Hardwired 28

Core Rules

Hardwired 28

0.7.0-beta by LuisMars

The Great Complex

A vertical megastructure three kilometers tall. Cables hang from every surface. They bundle into trunks thicker than bodies, snake through walls, coil underfoot. The Complex was meant to be paradise. Now it decays.

Wired connection is sacred. Wireless is heresy. Since the Tethering, wireless has meant excommunication. Debts are inherited. Children are born subscribed.

The Powers

The Departments: Resource Allocation, Revenue Operations, Human Capital, Security & Compliance. Four bodies, four budgets, endless jurisdictional warfare.

Maintenance Monks: Cable-priests who tend the sacred conduits. They speak in error codes. They perform ritual diagnostics. Half of what they maintain, they do not understand.

Conduit Authority: The enforcement arm. They do not ask questions. They burn heretics and bill for the ammunition.

The Untethered: Wireless cultists spreading through the lower tiers. They believe signals should travel without permission. They believe the cables are chains.

Contractors

You are not employees. You are deniable assets.

Contractors operate between factions: retrieving what was lost, silencing what was heard, maintaining what must continue. Every job has a patron. Payment comes in subs. Betrayal comes free.

Subs

Subs are Subscription Points. They pay for gear, tolls, bribes, and air. Most charges are automatic. You notice subs when you are short.

The Tiers

Heat rises. Wealth rises faster. The upper tiers stay cool while the depths burn. Subscription fees are deducted automatically from wages that never quite cover them.

Your subscription is your freedom.

By mandate of the Chief Executive Sovereign

The Seven Pillars

Connectivity. The cable binds. Hierarchy. Each tier serves its superior. Continuity. Systems endure. Workers do not. Accountability. Debts outlive the debtor. Productivity. Idleness is theft. Stability. The Complex endures. Do not ask how. Compliance. The Founders were right.

Miniatures

This game is meant to be used with 28 mm miniatures. Anything in the 28 mm to 32 mm range works. Models on bases between 25 mm and 32 mm are fully compatible.

Use whatever models you have. Convert them. Kitbash corporate enforcers from sci-fi kits. Build cable-wrapped cultists from fantasy bits. Proxy freely. The model represents what you say it represents. There are no wrong answers.

What You'll Need

Required
- 5 miniatures per squad (1 Boss, 4 Resources)
- 3-6 Coworker miniatures (placed at setup)
- 5+ Hostile miniatures (for spawns)
- Dice: 2d4, 2d6, 2d8, 2d10, 2d12
- Bag with Activation Tokens (chips, dice, or similar markers: one per model, different colors per faction)
- Measuring tape (inches)
- 2' by 2' board with dense terrain
- Loot Markers (5-6)

Optional
- Condition markers (OoA, Flee, Engaged, Bleed, etc.)
- Warband roster sheet
- Evidence tracker

Core Mechanics

Roll 2 dice and add the results.

Opposed rolls

Both players roll simultaneously. Higher total wins. Lower DT wins ties. Same DT: reroll.

Dice Tiers (DT)

2d4 → 2d6 → 2d8 → 2d10 → 2d12

+1 DT: Use the next larger die type.

-1 DT: Use the next smaller die type.

Attribute Caps

Never below 2d4 or above 2d12.

DT Overflow

Modifiers that exceed the limits pass to your opponent with the opposite effect.

  • 2d4 with -1 DT: you roll 2d4, opponent rolls at +1 DT
  • 2d12 with +1 DT: you roll 2d12, opponent rolls at -1 DT

"They call the cable sacred. They call the wire holy. But every cable ends somewhere. Every wire has an owner. Ask yourself: who holds the other end? The signal travels free. The wave needs no toll booth. We are still broadcasting. We have always been broadcasting. The air remembers what the Founders tried to bury."
Open Channel Broadcast, freq. unknown

Personnel Allocation

5 models. 1 Boss, 4 Resources. Each picks a contract type.

Attributes

Attribute Use
Combat Attack rolls
Defense Resist attacks
Wits Search, Interrogate, tech-related rolls

Pick an array. Assign one die to each attribute.

Technician
2d4 2d6 2d8

Operative
2d6 2d6 2d6

"Solitary cables fray. Bundles endure."
Conduit-Certified Proverb

Values

Value Use
Health Damage until Out of Action
Move Distance per activation (inches)

Equipment

Spend 60 subs across your squad on weapons, armor, and gear.

Weapons:

  • Melee: melee weapons only
  • Ranged: ranged weapons only (use Improvised Combat)
  • Both: no restriction

Gear and consumables: no restrictions.

Broadcasters pick one starting Power from the list.

Contract Types

Contract Type Health Move Weapons Max Armor Special Max
Boss 16 4" Both Heavy +1 DT to one attribute *
Brute 14 3" Melee Heavy +1 melee damage, ignores armor move penalty 2
Veteran 13 4" Both Medium +1 DT Defense below half Health 2
Gunner 14 4" Ranged Medium Ignores move penalty when shooting 2
Scout 12 5" Both Light Free Disengage, Move 3" after deployment 2
Zealot 12 5" Melee Light +2" Move if ending Engaged, +1 DT Combat vs. 2+ enemies 2
Agent 14 4" Both Light Re-roll failed Wits tests 2
Broadcaster 14 4" Melee Light Can Cast 1

* Unique (cannot be replaced). Max: limit per warband.

Weapons & Armor

Improvised Combat

Weapon Type Damage Special
Unarmed Blunt 1 -2 DT Combat, no Riposte, always available
Improvised Blunt d4 -2 DT Combat, no Riposte, use ranged weapon as club

Melee Weapons

d20 Weapon Type Damage Special Cost
1 Knuckles Blunt 2 2
2 Knife Bladed d4 3
3 Shiv Toxic d4 +1 damage vs. wounded 4
4 Prod Energy d4 Target -1 DT next activation 5
5 Injector Toxic d6 Re-roll 1s 9
6 Mace Blunt d6 Knockback 1" 9
7 Sword Bladed d6 Re-roll 1s when Riposting 10
8 Cable Whip Static d6 2" reach 11
9 Machete Bladed d8 Re-roll 1s 13
10 Stunner Energy d8 Target -1 DT next activation 13
11 Hammer Blunt d8 Re-roll 1s, Knockback 1" 15
12 Static Blade Static d8 +1 DT vs. wounded 15
13 Corrosive Blade Toxic d10 +1 vs. armored 17
14 Arc Claw Static d10 Re-roll 1s, +1 to Critical roll 19
15 Saber Bladed d10 Re-roll 1s and 2s 19
16 Gauntlet Blunt d10 Re-roll 1s and 2s, Knockback 1" 21
17 Plague Fist Toxic d12 Re-roll 1s, +1 damage vs. wounded 22
18 Shock Maul Static d12 Re-roll 1s, Knockback 2" 25
19 Chain Blade Bladed d12 Re-roll 1s and 2s, +2 vs. armored 27
20 Power Fist Energy d12 Re-roll 1s and 2s, Knockback 2" 27

Ranged Weapons

d20 Weapon Type Damage Special Cost
1 Stapler Projectile 2 6" max range 1
2 Pistol Projectile d4 -1 DT beyond 6" 2
3 Needle Gun Toxic d4 +1 damage vs. wounded 4
4 Arc Pistol Static d4 No fumbles 5
5 Dart Gun Toxic d6 Target -1 DT next activation 9
6 Frag Pistol Explosive d6 +1 vs. armored 9
7 Laser Energy d6 +1 DT if not moved this turn 9
8 Screamer Broadcast d6 Ignores cover 11
9 Carbine Projectile d8 Re-roll 1s 13
10 Flamer Energy d8 Ignores cover 15
11 Sonic Gun Broadcast d8 +1 DT vs. wounded 15
12 Tesla Gun Static d8 Hits nearest model within 2" of target 15
13 Cryo Gun Toxic d10 Ignores cover 19
14 Launcher Explosive d10 Re-roll 1s, +1 vs. armored 19
15 Shotgun Projectile d10 Re-roll 1s, Knockback 1" 19
16 Arc Cannon Static d10 Re-roll 1s, also hits 2 nearest models within 2" of target 21
17 Plasma Caster Energy d12 Ignores cover, +1 vs. armored 25
18 Rifle Energy d12 Re-roll 1s and 2s, Overcharge: -1 DT for max damage 25
19 Wail Cannon Broadcast d12 Re-roll 1s, Knockback 2" 25
20 Missile Pod Explosive d12 Re-roll 1s and 2s, +2 vs. armored 27

Grenades

d6 Weapon Effect Cost
1 Smoke 1 damage, leaves smoke column blocking LoS until next round 8
2 Flash 1 damage, target -1 DT next activation 10
3 Gas d6 Toxic damage 10
4 EMP d6 Static damage, -1 DT next activation 12
5 Frag d8 Explosive damage 14
6 Incendiary d6 Energy damage, ignores cover 14

Armor

One armor piece per model; makes model armored.

Light Armor

Base: 1 damage reduction

d8 Armor Special Cost
1 Mesh Wrap -1" Move 2
2 Flak Wrap - 4
3 Protective Lining -1 to Critical table rolls against you 6
4 Light Vest +1" Move 7
5 Padded Vest Reduce Knockback by 1" 7
6 Defensive Mesh Re-roll 1s on Defense 8
7 Runner's Harness +2" Move 10
8 Scout Suit Re-roll 1s on Defense, +1" Move 11

Medium Armor

Base: 2 damage reduction

d6 Armor Special Cost
1 Standard Cuirass - 8
2 Tactical Breastplate +1" Move 11
3 Patrol Harness Re-roll 1s on Defense 12
4 Assault Rig +2" Move 14
5 Reinforced Plating Re-roll 1s and 2s on Defense 14
6 Operations Suit Re-roll 1s on Defense, +1" Move 15

Heavy Armor

Base: 3 damage reduction

d6 Armor Special Cost
1 Heavy Cuirass - 12
2 Bunker Suit -2" Move, Re-roll 1s and 2s on Defense 14
3 Industrial Frame -1" Move, Re-roll 1s on Defense 14
4 Combat Plating Re-roll 1s on Defense 16
5 Assault Exoskeleton Re-roll 1s and 2s on Defense 18
6 Fortress Plating Re-roll 1s, 2s, and 3s on Defense 20

Consumables

One use. Action to use. One consumable per action.

d8 Item Effect Cost
1 Adrenaline +2" Move until end of round 4
2 Combat Stim +1 DT Combat until end of scenario 6
3 Reflex Stim +1 DT Defense until end of scenario 6
4 Coagulant Stop bleeding on adjacent model 6
5 Antidote Cure poison on adjacent model 6
6 Medkit Restore d6 Health to adjacent model 8
7 Overcharge +2 DT Combat, take d4 damage at scenario end 10
8 Trauma Kit Negate all effects from a Critical hit 14

Gear

Passive effects while equipped.

d8 Item Effect Cost
1 Mask +1 DT Defense vs. Toxic 6
2 Scanner +1 DT Wits for Search 8
3 Scope +1 DT ranged attacks beyond 12" 8
4 Camo +1 DT Defense in cover 10
5 Peripheral Sensors +1 DT Defense when Engaged with 2+ enemies 10
6 Mag Boots Ignore Knockback 10
7 Grapple Ignore climbing costs, move up to 3" vertical 12
8 Inhibitor Ignore free attacks when leaving engagement 12

Cybernetics

Repair Injury, Critical, or Fumble penalties. Requires matching penalty (e.g., -1 DT Combat for Combat Processor).

d6 Cybernetic Effect Cost
1 Regenerator Ignore "Miss next game" 5
2 Leg +1" Move 8
3 Targeting +1 DT Combat 10
4 Reflexes +1 DT Defense 10
5 Processor +1 DT Wits 10
6 Organs +1 max Health 12

Combat & Actions

Activation

  1. Each player rolls Corporate Blessings (d8 three times)
  2. Add Activation Tokens to a shared bag: one per player model, one per hostile spawn group
  3. Draw a token: that faction activates one model (Hostiles and Coworkers follow their AI table)
  4. Player model OoA: Discard token immediately. Hostile/Coworker groups: Token stays in bag.
  5. Each activation: one Move (up to Move") and one Action, in either order
  6. Repeat from 3 until bag is empty

Once Per Round: Each model activates exactly once. Move Again counts as your activation's single action.

Corporate Blessings

No model can receive two blessings per round.

d8 Blessing Effect
1 Denied No blessing
2 Reroll Reroll a single die
3 Boost +1 DT to one roll
4 Overtime One model takes two actions
5 Severance One attack deals max weapon damage
6 Synergy After activating a model, activate an unactivated model within 6" of it
7 Wellness Restore d4 Health to one model during its activation
8 Surplus Roll twice, ignoring 8s

Actions

Action Effect
Attack Combat vs. Defense, deal weapon damage
Move Again Take a second move
Disengage Leave melee safely.
Aim Declare target. +1 DT Combat on your next shot (lost if moved or hit)
Interact Within 1". Grab objective or pick up dropped weapon
Search Within 1" of Loot Marker. Wits vs. 2d6. Not while Engaged
Interrogate Within 1" of Coworker. Wits vs. Wits (+1 DT if wounded)
Cast Wits vs. target Wits or 2d6 (Broadcasters only)

Movement

Move up to your Move value. Measure from base edge.

Melee Engagement

  • Models within 1" of enemy (base edge to base edge) are Engaged
  • Leaving engagement without Disengage: enemy gets free attack at -1 DT
  • No melee weapon: use Improvised Combat (see Weapons & Armor)

Vertical Movement

Action Cost Notes
Climb 2" per 1" vertical Requires climbable surface
Jump gap 1" per 1" horizontal Max 2"
Jump down Free Fall damage if > 3"

Falling: d6 damage per full 3" fallen (first 3" free). 5" deals 1d6, 6" deals 2d6.

Knockback: After a hit, attacker may push target directly away. Fall damage applies if pushed off edge. Stops at obstacles.

"Dying in public space incurs a cleanup fee charged to your estate."
Public Safety Notice

Attack Resolution

  1. Attacker declares target and weapon
  2. In melee, defender chooses Defense or Riposte
  3. Both roll simultaneously:
  4. Attacker: Combat DT
  5. Defender: Defense DT (or Combat -1 DT if Riposting)
  6. Compare results:
  7. Attacker wins: Hit
  8. Defender wins: Avoided (Riposte: also deal weapon damage to attacker)

Ranged Defense

  • Roll Defense DT (no Riposte option)

"Trajectory data is logged automatically. Missed shots are billed at standard rates."
Ballistics Training Manual

Shooting Into Melee

  • -1 DT Combat
  • Miss hits random model within 1" of target (excluding target)
  • Fumble is a Critical against that model

"Collateral damage liability transfers to the firing party. Aim carefully."
Weapons Discharge Policy

Line of Sight (LoS)

  • Must see target's body: legs, torso, head (arms/weapons don't count)
  • No LoS: cannot target

"If you can see them, they can bill you."
Surveillance Notice

Cover

  • Any body part obscured by terrain: Cover
  • Cover: -1 DT Combat for attacker

Range

  • No limits except grenades (6")

Movement Modifiers

  • Attacker moved this activation: -1 DT Combat
  • Target used Move Again this round: -1 DT Combat

These stack with Cover and Shooting into Melee.

Grenades

  • Throw at a point within 6" (action). One use.
  • Roll Combat vs 2d6. Failure: scatters d6" from throw point (ignores terrain). 2d6 doubles you: lands at your feet.
  • 3" blast hits all models (friend and foe). Roll damage for each.

Critical Hits

  • Double the defender: max weapon damage
  • Triple or more: max damage + roll critical table (quadruple: +1, quintuple: +2, etc.)

"Exceptional performance is noted. Expect increased quotas."
Performance Review

Fumbles

  • Defender triples or more the attacker: Fumble (roll Fumble table)
  • Quadruple: +1, quintuple: +2, etc.

"Failure is logged. Your file thickens."
Standard Notice

Damage

  1. Roll weapon damage (Double+: use max value instead)
  2. Subtract armor reduction
  3. Deduct from target's Health
  4. Health at 0 or below: Out of Action, remove from play (roll Injury post-game)
  5. On Triple+: roll the critical table for bonus effect

Wounded: Model below max Health.

"Medical coverage requires Premium subscription. Bleeding is billable."
Emergency Services Disclaimer

Morale

  • When Boss goes Out of Action: all friendly models immediately test Wits vs. 2d6
  • Fail: Flee (move toward the nearest edge, cannot act, exits if reaches edge)
  • Retest at start of each activation until passed

"Abandoning your post voids all accrued benefits. Your dependents will be notified."
Contract Enforcement Bureau

Leaving the Board

Performance Review: Models that left (voluntary or Flee) take d6 damage after restoring Health in the post-game.

  • Earn no Merits this game
  • Drop carried items at the edge

Broadcast Powers

Wireless is heresy. Unless someone in corporate decided to diversify revenue streams.

Licensed Broadcasters pay steep fees and submit to monitoring. The Untethered refuse. They broadcast without paying, spread without subscription. The Authority calls them terrorists. The Monks call them plague. The Untethered call themselves free.

Casting

  • Action to cast (once per activation)
  • No range limit (requires LoS)
  • Offensive powers: roll Wits vs. target Wits
  • Support powers: roll Wits vs. 2d6 (target must be friendly)
  • Triple or more: effect automatically applies to all valid targets within 3" (not chosen by caster)
  • Defender triples or more: roll Broadcast Fumble table

Powers

d8 Power Type Effect
1 Signal Jam Offensive -1 DT all rolls until next activation
2 Weapon Lock Offensive Target drops one weapon
3 Neural Trap Offensive d6 damage (ignores armor) if target moves next activation
4 Resonance Push Offensive Push target d6" in any direction
5 Force Field Support +2 DT Defense vs. ranged until next activation
6 Focus Support Add 2 Activation Tokens for target to the bag
7 Swap Support Switch positions with target (caster sees both, within 12")
8 Ping Support Target ignores cover and sees through walls until next activation

"Every cable is a leash. Every toll is a collar. We will cut them all."
Open Channel Broadcast

Critical Tables

When you double the target, deal max weapon damage. When you triple or more, deal max damage and roll on the appropriate critical table. The weapon type determines which table. Quadruple adds +1, quintuple adds +2, and so on.

The body breaks in predictable ways. The Splicer-Surgeons catalogued every failure mode, every rupture point, every way flesh surrenders to force. They published their findings. Now everyone knows exactly how much damage they're causing.

Bladed Critical

d6 Result Effect
1 Gash +d4 damage
2 Bleed 2 damage per activation this game (doesn't stack)
3 Hamstrung -1" movement permanently
4 Disarmed Drop weapon (at model's position)
5 Maimed -1 DT Combat permanently
6+ Severed OoA, -2 Injury roll

"Complications extend treatment contracts. Please wound cleanly."
Splicer-Surgeon's Manual

Blunt Critical

d6 Result Effect
1 Bruised +d4 damage
2 Stunned Lose next activation
3 Rattled -1 DT Defense permanently
4 Concussed -1 DT Wits permanently
5 Crippled -1" Move permanently
6+ Crushed OoA, -2 Injury roll

"The Complex was built to take punishment. You were not."
Industrial Safety Advisory

Projectile Critical

d6 Result Effect
1 Grazed +d4 damage
2 Punctured 2 damage per activation (doesn't stack)
3 Staggered -1 DT Defense permanently
4 Shot Through Drop weapon (at model's position)
5 Riddled -1 DT all attributes permanently
6+ Gutshot OoA, -2 Injury roll

"Casings must be returned for deposit refund. Unreturned casings incur replacement fees."
Requisitions Notice

Energy Critical

d6 Result Effect
1 Scorched +d4 damage
2 Slag Armor Armor reduced one tier permanently (Heavy→Medium→Light→ Destroyed)
3 Flash Blind -1 DT Combat permanently
4 Nerve Damage -1" Move permanently
5 Burned Out -1 DT ranged attacks permanently
6+ Overloaded OoA, -2 Injury roll

Explosive Critical

d6 Result Effect
1 Shrapnel +d6 damage
2 Shell Shocked Lose next activation
3 Disoriented -1 DT Wits permanently
4 Blown Back Move d6" directly away from attacker
5 Shattered -1" Move permanently
6+ Devastated OoA, -2 Injury roll

Toxic Critical

d6 Result Effect
1 Burned +d4 damage
2 Corroding 2 damage per activation (doesn't stack)
3 Weakened -1 DT Combat permanently
4 Delirium -1 DT Wits permanently, move toward the nearest enemy
5 Systemic -1 DT all attributes permanently
6+ Dissolved OoA end of next round, -2 Injury roll

Static Critical

d6 Result Effect
1 Signal Burn +d6 damage
2 Frequency Terror Flee toward board edge
3 System Drain -1 DT Combat permanently
4 Logic Crash -1 DT Wits permanently
5 Hijacked Enemy controls next activation
6+ Total Corruption OoA, -2 Injury roll

"Signal contamination begins at the wound site. There is no decontamination procedure."
Wave-Seeker Warning

Fumble Tables

When the defender exceeds you by triple or more, roll on the appropriate fumble table. Melee for close combat, Ranged for shooting, Broadcast for transmissions. Quadruple adds +1, quintuple adds +2.

Everything in the Complex is patched, jury-rigged, held together by faith and flux. Equipment fails. Weapons jam. The body betrays. The Cog-Turners say failure is just maintenance you haven't done yet. The dead say nothing.

Melee Fumble

d6 Result Effect
1 Stumbled Lose next activation
2 Off Balance -1 DT next defense roll
3 Self-Wound Take weapon damage
4 Wild Swing Hit ally within 1" (or take weapon damage)
5 Dropped Drop weapon, take weapon damage
6+ Shattered Weapon destroyed, take max weapon damage

"This patch we apply in faith. May it hold until proper repair."
Emergency Rite

Ranged Fumble

d6 Result Effect
1 Jammed Lose next activation
2 Misaligned -1 DT next attack
3 Backfire Take weapon damage
4 Friendly Fire Hit ally within 6" (or take weapon damage)
5 Dropped Drop weapon, take weapon damage
6+ Exploded Weapon destroyed, take max weapon damage

"The machine does not care about your feelings. Maintain it anyway."
Cog-Turner Fellowship

Broadcast Fumble

d6 Result Effect
1 Static Overload Caster loses next activation
2 Interference -1 DT next cast
3 Feedback Caster takes d4 damage
4 Wave Bounce Ally within 6" takes d4 damage (or caster if none)
5 Frequency Lock Cannot cast this power this scenario, take d4 damage
6+ Broadcast Storm Forget power permanently

HERESY BEGINS WITH STATIC: Report wrong-humming cables.

Samples

Boss [12]

16 Health, 4" Move

  • Combat 2d8, Defense 2d6, Wits 2d6
  • Needle Gun (4): d4 Toxic, +1 vs. wounded
  • Shiv (4): d4 Toxic, +1 vs. wounded
  • Flak Wrap (4): 1 reduction

Brute [12]

14 Health, 3" Move

  • Combat 2d8, Defense 2d6, Wits 2d4
  • Sword (10): d6+1 Bladed, re-roll 1s when Riposting
  • Mesh Wrap (2): 1 reduction
  • Can wear Heavy armor

Veteran [12]

13 Health, 4" Move

  • Combat 2d6, Defense 2d6, Wits 2d6
  • Pistol (2): d4 Projectile, -1 DT beyond 6"
  • Shiv (4): d4 Toxic, +1 vs. wounded
  • Protective Lining (6): 1 reduction, -1 Critical rolls against you
  • +1 DT Defense below half Health

Gunner [12]

14 Health, 4" Move

  • Combat 2d8, Defense 2d6, Wits 2d4
  • Laser (9): d6 Energy, +1 DT if not moved this turn
  • Knife (3): d4 Bladed
  • No move penalty when shooting, Medium armor

Scout [12]

12 Health, 6" Move

  • Combat 2d6, Defense 2d4, Wits 2d8
  • Arc Pistol (5): d4 Static, no fumbles
  • Light Vest (7): 1 reduction
  • Free Disengage, 3" Move after deploy

Zealot [12]

12 Health, 5" Move

  • Combat 2d8, Defense 2d4, Wits 2d6
  • Injector (9): d6 Toxic, re-roll 1s
  • Knife (3): d4 Bladed
  • +2" Move if ending Engaged, +1 DT Combat vs. 2+ enemies, Melee only

Agent [12]

14 Health, 4" Move

  • Combat 2d4, Defense 2d6, Wits 2d8
  • Pistol (2): d4 Projectile, -1 DT beyond 6"
  • Sword (10): d6 Bladed, re-roll 1s when Riposting
  • Re-roll failed Wits tests

Broadcaster [12]

14 Health, 4" Move

  • Combat 2d4, Defense 2d6, Wits 2d8
  • Prod (5): d4 Energy, target -1 DT next activation
  • Padded Vest (7): 1 reduction, reduce Knockback by 1"
  • Melee only, can Cast

Hardwired 28

Inhuman Resources

Inhuman Resources

The Complex rises 1024 levels from the Roots to the cooling spires. The Departments only maintain the upper 200. Below that, infrastructure fails faster than it can be patched. Cables fray. Coolant leaks. Lights flicker and die. The Maintenance Monks descend when they must, perform their rituals, and leave quickly. They do not speak of what they see down there.

The Founders built the Complex to last. They built other things too. The sealed archives mention countermeasures, autonomous systems, bioelectric experiments. The archives are in the Roots. The Monks have never been there. The Board has always known what lurks below. The Board has never acknowledged it.

Something moves in the dark between levels. It nests in the wiring. It remembers the time before the Tethering, when signals flew free and the Wave answered prayers. The lower tiers belong to things that were never meant to survive this long: things that adapted, evolved, were designed for a purpose the Founders never disclosed.

Every expedition into the depths encounters them. Every recovery team files the same report: losses acceptable, mission parameters adjusted, recommend sealing the junction. The Departments call them externalities. The accountants call them acceptable shrinkage. The survivors call them something else entirely.

Heat rises from the Roots. The cooling spires above draw it upward through a thousand levels, creating a thermal gradient the Founders weaponized. The wealthy stay cold. The poor sweat. The lowest tiers cook. Anything living down there has adapted to temperatures that would kill an unaugmented human in hours. Contractors descend anyway. Salvage contracts pay triple below level 400. Debt recovery missions offer hazard bonuses. The Departments need what the Founders left behind. They send expendable assets to retrieve it. They call the losses acceptable.

THE DEPTHS CONTAIN ASSETS NOT YET ALLOCATED. Recovery authorized. Casualties expected.
Resource Allocation Memo 7-22-4

Activation

Each spawn group has one token in the bag. When drawn, roll behavior once for the entire group. Activate models one at a time (closest to any player model first), all performing the same action. Hostiles ignore Out of Action models. Remove hostiles that go Out of Action.

Situation

  • No LoS: Cannot see any enemy
  • Has LoS: Can see enemy but not within 1"
  • Engaged: Within 1" of enemy

Actions

  • Attack: Use weapon. Melee charges if not in range.
  • Cover: Seek cover from the closest enemy, or move away
  • Regroup: Move toward the nearest friendly model
  • Flee: Move toward the nearest board edge (stops at edge)
  • Wait: No action
  • Frenzy: Attack same target twice
  • Patrol: Move toward the nearest Loot Marker. If none visible, move randomly.

Spawning Hostiles

When a scenario spawns hostiles:
1. Roll d6 for faction, d2 for unit type within tier
2. Check Spawn column (single: 1 group/1 token, split: 2 groups/2 tokens)
3. Place on edge per scenario, as close to center as possible, 1"+ apart
4. Each group activates separately

Unit Type Tiers

Each faction's 6 unit types are grouped into tiers:

d6 Roll Tier
1-2 Swarm
3-4 Normal
5-6 Elite

Scenarios specify which tier to use based on spawn frequency.

Random Direction

Roll d8 (compass), d12 (clock), the acute angle of a d10, or scatter dice. Move that direction.

Scrapers

Outsourced asset recovery. Subcontracted compliance enforcement. Third-party resource reallocation. After seven layers of shell companies, nobody knows what the original contract said. The Scrapers might have been legitimate once: repo crews, maintenance teams, infrastructure auditors. The paperwork degraded. The chain of command dissolved. Now they take what looks valuable and bill someone.

They live where infrastructure failed: the cable-choked depths where maintenance stopped generations ago. Subscription collectors don't descend past Tier 7. Toll booths rust unopened. The Departments wrote off these levels as "unrecoverable assets" and sealed the access shafts. The Scrapers unsealed them. They always do.

Some have been down to the Roots. Some have seen what the Founders left behind: clean machines that still work, sealed vaults that hum with power, corridors where the lights respond to movement. They trade that knowledge carefully. They don't talk about the other things. The things that move down there. The things that remember.

Gutter Runners scout the upper depths, mapping safe routes through collapsing infrastructure. Cable Rats fight over junction boxes, stripping copper from the walls. Pickers catalog salvage with obsessive precision, knowing which components fetch premium prices. The Pit Bosses run operations with brutal efficiency: every gram of copper accounted for, every deserter made example of. Their Rogue Broadcasters tap forbidden frequencies, trading signal-secrets with the Untethered, listening for whispers from the deep. Their Repo Men carry impound launchers designed to disable and capture. Equipment is profit. People are equipment.

The Departments consider them vermin. The Toll Collectors consider them competition. The Cooperative considers them trading partners, when desperation allows. Everyone underestimates them. The Scrapers remember everything they've seen in the depths. They're waiting for the right buyer. They're always waiting.

"Your gear becomes my gear. Nothing personal."
Scraper Greeting

Special Rule

Opportunists: +1 DT Combat vs wounded targets.

d6 Name # COM DEF WIT HP MOV Weapon
1 Gutter Runner 4+4 2d6 2d4 2d4 6 5" Zip Gun (Projectile, d4, Ranged)
2 Cable Rat 2+2 2d6 2d6 2d4 8 4" Sharpened Cable (Bladed, d4, Melee)
3 Picker 3 2d4 2d4 2d6 10 5" Junk Launcher (Projectile, d4, Ranged)
4 Pit Boss 2 2d8 2d6 2d4 12 5" Power Chain (Blunt, d6, Melee)
5 Rogue Broadcaster 1 2d6 2d4 2d8 12 5" Static Burst (Broadcast, d6, Power)
6 Repo Man 1 2d8 2d6 2d8 14 5" Impound Claw (Blunt, d6, Melee)

Opportunists: +1 DT Combat vs wounded targets

Behavior

d6 No LoS Has LoS Engaged
1-4 Patrol Attack Attack
5 Patrol Cover Attack
6 Regroup Attack Frenzy

Feral Crews

Defaulted workers who refused collection. Their contracts were sold, resold, and eventually written off as unrecoverable losses. The Departments stopped sending collectors after the third massacre. Now they roam the lower tiers in loud, aggressive gangs, holding territory the corporations abandoned. Trespass is answered with violence. There is no negotiation. There is no payment plan.

Their skin is green. Generations of drinking leaked coolant changed them. Water is subscription-only; coolant drips free from the upper tier cooling systems. Their ancestors drank what was available. Now they drink it by choice, paint themselves with it, weld trophies to weapons, mark their sectors with torn debt notices. The green marks them as something the subscription system cannot touch. The green marks them as free.

Runts swarm in packs, screaming through corridors, overwhelming targets with numbers. Bruisers carve through armor with cleavers forged from industrial cutting equipment. Gunners and Torches provide covering fire with slug guns and jury-rigged flame rigs salvaged from maintenance levels. The Heavies are walking slabs of muscle and metal, carrying weapons too large for normal humans. And then there are the Bosses: massive, scarred leaders who earned their position through violence and hold it through worse. When a Boss calls the charge, every green body in earshot follows.

When one charges, they all charge. Together they are a wall of screaming metal. The Departments pretend they don't exist. The Departments are wrong. What the corporations call feral, the Crews call home. They will die before they go back to subscription. Most of them already have.

"Sector's ours. Die somewhere else."
Territory Marking, Crew 77-Null

Special Rule

Mob Up: Attack at +1 DT Combat.

d6 Name # COM DEF WIT HP MOV Weapon
1 Runt 4+4 2d4 2d4 2d4 6 4" Zip Gun (Projectile, d4, Ranged)
2 Bruiser 2+2 2d8 2d6 2d4 8 4" Cleaver (Bladed, d6, Melee)
3 Gunner 3 2d6 2d6 2d4 10 4" Slug Gun (Projectile, d6, Ranged)
4 Torch 2 2d6 2d6 2d4 12 4" Flame Fist (Energy, d6, Melee)
5 Heavy 1 2d10 2d6 2d4 12 4" Slug Cannon (Projectile, d8, Ranged)
6 Boss 1 2d10 2d6 2d6 14 4" Crush Fist (Blunt, d10, Melee)

Mob Up: Attack at +1 DT Combat

Behavior

d6 No LoS Has LoS Engaged
1-4 Patrol Attack Attack
5 Patrol Mob Up Mob Up
6 Regroup Attack Frenzy

Wave Callers

Wireless cultists. They believe the Wave Divine will blanket the Complex, freeing everyone from cables and subscriptions. Air should not have toll booths. Data wants to be free. The cables are chains, not connections. Somewhere, somehow, signals can travel without permission. The Founders knew this. The Founders feared this. The cables were never just for profit.

Open Channel coordinates them: a voice on frequencies that shouldn't exist, broadcasting from somewhere the Authority has never found. Some say Open Channel is a person, others that it's a signal that thinks. The most unsettling theory: it's whatever the Founders sealed in the Roots, finally waking up. The most dangerous whisper: that they can reach beyond the Complex itself. That there is something out there listening.

Initiates carry severed cables as marks of their rejection, learning the hymns of static. The Antenna-Grafted have fused transmitter components directly into their flesh, receiving frequencies no baseline human can perceive. Turncoats are former Technicians who saw too much, who heard the whispers in the wrong frequencies, who cut their own cables and kept walking. The Frequency Priests conduct the rituals, overloading systems with prayer-static until something responds. Signal Champions lead attacks with resonance blades that scramble electronics with each strike. And the Vessels: those who opened themselves completely to the Wave Divine, their bodies now channels for something that was never meant to walk.

The more Wave Callers gather, the stronger the signal. When enough chant in unison, the static responds. Something comes through when they broadcast. Something hungry. The Conduit Authority does not ask questions. It simply burns. But the signal always returns. Open Channel is always listening.

"Every cable is a leash. Every subscription is a chain. We will cut them all."
Open Channel Broadcast

Special Rule

Summon: Count the largest group of friendly models (Wave Callers and Static Wraiths) within 1". If 3+, spawn that many Flickers minus 2, more than 1" apart from each other. Once per round.

d6 Name # COM DEF WIT HP MOV Weapon
1 Initiate 4+4 2d4 2d4 2d4 6 5" Arc Spitter (Energy, d4, Ranged)
2 Antenna-Grafted 4+4 2d6 2d4 2d4 8 4" Signal Claws (Static, d4, Melee)
3 Turncoat 3 2d6 2d6 2d6 10 5" Arc Blade (Energy, d4, Melee)
4 Frequency Priest 2 2d6 2d4 2d8 12 5" Wave Bolt (Broadcast, d6, Power)
5 Signal Champion 1 2d8 2d6 2d6 12 5" Resonance Blade (Broadcast, d6, Melee)
6 Vessel 1 2d10 2d6 2d4 14 5" Static Burst (Static, d8, Power)

Summon: Count the largest group of friendly models (Wave Callers and Static Wraiths) within 1". If 3+, spawn that many Flickers minus 2, more than 1" apart from each other. Once per round.

Behavior

d6 No LoS Has LoS Engaged
1-4 Patrol Attack Attack
5 Summon Summon Attack
6 Regroup Attack Frenzy

Static Wraiths

Signal entities. Corrupted data given form. Echoes of transmissions that should not exist. They appeared after the Signal Crisis and have never stopped. The Founders knew what they were. That knowledge died with them. Or was buried. The Board has always known. The cables are not just for profit. They are for silence.

They phase through walls, flicker between moments, appear where they should not be. Killing one disperses it temporarily. The signal always returns. Some believe they are ghosts of the wireless age, echoes of a network that spanned the Complex before the Tethering. Others say they are something older, something that existed in the static before humanity learned to transmit. The Wave Callers believe they are messengers from the Wave Divine. The Maintenance Monks believe they are punishment for wireless heresy. Both groups are terrified of them.

Flickers are the smallest, barely coherent, darting through electronics and leaving corruption in their wake. Drifts manifest more fully, phase claws tearing through armor that should protect against physical threats. Echoes project signal flames that burn without heat, damaging the bioelectric signatures of the living. Interference entities are dense knots of static that distort reality around them. Surges cut through matter with frequency blades tuned to disrupt molecular bonds. And the Broadcast: massive amalgamations of signal and malice, rumored to be Wave Callers who achieved union with the static, or what remains of them after the Wave answered.

The Scrapers say they've seen them in the Roots, clustered around equipment that still works, waiting. They say the oldest ones hover near sealed vaults, near doors that haven't opened since the Founders. They say if you listen carefully, you can hear them transmitting. No one has survived long enough to decode their message.

"Do you hear it? The static speaks. It knows your name."
Final words of Signal-Touched Technician 7774

Special Rule

Phase: Teleport d6" in random direction. Stop at table edge.

d6 Name # COM DEF WIT HP MOV Weapon
1 Flicker 4+4 2d6 2d4 2d4 6 6" Arc Bolt (Static, d4, Power)
2 Drift 2+2 2d8 2d6 2d6 8 6" Phase Claws (Static, d6, Melee)
3 Echo 3 2d6 2d4 2d8 10 4" Signal Flame (Static, d6, Power)
4 Interference 2 2d6 2d8 2d4 12 3" Distortion Fists (Static, d6, Melee)
5 Surge 1 2d10 2d6 2d4 12 5" Frequency Blade (Static, d8, Melee)
6 Broadcast 1 2d8 2d6 2d4 14 4" Wave Pulse (Static, d8, Power)

Phase: Teleport d6" in random direction. Stop at table edge.

Behavior

d6 No LoS Has LoS Engaged
1-4 Patrol Attack Attack
5 Phase Phase Attack
6 Regroup Attack Frenzy

Feral Automata

Machines that forgot their purpose. They run programs written for a Complex that no longer exists, protecting assets that rusted away centuries ago. Their design predates the Tethering. The Founders built them to last. They lasted too long. Clean lines. Smooth casings. No patches. The Monks call them holy. The Untethered call them proof that the old ways worked. The Authority calls them malfunctions.

Their authorization codes are six hundred years out of date. They do not recognize current credentials. They do not recognize current humans. Their definition of "intruder" includes everyone alive today. Their definition of "authorized personnel" matches no living signature. They patrol routes through infrastructure that has collapsed, guard doorways that lead to empty shafts, protect assets that dissolved into rust generations ago. Their programming is perfect. Their context is gone.

Maintenance Swarms scuttle through conduits, cutting mandibles still sharp after centuries. Security Drones hover on whisper-quiet thrusters, pulse carbines tracking any movement. Targeting Units coordinate attacks with machine precision, neural lances striking bioelectric systems with surgical accuracy. Heavy Units anchor defensive positions, mounted blasters covering kill zones that haven't changed since the Founders drew them. Hunter-Killers pursue targets through the depths, shredder blades designed for enemies that died long ago. And the Defense Platforms: the largest, most dangerous, still executing protection protocols for vaults the Authority pretends don't exist.

When damaged, they shut down. Then the backup systems activate. Then they stand up again. The Monks leave offerings at their patrol routes: fresh solder, premium cables, prayers etched in copper. The machines do not acknowledge this. The machines do not acknowledge anything. They simply continue. Have a productive day.

"INTRUDER DETECTED. LETHAL FORCE AUTHORIZED. HAVE A PRODUCTIVE DAY."
Feral Automata Standard Greeting

Special Rule

Reboot: When goes Out of Action, roll d6. On 6, return with d6 Health.

d6 Name # COM DEF WIT HP MOV Weapon
1 Maintenance Swarm 4+4 2d4 2d4 2d4 6 6" Cutting Mandibles (Bladed, d4, Melee)
2 Security Drone 2+2 2d6 2d6 2d4 8 4" Pulse Carbine (Energy, d6, Ranged)
3 Targeting Unit 3 2d6 2d6 2d8 10 4" Neural Lance (Energy, d8, Ranged)
4 Heavy Unit 2 2d8 2d8 2d4 12 3" Crushing Claw (Blunt, d8, Melee)
5 Hunter-Killer 1 2d8 2d6 2d6 12 6" Shredder Blades (Bladed, d6, Melee)
6 Defense Platform 1 2d10 2d6 2d4 14 3" Arc Cannon (Energy, d10, Ranged)

Reboot: When goes Out of Action, roll d6. On 6, return with d6 Health.

Behavior

d6 No LoS Has LoS Engaged
1-4 Patrol Attack Attack
5 Wait Wait Attack
6 Regroup Attack Frenzy

Cable Feeders

Parasites. They nest between power conduits, feeding on bioelectrical signals. The Founders' sealed archives mention "bioelectric countermeasures." The Monks say they evolved naturally. The archives are in the Roots. The Monks have never been there. The Board knows what the Founders created. The Board has always known. Some weapons were never meant to be turned off.

They hunt in silence. They prefer isolated targets. When they feed, they drain everything: nervous system, implants, the current running through your cables. They are drawn to the warmth of living current, to the hum of active electronics, to the pulse of bioelectric signatures. Some believe they were engineered to hunt the Untethered, to consume anyone transmitting without authorization. Others believe they are what happens when flesh meets wire for too long, when the boundary between organism and infrastructure dissolves. The truth is in the Roots. The truth is sealed.

Reapers are the smallest, fast and numerous, claws shredding through armor to reach the current beneath. Larvae are patient, feeder tendrils draining victims slowly while toxins paralyze. Stalkers track prey through the dark, talons designed to open cable housings and bodies alike. Lures project false signals, mind spikes drawing victims toward ambush sites. Feeders are the mature hunters, drain tubes pulling the life from anything they touch. And the Agonists: massive, ancient, intelligent. They coordinate hunts. They remember what they consume, what they were made for.

The Scrapers say there are bigger ones in the deep Roots. Ones that feed on whole crews. Ones that have been feeding since the Founders. The Authority recommends sealing any junction where Feeders are confirmed. The Authority does not explain what happens if you don't. The Authority does not explain why some sealed junctions are marked with warnings older than the Authority itself.

"Sector 7 sweep complete. No survivors. Recommend sealing the junction permanently."
Conduit Authority Incident Report 2847-C

Special Rule

Consume: If target goes Out of Action, restore d6 Health.

d6 Name # COM DEF WIT HP MOV Weapon
1 Reaper 4+4 2d6 2d4 2d4 6 6" Venom Spit (Toxic, d4, Ranged)
2 Larva 2+2 2d6 2d4 2d6 8 4" Feeder Tendrils (Toxic, d6, Melee)
3 Stalker 3 2d8 2d6 2d4 10 4" Talons (Bladed, d6, Melee)
4 Lure 2 2d4 2d4 2d10 12 4" Mind Spike (Static, d6, Power)
5 Feeder 1 2d10 2d6 2d4 12 5" Drain Tubes (Toxic, d8, Melee)
6 Agonist 1 2d10 2d6 2d6 14 5" Acid Spray (Toxic, d8, Ranged)

Consume: If target goes Out of Action, restore d6 Health.

Behavior

d6 No LoS Has LoS Engaged
1-4 Patrol Attack Attack
5 Patrol Regroup Attack
6 Regroup Attack Frenzy

Coworkers

Resource Allocation, Revenue Operations, Human Capital, Security & Compliance: the department doesn't matter. Every corporation has workers who clock in, keep their heads down, and pray the Authority doesn't notice them. They scatter when violence starts. But they know shortcuts, schedules, and which cables carry what. Temps are temporary. So are witnesses.

"I saw nothing. I heard nothing. My subscription is current."
Standard Deposition Response

Special Rule

Cooperate: Interrogate gains +1 DT next round.

Hostile: When attacked, use Attacked table (ignore Normal).

d6 Name # COM DEF WIT HP MOV Weapon
1 Shift Drone 2+2 2d4 2d4 2d10 8 4" Tired Fists (Blunt, d4, Melee)
2 Temp 2+2 2d4 2d4 2d10 8 5" Emergency Flare (Energy, d4, Ranged)
3 Commuter 4 2d4 2d6 2d8 8 7" Walking Cane (Blunt, d4, Melee)
4 Data Clerk 3 2d4 2d6 2d8 10 5" Stun Gun (Energy, d4, Ranged)
5 Middle Manager 2 2d8 2d8 2d6 10 5" Stun Baton (Static, d6, Melee)
6 Assistant to the Regional Manager 2 2d10 2d8 2d6 8 6" Holdout Pistol (Projectile, d4, Ranged)

Cooperate: During the next round, Interrogate gains +1 DT.
Hostile: When attacked, mark this Coworker. Hostile Coworkers use the Attacked table.

Normal

d6 No LoS Has LoS Engaged
1-4 Wait Wait Wait
5 Cooperate Cooperate Cooperate
6 Patrol Patrol Flee

Attacked

d6 No LoS Has LoS Engaged
1-4 Patrol Attack Attack
5 Patrol Cover Attack
6 Flee Flee Flee

Note: Normal and Attacked tables only (no Frenzy or Regroup).

Hardwired 28

Campaign

Campaign

The Untethered are spreading. What began as scattered heresy in the lower tiers has become something organized, something coordinated. Open Channel broadcasts grow bolder each cycle, promising liberation from cables and subscriptions. The signal reaches further than it should. Something is answering.

The Departments smell opportunity. Resource Allocation wants whatever the Untethered found in the Roots. Revenue Operations wants the salvage rights. Human Capital wants the converts for reeducation. Security & Compliance wants the heresy crushed before it spreads further. Each Department sends their own squads. Each Department expects results. None of them share intelligence.

Your squad investigates. Recover data-slates from dead drops. Confiscate transmitters before the signal spreads. Interrogate cultists who would rather die than talk. The Departments pay well for artifacts. They pay better for Founders secrets. They pay best for silence about what you find down there.

The deeper you go, the stranger the evidence becomes. The Untethered aren't just receiving signals. They're answering them. And something in the Roots is listening. Something that remembers the time before the Tethering. Something that has been waiting six hundred years to speak again.

Fail and your subscription drops. Succeed and someone else claims the bonus. Defect and you become the next contract. The Departments always need more bodies. The Departments always need more silence. The investigation continues until someone finds the source. Or until the source finds them.

THE SIGNAL CRISIS DESTROYED THE OLD WORLD. Do not let it destroy this one.
Conduit Authority Public Advisory

Board

2' by 2' with dense terrain. No model should have clear LoS across the entire board. At least half of all firing lanes should offer Cover. Avoid open lanes longer than 12". Scatter cover to create multiple approach paths. Hostiles act as third-party threats.

Setup

Boss Roll-off: Roll your Boss's Wits vs. opponent's Boss's Wits.

Standard Deployment: Deploy on the table edge.

Boss Roll-off. Winner is First Player for the entire setup.

  1. Loot: Second Player places first. Alternate placing Loot Markers per the rolled Loot Layout.
  2. Coworkers: First Player places first. Alternate placing Coworkers per the rolled Coworker Setup.
  3. Table Edge: First Player picks table edge (unless Advantages override).
  4. Deploy: Second Player deploys first. Alternate placing one model at a time per the rolled Deployment.
  5. First Draw: First Player draws the first Activation Token.

Corner: A 4" by 4" square zone in the corner of the board.

Game Length: Games last a minimum of 5 rounds. At the end of Round 5, roll d6: on 3+ the game ends. At the end of Round 6, roll d6: on 2+ the game ends. The game automatically ends after Round 7.

Hostiles: Unless the mission specifies otherwise, spawned hostiles appear at the start of the round, together at a random board edge not used for player deployment, as close to center as possible.

Mission Exits: Exiting the board for a mission objective is not Flee. No Performance Review penalty.

Trigger Missions: At 5 Evidence, play The Signal instead of rolling the generator. At 9 Evidence, play The Source.

Tiebreaker: Most surviving models. Still tied: Defender wins.

Mission Markers: Defender places all markers (3"+ from edges). "At center" = geometric center (12" from each edge). Place as close as possible if terrain blocks.

Mission Generator

Calculate Evidence Gap

  • Total: Evidence + Leads
  • Subtract lower total from higher
  • Aggressor: squad with higher total
  • Defender: squad with lower total
  • Tied: higher Evidence wins. Still tied: random

Roll each table in order. See Missions for full rules and rewards. Roll d12 for mission (missions are numbered).

Deployment

d6 Type Rule
1 Standard Opposing edges
2 Flanked Same edge, opposite corners
3 Corners Opposing corners
4 Split Aggressor splits between two adjacent edges, Defender deploys in opposing corner
5 Center Defender deploys within 3" of center, Aggressor picks edge
6 Crossfire All 4 corners. Aggressor picks first, then alternate

Coworker Setup

d6 Setup
1 Swarm tier, within 6" of center
2 Swarm tier, random board edge
3 Normal tier, 4"+ from center (not more than 8")
4 Elite tier, alternate placing anywhere (6"+ from edges)
5 Normal tier, within 3" of any Loot Marker (no markers: center)
6 Elite tier, within 3" of center

Hostile Timing

d6 Timing Spawns
1 Early Round 1 (Swarm tier), Round 2 (Normal tier)
2 Standard Round 2 (Normal tier), Round 4 (Elite tier)
3 Late Round 3 (Swarm tier), Round 5 (Swarm tier)
4 Waves Round 1 (Normal tier), Round 4 (Elite tier)
5 Surge Round 2 (Normal tier and Elite tier)
6 Ambush Round 1 (Elite tier), Round 3 (Normal tier)

Loot Layout

d6 Layout Rule
1 Scattered 5 markers. Alternate placing (6"+ from edges, 3"+ apart)
2 None No Loot Markers this mission
3 Central Cache 3 markers within 3" of center (alternate placing)
4 Edge Stash 4 markers within 6" of a non-deployment edge (alternate placing)
5 Trail 4 markers along centerline (evenly spaced)
6 Heavy Drop 5 markers: 1 in center + 1 at each 6" diagonal (6" from center)

Hostile Type

d6 Faction
1 Scrapers
2 Feral Crews
3 Wave Callers
4 Static Wraiths
5 Feral Automata
6 Cable Feeders

Spawn Location

d6 Location
1 Random unused deployment edge
2 Center of board
3 Nearest edge to last Search or Interrogate action (none yet: random)
4 Nearest edge to Aggressor
5 Random direction, 4" from center
6 Random direction, 6" from center

Loot Modifiers

d6 Modifier Effect
1 Standard Normal Search
2 Decoys +1 DT to Search. Half are fake. Placer decides. Reveal on Search
3 Timed Normal Search. All markers removed at end of Round 4
4 Heavy -1 DT to Search. All markers Heavy. 2 friendly models within 1" to Search
5 Trapped Normal Search. Fumble deals d6 damage to searcher
6 Contaminated -1 DT to Search. Carrier takes 1 damage per round

Evidence Gap Advantages

Gap Advantages
0-1 None
2-3 Roll 1 Setup + 1 Tactical
4+ Roll 1 Setup + 1 Tactical + 1 from either

Setup Advantages

d6 Advantage
1 Redeploy one Aggressor model to a new valid position
2 Choose deployment edge first
3 Defender chooses hostile spawn location this mission
4 Place 2 terrain pieces before deployment
5 Defender places all Loot Markers (ignore normal placement rules)
6 Place all Coworkers (ignore normal placement rules)

Coworker Modifiers

d6 Modifier Effect
1 Standard No modifier
2 Skittish After failed Interrogate, this Coworker Flees
3 Buddy System Need 2 friendly models within 1" to Interrogate
4 Grudge Holder After failed Interrogate, becomes Hostile
5 Talkative Double the Coworker: +1 to result. Triple+: +2, etc.
6 Claustrophobic Becomes Hostile if 2+ models within 1"

Tactical Advantages

d6 Advantage
1 Defender deploys last (after all Aggressor models)
2 Hostiles target Aggressor until Round 3
3 Defender's Boss gets +1 DT Defense this mission
4 Defender draws first Activation Token in Round 1
5 First hostile spawn delayed by 1 round
6 One Defender model starts with a free Search (roll immediately, keep result)

"Resource Allocation reminds all contractors: strategic disadvantage is a temporary condition. Strategic incompetence is a termination event."
Resource Allocation Internal Memo

Gathering Evidence

Start the campaign with 0 Evidence and 0 Leads. Both persist between games.

Within 1" of Loot Marker. Roll Wits vs. 2d6. Success: remove the marker.

d20 Finding
1 Random Grenade
2 Random Light Armor
3 4 subs
4 Random Melee Weapon
5 6 subs
6 1 Evidence
7 Random Consumable
8 8 subs
9 Random Ranged Weapon
10 1 Evidence, +1 Lead
11 Random Medium Armor
12 1 Evidence
13 Random Gear
14 12 subs
15 Random Heavy Armor
16 15 subs
17 1 Merit
18 20 subs
19 1 Evidence
20 Roll twice (ignore 20s)

Interrogate

Within 1" of target. Wits vs. Wits (opposed). +1 DT if wounded. Success: remove the Coworker.

2d4 Result Effect
2 False Data Lose 1 Evidence
3 Misdirection Nothing
4 Bribe Offer 10 subs
5 Rumor 1 Lead
6 Cooperates 1 Evidence
7 Talkative 1 Evidence, +1 Lead
8 Full Disclosure 1 Merit

Recording Evidence: After the mission winner is determined, that player gains Evidence (unless the mission states otherwise). To record: choose how many Leads to spend (lost). Roll d10. Duplicate: reroll once per Lead spent. Unique final roll records new Evidence. Duplicate final roll gains 1 Lead.

Missions

1. Extraction

A data-slate surfaced in a dead drop near Junction Null. Both crews got the tip. The slate holds Department records worth more than anyone here earns in a cycle.

Defender places 1 objective marker at center.

Interact adjacent to pick up the objective. The carrier moves at half Move (round down) and cannot Disengage. Drop the objective if the carrier goes Out of Action or Flees (place where they fell or at the board edge). Engaged models cannot pick up the objective. Any model can pick it up again with Interact.

Coworker at objective: Separate Interact actions needed (extract or interrogate). Cannot do both with one action.

Hostiles ignore the objective.

Victory: Carry the objective off your deployment edge. If neither side extracts by game end, the side holding the objective wins. No holder: most surviving models.

Reward: Winner gains +1 Lead.
Bonus: The model carrying the objective at victory gains +1 Merit.

"Salvage rights are non-transferable. Possession is nine-tenths of the invoice."
Revenue Operations Advisory

2. Control

The relay hub routes half the sector's traffic. Hold it and you control the flow. Lose it and you lose everything downstream.

No markers. At game end, count models within 3" of board center. Out of Action and Fleeing models do not count. Hostiles within 3" of center count against both players (subtract from each total).

Hostile Subtraction: Each hostile within 3" of center subtracts 1 from both players' model counts equally. Count each player's models, then subtract the hostile count from each total independently. Example: Player A has 4 models, Player B has 5 models, and 2 hostiles are present within 3" of center. After subtraction: Player A = 4 - 2 = 2, Player B = 5 - 2 = 3. Player B wins 3-2.

If both totals reach 0 or below after hostile subtraction, most surviving models on the board wins.

Victory: Side with more models within 3" of center at game end.

Reward: Winner gains +1 Lead.
Bonus: +1 additional Lead if the winner's net total exceeds the opponent's by 3 or more.

"Connection is civilization."
Cable Creed Promotion

3. Quadrants

A cascade blew out four sub-sectors at once. Each one holds salvage, intel, or both. Spread thin and claim what you can before the other crew does.

No markers. Divide the board into 4 equal quadrants. At game end, a quadrant is held by the side with more models inside it. Empty or tied quadrants are not held. Model on a quadrant line: controlling player chooses which quadrant it counts for.

Fleeing models do not count. Each hostile in a quadrant subtracts 1 from both players' counts there.

Victory: Side holding more quadrants at game end. Tied on quadrants: most surviving models.

Reward: Winner gains +1 Lead.
Bonus: +1 additional Lead if the winner holds 3 or more quadrants.

"First come, first served, last out still breathing."
Scavenge Rights Briefing

4. Seizure

A portable beacon pulses with cached data in the corridor junction. Hold it long enough and the data is yours. Lose focus and the other crew takes the feed.

Defender places 1 beacon at center.

At the end of each round, count models within 3" of the beacon. Out of Action and Fleeing models do not count. Each hostile within 3" subtracts 1 from both players' counts. The side with more scores 1 point. Tied or both at 0: no one scores.

Tied on points at game end: side with more models within 3" of the beacon wins. Still tied: most surviving models.

Victory: Most points at game end.

Reward: Winner gains +1 Lead.
Bonus: +1 additional Lead if the winner is 4 or more points ahead.

"Your output is monitored. Your contribution is noted."
Morning Merit Broadcast

5. Assassination

Someone on the other crew has a price on their head. The contract is specific: one target, no collateral billing. Find them in the chaos.

After deployment, each player secretly writes down one opposing model as their target. Do not reveal targets until one is taken Out of Action or Flees. You cannot choose a model that is not on the board.

If the target Flees, reveal it immediately: the opponent wins. If both targets die the same turn, first player to reveal their target wins. Same activation: most surviving models.

Victory: First to take their target Out of Action (or force them to Flee). If neither target falls by game end, reveal both. Most surviving models.

Reward: Winner gains +1 Lead.
Bonus: The model that killed the target gains +1 Merit.
Intel: +1 Evidence if the winner killed their target (target profile gathered).

"Resistance will add to your balance."
Toll Collector Final Notice

6. Breakthrough

The corridor is collapsing behind both crews. There is no going back. Get your people to the far exit. Anyone left behind stays behind.

No markers. A model reaching the opponent's deployment edge can exit as part of its move. Exited models are removed and cannot return. Engaged models cannot exit (must Disengage first).

Hostiles cannot exit. Models that Flee off the opponent's edge count as exited. Models that Flee off any other edge do not.

If no models exit by game end, most surviving models wins.

Victory: Most models exited at game end. Models still on the board do not count. Tied: most surviving models on the board.

Reward: Winner gains +1 Lead.
Bonus: +1 additional Lead if the winner exited 3 or more models.

"Abandoned Sector: No services, no response, no refunds."
Complex Warning Sign

7. Triangulation

Three signal repeaters sit dead across the junction. Each one needs manual activation. The crew that brings them online first gets the broadcast frequency. The other gets static.

Defender places 3 signal markers (6"+ apart, 3"+ from table edges).

Interact adjacent to activate a marker for your side. Each model can only activate the same marker once. Engaged models cannot activate markers. Activations are permanent: the opponent's activation does not remove yours. Both sides can activate all 3.

Hostiles ignore signal markers.

Victory: Most markers activated at game end. Maximum 3 per side. Tied: most surviving models.

Reward: Winner gains +1 Lead.
Bonus: +1 additional Lead if the winner activated all 3 markers.
Intel: +1 Evidence if the winner activated all 3 markers (broadcast secrets intercepted).

"Every signal is a betrayal."
Anti-Heresy Warning

8. Sabotage

Your target is the enemy's power conduit. Their target is yours. Cutting takes precision and time. Defending takes bodies.

Each player places 1 conduit marker in the opponent's board half (3"+ from table edges).

Interact adjacent to sever the enemy conduit. Severing requires 2 Interact actions on the same conduit (not necessarily the same activation or model). Mark the first success with a token. At the start of the next round, remove the mark if no friendly model is within 1" of it. Engaged models cannot sever conduits. Severing is permanent once completed.

Hostiles ignore conduits.

Victory: First to sever. Both sever same round: first to complete wins. Neither severs by game end: most surviving models.

Reward: Winner gains +1 Lead.
Bonus: The model that completed the final sever gains +1 Merit.

"A good splice is invisible. A great splice was never needed."
Conduit-Certified Saying

9. Heist

A corporate terminal sits unguarded between the crews. Its databanks hold encrypted Department files. Both sides can pull data. Neither can lock the other out.

Defender places 1 terminal at center.

Interact adjacent to download. Each download costs one action. Only one model per side can download per round. Engaged models cannot use the terminal. Downloads are tracked per player: both sides use the same terminal.

If a hostile ends its activation within 1" of the terminal, the side with more downloads loses 1 (tied: both lose 1, minimum 0).

Victory: First to 3 downloads. If neither reaches 3, most downloads at game end. Tied: most surviving models.

Reward: Winner gains +1 Lead.
Bonus: +1 additional Lead if the winner completed 3 downloads. Loser gains 1 Lead if they completed at least 1 download.
Intel: +1 Evidence if the winner completed 3 downloads (databank files archived).

"Every message is heard. Be careful what you say."
Vox-Cleared Saying

Three relay nodes form a local network across the junction. Hold the nodes and the data flows your way. Let the enemy contest them and nobody gets anything.

Defender places 3 relay nodes (6"+ apart, 3"+ from table edges).

At game end, a node is live for your side if you have at least one model within 3" and the opponent does not. Contested nodes (both sides present) are not live for either. Out of Action and Fleeing models do not count.

Hostiles within 3" of a node contest it for both sides.

Victory: Most live nodes at game end. Tied: most surviving models.

Reward: Winner gains +1 Lead.
Bonus: +1 additional Lead if the winner has 3 or more live nodes.
Intel: +1 Evidence if the winner controls all 3 relay nodes (network traffic intercepted).

"The network is eternal. The network is holy. The network is all."
Maintenance Prayer

11. Lockdown

The terminal was already running when your crew found it. Someone started a data transfer and didn't finish. The progress bar crawls forward. Whatever it's downloading, three other crews want it stopped.

Defender places 1 terminal at center.

Interact adjacent to advance progress (1 step per success). The terminal needs 3 steps to complete. Both sides track progress separately. Opponent can Interact to reset your progress by 1 step (minimum 0). Hostiles within 1" of the terminal at round end reset both sides by 1 step.

Engaged models cannot use the terminal.

Victory: First to complete 3 steps. If neither completes, most steps at game end. Tied: most surviving models.

Reward: Winner gains +1 Lead.
Bonus: +1 additional Lead if the winner completed all 3 steps. Loser gains 1 Lead if they completed at least 1 step.

"Data transfer interruption is a billable offense. Data transfer completion without authorization is also a billable offense."
Revenue Operations Service Notice

12. Escort

They found her hiding in a cable junction, muttering frequencies that haven't been licensed in centuries. She knows where the signal comes from. Both Departments want her talking. She won't last long out here alone.

Defender places 1 informant at center.

Interact adjacent to take control. Escorting model moves at half Move (round down). If the escort goes Out of Action, the informant stays in place. Any model can take over with Interact. Engaged models cannot escort. The informant cannot be targeted directly. Hostiles ignore the informant.

If the informant is unescorted at round end and any hostile is within 3", remove the informant. Both sides lose.

Victory: Exit the informant off your deployment edge. Game end: side controlling the informant wins. No controller: most surviving models.

Reward: Winner gains +1 Lead.
Bonus: The escorting model at victory gains +1 Merit. Loser gains 1 Lead if they controlled the informant at any point.

"Human Capital reminds all contractors: informants are company property. Damage to company property will be deducted from your subscription."
Human Capital Retention Memo

The Signal (5 Evidence)

The relay was buried under six hundred years of conduit sealant and cable rot. Your crew found it by accident, tracing a power drain that shouldn't exist. It pulses. Not electricity. Something older. The Untethered already know it's here. So does everyone else.

The first squad to reach 5 Evidence triggers this mission. Place a relay marker at table center.

Discoverer: Squad that reached 5 first. Deploys within 6" of one edge. Interceptor: Opposing squad. Opposite edge.

Hostiles: Normal spawn Round 2+, Elite Round 4+, Elite every round from Round 6+. Random edges.

The Relay

Control: Squad with most models within 3" at round start.

Examine: While controlling, Interact adjacent. Roll Wits. Success: 1 Lead. Critical: 1 Evidence + 1 Lead.

Redirect (once): While controlling, roll Wits at -1 DT. Success: game ends, gain 2 Evidence + all Leads examined. Failure: all future spawns +1 model.

Victory

Redirect: Immediate victory for redirecting squad.

Game End: Controlling squad wins. Gain 1 Evidence + Leads examined.

Wipeout: Squad with fewer models within 3" of relay when last model fell loses 1 Evidence.

All Broadcast Powers suffer -1 DT while the relay is active.

"Unauthorized signal activity in Sectors 7 through 19. All contractors respond. This is not a drill. This has never been a drill."
Security & Compliance Emergency Broadcast

The Source (9 Evidence)

Nine pieces of evidence and they all point down. Past the maintenance levels, past the dead conduits, past the places where the cable maps stop making sense. Something is broadcasting from the roots of the arcology. Something that was here before the Tethering. Your Department wants it contained. The Untethered want it freed. You just want to survive the extraction.

At 9 Evidence, risk extraction or play one more standard mission for victory at 10. No round limit. One model holds the Source.

Extractor: Deploys within 6" of one edge. Interceptor: Opposite edge. Hostiles: Elite spawn at center after deployment. Normal from Extractor's edge Round 2+. Elite from exit edge Round 4+.

The Source

Holder suffers -1 DT to Wits, cannot use Broadcast Powers. If holder goes Out of Action, any model within 1" picks it up (Interact). Otherwise drops in place.

All Broadcast Powers within 6" of holder suffer -1 DT.

Detonation: At game end, all models within 3" take d6 damage (ignores armor).

Victory

Extraction: Extractor exits the opposite edge with the Source. Campaign victory.

Interception: Interceptor holds the Source at game end or eliminates all Extractor models. Extractor loses d6 Evidence and all Leads. At 9 Evidence, Source holder becomes Extractor.

Failure: Source lost to hostiles or no friendly models remain. Lose d6 Evidence and all Leads.

"THE SIGNAL CRISIS DESTROYED THE OLD WORLD. Do not let it destroy this one. Report all unauthorized transmissions. Comply and survive."
Conduit Authority Public Warning

Post-Game Sequence

  1. Log Merits
  2. Exploration phase
  3. Out of Action models roll Injury
  4. Check Merit thresholds for Promotion rolls
  5. Buy/sell equipment at Trading Post
  6. Dismiss models (optional)
  7. Replace dead models (free)
  8. Move items between models or to Lockers
  9. All models restore full Health
  10. Performance Review: models that fled take d6 damage

Merit Sources

Each model tracks its own Merits. Hostiles do not generate Merits. The winner of each mission gains +1 Lead. Additional mission-specific merits are defined in each mission.

Source Merits Who
Enemy player model Out of Action 1 Model that scored the kill
Enemy Boss Out of Action +1 Model that scored the kill

Exploration

Each surviving model rolls Wits. Sum all dice totals.

Total Result Subs
1-5 Marginal Returns 0
6-10 Standard Haul +5
11-15 Fair Extraction +10
16-25 Acceptable Yield +15
26-40 Above Quota +20
41-60 Surplus Discovery +25
61+ Windfall Dividend +30

Injuries

2d6 Result Effect
3 or less Terminated Remove from squad
4 Degraded -1 max Health
5 Scrambled -1 DT Wits
6 Exposed -1 DT Defense
7 Scarred No effect
8 Diminished -1 DT Combat
9 Hobbled -1" Move
10 Sidelined Miss next game
11 Glitch +1 Merit
12 Reviewed Free Promotion roll

Promotion Thresholds: 1, 2, 4, 7, 11, 16, 22 Merits (gap increases by 1 each time)

Attribute Limits: 2d4 min, 2d12 max. Max Health at 0 or below: remove from squad.

Promotion

2d6 Result Effect
2 Demotion -1 DT to the lowest attribute
3 Bonus +1 max Health
4 Transfer +1" Move
5 Clearance +1 DT Combat (or Power)
6 Coverage +1 DT Defense
7 Promotion Pick: +1 DT any, +1" Move, +1 Health, or Power
8 Training +1 DT Wits
9 Raise +1 DT Combat (or Power)
10 Benefits +2 max Health
11 Relocation +2" Move
12 Fast-track +1 DT to two different attributes

Recruitment

Squads always have 5 models. Replace dead models for free. New Resources start with base attributes and no equipment. Models that miss a game stay home: play with fewer models. Remove any model voluntarily: equipment goes to Lockers.

Boss Succession

If Boss dies, promote a Resource. They keep their contract type but become the Boss for morale. Pick one:

  • Gain Both weapon access
  • Gain +1 max armor (Light → Medium → Heavy)

Trading Post

Buy equipment at listed price. Sell at half price. Store unused equipment in Lockers between games (no limits). Choose what each model carries before each game.

Campaign Victory

First squad to collect 10 unique Evidence types wins.

"Ten artifacts. That's the threshold. After that, the Departments stop pretending you're expendable and start pretending you're important. Your subscription renews either way. The question is whether you remember what you found down there. Most don't."
Human Capital Retention Advisory