Rippers – The Horror Wars
Getting Started
You need at least one hero/villain Wild Card to serve as the leader.
Take a deck of cards, and place one on each unit on the table. Count down from the Joker, the Ace – the Two. Ties are in suit order – Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, & Clubs.
Each player, who drew a joker, rolls on the Fortune table, p. 9.
Hold: Units must go on hold together. If a unit on hold wants to interrupt an action, it and the opposing unit makes opposed AGILITY rolls. Highest goes first.
Figures within a unit must be within 5” of any one other figure in their unit. Shaken figures must do their best to keep up, moving half their PACE.
Trait Tests: When you want a figure to do something, you roll that die. If it is equal to or greater than 4 (the standard target number or TN,) plus or minus any modifiers, your successful.
Multiple Actions: Each additional action attempted in a round subtracts 2 from all the figure’s rolls. A figure may not make more than one attack with the same weapon in a round.
Aces: When you roll the highest possible number on the die, roll that die again, and add it to the total.
Opposed Rolls: The winner of an opposed roll must still get a normal success of a 4 or better to succeed.
Raises: Every 4 points over the TN is called a “raise.” You only need to count multiple raises when figuring damage against Wild Cards.
The Wild Die: When making any sort of trait test, wild cards roll an extra d6, and take the best of their normal trait die or their “wild die.”
Bennies: Each side starts the game with three “bennies.” Each wild card gets two “bennies” that may only be used with that hero/villain. A wild card with LUCK gets an extra benny, and GREAT LUCK gets two. Bennies can be used to reroll any trait test.
Combat
Movement: PACE, this is how many inches they can move in a turn. Count every inch as 2” in rough terrain such as shallow water, or a steep hill. Figures may run – give them an additional 1d6, but –2 to any trait test done that round. Roll a single die for units with multiple figures.
Close Combat: A figure may make one hand attack per round using their FIGHTING SKILL, the TN to hit is their PARRY. When a foe runs from an opponent, all adjacent opponents get an immediate free attack.
Ranged Attack: Range = short, medium, & long in inches. Short range is standard shooting roll, medium range –2 from the roll, & long range –4. Subtract 2 from the attack if the defender has minor cover such as a fence & -4 if the defender has substantial cover.
Damage: After a successful hit, the attacker rolls damage. Ranged weapons do fixed damage. Hand weapons do the attacker’s STRENGHT plus bonus depending on the weapon. After hitting, the damage roll is compared to the opponent’s TOUGHNESS. If the damage is equal or higher, the victim is shaken. A raise on a damage roll means the victim is wounded. Non wild card figures are removed if wounded. Damage is calculated one strike at a time. If a figure is hit twice, both hits cause shaken, and a wound. If so, the non-wild card figure is removed from play.
An attack that hits with a raise grants the attacker an extra 1d6 when rolling for damage. A wild card hero/villain may use their wild card roll.
Shaken: Shaken figures may only move half their PACE, and may not perform any other actions. A shaken figure who is hit again, suffers a wound. A shaken figure attempts to recover at the beginning of each round/action by making a SPIRIT roll. With a success, the figure is no longer shaken, but has no other actions that round. With a raise, the figure recovers instantly, and may take their action.
Wild Cards & Wounds: They may take multiple wounds. The hero/villain incurs a –1 penalty for all further trait tests. A hero/villain with 2 wounds, suffers –2 penalty. They make take 3 wounds, & are removed from the game after their 4th wound.
Soak Roll: A play may spend a “benny” to automatically recover a shaken figure. You may make a VIGOR roll as well. Success & raises reduce the number of wounds by 1. A figure may make only one Soak roll per attack.
Morale: When a unit suffers 25% causalities, it must make a SPIRIT roll. –2 if the group is at half/50% strength & -4 if at 25% strength. If the roll fails, then every member in that unit is shaken.