Engaging the Enemy
"If people bring so much courage to the world the world has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them. The world breaks every one and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry" — Ernest Hemingway
Who Rolls
Players make all rolls for both attacking and defending. Enemies usually never roll — all enemy attacks are handled by the grvnts rolling to defend.
Initiative
First, initiative is rolled by rolling a d6:
- 1–3: Enemies go first.
- 4–6: Players go first.
Turn order of players and their party is determined by Agility + d6, with the highest results going first.
Attacking and Defending
- Melee attacks test Strength DR 12 (+ target cover).
- Ranged attacks test Presence DR 12 (+ Aim and target cover). Aim refers to the −2 DR to hit a grvnt gains by spending a combat round aiming (see Firearms and Ammo) — not the +2 damage option.
- Defence tests Agility DR 12 (+ your cover); failure results in a successful attack by the enemy.
Crits
Rolling a natural 20 results in a crit.
- A crit on an attack roll means that damage is rolled twice, and the player can choose to either reduce enemy armor by 1 tier or cover by 1 tier.
- A crit on a defence roll means that the attack fails and the player may make an immediate attack back.
Fumbles
Rolling a natural 1 results in a fumble.
- A fumble on an attack roll results in the player rolling a d4:
| d4 | Fumble |
|---|---|
| 1 | You lose all ammo. |
| 2 | Your weapon jams or otherwise becomes unusable until an action is taken to fix it. |
| 3 | Your weapon misfires or breaks and can only be repaired after battle. |
| 4 | Your weapon explodes, dealing its damage to you and rendering it permanently unusable. |
- A fumble on a defence roll means the grvnt takes double damage and their armor is reduced by 1 tier.
Cover
Cover is split into three categories: partial, full, and total.
- Partial cover: +2 DR. Used for things where a person is about half covered — a wood fence, smoke/gas, etc.
- Full cover: +4 DR. Used for things where a person is about ¾ covered — trenches, tanks, stone walls, etc.
- Total cover: Cannot be targeted or damaged, except by weapons with the keyword Heavy. Used for things where a person is fully covered and cannot be seen.
When any weapon with the keyword Heavy attacks a covered target: total becomes full, full becomes partial, partial cover is destroyed.
No Man's Land & The Trenches
There is, perhaps, no more terrifying experience than running from hole to hole, knowing that simply existing in the wrong place at the wrong time could kill you. Attempting to navigate No Man's Land is a suicidal fool's errand.
Upon reaching the trenches, the walls are tight and the fighting is close:
- Melee attacks are DR 10 (in place of the usual DR 12).
- Agility tests are +2 DR.