulnerable. Lemure Effects All the effects that can be channeled into lemures are linked to the Infernalist and are therefore indicated on the invokers stat card (or on an extra card if necessary).

Limited Number of Lemures Each Infernalist has the ability to control a maximum number of lemures simultaneously on the battleeld. Whats more, the ingredients that Infernalists carry to feed the lemures will only allow them to invoke a maximum number each per game of Hell Dorado. These two limits are indicated on the stat cards in the x/y format. These two numbers are the maximum number of lemures that the unit can control simultaneously (x) and the total number of lemures that the unit can use throughout the game (y). Finally, when Infernalists are killed or leave the battleeld, all the lemures that they invoked and that are still in the game disappear immediately.

ACTIVATING LEMURES

Movement Special Abilities and Their Effect on LemuresA lemure with the Strider ability can enter and/or end its activation in Difcult terrain (p. XXX). A lemure with Burrower, Intangible or Levitation abilities will be able to pass over (or under) Difcult terrain, for example (p. XXX), but it will not be able to end its turn there unless it also has the Strider ability. A lemure is not affected by the Attraction ability.

S tatesA unit can be affected by a wide variety of states during a game of Hell Dorado. In this part, you will nd a detailed description of these states. It is important to remember that when a unit is simultaneously affected by several different states, their effects are cumulative. A unit whose state prevents it from giving any orders also prevents its controlling player from using its free orders. All the stats of units in Hell Dorado can potentially be reduced to 0, except for the Defense score, which can be reduced to a minimum of 1 (this means an automatic hit for all attack rolls targeting this unit). Whatever the penalties that are applied to a unit, a stat score cannot be reduced below 0. If, following this, bonuses are applied to this stat, they will be added to 0, and not to a negative score. In practice, this means that when penalties and bonuses are applied at the

SPECIAL ABILITIES

OF

LEMURES

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GAME SYSTEMof -3CBT is therefore applied to the unit and its CBT score is reduced to 0. This unit then takes part in an attack sequence during which two allies provide support. It will therefore have 2 dice for this attack sequence (CBT 0 + 2 support). States can be permanent or temporary. When a value of x is indicated next to the state, it represents the number of turns during which the state will affect the unit (see Special effects and timing on page 26). +2 Movement Activation by reaction The unit can act faster than usual. This acceleration will also give the unit a better understanding of combat sequences. An accelerated unit can be activated immediately after the activation of another unit from the same Company. However, it is not possible to activate more than 2 units from the same Company in a row (even by using the order vae soli). Immediately cancels the effects of Wounded and Immobilized states No orders Immediately after having killed an enemy unit, roll 1d6: on a score of 1 to 3 the Berserk unit stops all actions; on a roll of 4 to 6, it must immediately move 2 fathoms towards the nearest unit (ally or enemy). If it manages to engage the nearest unit, an attack sequence takes place immediately. If several units are at equal distance from the Berserk unit, choose the target randomly. The warrior becomes a madman, thirsty for blood and violence. He no longer feels the effects of fatigue and wounds, but if he has become a lethal danger for his enemies, he is also now a considerable risk for his allies. When a Berserk unit hits one of his comrades, his players opponent is the one to decide whether or not to reduce the number of hits (but the units contro